| Subject: Chapters 5 & 6 |
Author:
Jaron
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Date Posted: 19:57:40 12/21/01 Fri
In reply to:
Jaron
's message, "The Green-Eyed Monster" on 09:13:01 12/21/01 Fri
The Green-Eyed Monster
Chapter 5
And he didn’t like it. Not one little bit. When I told him what I was going to do, he was
quietly livid.
“Grace, you cannot talk to Madeline like that. She won’t stand for it. No one challenges
her and gets away with it. Not even Operations.” he said, sighing, because he knew his
protestations would not change my mind.
“Operations will support me in what I tell Madeline about your condition. Michael, you are
exhausted and doing double-duty will not get you better. If Ops wants you back at 100%,
something has to give, and it will just have to be Madeline. If he doesn’t want to support
me, I will let Rene have a go at him. And you know who will win that go-around.” I was
rewarded with a rare Michael smile. He knew as well as I did that Operations had a
weakness that had been forged while Michael lay comatose after the Red Cell crisis.
Rene had confronted Operations about his treatment of Michael and Operations had been
lost the moment that Rene looked up at him from under those long lashes of his. The
memory of Operations’ son had been evoked by Rene’s innocent anger on his father’s
behalf, and from that moment on, Operations had been wrapped around Rene’s little
finger. He had found a way to allow Rene and Michael to continue to know each other as
Operations had not known his own son. The tough exterior had remained, but on this
matter, his heart had definitely softened where Rene was concerned. I think he rather
liked to think of Rene as the grandson he would probably never have or know, just as he
thought in his more reflective moments of Michael as a son.
Madeline didn’t like what I had to say, but she understood why I said it. As I explained
how worried I was about Michael’s exhaustion, a wistful expression softened her
luminous dark eyes, and I wondered how I could ever have considered them cold eyes.
Simmering in those eyes was a fondness for Michael that I could not fathom, and I don’t
think I wanted to know from where that fondness came. But, I did wonder where that
fondness was when she had ripped his life apart when she had taken Rene from him, an
action I felt, had contributed to Simone’s loss as well. Had time healed the coldness that
I had sensed when she came to me all those years ago with her proposition that I raise
Michael’s son? I knew I wasn’t the first to be nonplused by Madeline and I certainly
would not be the last. Like Michael, she was an enigma.
In the end, I had her promise to lighten Michael’s workload. I think she understood that
if she and Operations wanted him back at Section at his full capacity, she would have to
give him the time he needed to heal and build back his former strength. And I also think
she calculated that the more time he had with Rene, the more cemented would be his
relationship with Rene and, hence, the easier he would be to control. Nothing escaped
the notice of Madeline, nothing.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Chapter 6
The end of November approached and it was almost time for my American Thanksgiving
and, even though it was not a French holiday, it would be the first holiday that Rene and
Michael had spent together since they had been reunited. That is, if Michael wasn’t
called back. He had been with us for almost 2 months now and he seemed to have
conquered his exhaustion and had achieved full range of motion in his injured arm and
shoulder. His ribs had healed and he had been able to roughhouse with Rene on the lawn
without pain lancing through his chest. He had even managed several games of
one-on-one soccer with Rene. Carson had been on the sidelines coaching Rene and much
to Michael’s chagrin, Rene had actually stolen the ball from Michael’s control more than
once. The air outside was crisp with the promise of a chilly winter. The leaves had
turned and once where green canopies shaded the front lawn, now a riot of red, brown
and yellow leaves were falling to cover the lawn.
And each night, I prayed that the call wouldn’t come from Section. Please God, not
tomorrow. And each day, my prayers were answered. Thanksgiving Day dawned and the
morning was filled with activity and the smells of baking pies, turkey and laughter. There
were just the four of us, Rene, Michael, Carson and me. Nikita had been sent off on a
mission in Europe, so she wasn’t there to enjoy the holiday. And neither was Walter, as
he was spending the day with Belinda. Tinges of green envy touched my heart as I
thought of him being with someone he loved so much, but I pushed the envy away and
concentrated on this day with those that I loved.
Soon, the table was set. The food had been carried in and we were all assembled. The
sun streamed in through the windows and it was a glorious day. Michael was standing at
one end of the table and I at the other end. Carson and Rene sat on either side. I had
placed the golden brown turkey in front of Michael so he could carve it for us. He had
made the first cut and was handing Rene his plate when the last sound any of us wanted
to hear cut our happiness to ribbons. Michael’s cell phone rang.
The smile on Rene’s face as he looked at his father disappeared, and he stood, tears
starting to gather in his eyes. “Nooooo, Daddy!” And then he turned and ran from the
table. Michael slowly took the phone out of his pocket and answered it and, as I watched,
he closed his eyes and listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“Hello? Yes....One hour? It will take me 2 hours to get there. It can’t be helped.
Good-bye, Madeline.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket and sat down in his chair
heavily and sighed. Looking at me, then Carson and then toward the hallway where Rene
had run, he said “You heard. I have to go back.” He stood and walked slowly toward
Rene’s room. He stopped, and without looking around, said quietly, “We knew this was
coming. Carson, take care of them for me.” He then went to his son to explain a bit
more about life and why he would be absent from Rene’s for the foreseeable future.
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