Gunny and the CEO

Warning: Those familiar with some of my previous work might be a bit surprised by the ending...

As always, constructive comments are always welcome and appreciated. Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. And remember, this is a work of fiction, meaning that it is not real in any way, shape, matter or form.

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Gunnery Sergeant William "Bill" Masterson, United States Marine Corps, took his seat in the giant plane that would finally take him home. It had been nearly six years since he had stepped foot in his house, six years since he had held Libby, his beautiful wife of 17 years and six years since he had last seen his daughter, Jenny.

As the plane clawed its way into the air, he adjusted his seat and thought back over the events of his life. He met his wife by accident in 1997 at an event at Balboa Park in San Diego while undergoing training at nearby Camp Pendleton. They were in line for ice cream, and she dropped hers on the ground after some kid on roller skates accidentally brushed up against her.

He helped her up and offered to buy her a new ice cream cone. One look at her long red hair and penetrating green eyes, and he was in love. She accepted his offer and their relationship began. They spent the rest of the day talking, telling each other their life stories. By the end of the day, Bill knew he would marry this woman.

She was a student at San Diego State University, working for a degree in business so she could work for her father's company, a major investment firm with offices across the country. At the time, he was a Lance Corporal, going through scout-sniper training.

She listened intently as he told her about his father, a retired Marine who served in Vietnam and his grandfather, a former Marine who served in World War Two. His great-grandfather served as a Marine during World War One and was a veteran of the Battle of Belleau Wood, the battle where the Marines earned the nickname, "Devil Dogs." Mastersons, he explained, had served in the Corps throughout the country's history and had fought in many of the nation's history-making battles.

"So it's pretty much in my blood," he said. "I guess you could call it our 'family business.'"

They dated until he got orders to Okinawa for a one-year unaccompanied tour. A month before he left, they discussed marriage. Coming from an old-fashioned family, he told her he would like to ask her father for permission to marry her. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled. They spent that weekend at her parents' home in Los Angeles. Of course, her parents insisted they sleep in separate rooms.

Her parents seemed to take a liking to Bill, who by now had made Corporal. Her father, John Whitman, invited him into his den and offered him a drink. Bill accepted, and sat when Libby's father invited him to sit down.

"So, young man," he said, "what are your intentions with my daughter?"

"Well, sir, I intend to marry her, with your permission of course," Bill said. John smiled and nodded his head.

"You do know that I'm grooming her to one day take over the family business," he said. Bill nodded.

"I know," Bill said. "I'm kinda in my family's business as well."

"So I've heard," John said. "Your family tree has more than its share of heroes. Do you intend to make a career of the Corps?"

"Yes, sir, I do," Bill said. "I know your company has offices across the country. Libby and I have talked about that and she says she could transfer with me so we can be together. The only time we'd be apart is if I get deployed or sent to Okinawa for a year. Your daughter is an amazing woman and I know we can make it work."

"Yes, she can transfer with you, at least for the first ten or fifteen years, but at some point, she's going to have to remain here in Los Angeles. I hope to see her become CEO some day. Can you handle that?" he asked. Bill nodded his head.

"I'm a Marine, sir," he said. "I have learned to improvise, adapt and overcome." John smiled and nodded his head.

"When were you planning to get married?" John asked.

"Libby graduates when I return from Okinawa, so we thought we'd wait until then if that's okay," Bill said.

"That's more than okay," John said. "That'll give us time to get everything put together." He pulled out a form and handed it to Bill.

"Bill, Abby, my wife, and I both like you a lot," he said. "Libby loves you as well, and frankly, I've never seen her happier. You have my permission to marry her, but I'd like you to look this over and sign it if you would first."

"What is this?" Bill asked.

"It's called a prenuptial agreement," John said. "Libby is a woman of means and this is just a way to protect her and her assets just in case something happens and you two end up divorced. It's nothing personal, I'm just looking out for my daughter. You'd be amazed how many people chase after girls like her for the money." At first Bill felt insulted, but as he thought about it, the agreement made sense. But he wanted to make sure it was all on the up and up.

"If it's okay with you, sir, I'd like to go over this with our JAG lawyers at Pendleton first," Bill said. "I understand your reasoning, but my father always taught me to have a lawyer review things like this before signing anything." John smiled and nodded his head.

"Your father is a wise man," he said. "Have your JAG lawyers look at it and if necessary, suggest changes and we'll go from there."

The lawyers looked over the agreement and said it was a standard form that protected Jenny's assets in the event of a divorce. The agreement further stated that if they divorced because of adultery, the guilty party, which the form assumed would be Bill, would receive absolutely no support from the other and would also lose 70 percent of the accrued marital assets - house, car, joint savings, and so on. The JAG attorney made some changes so the agreement would apply to both parties of the marriage equally.

Bill and Libby took the form back to her father who looked it over carefully.

"Why the changes, if you don't mind my asking?" John said.

"Well, my family owns a good-sized ranch in west Texas and some of that land is leased to oil companies," Bill said. "The lawyer thought this would equalize things for when I inherit that from my folks."

"I see," John said. "Well, I can live with that." They signed the paperwork and life went on. That evening at the family dinner, in front of Libby's parents, Bill got down on one knee and asked her to marry him while presenting a diamond ring. She accepted and hugged him tightly as her parents applauded.

The night before he left for Okinawa, Bill and Libby laid in each other's arms after making mad passionate love.

"What does it mean, 'Semper Fidelis?'" she asked. "I've seen that on the Marine Corps logo, but I don't quite understand the meaning."

"It's the Marine Corps motto," Bill said. "It means, 'always faithful.'" He went on to tell her how important fidelity and loyalty was to him and how much it meant to know that he could trust and rely on those around him. "Without fidelity and loyalty, you have nothing," he said. She got up on one elbow and looked him in the eye.

"I'll always be faithful and loyal to you, Bill," she said. "I love you more than anything else." He smiled and kissed her lightly.

"And I'll always be faithful and loyal to you, my princess," he said.

That first tour to Okinawa was hard for Bill. He missed Libby terribly, and spent all his free time writing her letters and sending her pictures while other Marines were out getting "short-times" from the local girls. He received letters and cards from her almost every day. Soon, the year was over and he was on his way home.

Libby's parents went all out for the wedding and even paid for Bill's parents to fly out to Los Angeles from west Texas. Having made sergeant, Bill wore his dress blues and several Marines he knew at Pendleton served as ushers. After the ceremony, Bill and Libby passed through the traditional Marine Corps arch of swords and headed for their honeymoon in Hawaii, a gift from Libby's parents.

Things went well for the couple. Bill re-enlisted in 2000 and was later transferred to Marine Barracks, 8th and I Street, in Washington, D.C. Their daughter, Jenny, was born in 2001, almost a year to the day they were married. She had her mother's hair and eyes, but shared many of her father's facial features. Libby worked at her father's D.C. office so they could remain close.

The world changed in September 2001, when a group of terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers took control from the terrorists. It wasn't long before Bill was called upon to use his sniper skills against something other than paper targets.

Libby understood this was part of being in the Corps, and dealt with it as best she could. When Bill was deployed, she worked at her father's Los Angeles office and took care of Libby. When he was home, she worked at whatever office was closest to them. Their love for each other and for their daughter kept them together and happy. Libby was proud of Bill's service and let him know every chance she could.

Bill was also proud of his wife's accomplishments over the years. Thanks to her leadership, Whitman Holdings had expanded and the company had adopted a number of policies intended to make the company family-friendly.

In late 2008, Bill was transferred to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, where he spent two years as a Drill Instructor. Libby worked at the company's regional headquarters in nearby Savannah, Georgia and managed to make it to every one of Bill's graduations. She was so proud of her squared-away Marine Corps husband and made sure everyone knew it.

At the end of that tour, he was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and was transferred to Camp Pendleton. Libby took over the company's regional headquarters in San Diego and life went on. In 2011, he was sent to Afghanistan for yet another one-year tour. Little did he know that day when he tearfully kissed his wife and daughter goodbye would be the last time he would see them for six years.

Toward the end of his tour in 2012, he re-enlisted for a six-year tour in the Corps, and was in the field when everything went south.

After taking out his intended target, he prepared to make his way back to his unit when he was suddenly surrounded by enemy combatants. He knew these guys didn't believe in holding POWs and was concerned that his wife and daughter would end up seeing him being decapitated on YouTube.

But that's not what happened. He was placed in a box and repeatedly moved from place to place. When he wasn't being moved, he was beaten and tortured. Remembering his SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training, he looked for opportunities to escape, but none came.

Bill kept watching for opportunities to escape, and it finally came. He had no idea how long he had been held, but he knew it was a long time. He listened for clues from his captors, but had no luck. His knowledge of Arabic was spotty, but he was able to make out a few words and phrases. From what he could gather, his life had been spared because someone in the States wanted him out of the way, but not dead. He also knew from the terrain and heavy vegetation around them that he was no longer in the Middle East.

When the time came, he was able to move out of the small box where he had been kept and silently crawled away, taking a rifle, some ammunition and a knife from one of the drunken soldiers. By the time the soldiers realized he was gone, he was several miles away and still moving. After several days of searching, the soldiers gave up.

Bill moved quietly through the jungle. Having no idea where he was, he followed the rising and setting of the sun and moved in an easterly direction, living mostly on leaves and insects as he had been taught. Sometimes, he was able to make a meal out of a small animal he had trapped. Many days went by without sight or sound of another human being. When he came upon a road, he would follow it, but kept out of sight.

He kept moving, looking for any clues that might tell him where he was. When he stopped to eat, he would pull out a small photo from his wallet - a picture of his wife and little girl. He would kiss it, then put it back in his wallet and move on.

Bill lost track of time and nearly gave up more than once as his body grew weak. When that happened, he would think of Libby and Jenny, and force himself to keep moving. He found cover when the rains came and used the pouring water to remove some of the stink from his body.

Sometimes, the terrain changed, so Bill would adapt, but slowly kept moving east, avoiding contact with other people the entire time.

He had no idea how long he had been traveling but it finally happened. He came across a city - a rather large, fairly modern city. He looked for clues, but couldn't see any from where he was, so he waited for nightfall. He hoped to find a U.S. Embassy and seek refuge and safe travel back to the States.

By now, his camouflage utilities were torn and ragged and his boots were riddled with holes. His beard had grown long and scraggly and he was thin and emaciated, a mere shell of his former self. Fortunately, he had managed to keep his identification card and his dog tags.

When nightfall came, he slipped away and made his way into the city. He saw a sign, letting him know he was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He knew there was an embassy here, so he made his way through the town quietly.

Then he saw it. He nearly cried seeing the building and the U.S. flag. He made his way to the front gate and was stopped by a Marine security guard. He held out his ID card and identified himself to to the guard, who took his card and examined him carefully. The guard picked up a phone and spoke to someone inside. Soon, Bill was surrounded by Marines in dress blue trousers who put him in a wheelchair and took him inside.

A consular officer took Bill's information and fingerprints and within a few minutes had verified his identity. Because of his condition, he was immediately taken to a hospital.

What was left of his uniform was cut off. He was then cleaned, dressed in a gown and placed in a hospital bed, where medical staff immediately began administering fluids and medicine through an IV placed in his arm. Others drew blood and a doctor looked him over carefully.

"Well, Mr. Masterson," the doctor said. "It looks like you got to us just in time. Another day or two and you might not have made it. You just rest and relax. We'll get you fixed up well enough to move as soon as possible." With that, he was gone. Bill began to feel better and was soon asleep.

When he woke up, a clean-shaven man in a suit was in the room, looking through some papers in a folder. When he saw Bill move, he turned his attention to him.

"How are you feeling, Gunny?" the man asked. Bill nodded his head.

"Better, thanks," Bill said, weakly. "Where am I?"

"You're in Nordic Medical Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Gunny," the man said. "I'm curious, do you know what day it is?" Bill shook his head.

"No idea," he said.

"October 15, 2016," the man said. "You've been MIA for over four years."

"Four years?" Bill asked. "No way."

"Oh yes," the man said. "I'm curious, where were you and how did you find your way here?"

"Who are you?" Bill asked. The man smiled and pulled out credentials from his jacket.

"John Smith, Intelligence liaison," he said. "Do you have any idea where you were or who was holding you?"

"No," Bill said. "Someplace west of here. I don't know who was holding me. I was handed off to different groups along the way. I heard different names. I think one of the groups was Boko Haram, but I'm not sure."

"Can you tell me something about the areas you passed through? The vegetation, terrain, anything?" John asked. John wrote as Bill described as much of his trek as he could remember. Several times, John nodded as Bill described something.

"How did you survive?" John asked.

"Thank the folks at SERE school for that," Bill said. John smiled.

"I will," he said. "Do you remember anything else, anything out of the ordinary?"

"Yeah," Bill said. "I remember hearing some of my captors talking about a benefactor. It's almost like someone wanted me out of the way but not dead. I never did understand that."

"Hmmm," John said. "We'll have to put that in the mix and see what we can come up with. Listen, Gunny, I have to go now, but I just want you to know that your family has been notified that you're alive and arrangements are being made for you. Once the doctors here feel you can safely travel, we'll fly you to Bethesda for some rehab. The good news is that you'll have four to five years of back pay coming to you, plus a bunch of leave time." Bill smiled at that. "You rest and take it easy now, Gunny. You're in good hands."

Bill spent at least three months in the hospital before the doctors agreed he was healthy enough and strong enough to travel. According to the doctors, he had contracted several diseases along his long walk and was severely malnourished. They were especially concerned that he might have contracted Ebola, but all the tests proved negative.

He never heard back from John, but he was debriefed by several intelligence types and he received visits from some of the Marine Security Guard members, who brought him some civilian clothes and a fresh uniform. By now, he was cleaned and groomed and looked nothing like the thin, bearded wild man who first came to their front gate.

He slept for most of the trip to Bethesda, and was overwhelmed by the cards, letters and flowers in his new room. He heard from his parents, Libby's parents and Jenny, but only saw a generic get-well card from his wife. At least she sent something, he thought.

The next several days were a blur, as he was whisked from doctor to doctor. Every part of his body was poked, prodded and examined. They took blood and sampled practically every other bodily fluid they possibly could. He even underwent a psychiatric evaluation. The medical staff placed him on a special diet and put him on a rigorous regimen of physical therapy.

He tried contacting Libby several times but always seemed to miss her. He did get a chance to talk to Jenny and his parents, but Jenny shied away from discussing her mother, telling him that she was always doing something for her job. He learned that her father had finally retired three years ago and Libby was made the new CEO. It seems that her new position required her to spend a lot of time with Brad Jefferson, the Chairman of the Board.

After about two and a half months, the day came that he was declared fit to be released. By now, it had been five years since the day he was first captured and six years since he had seen his beloved wife and daughter. He was informed that in addition to having 150 days of accrued leave, he had earned well over $200,000 in accrued back pay.

He called Jenny to let her know he was on his way home, and would see her at the airport soon.

Now, coming back to the present, he looked out the window of the airplane and wondered what he was walking into. Other than the get-well card, he had heard nothing from Libby and wondered if she had found another man.

The plane landed at LAX and Bill followed the crowd off the plane, carrying a small bag. After deplaning, he grabbed his seabag and looked around. He saw his daughter at the same time she saw him. She was so beautiful and reminded him of Libby when he first met her. Jenny's red hair flew wildly as she ran to him, her arms open wide.

"Daddy!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around him, smothering his face with kisses. Tears fell down his cheeks as he held her tight. "I've missed you so much," she said. He looked at her.