Page 50 of Ripped & Shipped
Nothing could prepare a man for his best friend being injured on his watch. Even though we conjure up all sorts of scenarios to ready us for the worst in combat situations, when an actual tragedy happens, it’s beyond anything any training or indoctrination could have equipped us for.
And that’s what happened. Alex took a hit to the back that altered his life forever. I still have nightmares of that day. I thought he might not make it. But he did. He received an honorable medical discharge for his partial paraplegia, and a purple heart, along with his electric wheelchair and a few years of emotional and physical therapy at the VA hospital.
Alex’s four-year-old daughter, Kassie, comes running out and jumps up at me. I catch her midair.
“Uncle Cwiss!”
“Hey, princess!”
I lift her up and pop her on my hip.
“I’m not a pwincess, Uncle Cwiss. I’m a dwagon!”
“Ohhhh. You’re a dragon, are you? What color dragon?”
Kassie nearly rolls her eyes at me, giving us all a foretaste of her teen years. “I’m gween. But I actually have very, very red eyes!”
She widens her eyes and stares at me with the most serious expression.
“Oooh. Those are red. Do you breathe fire?”
“No.”
She puts her hands on her hips as I hold her. I’m obviously getting this all wrong.
“I’m not breathing fire. I breathe marshmallows.”
“Of course. That makes total sense.”
I look over at Alex who is beaming at his daughter, and then laughing at me.
Courtney walks in, kisses Alex on the top of the head, and places her hand on the back of his wheelchair. He reaches up behind himself and puts his hand over hers. They’re one couple that makes me think about my future and having a family. I should feel that way every time I’m with my friends back home, but for some reason, it’s Alex who brings out these wayward thoughts every single week.
I set Kassie down and make my way to the couch. She runs out of the room shouting, “I’m going to play dwagon now! Where is dat magical, magical wizard?”
We all exchange a knowing smile. Kassie’s a miracle. Alex and Courtney got pregnant a year before the accident one weekend he was on leave. They still could have more children, since it was only Alex’s leg that was impacted in the accident. But with all his therapy, and the long road from then to now, it wouldn’t have been likely. Kassie’s buoyant personality and vibrant imagination brought life to this house at a time when everything seemed nearly hopeless.
“So, what’s new in cybersecurity?” Alex asks.
“I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you,” I joke.
“I’m trained to avoid being killed. I’ll take my chances.”
Courtney shakes her head. She turns to leave us alone, but Alex reaches around and pulls her onto his lap.
“Where do you think you’re going, beautiful?”
“Nowhere now,” she says with a warm smile.
Their eyes lock, and they share a private exchange. The blatant flirting should make me feel awkward, but somehow it has the opposite effect. Knowing all Alex endured, and seeing him bounce back to embrace life the way he has, gives me a comfort I can’t even put into words.
“I should get dinner started,” Courtney says, looking into Alex’s eyes with a teasing expression.
I see his arm muscles tighten as he holds her in place.
“I say you stay right here and we order out. Chris, can we finally talk you into staying for a meal, or are you still dead set on eating that diner food?”
I only stay occasionally, even though they offer most weeks. I don’t want to be an imposition. Stopping in and catching up, seeing that Alex is okay, that’s all I need.
