I'll Be Seeing You Through Time (The Dimension Keepers) (4 page)

“My ship was hit by a torpedo.”

“Yes, and your body was never found. That was on record.” Hadley sat on the floor and crossed his legs. “I hoped that somehow the you in that other time just faded… before the incident and that’s why you were listed as missing.”

“I drowned. Jesus, I felt the water in my lungs,” Glenn said, his voice bleak as he rubbed his chest. “I died along with all of my friends and shipmates.”

“Did you know Frank Barclay?”

“Yeah, I knew him.”

“He survived. He was picked up by a Japanese Navy ship and held prisoner, but when he was released, he was quoted in the transcripts of what happened that day. You saved his life.”

Glenn sat back and said more to himself than Hadley, “The man I put my life vest on.”

“He was on record for saying that you dragged him to some debris to keep him from drowning.”

“I thought they were all going to die.”

“They didn’t. About fifty survived.”

“But I didn’t and many of my friends didn’t.”

Hadley nodded his head. “It was war. Men have died for thousands of years through hundreds of wars. The man to the right dies, but the man on the left lives.”

“It’s not fair that I survived, and I’m here, now.”

“You are a traveler; you are meant to be in this century.”

“How do you know? That I wasn’t supposed to be back there with the other men?”

Hadley watched him for a long moment. “Because you’re here. You would not have been able to come through the bend in time if it was not meant to be. You would have gone into the bookstore and purchased
Call of the Wild
and left. But you didn’t. You came through the portal, so the Ancients had already decided that
this
is your century.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “It makes no sense.”

“If you feel that you are all right, I’ll leave you. I think I have done enough damage for one night.”

“You truly didn’t know what was going to happen to me, did you?”

Hadley shook his head. “No. I would never have put you through that. And again, for that I am very sorry.”

Chapter Five

1942

Jewel took the stack of black and white 8x10’s and slid them into the cardboard folders. She hummed to a tune on the radio and tapped her foot.

The phone jingled on its receiver and Brenda answered, “Mountback Photography, can I help you?” She paused and then said, “Sure, hold on, I’ll get her.” Brenda held the phone out. “Jewel, it’s for you.”

Jewel laid her work to the side and stood up from the wooden stool, and held the receiver to her ear. “Hello?”

“Jewel, this is Mrs. Miller.”

A client? There were a few Mrs. Millers. “Yes, Mrs. Miller. I believe we have your order, it’s…”

“No, Jewel. This is Mrs. Miller. Glenn’s mother. I doubted they would notify you directly… and well, I hate to do this over the phone, but you are a long way from us and you needed to know…” The woman’s voice cracked. “The telegraph came today… it said that my boy is dead.”

Jewel clenched the phone so tight her hand went numb. There must be another son.
Did Glenn have a brother?
Her mind raced. “Your boy?”

“Glenn… I am talking about Glenn.
Oh God
…” The woman was crying. “He’s gone. His ship was torpedoed and went down. He was among the missing. Lost at sea.”

“But lost at sea means just that… he’s lost, until someone finds him.”

“No honey,” his mother said. “There are no more survivors. He’s gone.”

Jewel paused for a long moment before saying, “I see…thank… you, Mrs. Miller, for calling. I have your re-order. It just came back from the printer. I will mail it out this afternoon. Thanks again for calling…goodbye.” She set the phone on the cradle. Picking up the package, she walked to the lunchroom and put on her coat. Brenda started to say something but she didn’t hear it because she was already out the door.

Numb, Jewel walked to the post office. She watched the man weigh the package and then handed him the money for the parcel. She didn’t wait for the change. When she came back outside, the sun was bright. Too bright. It hurt her eyes.

When she reached the boarding house she stood at the door to her room and didn’t know how she got there. She reached into her pocket for the key. Her finger touched something furry. No, she couldn’t think about that for another moment. Shoving open the door, she shut it behind her, locked it, and then moved to the drapes to pull them closed.

Jewel kicked off her shoes in the closet, took off her dress and hung it next to the other two. She started to slide the straps of her slip off her shoulders, but it seemed like too much work. Unsteady, she moved into the back to the door and reached for her coat. Sliding her hand in the pocket, she found the rabbit foot. The last night she saw Glenn, he must have slid it into her pocket without her knowing. She’d only found it when she’d worn the coat again.

She stared at it. “It was his, not mine. It was his lucky rabbit foot,” she whispered. “Why did he give it to me?” She blinked back tears. “He needed it. Why didn’t he keep…”

Clenching it tight in her hand, she moved to the bed and sat on the edge. She stared at the small furry foot for hours. Night came and the room grew dark. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. Exhaustion finally overtook her. There were no more tears left… at least until tomorrow.

Somewhere in-between

Jewel rolled to her side and warm arms embraced her. She snuggled deeper.

“Don’t cry, it will be all right.”

“Glenn… but you’re…”

“Hush, I’m here.” He pulled back and gently kissed her mouth. “Why did I say no that last night together?”

She smiled up at him. “I’m not sure.”

“Sometimes you shouldn’t listen to your brain and listen to your heart instead.”

One more kiss from those rugged lips and she was his. Who was she kidding? She was already his.

Always his.

Once again his lips brushed hers. He scooped her tighter and kissed her cheek, her jaw, and her eyebrow. “You’re so beautiful and I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered.

The kiss grew heated. She’d be damned if she was going to let him slip away this time. She broke away and stood. With what she hoped was a seductive smile, she slipped her slip’s strap off one shoulder and then the other, then stepped out of the garment. But Glenn didn’t seem to notice, he was staring at her lace-covered breasts.

He stood. Jewel helped him remove his clothes and then hers until they faced each other, naked.

Her hands tingled with the need to touch him. She ran her hands up his bared chest and felt the muscles jump from her caress. He had an amazing body. Muscled stomach, broad shoulders and just enough dark chest hair to run her fingers through. Jewel’s nails grazed his ribcage and he hissed in a breath through his mouth.

He led her to the bed and pulled her across his lap. Her hair dropped over her eye as her bare buttocks slid across him. She breathed in the taste of him. Glenn’s hand moved across her shoulder, down her arm, and cupped her breast. He thumbed the nipple.

Jewel closed her eyes and let her head drop. She should be nervous, but this was all so perfect. The way it should be. His lips closed over the bud of her breast and she sighed.

Everywhere he kissed, he nipped with his teeth, a sign of possession, showing her she was his.

He slid her off his lap and pressed her back onto the bed. Where am I? She suddenly wondered as she took a second to look at the room. The beige walls were smooth with white drapes covering the large windows. She didn’t recognize the room, but it didn’t matter.

She pulled him down on her.

The look on his face was filled with love. She shifted and a flood of sensation filled her body. He began to move against her, rocking, his hard shaft at her entrance.

“I want you inside me,” she whispered.

“I’m here…”

Chapter Six

The dream ended abruptly.
Dammit.
When Glenn opened his eyes, he swore he could smell Jewel’s perfume,
Skylark.
She would kid him that it was the only ‘girly’ thing she liked. He bought her a bottle a few weeks ago…
hell
.

Time was no longer relevant. Two weeks. Two decades. Two centuries. Nothing was in a straight line and his mind was a jumbled mess.

He laid his arm over his eyes to block out the morning light and pulled in a centering breath. It was definitely
Skylark
. It hung in the air and wafted to his nostrils like a powder lilting fragrance. Okay, he’d officially lost his mind. No one else smelled like Jewel. God… no one
felt
like Jewel. The dream ended before they…well, had finished the deed, but Glenn still felt the softness of her against his bare skin. The sigh she made when he tasted her breast. He was still hard as stone with the lingering feel of her fingers.

His heart ached from the loss of his life—in more ways than one. Glenn’s chest still felt stretched from the water he’d imagined or really had inhaled. He rubbed a hand over his ribcage and sat up.

After a shower, Glenn felt shocked that he actually figured out how to make the coffee machine run. He was determined not to give up until he got some rich, dark brew. Water had to go in one place, the grounds in another and coffee came out somewhere else. It wasn’t damn brain surgery. Ten minutes later, the pot was full and he poured a true cup of victory.

There was a knock on the front door as he finished clearing the counter of grounds. He opened it to find Sam.

“Hadley ran to the corner store for some orange juice. Pregnant ladies and their demands.” She laughed. “I sent him out for salted caramel ice cream the other night. He had to go to four stores and was gone for hours… poor guy.”

Glenn saw grease on the bag, and asked, “What’s in the sack? I hope it’s something to eat.”

“Doughnuts. Maple’s my favorite and I hope you like them too. Hadley got a few chocolate ones just in case.” She laid a hand on his arm and dropped her voice, “I wanted to talk to you before Hadley came back. He really feels terrible about what happened yesterday. I know you barely know the two of us, but please, you have my word, Hadley would never hurt a soul. He’s the best man I’ve ever met.” She smiled and patted her stomach. “I can’t lie… the baby would know, and what kind of parent would that make me?”

“I’m not mad.” From the sincere tone of her voice, he knew she told the truth. He’d already made his mind up that he wouldn’t be upset. He’d believed Hadley before. “Did you say there are maple bars?”

“Here you go.” Sam handed him the bag. “Between the ice cream and the charts and grafts he’s working on, he hasn’t gotten a solid night’s sleep for weeks.”

When Hadley arrived, Glenn let him in. Hadley passed Sam the orange juice and asked if he could pour himself coffee.

Glenn sat at the kitchen table and crossed his legs at the ankle. “Sam mentioned charts and grafts? Do they have anything to do with the bookstore?”

“If I know where it will be next, and if it’s close enough for travel, then I can be there to guide the ones who come through the portal.”

“But you knew when I was coming through. How did that happen?” Glenn asked.

“It was a fluke that I found the bookstore the night you arrived. I need to find the correlation to establish a more permanent pattern.” Removing a folder from his satchel, he spread the sheets on the table. “We have acquired the information from various research facilities. What I am looking for - in the data is
ferromagnetism
.
Ferromagnetism
is…”

Glenn finished his sentence, “A physical phenomenon in which certain electrically uncharged materials strongly attract others. It can be found in nature, lodestone and iron. They’re often called natural ferromagnets.”

“Since they were discovered 2,000 years ago, I believe this is what the Ancients used for transportation. Every day we use ferromagnetic materials in a wide variety of devices like electric motors, telephones, and loudspeakers.”

“I studied ferromagnetism in college,” Glenn said.

“That’s good. Maybe you can help me attain a deeper grasp of knowledge on the subject.” Hadley tapped the pages with the tip of his index finger. “In these data sheets, I’m looking for a large spike in the ferromagnetic fields. I believe that this will mark where the bookstore will arrive next.” He paused and looked at Glenn. “I only wish to help travelers, and to make their journeys smooth. If we know where the bookstore may be, we can guide them in their transition.”

“Would you like me to take a look at the data?” Glenn asked.

“I’m sure you have more pressing things to attend to.”

Glenn smiled and shrugged a shoulder. “Well, I figured out how to use the coffee machine, so it looks like the rest of my day is free. You know, I am…
was
one of the quartermasters on my ship. I attended college to learn how to read navigation charts, maps, and data.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Please. I could really use something to do. I need to feel as though I can somehow fit into this century and not just be a block of wood dropped here out of the sky.”

“I understand.” Hadley watched Sam go out to the kitchen before he asked, “How are you doing today?”

“Okay… I guess.” Glenn shrugged. “I dreamed of my fiancée Jewel last night. It was very real. I swore she was there.”

“I know how difficult it must be for you. We greatly miss the people we leave behind. If working on the data can help you adjust, I would be honored to have your help.”

“Thanks. Leave the file and I’ll look over it. Can you show me an example of a past chart so I can see what type of data I’m looking for?”

Hadley lifted another folder and pointed to the highlighted area.

“Okay, I used to be pretty good at reading maps… oh, seventy years ago or so,” Glenn said, as he looked over the sheets.

“I have no doubt.”

****

1942

The next day, Jewel went to the recruiter’s office and joined the Marines. The following week she attended basic training. She didn’t mind the slang names of
Marinettes
or
Glamarines
but she preferred her official title of Private First Class. After basic training, she was stationed back in California at the Mojave Naval Air Station. Jewel wanted to do anything she could to help other young men from being killed and end the damn war.

What she’d hoped was that it would also end her memories of Glenn, but her thoughts were stronger than ever. She scrubbed a washcloth roughly over her face and looked into the foggy mirror over the shower room sink. Jewel straightened her beige tie and pulled the gold buttons on the front of her dark green Marine uniform straight at the waist.

She hadn’t talked much to the other girls about what happened to Glenn. There were enough sad stories circulating. The truth of the matter was everyone there had lost someone they loved in the war. She was no different.

Jewel checked in with the photography department and got her Graflex camera, flash and bulbs. The thing weighed close to twenty pounds and she knew her back would ache by the night’s end. She’d put up with a little pain because these assignments were the fun part of her job. Tonight John Wayne, Bob Hope and Veronica Lake were performing for the servicemen. These photo jobs were much more enjoyable than her daytime duties of taking photos of crashed planes.

Jewel was popular amongst the other lady Marines in her division. She’d always take their shifts for extra work. Anything to keep her mind occupied.

The smoky servicemen’s club was lively and the show that night had a combination of music and comedy. When she finally took a break, the bartender spotted her and knew her order by memory. Coke with extra cherries. She sipped the cool liquid and set her heavy equipment on a table.

A finger tapped her shoulder. She turned to see who was behind her.

“Your friends over there said that you could use a dance.” The dark-haired soldier tipped his head toward the group of women sitting in a corner booth. “The name’s Jim,” he said loudly to be heard over the band music.