Lady in Red Ch. 06

"In my defense, I did ask the state department if it would be safe and I was assured that it would be. Several other Congressmen also brought some family members. We landed in Kabul on a Tuesday afternoon and were scheduled to tour north of the city the next day. The state department advised that it wouldn't be wise to take any of our family on that trip, as it was an 'unsettled' area.

"To demonstrate how well the Afghan forces were doing in their training, a couple dozen were assigned to protect our families while we were touring the northern area. It happened that we ran into Bill and Steve Hammer while we were there. Bill was a Navy Seal Commander and Steve was his son. They had just returned to Kabul on a flight from Germany. Janice, Amber and I had the great pleasure of dining with them the evening we all had arrived."

Kate had gasped when she heard that Steve's father was a Navy Seal. The rest of the group managed to keep their reaction under check. Steve had told them that his father had died in combat over a year ago. Now they were hearing that the O'Leary family had met Steve and his dad in Afghanistan.

"Steve was a big kid, even a year ago. He was well over six feet tall and well muscled, as I'm sure you ladies have noticed. His dad was an older version of Steve. One had only to look at Bill once, to know that he was a very capable man. We shared stories over dinner, including the fact that we were going north the next day and leaving our families in the capable hands of the Afghan military, along with four American Marines."

Gwen had been holding Steve's hand under the table and she felt it tense up as Patrick O'Leary got deeper into his story. Steve was very still and a fine bead of sweat appeared on his brow.

"As I now recall the situation, Bill's jaw seemed to tighten up when I explained the security plans. I later learned that he was very concerned about the lure of American VIP's to terrorists. He didn't want to alarm us, nor did he want to cause an incident between governments by making statements that insulted or demeaned the Afghan government," concluded the soon-to-be governor. "I see our dinners are being served, so let's eat. I'll bore you some more with my story soon enough."

"Dad feels strongly that the close friends of Steve's should know more about him and his past. He's not keen on talking about himself, or his experiences," stated Amber to the gathering as they ate. "My fiancé has been in two tours in Afghanistan and seldom speaks about it. Men that have gone to war don't usually enjoy talking about it. That doesn't mean that they don't think about it. Mom and I know a little about that. You'll understand and appreciate Steve even more after Dad finishes his story."

Steve ate quietly as he wondered how revealing his past would help him in the future. He had seen a little of the problems relationships can have when meaningful things were not revealed. Lying by omission was still lying, but telling the truth isn't always easy. Was it important for those people he cared for to know about his experiences half a world away? How would it affect their opinion of him? Wasn't it better to be judged by what you do and say, and not by something that happened a lifetime ago?

"Okay, I'll take up where I left off a while ago," began Amber's father. "Our junket boarded a convoy headed north the next morning. We were gone almost ten hours. When we returned to our hotel, armed Navy Seals and Marines were everywhere. We all rushed inside to find out what was going on. To our horror, we found an actual war zone. Everything was shot up. Blood was everywhere. Bodies with tarps over them were strewn across the lobby and even up the stairway. We were quickly ushered into a large meeting room in the rear of the hotel and reunited with our loved ones. You can imagine my relief when I saw Janice and Amber stand to greet me. They were dirty, covered in blood, and crying softly, but they were okay.

"It's taken me the better part of a year to pry everything they witnessed from Amber and Janice. It seems that about an hour after we departed, the Afghan troops assigned to guard our loved ones were, for some unknown reason, summoned to the other side of the city. Luckily, Bill Hammer was still at the hotel. He immediately notified the four Marines to be vigilant and put in a call to people he knew, strongly urging that Seals be sent to the hotel to protect American lives.

"Just before noon, Bill noticed unusual activity outside the hotel. He quickly notified all the American guests that they were in imminent danger and asked them to move to an upstairs meeting room. This hotel had just two floors. He and Steve dragged desks and other heavy pieces of furniture into the room and then asked the guests to stay behind them. Janice and Amber watched Bill give a handgun to Steve and then tell him that he was the last line of defense. If any terrorists made it through the door, his orders were to shoot to kill, and he was just barely seventeen."

Gwen felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks. She looked around the table to discover that she was not the only one with that problem. Kate and Lisa were crying openly and Paula was holding a napkin to her eyes. Laura was wiping her eyes with her hands while Amber and Janice were clutching each other as the tears poured down their faces. Ms. Walker had her head bowed while Steve sat like a statue, staring at his plate.

"The Taliban came through the front door, the side doors and the back doors, thinking they'd catch the four Marines by surprise. You just don't catch US Marines by surprise. Janice and Amber told me the shooting was so fierce and long that it sounded like a continuous roll of thunder. Finally, the shooting became sporadic and then it stopped. They told me that the silence was more frightening than the actual shooting. The families huddled behind the barricades praying that it was over.

"Suddenly the doors were smashed in and three Taliban rushed into the room firing assault rifle. In the mirrors that were hanging around the room, Janice and Amber saw young Steve Hammer stand with his handgun and return fire. As quickly as it began, it was over. The three Taliban that had burst into the room lay dead, each one shot twice through the head. Steve was coolly replacing his magazine as blood from a couple of relatively minor wounds began staining his shirt and pants. He cautioned everyone to remain where they were as he went to investigate.

"What Steve found were three dead Marines and a dead US Navy Seal; his own father. He rendered first aid to the badly wounded Marine after determining that the fight was over and the Taliban that were only wounded were disarmed. It was a short while later that a helicopter landed in front and a dozen Navy Seals poured into the building. They found seventeen dead Taliban and six wounded. They also found Steve saving the Marine's life as he worked to stop the bleeding.

"By the time our junket had returned, the dead Marines, Steve's father, along with Steve and the wounded Marine, had been evacuated from the premises. The blood on Amber and Janice was Steve's, since they had hugged him dearly before he was taken away. To avoid embarrassing the new government, the whole incident was downplayed. We were told that it would serve American interests better to not go public with the events of the day. Reluctantly, everyone agreed to go along with the story. What difference would the truth make? It wouldn't bring back those Marines, or Bill Hammer. So the public never heard of that battle in Kabul, or the bravery of those Marines and Bill Hammer. And that's why I feel you need to know Steve's history and why he's so reluctant to talk about the incident.

"We never saw Steve again. At least not until Amber saw a sports report one night a month or two ago describing the record setting efforts of the quarterback, Steve Hammer. Then she searched on YouTube and watched 'The Lady in Red' video, probably a hundred times. She couldn't wait to tell us that she'd found Steve, that he was well, that he was going to high school and playing football. Then she showed us the video. Janice cried like a newborn baby and I have to admit a few stray tears dripped down my cheeks, as well."

Gwen leaned over to Steve and kissed his cheek. Then she tucked her face in his neck and softly cried. "I think we'll all need time to digest that story, Mr. O'Leary," stated Ms. Walker. "It answers a lot of questions that I never thought to ask. Steve has assimilated very well into our school. He's well liked and respected, and he's a very capable student. His courage certainly can't be questioned. I suppose that in the long run, it's best if some of us that care about him understand where he's been. It's just a very surprising story. Who would've guessed that Steve's been combat tested already?"

"I wondered a little about those small scars on his left arm and right hip," admitted Laura. "But a strong, active young man, especially a football player, is likely to have a few scars and abrasions. Steve sure has his share now."

"Allow me to change the subject, if I may," replied Patrick O'Leary. "The inaugural will be on January 7th. That's a Saturday. I want to invite all of you to attend as my guests. That will include your husbands, boyfriends, significant others, or whomever you care to bring. Please plan on attending the Governor's Ball. Janice, Amber and I were hoping that Gwen and Steve would delight the crowd with their dance skills. Will you consider it and get back to me by Thanksgiving, if not sooner?"

"Sir, I would be honored to attend. I hope Steve feels the same way," smiled Gwen as she wiped away her tears. "We're trying to increase awareness of our senior class goal to raise money for a new wing to Sparta's hospital. This would be great publicity for us, and a tremendous opportunity to pitch our cause. What do you think, Steve?"

"Are you asking me to escort you to the Governor's Ball? If we went together and danced together, everyone would think that you're my girlfriend, and I'm your boyfriend," reasoned Steve, with the first smile he had shown all evening. "Are you willing to risk that, Ms. Anderson?"

"Actually, Mr. Hammer, I think I should be able to tell everyone that you're my boyfriend. In return, I would expect you to assure my sisters, all long legged redheads, big breasted cheerleaders, doctors, aunts, and mothers that you're my boyfriend, and that you're off limits. Can we agree to that?" asked Gwen.

"That means no more kissing the whole football team, the physics class, the seventh fleet, or anyone else, unless I'm present and consent to it. If you agree to those terms, we have a deal, although I sure hate to give up on sisters, and long legged redheads," laughed Steve.

"Gwen, you mentioned the hospital in your town," interrupted Amber's father. "As governor, I plan on making health care and all that goes with it a priority. I can't promise anything, but the state may be able to offer incentives, grants, low interest loans; things of that nature. We'll look into every angle and possibility to help your hospital expand."

"Sir, we'll hold you to that," asserted Laura. "Our hospital is small but we service a lot of people over a wide area. We're way too light on supplies like blood and plasma, as well as staff and equipment. We're fine for the occasional car accident, but a major incident, like a bus crash, would probably overtax our resources. Gwen's class has hit on a very real need in our area. I'll be coming up with Gwen and Steve to shake the trees for funds for the hospital every chance I get."

As dinner was winding down, Amber broached a new subject. "I haven't mentioned it, but after getting my undergraduate degree in marketing, I studied at a fashion institute in New York. Watching Gwen and Steve on video and in person makes me believe that I could design a line of clothes featuring you two. I would call the label 'Lady in Red', and it would feature mostly clothes for young women, but have some clothes for men, more or less intended to match with the outfits of the lady. I'd begin with swim wear and evening wear since Gwen has demonstrated how great she looks in both. I'd try to market it to a major retailer, even if they just carried it locally at first. We could earmark a percentage of the profits for your class hospital fund. Maybe Kate and Lisa would be willing to model some clothes for us as well. I think I'm pretty good at designing clothes that young women will want, and you Anderson women are just gorgeous.

"Would you be willing to meet with me on this? We'd need to form a company and agree on a lot of stuff, but essentially, I'd be working to enhance my career and you'd become household names and faces, and the hospital would get the bulk of the money, when it starts coming in. We'd be taking enough from the enterprise to cover expenses and the hospital fund could have the rest. Would you do it?"

"I will!" declared Kate immediately. "I'd love to be a model!"

"Wow! I'm so surprised," admitted Gwen. "This sounds like a great opportunity. Do you really think people would buy the clothes you made for us? We aren't rich and famous. I know you'd do a great job designing things, but would we be the best models? Lisa is incredible and Kate is really blossoming, but I've never modeled or anything. I'm not sure I could do it. What do you think, Lisa? Mom?"

"Sis, I saw you peel off your clothes on TV. I saw you show a mile of incredible cleavage when you leaned over Steve and saved his life on the banks of Emerson River. I saw you dance that first night, remember? So did thousands of other people when they watched the videos. I bet there're stills taken from those videos plastered on walls in garages all over America. I know Kate and I will do well at modeling, but you're the engine that would drive this venture. You're 'The Lady in Red'. I should get credit for loaning you my red dress that started the whole thing. Would Kate and I get to pose with Steve, by any chance?"

"We'll discuss this with Ted tomorrow," reasoned Paula. "We'll want a lawyer to assure us that the kids will be protected and the venture is grounded in good legal principles. We won't allow nudity, or have the girls exploited in any way. If we can fit everything inside those parameters, Ted and I will probably okay it."

"Is anyone interested in my feelings?" asked Steve. "I'm the one that could be forced to pose with these Anderson girls while they're wearing evening gowns and swim suits. How can you determine what sort of compensation I should get for that type of work?"

Angela Walker shook her head as she considered the events of the past few days. The water rescue had garnered all kinds of positive publicity. The football team won the state title. Now the governor-elect was promising to help the hospital raise funds, and his daughter was attempting to market the kids in a clothing line intended to assist the hospital fund! This thing was really gaining traction!

When dinner was over and everyone had thanked the governor-elect and his family for their hospitality, Angela Walker, with a twinkle in her eye, suggested, "Since I have an empty car and you're pretty full, Paula, why don't you let me give Steve a ride back to Sparta. I really don't mind."

"Thanks, Angela. That would give us more room. What do you girls think?" asked a grinning Paula of her daughters.

"I'm not riding back to Sparta, Mom, so it won't matter to me. I think Gwen might have something to say about it though. Sis, lend me that gridiron hero for a long kiss goodnight!" requested Lisa, as she stepped up to Steve and kissed him hard on the lips as Gwen looked on. "If you hadn't found this guy first, I'd be a cradle robber by now. Have a good trip back everyone."

Kate and Gwen made certain that Steve sat between them in the back seat. By the time Paula reached the interstate, Steve was asleep. Gwen turned sideways and gently pulled him to her so that once again, Steve was sleeping with his head on her chest. Gwen smiled as she stroked his temples and ran her fingers through his close cut hair.

Paula and Laura glanced at each and chuckled when they heard Kate ask, "Can I hold him for awhile if you get tired, or get a cramp or something, Sis?