Page 2 of Callahan

“I was going to ask her to marry me before we shipped out, but there was never a right time. I bought her a ring and everything.”

“Damn. I’m happy for you. You make sure you make it home to give it to her.”

“Since you won’t sign my will, I need you to promise me something.”

I nodded solemnly. “Okay.”

“If something happens to me, I want to make sure she gets the ring. It’s in my safe in the closet of my room at my parents’ house. The combination is—”

I cut him off. “You’re going to give it to her.”

He talked over me. “The combination is nine-eleven-one.”

I ran the numbers through my head.

“The date of the terrorist attacks?”

“And her birthday.”

“Aw, dude, she’s just a baby.”

“I don’t care. I fucking love her. And if something happens to me, I want her to know how much. How serious I was when I told her I was going to make her my wife.” His expression was urgent. “Tell me you’ll do that for me.”

I didn’t like it, but nodded solemnly.

“You have my word.”

I had no idea how soon I’d really have to make good on my promise.

~~

While on patrol later that day, my squad’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle hit an IED on the side of the road. Fortunately, the engine block took the majority of the blast, and I was the only one seriously injured. But we were under heavy fire.

It was all hands-on-deck to come save our asses.

While on the way to help do that, the Humvee carrying Captain Davidson, O’Brien, and two other guys from our team, Roy Buckley, and Derek Rivers, was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

We were in the firefight of our lives, but our casualties were minimized as my teammates rained hell down on the insurgents.

After the dust cleared Buckley and Rivers were injured, but not critically, same as me—although I’d lost a lot of blood, but Captain Davidson had been trapped in the wreckage and left with severe burns over half his body and fighting for his life. He and I were airlifted to Germany immediately, while the two of them were triaged before being flown out.

Shawn had been killed instantly.

He was buried while I lay in a hospital bed in Germany. It’d killed me not to be at his funeral and pay my respects; he’d died coming to saveme. I should have been paying better attentionand seen that roadside bomb. There’d been a lot of guilt over that.

I hadn’t shied away from seeking help for my survivor’s guilt. In addition to intense physical therapy, a counselor had been part of my treatment plan.

And I knew a trip to South Carolina was in my future when I was finally discharged. I owed Shawn that.

Chapter Two

Present Day

Adam

I got off the bus and decided to grab breakfast. The main street in town wasn’t more than a few blocks long, so it didn’t take me long to inventory my food options, which weren’t many.

There was Beaumont’s Bakery with a temporary banner that read, ‘Grand Opening!’ on the red brick façade above the door. Across the street was Frosty Queen, and at the end of the street was Mac’s Tavern.

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