Page 134 of Creed

It happened again in Afghanistan a few years back. Our useless President pulled out and abandoned Creed after he led a successful mission for them. My team had to go in and save as many men as possible.

Creed got called up yet again, but that time was different. I’d be bringing him home for the last time. He gave so damn much for this country, and they just couldn’t leave him alone. I had to fight my anger, my pain, and my instinct to just giveup. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t be the man bringing my brothers home anymore.

Morgan was so fucking beautiful with a kind soul and a deep love for my brother. Creed loved her so damn much and she was probably going to spend the rest of her life alone while raising his children. I vowed to always be there for her and all three kids.

If there was one thing for sure, it was the fact that Morgan and Addie were adored by the entire community. I had an overwhelming need to keep them safe from the moment I met them. I hoped like hell I’d be able to make it all up to Morgan and she would learn to trust me again. I was making the trip no man ever wanted to make. I needed Morgan to understand it was Creed’s wishes I was respecting. None of it was my choice. I didn’t ask for a damn thing to do with what was asked of me. All I knew was I wouldn’t ever want to be kept alive to rot away while on machines ever again.

I threw back a few shots of whiskey before laying back in my seat. I tried to sleep but my whole friendship with Creed kept running through my mind. Good memories, bad memories, and then watching the impossible happen in front of my eyes. I watched Creed fall in love. He quickly became a great dad, and the man Morgan Rossi needed in a very short amount of time. Holy shit she loved him so damn much.

There was a time in my life where nobody thought I’d live. My own father almost killed me. I was on life support when I was only eight years old. I had swelling on the brain and my mother was told if I survived I would have had brain damage. They were wrong, and that was just another reason my trip to Germany felt so wrong. My father was sent to prison, I had to raise my sister, then eventually I enlisted. It was the only wayI knew to help my family. Eventually, I put my sister through college and never saved a dime for myself until we created Creed’s Lake. My mom was still a drunk, but at least I had Kayla. She was in law school, and because of Creed I could afford to pay for her tuition and her living expenses.

My dad was still in prison. He could have been out years ago, but he stabbed another inmate eight years ago. I hoped the man never saw the light of day again. He ruined our lives and didn’t even give a shit. I was eight years old when I stepped between him and my mother. I was willing to take the beating for her, but she repaid me by never getting help. She was out of my life when I turned eighteen and eventually Kayla followed my lead. Neither one of us saw my mother in years and we didn’t care to see her ever again. She brought strange men home, never paid the bills, and left me to do it all and I was just a kid.

Creed and Kayla were my closest family. Sure, I was angry when I learned Creed wasn’t truthful with me, but I understood him. We got over it and moved on to create Creed’s Lake.

When we got out of the Army we thought we were done. Neither of us ever thought it was going to end that way. To bring him home in a box with the American Flag draped over it wasn’t even a possibility. If we were going out, it was our own missions, on our own terms.

Morgan’s screams would haunt me for the rest of my life. I was glad Creed was loved by a good woman, but she didn’t deserve that kind of pain. Those screams just kept playing over and over in my mind. I shot back one drink of whiskey after another until I passed out. I didn’t wake until the jet landed on German soil.

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center wasn’t a long car ride. It brought back memories because I had been there before. The first time it was for my own injuries, then the second time was because of Dark Shadow. I was Creed’s emergency contact and was permitted to travel with him. I sat through all their surgeries. All my team mates were injured. Granger almost bled to death, Drakos had a brain injury, Magnus had several broken bones and internal bleeding, Bolton had too many injuries to count, and Creed was stabbed and had multiple broken bones. I almost lost all of them. Dreadful memories came rushing through my mind as the car stopped in front of the hospital. Unfortunately, I was once again making another memory, one that time would never heal. It had been a hard life for me, but no part of it was as tough as what I was in Germany to do.

I was escorted up to the intensive care unit and was nowhere close to prepared to see what was behind that curtain. I saw a man that was burned over most of his body. A machine was breathing for him, and there were tubes everywhere. His chest would rise and fall as the machines worked to push oxygen into his lungs. One leg was gone and several fingers. I knew in that moment that Creed gave me the right instructions. There was no way anyone could ever survive those injuries.

“We will give you some time alone with him.” The doctor and nurse left the room and the glass doors behind me shut. I stepped closer and eventually pulled a chair up next to him. I saw his dog tags hanging on the wall next to him and the first tear escaped my eyes. I couldn’t believe that image was going to be my last memory of him.

I was afraid to touch him. Instead, I leaned on my elbows against my knees and looked down at the floor. “She’s pregnant with twins, and before you freak out, yes they are yours.” Ireached up and wiped a tear away. “She’s beautiful carrying your children. Nobody could ever have thought that Morgan Rossi could get even more beautiful, but leave it to you. You always have to do everything twice as what’s necessary, obviously that means knocking her up as well. They’re identical, but she doesn’t know what she’s having yet. She was waiting for you.” I wiped more tears away. “She loves you and this isn’t easy on her. I'm worried for her and Addie both.”

I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms as I looked down at the floor. “Addie is probably going to rule the world someday. There is no way in hell any man could ever tell her what to do with her life. She’s a brave little girl and she’s so damn stubborn. She no longer calls you the big guy anymore. She brags to her friends that her daddy is the bravest and strongest soldier ever. I know you didn’t have long with her, but I think you’ve given her the few memories she needs to maybe forget Shane. I don’t know, she’s young and I know kids can have different memories as they grow up. We will all be there for her, and God have mercy on any guy that comes around to date her. He has to get through all of us, Patrick, and the Hans and Franz duo as you liked to call them.” I drew in a deep breath and spoke on a sigh. “The girls are safe, and they will always have a home at Creed’s Lake. Josh drives Morgan insane but we all know she adores him.”

I looked up at him and lost control of my emotions. I sobbed and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A nurse came in to check on him then gave me a drink of water before she left.

I looked back at Creed and my stomach turned. His face, well hell, his head was gone. There might have been bones and flesh, but just about nothing else. He did have some bandages, but they were obviously constantly soaked with fluid and blood.He had a hospital gown on, but I could see most of his arms were burned, but something caught my attention. It was the skin that wasn’t burned. It was dark, not like Creed. I dipped my finger in the water and rubbed it on his skin, but it was still a far darker complexion than Creeds. Quickly, I stood and gently pulled down the gown from around his neck and saw more dark skin, but something was missing. His mother fucking tattoos.

Coming Home

Josh

I sent the alarm to all the Originals phones. I was in the command center while Patrick stayed with my girls. Hell, I was already in the weaponry packing what we needed then grabbing my own emergency bag.

I had the jet ready, and didn’t even give the team barely any time. I looked at Mills. “You’re in charge, we're all shipping out. The jet is ready and all I need is my team. Keep everyone on a level one lockdown, and do not breathe a word of this mission to anyone. The last thing you guys need is for the Cartel to learn the Originals all shipped out together. Do not let anyone inside the gates, I don’t give a fuck who it is. Just tell Morgan it was a last minute mission, and we won’t be gone long.”

I took off for the jet and saw Axton standing in the doorway. We embraced and slapped each other’s backs as the rest of our team came running in their fatigues behind me. We rushed to put our things down.

“Are we ready for one last mother fucking mission for the United States Army?” Axton yelled out.

“Hooah!”

“Are we ready to bring the baddest mother fucker God ever created home?”

“Hooah!”

“Are we ready to slit some mother fucking throats?”

“Hooah!”

“Wait…what are we doing?” Bolton asked and we all burst into laughter.

“That man in Creed’s bed was a fucking Isis member! We located Creed and he’s alive. Injured but alive. We spotted him on satellite held captive in Syria, along with every other member that was taken from that transport vehicle. They think he has intel so that’s why he’s alive. This time we have government clearance!”

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