Beans’s tail thumped again, slower this time, as if in agreement.
Outside, a car passed, and somewhere outside, a door shut, but inside the living room, everything felt warm and safe. Fernando rubbed slow circles along Beans’s side, feeling the rise and fall of each breath.
Beans stretched one paw across Fernando’s chest and closed his eyes.
Fernando did too, and for the first time all day, the weight on his shoulders felt lighter, replaced by several pounds of loyal, steady comfort.
Chapter 17
Aweek later, Walker’s unit finally got back to base. The barracks were quieter than usual for a Friday night. Most of the guys were down at the smoke pit or trying to sweet-talk someone on FaceTime.
Walker sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone. No calls or emails from Fernando for a full week. The faint echo of boots in the hallway came and went.
“Gunny talked to you yet?” Pug asked from his own spot sprawled across Walker’s bed.
“Yeah,” Walker said. “He brought up the bonus.”
Pug huffed. “They’re throwing numbers at me too, and acting like I’m crazy for even thinking about getting out.”
Walker glanced at him. “You are thinking about it?”
Pug finally sat up. “Yeah. I am.” He rubbed his hands together like he was trying to warm them. “Eight years, man. I missed my sister’s wedding. My dad’s surgery. I don’t even know what my nephew’s favorite color is.”
Walker nodded slowly. “Blue. It’s always blue.”
Pug gave a weak laugh. “You know what I mean.”
Outside, someone shouted, and a door slammed. The building settled again into a humming, fluorescent stillness.
“They keep talking about career,” Pug went on. “About picking up staff, about twenty years, and a pension. I don’t know.”
Walker looked down at his phone again. “I joined at eighteen. Thought I’d do four and bounce. Then it turned into this.”
“So what changed?”
Walker was quiet for a long moment. “Fernando and I went to visit his family. They’re… I don’t even know how to describe it. It was really nice.”
Pug sat up and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “You thinking about moving there?”
“Yeah.” Pug finally met his eyes. “We are.” The words hung between them, and Walker couldn’t help but feel disloyal. He had put off telling Pug for weeks now.
“You feel guilty?” Pug asked, eyes soft.
“Every day,” Walker admitted. “I feel like I’m quitting on the guys, and I owe the Corps more than what I’ve given.”
Pug nodded. “That’s what gets me. You start to think leaving means you didn’t love it enough.”
Walker shook his head. “I love it. I just don’t want it to be my whole life.”
Pug breathed out slowly. “I got accepted to a university back home. Mechanical engineering. I didn’t tell anyone here.”
Walker blinked. “You serious?”
“Yeah.”
Walker grinned. “You’re going to be the only guy in class who knows how to field-strip a rifle.”
Pug smirked. “That will be real useful in Calculus.”
