Our Journey Page 9

  “I know how you feel, Katie, but it’s hard to talk about things that I’ve tried to forget.”

  “But that’s the problem, you won’t forget them until you talk about them and come to terms with everything. Tell me one thing, how many soldiers did you bring back from that mission, Jo? How many men and women did you save on that day?”

  Jo’s face filled with pain, but taking a big breath, she replied. “About twenty came back with me.” Even as she said it, she put it in terms of the men having joined her as she made her way back, and not as her having saved them.

  “And all of them were wounded?”

  “Yes.” Jo always answered all of Kate’s questions because she felt Kate had a right to know about her. However, her answers were still short and to the point. “Did you tend to their wounds?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what about the others in that division you stopped from running the same fate?”

  Jo didn’t reply. “Jo, you’re a hero because you brought back to safety all those soldiers, and that’s why you have all those medals that you keep locked up in the closet. Now I’d like for us to go in our bedroom, and I’d like you to show me all your medals, one by one. I’d like to know what they’re for.”

  “Kate—.”

  “No buts!” Jo sighed in resignation of her fate and followed Kate to their bedroom. Kate pulled out the box from the top shelf of the closet, opened it, and aligned all the medals on the bed. “Please, tell me about them.”

  “I’ll have to look in each box. I’m not sure which one is which. I’ve never looked at them. I got them all at once, so I cannot recognize any one in particular.”

  “Well then, let’s start.”

  “Don’t you have to study tonight? This could take a while.”

  “I have to study, but this is important to me, and we’re doing this now. I don’t care how long it takes.” Seeing Kate’s resolve, Jo went through the medals one by one. When Jo was done, Kate took each and every one of the medals and reverently placed them back in their individual boxes, and later in the bigger box where they were all stored. Jo liked the care with which Kate held each medal.

  “One day I’m going to take all these medals, and I’m going to frame them in a beautiful display case. I want our children to know that their mother is a hero.”

  “I don’t deserve them, and would return them just to have everyone back.”

  “I know how you feel, but I as well as others disagree with your opinion. Jo, you earned and deserve these medals not because of the soldiers who died that day, but because of the ones who lived.” Kate took Jo’s hands and looked lovingly into the teary brown eyes to make sure that Jo was getting her message. “Those soldiers you brought back to safety respect you and are proud, and thankful for what you did for them. They think so highly of you as to show their appreciation with their unconditional loyalty. And the same goes for all the others you stopped from running the same fate. You’re their hero, and that is why you have those medals.”

  Jo sat on the bed with her head down. Kate got up to put the box with the medals back in the closet. When she turned back, she stood in front of Jo and lifted her chin. “And in the event that any of those soldiers had anything to do with Grace’s transfer, we’ll take it as a show of appreciation and respect for you, and we’ll leave it at that.” Kate kissed her on the nose. “Jo McCallister, end of session. Now I need to study.”

  “Okay, so I don’t call Mike?”

  “Nope,” Kate said as she walked away. Jo watched her go and smiled.

  ***

  Most Sundays were relaxed. Kate tried to compress all her studies during the week, whenever possible, to have at least one entire day on the weekend to spend with Jo. The leisurely Sunday mornings, invariably, led to slow and extended morning sex, cuddling, and pleasant chats.

  On this particular Sunday, Kate had her head on the crook of Jo’s shoulder, with her hand on Jo’s abdomen, and her leg thrown over Jo’s thigh, while Jo caressed her back. “Hey,” Jo said.

  The loving green eyes met the exotic brown ones. “What?”

  “How come I don’t hear you talking about your plans for a residency specialty? It seems like that’s what all others are talking about these last few days.”

  “That’s because I don’t plan to do one. I’m going to be a general practitioner.”

  Jo sat up, forcing Kate up with her. “Why?”

  “Jo, you have your job here, and you have done very well. You have a great position and the pay is great. If I work as a general practitioner, I can probably find a job here also.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “Because if I do, I’d have to apply in different places, and wait for a match. The chances of me staying here are slim, and then what would we do about your job and your career?”

  “So, you’re concerned about my job and my career?”

  “You can’t just pick up and leave, Jo. You like your job, it suits you, you’ve done well, and the pay is great.”

  Jo smiled, it had taken a long time for Kate to talk about them as a unit when it came to money. It now appeared that Kate had finally come to terms with Jo being the sole provider while she went to school.

  “Katie, when we started on this journey, we knew we were going to be in it for the long haul. Money didn’t stop us then, and it won’t stop us now.” She pulled Kate closer to her. “Come here.” Kate settled between Jo’s legs. “You always wanted to be a pediatrician. It’s all you’ve talked about since you started school. Make plans for whatever you want, you’ve earned it, and we’re not settling for less. Pick the best places, or wherever you want to go. I can transfer within the agency anywhere.”

  “But you like it here, and they might not offer you the same position somewhere else. You may even have to take a downgrade. Not everything needs to be about me. Your happiness is important also, you know?”

  “A job is a job. My job does not define me. If they downgrade me, they would still have to meet my pay for two years, it’s a thing in the government. Two years would put you at the end of residency almost, so we might only have one year of less pay. I think we can survive. Then we’ll go wherever we can both find jobs.”

  “But we would have to move.”

  “I think my agency will accommodate me, and if not, I’ll find something else with the Federal government. I’m a veteran, and my Army career, as you know by now, is a door opener. It’s important to me to see you through this. You have done great because you have put a lot of effort into it. I want you to be all you can be.”

  “Like the Army says,” Kate said in jest.

  “Yes, like the Army says. We’re Army here, baby! We battle to the end, and we leave no man behind.”

  Kate chuckled and kissed Jo as she pushed her down on the bed. “You’ve definitely recruited me!”

  Jo laughed. “You have the upper hand here, baby.”

  “McCallister, we both know you’re in it for the sex,” Kate whispered in her ear before nibbling on it and kissing it.

  Jo chuckled. “You got me again.”

  “Jo, what about our trip to Alaska? We already postponed it once. I thought we were going to do it after med school.

  “Katie, as far as I’m concerned, you’re not done with med school until you finish residency, and may I remind you again that Alaska is still there and will be there after you’re done?”

  “Seems like it’s going to take us forever to get there!”

  “Well, you know what they say, ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.’”

  “Looks like it’s going to be a long journey.”

  “But a very fine one.”

  “Yes, for sure. What about the RV? What are we going to do with it? Here we were able to keep it in the back of the driveway, but it might be harder to keep it somewhere else.”

  “We can sell it or store it.”

  “I don’t want to sell it. It was our first ho
me, and I love it.”

  “Okay then, we’ll continue to store it, but it’s a machine, and if we don’t use it and maintain it, it will deteriorate rapidly,” Jo explained.

  “Okay, so we’ll have to take weekend trips here and there when we can.”

  Jo agreed to keep it because of Kate’s sentimental attachment to the vehicle. She would just have to make sure that it received all the required maintenance.

  ***

  As planned, Kate filled out all the applications for a residency in pediatrics and flew to several locations for interviews. Sometimes, when the interviews were out of town, Jo was able to accompany her, and they would stay over the weekend to explore the city and future prospective home. Other times, Jo’s job did not allow her to take the time, and Kate flew by herself for the interview.

  Kate’s number one choice for residency was Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. She knew that she would probably not get it because there were usually only a few slots available and many applicants. She also knew that a lot of candidates used family or influential connections to make their way in, and she had none.

  Children’s was not only an excellent place for a pediatric residency, but it was a place where Jo would most likely find a Federal government job that would match her experience and salary requirements.

  “Are you sure you’re making that request because it’s what you want, or are you thinking of me?”

  “It happens to be what I want and, coincidentally, it happens to be great for you too. D.C. is the seat of the Federal government and the DOD headquarters. It’s the place where you will most likely find a great job. I see it as a win/win for both.”

  Chapter 5

  In the course of the four years spent at medical school, Kate had attended all of Jo’s work events, and Jo had become an integral part of Kate’s group of friends and had gone to all of her school activities.

  During Kate’s fourth year, there was a class party, which everyone attended. They were happily mingling and talking to everyone when Kate introduced Jo to one of her fellow medical students. Jo only knew of this particular person by reference because Kate did not like the woman. Kate had often referred to her as an arrogant, presumptuous bitch that thought herself above and beyond everyone else.

  “Jo, this is Lindsey Wise and her husband, Emmanuel O’Dell.”

  When Jo remained silent, Kate looked at her only to find her frozen to the point of shock. When she looked back to the couple standing in front of them, she saw the same expression on Lindsey’s husband’s face.

  “Colonel McCallister?” Emmanuel gasped bewildered as tears flooded his eyes.

  “Ma—” Jo barely whispered, looking down to his feet.

  Kate and Lindsey looked at each other surprised and wondering what was going on. Their surprise reached a new level when Emmanuel crushed Jo in an embrace that one would only give a family member or a loved one. Jo returned the embrace with equal fervor. A small crowd of friends gathered around them, wondering about the odd and sudden exchange of affection between two, until now, strangers.

  With tears in their eyes, they withdrew from each other. Jo stepped back to look at him in disbelief. “You made it.” Jo managed to say in a very emotional tone.

  “Yes.” He lifted the leg of his pant to expose his prosthetic foot to Lindsey’s horrifying stare and Kate’s surprise. “Recovery was a long road, but I’m good now.” He spoke obliviously to anyone else in the room.

  Kate hooked her arm through Jo’s to make her aware that she was standing next to her, and also for support. It didn’t take much to figure out that Jo and Lindsey’s husband knew each other from their military days, and the missing foot was an obvious sign that he was one of the guys hurt in the incident in Afghanistan.

  “Jo?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Jo looked at Kate and, realizing that she had not introduced her, proceeded with the formality. “Manny, this is my partner, Kate Nolan,” Jo said as she was barely beginning to recover from her shock.

  “Pleased to meet you, Kate.” He paused to look at Jo. “Jo and I served in Afghanistan.”

  Everyone in the small group gathered around them, waiting to hear more, but when neither one provided more information, the situation became a bit awkward. Having her officer skills of command, Jo broke the silence with the first thing that came to mind. “It’s good to see you again, Manny.”

  At that very moment, Kate, Lindsey, and the other medical students were called away for a group photograph. Manny and Jo were left alone to talk.

  “You still can’t talk about it, can you?” Manny patted her on the back. “It’s alright. It took me a long time and a lot of therapy to even open my mouth. And as bad as it was for me, at least, I didn’t see what you saw.”

  “Manny, we’re here and that’s all that matters. I’m glad you made it,” Jo said, trying to put an end to the conversation.

  In the distance, and forced into the group photograph, Jo could see Kate’s worried face. Over the years, they had grown so in tune that words were not necessary between them to know what the other was thinking or feeling. Kate was very much aware that Jo was in distress.

  Coming across Manny was something Jo had not expected, and Kate imagined that his presence and the showing of his prosthetic foot had opened a flood of those images that haunted her for so many years. Although Jo’s nightmares were less frequent now, she still had them once in a while. Kate couldn’t wait to be done with the photograph to go to Jo’s rescue.

  Manny continued talking, obviously glad to have met Jo there. “I was in Germany for a few weeks in critical condition, then they flew me home where I started rehab, therapy, and well you can imagine. This was not easy.” He pointed to his foot. “It’s been a long road to recovery, but I’ve been fine for a while. Just glad to be alive.”

  “What are you doing now?” Jo asked.

  “Well, I don’t know if you know that my father is a senator. I’ve been working on his staff for a while. Ever since I was able to work again.”

  “I didn’t know your dad was a senator. What State?”

  “Wyoming.”

  “What a coincidence, Kate is from Wyoming.”

  “What do you know? Small world.”

  “Are you still in communications?”

  “Yes, that’s my thing. Except now, the new field is politics. I handle press matters for my dad in Washington and do liaison work also. I started two years ago. That’s just about the time I met Lindsey.”

  “I didn’t know you were here in Nashville. How come I haven’t seen you at other school events?”

  “Well, I haven’t been here all the time. I got married two years ago and have been back-and-forth between here and Washington, D.C.”

  “That’s where Kate wants to go for her residency, at Children’s Hospital. According to her, it’s going to be hard to get in, but it’s what she wants. So, we’ll see how that goes.”

  “Lindsey also applied there. What are you doing now? I heard that you resigned your commission. I was shocked but understood. They kept me in the dark for a while, you know? I guess they thought I had enough with my own stuff.”

  “Yeah, there was no point in telling you, I guess. After I left the Army, I vegetated for a while and worked on my own, then I ended up in Wyoming and met Kate. We moved to Nashville when she was accepted in med school. I’m working with the Army Corps of Engineers in a civilian capacity, of course. I’m hoping to be able to transfer to Washington if Kate gets into Children’s.”

  “It would work out great for you. I’m sure that you will be able to arrange a transfer, or find something else in the DOD with your service record.”

  “Yeah, I hope so.”

  Jo’s eyes widened when she saw Kate and Lindsey returning to join them. “Ready to go?” Kate asked, knowing the answer.

  “You can’t go so soon, you just got here.” One of Kate’s friends said.

  Kate responded immediately, she had it all thought out. “Tr
ue, but we’re social butterflies and have another commitment. So, regrettably, we need to go. Good night, everyone.” Kate said, grabbing Jo by the arm and leading her away from the crowd. Jo smiled, relieved.

  “Let’s get together soon, Colonel,” Manny said.

  “No need to use rank anymore. Please, call me Jo, and sure on meeting again,” Jo replied more out of courtesy than of genuine desire.

  The women began to walk out, waving good night to everyone. “Thanks, babe,” Jo whispered in Kate’s ear.

  “Sorry that the darn picture took so long. I could see that you wanted to bolt out of there. I had no idea that you knew Lindsey’s husband. You know I don’t like her. She’s a manipulative bitch.”

  Jo chuckled. From previous conversations among Kate’s friends, she was aware that Lindsey was not well-liked by the group. Jo had not met her until that evening, but the descriptions had been accurate in labeling her as presumptuous and arrogant. The woman had an irreverent air of superiority, which alienated her immediately. “I kind of got the picture tonight.”

  “He seems nice. How did such a nice guy end up with someone like her? She has never mentioned him, except to say that his father is a U.S. senator. I didn’t know about his foot either. I guess you hadn’t seen him since Afghanistan. I imagine that happened over there.”

  Kate’s statement was met with Jo’s usual silence when it came to that matter, and she knew that the subject was closed unless Jo decided to talk about it. The drive home was quiet.

  At home, both women changed into their customary T-shirts and went to bed. Jo felt uneasy. She didn’t like to shut Kate out. She normally didn’t, and by now, Kate knew that the military issues were the only ones that Jo had difficulty sharing. She also knew that Jo had made significant progress, in the last few years, opening doors into her past, but Kate also knew that there was still a lot of work to do on the subject.