Page 66 of A Hero Comes Home

And the moment was lost.

“This is a really long drive for you to make several times a week, even if you do carpool with Gus,” she noted. “Can’t you find a place closer to home? Isn’t there one in Ocracoke?”

He shook his head. “No, this one is the best for my purposes. Otherwise, I’d have to stay on base at Fort Bragg and work out there. Besides, these visits will taper off as I improve. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do more of the exercises on my own.”

“And I’ll be able to take over for the massage therapist,” she added, glancing back at him over her shoulder with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

“Promises, promises,” he said, but he was pleased that she would even be willing to take on that duty with everything else she had on her plate.

As they stood at the rail, and the wind died down a bit, he encountered a few people he knew. Invariably, they shook his hand and said, “Thank you for your service.” Luckily, they didn’t ask any further questions.

“Do you mind when people approach you like that?” Sally asked.

“I don’t look for attention, but I don’t mind, usually. Most times it’s more about them than me. They often have a family member serving in the military somewhere, or having bit the dust.”

“Jacob, I noticed that your appointments at the end of next month at the orthopedic hospital in New York and the eye center in Baltimore are back-to-back. Does that mean you’ll be out of town for an extended period?”

He nodded. “At least a week, for testing. As much as two or three weeks if they decide to go ahead with any surgery, which is unlikely.”

“Do you want me to come with you? At least to New York. I could stay at my parents’ apartment.”

He was surprised at her offer. “Can you be away from the bakery that long?”

“I could, if I had to.”

“And what about the kids?”

“They could come, too.”

“Won’t they be in school then?”

“Yeah, but I could get special permission.”

“No. I don’t want the boys hanging around a hospital. It’s no place for kids. And it’s not really necessary.”

“How about me? Do you want me there?”

“Nah. It’s really just a lot of hurry-up-and-wait crap. With the testing stuff anyhow.”

“And if they decide for the surgery right away?”

“There’s still just a lot of waiting around. I don’t want you there.” Especially if there’s bad news. I’d rather wallow in private.

She looked kind of disappointed at his words. Did she think he meant that he didn’t want her, period? How could she think that? Well, hadn’t he used those exact words on more than one occasion when Sally had begged him to let her come live on one of a dozen different bases where he’d been stationed?

The last call came over the speaker system for drivers to get in their vehicles, and he didn’t have a chance to correct her misconception. But he did lace his fingers with hers as they walked back.

They continued to hold hands as he drove the rest of the way. This felt a lot like dating, like those early days when they were just getting to know each other. When they couldn’t stand to be apart, when just a touch could set their blood racing. The whole friggin’ torturous bliss of the falling-in-love process.

Except that he’d fallen right from the start. Like a sledgehammer to the heart she’d been for him. And still was.

He would recover eventually from his physical woes, at least enough to get by; Jake was determined about that. But would he ever recover from loving Sally, if he needed to leave her, which was a very real possibility?

Hell with that!

I’m tired of thinking and rethinking every damn thing.

Forget about the Delta Force motto of De Oppresso Liber, “To Free the Oppressed.” I’m the oppressed one here. My new motto is going to be the universal carpe diem, or “seize the day.” In other words, enjoy the moment while I can.