Page 53 of Expiry Dating

***

A groan escaped Brady’s lips as he tried to lift his head. Half a bottle of whiskey was definitely a bad idea. Not that he cared that much last night. He just wanted to feel numb.

He still couldn’t believe Alice had just left like that. He’d told her he loved her, and she walked away. No, she ran away crying. It was safe to say that of all the ways he pictured that moment, he’d never envisioned it going quite so badly.

No longer numb and pretty damn certain death was just around the corner, he managed to open his eyes long enough to register his current state.

I passed out drunk on the couch. Excellent. I’m a bad fucking country song.

His phone vibrated against the coffee table. Alice was his first thought. Reaching out to grab it, he ignored the throbbing pain in his head.

“Hello.” He realised how raw his throat was as soon as he spoke, it almost made him wonder if he’d spent the night swallowing nails.

It probably would’ve hurt less.

“Brady, hey, it’s Chase.” Chase. His old teammate. Another one of his brothers. Why was he calling? Chase was more of a text kind of guy. He couldn’t even remember the last time his friend had actually picked up the phone to call him. Just that thought had Brady’s gut tightening. Something was wrong.

“Everything okay?”

“Um, no, I guess not. I’m calling about Ace ... something happened. We’re back in Texas, and he’s, well ... well, he’s in the burns unit.”

Those words had the same effect as a bucket of ice. Brady immediately rose from the couch, paying no attention to the headrush he was rewarded with. Taking the stairs two at a time, he went straight to his bedroom. “Fort Hood?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you the details. You coming out?”

Brady didn’t miss the hope in his friend’s voice. “Yeah, I’m coming out. I’ll try and catch a flight out today.” As he spoke, he was filling his duffle bag with clothes. “What’s the verdict, he gonna make it?” Just having to ask made him nauseous.

The line went quiet, and he found himself glancing at the screen to check the connection. “He’ll make it ... but prepare yourself, man, it’s bad.”

Brady let out the breath he was holding. His friend needed him. His brothers needed him. The state of his heart and his head would have to wait. He needed to get his ass on the next plane to Texas.

***

Chase was right. It was bad. Brady took a seat next to Ace’s hospital bed. Burns covered half of Ace’s upper body and ran from the side of his face, over his arm and along his ribcage. He was asleep. Apparently the pain meds had knocked him out. Which at least meant Brady had time to think up something comforting to say before Ace woke up.

“Thanks for coming so quickly.” Chase’s muscular six-foot-four frame filled the doorway. “I don’t know how long the rest of us will be able to stay.”

Fortunately, Brady had managed to get a flight just a few hours after he’d gotten off the phone with Chase. But it had been a long day, and Brady had a feeling it was going to be an even longer night. Of course, his hangover wasn’t helping. Or the pathetic state of his heart.

His old team, Chase, Logan, and Benny, had been there to greet Brady when he arrived. Even though he considered them family, this was the first time he’d seen them since they were beside his hospital bed. Trying his hardest to push those memories away, he focused on his friend. He was worried. They all were. But not just about Ace’s condition. They were worried they’d get called back and have to leave him alone. The way they all had to leave Brady when he was recovering.

“Don’t worry, I can stay if you guys need to go. I called my boss and cashed in some vacation days.”

Chase simply gave Brady a chin-lift, but he could see in his friend’s eyes just how grateful he was.

It occurred to him then that he still hadn’t heard the full story. “What happened?”

“Car bomb.”

Shit.

Chase ran his hand back and forth over his dirty blonde crew cut. “They’re gonna push for medical discharge.”

Brady turned back to Ace. His friend was going to be pissed. They had all planned on being career military. Being medically discharged was never an option. It was a naïve notion, one that most of them assumed would end in death or desk duty.

“Nurse said he’ll be out for another hour or so. We’re gonna go grab something to eat in the cafeteria. Come with us?”

Brady’s head hadn’t stopped pounding the whole day but at least the nausea had waned. “Sure.” He stood and followed his friend.

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