Secrets of War: A Military Romance (6 page)

CHAPTER TEN

T
he strawberry festival was one of the biggest events in Brightwood, for more than one hundred and fifty years, the three thousand or so citizens had come together at Jefferson Park to commiserate with their fellow neighbor. Enjoy good food, drink, music and fun. Like most festivals, there was a pie-eating contest, world hottest chili contest with rides clowns and face painting for the kids.

Jefferson Park covered three hundred and fifty acres, home to a number of famous landmarks including a duplication of Serpentine Lake, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. The park also offered various recreational activities including open water swimming, boating, cycling, tennis and horseback riding and training. There was also a rose garden located in the southeast corner of the park.

The garden opened in nineteen ninety-four and was developed from the concept of horns sounding one's arrival into Jefferson Park. The central circular area was enclosed by the yew hedge imagined to be the mouth of a trumpet or horn and the seasonal flower beds are the flaring notes coming out of the horn.

Suzy had always loved this park where she and Jamie had spent many nights here, making out under the moonlight on a blanket, making plans for their future.

Geri, Suzy and Jade were selling Geri’s famous strawberry cobbler and enjoying all the welcome homes from people around town. The sounds of the live country bad that was on the main stage, as the sun slowly set in the horizon with a cook breeze blowing through the throngs of people still walking along the row of food, jewelry and game stands.

There was of course, the few women that were friends with Sally whispering and attempting to look at them in a way that was supposed to create shame.

“Would you dried up old prunes like a slice of my cobbler or are you just gonna stand over there staring at the beauty that is my granddaughters?” Geri called out letting them know she saw them.

Susie chuckled along with some of the other people that were around that stand.

“Boy, did I miss that sharp tongue of yours,” Suzy heard Jamie say as he leaned in to kiss Geri on the cheek.

“Good Afternoon, you big sexy hunk a man,” Geri greeted hugging him. “Let me get you a piece of cobbler.”

Jamie reached into his pocket pulling out money. “Actually, can I get two pieces of that Miss Geri?” he asked.

“Why yes you can, but you better put that money away, it’s no good here,” she retorted.

Jamie knew better than to challenge Geri, he slowly eased his money back into his pocket and took the bowl from Jade, taking a big bite. “
Yummm
…still the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. Miss Geri, you are still the best cook in town.”

“I would have to agree with him there granny,” Jade chimed in.

“Oh hush, all that talk,” Geri said blushing as she waved off their compliments.

“Good Evening Suzy,” Jamie said staring at her from under the brim of his Stetson.

Suzy had decided to wear a red plaid button down shirt, a pair of light denim jeans, red cowboy boots, and a tan straw cowboy hat. For the first time since returning here, she felt like she’d come home. “Good Evening Jamie. Where is that beautiful boy of yours?” she asked. She knew if she looked up at him, her stomach would start doing flips.

“Tuck is helping pop out at the petting zoo, having a ball,” he said walking around the booth until he came to stand in front of her. “You want to take a spin around the dance floor?” he asked

“Uhh—I—No I can’t. I need to be here for g-granny,” she stammered.

“I can stay with granny,” Jade chimed in winking at her grandmother. “Besides, it’s not nearly as busy as it was earlier.”

“Thanks Jade,” Jamie said with a snicker.

“Yeah! Thanks Jade!” Suzy said giving her the evil eye from under her hat.

“Come on Suzy, let’s see if you lost a step in Hollywood,” Jamie challenged.

“Once again, I’m going to remind you, I’m not seventeen anymore. Challenging me to prove I can still dance. I will come with you to keep granny off my back though,” she said coming from behind the stand. She did feel nervous though, as he hadn’t spoken to her since that day at the restaurant when Momma told them the truth about what happened all those years ago.

“Hey, I’ll take what I can get,” Jamie replied taking her hand and walking to the dance floor.

Suzy went into his arms with ease and they waltzed across the floor together, like they’d ever been apart. She’d always been a curvy girl and was now a curvy woman, but when she was cuddled into Jamie’s arms she felt like a size two beauty queen.

The band ended the upbeat song they’d been dancing to and started a slower one. For a moment, Suzy thought of trying to get way but she found herself pulled in closer to him before she could take a step. He started to move her across the dance floor, never taking his eyes away from her. Suzy could feel herself falling under his spell. “What are you doing?” she finally asked leaning back a little as they kept dancing.

“Dancing with the love of my life, feeling like I’m on top of the world,” he quickly replied without hesitation. When she stared at him in shock. He smiled a smile of satisfaction. “What? Did you think I stopped loving you?”

It took her a moment to recover from hearing those words from him. “I—well, to be honest—yes, I did. What about Tuck’s mom?” she asked.

“The truth?” he asked.

“Always.”

“No judgements?” he asked.

“Never,” she whispered.

Taking a deep breath, he took the plunge, “I love Tuck more than I ever thought was possible. But he was the result of what I intended to be a one-night stand. I came back from the war, different. A broken man and Asia was more than willing to offer herself up to me. We spent the night together, and two months later, Tuck was on the way. Three months after that, I was married to Asia. I wasn’t going to have my child come into the world a bastard, especially in this town.”

Suzy knew the pain of being judged in Brightwood. Right or wrong, the minds in this town were closed and could be ruthless.

“Within a couple of years she was cheating on me, with half the town. I let it go. Hell, I think I even understood. With my leg being gone, my PTSD, and I just didn’t love her. I could understand her wanting to feel like someone cared. It was when I caught her shooting up in the closet of Tuck’s room that I put an end to things.”

“I-I’m so sorry, Jamie,” she replied still wrapped tightly in his arms, as they glided across the floor.

“I’m not. Tuck is the best thing in my life. He made me want to get help with my PTSD with the VA. You have to take the good with the bad.” He smiled. “So let me ask you a question?”

“Okay,” she said her stomach doing a line dance.

“Now that you know, I didn’t want to be rid of you. Do you think that you can give us another chance?”

“Give—what, this—us? You want to give us another chance?” she asked shocked. Suzy stopped dancing staring at him from under her cowboy hat in utter disbelief.

“I…who…you…YES, us,” Jamie replied mocking her stammering. “Suzy, we aren’t teenagers going too fast anymore. I have always wondered what it would have been like to wake up to you every morning and serve you breakfast in bed. To hold your hand as we hear our child’s heartbeat for the first time on an ultrasound. To watch you walk down the aisle, eyes misty with years as we prepare so say our vows. I thought that’d been taken from us. Until by divine intervention….Here you are again. In my town, in my life in my arms. I won’t let this slip through my fingers.”

All she could think about was the one thing that was going to stop her from ever having a normal happy life. Her HIV diagnoses. How could she ask him to be married to and share a life with a virtual dead woman walking?

“Jamie I—” she started to say when a man came running into the barn screaming.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“H
ELP PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME! My son is caught please!” the man kept yelling running from person, person trying desperately for support.

“Where is he?” Suzy asked running toward the man.

Jamie and the distraught father ran in the direction of a big open cornfield.

What Suzy saw when they all stopped was the thing nightmares were made of.

A young boy, no more than twelve had fallen into a running grain auger. One arm had been completely detached but the other was still caught, and the boy was unconscious. The father was pacing back and forth saying, “I turned away for a second and the next thing I know, he is screaming and then there was nothing just silence.”

“OH, MY GOD!” a woman screamed as a crowd was starting to form while more and more people heard what was going on.

Looking to Jamie Suzy asked, “How long until an ambulance is here, do you think?” She didn’t want to risk getting nicked or cut and exposing this poor kid to her HIV.

“At least thirty minutes,” he answered quietly.

“Jesus…He’s bleeding bad! He won’t last thirty minutes. We have to get him out of that thing and get him to a hospital now,” she whispered.

“What do you need me to do?” Jamie asked her.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she moved in closer to insure the only person that heard what she was about to say was Jamie. “I have to detach the other arm, that is the only way we can get him loose. I need some people that can hold the father back for me, his instinct is going to be to try and protect him from me. I need you to pull your pickup truck over here and get the sheriff to get these people back, and have Jade bring my medical bag like NOW! “

Jamie took off running.

Suzy started to pray, she hadn’t had to act as a doctor in a high risk situation since she discovered she had HIV.

“SUZY!” Jade yelled as she was running up to her with her bag. “Suze, do you think this is a good idea?” Jade wasn’t a crier, had never been, she’d always been strong. But she’d cried a lot when Suzy had been diagnosed and she could see tears pooling in her eyes now.

“No, this is a totally bad idea! But someone has to check his vitals and take care of him medically, while getting him free. Is there someone nearby that you know of who can do that?” Suzy retorted.

“No…No I guess not,” Jade mumbled crossing her arms.

Suzy noticed the sheriff and three of his deputies had pulled to the side, she could also see in the distance, Jamie headed her way in his pickup.

Climbing over into the auger, she checked the boy’s vitals. His heart rate and blood pressure were dangerously low. Looking into his eyes, she could see there was some scratching to his corneas and he’d suffered contusions to his face, head and arms.

Suzy took her shirt off to tie off the arm stub that had already detached from the limb to slow down the bleeding.

As she finally tight knot tied it, the pain must have startled the boy awake. He woke up screaming trying to flail his arms around. Suzy started to fall backward startled by his jerking. She was able to catch herself to not inflict any serious damage but unfortunately got a deep gash in the palm of her hand.

The boy screamed for his father, fighting Suzy who was trying her hardest to get control of him without touching him with her now open and bleeding hand, and keep him from hurting himself.

“Suzy! What can I do?” Jamie asked looking down at them.

“I need a tourniquet from my bag and there’s a needle in there with a blue band around the hilt, pass it to me with an alcohol swab, so that I can tranquilize him, so we can get him out of here please.” She went back to trying to console the boy, but he was in so much pain and so terrified, he couldn’t hear anything she said.

“Here you go,” Jamie said handing her what she needed. “Do you have another one of those for Rich Henderson, his dad? Because he is losing his mind.”

Suzy carefully wiped his leg with the alcohol wipe before sticking the needle in his leg to administer the medication.

The boy must have not heard her tell him she was about to give him a shot. When he felt the pain, he yanked his arm that was caught finally detaching it from his body. Luckily, within seconds of doing that, the tranquilizer worked and he passed out.

Suzy and Jamie worked for the next ten minutes getting him out of the auger, the paramedics were there waiting for them as they did.

The bystanders applauded her, as she was helped to another ambulance. Once she was inside, the medic reached for her hand to examine the cut without any gloves. Suzy yanked her hand away. “No”

The paramedic looked confused. “Doctor Stephenson, I need to see—”

“I’m HIV positive!” she replied sternly. “You need to put some gloves on before you examine me, and I need you to contact the other ambulance and let them know, so they can notify the doctors I had to touch him with this open cut on my hand.”

“Oh…Oh,” the medic replied looking around to find her blue medic gloves. “I will get right on it.”

Jamie stepped into sight from behind the ambulance door and Suzy knew from the look on his face that he’d heard her admission. She simply stared at him, tears running down her cheeks. Now he knew. At least she didn’t have to try and figure out to tell him now. Heck, she was sure he would probably avoid her from now on. She wouldn’t be hearing anymore of
let’s give us another try
stuff.

She said a mental goodbye to him as the paramedics closed the doors, and took off to get her to the hospital.