Unexpected Calling

Chapter 17

Terror. That was an understatement. Screams echoed through the building. Innocent people were shot dead left and right. I could not force myself to look. The screams were enough for me. I whispered prayers and held my stomach. Had it been our fault that all these innocent people were dying? Were we to blame? I shook my head. I wouldn't think that way.
  I mustered up my courage and peeked from behind my fingers. My eyes widened and my pale face paled further. Bodies lay strewn all around. The ground was stained red with the blood of the poor victims. American soldiers ducked and dodged hiding behind rubble, shooting at any non-American. The Koreans shot at anything that moved.
   How could someone be so evil? I buried my face in my hands again and wept. My shoulders shook.
Why?

                                       ~'~'~
I sucked in my breath.
“Dad?” I whispered. He embraced me.
“They told me you were dead!” I cried, pulling from him.
“Where have you been? I've been devastated for the past three years, thinking that you were dead. Why didn't you come back?”  I realized that I was becoming angry when I felt more heat burn in my face.  I remembered Jay. I looked to the corner and found her balled up, her whole body shaking as if she were freezing to death. Although in this case, I realized that she was in genuine shock from what she had seen.
“We'll talk about this later.” I told my father sternly. I rushed to my wife. She jumped and screamed when I touched my hand to her trembling shoulder.
“Shh, Jay, it's me.” I whispered, trying to calm her.
She sighed with relief and leaned into my arms. I held her to my chest.
“It's gonna be okay.” I whispered softly into her hair.
She looked into my eyes as I said this. I could feel the goosebumps rise on her arms as I embraced her.
I looked over and found my dad staring at me.
“Who is she?” He asked with confusion as he scanned over her.
I sighed.
“A lot can happen in three years,”  I replied, almost coldly.
You would have known if you hadn't left. I couldn't help but think as I told him this.
I stood, helped Jay up, and grabbed her hand. She clung desperately to my arm, her eyes wide and trying to look every way at once. She was too nervous and scared to notice Dad.
The dwindling number of American soldiers that remained, were searching the area for Koreans. They were the same soldiers and more who had come to help get Jay out. They had left this morning, but hearing my distress call they turned back.
I hurried to the exit with Jay tucked under my arm and my father close behind me, but were stopped by some soldiers. We flashed our badges.
“This is Anti-NKNA official business.” I pointed to my dad.
“He's with us.” I was technically higher in rank than they were, but I had to prove it either way.
After carefully observing our badges, running them through a scanner, and after getting my dad’s name and gun, the guards let us pass.
  We couldn't go to the Holloway's, so we ducked into a small restaurant. We sat in a solitary booth in the far right corner.
   Jay sat next to me, farthest from the door, and Dad sat across from us.
To avoid suspicion, we ordered a drink each.
  Dad and I took a deep breath. Dad opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He tried again, but again, his mouth clamped shut. I sighed.
“Where have you been?” I asked. Jay, just coming out of her shocked state, looked at me and then Dad questioningly. I ignored the confusion written across her face.
“For three years, I think you dead. And yet here you are, back from the grave. Why didn't you come back?”

                                        ~~~

I sat next to Jeremy. He was tense and his foot tapped the floor rapidly, as it always did when he was upset.
I began to become upset at Jeremy for not explaining things. I studied the man. He looked quite a bit like Jeremy. I put two and two together.
Three years, huge resemblance, right age...
Before the man could answer it hit me and I said,
”Jeremy, is he your dad?”
The man looked at me, almost angry.
“Who are you?” He asked forcefully. I scowled. I didn't much like his tone, Jeremy’s father or not.
“I asked first.” I retorted, matching his tone. His eyebrows shot up angrily.
“I am his father. What's it to you?” He asked. My jaw dropped and my fists clenched and unclenched beneath the table.
I'm only his wife, who happens to be carrying his baby!
“What's it to me!?”I sputtered, incredulous.
Jeremy tensed further.
“She is my wife. You would have known that if you hadn't left. Now I ask that you not talk to her that way!”He growled, nearly yelling.
Though I was just as upset, and appreciated his defending me, I realized we were drawing way too much attention to ourselves.
I put a hand on Jer’s arm and whispered in his ear.
“Jer, take it down a notch.” I said soothingly. “He didn't know.”
Jeremy sighed.
“He still shouldn't talk to you that way.” He muttered. I smiled slightly.
Meanwhile, Jeremy's dad sat wide eyed, looking from Jeremy, to me and back again.
“Your… wife?”He muttered almost unintelligibly.
  Jeremy took a deep breath and nodded.
Mr. Raymond's eyes filled with tears.
“Jeremy, I didn't leave you. I've been alone for three years trying to find your mother.” His voice cracked, then he broke down. He put his head in his hands. His shoulders shook as he mumbled about his struggles in trying to find her. His muffled sobs tore at my heart.
Jeremy looked at me, not knowing what to do. I would have smiled at his boyish uncertainty under different circumstances.
I put a hand on Marshall Raymond’s shoulder. He jumped, lifting his head off the table. His tear streaked face looked at me.
  He wiped his eyes and continued with a quavering voice.
“Carol... was found out trying to steal info from the warehouse. I hadn't gone on that mission because I was hurt during the previous one.”He shook his head.
“I should have been with her. The NKNA relocated her.  I… I marked myself dead on an online casualty list. I made myself disappear so I could find her. My alias is Josh Hartman. I only did what I did to find your mother.”
I looked at Jeremy. He was shocked and mortified. His mother had either been dead three years or in the hands of the enemy. He looked like he was fighting tears. I put my arm around him and stroked his shoulder. He swallowed hard.
“Do you know for sure she's alive?” He asked, unable to look into his father's eyes.
His dad looked away.
“No.” He whispered. Jeremy trembled.
I stroked harder. He leaned down and buried his face in my chest.
  We must have looked awkward, his being so much taller and broader than I.
“It's like she's died all over again.” He muttered. I felt his tears run down my neck. I held him, fighting tears myself. I felt his pain. I put my lips on his shoulder. I could hardly stand to hear his quiet sobs.
Marshal watched on looking depressed and almost awkward. He was probably getting used to the fact that his son was married. I was wondering how he would take the news of my being pregnant....

💮Author's note💮
Oh gosh! A lot's happened in this chapter. So... JEREMY'SFATHERISALIVE!?!?! I mean IAMSOHAPPYRIGHTNOW!!! But then I kinda ruin the mood with Jer being mad and his mom still missing..........
Anywho.....
This was a pretty short chapter compared to my other because I couldn't find any other place to end it so yeah... sorry 'bout that....................😂

Please vote and comment because each and every one of them are an encouragement to me!

ThanksforreadingandGodbless!!!!!!!!

Idk why I typed that w/out spaces... I was just bored so I decided to type something like that... that and it's late so I'm not really thinking straight... So yeah...  Love y'all!!!💜💚💛💜❤💙