Redemption - Chapter 19/?
Apologies for the delay in posting new chapters. Real life unfortunately intruded over the past few weeks and prevented me from writing. I promise that there will be no further delays in posting the remaining chapters!
Beck and his troops weren’t deployed until more than 6 weeks after the wedding. To Heather, those weeks just flew by.
She appreciated that Ed attempted to spend as much time with her as possible, despite being busy with preparations. No matter how hectic it was, they tried to eat dinner together every night.
Others took attended to personal matters as well.
Emily and Jake finally got married. Heather thought it ironic that they somehow got away with having a smaller and low key affair. Her own wedding to Ed had obviously satisfied Jericho’s need for a celebration!
As the days counted down, Heather tried to keep busy and not dwell on Ed’s imminent departure. While understandably anxious, she found herself calmer than on Beck’s last trip. At least he would be doing what he’d trained for - leading men into battle. It was the covert missions into enemy territory that had terrified her the most.
They were in bed the night before he left. Things were starting to get hot and heavy when Ed momentarily pulled away. As he reached into the nightstand drawer, Heather put her hand on his arm. “Let’s not.”
Ed misinterpreted her remark. He turned to her with a confused look, his disappointment showing on his face. “Okay.”
He leaned down and started nuzzling her neck. “Well, maybe I can change your mind.”
“Don’t worry. That’s not a problem!” Heather pulled herself back and looked into his eyes. “I meant, let’s not use birth control.”
Ed swallowed deeply. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Well, we’re married and we both want a family.” Her voice trailed off as uncertainly. “At least I think we do...”
It was his turn to look her directly in the eyes. “Heather, you know how much I want a family with you. But, I’m being deployed tomorrow and god knows how long I’ll be away. Is this really the right time?”
“They’ll never be a perfect time.” She didn’t voice her deepest fear that Ed might never return from the war. She didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to have his child. She realized she was probably being selfish but she didn’t care. She knew she would unconditionally love their child. If the worst happened, she would also treasure their baby as a reminder of their love and devotion for each other.
“But if you get pregnant, you’ll be all alone. There’s no guarantee I’ll even make it home for the birth.”
“Hello! You do remember that we live in a small town? I couldn’t be alone if I tried!” With that, she passionately kissed him. He returned the kiss and they both fell back on the bed, intent on pleasuring each other. There was no further conversation on that or any other topic that night.
The next morning, Heather joined Emily and others as they watched the battalion prepare to leave on deployment. It was an imposing sight. The Richmond farm had been used as a staging area. The level of activity was frenetic but organized as the trucks, humvees, tanks and other vehicles were loaded with soldiers and supplies.
Heather and Ed had exchanged their private farewells at home. But before Beck got into one of the lead humvees, he came over to where Heather was standing.
He put his arms around her and gave her one final hug and kiss. With his arms wrapped tightly around her, he whispered into her ear. “Never forget how much I love you.”
Heather fought back tears as she was wrapped in his embrace. She cleared her throat before whispering back. “The same goes for you.”
As they reluctantly broke apart, she forced a smile on her face. “Now go do your duty soldier, so you can come back home to your wife!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Beck replied with a smile. He kissed her one more time on the forehead before sprinting back to his humvee.
One by one, the vehicles made their way on to the main road. Heather and Emily watched as the battalion departed in a convoy that stretched on for several miles.
∞∞∞∞
Beck had seen action in both Afghanistan and Iraq, but never envisioned such a grueling campaign would be fought on American soil.
They hoped this would be the final phase of the war. The USA/Texas now controlled all territory to the East, from North Dakota down through Texas.
The plan was for the Texas forces to push up through New Mexico, and the Columbus forces to advance through Montana and northern Wyoming.
Simultaneously, Beck’s battalion was charged with taking out Cheyenne - the nerve center of the ASA. They were optimistic that once Cheyenne fell, the rest of the Western states would soon capitulate.
The plan sounded easy on paper, but the reality proved quite different. They’d been deployed for over 2 months and had just reached the outskirts of Cheyenne. (A distance that would’ve taken 5 hours in peaceful conditions.)
While the outcome of the war was no long in doubt, the ASA refused to yield. One could admire their tenacity and resolve if it wasn’t so costly in human lives. The ASA had blown up bridges and mined roads. Often, Beck’s troops had to slog their way through muddy fields, while under heavy artillery fire.
Every inch of territory gained had been paid for in blood. He and Jake had written too many letters to families of soldiers who’d made the ultimate sacrifice.
Fortunately, nobody close to him had been killed or seriously injured. Beck felt guilty even thinking like that. As an officer, he mourned the death of any individual under his command. Yet, he was also human and couldn’t help wanting his friends to be safe.
As he sat in the command tent enjoying a rare moment of solitude, his thoughts turned to more personal concerns.
He’d just learned that he was going to be a father again. In a bemused way, he supposed he should take some masculine pride in getting Heather pregnant on the first attempt.
While he was excited to be starting a family with Heather, he couldn’t help feeling apprehensive about the timing. No matter how strong she was, he was concerned about Heather having to raise a child by herself if something happened to him.
He also hated missing the precious moments of her pregnancy - the cravings, the gentle teasing about her weight gain, the rubbing her feet when they started to cramp. These were memories they would never be able to share.
Beck reluctantly pushed such thoughts from his mind. He couldn’t afford the distraction. It could be deadly on the battlefield. Besides, Jake was distracted enough for both of them.
Jake turned out to be an excellent officer and commander, but over the past few days, he seemed short tempered and unfocused. Something was definitely off with him
Speaking of the devil, he heard Jake yelling at one of the enlisted men outside the tent. A few minutes later, Jake stormed inside.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Beck asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine.” Jake said tersely.
“No, you’re not. You’ve been snapping at everyone and your mind’s been elsewhere. What’s going on?”
“Nothing - other than the obvious. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been a long and bloody deployment.”
Beck fought back a sarcastic retort, and patiently replied. “Yes, it has. But, I also know you well enough to recognize that’s not what’s bothering you. Now, I’ll ask again. What’s on your mind?”
“Are you asking as ‘Colonel Beck’ or as ‘Ed’”?
Beck gave an exasperated sigh. “I’ll ask as your Aunt Tillie if that’ll get a straight answer from you!”
“I don’t have an Aunt Tillie. I do have an Aunt Gertrude.” Jake smirked. “Come to think of it, you sound a lot like her.”
“Very funny. Seriously, what’s going on?”
Jake paced for a few minutes before finally sitting down. “I talked to Emily the other day. She’d been trying to reach me.”
Beck nodded and waited for Jake to continue.
“It turns out I’m going to be a father.”
“Congratulations.” Beck saw the expression on Jake’s face. “You’re not happy about it? I thought you and Emily wanted children.”
“We do. It’s the timing that concerns me. What if I’m not home for the birth? Or…if you know...the worst happens…and Emily is on her own.”
Beck couldn’t help appreciating the irony. Jake was voicing the same concerns that he’d just been thinking. “Jake, I know exactly how you feel.”
“No disrespect, but I’m not sure you do.”
“That wasn’t a figure of speech. I mean, I literally know how you feel.”
Jake looked confused for a moment, then understanding finally dawned. “Heather?”
Beck nodded.
Jake laughed. “Jesus, did somebody put something in Jericho’s water supply!” He turned thoughtful. “What do we do now?”
“Well, I think it’s what we already did that got us into this situation.” Beck said dryly.
Jake chuckled briefly, then shook his head. “I’m serious. I feel horrible not being there for Emily.”
“I feel the same way about Heather. But at least they have each other - as well our family and friends.” A thought occurred to Beck. “Does your mom know yet? If so, she must be ecstatic.”
Jake grinned broadly. “Yeah, she shrieked so loudly that I was afraid it would alert the ASA to our position!”
Both men were quiet for a few minutes as they thought about the mission in front of them and the loved ones they left behind.
Finally Jake stood up. “Well, I need to go oversee the nightly patrols, before I grab a few hours of shut eye.” As he started to walk out of the tent, he turned back to Beck. “I can’t stop thinking that there’s more we should be doing.”
Beck looked at him sympathetically. “Jake, I know it’s hard. But the best thing we can do is focus on completing our mission. And try to keep ourselves and our troops alive, so that we can all return to our families.”