Page 10 of Claimed By the Mountain Man

“Yeah, it is. It’s almost back to normal, now. But it’s been a long, hard road to get here. Every time I wanted to give up, though, I’d think about the guys in my squad, and I’d push myself that much harder. For them.” And there were so many times I did want to give up. But I couldn’t let my brothers down, not when I had this second chance that they would never have.

“Can I ask what happened, Cooper? And if it’s too hard for you, please don’t feel like you have to satisfy my curiosity.”

“No, I’ll tell you. Other than my therapist at the VA, I’ve never told anyone the full details of that day. I usually just give them the highest-level explanation of what happened… if I tell them anything at all.”

“I’m honored you would share your story with me. But, seriously, if it’s too much for you—especially after the panic attack and everything—you don’t need to tell me anything.” His face radiated concern and genuine empathy.Was it any wonder I was drawn to this man?

“I know, and I’m ok, I think. If I need to stop, I will. I promise.” He nodded at me, letting me know he trusted me to know what I could and couldn’t handle. The thought made my chest puff out a little to know he had that kind of faith in me. And that just made me want to tell him all the more.

“Before I start, though, can I ask you a favor?” I hesitantly asked him.

“Of course. Anything you need.”Oh my gosh, my heart. If this man only knew how much I truly needed from him.

“I think this will be easier if I’m not facing you when I talk about it. But I think I’m still going to need some support to get through it. I know this is a strange ask, and if it makes you uncomfortable—even a little bit—don’t feel like you have to do it. Really, the last thing I want to do is make you feel uneasy or?—“

Gage grabbed my hands and pulled them into his, putting a stop to both my rambling and the wringing of my hands, which I hadn’t even realized I was doing. He softly asked, “What do you need, Cooper? I promise nothing you do is going to make me uncomfortable. Whatever you need, it’s yours. Just ask me.”

I took a deep breath and looked into his beautiful hazel eyes, so full of caring and concern. And I knew he truly meant those words. And that gave me the strength to ask for what I needed.

“Can I just lean back against your chest while I tell you? Just for the support? You don’t have to actually hold me or anything. I just… What I mean is, you have such a strong presence, and I just really need to feel that at my back right now. Does that make any sense?”

“It makes perfect sense. And of course you can lean back against me. And I absolutely will hold you while you tell me. If you’re going back to that horrific day in your mind to tell me the story, the very least I can do is hold you through it. Now scoot over here to me and turn around.”

I immediately followed his command. Because there was no doubt in my mind that’s exactly what it was.

“Lean back against my chest and get comfortable.” Gage told me, with a look on his face that brooked no argument.

I did just that, and once I got settled in, I felt both of his strong arms encircle me in a firm but gentle hold. And my heart melted just a little bit for this wonderful man.

I took a deep breath, and drawing on Gage’s strength, I went back to that fateful day in my mind and started talking. “We were on a scouting mission that day. It should have been a relatively easy mission. All the previous reports on that area were good. The area was sparsely populated and relatively quiet. Of course we were still on our guard, but we weren’t really expecting any trouble. I was sitting in the front of the vehicle in the passenger seat—because I had bested Martinez in a thumb war for shotgun—and as we were driving down the road, I thought I noticed a flash of light in the hills off to our right. I was worried it might be a sniper, so I asked them to slow down so I could jump out and surveil the area. No way was I going to let some asshole sniper get a line on my brothers! But just as I was exiting the vehicle, the world exploded beneath me.” I felt Gage tense up, then tighten his grip on me. I appreciated the extra support. I had to just sit and breathe for a moment before I could continue.

“We had hit an IED that had been buried in the road. That road had been swept just two days prior because it was a route the Army used often, and it was frequently under surveillance. It should have been clear. But it wasn’t. It fucking wasn’t!” I felt Gage grab one of my hands and lace his fingers with mine. And just that gentle, caring touch allowed me to calm down and gave me the strength I needed to continue.

“Since I had already been mostly out of the vehicle, the blast from the IED blew me away from it with such force that I landedsome fifty feet away. I landed hard, and the impact shattered my right leg. My femur was destroyed. I was bleeding heavily, and the bone was sticking out of my leg. I also had first- and second-degree burns across the back of my body along with a severe concussion.” I heard Gage mutter “damn” under his breath.Yeah, damn is right!

“But even with all of my injuries, I was the lucky one. Because I wasn’t trapped in that truck like the rest of my squad. Some of them I know were killed immediately. But some weren’t. They were trapped in that inferno burning alive. I could hear their screams. I still hear their screams. I’ve never in my life heard such guttural agony come from a person. It was primal. It’s not something I’ll ever forget. I tried multiple times to stand, but it was hopeless. So, I started crawling towards the truck. Actually, crawling is too generous a word for it. I was on my belly, using my arms to drag myself and my newly-ruined leg across the burning sand. And for long minutes, my brothers’ screams were drowned out by my own.”

“God, Cooper. That sounds positively horrific. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

I shrugged off the sympathy. “What I went through was nothing compared to my brothers. I don’t know what I thought I’d even be able to do once I got to the truck since I was no more useful than a damned slug at that point. I just kept hearing their screams. I knew they were inside that fucking truck burning alive, and the only thought in my mind was that I had to get to them. I was also worried that since someone had obviously placed that IED there within the last couple of days that they might still be in the area, just watching for something like this to happen. And if any of my brothers managed to make it out of that truck somehow, I didn’t want them to then be attackedby some crazy insurgent intent on making the evil American soldiers suffer. I’d lost my rifle in the blast, but I still had my sidearm. So, even if I could do nothing but drag myself over the ground, I could still fire my pistol and take a motherfucker out if necessary to keep my guys safe.” I thought I felt the faintest shudder go through Gage, and I could swear I’d heard him sniffle.

Gage spoke so softly, I almost couldn’t hear him. “No one made it out of the truck, did they?” I just shook my head.

“I managed to stay conscious until the medics came to get me. I tried to wave them off at first, telling them my guys needed them more. But they told me they were gone, and that I was badly injured and needed medical attention immediately. The last thing I remember before I passed out was seeing the fire crew working to put the fire out so they could retrieve the charred remains of my brothers—the best men I knew aside from Pop.” I had to stop to collect myself at that point. I wiped my eyes, not even realizing I’d started crying.

“You want to hear something crazy? As it turns out, they actually saved my life that day. One of them managed to get out a radio call right after the explosion, and that’s the only reason help arrived as quickly as it did. So, not only did I fail to save their lives, but I actually owedthemfor savingmymiserable life. They were the true heroes… right to the end.”

I laughed coldly before continuing. “I couldn’t even attend any of their memorials because I was stuck in the damned hospital with my own injuries. I couldn’t even pay them the respect they deserved—the respect they’d all earned and paid for with their lives. I just felt so useless. Still do sometimes. They needed me to have their back, to save them, to do something, damn it!” I couldn’t hold back the sobs anymore, and they racked my body.Next thing I knew, Gage had turned my body toward him. And he’d somehow managed to pick me up off the floor, because I found myself cradled in his lap. He held my head gently against his chest, softly running his fingers through my hair as I cried.

I’m not exactly sure how long we stayed that way, but eventually I ran out of tears. I lifted my head from his chest and looked at the massive wet spot where my head had been.

“I ruined your shirt,” I said, my voice sounding just this side of whiny to my ears.

He just chuckled and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got more. And it will wash, besides. It’s not like you ruined my favorite silk shirt with your tears or anything. Seriously, it’s all good.”

“Sounds like it’s stopped raining,” I said, wanting desperately to change the subject. I was so done with talking about me.

“Yeah, guess it has. I should probably get home then.” He sounded a little regretful as he said it. Or maybe I was just hearing what I wanted to hear. After all, who would seriously want to stay after having to witness that shit show?

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