Lost In Stormy Visions
Chapter 9
Monica and John shone their flashlights deep into some local woods nearby John's home. They had joined one of the search parties that were out this night looking for any sign of Luke.
The two hadn't talked much either in the ride over nor now. The truth was there wasn't much to say in regards to Luke. Neither one wanted to admit that the fact that looking for Luke in the woods was a bad indication that he would ever be found alive. At least they felt as if they were doing something and yet at the same time they felt as if it was the wrong something. There should be some lead. There should be something to focus their investigation on. But there was nothing.
With the night having fallen the temperature had dropped dramatically. Monica stopped for a second to zip up her black leather jacket. She looked up to find John looking at her. She wasn't surprised to see concern in his eyes but she was surprised to see that he was concerned for her.
"You okay, Agent Reyes?" In the depths of his own tragedy, he was concerned for her and that simple thing completely blew her away.
"Fine, thank you," Monica said quietly. "Just a little chilly that's all. And you can call me, Monica."
John nodded but Monica somehow felt that he would be calling her Agent Reyes for a long...Monica didn't want to think how long this tragedy might continue. Maybe it was better to keep their profession distance.
The two kept walking through the woods some more with the other members of the search team spread out in a line. Their shouts echoed the other members. "Luke! Luke! Luke!" But of course there was no response.
Their throats were raw from shouting in the cold air and eventually both Monica and John continued their search in silence as the other members of the search party continued to call out.
It was John who eventually broke the silence. "So tell me bout yerself Agent Reyes?"
Monica looked at John quizzically. Why would he want to know about her during a time like this?
"Truth is all this silence...keep on thinkin' bout my son. I need...."
Monica understood. "I...um...." The truth was she didn't know where to being. At what point in time did one start telling a virtually complete stranger about his or her life? What were the essential facts that would help John understand who she was? Did she even want to tell him things that would help him understand her?
John sensed her confusion. Not thinking that they might be pressure questions he asked, "Are you married? Do you have any children?"
Monica shook her head. "No not married. No children." For some reason she didn't feel like telling John about Brad. Her and Brad's relationship was so new any way. But she did want to be open with John. That's the way she was with the people she felt that she could trust.
"So you joined the FBI.....?"
"Yes. I was born in Austin, Texas. When I was very little I was adopted. My adoptive parents were Mexican and they raised me in a little town close to Mexico City. When it was time to go to college I decided to come back to the U.S. I went to Brown University. I graduated from there with a degree in folklore and mythology. One of my good friends there was going through the application process for the FBI. I don't know, maybe his excitement about it rubbed off on me, but I just knew that's where I needed to be so I applied."
Monica and John stepped over a fallen tree.
John was suddenly struck by how little he knew about this woman who had stepped into his life to find his son. He realized how much more there was to her. "So did they assign you to the New York field office?"
"I requested it actually. That friend of mine had transferred here. Told me how exciting life in the Big Apple was. I've spent so much time in the heat that I was excited about seeing lots of snow. My request was granted so here I am," explained Monica.
"So this friend of your's..." asked John.
He let his question hang in the air and Monica laughed quietly. "No Cay and I are just friends. Partners and friends, but nothing else."
John thought Monica had a nice laugh. He thought that it would have been nice had they met under different circumstances. But he now knew that this woman and his son's disappearance would forever be linked. He hoped they found Luke alive and well. If not, he'd hate to look at this woman and think of his son with regret...
An awkward silence fell between the two. She thought about asking John about himself, but she had read his case file. Born and raised in New York, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps after finishing college at New York University. There he quickly rose through the ranks to Sergeant in their Amphibious Unit and spent time in the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon. He retired from the military when in his sixth year in he was wounded, shot in the shoulder protecting a U.S. Ambassador and her children. He came home to his wife, Barbara, his high school sweetheart, and to settle down. They moved to Syracuse where John used the education financial assistance to get his Master's and Doctoral degree in Public Administration. John then became a New York City cop, moving himself and his infant son to Long Island. John again moved quickly through the ranks to his current position-Detective in the Fugitive Warrant's Division.
And here he was in the flesh searching for his lost son. But what the paper file couldn't tell Monica was who John Doggett really was but she was slowly beginning to find out on her own in this time they had spent together. What the file failed to tell her, what she now knew, was that John Doggett deserved every commendation he ever received and maybe more. He was a good man, a determined man, a hardworking man, a man that she could positively say didn't deserve the things that were happening to him. No one did. She wished she had gotten a chance to meet him, to get to know him, really know him, apart from this. But had Luke never disappeared, their paths might never have crossed. Monica felt a cold breeze hit her, chilling her.
The two continued their search well into the night and early morning hours.
Chapter 9
Monica and John shone their flashlights deep into some local woods nearby John's home. They had joined one of the search parties that were out this night looking for any sign of Luke.
The two hadn't talked much either in the ride over nor now. The truth was there wasn't much to say in regards to Luke. Neither one wanted to admit that the fact that looking for Luke in the woods was a bad indication that he would ever be found alive. At least they felt as if they were doing something and yet at the same time they felt as if it was the wrong something. There should be some lead. There should be something to focus their investigation on. But there was nothing.
With the night having fallen the temperature had dropped dramatically. Monica stopped for a second to zip up her black leather jacket. She looked up to find John looking at her. She wasn't surprised to see concern in his eyes but she was surprised to see that he was concerned for her.
"You okay, Agent Reyes?" In the depths of his own tragedy, he was concerned for her and that simple thing completely blew her away.
"Fine, thank you," Monica said quietly. "Just a little chilly that's all. And you can call me, Monica."
John nodded but Monica somehow felt that he would be calling her Agent Reyes for a long...Monica didn't want to think how long this tragedy might continue. Maybe it was better to keep their profession distance.
The two kept walking through the woods some more with the other members of the search team spread out in a line. Their shouts echoed the other members. "Luke! Luke! Luke!" But of course there was no response.
Their throats were raw from shouting in the cold air and eventually both Monica and John continued their search in silence as the other members of the search party continued to call out.
It was John who eventually broke the silence. "So tell me bout yerself Agent Reyes?"
Monica looked at John quizzically. Why would he want to know about her during a time like this?
"Truth is all this silence...keep on thinkin' bout my son. I need...."
Monica understood. "I...um...." The truth was she didn't know where to being. At what point in time did one start telling a virtually complete stranger about his or her life? What were the essential facts that would help John understand who she was? Did she even want to tell him things that would help him understand her?
John sensed her confusion. Not thinking that they might be pressure questions he asked, "Are you married? Do you have any children?"
Monica shook her head. "No not married. No children." For some reason she didn't feel like telling John about Brad. Her and Brad's relationship was so new any way. But she did want to be open with John. That's the way she was with the people she felt that she could trust.
"So you joined the FBI.....?"
"Yes. I was born in Austin, Texas. When I was very little I was adopted. My adoptive parents were Mexican and they raised me in a little town close to Mexico City. When it was time to go to college I decided to come back to the U.S. I went to Brown University. I graduated from there with a degree in folklore and mythology. One of my good friends there was going through the application process for the FBI. I don't know, maybe his excitement about it rubbed off on me, but I just knew that's where I needed to be so I applied."
Monica and John stepped over a fallen tree.
John was suddenly struck by how little he knew about this woman who had stepped into his life to find his son. He realized how much more there was to her. "So did they assign you to the New York field office?"
"I requested it actually. That friend of mine had transferred here. Told me how exciting life in the Big Apple was. I've spent so much time in the heat that I was excited about seeing lots of snow. My request was granted so here I am," explained Monica.
"So this friend of your's..." asked John.
He let his question hang in the air and Monica laughed quietly. "No Cay and I are just friends. Partners and friends, but nothing else."
John thought Monica had a nice laugh. He thought that it would have been nice had they met under different circumstances. But he now knew that this woman and his son's disappearance would forever be linked. He hoped they found Luke alive and well. If not, he'd hate to look at this woman and think of his son with regret...
An awkward silence fell between the two. She thought about asking John about himself, but she had read his case file. Born and raised in New York, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps after finishing college at New York University. There he quickly rose through the ranks to Sergeant in their Amphibious Unit and spent time in the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon. He retired from the military when in his sixth year in he was wounded, shot in the shoulder protecting a U.S. Ambassador and her children. He came home to his wife, Barbara, his high school sweetheart, and to settle down. They moved to Syracuse where John used the education financial assistance to get his Master's and Doctoral degree in Public Administration. John then became a New York City cop, moving himself and his infant son to Long Island. John again moved quickly through the ranks to his current position-Detective in the Fugitive Warrant's Division.
And here he was in the flesh searching for his lost son. But what the paper file couldn't tell Monica was who John Doggett really was but she was slowly beginning to find out on her own in this time they had spent together. What the file failed to tell her, what she now knew, was that John Doggett deserved every commendation he ever received and maybe more. He was a good man, a determined man, a hardworking man, a man that she could positively say didn't deserve the things that were happening to him. No one did. She wished she had gotten a chance to meet him, to get to know him, really know him, apart from this. But had Luke never disappeared, their paths might never have crossed. Monica felt a cold breeze hit her, chilling her.
The two continued their search well into the night and early morning hours.