This was it: He was coming home for good this time.
"Are you sure we're in the right terminal?" Asked Jay, checking his watch for the fifth time.
"That's what the letter said," answered Odie.
"We'll know soon enough." I reassure him; the whole group had decided to meet Archie at the airport for when he arrived. The poor guy had had it pretty bad; twelve months in the middle of a warzone was tough enough, now he was being sent home for getting injured on the job.
Atlanta was distraught when he left the first time. She hid it well but I knew that she was lost without him. To be fair, none of us were happy about him joining the military. He had the grades to go to college or join a sport program like Atlanta did, but he said something about being 'in his element.' You would think we would have fought enough battles in our lifetime to deserve a quiet life, but I guess that's not the warrior's style.
I think he almost didn't go because of her; he and Atlanta had a huge fight when he first told us about his military endeavors. But it got to a point where she practically begged him to stay, which broke his heart more. I still remember when we dropped him off the first time; the two barely spoke a word to each other. That same evening, Atlanta came to my room in tears saying how guilty she felt.
We had made sure that once Archie left we'd all make the effort to keep in touch with him by sending him letters and packages to keep his spirits high. He did the same by sending us letters in return; some were bright and reassuring but others were written as true horror stories. I remember the six of us Skyping him at Christmas when he was still serving- that was when it hit Jay pretty hard. I guess he was still paranoid that Cronus would miraculously return again and without Archie's presence we'd be a liability; that, and he just plain and simply missed his friend.
There was a time back then when things did look pretty good; we were all doing well at university and Archie was scheduled to come home in time for Thanks Giving. I remember Jay making plans to decorate the Brownstone for his arrival and we'd all help out making dinner. But that was before the letter came.
It was mailed to us from an official explaining that 'Private A. King' was being hospitalized after being caught in a land mine explosion. The letter then went on to say that because of his injury Archie was being granted deferment from any further active deployment. No one knew how to react to the news; on one hand we were getting our friend back earlier. But on the other we had to ask ourselves: How badly did this war break him?
"Are you okay?" I ask Atlanta, who finally takes her eyes off the terminal gate for more than a few seconds.
"I will be once I see he's okay…" She kept her voice low to avoid any unwanted sympathy from the boys. But truthfully we all knew just how emotionally exhausted she really was from all this. When Archie had first left, Herry, Odie and Jay had tiptoed around her as if she was made of glass, which frustrated her even more than Archie's departure. One thing was for sure: Atlanta was never one to play victim. "What if he's a whole different person, Theresa? You saw the letters – what if they've changed him completely?"
I sighed, she had a point to be worried. Zeus knows what kind of stuff he saw over there. Would he really be the same even after it all?
Nonetheless, I bit my lip and put on a reassuring smile: "This is Archie, remember? He's way too stubborn to get broken down that easily. I'm sure being out there would have… been an experience for him. But he'll still be the same Archie from a year ago." She mumbled something along the lines of 'I guess' and leaned back against the rail separating us from the terminal door.
"Is she okay?" Asks Jay wrapping an arm around me,
I sigh and hug my arms; "How would you feel?"
"Not good." A weak smile escapes my lips as I lean deeper into his warm frame.
Suddenly, the doors are finally opened and simultaneously we all sit up expectantly. We watch as a few weary soldiers walk through into the airport and are bombarded by their families. Children cling to their missing mothers and wives kiss their newly returned husbands.
"Can you see him yet?" Jay asks Herry,
"Not yet, wait- oh my gods…" We draw our eyes to the door where a young man with crutches limps in.
"Archie!" Atlanta breathes before slipping under the bar and sprinting towards the boy; his exhausted eyes instantly light up as the red head throws her arms around him. He almost falls over from the impact but manages somehow to muster up enough strength to practically lift the girl up into the tightest hug I have ever seen. The rest of us catch up to them and welcome him back with playful hair ruffles and hugs.
"Good to have you back, man!" Says Odie passing him back a fallen crutch.
"Good to be back," Archie grins without losing his grip around Atlanta's waist. After a few minutes of friendly teasing and small talk, Neil eventually pipes up:
"So what did you do to get sent home so early?" We all scowl at him for ruining the moment. Trust Neil to call out the elephant in the room. Archie's smile weakens and he hesitates for a moment.
"I suppose you guys were going to find out anyway but here it is:" He leans down and rolls up the leg of his thick cargo pants.
"Archie…" I gasped; his right leg from below the knee was replaced with a metal prosthetic. None of us could help but stare; Neil shifted back awkwardly while Jay's face turned three shades paler.
"I guess this means I don't need a brace anymore," he smiles half-heartedly. I watch as Atlanta's grip begins to tremble and tighten. Her eyes meet his and I can tell they need some privacy.
"Uh, Jay why don't we all go and find Archie's luggage?" The four boys nod a little too eagerly and we make our way over to the baggage claim. I look back to see Archie holding Atlanta tightly as she grips onto him as if he might disappear. I can't tell whether she's crying or not but she nuzzles her face into his neck and the two whisper something to each other. She looks up so only their foreheads are touching and I see him slowly move his lips closer to hers. I turn away and allow the two to have a moment completely of their own, one that was long over-due.