Shadowed (21 page)

“I said that I like the characters, not that I wanted to be them. Let me guess; you
were always a princess growing up.”

“Not always. I did that more when I was little. Then Sarah Beth and I liked to pick
something silly each year. One year we were salt and pepper. In college we dressed
up like Google maps, complete with the location dots.”

“What are you and Nick going as this year?”

“Well, he hasn't agreed yet, but we are going as Alice and the Mad Hatter. Maybe
you and Micah should talk about this.”

That got Megan's attention. She dropped the book in her lap and sat up to look at
Kaylan. “Why do I need to talk to Sidekick about this?”

Kaylan hid behind a pillow as she spoke. “Because Micah is your date for this party?”

Another pillow flew across the sitting area, colliding with the top of Kaylan's head.
“Hey. Are you out of pillows over there yet?”

“That depends. Are you out of stupid ideas and comments?”

“You're so tough. C'mon. It'll be fun, I promise.”

A sly grin spread over Megan's face, and Kaylan wondered if she should warn Micah.

“I don't need to check with Micah. I have the perfect costume in mind.”

“And what's that?”

“I'll be a superhero, and he'll be my sidekick. It will be perfect, especially at
a party with all his macho friends. And I'm picking out the costume. I'm thinking
tights.”

Kaylan laughed so hard the armchair shook as she imagined her brother in tights and
the looks on people's faces. It was bad enough that Nick would show up in full costume
makeup.

Megan joined her laughter, and for the first time Kaylan believed they had achieved
a breakthrough. Then a movement outside the window startled her. She stood quickly,
pillows dropping to the floor as she searched for what had caught her attention.
A woman lay crumpled in the yard across the street.

“Jenna!” Kaylan hit the floor running, throwing open the front door to their porch.
Megan ran behind her.

Kaylan sprinted across the street and fell on her knees next to Jenna, who lay curled
on her side, coughing uncontrollably. “Meg, can you get her some water?”

Jenna shook her head. “Inhaler. Red. Kitchen,” she croaked.

“Meg, her inhaler. Hurry,” Kaylan insisted. Megan took off into Jenna's house a few
doors down.

“Jenna, let's sit up.” Kaylan helped her into a sitting position as the woman struggled
to breathe.

Meg arrived with the inhaler. Jenna's hands shook as she took a long tug on the inhaler
before responding. “Couldn't catch my breath.”

“Do you have asthma? Have you been taking your maintenance dose?” Megan took the
inhaler back from her as Kaylan helped her to her feet.

Jenna glared at Megan. “I've taken that medicine my whole life. I'm tired of it.”

Megan held up her hands in surrender. “Your funeral,” she muttered under her breath,
and Kaylan glared in her direction.

“All right. All right.” Kaylan hovered at Jenna's side as they slowly walked inside
her house. Megan trailed behind. “Jenna, can we help you in any way?”

“My couch. Please.” She ground out the last word.

She helped Jenna to the couch, trying to ignore the tribal masks that seemed to glare
at her from their position on the wall. “Can we get you some water?”

“Not yet.”

Megan leaned against the wall, her eyes darting between Kaylan and Jenna as Kaylan
sank into a couch across from their neighbor. Kaylan prayed for the right words,
hesitant to leave until she knew Jenna was okay. “Jenna, have you seen a doctor lately?”

“I don't need to go to my doctor to hear that I need to take my medicine. Air pollution
sometimes causes flare-ups.” The corners of her mouth turned upward, but the smile
didn't quite reach her eyes. “But I can beat this. After all, it hasn't kept me from
doing marathons.” She ran a hand over her chest. “Perhaps some water now, Megan?”
Her contrite look set Megan into motion.

Kaylan took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax and fight the
flashback that
said she was trapped in a building, surrounded by a cloud of dust, and struggling
to breathe. “I'm so sorry. Can I help you with anything?”

“No. I'll manage.” She sank back in the couch as Megan handed her a cup of water
and then stepped back to lean against the wall. “Truth is, I forgot to take my maintenance
medication on my trip a few weeks ago, and can't seem to get back in the habit since.”
She took a sip and closed her eyes. “Thank goodness for emergency inhalers. I'll
be fine soon.”

Kaylan stood to leave, sensing the finality of the conversation. “At least let me
bring your dinner.”

“No. Thank you. I just need rest.”

Kaylan moved to the door but came to halt at the two stairs leading from the living
room to the entryway. For a moment she imagined Jenna collapsed on the floor, unable
to breathe, and no one around to help. Terror gripped her at the thought of finding
someone else dead. The blood drained from her face. She staggered away from the
spot on the floor where her imagination created hallucinations of a lifeless body.

Megan came forward and steadied Kaylan. “You okay?”

Kaylan nodded, reminding herself that it was unrealistic to fear everyone near to
her dropping dead. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, determined she
would help whether Jenna wanted it or not. “I'm sorry your asthma has gotten worse,
Jenna. Please let me know if I can help in any way.”

A small smile played on Megan's face as she turned to Jenna. “I think you just found
yourself a permanent caretaker.”

Jenna's gaze darted back and forth between the two. “No. Not necessary.” An edge
tainted her voice as her British accent clipped through.

“Too bad.” Stubbornness was a trait Kaylan came by honestly and used sparingly. But
this situation called for it. She walked to the front door and opened it. “I'll bring
some soup in an hour. Get
some rest.” Kaylan and Megan closed the door and stepped
out into the dusky night.

The street lay quiet, porch lights twinkling as the sky turned from rosy red to navy
with a slight glow on the horizon. Kaylan stared at her house across the street.
Sarah Beth's life couldn't be spared—not by human hands. The Lord had a bigger purpose
by taking her, although Kaylan and the Lord still argued about that from time to
time. But He had placed a woman right across the street from her who didn't have
family support and needed someone to look out for her, whether she acknowledged it
or not.

Kaylan stepped into the empty street, staring down the road to the end of the block
where the houses rounded a bend and the pavement slipped from sight. Death respected
no person, and sickness never chose its victims with care. Unlike Jenna, Kaylan
knew who held her future, and she wanted the opportunity to tell Jenna about Him,
so no matter what happened, she was prepared.

With that commitment Kaylan entered her house and headed to the kitchen. Time to
make soup for her neighbor.

Chapter 25

H
ALLOWEEN LURKED JUST
around the corner, and Nick couldn't wait to get home to Kaylan.
At one point she'd been a section of his life, one he had to lock up in order to
concentrate during work. Now she'd become a fixture, a part of himself that he didn't
need to isolate in order to concentrate. She'd become his reason to do his job,
to focus in the field and then come home. He couldn't wait to get back home and make
it permanent.

He'd talked to her parents, Scott and Marian, during his stay in Alabama. He'd never
been so nervous or so sure of anything in all his life. Despite his past, the danger
of his current job, and his lack of family to offer Kaylan, the Richards gladly welcomed
him into their family and trusted him to love their daughter. He still couldn't wrap
his mind around that reality.

Glancing at his watch, he grabbed his shoes, ready to track down dinner after a long
day on the shooting range. His marksmanship had improved during this round of training.
He hoped he had the opportunity to practice on Janus or her boss.

The phone rang, and Nick glanced at the caller ID as he left the room with his roommate
to meet some of the other guys. It
was Pap. He nodded at his roommate to keep going.
“I'll catch up.” After a moment, he answered the phone. “Yes, sir.”

“Hey, son. I'm out in Georgia visiting some friends and heard you are nearby. Mind
if we meet for dinner tonight?”

“I can make that happen. When and where?”

“Are you free now?”

“I just left my room to chase down dinner. How about Harriet's Diner a few blocks
east of the mall in about fifteen minutes?”

“I know the one. I'll meet you there.”

Nick hung up the phone wondering at the hidden urgency in Pap's voice and the need
to meet in person. His mind wandered back to the information Pap had given him recently.
Had he found out more in the two weeks he'd been gone?

Harriet's Diner took Nick to another decade. A bell rang every time someone entered.
The red vinyl booths, jukebox in the corner, and milkshake machine all took him back
to the 1950s when life was
Leave It to Beaver
perfect. Supposedly anyway. He enjoyed
the retreat. And the burgers. The sweet potato fries cooked by Mrs. Harriet's granddaughter
had no equal. He'd found the place on his first stint at sniper school and came back
whenever he had a chance. He'd pay for the greasy burger in the weight room later,
but nothing would stop him from enjoying it now.

“What can I help you with, honey?” A middle-aged woman in a pale yellow uniform and
white apron gave him a once-over as she nibbled the pen cap. Her white smile, sparkling
ebony eyes, and Southern drawl made Nick grin. No wonder Kaylan missed home. Maybe
they would move back to the Deep South one day.

“How about a cheeseburger with everything on it, sweet potato fries, and a mint chocolate
milkshake?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She looked him up and down. “Honey, you're a big boy. You sure you don't
need nothing else?”

“He doesn't, but I do.” Pap sank into the booth seat across from Nick. “Give me the
burger, regular fries, and a strawberry milkshake with a cherry on top.”

“Pap, shouldn't you maybe go for the chicken sandwich? You know what Gran would say.”

“Gran picks my diet the other six days of the week. Tonight it's my turn.”

The waitress, Hilda according to her nametag, chuckled. “You got it. Two orders comin'
right up.”

Pap rested his cane against the side of the booth, and Nick recalled the conversation
at the beginning of the year that consisted of that cane rapping his shin. He'd
walked away from that meeting realizing he had tried to take the place of God in
Kaylan's life, something he'd taken to heart since then. As her husband, he could
never do that. He could only point her to Him.

“Well now, how's your training going?”

“Pretty good, Pap. My scores are up. Kinda makes me ready to deploy again.”

“Any news when that will be?”

Nick waited to respond as Hilda brought two ice waters with lemon and placed them
on the table. “About a year and half until I deploy with the team, give or take a
little bit. Lots of school and training between now and then. With Support Activity
1,” Nick chose his words carefully, “hopefully, it's sooner rather than later. We
have a job we are itching to complete.”

“Ah, yes. I understand that. Did Kaylan ever tell you I was in the Army for four
years right after high school? I met Kaylan's gran when we were seventeen. I joined
the Army right after that and was shipped off for the 1958 Lebanon crisis. Eisenhower
initiated Operation Blue Bat as part of his plan to fight creeping Communism. The
scuffle in Lebanon began because Christians
and Muslims couldn't decide who to align
with politically. Politics, religion, and money.” Pap shook his head. “More like
power, passion, and greed. Many wars begin because of wrong belief in a god made
of human hands and intuition. Sad really. But the Bible says that wars and rumors
of wars will continue 'til Jesus comes back and makes peace. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
Pap cast his eyes toward the ceiling.

Nick shook his head. “I didn't know any of that.”

“Forgive the ramblings of an old man.” Pap chuckled. “When I finished serving my
country, I decided to dive into law, became a judge, and moved up to the state level.
My Army days seemed far behind me at that point. But they taught me a lot about what
to value.”

“I get that. Facing a situation where you know you could depart for eternity definitely
puts life into focus.”