A Promise Kept Ch. 01

I'm sorry I've not written anything new in a while, but my second book has been doing better than I could've ever dreamed of. I hope you all enjoy what you're about to read, but keep in mind, that like all of my stories, this one, too, is pure and total fiction. That means that anything CAN and usually DOES happen in a fictional story. In the mean time, I wish you all Peace and God's blessings...

MoogPlayer

~~~~~~

"I'm really sorry that I did this," she bitterly wept, "And I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day."

"I was wrong about you," I coldly, as well as emotionlessly replied, "I guess that now you really do know what's it's like to kill someone...don't you?" and then I hung the phone up, and walked away.

~~~~~~

Hi, my name is Michael Walker, or just plain old "Mike" to my friends. I stand six feet, two inches tall, and weigh two hundred and twenty pounds. I have dark brown, almost black hair, and pale blue eyes, and I'm fifty two years old. However; what you're about to read began when I was twenty-seven years old, and I'd just received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy the day before, after having served ten years.

While I was in boot camp, I qualified for BUD/S which is an acronym for Basic Underwater Demolition School. In other words, I went through, and by the grace of God, graduated Navy SEAL training. I was not only proud of the work I did, but was equally proud to be member of something bigger than myself, hence the reason I wanted to be in "The Teams" to begin with.

However, as we all know, freedom does not come free, and while my team did our jobs successfully, it came at a very high price. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that I lost more than several friends, one of them being my best friend, in the process of doing those said jobs.

~~~~~~

Chapter One

I joined the Navy in 1977, on my seventeenth birthday and got out in 1987 the day before my twenty-seventh birthday. So; when I finally made it home, my family; Mom, known by Deborah to her friends, my Dad, whose name was Nathan, and my little sister, Brittany, threw me a birthday/homecoming party my first night home.

"Welcome home, baby," Mom cried, throwing her arms around my neck the moment I walked from the plane into the airport terminal, "I've missed you so much."

"Hi, Mom," I smiled, returning her hug, "It's good to see you."

"Hello, son," Dad grinned, shaking my hand while hugging me with his other arm, "Glad to see you back in one piece."

"Hi, Dad," I happily smiled, "It's good to finally be home."

"Hi, Mikey," Brittany cried, throwing her arms tightly around my neck, "I've missed you so much, big brother."

"Hey, Brit," I teased, "Wow, let me look at how beautiful you've grown up to be while I was gone."

"People do that you know," she cooed, twirling around so that I could see her, "Just don't let me catch you perving on me now that I've grown some tits."

"Brittany Leigh," Mom scolded, "How cold you say such a thing, and to your own brother, too?"

"Relax, Mom," I laughed, "I guess some things never change, do they? She's always had a dirty mouth."

"Oh, shut up, Michael" Brittany giggled, "You wouldn't love me any other way, now would you?"

"Yeah," I laughed, "You're probably right, Sis."

Because Brittany is four years younger than me, she was only thirteen years old when I left, and her mouth was bad then, too. I can still remember Mom getting on her ass for her foul language. I shuddered to think how much worse she'd become since I saw her last, which happened to be the day she graduated high school. That was the last time I was home, and that was five years prior.

I felt a little bad when I realized that I'd only been home once in the ten years that I'd been in the Navy. But that was just the way things were back then, Hell, I was always being called upon to do my job, going to one place or another, it was almost always dangerous, but then I knew that was how it was going to be before I ever joined the Navy to start with.

Still though, I could tell that my years away from home had added some extra worry lines to both of my parent's faces. However, I was home for good now, and they would no longer have a reason to worry about me in any way, shape, or form; and for that I was extremely thankful.

~~~~~~

"We're throwing you a big homecoming party tonight, Mikey," Brittany smiled, breaking me from my reverie, while I was waiting at the baggage terminal, "We've invited all of your old friends from school."

"That sounds like fun," I smiled, and then suddenly I pulled my sister and my mother into my arms and said, "I'm really sorry for not coming home more often than I did, and I know that you guys were probably worried sick about me, and I'm really sorry about that, too."

"Don't you worry, son," Dad kindly smiled, patting me on the shoulder, "You were serving our country, and that made us very proud of you."

"That's right, sweet boy," Mom said, kissing me on the cheek, "All of that is over now, okay?"

"She's right, Michael," Brittany sniffled, laying her head on my shoulder, "You're home now, and we love you, and that's all that matters, okay big brother?"

Suddenly, and for reasons I didn't know at the time, I felt the tears beginning to sting my eyes, and then silently run down my face, and all I could say was, "I love you guys so very much, and I've really missed you a lot."

"Like I said, sweetheart," Mom softly replied, "That's all in the past, and you've got a great future in ahead of you so; just let it go, baby."

"I'll really try, Mom," I told her, "But there are some things that just won't let me go."

"We're all here for you, son," Dad assured me, "And we'll help you with anything you need. In the mean time, let's get your bags and get home. I know a bunch of people that're really anxious to see you..."

~~~~~~

"SURPRISE!!!" was what I heard the moment the lights came on when I first walked into my family home. I looked around the room to see my only living grandparent, my paternal grandmother, Lucy" who greeted me with a big hug and a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," Grandma Lucy sniffled, "It's so good to see you, baby. Let me take a look at you honey," and then after holding me at arms length for a moment, she smiled and said, "You look so handsome in that uniform, sweetie. I guess being in the Navy agreed with you, son."

"Hello, Grandma Lucy," I grinned, giving her a nice firm hug, "I'm so happy to see you."

"That does my old heart good to hear you say that, Michael," she sweetly replied, "I baked you a German Chocolate cake and it's sitting over there on the table just waiting for you to cut into it, baby."

"Thank you," I smiled, "You know that that's my most favorite cake in the whole world...especially when I know that you made it."

"Of course I know, Mikey," she lightly chuckled, "I baked it just for you."

"Thank you," I happily replied; hugging her once more, "I can't wait to taste it."

"Hello, Michael," a very familiar voice emanated from behind me, a female voice from my past that I would recognize anywhere, "I hope you haven't forgotten about me, you handsome thing."

"Jenny Meyers," I smiled, turning around to see my old high school sweetheart standing there looking better than I ever could remember, "Of course I remember you. How could I ever forget?"

"I'm so glad to see you," she began to cry, and then launched herself into my arms, as she lightly kissed my lips, "I've missed you so much, and look how gorgeous you've grown up to be."

Let me take a moment to describe Jenny, who I might mention, never left my side my first night home. Her full name is Jennifer Elizabeth Meyers, and at the time, she had waist length, strawberry blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and stood five feet, six inches tall. She weighed a hundred and twenty pounds, and her measurements were 36C-24-34. Jenny and I graduated high school the same year, after we'd been dating one another since we were in the eighth grade and on until we graduated high school. After I joined the Navy, she went to college, attending the University of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.).

We gave our virginity to one another during the fall when Jenny turned 16 after I'd turned the same age two months prior to that. She was my whole world at the time and I thought that we'd always be together until I got into trouble six months later because of a friend of mine, Lance Howard, who, I later found out, had been a criminal since we were children.

Anyway, he pulled up next to me in the high school parking lot in a Chevrolet, Corvette Stingray, telling me that his parents had just bought it for him, and that he wanted to take me for a ride with him in his "new car". Of course, I agreed, and then hopped on in, with Lance squealing the tires as we pulled out onto the street. What I didn't know was that he'd stolen the car from someone in a neighboring town which just happened to be my high school's largest rival during football and/or every other sporting event in our school.

When we got arrested, I was charged with "Accessory to Grand Theft-Auto", and when we went to trial; the judge told me that he would drop the charge against me if I joined the military for at least six years. Well, needless to say, the moment I graduated High school, and I was seventeen at that time, I joined the Navy, and after I'd graduated from basic training, or "Boot Camp" as it's called, I went to Hospitalman "A" School, where I became a Navy Corpsman.

After that, I qualified for and managed to make it, by the grace of God, as well as through sheer drive and determination, through Basic Underwater Demolition, SEAL School. I was one of only sixteen people, out of an original class of one hundred and twenty-seven people, who graduated BUD/S Class 104. I felt very proud to be a member of "The Teams" and I worked hard to honor the men that I not only served with, but also the men who came before me and either retired, and/or ended up giving the ultimate sacrifice for their country...their lives.

~~~~~~

I was very glad to see not only Jenny that night, but also a few other people that I went to school with. David Haynes, Randy Smith, and Billy Townsend were three guys that I played football with my senior year, and my little sister Brittany made certain that they were there, because she knew that I'd be very glad to see them after ten years of being away from home.

"Hey, Mike," Billy grinned, as we shook hands, "Damn bro, it's really good to see you. How have you been, man?"

"Oh, the usual," I laughed, "Working, training, getting my ass shot off, you know, that sort of thing."

"Holy shit," David gasped, "Tell me that you're only kidding, Mike."

"Unfortunately, he's not kidding," my father quietly replied, from behind me, "But then he'll never tell you that either."

"Come on, Dad," I firmly replied, trying my best not to sound harsh, "I'm going to ask you to leave it alone, okay?"

"You should be proud of what you did," he smiled, "I know that I am; hell, we all are, son."

"I understand that, I really do," I tried to explain, "But it's not something I care to talk about, not now, not ever, and most certainly not in mixed company so; I'm asking you to drop it, please Dad?"

"Oh, alright," he almost crossly replied, "But I still don't think that..."

"That's enough, Dad," I growled, having had enough of Dad's inquisition, "I don't want to hear anymore about it, and that's final, dammit!"

"Okay, jeez, son," my father sheepishly replied, backing away, "Calm down, Mike...please."

"I am calm," I told him, "But enough is enough..."

~~~~~~

I'd been mingling with all of the people that my family had invited to the party. And I could tell that things were beginning to wind down, which I was sort of glad for, because it had been along day for me. I was looking forward to getting into bed early until Jenny, who still hadn't left my side, smiled and sweetly asked me, "You look like you could use a break, sweetie. How about you and I getting out of here for a while, how does that sound, huh?"

"That sounds great to me, but I'd like to get out of this uniform and change into something a little more comfortable," I smiled, placing my arm around Jenny's beautiful waist, "Plus, I need to let my folks know what I'm doing before we leave, okay?"

"Okay, handsome," she sweetly purred, "You take all the time you need, Michael. I'll go talk to your sister, Brittany, while you're getting changed."

~~~~~~

"So, tell me, Brit," Jenny said to Brittany, "Is it me, or does Michael seem different since he's been back?"

"Of course he does," Brittany irritably replied, "But then again, you don't know what he did for the Navy, do you?"

"No," Jenny plainly said, "I wrote to him several times, but he never once returned a single letter; and why are you being so defensive all of a sudden? I always thought that you and I got along rather well when Michael and I used to date."

"That was then, Jenny," Brittany pointedly told her, "Maybe you should ask him yourself. It's not like you haven't been clinging to him like a tick on a dog ever since he got here."

~~~~~~

The moment I came back into the den, I saw Jenny dismissively walking away from my sister with an angry look on her face.

"What's wrong," I asked, "Did you and my sister have an argument, or something?"

"No, not really," she said, seemingly out of sorts, "Can we please get out of here now?"

"Sure," I replied, "Let me go tell my Mom that I'm leaving and then we'll go."

~~~~~~

We took Jenny's car, and much to my surprise, ended up at the beach in the same place we were on the night we gave our virginities to each other. As I looked out across the ocean and saw the moon reflecting off of the water, a nostalgic feeling began to sweep over me, temporarily putting at bay, the bad feelings of the not too distant past that had been raging within me ever since I came home.

"So, what do you think, Michael," Jenny sweetly smiled, taking my hand, "Do you remember this place?"

"Sure I do," I grinned, "How could I ever forget?"

"I know that I couldn't forget," she softly replied, leaning over and softly kissing my lips, "This is the place where we gave ourselves to one another for the very first time, baby," and then the next thing I knew, tears were filling my eyes and silently making their way down my face.

Jenny immediately took notice, and with concern in her voice, said, "Oh, Michael, baby what's wrong?"

"Nothing really," I replied, wiping my face on my sleeve, "I was just thinking about a time that's gone forever now, that's all.,"

"It doesn't have to be gone forever," she sweetly told me, kissing my lips again, "A girl never forgets her very first lover ya know."

"I know," I smiled, "The same thing goes for us guys, too."

Suddenly she sat straight up in her seat, and with a fearful look in her eyes, took my hand and said, "Michael, there's something I need to tell you, and I'm not really sure how you're going to take it."

"Why don't you just tell me?" I smiled, "I mean; it can't be that bad, can it?"

"Okay, then, here it goes," she began, ""I've loved you since we were both young, Michael, and the night we gave ourselves to each other sealed that love forever in my eyes...I guess what I'm trying to say is that I still love you, and I've never stopped...not ever," and before she could even finished telling me how she felt, her eyes filled with tears that were, by this time, falling down her beautiful face.

"Shh, don't cry, Jen," I softly said, pulling her against me, while wiping her face with my handkerchief, "Please don't be sad."

"How am I supposed to feel, Michael?" she continued crying, "I haven't heard from you once in ten years. Did I not mean anything to you at all?"

"Of course you did," I told her, "I wish I could tell you what was going on in my life, but I couldn't...I just couldn't."

"When I was in college, I went down to Coronado Island where your mother told me that you were stationed looking for you," she sobbed, "And the Navy wouldn't tell me anything...they would only acknowledge that you were stationed there and that was it. They only told me how to could get a hold of you by mail, and that was it. I even wrote to you, and never once did you answer me."

"I can't explain it, Jen," I told her, "I'm sorry, but I really can't."

"What happened to you while you were in the Navy, Michael?" she sobbed, "Please tell me...please," and then she laid her head in my lap and continued to bitterly weep."

After I got Jenny calmed down enough to talk to her, I wiped her eyes and said, "Maybe one day I can talk about it, but just not now. That's the best I can do, Jen, so; please try to understand, okay?"

"I'll try, Michael," she sniffled, wrapping her arms around my neck, "Just don't go ten more years without talking to me again, please?"

"I promise," I smiled, kissing her soft cheek, "Okay?"

"I have a favor to ask of you, Michael," she softly said, "Will you come back to my place and spend the night...please?"

"Okay," I relented, "Let's go..."

~~~~~~

The thing that was wrong with me, as well as the reason that I got so defensive with my father earlier that evening, and I didn't know this at the time, was because I was suffering from what psychiatrists call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or what is now known as P.T.S.D.

It is a disorder that is very common among combat veterans. After the Civil War here in the United States, it was called Soldiers Heart, after World War I, it was called Shell Shock, and after World War II it was known as Combat Fatigue. Only after the war in Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the Iraqi War, as well as the War in Afghanistan was it called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and the shitty thing about all of it, is that the government still refuses to believe that it exists.

I wonder how the asshole politicians in Washington D.C. would feel if they had to go into a hot Landing Zone. It would never happen because those selfish pricks don't care about anyone but themselves. Hell, they've repeatedly shown us that we can't count on them for a fucking thing. Anyway, now that I've had my rant...lol...back to the story.

The reason that I had PTSD was because that, a couple of months before I got out of the Navy, I saw my entire team blown to hell and back right before my eyes...and there was nothing, I mean nothing I could do about it.. We, and there were six of us, were in Beirut Lebanon trying to evacuate a Diplomat and his family to a safe place for extraction.

"Because I was my team's Corpsman, (Medic), the civilians were my responsibility. Once we got to them, my Commanding Officer ordered me to evacuate with the Diplomat and his family. There were twenty terrorist on our asses, and they almost had us surrounded, and pinned down. However, the rest of the team resisted them long enough for me to get the civilians out harm's way, before I heard my C.O. calling in an air strike on their position.

As the helicopter was lifting off and extracting me and the civilians to safety, I heard the shells being fired from U.S. Naval ships offshore, and then seconds later the shells found their target, killing not only the terrorists, but my entire team as well. I won't go into detail, but the feelings of sadness, mixed with hatred and anger that arose within me had to be kept at bay for the sake of the civilians that were under my care.

I was forced to deal with those feelings on my own with no help from the United States government at all; and the shittiest part of the whole deal, was the fact that the operation we were on was considered to be top secret at the time. Therefore the families of my team mates were informed that their loved ones were killed in a training accident. Jeez, what a load of horse shit that was. Worst of all, I can still hear the screams of my friends as the shells were raining down upon them, every time I lay my head down to sleep at night.