A Fresh Start for Two (14 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Jake shouted, “I didn’t hurt your wife, so get off my ass. You want to take me on anyway? Go ahead. Do your worst.” As Jake planted his legs wide and prepared for battle, he heard the house door open again. He just stared down his brother. Shit, Ryan didn’t have the balls to take him on. He almost laughed at the irony of his thought, but it was in such poor taste he didn’t. Besides, thinking about Ryan’s injury made him think about that day…about seeing Ryan with that grotesque injury in all its goriness.

“What’s going on, Two?” Gramps asked.

Gramps, Dad, and Ryan were all Ryan Ramsays, so they often referred to one another as One, Two, and Three. That made Jake feel like he was just about nothing.

“Not sure, Dad,” their dad answered, waving Gramps back.

And then Ryan did the one thing Jake hadn’t expected. He hauled his fist back and struck him square in the jaw. After jerking back from the impact, he stared at his brother in shock for a moment. Once he wrapped his head around the fact that Ryan had actually hit him, he threw a punch back at his brother and caught him on the side of the head, next to his eye. The two of them tumbled to the ground, Ryan with an awkward thump due to his prosthesis, but it wasn’t enough to stop them from rolling around, swinging every punch they could at each other, just the way they had when they were younger.

His dad and his grandfather hollered at the two of them to stop, to act like men instead of boys, but he ignored them. This had been brewing for a long time. And it felt good.

Too good.

After he landed two more punches and took one, his ears picked up on a familiar sound—his grandmother’s footsteps. It was the most dreaded sound a Ramsay kid could hear in the midst of a fight. Apparently, Ryan’s memory was functioning just as well as his, because he paused to stare at Jake wide-eyed.

Gram.

“Damn it all to hell, if you two are going to act like you’re five years old, you’re going to be treated that way.”

He couldn’t see her tiny five-foot frame, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t fear her. He pushed away from Ryan, grappling for the ground.

Seconds later, a sharp pain rippled from Jake’s ear down to his head and into his shoulder as his grandmother grabbed him by the ear, forcing him to stand up or have his ear ripped off. What the hell? How old was she?

Jake gaped as she made the same old move on Ryan, though she slowed enough to give him time to get his prosthesis in place to stand up.

“Ow, Gram, let go!” Hell, but she knew how to hurt a man. If she was anyone but his grandmother, he’d use a defensive move on her in an instant.

Ryan bellowed, “Gram, we’re not five anymore.”

“Then stop acting like children. Now, I’ve tried to be patient, but you two have had some ridiculous tension between you ever since you got out of the service. Two? Open the door. We’re going inside to settle this once and for all. I’ve had enough of it, and since you
men
aren’t good at solving problems, it’s my turn.”

Jake wasn’t sure how she managed it since he and Ryan towered over her small frame, but she dragged the two of them across the lawn, up the steps, and through the front door until she finally came to a stop in the middle of the living room. His father and grandfather followed at a safe distance, but they didn’t do a thing to intervene.

Jake yelled back at his grandfather. “Gramps, call her off, would you?”

Gramps barked, “Hellfire, nay. I don’t go near the woman when she’s in that state. You two caused it, now you deal with her.”’

“Gram, I have more important things to do,” Jake shouted. “Somebody’s threatened to hurt me and Julia’s friend. I need to take care of this situation.”

“No, you need to take care of the relationship with your brother. If you two were the way you used to be, you would be able to solve every problem together. Two minds are better than one, especially Ramsay minds, or have you forgotten that? Now, I don’t know what it is between the two of you,” she said, maneuvering them to face each other, “but I’m not letting go of your ears until you spill the beans. Now out with it. Who wants to start?”

Jake said, “He started it, Gram. He threw the first punch. Besides, I asked for help and he refused me.”

Gram twisted his ear a little tighter. “That’s not what I asked. Talk like an adult. What’s been going on with the two of you since the service? What happened that you’re not telling me about?”

When they didn’t let go, she said, “I’m not freeing you until you spill it. Look in your brother’s eye and say it, whatever it is.”

The two glowered at each other until she pinched a little tighter.

“Alright, Gram. Geez,” Ryan yelled. “Leave my ear attached, would you?”

“Spill it, Ramsay.”

She barked worse than any commanding officer in the army.

Ryan glared at his brother, “Jake came home a hero and I didn’t. That’s it.”

“Like hell,” Jake barked. “They all said you came home to a hero’s welcome. You have two freaking medals. I got nothing.”

“You’ve got your leg and both your balls, don’t you?” Ryan snarled.

“Here, take my leg. I deserve to have it off. Chad lost his life, you lost your leg, and I lost nothing. I
know
it’s not fair. Do you think I don’t realize that?” Hell, he was sick of feeling guilty for coming home healthy, but the feeling wouldn’t leave him, even after all this time. Why Ryan and not him? Why Chad and not him? Gram wanted this out in the open, then fine. She’d hear it all.

“At least you didn’t have the entire town staring at you as if you caused Chad’s death.”

“That was sympathy. You carried him away from gunfire with only half a leg. You’re a hero.”

“I am not. Chad died in my arms. He was in my vehicle and I couldn’t save him. The whole town knows he died because of me. I should have been able to save him.”

“What the hell are you talking about? He hit an IED. I watched your truck explode. We all heard your tires hit the pothole before the truck blew. I had to fire my rifle against the enemy without knowing if my brother or my friend were still alive. Do you think that was easy? Besides, you couldn’t have saved him. You’re lucky you survived at all.” Jake grunted as the pain in his ear continued. Hell, she really wasn’t going to let up.

“I should have noticed the signs of the IED sooner. Maybe he’d still be here if I had.”

“You need to get over that. It wasn’t your fault. Chad had issues and we have no idea what was in his mind. We’ve been over this before.” Jake panted from his twisted position.

“I know, I know. I just can’t get past the feeling I should have saved him.”

“Yeah, well, I should have saved you. I was supposed to watch out for you.” Gram let up on his ear just a touch.

“Like hell.” Ryan appeared in shock, then shock turned to surprise. “I was supposed to watch out for you. Dad made me promise.”

“No, he didn’t. He told me to watch out for you. And I failed.
You
came home an invalid, and it was all my fault. I failed my own
father
.”

“You dumb shit. I’m fine. Stop worrying about my leg, and you need to stop staring at it. It’s fine. I’ve never been happier than I am with Cait. But I’d be a lot happier if my brother stopped risking his life acting stupid. How the hell do you think I’ll feel if you die now? Do you think that will make us all even? You were always my best friend. I can’t lose you, too. Stop acting like an ass. Wait,” Ryan paused for a moment in thought. “Dad told you to watch out for me? But he couldn’t have—he said the same thing to me, and I’m older.”

“Bullshit, he told
me
to watch over
you
, and
I
failed.” Dead silence reigned as everything sank in. Then someone started sobbing. No, it couldn’t be. His father?

Gram’s grip on his ear slowly let up, and both he and his brother turned to look at their father. They both moved to the doorway, where they could see into the dining room and straight into the kitchen. Their dad was in there, and his back was to them as he leaned against the counter, his shoulders trembling and his head down. Gramps sat at the dining room table, tears streaming down his face.

“Dad?” Ryan said, moving toward the kitchen.

“Gramps?” Jake said, watching his grandfather sob harder than he’d ever seen anyone cry.

Gram spoke, “Lads, stay where you are.”

They both stopped, each reflexively grabbing their ears as she moved toward them. “Two? I think you’re needed out here. And Senior, I’d like you to join us as well.”

Jake stared in horror when his father turned around, tears running down his cheeks, bawling into a handkerchief. Gramps stood up, wiping his cheeks as well, and maneuvered his way into the living room.

Jake glanced at Ryan, who looked to be as shocked as he was to see the two stalwart leaders of their family sobbing. He had never seen his father cry before other than the day their mother had passed, and even then, he had walked away so the kids couldn’t see him. Watching the sobs wrenching from his father’s gut threatened to unman him. Jake gave Ryan a sheepish look.

Once the four of them stood not far apart, Gram spoke. “Now, I’m going to say my peace because I possess the womb that is the reason three of you are here, and I love all three of you equally. When I’m done, I’m leaving this room and you four men are going to come up with a way to deal with this situation. Agreed? No more silent tension. No more arguments. That won’t stand in this family.”

All four nodded.

“All of you fought for your country and it doesn’t matter whether it was the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the Iraqi War. And it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world says, you are all heroes in my eyes, and I thank you for fighting for this country that I love. Speaking personally, I don’t know how you lived through the atrocities that each of you saw and did. It doesn’t matter. Every man and woman who fights in a war comes back a different person, and they must learn to deal with it. So must each of you.

“But there’s one difference, and from my point of view it’s a
big
difference. You have something so many soldiers don’t have—each other. All four of you fought in a war, but many soldiers come back to no one. You are blessed to have three others in your family who have shared a similar experience, as awful and horrid as those experiences must have been, and you have to somehow find a way to support one another. Yes, you each have issues, but it’s time you start to deal with them. You are blessed, and you must learn to appreciate that blessing.”

She turned to Ryan and Jake, her hands on her hips. “I love you both dearly, but it tears me up inside to see you fighting at this time in your life. You were inseparable as young lads. And now, you have each found someone to love, and I would like to see you enjoy it. I’m leaving this house, but this doesn’t end here. You will find a way to support each other. And,” she pointed her finger at Jake and Ryan, “if you two think you are the only ones suffering from painful memories of war, take a good hard look at your father and your grandfather. The only difference is they’ve dealt with it for far more years than either of you have. Find a way to move forward. You’re intelligent men.” She strode over to the closet to grab her coat. “Maybe you should plan on a weekly night where you can all sit here, have a beer or two, and talk about your experiences. Get them out in the open. You’ll probably be surprised to see they’re all very similar.”

She walked out the door and closed it quietly behind her.

Jake turned to his father, “Dad? You told us both the same thing?”

Ryan J. Ramsay, Jr., sat down on the couch with a thunk as tears continued to slide down his cheeks. He rested his forehead in his hand and stared at the floor.

Gramps sat down beside his son and grasped his shoulder. “Tell ‘em, Two. It’s time.”

Ryan and Jake each found a chair and sat down. His tear-stained gaze alternated between his two sons. “My head was so proud of the two of you for going into the service, for doing what Gramps and I had both done. Even though I fought in the Vietnam War and came home to accusations of being a baby killer, I believed in fighting for our country. I still do. But even though I was proud of you…”

Ryan said, “But?”

Jake mimicked him, just as he used to when they were younger. “But?”

“But my heart didn’t want either of you to go. Gramps and I had talked many times about how hard war was, about the atrocities, the viciousness, the loneliness…and how we would never wish such a thing on our boys. Years ago, I remember standing at the back window next to Gramps when the two of you were giggling over something like kids do. I told Gramps then that I hoped you would never have to deal with war. I wanted you to laugh together all the time. Fortunately, we weren’t at war for a long while, but then the conflict in Iraq reared its head.”

He paused to take a breath, then stood and started pacing. “I couldn’t tell you not to go, it wasn’t the honorable thing to do. But I was so afraid for both of you. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure you came back to us, so I pulled you each aside separately and asked you to watch out for your brother.” His tears started again, and he grabbed for his handkerchief. “I wanted somebody extra to watch over my boys. I picked you both. You’re such strong men. And after everything you’ve both been through, I can hardly talk about it. I feel like our legacy sent you into this terrible situation, and the damage still persists.”