Welcome Baby Burnett
"Andas perdido, viejito?" Victor Martinez asked in a disrespectful joking tone. After looking at the photograph in his brother's hand, he said, "Está yo la conozco. Está puta's de nuestro corral." John reacted to that sentence, and multiple guns drew on him.
Victor got in Rambo's face, wielding the Green Beret's blade, and questioned, "Qué está di está?" When he didn't receive a response, he lashed out with the knife, and the whole rooftop attacked.
"John Rambo... Juanito Rambo." Hugo Martinez quipped with an evil grin. He told John in sickening detail how women were treated in Mexico, and how Gabrielle was going to fare much worse than normal because he'd tried to be a hero and save her.
Right before leaving, Hugo gave this command to his brother, the tall and thin Victor. "Con él o como diagnóstico de la chingada y su puta tambien. Y marca y buscaron."
Victor grabbed John to ensure he didn't try to escape and slashed him deeply...
John Rambo jolted awake, breathing labored, heart racing. He took in his surroundings, determining that he was home and safe in the small ranch house he was renting in Colorado near Sarah's church, and not on a rooftop in Mexico, surrounded by cartel members. All those men were dead, and although that would never bring his niece back, the peace of knowing that none of those animals could ever hurt another woman- another family again, helped quite a bit.
It had been a while since the last time his dreams had been plagued by the Martinez brothers and what happened in Mexico four years ago, but it all came back last night, after watching the news. The impeccably dressed, perfectly coiffed news anchor delivered the story about Mexican cartels hijacking the new immigration app to use it for human trafficking, in Arizona no less, with little emotion.
The way he'd discussed what was happening in a completely impartial way angered Rambo. This man had no idea exactly what those cartels were capable of, at least not firsthand, boots on the ground knowledge, like he did, and shouldn't have been making light of the situation, even if he was only doing that to complain about the government. John hadn't realized how strongly the report had bothered him, until he'd gone to sleep and woken up shaken.
Getting up, Rambo splashed some cold water on his face to rid himself of those memories and stared at himself in the mirror. Time had helped the V shaped scar on his left cheek to fade, but although it was less noticeable than it had been, the cut, and the countless other marks littering his body like a roadmap of destruction served as a daily reminder of the horrors he'd survived in his life.
Recognizing that a simple jolt of cold water wasn't going to fix his mental state, John threw on some riding clothes, went outside, and quickly saddled and mounted his favorite horse, a beautiful chestnut pinto who'd faithfully come back to him after Rambo had scared him away from his barn in Arizona before Hugo Martinez and his men had stormed his property.
Riding always helped clear his mind and calm his soul, and as soon as he squeezed his horse's sides, off they went, first trotting leisurely, and then breaking into a gallop when Rambo gave the command. The wind they generated stung John's eyes, the scent of grass and the sound of thundering hooves filled the air and lifted his bad mood like nothing else ever did.
Thirty minutes later, after both he and the pinto had had enough exercise for the day, they meandered back to the barn, and found Sarah there, waiting with a smile.
"Hey!"
"Morning," he said, tipping his cowboy hat.
She handed him a covered dish after he dismounted and led his horse back into the stable. "I made some banana bread and thought you might like a few slices."
"Sounds delicious. But Sarah, you just brought me food three days ago. Blueberry muffins."
Sarah shrugged impishly. "I can't help it! The baby's been extra hungry for baked goods these past few weeks, and all my recipes make enough to feed everyone in town! That's why I'm here. I've already delivered three other trays this morning.
"I stopped by earlier, and you weren't here, so I figured I'd come back after I finished giving them out."
"You shouldn't be doing that much walking," John warned her.
She waved her hand at him. "I'm fine. The doctor told me that exercising was good for me, and the baby. Plus, the baby isn't due for another two weeks."
"Okay." John conceded, opening the door to the house for her. He figured, since she'd been waiting for him in the hot sun for a few minutes, that she'd want to come inside, maybe have some water, and, knowing how hungry she'd been in the last stage of her pregnancy, probably nab one of the slices of banana bread she'd brought for him.
Rambo didn't claim to know that much about pregnancies, he'd never had children of his own, and Gabrielle had been almost seven when they'd met, but he did know that a woman as pregnant as Sarah should be careful with how much movement she did, just in case.
After she finished eating a slice of banana bread, and half of a leftover blueberry muffin from last time, Sarah got up to leave, and said, "Thanks for inviting me inside, it was so hot out there."
"You're welcome. After all, you got me this place to live," he replied, referring to the fact that she told him about her friend who needed to rent out his ranch house to someone who could look after his horses, and had convinced said friend that he was trustworthy and hard working.
Walking halfway down the road towards the church where she still worked part-time, Sarah felt a strange sensation, and clutched her stomach, landing on her knees.
Rambo had seen this from his house and ran out to find out what was wrong. "Sarah? Sarah? Are you alright?"
She nodded through a labored breath. "I... I think my water just broke."
Refraining from pointing out that she shouldn't have been walking around so much, John slung her arm around his neck, and lifted her slowly up, where he half-walked, half-hobbled with her over to his pickup truck. Once she was secured in the passenger seat, Rambo asked for her cell phone, and dialed Michael.
"Sarah's water broke. I've got her in my truck and am heading to the hospital. Follow us."
He hung up on Michael, who was freaking out, because he knew that man was capable of getting himself to the hospital and couldn't waste time listening to him lose it.
Next, he called her doctor, silently thanking Sarah for having the contact so clearly labeled in her phone and explained the situation. The doctor told him that he'd meet them at the entrance to the emergency room and ended the call.
When Rambo arrived at the hospital, chaos ensued. Michael ran to them, ripped open the passenger side door, and embraced Sarah, who was clearly in pain, but smiling, nearly glowing. Then a team of nurses came out with a wheelchair and started talking to the beaming, frazzled couple, and an ambulance drove into the lot, sirens blaring.
Feeling like his brain was being overloaded, John knew he needed to get out of there, immediately. Thankfully, Michael, who had actually become more comfortable around the older man, seemed to understand that he needed to leave.
"John? The crib for the nursery is supposed to arrive today, and the company we bought it from said we had to have someone at the house to sign for the delivery. Since we're now busier than we'd planned to be, could you go to the house and sign for it for us? We're going to need it sooner rather than later now."
"Sure." Rambo replied, grateful the younger man wasn't taking his abrupt departure personally.
Michael shot him a relieved smile, and then glanced at the emergency room doors, where Sarah had just been wheeled through. "I have to run, but you remember where the hide-a-key is, right?" Then he laughed. "Of course, you do, what am I saying? You helped install a fake hide-a-key with a silent alarm trigger in case someone ever broke in. You know where it is."
Nodding, John got into his truck, and left the hospital. He was happy that he'd been around when Sarah's water had broken, otherwise things might have gone wrong, and he was also thrilled that this time, the female in need whom he'd driven in his pickup truck to get help had received it.
Nearly as soon as John let himself into the Burnett's home, a delivery truck stopped by with the crib. It was in a box, with ASSEMBLY REQUIRED printed in bold on both sides. After he'd signed for the delivery, explaining that the parents-to-be were at the hospital having the baby, John, and the young, strong driver maneuvered the box into the baby's nursery room.
He gave the man a tip, and a cold bottle of water that he knew from experience Sarah kept in her fridge on the door for deliverymen and neighbors alike, and soon was alone in the house, with the crib in a box.
Sarah and Michael were going to need that crib put together by the time they got home, and that gave Rambo an idea. He quickly locked up, drove back to his house, which wasn't far, grabbed his toolkit, and returned to build the crib.
The room chosen for the baby was large, and open, with a medium sized window looking out at the lush expanse of grass around their property. There was enough space to build the crib comfortably, considering nothing else was in the room aside from a changing table and hamper that were moved out easily.
John opened the box, dumped everything out, and got to work. Instruction manuals had always made sense to him, whether they were in English, or Thai, or Burmese, or Spanish, and he'd realized a long time ago that although he might not always be good around people, there wasn't much he couldn't do with his hands.
Lining up the nails with the correct wood slots, Rambo hammered them in, each clank of metal on steel driving out the sirens and chatter from the hospital, like forging a blade to quiet the monsters, only this time, creating something beautiful, not something brutal.
A while later, John stood back and looked at the finished crib with pride. Sarah and Michael had done a good job picking it out; fine mahogany wood, strong legs, wooden slots too narrow for the baby's appendages to get caught in.
He placed the cotton bed inside and noticed that there weren't any blankets or pillows laying around for the crib. Feeling quite sure that they'd purchased some, but not wanting to go snooping through their home and invade their privacy, Rambo decided to take the blanket he left in his truck, that was softer than anything else he owned, considering he rarely ever touched it, and laid it in the crib. It was cream colored, perfectly neutral, since Sarah hadn't wanted to find out the sex of the baby until she had it.
With the job completed, and the changing table and hamper back in the room, the nursery looked ready for Baby Burnett. A quick glance at the clock told John that it was approaching three in the afternoon. He had no idea how long it took to deliver a baby, and wondered how Sarah and Michael were doing.
Ortega, one of the men who he'd fought with in the Baker unit, had helped a local woman in Vietnam give birth, and he'd heard about it later, but at the time, John had been otherwise engaged with a crisis in Saigon, and had missed the event.
Locking up, he made his way back to the ranch house, let himself in, and sat down to have some of the banana bread Sarah had baked. He had been in the middle of starting breakfast when he'd seen her collapse on the street and had gotten so involved in building the crib that he'd forgotten to get lunch. That was his military training kicking in. No time to eat until the job was complete. Now he was ravenous.
The banana bread was delicious, as were the last few things she'd created, and he felt a small smile creep across his face as he thought about his life. Fifteen years ago this kind, soft-spoken but determined woman had barged her way into his living space in Thailand, made him care when he didn't believe himself able to anymore, even after he'd warned her off, and now, he was sitting in a house she helped him find, eating baked goods she'd made and wanted to share, and waiting for her baby to be born and get to sleep in the crib he'd put together.
His landline rang, and John grabbed it. "Yeah?"
"Sarah's out of labor... She delivered a beautiful baby girl. We have a daughter." Michael said in awe.
"That's great." Rambo replied honestly. "Congratulations to the both of you. That little girl is lucky to have you. And she'll be coming home to a fully installed crib."
Michael made a sound. "You put it together?"
"I did. Is that a problem," he asked, wondering if the missionary had had plans to put it together himself, even though he didn't look the handyman type.
"Oh no, definitely not. I was just surprised, that's all. Thank you very much."
John replied, "You're welcome. I noticed there weren't any blankets or pillows laying around, so I put a cream-colored blanket from my truck in there. It's clean and soft, I never use it."
"That was so nice of you, John. The hall closet right by the nursery is where we left all the supplies, including all the stuffed animals our relatives sent over the past few months."
Rambo let him know that it was a blessing to have so many people who cared about them, and then turned down the offer to come visit. "You and her mama need some time to get to know your little girl. I'll meet her soon enough. Thanks, though." John felt the need to thank him, because at one point, he'd nearly choked the life out of Michael, and hadn't wanted to let up. He never imagined that man would one day be cordial with him and didn't want to ruin the uneasy alliance they had based on mutual affection for Sarah; one marital, the other almost paternal.
"Alright. We should be home in a few days."
"Sounds good. Do you need me to check up on the house?"
Michael assured him that that wouldn't be necessary, and then the distinctive cry of an infant rang through the phone, and he begged off.
Hanging up, John cleaned up the dishes from his late lunch, and then sat down in his recliner in the TV room. Working on that crib after riding his pinto had been exactly what he needed to right himself, but now he needed a rest.
A couple of days later, Sarah, Michael, and their new baby arrived back home. They walked inside, carrying their bundle of joy, and went to check out the crib. It was just as beautiful as it had looked online, and Sarah immediately burst into tears.
Michael, who'd done fairly well dealing with his wife's hormones since she'd gotten pregnant, wisely grabbed their daughter from her, and gave her a moment to take in the craftsmanship of the shockingly expensive mahogany crib.
He laid the baby carrier at his feet and opened the hall closet, grabbing the blankets and pillows they'd set aside for their newest house member. Bringing them back into the nursery, Sarah took them from him and laid them out. She left the buttery soft cream colored one John had given them, mostly because it was more comfortable than any of theirs, due to its lack of being used and dried with other rough materials, but also because she wanted her girl to have a reminder of who built her bed nearby, even if she didn't understand.
With the blankets and pillows and stuffed animals all set out in the room, it looked great, and after kissing their daughter gently on the head, Sarah and Michael left her for a few moments to breathe, take quick showers, and eat food that hadn't come from the hospital.
It was too late in the day to invite visitors over, and everyone was exhausted, so they checked in on their daughter once more, and then went into their bedroom, which was directly across from the nursery, and equipped with a high-quality baby monitor to get some rest.
The following morning, Sarah called her parents to see when they'd be landing in Colorado, since their flight had been delayed a few days due to terrible weather on the East coast, while Michael did the same with his, who'd opted to come by train, and had run into some maintenance issues along the way.
The next very important call to make was to John Rambo, who was responsible for the wonderfully put together crib their daughter was resting in.
"John? It's Sarah. We'd love you to come over and meet Miracle, if you're free."
"Miracle? That's a great name. I'll be over in a few minutes," he replied, in a way that made her think he'd been waiting to hear from them.
John arrived as soon as he said he would, and she greeted him with a hug. He returned it very gently, and even though she wasn't nearly as sore as she had been right after giving birth, Sarah appreciated the care and concern he showed for her, not just today, but ever since they'd met. It went against his appearance, but those could be very deceiving.
"She's sleeping in the crib," Michael said quietly, a large smile on his face. "I'm going to head to the church, let everyone know the good news."
Sarah kissed him goodbye, and then led John towards the nursery. "Go on in, I'll be there in a moment. I need some more water. I've been severely dehydrated lately."
John looked at her in surprise. She saw this and smiled. "I trust you, John. I'd be fool not to. If you want to just look, that's fine, but if you want to hold her, let me know. She's safe with you."
Not wanting her to see how much those words meant to him, Rambo averted his gaze, and quietly entered the nursery room, as stealthily as if he was back in the jungle.
"Hi, Miracle." John said softly, looking down at the sweet little girl with tiny tufts of light-colored hair. "I've seen a few miracles in my day, and you definitely look like one.
"I'm sorry I didn't come see you when you were born, but hospitals aren't my favorite place. The noises get to me. One day I'll tell you why." He pulled the chair from the corner over, and took a seat, noticing that Miracle had opened her eyes, and was staring at him intently while he spoke.
"Your momma reminds me often that I saved her, and your daddy's lives, which is another story I'll tell you one day when you're big enough to understand, but the truth is? She saved my life too. And I don't know if I ever told her that.
"She convinced me to go home, to reconnect with my past, and make peace with it. Because of her, I got to spend eleven years raising this really special girl. She's gone now, but I'll always be grateful to your momma for those years I had with her.
"I have something I want to give you," John said, pulling the object out of his pocket with a soft smile.
Sarah, who'd been standing outside the door, unwilling to interrupt Rambo while he'd been speaking so kindly to her baby and being more open than she knew him to be, watched to see what he was going to give Miracle.
She wasn't worried that it would be something dangerous, because John was very protective, but she was curious.
"This is the necklace your momma was wearing when we met. She gave it to me to remember her by, and I also think she wanted to remind me that there was always hope, always brightness in the dark world I lived in." John said, swinging the cross back and forth above her head, watching her eyes follow it.
"I've kept it with me for years, but I think it's best if you keep it now. It'll still be a while before you can wear it without possibly getting hurt, so until you can, I'm going to loop it around the neck of this stuffed animal I brought for you and make it short enough that you can't pull it off. I picked an ape because that's what I was, or at least how I was acting, when I met your mom, but when she gave me this necklace, I felt like a human being again, one that wanted to be part of society."
Sarah couldn't stand being silent anymore, and walked into the room, tears in her eyes. "John, that was beautiful."
Embarrassed, he shrugged. "Thanks. I hope you don't mind that I gave her the necklace, or that I bought her a stuffed animal. I checked, it's allergy free, in case she's allergic to something you don't know about yet. And I tried to find the least scary looking ape, because I didn't want to frighten her. Should I have gone for something more girly?"
She shook her head. "No. That ape is adorable, and I love that you kept my necklace all these years, and that it did bring you some peace. I never expected that gift, and it was perfect."
"I meant everything I said, Sarah. Thank you for convincing me to return to the US. Even though things didn't work out in the end for Gabrielle, I'm still grateful I got to have a family for over a decade."
Sarah smiled. "You're welcome. And you have a family here in Colorado, if you want it."
"I do." He said quietly, almost afraid to mention what he desired.
With another look at Miracle, John left.
The next night, around eleven, Rambo's phone rang, jarring him awake, and worrying him. He raced for the phone. "Is everything okay?" Even without caller ID, he knew who was calling.
Sarah answered, sounding slightly unhinged. "John? Miracle slept through the night for a few nights, and we were so relieved to have a sound sleeper, but she won't sleep tonight, and has been crying for HOURS!"
John pulled the phone away from his ear when he heard loud wailing. I wish Maria was here to give me some advice, he thought of Gabrielle's grandmother. She was alive and well, living in Arizona, but he wouldn't wake her at this hour.
"I'm sorry. Is she hurt?"
"No, and I called the doctor, and he laughed at me, actually laughed, and said that this was normal. Normal!" She screeched.
Michael got on the line. "As you can tell, we're a little frazzled over here right now. The doctor didn't laugh, but he did chuckle, and that didn't help Sarah at all. Do you have any ideas?"
John told them that he was sorry, but that he didn't have any outside of rocking her or trying to feed or change her, all things they'd tried already.
"Do you want me to come over?"
Sarah's immediate YES was all he needed to hear, and after throwing on some more appropriate clothes, John headed for the Burnett's.
When he got there, Michael opened the door and nearly dragged him inside. Miracle was still crying, showing off her impressive lung capacity, and although the noise was loud, it was the only noise in the house, so it didn't overwhelm John.
Sarah, who was holding the baby and trying to remain calm, saw John, and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God. My mother will be here in the morning, and we desperately need some sleep. I tried to call her for some advice on what to do, and her phone's off."
Rambo was about to reply when Miracle let out a fresh stream of cries, nearly sending her parents into hysteria.
Wondering if perhaps she just needed to be near someone not currently freaking out, John sat down on the couch, and asked if they wouldn't mind if he held her.
Sarah practically heaved Miracle into his arms, and he looked down at the wriggling, unhappy bundle.
"Hi, little one. Remember me? I visited you yesterday and gave you the ape with the necklace on it." He asked, wrapping his arms around her tightly enough to make her feel safe, but not enough to hurt, making sure to cradle her head in one of his large hands.
Sarah and Michael stared at him in shock, when she immediately stopped crying, and stared a Rambo, with an almost blissed out look on her face.
John wasn't sure if it was her not being around frantic energy, the way he was holding her, or how his voice sounded to her little ears, but whatever it was, was working.
"You're a good girl, Miracle. Thank you for not crying anymore."
He held her for a while longer, letting her parents calm down, and when it looked like they were ready to get some sleep, Rambo attempted to give her back to her mom, and she started to cry again.
"It's okay, baby."
Sarah watched as Miracle quieted down the second Rambo's voice vibrated and frowned. "I don't know what to do now."
"That's okay," he assured her, "you guys get some sleep, I'll keep an eye on Miracle. And both hands."
Skeptical, but too tired to complain, Sarah and Michael thanked Rambo profusely, and went to their room to crash.
John looked down at Miracle, and smiled, taking a seat on the couch once again. "Just you and me, kid."
Sarah woke up feeling refreshed, and then the memories of last night filtered into her brain. Miracle crying for hours on end, only to stop when Rambo held her and spoke to her. She wasn't going to say that she didn't understand what her baby saw in him. There was just something infinitely comforting about the man, despite his size and often times rough tone.
"Sarah? Have you heard Miracle yet?" Michael mumbled, sitting up.
Realizing that she hadn't, and also that she wasn't even sure what exactly had happened to her baby after they'd gone to sleep, they raced out of their room.
They found Rambo lying on the couch, fast asleep, with Miracle slumbering on his chest, his mammoth arms wrapped around her protectively. Her head was almost directly over his heart, and the sight melted Sarah and Michael's.
Leaving them to sleep, the parents got dressed, knowing their relatives would be arriving shortly.
"You know we're not going to be able to let Miracle use Rambo as her bed forever, that's why we got her a crib."
Sarah chuckled. "I know, but honestly, I don't think he minded."
"True. I've never seen that man so calm and gentle before."
She nodded. "I know. They're good for each other."
"Maybe we should see if he'd make a tape of his voice that we can play for her when she starts crying and won't stop." Michael suggested jokingly.
Sarah stopped moving. "That's... genius!"
Thinking it over, Michael agreed. "It kind of is. Do you think he'd agree to do it?"
"I have an old recording device somewhere in my house," John said, walking up to them, a snuggly Miracle in the crook of his arm.
Startled, but happy to see their baby so content, they nodded. "That would be great."
"Anything in particular you want me to say?"
Miracle blinked open her eyes, and when she saw her mom, Rambo handed her to her. The baby grabbed her mom's hair, but kept her eyes trained on him.
"No, just, whatever you can think of that'll soothe her like you did last night."
With a smile they rarely saw on the older man, Rambo promised to work on it and bring it by later, and with a wave at Miracle, left the house, feeling better rested than he had in a long time, and happier, all thanks to the little angel inside, whose parents he might have saved, but who also saved him along the way.
The End
