At first, James refused to hear about it, but finally Tom convinced him to see a doctor. The doctor ran a number of tests, but found nothing specific. James was suffering from the effects of old age. Tom kept a close watch on his father, but he knew that James was declining quickly.
Jamie started going over to her grandfather’s house after school several days a week when she didn’t have any other afterschool activities, so she could spend as much time with him as possible. James doted on his granddaughter. Not only was she the only female grandchild in the family, but she was the only grandchild who still lived in town. James saw something very special in Jamie, and her presence brightened his days when she’d spend time with him. Jamie loved her grandfather and looked forward to their time together. Sometimes they’d play cards, sometimes they’d play chess, and sometimes they’d just sit and talk about the past.
Jamie loved hearing the stories about her parents when they were younger. She knew that they still loved each other very much, but evidently, there had been some things that had happened when they first met and when they were newly married that really brought them closer together. When Jamie asked for details, her grandfather would just smile and say: “That’s a story for another time.”
Every now and then, James would have a recurring fever, which kept him in bed for a couple of days. One day, close to Jamie’s fourteenth birthday, her grandfather felt feverish and was tossing and turning in bed. As Jamie sat in the chair next to the bed, she heard him mumbling the same things over and over again. It was hard to understand what he was saying, but she definitely heard something that sounded like “knights,” “Order of the Saltire,” and “interventions.” She filed these in the back of her mind and decided to ask her grandfather about them when he felt better.
Unlike his past fevers, this one took longer to get over, and once it broke, it left James very weak. Jamie started spending even more time with her grandfather at that point, suddenly worried that she might not have much time left with him. Tom and Emily were grateful that Jamie wanted to spend time with Tom’s father, and they never did anything to discourage her.
On one rainy afternoon, Jamie sat in the chair next to her grandfather’s bed when he suddenly woke up. He looked over at his granddaughter and smiled a determined smile. “Jamie, I need to talk to you,” he said with some difficulty.
Jamie looked up from the book she had been reading. “Ok, Granddad. What do you want to talk to me about?” She put down the book and moved her chair closer to the bed so she could hear him better.
“There are things about your family that you don’t know, but which you should know. Your parents were planning to talk to you about this when you were older, and I wanted to be there when you found out. I see now that I’m going to have to tell you myself.”
Jamie was curious at this. She knew that her parents kept secrets, but she always assumed that all parents did. Several times a month, she went over to Aunt Sophie’s house or Granddad’s house while her parents went to some meetings, but no one ever discussed them. She even remembered staying with her grandparents or having her grandmother come over and stay with her for extended periods of time when her parents had to travel. It all seemed normal, so she never really paid much attention to it as she grew up. Now she wondered if her grandfather was going to tell her the reason for those meetings and trips.
“Before I continue, I need you to promise me that you’ll never discuss anything I tell you with anyone until after your parents talk to you about it – even if it means keeping it a secret for several years. Do you understand?”
Jamie nodded. “Yes, Granddad, I promise.” When Jamie made a promise, she always kept it, just like her dad did.
“Good. Well, where to start… Oh yes. Several years ago, long before your dad and Aunt Sophie were born, I, and several of my colleagues, realized that there were people in this world who needed help. They needed someone to turn to who could make things right. Law enforcement was stretched thin and needed help gathering evidence, proving the truth about circumstances, and apprehending and convicting criminals. We, my colleagues and I, started helping people and law enforcement in our spare time. We had no authority to do so; there was no mandate allowing us to do this. In fact, no one ever knew that we existed. We kept our involvement secret, out of respect for the system and out of concern for our safety and the safety of our loved ones. After a while, we allowed others to join us, and we formalized our group into an organization.”
“What organization, Granddad?” Jamie asked.
“We called ourselves the ‘Order of the Saltire.’”
Jamie immediately remembered her grandfather muttering that during his most recent fever.
“We organized ourselves like the old orders of knighthood,” Jamie’s grandfather continued. “The men were called ‘knights,’ and the women were called ‘dames.’ We grew and expanded, and we even opened new chapters in other countries.”
“Why are you telling me this, Granddad?” Jamie asked.
“I’m getting to that,” her grandfather replied. “Anyway, several years ago, when your dad was just out of the military, he was recruited into the Order. Now, at that time, your dad and I weren’t getting along too well. I think you know the stories about what happened between your dad and me when he was still in college?”
Jamie nodded.
“Well, we hadn’t spoken for several years, and I didn’t know that he was joining the Order until his petition crossed my desk. All new memberships came to me at that time. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d want to join, since he was always concerned about justice. So I approved his membership, but I never told him that I was the head of the Order. It was several years later, when he moved back here, that he found out I was the Order’s Grand Master, or supreme commander. That was the moment when our relationship turned around and started becoming what it is today. Are you following me so far?”
Jamie nodded.
“Good. Anyway, your Godfather Ralph and your dad started working together at work and with the Order. That’s when Ralph introduced your dad to your mom. Your mom was a new member of the Order, and she and your dad hit it off immediately. Tell me something. Do they teach you about the impeachment of President Sanborn in school?”
“Yes, sir. We learned about it this year.”
“Did you know that your mom and dad were involved?”
Jamie’s eyes opened wide as she shook her head.
James told her about how the Order took down President Sanborn and helped free the U.S. citizens imprisoned illegally. He told her about the firefight underneath the Capitol and how her parents had helped capture the last of the Homeland Security Force officers.
Jamie sat in stunned silence as her grandfather told her about how her parents had led the initiatives that brought freedom back to America. She knew that there had been a gunfight underneath the Capital building, but she had no idea that her parents had been involved in it.
“Have you ever heard of ‘Il Nona’ or the Republic of Suriname?” James asked his granddaughter.
“I’ve heard of Suriname, but not ‘Il Nona’,” she replied.
“Well, Il Nona was a group of mercenaries and arms dealers based in Europe who tried to get the Middle Eastern immigrants in Europe and the local Europeans to start fighting each other back when you were just a toddler. Your parents helped stop them. Then Il Nona moved to Central America and tried to overthrow the government of Suriname. Your parents helped put down that revolution and return the elected government to power. Your dad personally saved the President of Suriname’s life.”
Jamie’s mind was reeling at this point. If it were anyone else, she would think that she was just hearing fairy-tales, but her grandfather had never lied to her, and she believed him completely, even though she was having a hard time imagining her parents doing the things he was describing.
“Anyway,