14 — Jackson Foster
“I am not afraid, I will not fear
I will feed your heart and take away
the dust in your eyes
And in the dark, things happen faster.”
Dressed for success — Roxette
On the way home, my head is invaded by memories.
Since the day my son returned from that event, saying he recognized the voice of the man who made a child live on the streets, in unsanitary conditions, starving and almost not having to subject himself to more difficult things, I have been overcome with overwhelming fury.
It took years of conversation, of therapy, for my boy to become a happy person and a man of character, free from any pain from the past.
I won't let anything get in the way of your life. It doesn't matter what you have to do. His arrival, for me, was like a fresh start in a life that until then was lonely and empty. Jackson Foster was just the shell of a man who suffered daily from post—traumatic disorders and the pain of losing his parents.
Unfortunately, I know that that loneliness wasn't just related to those events, but because I didn't give due value to a feeling I knew at that time, love.
I believed that moving away was the best thing to do, I couldn't live with someone's suffering, especially her suffering, without knowing if I would return home or not and when I returned, in my troubled head, it was too late to go back. . However, this is something that I intend to change, my son has shown me many things over the years and one of them is that it is never too late to start over.
I get so immersed in thinking about life that I don't realize we're already home.
— Mr. Jack, we're here — Logan, my driver and security guard, announces.
— Thanks. I don't plan on going out anymore today.
— I will be available. — Stare at me. — And if you allow me, Mr. Cooper informed me about the man from your son's past, I would like to know if I have your authorization to help find him and put an end to this.
Logan is a closed man, but he always has his eyes open. I met him in an unusual way, by the way, an accident where clearly his mind was completely fucked up. That day, I discovered that I could help him and, I must say, Logan ended up becoming the head of my security team, but what I really hope from him is that one day he can start his life again, which was interrupted by a tragedy.
— Permission granted. I'll give you some old information I have, maybe it will help. I need to put an end to this as soon as possible.
— Right, sir. I'll be in the monitoring room — he replies, continuing on his way.
I go straight to my home office. I will email him everything I have and try to gather new information. What reassures me about this whole mess is that at least the girl is safe and there is no risk of someone finding her at Foster's.
My mission is to give her back the life she had before losing her father. It's the least I can do, my instinct doesn't allow me to turn my back, and I'm capable of bringing changes to anyone willing to start from scratch.
— Mr. Foster, excuse me. — After knocking on the door, it is opened.
— Iolanda, for the thousandth time, just call me Jack, these formalities don’t suit us. — I point to the chair in front of me. — Sit down.
— I just wanted to know if my girl is okay and if there is any news about my friend. I'm worried — she asks, wrapping her hands in her apron.
— Yes, Catarina is fine. — I smile friendly. — She started at the company today, from what I was told, she is making good progress regarding her fears. And as for Victória, don't worry, Thomaz is looking at a scheme for us to help, without her becoming a target. If everything goes well, we will soon return everything to them and Otávio will no longer be a problem.
Clearly, I avoid exposing that perhaps Catarina's mother is suffering at the hands of that worm, I don't want Iolanda to have a crisis of worry, any more than she already is.
— Thank you, Jack. I don't know how to thank you, they are very important to me. In fact, they are like the family I never had.
— There's nothing to be thankful for, I, more than anyone, know how you feel. As soon as I have news, I'll let you know.
— All good. — Stand up. — I'll be in the kitchen, anything can call me.
I wave and she goes away, leaving me alone.
Octavio, Octavio. I'll screw you! And it won't be in a friendly way, partner!
I continue to analyze everything we have so far, but I have the impression that something must have gone unnoticed, I need to find some clue, as if there were missing pieces to fit together.
I decided to call Thomaz, looking for more information.
— Speak, Jack, is there anything urgent?
— No. Actually, I need to know if there’s any news…
— The boys are turning over that man's entire life, by the end of the day, we will have something to devise a strategy — he says, however, agitated voices in the background catch my attention.
— Thomaz, what is happening?
— Jack — he speaks in an altered, nervous voice. — My son was injured. I need to look for it — he says, stunned.
— Thomaz, calm down. Where is he? I'll have the company jet prepared and I'll go with you. Beni will be fine. I'll be there in half an hour. — I hang up, without giving him time to refuse the offer. I go to the monitoring room and ask Logan to take me to my friend. I instruct the team to prepare the jet, even though we don't know where we're going.
— Logan, as soon as I know the destination, I'll let you know and you can tell the pilot so he can request flight authorizations — I say as the car moves.
— Yes, boss.
Luckily, the streets weren't busy and we managed to get to my friend faster than expected.
For the first time, I see Thomaz distressed, sitting with his hands on his head. Not even after so many situations we faced when we served together, did I see him like this.
In his years in the army, Beni had never been injured and the way my friend is, he either doesn't have much information or it was extremely serious. And that compresses my chest, he can't lose his son.
— I'm here, tell me what you know and where we should look for you — I say, sitting next to him.
— Jack, I felt something was wrong today. — His defeated expression when he looks at me is like a dagger stuck in his chest, because we know everything that can happen in this profession, we have experienced it for most of our lives.
— Put it out there, Thomaz — encouragement.
— I just felt it and when they called me, I concentrated my strength so as not to collapse, Sarah was going to be destroyed. — Sigh. — He's in the army hospital, but they haven't told me what really happened or what his condition is.
— He's strong, he'll get out of whatever shit! — I say.
— I'm going to give you the address and I don't even know how to thank you for it. He will have to stay at home for a while and, honestly, I think it's time for him to leave. — Sigh. — I know it took us a while to do this, but as a father, I would really like him to stay with us — he says.
— Let's get our boy back. When he is better, he will be able to help us in that case, this way his mind will be occupied, preventing him from suffering from PTD [4] . — he agrees. — We are in this battle together, brothers in arms, remember?
I call Logan, informing him of the flight destination and letting him know that we are already on our way to meet him. My long—time friend seems calmer, sharing concerns is necessary. As soon as we arrive at the airport's private hangar, the jet is already prepared. We get in and settle in, before long the pilot announces takeoff.
— Do you want to talk, have a chat? I know you're worried, but if you get there like this, it's very likely that Benício won't want to come back with us. If we are both stubborn, he knows how to be worse — I joke.
— True. — Pause for a moment. — Well, I'll let you know what I found out. One of the boys followed Otávio for a few days, to see the routine, to know better where we are going and, apparently, he is up to his neck in debt, so we took the girl out of the house at the right time.
—That fucked up?
— Too much. I need concrete proof, but it seems that he is involved in illicit business, things involving drugs and prostitution. I believe that Catarina would be given as payment for one of these debts.
— Cum! The guy stinks more than sewage — I say, disgusted. — As for security, don't worry, I left two men from the team 24x7 [5] tasked with protecting her, one within the same sector as her, will pose as a co—worker. If the situation is at that level, I will need to open the game with Noah and Gael. They can become indirect targets — I comment.
— And that's not all, the resort project that he insists on closing with your company is what he needs to prevent the construction company from going bankrupt. He has several loans at the bank, according to the report Erik gave us. His greed made him get involved with the wrong people. He has a deadline, it seems. The guy is rotten, Jack. I fear my suspicions are true — he says, frustrated.
— Let's focus on catching Beni, and as soon as everything is sorted out, we'll schedule something with the boys and see what we can come up with. In addition to exposing the situation, they need to understand the shit that could spill over on everyone.
— Really, we can no longer treat them like our defenseless children, I think we act like that sometimes because we don't want to accept that we are becoming tails.
— Possibly. — I laugh. — I think we'll need to use our police contacts to catch him, maybe Smith. Now, try to rest, we'll be there in no time.
My friend nods and we remain silent. Even with the worry, I know that talking about investigations was always good for distracting him.
I put myself in his shoes, imagining what I would be like if something happened to Noah. This boy arrived in my life and transformed it. Together, we overcame fears and many insecurities, we built our family, even though it was small.
What few know is that I have the boys as part of this family, as well as part of my team.
Living in solitude is not healthy at all and it took me time to understand.
At this moment, I remember the words spoken in my last meeting.
“Jack, it's been so long... We didn't meet as a couple for years, because you were both hurt, you had lost your parents, had to change a whole routine and I, well, I didn't have an easy time either. When Noah came into your life, I was immensely happy and gave you the space to enjoy that paternal feeling with him. And today, honestly, I don’t know if it would be worth risking a relationship, it’s been many years.”
She and I have really been through a lot, but I feel like my girl hasn't fully opened up to me.
My girl, I could never stop thinking about her like that. My. Just mine.
After the death of my parents, I noticed that she needed help, I don't know what she went through or what she had to face. At the time, I thought it was right to respect her silence. Today, I have my doubts as to whether I acted correctly. And living with this uncertainty is eating me up more every day.
However, I will have that woman back, she is my world and I regret so much for not making that decision sooner.
She will be mine once and for all, or my name is not Jackson Foster.
We have just landed at Boston airport, in the area reserved for domestic flights and as soon as we disembark, I see the driver waiting for us, Logan must have arranged it.
— Mr. Foster, my name is Marco, I am at your service.
—Very well, take us directly to the MGH [6] — I request.
The journey to the hospital takes around fifteen minutes, as we don't get stuck in traffic and I'm grateful for that, seeing my friend's distress eat me up inside.
— We have arrived, gentlemen. I'll wait in the parking lot, if anything, you can contact me on this number and I'll be ready. — Hold out a card with your details towards me.
— OK thanks. — I pull Thomaz with me, to the counter.
For anyone who went through what we both faced during our years in the army, being in a hospital brings back memories that are not pleasant, especially when it comes to a son who proudly followed his father's career, just like Benício did.
We proceed in silence to the reception, where a very kind girl assists us:
— Hello, how can I help you?
— We would like information regarding the patient Benício Cooper.
— What is your connection with the patient? — he asks, following protocol.
— I'm the father, Thomaz Cooper, please, I need information about my son, so far, I've only heard that he's here, nothing more. — My friend speaks up, completely distressed, handing over a document.
— Just a moment, Mr. Cooper, I will locate you and ask the doctor to come and speak to you. If you want, you can wait in the seats and I will give you more information.
— Thank you, we will wait — I say to the attendant, then I turn to Thomaz. — Let's sit there, they'll bring news soon.
— Jack, I hate being in the dark. I need to know if he's okay.
We move to the seats and for the first time, I see my friend collapse in front of me, lost in his own agony.
I understand his concern, it's painful not to know the facts clearly, but I've learned that we need to remain calm, so I'm here with him. After a few minutes, I see a doctor approach the attendant and I believe it is about Beni.
— Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Johnson. I'm taking care of the patient Benício Cooper, you're family, right?
— Yes, I'm the father and he. — Point at me. — The Godfather. — And that's exactly how I feel, a second father.
— Well, the patient arrived here unconscious, he suffered a big blow to the head, but fortunately, there was no serious edema, just a slight swelling. However, he will need rest and physiotherapy after the plaster is removed, the leg fracture required surgery, but in a few months, he will be ready to return to service. The first aid he received was extremely important. — He places his hand on my friend's shoulder, as if he understands our distress. — The fracture was exposed and was cleaned properly, the dressing held up well until he got here. He has already been with us for three days and if you want, I can sign his discharge by the end of the afternoon, as long as he remains at rest. I believe that at home, with the family, the patient will have a better recovery.
— So, it was just a fracture, did I hear you right? — Thomaz questions, still in disbelief of what he just heard.
— Yes, Mr. Cooper. As I said, edema is nothing more than swelling that will decrease quickly, there are no clots, it responds well to reflexes, just rest and after a while, physiotherapy to strengthen the leg.
— I'm sorry, doctor, but we've both served for many years too and we know how risky it can be. They only told us today that he was here and injured — I explained to the doctor. — If you could explain what we should do after medical discharge, I would appreciate it, as we have a jet waiting for us to return to Long Island.
The doctor then explains to us the precautions during the trip and I am grateful for having a comfortable jet, otherwise Beni would need to spend another week in the hospital until he could take a commercial flight. He also tells us about the post—operative period, but knowing the boy, I believe he will not accept being under Sarah's care. With everything clarified, he releases us to see him in the room.
— Son, don't scare me anymore! — Thomaz enters grumbling, but I know that deep down, he really wants to cry with relief.
— Father! Jack! I can't believe they came so quickly. In fact, for me, they wouldn't even have warned anyone, as it wasn't anything serious. I'm just going to take a vacation for a while — he says, in his calm way.
— You know your mother will be devastated, but she will spoil you a lot.
— Dad, stop! And, since we're talking about my forced vacation, I'd like to go to the apartment. It'll be good, because I keep an eye on Catarina and mom is always there with her too. What do you think?
I see Thomaz reflecting with some trepidation, however, Benício used a great argument and, ultimately, I know that this could end up helping even more, the girl who needs our protection so much. With this thought in mind, I decided to intervene.
— Thomaz, Beni is right. He'll be fine, you and Sarah are always there and I bet Catarina will love helping him with his medications.
— Okay, let's surprise these two. In fact, today was her first day at Foster. It will be a day full of surprises for Nina.
With the issue resolved, we waited for the agreed time to return with our boy.
When I get home, I know that the first thing I will do is hug Noah, the feeling of knowing that he is okay is like an injection of adrenaline in me.