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Chapter or Story
This fanfic is written to keep alive my favorite show, The Pretender, as we wait for more movies. I do not own the characters of The Pretender or The Profiler. TNT, AOL, NBC, FOX, and I’m not sure who else, owns the show. Please don’t sue me – just make more Pretender shows!
In the previous chapter…
Out front of Major Charles cabana
10:42 AM
Looking around and suddenly realizing Jarod was no where to be seen, she turned back to her husband with a panic stricken look on her face.
“John! Where’s Jarod? Oh, no, where is he?” she asked becoming hysterical, as he quickly trained her face on his, with his massive hands.
“Calm down, Margaret. He’s right inside,” he said, hating seeing her so upset. “He, um, had a pretty restless night; He’s still asleep in bed.”
*
Not waiting for further explanation, Margaret quickly headed for the Cabana and disappeared through the door.
Once inside, she looked through every door quietly searching for her son. Right when she opened his bedroom door getting her first glimpse of his sleeping form, her husband caught up with her and stopped her from going in.
“John, what are you doing?” she whispered harshly. “What’s wrong?”
“I just want to prepare you first. I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, but Jarod’s had some horrible things done to…”
“Dad, I thought I heard voices outside. Are mom and Emily here?” Jarod asked, groggily, stepping out in the hallway in his T-shirt and boxer shorts, coming face to face with his mom.
In Pursuit Of Happiness
Part 35
by jojarod50
“Mom?” was all Jarod managed, before Margaret had her arms wrapped around him. Her elated smile disappeared, as she completely broke down releasing the tears of grief and anguish she had carried for so many years.
“Shhhh, shhhh, it’s ok Mom,” Jarod whispered, failing to hold back his own tears. Closing his eyes, he just stood there, completely enthralled, finally knowing what it was like to be in his mother’s arms. Her touch triggered a barrage of fragmented memories of his early childhood, causing his mind to shift for a moment, chaotically between the present and the past.
Major Charles stood silently beside them, tears mingled with sadness and relief, as he watched his wife holding their child, who had been taken from them so long ago.
“Jarod, I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?” he asked in confusion.
“I’m the one who took you for testing at the Nugenesis Fam…”
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Jarod asked, very gently pulling her back so he could see her tormented face. “What happened to me wasn’t your fault. There’s no way either of you could have known, who you had inadvertently become involved with,” he said firmly, looking lovingly into her blue eyes, brokenhearted that she had endured so much pain.
“You were my life-line after my escape. The hope of finding you was the only thing that kept me from giving up, no matter how bad things got,” he whispered softly, holding his mother gently in his arms. “We’re together now. I want you to be happy,” Jarod said, looking helplessly to his dad, who just shrugged his shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile.
“Margaret, you must be tired after your long trip. Why don’t we go into the living room and let…”
“Jarod? You look like you haven’t slept for weeks,” she said worriedly, studying his face and realizing he was far, far too thin. “Have you been ill?” she asked lovingly, placing her hand on his forehead, as he closed his eyes in embarrassment.
“Mom, it’s all right,” he said with a nervous chuckle, slightly confused by her question. “I’m much better now,” he said reassuringly, smiling as he gathered her hands in his, giving them a light kiss.
Flinching, Jarod instinctively started to pull away, realizing she was staring at his wrists, but she wouldn’t let him go. Holding his hands firmly, she carefully inspected his deep scars, finding the stitches toward the inside of each one.
“Who did this to you?” Margaret asked, with a devastated look on her face.
“Never mind, Mom, all of us have deep emotional scars. Some of mine are just more visible than yours.” he managed, beginning to tremble as he quickly removed his hands from her sight. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I probably should keep those covered up,” he said, hiding his bewilderment, realizing she had no idea what had happened to him.
“Nonsense, Jarod, you’re my child,” she said hurriedly, sensing that whatever had happened to him was so traumatic, that even talking about it made him feel deeply distressed. “Don’t you ever worry about upsetting me.”
Despite the way his mom seemed to brighten up, Jarod’s heart sank, stricken that his worse case scenario was coming true. He wished he could have done something, anything, to avoid his mother seeing him like this. All the years he had imagined this day, it had never occurred to him, that he would cause her further pain.
“There you are. I was wondering where you went,” Gemini said excitedly, finding this family thing totally intriguing.
“Jarod, my goodness, is that you?” Emily asked excitedly, stepping up to her brother, who had been too preoccupied to realize he was standing there in his boxer shorts.
“Emily?” Jarod asked hesitantly, hoping she wasn’t going to react like his mother had.
“Oh, Jarod,” she said, tenderly wrapping her arms around him, as he reciprocated, giving her a tearful hug. “You look really tired; are you all right?”
Jarod winced at her reaction, but rebounded quickly, deliberately shoving aside his wounded pride. “Happy, I’m finally happy,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut, fighting to reign in his overwhelming emotions.
After a moment, Jarod pulled his sister back a little to take a good look at her, at a loss for words. Drawing her into another hug, it was hard for the pretender to believe this wasn’t all just a dream. “We’re finally a family now,” Jarod managed, needing to hear the words himself. “No one’s ever going to tear us apart again; I promise.”
“We have so much to talk about. Um, tell me everything: how was your trip; what have you been doing; how did you keep from getting captured by the Centre?” he asked excitedly, looking from his mom back to his sister.
“Jarod,” Emily said with laughing eyes, “don’t you think you better get dressed first.”
Jarod followed her eyes down to his shorts in complete embarrassment. “Ah, I’ll be right back.”
***
John and Margaret’s bedroom
5 minutes later…
“Can’t this wait until later, Margaret? Major Charles asked, finding it difficult to meet her eyes.
“No, John. Apparently, you’ve already waited too long. I don’t want to humiliate Jarod like I did a moment ago ever again. How will I ever be able to understand my son, unless you tell me what happened to him?”
There was a long pause, before her husband relented and began to speak
*
“When we were rescuing Gemini, Jarod…didn’t make it to the plane in time. He was taken back to the Centre,” he said in a trembling voice, forcing himself to go on. "They, um, did everything they could to…get him to tell them where we had gone,” he said, closing his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to see the look on his wife’s face. “They…tortured him and gave him drugs that had a devastating effect on him.”
Margaret closed her eyes in anguish, trying to come to grips with what she had just heard.
“Go on, John. I need to know,” Margaret said quietly, taking his trembling hand in hers.
“Sometime after Jarod’s former mentor, Sydney, rescued him, I came across them in Kansas,” he said, briefly meeting his wife’s eyes then looking away,” at Menningers Psychiatric Hospital.”
“Dear Lord, John,” she whispered, immediately realizing what he was getting at.
“What was done to Jarod caused him severe psychological problems. He’s… just now getting back on his feet.”
“What did they do to my son?”
“Margaret, you don’t want to know. It would haunt you the rest of your life,” her husband urged, suddenly leaving the couch and stepping over to the bedroom window. Glancing through the curtain, he scanned the beach until his eyes fell upon Gemini and his daughter, who had gone for a short walk.
“This is my son, we’re talking about,” Margaret said, placing her hand on her distraught husband’s shoulder. “John, I have a right to know. I’m much stronger now. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
***
Jarod’s bedroom (just down the hallway)
11:15 AM
Dropping the last of his socks he’d hurriedly unpacked on the floor, Jarod grabbed the nearest chair as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Easing himself down into the seat, he skillfully slowed his rapid breathing, refusing to acknowledge that he was on the verge of having an acute anxiety attack on the happiest day of his life.
His mom’s and Emily’s initial reaction to him had upset him far more than he wanted to admit to himself. Shaking his head, he broke into a wane smile, realizing that humility still wasn’t one of his fortes.
Eager to get back to his new family, the pretender made his way to the chest-of-drawers, rationalizing his symptoms away. Selecting his only clothes, he made a mental note to pick up some long sleeved shirts for his mother’s sake.
Glancing at her picture on the night stand beside his bed, he broke into a huge smile and hurried off to the shower.
***
John and Margaret’s bedroom some time later…
“After the sweepers took us down at the farm house, all of us except Gemini, were held prisoner at the Centre.”
“Sweetheart, did they hurt you, too?” she asked, turning to face him with tears in her eyes.”
“Oh, they just roughed me up a bit. Jarod’s the one who suffered the most,” he said, not wanting to overwhelm her with how he’d been shot and severely beaten. “They threatened my life to coerce him into working on a new cloning project. The night before we were rescued, the man who had tortured our son… “ Unable to say anymore, he broke down into tears.
“Sweetheart, I know this is difficult for you, but you can’t keep it bottled up inside you. Please, John, I don’t want you to hold anything back?”
“He…he slit Jarod’s wrists, trying to make it look like a suicide. Our son almost died.”
“That’s why Jarod looks so anemic and has stitches on his wrists,” she said quietly, as her husband paused for a moment, to regain his composure before going on.
“Last Friday in the night the Feds pulled us out and all the Centre operatives were placed under arrest except Lyle who managed to slip through the cracks. Agent Meisser…what the heck was that?”
***
Moments later, just down the hall way…
“Jarod, what’s going on in there? Answer me,” the Major yelled, knocking on the door. After continuing to knock with no response, his dad tried to open the door. Having to restrain Jarod to stop him from crashing though his 6-story bedroom window Tuesday night, made the urgency of checking on him now unbearably real.
Trying not to collapse again, Jarod quickly slipped on his jeans and made his way to the door just as his dad opened it up.
“What’s wrong? I could hear you knocking from the other room,” their son said innocently, trying to catch his breath.
“We heard a loud crash and what sounded like shattering glass coming from this direction and were afraid you’d had an accident,” his mother said, immediately noticing his strange rapid breathing, profuse sweating, and how all the color had drained out of his face.”
“Oh, that. I guess I got in too big of a hurry. I tripped and dropped my water glass in the sink, that’s all. I’ll have to remember to slow down next time I meet my mother and sister for the first time,” he said with a grin, pulling the towel on his shoulder further down to cover the scars on his left side. “Just let me finished getting dressed and we can have a long talk,” he said brightly, looking confidently from one concerned parent to the other, hoping to allay their fears.
“Sure, Jarod. I guess we’re just a little jumpy with the strange place and everything that’s been going on,” his dad said, giving him a wary look.
“By the way, I was going to cook some hamburgers on the grill in a little bit. You wouldn’t believe the way they stocked the kitchen. Go ahead and take your time; the coals won’t be ready for about 20 minutes,” his dad said, steering his wife away from the door.
*
Jarod softly closed the door and padded his way to his bed to lay down. He was fully aware that he would be extremely vulnerable to anxiety attacks when under unusual stress for a while and that he would have to learn to take it in stride. But knowing that didn’t make it any less humiliating. Stretching out on the bed while he regained his strength, he decided to check up on Parker, before the day got a way from him.
*
“Parker? You sound like you just woke up. We’re in the same time-zone as before, you know,” he teased, feeling more relaxed at the sound of her voice.
“Jarod, you sound pretty lively for a man who could probably sleep for a week straight. What are you trying for, complete sleep deprivation?” she countered, hearing the exhaustion in his voice.
“I’m not planing on it. Actually, my mom and Emily are here,” he said, barely able to contain his excitement.
“Jarod, I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, it’s still really hard to believe. I thought you might want to come over and meet them tonight. Then maybe you and I could break away and find something more interesting to do,” he said, in a low seductive voice.
“Mmm, what did you have in mind?”
“We’ll just have to play it by ear,” he offered, breathing heavily into the phone. I’ll give you a call back this afternoon to tell you what time, if that’s alright with you.”
“I’ll put some Dr. Pepper on ice, Jarod.”
*
Jarod hung up the phone and quickly made it to his feet, startled by the unexpected tapping at the door. Spinning around, he was just in time to see his father coming into his room.
“Jarod, I don’t mean to keep bothering you, but I forgot to tell you something. Sydney called earlier, wanting to arrange a time to meet with you briefly this afternoon. Jarod, is something wrong?”
“No, I just had a rough day yesterday, remember? Dad,…look, I wish you’d wait until I open the door, before you come in here,” Jarod said with mild aggravation.
“I’m sorry, son, I wasn’t thinking. Are you sure you’re all right? Your coloring’s not very good.”
“I appreciate your concern, Dad, but I’d rather you didn’t worry about me so much. Seeing the way Mom looked at me when we met, was enough concern to last me a life time,” he said, purposefully turning away. “Now, if you don’t mind…”
“Parents are always concerned about their children. It just comes with the territory. Jarod, I’m really sorry. I should have told your mother about what you’ve been though ahead of time, but that’s been taken care of now. Son, we both adore you; we’re family now; just give things a little time to work. Everything is going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
“John, what are you doing in here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Margaret said, peeking in the doorway. “I thought we agreed you were going to leave Jarod alone. I’m sorry, Jarod, your father means well,” she said, trying to smooth things over. “Come on John, you need to get that charcoal going, before everyone starves to death.”
*
Jarod stared at the door as it closed, feeling like his bedroom had become Grand Central Station. So much had happened since he had awakened, that his head was spinning trying to keep up.
Feeling slightly nauseous, he headed to the kitchen for a little snack. He hoped this day wasn’t going to have any more unsettling surprises. Physically and psychologically he had been stretched to the limits and knew he wouldn’t be equipped to deal with anymore craziness for a while.
*
Patio out back of their Cabana
“John, you’re going to have to get a hold of yourself. I’ve never seen you rattled like this; you’re a complete nervous wreck,” Margaret said worriedly, as she watched him fumbled with the bag of charcoal, dropping a few briquettes on the cement.
“I know, it’s just that Jarod...”
“Honey, you’re over reacting. Besides being very nervous, he seems just fine to me. Maybe we need to give him some space so he can adjust to his new family.”
“One thing’s for certain, you just can’t keep going into his bedroom every 5 minutes to check on him; especially when his door is closed. For heaven’s sake, John, he’s a grown man.”
“Way to go, Dad,” Emily said, as she and Gemini stepped onto the patio, catching the very last part of the conversation. “You better not try anything like that with me,” she teased, putting her arms around her neck and giving him a big hug.
Gemini lined his shells up on the sea wall, listening carefully to the conversation, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Emily, could you and Gemini help me bring some things out to set the table for lunch? I thought it would be fun to eat outside. The view is simply breathtaking. Do you like hamburgers, Gemini?”
“Yes ma’am. They’re a lot better than wheat grass and tomato juice,” he said, noticing her strange reaction, as he followed them into the cabana.
*
“Hi, Jarod. Why don’t you help your dad with the fire. We’ll bring out some ice tea in a minute,” Margaret suggested with a relaxed smile, relieved to see her son’s coloring had returned.
“Ok,” Jarod said, eyeing his mom curiously, wondering if that was her way of having him make up with his dad.
Downing the last of his toast, he took a deep breath and headed out the door.
*
On the patio…12:30
Major Charles looked up guiltily, as Jarod came out the sliding glass door and headed his way.
“Hand me those matches, would you, Son?”
“Sure,” he said with a slight smile.
“Jarod, I’m sorry. I know you need your privacy, but when you didn’t answer…”
“Never mind, Dad. Just forget about it. I really can’t blame you, considering how out of it I’ve been the last few days. I just want you to understand that it won’t be necessary to watch me so closely any more. I really am better now; the only reason I was acting out before was because I had been drugged.”
“I know, Son, I should have realized that. Look, I promise not to barge into your room anymore.”
***
“How about something cold to drink?” Margaret asked, as she came onto the patio carrying a pitcher filled with tea, orange and lemon slices, with a generous amount of sugar.
“This is interesting. You take brewed tea and combine it with various citrus fruits and sprigs of mint, making it visually exciting; does it boost the nutritional value as well?” Jarod asked totally intrigued, taking it from his mom and studying it before setting it down.
“I’m not really sure about that, but I’ve always made it that way, Jarod,” she said, struck by the naiveté of his question, reminiscent of the ones he’d asked as a child. “Emily why don’t you set those glasses down right here and pour everyone a drink. Gemini, would you set those dishes around the table? I’ll do the rest. How’s that charcoal coming, John? Should I bring out the hamburgers patties now?”
“Not yet, Sugar. Why don’t you grab a couple of drinks and come over here and sit down,” he said in a playful voice, patting the seat beside him and giving her a wink.
Jarod could feel the tension draining away, as he finally starting to unwind and enjoy himself. He was finding it hard to take his eyes off his mother, watching her every move almost like a child.
“Jarod, oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Here, let me pour you some tea,” Emily said, with a gentle smile, intrigued with her new brother.
“Thank you, Em,” he said, taking in every feature on her face, as if he needed to memorize her appearance before she disappeared. “Would you like to sit down. I want to know everything about you,” he said warmly, with an unmistakable look of love in his eyes.
“I do, too. Wait a minute, I’ll be right back. There’s a tray of appetizers in the kitchen I want to bring out. At the rate Dad is going, we’re going to need a snack to tide us over until lunch,” she whispered conspiratorially, before quickly disappearing into the house.
*
a few minutes later…
“Hi, folks. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by without notice, but I’m having a little trouble with my cell phone,” Agent Bailey said, as he held the door open for Emily, before stepping onto the patio.
“ Major Charles, is there anything I can do for you all, before I head back to Atlanta?”
“Thank you, but you’ve already done more than enough. There’re no words that can express my gratitude for helping reunite my family,” he said emotionally, firmly shaking his hand. “I’ll never be able to repay you for this.”
“It was a privilege and an honor, Sir. I hope you don’t mind, I’m having a computer and the peripherals set up in your den. It was supposed to have installed yesterday, but they couldn’t get to it on such short notice. It’s a gift from our task force unit in Atlanta,” he said, glancing around, quickly spotting the pretender. “Jarod, here’s a little something for you,” he said, as he handed him a large envelope."
“Mr. Lyle,” Jarod said, with amusement, pulling out several mug shots of his former adversary and a final report on the sting operation. “Well, he finally got assigned his numbers. Hmm, he doesn’t look very happy to me,” he said, really enjoying himself.
Recognizing the name, his mom stepped up behind him, to look at the monster who had tormented his son.
“I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that one any more, Jarod. He hasn’t got a chance in hell of ever seeing the light of day again. Neither do the rest of them. By the way, your doctor requested the Centre surveillance DSA from yesterday, I hope you don’t mind,” he said, thinking he saw a hint of anger flicker across his face then suddenly disappear. Oh and, here’s a list of telephone numbers you’ll probably be needing.”
“Won’t you stay for lunch, Agent? There’s plenty of everything to go around,” Margaret asked, hoping he’d stick around a little longer, so they could properly thank him.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I have a plane to catch in 20 minutes, or I would. Jarod, I plan to be back early next week; I’ll give you a call then. I have a proposition to go over with you concerning a little research on the Gemini III participants that you might find very appealing, if you feel up to it. Well, I need to get going. I hope you can relax and enjoy yourselves, this whole island is a secured intelligence base. You have nothing to worry about. No one can touch you here.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Major Charles said pointedly, angered that the Agent had the audacity to offer his son a part in another sting operation after all he’d been through.
Jarod picked up immediately on what was going on and smiled to himself, knowing it’d probably do his dad good to blow off a little steam. Besides, after just becoming engaged to Parker and being united with his family, he planned on being on vacation for a long time.
*
1:18 PM
“Anyone want another hamburger? I’ve got three left on the grill?” Major Charles asked, as everyone groaned and shook their heads no.
“Dad, remember the conversation we had on the plane last night, just before we landed?“ Jarod asked anxiously, hoping he had hadn’t changed his mind.
“I sure do, son, why don’t you go ahead and do that now,” he said, relieved to see his son acting so remarkably well.
“Mom, “ Jarod said, gently taking her hands and glancing at his sister and the others. “Eight days ago, I became engaged to my childhood sweetheart, Andrea Marie Parker, the one I grew up with at the Centre. I was hoping to introduce her to you tonight, if that would be all right,” he said, the slight trembling in his hands betraying his apprehension.
Margaret studied her son for a moment, pondering the look that had come over him the moment he had mentioned her name. “You really love her, don’t you, Jarod. I can see it in your eyes,” she said, her own eyes misting up. “I’m so happy for you,” she said, drawing her nervous son into a loving embrace. “I can’t wait to meet the woman, who stole your heart,” she said, with a reassuring smile, as everyone else joined in, voicing their congratulations.
“Isn’t this wonderful, John. You sure know how to keep a secret,” she said, thinking it odd that he seemed as relieved with her reaction as Jarod was.
“Not bad, big brother,” Gemini said with grin, glancing over at his smiling dad, wondering how the heck he had managed to pull that one off.
“Ok, now that that’s over with, what do you say we figure out my new name?”
“What do you mean, Gemini?” Emily asked, realizing how strange his name was.
“Gemini, was my Centre/subject name. I want a normal one like everyone else,” he said with a sly smile, looking over his panel of experts. “Dad suggested that I wait until you got here, before anything was decided,” he said, looking shyly over at his new mom.
“Do you have one you like, Gemini?” Margaret asked lovingly, hating what the Centre had put the child through.
“How about Michael. I really like that one,” he said tentatively, feeling at odds with his new found freedom of choice.
“That’s a perfect name for you. You have very good taste. Don’t you agree John? “ she said getting a nod. “Michael it is.”
“Hi, Michael, glad to meet you,” Jarod said, giving him a high five. “Come on; I saw some ice cream in the freezer. Let’s have a celebration, then we can go for a swim. You too, Em. I can’t wait to get down on the beach. Mom, Dad?”
“You kids go ahead. That will give us a chance to get reacquainted,” Major Charles said, eyeing his wife with deep affection. “Won’t it sweetheart?”
In the previous chapter…
Out front of Major Charles cabana
10:42 AM
Looking around and suddenly realizing Jarod was no where to be seen, she turned back to her husband with a panic stricken look on her face.
“John! Where’s Jarod? Oh, no, where is he?” she asked becoming hysterical, as he quickly trained her face on his, with his massive hands.
“Calm down, Margaret. He’s right inside,” he said, hating seeing her so upset. “He, um, had a pretty restless night; He’s still asleep in bed.”
*
Not waiting for further explanation, Margaret quickly headed for the Cabana and disappeared through the door.
Once inside, she looked through every door quietly searching for her son. Right when she opened his bedroom door getting her first glimpse of his sleeping form, her husband caught up with her and stopped her from going in.
“John, what are you doing?” she whispered harshly. “What’s wrong?”
“I just want to prepare you first. I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, but Jarod’s had some horrible things done to…”
“Dad, I thought I heard voices outside. Are mom and Emily here?” Jarod asked, groggily, stepping out in the hallway in his T-shirt and boxer shorts, coming face to face with his mom.
Part 35
by jojarod50
“Mom?” was all Jarod managed, before Margaret had her arms wrapped around him. Her elated smile disappeared, as she completely broke down releasing the tears of grief and anguish she had carried for so many years.
“Shhhh, shhhh, it’s ok Mom,” Jarod whispered, failing to hold back his own tears. Closing his eyes, he just stood there, completely enthralled, finally knowing what it was like to be in his mother’s arms. Her touch triggered a barrage of fragmented memories of his early childhood, causing his mind to shift for a moment, chaotically between the present and the past.
Major Charles stood silently beside them, tears mingled with sadness and relief, as he watched his wife holding their child, who had been taken from them so long ago.
“Jarod, I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?” he asked in confusion.
“I’m the one who took you for testing at the Nugenesis Fam…”
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Jarod asked, very gently pulling her back so he could see her tormented face. “What happened to me wasn’t your fault. There’s no way either of you could have known, who you had inadvertently become involved with,” he said firmly, looking lovingly into her blue eyes, brokenhearted that she had endured so much pain.
“You were my life-line after my escape. The hope of finding you was the only thing that kept me from giving up, no matter how bad things got,” he whispered softly, holding his mother gently in his arms. “We’re together now. I want you to be happy,” Jarod said, looking helplessly to his dad, who just shrugged his shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile.
“Margaret, you must be tired after your long trip. Why don’t we go into the living room and let…”
“Jarod? You look like you haven’t slept for weeks,” she said worriedly, studying his face and realizing he was far, far too thin. “Have you been ill?” she asked lovingly, placing her hand on his forehead, as he closed his eyes in embarrassment.
“Mom, it’s all right,” he said with a nervous chuckle, slightly confused by her question. “I’m much better now,” he said reassuringly, smiling as he gathered her hands in his, giving them a light kiss.
Flinching, Jarod instinctively started to pull away, realizing she was staring at his wrists, but she wouldn’t let him go. Holding his hands firmly, she carefully inspected his deep scars, finding the stitches toward the inside of each one.
“Who did this to you?” Margaret asked, with a devastated look on her face.
“Never mind, Mom, all of us have deep emotional scars. Some of mine are just more visible than yours.” he managed, beginning to tremble as he quickly removed his hands from her sight. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I probably should keep those covered up,” he said, hiding his bewilderment, realizing she had no idea what had happened to him.
“Nonsense, Jarod, you’re my child,” she said hurriedly, sensing that whatever had happened to him was so traumatic, that even talking about it made him feel deeply distressed. “Don’t you ever worry about upsetting me.”
Despite the way his mom seemed to brighten up, Jarod’s heart sank, stricken that his worse case scenario was coming true. He wished he could have done something, anything, to avoid his mother seeing him like this. All the years he had imagined this day, it had never occurred to him, that he would cause her further pain.
“There you are. I was wondering where you went,” Gemini said excitedly, finding this family thing totally intriguing.
“Jarod, my goodness, is that you?” Emily asked excitedly, stepping up to her brother, who had been too preoccupied to realize he was standing there in his boxer shorts.
“Emily?” Jarod asked hesitantly, hoping she wasn’t going to react like his mother had.
“Oh, Jarod,” she said, tenderly wrapping her arms around him, as he reciprocated, giving her a tearful hug. “You look really tired; are you all right?”
Jarod winced at her reaction, but rebounded quickly, deliberately shoving aside his wounded pride. “Happy, I’m finally happy,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut, fighting to reign in his overwhelming emotions.
After a moment, Jarod pulled his sister back a little to take a good look at her, at a loss for words. Drawing her into another hug, it was hard for the pretender to believe this wasn’t all just a dream. “We’re finally a family now,” Jarod managed, needing to hear the words himself. “No one’s ever going to tear us apart again; I promise.”
“We have so much to talk about. Um, tell me everything: how was your trip; what have you been doing; how did you keep from getting captured by the Centre?” he asked excitedly, looking from his mom back to his sister.
“Jarod,” Emily said with laughing eyes, “don’t you think you better get dressed first.”
Jarod followed her eyes down to his shorts in complete embarrassment. “Ah, I’ll be right back.”
***
John and Margaret’s bedroom
5 minutes later…
“Can’t this wait until later, Margaret? Major Charles asked, finding it difficult to meet her eyes.
“No, John. Apparently, you’ve already waited too long. I don’t want to humiliate Jarod like I did a moment ago ever again. How will I ever be able to understand my son, unless you tell me what happened to him?”
There was a long pause, before her husband relented and began to speak
*
“When we were rescuing Gemini, Jarod…didn’t make it to the plane in time. He was taken back to the Centre,” he said in a trembling voice, forcing himself to go on. "They, um, did everything they could to…get him to tell them where we had gone,” he said, closing his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to see the look on his wife’s face. “They…tortured him and gave him drugs that had a devastating effect on him.”
Margaret closed her eyes in anguish, trying to come to grips with what she had just heard.
“Go on, John. I need to know,” Margaret said quietly, taking his trembling hand in hers.
“Sometime after Jarod’s former mentor, Sydney, rescued him, I came across them in Kansas,” he said, briefly meeting his wife’s eyes then looking away,” at Menningers Psychiatric Hospital.”
“Dear Lord, John,” she whispered, immediately realizing what he was getting at.
“What was done to Jarod caused him severe psychological problems. He’s… just now getting back on his feet.”
“What did they do to my son?”
“Margaret, you don’t want to know. It would haunt you the rest of your life,” her husband urged, suddenly leaving the couch and stepping over to the bedroom window. Glancing through the curtain, he scanned the beach until his eyes fell upon Gemini and his daughter, who had gone for a short walk.
“This is my son, we’re talking about,” Margaret said, placing her hand on her distraught husband’s shoulder. “John, I have a right to know. I’m much stronger now. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
***
Jarod’s bedroom (just down the hallway)
11:15 AM
Dropping the last of his socks he’d hurriedly unpacked on the floor, Jarod grabbed the nearest chair as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Easing himself down into the seat, he skillfully slowed his rapid breathing, refusing to acknowledge that he was on the verge of having an acute anxiety attack on the happiest day of his life.
His mom’s and Emily’s initial reaction to him had upset him far more than he wanted to admit to himself. Shaking his head, he broke into a wane smile, realizing that humility still wasn’t one of his fortes.
Eager to get back to his new family, the pretender made his way to the chest-of-drawers, rationalizing his symptoms away. Selecting his only clothes, he made a mental note to pick up some long sleeved shirts for his mother’s sake.
Glancing at her picture on the night stand beside his bed, he broke into a huge smile and hurried off to the shower.
***
John and Margaret’s bedroom some time later…
“After the sweepers took us down at the farm house, all of us except Gemini, were held prisoner at the Centre.”
“Sweetheart, did they hurt you, too?” she asked, turning to face him with tears in her eyes.”
“Oh, they just roughed me up a bit. Jarod’s the one who suffered the most,” he said, not wanting to overwhelm her with how he’d been shot and severely beaten. “They threatened my life to coerce him into working on a new cloning project. The night before we were rescued, the man who had tortured our son… “ Unable to say anymore, he broke down into tears.
“Sweetheart, I know this is difficult for you, but you can’t keep it bottled up inside you. Please, John, I don’t want you to hold anything back?”
“He…he slit Jarod’s wrists, trying to make it look like a suicide. Our son almost died.”
“That’s why Jarod looks so anemic and has stitches on his wrists,” she said quietly, as her husband paused for a moment, to regain his composure before going on.
“Last Friday in the night the Feds pulled us out and all the Centre operatives were placed under arrest except Lyle who managed to slip through the cracks. Agent Meisser…what the heck was that?”
***
Moments later, just down the hall way…
“Jarod, what’s going on in there? Answer me,” the Major yelled, knocking on the door. After continuing to knock with no response, his dad tried to open the door. Having to restrain Jarod to stop him from crashing though his 6-story bedroom window Tuesday night, made the urgency of checking on him now unbearably real.
Trying not to collapse again, Jarod quickly slipped on his jeans and made his way to the door just as his dad opened it up.
“What’s wrong? I could hear you knocking from the other room,” their son said innocently, trying to catch his breath.
“We heard a loud crash and what sounded like shattering glass coming from this direction and were afraid you’d had an accident,” his mother said, immediately noticing his strange rapid breathing, profuse sweating, and how all the color had drained out of his face.”
“Oh, that. I guess I got in too big of a hurry. I tripped and dropped my water glass in the sink, that’s all. I’ll have to remember to slow down next time I meet my mother and sister for the first time,” he said with a grin, pulling the towel on his shoulder further down to cover the scars on his left side. “Just let me finished getting dressed and we can have a long talk,” he said brightly, looking confidently from one concerned parent to the other, hoping to allay their fears.
“Sure, Jarod. I guess we’re just a little jumpy with the strange place and everything that’s been going on,” his dad said, giving him a wary look.
“By the way, I was going to cook some hamburgers on the grill in a little bit. You wouldn’t believe the way they stocked the kitchen. Go ahead and take your time; the coals won’t be ready for about 20 minutes,” his dad said, steering his wife away from the door.
*
Jarod softly closed the door and padded his way to his bed to lay down. He was fully aware that he would be extremely vulnerable to anxiety attacks when under unusual stress for a while and that he would have to learn to take it in stride. But knowing that didn’t make it any less humiliating. Stretching out on the bed while he regained his strength, he decided to check up on Parker, before the day got a way from him.
*
“Parker? You sound like you just woke up. We’re in the same time-zone as before, you know,” he teased, feeling more relaxed at the sound of her voice.
“Jarod, you sound pretty lively for a man who could probably sleep for a week straight. What are you trying for, complete sleep deprivation?” she countered, hearing the exhaustion in his voice.
“I’m not planing on it. Actually, my mom and Emily are here,” he said, barely able to contain his excitement.
“Jarod, I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, it’s still really hard to believe. I thought you might want to come over and meet them tonight. Then maybe you and I could break away and find something more interesting to do,” he said, in a low seductive voice.
“Mmm, what did you have in mind?”
“We’ll just have to play it by ear,” he offered, breathing heavily into the phone. I’ll give you a call back this afternoon to tell you what time, if that’s alright with you.”
“I’ll put some Dr. Pepper on ice, Jarod.”
*
Jarod hung up the phone and quickly made it to his feet, startled by the unexpected tapping at the door. Spinning around, he was just in time to see his father coming into his room.
“Jarod, I don’t mean to keep bothering you, but I forgot to tell you something. Sydney called earlier, wanting to arrange a time to meet with you briefly this afternoon. Jarod, is something wrong?”
“No, I just had a rough day yesterday, remember? Dad,…look, I wish you’d wait until I open the door, before you come in here,” Jarod said with mild aggravation.
“I’m sorry, son, I wasn’t thinking. Are you sure you’re all right? Your coloring’s not very good.”
“I appreciate your concern, Dad, but I’d rather you didn’t worry about me so much. Seeing the way Mom looked at me when we met, was enough concern to last me a life time,” he said, purposefully turning away. “Now, if you don’t mind…”
“Parents are always concerned about their children. It just comes with the territory. Jarod, I’m really sorry. I should have told your mother about what you’ve been though ahead of time, but that’s been taken care of now. Son, we both adore you; we’re family now; just give things a little time to work. Everything is going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
“John, what are you doing in here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Margaret said, peeking in the doorway. “I thought we agreed you were going to leave Jarod alone. I’m sorry, Jarod, your father means well,” she said, trying to smooth things over. “Come on John, you need to get that charcoal going, before everyone starves to death.”
*
Jarod stared at the door as it closed, feeling like his bedroom had become Grand Central Station. So much had happened since he had awakened, that his head was spinning trying to keep up.
Feeling slightly nauseous, he headed to the kitchen for a little snack. He hoped this day wasn’t going to have any more unsettling surprises. Physically and psychologically he had been stretched to the limits and knew he wouldn’t be equipped to deal with anymore craziness for a while.
*
Patio out back of their Cabana
“John, you’re going to have to get a hold of yourself. I’ve never seen you rattled like this; you’re a complete nervous wreck,” Margaret said worriedly, as she watched him fumbled with the bag of charcoal, dropping a few briquettes on the cement.
“I know, it’s just that Jarod...”
“Honey, you’re over reacting. Besides being very nervous, he seems just fine to me. Maybe we need to give him some space so he can adjust to his new family.”
“One thing’s for certain, you just can’t keep going into his bedroom every 5 minutes to check on him; especially when his door is closed. For heaven’s sake, John, he’s a grown man.”
“Way to go, Dad,” Emily said, as she and Gemini stepped onto the patio, catching the very last part of the conversation. “You better not try anything like that with me,” she teased, putting her arms around her neck and giving him a big hug.
Gemini lined his shells up on the sea wall, listening carefully to the conversation, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Emily, could you and Gemini help me bring some things out to set the table for lunch? I thought it would be fun to eat outside. The view is simply breathtaking. Do you like hamburgers, Gemini?”
“Yes ma’am. They’re a lot better than wheat grass and tomato juice,” he said, noticing her strange reaction, as he followed them into the cabana.
*
“Hi, Jarod. Why don’t you help your dad with the fire. We’ll bring out some ice tea in a minute,” Margaret suggested with a relaxed smile, relieved to see her son’s coloring had returned.
“Ok,” Jarod said, eyeing his mom curiously, wondering if that was her way of having him make up with his dad.
Downing the last of his toast, he took a deep breath and headed out the door.
*
On the patio…12:30
Major Charles looked up guiltily, as Jarod came out the sliding glass door and headed his way.
“Hand me those matches, would you, Son?”
“Sure,” he said with a slight smile.
“Jarod, I’m sorry. I know you need your privacy, but when you didn’t answer…”
“Never mind, Dad. Just forget about it. I really can’t blame you, considering how out of it I’ve been the last few days. I just want you to understand that it won’t be necessary to watch me so closely any more. I really am better now; the only reason I was acting out before was because I had been drugged.”
“I know, Son, I should have realized that. Look, I promise not to barge into your room anymore.”
***
“How about something cold to drink?” Margaret asked, as she came onto the patio carrying a pitcher filled with tea, orange and lemon slices, with a generous amount of sugar.
“This is interesting. You take brewed tea and combine it with various citrus fruits and sprigs of mint, making it visually exciting; does it boost the nutritional value as well?” Jarod asked totally intrigued, taking it from his mom and studying it before setting it down.
“I’m not really sure about that, but I’ve always made it that way, Jarod,” she said, struck by the naiveté of his question, reminiscent of the ones he’d asked as a child. “Emily why don’t you set those glasses down right here and pour everyone a drink. Gemini, would you set those dishes around the table? I’ll do the rest. How’s that charcoal coming, John? Should I bring out the hamburgers patties now?”
“Not yet, Sugar. Why don’t you grab a couple of drinks and come over here and sit down,” he said in a playful voice, patting the seat beside him and giving her a wink.
Jarod could feel the tension draining away, as he finally starting to unwind and enjoy himself. He was finding it hard to take his eyes off his mother, watching her every move almost like a child.
“Jarod, oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Here, let me pour you some tea,” Emily said, with a gentle smile, intrigued with her new brother.
“Thank you, Em,” he said, taking in every feature on her face, as if he needed to memorize her appearance before she disappeared. “Would you like to sit down. I want to know everything about you,” he said warmly, with an unmistakable look of love in his eyes.
“I do, too. Wait a minute, I’ll be right back. There’s a tray of appetizers in the kitchen I want to bring out. At the rate Dad is going, we’re going to need a snack to tide us over until lunch,” she whispered conspiratorially, before quickly disappearing into the house.
*
a few minutes later…
“Hi, folks. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by without notice, but I’m having a little trouble with my cell phone,” Agent Bailey said, as he held the door open for Emily, before stepping onto the patio.
“ Major Charles, is there anything I can do for you all, before I head back to Atlanta?”
“Thank you, but you’ve already done more than enough. There’re no words that can express my gratitude for helping reunite my family,” he said emotionally, firmly shaking his hand. “I’ll never be able to repay you for this.”
“It was a privilege and an honor, Sir. I hope you don’t mind, I’m having a computer and the peripherals set up in your den. It was supposed to have installed yesterday, but they couldn’t get to it on such short notice. It’s a gift from our task force unit in Atlanta,” he said, glancing around, quickly spotting the pretender. “Jarod, here’s a little something for you,” he said, as he handed him a large envelope."
“Mr. Lyle,” Jarod said, with amusement, pulling out several mug shots of his former adversary and a final report on the sting operation. “Well, he finally got assigned his numbers. Hmm, he doesn’t look very happy to me,” he said, really enjoying himself.
Recognizing the name, his mom stepped up behind him, to look at the monster who had tormented his son.
“I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that one any more, Jarod. He hasn’t got a chance in hell of ever seeing the light of day again. Neither do the rest of them. By the way, your doctor requested the Centre surveillance DSA from yesterday, I hope you don’t mind,” he said, thinking he saw a hint of anger flicker across his face then suddenly disappear. Oh and, here’s a list of telephone numbers you’ll probably be needing.”
“Won’t you stay for lunch, Agent? There’s plenty of everything to go around,” Margaret asked, hoping he’d stick around a little longer, so they could properly thank him.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I have a plane to catch in 20 minutes, or I would. Jarod, I plan to be back early next week; I’ll give you a call then. I have a proposition to go over with you concerning a little research on the Gemini III participants that you might find very appealing, if you feel up to it. Well, I need to get going. I hope you can relax and enjoy yourselves, this whole island is a secured intelligence base. You have nothing to worry about. No one can touch you here.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Major Charles said pointedly, angered that the Agent had the audacity to offer his son a part in another sting operation after all he’d been through.
Jarod picked up immediately on what was going on and smiled to himself, knowing it’d probably do his dad good to blow off a little steam. Besides, after just becoming engaged to Parker and being united with his family, he planned on being on vacation for a long time.
*
1:18 PM
“Anyone want another hamburger? I’ve got three left on the grill?” Major Charles asked, as everyone groaned and shook their heads no.
“Dad, remember the conversation we had on the plane last night, just before we landed?“ Jarod asked anxiously, hoping he had hadn’t changed his mind.
“I sure do, son, why don’t you go ahead and do that now,” he said, relieved to see his son acting so remarkably well.
“Mom, “ Jarod said, gently taking her hands and glancing at his sister and the others. “Eight days ago, I became engaged to my childhood sweetheart, Andrea Marie Parker, the one I grew up with at the Centre. I was hoping to introduce her to you tonight, if that would be all right,” he said, the slight trembling in his hands betraying his apprehension.
Margaret studied her son for a moment, pondering the look that had come over him the moment he had mentioned her name. “You really love her, don’t you, Jarod. I can see it in your eyes,” she said, her own eyes misting up. “I’m so happy for you,” she said, drawing her nervous son into a loving embrace. “I can’t wait to meet the woman, who stole your heart,” she said, with a reassuring smile, as everyone else joined in, voicing their congratulations.
“Isn’t this wonderful, John. You sure know how to keep a secret,” she said, thinking it odd that he seemed as relieved with her reaction as Jarod was.
“Not bad, big brother,” Gemini said with grin, glancing over at his smiling dad, wondering how the heck he had managed to pull that one off.
“Ok, now that that’s over with, what do you say we figure out my new name?”
“What do you mean, Gemini?” Emily asked, realizing how strange his name was.
“Gemini, was my Centre/subject name. I want a normal one like everyone else,” he said with a sly smile, looking over his panel of experts. “Dad suggested that I wait until you got here, before anything was decided,” he said, looking shyly over at his new mom.
“Do you have one you like, Gemini?” Margaret asked lovingly, hating what the Centre had put the child through.
“How about Michael. I really like that one,” he said tentatively, feeling at odds with his new found freedom of choice.
“That’s a perfect name for you. You have very good taste. Don’t you agree John? “ she said getting a nod. “Michael it is.”
“Hi, Michael, glad to meet you,” Jarod said, giving him a high five. “Come on; I saw some ice cream in the freezer. Let’s have a celebration, then we can go for a swim. You too, Em. I can’t wait to get down on the beach. Mom, Dad?”
“You kids go ahead. That will give us a chance to get reacquainted,” Major Charles said, eyeing his wife with deep affection. “Won’t it sweetheart?”
