Priorities…
The Military; its servicemen…the cases…the victims…justice…HIS team…
From
what he'd been told, those duties, things were what his life had
been wrapped
around for as long as most everyone could remember.
But it wasn't what he
remembered; it wasn't what he wanted. He
longed for Shannon. The vibrant red
hair and easy smile, her
gentle patience, sharp tongue when he needed to be put
in his
place, the love that shown in every glance and through every word.
She had been the focus of his life since he'd set eyes on her that
day at the train depot back home when he'd thought he'd be
leaving for good. From that moment, he'd known he had wanted only
two things in his adult life: to be a Marine and to have that woman
in his life.
And
Kelly – how he needed to hear the playful laughter, the glee of his
daughter at
play or up to mischief – as her mother was more
likely to say. He missed the warm snuggles with his daughter while
watching early morning cartoons and the simply joy they had found in
being together after dinner, indulging in time for a movie or to play
a game. And those precious times he'd had Kelly with him as he
worked in the basement, crafting something out of wood or giving her
a simple lesson as she sat on his lap and leaned against his chest.
He could feel the warmth of her small body as she clung to him that
day he had left.
No one understood. The doctors and nurses
had all looked at him with sympathy
and concern. Amnesia they
called it. That strange doctor – Ducky – he wished he
could
remember more. Maybe if he remembered more about that man and the
others
who had stared at him with both open and closed-off hurt,
then just maybe his own
pain and loss would ease. He didn't see
it happening though. This pain was too
intense, too deep. It
wasn't even physical. And the ache could only be eased
by the
touch, the presence of his wife and daughter. Sitting in the
dusky
living room, he lifted the bottle to his lips, no longer
feeling the burn as the
bourbon slid down his throat.
Fifteen
years ago. That's how much time they said had passed. It felt
like
yesterday. It would always feel like yesterday. He knew some
of them thought
that he would get over it. He never wanted to
forget the pain. He was positive
that forgetting the pain meant
that he'd forget his wife and daughter and he didn't want to do
that. Shannon had been his life. He'd loved her with everything
that he was – body
and soul. And Kelly – his sweet, precious
little girl. Didn't even get a chance
to live, to see the joy in
everything.
He choked back another sob. Marines didn't cry!
And above all else he was a
marine. But for now he only wanted to
grieve. Standing up, he grabbed the bag
that was sitting near the
couch. For now, he would leave the house where the
memories were
oppressively painful. He'd take Mike Franks up on his offer
and
find a new life. He didn't care about what he'd been
before the explosion. Now
he only wanted to be Shannon's husband
and Kelly's father. His priorities had
changed.