Through Many Fires (Strengthen What Remains) (4 page)

Floodlights
illuminated the predawn darkness as he approached the main gate of Fort Rucker.
Even at this early hour people streamed in. Guards stopped Caden moments after
the convoy passed through the gate. They ordered him to park his vehicle in the
sprawling civilian camp. He looked at Adam, sleeping peacefully in the
passenger seat, and decided not to protest. He would get a couple hours sleep,
turn the child over to the proper authorities and be on his way to Washington
state in the afternoon.

As
Caden drove across the main compound, he passed dozens of tents and several
buildings being remodeled. Floodlights bathed them and, even at this hour,
workers climbed scaffolding and dashed about like so many ants. Ambulances
pushed through the crowded street toward the hospital ahead. As Caden continued
along, several helicopters, with red crosses emblazoned on the side, landed in
a nearby parking lot and off-loaded patients.

Caden
parked near a small grove of trees at the edge of the base, away from most of
the other refugees. Looking in the baby bag he found formula and disposable
diapers. “Even during the madness and chaos your mother was trying to care for
you.” He sighed. “I guess that is all any of us can do—try.” He fed and changed
Adam. When the baby was wrapped in blankets and resting comfortably beside him
Caden leaned his seat back as far as it would go and covered himself with a
blanket. “Goodnight Adam.” He shut his eyes.

The
baby cried.

*
              
*
              
*

Caden
yawned as he climbed the stairs of the base hospital. Every muscle in his body
ached. But then, yesterday in the convenience store parking lot, he had been
hit by a car and for the last three days he had slept in one. He looked at Adam
cradled in his arms and with a tired grin said, “And you didn’t let me sleep
much at all.”

Reaching
the top step, he stared out a window in frustration. Acres of what had been
green grass along one side of the runway was now a vast sea of tents, trailers,
cars, vans, people and mud sprinkled with tiny patches of green. The
congestion, mud and filth, brought back memories of camps in Iraq and Kosovo.

The
lights flickered and went out as Caden pushed open the door. His gut tightened.

The
room took on a dark, oppressive aura. Windows along one wall provided the only
light for the large, open ward. Patients were packed into every available space
on beds, cots, gurneys and mattresses on the floor.

Hardly
breathing, he weaved his way across the room toward a doctor. His stomach
churned with irrational fear.

The
lights snapped back on. Caden took a deep breath. For over a year after his
return from Iraq he flinched at the sound of a gunshot and his stomach knotted.
How long, he wondered, would lights blinking out cause that same reaction.

As Caden
approached, the doctor glanced up from a badly burned woman and demanded,
“What?”

He
quickly explained.

Bent
over his patient, the doctor asked, “Is the baby sick?”

“
No.”
Caden tried not to stare at the woman lying between them.

“
Injured?”

“
No.”

He straightened
up, rubbed his back and while writing notes on a clipboard asked, “What do you
want me to do?”

“
Take
him.”

He
rubbed his face and eyes and for the first time looked at Caden. “I’ve got over
six hundred patients sick, injured or dying. Right now I’m not doing well-baby
care.”

“
Where’s
the child welfare office?”

The
doctor shook his head.

*
              
*
              
*

Disposable
diapers were impossible to find, but a friendly nurse gave Caden four cloth
ones and a half-dozen safety pins. Back at his car, Caden looked at the
material, looked at the pins and then at Adam. “So do you know how to do this?”

Adam,
bundled in blankets and lying on the grass, giggled.

“
Well,
at least you’re not crying—yet.” From the trunk of his car he pulled out a camp
lantern and stove. He lit the lantern and hung it from a tree on the passenger
side of the car. A yellow glow pushed back on the darkness. He had no table so
he set the stove on the ground near the lamp and warmed some stew. As he bent
over the stove, he caught a glimpse of a slender figure dart, at the edge of
the camp light. He moved so his back was to the car. He held up a can. “You
like stew?” he asked the baby.

Adam
cried softly.

“
I
really don’t care for it either.” In the shadows to his right leaves rustled.
Caden’s heart raced, his senses on full alert. He knew the knot in his stomach
was unreasonable, but such gut reactions had served him well in combat.

The
child wailed.

Caden
needed quiet so he could figure out who was moving in the darkness and why, but
the child gave him none. He walked back to the car and casually slipped his
hunting knife in his waistband. “Now little guy calm down,”
Where’s my
pistol?
He remembered. It was behind the driver’s seat. He would either
have to climb into the car from where he was on the passenger side or move to
the dark side of the vehicle.
No, I’m just being paranoid.
Still, he sat
facing where he had last heard the crackle of leaves and seen movement. He
rocked the baby with one hand. “Now, now, everything will be alright.”

Adam’s
wail softened to a whimper.

From
behind, Caden heard the pump of a shotgun.

How
did they get behind me?
He had last heard someone move through the leaves and branches
to his right, but the pump of the shotgun came from behind.

“
Turn
around. Keep your hands where we can see them.”

Caden
complied. Two men with stubble-covered faces stood before him wearing dirty,
hunting camouflage and ball caps. The one on Caden’s left was about as tall as
him, the other shorter. Both had beer bellies. They looked like good-old-boys
in the bad sense of the phrase. One held a twelve gauge and the other a 270
hunting rifle with a scope.

His
every muscle taut, and in a voice more confident than he felt, he asked, “What
do you want?”

“
Most
everything you got, except the kid.” They both laughed. “Move away from the car
and get on the ground.”

Caden
was certain that if he obeyed he would never get up. He didn’t know what he
would do, but he was sure he could do nothing on the ground. “No. Take what you
want, but I’m standing.”

“
Like
hell you are!” The man with the 270 moved forward to Caden’s right.

Caden’s
options were few. The baby was to his back, the car to his left and the crooks to
his front and right.

“
How
about we just kill your kid?” Mister 270 pointed his rifle at the whimpering
baby.

A
gunshot tore through the camp.

Combat
training kicked in. Caden jumped to his left, toward the robber with the
shotgun. In one smooth motion, he pulled the knife from his waistband and
plunged it into the man’s chest.

The
man gasped. Disbelief etched his dying face.

Caden
grabbed him intending to use his dead body as a shield, but there was no need.
The other robber was on the ground in a growing pool of blood. Adam wailed, but
he could see no injury.

Caden
dropped the body he held.

At
light’s edge stood a young woman with long dark hair. In her outstretched hands
she held a pistol.

Caden
knelt and pulled his knife from the body, uncertain of the girl’s intentions.
Slowly he stood. His eyes were fixed on her, but her eyes, like her pistol,
were fixed on the body that lay between them. “Ah—thank you,” he said.

She
did not move.

“
Are
you alright?” He inched forward hand outstretched. “Give me the gun. Okay?”

Her
eyes flashed wild and she jumped back pointing the pistol at Caden’s chest.

“
Okay,
okay, keep it,” he said stepping back, “but don’t aim it right at me.”

Very
slowly she lowered it.

He
stepped back. “My name is Caden.”

She nodded.
Then moments later whispered, “Maria. My, my name is Maria.” She looked at the
whimpering child on the ground. “They would have killed the baby.” Her eyes
were full of fear as she looked at Caden. “They would have killed you.”

“
Yes.”
He set the bloody knife back on the dead man. “Thank you for saving my life.”

He
considered what to do next. He felt they were justified in killing the two
robbers, but still they had taken two lives. Someone had to be notified. He
retrieved his cell phone from the car and was relieved to hear a dial tone. He
knew only one phone number on base and called Lieutenant Turner.

While
they waited he tried to find out more about Maria, but most of her responses
were either yes or no. Within minutes, a jeep and a van arrived. Turner walked
up to Caden as a tall officer spoke with Maria. As the man escorted Maria
toward the van, Caden glimpsed the gold oak leaf insignia of a major. Caden
started to follow.

“
Please
stay here, sir,” said one MP. “The Major would like to interview the young lady
first.”

Caden
leaned against his car and watched while the MP examined the area and took
photographs.

“
What
do you know about this girl?” Turner asked as he joined Caden at the car.

“
Her
name is Maria and she’s a good shot.”

Turner
chuckled. “Well, that’s two excellent things to know about a woman. Let me see
what I can find out.”

Caden
watched his friend walk toward the van. There his eyes shifted to Maria. She
took Adam into her arms and leaned against the vehicle. She was out of earshot,
but a tall man asked her questions. Her head cast down, she appeared to be
focused on the baby. She wasn’t talking much, but her long black hair gently
swayed as she nodded or shook her head. She looked younger than him, perhaps
early-to-mid-twenties. Even in a faded denim jacket and worn jeans, she was
pleasant on the eyes. He recalled she had the merest hint of a southern drawl.
Despite her accent it was clear her roots were south of the border.

Turner
stood quietly to one side of Maria while the tall officer continued the
interview. It seemed the MPs were more interested in Maria than him.

A
medic came and examined the two bodies then double timed off to the group
around the van.

Maria’s
head was cast down, but she did seem to be answering a few more of the major’s
questions. After a minute of staring at her and trying to figure out what she
was saying, she seemed to pause and shudder. Turner called and someone came
with a jacket. Caden shivered.
Is it cold or are we both going into shock?
He
had no answer, but he pulled a coat from the car and, returning to the hood,
put it on.

After
what seemed like hours, Turner and the major walked over to Caden.

Turner
introduced the senior officer who quickly asked. “Where were you when you first
saw the two men?”

Caden
moved to the spot.

“
Tell
me what happened,”

Caden
looked back at Maria as she sat in the police van holding Adam. She had saved
his life. He wanted to help her if he could. He thought about telling a version
of the story where he shot one man and knifed the other. “Ah….” he sputtered as
he determined how to spin his yarn.

Turner
coughed, pointed to the bodies and asked, “Are these the men who killed Maria’s
parents?”

The
Major gave Turner a harsh glance. “Yes. These are the suspects,” he said
flatly.

The
news hit Caden like a fist as he stared at the two bodies. That was why the
Major had been so interested in her, why they had questioned her first and for
so long.
These guys murdered Maria’s parents.
While the men hunted
Caden, she hunted them. Caden knew the two men would have killed him, but now
the realization hit him with new force. He owed her his life. Emphasizing how
she had saved him, he told the major what had happened.

“
Lieutenant
Turner tells me you were with Special Forces.”

Caden
nodded.

The
major looked down at the man Caden had killed and bit his lip. After several
moments, a slight smile came to his face. “We’ll need the pistol and the
knife.” He looked Caden in the eye. “I won’t ask if you have any other
weapons.”

“
Thank
you.”

Four medics
arrived with stretchers and body bags. The major nodded to them. Turning back
to Caden he said, “Normally, we would jail both of you until the investigation
was complete, but these times aren’t normal.” He sighed. “And considering all
the chaos and crime right now, I’ve got better things to do than lock you two
up and I don’t have a facility for the kid.” He looked slowly around the
campsite. “Look, I believe both of you.” Glancing at the medics as they hauled
the bodies away, he shook his head adding, “And they needed killing.” The Major
stared at Caden. “We have to investigate. Can I trust you to stay on base until
this matter is cleared up?”

“
Yes,
sir.” Caden frowned. Now it would be days or perhaps even weeks before he could
continue his journey home.

After
everyone left, Maria sat near the campfire, cradling Adam in her arms. Caden
walked up to her.

She
pulled the baby in against her chest.

“
Do
you have a campsite, a place to sleep?”

She
shook her head.

Caden
slid down against his car. “I have blankets and a sleeping bag. You can stay
here if you like.”

She
nodded. “Thanks.”

Caden
fixed his gaze on the young woman. She rocked Adam back and forth while staring
at the fire. He expected tears from her, but there were none. Had the tears for
her parents already come and gone or were they yet to flow?

He
remembered the first person he had killed up close. When the fight was over and
the squad back at base camp, he trembled. Tears welled in his eyes, but he
wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t sad. He was a soldier and had done his duty. He held
his emotions in check that night for fear of what his comrades would say, but
the face, the eyes, of the man he killed still haunted his memory.

Caden
sighed and stared at the ground for several moments, then looked across at
Maria and the baby. She held Adam close but gently with experienced ease.
Anyone might mistake them for mother and child. Thoughts turned to his own
mother and father. He should call home. He imagined how the conversation would
go.
Hi Mom. How are you doing? Good. And the rest of the family? That’s good
news. Where am I? Fort Rucker in Alabama. Yes, I was on my way home, but now
I’ve got to wait for a few days. Why? Well I was just interviewed by the
military police because I killed a man. Calm down, no, I’m fine. You see
Maria…. Who’s Maria? We met a couple of hours ago—at the robbery. She shot one
guy, because he was going to hurt Adam, and that gave me the chance to knife
the other one. Who’s Adam? Oh, he’s the baby….
Maybe it would be better to
call home later.

Caden
looked to the lights of the main camp. He had chosen this isolated spot to be
away from people and that had nearly cost him his life. He looked to his right
at the dark patch of blood stained earth. He was certain the old nightmares
would return that night. If they stayed neither of them would get much sleep.
“Maria, we should move.”

*
              
*
              
*

Caden
sat under the canopy Maria had created to shade Adam. Somehow, in the three
days they had been there she had acquired a variety of rope, string, a tarp and
two wooden poles necessary to build it. They had both done well to get this
far. I guess I’m a survivor. He pondered the thought for a moment and concluded
that he was right. He had skills and he used them to find solutions that
allowed him to live.

Maria
had gone with Adam to the market area. He found it pleasant to lean against the
car in the shade of the awning while reading a three-day-old edition of the
“Montgomery Advertiser.” The day after the shooting, the radio briefly reported
the capture of terrorists with a nuclear bomb in New York City, but the article
in the paper gave a detailed account of the cooperation between the FBI and
Homeland Security.
At last a victory.
But the delight he felt at the
news was squelched when he read a nuclear bomb had exploded four days ago near
the naval base in San Diego.
Five cities, hit by nuclear bombs. All those
people dead or dying.
He shuddered and tried to put the horror from his
mind and wondered why no action had been taken against North Korea. They had
provided the uranium used in two of the bombs.

He
flipped the page and was surprised to see an interview with Senator Cole of
Montana.
He’s alive?
Skimming the article he learned the senator
remained out west with his wife for the birth of the third child. Caden
grinned.
That is going to be one spoiled kid.

A
glance at his watch reminded him of the appointment with the military police.
Hopefully
I can resume the drive home tomorrow morning.
He looked about at the
tightly-packed campsites.
How will I get my car out of here?
Out of the
corner of his eye he saw Maria approach with Adam. Caden was about to put down
the paper when Maria stopped and talked with Debbie Miller in the next
campsite. The Millers were nice people and he hoped they would survive, but he
wondered. Maria, on the other, was a survivor in her own way.
Perhaps that
is why I’m so attracted to her.
He set down the paper as Maria strolled up
to the car.

“
Did
you find any formula?”

“
No,”
she sat on the hood of the car, “but Debbie gave me a can of milk.”

“
That’s
nice,” he said still focused on the article. “What did people do before
formula?”

She
laughed.

Caden
looked at Maria as a smile beamed from her face. He thought about what he had
asked and his face flushed. “Okay, stupid question, but what do we do?”

She
held up the can. “Give Adam some canned milk I guess. You can still buy the
fresh stuff at the market, but….”

Caden
was surprised. “Really, paper money will still get you things?”

“
Yes, but
it’s all really expensive.”

Caden
stepped from under the canopy, folded the paper, and dropped it on the car
seat. He reached into his pocket and grabbed one of the silver dollars he had
taken from his apartment. Flipping it in the air he said, “Let’s go get Adam
some fresh milk. Save the can for later.”