Page 76 of Austin

“I was about to eat, and I needed a can opener, so Jimmy was getting me one.”

“Your meal, the ready-to-eat kit, was in a pouch. What the hell did you need a can opener for?”

“I had a can of peaches I took from the base,” I say and then stop.

The notion of peaches has me looking over at Jalynn, who is watching me with her hands covering her mouth. Our eyes meet, and I see nothing but glassy beauty staring back at me.

Sergeant Miller laughs. Not a coy chuckle. The man fucking laughs. “Peaches? You’ve been beating yourself up over asking a buddy to get you a can opener, so you could eat a can of peaches?”

I woke up five days later from a concussion with blown eardrums and multiple pieces of an IED lodged into my back, my vest being the only reason it hadn’t killed me completely. I stayed in the hospital for a week before they sent me home, and months later, I was medically discharged.

Sergeant Miller stayed for months and endured multiple surgeries, skin grafts, physical therapy, and more. He went into virtual hiding as news of his heroism splashed across the country.

Now, that same man is staring at me with an expression of absolute humor.

“As a matter of fact, yes. Knowing that you had to save a man who was where he was because I’d snuck a can of peaches off base is literally what’s kept me up for the last two years.”

His face turns serious. He slightly leans in and holds eye contact as he explains, “Austin, no one who has ever had something bad happen to them was at the right place at the right time. I wasn’t supposed to be there that night. The man on duty came down with a stomach virus. He’s not beating himself up now. Why are you?”

“I’ve always felt responsible for what happened to you and Jimmy.”

“Jimmy and I were in the same burn unit for a few months. I actually stay in touch with him, and he told me to tell you hello. He said you guys were close.”

Guilt floods my soul. He was the twelfth guy rescued. He would have been with me, being the fourth guy and only suffering from non-life-threatening injuries if I hadn’t asked him to get me a can opener.

“Yes, I’ve tried to stay in touch with him as well.” I look down, rubbing my eyes.

“He told me to tell you to stop.”

My head tilts up to stare at him.

“He said to stop beating yourself up. It’s not your fault that he got more injured than you.”

I sit back in my chair, looking up to the ceiling to stop more tears from falling. “He told you that, huh?”

“He did. We were all doing our job. Some got more injured than others, but you know what? We all survived.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose to control my emotions. My chest is pounding, and my legs are shaking. A quivering exhale pours through my lips as I look at Sergeant Miller. “This is not how this was supposed to go, you know?”

He laughs. “Consider it your payback for putting me under the lights.”

“You’re a good man, Sergeant Miller. Sick sense of humor, too. I wish I’d had you on my platoon. You would have loved our crew. They were a bunch of ballbusters.”

“With a name like Sexton, I’m sure you got plenty of hell.”

I grin. “You have no idea.”

Stefanie steps in, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you again for coming all the way here, Sergeant Miller. We’re all set, so we should get started with the official interview.”

“There’s more?” he asks jokingly.

“Get used to the lights. You’re gonna be here all day,” I kid as I give him a hug, a tight one, and thank him again for his service.

He smiles and sits up straight before a makeup artist walks over with a brush to wipe the shine that’s developed on his head from sweating under the lights.

I turn around, and the sad expression laced all over Jalynn’s face doesn’t make me feel like a hero either. She looks like she feels sorry for me.

This is why I’ve kept my truth a secret. No one outside my immediate family knows I was one of the injured soldiers there that night. I didn’t want who I was to overshadow my squad or Sergeant Miller’s heroism, so I asked the military not to release my identity.