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Christmas Past and Present
“Mr. Woolsey, as there are many members of the expedition corps who would wish to make use of the extended stay on Earth, I’d like to volunteer for staying behind.” John Sheppard announced during command conference.
The bald IOA representative looked at him frowning. “Lt. Col. Sheppard, you have opted out of the last two extended home leaves, and while I appreciate your being willing to put the welfare of your men before your own, I cannot accept. Rest is imperative for a flawless performance, and thus you will take the rest you have well earned.”
Sheppard didn’t look all that happy. “Could I perhaps take a slot with the next lot in 6 months? It would be summer on Earth…”
“No. Col. Sheppard, you could have made that choice 6 months ago. You will leave with all other members returning to Earth tomorrow at 8.”
Outside the conference room John scowled. “I wonder how much hell I have to raise until he lets me spend Christmas in the brig?” he murmured while heading for the next transporter.
“Is that vhat you vhould prefer vhor Christmas?” John didn’t need to turn around to recognise the familiar drawl. Major Victor Alexandrowitsch Jewtuschenko was walking up to him.
John greeted the wiry Russian with a nod. “Victor,” he had long given up on trying to pronounce the rest of that name. “you are looking forward to Christmas home I guess?”
“Njet. I gave up my slot for Evan.” The Russian replied as they stepped into the elevator. “I don’t celebrate Christmas and if I would…”
“…yeah, I know 6th of January.” John repeated an information he already knew. He wasn’t surprised that Victor had given his spot on the homegoing team to Lorne. When the Russian team had joined them a year ago, it had surprised them all that Lorne and Victor became fast friends. Their heated discussions about painters and art, had attracted more than once the attention of others at the cantina. “Christmas is overrated.” John went on. “I mean it’s only buying presents, eating too much and arguing the next day. Most of the time you are forced to spend your time with people you don’t even like but they family. So you are supposed to be polite and smile… I’d rather be shot.”
Leaving the transporter Victor shrugged. “They are family, Colonel.”
***
At 8AM next morning the gate room of Atlantis was filled with travellers ready for departure. John had slung his backpack over his shoulder and looked gloomy at all the other happy travellers. He saw Lorne, setting down his bag, walking over to Victor on the command gallery to say goodbye. He could hear them talk. “I know you don’t celebrate, Victor. Just open it on Christmas morning, or on 6th of January, whenever you like.” He heard Lorne say.
The Russian accepted the gift gracefully. “And you do the same with this, Ivan.” He said, handing another package to Lorne. As usually he managed to mispronounce Evan’s name slightly. Both men shook hands and then Lorne scurried down to the other travellers. The gate began dialling.
Checkout at the SGC contained also a physical checkup. For once in his career John was in no hurry and let them take their sweet time. Sitting on one of the beds, he began talking to Lorne, who was occupying the next one. “So, a present for our stalwart Russian?” He tried to joke.
Lorne sighed. “Sir, not everybody has a Christmas-allergy.”
John knew clearly he had trodden on private grounds and retreated hastily. “I guess you’re visiting your family?” he asked.
“Yeah, the whole clan is coming.” Lorne smiled broadly. “They even managed to drag my brother back from whatever glacier he was crawling up and down.”
“Climber?” John had never known Lorne had a brother.
“Geologist, specialist for Glacier morphology. Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, we always wonder where he is wandering the inland ice at any given time.” Lorne chuckled. “Greg is like that, I sometimes wish he could see the glaciers we see on missions sometimes. He’d get all excited and probably tell me that this contradicts half of the basic theories of glacier forming we have to date.”
John let the words just flood by him. “So your mother is an art’s teacher, you are career military and your brother is geologist. Was your father into the sciences too?”
“Nah, he was a diplomat.” Lorne replied. “That’s where the languages come from with me, I grew up all around Europe mostly. My sister is even better, she’s fluent in eleven languages.”
“You have a sister?” John very nearly blurted. “How many siblings do you have?”
Lorne smiled broadly. “Five.” He replied. “Lilly, she is the one with the eleven languages is a mathematician, and has more brains than Mark and me together. Mark is FBI, and then there’s Jacinthe – she’s a sport’s girl. Skater.”
“She loves hockey?” John could at least relate to that after so much time that Rodney had lectured him about hockey.
But Lorne didn’t think this was funny. “No, as in figure skating.” Rifling through his backpack he brought up a small stack of photographs and handed one to John. The picture showed a girl about seventeen in a fancy tricot, caught in a complicated Pirouette. “That was taken at last years world championships.” Lorne explained. “I guess she grew a little since then, hopefully not so much like the year before, it gave her problems with the balance…”
“So, let me get this straight – your little sister was at a figure skating world championship?” John asked incredulously. He had taken Lorne for the regular guy, but that family sounded like something extraordinary.
“If she keeps at it, I hope to see her at the Olympics in Vancouver.” Lorne grinned broadly. “She is though, sometimes I think tougher than I am. Mom said she takes after grandfather with her steely will.”
Grandparents, John didn’t feel like hearing about another generation of Lornes. “Than have a good family Christmas. I’ll….I’ll just leave.”
***
Sheppard estate. John took a deep breath and tried to marshal his courage. He hated being here, especially for Christmas. The garden with the lights, the decorations looked like it always had during his childhood. If it had been up to him Christmas could have been scraped of the calendar years ago. “Now look what the cat dragged in,” A female voice startled him. “if this isn’t lazy John.”
Sheppard winced. Aunt Hester was already here. He forced up a crooked smile. “Auntie, how nice to see you. As it happens I am off duty over Christmas.”
The elderly lady looked slightly doubtful as they walked to the entrance of the house. “Discharged dishonourably more likely.” Cut another voice in. “Nothing what I have heard about you, John – and I heard a lot! – was especially good.” Hester’s sister Heather had opened the door for them.
John sighed, it looked like all the monsters were already assembled. He’d face the Wraith anytime if he just could keep away from these people. He’d even spend some time with a Clown.. now that was scary thought. “At least you heard some things that might be true, Aunt Heather.” He replied acidly. Years of practice had taught him that it didn’t help arguing with her, and it wouldn’t help to try and prove himself to her. He had given up on that one a long time ago. She had excellent connections and had known of his failures and flaws faster than the rest of the family. “Where is Dave?” he inquired instead.
“He should be here soon.” A third female had entered the parlour. She was older than the first two ladies and looked stern. “He brings his fiancé for Christmas, and should be here by 7PM. Welcome home, John.”
Sheppard smiled again. “Hello Aunt Mable.” She was by far his favourite aunt, in spite of her stern behaviour that put her dead husband General Alastor Ramsey to shame. But unfortunately she was very good in asking questions and seeing through cover stories.
***
Evan Lorne was swept around in a whirlwind of hugs and embraces. Beginning with Mr. Lorne sr. who hugged his boy, over Mrs. Lorne, happy to have her boy home for Christmas safe and sound, followed by his siblings, dreamy Greg, serious Mark, steadfast Lilly and beaming Jacinthe. It didn’t end there, his grandparents were there too, and after them, there were the ‘adopted’ siblings, the ‘loveable strays’ as his grandfather dubbed them. Towering Kyle now military like Evan himself, orphaned son of a security officer at the embassy who died in the line of duty, still the honorary older brother, Jean bright and thoughtful, who had come to the family as a foster child and vivacious Anne, little lost soul hailing from Rio Grande do Sul. All three of them had found a home with them, and were no less family than Evan himself. He couldn’t help it he had to hug most of them again. “It’s okay little bro’, we’re all here.” Kyle understood best what Evan felt at those moments. They had been the oldest ones, keenly remembering some of the toughest days of the family, when their father had been kidnapped.
“I know, bro’.” Evan smiled. “I missed all of you.”
“Did you get the material in time?” Jean asked, while Anne and Lilly took Evan’s baggage upstairs without listening to his protests.
“Yeah, it arrived in time. Good work, I had not really expected you could find a photograph.” Lorne replied. “you had not much to go on.”
“And quietly remembring his brother Ivan
shot in the back in Afghanistan.
That’s what tipped you off, right? His reaction to the song?” Jean smiled while explaining his analysis. “We knew Victor’s age, the conflict and that thus had a timeframe. Secondly you mentioned he once said he celebrated Christmas 1987, so it had to be after. Thus we had the first hints: Ivan Alexandrowitsch Jewtuschenko, KIA 1988/89 probably in Afghanistan. Took some time and some help from someone in Moscow but we could dig it up.”
“I’m glad you did and you did it really fast. Gave me enough time to do the portrait.” His sisters came back, dragging them all into the kitchen for dinner. Evan followed them laughing, exchanging some jokes with Kyle and Greg.
***
The evening was dragging out. John tried to be polite to his Aunts, to not react to their barbs and avoid the question about where he was stationed, what he was doing there and whether or not he had been in Iraq. He wished Dave would come and show of with his fiancé just to see something else. It was already past eight closing in to nine, and he still had not shown up. John began wondering where he was. This evening reminded him of far too many Christmases back when he was a kid, when there had been no escape from unnerving family members, squabbles, accusations and prejudices. When he was a teen he had often dreamed of running away before Christmas, but in the end, he had never gone through with it. The disgrace it would have brought to the family he would have never lived down. So the disgrace had come later, when he screwed up his career. Again he looked to the clock, where was Dave? When the doorbell rang he was relieved, it would be easier to live with some bragging on Dave’s side and whoever might be his new fiancé then suffering the rest of his Aunts and Uncles any longer.
But it wasn’t his brother coming in, but it were two police officers, both looking serious. “We take it, you have been not contacted up till now?” Was the question after some introductions.
“What happened?” John snapped back to command mode, something had happened, and it wasn’t an accident.
“On his way to this very house your brother’s care was stopped, he himself and fiancé attacked and your brother was kidnapped.” The grim police officer explained to john. “His fiancé is in shock, she claims that kind of a electroshock weapon was used to subdue your brother. At this time we assume a criminal background, probably to claim money…”
“An electroshock weapon?” John asked, this didn’t sound good, it sounded worse from moment to moment.
“As I told you, she is in shock. She claimed to have seen as Z formed weapon firing electroshocks.” The police officer elaborated. “She is in hospital as we speak and the doctors take good care of her.”
John handed the handling of the case over to his Uncle Roger, who was a lawyer and knew the family business better than anyone. Trying not to attract too much attention he left for the hall.
“John… what do YOU know about the case?” Aunt Heather had spotted him.
“Nothing Auntie, but I need to see the bathroom.” He replied, not stopping in his walk.
“Why don’t I believe you? Is Dave now in trouble because of you?” She called after him.
John did not stop, he went out into the hall, picking up his mobile. He had a call to make. Somebody using as Zed-gun had kidnapped Dave.
***
The call came at 2300. It had been Lilly to pick up the phone. “Evan – it’s for you!” She brought him the mobile. Evan rose to take the call. His family was talking in lower tones as not to disturb him. Listening to the voice on the other end, he froze. “Of course… I am on my way… the trust you say?” Again he listened intently to the voice on the other end. The news were bad, really bad. “Of course, Sir.” He finished the call, facing his family.
“Trouble?” Mr. Lorne sr. asked friendly. He knew such calls, emergencies springing up, disrupting the best moments of the family at times.
Evan nodded mutely. “Something happened… to my CO. Col. Sheppard needs me right now.” It sounded so weak, so less of an explanation, but is was enough.
Kyle rose. “I’ll drive you, so you can get some sleep before we are wherever you need to go.” He said, grabbing his jumper.
“It’s probably Colorado Springs, and I do the driving big bro’.” Jean interjected. “You take a gun, all ammo there is and your good nerves with you.”
Evan stared dumbfounded at his brother Jean, blonde, fragile and always thoughtful. “How…”
“I am analysist, Evan. Guess three times for whom I work.” Jean rose too, to prepare. “Mark…”
“You can take my jeep, best option in case you hit on bad roads.” The FBI agent replied. “shall I tag along?”
Evan raised his hands. “People this is not the time or the place for Lorne’s irregulars.” He said, seeing his brothers were all business. He would not take them into a fire fight with the trust. Well, Kyle perhaps, everybody who was mad enough to jump out of airplanes, would handle those goons nicely, but neither Mark nor Jean would he subject to those dangers.
He wasn’t getting a vote. Lilly already swept some supplies – meaning food and other essentials for four people into some containers to stow them into a backpack. “You go with them Mark, and be it to take care of the car and other small stuff. Somebody has to be sensible, and none of those three is.”
“Listen – this isn’t fun, this is dangerous stuff.” Evan tried to reason with them. “Sheppard’s brother has been abducted and…”
“The trust.” Jean concluded. “no Evan, we come along. The family had already trouble with those clowns.”
“Them again?” Anne asked. “Kyle – take my daggers along – this calls for a castration.”
“What was this about the trust?” Evan asked as their car sped into the night. Jean was driving, and he wasn’t caring about speed limits, pushing for 200 miles per hour.
“About six months ago, some goons tried to blackmail Anne and Lilly in giving them intel about you.” Kyle explained. “Jean here had pretty much an idea who those clowns were, but they seriously pissed Anne off.”
“The trust has been getting desperate for quite a while, Evan.” Jean said, his eyes on the nightly road. “they tried some stunts that made next to no sense. They got some bloodwork from Anne, but lost interest in the family after that. I guess they didn’t do their homework right. Signs indicated for months now, that they were planning something big.”
“And now we have a hostage situation.” Mark observed. “I hope your Col. Sheppard is able to handle the pressure.”
Evan nodded. “He will, he is one of the strongest officers I know.” Silently the brothers drove into the night, towards their destination.
****
“Colonel Sheppard, you have three hours to meet my agents on the meeting point, or your brother looses his first limb.” The voice was filtered, the third message in as many hours. John saw the gesture of the agent to talk on.
“I will need more time, it’s kind of a long distance and the roads aren’t good. Too much snow, ya’ know?”
Laughter echoed out of the speakers. “You are a terrible liar Colonel. You’ve got three hours.” And the line went dead.
The agent swore. “Damn it, the guy is good.” John had not much of a hope that they might be able to trace the call. It had been hours ago that he had informed the SGC, which had loosened a full blown investigation, calling in security, and other resources in the process. The heart of the investigation, the communication centre where he was standing, was brimming with activity.
“Son, why don’t you go outside and get some fresh air.” General Landry had entered the room. “There is nothing you can do here at the moment. Major Lorne should be arriving here soon, the moment we have a lead, he’ll lead the strike team in.”
John frowned. “Was it necessary to call Lorne away from his family?” he asked. Lorne had been happy to see his big, happy family. “I can take the strike team in myself, not necessary to disrupt a good family Christmas.”
Landry shook his head. “I would have disrupted them anyway, because NSA needs one of their best analysts on the case, one who is already in on the trust case.”
“Who of the Lorne family ended up with NSA?” John asked, he remembered Lorne talking happily about his siblings, but there had been no analyst.
“One of his brothers,” Landry replied.
John took the advice to get some fresh air. His mind was whirling. What did the trust want? They wanted him, but why? What was their plan. Walking through the frozen parking lot did not help much to calm him down.
A jeep drew into the parking lot, coming to a sharp stop. John frowned, the driver should have slowed down somewhat earlier. A small blonde jumped out of the jeep. “Okay, Evan, that’s the place if your pilot’s navigation isn’t completely off.”
Major Lorne left the car on the other side. “Nope, that’s the place, Jean.”
Sheppard walked over to them, seeing to his astonishment to more men leaving the car. Lorne turned to him. “Col. Sheppard. I came as fast as I could, when I heard.”
John nodded. “I am sorry, that it had to disrupt your Christmas too.”
Lorne waved it off. “It’s not your fault, Colonel.” He turned to his companions. “Col. Sheppard, these are my brothers Mark Lorne, Kyle Raphael and Jean Montanár. Bro’s that’s Lt. Colonel Sheppard.”
Before John could say something, one of the agents came outside. “Jean!” he called out. “About time you showed up. I have something I want you to go over ASAP.” Jean nodded towards his brothers and walked off.
The call had attracted attention, because Landry was the next to come out. “Major Lorne.”
Mark nodded towards his brother. “Go, take care of the strike teams, take Kyle along if you can. I stay with the Colonel.”
Sheppard frowned. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
Mark smiled dryly. “Colonel, situations like these put an extreme strain on the families of the victims. Being the one who is to talk to the kidnappers, raised easily the feeling to be responsible for the outcome of the situation as a whole. This isn’t something anyone should face alone.”
***
General Landry looked around in their ‘crisis centre’, the work went on as fast as before. It had for two more hours, and time was running short. “you sure, Jean? It could be background noise.” He heard one of the NSA agents say.
The slender man shook his had. “No, Rob. Those goons didn’t do a pro job. There are two regular noises in the background: One is a regular rumble, an air vent most likely and the other are the bells of a church. Those bells are distinctive. We had them on the Rowman tape ten months ago. Looks like they reactivated an old hideout again.”
“But why?”
“Because, we would never search their old places again. And we found that one by a hint, not by acoustics. Those bells – one of them is half a note off tune wise, must sound awful close up. If so the other sound is the air vent of the brewery across the road.”
The senior agent nodded. “If you are sure… okay. You are sure. Listen up people, we have a hint! The background noise of the calls matches with the Wingman office building, back from the Rowman murder.”
***
“General, I’d like to go in with the strike teams.” Sheppard was standing his ground in front of Landry. Talking to Mark had helped him to calm down a good deal, but it had not changed his mind about this.
Landry frowned. “Col. You know this isn’t professional. Nevertheless… I am willing to grant you request, under the condition: Major Lorne is in charge of this mission – you follow his orders. Can you do that?”
Sheppard nodded. “I will, Sir.”
Mark Lorne, who had been standing in the background until now, stepped beside John. “General, you can’t even think of sending a relative of the victims in with the SWAT people! This is highly risky, and downright unprofessional. Do you even think what you might do to both of them, the victim and his brother?” The last words were sharply spoken, hinting at the formidable temper that was only bridled by professionalism.
Landry was unperturbed. “Col. Sheppard his highly qualified to handle a situation like this, and he won’t be in charge, agent Lorne. YOUR brother will be.”
Mark reigned in his temper. “I go with the Colonel.” He saw the protest of the General and spoke on. “I won’t go on with the SWAT team, I am not trained for that, but I have been on numerous kidnapping and blackmail cases, and I refuse to let one of the victim’s family walking into a situation like this.”
“Good. You accompany the Colonel until the moment the SWAT team takes off.” Landry decreed.
***
The teams were moving in. They were on a tighter timeframe than Evan Lorne would have liked. But the next threatening call had come in only ten minutes previously. Sheppard had managed to give them thirty extra minutes, but the kidnappers were willing to go through with their threats, that much was sure. “Team two, in position.” He heard the report over his earmike. “Dito, Team three in position.” “Team four ready to go in.”
Lorne nodded, his own team had made their way up an emergency stairwell beside an elevator shaft, and was ready to get into the fourth level of the office building, where the hostage and the kidnappers were. “All teams – go.”
It went a precise as a clockwork. The team went in simultaneously. A takedown action from four sides. They didn’t take the trust by surprise, but the ensuring fire fight was short, if hard. Evan had seen this deadly clockwork hundreds of time before, the teams moving in, taking down unfriendlies, moving on through the building, taking cover, securing positions, moving on again, shots fired, and moving on. The fourth side, was their bonus point. The trust obviously had not expected a strike team moving in, over the roof and level above. It tied down more of their men than the trust could afford in that situation. Lorne’s team reached the hostage same time as team four, bullets and zed beams flying in their direction. The two teams made shot work of their enemies, Lorne saw that the hostage himself, was still sitting tied to a chair, alive and obviously un- maimed. Good news. The teams secured the room, Lorne gestured Sheppard to take care of his brother. He heard that the fighting was still going on the level above them. “Team one – three kidnappers,” a salvo of shots echoed into the radio. “scratch that TWO kidnappers made it to the outside and one the balcony below, coming your way.” It was Kyle’s voice. Lorne turned around to move team four towards the balcony windows, but too late. One of the trust members was already there, levelling his through the broken window on Dave.
Lorne fired at him, as did two others of the strike teams, but the trust member got several shots out, Lorne saw John coming up, whirling around, shielding his brother from the bullets. The trust member and John went down the same time. “Man down!” The all too familiar call went out.
***
The hospital floor was not different from any other hospital floor in the world. Sterile, white and empty. By the time Evan Lorne arrived there, after debriefing and all other post mission routines, he felt like arriving in the wrong place. Usually when his CO went down they had him at Atlantis infirmary or the SGC, not some other hospital, even as it was a military hospital. It did not take long to find Mark, sitting in the waiting area. “Any news?”
Mark looked up. “He’s still in surgery, from what the nurse was willing to tell me, one of the bullets lodged itself in the ribcage and gives them trouble.” He reported to his older brother. “Dave was checked over and his family informed, they are on the way here. Speaking of family, Jean called in, he’ll be here in another hour bringing the jeep with him, and the moment I informed Anne, she said they were on their way too.”
Evan felt tug of bad conscious, for the outside world it was Christmas eve, people celebrating all over the country, and his family was on the way to some hospital where he was waiting for news on his CO. “Been a while since we had a hospital Christmas, huh?” Kyle said. “Snap out of it little bro’, you know our mother. She’d know that your mind would be here anyway, and drive you over, in the middle of Christmas night if need be.” Evan Lorne sat down, his brothers were right, and he knew that quite well.
As it was Jean and Anne arrived within the next two hours. Anne didn’t come alone, with her were Lilly and Evan’s mother. The first round of hugs was simple relief to find all brothers alive and well. “Any news?” Lilly asked then.
“No, but Sheppard’s family should be around here too. They have his brother and him in this hospital.” Evan replied.
Family Sheppard arrived at the same waiting area about one hour later, three elderly ladies fussing over Dave Sheppard, who had been released. He looked shaken and tired. “Major, I wanted to thank you in person for saving me.” He said to Lorne.
Lorne shook his head. “Thank your brother, he saved your life,” he replied. His own reaction would have been too late to save Dave Sheppard.
“Without John and his dubious contacts Dave would not have been in danger in the first place.” One of the elder ladies insisted sharply.
“Dubious contacts?” Major Lorne wasn’t sure he had heard right. “it was related to some missions of him, but that’s the same for me. In fact it happened to my family some months prior.”
The old lady arched an eyebrow. “I somehow doubt that.”
Dave Sheppard sighed and fixed his tired gaze on Lorne. “Major, as admirable as it is you putting your foot down for a fellow officer, we all here are aware of John’s true circumstances. We knew his career is screwed and we also know that he is involved in some pretty fishy business. That incident at my father’s burial made me starting to put my ear to the ground, guess what I heard.”
“What you wanted to hear, I guess.” Jean interjected. He had entered the room again, bringing some paper cups with tea and coffee for his family. “Bits and pieces you interpreted by what you assumed you knew anyway.”
Mrs. Heather Sheppard eyed him coolly. “And you would be…?”
“My brother, Jean.” Evan replied, clearly a little more defensive. He always was when it came to the little brother that had been taken from him by strangers a little too often. “And what you ‘heard’ is absolute crap.” He added directing his words at Dave again. “Your brother is my CO. And most of what we do is classified work, top secret and so on. Things like that let every ‘official’ biography look a little sketchy.”
“What about the inquiry that he was responsible for his last commanding officers death?” Heather Sheppard asked. “the fact that he barely escaped a mutiny charge?”
Dave nodded. “From what we heard his dishonourable discharge can be only months away.”
Evan met Jean’s gaze, silently asking his brother if he had any insights to share. Jean set down his cup of coffee abruptly. “What did he do to you?” He asked Dave. “What did he do, that you decided to despise your own brother for the rest of his life? That you want to belittle all the achievements of his life?”
“There are not achievements!” Dave shot up angrily. “He left, after being trouble for years. Ever since he turned thirteen he was trouble. Do you have any idea what embarrassing things he did? And then, the day he turned eighteen he left and became some wild adventurer, going off into the blue.”
Mable Ramsey interrupted Dave shortly. “It is not, that we see the armed forces as adventurers, Major Lorne, but John’s career has been littered with incidents, accidents and questionable behaviour.”
Dave shook his head. “He ran away, he didn’t care.”
Jean leaned back, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “That’s the true reason, isn’t it? He left. He turned his back on your family life, on the ‘important’ things. He didn’t found a new business, he didn’t expand the family estate, he didn’t make any profits. He just went to defend his country.”
“Not much of defending, he did.”
Evan looked Jean, then said. “It’s no use Jean, they won’t see it. There’s no reason to try, we can only pity them.”
“Pity?” Dave looked at Lorne like he had gone mad. “Pity?”
Lorne nodded. “Yes, because you will never know the good man your brother is, the great friend he is, in short because you’ll never know the true John Sheppard. And I pity your grandchildren even more. Most of what we do is classified and won’t go public during our own lifetime, but one day, when it goes out, it’s your grandchildren that will sit in front of the TV and say: ‘Grand Uncle John did all that? We had no idea he was a hero. Why did grandfather Dave never tell us about it. He must have known.” But then it’ll be too late.”
“A hero?” Dave’s question was somewhere between utter disbelieve and slight mockery.
“Yes.” Lorne nodded. “A hero, he did more for this country, for this world, than many can claim to have done. He fought fights, battles, against odds and dangers you wouldn’t like to imagine. He is a genius pilot, a brilliant commander and one of the best leaders I have ever met. He is loyal to his men, he never lets them down, no matter what the odds, or the dangers in the way.” Evan took a deep breath. “Your brother is a hero, Dave Sheppard, and all you can talk about is that he didn’t join the family business?”
Dave sat silent, perhaps a little shocked about Lorne’s outburst. Heather Sheppard was not. “So, if he is your hero,” she said icily. “why didn’t you invite him over to your nice big family over the holidays? It would have spared all of us a lot of trouble.”
Evan wanted to flare up, but the calm hand of his mother prevented it. Gentle Aisling Lorne didn’t need more than that small gesture to calm down one of her boys. Walking past Evan she stopped right in front of Heather and Dave. “With all my son has said about your nephew, I’ll gladly take him off your hands, if that’s what you care about.” She said in a cold voice, which only few people had ever heard from her. “If you take the day to drive back you’ll even be able to have your social calendar for tomorrow not unduly disturbed.”
Heather Sheppard rose. “I beg your pardon?”
Aisling Lorne wasn’t impressed the least by the old lady. “I suggest you take your nephew, Dave, and bring him home. No need for you to stay here, if it is only a burden to you. We’ll keep you informed should anything important arise. The moment John gets discharged from the hospital he is very welcome to stay with us, until he and Evan need to return to duty.” Aisling’s gaze went to Dave. “Should you change your mind about your brother, you are welcome to join us at any time.”
Mable Ramsey had risen too. She was not really convinced by what Evan Lorne had said. “My late husband met your husband during a conference in Moscow years ago,” she said. “he mentioned your habit of taking care of strays.”
Aisling flashed her an angry look. “The only thing I regret is, that I didn’t find him twenty years ago to offer him a decent home.” She shot back.
Even Lorne would have interfered usually, but he knew it was useless. Aisling Lorne was a very gentle person, except when she was defending one of her boys, or someone who could have been one of them, then she was more formidable than an angry lioness. He turned his eyes to Dave, hoping that perhaps he had gotten through to the man. “Think about it, Mr. Sheppard. Your brother might not have joined the business, he might not lead a ‘productive’ life you prefer to lead, but by the life he leads he makes sure, that there is still a country here to conduct business in and life ‘productive
lives for.” He said, hoping that in time Dave Sheppard might come around.
***
And one by one the lights burn out,
And above the waters still looms the night,
Outside the sea and thunder shout,
The fishermen pray “Christ Kyrie”
And are waiting, waiting – when will doom fall?
The palest light of a morning fell,
And silent falls the churches bell,
And rushing down from the tower they come,
“We’re saved! We’re saved, the wind turned west.”
Calling and calling from one to the next,
Tears of relief bursting the dam.
Klaas Nilsen calls out to his son:
“You hand, my boy! It’s Christmas today.”
The voice slowly bored a way through John’s sleep, along with the bleeping of the medical monitor. He blinked, his had slightly spinning. A brown haired woman was sitting beside his bed, reading from a book. She stopped when she realised he woke. “You are awake!” A beaming smile rose on her face.
“Guess so.” John tried to figure out what was going on. Something was definitely odd here. “No offence… you don’t look like a nurse.”
Another smile. “How stupid of me. I’m Lilly Lorne, my brother – Evan – will be here in a minute or so.”
First of course came a nurse and one of the doctors, checking on him. “You had us quite worried for some hours, Colonel, but you are recovering nicely.” Was the verdict.
After they left, John’s gaze turned to Lilly, who had gone to get some fresh water and a dozen or so other small things for him. He couldn’t figure out what she was doing here. “Your brothers – did they come out alright?” he asked, hoping that none of them, neither Major Lorne nor one of his siblings, had been injured or worse in the rescue op.
Lilly smiled again, she seemed to make a habit out of it. “No, you were the only one injured.” She said. “You were out nearly all day yesterday and half the day today.”
“So it is…”
“Christmas day, Sir.” Major Lorne strode in, followed by Mark and another Lady John didn’t know. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. “You should be home, celebrating.” He said directed at Major Lorne.
“With a friend half-dead in hospital?” Lorne replied. “I think not.”
“Ah – I’ll pull through, you know me. No need to disappoint your family.”
“As far as I can see, nobody is disappointed, Colonel.” Aisling Lorne replied. She was interrupted by a Anne looking in, telling her that somebody wanted her on the phone. Aisling followed her daughter out, leaving it to her sons, to stay with John.
“what is it?” She asked outside.
Anne shrugged. “Dave Sheppard called. He is still thinking about what Evan said, he wants to visit John, some time after Christmas and New Year, when he as time…”
“…meaning when the social calendar allows for it.” Aisling interjected.
“Right. He asked me to keep him posted whether John is still in the hospital or not.”
Aisling nodded. “Just do that. Perhaps Dave Sheppard will come around after all.”
