Page 39 of Moonlight Feels Right
"That's terrible," she murmured, wondering if his dad's issues had weighed on him when he'd gotten injured.
"It was bad for a few years. My father didn't want to admit he had PTSD. He started drinking and self-medicating. My mom couldn't convince him to get help, and that made her frustrated and angry. They really started to hate each other then. It was not a fun place for any of us to be. The day I graduated from high school, my mother told me she was leaving my dad. That she couldn't do it anymore. She'd waited as long as she could. My older brother was already in college, and I was on my way. It was time for her to have a life. I couldn't disagree."
"It still must have been difficult to have your parents break up."
"It was kind of a relief, to be honest. She got married again when I was in my early twenties. Her second husband is a dentist. He doesn't go anywhere without her."
She smiled at that. "And your father?"
"He eventually got help, and then he retired. He moved in with a very nice woman a couple of years ago. She runs a café, and my dad, who never did a dish in his life that I remember, is now wearing an apron and helping out the restaurant." Hunter shook his head in disbelief. "They both did better the second time around. I'm just sorry we all had to spend about ten years in hell before they broke up."
"They were trying to keep the family together."
"I'm not sure it was good to grow up in that kind of constant conflict, but I appreciate the efforts they made."
"And your brother. Where is he now?"
"Brett is currently stationed in Germany."
"Is he a pilot as well?"
"No. He is boots on the ground and loves the action up close and personal. My dad was the same way. I was the only one who wanted to fly."
"Have they ever visited you at Ocean Shores?" she asked curiously. "Not to sound like a nosy neighbor, but I've never noticed you having any visitors."
"They've never been there. And everyone at Ocean Shores is a nosy neighbor," he said with a teasing smile.
"Why haven't any of your family members come around? You've been going through such a hard time. It sounds like you all care about each other."
"We're very independent. We live separate lives now. We have for years."
"Still…"
"They all came to the hospital after the crash. I was airlifted to Germany. My brother was already there. My father and mother both came to see me, but I was in a bad mental space, and I didn't want them sitting by my bedside. I wanted to be alone. I was in too much pain to deal with them, so I told them if they wanted to help me, they should go away."
"I wouldn't have gone even if you had told me that."
He gave her a quick look. "Why not? It's what I wanted."
"Because you clearly weren't thinking straight, and they must have known that."
"Well, they did stay for a few days, but eventually they took me at my word and left. They do check in."
"And what do you tell them when they check in?" she asked. "Let me guess. You're fine. You're healed. And you don't need any help."
"Good guess."
"But none of that was true for a long time, Hunter."
"There was nothing anyone could do to help me, Em. I had to get better on my own. And I did." He paused. "Just like you did. We're both survivors."
"That's true."
Silence fell between them for a moment, then Hunter said, "I understand a little of what your mother is feeling now."
"You do?"
"Yes. She knows she's going to have to change her whole life, and even though a part of her wants to be free, there's a part of her that feels like she doesn't deserve to be free after the bad choices she made. After she let her daughter go."
