Chapter 29: Holly
JJ PUSHED UP ON his arms and scooted forward with ease. Jesse stood by watching in amazement. He cheered him on as JJ gave him a big gummy grin. He was six months old already. Time had flown by since the child was born. “Way to go, JJ,” he said when the boy went about four spaces. Jesse swooped him up in his arms and kissed his sweet face, unable to believe how fast he was growing.
“What did I miss?” Holly questioned, running into the room.
“Should we show mommy what she missed, big man?” Jesse cooed as JJ responded with some incoherent babble.
He set the baby back on the floor and stood back with pride. JJ didn’t move. He rolled over onto his back and kicked his feet into the air and continued his babblings.
“Really?” Jesse asked. “I swear, Hols, he just crawled. Like really crawled.”
Holly gave him a ‘yeah right’ look and shook her head in disbelief, not at her son beginning to crawl as she knew he was seconds away from doing that, but because of the man before her that had once been so stone cold yet melted in the eyes of a six month old.
More in her life had changed than just Jesse. The day JJ was born, peace had been restored to the area. It was a shaky peace, but it was a start. She had almost lost her life that day. In fact, according to Michelle, Holly had died shortly after JJ’s delivery. Michelle chose to stabilize the baby first and by that time, Holly had lost too much blood and went into seizures from the shock.
Michelle had cleaned and sewn her up as best she could, but the lack of pain meds only contributed to the problem. They had all stood there and watched as Holly faded away. Her heart stopped beating, and after a few minutes trying to revive her, Michelle had called her time of death, but Jesse wasn’t ready to let go. He had pounded on Holly’s chest, breaking her sternum in the process. He begged and pleaded with his own life, and she had returned to him. It was a miracle and as word spread through the conference of her survival, the atmosphere in the room had changed and where there had been fighting and arguments, a calm settled in. Not everyone got all they had hoped for, but they were able to settle and sign the treaty that stopped fighting among the top five factions, because even though the Endorians had not shown, they had given Holly their word, that if by some miracle she pulled that peace off, they would abide by it until the Spring conference.
Jesse, Holly, and JJ had stayed in the Norfolk area at first to allow time for Holly to heal properly and JJ to grow before traveling further. But later, they remained because they had inadvertently started a renewal project in one of the old neighborhoods in the area when Jesse insisted JJ needed a real home to grow up in.
What had started with the two of them picking a house and cleaning it out, making some restorations, and piecing together what they needed to live from some of the surrounding homes, had spread to include three neighborhoods and more people than they could count. They were officially working on their one hundredth home in the immediate area, and knew others were following their lead as Gunny relayed word from all five factions of similar positive growth.
People who had been in hiding and scared for their lives were coming out in droves to help with the rebuild efforts in the area. Holly met new people every day as they poured out of every crevice imaginable in search of a better life and a better home, and grabbing on to freedom from the fears that had plagued the area for nearly a decade.
Holly sat and listened to each and every story. She met so many new people that even she struggled to keep names and faces straight. It never took long in talking to them again to find a connection, though. She just had that uncanny ability with people. It came naturally to her.
Gunny and his men came out of hiding more, too, and many of them helped with the restoration projects going on throughout the area. They also secured the few sections of the old military bases, with the help of the AMAN. The few rebels remaining fell quickly.
Griffon stayed in the Norfolk area overseeing the operation to secure the ports and reclaim whatever military assets they could. He worked closely with Gunny. Almost losing Holly changed him. Seeing her as a mother changed him. Mostly, it freaked him out on both counts, and he distanced himself from her. He still had feelings for the only girl he’d ever loved, but he recognized that this Holly was not the same as he remembered. He was smart enough to understand his role in that change and while it had agonized him to do so, moving on had been the right thing for both of them.
Neither Holly nor Jesse had become accustomed to staying in one place for too long. Jesse had roamed AMAN territory and beyond his entire life and grew restless quickly as things in the Norfolk area began to settle and stabilize. The new growth was good. Some small gangs started to pop up, causing territorial disputes, but Gunny and Griffon were equipped to handle them and monitoring for such issues was agreed upon, and a plan established.
Within weeks of this new plan in place, Holly began to get restless. She missed home. She missed her family and friends, and she wanted to introduce JJ to them, but the ghosts she’d have to face were too much for her. Instead of a mission home, she decided that perhaps, a trip west would be in order. Word of the peace treaty was spreading quickly, but it was clear from reports that people didn’t understand what was going on and what they were trying to accomplish. Some days, Holly wasn’t one hundred percent sure anymore either, but she had grand ideas of a better tomorrow and worked tirelessly every day to see that turn to reality for at least one new person.
When she was called to Gunny’s headquarters for a meeting to discuss the Endorians, she found herself volunteering to go to them herself. Griffon agreed to provide the transportation through the contamination site over Richmond. Everything was in order, except Holly felt guilty that she hadn’t consulted with Jesse first. She knew she didn’t have to give him a reason, but he deserved the courtesy of knowing first before making a monumental change such as that. She also knew that once she’d secured the Endorians with more than just their word to her, the start of reformation would truly begin.
She came home to see JJ tackling Jesse as he laid on the floor. The sight of her two favorite guys together always eased the hole in her heart just a little. She began to worry about her decision, wishing she’d taken the time to discuss it with him.
“Look, little man, Mommy’s home,” the big scary assassin said, holding a squealing baby in the air above him.
“Hey,” Holly said. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“This sounds serious,” he said, rising and tucking JJ safely into his arm. She watched him scan the house and brace for an impending threat.
“Relax,” Holly told him, rolling her eyes. “It is serious, but we’re not in danger. I did something today that you might not like.”
“Go on,” he said.
“It’s time, Jesse. We’ve been stagnant, helping individuals for months. It’s spreading to other areas, We’re seeing positive growth, and we’re seeing some resistance, as well. The Endorians have committed verbally to the treaty, but they’ve done nothing towards change. And the towns mirroring the Compounders are amongst the most defiant. I know those people, Jesse. I can get through to them, and we can finally begin to heal and rebuild our country. Not just a neighborhood or a town, all of it. But it means it’s time for me to go. We always knew this was going to be the case,” she said, trying to defend herself.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, trying to understand the full impact of what she was trying to tell him.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Three days. Griffon’s arranging for the helicopter,” she admitted.
“Why didn’t you talk to me about this?” he asked.
“I made the best decision I knew how on the spot. It’s just time. I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?” he wondered aloud.
“I’m sorry I didn’t discuss this with you first. I at least owed you that much.”
“You think you’re leaving me here?” He nearly laughed at the thought. There was no way in hell he was letting her go off by herself like that. No way! He knew there was still a contract out on her. He knew that General Steinfeld, while having agreed to the peace treaty, did so under duress, not because he believed in what they were doing. He was a very big threat to Holly and to JJ. Jesse’s presence was the one guarantee his mentor wouldn’t send another hit on her.
“I’m not going to assume you’re just going to follow me around the countryside or wherever this mess takes me. That’s your decision to make, Jesse. I’ve made mine. JJ and I leave in three days.”
“Holly, there’s no way in hell you and JJ are going anywhere without me. Period. I’ve read all the reports, too, you know. I know the instability we’ve caused in some areas, the pushback we’re getting in towns that had already rebelled against their governing faction. I know the enemies that lurk and wait for this to all fall apart. You’re going to need protection, and someone you trust to watch out for JJ when you can’t. I’m going.”
Holly sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said. A sad tear fell down her cheek. “I didn’t want to assume, but I hoped that’s what you’d say. As for JJ, I’ve given this a lot of thought, Jesse, and you’re right. I need to know JJ’s safe and cared for while we do this, so I’m taking him home.”
“What?” he asked, not certain he understood what she was saying.
“I’m taking JJ back to the Compound. My mom and brother will look after him. They’ll keep him safe, and they’ll love him as I would. I have to be on the campaign trail to sell our plan and make this work. I believe in what we’re doing, Jesse. I don’t want to leave him, but I know it’s for the best. I’ve traveled enough to know it’s no place for a baby. I know we’ll encounter resistance, and I can’t risk anything happening to him just to get to me. It’s for the best. So we’re heading to AMAN headquarters first. We’ll check in there and meet with Bobby, then I’m taking time to go home, and I’m leaving JJ there before heading to Little Endor to meet with Gideon. That’s the short-term plan. Are you sure you’re still in?”
Jesse looked down at the boy in his arms who stared back at him with absolutely trust. He didn’t want anyone else watching the kid, but he also knew it wasn’t his decision to make, and he understood her reasoning behind the decision. Still, he feared the level of stress it would cause her, being without her son. He nodded slowly, knowing he was in it for the long haul. They’d see it through together. While he didn’t like the plan, he respected it as her decision alone to make.
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