Deep Night (25 page)

“Ladies and gentlemen of Bardstown. Welcome to our Memorial Day celebration. I hope you all enjoyed the parade…which, by the way, I think was our best ever.” Tom waited as the audience clapped and cheered their approval. “And we have more great activities ahead of us. But first”—his voice lowered to a more solemn tone—“we need to remember why we are gathered here today…to honor all the men and women who served in any capacity in the United States military. I'm sure you've all heard the phrase ‘
All gave some, some gave all
.' Never is that more important than today. Through the years even our small town has been touched by loss.

“I'd like to take this chance to acknowledge Private Malcolm Miller, a fine young man I'm sure many of you remember. I was his Scout Leader, and I never saw a boy work harder to earn badges. But more importantly, he was always the first to volunteer to paint widow Larson's house or take care of Fred Samuels' livestock when he broke his leg. Malcolm's mother, Lucy, taught him values and manners, and it was quite a blow to him when Lucy had a heart attack and passed away several years ago. When America needed him, Malcolm did what he always did…he volunteered…to be a Marine. He suffered a terrible wound and was honorably discharged. I believe his dreams were crushed when he couldn't stay in the Marines. It was what he had always wanted…worked for…dreamed of. But today he has returned home. Let's all take this chance to thank his friend Lieutenant Chris Wilson, who has brought our boy back to Bardstown. Chris, please stand.” Tom extended his arm toward Chris, who had no choice but to comply.

The crowd went wild with applause and whistles. Chris turned and gave them a little wave, then sat back down.

Tom continued with his speech about the other veterans from their small town, calling them by name and pointing them out in the audience. He finished by having all of the veterans stand. The townsfolk cheered, whistled and rose to their feet in a standing ovation. As if on cue, the audience started singing “
God Bless America”
and the band quickly joined in. The song ended in hugs and tears and everyone mingling around as they headed as a group to the food area, where giant barbecue pits were being tended by the local fire department as an annual fund-raiser.

Dozens of people came forward to shake Chris's and Nick's hands and to thank them. Nick was amused to be included in this giant love fest, but it was clear Chris was uncomfortable with the attention. Sara suspected he was still feeling guilty about not being able to prevent Miller's death. She was hoping this trip was going to bring him some closure, but it seemed to be doing the opposite.

As the crowd cleared, there was just one woman left. She was young, probably in her early twenties, and was holding a baby in one arm and the hand of a small boy with her other. Shyly, she stepped forward.

“I wanted to thank you personally for saving Malcolm's life,” she said in a soft voice.

Chris's full attention focused on the woman. She had beautiful mahogany-colored skin and surprisingly light hazel eyes. Her thick, curly black hair was pulled back and twisted into a frizzy bun. “Are you Charlinda?”

Her face lit up. “Yes. Did he talk about me?”

“Of course he did. He was…sorry the two of you couldn't work things out.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I know I hurt him. But I didn't think he was coming back.”

“Why would you think that?” Sara asked.

“I was told he'd been killed.” The tears rolled down her brown cheeks and she choked back a sob. She dropped her head in embarrassment. “I was pregnant. I knew I couldn't raise the baby alone. When Malcolm's best friend, Leroy, came to help me…we were comfortable together. He offered to marry me and give Marcus a family, and I agreed. When the Navy finally corrected their mistake, it was too late.”

“Did you tell Malcolm that?” Chris asked gently.

“No, I couldn't change things. Leroy is a kind man, and he's been good to me and Marcus.” She sighed. “I would have waited for Malcolm forever if I thought he'd be back. But I've come to love Leroy. Not like I did Malcolm, because I believe you only have one great love in your life. But we're a family.”

“So Marcus is Malcolm's son?” Sara glanced around to make sure they couldn't be overheard and kept her voice low.

Charlinda nodded. “I wanted to tell Malcolm, but he left town so suddenly. I didn't know how to contact him. Then I got his letter.” She let Marcus's hand go long enough to pull a cloth out of the diaper bag and wipe her eyes. “He sounded so sad and lost. But he told me all about you and Sara,” she told Chris, then looked down at Riley, who was sitting calmly while Marcus patted him and played with his ears. “He was crazy about that dog. He even mentioned someone named Nick.”

Nick gave her a little wave, and she offered him a smile.

“He was really happy when he was with you folks. But he was so disappointed with how things turned out. And he said his arm hurt all the time.” Her voice trailed off. “Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of him…when I couldn't.”

Chris reached into his pants pocket and pulled out Miller's medal. He held it out to Charlinda. “Miller didn't know he had a son, but he would be so happy for Marcus to have this Purple Heart. Maybe someday, you can tell Marcus what a wonderful father he had and how much he wanted a son.”

She took the medal and squeezed it in her palm as if she could feel Malcolm's spirit. “I will.”

“I wasn't sure if I would be able to meet with you, so I left his ashes with Tom,” Chris told her. “Miller wanted you to sprinkle them over that special spot by the river. He said you'd know where he meant.”

She nodded. “We grew up together and spent a lot of time at the river, you know, fishing and dreaming and talking about the future.” She stared up at the sky for a moment. “He wanted to get married before he left, but I wanted to have a big wedding. I was such a silly girl. All that was really important was being with him.” She struggled to regain control and even managed a shaky smile. “Come on, Marcus, let's go find the pony ride.”

Chris exhaled a long breath that was almost a sigh.

“Well, that was fucking horrible,” Nick muttered.

“I just wish he had known about Marcus. It might have changed everything,” Sara said.

“How about some chow?” Nick asked.

Nick and Sara got pulled pork sandwiches, dripping with sauce. Chris played it safe with a hamburger and was careful not to drop anything on his clothes.

“Another reason not to be a sailor,” Nick commented. “Who the hell wants to wear white to a barbecue?”

They hung around for about an hour, watching the kids participating in various games.

“Are you going to stay for the dance?” Chris asked Nick.

“Nah. I'm going to check out that Bourbon Capital of the World claim,” Nick answered with a grin. “I've got an early flight tomorrow, and I want to allow enough time to get thoroughly shit-faced.”

“Well, have fun with that,” Sara told him. “It was good to see you again.”

“Yeah, you, too. Be sure to invite me to the wedding.” He gave Chris a sort of half salute/half wave. “See you next time I'm in Denver.”

Chris smiled. “I'm glad you made it here.”

“Me, too.” With another jaunty wave, Nick walked away.

“How about you? Do you want to stick around here for the dance?” Chris asked Sara.

“Not really. I think I've had all the Mayberry fun I can stand for one day. Want to head back to the hotel?”

“Actually, I've got one more thing to do before we leave.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and knelt down on one knee. “I know we have a lot of school and hard work ahead of us before we can actually think about a big wedding…but I want you to know that I love you and I'm ready to commit to making our relationship work. I don't even want to think about going through it all without you. Sara, would you marry me?”

Sara's eyes widened in surprise. “You don't have to do this. I know how you like to help people, and I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything.”

He stood and took her face in his hands. “It's always been you. No other woman even comes close.” His forehead wrinkled into a frown. “If you don't love me, just give me a chance. I'm just so sure we're meant to be together.”

She laughed out loud. “If I don't love you? Are you kidding? I've loved you since you let me beat you at basketball. It's going to be rough with our crazy hours, especially when we do our internships,” she warned, “but there's no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.”

His lips captured hers in a sweet, delicious kiss that was better than any she had ever dreamed about.

He opened the box and took out a silver ring with two horseshoes set in diamonds. “I want to get you a real engagement ring but until I can afford a nice one, I got this for you as a sort of promise ring. It was made here, by a local artist, and I thought you'd like it.”

She held out her left hand and he slipped it onto her ring finger. “It's beautiful.”

“Why don't we go back to our room, change clothes and go celebrate?”

“Only if you'll keep your promise and let me take off your uniform.” She gave him a flirtatious wink. “Or maybe just the bottom half.”

He bent down and swept her into his arms again. Riley had been intently watching their exchange but now was barking, jumping up and down with excitement.

Sara laughed with pure joy as she looped her arms around Chris's neck and snuggled into his shoulder. There were good men in the world, and she was lucky enough to have fallen in love with the best.

When you think of heroes, your first thought is probably firemen, soldiers or cops. This book is dedicated to paramedics, the unsung heroes and heroines who are out there, on our streets 24/7, saving lives while risking their own. They must handle any type of emergency, often in very difficult and dangerous situations. I can't imagine how they deal with all the horror and tragedy they see each day. I always knew these were very special people, but after my research and my time with this book, they have earned my eternal respect.

As stated on their website:

DHPD employs 157 paramedics, 16 EMTs and has a command staff of 30. There are 32 advanced life support ambulances, one critical care transport and two emergency service patrol ambulances. During peak staffing, there are 21 DHPD ambulances on the streets of Denver. In 2014, our fleet drove a total of 1,080,518 miles and responded to 87,151 calls.

Special thanks to Jody Drajem, EMS Education Lead Instructor for Denver Health Paramedic Division, for terminology and medical treatments, and to Captain Steve Barker of the Denver Fire Department for his invaluable help and knowledge. I honestly couldn't have written this book without them. And hugs to Bob Rice, an excellent paramedic and a really good guy.

After Midnight

Cries in the Night

Deep Night

Due Dates

Killer Date

Worst Date Ever

Life's What Happens

Oh My God (OMG)

Be Right Back (BRB)

Believe It or Not (BION)

Rest in Peace (RIP)

K
ATHY
C
LARK
has always been a storyteller. She published her first book when she was just four years old…okay, it was self-published (way ahead of the trend).
The Little Black Horse That Ran Away
was self-illustrated and completely sold out of its first printing (one copy to her mother).

Years later, Kathy's first official book was published by Dell. Since then, she has had a total of twenty-six novels published by Random House, Dell, Crown and Harlequin and seven novels self-published on Amazon.

Bob Wernly (Kathy's husband) came from a corporate background, which doesn't usually encourage creativity. When he and Kathy came up with the idea for a Young Adult series, a new team was born. Since 2012, they have written three adult romantic suspense novels in the Denver Heroes series, three new adult romantic suspense novels in the Scandals series (all under the name Kathy Clark) and four YA time travel/romance/mysteries in the See You Later (CUL8R) series (under the pen name of Bob Kat). Their books have been honored with numerous awards including Best Indie Book of the Year, Reader's Favorite Award and Colorado Humanities Awards.

TheThrillOfSuspense.com

@93NightWriter