A Step Beyond Protection Read online

  Chapter 10

  Darkness swirled all around her, her attacker was straight ahead, but she couldn’t see to shoot. Her body was glued to the ground, and all of her limbs were immobile. A voice spoke to her, “Fear is not from Me, Trust Me.” Suddenly her father walked by looking at her smiling, his face was illuminated by a beautiful light. She tried to drop her weapon so she could run to him, but she couldn’t. When he wouldn’t stop, her voice cried out for him to wait for her. He shook his head no, and waved goodbye. She helplessly watched as he continued to walk away from her, his light getting dimmer and dimmer as he got farther away. Suddenly shots rang out, and she turned back to the darkness. The moment she did, burning pain seared through her, and her heart wrenched with fear as her body was ravaged with holes. She screamed for her dad to come and help her. She needed him, she couldn’t make it without him. Her anguish was so deep that she started drowning in it. Her body became submerged in water and immediately it was caught up in a whirlpool. She couldn’t breathe as her body began swirling, and swirling around. She fought with all she had left in her, desperately trying to right herself and swim to the top. But the more she fought, the more she tumbled. Finally, she just gave in. Her mind moved in time with the swirls, over and over, around and around. She would get glimpses of a light, but then would lose it again. From a distance she heard a voice calling to her, saying her name, but she just kept swirling. Strong arms suddenly reached down and pulled her out of the water. Immediately she fell against Drake, gasping for breath. She was finally safe.

  “Raven? Honey? I’m here. It’s alright.” Carefully, Drake held her in his arms.

  Choking on a sob, Raven slowly became alert. “You saved me. You saved me just in time. I love you, Drake. I love you.” Her sobs continued, as she clutched to him with all of her strength.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I love you, too. Baby, I’m right here. Shhhh. Just hold onto me. The nightmare is over.” Drake tenderly stroked her back, as his right hand held her head to him.

  Minutes past before she was able to speak.

  “I was drowning and you saved me.” She pulled back and her bright eyes tenderly looked into his. She kissed his strong firm cheek that was hurt, she kissed his beautiful chin. She kissed his chocolate brown eyes. Her gaze locked with his, as her right hand moved to the back of his head, her fingers spread, grasping him, his soft hair swirling around her fingers. She pulled him down to her.

  She kissed him with such passion that his heart stopped beating, he trembled and time stood still.

  Drake held her head in the crook of his arm, laughing, and still so shook up, “Wow. Now that was a kiss. It beat both of my big ones. Would love a picture of that one.”

  Giggling she hit him. “What time is it?”

  “It is only 4:00 p.m.”

  “I slept all morning and part of the afternoon?”

  “Yes, and you will remain in bed for days. At least until your ribs are really starting to heal. You are only to get up to go to the bathroom. I don’t want those crutches doing you in.”

  “I am still so tired.”

  “I’m sure you are. You had a really rough day yesterday, not to mention your surgery.” His throat tightened. “I’m so sorry about that.”

  Her fingers reached to touch his mouth. She shook her head, “No, don’t. It’s over. I was the one running away from everything.” She yawned. Her fingers grazed over his bandaged hand. “What happened to you?”

  Drake grunted, “Well, let’s just say that my buddies suddenly would not let me go with you to the hospital. So they pretty much manhandled me when I refused to accept it. Actually, I got in some pretty good jabs myself.”

  “How in the world does someone that likes to fight get into the White House?”

  “It isn’t that I like to fight, I’m just a former Special Forces guy.” He shrugged, “You can take the guy out of that line of work, but it’s still thick in his blood especially when he has seen war.”

  She smiled, “That’s why you hang out with them.”

  “Yep. They keep me grounded. I kind of get stir crazy, or like an animal locked in a cage if I’m behind my desk for too long, or in meetings all of the time. I need physical activity and they are one of the only ones that really seem to understand that. My administration helps me out a lot, even my VP helps me out. They say that I get this look that comes across my face and they immediately know to get me out of there. Especially if I’m talking to a law maker or a dignitary that is really getting on my nerves.”

  “Have you always wanted to be the President?”

  “No way. I’ve always just wanted to be in the military or in law enforcement. Hence my black belt in Karate. As I grew up, though, I found myself always debating or correcting the various politicians on their stands, and I always had to watch when politicians talked or debated on TV. In high school, I even got into a heated debate with my political science teacher and I actually came up with an idea that he encouraged me to send to our state senator. So I sent it to the office not thinking anything about it, and within months I found out that his office had started implementing it in their system, and it was successful. The few people that knew about it kept arguing with me that I needed to speak up because I should be the one getting the credit for it, but I never really cared about that. I just shrugged it off, but inside I had been so excited that it was working. The rush I felt was amazing. Politics became I guess like a hobby to me. Then through my military career every now and then something I would suggest would explode and workout. Today, I look back and know that it was the Lord the whole time preparing me for this position. I have been through so much with my walk with the Lord that I easily saw that there was no way I could take credit for those ideas, because He was behind them all. It’s amazing because even during high school when I didn’t fully recognize Him, His Spirit was keeping me from taking the credit, or even caring about that.” Drake looked to the wall and his eyes glistened.

  “He just opens my eyes so that I can see what He needs me to see in order to understand His direction and plans. Man to get to that stage, though, had been so painful. I mean not physically, but mentally and emotionally.” Drake kissed her mouth, “But I would go through it all again for Him, because He has given me such peace. A peace and joy that never leaves me no matter what I deal with or encounter. It’s hilarious though, because sometimes I will be talking to a dignitary or politician and immediately I will just look at them and ask them some off the wall question.” Drake chuckled, “Even I am dumbfounded sometimes about what comes out of my mouth, but because I have gotten to my journey of complete obedience and I just so deeply know that it is from God, I say it or ask it. And every time something great comes from it. I have even had them crying in my office for help with personal problems. It’s so powerful, and it makes me feel so humble for the Lord to use me like that. And God heals their ways once they repent. They are able to see it differently than before, and a few weeks later their staff and the work that comes from their office is radically changed.” Drake rubbed his nose against the side of her face, “And I haven’t been in office for a year yet. Hard to tell what will happen in the future. But I trust God completely. And those little circumstances that help those men or women, they also help me because it confirms and seems to strengthen that trust I have in the Lord. A reminder that I am here because He said it should be so, and I am actually doing my work for Him, not for this person or that person, but for God and His Divine Purpose for our country.”

  “Wow. My dad would love that. You know that night you found me at the training complex, and I told you that I no longer had God’s peace in me? Well, I have it right now. The Holy Spirit reminded me earlier today that I had stopped praising Him during my struggles. One of the first things I did after the incident, and then when my father was killed, was to completely stop praising God.” A tear fell, “I turned away, and it wa
sn’t Him that turned from me. I turned from Him, and that meant that I couldn’t hear Him as clearly anymore. My dad always tried to tell me that it was easy to praise Jesus during the good times, but it was harder, and so much more crucial to praise Him during the bad times. Today, I experienced that. I was so nervous, and frightened to go into my boss’s office. And in the elevator the female Agent Hannah Davenport that was with me, told me something that I so desperately needed to hear. And immediately my heart made my lips praise Jesus, then just a few short minutes later before I walked into his office, I stopped and asked God to give me strength. And He gave me more than that. He gave me His peace. And I still have it, and I will do all I can to choose Him first and continue to praise Him no matter what so that I can keep receiving it. I know now that it was there all along, I was just putting up a blockage in front of receiving it. I was turning to the darkness, instead of praising Him and choosing Him to help me.”

  “Praise Jesus. I love you, sweetheart. I’m so happy for you.” A tender smile crossed Drake’s face.

  “My father would have just loved you, and he definitely would have been so happy knowing you are the type of President you are. Putting God first in all things.”

  Drake smiled, and held her a little closer. He wanted to add to that, but the Lord held him back. It wasn’t time yet. “You know, actually this position can be more exhilarating then the Special Forces one because the Lord surprises me at every turn. You can look at something, and think yeah, that has happened before, and it looks the same, the reaction is the same, the whole concept is exactly the same so we must do this. Then the Lord steps in and says no, do this. So, I do that and amazingly every time the crises is diverted or resolved. You can’t trust what you know, you can’t trust what you see, and you can’t trust what others tell you, you can only truly trust your Savior. Only He knows all, and only the Holy Spirit can guide you correctly. To not be led by Him is only walking in darkness and seeing darkness. You must look to Him first in all things in order to be able to see the light and then through His Light you see how it really is. Only He can light our paths for us.”

  Her heart raced, that’s it! How could she not have seen it before? Because she was too focused on her pain and loss, then she was on Jesus. “Drake, you’re right! I was always depending on my dad to light my way, to tell me how to deal with something, or someone. I always depended on his light, instead of the source of the light, Jesus. My dad was trying to guide me to Jesus my whole life as he should. And he had, but I didn’t complete it. Instead I was so caught up in clinging to him that I refused to fully cling to Jesus. Praise Jesus!”

  “Praise the Lord He has opened your eyes to that. You just got a Rhema word, sweetheart.”

  “A what?”

  “A Rhema word. A word that is so holy. A scripture word, and it comes from the Lord and it speaks to you or your situation. It’s amazing, suddenly you can see things clearly because you were at a place of submission to Him and you could then receive from Him. The Holy Spirit lovingly opened your eyes. Truly a treasured blessing.”

  “Just like some of the people that you have run across received.”

  “Exactly. Now, you need to eat. What are you hungry for?” He came around the bed and very carefully helped her into a sitting position, resting her leg on a pillow.

  “I’m not really hungry. At least not for a meal, or anything big.”

  Drake knowingly smiled, “Then I have just the perfect thing for you. I’ll be right back.”

  She could hear a refrigerator door opening, and wondered what he had in mind. A glee of delight squealed through her as he rounded the bed with what was unmistakably chocolate mousse. “I can’t remember the last time I had some. Thank you, thank you.”

  Holding her bowl with a spoon just out of her reach, he leaned down, “Can I have a kiss?”

  “Why sure. Just make sure you give me my mousse first.”

  “Oh, no. Kiss first.”

  Her eyes softly twinkling, she let him kiss her. “Now, can I have it?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you.” She took a bite, and her eyes closed in pure delight. The smooth chocolaty taste was all that she remembered, and then some. “Wow. This is so good.”

  Drake swallowed with some difficulty. She was so beautiful. “I will make sure I tell Ralph.”

  “Ralph?”

  “My chef. He said he did make a mean mousse. In fact, he half looked insulted when I asked him if he could.” Sitting down next to her, Drake smiled a lazy, handsome smile. His right hand very slowly moved around her waist, affectionately rubbing her bandages. His eyes slowly took in everything about her, from her neck all the way up and across her face, then they intently and leisurely traced her beautifully sculptured cheekbones back down to her soft lips. All the while his left hand stayed behind his back.

  Drake’s dark cloudy eyes sharply looked to hers, mesmerizing her gorgeous blue ones. He quickly looked away and she heard a spraying sound, then as he turned back to her, his right hand moved up the back of her neck and his lips commanded hers. Raven was so delightfully surprised when her taste buds began dancing with the tantalizing mix of his favorite dessert and hers.

  Minutes later with her bowl and his whipped cream finished, Raven sighed, “That was the best dessert I have ever had. Your chef is brilliant.”

  Stretched out next to her, Drake’s head shared her pillow, while his long legs angled off the bed, and his fingers lovingly intertwined with hers. “I told you our two favorite desserts were great together. Just as we are.”

  She nodded. She was positive that she would not be able to eat chocolate mousse ever again without remembering. And if they couldn’t have a future together then she deeply knew that she wouldn’t be able to eat it the rest of her life. A shocked sadness crept in.

  If only she could learn to just enjoy what she had when she had it. Suddenly frustrated with herself, she pulled her hand away and awkwardly shifted to her side. Her ribs rebelled, causing tears to form, and she shoved her fist in her mouth to keep from crying out.

  Hearing her grunt, Drake got off the bed and rushed to her side. “You hurt yourself. Why did you pull away?”

  She couldn’t speak, a painful moan broke out, and all she could do was shake her head no.

  His phone rang and Drake violently looked to his small command center and then back to her. He was torn, his heart begged him to stay right where he was until she properly answered him, but his mind threw all types of possible dangerous problems that could be waiting on the line. Vocally expressing his dislike, he stormed over to the desk and grabbed up his phone. “What!?”

  Raven swiped at her tears, and blew out a sigh of relief, how could she tell him what she was thinking? She didn’t want to be a simpering, wimpy leach that had to be reassured at every turn. But in her defense, she was still so unsure of what was expected of her, and where this relationship was going. It didn’t help at all that she was so inexperienced in this area. They haven’t even known each other for that long, and how would they date? She would have to be moving back home soon, she couldn’t stay here. He had said he loved her, more than once even. But nowadays that didn’t seem to mean as much as it should. It was sometimes just a phrase that so many people just threw around when they wanted to, or when it fit their purposes. He was the very first man she had ever said it to, and it meant so much to her. Her feelings ran so deep for him that it frightened her. Ever since Zeak had forced her to recognize her feelings this morning, she had been simply feeling like a fish out of water. And it was scary.

  “I have to run upstairs.” Drake was mad, his children had gone too far with trying to sneak out and find them. He had told them that it was so important for them to leave her alone and let her rest. They couldn’t overwhelm her all at once, or he could risk losing her. His arm muscles bunched, and his jaw twitched with frustration. He tried desperate
ly to hold back his temper, as he waited for the continued strength of the Lord to fill him, but he still could not soften the effects of it. Why now would he have to leave her? Growling, he pretty much slammed both of his fists on either side of her. His voice lowered, and he pronounced each word slowly, “I will be back. And when I am, I expect to hear from you exactly what happened in that gorgeous, bright blonde head of yours. Understood? I will not allow you to withdraw from me. Especially after we have just declared our love for each other.” He narrowed his eyes, and leaned down, his lips pulled hers in and proceeded to give her the most startlingly devoted kiss ever.

  A kiss that had her staring after him long after the door had closed. Her heart flipped within her chest and a warmness permeated her, they weren’t just words to him either. It meant something to him, too.

  Over an hour later, Raven tossed and turned for the thirtieth time. She hurt so badly. Her leg and side felt like knives were stuck in them, and no position was comfortable. As if that wasn’t enough, her head started to pound to the beat of the hurting drum as well. There was no way blissful sleep was coming, and she gave up trying. She would just have to take her medicine. Lying in bed, she visually searched around the room, but couldn’t find any pill bottle. So she very carefully sat up in the bed and reached for her crutches. The pain made walking even harder. After ten stops to catch her breath during the short distance to the main door, Raven did what she saw Drake do. Her left fingertips glided across the hidden button on the outside of the door trim and the door swooshed open. However, hobbling through the doorway only added to her pain.

  Gritting her teeth, Raven looked around the empty room, but a swift wave of dizziness assailed her and she was thrown off balance. Her crutches clamored to the floor, while her body followed. Desperately trying to not hit her leg or side, Raven completely forgot about her head. The moment her body slammed to the floor, more pain pounded through her headache as her head hit something hard. She felt warm liquid seep out and as the realization of her reopened wound started dawning on her, the room exploded with activity.

  “Call Drake. Raven, honey, are you okay?” Zeak knelt down quickly checking her over.

  “No.” Her feeble response escaped from her tightly sealed lips. Her whole body was racked with excruciating pain. “I was just looking for my pain meds.” She moved her head off the floor and Zeak hissed.

  “Holmes! Get a rag, now. Buckner, call for Dr. Metzer.” Quickly pressing a rag to her already bandaged forehead, Zeak began organizing two other men to carry her over to the couch.

  Raven’s pain rattled her voice as she covered her face. Her fingertips pressed down on her squinting eyes while she tried to breathe through the pain.

  “Drake’s on his way. So is Dr. Metzer. I told him to bring more stitches and he said to go ahead and give her a pain shot, if she hasn’t had one in a while.”

  “Get the black box. Raven, when was the last time you took a pill?”

  “Morning in limo. That...was...what...I...was...looking...for.” She started coughing a little while the pain in her side intensified, and her stomach started to rebel.

  “Raven, just breathe.”

  “I am.” Growling, Raven tightened her hand and arm muscles, keeping her fingers firmly pressed against her face trying desperately to quell it.

  “Okay, don’t talk.”

  “Throw up.”

  Her head was carefully held over the trash can just in time.

  After Zeak gave her a shot he mused, “My sister is the same way when she gets hurt sometimes, her stomach rebels. I think when the doctor is done with you we are going to tie you to that bed in there. That way you don’t shift any of your broken ribs in your journeys by either hurting them, or throwing up.”

  Raven grunted no.

  “Don’t worry, the medicine will work real soon. It’s some quick stuff. That should calm your stomach more since the wave of pain will greatly lessen.” His hand tenderly stroked her back.

  Drake rushed into the room, and Zeak proceeded to give him a rundown of her ‘painful pill hunting journey’ that had brought her surprisingly outside of the room.

  If Raven could have hit him over his amusing tone, she would have. She rested her head against Drake, she felt so clammy and dizzy. Putting down the trash can, Drake put a cold wash cloth to her face, delicately wiping it, while Zeak continued to hold the rag firmly against her head to stay the flow of blood.

  “Here, Raven. Swish this around in your mouth, it will help.” An agent she hadn’t met yet, tilted the little cup up to her.

  She opened her eyes and took the mouthwash. Her head wobbled as she spit it back out into the trash can. Her pain was finally dimming, and Drake moved her head to lay in his lap, while her body was very delicately stretched out on the couch, with a pillow to elevate her leg. Once settled, she opened her eyes wider and looked around, faces seemed to swim in front of her. She looked unsteadily to Zeak, and giggled, her words slurred a little, “Those safety moves we learn are not good for someone who is already injured because I busted my head open again. They need to work on those moves. Wow, what did you give me?”

  His eyebrow arched, “What you needed. And you can talk to training about needing new moves. Those moves are actually to prevent you from getting injured before you are injured. Now be quiet and rest.”

  “No. Drake?”

  “Yes, sweetheart?” He leaned over her.

  “Fire him.” She tried pointing to him but he kept moving. “Stop it, stop moving.”

  Zeak laughed, “I’m not moving. You are. And he can’t fire me, he needs me to deal with you.”

  “No. No, detail. No. You’re fired.” Her eyes adoringly raised to Drake’s, “Right, my love?”

  “Oh sure, now she plays it for all its worth.” Affectionately, Zeak stuck his tongue out at her and looked up as Dr. Metzer raced in.

  “No. You may be the Joint Chief of Staff, but you are overstepping your ground.” Drake was furious. “I don’t care how the previous men in your position have handled it, I said no. You have no business dealing with any of my personal matters, got it? I do not need you as a ‘go between’ for my personal issues. And for the last time, there is no scandal for you to do damage control on. It is my personal business, I will deal with it when it is time to deal with it.” Running his fingers through his hair, Drake prayed for strength, while his ‘gatekeeper’ as they liked to call him talked incessantly about the media, the public, and the opinions. Having heard enough, Drake stormed on, “I said cancel it! I don’t care how it looks. I’m not here for looks. And I most certainly did not hire you to take care of making my personal business okay with public opinion. I don’t need a personal gatekeeper, Jesus is all I need. As long as I do right in His eyes, then that is all that matters. He will validate me, and the Holy Spirit will balance me and keep me in check, not you. That way you are free to deal with government business only. And besides, if I am dumb enough to open myself and reputation up to a scandal than I had better darn well be man enough to repent, and deal with it publically myself.” When Wratchford tried again to make suggestions to him, Drake’s voice got deadly quiet, “Enough, Wratchford. It is over. Mark my word, if anyone dares to step up to that mic, including yourself, and tries to even attempt to speak on behalf of me about my personal life, they will be in the unemployment office by sundown.” Grabbing the head set off his head he slammed it to the desk and covered his face.

  Raven quietly hobbled over to Drake on crutches. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could feel his anger, and all she wanted to do was comfort him. She stood in the doorway of his impressive little command center, he looked so dejected. She stepped closer, and rested her crutches against the edge of his desk. Using the furniture as leverage she was able to stand behind him. He flinched in shock as her hands gently massaged his tense neck and shoulders. A need to pray for him was so great wit
hin her that there was no question of not obeying. She spoke to Jesus, while her fingers adoringly eased each knot. There was such joy within her each time she felt a muscle relaxing. His head lolled back and she could surprisingly watch as the tension left him. Jesus had heard her prayer. A soft, warming sensation filled her chest as she continued to watch in awe as her answered prayer unfolded.

  Big, firm, calloused hands that spoke more of physical labor, then pushing papers, grasped her hands as they worked on his neck for the umpteenth time, stopping her. “Sweetheart, thank you. But you need to get to bed. You shouldn’t be up.”

  She gently bent down, but was unable to when her movement caused her ribs to steal her breath.

  Standing, Drake carefully held onto her to keep her upright, then gave her crutches back to her. “Come on, get back to bed.” His finger covered her mouth when she opened it to speak, “Don’t think I didn’t hear that. I did. Now come on. I would carry you, but I do not want to jar you anymore. Let’s go.”

  “Meany,” she whispered.

  He chuckled, “I heard that. And yes, I am, when it comes to your health.” Switching off the light to his office, Drake guided her back to the bed.

  He wasn’t satisfied until she was tucked in, and her leg was elevated. She watched him as he rounded the bed, and then gasped when he took his shirt off. A blush stole across her face and she quickly diverted her eyes.

  He tiredly laughed. “Baby, I didn’t have a shirt on earlier.”

  She shielded her eyes.

  “You didn’t have a problem snuggling up to me as you slept then, so why now? Eh?” His eyebrow raised, and he smirked as he weighed down the bed and she slightly moved away. “Hey, I don’t like sleeping with shirts on. Raven.”

  She shook her head.

  “Raven.” He delicately sang her name. “Now, I know that you have seen many men with their shirts off before, especially in your line of work, so why can’t I sleep without one?”

  “Because...”

  “Sweetheart. Hey,” he firmly unshielded her eyes, “you have nothing to worry about. I would never put you in a position that would have you cheating on your first Love, your God, before marriage. I have way too much respect for you, myself, and above all, the Lord.”

  A look of shear amazement crossed her features. “How did you know?”

  “How could I not know?”

  She smiled and he delicately held her face in his hands. Her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her goodnight.

  Minutes later, she lay in his arms, still so amazed by him. Her eyes took in everything about their private room, as he held her. The beautiful twinkling lights dancing throughout their darkened room and the stark silence emphasized the seclusion of their hideaway. They were in their own world and it was so peaceful, she never wanted to leave. Her hand caressed his warm chest, while his hair tickled her nose. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she concentrated on his deep, even breaths. There was no better way to fall asleep, thank you Jesus.