Forever Lovers (14 page)

CHAPTER 28

Lily was at the end of her eighth month. The
twins would be born in two weeks. Their rooms were loaded with
everything money could buy – cribs, rockers, mobiles, teddy bears,
toys, automobiles, planes, and trains, which ran back and forth
between\the twin's two rooms on a ledge overhead. Little pieces of
clothing crowded their closet, which looked so cute as they hung
silently waiting patiently in anticipation of the blessed event
that would soon arrive.

Up to this point, the twins had been quite
active little critters as they turned somersaults and fought for
room and comfort in their mommy's tummy. That space was beginning
to be more prime as less territory became available, not so
different from the real world that they would soon be entering. It
was a time that Lily began to see more elbows and knees than she
had ever seen. It was surreal, but exciting. Even her glum dad
laughed when she showed him doing their comical antics, knowing
that there would be much more to come before they entered the land
of humans. She was only sad that Quinn wasn't there to share the
moment.

The next week, the twins started to show some
action that they were thinking about entering the world early –
like before lunch. Lily couldn't believe it, but she finally
realized that perhaps she'd better take a drive to the hospital
that was near her home. It was a good decision as the twins decided
all on their own to come right after that without much more in the
way of warning except for the labor pains that suddenly became
severely intense. Lily was a mother one hour later. Fortunately, it
was an easy delivery without incidence as birthing goes. As luck
would have it, there had been not enough time for a C-section and
the twins never went into stress. So, it was a natural birth.

It was amazing and breathtaking as Lily held
her twins in each arm for the very first time. Dominic came out
first, followed by Tyrone who both came out yelling. By this time,
her family was there and the twins were now snoring away. All were
anxious to hold the new little bundles. Lily prayed that none of
the family noticed the close resemblance to Quinn with their bright
blue eyes and little tuft of brown velvet hair. They both had
healthy lungs and did not seem to be a bit happy to have left their
warm and familiar cocoon, but like all of us, they adjusted as soon
as they began to eat.

The whole family was there to celebrate the
new life that came into the world. Jonathan had been nearby at the
Kansas State Library when Lily went into labor. Platinum and Luke
came by helicopter from Kansas City and arrived just after the
birthing. Everyone was excited and wanted to hold the newborns as
they were passed around. It was obvious that they would not lack
for love and attention. However, as Platinum and Luke left the
hospital, Luke reiterated a previous statement, “I'm still going to
kill the son-of-a-bitch when I find out who he is.” So, I guess
that said it all as far as he was concerned.

Lily was fortunate to have a couple of new
vets that could run her animal clinic while she recuperated from
the birthing of newborns. A widow in the neighborhood would watch
the twins in a nursery room at the clinic so Lily could be nearby
and not be separated from the twins. It was a bit stressful in the
beginning, but the joy of new life was so rewarding, it didn't
matter.

For a while after the birth of her sons, Lily
would sadly relive her relationship with Quinn thinking all that he
would be missing as an unclaimed father. It was a stretch not to
damn him all to hell. But, being a mother for the first time seemed
to bring her some serene calmness because of the life that she had
brought into this world. She was prepared to live the life of an
unwed mother without love from Quinn. She would give them the
stability that they would need backed up by her extended
family.

Lily finally accepted the finality of her
fate. It became much easier after that. But, before she signed off,
she said one last prayer:
Just in case Quinn might be ill or
hurt, please watch over him.
But, then the devil made her add:
If not, please delete this message and don't bother.

CHAPTER 29

Before the twins were born, Lily and Gunner
had time to bond. It was a difficult waltz as she knew she would
have to give him up when he was well and the time came when the
Army would ask for him back. But, for the present, he looked to her
for guidance and commands. As he did so, he began to heal both
physically and emotionally. By the time the twins came along, he
considered himself a member of the pack.

Lily had managed to grow Gunner's skin stem
cells and spray them from a spray device that she and her
architectural brother, Jonathan, had created. It was a device that
would eventually make them both wealthy in their own right. The
results were staggering. He healed at an astonishing rate making
the raw wound and tenderness mend and disappear altogether.
Unfortunately, Lily wasn't able to grow a new leg for him, but the
future would probably make that happen. For right now, he seemed
happy to have a prosthesis that moved like an extension of his own
lost limb. He could run and swim like the wind with the same speed
and capabilities as he had before he'd lost his leg. He was still
considered a soldier – just a wounded warrior, still owned by the
military unless otherwise dismissed.

After the twins were born, Gunner slept in
their nursery at the vet office during the day. At night, he slept
on a floor bed next to Lily. In the beginning, every night for
several weeks, he whined and pleaded to sleep next to Lily on her
bed. She was tempted, but it was just too weird, like he was taking
the place of a husband or Quinn as his name popped in her head.
Gunner finally adjusted when she'd roll over and comfort him by
rubbing his ears and cooing if he were upset, assuring him like he
was a small child.

The twins were soon seven months old and had
begun crawling all over the place. The minute they woke up, they
went into action. They loved climbing all over Gunner. He seemed
happy to let them and seemed happy to consider himself the
protective big brother.

CHAPTER 30

Lily tried to keep in mind that Gunner was
still very much valued by the army for his many abilities even if
he were only to be used domestically. He was now ready and
completely capable of fulfilling his obligations until he retired.
Sadly, she knew that the time was near when he would be leaving
them.

So, after almost a year, it was no surprise
to her when she got a call from the military base commander
inquiring about Gunner's development. “What can you tell me about
Gunner's progress?”

Lily was happy to say, “He is doing quite
well both physically and mentally. His skin stem cell recovery has
been a success. He also has adjusted well to his prosthesis and is
not nearly so scared of his shadow.”

The commander was impressed, “Do you think
he's ready to go back into service?”

Lily hesitated, “Service, yes, but not
combat. I suspect that he may never be able to follow that path
again.”

The commander hesitated and then said, “Do
you think that you could bring him to the command post tomorrow.
I'd like our base vet to take a look at him with you present.”

“I could be there tomorrow afternoon. Would
that work?” Lily was thinking that she could bring Gunner in while
the twins were sleeping. That way, they wouldn't notice that he was
gone.

“We'll see you at one o'clock tomorrow,” then
he hung up.

Lily shook her head. She didn't think she
could ever be a soldier. She would just find the men way to bossy
and enjoying it. Too many tried “bossy” in the civilian world. When
Lily was the recipient of such chauvinism, it never worked so well
for them.

The next afternoon, Lily appear on the Fort
Riley base promptly at twelve forty-five. That would make her in
the commander’s office five minutes early. She knew that she was
cutting it short, but she ran into road construction on I-70. She
should have allowed for it as there is always road construction on
I-70. She had just sat down when the door opened pronto at one
o'clock. It was like the oven bell had just dinged letting you know
that time was up and the chicken was done. She knew she was
expected to be there when it opened, wondering what the commander
would have done if she hadn't been. She smiled and stood to greet
him never indicating for one moment what she was thinking.

CHAPTER 31

Quinn woke to a stark white room with an
intercom speaking in a muffled tones outside his hospital door in
the hall. He frowned. His dad was sitting in a chair in the corner
sleeping, looking unshaven and rather disheveled. He looked at his
left arm, it had a needle with fluid going into his body vein. His
right leg was bandaged in a sling that was being held a few inches
above his mattress. Just then, he heard voices outside his door.
His head turned as it opened. First his mom came in and then the
doctor. She gasped and rushed towards him, waking his dad. They
both gathered around his bed with tears and moisture in their eyes.
They were joyful that their son had returned to them from a very
long journey and was finally awake and lucid. They were
grateful.

The first one to speak was his dad, “Welcome
back son. We thought we'd lost you,” he choked out with
emotion.

Mom said nothing, she just threw her arms
around him sobbing.

Quinn looked at his dad, “How long have I
been here?” he asked hoarsely as his throat was still raw from all
the tubes.

“About seven months,” he stated solemnly.

He swallowed, trying to process that
information.

“Where am I?'

“You're in a Germany facility,” his dad
replied soberly.

“And my team?” he struggled to inquire,
“Where are they?”

His dad hesitated, “You and only three others
made it.”

“Who didn't?” laying back with his eyes
closed, Quinn asked, dreading the answer.

Troy stated who the two Seals were that died.
Quinn's head nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He was too upset
and it took too much effort to ask any more questions, but he
wanted to do so. He wanted to ask about Lily, but his exhausted
body took over. He immediately fell back into a deep sleep consumed
by the surrounding darkness.

Quinn had a kaleidoscope of dreams that
night, which included all the brightly colored lights of the
rainbow mixed-in with shouting and excruciating screams. His
lifeline, Lily, always seemed to be nearby, but he couldn't seem to
find her.
Where are you, Lily? Come and get me. I'm
waiting........waiting.......for you.

CHAPTER 32

For the first time since Quinn was brought
back to life, he was alert and alone. He lay in his hospital bed
looking up at the stark white ceiling trying to muddle through all
that had happen before he was awaken from the nightmare that had
left two of his comrades dead. He felt responsible for their
deaths. He replayed the events in the waters of Port of Adrian in
his mind again, only considering himself lucky because the bomb was
rigged to explode inward toward the ship rather than outward
towards the underwater SEALS. He continued to dial it back over and
over to see if he'd missed anything that could have been done that
would have changed the outcome that day. They all knew the risks
involved in the foreign turbulent sea. Yemen's port was known for
its underwater volcanic activity. He came up with no answers. He
hung his head for his comrades and for himself. Now, because of an
act of fate, he had become a member of the dreaded Club of Wounded
Warriors – obsolete. He knew he was luckier than most. He was
alive. Unfortunately, that was as much luck that he was going to be
allowed for some time.

Quinn looked around for any signs of
communication, like a cell phone, when his sisters appeared at the
door to his hospital room for a visit.

“Knock, knock. May we come in?”

Not that they waited for an answer, but their
appearance certainly brought a smile to Quinn's face. It broadened
farther when he saw who Jade brought with them. He was thrilled to
meet his new niece, Magdalena, who wasn't quite a year old and a
tiny replica of his twin sisters. He grinned, thinking how much fun
it would be to watch Jade deal with a teenager. He would look
forward to that entertainment with much anticipation. As he held
the delicate little fingers of his new little niece, he realized
just how much time had passed and how much time he had lost. It
made him a little sad. He hoped to close that gap as soon as he was
strong enough. He was looking forward to starting some intense
therapy tomorrow as all was healed enough to be rebuilt and
strengthened.

Quinn's sisters chatted over mundane things
that he had missed out on while “he was sleeping” as Jasmine put
it. They talked about all the cute things Magdalena did, which made
him smile, what Jade's husband was doing, and Jasmine's new
boyfriend.

Quinn started to ask about Lily when Jade
dropped the unexpected bombshell, “Lily's married and has a baby,”
which wasn't quite correct, but it never occurred to her otherwise
as Lily just wasn't the type to get knocked up and not be married.
“I haven't talked to her,” she continued, “but her dad mentioned it
to Dad. You know how dads never ask the details,” she rattled on,
“but I think he's only a month or so old,” she assumed incorrectly.
“The last time I talked to her was before Magdalena was born and
she mention neither a husband nor a pregnancy,” she kept spewing
out the devastating news as all the while she cooed and smiled at
his miniature niece.

Quinn was grateful that everyone was looking
at Magdalena at that moment. He was always good at camouflaging his
feelings, but not at that particular instance as it coupled with
the recent emotions of living again. He was shocked about the news
of Lily. He didn't see that coming. He was grateful that the nurse
chose that moment to come into his room to check his vitals and his
sisters were asked to come back later. Waving goodbye and
encouraging Magdalena to do the same, they left the room much to
their brother's relief, never realizing the emotional agony they
left behind with their big brother.