That’s one of the reasons you wouldn’t take yourself off that mission.Wanted to stand alone.
“That’s not true.”
“What?”Kent looked up, puzzled.
“Nothing.”
Something I can feel.Maynard’s stinky tongue on my face.That would also be something I can smell.As Jock went through the calming mantra he’d learned in therapy years ago, he began to relax a little.Would have been the first round with therapy.Dr.Jaagr didn’t know what she’d taken on with me.Saved my life.
“I’m going to start again, Jock.”
He jerked up his head, staring at the vet...Kent.Wordlessly he nodded, then leaned his forehead against Maynard again.The dog jerked underneath his hands, and he soothed his palms over the sides of Maynard’s head.“It’s okay, boy.All good.Gonna be all good.”
God.The trust this dog has already given me is so big.I bet they won’t find an owner.I bet he needs a place to belong, where he can connect with people and dogs.Exactly like me.He just needs someone to give him a chance.
“Ace, call Wrench again.Tell him to talk to Miss Danielle.Maybe she saw something.”
“On it.”
Jock didn’t look around, just stayed focused on Maynard while he listened to Ace’s side of the conversation.
“Hey, Prez.Jock had a thought.He was at Miss Danielle’s place.I don’t know, I didn’t ask him why.Okay.”Ace sighed heavily.“Jock, why were you at Miss Danielle’s place?Wrench wants to know if you were getting ready to patch over to the CoBos?”Another sigh.“No, Wrench, I will not ask him that.You call him later and ask him.”
“Getting some patches on Silly’s PO vest.She’s going to be gone all next week.Seemed like a good time to do it.”He stroked the side of Maynard’s face.“Best decision I made today.Put me in the right spot to help get Maynard out of that alley.”
“Did you hear that, Wrench?Okay, then you’ve got your answer.No, I’m not going to ask him what patches.You can call him later and ask him.Wrench, stop whining.It’s not appropriate for a man of your standing.”Ace sighed audibly.“Jock, why did you name the dog Maynard?”
He grinned.“Because his name is Maynard.Why does anyone name anything?Because it is, young grasshopper.”
Ace snorted.“I’ll call back if we have news.Start digging, Wrench.This dog has been harmed by someone on our patch.That cannot stand.Yeah, let me send you pictures and see what you think.Asshole.”He stepped up to the table and took a series of images, then took pictures of the couple of X-rays the vet had taken, showing old, healed fractures.Which, like the tail, were not healed very well and were not as old as Jock would have liked.
“There.”Ace resumed his stance on the other side of the table.“He sounds better already.”
“Yeah, Kent here said he had started developing a case of pneumonia, so the antibiotics will do their job, but he also gave him something for the rasp.He does sound a lot better.”Jock caressed Maynard’s ear with delicate touches and gentle rubs.“He’s a good boy.”
Kent grunted, and the dog froze in pain, the whining reaching a volume not heard before.These were yelps and cries, and Jock didn’t know what to do to make it better.
The sun beat down on his back as he ran from one downed soldier to another.“How can they all be dead?”The radio had gotten blown to bits, so he couldn’t even call in help in case someone did survive.Jake made another round of the bodies scattered around on the hot sand.Blank stares refused to meet his gaze, blood drooling out of mouths testimony to the kind of percussive wounds hidden in skin and bone.“They can’t all be dead.That’s not right.”
“We’re dead because you’re fucked in the head, Jake.”
He whirled to see one man sitting up, leaning against a wall that hadn’t been there a moment before.Blood sheeted down his chin and throat, blending into the fluids seeping from his midsection.
“What?”
“You’re fucked in the head because of that bitch.”
Jake flinched.“Anybody would be.That was some fucked-up shit she pulled.”
“Yeah, it was.But if it was another man in our squad, would you have let them outside the wire?Head all fucked-up?Would you have held them back, giving them another day to wallow?We’re dead because you didn’t do the same to yourself.And you took lead too.That’s fucked-up, Jake.”
“I didn’t think—”
“Right.”That came from behind him, and Jake whirled to see another man sitting up in the middle of the sand patch in the center of the village.This man was missing a leg and both arms, which belied his ability to sit up in the shifting waves of sand.“You didn’t think, asshole.And now I’m dead.”
“Yeah, now we’re dead.”
Jake turned in a tight circle, seeing man after man moving when they shouldn’t be.Not if they were all dead.
