On the Other Hand Ch. 09-10

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A dangerous mission with a frightening outcome.
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Part 5 of the 6 part series

Updated 10/25/2022
Created 06/12/2014
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coaster2
coaster2
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This story was edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks and appreciation. Any errors are mine alone. It was previously posted on another site.

On the Other Hand

Chapter 9 So Close to Perfection

We had picked up the engagement ring the day before Thanksgiving and Nicole couldn't stop looking at it. She would fidget with it, turning it back and forth with her thumb. This was all new to her, never having been engaged before. I got a clap on the shoulder from Angus when he saw it, a clear indication we had chosen well.

We had asked my parents to come early on Thursday afternoon. Dinner would be served at five o'clock and I wanted them to have time to get to know the Carlisle family. They arrived bearing gifts, as I guessed they might. Dad had a bottle of very nice white wine, while mother brought a floral arrangement that Mary immediately put in the center of the dining room table.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Mary and Angus Carlisle. Mary, Angus, meet Pauline and Thomas Travers, my parents. And, this is Nicole and her son, Jimmy," I stumbled, trying to get the introductions done gracefully.

My parents are pretty laid-back and I was reasonably confident that they would get along well with Mary and Angus and I was right. There was every sign that they had a lot in common, not the least of which was the happiness of Nicole and me. My parents, devoid of grandchildren, made a fuss over Jimmy and he reveled in it. I wondered if he might be a bit shy with the new people and all the fuss being made about his mother and me, but he watched and listened and some time later when I looked, I saw him sitting beside my father and talking to him.

My dad is an illustrator for magazines and other publications. At one point he was the editorial cartoonist for the Post, but when they decided to eliminate the position and run syndicated cartoons, he was out of a job. His severance bridged him until he could re-establish himself in the commercial world and now he's doing fine, working from home and making a good living. I'm not quite sure how Mom feels about him being there so much of the time, but I don't see any sign that it isn't working.

Jimmy disappeared briefly, returning with a notebook and a pencil, handing it to my father. I knew what was coming. Jimmy sat wordlessly as he watched my father create something with pencil and paper. I saw him look up at my dad once in a while, but not so long that he wouldn't return immediately to whatever he was drawing for the boy. When he was satisfied, he handed the notebook to Jimmy.

The youngster smiled and raced to his mother. "Look Mom, look!" he exclaimed. "It's you, Mom, it's you."

"Oh, Jimmy, that's wonderful. Thank you, Thomas," she said, genuinely pleased.

"Can I keep it, Mom? Can I?"

"You'll have to ask Grampa Travers," she said.

"Of course you can, Jimmy. I did it for you," my father said quickly.

"Gee, thanks. I never had a picture of my mom before. Thanks, Grampa," he said, his eyes still fixed on the drawing.

At that moment I found I had something in my eye, and as I glanced around the room I found I wasn't alone. It was one of those magic moments you couldn't create. They just happened.

Later, when the feast was over, we were sitting in the living room fighting off the effects of tryptophan with coffee. Jimmy had gone off somewhere to play, now bored with the adults. It was quiet for a few moments before my father spoke.

"I had a conversation with Jimmy this afternoon. I found I had to keep looking at him to make sure he was only six years old. We talked about a lot of things, but the ones that made me stop and think centered around the idea that for the first time in his life, he was going to have a dad. And for the first time in my life, I was going to have a grandson."

The room went silent at that. I could see the look on my mother's face. Her lower lip was trembling and her eyes were blinking furiously as she fought to hold back her emotions. I had never really realized just how important that was to them until that moment.

In an inspired moment, Mary got up and went to my mother's side, holding her in her embrace. It was something that would remain with me for the rest of my life. The bonds between people, related or not, come from genuine feelings and emotions. They can't be contrived. We can see right through those most of the time. The bonds that were formed between my parents and the Carlisle family were genuine.

When Jimmy had gone to bed and my parents left for their home, I turned to Nicole and wrapped her in my arms. There wasn't anything that needed to be said. It was all self-evident in the words and actions of the afternoon and evening. I shouldn't have been in any doubt anyway, but whatever might have been there in the recesses of my mind was swept away in the euphoria of the forthcoming melding of two families.

Nicole came home with me as she had been since her return. As I closed the door to my apartment and turned to her, she walked into my arms and held me tightly to her.

"This has been the best week of my life," she said into my coat.

"I know what you mean and it has been for me too. I couldn't get over what happened tonight with my parents. I guess I should have known how much they wanted a grandchild, but I was insensitive to it."

"No, Will. They suppressed it, just like your wife did. Just like you probably did too. It all came out tonight ... in a good way."

"Yeah. Jimmy is special. I can't think of him as anything but my son. I won't allow myself to."

"I won't let you, either, my love. He is our son. Always remember that."

***

We didn't attempt to go out on "Black Friday." We got together at the Carlisle home and ate leftover turkey sandwiches, played board games in the living room, and generally chilled out for the day. I was helping Mary with the kitchen dishes later in the afternoon when she decided she wanted to talk to me.

"Your mother and father are lovely people, Will. I can see where you get your manners and personality. You know Angus and I have been very protective of Nicole and Jimmy. She made a mistake when she was young and we've been very concerned that she not make another. I'm very pleased that she has chosen you and you have chosen her.

"I'm also relieved and happy that Jimmy thinks of you as his father-to-be. That was also a bit of worry for us. But after yesterday especially, I feel very confident now. Our daughter is in good hands and our grandson will finally have the father he needs. You are part of our family, Will."

"I feel privileged that you've made me so welcome," I told her. "I love your daughter and Jimmy will be the son I thought I would never have. I promise to protect and love them as long as I am alive."

Mary moved to me and hugged me closely to her.

"Thank you, Will. I know you will."

***

It had to come, but it came sooner than I was prepared for. We would be separated again for another two weeks at least. It was going to be even more difficult this time because of what had happened this past week. Our recognition of our love, the commitment to marry, the joining of the two families, and the special pleasure of making love to Nicole were all too new.

I was not in a happy state as I drove Nicole to the airport once again. This time, Jimmy came with us. Nicole had said goodbye to her parents at the house. Even though this separation would be slightly less than the first, it still seemed like an eternity to me.

We stopped in the parking area along side the now familiar black SUVs. It was a different man who came out to take Nicole's bags, but he was polite and efficient. We hugged and kissed and Jimmy joined us briefly, his attention torn from the sleek jet that awaited his mother.

It seemed like only seconds later that she was stepping into the aircraft and out of our sight with the door hissing shut. The engines spooled up and soon it turned and taxied out of sight to the end of the runway. The two of us stood silently, waiting for the jet to reappear, almost surprising us at how quickly it had risen and soared off into the distance. And just like that, she was gone again.

I drove Jimmy home and stayed only briefly before heading to my condominium. I wasn't in the mood for company. I sat in front of my computer waiting for her call and when it came it almost surprised me. She had a smooth, quick flight and all was normal at the compound. She was back in the same room and would be back to work early tomorrow morning. There wasn't much to say that we hadn't said yesterday, but I was happy to see her face and touch my finger to the screen where her lips were.

I returned to work the next day and resumed my conventional career. It seemed so ordinary when I thought of what Nicole might be involved in. But then, my career was safe. I wasn't totally sure about hers. I did some research on eco-terrorism and quickly learned that is was high up on the list of concerns of Homeland Security, the F.B.I., and local law enforcement. When I reviewed the list of suspected attacks, I was surprised at the number and frequency of them. Because they were so often in remote locations or not catastrophic events, they didn't get the publicity that they might have.

The days dragged by, brightened only briefly by our evening visits on Skype. I was yearning for Nicole's return and like her, counting the days. She would hold up the calendar and I could see not only the X's that marked the passage of days, but the red heart-shaped mark surrounding the days we were together. There was no mark on the calendar yet that would tell me when she would be home.

In the meantime, I had begun scouting for a home for us. I had promised Jimmy that I would try and keep it in the same school district and I was working with a real estate agent who had my "musts" and "wants" clearly marked for him. One Saturday afternoon when I couldn't think of anything better to do with Jimmy, I took him with me to look at some homes with our agent. Jimmy thought that was "awesome."

I had been doing a bit more work at the TV station in Saginaw during the past month. Most of it was writing for the early news at five o'clock, and updating for the six o'clock edition. If nothing else, I knew what was going on in the world. Some of the copy was lead-ins to syndicated news stories that we picked up day-to-day from all kinds of sources. Other material was network, since we had a now-and-then agreement with CBS. The station served the Saginaw, Bay City and Flint region.

I was skimming over the wire services to see if there was anything late-breaking that we might want to add to the late edition when I noticed a headline. Explosion Rocks New England Office Building. It was datelined Boston, but when I read the first couple of sentences, my blood ran cold. The explosion was at the headquarters of SOCK, in Havenport. The details were sketchy, with no indication if there were any casualties or what the cause might be. I checked all our services but couldn't find any footage on the story. All I had was the early report and nothing more.

I grabbed my directory and looked up the closest TV station that CBS had in the area. I picked up the phone and called WHAV, asking for the news desk.

"Hi, this is Will Travers from WSGM in Saginaw, Michigan. I'm trying to get some details on an explosion in Havenport at the headquarters of SOCK. Do you have anything on that?"

"Hey, yeah. We haven't had anything like this happen in a hundred years. Seems like the police think it was a bomb. Blew the hell out of an old building. There's bricks and rubble all over the place."

"Any report of injuries or deaths?" I asked, afraid of his answer.

"Yeah, five or six injured, two dead, two or three missing. They're still working on it. Like it said, it's a hell of a mess. They're going to be days cleaning it up."

"Do you have any names of the victims yet?" I asked, now becoming desperate.

"Nope. They got a tight lid on it. Nobody's saying anything to anybody. We got most of our people over there and we can't get a darn thing out of them. Seems like the F.B.I. has moved in. Our local sources can't get anything."

"Okay," I said in frustration. "Thanks for your help. I'll just have to pray it isn't my fiancée."

"Oh, my, I am sorry to hear that. I hope she's okay. There were quite a few people in that building when she went up. We don't know how many might be dead or injured yet. Maybe give me a call back tomorrow. We might know more then."

"Yeah ... sure. Thanks," I said, hanging up.

I was sick to my stomach and ran for the washroom. I couldn't handle the idea that Nicole would be snatched away from me, from her family, just like that. I hadn't really taken my concerns about the danger seriously enough. I had lulled myself into a false sense of security and now it was coming back to bite me.

I washed my face in cold water and looked in the mirror. I was in no shape to do my job. I had one mission and one mission only. I walked to my boss's office.

"Harry, I need to take a few days off. I've just learned my fiancée has been in a building that has blown up. There's no word on if she alive or dead. I've got to go there and find out."

"Jesus, Will. Where is this?"

"Havenport, Massachusetts. She was doing some work for the Hepplinger Foundation. Somehow the Feds were involved. Most likely the F.B.I. They've clamped a lid on it since it looks like it might be terrorism. I've got to find out if Nicole is alive, or hurt ... or ... maybe ... dead."

"Yeah ... sure ... I understand. Listen ... stay in touch. This sounds like a big story and it has a local angle. You find out about your fiancée, then call me. Take the time you need, Will. We'll keep our fingers crossed that she's okay."

I returned to my desk and sat there, frozen in place, wondering if I should tell Angus and Mary. I weighed the pros and cons. It must have been five minutes before I picked up the phone and called their number.

"Mary, it's Will. I have some news and it's not good."

"What is it, Will? Is it Nicole?"

"Yes. There's been an explosion where she's been working and I can't find out if she's alright or not. I'm going to fly out there right away and see what I can find out. I'll call you as soon as I know. I'm hoping and praying that she's okay."

"Oh, Will. I'm so worried. How could this happen? How did you find out where she was? She wouldn't tell us." Her voice was trembling and she was on the verge of losing control.

"She's in Havenport, Massachusetts. It's not far from Boston. I'm going home to pack a bag and head for the airport. I'll catch the first plane I can. I promise I'll call you as soon as I know something."

"Yes, please do, Will. Oh, I'm so worried. I won't tell Jimmy. He doesn't need to know yet."

"Good idea. Thank you for that, Mary. You keep Nicole in your prayers and I'll do my best to get her out of there. I'll call you tomorrow for sure, even if I don't' know anything."

"Thank you, Will. Good luck. God speed," she sniffed, now giving in to her emotions.

I tore out of the office and down to the lot and my car. It was a short twenty minute drive to my apartment, but I made it in fifteen. I threw a couple of day's worth of clothes and my toilet kit into a travel bag and ran down to my car. It was a two hour drive to Detroit, but I was sure my chances of getting a late flight to Boston were much better there than from Flint or Lansing. I didn't worry about the speed limit, and thankfully the roads were bare and dry.

It was almost seven o'clock when I dropped my car at the valet parking and sped into the terminal. The hell with the cost. Time was of the essence. I stopped to look up at the departure monitor, looking for all the available flights to Boston. It was a long shot, but there was a Delta flight leaving at 7:30. I had to pray there was space on that flight and that I could still make it.

I'm an optimist, as I've said, and tonight I needed all the optimism that I could gather. Theoretically, I was too late for the flight. Theoretically, I wouldn't be able to get through security quickly enough. The hell with theory. I made it with time to spare.

Well, not much time. They were loading the last of the passengers when I ran breathlessly to the counter to present my boarding pass. The woman looked at me with a knowing smile. She'd seen this all a hundred times before I suppose. I took my handkerchief and wiped the sweat from my face and tried to calm myself down. I had made it. They had space, albeit a middle seat in the rear.

I was placed between a slim, older man who was leaning against the window trying to get some sleep, and a young woman who was engrossed in some kind of entertainment magazine. I had room. Breathing room. I put my head back and willed myself to relax and wait for the two hours and twenty minutes it would take us to get to Boston. The actual flight time might have been two years. I can't count the number of times I looked at my watch to see when we would arrive. Dozens, at least.

The Avis counter wasn't busy when I arrived and just after ten o'clock I drove my rented mid-size sedan onto Highway 1 north for my trip to Havenport. I had no idea where I was going to stay, but that wasn't my priority at that moment. I had to find out what had happened to Nicole.

On the plane, I thought of several approaches I could use to find out her whereabouts. The first and most direct approach would be to go to the hospital and see if she was there. I was her fiancé, so I should be able to get some basic information from them. But what if she wasn't there? What then?

Go to the site and talk to the F.B.I. or whoever was in charge. Maybe I'd recognize one of them from the airport where she was picked up. It was a fifty-fifty proposition at best. On the other hand, how many options did I have? It was a little over an hour on the uncrowded highway before I reached the turnoff to Havenport. It wasn't a big town and as I drove slowly through it on what I assumed was the main street, I saw a building surrounded in yellow tape, the front of it gone with only the rear left intact. I felt my stomach lurch and I pulled over immediately and lost what little I had to the pavement.

I wiped my face with my sweat-soaked and now soiled handkerchief. I sat in the car with the door open and waiting until I could collect my wits. I looked back at the ruins of the building, but couldn't remain longer than a couple of seconds. It seemed impossible that anyone would have survived that explosion. I had begun to believe that I had lost Nicole and that defeating notion took every last bit of energy out of me.

I'm not sure how long I sat immobile, but at some point I closed the car door and started the motor, driving away from the scene. I had no destination in mind and when I reached what appeared to be the edge of town, I spotted a vacancy sign on an aging motel. On instinct, I pulled in and went into the office.

An older woman came out from the back and looked me over. I guess I passed inspection.

"You looking for a room?" she asked.

Why the hell else would I be here, I thought?

"Yes. I'm not sure for how long. Let's say two nights for now."

"Sure. Credit card, please."

I handed over my card and she ran it through, passed me a plastic keycard and gave me directions to the room. It was on the ground floor near the rear.

"Shouldn't get too much noise from the traffic back there," she said.

"Thanks. Can you tell me where the hospital is?"

"Two blocks over that way," she said, pointing. "You can't miss it."

"Thanks, again," I said, heading back to my car.

It took me no time at all to move into the room and hang up a couple of shirts and a pair of pants. The rest, except for my toilet kit, could stay in the bag. I debated driving over to the hospital to see if I could find out anything, but assumed correctly that there would be no one on the reception or admittance area with the exception of emergency and they would be very unlikely to offer any information.

coaster2
coaster2
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