explanation. But still, in her unwavering strength, she had prevailed…endured for their family, for him.
Damn , he owed Diane his life for all she had gone through. It was a pity that he had to realize it through the pain of his own child. He only wished that it didn’t have to be Courtney going through this.
As they walked, Courtney looked up at him, her red hazel eyes nearly stopping his heart as she tried to smile. “Thank you for coming, Daddy,” she whispered. She and her father had experienced some dark moments in their life. He wasn’t always in approval of her choices and she wasn’t always in approval of his. Yet, at that moment, all of the bumpy spots in their relationship were made smooth. He was there for her when she needed him…there to comfort her, to hold her up, to walk beside her. Even in her grief, she had to recognize that.
“There is no other place in the world that I’m supposed to be right now,” he said with his arm wrapped around her. His heart swelled and he had to fight his own tears back. “I never wished for this life for you, mostly because I know how hard it can be. But you picked a good man and sometimes you just have to play with the cards you’re dealt. Your mother and I will be right here for whatever you need, whenever you need it. But trust me, you will get through this.”
She nodded at him. “I know,” she said honestly. “I love you. I know I don’t say it all the time, but I do. And…” she swallowed salty tears. “And I would never trade you, never in a million years.”
“I love you too.” He smiled and kissed her sand covered hand. “Let’s get you home.
Chapter 5
“I have not yet begun to fight!”
-John Paul Jones
Within 44 hours after being injured, Brett was asleep in the safe, clean, cool confines of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He had been treated in theatre and transported immediately to Joint Base Andrews by the Medical Evacuation and Critical Air Transport Team. It had been without a doubt, a painful journey, but one that reassured him that there was no place like home. He knew that more than ever when as he arrived on campus and passed an American flag waving high above them, a rush of tears burned his eyes and cascaded like a waterfall down his bruised face.
He remembered feeling embarrassed about his tears, when everyone around him kept calling him a hero and a warrior. If they look closer , he thought quietly to himself, they’d see that I’m not . But before he could get the thought processed in his head, he was suddenly reassured by one of the team members who slipped her hand into his and smiled at him. “Sometimes I cry when I pass it too. It’s a beautiful sight to behold,” she said, turning from his misty blue eyes to look out of the window. Still, she had not let go of his hand and he had not let go of hers. It had not been some ridiculous attempt at flirting; it had been one military personnel giving another comfort when they needed it the most, and he appreciated that.
When he had gotten to Bethesda, he had requested a phone several times, but his vitals were not doing well; the drugs had him loopy and the pain was excruciating. Brett had been injured before. A scrape here, a break there. But this time had been different. He had nearly lost Rusty. Joe had nearly given up his entire family to save him from incoming fire. And well, he had been popped by an insurgent with an AK-47 in his dominant leg. What good was a Force Recon Marine without a leg?
While they admitted him to the hospital, counseled him and saw after him, he kept wondering when someone was going to tell him that he was going to lose his valued limb, but no one was saying anything to him, or at least, he didn’t quite hear them. They had him on so many drugs, he could barely focus. And if he focused too long, he seemed to pass out
Damn , he owed Diane his life for all she had gone through. It was a pity that he had to realize it through the pain of his own child. He only wished that it didn’t have to be Courtney going through this.
As they walked, Courtney looked up at him, her red hazel eyes nearly stopping his heart as she tried to smile. “Thank you for coming, Daddy,” she whispered. She and her father had experienced some dark moments in their life. He wasn’t always in approval of her choices and she wasn’t always in approval of his. Yet, at that moment, all of the bumpy spots in their relationship were made smooth. He was there for her when she needed him…there to comfort her, to hold her up, to walk beside her. Even in her grief, she had to recognize that.
“There is no other place in the world that I’m supposed to be right now,” he said with his arm wrapped around her. His heart swelled and he had to fight his own tears back. “I never wished for this life for you, mostly because I know how hard it can be. But you picked a good man and sometimes you just have to play with the cards you’re dealt. Your mother and I will be right here for whatever you need, whenever you need it. But trust me, you will get through this.”
She nodded at him. “I know,” she said honestly. “I love you. I know I don’t say it all the time, but I do. And…” she swallowed salty tears. “And I would never trade you, never in a million years.”
“I love you too.” He smiled and kissed her sand covered hand. “Let’s get you home.
Chapter 5
“I have not yet begun to fight!”
-John Paul Jones
Within 44 hours after being injured, Brett was asleep in the safe, clean, cool confines of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He had been treated in theatre and transported immediately to Joint Base Andrews by the Medical Evacuation and Critical Air Transport Team. It had been without a doubt, a painful journey, but one that reassured him that there was no place like home. He knew that more than ever when as he arrived on campus and passed an American flag waving high above them, a rush of tears burned his eyes and cascaded like a waterfall down his bruised face.
He remembered feeling embarrassed about his tears, when everyone around him kept calling him a hero and a warrior. If they look closer , he thought quietly to himself, they’d see that I’m not . But before he could get the thought processed in his head, he was suddenly reassured by one of the team members who slipped her hand into his and smiled at him. “Sometimes I cry when I pass it too. It’s a beautiful sight to behold,” she said, turning from his misty blue eyes to look out of the window. Still, she had not let go of his hand and he had not let go of hers. It had not been some ridiculous attempt at flirting; it had been one military personnel giving another comfort when they needed it the most, and he appreciated that.
When he had gotten to Bethesda, he had requested a phone several times, but his vitals were not doing well; the drugs had him loopy and the pain was excruciating. Brett had been injured before. A scrape here, a break there. But this time had been different. He had nearly lost Rusty. Joe had nearly given up his entire family to save him from incoming fire. And well, he had been popped by an insurgent with an AK-47 in his dominant leg. What good was a Force Recon Marine without a leg?
While they admitted him to the hospital, counseled him and saw after him, he kept wondering when someone was going to tell him that he was going to lose his valued limb, but no one was saying anything to him, or at least, he didn’t quite hear them. They had him on so many drugs, he could barely focus. And if he focused too long, he seemed to pass out
Similar Books
