Coming Home

Matt had to leave to start promotion on The Stage. They were just about to do a surprise release and perform on top of Capital Records. While I understood that he needed to do his job, Charlie needed us more.

Charlie, the man I was so in love with, had lost his livelihood the same way I had. We were both warriors, and we had lost our ability to be warriors. Matt had quit because he had accomplished what he had wanted to. His goal had been to get the man that killed Jimmy, and he had done that. But Charlie and I had that taken away from us. And for both of us, it had been far too soon. The blue-eyed beauty had just gotten back into the military only to have it taken away.

Squeezing his hand, I smiled at his sleeping form. I knew what was probably running through Charlie's mind. He was undoubtedly dreaming about what happened. He was wondering what had gone wrong and what he could have done to make it work out. He would replay that scene over and over again in an attempt to figure out what had happened. Charlie would never know.

The door opened and in walked his commanding officer. He had been one of the only men not at the site that night. His CO had been a mile over working on securing their communications, but he and Charlie had made it out. Charlie was so lucky he had been blasted out of the window.

"How's he hanging in there, Reaper?" His commanding officer was Jeff, the man that got me into Force Recon.

"As good as can be expected. What about you?"

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he did. "I just got finished telling the last of the families. They took it far better than I thought they would. I think this was something that would hurt less the more I did it, but it fucking sucks, Rae. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

I patted his hand. "Did they need any grief counseling?"

"Is that what you do now?"

I smiled at him. "No, I work with substance abuse victims. Although, I do know some people they could reach out to."

Charlie groaned and opened his one good eye. "Hey, Jeff. What's going on?"

The Marine stared at the man lying on the bed. "I've brought you your discharge papers. They want to give you a Purple Heart."

"A Purple Heart? For fucking what? Losing my god damn eyesight?"

I put an arm to his chest. This was the kind of anger that I had had when I had woken up without my leg. While I wasn't exactly sure what kind of fear and pain he was feeling, I knew what it was like. "Charlie, please, it's okay."

He turned to me, eyes watering. "No, it's not. You should know, Rae. You lost your fucking leg!"

"And I was never offered a Purple Heart."

He looked down at his hands. "Can I just sign the papers, Jeff? I want to be out of here. Rae, can you leave us?"

My eyebrows cocked up but I nodded. The man was in pain, and I knew exactly what that was like.

Notes

I'm back! It's short, but it's an update!