~*~No More Goodbyes~*~ By: Ree

CHAPTER SEVENTY - TWO

The flight attendant reappeared from the ****pit and began to quietly prepare breakfast for the passengers, nothing fancy but nourishing as he had been instructed. The smell of coffee began stirring the restlessly sleeping men and Elena woke, a little stiff from not moving for several hours but refreshed never the less, able to think clearly again.

For a moment she lay against Urs, enjoying the feeling of his long body warm against hers, thinking of the old days before a mission and how different it had been, her nerves sharp and ready, the darkness and cold of her trained mind over powering any emotion…. All gone, only the training and years of experience of use to her now. Still,she felt no fear, merely calm, assured that with the help of Urs and the others they could accomplish what they were setting out to do. It wasn’t necessary to kill Emilio, though she knew he deserved it for even thinking of selling children in to a life of pain and degradation at the hands of the pornographers. Punishment could be left to Ghost, to the agents who still operated in the shadows as she no longer could or wanted to.

Urs was awake, watching her and he smiled when she looked up and found his eyes on her face.

“Good rest?” he inquired and leaned in to kiss her softly.

“Yes, thank you Herr Mattress but you don’t want to kiss me now…. My mouth tastes like something died in there.”

“Mine too…Too much coffee I think. Ladies first on the bathroom, if you’re quick. The others are waking too.”

She giggled and scooted for the loo, grabbing her small pack as she went and grinning at David who had sprinted for the door but lost out rather than colliding with the much smaller woman.

Minutes later she reappeared, face washed and teeth brushed, braiding her hair neatly over her shoulder. She flipped up the cover on her ‘work’ watch, specially designed to glow in the dark and with a cover so it wouldn’t be detected by others.

“We should be about half an hour out. The pilot has already blacked out the windows to avoid detection and we’ll be flying very low, not much above sea level. There’s nothing at Jaque so eat now…it may be a while before the next meal.” She watched the others, saw no real apprehension on any of the men and sat at the table to tidy her sketches and make room for the food the attendant was bringing out from the tiny kitchen.

“Senor Armando requested supplies for the boat, some food and drink, combat first aid supplies and extra blankets. There will be a friend waiting at Jaque with a cart to take the supplies and yourselves to the boat.” The attendant made the statement matter of factly, used to strange requests from several years of working for Armando.

One by one the others trickled over to join Elena at the table, eating cereal and fruit, reviving with coffee, gradually ready to talk about the coming operation.

“You all need to become very familiar with the coast line since we must do most of our moving about in the dark. Remember, it is shaped like a ‘W’ with the village at the first lowest point, the rocky peninsula at the seaward middle point and the cove where we will make the pick up at the second low point. The cove where we will hide the boat is outside the last down-stroke of the ‘W’, each area hidden from the other by trees, higher land and boulders.
We will land at the hiding spot and walk inland, through the jungle to reach Abuela Teresa’s and adjust our plans as necessary once there. The last message from Hawk, just before we left was that he would come to the casa after he has seen the children. He will be able to tell us of Ghost’s plans and the best way to get in the shack to rescue the children.”

“And how many there are,” Seb said.

“Why do we not just let Ghost rescue them and then collect the boy?” Carlos asked and they all looked at Elena.

“Ghost will be operating in co-operation with the Columbian government and will be obligated to turn the kids over to the officials. They will then go back into orfanatos, even Flip and it would mean years of red tape to get him released. This way new identities will be created for them before we reach Mexico and they will be assured of decent families and better lives…and Flip will be home where he belongs. The officials will be blind to what happens unless forced to follow the letter of the law by public knowledge.” She smiled at Carlos, knowing that beneath his bold Latin Lover façade he was really a gentle, trusting person, not understanding the intricacies of the work she had formerly done.

The attendant came back and rapidly tidied up the breakfast dishes and announced that they would land in less than 5 minutes.

Everyone strapped in and waited quietly while they listened to the changes in the engines, heard the landing gear descend and felt the gentle nudge of the wheels hitting the tarmac. Moments later they were taxiing and Elena set the example by rising and scrambling about to collect her pack, weapons and equipment. They came to a stop though the engines did not get turned off, the lights dimmed and the door opened on darkness.

“Let your eyes adjust,” Neto advised and they all waited a moment by the door until Elena and Neto stepped out, followed by Urs then the others.

They looked around and saw only tarmac and jungle coming right up to the edge. There were no buildings, at least none that could be seen in the moonlight, no people, until Carlos spotted a horse drawn cart coming from under the trees and a man leading it.

The cargo doors opened and the attendant began unloading boxes, passing them to the man to be loaded in the cart, the doors shut and the plane taxied further down the runway to disappear from their view.

Wordlessly the man with the cart turned his horse in a circle and started off, expecting to be followed.

“Anyone wants to ride, hop on the back. It’s about a two mile walk to the river. Keep up or you’ll get left behind.” Neto jogged after the cart and hopped into the back followed by Seb and Carlos. David, Urs and Elena chose to walk alongside while they could, soon finding it impossible as the track they followed was very narrow so they walked close behind.

Keeping a steady pace they made good time. The jungle growth thinned and soon they could hear the water trickling, rounded a bend and found a wide river in front of them with several boats pulled up on wooden rails on the sand. All appeared to be fishing boats, none in particularly wonderful repair but the cart-man knew which one they would use and went directly to it, unloaded his packages on the sand and left, speaking not one word during the entire trip.

It appeared that Neto had also done this trip before for he knew exactly how to winch the sturdy boat into the water after they loaded the supplies aboard and while they stowed them in the cabin he got them floating.

“This area and the mouth of the Jaque River are fairly heavily patrolled. Neto and I will stay on deck but the rest of you should go in the cabin for a bit, unpack the supplies as best you can, no lights so use your goggles and if you speak do it softly and only Spanish.”

Urs gave her hand a squeeze and shepherded the others into the cabin quietly as Elena and Neto drew on worn ponchos over their dark clothing. She started the engine and began to steer the boat down the river.

The vessel itself was shabby, needing paint and a good cleaning, a typical working boat, the afterdeck piled with crab pots and netting hanging from hooks on long masts. The engine was another matter, purred quietly with restrained power as they sped down the fast moving river. Neto watched as she guided it from the wheelhouse built above the cabin, at ease with the sure way she avoided sand bars and a few partly sunken trees, a little nervous when he saw the ocean ahead of them, the rollers where the river met the waves of the ocean looking high and offering a very bumpy ride.

“Warn them to hang on to something,” she said softly and he ducked his head to the open transom and passed the message on.

It was timely, for she suddenly opened the throttle, judging the waves just right and they smashed head first into the series of combers with a bone jarring thump that sent the spray up and over the entire vessel. She spun the wheel and let the boat slide down the other side of the wave, spun back again to meet the next one, four more times until they were through the swirling eddies at the mouth of the river and into the calmer swells of the ocean.

She steered out into the ocean, going west by south for a while, checking the dials in front of her, then turned more southerly, keeping her distance from the coast until she passed a small group of islands on the land side. Now she turned on an easterly tack, drawing closer to shore and relaxed a bit, gave Neto the wheel and pointed out the course on the dials and went below to see how her passengers had survived.

CHAPTER SEVENTY - THREE

She slipped her goggles up on her head and lit a gas lantern when she entered the cabin, pleased to see that everything had been stowed somewhere and no one was injured.

“Sorry about that. I forgot to warn you that we had to go through the eddies at the mouth. The tide was incoming, and that’s the worse time so I’m afraid it was a little rough.”

“Are we in Columbian waters now?” Urs asked softly in Spanish, his goggles on top of his head too.

“Just. Seb, would you put on your goggles and go up with Neto. You will be staying with the boat later and I’d like you to get the feel of the engines.”

“I’m am fine, Elena,” he said in stumbling Spanish, a little peeved that she would consider him not part of the rescue team.

“I know you are, Frenchie. We are powerless if we lose the boat, would have no way of escaping, so I’d like you and Neto to stay with it, Neto because I know how good he is with weapons and to judge the depths when you come for us and you because with your pilot training I don’t think the boat could be in better hands. Urs and Carlos speak excellent Spanish and David’s isn’t bad if it becomes necessary and they are the strongest swimmers….. remember what Armando said…’keep flexible’.”

Sebastien was a little happier now and went above to join Neto. Elena came over to sit on Urs lap with her arms around his shoulders at the small table. There was a tiny galley and a head behind it, 2 narrow bunks in the curved prow and storage along the opposite wall from the table. The motion of the boat on the calm ocean was gentle, a back to front and side to side roll that wasn’t unpleasant. Thankfully the skies were clear so they wouldn’t have to contend with bad weather…… And possible sea sickness.

“How long before we reach Jurado?” Urs asked, unable to resist nuzzling his head against her chest.

“About three hours the way the sea is running. We have one tricky part where we have to sneak past an island on the land side to avoid a patrol boat that always moors on the ocean side to sleep their shift away, but other than that it should pose no problem.”

David played with the 2 burner stove and got it going to make coffee, quietly took some up to Neto and Seb and came back to sip his at the table and offer to take on the loser of the chess game Urs and Carlos where involved in. Carlos won, handily, though Urs claimed that Elena distracted him and pouted so she took him up on deck to spell Neto and Seb for a while. He watched for lights on the horizon while she kept them on course, both quiet, absorbed in their thoughts.

**

Urs came back and leaned close to Elena to whisper in her ear.

“Faint lights at your 10 o’clock.”

“Warn them…the slightest noise carries over water.”

Urs slipped silently to the transom and hissed lightly against it. The lantern was dimmed instantly and Neto raised the black-out curtain. Urs relayed the message and received a silent nod. He went back to stand beside Elena as she throttled back and swung the prow closer to shore to edge past the small island on the landward side. He could see that she was nervous, shaking a bit so he put his large, warm hand on her waist, squeezing gently and she smiled but kept her eyes on the water ahead of them.

It took a full five minutes to glide silently past the island then another five to get out of range before she opened up again and eased further out, away from the coastline and the rocky shallows she remembered from her other trip.

Elena leaned toward Urs and pulled his head to hers to whisper in his ear.

“We’re an hour out. Seb and Neto should take over now and the rest of us should get used to the dark, keep watch. Ask David to make us a last pot of coffee before he comes up. Bring your own mugs. And Urs… I love you.”

He grinned at her and stole a quick kiss, before going to the cabin.

Soon they were all on deck, posted at intervals to watch for lights or any other boats running dark, sipping on coffee for the caffeine buzz they would all need soon. Seb was at the wheel, following the course Elena had given him, making minute corrections without prompting.

**

CHAPTER SEVENTY- FOUR


By the time the sky began to show approaching dawn they had found the small cove, shaped like a key hole with sheer rock on all the curved stone that enclosed it, barely noticeable from the ocean side. They slowly wound through some barely submerged rocks and Seb expertly turned the craft so they were facing the ocean and cut the engines.

Carlos and David flipped the rubber bumpers over the land side of the craft and they drifted until they touched the sharp rocks, then secured themselves with the anchor wedged between some of the boulders.

The tide was out but there was no beach, the rocks disappearing into the deep water too far straight down to see bottom. Beside them the rocks rose in lumps and ledges for nearly 100 feet, some scrubby trees on the crest that would provide good cover if they managed to climb that far.

Urs decided to go up, took a set of powerful binoculars from the equipment and with a boost from Neto reached out for the first hand hold, pulled himself up and went up the face like a human fly. He reached the top easily, not even short of breath, took the roll of thin strong rope he had coiled over his shoulder and secured it to the biggest, sturdiest tree he could find and dropped the end over the side before laying prone and wiggling to the top-most boulder to look out over the view below.

It looked peaceful, a few fishing boats heading south in the rosy dawn light, the village mostly hidden by the next point of land and the trees, the spire above the bell tower on the church spiking into the sky above the sparse tree line. He had a good view of the shack near the water, where Elena surmised Emilio lived. There was nothing stirring except a few chickens, scratching aimlessly and waiting to be fed.

He felt movement and looked around, over his shoulder to find that Elena had used the rope and pulled herself hand over hand to the top, walking her feet up the rock and crouching to lay beside him.

“Why is it that whenever I lay down, you suddenly appear beside me?” he whispered with a grin.

She looked at him straight faced. “Just making sure no one steals my spot,” and she grinned and reached for the binoculars.

She scanned the area below them, then out to sea and back again at the area near the shack.

“That’s Hawk’s truck,” she said, indicating the beat up, mostly rust colored vehicle parked near the shack.

“You suppose they’ve advanced the schedule?”

She thought for a moment.

“Maybe … but there’s no yacht yet to take the children away…. I think Hawk is just being careful, arriving early. But we better get underway to Abuela’s in case he left a message.”

He nodded and they inched back from the crest, used the rope to descend and talked briefly with the others.

Each of the four about to go ashore filled a small pack with supplies: water bottle, extra battery packs for the head phones, extra clips for their weapons, night vision goggles, dried fruit and nuts, wide rolls of medical tape, Elena also throwing an Epi pen, an anti venom kit and antibiotic cream in hers.

They all donned their head sets and Elena taped the mikes to each person’s cheek, showed them how to feed the wire through their black tee shirts to the battery pack on their jeans, showed them the volume control and stood back to inspect everyone.

They all looked so serious, determined, not a trace of fear visible on any face though she knew from experience that little frissones of nerves were coursing through them and that was good. The adrenaline would keep them sharp.

She hugged Neto and then Seb, speaking softly to the still unsure Frenchman.

“We are counting on you and Neto, Sebastien. If the boat is lost or can not reach us we are finished. Stay safe and be ready to come for us when we call.”

He nodded and watched as one by one they started the climb up the rope, nearly to the top of the rocks then stepped away to the left, heading into the shelter of the trees and down hill, going inland.

**

Once they reached the bottom of the rocky elevation they stopped while Elena checked the compass setting in her watch, picked out a sensible direction and Urs took the lead, using the remaining stars as a guide to keep more or less on track as they quietly moved through the leaf littered underbrush. It was dim in the growth of trees, the sun not yet fully risen, the birds just now starting their morning song.

David walked at the end of their line of 4, hoping that any early rising snakes would be scared from the path by the others … gunmen or pornographers he wasn’t worried about, but snakes… he so hoped not to embarrass himself by shrieking like a frightened little girl if he saw one.

Carlos was behind Elena, a little jazzed by what they were doing, maybe just a shade nervous. This was so far outside of anything he had ever done. He had always been a city boy, never liking camping or the great out of doors as much as the others. Now the stubborn streak in him and his deep dislike of mistreatment of the innocents urged him on, determined to do his part.

Elena watched Urs, just a few lengths ahead of her as he instinctively chose a path for them, moving easily and quietly, his stride that of one of the sleek big cats, a black panther maybe. He held branches back until he felt her grasp them, the sign of a good, thoughtful woodsman, stepped over branches rather than on them and creating noise when they broke.

“He was born to this,” she thought, meaning integrating with nature, not the stealthy mission they were on. A feeling of relief that she no longer would be doing this type of work filled her…if she had continued she knew it would not have been possible to convince him to let her go alone. To warp his innate goodness and loving heart with training such as she had once relished would have been such a crime. She shuddered to think of it.

As if he heard her silent thoughts he looked over his shoulder at her, smiled and raised his eyebrows.

She smiled back and shook her head. They continued.

Another twenty minutes and the trees began to thin. Urs slowed their pace, going carefully now and watching between the trunks for signs of movement ahead. Elena came up beside him , quietly, when he crouched beside a tree and motioned the others to get down.

Her sense of direction had been right on. Ahead of them the land cleared to contain a small garden and an outbuilding where an elderly woman had just turned a small flock of chickens loose, scattering feed on the ground around them before taking up a metal pail and going to a cistern to fill it with water.

Abuela Teresa.

Elena motioned them all to stay where they were and stood erect, stepping out of the shelter of the trees and walking softly toward the elderly lady.

The Abuela sensed movement and turned to face Elena, surprised at first glance then held her hands out, smiling and calling out to Elena.

“Ah, Child. Gracias a Dios that you are here.”

Elena went to her and was enveloped in the old but strong arms.

“Your friend was able to tell you? I was losing hope that you would be in time.”

“Thank you, Abuela. I came as quickly as possible…and I am not alone.”

Elena motioned for Urs, Carlos and David to join her and they stepped slowly out of the grove of trees, careful to make no sudden moves and frighten the elderly lady, smiling as they approached.

“Abuela Teresa, this is my husband, Urs and his brothers, David and Carlos.”

Teresa was clearly flustered to have three tall, handsome men smiling at her and kissing her cheeks in welcome and flushed under her weathered skin.

“Come inside, away from prying eyes. We will talk and I will tell you the latest news.”

She led the way into her small house. As it had been the last time Elena was here, the interior was spotlessly clean and organized, cool because of the overhanging eaves of the thatched roof. Of the old school where women were subservient to men she motioned for the men to sit on the three chairs at the table while she bustled about taking the only 3 beer she had out of the cooler and pouring herself and Elena a cold glass of water as they both sat on upturned wooden boxes on the floor.

“Your friend arrived in the village last night. He has gone to Emilio’s to await the arrival of the children and the evil men who wish to take them away. The Jefe who buys children, curse his soul, has changed the plans. He arrives this night, not tomorrow.
Senor Halcon will return soon, to see if you are here. He is claiming a very sick stomach for which he is seeking my treatment.”

“It is important that we are not seen, Abuela Teresa. Will you allow us to remain here while we plan how to take the children from these men?” Urs asked her quietly.

“Of course, Senor Urs. There is a pollo in the yard I do not like. She always pecks at my feet. I will prepare her for comida and we will wait for Senor Halcon.”

She rose and went out the back again.

“We can’t take her food,” David said quietly. “She doesn’t have a lot to share.”

“Do not shame the lady by refusing her hospitality,” Urs said, understanding more than Elena thought he would. “When this is over we will have the chance to repay her hospitality.”

They heard a squawking, cut off abruptly by the thumping of an axe in the back yard and a few moments later the Abuela walked under the lean-to holding a headless chicken by the legs as she wound a thong around them tightly. She hung the fowl from a hook on one of the beams and began plucking feathers from it and dropping them into a basket to one side.

Elena rose and went to help, leaving the men to talk in low tones, not wanting to be heard outside the house. They had nearly finished when they all heard the motor of a vehicle stopping outside the front entrance.

For an elderly lady the Abuela moved very quickly, moving to the doorway while her guests fanned out to each side of the door, taking their bottles with them and drawing their weapons, safeties off.

“Senor Halcon…. You are still unwell? Leave your friend in the truck. I will not have such as he in my home.”

They heard both truck doors slam then an exchange of voices.

“Loca bruja vieja!!! {Crazy old witch!} She has been too long without a good man to teach her respect. I will wait for you in the cantina.” Emilio trudged on to the village, hurling a string of insults back at the old lady as Hawk gritted his teeth and walked over to join the lady in question.

“Lo siento, Abuela. {I am sorry, grandmother} I wish this was over so I could rip the tongue from his filthy mouth.” He spoke quietly and she smiled and patted his cheek.

“Come inside, Senor,” she said then leaned close to whisper “Your friends are here.”

Hawk followed her into the casa, impressed when he saw the three tense men replacing weapons as he entered and Elena standing partly behind one with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“Owl…. You have changed, ‘miga. You look…happy?”

She laughed lightly and clasped the hand he held out to her.

“I am happy, Hawk. Urs, this is my friend Hawk…. Hawk this is my husband, Urs and our brothers, David and Carlos.” Once again she had introduced the Divos as brothers and they beamed at the newcomer with pride that she would think of them in this way.

“I do not have much time… the cabrone will come back for me if I do not join him soon. There are some things I must tell you and it will be easier if you listen until I have finished.”

Abuela Teresa stepped to the doorway and watched down the road to the village as the others sat and Hawk paced the confined space. He took Ellena’s hands and led her to Urs, nudging her to sit on Urs’ lap and when he did this Elena went cold, knowing she would not like what he was going to say.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

“The timetable has been changed. The yacht is coming from the north and will stop here before going on to Manta to pick up another ‘shipment’. They will be here tonight just after dark. There will be 8 in all at this spot, some special young ones brought from the orfanato in Quibido by the doctor who runs the place and including your brother, Owl. The man, Emilio has an increasing habit to feed and with his half he will be content for many months. The doctor has a small habit but is mostly just greedy.

“A patrol boat under the guidance of Ghost will attack the yacht at 9:30 … in the struggle it will explode and there will be no survivors. It is best. These people with all their money have lawyers which would secure their release…… no one ever gets released from Hell, so we will send them there.”

He took a breath and looked at the Abuela who shook her head and kept watching the road.

“When I interviewed Emilio the first time under the pretext of being a buyer, I learned something from him which I did not want to tell you except in person.

“Your mother spent many years not knowing who she was or where she had come from but over the past year of her life she began to remember little things… at first not much but more and more. The day she died ….. everything came back to her and she confronted Emilio, told him that she and the boy were leaving, going home. She tried to leave but Emilio grabbed the boy by the throat and she fought him, trying to save the child from harm. He killed her in his rage, beating her head with a rock from the fireplace until she was gone.”

Urs felt Elena stiffen in his arms and rested his head beside her neck, whispering to her. “Breathe, Baby. Deep breaths. We will get through this.”

She was shaking violently, not crying, not yet, but her eyes had welled with tears and her face gone bloodless and cold.

Urs cleared his choked throat and addressed everyone present.

“We can not afford to let this knowledge color the importance of why we are here. First we must rescue those children before they are caught in any action that Ghost is going to take against the pornographers. Then we can see that Emilio receives the justice due him.”

Hawk nodded at this decision, knowing how it must have cost Urs to make it. Elena had turned to rest her head on her husband’s shoulder and weep quietly while he held her trembling body against him.

“There are many good people in this village, Senors, people who would help if they could but they are poor and afraid. Not many have weapons to defy such as these creatures so they hide behind their closed doors and let the drug trade flow past them. I believe if they knew what was happening here this night they would help us if they could, but I have confided in no-one….. I do not want to see them hurt merely because they live in poverty.”

Elena sat up and wiped her face on her shirt, facing Hawk again and more in control again but still not the cold, almost inhuman person he had known before.

“The children, Hawk…you said some will be very young.”

“Emilio told me there will be another having 7 years, like your brother, a boy having 10 years for a special movie, another that is not yet 6, and 4 baby girls who are less than a year of age.”

There was silence for a moment, no-one able to speak while this news still hung in the air.

Finally Hawk spoke again.

“As soon as the children arrive I will pretend to inspect them and then leave, giving Emilio and his friend some drugs and more good faith money…. Apparently the doctor has a small habit as well. This will be the time for you to act, just after you hear my truck pass this way again.”

Abuela Teresa came back in the house and rummaged for a moment in a cupboard, spooned something into a small twist of plastic and came over to speak softly to Hawk.

“He is standing in front of the cantina, looking this way. You must go. Give this to Emilio, just as you leave him… tell him it is pure, very special, for a very special man but do not say it comes from me for he knows I despise him.”

Hawk held her eyes for a moment then nodded, looked at Elena and saw a tiny, grim smile on her face as she too understood.

He left, entering the truck, waving and going on in to the village to park at the Cantina.

**




Urs relayed what new information they had to Neto and Seb on the boat, using the head set and mike for the first time. He knew how the news of Penny’s death would affect both of them, Neto because of the relationship and Seb because of his gentle soul but they had the right to know everything the others did. They reported no sign of anyone on the water or land, had taken turns keeping watch with the binoculars. He warned them that the yacht was now expected from the north, would likely pass their spot so they must keep alert.

He promised to report back if there was anything new and signed off.

Seb thought for a few minutes about the possibility of the yacht seeing them and how Elena had stressed the importance of the boat being kept available for their escape.

“I have an idea,” he said to Neto who had the binoculars at the moment and without further discussion grabbed a large knife from the galley, took hold of the rope still hanging down the rock face and started up it hand over hand with his feet braced against the rock face.

He reached the top easily and kept his body low, moved into the tree line and soon came back dragging some cut saplings behind him to drop them over the edge onto the boat. Three more trips and he came back down the rope, his shirt full of wet soil that he smeared on the rope as he went down. Soon the yellow of the rope was hidden behind swiftly drying dirt and he was once again on the deck, smiling at Neto’s raised brows.

Carefully he attached the branches in as best a natural formation as he could all over the seaward side of the boat until it became merely a cluster of shrubs growing at the water line.

Neto gave him a thumbs up and went back to his slow scan of the horizon.

**

After Hawk left they sat for a few minutes quietly thinking then David spoke up.

“Four babies…how in hell are we going to get them to the boat? And can we just take them away …what if they aren’t really orphans, if they have loving parents missing them somewhere?”

“Hawk will have already checked that out,” Elena said with a shake of her head. “All he needed was the name of the doctor and he would investigate if babies who were legitmate orphans were under his care. Ghost would know in minutes if they disappeared from the orfanato.”

“How far do we have to swim with them?” Carlos asked and again Elena answered.

“I don’t think Seb can get any closer than maybe a hundred yards, not without running aground.”

“So we have to carry them to the beach and then swim out…impossible without drowning them…the older ninos si but the babies….?”

Abuela Teresa went out to the back yard and came back in moments later, placing a large round laundry tub on the floor. She dropped a soft crocheted blanket inside and then stood back.

“A baby boat…Si?”

Carlos wrapped his arms around her and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek.

“Si, Pequena Abuela, Si!!”

Urs smiled as he looked at the ‘baby boat’. “It will take 2 to guide it and make sure it doesn’t tip. That leaves only 2 of us and 4 more kids. I’m hoping that at least a couple of them can swim, but that’s a long way for a kid. And we may have company while we do it.”

“I think you should plan on one of us staying on shore to cover our backs and since I’m the best shot, it should be me,” Elena said and Urs frowned, not liking this plan at all.

“It makes sense, Urs. You’re all stronger than me and I’m the better marksman. If there’s no trouble then we don’t have to worry about it but it never hurts to be prepared.”

“So we need three more strong swimmers or we have to make 2 trips,” Carlos said summing up the dilemma.

“I hate to bring up more problems but if these babies are less than a year they probably are still bottle fed…. We can improvise for diapers but food…” David shook his head, not having any answers.

“Padre Julio is an excellent swimmer,” Abuela Teresa said quietly and they all looked at her in surprise.

“He is a good man, inclined to talk too much sometimes but a good man…. And I know he worries about the boy. He would be pleased to know that Flip has family who will love him.”

They debated involving the priest for a while but saw no alternative and the Abuela left them with Elena making tortillas from scratch and the cleaned bird roasting gently on a spit over the grill, the guys taking turns rotating the handle.

She was gone an hour and came back accompanied by two middle aged Columbian men, each carrying a basket which they left near the doorway and removed their hats to bob a short bow to her before leaving, never entering the Casa.

Urs stepped outside long enough to retrieve the baskets, one with 6 icy cerveza and two jugs of cold juice, the other clanking gently with nippled, empty baby bottles, folded cloth diapers, a bag of baby cereal and 2 large empty plastic bottles with screw tops.

Teresa looked at the supplies happily and grinned at the stunned silent faces around her.

“As Senor Hawk said…there are good people in the village…. Three will meet you on the beach below the fisherman’s shack after they hear the truck leaving….. and the nanny’s will return to my yard after the sun starts to descend. We will milk them and fill the large bottles then.” She smiled smugly, quite satisfied with the results of her visit to the priest and went out to the garden to collect vegetables for comida.

The relief was evident on all four of the would be rescuers as they tried to keep their laughter in.

Elena was still smiling when she went back to making tortillas on the flat griddle to the side of the grill and Urs took his turn at the spit handle.

“Are the missions you used to go on always this much fun?” he asked with a grin.

“NO, never,” she said with a giggle. “I think it must be the Divo charm.” Her mood changed suddenly and she looked at him with concern.

“Don’t let this peaceful lull go to your head, Urs. It may get a bit dicey later.”

He turned the handle once more then came over and kissed her thoroughly.

“I know, Baby but it’s a nice break in the tension.”

She shooed him back to his job and kept on scooping small balls of dough and flattening them in her small but strong hands.

**

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX


It was dark when they heard a vehicle going past the casa heading for Emilio’s shack. They had finished a lovely but simple meal hours before and a brief siesta, taking turns in the two hammocks while someone kept watch at the door and Abulea Teresa napped on her bed.

Urs and Elena were stretched out together when Carlos hissed a warning as the lights of a van went past the house, continuing on the narrow road and there was a moment of panic as the hammock rolled them into a caged bundle and they had to be rescued by David.

“That must be the doctor with the children,” Urs murmured as the tail lights disappeared.

Abuela Teresa lifted the two jugs of goats milk out of her cooler and placed them in a plastic pail along with the diapers, cereal and bottles, snapped the airtight lid on and set the whole thing in the ‘baby boat’.

“You worked so hard to get this, it would be a shame to leave it behind,” she teased and smiled at Urs who had not been a very successful dairy maid. Elena had thought she would choke to death watching him trying to milk the reluctant nanny, laughed at his relieved sigh when she rescued him and finished the job, her experience on Chuy’s ranchero giving her some expertise.

Each of them got ready for the action they had waited for all day, limbering up muscles unused for hours, checking weapons one more time, not talking much but intent on what was about to happen.

Urs warned Neto and Seb that it was almost time and was told that the yacht had passed by about half an hour prior to his call, running silent and lights out, not pausing at the quiet cove but a trip up the rope by Neto had shown that it was now motionless off the coast opposite the shack. He promised to keep watch for any sign of a boat being lowered to come ashore for the pick up and mentioned that Seb had discarded their camouflage and was warming the engines.

The minutes dragged by… 10 then 15 and all began to worry that something had gone wrong. At 20 minutes they heard the rumble of Hawk’s truck then saw it coming slowly over the ground from the shack. It jerked to a stop in front of the Casa, the driver’s door opened and the truck jerked forward again, then the engine was cut though the lights were left on.

The Casa was in darkness, purposefully but they clearly heard a young voice crying out in a loud, distressed whisper.

“Abuela, esta Flip….ayudame, por favor!!” {Grandmother it is Flip…Help me, please}

The Abuela brushed past the men clustered at her doorway and a tall young boy rushed to her, talking soft and fast, nearly too fast for them to understand but they got most of it.

Hawk was injured, badly bleeding, ‘the man’ and Emilio had gone to sleep and he was frightened.

Urs stepped out of the building and after one startled look the boy tried to run. Urs scooped him up easily with a strong arm about his waist and a hand over his mouth while Carlos and David rushed to the truck, turned off the lights and had a look at Hawk.

Urs took the struggling boy into the Casa and had to choke back a howl of pain as the child bit the hand over his mouth, kicking and struggling to get away.

“Elena, do something to calm him…he bit me… twice… what a brave little fighter.”

Suddenly Flip went still in his arms as Elena took his face in her hands and stared into his eyes, speaking softly.

“Flip, Flip, rest easy, we are friends… “

“Are you Elena? Are you my sister?” the boy said and stared at her, spitting Urs blood out of his mouth. She nodded and smiled at him, not trying to quell the tears that coursed over her cheeks.

Urs sat the boy’s feet on the floor and Elena held her hands out to him. He took her hand and allowed her to lead him into the darkness to sit at the table.

David and Carlos carried Hawk into the casa and lay him on the bed. Teresa began removing the clothing over his chest wound and Urs moved over to crouch by the boy and ask what had happened.

“The doctor came with more children, some babies and they locked us in a room. The babies were crying, hungry he said and they took some medicine in to feed them so they would be quiet. Then the doctor said something to Emilio and when they left the room with the man called Hawk they hit him and Emilio stuck his long fish knife in Hawk’s side. They said something about Hawk being a spy, that the doctor had learned of him in Quibido. They searched him and found a weapon, and money and a packet of the powder Emilio likes, then left him moaning and bleeding on the floor.

“A few minutes later I heard Emilio fall to the floor and then the doctor and they began to thrash about, knocking over chairs and spitting white foam and then they went to sleep…I do not think they breathe now.

“One of the boys tried to take care of the babies, he said they were drugged to go to sleep and we shouldn’t let them but he helped me get Hawk into the truck and I drove it here for help.

“Are you really my sister? The day he killed Mama she told me I had a sister who would come for me, that I had to wait, to be patient and then she closed her eyes and went to be with the angels.”

Elena opened her arms to him and he went to her, relaxing his tense body against hers.

“Yes, Flip… I am really your sister…and this is my husband, Urs and his brothers Carlos and David.”

Flip looked up at Urs, expecting to be punished for biting him but got only a wry smile.

“You are very brave, little brother… and have very sharp teeth,” Urs said with a laugh, as he wrapped a cotton cloth that Abuela had thrown him over his hand and tied it.

“Now we have no time to get to know each other…. We must get the other children out of there before the men from the yacht come for them.” He stood and went to stand by Hawk, waiting until the Abuela looked up and spoke to him.

“I will take care of him. He has lost much blood but is safe here.”

He turned back to the others and noticed that they were all looking to him for instructions…except Elena who seemed to have vanished.

“She went to get something from the truck,” Flip said and seconds later she returned carrying Hawk’s laptop, cell phone and a small plastic card.

“Ghost will be waiting for Hawk’s signal to attack the yacht,” she said as she hooked everything up and watched the screen light.

She keyed in her old pass-code, waited and finally got a reply.

“Owl?”

“Hawk is down. Go now!!”

“Read you.”

They hustled out of the Casa and jogged silently toward the shack, Elena bringing up the rear and speaking softly to her brother, explaining what they were going to do, stressing that he must obey, must keep silent unless requested to explain to the other kids, must be quiet when asked.

He smiled at her, his long legs having no problem keeping up.

“I have had much training in keeping quiet,” he whispered.

They neared the shack, David and Carlos sharing the load of the ‘baby’ boat and approached carefully though Elena was of the opinion that the two men had sampled the powder that Abuela Teresa sent them and were dead.

At first glance the shabby room was empty, a hearth with a few embers of fire against one wall, a small table, littered with beer bottles and dirty dishes in the center, a lantern that was guttering, almost out of oil, all flanked by several chairs that had been knocked over and a twist of plastic on the table with one line of powder and a short straw lying disturbed on the corner. Then they noticed bodies laying amid the cluster of chairs.

Sure enough, both of them were dead, their faces frozen in pain and terror, foam dried around their mouths and their lips slightly blue.

“This was no accident,” David murmured as he stepped carefully past the bodies.

“No,” Elena answered grimly. “It was justice.”

They could hear weeping in another room and Urs motioned for Flip to come forward.

“Will you go in to them and try to calm them. Let them know we are going to get them away from the men who want to hurt them, to safety and a new life…. But they must be quiet.”

Flip scooted into the room, shut the door and they could hear him speaking softly to the others.

“Let’s get these guys out of the way so the kids don’t get scared,” Urs said and began to drag Emilio to the other side of the room and, when he was joined by the doctor, threw a ratty blanket over both of them.

It was only a few moments until the door to the other room opened and Flip came out, carrying a drowsy baby, beckoned behind him and a tall boy of about 10 walked into the dim light of the room, carrying two more, another small child holding on to his shirt and sucking several finger stuffed in his mouth, another young boy about Flip’s age bringing up the rear with the fourth baby.

As Elena and Carlos were talking to the children Urs headset came to life and he heard Neto speaking to him.

“Zodiac, four men…heading for the shack. Five minutes tops.”

“Pick up….ASAP,” Urs replied.

He turned to the group and spoke firmly.

“Company coming. Let’s go.”

Elena swiftly ripped off 5 pieces of tape from the roll of adhesive and carefully placed one on each babies mouth and on the youngest of the boys. They all wrapped the babies inside one large heavy blanket with only their tiny faces showing, tucking them firmly in to the ‘boat’. David picked up the smallest boy and they left via the back to creep along the back of a sand dune, away from the shack. Urs raced on ahead, grabbing a branch by the side of the path as he ran and tying a white strip of cloth from the Casa on it. He reached the beach and drove the end into the sand, scanned the water for a second and ran back to halt the others before they lost the protection of the dune.

He lay sprawled on the top, watching for Seb, felt someone join him and looked to his right to see Elena, Flip right beside her.

She reached her hand out, slid it under his and he gripped it hard, not trusting himself to talk right now.

They heard talking behind him as the four men from the yacht beached their Zodiac and walked toward the dark house. Almost at the same moment he saw their boat, speeding around the point, easing back to approach the shore and stopping broadside about 100 yards out, the motor idling.

They stepped out onto the beach and 3 men came from behind another dune, stripped for swimming. The biggest man was obviously the priest, still wore his white clerical collar, making the whole scene surreal as he took the eldest boy by the hand, the pail of supplies in his free hand and urged him into the water to begin swimming strongly for the boat. David and Carlos had eased the ‘boat’ into the water and were wading until the water became deep enough to swim then they towed their unwieldy craft with the precious cargo.

There was yelling behind them now as the men ranged out along the beach looking for what they assumed were run-a-ways. It would only be moments until they were seen.

The two remaining men had taken the two small boys and were swimming with them, towing them out to safety. Only Urs, Elena and Flip were left on the beach.

“My brother…. Go with Urs… he is a good man, Flip, take care of him for me.” She looked at Urs and saw that he was wrestling with the decision, did not want to leave her but knew that it was the logical move.

“Urs, give me your gun and go. Moor the boat outside of the key to the cove, where it will be sheltered. I’ll come down the rope and swim out to it.”

She held her hand out and he gave her the gun.

“I’ll lure them inland and make my way to the rocks.” She stood on tiptoe to hug his neck and kiss him briefly. “I love you, Swiss Man. See you in a few minutes.”

She slipped like a shadow back over the dune and a few seconds later they heard a shot as she drew the attention of the searching men. Urs and Flip ran for the water and swam hard for the boat, after 30 feet or so, Urs catching the flailing but quiet boy around the chin and towing him.

With the night goggles he saw the ‘boat’ being lifted aboard and David and Carlos reaching down to lift the boys in one after the other. There were three bobbing heads in the water, the 3 Columbians, heading back, not for the beach but at an angle that would take them to the point.

They reached the side of the boat and the welcome hands reaching for them just as he realized how cold the water was this far out. He was only now aware of the gunfire on the beach, getting further and further north as Elena drew them away.

He stumbled to Seb and, shaking with the cold, nerves and strain, gave him instructions.

“Head back to the cove but don’t go in…moor to the north of the key. She’s going to go down the rope and swim to us.”

“Merde…we took the rope down, Urs….. worry that some children would play on it and hurt themselves.”

“Head there anyway…let me think.”

David and Carlos had taken all the children, except Flip who refused to go, into the cabin and wrapped them all in blankets, checked the babies and had come back out blanket wrapped themselves. Neto dropped one over Urs shoulders and then Flip’s, his eyes watering when he looked at the boy and introduced himself. Now he looked at Urs and was silent as Urs told him about Elena.

“She is too short and has too much chest to climb that rock wall. She will have to jump,” Neto said.

“And then they can pick her off while she is in the water. With a lead she could have outdistanced them but she will waste time looking for the rope.”

“Perhaps…” Neto hesitated then strode to the storage compartments meant to hold the day’s catch. As he had thought, Armando had thought ahead and provided a scuba tank, fins and mask.

“There is only one but you could buddy breath.”

Urs resisted the urge to kiss him and began donning the gear as they slowed to glide in next to the rocks outside the entrance to the cove.

Before he removed his head set he keyed it on and spoke to Elena.

“The rope is gone, Liebe. Go to the top and Jump… I will wait for you in the water.” He listened for a moment then heard a double click of acknowledgement, took off his head set and back flipped into the water.

He thought the water had been cold before but in this sheltered spot and with his already wet clothes it felt icy. He surface swam, listening to the sporadic shooting, his fear intensifying when he recognized the sound of a semi automatic weapon, pushed the paralyzing emotion aside and stroked on for the rock wall.

It sounded closer now and he hugged one of the rocks, peering into the darkness, wet his mask and cleared his regulator when the sounds came closer and strained his eyes watching for her.

**

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN


It went against all of Elena’s training to stumble through the undergrowth making as much noise as she could. She cried out as if a child, the voice abruptly cut off, sounding like a silenced, frightened boy, then the whimper of a baby, snapping branches until shots rang out and she knew that her ruse was working. There was cursing behind her and she increased her speed, now using stealth, her movements sure and silent, waiting for her opportunity to make her shots count.

Once she heard movement in the bushes to her right, not the sounds of a man and she stood quietly while what ever animal it had been rushed off into the darkness. Several shots rang out but fortunately for the fleeing creature her pursuers seemed to be lousy shots.

Something with long spikes flicked across her arm, ripping her shirt and leaving a long scratch that stung ferociously but she had no choice but to ignore it and push on.

It had been too long since she heard anything from the gun men so she let loose a couple of rounds into a grove of trees, then raced away, hoping to attract their interest again. Sure enough the semi opened fire, completely severing the limbs of a thin tree near where she had been. She clambered quietly up to the top of boulders she knew from their earlier trip were the start of the ridge that led to the point, laying flat on them and looking down into the trees, checking for movement.

There at her 8 o’clock, someone intently watching the ground as if expecting there to be neon lit footprints. She ignored him, loath to give her elevated position away and slithered over the rocks on her stomach until she had put some taller boulders between her and her tracker.

She was making a wide arc to the north, going inland, intending to double back slightly for the climb to the top of the rocks. She sensed movement to her left and waited, saw the muzzle flash as one of the thugs shot at a shadow, aimed instinctively and heard his scream as her aim rang true. She moved on, heard Urs message and clicked her reply.

“Jump?” What did he have planned? Not that it mattered. She trusted him… he said jump, so she would jump.”

Another of the gunmen got a little careless and she took him out with a head shot when he raised himself too high to look and was silhouetted against the night sky.

It wasn’t far now and she made a last scramble up the boulders, through the trees, felt a burst of semi auto fire breeze past her side as she launched herself into space and fell toward the water.

**

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

It seemed a long way down and she knew that the gunmen had reached the edge, could hear the whirring as bullets zipped passed her, kept her body long and straight, arms extended above her head to make a smaller target, felt her feet and legs enter the water and inhaled a giant gulp of air before her head followed. Her instinct was to stroke for the surface, then a tinge of panic set in when she felt hands touching her, pulling her even deeper and the blessed feeling of a regulator pressed against her clutching hands.

It was inky black in the depths, a blindness that could not be penetrated but she knew those hands that held her, the gentle touch of his long fingers on her face. She sucked in a good breath and passed the regulator back and he wrapped an arm around her and began to swim. She shrugged his hand off and wrapped hers around the straps holding the tank to his back, giving him more power to swim with, holding her breath for what seemed like forever until he passed the regulator to her again but kept on stroking them further and further away from the cove.

He seemed to understand that she couldn’t hold her breath as long as he could and gave her more time with the regulator and more often until at last a faint glow of moonlight began to reach them where they swam 15 or twenty feet down. She knew that they were out of the cove now and when he signaled ‘UP?’ she nodded.

They surfaced carefully, looking around to orient themselves, saw the boat not 20 feet away and surface swam to it. David reached a hand down to her and she flew through the air as he pulled her up onto the deck in one smooth move. Urs passed the tank up and Carlos and Neto pulled him in.

“Seb,” he called out to the anxious face looking from the wheel house. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He was shaking violently with the cold and relief, completely ignoring David and Neto as they stripped his clothing off and wrapped his shivering body in a thick blanket. He looked up to see Carlos doing the same to Elena and growled ‘Hey!!’ but Carlito just wiggled his brows and whispered back at him….’I have my eyes closed, my Brother!’

They were sent below to warm up in the shelter of the cabin, aided by a good shot of some cognac Neto had found in one of the lockers.

The children were all sleeping now, even Flip who had collapsed in the wheel house and was laying rolled in one of the heavy blankets near Seb’s feet. The babies had been left in their ‘boat’ for now, seeming to draw comfort and heat from each other, the older boy on one of the bunks and the two other young ones snuggled together on the other.

Urs and Elena sat scrunched up together on one of the benches at the table, just together, not talking, sharing warmth and closeness. They were jolted out of their stupour by the faint reverberation of an explosion and went up on deck .

Neto handed Urs the binoculars and when he looked back to the south he saw a huge fire ball on the water just off shore of the village. He passed the glasses to Elena who looked without comment but smiled as she gave the glasses back to Neto.

“It isn’t likely we’ll have to worry about the patrol boat tonight, he’ll be too busy with all the excitement to pay any attention to us.”

Neto and Seb took turns as captain and watch man, refusing any help as the others lay about the deck and slept most of the way to Jaque.

**

It was bedlam when they arrived back at the dusty airfield. The babies picked that time to wake up, the other children were irritable and hungry and the plane hadn’t been brought out of the hidden hangar on to the tarmac yet. The man with the cart did, mysteriously, appear and they crammed into the back each holding a child or two for the short ride.

Urs solved the whining baby dilemma by efficiently changing the diapers on one and pouring a bottle of milk into one of the donated bottles then singing softly to the feeding youngster while the others tried to copy what he had done.

“You do that like you’ve had a lot of practice, Herr Buhler. Is there something I don’t know about you?”

He grinned at her. “Sisters and there’s always one of them producing another baby. I’ve been practicing most of my life for ours.”

She flushed and giggled when he laughed at her.

The jet coming toward them out of the jungle fascinated the older four and they watched with glee as it slowed then stopped near them and the door opened, the steps lowered.

It wasn’t difficult to urge them to board, nor to strap in, two to a seat, nor when they were airborne to come to the table and have a nutritious meal. The babies were put in the bedroom, on blankets on the floor, chairs put on their sides to keep them cooped up if they woke again, which wasn’t likely for with full tummies and the residual effects of the drugs given them by Emilio and his friend they were still groggy. One of the little girls, the one with the longest hair and huge chocolate eyes continued to fret until David picked her up and cuddled her. She snuggled against him and fell asleep again, conquest of this tall American made, though he wasn’t aware of it yet.

**

It was early afternoon when they landed in Puerto Vallarta and were met by Armando who silently handed them the papers for the children and escorted them to two long vans parked at the side of the field.

“The Ladies have transformed one of the suites into a nursery and 2 other suites for the older boys, two to each so they do not feel lonely for a while. You are all well?”

Urs was next to him in the front seat, holding one of the little girls, laughing as she tried to grab his hair.

“Yes, except for being very tired, none of us was injured. Well except by the kids…..Flip bit me a couple of times before he found out we were friends.” He laughed as he held up the hand that Elena had freshly bandaged during the flight. “We could never have accomplished this without your aid, Armando. We will always be in your debt.”

Armando laughed and winked at Urs. “Perhaps I will think of something, but you are family and the fee will be very small. Perhaps an early copy of your next CD?”

Urs laughed and the baby thought this was the world’s greatest game as she patted his face and laughed too, her green eyes, probably from Mayan ancestors, sparkling just like Elena’s when she teased.

The arrival at the house was chaos at first as the women crowded and took babies to the nursery, welcomed their husbands back and mothered the confused orphans.

Cena and Amelia soon took charge and quieted things down, creating order out of confusion, getting the babies washed and fed, the same for the other children and then the older ones were turned loose on the Party lawn to play with footballs while the returning rescuers retired to grab welcome showers, the first in several days.

Urs and Elena showered together, which took quite a while since they both were eager for some…exploring. Finally they were clean and sated, for now, and Urs was able to shave off the 3 days growth of stubble though Elena teased him that she quite liked his dangerous, bad boy look.

He was just finishing up and wiping the last of the shaving cream from his face when Elena came back in the bath room to watch him in the mirror, dressed in one of her light cotton dresses. She had a curious look on her face, not happy, not sad, just a bit confused and unsure.

“What is it Love?” he said turning to her and taking her shoulders in his hands.

“You do understand what happened to Emilio and that hateful doctor, don’t you?”

“Yes, Liebe. They got what they deserved. I just pray that Abuela Teresa will not suffer because of poisoning them.”

She smiled at him. “There is no fear of retribution. Hawk contacted Ghost and they burned the shack to the ground. There are no fancy forensic facilities in Jurado so the affair is closed. But when I contacted Hawk just now, while you were shaving, he had a message for us, from the Abuela. ‘Tell that lovely Urs and his dear Elena that they must name him Antonio. He is destined for greatness.’ Urs she thinks that we are embarazada, with a son.”

His face lit up with joy and he wrapped his arms around her.

“I love that old woman but we should make sure. Don’t they have those test things at the Pharmacy? Ach, mein Liebling, this would be such happy news.”

He felt her relax against him.

“I wasn’t sure if you would be ready for this. Oh, Urs our lives are going to be so full, I keep thinking I’ll wake up and it will all have been a dream.”

“Then we must be having the same dream, sweetheart, and I don’t ever want to wake.”

He kissed her until her legs felt weak and it was a real effort not to rip off his low-riding towel and drag him in to their bed…not that it would have taken any dragging but they had a house over- flowing with people and did have to show a bit of restraint. She grinned at his eager eyes and skipped out of the room. It was definitely going to be any early night.

**

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

The test that they took a few days later was positive and they positively beamed with happiness as they went about all the fun and work of caring for a house full of children.

Flip had taken a liking to Cena and Neto , following Neto around like a shadow, often accompanied by his friend Jose, the boy his own age. Armando and Amelia were at the Casa nearly daily, often with the two younger daughters, the elder away at University now. The ten year old boy, Francisco, or Cisco as he was called, was the brother of the 5 year old, Fernando {Nando} and for some reason had attached himself and his brother to Armando and Amelia, so much so that it was no surprise when at the end of the week Armando announced that he had asked the boys to let him adopt them and they had said yes. The gruff man was so happy to have sons to love that he dissolved in tears when he told Neto and Cena. And they in turn declared that they would not only raise Flip, their nephew but would adopt Jose, both claiming they didn’t want to separate the boys and they needed some one young to love again.

Everything was falling into place. David had become so enamoured of the tiny baby he began calling Adriana, since no one knew her name, and Janet was won over the first time she held the baby and felt the tiny hands pressed against her face.

It took Sebastien and Maddie a little longer to fall in love with Nicole, Maddie first, as she took care of the dainty, smiling child, giving her a name and playing with her on the grass, encouraging Seb to hold her and feed her and laughing with delight when he began to seek the child out. He was smitten and Maddie was overjoyed.

For Carlos and Gerry it was love at first sight when they went to the nursery to help out and Annabella laughed and reached out for them to pick her up.

Urs was worried. He had fallen, hard, for the beautiful little girl he thought of as Soshi and thought that if she was sent away to live with someone else it would break his heart. She reminded him so much of Elena, her green eyes and dark hair a sign of Mayan or Inca ancestry, her good nature and constant laugh so much like his darling wife…. but she said nothing to him about the child…until one afternoon when Armando mentioned that a friend might be willing to adopt the last little girl and he saw Elena pale and quickly leave the room.

He followed her out and found her in the music room, weeping and curled up in one of the chairs.

“Baby, what is it? Please tell me, I can’t stand to see you upset.”

She shook her head and cried even harder and he held her letting her cry it out.

“The baby…I don’t want her to go to someone else. I’m sorry Urs… it’s a lot to ask of you, a baby on the way and now this, but I want her so much.”

He hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

“Her name is Soshi…..Soshi Buhler, at least that’s the way I’ve been thinking of her all week. It would break my heart too if we lost her.”

She drew back out of his arms and began to cry again.

“Urs Buhler, I love you so much.”

She wound her hands in his hair and pulled his head down to ravage his mouth until he couldn’t breath and he sank into a chair with her still in his arms and their mouths still joined.

“Wow…. If this is how having babies makes you act then maybe we should aim for 12, instead of 6.”

She leapt to her feet with a giggle and took his hands to pull him to his feet.

“C’mon Papa….. let’s go claim our little treasure before someone else snatches her away.”

**

It was nearly a week later and many, many cursing, bargaining, pleading and threatening phone calls and e.mails from Simon before the Il Divo entourage arrived back in the UK. They went directly to Simon’s office as ordered and when the stunned silent receptionist opened his office doors, the couples all entered wearing huge grins and each of the men carrying an adorable baby girl dressed for the Easter Parade in a pretty gown, white shoes, lacy hair ribbons or bands and nearly toothless smiles.

Simon had been rising from behind his desk to begin a rant but flopped back in the seat as the Ladies sat down and the babies were placed in their Mother’s arms while the Papa’s faced Mr. Nasty with grins, sitting on the arms of the chairs with an arm stretched protectively over the back.

He keyed on his intercom and stared at the men as he spoke to his receptionist/secretary.

“Nancy, I’m going to be busy for a while. Cancel my next meeting…Please.”

He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his chest.

“Gentlemen… what in Hell have you lot been up to?”

EPILOGUE 2068 Lucerne, Switzerland

Elena paused for a moment as she walked unsteadily down the hall with U.T. and neared Urs’ room. U.T. stopped and looked at her, his almond, slanted eyes so familiar that for a moment she felt her traitorous heart lurch. He was so like his grandfather.

“Oma?” His soft voice drew her back from the pleasant memories threatening to engulf her and she smiled at him, trying to ally his concern.

“Just a twinge, dearest,” she murmured and her grandson watched as she took a tiny white pill from her pocket and slipped it under her tongue.

They waited a few minutes while the nitroglycerine took effect, Urs Toni, U.T. everyone called him, held her against his chest and she leaned on to him, this strong young man, not yet 30 but so like his grandfather when she had first met Urs… silky dark, curly hair, worn long, the chiseled features and dimpled smile, long fingered large hands and a kind heart so in sync with hers that she seldom had to explain anything.

She drew back and caressed his cheek with a tanned hand, the knuckles a little swollen today from arthritis. Why was it that getting old meant that you had to suffer not only the indignities of sagging breasts and flaccid muscles but multiple illnesses as well? It didn’t seem fair.

“He will be waiting. You know how he likes everything to be on time.”

U.T. chuckled and offered his arm, escorting her to the hospital room door and tapping gently before they entered.

Urs was reclining in one of the roomy chairs by the window, his head of thick stark-white hair, still worn long and curly though not the fashion, resting against the high back but he sat up and smiled at them when they came in, holding Elena’s eyes with the same look that he had used to keep her enchanted for more than 61 years.

“You are late,” he said, trying to look stern but the smile wouldn’t leave his face and she kissed him on the dimples, laughing when he managed to raise a hand and hold her head while he captured her mouth.

“U.T. drives like an old lady on Valium when I’m in the car,” she said, relying on an old joke between them to keep the mood light.

Urs shared a grin with his grandson.

“Ready to go home, Opa?” the young man asked though he knew that Urs was chafing to get going…. And sadly knew that they had not much time.

The illness was evident today, a hint of lingering pain in the drug fuzzed eyes, the once strong hands trembling slightly. For a moment U.T. wondered how they would ever go on without this beloved man, this person who had been the cornerstone of so many lives for so long. He blinked back his tears and brought the hospital wheelchair over as Urs and Elena watched, both smiling at the way he was coping.

U.T. drew back the blanket covering Urs thin legs and lifted his Opa easily into the wheelchair, tucking the blanket around him again.

Elena leaned over her husband of so many wonderful years and undid the buttons on the long sleeves of his shirt. He had never liked to have them done up, even in the early concert days when wearing his Armani suits for the first time he more often than not left the buttons undone.

“The nurse was being so kind and gentle…I didn’t have the heart to complain,” he said with a little smile.

“I know, Rock God. You never like to hurt anyone. That’s just one of the reasons we all love you so much.”

U.T. helped him put on his sweater and the heavy, lined leather jacket and gloves, Elena handed him his dark glasses and tucked his hair back behind his ears and he was ready for one last time to face his public.

He took her hand and kissed the fingertips, looking at her over the top of the glasses and whispered “Don’t leave me, Liebe,” to which she smiled and said “Silly man!!”

She knew only too well how shy he had become in the past few years, not wanting to disappoint the many fans and feeling obligated but nervous about the adulation. She took his left hand in hers to walk beside the chair as U.T. started them down the hall, judging their pace to the gait he knew she was capable of.

They had to run the gauntlet of patients and nursing staff, so many, coming into the hallways and in the reception area on the main floor, wanting one last look at this man they all loved, wanting him to know how much his music had meant to them over the years, quietly wishing him a smooth, painless journey, many weeping quietly as he raised his shades and flashed them ‘the Look’ and a Blinky Wink, one last time.

U.T. transferred Urs to his own motorized chair and he carefully zipped up the ramp into the specially designed van, waved one last time at the crowd of uniforms and they were gone, driving carefully over the snow packed streets of Lucerne toward their home by the lake.

From his vantage point in the center of the van, Urs watched Elena as she talked softly with U. T., turning often to include him in the conversation.

So many years and yet she still filled his heart with joy, the sight of her, that lovely curly hair still long and lustrous though now completely white, the years of their lives together plain on her dear face but only adding to her beauty. He loved to listen to her laugh, her bright green eyes, the first thing he had ever mentioned about her, long ago in front of the flats… they still mesmerized him the way they flashed with joy, teased him without any words, filled with tears when she was sad, and grew cold when she was angered, though that was seldom, in fact he could not remember the last time.

He knew she was ill, though they hadn’t spoken of it, hadn’t needed to since they knew each other so well, so by tacit agreement they avoided the subject. Lately they had spoken of other things, making sure with Swiss logic and efficiency that everything was in order, that everyone who should be seen and thanked, had been, and they had indulged in memories, so many memories that had made their lives full beyond any dreams they had ever envisioned so long ago.

The doctor had been reluctant at first to let him go home, arguing that they could keep him more comfortable at the hospital for his last few days, but they had persevered and now Urs was getting his wish…. He was going home, one last time, to die peacefully in the arms of his wife. He looked back at her again just as she turned to smile at him and knew without any doubt that their promise for over 61 years would again hold fast…. She would follow, and soon….. as they had promised each other on the cigarette boat that afternoon so long ago, there would be no more good byes between them and though often parted in the early years, it was with a cheery “Back soon’ or ‘See you Later’ and the separations had only made the returns that much more passionate…he grinned as he thought that at least three of their children had been conceived because of reunions.

His thoughts drifted to Il Divo…. He was the last, the only member of that blending of voices that stilled survived. Carlos, dear Carlos with his booming voice and wiggly eyebrows, succumbing quickly to a virus 5 years past, gone before they could reach him to say Adios…. And Sebastien, his breathing stopping as he sat at the piano, composing yet another brilliant piece of music, scarcely a month after they had lost David, back stage after attending yet another production of the opera they had all written together, again a peaceful ending as he merely sat on the sofa in the star’s dressing room and was gone.

He smiled as he thought of them, of the music they had wrapped the world in, an album a year for over 30 years, as well as numerous solo albums often written or produced by one of the others, countless concerts, on tour and benefits and the quiet good works they had done to improve this planet. Beautiful orphanages in impoverished countries where the children were cuddled and loved as well as fed and kept clean, adoption agencies with more caring, feeling workers with lighter case loads.

He thought of Jurado, how it had changed because of the adventure they had and how well they had done at keeping the calm, quiet of the place though improving the lot of those living there. The Penny Ruiz School of Herbology and Natural Medicine had thrived, the townspeople were gently brought into the modern world, the whole area declared protected so no giant hotels could turn it into a tourist destination.

And there were other things they had used their wealth and celebrity to improve: ecological efforts, famine relief, AMTM.

And of course the children, the many natural children of the Divos plus those they had welcomed by adoption into their families…. Every year for the Posada at the Casa the event had grown, now needing two days to cope with the amount of guests.

All the children had flourished in their new homes, grown and married, had gradually taken on the mantles passed to them by their elders, becoming doctors and financiers, artists, ranchers, homemakers, engineers, teachers and in each generation at least one, often more, excelling in the music world in one form or the other. He smiled as he thought that he must ask Elena how many grand children they had now… he had lost count.

And of course there were so many others, long gone ahead of them and dearly missed: Maddie, Jan, Gerry, Cena and Neto, Armando and Amelia, Chuy and Rosa who had achieved their dream of all 9 children attending and doing well in University… the Millers and his parents, Seb’s Maman. The elder Marins …. their own Analuisa in that terrible skiing accident when she was only 17… and Simon, dear Simon that the world thought of as Mr. Nasty but the Divos and families knew was a sweet, dear man with a brusque business face….. so many loved ones….

They turned in at the gate to the sprawling house, a small spiral of white smoke rising above the snow covered roof as the automatic heating system coped with the extreme cold. Such a wonderful life they had enjoyed, here and in Mexico, other places as well but those two places were especially dear to them.

Eight children had grown to maturity in this place, the six they had joked about, but happily produced, plus two adopted and treated just the same, thriving in the boundless love and giving back ten fold. The laughter that echoed through the building and over the fields and groves of trees had been the inspiration for the last music he had created, something that U.T. would be performing in Salzburg in the spring.

U.T had arranged for the drive to be plowed, including the short curve that led to the large boat house and the suite built above it.

They pulled up at the ramp to the suite, the place that Urs and Elena had usually stayed the past 10 years and U.T. helped them up the ramp, nearly having to carry Elena but she took another of her little white ‘magic’ pills and followed behind the wheel chair as Urs drove to the top.

Inside it was cool, not cold since the heating had been automatic to keep the piano and the LaCote from harm. U.T. turned up the thermostat and helped with coats, checked the frig, though he didn’t expect them to do more than nibble on the Chocolate Bombe his wife had made.

Urs had opted for the long over-stuffed sofa rather than the bed and was now stretched out, looking peaceful and content, his mouth and eyes smiling, clearly happy to be where he was and accepting of what was soon to come.

Elena had gone to the far side of the room, the music room, they called it and when Urs spoke to U.T. she started back, paused for a moment to let a spasm of pain pass then came on.

“Urs Toni…” his Opa was the only one who ever called him that, “do you have a Euro?”

U.T. dug in his pocket and handed over a shiny coin, curious but silent.

Elena reached him and handed him a guitar case…. The LaCote.

“Wrap the world in Love and Music, U.T., in true Il Divo fashion.”

The gesture was nearly his undoing. He thanked them, hugging and kissing them both and upheld the family tradition of farewell.

“See you later. I love you.”

Without more delay U.T. groped his way to the door and drove away from the boathouse, pausing just outside the gate at the end of the driveway to let his tears finish and try to calm himself before driving back to his family in Lucerne.

Urs and Elena didn’t talk much after he left. After all these years they had both said all that was necessary.

She joined him on the sofa, spooned, both resting under a light throw, watching the interplay of the bright sun on the frozen expanse of lake in front of them. Gradually their medications wore off and while she still could Elena went to the kitchen and sliced off one small piece of the Chocolate Bombe, brought it back on a plate with one fork and they shared it.

His breathing was deteriorating as his pain increased. She put the half finished cake on the small table at the end of the sofa and lay beside him again, facing him, their arms about each other, his head resting on her breasts.

“It has been a good life, Ja, Liebeling?” she heard him murmur and choked back a sob.

“Perfect, my Love. We have been blessed.”

He was silent for a few ragged breaths then raised his head to gaze in her eyes.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered.

“I will follow close behind you. Wait for me.”

He reached up to kiss her, tasting of chocolate and that special taste that was Urs, caressing her lips with his tongue one last time, then lay his head on her breasts once more.

“I never get tired of kissing you,” he murmured and she felt his face crinkle in a smile as he exhaled his last breath.

He was gone, she knew it, felt the emptiness of his mortal body as it rapidly began to cool, but waited, expecting another breath, not wanting to accept what she knew to be true.

At last she let the knowledge enter her, felt the sting of tears at the loss and the ominous tightening around her heart. The pain was bad this time, a tight band that squeezed the life from her but she easily resisted the urge to take another pill, let it swamp over her as she lay holding the shell of her departed love against her straining body.

It passed and she felt an aura of peace, of lightness. Faintly at first, then with more of the old power she heard his voice, heard the song he had written for her though the world had never been told the significance…. ‘No Mas Despedidas’…. No More Goodbyes. She turned to follow the sound of his voice and heard the blending of four voices becoming one…. Il Divo was together once more and she laughed with joy as she raced along the bright path of music to the arms he held open wide to welcome her.

**
The mortal shell returns to dust,
yet
Love Lives On

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