Nothing Ordinary by M J Marlow (best ereader for academics txt) 📕

I supposed to sleep after that kiss, Major Owens?” Annie called after him. She heard his laugh and lay down with a happy smile on her face. Despite her fears, she slipped almost instantly into a deep and restful sleep. 22 Annie woke up to the sound of water running and she went into the bathroom and saw her husband standing in the shower. Impulsively, she slipped off the t-shirt and joined him inside. A half hour later, they stepped out and Annie was tingling all over. Getting dressed for the reception was problematic and involved a lot of shoving and reminders that they had a reception to attend. If it had not been in their honor, Annie doubted they would have made it. She walked into the gymnasium at James’s side thirty minutes late; their son dressed in the infant sized dress uniform his doting grandfather had purchased for him held in his father’s arms. She felt like the most fortunate woman on the planet. James was such a handsome man with only a scar along the left side of his throat remaining as evidence of his former nightmare. She could see the envy in the eyes of many of the other wives and she was very happy. “Gentlemen and Ladies,” Colonel Sheridan boomed out after everyone was given a glass of champagne, “I charge you raise your glasses and bid welcome to the newest members of our Academy family, Major James Owens, his lovely wife, Anneke, and their son, Karl.” The toast over, they headed to the buffet table and James filled a plate for her and made her sit down. He remained standing at her side, holding Karl and murmuring to him. She ate the meal and leaned against his side with a happy sigh. He looked down at her worriedly. “Are you all right, darling?” “It’s been a long day, sweetheart,” Annie answered him. He turned to make their goodbyes. “No, James. We can stay another hour. You need to get to know your co-workers.” James nodded and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. He went to talk to the Colonel and Annie was alone for the first time that day. “Can I get you something, Mrs. Owens, ma’am,” Cadet Sergeant Winston asked her as he came over to check on her. “I need to take a pill for my headache, Cadet-Sergeant,” Annie smiled at him in gratitude. “If you could get me a glass of water, I would be very grateful.” “Yes, ma’am,” the boy nodded and went to find her water. “You’re not looking well, Anneke,” Lenore frowned as she slipped over to sit next to Annie. “Headache?” “Recurring and persistent,” Annie nodded. “It’s beginning to worry James.” “Your water, ma’am,” Winston appeared as if from thin air and she blessed him for it. “Thank you, Cadet-Sergeant,” Annie smiled and took the glass. She took out a pill and washed it down. “If you could do me one more favor?” “At your service, ma’am.” “Please find my husband,” she said softly, “and tell him I need to go home.” She bit her lip as a series of pains hit her head. She went white and struggled to stay upright as James hurried over. He recognized intense pain when he saw it and he asked Lenore to make their goodbyes and told her where they were going. Then he helped Annie out to the car, settling Karl in the infant seat in back, and drove them to the hospital. The Colonel and his wife were with him when he got the news. “Major Owens,” the Doctor said as he came to speak to him. “Your wife’s headaches are an after effect of the head trauma she suffered.” “Is she going to be all right?” James asked him, his face showing his concern as he held his son. “We’ll want to do some tests, but she should be fine as long as she takes the medication I’ve prescribed for her,” the Doctor assured him. “It’s going to make her a bit groggy so you might want to hire someone to help her with the house and the baby. I’d like to get those tests run in the morning and keep her here for the next day or two.” He put his hand on James’s shoulder. “It’s your call, Major.” “Do what you have to do,” James replied. “Can I see her now, Doctor?” “You can accompany the orderly up to the room, Major,” the Doctor said as a bed was pushed out of the examination room. “James?” Annie sobbed and held her hand out to him. “It’s all right, Anneke,” James said as he grabbed her hand and clung to it tightly. “I’m here.” “That young couple has suffered more than any should have to,” the Doctor said sadly. “It’s a good thing the term doesn’t start for another week,” Colonel Sheridan replied. “I have a feeling the Major is going to be spending his time here with his wife. We’ll have to take Donny back for a while and let his aides run errands for them.” 23 Annie was angry at being back in the hospital again but she understood why it had happened. She had slept for most of the first two days and come awake the third day to find the pain gone and James seated by the bed with his hand gripping hers. He looked so worried she knew her condition had sent him through torment again. She put her other hand on his cheek and he looked up and smiled at her in relief. “I’m not down yet,” Annie smiled at him as she rubbed her knuckles along the line of his jaw. “I miss your old face, James. But this is a good strong face.” “If I could have come home the way I left, baby,” James returned, “I would have.” She held her arms out to him and he settled the baby in her arms and lay down next to her. They just lay there holding on to each other and thanking God he had brought him back. The nurse came in to find them all asleep and left them alone. When they stirred again, Annie ran her fingers along her husband’s jaw line and frowned as a worry filled her mind. “You don’t hate Jeffrey for leaving you behind,” Annie asked him, “do you, James? “Of course not,” James replied. “Hatred is a destructive emotion. He made the only decision he could under the circumstances.” He pulled her close to him. “I needed to hold on to what was good to remind myself why I had to stay strong.” He ran his thumb over her lips. “It was you, Annie, that I held onto during the months of torture and uncertainty. I had to come back to you and our baby.” “I never gave up hoping that you would,” Annie told him fiercely. “That hope is what kept me fighting when Guthrie took me.” “We both have some dark times to overcome,” James said softly. He leaned over and kissed her gently. “I want to make love to you so badly that I am ready to scream!” “You’re going to have to wait until you get her home, Major,” Doctor Carey laughed from the doorway. He came over and took the baby in his arms. “Hello there, little man. You’re getting bigger every day.” “He’s as impatient as I am to get Annie home, Doc,” James replied as he got to his feet. “So when can we have her back?” “I signed the release papers and she’s free to go now,” Carey replied. “The tests showed an infection where her skull had been cracked and was irritating her brain tissue. The medication cleared that up in no time and the headaches should be gone.” He looked at Annie. “You’re to rest the next few days, my girl. Let people help you as much as possible.” “Don’t worry, Doc; she will,” James assured him. He went to the closet and got her clothing. “Ready to go, wife?” “Yes, sir,” Annie smiled up at him. She held her arms out for Karl. “After Junior gets his meal.” “Hungry again, monster?” James shook his head at his son as he took him from Carey. “You’re going to be as large as a house if you keep this up, boy.” “No,” Annie laughed as she took her son from him, “just big and strong like his father. Isn’t that right, munchkin?” “You’re a lucky man, Major Owens,” Carey smiled as he watched the family tableau. “You take care of your family now. I don’t want to see any of you back here unless your son falls out of a tree.” James and Annie exchanged horrified looks with each other and Carey laughed. He could see this couple’s son leading them a merry dance. He’d heard about their childhoods from his old friend General Owens. He left them to make their way home and caught sight of a man glaring at the room. He did not react. He went to his office and wrote a description of the man down. Then he called hospital Security and the local police. “Major,” he said when he had made the calls and gone back to the room. “May I speak to you for a moment?” “Of course, Doc,” James nodded. He kissed his wife and son on the forehead and left the room. He listened as Carey told him about the man and took the description the man had copied out. He read it and his blood went cold. “I know this man, Doc. I’ll have the Academy alerted.” “He’s not a friend, is he?” “Anything but, Doc,” James confirmed Carey’s suspicion. “You were right to be concerned. I’d better get Annie and Karl home.” “Is something wrong, darling?” Annie asked as he rushed them out of the hospital. “You’re so tense.” He did not answer her and she knew trouble had found them again. She did not prod. He would tell her when he was ready. He dropped her off at home where Lenore was waiting to help her, and went to the Colonel. “His name is McManus, sir,” James told Sheridan as the man read the description. “He went AWOL just before Annie’s parents were murdered.” He took the whiskey from the man and took a sip. “He was captured when I was and he spent the months as we sat in those cells taunting me. He told me he’d made a deal with our captors and he was getting out so he could go after my wife. He took great delight in telling me all the sick things he was going to do to her once he had her...” He sank down, his hand shaking as he remembered. “I can’t let him hurt her, sir. He has to be stopped.” “I’ll see Security has his description,” Sheridan nodded, “and we’ll set up patrols.” He put his hand on James’ shoulder. “No one is going to get to your wife on this campus, son. He’ll have to go through every cadet, every officer, and every noncom to do so.” “I hate that this has found its way to you, sir,” James said to his superior officer. “I should have realized he was insane back in Germany and had him dealt with there.” “I’ll call your father and let him know what’s going on,” Sheridan assured him. James nodded and left. Sheridan went to his house and knocked on the den door. It opened. “You’ve got him spooked, boy.” “Good,” McManus aka Jonathan Cartwright smiled as he turned from the desk. He looked at his uncle closely. “You don’t have any trouble with the plan, do you, sir?” “I’ve waited years to pay Owens back for what he did to me, boy,” Sheridan replied, his eyes cold and hard. “I can wait a few more weeks. Punishing him through his children and their