One Thousand Years to Forever Read online

  Colum gently let Katherine go. She looked up at him, her face a mess but beautiful to him. She looked the same as she had each of the lifetimes she had been with him, and taken from him. This time he had won. He had loved her, for a thousand years and more, and he was determined not to lose her this time.

  Katherine didn’t know what to think, what to say. She stood with destruction surrounding her beyond anything she had ever thought she would see in her lifetime. She looked up at the man, the giant who had carried her out of the North Tower like she was nothing. He now stood looking at her, covered in dust, all a greyish white. All that was visible were his eyes and mouth.

  “Why?”

  Colum looked down at Katherine. He knew what she was getting at but he wanted to hear her voice because he knew it would be a while before he would become part of her life again.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Why did you save me? I wanted to be with my husband, I could have helped him... ”

  Colum wanted to pick her up and shake her. She was as stubborn as she had always been, she just didn’t know this was her make-up down through the ages.

  Colum watched as her father and father-in-law turned and touched her on the shoulder. They spoke in unison, “Had you stayed with him, your children would have ended up being without both parents.” Both had tears spilling down their cheeks, making paths through the grayish white dust that covered all of them. Chief MacNamara leaned into the shoulder of Katherine’s father. Katherine’s father wrapped an arm around his daughter.

  Colum watched as the range of emotions hit her. Others in the group just stood, trying to take in what had just happened. Some were trying to contact family members to tell them they were safe.

  Colum saw Katherine go from mad to all of a sudden knowing what her family had said was true. She let out a wail and collapsed, beating the ground. Both her father and her father-in-law dropped to their knees, covering her with their sobbing bodies.

  Chief MacNamara looked up at the man who had carried his daughter in law down those thirty-four flights like it had been nothing and saw anguish. “I want to thank you for saving her. I don’t know what’s in store for us, whether we will find my son, but at least their children still have a mother.”

  Colum looked down at Katherine who was fighting off her own father as she rose to her feet and started to run to the rubble. “John!” She screamed. “John!”

  She was met by police officers who tried to pull her back but Colum and the men of her family were behind her and soon all were among the searchers, listening as the PASS Devises from the fallen firefighters air packs announced with the shrill scream the location of those closer to the top. Others could be heard but deeper beneath the depths of the rubble. They were soon digging through the rubble with bare hands, and anything they could lay their hands on, finding survivors and victims.

  Hours later, someone found a part of some stairs and their beams, and then they found a cluster of bodies... all like they were just sleeping, all curled up. Katherine was on top of the searchers before anyone could pull her off. Colum heard her wail. He ran to her and caught her as she fell on top of the body of her husband. She looked up to the sky that was black with the night, but lit up with the brightness of the searchlights. She screamed to the heavens over and over, clutching on her husband’s body, and then on Colum’s as he held her tighter. Holding her as she cried and screamed in turn. If it had been possible he would have brought her husband back to life. He had no joy in the fact that he had saved her and that her husband had to die so that he could have her. He could have taken her husband up in his arms also, saved him too. He was more than capable of doing so much, but he had gone with the sole purpose of saving her. Saving her so she would be with him some day and possibly change her. That way he wouldn’t have to go through eternity without his mate any more.

  She looked up into his face and so softly said, “Why?” Great sobs raking through her body. “Why?”

  Katherine let her fist beat on the chest of the man who had saved her. Then she let her head fall and rest on his chest as she whispered “Why?”

  * * * * * * *

  Colum stood off in the distance from the group of mourners as they lay John MacNamara to rest. It was raining that morning but as they clustered around the grave site, the sun came out and a rainbow seemed to be resting right on the group of mourners. Colum watched as Katherine looked over at him. Travis stood behind him. “She is still the same, Sir, still so beautiful.”

  “Yes, Travis, still beautiful. A bruised rose but still beautiful.”

  Katherine spoke to her brother and pointed to the man standing off to the side. “He’s the one who carried me out of the building.”

  “I want to go thank him and ask him to come to our home.”

  Katherine looked over at the man, she had never found out his name. She told her brother that that would be fine. But when they looked again they were gone.

  William O’Brien looked at his sister and then at where the men had been standing. “They were there weren’t they?”

  Katherine looked around. “Yes... ”

  As the service finished, the priest walked up to her, saying a few quiet words. Katherine tried to comprehend that it was truly over. When they left, her husband’s coffin would be lowered down in the ground. But for the moment it was still there. As the bagpipes started their mournful cry, their sound reaching her ears and going up to the heavens as if to take her husband’s soul away from her, Katherine shrugged off her brother and father’s hands, and fell over the coffin crying. The tears came hard. They tore from her as she cried and then screamed. Then she beat on the coffin. She felt hands pulling at her. She didn’t care. She would mourn as she wished. It was almost as if the Priest understood because she heard him speak, ever so softly to the men of her family, and they stopped bothering her.

  William O’Brien, one arm in a sling and a cast on his leg, stood back from his sister like the Priest had told him to do. He looked around to see if he would see that giant again. Nothing. It was like that man and the one next to him had disappeared into thin air.

  A scream rent the air. He was jolted back to the present. His sister continued to beat the coffin and scream.

  “This can’t be happening to me... you... us... come back to me, John! Come back!” She cried till she thought she would just float away on the tears. Maybe that would happen and she could go to be with him. She knew she wasn’t thinking clearly but she didn’t care any longer. She just wanted John. She didn’t try to hide how she felt as the bagpipes kept playing.

  She lay there on the coffin and then she felt another emotion. It wasn’t just sadness it was fury. She wanted to find who was responsible, those who had killed her husband and all the others... thousands. So many others were mourning their loved ones. Not just her. She looked up and saw a cameraman standing discreetly in the distance. She got up and started to walk.

  William, their Dad, and Katherine’s father-in-law all saw Katherine and saw the look in her eyes and they knew someone was going to suffer if they didn’t intercede.

  “No, Kat... wait,” they said in unison as they started to run after her.

  Katherine walked with a purpose towards the small group of news people who now had a shocked look on their faces wondering what was going to happen. An angry woman was barreling towards them, with a group of men running after her, calling her name.

  Katherine saw the man with the camera back up as she approached at a fast clip.

  “I want to make a statement,” she said, while her family members stood behind her.

  “Katherine, you aren’t thinking clearly, come home... ”

  Katherine ignored them. “What do I have to do to make a statement so it will be aired?”

  The cameraman and a woman from the nightly news looked at each other then back at Katherine.

  “What would you like to say Mrs. MacNamara?”

  Katherine watched as the cameraman got her
into focus. Then counted down three, two, one and pointed at her.

  “My name is Katherine MacNamara. I am a widow, became a widow on September 11th. My husband, John MacNamara, is not coming home anymore. He left children without a father, a wife without her husband.”

  Waving his helmet that she had brought with her, “This is all I have left of him from his last day on earth. He died to save lives. I don’t know why this horrific act was done but I do know he and those who were attacked in the two towers, the victims on the planes, the field in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, they died heroes. My husband was a hero. I ask that whoever was responsible to come see me. Come. I want to ask you if you feel good about what you did. Then I want to put a gun to your fucking head... ”

  “Katherine!” Her father pulled her away. “No Katherine! You can’t be saying that.”

  Katherine pulled away from her beloved father. “I can’t say that?” She screamed “But they can take over planes, kill all of those innocent people on the planes and buildings? But I can’t say what I want?” She turned to the camera. “I have a right to say what I want... after all, I just lost my best friend, the father of my children. I’m an American, and I was attacked. I want to have the chance to confront and kill, if at all possible, whomever was in on this cowardly act. I invite you, one on one... I may be a woman but you just pissed off the wrong woman. You have taken from me what was mine... My husband, my friend, my lover... ”

  She screamed and cried as her family led her away to the waiting limo.

  That night on the nightly news the funeral of John MacNamara was aired. Also aired was Katherine’s tirade against those who were responsible. Some said it never should have been aired. Others said it needed to be said. Calls from servicemen said they would do what they could for her. Emails arrived to the news station, supporting her. It was like a call to arms or Remember the Alamo...

  There were others who viewed the newscast. They sat in a smoke filled room in a Middle Eastern Country. They talked amongst themselves. One in particular, his voice rose above the others.

  “The infidel whore will regret saying what she said. Who is she to say such things? She will meet us when she forgets her pretty speech; when she is all alone. Then I, or one of us, will go and dispatch her to wherever her husband is. She will no longer mourn her mighty and brave husband. She will be with him.”

  All sat talking and smoking. Some broke off into small groups. Most agreed that they were far too busy to worry about that woman. One sat there playing the news over and over again. An evil smile spread on his face. “Yes, someday we will meet and then you will regret the pretty words you said,” he whispered to himself.

  Chapter 1

  Nine years later…

  Katherine MacNamara pulled her SUV up to the gate of her Grannie’s old summer home.

  “Mom, do you want me to open the gate?”

  Katherine looked in the rear view mirror at her son John. “Yes, if you want to... since I don’t want to walk all of our luggage through this down pour any more then I have to.”

  Katherine watched as her little John ran to the gate, opened it wide and ran on ahead. He would be soaked. She’d have to get him into dry clothes right away, that was for sure.

  Of all days to move, it had to pour like this. Well, it was fitting for how she felt. Nine years ago her world, everyone’s world, had been turned upside down when 9/11 happened. Every year on that day, it poured like the heavens were mourning with her. She was still mourning the loss of her husband, the loss of the man who had been part of her life from her earliest years.

  With each year it became a little easier, but on the anniversary she felt her insides being ripped out again. The wound was very fresh on that day and for some time before and after.

  When her Grannie passed away a few months ago, everyone in the family said that Katherine should move. Take herself and the kids and get out of the city. After all, she could write anywhere. They all said she needed to start over and maybe she would find someone...

  But of late she had been too tired to really care. She always felt wasted, like she had no energy. Maybe her anemia was bothering her more. She would get back on her vitamins and iron and start running again, that always made her feel better.

  She parked the car and her other two children got out along with her. She saw Sally and Pat run for the door. She could see John saying “No, wait for Mom.” He knew what was best. He had grown up over night. It’s like he had never had a childhood. He had been six on that day, Sally had just turned seven and Pat had just turned two. Now she had two teens and a tween standing watching her, waiting for her, waiting to start a new life. She ran up to her children and they opened the door together and with that started their new life.

  * * * * * * *

  A few months later

  Katherine sat and sipped her morning tea. She waited for the kids to come down and then she would start the morning rush to get them all to school. Fortunately, she had two in middle school and then Sally drove herself with the car the family had bought for her.

  Katherine took a sip of her tea and looked out the window that faced the harbor. Leaden skies met her eyes. It was the second week in November. Pretty soon the holidays would be upon them. She was hosting the whole of the MacNamara and O’Brien clans. Where in the world was she going to fit everyone in this tiny house? She knew all the young cousins would camp out. That freed up three bedrooms. She could sleep on the couch...

  She grabbed a pad of paper that she kept on the counter and started making a list.

  “Morning, Mom!”

  “Morning, John.” She didn’t look up from writing her list.

  She wrote things she would need to do to get the house ready for a crowd and made a small side list. John had always joked about her lists. She smiled at that thought.

  She felt arms go around her and felt her little Sally give her a hug. Though all of a sudden, she wasn’t little any more but was blossoming into a young beauty. She turned and smiled at her daughter. “God, I am so in trouble... ” She gave her an extra hug and wrote something down on her list. Mentally banging her head.

  “Mom. Can we go to the mall this weekend? I want to get some new jeans.”

  “How about Freeport.” Katherine said without looking up.

  Sally looked at her mom and saw dark circles under her eyes. “Maybe Olivia’s Mom could take us. I still don’t like driving that far with winter coming.” She turned to grab a mug of coffee. “She said her mom may be going... You can stay home and rest.”

  Katherine looked up and saw Sally studying her. “Why? I’m fine. Can’t we all go?”

  Sally climbed up and sat down on a stool at the bar next to her Mom. “Yea, if you aren’t too tired... ” She glanced at her mother from under her lashes. She wasn’t stupid. Her mom wasn’t feeling great and had been pushing herself to get her book done.

  “Well, Sally?”

  Sally jumped down and went to the fridge. “I’m fine with whatever makes you happy, Mom. I’ll see about Olivia and maybe her Mom will come with us.”

  Katherine put the pen down, and got up to go over to the stove.

  “Good. You do that.” She bent and kissed her daughter’s head. “Do you want me to top off your coffee? It’s a bit raw this morning.”

  Sally hugged her Mom. She loved her so much and hated seeing her so tired. “Yea, here is my mug. Can you make me some oatmeal too? I have a full morning.”

  Katherine grabbed a pan from the hooks. “Go get dressed and I will have it ready in a few minutes.”

  “Morning, Mom.”

  Katherine turned to the sound of her other son’s voice. “Morning, Pat. Thought I was going to have to wake you. You have to stop staying up so late to play games, no more school nights.”

  “Yea, yea... ” He came up and gave her a hug. “Cousin Kevin was on and we talked more then played.”

  “Well your Aunt Issy isn’t going to be happy with him for staying up so late eit
her. No more school nights. Besides you two can talk when the family comes up for Thanksgiving.”

  Pat turned off the teakettle. “I know, we talked about that. They’re bringing his mountain bike up. We plan on going up to the Snow Bowl to ride the trails.”

  “Yea if there isn’t snow, then you may be skiing.”

  “I’d rather snowboard.”

  Katherine looked at her son who, at this rate, would be taller than his older brother. John was like her, medium height and Pat was going to be a big boy at the rate he was growing.

  “Do you want something to eat? I’m making oatmeal.”

  “Yea, if we have bananas.”

  “Gross,” piped up Sally who came back into the room.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  “You two stop it right now.” Katherine said. She saw them smiling after making faces at one another.

  * * * * * * *

  Colum sat at his desk and finished the letter he had been putting off. A knock could be heard softly at his office door.

  “Come in.”

  Travis opened up the door and stuck his head in. “Sir, she has just left her home for the usual morning run.”