You're Still The One, Page 2

Chapter Two

  Logan’s excitement surprised me. Sure, I was expecting him to be happy, but he was beyond happy! He was ecstatic! I was thrilled to see him this way and within an hour, our whole family shared our enthusiasm.

  After I told Logan that we were expecting, he called his mom and told her the news. Then, he called his brother, his aunt and uncle, all of his cousins, and finished up with calling the General. Once he was finished with his frenzy of phone calls, I began mine, which resulted in only two conversations with Katie and Andrea.

  They were all so happy for us, but there was one person who caught my attention. The General. When he answered the phone, he thought something was wrong, but when Logan broke the news to him, his response was kind of a letdown… He only said, ‘I see… Well, congratulations… Logan, as soon as you arrive back home, I would like to have a meeting with you and Caroline.’

  I have no idea what that meant, but Logan seemed a bit tense afterward. I kept asking him if he knew what it was about and he continued to assure me it was nothing…

  Nevertheless, Logan refused to let that ruin our evening. We took a long walk down the beach and enjoyed cliché movies until we both fell asleep…

  The next morning, we headed back home. After our wedding, Logan moved in with me and now, this huge house doesn’t feel quite as lonely as it once did. It feels more like home. While I unpacked, Logan called the General and informed him that we had returned. He told us to meet him at his office as quickly as we could, so we left again, and headed toward Fort Lee.

  The ride was completely silent as anxiety began to build in my chest. I knew by the General’s tone of voice it had to be bad… But the question still remained, what was it? What was so urgent?

  When we arrived, Logan and I walked up to the office, hand in hand. Usually, you’re greeted by the secretary and from there, she pages the General. But this time, the General was actually waiting for us outside of his office...

  “Right on time, please follow me.” Logan and I take our seats in front of the General’s desk, as he shuts the door and sits down. “First off, congratulations on the baby, I’m sure you’ll make wonderful parents…”

  Logan sees through his disguise and speaks up, “Is there something wrong, sir?”

  He takes a deep breath, “I should have told you this before you left, but I didn’t want to ruin your anniversary. I thought it could wait until you got back but it seems as if I was wrong. I hate to spring this on you so soon and especially now that Caroline’s pregnant…” He pauses as my heartbeat quickens. “Logan, the issue in Iran continues to worsen and I have been informed that your unit will fly out Friday to assist…”

  I shake my head, “I’m confused, why are you telling us this?”

  “Caroline,” The General begins, “I can’t send a unit out to battle without their leader.” In the back of my mind, I know what he’s trying to say, but I can’t make myself believe it…

  “Why can’t you just send out someone else? I’m sure you have other Captain’s.”

  Logan intervenes, “Yes, but they’re assigned to their own units. This one’s mine…” Then he says exactly what I was afraid of, “I have to go.”

  “But he’ll just be gone for a little while, right?” I look to the General with pleading eyes as his face saddens. “We don’t know, Caroline, it depends on how bad it is. He could be gone up to a year at most…”

  I fight to keep a tear from escaping my saddened eyes, “But what about the baby?” I turn to Logan, praying for just an ounce of hope. “You can’t miss all the Doctor’s visits and my hormonal cravings! What about the nursery? What if you miss the birth?” I ask, frantically.

  “Care, you’re getting worked up over something no one can help. Who knows, I could only be gone a week? You never know about these things.”

  Finally, the tear escapes, followed by many more as I rise and exit the office building. Why does this keep happening to me? Why can’t I just have a normal life? The last time the love of my life went off to war, he didn’t come back… What if that happens to Logan? I don’t think I could handle that again…

  I walk over to the park and sit on the same bench that Logan and I had once sat on all those years ago. I suddenly flashback to that moment when the little girl was playing on the monkey bars… She was so happy and then she fell. She wanted her Daddy… What if my baby never has that chance?

  “Care, you’re worrying about something that can’t be helped.” Logan sits beside me and pulls my hand into his. “I may not even be gone that long.”

  “That’s exactly what Nick said before he left…”

  He sighs, “So, that’s really what you’re worried about? Beneath all that baby talk you just told the General, you’re really just afraid that I won’t come back…” He tries to make me look at him, but I refuse, “Caroline, I can’t promise you anything, it's war. It’s exactly what it sounds like, but what I can promise you, is that I will fight my hardest and I will write you a letter, every single day. What happened to Nick was awful, but I do recall you telling me about a certain dream you had before we started dating. He told you something and I think it’s time you take it to heart. Now, please, remind me of what he said?” I finally make eye contact with him as he smiles.

  “He said that he had to die so that I could meet you…”

  “And?”

  “And you were my soul mate…”

  “Exactly, I don’t think Nick would let the heaven’s rip me away from you just yet… Our life has just begun.” Deep down, I know he’s right, but there’s always that big ‘what if’ factor in my head… “Come on,” He stands and pulls me up to my feet, “I think we should get home.”

  “Why?”

  He smirks, “Trust me, we need to go. I don’t think army guys really like the whole public display of affection…”

  Logan’s Point of View

  Thursday; the last day before I was to be shipped out to Iran. A part of me was ready to go, I was the Captain of this unit and now was the time to defend the country. But I couldn’t help but feel like I was leaving Caroline alone again. She had already been through so much with Nick and I was terrified for her. What if something did happen to me? What would happen to her and the baby?

  I kept assuring her yesterday that I would be alright, but when you go off to war, there’s always a chance that you may not return, and that was exactly what I was afraid of…

  “Hey, Mom, what are you up to today?” I ask, putting the phone on speaker and setting it between Caroline and me.

  “Nothing really, Alex and I were actually thinking about going down to the beach for the day. How’s my daughter-in-law and grandbaby?”

  Caroline chuckles before answering, “Same as yesterday, Helen, just fine.”

  “Wonderful! So to what do I owe this lovely phone call?”

  I sigh, “Well, I have something to tell you and you may want to sit down…”

  “Oh God! You’re having twins!”

  I look at Caroline surprised, “Are we?” I whisper.

  “No, of course not.”

  I clear my throat, “No, no, Mom. Just one baby as far as we know.”

  “Oh, well then what is it?”

  “I was informed yesterday that my unit has been chosen to be sent to Iran.”

  It’s silent a moment, “Logan! You can’t leave Caroline now! She’s pregnant, for God’s sakes! Isn’t there something you can do?”

  “I’m afraid not… I leave tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Well, how long will you be gone?

  “We don’t know, but not longer than a year.”

  “A year? Oh my goodness, well, someone has to be there with Caroline in case she needs something… I think Alex and I should come down for a bit, we could help her while you’re gone… What do you say, Caroline?” I wait for Caroline to answer. I’m sure she would like some company and mom has been getting along very well with her lately… She has gone through this whole pregnancy thing before�
�� “I would love for you to come, Helen.”

  “Wonderful! Alex and I will schedule a spot on the next plane! I’ll let you know when we arrive!” I end the call and look at Caroline curiously.

  “Are you sure you really want my mother here? And my brother?”

  “I like having company, besides, she can help me with baby stuff and it’s not like she’s busy anymore.” That was true, right before we got married, she sold the company and the huge million dollar mansion along with it. Since then, she’s downgraded to a more modern home. Not to say she isn’t rich anymore, she just invests her money carefully.

  As for Alex, he’s been living with mom while trying to find a job but hasn’t had any luck as of yet. “So, what are we doing today?” I ask as I put my arm around her and pull her closer.

  “I’m good with this.”

  I chuckle, “Nah, come on, Care. Think.”

  “Hmmm…” She pauses a moment before continuing, “Oh, I got it! How about we pick names for the baby? We can pick one if it’s a girl and one if it’s a boy.”

  I nod. “Alright, any ideas?”

  “Well, now that you mention it, I was thinking the first name should start with J, in memory of Julie, and the middle name with N, in memory of Nick.”

  I perk up a bit, “Agreed, start with the girl first.”

  “Okay… Juliet?”

  “No way, that would remind me of a Romeo and I’m not too keen on that detail yet.”

  She laughs, “Okay, uh… Jewel?”

  I shrug, “It’s alright, just doesn’t jump out at me.”

  “Agreed… Okay, how about Julianna?” As soon as she says it, it just sounds right and I knew she felt the same way.

  “Perfect.”

  “Julianna Nicole Cook. Has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?”

  I smile, “Definitely, looks like that’s settled… How about a boy? Even, though I’m pretty sure it’s a girl.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Well, the male always chooses the gender of the baby and I’m about ninety percent sure it’s a girl.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see, but we still need a boy name, just in case…”

  “Fine, John?”

  She shakes her head. “Too simple.”

  I roll my eyes, “Okay, James?” She frowns. “Jackson?”

  Her eyes light up, “I like it… Jackson Nickolas Cook… It could work…”

  “I don’t think it really matters since it is a girl,” I assure her.

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

  It becomes silent again as we sit and enjoy each other’s company while we still can. This is one thing I’ll definitely miss, just little moments like this are so special when you’re overseas, wondering what she’s doing, hoping she’s alright, and praying that you’ll make it out to be able to see her again.

  “Caroline, will you promise me something?” I ask as she turns to face me.

  “Depends on what it is.” She says carefully.

  “Will you promise me, that you’ll really, really try not to cry tomorrow. Or at least, not in front of me?” She frowns. “Just try, that’s all I ask.”

  She gives me a thoughtful smile, “I’ll try.”

  I have to say, if she does start the waterworks tomorrow, I may not go off to Iran after all, instead, I’ll be sent to military prison for disobeying an order and right now, I’m not sure which one’s worse.