Chapter Thirty-One
LEE
Five years earlier
Several deployments into my career had seen me through my fair share of action, from the deserts of Afghanistan to the bustling streets of Seoul. I had made my way up the ranks to Major, earning my stripes, until fate intervened with my aircraft during an active enemy fire and nearly claimed my life. I walked out of the VA Hospital alive and healthy holding onto a shard of metal from my jet that was embedded in my left thigh and almost severed my femoral artery.
If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of my co-pilot, who was able to stop the bleeding in my leg long enough for help to arrive, I might have returned home in a casket, having died for a second time, but for real. As the flames engulfed the wreckage that was my plane, I radioed for backup, directing them to our location amidst the chaos. It was a close call, one that left me with a renewed sense of purpose: to survive and make it back to Ellie, the woman who had unknowingly become my anchor.
Stay alive for her.
It's all I want.
And she doesn’t even know it.
I was relieved from active duty for the remainder of my term and would be assigned an office job where I would safely finish out my twenty years of service as required by my protection order. I returned to my apartment in Florida, only to be thrust into the spotlight, besieged by reporters eager for a story before I received a Purple Heart. Concealing my identity became paramount, especially with Big Boss lurking in the shadows, so I quickly pulled my cap down and carried my head low as I walked from the car to my door.
This was absolutely insane; I had five years to go and could not risk my cover being blown right now, especially with Big Boss out on the run. I had no idea what to do to get out of this situation. The ceremony was set to take place tomorrow morning and I could not show up there to receive that Purple Heart. Sure, my last name had changed and there could be a million men named Lee in the country, but my face hadn’t changed that much that my parents, or Ellie, wouldn’t immediately recognize me when they saw the news. I’ve waited all these years, and this can’t be the way they find out that I’m still alive.
I’m pacing the living room, trying to figure out my next move when it comes to me: Pierce Walker. The guy that met me at the hotel on the first day of my new life. I know I have that card somewhere with his contact information. I search my entire apartment and find it at the bottom of my gun safe. I grabbed my phone and dialed the number on the card; it was still in service, thank God. After I gave him the details of my situation, he said to stay where I was, and he would be at my door in less than two hours.
The reporters were camped outside my building, cameras at the ready for the moment that I emerge. I made sure my curtains were all pulled tight, and the doors were locked, and I tried to relax but the pain in my leg had returned, and I was a nervous wreck. All the possibilities running through my head at the same time: Ellie finding out I’m alive and never reached out to her, my parents heartbroken all over again, Big Boss taking me out in revenge for taking down his drug business.
The knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts and I jumped up to answer it. A quick look into the peep hole told me it was who I was expecting it to be, and I ushered him in. Lt Col Walker was wearing his full uniform and took his cap off then shook my hand and looked me over. He shook his head in disbelief and inhaled deeply.
“Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised with how you turned out, Lee.”
He took a seat at my dining room table, and I did the same.
“I knew when I met you that day that you would take this opportunity and turn it into something great. You’ve made a career for yourself, young man, and you should be damn proud.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I said politely.
“Now, your situation is a bit precarious, isn’t it?”
He pulled out a piece of paper from the folder he was carrying and laid it out on the table.
“I’ve been given the go-ahead to accept the Purple Heart in your stead, recognizing your valor and sacrifice on the battlefield. I will convey your regret at not being able to attend the ceremony due to the ongoing recovery of your leg, and I will express your deep gratitude for the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force.”
His fingers tapped the table in a mindless rhythm.
“You will stay here, Lee. You will not leave this apartment until I call you and give the all clear, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
I nodded and he was about to stand up to leave when I stopped him.
“Has he been caught yet?”
I asked. He looked at me for a moment, unsure if he should give me this information, but he did anyways.
“No. He’s still out there. Last I heard, he was spotted in Illinois, just outside of Chicago. I don’t think he’s looking for you, but we have to keep you out of the news just in case he’s watching. The last thing we want is to use you as bait. You’ve been through enough and we’ll get him, you can count on that. We’re on his tail and it’s only a matter of time.”
With that, he stood, walked to the foyer, and placed his cap back on his head as he was escorted back to his car by a full security detail that waited outside my door.
I watched the live coverage of the ceremony the next morning and was extremely proud as the Lieutenant accepted my medal and gave a short speech. Afterwards, the cameras flipped back to the newsroom where a group of anchors were discussing the ceremony. They went back and forth questioning each other about why they thought I wasn’t there to accept the medal in person. There were a number of ideas thrown out between them: I was camera shy, on too many pain meds that I couldn’t walk, didn’t want the publicity, or maybe I wasn’t who I say I am.
Wow, I’m glad I wasn’t there, they may have actually uncovered my identity after all. I say a silent prayer, thanking the CIA for continuing to be behind me and living up to their deal. Then I shut off the TV and fired up the indoor grill, allowing myself a moment of quiet celebration.