Surprise Delivery(42)

“Not at the moment,” I reply. “But I’m not closing the door on possibly returning to the organization.”

He gives me a small smile, slightly mollified. “Well, I really hate to lose you,” he says. “But you’re always going to have a spot here with us.”

“I appreciate that Harold,” I say. “And you never know, you might see me sooner, rather than later.”

Especially if things with Alexis don’t go how I want them to go.





“You really didn’t have to come down here to pick me up,” I say. “I could have taken a cab or something.”

“Nonsense,” my mother says. “I haven’t seen you in months. Did you really expect me to not be here to welcome you home? Henry sends his regards, but said that he’s tied up –”

I wave her off. “It’s probably better that he’s not here,” I interject. “I’m just glad you are.”

She embraces me tightly and I must admit, as much as I loved it over there, being home feels nice. Better than nice, honestly. I’ve missed my mom. I grab my bags from the carousel and follow her out to the loading zone. Jeffrey, her driver, takes my bags and gives me a nod.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Clyburne,” he says.

“Good to see you again too, Jeffrey,” I say. “I trust she hasn’t been too much trouble while I’ve been away?”

“No more so than usual,” he replies and laughs.

I follow my mom into the car and Jeffrey shuts the door after us. He puts my bags into the trunk, then gets in behind the wheel. As he merges out into traffic, my mother takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.

“I’m really glad you’re home,” she says.

“Me too.”

“I honestly thought you might sign on for more time over there.”

“I was tempted to,” I reply. “They were certainly pressing me to re-up.”

“Well, why wouldn’t they? You’re a brilliant doctor.”

I laugh softly. “There are a lot of brilliant people over there doing good work,” I tell her. “I’m glad I got to be part of it for a little while.”

“So, why did you come home?”

I look out the window at the city passing by. It’s surreal in a way. I’ve spent the last eight months in a world where practically every building was pockmarked with bullet holes and busted windows. And a good number of them had been reduced to nothing more than rubble. Seeing the city outside the car standing tall, whole, and without the sound of bombs exploding and automatic gunfire ringing out makes me realize how good we have it over here.

Unlike the people I worked with, we don’t have to worry about going to the store and getting blown up. For the most part, we don’t have to worry about being gunned down by somebody who doesn’t share our political or religious ideology. We’re free to move about, doing what we want to do, being who we are.

“Duncan?”

I turn to face my mom, who’s looking at me curiously. “Sorry,” I tell her. “Just reflecting a bit.”

“Reflection is good,” she says. “But, do it on your own time. I haven’t seen you in months, so it’s your duty to spend some time with your mother.”

I laugh and nod. “Absolutely.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but what brought you home?” she asks. “I know you loved what you were doing over there, so why didn’t you re-up?”

It’s an easy question with a complicated answer. At least, it’s complicated in my own mind. There’s still part of me that can’t believe I came home on the off chance a woman I hooked up with eight months ago is not only still single but is still pining for me the way I’m pining for her. It’s crazy and it’s ridiculous. I admit that.

But that’s how twisted up Alexis is in my mind. I just have to know. I have to see if there really is anything there between us. There’s no way I can get my head on straight and move forward without knowing for certain.

“To be completely honest with you, Mom,” I say. “I came home because of a woman.”

She looks at me, her eyes widening slightly. “Because of a woman?”

I nod. “Yeah,” I reply. “A couple of days before I left for Syria, I met somebody,” I say. “And I haven’t been able to get my mind off of her since then.”

“She must really be something special,” she smiles.

“Yeah, I think she is.”

“What’s her name?”

“Alexis,” I answer. “Alexis Martin.”

“And where did you meet this Alexis Martin?”

“At the hospital’s charity gala,” I say. “She was there with a friend of hers who’s a nurse.”

“So, tell me all about her,” she says. “It’s been so long since a woman has captured the eye of my youngest son, so she has to be quite remarkable.”

Jeffrey pulls through the gate of the family home and stops in front of the stairs that lead to the front door. My mother’s houseman, Reginald, is already there waiting. He opens the door for us and lets us out as Jeffrey gets my bags out of the trunk.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, sir,” Reginald says.