Seven Years (#3 in Military Series)

Chapter 11

Silver with a square-cut diamond, it was beautiful and it was her daughter's. Every mother thinks about when their child will get engaged and hers has, but she could no longer remember the groom.

Katherine remembered when she had gotten the letter from her daughter; the first in a long while.

She still had it in her desk drawer, telling her that she had become engaged to Marcus, and that she was signing up for another tour.

Marcus was already taking her daughter away from in one aspect, and then he wanted to take her away again, to put her in harm's way again.

This ring, before it was Julia's, it was Marcus's. So Katherine would take it from him.

She might not be able to take much, and he may never know it was her, but she would know and that was all that mattered.

Slipping the ring into her trouser pocket, Katherine carried on packing the boxes away into the garage before they had to leave to collect their daughter.

* * *

The man walked into the hospital in London with an air of authority that preceded him.

His hair, once a lustrous dark colour, had begun to sprout grey hairs. It would not be long before his youth had escaped him completely, but he had something now that he never had in his youth; power.

It was what made him walk with shoulders back and head high.

Crossing the lobby of the hospital, he walked straight into an open elevator and pressed the button for the floor where Doctor Barter's office presided.

Dressed in his military suit, which his presumed he lived in, the man stepped from the elevator and progressed through the corridors, remembering the way from the map.

As always people gazed as he walked past, fascinated by the suit he wore and the medals on his breast pocket.

He had gotten used to the looks over the years, revelled in them in fact, so that when he reached Dr Barter's office and knocked on the door he didn't bat an eyelid when the Doctor fumbled for words for a moment.

"May- May I help you, sir?" Barter flustered.

"Yes," The man stepped into the office, removing his cap, "What is the diagnosis for Sergeant Reynolds?"

Dr Barter, now collecting himself, shut the door and walked back around his desk, "And may I ask who you are?"

"Sergeant Reynolds's CO," The man offered his ID and the Doctor seemed satisfied, pointing to the chair behind him to take a seat.

He took the Doctor's offer.

"How is she?" The man applied some emotion to his voice.

Doctor Barter explained her situation, "She is stable for the moment."

"Is the memory loss permanent?" The man asked, running a hand through his hair, as he awaited the news.

The doctor's response was welcoming, "I fear so, yes."

"How long will she have to remain here?" He asked.

"Well, actually, we have good news there. She is stable enough so we are allowing her home today. Her parents are here as we speak."

The man in the suit nodded and rose to his feet, "Thank you for your cooperation." He shook the doctor's hand and left with all the particulars in her case.

Progressing through the corridors towards his next stop, General Ridgeway cursed to himself.

Sergeant Reynolds was leaving the hospital as we speak.

Ridgeway strode through the hallways before locating the room which was hers and peering inside.

To his relief she was still there, packing away her clothes with, who he presumed were, her parents.

Locating the exit sign at the end of the corridor, General Ridgeway stood and waited.

He had read the preliminary doctors notes but he had never heard of such a case of memory loss in his entire career.

He was here to protect his investment.

He had to make sure she did not remember anything about her time in his Special Task Force and there was only one way to make sure she didn't.

General Ridgeway did not have to wait long before he spotted her door open, and the injured but not beaten, Sergeant Reynolds emerge.

He must admit that she did seem less herself, but being blown up could do that to a person.

Biding his time, the General reached out and picked something up off the wall, peeling it open slowly.

When they were close enough, he walked over.

"Hey!" A fatherly voice shouted.

"Oh, excuse me," The General made a show of being lost as he held out the map to the Sergeant, "I'm sorry, you wouldn't happen to know where the reception is, would you?"

Julia lifted her eyes and stared straight into General Ridgeway's eyes, "No, I'm sorry."

"If you ask a nurse I'm sure they'll be happy to help you," Julia's mother touched her daughter's shoulder protectively, ushering her away.

"No worries, thank you!" He called after them, watching them leave, his curiosity satisfied.

Sergeant Reynolds had looked directly at him and not flinched.

And for the woman who blames him for killing two of her friends, that was either superb acting or she had truly lost her memory.

Walking in the opposite direction, Ridgeway dumped the hospital leaflet into the bin and exited the hospital.

Pulling out his mobile phone, he dialled a number and waited for the other end to be picked up.

"Yes?" A calm, collected voice answered.

"We're safe. She doesn't remember anything." Ridgeway crossed the road.

"Good. We're almost finished here."

"I'll be right there," General Ridgeway ended the call and slipped into the back seat of the car which was waiting for him.

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