Page 32 of Dangerous December
“Well...I heard you got some news today.”
He tightened his grip on the phone. Reva or Carl must have called her the moment one of them was out of sight.
He felt an instant surge of rebellion at their interference.
His news revealed weakness. Failure. And it was nobody’s business but his own.
“Dev?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Then you shouldn’t sound so angry.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m only angry at myself. Not you.”
She was silent for a long moment, obviously waiting for him to elaborate. “I hear you didn’t get medical clearance for going active again.”
He stared at the faded paint and torn screen on the motel unit in front of the Jeep. Just being here made him feel depressed.
Maybe that was it—it was just the motel. He’d be able to handle everything better once he moved out of here.
“This is like pulling teeth, you know.” She cleared her throat. “Look, I want you to know that I’m sorry. You’ve been hit with a lot of trouble recently, and it just isn’t fair.”
“Fair isn’t a word I’ve been using much lately.”
“So...give me details.”
“My shoulder. Hearing loss.”
“Is this forever? Are you out of the service forgood?”
He gripped the phone tighter. “Only as far as combat is concerned. I can continue in some other area.”
“Ifyou choose to re-enlist,” she said softly. “But you’d hate being in some office job.”
“What else am I going to do?” The words came out more harshly than he’d intended. “The Marines have been my life since I was nineteen. And even here—how am I supposed to help the people at Sloane House when my own life is a mess?”
She fell silent for a minute. “I was sorry to hear the news, Dev. But now I’m even more sorry.”
He felt an uneasy, guilty prickle at the back of his neck, already knowing what she was going to say. Already knowing she was right.
“I understand it’s bad news. So be it. You’ve still got so much more to be thankful for. Your vision, your mobility. Yourlife.And your parents left you resources beyond the dreams of most people. Even if you don’t want to live here, you could do a lot of good in this world with that money.”
He sighed. “You’re right.”
“I’ll give you twenty-four hours. But if you dare wallow in disappointment longer than that, then believe me, I’m—”
“I’ll finish my duty here. Then I’ll go back to the Marines and finish out my career. Who knows...maybe after that I can go back to school, or figure out some sort of business.”
“Like security, or law enforcement?”
“I just don’t know. Not yet.”
“Maybe you’ll even decide to come back here, then. It’s a wonderful town, Dev. And for as long as you’ll have been gone, it could still feel like a fresh start. Where else would you go?”
Good question.
He no longer had ties anywhere on the planet...no longer had anyone who cared where he went, or what he did. He’d lost touch with his distant relatives years ago.
