Page 69 of The Summer We Mended
But he had to.It was his job.
The screen door opened.
Lily stepped onto the porch with Margot behind her, and the twins just squeezing past them, curious about the sudden tension in the air.Max barked once from Tom’s yard, but it sounded far away.
“Anna?”Lily asked, eyes narrowing, concern flooding her face.
The soldier straightened and turned to the family gathered on the porch.“I’m here on behalf of the United States Air Force,” he said gently, voice measured.“There’s been an incident involving Officer Luke Caldwell.”
Anna stopped breathing.
Lily’s hand flew to her mouth.
The soldier continued.“His aircraft went down during a mission overseas.Communication was lost shortly afterward.At this time, he is considered missing.A search-and-rescue operation is underway.”
“Missing?”Anna repeated, barely recognizing her own voice.Her legs gave out, and she sank onto the top step, her hands gripping the porch post like it might keep her upright.
The twins had gone silent.
“Mommy?”Nora whispered, inching closer.Blaze clung to Lily’s side, eyes wide and confused.
Anna blinked at them.“It’s okay,” she tried to say, but it came out broken.“It’s okay.It’s not…”
“It doesn’t mean he’s gone,” Lily said quickly, stepping forward and kneeling beside Anna.Her voice was steady, though her hands were trembling.“He’s missing, sweetheart.Not gone.”
Anna nodded, but it didn’t make it better.It didn’t stop the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ears or the way the soldier’s words rang on a loop.
Missing.Aircraft went down.Lost communication.
She felt as though she were floating above herself, watching it all from somewhere far away.The kids were on the porch now, Max circling them, tail still wagging but ears perked at the tension.Margot had gathered the twins into her arms, murmuring softly, pulling them close.
The soldier explained what he could.“It’s standard procedure to notify you.We will be in touch with updates.We are doing everything we can to find him.”
Anna nodded, not knowing what else to do.
She couldn’t cry.Not yet.
She was frozen in place, suspended in a terrible not-knowing—her husband’s fate dangling in the void, her mind refusing to accept it, even as the fear rooted itself deep.
The soldier offered his card, then turned and walked back down the steps.He didn’t linger.They never did.Once the news was delivered, they left you with it.
Anna didn’t move for a long time.Lily stayed beside her, her hand finding Anna’s and holding it tightly.Not saying anything.Just there.
Eventually, Anna spoke, her voice soft and hoarse.“I thought… I thought I had more time before I’d have to feel like this.”
Lily squeezed her hand, her own eyes brimming but resolute.“He’s coming home, Anna.We’re going to believe that.”
And somehow, surrounded by her mother, Margot, the twins, and Max who had come across the lawn at some point and laid his head in her lap without a word, Anna managed the slightest nod.
She felt as though the world had stopped turning, like she was in a fog watching the rest of the world move but she was stuck in a slow-motion section.
She didn’t know what to do, so she closed her eyes and started praying.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Lily
Lily sat on the porch, her arms wrapped gently around her daughter, who hadn’t moved in the last ten minutes.Anna’s face was pale, eyes dry but vacant, as if her mind hadn’t quite caught up with her body.Lily could feel the weight of the silence pressing down on them, the echo of the soldier’s words still bouncing around the corners of her heart.
