Promises to Keep (25 page)

The
memory disappeared as quickly as it arrived, leaving him facing off with Jonah,
armed only with a towel bar.

Jack
looked into another set of maniacal, hate-filled eyes. He was up against sheer
madness
and
a fucking nasty looking knife.

This
time, instead of an innocent child, the life of the woman he loved was on the
line.

Never
again, since that time in the schoolyard, had Jack felt such revulsion, fear
and anger—not until this very moment, with Jonah's knife so close to Laura.

Jack
wanted to shoot this psycho in the face, too.

"I'll
bash your head in, if you don't leave,
now
," Jack growled, waving
the towel bar at him menacingly. He was furious at the thought of this jerk
trying to hurt Laura.

"Oh,
I'll leave, alright," Jonah said, as he advanced on Jack. "With
her
,
right after I spread your guts all over the place."

Street
fighting was one thing medical school had never taught Jack. He'd been in a few
fistfights as a kid, but that had been nothing more than some posturing and
rolling around in the dirt.

Basic
training had covered hand to hand—but that was a long time ago.

Iraq
was a distance fight. Jack could shoot a rifle with the best of his men, but
he'd never thought he'd face a trench knife wielded by a tweaked out junkie.
How hard could it be to outsmart a fucked up crack head?

Jonah
took a little swipe with his blade, causing Jack to jump backwards.

"Fucking
pussy," the junkie giggled.

As
adrenaline burned through his veins, Jack struck out with the towel rod, but
hit nothing but air. For some reason he had
Star Trek
battle music
running through his head, but he wasn't Kirk and Jonah wasn't some actor in a
rubber mask.

This
fight was real and it was for keeps.

Jack
wanted to pound this jerk's head into mush, while carefully avoiding that
menacing knife. Laura raised the stakes. Jack was at ease gambling with his own
life, but not with hers.

The
asshole reeked of violence.

Chances
were that Jonah, even stupid and hopped up, was probably even more dangerous
due to street fighting experience.

"Jesus,
Jack," Laura called out from behind him, "Be careful."

Shit!
Yeah, I was intending to dive onto that knife. Now, I won't. Thanks for the
advice, Captain Obvious.

He
swung the towel rod again, as hard as he could, aiming for the asshole's head.

Jonah
ducked.

Goddammit,
hold still—you SOB!

“Stop
it, stop this,
right now,
” Laura yelled.

They
both ignored her.

Enraged,
Jack threw a flurry of blows at Jonah, holding the rod with both hands,
striking as hard and as fast as he could. Jack forced him back, but didn’t do
any damage, as Jonah managed to stay out of range.

An
awkward slide on the moist grass caused Jack to slip precariously and
overbalance. A second later, he fell forward, landing at Jonah’s feet.

On
his stomach with a face full of grass, the tip of Jonah's knife pierced Jack’s
shoulder. A trail of fire cut into him, as the edge of the blade scraped along
the back of Jack’s shoulder blade.

Intellectually,
as a doctor, Jack knew that there was nothing vital along the back of his
scapula—but emotionally, all he knew was it hurt like a son of a bitch.

Who
aims for a bone? Good thing this prick is a fucking idiot.

Jonah
kicked him in the side—instinctively Jack rolled over onto his back. He held up
his towel bar and Jonah knocked it aside.

"I'm
gonna gut you like catfish," Jonah said calmly, as he brought the knife up
and over Jack's abdomen.

By
Jack’s estimation, less than twenty seconds had passed since the fight began.

"
I
said stop it!
" Laura shouted.

Something
in the agitated, yet commanding tone of her voice instantly made both men turn
and look at her.

For
Jack, it was a moment frozen in time.

There
she stood, with tears running down her face. He immediately saw that her tears
were not of grief, sorrow or pain. They seemed more of a physical response to
strong emotions.

Laura’s
green eyes flashed with murderous rage, while her beautiful features were
twisted in fury, frustration and resolution all at once. She held a stainless
steel revolver with both hands.

The
woman looked formidable, as if she were some sort of Goddess of retribution.

The
rest of Laura’s body visibly trembled, but her hands were rock steady.

Jonah
stood up to his full height and faced her. "You don't have the guts—"

Laura
shot him in the chest.

"What'd
you think?” she snarled. “That I'd give some dumb ass speech? This isn't a
movie, idiot" Clearly in a mad rage, she shot him again.

His
eyes wide with surprise, Jonah sagged to his knees.

"I
fucking hate you. You killed my friend! Why would I have anything to say to
you, or give a shit what
you
have to say?" she added, and shot him
a third time.

Jonah
crumpled, falling over on his back in a heap.

Laura
strode over and stood above her adversary, radiating a justified, vengeful
aura. After a short pause, she shot him once more, in the middle of his grimy
forehead.

Jack
stared at her, dumbfounded.

She
dropped the gun. With a determined stride, Laura came over and fell to her
knees in front of him. "Sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I should've shot
him sooner. Are you alright?"

"I'm
fine," he replied, in a detached manner. His voice seemed far away. Jack’s
shoulder stung where he’d been stabbed, but he hardly noticed the pain.

Dazed,
he continued to stare at her stupidly. The overpowering sense of relief he felt
that Jonah was dead, hit him with the force of a twenty-foot wave.

Now,
he knew where her neighbor, Ron’s gun went. Ron must’ve given it to Laura. A
southern girl, born and bred, it seemed that the woman knew exactly how to use
it.

I
shouldn’t be surprised.

Why
hadn’t Laura told him about the gun? What else didn’t he know? He wanted to
discover
every single thing
about her.

What
a girl! A beautiful, strong, resourceful and amazing woman.

The tank
load of adrenaline still running through Jack’s veins had him bouncing out of
his skin. His throat was dry and his fingers had the telltale tremor. Shaken
up, stunned, overjoyed and elated, his mind shot off in a number of directions.

Life
is a strange and wonderful thing.

Jack
thought of Chief Whitley and the bravery he’d witnessed from so many soldiers,
friends and colleagues during the war. He remembered the courage and sacrifices
made by Bob Wynn and others, both men and women.

These
were people who overcame their natural and instinctive fears. They rose to the
circumstances, gritted their teeth and heroically went out and
did
what
had to be done.

He
remembered his and Laura's first night together at the restaurant, where she
related a tragic, yet humorous account of her childhood. A story of how a gutsy
young girl, on the cusp of womanhood, half-killed a pervert by hitting him on
the head with her high-school swimming trophy.

Yes,
life was strange and wonderful, and it seemed to Jack, as if everything had
come full circle.

Laura
was smart, stubborn and courageous. Yet, he’d been misled by her kindness and
her soft, feminine exterior. Jack had never recognized the powerhouse hidden
within.

Laura
promised to keep me safe.

But
who would have ever imagined that she
would?

Jack
downshifted and cruised up the ramp. I-40 ran straight East to West and the
engine of the Jeep growled as they merged onto the highway headed due west. Laura
was in the passenger seat, peacefully curled up and nodding off to the melodious
sounds of a Beatles melody.

North
Carolina wasn't exactly Texas, but Jack discovered they weren’t too far apart
philosophically.

With
Jonah's criminal history and the fact that Ron's wallet was found in his
jacket,
along
with Jack's stab wound, Laura was let off for the shooting.

Given
that she was a war widow, and the only witness to Jonah’s death was a veteran
and an officer, it took the district attorney all of fifteen minutes to
"no bill" what was obvious to them as an act of justified defense.

Jack
also learned that ‘no bill’ meant the DA did not intend to press charges and
the police chief was completely onboard. What it really meant was a ‘free pass’
and they were taking advantage of it.

They
waited around another two weeks for Ron's funeral. Laura thought she owed him
that, and Jack wholeheartedly agreed.

Ron
hadn’t any family, so his drinking buddies from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign
Wars) gave him a hero’s sendoff, complete with Marine Corps honor guard who
drove up from Lejeune.

Apparently,
Laura's kind but quiet neighbor had earned himself The Navy Cross—second only
to The Medal Of Honor—in a shithole corner of Vietnam called Khe Sahn.

Laura
had cried, but she’d loved the service. They both thought Ron would have gotten
a kick out of it, too.

California
was where they were headed and the GPS said they'd be there, excluding stops,
in three days. They'd take a week. Jack was going to show Laura the Grand
Canyon on the way.

When
they got home to Orange County, he was going to take her to the beach where they’d
surf from sunrise to sunset. The Pacific Ocean—wide and clean and peaceful—would
cleanse them of every darkness.

Maybe,
with time, they’d overcome their nightmares. He was certainly sleeping better
now that Laura was with him.

Sure,
they were both messed up, each in their own unique way. There was a lot of
healing and growing to do, but they planned to do that healing and growing
together.

It
felt right, it felt obvious and natural. Could life get any better?

Driving
down the highway, with nothing but their future in front of them, and Laura by
his side, Jack couldn't imagine being happier than he was now.

He’d
become a doctor and rolled with the Marines. He’d served his country to the
best of his ability. He’d met a strong, kind and intelligent woman who knew her
own mind—and how to protect herself.

Laura
made him happy.

Jack
felt certain he could make
her
happy, too. The woman was naturally
upbeat anyway, despite everything she’d been through.

I
won’t just make her happy,
he decided with a smirk.
I’ll make
her ecstatic.

He
was driving her home to meet his family. If Laura said yes to his proposal, they
would marry and start their own family soon.

Slanting
a look to his beautiful, sleeping, soon to be fiancée, Jack found himself
grinning again.

In
his mind he had a whole romantic proposal planned—set on his favorite beach in
California.

The
argument that sent Laura running off into the night, now seemed less of a
barrier to either of them than a pebble sitting on a well paved road.

After
their run in with Jonah, the future seemed easy.

Nothing
meant anything without each other. The secrets he’d kept from her and the guilt
they both had, were meaningless in the broad scheme of things.

Most
skeletons in the closet were like that, it seemed to Jack. Once you took them
out into the light, they were nothing to be afraid of—only a collection of dusty,
old bones.

Events
in the past, were just that—in the past.

Love,
companionship, friends and family was what mattered most.

And
love? Man, for Jack, loving Laura was the best thing in the world. That flutter
of pleasure every time he saw, or even thought of her. That aching longing, to
simply sit with her, to hold her hand, and to make her happy.

Whatever
that euphoric feeling was—was divine. It could only be love. Jack didn’t think
he was going to get over it anytime soon… if ever.

His
last few years had been a Hell of a ride. Now their life together was
fantastic. Jack knew in his heart, it was only going to keep getting better.

~~~

Not
too far outside of Ashville, Jack pulled into a Fuel Express to fill up. Laura
took the opportunity to visit the ladies room.

While
nestled on the porcelain throne, she noticed a familiar feeling, deep in the
pit of her stomach. With sudden insight, she pulled out her birth control pills.

It
was Friday. Sighing with relief, she realized she hadn’t missed a day.

Another
thought struck her as she recalled what she’d read on the handout the
pharmacist gave her with the prescription. Stress, medication, and illness
could affect the efficacy of the pill.

Laura
thought back and remembered she’d been sick just before she met Jack. Hadn’t
she taken antibiotics? And as for stress? Well, stress had been the ongoing
story of her life, but it had multiplied and peaked around the time Ron's
murder.

Scrambling
through her bag, she found what she was looking for: a pregnancy test stick.
When she’d bought it months ago, they’d been selling two for the price of one.

Consumerism,
she'd snorted at the time.
But she’d decided to keep it as it may have come
in handy.

When
she used it, it turned blue.

Pregnant.

A
bubble of hysterical laughter welled up from somewhere deep inside. Wasn’t this
exactly how things started with Bob?

Wow.
I guess history really does repeat itself.

Except,
although everything seemed eerily similar—everything was different.

Jack
was no longer in the Navy—he had his discharge papers. Also, even though she
and Jack had no idea that she was pregnant, they’d already discussed marriage
and kids as they'd driven over long stretches of highway.

Laura
washed her hands and nervously wondered how she was going to tell him.

Would
he be happy about it? Would he believe her, how it had been an accident? Maybe
he’d think that she’d tried to get pregnant in some sort of attempt to trap him?

As
she left the restroom she saw him pumping gas. He was so handsome—tall and commanding,
with a nice strong face.

Jack
had a face people naturally trusted. No matter what kind of crap was going
down, he kept his head. He was the kind of person that would not only love her,
but he’d make a great father.

When
Jack turned toward Laura and met her gaze, her anxiety left her. Laura swore
that even across that distance, she could feel the warmth of his love.

He
smiled.

She
smiled.

They
both grinned happily at each other.

Laura
put her hand to her belly as she started to walk, heading straight for him.
“You’re a lucky kid,” she murmured in a low voice. “I swear, you have nothing
to worry about. Your mom and dad are going to love you as much as humanly
possible.”

Life
could be hard—Hell—she’d had firsthand knowledge of that. There were no
guarantees.

Yet in
her heart, Laura knew as she spoke to her unborn child that she’d told the
truth. She and Jack would love this baby with everything they had.

That
was one promise that would be easy to keep.

The
End

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