Jake was browsing around a store at the San Diego airport. It was half past twelve, Tommy should have been here by now, but his flight was delayed, so Jake had another thirty minutes to kill before his brother's arrival. Tommy had surprised Jake with the fact that he had actually decided to come the day before the wedding. Jake had very much expected Tom to fly in at the last minute, stay for the ceremony and leave straight after, but definitely no later than the next morning. It was rather unexpected that Tom had taken two days' leave. Even more unexpected was that according to the itinerary he had emailed Jake, he was planning on staying until Sunday afternoon. He certainly hoped that they were going to be able to spend four days together without getting into another argument over Tom's expectations and Jake's failures. Jake decided he wouldn't let his brother screw up the weekend. If necessary he would ask Tom to leave, even before the wedding.
Jake tried to remember when last he had spent this much time with his brother. He couldn't pin it down exactly. It was probably sometime after their eighteenth birthday, before Tom had gone off to college and Jake had remained in Denver to finish high school after his hopes of a professional snowboarding career had come to naught. Even back then they had already been distant, not in a bad kind of way, they just didn't relate to each other. Tommy had always been stuck behind his computer, always reading and researching things while Jake had spent every minute outdoors or at the gym doing one sport or another.
Tom had been an A student who had passed his matric with flying colors, and to no one's great surprise he had won a full scholarship to one of the prestigious Ivy League schools on the East Coast. Jake on the other hand hadn't cared much for school. He had been glad to escape it in the first place and thus found being back at high school a year and a half later a trying experience. The teachers constantly held up his brother's academic achievements as the yardstick by which to judge him. Their argument was that Jake, being Tom's identical twin, had the same intelligence, the same capacity to excel academically, but that he was just plain lazy. It had been a war of willpower. The more the teachers had pushed, the less Jake had been willing to make the effort. He had scraped through classes and exams, just doing enough to not unnecessarily prolong the experience by having to repeat a year.
The long months of enforced idleness while he hadn't been able to exercise much due to his fractured arm, were mostly spent playing video games. He had been seventeen when he had taken a stupid risk trying a particularly spectacular jump to impress his friends. They had been snowboarding in the back country on a slope he didn't know well and he had landed elbow first on an exposed rock.
When they had assessed the fractures at the hospital and taken into account the options that the family's insurance would cover, the surgeon had taken Jake's dad aside and suggested in all seriousness to have his son's arm amputated and fitted with a prosthetic instead. Jake had been absolutely horrified when his dad had told him of the surgeon's plans and had begged and pleaded for an alternative solution. Eventually his parents had relented, under the condition that he quit the snowboarding circuit for good and return to school. At private rates a specialist had been brought in who put Jake's arm in the external fixture of rods, pins and wires screwed into every loose piece of bone to realign them correctly. It had looked like he had a spiral staircase attached to his arm.
Eventually the frame had been removed and replaced with an ultra-light carbon fiber shell which he had had to wear during the day for another couple of months. The shell had at least allowed for movement of the elbow. But it hadn't been until a year after his fall that he had regained full mobility in his elbow and another year to regain all the muscle strength to make the left arm indistinguishable from the right.
Jake considered how the financial strain that the family had been under due to his enormous medical bills may have affected Tom's attitude and behavior towards him. He recalled a comment Tom had once made. It had been shortly after the external fixture had come off. Jake had somewhat naively believed that his elbow had been immobilized by the metal rods and pins only and had been deeply upset to realize that even with the scaffold removed his elbow joint was still locked in the same ninety degree angle as before.
When for the first time since before the accident he had tried to play a video game with the motion capture pickup that interpreted his stance and movements into the game instead of the hand-held controller, he had cursed and shouted out his frustration at his inability to straighten his elbow and make the computer interpret his movements the way he wanted to.
Tommy had walked into the room, asking Jake to keep it down so that he could study. Jake had thrown himself onto his bed sulking and Tom had said, "you really should have let them amputate your arm and got on with life, instead of moping around for months and making everybody else miserable, too." The comment had stung, but at the time Jake had believed that Tom wasn't serious. Now though, as he thought about it again, he was pretty sure he had been.
Jake checked the time again, another twenty minutes. He left the mall part of the airport and made his way back to arrivals. This was a busy section and it was slow going, negotiating his way through the stream of travelers. More than once somebody bumped his chair and one particularly hasty passenger in a smart business suit, who was looking behind him rather than in front, ran straight into him and Jake threw up his arms to keep the man from falling on top of him. The man looked horribly embarrassed and mumbled some vague excuses before disappearing into the crow again.
Jake found a less busy spot off to the side of the waiting area and resumed his contemplation while keeping his eyes on the exit doors.
One thing was certain. Had he agreed to the amputation, his life would have taken an entirely different path. He would have never become a Marine, he would have never met Emily and he wouldn't be paralyzed. He would have lost his left arm though and at the time that thought had been entirely inconceivable. Now he had a pretty good idea what that would have meant. He tried to decide if it would have been the lesser of two evils. With or without a prosthetic he would have still been able to snowboard and to skydive and do most of the other things he used to enjoy.
With hindsight he wondered if there was such a thing as fate; if his fate had always been to be disabled and because he had defied it once it had come back for more and the second time round he hadn't been able to escape.
Finally the arrivals display showed the plane from La Guardia as 'Landed'. Another few minutes and Tommy would walk through the doors. He thought of how Tommy had changed while he was at college and how he had become openly disdainful of Jake's view of the world. Another time he had said that he felt that Jake was squandering his talents. Jake smiled at the thought. He was studying engineering now, though he hadn't mentioned it to Tom, yet. Maybe it would please him.
The last time he'd seen Tom had been nearly a year ago in Quantico. Back then, Tommy's facial expression when he had entered the venue had unsettled Jake and he tried to picture what kind of face Tom would be making when he walked out of that door and saw him this time. Then he had worn his uniform for the last time and he had still had his jar-head buzz cut with the sides cropped so close to his skull you could see the skin. He still kept his hair short, but it was all the same length now, giving him a less severe look. He was wearing gray cargo pants, a black T-shirt and his black biker jacket. He could certainly pass for a student.
Jake looked down at his hands for a moment. They were strong hands, with calluses on the inside from working out at the gym—not academics' hands that never gripped anything heavier than a stylus. He tried to imagine himself once more without a left arm, but standing on his own two feet waiting for Tommy to arrive. Maybe their relationship would have been different; maybe he would have walked up to Tommy now and given him a one-armed hug that Tommy would have returned without reservations. Maybe they would have walked to the truck together joking and laughing all the way. He sighed and shook his head to chase the image away.
He looked up again just as the doors parted and Tommy walked through. Tom looked around but didn't see Jake straight away. Jake rolled up to meet him. When Tom saw him and his eyes widened for a split second but at least he didn't flinch. He even smiled a tentative smile.
"Hi Tommy. Welcome to San Diego."
"Hi Jake. You look good." He seemed to be fairly relaxed.
"Thanks, how was the flight?"
Tom shrugged "Flight was okay. Nothing special."
"Come let's go home unless there's anything you need to do?" Making their way through the terminal, Jake noticed that the airport was considerably less busy now than half an hour earlier.
"No nothing, I got whatever I need." Tom patted the garment bag he was carrying over his shoulder.
"If it's ok with you, you'll stay with Emily and me. We don't have a spare room, but the sofa in the lounge is large enough to sleep on. If you want a room of your own, you can stay at JJ's house. You chose."
"Your place is fine, but don't you want to be alone on your wedding night?"
"Does the thought of Emily and me having sex in the next room make you uncomfortable?"
"You can have sex then? I was wondering."
"Yes, some things are working better than others."
Tom raised an inquisitive eyebrow for a moment. "To answer your question, yes the thought does make me uncomfortable, but then as you have surely noticed just being in your presence makes me uncomfortable and—I would really like to sort things out between us. That's why I decided to stay for the whole weekend."
Jake ran through a number of possible responses in his head. From 'How do you dare make this weekend about yourself?' to 'I would also like to sort things out.' He settled on "We'll give it try. Let's see how things go—and," he added after a while, "I'll just slip you some of my meds. They'll put you right out and you won't hear a thing."
They had arrived at the elevator at the far end of the terminal that Jake had used earlier from the parking deck. It said 'Out of Service'.
"Shit!" Jake muttered. "Come let's find another elevator. He turned around.
"Wait—how many levels up?"
Jake turned back. "Just one, why?"
"Come let's take the stairs."
"Um, I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice, but I don't do stairs."
"No, but I do. I can get you up one flight of stairs. I'm not as weak as you might think I am."
"Are you sure?" Jake looked at Tom quizzically. He was surprised that Tom had even offered. He was sure trying hard to deal with his demons.
"Sure." He had opened the door to the staircase and was holding it open for Jake.
Jake rolled through and surveyed the stairs. "Okay, this is what we'll do." At the turn between the floors was a stone pedestal. He rolled up to it, locked the brakes and pushed himself up rotating onto the flat surface.
Now it was Tom's turn to look surprised. "Wow, I didn't realize you could do that."
"I'm not as weak as you might think I am." Jake quipped. He leaned forward and folded up the chair. "Take the chair and your bag up first."
Tom did so then came back down and stood in front of Jake about to pick him up. Jake stopped him. "Wait, Tom, there is an easier way to do this. Turn around and bend your knees a bit." Jake put both arms over Tom's shoulders. "Now just hold onto my arms, lean forward a bit to distribute the weight better and up the stairs you go. If you need to you can let go of one of my arms and hold onto the rail." A minute later they were up to the next level and Jake was back in his chair. Tom was panting as he opened the door for Jake again.
Jake rolled through and kept the speed up so that Tom had to work to keep up the pace. When they arrived at the truck, Jake stopped and grinned up at Tom who was frowning. "What the …"
Jake interrupted him. "Now that I'm studying, you should hit the gym some more."
Tom's face was frozen for a brief moment, then his facial muscles relaxed and he actually started to laugh for once.
They drove back to Jake's apartment. Tom wasn't necessarily Mr. Congeniality, and although the ice hadn't been broken entirely, it had definitely thawed a bit.
When they got in, Emily wasn't at home. She had left a message saying she was having lunch with her dad and afterward she would be at the salon to have her hair done for the wedding. She would only be back late in the afternoon.
Tom settled down on the sofa while Jake made coffee for them. Then he joined Tom in the lounge. Tom watched him. He seemed to have gotten used to seeing Jake use the wheelchair, but a slightly pained expression appeared on his face over the rim of his coffee mug now as he watched Jake push himself across onto the chaise next to the sofa and pull his legs up after him.
"Tom, I want to ask you something."
"Yes?"
Jake decided to get straight to the point. "Do you remember after I broke my arm you once said to me I should have let them cut it off and gotten on with life—remember?"
Tom nodded.
"Then I didn't think you meant it, but now I think you did. Did you mean it, Tommy?"
Tom regarded Jake for a moment and carried on sipping his coffee. Then he put the mug down on the low table in front of him and nodded, keeping his eyes lowered. "Yes, I meant it Jake. I meant every word I said then."
"But why?"
His voice was measured. "Because I was jealous. You were the prodigal son. I felt like Mum and Dad had cast me aside—you were the only one they ever worried about. You got everything you ever wanted handed to you on a silver platter, including my college fund to fix your stupid arm, even though it was your own recklessness that led to the accident. I felt you should have taken responsibility for your actions and had you lost your arm it would have forced that responsibility on you." He looked at Jake for a moment who was slowly sipping his own coffee. Tom carried on.
"I had to work for everything I ever did and I never got half the recognition you got. When I won the scholarship to Cornell, Dad said to me 'well done, we expected nothing less of you' but when you finally scraped through matric it was the event of the century."
"So you wanted to see me fall?"
"Figuratively speaking—just once I wanted to see you kicked off your pedestal. At the time I felt that it would have pulled you back down to earth. To make us equals."
Jake looked at him dumbfounded. "You felt that with one arm I would have been your equal with two? Wasn't that a bit extreme and also—a bit permanent?"
Tom sighed. "Yes, I know it was childish and stupid," he said quietly.
"And now?"
Tom didn't say anything. He just stared at the Marine Corps logo on the coffee mug in front of him.
"Now you feel guilty because your stupid and childish wish has been granted after all?"
Tom's mouth compressed into a grim line and he nodded his head. Then he looked up at Jake. "Jake, if I could take any of the things I thought and said back, I would."
Jake pulled the left sleeve of his T-shirt up onto his shoulder so that the Born Loser tattoo was exposed. "Do you know why I got this tattoo?"
Tom shook his head. "I thought it was a joke."
"There are a number of reasons. One, I felt I never really excelled at anything. Like at the national championships. By all accounts, I was the best boarder in my age group, but I never made it to the top. Academically I could never live up to your standards even if I had tried. I was always trailing behind. I was even born second. If you come second you don't win and if you don't win you lose."
Tom smiled a pained smile at the irony of the tattoo's meaning. "I never realized you felt that way."
"I don't anymore, but that's beside the point. Here's another thing about the tattoo. Jake pointed in the middle of the tattoo on the side of his arm right on top of the bone. The skin was a bit shinier there almost like a burn mark. "This is the only scar that I didn't have revised. It's where the top pin was screwed into the bone. And you see this line?" He pulled his arm across his chest so that Tom could see the inked line that trailed around Jake's triceps at the bottom end of the deltoid muscle marking the lower edge of the tattoo. "This is how much arm I would have had left if they'd gone ahead."
"This high?" Tom looked surprised.
Jake nodded.
"As I said, I am sorry I said it."
"Apology accepted. As for the fact that you are uncomfortable because I have no use of my legs, that's your thing. You have to get over that. It's not your fault."
"Okay, I'll try." Tom smiled tentatively again.
They carried on chatting for a while, about the plans for the evening and the next day. Then Tom asked Jake about the courses he was taking. As Jake had expected Tom wasn't entirely unbiased about Jake's chosen field of study, but at the same time their conversation didn't descend into an outright fight like so many times before. They agreed to disagree.
When Emily came back she brought takeaways and they sat down to eat. Emily chatted with Tom and Jake learned some details about his brother's life that surprised him. By the time they finished their supper Jake had to admit that Tom wasn't quite as nerdy as he had made him out to be and Tom had acknowledged that under certain circumstances the military had its uses, too. Small victories.
Later that evening Jake and Tom met up with JJ and Franklin to go to the cigar lounge that Jake had picked out for his bachelors. The place had a larger common section with a stylish bar and several separate rooms with dark, plush interiors for more private settings. JJ had organized one of these rooms for the evening. The lights were dimmed and pleasant music played in the background. They had their own waiter who provided them with a continuous supply of snacks, drinks and cigars. The men were sitting on comfortable leather sofas and chairs, including Jake who had picked a large leather armchair, his wheelchair discreetly tucked out of sight behind it. Into their second round of drinks JJ's cellphone rang and he answered, but he didn't say anything, just nodded his head and closed the connection again.
"Excuse me gents." JJ got up.
Jake looked at him questioningly. JJ just put his index finger to his lips, simply said "surprise" and walked from the room. Jake was curios to find out what kind of surprise JJ had in store for him. He settled back in his armchair, listening to the conversation between Franklin and Tom. He didn't have to wait long.
JJ reappeared wearing his full Marine uniform and a leather portfolio under one arm, followed by three men in full black combat suits and black body armor, all three of them wearing helmets with dark visors so that Jake couldn't see their faces. Nonetheless they seemed oddly familiar. JJ stepped up to Jake and the three men lined up along the wall behind him. JJ opened the portfolio. Franklin and Tom had stopped their conversation and looked curiously at the newcomers. Jake noticed a knowing smile on Franklin's face, so he was in on it. JJ addressed Jake with a mock British accent.
"Corporal Jake Sully, you are being court marshaled for going AWOL during a mission and other conduct unbecoming of a soldier of the Marine Corps. I have here with me three witnesses who will attest to your deeds. Corporal, how do you plead?"
Jake laughed and played along. "I apologize for not standing up your honor, but I am glued to my seat. I plead not guilty."
"Well then, the prosecution will hear the testimony of the witnesses. Witness A, what is your grievance against the Corporal?" The first of the black-clad men stepped forward.
"Corporal Sully failed to rendezvous at the agreed point and time and furthermore failed to notify us that his absence would be permanent." The man stepped back.
"Witness B?"
The second man stepped forward. "Corporal Sully failed to respond to any well wishes he received from us."
"And finally witness C."
A broad grin had appeared on Jake's face.
The third man stepped forward. "Corporal Sully failed to inform us of his impending marriage to Colonel Lauter's daughter." He stepped back.
JJ took over again. "I think the evidence speaks for itself. Corporal do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Jake put up both hands in front of him, palms facing out and laughed. "No your honor, I am speechless."
"Well, then." He put on his most sonorous voice. "Corporal Sully, I herewith find you guilty of all charges brought against you and sentence you to copious amounts of drinks, cigars and general debauchery and to include these three fine gentlemen in the proceedings." The three started to clap and cheer. Franklin and Tom and Jake joined in.
"Well done, Major."
The three took off their helmets and started peeling off their body armor. Jeff, Si and Alan, Jake's recon squad mates emerged and one after the other went over to Jake to hug him and shake hands. Meanwhile JJ disappeared again and returned a few minutes later back in his civilian clothes. Si sat down on the armrest of Jake's armchair and punched him playfully on the shoulder.
"So Jake, I heard you took the easy way out and went on a little government sponsored R&R and let us do all the hard work on our own."
"You heard right; a month and a half at Walter Reed and three more at Fort Belvoir. Walter Reed was ok, but I wouldn't recommend Belvoir for an extended vacation." Everybody laughed. Jake carried on. "I'm sorry I let you guys down; and also sorry about not returning your emails. I couldn't cope at the time. So how long have you guys been back?"
"Only a week." Si answered and Jeff added: "And the first thing we did was call the Major to find out if he knew where you were hiding."
"But let's not talk about us—so what happened exactly? I saw the flares, but we didn't realize that you had been hit until you didn't show up at rendezvous." Alan had been the second last to jump before Jake.
"It tore the canopy which sent me on a collision course with a tree trunk. The ropes snagged on the branches so I hung in the tree for a couple of hours." Jake noticed that Tom was also listening intently to his account. "So when none of you guys showed up to help me out I decided screw this bunch, I'm going on holiday." The waiter appeared with another round of drinks. Jake carried on. "The problem was my HUD was damaged so the beacon didn't work and the pack had fallen to the ground. My Jedi powers to levitate the pack up to my level failed me, so I had to let myself drop down to the ground eventually."
"How high?"
"Roughly four meters between my feet and the ground."
"Not impossible." Alan cocked his head like he was picturing the height in his mind.
"So what's the damage?
Jake looked at Jeff who had asked the question. "Then or now?"
"Both." Jeff grinned. "You know we are sticklers for detail."
"Twelve fractures, three torn ligaments…"
"Details!" Jeff interjected.
"Okay, do you have half an hour?" Jake laughed, but started to count on his fingers. "Concussion, whiplash, a dislocated shoulder and torn rotator cuff, three broken spinous processes on T6, 7 and 8 and spinal bruising, five broken ribs, partially collapsed lung, two shattered vertebrae L1 and L2, broken tibia and fibula on the right, torn anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, torn exterior ligament and torn meniscus on the left."
"See that wasn't so hard." Si ruffled Jake's hair. Jake turned sideways and pushed him good-naturedly off the armrest in return.
"I wasn't finished yet—on top of the before an undisclosed number of greenstick fractures and the crushed L1 took out my spinal cord and about twenty descending peripheral nerves, too. So I'm missing a solid two inches of nerve tissue in my spine, which is why they couldn't put me back together properly and I had to leave you gents behind, for good." He grinned.
Si had reclaimed his perch on the armrest. "And now?"
"Now everything is shiny and new including two titanium alloy vertebrae, some pins in my leg and the exception of the missing two inches of spinal cord because they don't grow back on their own."
"But they can make it grow, can't they?" Jeff asked.
"Sure, I'll forward you all my bank account details and if you all chip in on a monthly basis, in about 50 years' time I will have saved up enough money for the treatment, except then I will be an old man and will probably spend the money on whiskey and women instead."
Everybody cheered except Tom. "Hey you're getting married tomorrow. Don't let your wife hear that."
Si had noticed the wheelchair behind Jake's armchair. "Hey, nice wheels." He pulled it forward. "Can you balance on two wheels?"
"Sure, can you?"
Si got off the armrest and sat down in the wheelchair. He lifted the front wheels into the air, but overbalanced and promptly fell over backwards. Everyone roared with laughter. Si got up, he too was laughing. "Okay. I'll leave the acrobatics to Mr. Bigshot here." He slapped Jake on the shoulder.
Their easygoing conversations carried on for another couple of hours. Eventually they all started to fade and decided to call it a night, but not before Jake had officially invited Si, Jeff and Alan to attend the wedding ceremony and dinner the next day. As he found out JJ's subterfuge had gone further; they had already been included in the count and Emily had given the green light, too.
The next day at four fifteen in the afternoon in the presence of their family and friends Emily and Jake were married. Even though he hadn't planned on it, Emily had insisted that Jake wear his Marine dress uniform. He had requested permission and it had been granted. As a result Tom and Corinne's husband Pete had been the odd ones out, the only men not wearing uniform. Jake surmised that Tom was not entirely comfortable in the presence of all these dress blues, but if so he didn't let on.
A justice of the peace performed the brief ceremony and after they had spoken their vows and signed the register, Emily had hopped onto Jake's lap and hadn't gotten off again until they got back to the car. Franklin was driving them and Tom to JJ's house for dinner.
Jake and Emily were sitting in the back, Tom in the passenger seat in front. Jake handed Franklin a memory stick. "Franklin would you please play this for me?"
"Sure." He plugged the stick into the car stereo. Jake nudged Emily. "Listen to the lyrics. This is our song. Emily leaned against Jake and listened with her eyes closed.
how can you see into my eyes like open doors
leading you down into my core
where I've become so numb
without a soul
my spirit sleeping somewhere cold
until you find it there and lead it back home
wake me up inside
call my name and save me from the dark
bid my blood to run before I come undone
save me from the nothing I've become
now that I know what I'm without
you can't just leave me
breathe into me and make me real
bring me to life
wake me up inside
call my name and save me from the dark
bid my blood to run before I come undone
save me from the nothing I've become
bring me to life
frozen inside without your touch without your love
darling only you are the life among the dead
all this time I can't believe I couldn't see
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
got to open my eyes to everything
without a thought without a voice without a soul
don't let me die here there must be something more
bring me to life
wake me up inside
call my name and save me from the dark
bid my blood to run before I come undone
save me from the nothing I've become
I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside
bring me to life
"This is what you mean to me."
Emily looked at Jake and smiled. "It is beautiful."
"Thank you for bringing me back to life." Jake took Emily's face in both hands and kissed her. He was happy. Since Emily had come back he felt like a new person. No not a new person, he felt like the old person, he was himself again; connected to himself and he was ok with the world and with who he was right here and now.
Tom turned around. "Hey, before you love birds start undressing and getting into it right there in the back seat, you may want to distribute ear plugs."
Jake stopped kissing Emily but didn't let go of her face. He grinned. "I didn't realize you came with a funny side." Everyone laughed as Franklin pulled into JJ's driveway.
Nora and JJ had outdone themselves. The lounge and dining area were beautifully decorated and they had ordered catering from an upmarket service in town. The food was truly phenomenal. Jake thought for a moment how a single meal like this could compensate for months of tasteless hospital food; how a day of unencumbered happiness could erase the months of self-doubt and despair. Well maybe not erase, but at least put them into perspective.
After dinner they cut the wedding cake and settled down in the lounge with slices of chocolate cake and coffee. Nora's mom dropped by to pick up the kids to stay with her for the evening. She also was treated to cake and coffee. When she was ready to leave, Tyler climbed onto Jake's lap and insisted to be driven to the front door. Jake drove past Emily who was sitting on a chair with Chloe and swept the little girl off Emily's lap into his arm and spun the wheelchair in a 360, making Tyler and even Chloe laugh with joy.
JJ observed how natural Jake was with the kids. He smiled to himself; in time Jake would make a great dad. JJ had asked Emily about their plans. Emily had explained that they were indeed planning on having a baby, but that due to Jake's injury her chances of conceiving naturally were near zero. Next year, once their life had settled into more of a routine they would get the necessary medical assistance.
Si, Alan and Jeff disappeared from the lounge. A short while later they returned with a wrapped box about a foot long and wide and several inches high with a big bow on top. Si handed it over to Jake. "This is our wedding present, but you are not allowed to open it yet."
Jake took the box and shook it. It didn't make any conspicuous noises. "So when am I allowed to open it then?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"It's part of a bigger present, but we can only give you the other half tomorrow, so if you opened it now it would spoil the surprise."
"Okay, you guys are such a tease, but if you insist." He rolled up to the sideboard where the other presents that had already been opened had been placed. He put the unwrapped box on top.
As the evening progressed, JJ noticed Jake glancing at the box occasionally. When Si had asked him what they could give Jake and Emily he had told them about his idea. The three had been in immediate agreement and had spent the entire week organizing and getting the necessary permissions and equipment. If today had been a good day for Jake, tomorrow would put the cherry on the cake.
On Saturday morning Jake and Emily drove back to JJ's house. Before she got into the black truck, Emily had gotten one of Jake's large duffel bags out of the boot of her own car and put it in the back of the pickup. It looked about half full. Then she climbed into the cab where Jake was already waiting.
"What was that?" Jake inquired.
"Just some things that JJ said we needed to bring."
"Can you be more specific, Mrs. Sully?"
"No." Emily laughed.
"So you know what this whole big secret wedding present is about then?"
"I have an idea."
Jake leaned over and started to tickle Emily on her waist. "Come on, tell me."
She giggled and squirmed away from him as close to the door as she could, but she couldn't quite escape Jake's reach. She started to slap Jake's hand still laughing. "Stop it. If you don't stop I'll get out and drive in my own car."
Jake relented. With playful exasperation he said, "So this is how it's going to be, huh? Did no one tell you before the wedding that thou shalt honor thy husband and answer every question truthfully?"
"No, sorry I missed that one."
When they arrived at JJ's house, the others except for Corinne and Pete who had other plans for the day were already there. Tom had opted to stay at JJ's for the night. His argument that there was no point in going back to Jake and Emily's apartment if they were coming back in the morning anyway had sounded almost sincere, but Jake knew there was more to it. It didn't bother him.
They gathered in the lounge, Jake and Emily, Tom, Franklin, Nora and JJ and Si, Alan and Jeff squeezed onto the sofa and sharing armchairs waiting for the big moment. Emily got the box and brought it to Jake who was parked next to the coffee table.
Jake held the box up. "You untie the bow, I'll do the paper," he said to Emily. She slipped the red, satiny ribbon off the present.
Jake started tearing off the paper, but the box underneath was taped up as well. Si who was closest to Jake handed him his switchblade. Jake ejected the knife and carefully cut through the tape. When he finally opened the box he was looking at a folded black garment. Recognition dawned on his face. He grabbed the fabric and pulled it out and put his other hand over his mouth to stifle a sob. He heaved, took another deep breath and swallowed hard. Then he had his emotions back under control. He pulled the military jumpsuit all the way from the box and held it out in front of him.
Si who was still standing next to Jake ruffled his hair. "You up to it?"
Jake tried to clear his throat, but still his voice was hoarse. "On my own?"
"Yes, on your own." Si leaned down and picked up the box that had slipped off Jake's lap. He handed it to Emily. "The second one is yours."
Emily took the box from him and pulled her suit out as well. She smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."
Jake was still staring at the suit in front of him. Now he lowered it and looked around the group. "I don't know what to say."
"How about when are we going and who else is coming along?" Alan volunteered.
Jake took another deep breath. "Well first of all, I guess, I should say thank you." He looked at JJ. "Was this your idea?"
"Yeah, I planted the seed in their heads, but the execution is all theirs." JJ motioned at Si, Alan and Jeff.
"Okay, people, this is what's going to happen," Alan started to answer his own questions. "Jake and Emily will get changed now. Then we'll take you guys out to the airfield. We're scheduled to take off in about two hours from now, so no need to rush quite yet. We have all the equipment set up, ready and waiting for you. Emily will jump tandem with Jeff. Jake, Si and I will do a bit of a formation jump. Franklin, if you want you can come on the plane and video, JJ is doing video duty from the ground. I'll record through my helmet as well."
"It'll be a pleasure." Franklin nodded.
"Emily did you bring everything on the list that JJ gave you?"
"Yes, I got everything."
"Good we're all set then."
Emily held the suit up against herself and turned to Jake. "What do you think?"
Jake was startled. "Sorry, what?" He looked up at Emily.
Emily smiled and repeated her question.
Jake smiled back at her and answered. "Dashing." He indicated to her to sit down on his legs.
Emily sat down and Jake hugged her tightly. "Thank you for coming on the jump as well. This will be something we can tell our grandkids about one day."
"I wouldn't miss it."
When they reached the altitude from which they would jump, Jeff with Emily safely strapped to himself, jumped first. The plane circled higher and Jake got ready. Once Jake had put on the jump suit at JJ's house the realization that he would skydive today had hit home and he had been giddy with excitement. Emily had brought his boots and when he had put them on and laced them up his heart had beaten in his throat. Once more his boots were a symbol. He had come full circle. He had thought back to the night when he had put them on in preparation for the insertion into Venezuela. But today the memory was no longer mixed with all the painful emotions of what had come after but with the thrilling anticipation of what was lying ahead.
Jake checked his equipment once more and signaled ok to Alan and Si and then they were off. It was fantastic. Jake loved every second of it. He stayed in formation with Alan and Si until it was time for them to release the pilot chutes. With the canopy unfolded and his descent slowed Jake prepared for the landing. He had attached a strap to each leg above the knee so that he could lift his legs in the last moment before he touched down. It was really as easy as that. He touched down and rolled over his shoulder no worse for the wear. Si and Alan landed in close proximity. Jake sat on the ground. He pulled his helmet off and put it in front of him between his legs. Then he leaned back on his elbows laughing loudly. Si an Alan walked over. Si extended his hand to Jake who reached up and shook it. "That was awesome Jake. Well done."
"Thank you guys. That was the best present ever." Alan shook hands with Jake as well. "Jake, we'll never let you jump last again."
Jake looked around for Jeff and Emily. They had landed a bit off in the distance and were already making their way off the field to were JJ's truck was waiting to pick them up.
"Ok, lets gather the stuff and go." Jake gathered the canopy and stuffed it into the pack. Si and Alan came back with theirs.
Si kneeled down next to Jake. "Hey, pull your feet closer to your hips."
"Sure, why?"
Jake pulled his lower legs towards him. Alan crouched down on Jake's other side.
"Because we'll make you walk—sort of," Alan grinned.
Jake got the drift. He hooked one arm over Si's shoulders and the other over Alan's. They stood up with Jake between them. The two were similar enough in height for Jake to hang straight between them. They were also tall enough so that Jake's feet didn't drag on the ground. Each took hold of one of Jake's wrists and their other arms they clasped behind Jake's back. They walked Jake toward the edge of the field to where JJ, Jeff, Emily and Tom were waiting. About half-way Jake had an idea. "Wait a moment, guys. I want to try something."
They stopped. "What do you want to do?"
"Can you lower me a bit so that my toes just touch the ground?"
They let him down a bit.
Jake contracted his right quadriceps as much as he could, which wasn't a lot, but it caused enough flexion in his thigh to bring his right foot forward by about two inches. Si and Alan cheered.
"That was the easy one." Jake grinned broadly. "Now the other." His left quad had even less strength, but at least his foot nudged forward a fraction.
"Thanks, guys. That's about as much walking as I can manage for one day."
They lifted him higher again and took him back the rest of the way to the truck. Everyone except JJ sat on the truck's bed on the way back to the hanger. They chatted excitedly about the jump. Jake sat with his legs apart, Emily in front of him. He was leaning against her back and hugged her tightly towards him with his head over her shoulder. He was content. Life, he decided, could be so much worse.