Page 6 of Missing Marcus

Gabby’s hand unconsciously rubbed her stomach as she sat on the couch. With no TV, she read books to pass the time. She found some used baby books at the thrift store across the street. After reading two sentences six times, she tossed it on the table and lay on the couch. Weariness overcame her and she closed her eyes, reliving the worst moment of her life.

She sat at her desk when the cramp low in her belly doubled her over. Gabby went into the bathroom and noticed the spotting. No one but Scott stayed late and she made her way down the hall to his office.

“Scott?” she asked.

“Yeah, Gabby?” he glanced up from his computer.

“I haven’t made this announcement yet. I waited for my husband to return from deployment. I’m pregnant. I started spotting. Can you drive me to the hospital?” she asked, unable to keep the fear from her voice.

“Oh, Gabby. Sure, let me grab my coat.” Scott led her to his car and walked her to the ER desk. Once they took her back, he waited in the waiting room while they examined her.

Gabby closed her eyes. She wished Marcus might magically show up, knowing it was impossible, but she never felt more alone. Over the last year, he disappeared and reappeared at their home as if it contained a revolving door. Gabby knew he didn’t discuss work with her, yet even when he returned, he seemed consumed by it. It led to petty squabbles. When she graduated with her degree, Marcus never appeared. He didn’t stay long enough for her to tell him she quit the diner. She earned a position at one of the biggest accounting firms in the state. They offered tuition reimbursement, allowing her to pursue her master’s degree. She asked him repeatedly if he might manage to get the afternoon of December twentieth off. Marcus promised to request it. She stood on stage with no family or husband to cheer her on as she accepted the degree she worked extremely hard for. Disappointment filled her.

In the middle of the night, she lay on her side asleep when his familiar scent entered the room and the mattress dipped down with his weight. His hand ran up her leg and he peppered her body with kisses, tickling her with his beard. She turned over to speak when he captured her mouth and crushed her to him. Desperation seeped off him as he stroked her body until they were both caught up in the flame of desire. As soon as they finished, he rose and went into the bathroom. Through her sleepy eyes, she watched his thick thighs and taut buttocks as they made their way across the bedroom. She waited for him to return, but her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep. The following day, his side of the bed appeared untouched.

Now, she waited alone in a hospital bed. They kept her overnight for observation. Scott never revealed her condition and offered her a ride home. He arranged for one of the interns to drive her car back to her house while he brought her home. The office and her friends from the diner sent her flowers. Scott helped her in bed for three days of bed rest. He left the room and returned with her prenatal vitamin, a glass for water, and her computer. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll email anything you need. Rest and relax.”

The door opened, and Marcus appeared like a dream. But not the way she expected. He accused her of cheating on him. Didn’t he know she’d never do such a thing to him?

No, then he said the one thing she never thought to hear. “Thank God we didn’t have kids.”

Her hand moved downward to protect the tiny bundle of light through thisnightmare. She sighed as she wearily dragged herself up from the couch to wash her dishes. She thought they might have included a dishwasher for two thousand a month.

Pulling out her clothes and packing her briefcase, she prepared for the onslaught of morning sickness. Placing a package of crackers by the bed and a banana, she showered and went to bed early. She prayed she slept through the night and her dreams didn’t plague her with memories of the man she fell hopelessly in love with. It hurt every night when she woke up missing Marcus and knowing he didn’t give a damn about her.

4

Knight sat on his bunk and waited for his contact. After fourteen months, Rahimi’s second-in-command, Marghai, finally came out of his hole. Since news of Rahimi’s death the month before, insurgents vied for his position, making them use drastic measures. Intel proved he kidnapped a bunch of schoolgirls and hid them inside his camp. In a matter of days, Marghai’s men planned to vanish with their victims. Knight must eliminate the threat before they moved.

The assailant must’ve felt his days seemed numbered since he appeared two days early. After months of tracking down every lead, Knight found him. With the pull of a trigger, he completed his mission. He packed his bag and now sat on a carrier to the States.

Instead of feeling excited, he felt numb. The CIA terminated his contract after he took out the threat. Knight made the deal for him and Gabby. The friction with his job didn’t end when he came home. It seemed when he returned from a deployment she led an incredible life without him. Their home changed with each spin-up. She knocked down walls, added new paint, andadorned the front with a cheery flower bed, making it appear like a happy family lived there. Instead, he walked through the doors, toured their house to see what idea she implemented and then waited for her to return from the diner.

This time, he returned home to an empty shell of a house. The flowers outside disappeared with the winter. No colorful blooms decorated the front and everything appeared dismal, which seemed to reflect how he felt inside.

“I bet you can’t wait to touch down. Congratulations, Knight,” one of the men tapped his shoulder, returning him to reality.

“Yeah,” he replied as the carrier took off. The empty crevice where his heart used to beat felt hollow.

With nothing to return home to, he wondered about starting over. He and Gabby visited his sister, Bryanna, and fell in love with Seattle. A plan formed as they discussed moving there once he retired. They wanted to try for two kids at five years, move to Seattle and live happily ever after.

Maybe one of those plans still might work. The mere thought of returning to the house Gabby made into a home sent a boulder into the pit of his stomach.

When the plane landed, Knight reported to his contact. They confirmed the completion of his assignment and acknowledged his exit paperwork within the next few weeks. He picked up his phone and called his sister, Bryanna.

“Hey Baby sis, how’s it going?” he greeted her when she picked up the phone.

“Hi, Marcus. Did you finally make it back and plan to come see me?” she asked excitedly.

“Soon. I wondered if I might crash at your place for a while. I’m selling the house and searching for a place in Seattle,” he announced.

“Oh, I’ll love having you closer. I have some news of my own. Saint and I got married and we’re having a baby,” she gleefully announced.

“What? No way! Congrats, sis. Doesn’t he have a daughter?” he asked.

“Yes. We have Miya or AKA Nugget. The family’s grown since your last visit,” she informed him. “I don’t live inside the bakery. Saint purchased a house a block away with a backyard for the kids. He and the team plan to put a swing set up in a few weeks when it gets a bit warmer.”

“Maybe I’ll be there to help by then,” he suggested.

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