Jaded Warriors book 2 (Jade Series)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15


I woke to the sound of Kane’s voice. “It’s like he’s one step ahead of us every time. He’s getting information from someone.”


“We’ll fall short if we don’t find out who it is,” Joel replied.


‘We need the oil refinery…Last time I talked to Marge she was just about out of fuel.”


“I’m surprised it lasted this long,” Joel said as he turned up the lantern and light filled the shadows of the tent.


“If Darby doesn’t get off my back, I’ll…” Kane paused as he glanced at me. “Jade? What are you doing here?” Joel turned around, both with stunned, vacant expressions. Gage groaned as he woke, his much needed sleep interrupted too soon. I sat up at the side of him. He rolled to his side and pressed his face into the pillow to block out the light as he slipped his arm around my waist, keeping me close.


“Hi,” I said sheepishly, a little out of place as I rubbed my tired eyes. “Megan is… Well…She needed Casey… She’s having her baby.”


My cheeks flushed. It’s not like they didn’t know how everything worked but the thought of me revealing her fragile state in a compromised position bothered me.  “And I came to find him. Your contact person who you had set up for us wasn’t available.”


“Grant? Where was he?” Kane asked, somewhat surprised.


“I went to Marge’s to get Dr. Walstrom for Megan and she said that he just left with Grant. Marge said they were headed out here, that you guys had casualties and needed more help.”


“I haven’t seen either of them all day. I guess they could be anywhere around here. There are hundreds of tents.”


“What time is it?” I asked Kane.


“It’s about eleven thirty.”


Gage sat up next to me then rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. He shook his head, shaking the tiredness from him then reached for his boots. “I’m going to take Jade back now with the truck.”


“How did you get here?”


“I rode Fire here, and Casey rode her back,” I said. “I don’t want you to waste the fuel on me if you are getting low. I offered to walk, but-”


Kane cut me off. “You’re not walking!”


***


We pulled into the driveway and I jumped out of the truck. The house, far from quiet as I paused midstep, then walked slowly towards the end of the hall. Muffled sounds filled the air from the back bedroom. I slowly opened the door just enough to see Deanna. She glanced at me.


“Umm… I’ll be right outside…” She nodded quickly, then I left and shut the door. An unpleasant churning whirled in my stomach and a prickly heat rushed over my skin.


I found Gage outside on the front porch and I sat down next to him. The cool frigid air, a welcomed relief. She should have had the baby by now. I thought back to the time I left. I remembered going over to Megan’s about twelve thirty to get her for lunch.


“I probably shouldn’t have gone in there.”


“Are you okay?” Gage looked at me puzzled.


“I’m fine…” I lied, suddenly out of breath. I didn’t feel fine as my lungs spasmed in my chest. “What time do you think it is?”


“It’s about midnight.”


“She’s been in labor for a really long time, ten hours.  I thought she would’ve been done by now.”


Gage put his arm around my shoulder. He pulled me closer to him and kissed my forehead. “She’ll be okay.”


“She doesn’t sound okay… How do you know?”


“I guess I don’t, but I think she will… Are you sure you’re okay… You look about as white as a ghost.” Gage tried to contain his smile.


“She sounds like she’s dying in there.”


“Do you want to go for a walk?”


“Yes.”


I welcomed the idea and jumped off the front steps. Feeling helpless and uncomfortable, I didn’t want to listen to her anymore. I glanced at Gage as he offered his hand, his expression calm and relaxed, myself near the panic stage of anxiety, ready to burst.


We walked down the street and out of his neighborhood, my fingers laced through his. I wasn’t sure where we were headed and I didn’t care, as long as we headed away from there. I stopped short on the centerline as we crossed the road to the trail. Gage looked at me, puzzled, our arms outstretched, connecting us still as we stood in the middle of the road.


“What?”


“Umm… Gage, just so you know… I don’t… I’m not…”


He looked as if a light went on in his head and he gave me a weak smile, which quickly faded. His eyes held my gaze. An understanding surfaced, visible in his soft blue eyes as he took a step closer to me. “Okay.”


“I didn’t finish… How do you know what I was going to say?”


“I know what you said…”


“Okay… As long as we’re clear.”


“Clear as mud…” Gage laughed to himself then his eyes met mine. I hoped he couldn’t see how afraid I was on so many levels, just by the thought of having a baby.  “Come here.”


He pulled me close to him as we stood in the middle of the road under the stars, his face, close to mine, the clouded air between us visible from our frosty breath. Submerged in the same silence, inches apart, gently, softly, his lips barely touched mine.


"Never?" He questioned. I thought I saw a twinge of sadness surface in his eyes. I couldn't answer, torment flooded my mind. “Are you sure? We would have so much fun trying.”


I smiled. “Don’t try and trick me.” I said, in between kisses.


“I wouldn’t…” Gage said, just barely above a whisper as a smirk curled against his lips. "Maybe just tempt you."


“Do you…?”


“Shhh… Just kiss me.”


"I don't know if I should… That could get me into trouble."


He chuckled under his breath as his lips grazed over mine. "With as much as I want you right now, I've managed to restrain myself… You are safe, for now." His hands tangled through my hair and held me close as he kissed me gingerly. Electricity pulsed through my body causing the fine hairs on my arms to stand on end with goose bumps that ravaged my skin, but I couldn’t feel the cold.


"You just keep thinking about screaming kids and dead kittens," I said, he chuckled again softly as his lips pressed against mine.


“Actually, watching you hold April’s baby when he was crying did just the opposite,” Gage said, reminding me of the time Grayson was screaming at the top of his lungs as Deanna handed him over for me to feed him. “I want to see you holding ours…”


“Really?” I asked, then sighed and reluctantly added. “I’ll think about it…”


“That's years down the road, Jade… You don’t have to decide right now… I want what you want.”


“But you just said-”


“Shh,” he said, then pressed his finger to my lips as a shy smile curled at the corner of his. “I want what you want.”


“Are you afraid, too?” I asked. “Afraid of-”


“Terrified…”


I looked into his soft gentle eyes then snuggled into his chest. His head rested on mine, the beat of his heart, strong and vibrant, pounding against his chest.


My hand slipped into his as we walked and talked about nothing in particular under the leafless trees along the trail as far as Marge’s store, dark and empty in the night. We turned back, the moon and the stars out as a slight breeze from the north erased the thinning clouds. 


We walked up to the door, the house quiet as we entered.  Deanna met us in the hall and motioned for us to go inside. Megan slept as Casey held a tiny little bundle. He looked over at us as we stood in the doorway.


“Megan just barely fell asleep. She’s pretty worn out, she had a hard time but she finally got her here,”          Casey said, an excited, haggard weariness visible on his face.


“It’s a girl?” I asked, as I peeked under the blanket. Gage stood in the doorway and watched as Casey handed her to me. I took her in my arms, her size surprised me, so tiny compared to Grayson.


“Let’s go out to the living room so Megan can sleep.”


“What’s her name?”


“Rylie…”


I carried her down the hall, guarded and careful as I moved to the couch. Gage sat next to me as I looked to Deanna to take over. My fear to hold her overwhelmed my fragile confidence.


“She’s so small, Deanna.”


Deanna gave me an endearing smile as she walked over and studied her breathing. “You are doing just fine… she’s four weeks early and is barely five pounds. She shouldn’t be left unmonitored at least for the first forty eight hours or so. I’m going to run home for a while and get some sleep but come get me if you need me. Casey, now is probably a good time for you to get some sleep too, if you want. I bet Jade would take her for a while.”


Casey, clean but completely worn, glassy eyed. His face etched with fatigue and a two day shadow. Deanna must have made him shower.


“I think I will. Jade do you mind… You can bring her back if she gets hungry.”


“I don’t mind.”


Casey came over and knelt down in front of me. He touched her face softly. “Thank you, for coming to get me. I didn’t want to miss this,” Casey said, as he looked up at me. I smiled at him to say you’re welcome and he went into the room with Megan.


“Wait! Deanna, what am I supposed to do?”


Deanna looked at me fondly. “You can put her in the bassinet, or hold her if you want to. Send Gage for me if you need help.”


“Okay,” I hesitated. “Is Megan okay? Why did it take so long?”


She sighed as she glanced back down the hall. “She had a hard labor. The baby wasn't turned, and she wouldn't dilate… I was afraid she needed a cesarean, which wouldn't have been possible here, especially without a doctor… she made it through it, but she lost a lot of blood.”


My stomach sank with queasiness. “Is she going to be okay?”


“She's really weak and will need a lot of help, I'm glad you're here, I'm going to need you… is that okay?”


“Sure… whatever she needs.” Uncertainty and concern flooded my mind about my friend and her fragile condition.


“We’ll be fine, Deanna,” Gage said, then added. “Get some rest.”


I sat on the couch and turned closer to Gage so he could see her. I looked at her tiny little face. Her skin, red and swollen from the delivery but other than that, she looked perfect. Her lips, soft and full with tons of dark hair that still looked wet, long enough to wrap the curls around one of my fingers. One of her hands peeked out from under the blanket and she stretched her fingers. I put my finger under hers and she curled them around mine and held it tightly.


“What’s the date today?”


“February twenty-second.”


I thought about how she came to be and where she had been for the last nine months. She was so innocent and fragile. It wouldn’t take much for her to get hurt. Yet she was there at the jail, the same time I was. Gage put his arm around me. I leaned back and rested against him. She slept in my arms in between us and we watched her sleep.


“Do you feel better now that she’s here?”


“Yeah, thanks for walking with me,” I said, as I looked at him. 


Hours passed as we sat on the couch and her tranquil innocence calmed me. Rested in the crook of my elbow she blinked her dark eyes as she woke with restless stirring.


“Do you want to hold her?” I asked, as I gave a sideways glance to Gage next to me.  He scooted closer to me and brushed my cheek with his thumb, entwining his fingers in my hair.


“No,” he said, as his lips moved closer and grazed over mine before kissing me tenderly. “I need a shower first… I'll just watch you.”


We spoke softly as she followed the sounds of our voice. Her tiny fists stretched into the air. I touched her velvety smooth cheek and she turned her head and opened her mouth. She reached towards me as her tongue moved in a rhythmic sucking motion.


“I think she’s getting hungry. She’s looking for something to eat,” I said, and watched her for a minute longer, then stood and walked towards the hall. “I’m going to take her back to Megan.”


A dim candle lit the room, I saw Megan on the far side of the bed sound asleep and I hated to wake her up. I walked over to Casey and nudged him. He woke quickly, sat up and shook his head.


“What time is it?”


“It’s about three thirty. You’ve been sleeping for about three hours. I’m sorry to wake you but I think she’s hungry and I can’t bring myself to wake up Megan,” I whispered.


“Here, I’ll take her,” Casey said, completely awake now and I handed her to him.


“She’s beautiful,” I said to Casey, and I gave him a hug. “Do you need us to stay? Do you care if we go home now?” 


“No, go ahead and go home. Thanks for letting us sleep. That helped a lot.”


“I’ll come back a little later,” I said, and walked back out.


Gage and I walked through the frigid air down to his home. The living room wasn't much warmer as we walked inside and he headed straight for the fireplace. He balled old newspapers and precariously stacked the logs and I shivered as I waited patiently for a fire.


I inched closer as the small flame grew with intensity and the warm blaze unthawed my shivering flesh. He pulled a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around us. I settled into his arms, suddenly exhausted from the day and I let my eyes close as his body curled around me.


***


I woke in my bed to Gage as he gently brushed my tousled hair off my face. The sheets rustled around me as I stretched then sleepily rolled over to bury my face in his chest. He smelled clean and his body felt humid and warm as if he just showered. I looked up.


A pale glow of the moon filtered through the sheer curtains and settled on his face, intensifying the discouragement in his blue eyes. I touched his damp hair, my thoughts confirmed, his dark hair glistened black in the pale light.


“I have to go,” he said, with tormented regret and dampened interest in his commitment to the war. “I need to go back out in an hour and Kane will be waiting for the truck.”


My brows furrowed. I silently expressed my disapproval as he slipped his arm around my waist and inched me closer.


“Did you get any sleep?”


“Some… ”


“Gage,” I scolded, with a scowl through the darkness.


“I'll be okay… it was worth it to see you.”


His breath fresh and warm against my cheek as he buried his face in my neck and kissed it softly. His hands tangled in my hair as I sank into the pillow and settled beneath him. Each kiss sent goose bumps across my skin as he inched closer to my lips. He pulled back and searched my eyes, and then his mouth crushed against mine. His lips felt warm and wet as he deepened the kiss. A pouty whine escaped me as he pulled his lips from mine.


“Gage…”


“I'm sorry, I had to wake you.”


“I'd be really upset if you didn't,” I said with a frown. “When do I get to see you again?”


I felt the weightiness in his voice as he breathed a heavy sigh. “The first chance I get.”


“Take me with you,” I pleaded. I searched his eyes, saddened and heavy by my request. I didn’t like how hard this was, to do the right thing and part of me wanted to run away from here and forget all about Damian and Morrison. They could have Little Creek, I didn’t care anymore, but they couldn’t have Gage and I felt like I would lose him to them in one way or another. Every time he left they took him farther and farther away from me, from our dreams.


“I don’t want you anywhere near there,” he said. The somber expression on his face tore at my heart. I didn’t want him anywhere near there either.


A wistful smile grew on his cheeks as he looked at me intently, studying me as if storing an image of me somewhere in his mind.


“What?” I asked.


He kissed my forehead then let his eyes close with a sigh. He placed soft little kisses, his velvety lips brushing my nose, my eye, my cheek. Chills skittered over my skin as he reached my ear and tugged on my lobe with his lips.


“Thank you for giving me something to hold on to while I’m gone,” he whispered in my ear. His jaw tensed against my cheek as he squeezed me tight. “I’ll be back.” 


  His voice sounded strained with his last words and I wondered what he meant, what memory tucked in his mind. I wanted to save the same one. He pulled away from me and walked out of the room. I heard the faint click of the door as he shut it softly behind him. I sighed. Moments later the truck started and he drove away. Not angry or bitter at the world for pulling him from me, but slow and drawn out as I knew it just about killed him to leave.