Then Melvin answered. “Hello?”
Something in Mac settled immediately. “It’s me.”
A pause. “Mac?”
“Yeah.”
Another pause.
“You okay?”
The question came easily, the way it always did with him.
“Yeah,” Mac said. “I got leave.”
The silence on the other end changed. “When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“That fast?”
“Yeah.”
Melvin let out a quiet breath. “Two weeks?”
“Two.”
“That’s good,” Melvin said softly. “You need it.”
Mac leaned back in the chair. “Feels strange.”
“How?”
Mac thought about it. “Like I’m leaving something unfinished.”
Melvin didn’t rush to fill the silence. “You’ll come back,” he said finally.
Mac let out a slow breath. “Yeah.”
He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear someone else say it.
The conversation drifted after that.
They talked about small things. Alexander settling back into the company, Marcus keeping the command load balanced, replacement trucks finally arriving, the hospital, long shifts. Time moved differently while they talked. For a little while the distance felt less absolute. Eventually the line went quiet.
“You flying out tomorrow?” Melvin asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be here.”
Mac nodded before answering. “I know.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Melvin said.
“Yeah.”
When the line clicked dead, the room felt larger.
