being
married? The military had more important things to do right now. Maria was the
one in jail, the one without proper documents. She might be labeled a security
risk. Her freedom might well depend on what he did in the next few seconds.
The
General stared with an emotionless gaze.
God
help Maria. Caden took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked at the baby on his
knee. “Adam’s mother was a refugee. She was walking along an Alabama highway
with thousands of others when she was hit by a car. We tried to save her, but
she died. I found the baby near her body and have been taking care of him
since.”
No
emotion crossed the General’s face. “Go on.”
“ The
first time I saw Maria was when she saved my life—and Adam’s.” He went on to
explain about the robbers and that he later found out they had killed Maria’s
parents.
The
general’s eyes narrowed. “She tracked down and shot one of the killers who
murdered her parents?”
Caden
nodded.
A hint
of a smile flashed across his face. “Go on.”
“ Maria…well,
she developed a bond with Adam that night. She’s as protective and attached as
any mother. I think for the first few days she stayed with me because I had
Adam. By the time I met up with Governor Monroe’s staff everyone thought we
were a family. It’s my fault everybody assumed we were married. I should have
said something, but….” Caden leaned back in the chair and sighed.
The
General nodded. “My parents taught me that there are two kinds of lies, those
of commission, where someone voices a lie, and of omission, where someone
remains silent and allows others to believe something that is not true. You
have managed to do both and in the process attempted to deceive me and my
friend, Governor Monroe.”
Caden
felt like a child caught and scolded by a teacher. He wondered if, telling the
truth, he had done the right thing for Maria.
General
Collins looked through the pages of the file then at the Lieutenant. “Is that
essentially the story she told you?”
“ Yes
sir, except she said it was her fault she had no identification and that people
believed they were married.”
The
smile returned to the general’s face, but this time it remained. “That’s some
woman you found. I wouldn’t cross her.” He stared at Caden for a moment. “You
owe Governor Monroe an explanation.”
“ Yes,
sir.”
The
general closed the folder. “Frankly your petty deception is a waste of my time.
I don’t care whether you are married or single or shacked up or whatever. I
just need to know whether the people on my base are a threat to security or
not—and I think she is not.” He turned to the Lieutenant. “Release her and get
them both off my base.”
* * *
A
cold, gray sky greeted Caden as he followed two military policemen to a jeep
outside the building. He sat in the back with Adam as the soldiers drove to the
barracks. Drizzle dotted the windshield. He stepped from the vehicle and
shivered. Adam whimpered. In his room he pulled out a jacket for himself and
wrapped the still whining infant in several blankets.
Caden
dropped the duffle bags into the jeep and in moments was whisked out to a main
road, past the Post Exchange and then by a closed gas station.
“ Why
is the gas station closed?”
“ There
hasn’t been a delivery since the day before Seattle was hit,” The driver said.
“ Within
minutes of that attack the line at the station stretched for over a mile,” the
other MP continued. “By the end of the day there wasn’t any gas left.”
As
they approached the main gate, Caden remembered that he had been required to
leave his pistol behind when Maria was arrested. He asked the driver to stop.
“I need to get something from the MPs.”
Grabbing
his duffle bags from the back of the jeep Caden asked, “Will my…ah, Maria be
brought here?”
The
driver shrugged, “Maria? I was just told to get
married? The military had more important things to do right now. Maria was the
one in jail, the one without proper documents. She might be labeled a security
risk. Her freedom might well depend on what he did in the next few seconds.
The
General stared with an emotionless gaze.
God
help Maria. Caden took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked at the baby on his
knee. “Adam’s mother was a refugee. She was walking along an Alabama highway
with thousands of others when she was hit by a car. We tried to save her, but
she died. I found the baby near her body and have been taking care of him
since.”
No
emotion crossed the General’s face. “Go on.”
“ The
first time I saw Maria was when she saved my life—and Adam’s.” He went on to
explain about the robbers and that he later found out they had killed Maria’s
parents.
The
general’s eyes narrowed. “She tracked down and shot one of the killers who
murdered her parents?”
Caden
nodded.
A hint
of a smile flashed across his face. “Go on.”
“ Maria…well,
she developed a bond with Adam that night. She’s as protective and attached as
any mother. I think for the first few days she stayed with me because I had
Adam. By the time I met up with Governor Monroe’s staff everyone thought we
were a family. It’s my fault everybody assumed we were married. I should have
said something, but….” Caden leaned back in the chair and sighed.
The
General nodded. “My parents taught me that there are two kinds of lies, those
of commission, where someone voices a lie, and of omission, where someone
remains silent and allows others to believe something that is not true. You
have managed to do both and in the process attempted to deceive me and my
friend, Governor Monroe.”
Caden
felt like a child caught and scolded by a teacher. He wondered if, telling the
truth, he had done the right thing for Maria.
General
Collins looked through the pages of the file then at the Lieutenant. “Is that
essentially the story she told you?”
“ Yes
sir, except she said it was her fault she had no identification and that people
believed they were married.”
The
smile returned to the general’s face, but this time it remained. “That’s some
woman you found. I wouldn’t cross her.” He stared at Caden for a moment. “You
owe Governor Monroe an explanation.”
“ Yes,
sir.”
The
general closed the folder. “Frankly your petty deception is a waste of my time.
I don’t care whether you are married or single or shacked up or whatever. I
just need to know whether the people on my base are a threat to security or
not—and I think she is not.” He turned to the Lieutenant. “Release her and get
them both off my base.”
* * *
A
cold, gray sky greeted Caden as he followed two military policemen to a jeep
outside the building. He sat in the back with Adam as the soldiers drove to the
barracks. Drizzle dotted the windshield. He stepped from the vehicle and
shivered. Adam whimpered. In his room he pulled out a jacket for himself and
wrapped the still whining infant in several blankets.
Caden
dropped the duffle bags into the jeep and in moments was whisked out to a main
road, past the Post Exchange and then by a closed gas station.
“ Why
is the gas station closed?”
“ There
hasn’t been a delivery since the day before Seattle was hit,” The driver said.
“ Within
minutes of that attack the line at the station stretched for over a mile,” the
other MP continued. “By the end of the day there wasn’t any gas left.”
As
they approached the main gate, Caden remembered that he had been required to
leave his pistol behind when Maria was arrested. He asked the driver to stop.
“I need to get something from the MPs.”
Grabbing
his duffle bags from the back of the jeep Caden asked, “Will my…ah, Maria be
brought here?”
The
driver shrugged, “Maria? I was just told to get
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