Plans Change A Story 17

I had headed back down the drive toward that large ornate gate when I realized there were dogs and they were headed right for me.  I had glance and counted seven and none of them were small cute and cuddly.  I ran  as I did not really want to have to explain to Christina why I had taken out her dogs.  When I was close enough I leaped to get as high up the gate as I could; two things happened that would again change my plans; first was the fact the gate was electrified and not the little stay away electrification but one that threw me back onto my back into the center of the dogs.  The second thing happened was actually several things at once but since it was five of the dogs all grabbing various parts of me which included both wrists, both ankles and my throat.  I was not as worried about my ankles and wrists but the dog on my throat happened to be a rather large Rottweiler and he was slowly squeezing cutting off my ability to breath.  I began to black out when I freed one hand was able to get my arm into its mouth.  What ensued I am still fuzzy on but I do know there was a lot of blood and much of it mine as the dog nicked something in my throat and gave his best effort to rip my arm off which had the other six trying to do the same thing.

In the end, I had gone into fighting for my life and apparently killed three of the dogs and had the big rottweiler by the throat as the security staff of my wife's tried to intervene and I sent at least three of them to the hospital before the colonel grabbed a tazer from one of them and put me to the ground.  I was reliving my worst nightmare at that moment and tried to fight back and from what I was told later it too most of the Marshall's to subdue me and and a tranquilizer to put me to sleep.  When I woke up I knew I was in yet another facility this time the marines were in attendance.  As I stared at the faces of two men who I guessed to be about my age I knew I was not walking out, even if I could.  What I did do was rip out the needle from my arm and the tube out of my mouth and every other wire running from a machine to my body.  The two marines did not intervene or even move to help the doctors and nurses who came in.  I tried to talk and realized I could not as pain shot from my throat to the rest of my body.  How many days I was asleep afterwards as they did not mess around and just put me back under I do not know.  When I awoke again I had been moved to another room overlooking the ocean, the doctor was the same one who had fixed me up after my leg wound went septic.  With a smile on his face he told me I really should not help him grow his retirement account in the manner I was and then told me not to try talking as that dog had done a number on my throat.  My eyes must have shown my questions and he told me for now worry about recovering my strength and pointed to the two marines and said when I was ready to start working out they would be in attendance at all times. As I looked around he answered that question and told me I was in a small hospital in San Diego.  My first thought was the marine boot camp and then as I though about it I knew the marines were cared for by the Navy docs.  He offered me a pen and paper if I wanted to write I shook my head and used my fingers in a typing fashion.  Nodding he told me he would see what he could do.  I was again not allowed any visitors on his orders though with my Marine escorts I was allowed to leave after a few days and I began running and swimming.

Running the two men did fine at keeping up but swimming in open water, that was another story and apparently they had to enlist the help of those whose job it was to swim.  Weeks passed quickly as I regained my strength and stamina surpassing where I had been before.  In many ways I was grateful for the silence.  One day as I had returned from a swim, the doctor asked if I was ready for visitors, I made the motion of typing again.  As we were walking into the hospital facility one of the nurses was using lipstick, walking over to her I waited and smiled at her until she was finished and the borrowed her lipstick and walking over to the wall I used it to write out the question.  AM I A PRISONER?  I saw Christina coming out of an office and turning away and seeing the faces of the doctor and the marines I knew the answer.  I walked right back out and started jogging toward the beach.  A squad of men fell in with me.  The beach unlike the rest of the facility did not have fences so I just kept running by what I guessed was the tenth mile the squad was struggling to keep up and had lagged behind.  I hit the water and began swimming back; three boats which I had suspected there had to be some out on the water converged and followed me in.  When I walked ashore I saw the media and with their cameras and of course the ever constant marines with fully loaded assault rifles at the ready.  I went to my knees and assumed the position with my fingers interlaced behind my head.  My two shadows came over and asked what I was doing as there were cameras watching; I smiled at that comment as they picked my up and grabbing both arms began to drag me when it dawned on them the cameras were watching.  The senior of the two men asked what they were supposed to do now.  I used my fingers to motion a typing motion, when the junior man said fine he would bring in his own damn computer I stood up and walked to the commissary with them following, along with MP's in military vehicles.  In the commissary I grabbed a pack of gum and put it down and looked at my handlers, a rear admiral who happened to be in there paid for it and I nodded to him.  I was actually allowed to eat in a matter of speaking as I was now on a liquid diet in the cafeteria.  The colonel brought my Christina in and sat down across from me.  He told me I needed to talk to her and I pointed to my throat and said that might raise some interesting issues.  When she told me she was sorry I got up and left as really at that point in time did not want to listen to anything she had to say or for that matter to anyone else, particularly since it would be a one sided conversation.

I stood outside for the longest time nodding to the men and women in uniform as they went about their business of pretending to be doing something to protect this country of ours.  Walking back in I borrowed a paper and pen from an officer who was looking over some notes.  Walking over to my Christina and the colonel I wrote to them that at the moment since I could not speak conversation would be difficult and looking at Christina, I wrote to her that I did not blame her and she should go home as I was not having a conversation like this particularly since I did not know what was happening with my life, other than I was being held prisoner against my will for crimes I had not yet been told I had committed.  With that I walked out and was again joined by my escorting service.  Popping a piece of gum in my mouth I began chewing.  The pain at first was almost unbearable.  A computer was delivered to me later on and I had to return it as it was outdated and did not have the capabilities I needed.  Christina showed up once a week to visit as did two other women, my old handler and the woman who had gone to get her enhancements from my ex wife.  I actually enjoyed listening to her talk as she kept me knowing what was going on in the world as I was not allowed television, newspapers or magazines.  I was allowed though to participate with the military during their PT which included hand to hand combat drills.It was one night I was brought to Camp Pendleton to run I got the idea.  I asked the next day by way of the paper and pen method to be moved back home to the south.  A week later I was transferred and two weeks later I slipped off the large Army base during a night run.  When I was found in my quarters the two new handlers were reprimanded.  Over the course of the next few weeks I did this several more times until they got used to not reporting my absences and then realized what I was doing would wait on a road and drive me into town to get me a pack of gum.  I decided I liked the army boys better and when I walked into a business center on base to make use of the computers they did not say anything.

I had to set up new email accounts as well as make some adjustments to the business center computers programming but I did get through to my partners who apparently had not been told what had become of me.  I told them exactly where I was and told them the last time I had seen the hummer it was in long term parking at Atlanta.  During our instant messaging sessions over the next few days I found out that my attempt to reopen my divorce proceedings had started to go well with my daughter acting as my attorney but when I did not show on repeated occasions it was tossed out.  I sent her a message as well and told her where I was being held prisoner and still not being able to speak I would very much like a computer and my phone.
Within a week she said she had tried but was told no and I asked her where Christopher Jr. was staying these days.  When two days later he contacted me I asked if he would mind meeting me near the base and I would give him the hummer which was now parked at the Atlanta airport.  When he showed up he was in the company of Steven and Ben,  To the surprise of my handlers I ditched them and took to driving.  It had been dark so faces had been mostly unrecognizable and the Hummer as dusty as it was looked like one of the sand colored ones at night.  I first drove to mom's house and for some reason she was not surprised to see me and let me know she had done something that might help as she removed any access to the old house so currently it was in limbo.  Sitting down I found the program on this computer I needed and began typing what I was thinking, the computer did the talking for me.

Mom asked me to stop before I went off half cocked and ask myself if I was still in love with Christina; my answer was immediate a yes.  Mom had smiled and said good as that girl was in over her head.  i asked where was she at that moment and was told no one had bothered to inform her that I had been transferred. I looked at Ben who smiled and then asked if I was going as me.  Christopher Jr. told him no I would not even be on the plane well at least not according to the passenger list.  He went over to our house with us following.  It sat completely empty and he went and opened the passage way to the play loft.  There he went to the old hatch for the hay which would be thrown down and opening it he pulled out several dufel bags all of which had been mine and had been taken at some point.  I looked at Steven who asked where he had gotten them and he told Steven as he looked at me that he had watched and would see who took my bags and he would take it and move it and when he could go back and get it and then call his dad who would help him get them here.  Shaking my head I tried to tell him that was not the smartest thing to do, what came out was just noise so I made use of the phone to type our what it was I wanted to say.  Ben told me it was probably not a good idea for me to touch any of the money I had in that bank which according to my attorney someone had been trying to get the bank to give them access to.  I typed in wife's lawyers and was told her did not think so as he had talked to a few people and it seemed more or less government types some of whom seemed a bit scared which he guessed was why they were keeping me incognito.  I sent a message to Steven and asked if he knew if it was okay to talk to Christina.  He looked down and shook his head saying I might not like the fact she had found comfort in the friendship of the sheriff.  I sent her a message and got back a reply rather quickly asking where I was, I simply asked her if she was dating the sheriff and then my phone rang.  Christina asked where I was and then realizing I could not answer said yes she and the sheriff had gone out to dinner a few times as she needed someone to talk to.  I did not listen any further and handed the phone back to Steven.

I died in that moment and gave up caring what happened to me.  Walking back out to the hummer I remembered my promise went into the glove compartment signed the registration over and gave it to Ben when he came out.  I just started walking and it did not take long for law enforcement to surround me as I walked.  More than once I was ordered to get on the ground I refused and not being able to speak just kept walking.  The media helicopters were overhead and I just did not care so I kept walking as the tears began to flow.  I honestly do not know how long I walked but ended up on the pedestrian bridge in town overlooking the falls.  I sat on the rail as I had done as I used to do when I sat on the fence by the pasture.  I had though for a brief moment about jumping as it would be easy but know I did not want Christina to have that luxury.  What I did do was wait until after the afternoon rains had swollen the river before climbing down and running and officer got in my way with his pistol drawn but I was too close and he was not fast enough and I sent him flying before I jumped into the river.  I began swimming with the fastest of the currents and had no idea what was happening behind me.  I finally gave up thirty miles down river when I climbed out and realized I was once again surrounded.  The locals apparently did not take to kindly to me knocking one of theirs on the backside so they claimed jurisdiction and had no qualms about throwing me into the county jail.  Before the night was over I had been in no less than six fights and had taken a baton from a guard and broke it in half before returning to my cell.  Twice they tried to rush me and both times in spite of the gas I sent them out even after the been bags and rubber bullets.  When I had to go before the judge I was a mess and when she demanded to know what happened the DA began making up lies which I could not refute and when I was asked what my intentions were I had to motion for something to write with.

After being given a tablet and a pen I began writing and page after page I handed it to the bailiff as I finished them.  By the tenth page he looked at the DA and asked if he had any evidence as to the charges he was bringing against me,  When he told the judge I had assaulted a cop and the judge said he had seen the footage and still was not sure why that officer decided to pull his gun on an unarmed man who just wanted to go for a swim.  By the fifteenth page the judge told me that was enough and that he was dismissing the case and I might want to go public with what he just read.  He then pounded his gavel and told me I was free to go and then looking at the DA he told him that before he brought a load before him he better be prepared to start digging.  The judge told the law men in the court room that their behavior was unbecoming of any one who claims they uphold the law and they had better hope I did not decide to bring a civil suit.  I did not even bother going back to the county jail to sign out.  Out front of the court house it was filled with crowds of people and the media.  I saw the movement in the crowd and let it happen.  One shot was fired and I felt the bullet  strike my rib cage and move along it and exit out my side.  There was a lot of blood but I remained standing as I started walking down the steps and headed toward the hospital.  When an officer tried to stop me I just looked at him and he backed off.  I made it two blocks before the loss of blood overcame me.  A week later I woke up in yet another hospital room.  Two weeks later I was released with no fan fare.  I had no home, no family and I was not sure if I had a business to go back to.  My reflection in the mirror was not the me who I remembered, I now had scars on my throat, and several on my face.  My hair which had grown back was now all gray, not silvery like dads but just gray.

I realize now as I looked back the price I paid to serve my country was far greater than if I had just died as a soldier on some battle field.  Each day I wake up now not sure why I do so but I do.  I did regain my ability to speak but found it easier to just keep my mouth shut.  With this I have come to an acceptance of my life.  I missed Christina's wedding as I was up in the cold north working.  We work a three on three off shift and many times I just keep going.  Here a man proves himself not by how much money he has or how many letters he has after his name but by his work and his integrity that now is all I have.  As I returned to my little cabin in the desert after a fairly long winter in Montana and the Dakotas I found Christina sitting on my porch crying.  I let her cry and waited; she finally told me they had the marriage annulled.  I shrugged went inside the one bedroom house and grabbed a couple of ice waters as that was all I had in the fridge.  Handing her one I walked out to sit and watch the sunset, knowing her son would be by to visit before long. She joined me and told me he was not coming this time.  I nodded and figured it was time for him to move on.  In my opinion there is nothing like the Arizona mountains at sunset accept for maybe the sunsets back home.