Learning to Stand Read online

  “Of course, when it comes to orders, you disobey them. Isn’t that correct? I think that’s what gets me the most. This amazing person, your superior officer, asked so little from you, and you chose to not fulfill those orders.

  “I want to know right now, in front of this entire group. Captain Ramirez – you had sex with the nurse rather than obey your commanding officer?”

  “Yes sir,” Trece said.

  “Do we need to look into mandatory sex addiction treatment as clearly sex is a higher priority than fulfilling your responsibilities as an officer in the United States Army?”

  “No sir. I’m certain Major Hargreaves...”

  “Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves is, right at this moment, fighting for her life AGAIN. Why? Because the men whose job it is to protect her were not with her. And tell us Captain Ramirez why you were not guarding your PRIMARY objective?”

  “She left base after I disobeyed her direct order,” Trece said. “Sir.”

  “It wasn’t just you,” Joseph said. “Tell us Captain Olivas, Captain Hutchins and Agent Rasmussen. What kept you from fulfilling your direct orders?”

  Troy crossed his arms and looked off to the side. Raz turned his back to the screen. Vince slunk deeper in his seat.

  “No response. Because there is no excuse,” Joseph said. “None. But at least you didn’t get a DUI.”

  “Sir…” Larry started.

  “Don’t sir me, you little shit,” Joseph said. “If you were under my command, you’d be in the custody of the Military Police.

  “Let me make myself clear. Lieutenant Colonel Alexandra Hargreaves beat all odds to become the ONLY woman ever accepted to Special Forces training. With her instructors working to make sure she would never complete the training, she still graduated at the very top of her class. And at the top of every class before and after her. She has two black belts – one in kickboxing and another in jujitsu. She has won every martial arts competition and beaten every single simulation she has competed in. Further, she has a Ph.D. in Psychology AND rescued almost four thousand individuals including two men sitting in this room.

  “This is the person you chose to disobey.”

  Joseph stopped to catch his breath and slow his angry flood of words.

  “Gentlemen, Alexandra ‘The Fey’ Hargreaves is better than you. Whether you like it or not, she is smarter, tougher, and simply a better human being than you will EVER be. Your disrespect is no different than this.”

  The screen flashed images of the Limestone vault after the Fey Special Forces Team assault.

  “If you think I’m exaggerating, Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves stated to her commanding officer that she could no longer tolerate the constant assault from people she thought were her friends. She has resigned her commission. Her resignation has been accepted effective immediately.”

  Joseph let his statement reverberate through the men. When they each looked up at him again, he finished his speech.

  “Congratulations. You have managed to do what murderers, conservative command, a rapist, teams of terrorists, hell, even her own mother could not do. You got the Fey out of the military.

  “Now, I want to know what you are going to do about it.”

  F

  CHAPTER TEN

  Wednesday afternoon

  March 26 – 1:17 P.M. MDT

  University of Colorado Denver

  Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, CO.

  John sat in his Diabetes class thinking about Alex. For some reason, she popped into his mind. Truth be told, he thought of her a lot. Sometimes he remembered what she looked like when he woke up or the flush he felt in her presence.

  Today, his mind drifted to Alex lying on the beach. They spent a lot of time at the beach when he was at UCLA. She wore these tiny bikinis to torture him. He pretended to study. Mostly he watched her sleep in the sun until he couldn’t stand his own arousal. She would giggle as he carried her off. Hotel rooms, bathroom stalls, the backseat of the car… They would hit it hot and fast. She was always ready to go. Back at the apartment, they would continue slow and easy, usually for the rest of the afternoon. John grinned at the scenes of passion floated through his mind.

  His vibrating cell phone brought him back to the small, warm classroom and his boring class. Glancing at his phone, he saw a text from Max. John shifted his face to convince the other doctors of the importance of his message. He flipped his phone to read a text from his best-friend.

  “@ in Denver Health. Get there.”

  They always used an ‘at’ sign for Alex. Somehow it seemed appropriate. John continued his mock serious face and texted back.

  “@ having lunch w MM. In bs class. Where r u?”

  John looked up at the lecturing doctor. No one seemed to notice his text activity. Being raised PIRA gave John one advantage. He knew how to fake any attitude. His phone vibrated again. John’s eyes glanced down.

  “Denver Health Emergency. @ dying.”

  John’s breath left him in a gust of wind. Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he jumped from his seat and ran from the room. He took the stairs three at a time and raced across the campus to his rental car. Cursing the traffic on Colfax, he weaved between the cars. He dug through his briefcase at each stoplight. He found his Denver Health physician ID and parking pass right before pulling into an on-call doctor spot. He ran into the hospital.

  He slowed to an abrupt stop. Blowing out a breath, he patted down his curly hair. He checked for his badge, moved his stethoscope so it hung out of his pocket then walked into Emergency as if he owned the place.

  “Doctor?” A nurse touched his arm. “May I help you?”

  “Major Drayson? She’s a patient of mine.”

  “They just arrived.”

  “They?”

  “Captain Mac Clenaghan has chest wound. Follow me,” the nurse said. “They are being prepped for surgery.”

  Like a man in a trance, John followed the nurse through the maze of the Emergency room. Nearing the back, he stopped walking.

  “Her father is with her,” the nurse said. The nurse pointed toward the bed then left him.

  Alex lay on a hospital bed while a doctor worked to stabilize her blood pressure. She was intubated. She had a whole blood and a plasma IV hanging next to the bed. An anesthesiologist was injecting hypodermic needle full of medications into her saline IV. Blood, which seemed to rush out of her, was collected with a series of pads near her abdomen.

  Ben sat by her side holding her hand. Feeling John’s eyes, Ben looked up at him.

  The anesthesiologist nodded and an attendant wheeled Alex from the Emergency room. As they neared the door, Trece joined the procession. Holding a machine gun, Trece followed Alex’s gurney to the surgery suite. White Boy came across Emergency to where they were working on Matthew. John’s eyes followed Matthew, White Boy and the doctors exit from Emergency.

  Coming back to himself, he realized Ben was standing in front of him.

  “I’m sorry. Did you say something?” John asked.

  “No,” Ben said. “Is there a place where we can talk? I’d like to smoke.”

  “Yes, I believe so,” John said.

  Leading the way, John made his way through the Emergency room and up a flight of stairs to a designated smoking patio. With the day turning to snow, there were only a few people around the patio. Ben moved to a quiet corner and lit a cigarette. Puffing a smoky breath, Ben looked up at John.

  “What do you know?” Ben asked.

  “Nothing,” John said. “I received a text from Max.”

  “He’s in the waiting room,” Ben said. “They needed blood… from both of us.”

  “And her parents?”

  “In town, but detained. They should be here within the hour.”

  John nodded then looked away. He wasn’t sure what question to ask.

  “They were attacked by the Boy Scout,” Ben said.

  “The Boy Scout…”

  John’s mouth formed the words but h
e wasn’t really there. John was lost in rage and futility about a man he hated with all his mind and soul. He should have killed the Boy Scout. He would have if Alex hadn’t begged him not to.

  “He shot Matthew – hollow point round through his body armor. Somehow, the bullet missed his heart and most of his vital organs. It’s a miracle. They have a mess to clean up, but he should make a full recovery. Erin is in the waiting room with Max. Colin’s on spring break. They were having lunch with Max when this happened.”

  “And Alex?” John pushed the Boy Scout out of his mind.

  “There are a couple videos of the fight. Civilians with iPhones. Alex used her clothing to care for Matthew. She fought the Boy Scout in her tank top. The bright blue fairy tattoo is visible in every video and photo. Anyone who knows the story knows the Fey fought some man in Denver.”

  John scowled at the implications.

  “The video is currently playing on every television station, CNN and all over the Internet. Alex told the people to stay back. They were Homeland Security. You can imagine Homeland Security agents are big news.”

  “And?”

  “What do you want to know, John? I can tell you she beat the snot out of the guy. Again. I can tell you he tried to rape her. Again. I can tell you her injuries. What do you need?”

  “Injuries,” John said.

  “Her left forearm is broken. She has extensive bruising to her liver, spleen, and intestines. They believe she’ll recover with no disability.”

  Ben stopped talking. His eyes searched John’s face.

  “And Simon? Our baby?”

  Ben blew out a smoky breath.

  “She lost the baby. And...” Ben stopped talking, not sure how to say what was next. “She is having an emergency hysterectomy.”

  “She hemorrhaged?”

  “She fell apart inside. If the paramedics hadn’t been there when it happened? She wouldn’t have survived.”

  John’s heart stopped for a moment at the ‘if.’ He nodded his comprehension.

  “I spoke with Max. When she found out she was pregnant, the doctor said her uterus didn’t have adequate blood flow. Parts of the organ had atrophied. Her OB believed the blood flow was never quite right after she was wounded. The doc checked with the doctors in Germany and was told that every effort was made to keep Alex’s reproductive organs.”

  “Why?” John asked.

  “I’m not sure. As you know, Raz and I were not allowed to see her after she had her first surgery. Patrick wasn’t allowed to come to Germany. We don’t know who made those decisions.”

  “Her OB wanted her to have a hysterectomy,” John said. He felt the cold truth flush through him. “That’s why she’s been so upset.”

  “Only Max knows this. She didn’t tell Raz and it wasn’t in the file he hacked. And I only knew she was pregnant because Claire was certain the last time we had dinner.”

  “Her doctor wanted her to have a hysterectomy and she didn’t tell me?” John’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Why?”

  “Max said she’s convinced you will divorce her.”

  “Divorce Alex? Me? Never,” John’s eyes became slits of rage. “This is more of Rebecca’s bullshit.”

  “Probably,” Ben said.

  The men stood silently contemplating Alex’s mother.

  “She will be in surgery for a few hours, John. As soon as they complete the hysterectomy, and stop her bleeding, they plan to run CatScans, PetScans and MRIs to check her organs, her hip, and, well, everything. By the end of the day, we’ll have a better idea of where she is physically.”

  “Alex won’t stay in the hospital,” John said. “She’ll want out as soon as she’s awake. Plus there’s no way to keep her safe here. We could barely keep her safe at Walter Reed.”

  “The basement’s done at your house?”

  “Heat, water and everything,” John said.

  “Sounds luxurious. Raz and I will look at moving her there.”

  “I thought Raz was on a plane to Washington DC,” John said.

  “So did he,” Ben said. “Joseph Walter has stepped in to run the men.”

  “Joseph? I thought that was impossible.”

  “So did he.” Ben smiled at his repetition of words. “You’d be surprised at the leverage bought about by denying a president and a street fight video plastered all over the Internet.”

  John smiled.

  “What about your class?” Ben asked.

  “Bollocks the class,” John said. “I will speak with my senior attending and test out of the class. I should have tested out in the first place. It’s fairly pedestrian.”

  “Would you like me to care of your class?”

  Raising an eyebrow, John looked over at Ben. Nothing like having a super spy in your corner.

  “No, but thank you,” John said. “And the Boy Scout?”

  “He is also in the Emergency Room. He’s… injured. The Denver Police are reviewing the video tapes to see if charges will be filed.”

  “IF?”

  “And against whom. He’s in bad shape – broken jaw, lacerated genitals, fractured ribs, couple spinous processes, burst spleen and... The list is extensive. We can add mental illness as he says she attacked him out of the blue.”

  “And the video? Satellite?”

  “It’s been less than an hour, John.”

  Ben nodded his head toward the edge of the patio. John turned to see Troy come across the smoking area.

  “I thought I might find you here,” Troy said. “How ya doing?”

  John’s eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. He tried to remember a time Troy had spoken to him. Ever.

  “Why?”

  “I think it would be very hard,” Troy said.

  “You were assigned the husband detail?”

  Troy laughed and looked at Ben. Ben nodded to encourage Troy.

  “Listen Mooch.”

  John’s face soured. Alex’s friends started calling him the Mooch when he was in college. It didn’t matter that he made some money now. Once the Mooch, always the Mooch.

  “Sorry. Slipped out,” Troy said. “Bad habits die hard.”

  John shrugged.

  “I’m not any good at emotional stuff,” Troy said. “I figured you might need a break. The men are working on getting the data. I thought we could go for a run while Alex is in surgery.”

  “Don’t want me to see the video?” John asked.

  “No flies on you,” Troy said.

  “Did you get that expression from Alex?” John asked.

  “She got that expression from me,” Troy laughed. “Ben, have you called her parents?”

  “I have,” he said. “They will be here in an hour.”

  “Great. More press,” Troy said.

  “The video is going to bring an international response,” Ben said. “You’d be amazed at how many people know Alex. Do you know where Raz is?”

  “He’s with Joseph,” Troy said.

  Ben nodded.

  “Come on, John. Let’s go for a run. Have you run along the Platte?”

  “Of course,” John said.

  “I haven’t run there yet,” Troy said. “Do you have your stuff here?”

  “In the car.”

  “Great. We can run, get something to eat and be back to the hospital before Alex is out of surgery.”

  “I’ll miss the video?”

  “And the press,” Troy said. “Hate to have the husband all over CNN.”

  “John Kelly all over CNN would definitely bring a different kind of international response,” Ben said lighting another cigarette.

  John smiled at Ben’s attempt at humor.

  “Come on,” Troy said.

  F

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Three hours later

  Wednesday afternoon

  March 26 – 3:20 P.M. MDT

  Denver Health, Denver, CO

  “Hi,” Raz whispered.

  “Boy Scout,” Alex said.

  She op
ened and closed her eyes. Raz moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

  “He’s gone,” he replied. “Before you ask, Matthew is out of surgery. The doctors believe he will make a full recovery.”

  He smiled at her. She frowned.

  “You hurt me,” she said.

  “Yes, I did,” he said. “I won’t insult you with excuses. I will regret it for the rest of my life.”

  “I wish I knew why,” she said. “It’s so very confusing.”

  “I know,” he said. “I think it’s confusing too.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be in Washington?”

  “Joseph is leading the group until you are up and around. He has assessed each of us and offered us a tentative contract.”

  Alex closed her eyes. She was hallucinating.

  “I thought I heard you say Joseph?”

  “Yep,” Raz nodded. “The President wants us to find Cee Cee Joiner. Colonel Gordon put Joseph on the table as the way to make it happen. The Fort acquiesced to the Commander and Chief.”

  “Joseph who? Which Joseph?”

  “Joseph Walter. Major Joseph Walter. In fact, you’re now a Lieutenant Colonel.”

  “Now I know I’m hallucinating,” she said.

  “Did you really quit?”

  “Yep,” Alex said. “I’m a civilian. I haven’t ever been one. No more vaults, no more guns, no more assholes, just lunch with the girls and… whatever else civilians do...”

  Alex faded out. Her eyes closed then popped open again.

  “Shop! Yep, shopping. Time to spend the inheritance. I only have one pair of non-military shoes. Sami has at least three hundred. I have to catch up. So you see, I’m not a Lieutenant Colonel. I’m a housewife. A rich doctor’s wife.”

  “Uh huh,” Raz said.

  Her brown eyes drifted across his face. She saw his sorrow and remorse. Her soul ached to tell him everything like she had for the last six years. But she didn’t trust him. When she sighed, he cupped her face with his hand.

  “I‘m sorry. I took you for granted. In my own desire to prove myself, I acted as if you were inferior… wrong… Knowing better, I trampled on your feelings, your kindness and our…” His eyes caressed her face before he added, “Friendship.”