Page 33 of Promise of a New Beginning
“Hello?”
Rush’s deep, familiar voice sent a pain right through Jack’s chest. He swallowed to alleviate the tightening in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, and his mouth was so dry he couldn’t form a single word.
“Hello?” Rush’s tone was guarded.
“Rush,” Jack managed.
Silence filled the airwaves.
“Rush, it’s Jack.” He grasped for the right words. Heck, he grasped for any words. “Don’t hang up.”
“I’m not hanging up.”
The tension in Rush’s voice was equal to the fear in Jack’s as he pictured Rush standing, much like Jack was, with his body tense, legs rooted to the ground, biceps twitching.
“I know this is too late and I wouldn’t blame you for hanging up after the things I’ve said to you.”We’ve said to each other.“Rush, I’m done running, man.” He closed his eyes, disbelieving that he’d just said the words he’d sworn he’d never say, much less want to say. After Linda died, he didn’t think he’d ever want to stop running away. Savannah made him realize how wrong he’d been.
He heard Rush blow out a breath, and Jack pictured his shockingly blue eyes—which were as light as Jack’s were dark—in a conflicted stare, a mixture of cold anger and warm brotherly love.
“I’m calling Elise to come get Linda’s things.”Come on, Rush. Talk to me!
“Don’t.” Rush’s emphatic statement took Jack by surprise.
“Don’t?”
“Her father’s really sick. Terminal. You’ll only upset her more,” Rush said.
“Terminal?” Jack’s voice faded to a whisper. “Ralph?” Before Linda’s death, Jack and Ralph had been close. He had fond memories of talking about the military and politics with Ralph, watching football together on Thanksgiving, and sharing many intimate conversations mulling over the differences between men and women. He smiled at the memories, but the smile quickly faded as he remembered their last interaction. It had been right after Linda’s accident, when Ralph had made no bones about his blaming Jack for Linda’s death. Jack had known then that it was grief speaking, but Ralph’s words had only confirmed what Jack believed to be true.
Jack rubbed the scar on the back of his arm.
“Jack, you’ve done enough damage to that family. Don’t make it worse,” Rush said.
His words sliced through Jack’s courage like a knife, leaving him grasping for strength as he lowered himself to the chair once again.
“Rush, I gotta see him.” Jack closed his eyes. He had to see him and clear the air. It wasn’t just Ralph who had said cutting, hurtful things.
“The guy’s on his deathbed, Jack. What good will it do?”
Rush’s voice softened, and Jack was glad for the change. Maybe there was hope for them after all.
“I’m not sure, but I owe it to Linda. We were solid before she…before the accident.”
“That was a long time ago, Jack. It took months for him to be able to move on, and he finally has. A lot has happened over the past two years while you’ve been hiding out like Saddam Hussein.”
Jack stifled the urge to tell his brother to kiss off. Jack had earned his medal during the capture of Hussein, and he knew that Rush was just trying to push his buttons. He wondered if his father was right there behind him, goading him on. His father was always goading them on.Be a man.
Jack couldn’t get sidetracked by crap going on with Rush. If Rush didn’t want to let Jack back into his life, that was something he’d deal with at another time. With this new information, the fragility of life reverberated through him like a double-sided blade. Every slice tried to steal his strength and courage. Jack rose to his feet and stared out the window and into the darkness.
“No way. I owe this to Linda and I owe it to Ralph.” Savannah’s words ran through Jack’s mind.I see Jack Remington, man, widower, soft-hearted-survivor-man-slash-pilot. Who can be a real jerk when he gets scared.Jack wasn’t going to run scared anymore. Today he was making changes, and nothing was going to stop him. Not even his love for his brother. “I called because I wanted to try to clear the air with you, Rush. You’re my brother, man, and I love you, but I get it. You still see me as some prick who ran away from his life, and I don’t know how to fix that. But I can fix the stuff with Ralph, and I intend to. With or without your support.”
“Selfish as ever,” Rush said before hanging up the phone.
Jack lowered the receiver from his ear, clenching it so tightly that his knuckles were white. He would not be dissuaded. He went outside and snagged his backpack from his motorcycle and leafed through Savannah’s registration form; then he picked up the phone and dialed her number. His forehead was damp with sweat despite the cool breeze coming through the open dining room window as seconds ticked by and her phone rang two, three, four times and finally went to voicemail. Hope soared within his heart at the sound of her recorded voice, reiterating the reason he wanted to change.Savannah.
“Hey, this is Jack.”Why do I sound so stern?He made a conscious effort to soften his tone, pacing while he left the rest of his message to try to walk off residual frustration from his conversation with Rush. “Savannah, I…uh…”Shoot. I should have prepared.“I’d like to see you. Talk to you. Whatever you want. I don’t care if we talk on the phone or…I sound like an idiot. I’m sorry. If you have any interest, please call me.” He left her his number and hung up the phone feeling as nervous as a high school kid asking a girl out for the first time.
Before he lost his courage, he called information and got the number for Elise. The phone rang three times, and he mentally prepared to leave a message.Elise, this is Jack. I—
