Second That Emotion
by
Latikia
Copyright © 2006
Chapter 46
We came down in time to join the rest of the patients in sending out for Chinese take-out, which used up the remainder of the cash in my wallet. But it was money well spent. Their spirits were so much higher and lighter than when we’d arrived. Everyone pitched in and we ended up with quite a buffet and invited the staff to join us for dinner. Afterwards we opened up the games Lilly and I had picked up at the BX and the remainder of the evening was spent in Trivia, Risk, and Poker tournaments. Even the chaplain joined in, proving himself to be quite a good poker player.
After lights out I lay in bed and tried to fall asleep. I couldn’t do it. Eventually, around two in the morning, I got up, went out into the hall and sat down on the floor in front of Lilly’s door. Leaning back against the wood I closed my eyes and began broadcasting low levels of calm, peacefulness and love.
I’d been there for a while when I heard foot steps approaching. Opening my eyes I watched Billy-Bob sit down in front of me.
“You’re up late Reverend.” I said softly.
“I couldn’t sleep either, but I’m guessing not for the same reasons.” he replied just as softly.
“I’m not used to sleeping alone anymore.”
He nodded his understanding.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked him.
“You are.”
I nodded and waited for him to speak his mind.
“What are you? You look like a man, and most of the time you act like a man…but…” he trailed off.
“I am a man, just a man. I have my strengths and weaknesses, like anyone else. I look a little different, but that’s nothing more than a matter of genetics and misfortune. I was a redhead before my first wife was killed.”
“This morning I saw wings of flame grow out of you.”
“Ahhhh…see now we have a problem. You’re thinking that I’m either some kind of angel or demon, right?”
He shrugged, rather eloquently I thought.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I said I was an angel, and you wouldn’t believe me if I said I wasn’t a demon. The truth is somewhere in between the two. I’m a man…but I have a couple of abilities that most other people don’t. I’ve done good things, and I’ve done bad things, some of each on purpose and some of both accidentally. You’ll have to decide for yourself what label to give me. I can’t help you with that.”
“How do you do it? How can you make so many people feel better about themselves one minute and put the fear of God into a man the next?”
“Isn’t that one of the curious and wondrous things about humans? We can be kind, gentle and loving one instant and bloodthirsty killers the next? As for how I do what I do…” I shrugged. “I was born this way.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
I smiled briefly. “Tomorrow’s my last day as a soldier, and my first as an official employee of the CIA. I’m going to be a spy hunter. And with a little luck I’ll never have to kill again, which would suit me just fine. I’m going to go back to school, get my degree and become a psychologist. Maybe I can make up for all the lives I’ve taken by helping people like the ones on this ward get their lives back on track.”
He nodded absently. “An admirable goal. I used to think that was what I was doing.”
“I think maybe you lost sight of the message and got tied up in all the various interpretations. Words are fine, wonderful things, but they’re only words. They describe ideas and actions. Those are what really count. And the motivations behind them. Faith alone can’t accomplish a thing. But faith in combination with inspired and thoughtful action can move mountains. You can help people, if that’s what you truly want to do, but try using inspiration and motivation. Flies and honey, preacher, flies and honey. People who think they’re doomed make lousy allies and worse friends.”
He nodded, finally seeming to be satisfied. He got stiffly to his feet. “Good night Ike.”
“Good night Billy-Bob. Sleep well.”
He walked slowly down the hall, back into the men’s bay. I linked with the man just before he passed thru the double doors. I shook my head sadly at what I found there.
I had just closed my eyes again when the door behind me opened and I fell back, my head landing hard on the floor with a dull ‘thud’. Déjà vu.
I blinked to clear away the fireflies and saw Lilly standing over me. I smiled.
“I can’t sleep.” she said quietly.
“Me either.”
“And I miss Izzy and Peggy.”
“So do I.” I sat up, climbed to my feet, took Lilly’s hand and together we walked into the empty dayroom. I lay down on one of the couches and she lay down on top of me, the way Peggy usually did when we were all together. I stroked her hair with one hand, resting the other on the small of her back. Less than five minutes later she was fast asleep. Not long after that I followed her into the darkness.
Murmuring noises drew me out of the darkness. Opening my eyes I saw the night shift nurse and one of the techs standing in the doorway, speaking quietly to one another. Lilly was still sleeping, splayed out on top of me. I tightened my arms around her and very slowly and carefully sat up, shifting her sleeping form around so that she was cradled in my arms. Getting to my feet I maneuvered around the furniture and approached the pair in the doorway.
“What time is it?” I asked quietly.
“Almost five thirty.” the nurse told me after checking her watch.
“Thanks. I’d have been getting up soon anyway.” They stepped back as I carried Lilly out into the hallway. “Sorry about this, but we have trouble sleeping alone.”
The nurse smiled and the tech, a young woman about my own age, grinned at me. “I think it’s very sweet.”
I smiled back at them then carried Lilly to her room and put her in her bed and tucked her in. She opened her eyes briefly, reaching out and laying her hand on my cheek.
“Go back to sleep, little flower. It’s still early. I’ll be here when you wake up.” I bent down, put my lips against hers, linked and put a spark in her ring. Lilly shuddered and moaned into my mouth, throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me down on top of her.
She held me tight until she stopped shaking, then sighed and went limp. I put her arms back beneath the covers, pulled them up to her shoulders and tucked the free side beneath the mattress.
“Sweet dreams.” I whispered and left the room, closing the door behind me.
I went back down the hall to the bay, changed into my sweats, put on my running shoes and headed out, bound for the basement.
It had been a while since I’d run for any length of time, so I started out slow and easy for the first twenty minutes, then gradually increased my pace over the course of the next hour.
I’d been running around the hospital for nearly two hours when I noticed some unusual activity. Army and Air Force enlisted men were unloading a couple of covered ton and a half trucks around the back, near the freight elevator. The young Captain who was supervising them kept eying me, a strange expression on his face, every time I came around the corner of the building where they were. I shrugged it off and kept going. Whatever they were doing, it was none of my business.
As the sun came up on the first cloudless day I’d seen in weeks, I realized that I didn’t have any sun blocker on, and that it might be a good time to head back inside.
Up on the ward I showered, trimmed my beard and moustache, shaved the sides and made myself presentable, got dressed, took my tray of barely edible ‘food’ and went to Lilly’s room. I rousted her out of bed and off into the shower. While she was in the bathroom, I sat on the bed and forced myself to eat. MREs were better than the stuff they fed us in the hospital.
Lilly emerged from the bathroom, combing out her damp, curly hair, and looking very wholesome and sexy in jeans and one of my dress shirts. She smiled sweetly at me.
I raised my plastic cup of orange juice in a toast. “Looks better on you than it ever did on me.”
She finished combing her hair, hopped up on the bed next to me and I fed her breakfast.
When the time for group approached we kissed goodbye and I walked to the bay and took my place in the circle.
Tuesday’s group was a little different from the day before. Billy-Bob stood up and apologized for his behavior during the previous two weeks and promised not to bother anyone. He also offered to listen to anyone if they just wanted to talk, on any subject. And that was that. The rest of group was pretty much the way I remembered it from my first days on the ward. Boring.
I sat there and listened, broadcasting gentle levels of encouragement and compassion until the session was over. We wandered over to the dayroom and took our places for the resident meeting. We’d just gotten started when there was a commotion out in the hall.
“Daddy?!” a loud, insistent young girl’s voice cried out.
“They’re here!” Lilly squealed, jumping up and rushing out into the hall.
“Sorry guys…family crisis.” I explained and quickly followed her.
Out in the hall I witnessed a reunion the likes of which I’d never imagined. Izzy was hugging Lilly one instant then Peggy was in her arms and then the three of them group hugged, bouncing up and down like pre-teen school girls, laughing, giggling, squealing and crying up a storm.
I leaned against the door jamb and watched them for several minutes, pleased, amused and feeling just a little left out. Then Peggy stepped back, looked over her shoulder and spotted me.
“There you are!” she trilled happily, sprinted the fifteen feet that separated us and launched herself up into my outstretched arms. She wrapped both arms around my neck and clamped her mouth over mine and tried to suck my tongue out of my head.
When she finally pulled back and I could breath again I saw a wicked grin forming across her elfin face.
“Wow…” was the best I could come up with.
“Did you miss me?” she asked coyly.
“Nope, caught you on the first try.” I laughed and squeezed her tight, sticking the tip of my tongue in her ear. Peggy giggled and wiggled like a happy puppy.
Looking over my shoulder she must have seen the growing cluster of bodies in the dayroom doorway.
“Hi. I’m Peggy.” I heard her say. I turned sideways so we could both look in that direction. She seemed very pleased with herself. Glancing down I saw that her cast was gone.
“Got your cast off, huh? What did the doctor say?”
“He was really impressed with how fast the break healed. Said he couldn’t even tell it had been broken.” She pressed the end of her nose against mine. “Did you have anything to do with that?”
“I doubt it.” I whispered. “Might just be the healing power of naked girls. I know it does wonders for me.”
Peggy turned her head to the side and stared at the faces who were staring at her. “You know, for guys stuck on the Wacky Ward they seem awfully cheerful.”
“Why wouldn’t they be cheerful? The three of you in one place could make a broom closet feel like a fun house.” With a light swat on the bottom I set her down. Peggy hurried back over to Lilly’s side while Izzy walked gracefully up and put one arm around my waist.
“How’re you holding up baby?” she asked me.
“Lilly’s kept me from going nuts, but we missed you guys a lot.”
She tilted her head back slightly and I leaned forward, pressing our lips together and pulling her hard against me. I nibbled at her lower lip with my teeth then ran my tongue around the outside of her lips, slid my hand behind her head and kissed her with all the passion I possessed. Izzy bent farther and farther backwards. I put my other hand behind her back and followed her. Before long we were both on the floor, Izzy in my lap and the both of us holding on to the other for dear life.
“You don’t suppose they’re all his, do you?” I heard a faint voice speaking behind me. I pulled back just slightly. Izzy sighed happily and beamed up at me.
I got up to my knees, lifting Izzy upright, still holding her tightly in one arm and opened my other arm wide.
“My sweet, beautiful, wonderful girls.” Lilly and Peggy hurried over and we had a sloppy group hug. I gave all three of them a spark and they shivered, shook and collapsed all over me.
As I did my best to hold them all upright, I saw Anya leaning against the nurse’s station with a smugly pleased look on her face.
“Hey Anya. Where’s David?” I called to her.
I heard an intake of air and a voice behind me spoke to someone else I couldn’t see. “That’s the blond chick Ike fought with the last time he was here!”
“David went to the airport. He had to pick up some kind of VIP. Once that’s taken care of he’ll meet us here.”
“You’re looking well. How’s your head?”
“Quite well, thank you. How are your arms? Do you plan to hold the three of them up like that for an hour?” she laughed.
“If necessary. Wanna lend me a hand?”
Anya took Peggy from my arms and held her up while I draped Izzy over one shoulder and Lilly over the other. Standing up I took Peggy from Anya and carried all three slowly down the hall to Lilly’s room, and laid them out across the bed. Anya followed me in to the room, carrying the bags Izzy and Peggy had brought along with them, set them beneath the bed then took a seat in the chair by the door.
“Keep an eye on them would you? I have to go finish a meeting then I’ll be right back.”
“No problem, boss.”
I hurried back out and down the hall, to be greeted by questioning eyes and puzzled looks from all the people in the dayroom.
“No they’re not all mine.” I said.
“You sure were kissing ‘em like they was yours.” one young airman said with a grin.
Couldn’t argue with that kind of reasoning, now could I?
“It’s kind of complicated, but the simple truth is that they decided to share me.”
“You belong to them, they belong to you…what’s the difference?” he asked.
I showed him a half smile. “All the difference in the world. Like I said, it’s complicated. And very unconventional. Oh, and by the way, the blond chick has a name. Her name is Anya and she’s a CIA assassin, so try not to get on her bad side.”
I climbed over the couch and took my seat. “Let’s get on with the meeting, shall we?”
The remainder of the ward meeting took less than fifteen minutes, and when it broke up I was quickly surrounded and repeatedly questioned about the girls. Twenty minutes later I’d had about all I could take and put an end to things by walking out of the dayroom and down the hall, where I ran into Mr. Jones coming towards me.
“Where are Anya and the girls?” he asked.
“I left them in Lilly’s room a few minutes ago. Something wrong?”
“Nothing I’m aware of. I just have a message to deliver.”
He followed me to Lilly’s room and I knocked lightly on the closed door.
“Anya? David’s back.” I told the closed door.
The door opened slightly and Anya peered out at us. She backed up and opened the door wider and let us in. Izzy, Lilly and Peggy were all awake, sitting on the bed and whispering back and forth.
David and Anya put their heads together and began talking softly. I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed and the girls looked up, smiling brightly.
That should have been my first clue that something was going on.
But I was so happy to see them all together that I ignored the obvious signs, and returned their smiles with one of my own.
“Lilly was telling us about meeting your commander and the young marine.” Izzy said.
“And about you being invited to some sort of ceremony this afternoon.” Peggy added.
I nodded. “I think Lt. Bakr is probably going to receive a medal. Maybe the Colonel as well.”
“Do you think they’d mind if Peggy and I came along too?” my big sister asked hopefully.
I chuckled. “Honey, no military man worth his salt would pass up the chance to get an award and have three beautiful women see him get it. Of course you can come along, if you want to.”
“Are you going to wear your soldier suit?” Peggy asked me. That got a snort from Mr. Jones and a chuckle from me.
“No squirt, I’m done with the military. I’ll just wear a…” It dawned on me that I hadn’t brought a suit with me. I hadn’t thought I’d need one just to out-process.
Lilly reached out and patted my leg. “I figured you forgot. So I called home last night and asked Izzy to bring your suit along.”
“What would I do without you girls?” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Run around naked in the snow and scare the horses?” Peggy giggled.
Izzy got off the bed, ducked down and brought out one of the bags. She stood up and handed it to me.
“Go and get dressed…we need to get changed too.”
That should have been my second clue, but for some reason my head was elsewhere.
“Awww…I don’t get to watch?”
Izzy smirked at me, wiggling her eyebrows. “Not if you actually plan to be ready on time. Now scoot!”
I took the bag and left, leaving the girls in the care of Anya and Mr. Jones.
After changing into my suit, combing my hair and giving my shoes a quick buffing, I sat on my bed in the open bay staring off into space. Something was tickling the back of my mind, trying to get my attention, but for the life of me I couldn’t get it to come forward and into focus.
Eventually I got bored and frustrated, so I stopped
thinking, got up and walked out into the hall.
It was empty. So were the dayroom
and nurse’s station. The clock on the
wall told me it was just after
It was very quiet, and I was starting to get seriously paranoid.
I headed straight to Lilly’s room and knocked on the door. No answer. I couldn’t hear any sounds behind the door, so I turned the knob and pushed the door open. The room was empty. No sign of the girls, no sign of Anya or Mr. Jones.
My paranoia blossomed fully and panic began to set in. I checked the bathroom. Nothing.
Throwing open the room’s door, I stalked back out into the hall, my head lowered and swinging side to side, eyes narrowed, heart pounding in my chest. I wanted to get my hands on someone…anyone…very badly and get some answers. I started broadcasting malice and anger. I could feel the heat start to build.
I headed towards the doctor’s offices.
The place was so damn quiet and empty. No one was around. As I rounded the corner the elevator doors opened and Colonel Erickson and Lt. Bakr stepped out, dressed in full Class A uniforms. Behind them in the elevator were two large men in dark suits.
“You have excellent timing Ghost. The ceremony’s been moved up…scheduling conflict of some kind. Let’s get going, shall we?” the Colonel said.
“I’m not going anywhere until I find out where my girls are.” I snapped, trying to step around the two of them.
“Whoa, as you were soldier.” he said, putting a hand in the middle of my chest and pushing me back. I could see the blood draining from his face as my broadcasting began to have an impact, but he stood his ground, as did the Lt. Neither one looked very comfortable, but both were combat tested veterans and not about to back down. “Your ladies have already been escorted to their seats…both their bodyguards are with them. Calm down, alright?”
I blinked, linked with the man and felt the honesty in him and his words. I took a deep breath, stepped back and stood upright.
“Where exactly is this ceremony taking place Colonel?”
He looked me right in the eye. “The floor right above us.”
I stopped broadcasting. I took a deep breath and sighed. The nagging thought that had been lurking at the back of my mind stepped out front and mooned me.
“Come on Ghost…it’s time.” Lt. Bakr said quietly.
The two of them pushed me into the elevator and stood on either side as the doors closed.
“I don’t want this.” I told them.
“I know. But there are times when what we want doesn’t matter.” the Colonel told me.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The day before there had only been piles of old gym mats. Now it was filled with padded folding chairs arranged in nice neat ranks. Against the near wall, where the mats had been, were tall flags in their stands, one for each branch of the military, and two US flags flanking a portable lectern, and additional chairs spread out like wings.
Most of the seats were filled. There were Army, Air Force and Marine four star generals, an Admiral with lots of gold braid on his sleeves, three civilians in expensive suits, and more big men in sunglasses like the ones in the elevator behind me. In the seats before the lectern I saw the residents of the Psych Ward, the floor nurse, Colonel DeBerg and the med techs. In the front row were Izzy, Lilly and Peggy…and sitting next to Izzy was my father. Sitting next to him was Dr. Wills and on his left was Mr. MacGill, the President’s National Security Advisor. Next to Peggy were Anya and David Jones, looking very smug and pleased with themselves.
Colonel Erickson and Lt. Bakr dragged me out of the elevator and we took our seats at the left side of the lectern.
Looking out at all of the faces arrayed before me I started getting hot under the collar and began broadcasting my irritation and unease. Peggy tilted her head and glared at me.
“Behave yourself.” she warned.
I put a clamp on my feelings and her glare turned into a sweet smile that softened my aggravation.
Colonel Erickson and Lt. Bakr both released sighs of relief.
“Sorry.” I whispered.
“Ten-shun!” a
loud voice from the back row bellowed, and all the military personnel present
got to their feet. “Ladies and
Gentlemen, the President of the
From the doors at the left emerged a phalanx of the dark suited men and in the center of that group I saw the face of the man I’d given a woodie to via the TV. He approached the lectern and his escort spread out behind and around the room. The President smiled briefly and took his seat next to the big brass contingent.
“Please, be seated.” the man said, in his light
We all sat back down, with the exception of Colonel Erickson, who moved forward and stood behind the lectern.
“Citation to accompany the award of the Silver Star…” he
began, and read the summary of our mission into
“Congratulations Lieutenant. Quite an accomplishment.” he said.
“Thank you, Mr. President.” the Lt. replied and snapped of one of the sharpest salutes I’ve ever seen.
He did a picture perfect ‘about face’ and marched back, to the applause of everyone present, including me. I stood up grinning and clapped him on the back.
“Congratulations Ell-tee.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you Ike.” he said quietly.
“Bullshit.” I laughed. “You had the hard part. Toting that general while staying out of sight couldn’t have been as easy as it sounded.”
We sat back down, as did the President.
“Citation to accompany the award of the Silver Star…” Colonel Erickson read again, once the applause had died down sufficiently. This time he gave a summary of the incident at the Kuwaiti-Saudi border where I’d killed the mortar crew. The citation made it seem a lot more impressive than it had been. But when he finished reading, instead of nodding for me stand, he picked up another page and began reading from it.
“Citation to accompany the award of the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Ike Blacktower…
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sergeant Blacktower distinguished himself while serving as part of a two man reconnaissance team behind enemy lines on a Top Secret intelligence operation. The team was inserted by helicopter thirty five miles into enemy territory to locate, capture and return with an enemy General Officer. During the initial period of the operation Sgt. Blacktower aggressively and courageously eliminated armed resistance making it possible for the team to achieve the first of their mission objectives. On 16 January Sgt. Blacktower volunteered to remain behind and act as a decoy to ensure his teammate and their prisoner could withdraw in safety, reach the designated extraction point and complete their mission. Alone and armed only with small arms, Sgt. Blacktower engaged an armored personnel carrier, heavy automatic weapons, rocket propelled grenades, and small-arms fire of an estimated 55 man force in a deadly game of cat and mouse for more than nine hours, inflicting numerous casualties on the enemy force. During the night Sgt. Blacktower moved into the enemy’s fortified encampment, infiltrated their defenses and killed the remaining compliment of enemy soldiers, receiving two gunshot wounds during the firefight. Unable to call for extraction, his radio having been damaged during combat, grievously wounded and in extreme pain, Sgt. Blacktower made his way back to friendly territory on foot, along the way encountering and destroying a motorized infantry unit consisting of 25 enemy soldiers. Avoiding detection and evading capture for six days he made his way thru open desert and enemy minefields, returning to coalition lines with two enemy prisoners that he insisted be cared for before allowing his own wounds to be treated. Sgt Blacktower, by his extraordinary heroism, professional competence, and unflagging dedication to his mission, destroyed two superior enemy forces leaving 80 dead on the battlefield. His bravery and gallantry at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service. Sergeant Blacktower has reflected great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.”
Colonel Erickson set the paper down and nodded to me. I stood up slowly and approached him. The President stood at the same time and we stood across from one another. He took the pale blue ribbon with all the stars on it from the box and spread it open.
I shook my head.
“No. Thank you, but I can’t accept.” I said very softly to him. He looked up at me, smiling faintly. “Nothing I did was in the least bit gallant, intrepid, brave or heroic.”
Colonel Erickson looked at me and then turned his head towards the President who looked back at him.
“I did warn you, sir.” he said under his breath.
“You did Colonel. Still, it is a novel experience.” He lowered his hands, and the Medal with them, and looked up into my face. “Sergeant, I understand your reluctance. Very few people who have performed heroic actions consider themselves heroes. It speaks well of your character that you don’t. But the simple fact of the matter is that you are not qualified to make the decision. Whether you think so or not, it’s the opinion of other people that matter in this instance. Your superiors in the military and the members of Congress have declared you to be a hero. That makes you a hero.”
“Mr. President, with all due respect, the military and Congress can declare me a duck, but it won’t make me one.”
His eyes got big and a belly laugh burst from him.
“Sergeant, most acts of heroism go unnoticed and unappreciated.” the President said after he finished laughing. “Every so often we do notice and we, the people those acts are performed for, want to acknowledge the courage, the skill, the dedication and the luck that makes a hero out of a regular person…hoping that we have those qualities you exhibit and which we value so highly within ourselves. We’re proud of you and admire what you’ve accomplished…your actions inspire us and, hopefully, encourage us to be better people than we might be without your example.”
I shook my head sadly, took a deep breath and looked over to where my father and my girls were sitting.
The girls were all beaming at me and my dad was about as puffed up with pride as a man could get.
“Alright, I’ll accept it…but I still think it’s a mistake.”
I turned back to face the President, lowered my head and he hung the ribbon around my neck and arranged it over my shoulders.
“If it makes you feel any better Sergeant, because of the type of operation you and the Lieutenant were on, the only people who’ll ever know about it are in this room right now. We generally like to award the Medal more ostentatiously.” he told me.
He held out his hand. I reached out and wrapped my larger one around his and we shook.
“Congratulations, Mr. Blacktower.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Mac MacGill tells me you refused an offer to work for him.”
“I gave my word to Dr. Wills, Mr. President.”
He nodded. “A man should keep his word. Unfortunately it’s very hard for politicians to do that and remain politicians.”
“One of the best reasons I know of for not becoming one. I’ll stick with spy catching.”
He stepped back, released my hand, turned around and returned to his seat. Everyone else in the room stood up and started applauding and cheering. I was surrounded by the big brass who insisted on shaking my hand and telling me how proud they were.
Fucking hypocrites. These were the same S.O.B’s who wanted me the hell out of the military.
I got more honest feelings from the residents of the ward. They’d been more impressed by my initial refusal than by the actual award.
The President vanished in a flurry of Secret Service agents after meeting and shaking hands with my father and the girls and that was the last I ever saw of the man…except on TV. But the less said about that the better.
Eventually the brass hats went away as did the Psych Ward patients, taken back downstairs for their afternoon meds.
I had just finished introducing Colonel Erickson and Lt. Bakr to my father when they told me they had to leave…pressing military matters. They both promised to keep in touch, but I knew enough about the military to know that probably wasn’t going to happen. And then they were gone.
Colonel DeBerg was talking with my father and Dr. Wills and the girls were huddled up with Mr. Jones and Anya.
I walked over and stood next to my father.
He put a hand on my shoulder. “These gentlemen have been telling me about some of your recent exploits, Ike.”
“Yeah, it’s been one adventure after another. The fun never stops.” I replied sarcastically.
Dr. Wills excused himself, collected Mr. Jones and Anya who told the girls that they’d meet them downstairs, and left, followed by Colonel DeBerg.
Which left me, my father, and my girls. The girls stood together, Izzy in the middle with her arms around Lilly and Peggy, watching the two of us.
I took a deep breath. “Dad, have a seat. We need to talk.”
He sat down and looked up at me, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
I grabbed hold of a chair and pulled it around so that it faced him and sat down.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet the girls.” I said. One of his eyebrows lifted, but he stayed silent, letting me do the talking.
“You know Izzy, of course.”
“Of course.” he said.
I held out my hand and Izzy stepped between Lilly and Peggy, walked over and sat down on my lap. I hugged my big sister and she lightly kissed me on the lips. I took the Medal from around my neck and put it in her hands.
“For the one who first saved me.” I told her. She smiled, stood up and moved around to stand behind my chair.
I held out my hand to Lilly and she came over and took Izzy’s place on my lap.
“Dad, this is Lilly…Lilly, my little flower, I’d like you to meet David Blacktower, Izzy’s and my father.”
Lilly smiled brightly at my dad. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Blacktower.”
Dad smiled back. “I’m delighted to meet you Lilly.” Lilly hugged me, gave me a kiss and stood up, going around behind me to stand with Izzy.
I looked over where Peggy was clutching her hands together in front of her and beginning to bounce up and down on her toes. I grinned widely and held my hand out to her. She bounced once, broke into a run, hopped onto my lap and burrowed back against me.
“And this little bundle of energy is Peggy. Peggy, this is my dad.”
“Hello Peggy. Very nice to meet you.” he said with a big smile.
“Hi!” she chirped. “Can I call you ‘Dad’ too?”
My father gave me a curious look, cocking his head to one side.
“Peggy grew up in orphanages and foster homes. She’s never had much in the way of family until recently.” I explained.
“I see. Yes, Peggy…you can call me Dad.”
Peggy squealed happily, wiggled out of my arms and climbed up on Dad’s lap and hugged him. He sighed and hugged her right back. “Thank you…Dad.” she whispered softly.
“Thank you, squirt.” he whispered back.
Peggy laughed, a low throaty laugh, unlike her usual girlish giggles.
“That’s what Daddy calls me sometimes.” she told him.
My father looked confused. He looked to me for an answer.
I grinned at him. “You’re Dad, I’m Daddy.”
He shook his head. “Too much information.” he chuckled.
Peggy wiggled out of his grasp and joined Izzy and Lilly behind me. “You don’t know the half of it…yet.” she said over her shoulder.
“Oh? There’s more?” he asked me.
“Uhmm…yeah, a little more.” I took a deep breath and released it. “You’re going to be a grandfather.”
His eyes narrowed. “What? Ike…” his eyes bounced from Lilly to Peggy.
“Dad,” Izzy interrupted, taking a seat next to him and holding his hands in hers, “it’s not like that. Ike has not been unfaithful to me, in anyway. When I met Lilly and Peggy…”
She explained quickly about our first day as a quartet, telling him about Lilly’s pain and Peggy’s multiple personalities, the car hitting me, our kidnapping and how the three of them agreed to share me. Lilly and Peggy chipped in from time to time, adding their own viewpoints and perspectives to Izzy’s tale.
I found it fascinating, hearing for the first time how they reached their decision. Dad was in shock.
By the time Izzy finished, Lilly was sitting on his other side and Peggy was sitting on Izzy’s lap. Dad was busy looking from one pretty face to the next.
“Okay…I get it. Ike surrendered to the three of you. I can see now that he never had a chance. Let’s get back to the grandfather thing, shall we? Which one of you girls is pregnant?” he asked, looking from Lilly to Peggy.
“Dad…they all are.” I told him. His eyes glazed over.
“All…?”
“Yeah. We’re going to have three little girls. You’re going to have three perfectly healthy granddaughters.”
“How do you know?” he asked me, fear and concern in his voice.
“Mom told me.” I said, as if that put paid to the whole issue.
He looked from me to Izzy, sitting with Peggy in her lap and tears in her eyes.
“You love them? All of them?” he asked, turning back to me.
“We love each other Dad. It’s not a matter of me loving them and them loving me…they love each other too. We couldn’t make it work if they didn’t. I know they love me…I know they love each other, and they know I love them. I never let them doubt it.”
“Ike makes us squishy every morning.” Peggy said proudly.
Dad gave me another odd look.
“I give them each a little spark of the love I feel every day, to keep with them for all time, so they never have to wonder what I’m feeling.”
“It’s really warm and it makes me feel so happy.” Lilly told him.
“I just wish we could show Ike how much we love him.” Izzy said sadly.
“Sweetie, I know.”
“I know how!” Peggy said happily, bouncing on Izzy’s lap. “Like I did with the horniness…but using love instead. I could do it, I know I could.” she said, looking up at Izzy.
Dad was looking more and more like I probably did when I put on my ‘dumb as a stump’ face.
“Dad, Peggy is like me…she can do a lot of the same things I can with feelings and emotions.”
His eyes grew wide. “So you’re not unique?”
I smiled slightly. “Not as much as I used to think.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Lilly said softly. “Ike’s very unique as far as I can tell. He’s gentle, compassionate, understanding, tender, kind, generous, loving, protective and very brave. You should have seen him smack Lewis around yesterday.”
“Lewis? Your husband?” Izzy asked her.
“Husband?” Dad echoed.
“My ex-husband. I signed the divorce papers yesterday, so I’m officially free of the bastard.”
“Yea! Alright Lilly…so if you signed the papers how come Ike had to smack him?” Peggy wanted to know.
“Lewis was going off on me about how the babies dying had been my fault and rubbing his affairs in my face…again. So I told him about Ike. And about being pregnant. He flipped and was going to hit me. I yelled and Ike came running. And you know how he gets…”
“Oh yeah, like a bear with a toothache.” Peggy giggled. “That’s how he was when he found me in the snow storm.”
Dad looked totally lost, which brought on another round of story telling from the girls, including our adventures with the Senator and Congressman, both CIA directors and our night on the town.
Dad shook his head. “My over-sensitive son has changed a lot more than I could have imagined.”
“I told you when I was thirteen that I’m a lot tougher than you thought.”
“Yes, you did. Life hasn’t been very kind to you, has it?” he muttered to himself.
“I wouldn’t say that. Parts of it have been very rough and I came close to giving up a time or two. But I survived, and met Lilly. She helped me to start caring about other people. Helping her and the other people on the ward taught me that I could do some good with my ability. I would never have tried what I did with Peggy if not for what I learned from them. And that motivated me to go home and rebuild my relationship with Izzy…and you. I thought that when Carlie died my life was over. But the three of them gave me my life back, gave me my dreams back. Now I have what I always wanted; a family of my own, people who love me, who I can love and care for. Can’t ask for more than that.”
Izzy tapped Peggy on the shoulder. Peggy looked up. “Show him how we feel.”
Peggy looked over at Lilly, who smiled and nodded her agreement.
I felt a sudden rush of overwhelming warmth pour into me, unlike anything I could have imagined. Every nerve in my body was awake and tingling, every muscle swelled, causing my skin to feel extremely tight. Every hair on my body stood on end and quivered with excitement. It felt as if I were growing larger, taller, bulkier, but at the same time lighter. Tears of joy formed in my eyes as I looked down at my hands, watching the blood pump fiercely thru the bluish veins that lay beneath pale white skin; skin that began to glow with an incandescent sheen.
I stood up, very slowly and cautiously. The way I was feeling I thought I might smash my head on the ceiling or launch myself thru the roof if I weren’t careful.
“What’s wrong with him?” I heard my father ask as if from a great distance away.
“Nothing at all.” Peggy told him. “He’s feeling how much we love him.”
‘Now this is what I
call power!’ the darkness
crowed. ‘We could do anything!’
“We don’t have to do a damn thing.” I told it.
‘But we could.’
“Maybe. Personally, I’d be content to just feel this way forever. I wish there were some way to let everyone feel this good.”
‘Get real. Even if you could, they’d just get greedy and
want it all the time…in bigger and stronger doses. You’d end up being an emotional pusher. …on the other hand, think of the wealth and
power we could acquire doling it out a little at a time!’
“Remember the goose that laid the Golden Egg.” I pointed out.
‘Yeah…good point. Forget I brought it up.’
I felt the elevator doors open behind me and the heavy footsteps that tried to land quietly as the man stepped out.
‘We have company.’
“I know…I can feel him. What brings you up this way, Billy-Bob?” I asked, raising my voice, facing away from him.
The chaplain charged me, like a football player going for a tackle, planted his shoulder in my back and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. He lifted me up off my feet and drove the both of us down hard onto the floor, knocking over several chairs in the process.
“Die, spawn of Satan! You will have no dominance over God’s earth!”
The warmth I’d been feeling turned into fear, worry, concern, apprehension, anger and rage.
I heard my father swear loudly, while the girls cried out warnings and encouragement to me.
“Peggy, cut the link.” I got out, just before Billy-Bob’s hands tightened around my neck.
When I felt the warm flow from Peggy stop abruptly I reached over my shoulder, grabbed a handful of Billy-Bob’s blond hair and pulled hard, twisting his neck and head and rolled myself over so that he lay under me.
‘Now?’
“Now.” I hissed, releasing my rage and the darkness. I burst into flames and the man under me screamed like a wounded rabbit.
I took his wrists in my hands and held on tight as the heat from my body scorched his flesh and set his clothes on fire. He struggled to throw me off, to break free of the fiery shackles my hands had become.
‘You
stupid fuckin’ idiot! You’d better start praying for
divine intervention!’
I released his hands and got to my feet. Turning around to face him while he got to his knees, cradling his smoking hands to his chest, I linked with the man and burnt away all his emotions and feelings…except fear. He was gonna need that.
Billy-Bob looked up into my eyes and blanched, all the blood draining from his porcine face.
‘Es ist nichts schrecklicher als eine thatige Unwissenheit. I will deal with you according to your conduct, and by your own standards judge you…you have been weighed in the balances and are found wanting! Dickhead!’
I stepped forward, opened my hand and lay my palm over his head like a skullcap, burning my handprint thru his remaining hair and into the skin like a brand.
He moaned pathetically as I created a flaming ring of despair and hopelessness in him and locked it in place.
Leaning down I tilted his head back and glared into his eyes.
“Welcome to hell preacher.”
He cringed, cried out a few garbled words and crawled away, cowering behind the lectern.
I stood up, flexed my shoulders and rolled my neck.
“Oh, baby, not again.” I heard Izzy say. Turning my head I saw that she was looking at my back. I twisted as much as I could, but couldn’t see what she saw.
As I calmed down and the flames faded away, I felt a growing chill. My suit was history and once again I was standing around buck naked. It was getting to be an inconvenient habit.
“Now that was impressive.” my dad said.
“Baby, we need to get you down to the emergency room.” Izzy said. Peggy and Lilly took my hands and began leading me to the elevator.
“Huh? What aren’t you telling me? And don’t you think I should put some pants on first?” I asked with a grin.
“Ike, there’s a knife in your back and a lot of blood is leaking out.”
Oh…
“I still think I should put some pants on first. I’m not that proud of my body.”
“Ike, you might not be, but we are. I just wish you’d stop letting people put holes in it.” Peggy said.
“Yeah…now get that cute little butt moving so we can get you patched up.” Lilly said, slapping me on the ass.
I gave my father a grin. “See the kind of abuse I have to put up with?”
The girls shoved me into the elevator, with my father following along behind, and they took me down to the emergency room where I got to sit and wait for twenty minutes. Being naked didn’t seem to get much attention, but the pool of blood that formed beneath me did finally attract some. That and the arrival of Anya and Mr. Jones and all the Cain the two of them raised.
By the time the knife had been removed and the hole sewn up, Colonel DeBerg and Dr. Wills were standing beside me. I explained what had happened and where they could find Billy-Bob. I got severely eye-balled and was the recipient of a couple of stern ‘tsk-tsk’s’.
I was allowed to ride a wheelchair back up to the ward and put into Lilly’s bed, at her insistence. Izzy, Peggy and my dad said good night and left with Dr. Wills, Anya and Mr. Jones. The girls were going to take him to the ranch and introduce him to Peggy’s horses. I promised that we’d see be home as soon as I finished out-processing the next day.
Lilly and I spent the rest of the evening in bed cuddled up. Shock and the wonderful sensation of my girls’ love had kept the pain to a minimum, but all good things come to an end and by ten P.M. I popped a couple of pain killers and crashed.
I woke the next morning with a soft breast in my hand and a mouthful of curly hair. I spat out the hair and gave the breast a gentle squeeze.
Looking up at the clock on the wall I saw that it was just after nine. I kissed Lilly’s cheek, took my hand off her breast, slid my arm out from under her and climbed out of bed.
I showered, put on my jeans and tied on my running shoes, took my shirt with me as I left Lilly’s room as quietly as I could and went across to the nurse’s station. I had one of the techs check my stitches and replace the bandage then rushed down the hall to the elevators.
Once I was outside I jogged to the CBPO, the personnel offices and waited for my appointment with the retirement NCO. I signed everything I was supposed to, had my retiree ID card made, got my copies of the DD-214, my medical and dental records and my Honorable Discharge certificate, shook more than a few hands because of that damned Medal then hauled ass back to the hospital and up to the ward where I found Lilly and Colonel DeBerg waiting by his office door.
I dropped all the paperwork I’d been carrying and swept Lilly up in my arms.
“Free, little flower…I’m free!”
Lilly giggled with delight and kissed me. Then she took my face between her hands and glared at me.
“Put me down, you big goof…if you tear your stitches we’ll never get out of here.”
I set her down, with a final kiss on the nose, and shook hands with Colonel DeBerg.
“Don’t be a stranger, Ike.” he said.
“Oh, you haven’t seen the last of me. And I’m going to take you up on that offer to go into practice together…once I graduate.”
His pleasure was obvious. “Good. That’ll give me something to look forward to. I was afraid my retirement was going to end up boring the hell out of me.”
“No chance of that now.” Lilly smirked.
“Oh, I almost forgot…I have something for you. Hang on a second.” he said and disappeared into his office, emerging a few seconds later with a diploma sized piece of paper in his hands.
“Those of us on the board thought this would make a nice retirement gift.” he said and handed the paper to me.
I took it from him and read it out loud.
“ ‘This is to certify that Ike Blacktower has been comprehensively examined and found to be completely sane.’ And signed by six military shrinks, no less.” I laughed. “Gee, thanks Colonel. You know what this means, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “Yeah…you’re nuts. But what the hell, so’s everyone else. Take care of yourself, my boy. And take good care of my favorite hostesses.”
“I’ll do that. See you soon.”
Lilly gave the Colonel a kiss on the cheek that had him blushing like a teenager. We picked up our bags and headed for the elevator. Riding to the roof, Lilly and I got out and found Mr. Jones and a helicopter waiting for us.
“Mr. Blacktower?” he shouted over the sound of the helicopter’s rotors.
I grinned like an idiot. He smiled and handed me a thin wallet. I opened it and showed the contents to Lilly. My CIA credentials. I was finally official. And…like I was saying way back when I started telling you this story, I’m sane and I’ve got a certificate to prove it.
We climbed into the helicopter and lifted off, heading home.
I took Lilly’s hand in mine and kissed her fingers one at a time. “I can’t wait to get back.” I told her. “I’ve got some serious sparking to catch up on.”
She smiled that brilliant, endearing smile that I love so much, and wiggled her eyebrows at me. “I’ll second that.”
(It should go without
saying that this story is fictional and that any resemblance between the characters in it and any real people
you might know is all in your head. But
I’ll say it anyway ‘cause the legal department insists…it’s all made up, no one
is real, even the places are made up {who’d ever believe a place like
Washington D.C. could really exist
anyway?}, but I will confess to borrowing a few names here and there. Thank you for reading and goodnight.)