"It's good to see you again, Stacy." Damon stood and gave the woman whose picture Chuck had carried around for the past five years a brief hug. He'd met her several times when she'd visited Chuck on his R&R weekends. "Congratulations on the wedding."
"Thank you. It took me forever to convince this big lug I wasn't going anywhere." She perched on the edge of Chuck's bed and put a hand on his leg as Damon sank back into the chair. "How is the rest of the gang? Chuck talks about you guys all the time."
Damon spent the next twenty minutes telling Chuck and Stacy stories about how Flores and Howie super glued a Chevrolet emblem to the front of Jared Ford's F250 and how Romero—aka Romeo—had blown through three girlfriends in the last year.
"Has King failed a drug test yet?” Chuck asked.
“Not yet. He still getsrandomlyselected twice as often as the rest of us though.” The six-foot-seven, dark-haired ranger was someone you did not want to run into in a dark alley.
"Are they sure he's not shooting up with steroids?" Stacy asked.
Damon shook his head. "He passes every time."
They continued to chat for several more minutes before Chuck said, "In your text, you said you're home for your cousin's wedding?" When Damon nodded, he went on. "I thought your cousin got married back at the beginning of the year."
"This is a different cousin."
"I'm surprised you were able to get leave again."
Damon scratched the back of his neck. "I'm on block leave."
The extra time off the military gives soldiers before sending them out on deployment for months.
"You're deploying again? Already?" Chuck's eyes widened as he cursed under his breath. "Where are you going this time?"
"You know I can't tell you that, but..." Damon shifted his gaze to Chuck and Stacy's clasped hands. "We've been there before."
Chuck's gaze narrowed on his face. "It's a hot zone, isn't it?"
No one ever looked forward to deployment, but there were certain areas soldiers dreaded more than others, and Damon was headed into the heart of one of them.
Sensing the tension in the air, Stacy changed the subject. "So, Damon, are you leaving a girl behind?"
"Nah, Lancelot is smart." Chuck spoke before Damon could. "He doesn't let himself fall for any of the women he dates when he knows he's going to have to leave them. Doesn't want to have to worry about them cheatin' on him while he's gone or havin' them worry he won't come back in one piece."
Damon gave a stiff smile. "Something like that."
Although, it wasn't that simple. He wanted a wife and kids, but he'd seen too many of his comrades spiral when they got a "Dear John" letter or came home and found out the woman they thought was devoted to them hadn't been faithful.
No, he wanted what his parents had; a lifelong partner, a loving family, and a white picket fence. But he'd never met a woman he could picture spending the rest of his life with. A woman who made him want to settle down. Someone he loved more than he loved serving his country.
He could have a family and still serve his country, but he hated the idea of uprooting them every few years and having to leave his wife for long periods of time to raise their children on her own. And what happened when he didn't come back in one piece? She shouldn't have to care for an invalid. Or worse yet, what if he didn't come back at all?
Stacy again changed the subject to football, which sparked a heated discussion between Chuck, who was a die-hard Cowboys fan, and Damon, who loved the Raiders. Stacy joined in advocating for the Chiefs.
The nurse came and gave Chuck more pain meds, and before long, the man's eyelids grew heavy. Damon decided it was time to leave.
"Get well, man." He clasped Chuck's hand and leaned over the bed to give him a hug which ended up being an awkward pat on his good shoulder. "Make sure I get an invitation to the wedding."
"You will." Chuck and Stacy said in unison.
He looked back at his friend as he made his way to the door. With the unfailing love and support of a woman like Stacy, Charlotte would be okay.
Next stop: Providence. Damon longed to hug his mom and sink his teeth into one of the big ol' cinnamon rolls she made every time he came home.
Grace couldn't believethis chapter of her life was ending. She didn't look forward to the next one. Not with what she'd have to go through with her mother.
Grace logged out of her computer for the last time and sighed. Walking by faith wouldn't be so hard if her future was clearer. There were simply too many shadows and uncertainties.
