A Promise Kept Ch. 02

I hope everyone liked the first chapter, because I just submitted it and now I'm starting on this one. In the mean time, I wish you all peace, and God's blessings...

MoogPlayer

P.S. It's good to be back...for a while anyway.

~~~~~~

Chapter One

I traveled all around Houston by simply hopping onto the 610 loop and just driving. I know that what had been growing within Jenny's womb hadn't really been developed enough for it to be called a baby yet, but there was a tiny life there none the less, and Jenny destroyed it...she destroyed it without even consulting me about it first. And somewhere inside of me I felt like I was losing my friends all over again. I can't begin to describe how I felt that day not so long ago, when I saw all five of them blown into smithereens. I could literally feel the wrenching of my heart beginning to break all over again.

~~~~~~

I'd been driving for quite sometime now, and as I took a look ahead of me, I saw the exit for Interstate 45 coming up so; I took it. I stayed on 45-North until I came to the cutoff that leads to Lake Conroe, and remembering the stillness of mind that I used to find in that place when I was just a boy; I decided that that was where I was going...

~~~~~~

"I don't know where he is, Daddy," Kara worriedly told her father, over the phone, "He just took off."

"Stay there for the time being," her father knowingly replied, "He might try to call home."

"Oh, Daddy," Kara sniffled, "I'm so worried about him. That bitch Jenny Meyers has fucked with his head for the last time, and when this is all over with, I'm going to kick her ass."

"Calm down, baby girl," her father smiled, "You and I both know that you're not going to touch Jenny Meyers, because I raised you to be above anything petty."

"Oh, I know," Kara impatiently replied, "But Michael is out there all alone, and he's hurting inside like you wouldn't believe, and the thing I hate the most about all of this is that I can't be there to protect him, please try to find him, Daddy, please?"

"Listen to yourself, Kara," Ken pointed told her, "You and I both know well that Mike doesn't need anyone to protect him, now, come on girl...what you need is to calm down give him some space, but most of all be patient with him, okay. He'll only come back when he's ready and not a moment sooner. And when he does get back, you need to act like everything is normal as opposed to being scared shitless about not knowing where he was...that's very important."

"Daddy, I've got a question for you," Kara began, "He's acting a lot like the way I remember you acting when you first got home from Vietnam. Is he going to be okay?"

"That's the reason I'm trying to tell you how best to act around him," Ken told her, "And yes, he'll be okay eventually, but right now, he needs to be loved, pure and simple...and part of loving him means not being scared when he does things like what he's doing right now, okay?"

"I'll take your advice, Daddy," she fearfully replied, "If only he'd talk to me and tell me what he's feeling; I think I could handle things a little better..."

~~~~~~

"I'd stopped and bought myself something to eat, as the afternoon was now turning into evening. I knew that Kara would be worried to death, but for reasons that I couldn't explain, I knew that somehow she was going to be alright.

Speaking of Kara, I still couldn't believe that she'd turned into the beautiful woman that she had. I mean, I remember when we were all kids, Kara, while she'd always had a pretty face, was a little butterball when we were young. I didn't know whether it was baby fat, or what? All I knew was that she had a schoolgirl crush on me, to the point that I once saw my name written on her notebook in big bold letters.

I wasn't about to hurt her little feeling by saying something rude to her, that's not how I am. I did, however, find it a little disconcerting that she'd do something like that. But then again, I, too, was just a kid and didn't know any better. And then I found out from my sister that the beautiful transformation Kara had gone through while I was in the Navy, had all been done because of the love she'd carried for me ever since we were children. It was all so overwhelming, I don't care who you are.

I ate the barbeque sandwich and potato wedges sitting on a park table, looking out across Lake Conroe as I watched the sunset. I didn't really know how I would be able to face Jenny again, if ever, but one thing was certain, I began to realize that there was something in me that wasn't quite right, but for right now, I knew that there were others who were counting on me so; I temporarily put my immediate needs on the back burner. I was almost finished eating, after which I was going to head back home...I sure as hell wasn't about to spend the night without having my beautiful Kara lying beside me. Her gentle heart was not only the captor, but also the guardian of my soul, and therein, even toady, is from where I drew my strength. However, the way I was feeling at the moment, my strength was getting low, and I was going to need another infusion from her soon...

~~~~~~

"I can tell that you love Michael very much," Jayne told Kara, as they sat on the couch in the den talking, facing one another, "And he loves you, too, Kara; he loves you with all of his heart. It's just that I can see how Michael's a little more subtle about the way he expresses his feelings."

"It's not that he's subtle, Jayne, I swear," Kara impishly grinned, "He's just shy, painfully shy...but if you ever touch his heart, then there's nothing he won't do for you."

"That's sooo romantic," Jayne sighed, "How did you guys meet? I've just got to hear all of the details, please?"

"Okay," Kara smiled, "This may come as a shocker, but I've loved Michael ever since the very first time I saw him when we moved down the street from the Walkers when I was about nine. I saw this really cute boy in his driveway playing catch with another guy. Mom and Daddy told me that there would be other kids around my age in the neighborhood that we were moving to; and that I would have some nice friends to play with. I only saw one kid that I wanted to play with, and after I got moved in, I found out that his name was Michael Walker and he..."

"What was he like back then," Jayne asked, grinning like the Cheshire cat, "I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I want to see if my predictions about your beautiful Michael are right," the two of them began to girlishly laugh.

"Are you kidding?" Kara sweetly smiled, "He's always been good looking as hell, but when he was younger there was something really special about, Michael. The other kids in the neighborhood all used to pick on me and call me names because I was chubby back then; but not Michael, oh no. He always took up for me and wouldn't let anybody talk bad about me, at least when he was around. Like I said, "I've been in love with Michael since we were very young...he didn't know about it until recently."

"Is that right?" Jayne knowingly grinned, "And why not, didn't you ever tell him when you guys were younger?"

"Oh, I just couldn't tell him that...not back then anyway," Kara replied, shaking her head, "First of all, I was just a little fat girl that lived down the street from him, and last but not least, I would've been way too embarrassed to say something like that to any boy back then, much less Michael."

"He is one of the most handsome guys that I've ever seen," Jayne grinned, "So; tell me, how did you lose all the weight, Kara?"

"Michael began studying Karate, a Korean style, known as Moo-Duk-Kwan, Tang-Soo-Do, right around the time he and I went into second grade," she began, "And although he won't ever tell you this, he's one of the best there is...at least in my humble opinion he is. Anyway, after we graduated high school, and he left for the Navy, I began to take an interest in Martial Arts myself. So, when I started taking lessons, my Sensei taught me how to properly exercise. And through a combination of practicing, and also paying close attention to my parents when it came to eating right; the excess weight seemed to simply just fall off of me. I went from a size eighteen, all the way down to a size six, in a matter of a few months" as she wiped a proud tear from her eye.

"Damn girl, that's amazing that you dropped all that weight, way to go, sweetie, you look absolutely beautiful," Jayne widely smiled, hugging her, "I guess it just goes to show that woman will do everything it takes to get the guy she loves."

"I didn't lose all of the weight," Kara complained, irritably adjusting her bust line, "I still didn't lose these big ass cow tits."

"Speaking of which," Jayne said, turning red in the face, "Now that we're kinda like room mates, can I ask you a personal question, Kara?"

"Come on, girl," Kara laughed, "You know that you can ask me anything you want. What is it, sweetie?"

"Well, I was wondering," Jayne stuttered, looking back and forth between's Kara's face, and her unencumbered breasts beneath the tee-shirt she was wearing, "What sized bra do you wear?"

"I wear a size Thirty-Eight, Double "D"," Kara uncomfortably, yet proudly smiled, "Why, sweetie?"

"I was just curious," Jayne replied, "I always catch guys looking at my boobs whenever I try to talk to them, but I guess it's because they're so small. Dammit, I'd give anything to have nice big boobs like yours."

"Michael told me once that a woman's breast size doesn't matter as long as they're real," Kara told her, still trying to adjust her bust line, "Besides; having big tits isn't everything you think it is."

"Yeah, right," Jayne smiled, "I see the way that your male students drool over you."

"I know," Kara uncomfortably replied, "And sometimes it's annoying as hell, too. But my Mom told me when I was a teenager that I was going to have to deal with it so; I try not to think about it."

"That's all that most guys think about anyway," Jayne openly giggled, "At least the ones that I know do."

"Don't think that college guys are exclusive to staring at a woman's tits," Kara grinned, "All men stare at them and it starts when they're about six or seven. Some just learn to do it a little more subtly than most, but they all stare, every single one of them."

"What about Michael," Jayne asked," Did he stare at them too?"

"I was hoping he did," Kara blushed, "I sure as hell was trying to get him to, that's much is certain..." of course both of them began to laugh like schoolgirls.

"You know, I've never met anyone like him," Jayne said, "Except for my cousin, Danny, and I can't begin to tell you how amazed I am that Michael acts almost exactly the same way Danny used to act...it's so uncanny. I know that they were two different people, but my God, it's almost like Danny is living and breathing in Michael sometimes."

"Maybe there's a reason for that," Kara knowingly smiled, "He's going to talk to your family at the end of this week ya know."

"I know," Jayne excitedly grinned, "And I can barely wait."

"There's something else you need to know, and Michael will tell you so," Kara told her, "He could get into big trouble for talking to your family so; you all need to keep that in mind when he does talk to you guys."

"He told me that already," Jayne quietly replied, "I think he's just the nicest guy I've ever met and I think my family will love him as much as I do," and then she looked at Kara and meekly told her, "I hope you don't mind that I love Michael. I'm not in love with him like you are; I just love him because of all of the nice things he's done for me, and for treating me the way he does...you know, kind of like my brother would treat me? If I had one, that is."

"You sweet and precious girl," Kara sniffled, tears of love filling her eyes, as she pulled Jayne into her arms, "I know exactly what you mean, sweetheart; and I think there's plenty of room in Michael's beautiful heart for both of us. I know that there's room in my heart for you, sweet girl."

"Thank you, Kara," was Jayne's muffled reply, as she softly, but happily cried, "I love you, too..."

~~~~~~

I been driving around for several hours, and once I'd finally gotten what Jenny had done out of my system, well, at least enough that I could deal with it; I decided to go where my true love was...back to Kara.

Like I'd said before, she's my heart, and a man can't live without his heart. The exit off of the 610 loop that I needed to take to get home was coming up in just a few more miles so; I got over far enough to get off of the expressway safely...

~~~~~~

When I pulled into the driveway, the house was dark, which meant that Kara and Jayne were both asleep. Imagine my pleasant surprise to find Kara lying on the couch watching the television.

"Hi, baby," she softly greeted me, gently holding me as she tenderly kissed my lips, "Are you alright, my love?" and then she gently kissed me again."

"I'm okay," I quietly replied, "Is Jayne asleep?"

"She went to bed a little over an hour ago," Kara told me, "Bless her little heart, she was really worried about you, Michael. You need to remember that tomorrow morning when you see her at breakfast. That little girl thinks the world of you ya know."

"She is a little sweetie," I smiled, "Isn't she?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kara honestly replied, "She one of the kindest little souls I've ever met, and I love her very much."

"That makes two of us," I knowingly smiled, tenderly and gently hugging my beautiful Kara, "It's hard not to love that one."

"Jayne loves the both of us, too," Kara told me, "And I told her that we both had plenty of room in out hearts for her."

"You did the right thing, baby," I gently replied, "Because it's true...I will say this though; I'm really not looking forward to talking to her family about Danny this coming Friday."

"Why is that?" she asked, "Because you could get into trouble for divulging all of that classified information you're going to give them?"

"Shit, that's the least of my worries, because there's a wide enough gap in what I'm going to tell his family leaving all kind of room for what our government calls, plausible deniability," I scoffed, "So, that's the least of my worries."

"Then tell me, baby," Kara worriedly asked, later telling me that she'd just then felt a sudden, dark change overcoming me, "What's really got you so worried...please tell me, baby? I love you, Michael; and I swear on my life that I'm not going to let anything happen to you, baby. Please, tell me what's bothering you?"

"You might not think it's much," I begrudgingly groaned, "It's just that, well...it's really going to hurt to go back to bleak time in my life when two big parts of me died. It was one of the most, if not the most traumatic experience of my life."

"I love you, Michael," Kara sweetly told me, "And I'm going to be there not only with you, but for you; because I absolutely refuse to let you go through it alone, my love."

"What did I do to deserve you, Kara?" I widely smiled, "I don't know what it was, but it must've been something very special."

"I don't know, my love," she softly replied smiling, gently pulling me into her arms, "I only know that I've loved you for years, Michael, and I'm so glad that God answered my prayers by bringing us together," as a single tear silently made its way down her beautiful cheek.

"I was a blind fool, when we were young," I regretfully replied, "Not to mention as stupid as it gets."

"You weren't stupid either," Kara cutely laughed, "The only thing that was wrong with you was that you had your nose shoved so far up Jennifer Meyers' ass, if she took a sudden right turn, then your neck would been broken."

"Damn, that was harsh," I laughed, "But you're very right, sweetie...can you find it in your beautiful heart to forgive me, Kara, my love?"

"My darling man," she tenderly grinned, "There's nothing to forgive, baby. It's just part of growing up, I mean...I think that God put us together not only because he was ready to, but I think he waited until we were both ready, too. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Of course I do," I smiled, "Thank you for being who you are, Kara...I love you with all my heart..."

~~~~~~

The next day was Monday, and with it came another of what I though was going to be a hassle at work. The man, who came to talk to me in my office at the gym, while I knew that he was a man of some statute among his peers, spoke with an authoritative tone of voice that reminded me of my superiors in the Navy. Therefore I figured that he was either a law enforcement official of some sort, or, he was just what I thought he was, military and/or retired at least.

His name was Marine Corps Colonel Windale "Dale" Hyndman, and according to him, he was curious if I was interested in helping him with a matter of, what he called, minor National Security. It's been my experience that when matters of National Security are at hand, there's nothing minor about it.

"I'm just a college professor, and a Coach," I chuckled, "And when you say the words National, and/or Security in the same sentence, it indicates to me that you're either N.S.A. or N.S.C. Now which one are you?"

"I'm neither one, Coach," he knowingly replied, "Or should I call you Masterchief?"

"Alright," I pointedly asked, looking him directly in the eyes, "Who are you, and what is this little visit about."

"I'll come right to the point, Coach Walker," he replied, a little less aggressively, "I know that you're about to talk to the late Navy Lieutenant Daniel Reed's family, and I'm curious as to what you think you're going to tell them."

"I have no plans on violating National Security," I firmly told him, "I'm going to tell them that the only thing that I can say is that he acted nobly, saving my life in the process, and he damn well deserves that, Colonel!"

"You're violating National Security just by talking to them," he replied, "I can't let you do this."

"Is that right, sir," I suddenly snapped, quickly jumping to my feet, "And tell me...how do you plan on stopping me?"

"Relax, kid," he suddenly laughed, "I'm not gonna liquidate you," he continued to laugh, "I want you to think about what you're going to say, Mike. Can I call you Mike?"

"I'm not going to tell them anything other than the obvious," I explained, "I want them to know that he died for a reason, and like I just said, he saved my life. Come on, Colonel, surely you haven't forgotten the code of honor that compels you what to do when a man sacrifices his life to save yours, have you?"

"No," he sighed, shaking his head, "You just make sure that you don't tell them anything other than what they need to know; and only what they need to know. Do we understand each other, Masterchief?"

"Perfectly, Colonel," I respectfully replied, "And thank you, sir; I'm going to ask God to bless you for this."

"Thank you, son," he very appreciatively replied, "It's been a long time since I've prayed for anything."

"You might try it, Dale," I grinned, "It's kept me safe so far."

"I need to go, Mike," he replied, heartily grinning as he stood up, "Although we never had this conversation, I want you to remember your promise to me, okay?"

"No, problem, sir," I smiled shaking his hand, "You take care."

"You, too, kid," he quickly replied, and then was he gone.

No sooner had he left the office when Kara walked in, and as always, looking very sexy in her Karate ghee, and turning her head back to look, asked, "Who was that?"

"Just a guy," I noncommittally replied, "Nothing to worry about...are all of the girls ready to spar?"

"We're just waiting for our illustrious leader," she quietly purred, rubbing my chest with her palm, "Care to join us, handsome?"