Well, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys are enjoying it. I'm not getting hardly any reviews in at all. I don't even know if anyone's still reading this. Special thanks to mihaela who reviews every chapter! You're literally what's keeping this story going. Please, if you're reading this, review the story. I really want to know what you guys think. It's only fair right? ;) alright, enough whining from the author, enjoy!


Chapter 29

He got in his truck and sped to her dorm. It normally took him twenty minutes to get there but, because he was speeding, he reached it in ten. He parked in the parking lot in front of her dorm and jumped out. He raced up the stairs and into the door that led to the hallway of dorms. He didn't care if it was an 'all-girl' dorm and didn't care if he got caught; he needed to talk to her.

He ran down the hallway and to her room. The door was closed and he beat on it with his fist. It took a couple of seconds, but she finally opened the door. He saw tears streaming down her cheeks and her eyes were red and swollen. She raised both of her eyebrows,

"Ben, what are you doing here?"

"I have to talk to you and explain what you saw." She shook her head and went to close the door,

"You don't have to explain anything." He caught the door with his hand,

"Yes I do, you think I'm cheating on you but I swear to you I'm not. I would never, ever cheat on you." She whipped around to face him and he saw more tears streaming down her face,

"I saw you! You stroked her hair and kissed her head! You were beside your house so no one could see you; you don't have to explain anything." She closed the door and he moved his hand out of the way. He sighed, his anger, as well as sadness, rising,

"Allison, please open the door."

"Go away, Ben, before they come and throw you out."

"It was my cousin!" He finally yelled. This must have stopped her because he didn't hear anything. He continued,

"It was my cousin you saw. She came to visit me and we went to the side of the house because that's where we used to always play together. We went back there and she told me she was pregnant. That's why I was holding her and comforting her. That's why we were beside the house; it was my cousin." He took a small break to see if she would open the door or say anything but, when she didn't, he sighed,

"I'm wasting my breath; you're already convinced I'm cheating you. But I would never, in a million years cheat on you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and you know that." He shook his head,

"I just can't believe you would think I'm cheating on you."

With that, he turned away from her door, needing time to think. He walked down the hallway and out the door. He went to walk down the steps when he heard the door behind him open. He turned around to see Allison standing there in tears. They looked at each other for a minute before she asked,

"It was your cousin?" He nodded,

"Yeah." She looked away as tears streamed down her face. She put her hands over her mouth,

"Oh my god."

She started crying, soft at first, but then harder. He sighed and went over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She continued to cry and he stroked her hair.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." She shook her head and pulled away to look at him,

"No, it's not. I yelled at you and accused you of things when I had no idea what I was talking about. I know you love me and I love you with all of my heart. I think that's why I reacted the way I did. I'm sorry." He smiled and pulled her close and kissed her gently. He put his forehead to hers,

"It's okay, really. I love you and I would never do anything to hurt you." She smiled as a few more tears fell down her face and she reached up and kissed him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she put both of her hands on his cheeks. He put his hands on her waist and continued to kiss her. She pulled away and whispered,

"Will you come with me?"

"Anywhere." She smiled, remembering when she said the same thing to him. She took him by his hand and led him back down the hallway. She opened the door to her dorm, but he shook his head,

"Allison I can't go in there, it's all-girl."

"It's okay, come on."

She led him inside and showed him around. Her bed was in the middle of the room and her dresser was off to the left. There was a bookcase and a desk to the right and there was a small T.V. on her dresser. She extended her arms to her side,

"Well, this is it."

"It's nice, very cozy." She smiled and sat down on her bed. He sat down beside her as she said,

"I love it here; my neighbors are great and my teachers are great too."

"That's good, I'm glad you like it, you deserve it."

She smiled and he leaned in and kissed her. They repeated what they did outside and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She put her hands on his cheeks and he put his hands on her waist. They kissed for a couple of minutes when he felt Allison begin to raise his shirt. He felt goose bumps as she touched his stomach. They continued kissing until she began to raise his shirt higher. When he realized what was about to happen, he forced himself to pull away, despite how much he wanted it to go further,

"Wait, Allison-" She cut him off by shaking her head. She put her forehead to his and closed her eyes and whispered,

"No more waiting." She smiled and opened her eyes,

"I'm ready."

He swallowed the lump in his throat as she took his shirt off. He got off of the bed and took off his jeans as she slipped her shirt and jeans off, also. They met again on the bed and removed each other's clothes.

They began to make love and her touch felt like fire on his skin. He kissed her neck and her lips as he moved over her. They made love slowly and, when they were done, he lay beside her in the bed, whispering how much he loved her.

They made love again before falling asleep in each other's arms. As she lay snuggled up to him beneath his arm, he felt perfectly content as if everything in the world had been made right by him and Allison sharing themselves.

They fell asleep in each other's arms and, the next morning, he awoke beside her. He watched the peaceful way she slept until, finally, her eyelids began to flutter open. She smiled,

"Good morning." He smiled and kissed her forehead,

"Good morning."

She smiled again and looked at the clock behind his head. It was 6:15 and they laughed and cuddled in each other's arms for almost thirty minutes before he forced himself to get up. He wasn't supposed to even be on the campus and they got their clothes on before she sneaked him out to his truck. When they got there, she smiled and reached up and kissed him,

"Last night was one of the most special nights of my life, thank you." He smiled and kissed her again,

"It was one of the most special nights of my life, too. I love you." She smiled again,

"I love you, too."


His last couple of days on leave flew by. Wednesday, she had class from eight to two. He left her dorm that morning and went home and spent time with his father until she got out of class at two. She came over to his house and they ended up looking at photo albums from when Ben was a child. She enjoyed them and laughed to no end.

After looking at them, they watched television and, at 5:30, Allison helped them cook dinner. She stayed by Ben's side as he grilled the chicken on the grill and she wandered inside and helped his father with the salad and the baked potatoes. They ate on the back deck and, after they were finished, Ben and Allison did the dishes.

They went and sat on the back deck on the loveseat and ended up staying out there for almost two and a half hours. They cuddled underneath the moon and stars and talked about a lot of things. They talked a lot about him going back. It was Wednesday night and he had to go back Friday, which meant that tomorrow was their last full day together.

"I'll ask to be transferred back to the states as soon as I get back. Look on the bright side; this is my last term and it's only nine months this time That's half of what it was last time." She nodded as she snuggled up beneath his arm,

"I know, it'll be over before we know it." He smiled and kissed her head,

"Yeah it will, I promise."

They sat out there until almost 11:00. He walked her out to her car and kissed her goodnight. She put her arms around his neck,

"I love you, you know."

"I know." She smiled and punched his arm playfully,

"What? You're not going to say it back?" He smiled and leaned in and kissed her,

"I love you; I love you more than anything in the world."

She smiled and reached up and kissed him again before she slipped behind the wheel of her car and backed out of the driveway. He smiled and walked back inside, feeling on cloud nine, but somehow ignoring the fact that he had to go back in less than forty-eight hours.


He woke up the next morning at 8:00. He continued his regular morning routine by jogging around the neighborhood for about forty-five minutes. He came home and took a shower and put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

He had breakfast with his father; his father made pancakes on the griddle while Ben fried up some bacon and sausage. They sat down and ate and he talked to his father, mostly about going back to Afghanistan. He told him what he told Allison; he was planning on requesting to be sent back here to the United States and that he would only be gone for nine months. His dad nodded,

"Good, I don't think I could go another eighteen months without you." Ben smiled and nodded as the phone rang. His dad got up,

"I'll get it." He went over to the phone and picked it up,

"Hello?" Ben looked at him before his dad turned towards him,

"It's for you."


"I got a call last night at 12:00 in the morning that my mom found my dad unconscious. She went in the living room to tell him to come to bed and he was unconscious in the chair." Ben sighed as he sat beside Allison in the hospital waiting room.

"Fortunately, he gained consciousness a little while after he was admitted. They wouldn't let me and my mom in the room right away and we had to wait here for almost an hour. They wanted to do some tests to see what happened. So, I've been here all night and my dad told me to go get some rest but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. I also knew I had to come tell you." He nodded, shocked and surprised that all of this had happened.

"So, do they know what happened?"

"No, but they think it had something to do with the brain tumors, which is the most logical cause. I just don't understand; he's been fine and nothing has been wrong with him. I don't understand how his health depleted so quickly. I'm just praying that he'll be okay." He nodded,

"I am, too."

Her mom came and unlocked the door with her room key and they went to his room and walked inside. What Ben saw surprised him. Her father was lying in the bed and he was as white as a ghost. He had bags under his eyes and his skin was almost translucent. He couldn't believe that her father had changed that much in a couple of days. Despite his surprise he smiled,

"Hey, Mr. Johnson."

"Hey, Ben, how are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?" As soon as he asked, he knew it was a stupid question. He opened his mouth to say something, but her dad held up his hands,

"It's okay, come sit down you two."

They ended up staying at the hospital until 1:00, longer than they expected. They talked about many things and, around lunchtime, Ben went out and bought back McDonalds. They ate lunch in the room and, at 1:00, they decided to leave. She had class at two and she needed to get ready for it. Ben stood up first,

"I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson. I hope you feel better so you can get out of here." Her dad tried to smile, but couldn't,

"Thank you; thank you for coming by, it means a lot.

"No problem." Ben gave him a hug and he moved aside so Allison could get to him. She gave him a hug,

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you, too, sweetheart." As she pulled away, she had tears on her cheeks.

"I'll be back after my class ends."

"No, honey, you don't have to; go out with Ben, his last day is tomorrow and I know you both want to spend as much time together as you can." Allison opened her mouth to say something, but her dad beat her to it,

"I'll be fine honey- you can come back later tonight, but spend time with Ben." She didn't say anything at first, but finally nodded and gave him another hug.

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you, too."

They left the hospital and their drive home was silent. He knew she had a lot on her mind and didn't blame her for not telling him good-bye or that she loved him. She simply kissed him and told him that she would come by after her class was over.

He went inside and lazed around until his dad got off of work at 4:30. While he was alone, he went out and checked the mail and saw that he had another letter from Tyler. He went inside and read it and it was basically an exchange of information and Ben didn't bother writing him back; he would be seeing him tomorrow night. When his dad got home, Ben told him what had happened with Allison's father.

" What? Is he all right?"

"I honestly don't know. He looked pretty rough when I saw him, but they should be getting the results of the tests they did anytime now."

"Gosh, that's awful. If you see him again, tell him we're praying for him."

"Okay, I will."


At around 6:45, he heard a car pull into the driveway. She was still upset and their evening together was tense. He tried to take her mind off it, but she wasn't up for anything. They sat on the loveseat on the back deck and cuddled up to each other for a couple of hours until she said that she had to use the bathroom.

A couple of minutes passed and he wondered where she was. After almost ten minutes, he got up and went in the house. His father was asleep in the living room and he went and checked in the bathroom but it was empty. He checked the living room and kitchen, but she was nowhere to be found. He went to his room and that's when he saw her.

She was sitting on his bed, with her head in her hands, sobbing. It stopped him and she must have heard him because she looked up at him. She wiped her cheeks, but it did no good because more tears quickly followed.

"Do you want to be alone?"

"No. That's actually the last thing I want." He went and sat beside her. He held her for a while, listening to her crying and feeling helpless as to what to do to help her. She finally stopped crying and took a deep breath and laughed, embarrassedly,

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's fine; let it out." She smiled weakly and said,

"I was just thinking about everything. Dad's in the hospital and you're leaving tomorrow." He looked away, fearing she was going to say that. She continued,

"You'll be gone for nine months. I know that's only half the time you were gone last time, but it's still a long time. I want you to know I love what you're doing for our country, but I'm just scared. I love you so much and I can't imagine what I would do if something happened to you.

When I saw you with your cousin and I thought you were cheating on me I felt like my heart was literally breaking. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I know that sounds selfish; you're risking your life for our country, but I can't help feeling this way."

"It's not selfish. I promise you I'll come back to you. You know I never break my promises and this is one I would bet my life on. I promise you I'll come back to you."

After talking to her, they went to the hospital and spent time with her father. They stayed until midnight and they would have stayed longer, but her father demanded they go home and get some sleep. She dropped him off at his house and, while they were saying goodnight, he asked,

"So are we okay?" She smiled and reached up and kissed him,

"Yeah, we're okay. I keep reminding myself that it's only nine months this time; that you're almost out for good." As soon as she said it, he immediately thought of the lists. He knew she hadn't forgotten about them; she was simply trying to look at the positive side of things. He nodded,

"That's right. I'll be back here with you, forever." She smiled, but wrinkled her nose,

"I don't know about forever; that's a pretty long time."

"Well, it doesn't matter because that's how long you're stuck with me." They both laughed and she reached up and kissed him,

"Good, because I'm not going anywhere either."


His last day on leave was the fastest day of his life. Allison was in a far better mood than the day before and they ended up going down to the Kure Beach pier and fishing in the same exact spot as when he first took her.

They caught a couple of fish, but that didn't matter because they laughed and joked for almost two hours. After they fished, they went on the boardwalk and stopped at Britt's and ate in the same booth along the wall. After they finished their donuts, they went down past the marina and stopped at an area right near the water and took pictures. They took a lot of pictures and had one of the men standing near them take pictures with Ben and Allison both in them. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, with the water behind them.

It was 3:30 when they finished taking pictures. As they were walking back to his truck, she looped her arm through his. He smiled and kissed her hand that he was holding. She smiled as her phone started ringing. They stopped walking and she answered it. Again, she was only on it for a couple of minutes. But those couple of minutes was just long enough for her to hear whoever was on the other end and for her to hang up the phone and put her head in her hands and begin crying.

The ride to the hospital was silent. She cried silently in the seat next to him and as much as he wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay, he couldn't. They had just received the results of the tests they performed on her father and they weren't what the doctors had hoped for.

The tumors in her father's brain had spread and the doctors announced that he had, at most, three months to live. Ben couldn't believe it and he didn't know what to say to Allison to try and make her feel better; there wasn't anything to say.

When they reached the hospital, they rode the elevator up to the sixth floor and walked down the hallway to her father's room. When they went and saw her father lying in the bed, Allison immediately got tears in her eyes and ran to him and hugged him. They hugged for a while and Ben went over to where her mom was sitting and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson."

"Thank you, Ben." He nodded and turned back to look at Allison and she was still hugging her dad. She was crying and he could see tears filling up her father's eyes. When they finally broke apart, she moved aside so Ben could get to him. He walked over and shook his hand, then reached down and hugged him. When they pulled apart he said,

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Johnson."

"Don't be; I knew it was coming sooner or later. Everyone has to die sometime. I guess God wants me to join him up in heaven sooner, not later." He looked away and glanced at Allison and her mom, who both had tears in their eyes.

They only stayed for about fifteen or twenty minutes. They had gotten to the hospital at 4:00 and Ben had to leave to go to the airport at five. He still had to go home and pack his things and change into his uniform. They left the hospital at 4:15. While Allison was hugging her father, Ben turned to her mom and hugged her.

"Good luck with everything, Ben, and please come home safely."

"Thank you, I'll try my best to. Good luck with everything here. Me and my dad will both be praying for you."

"Thank you both." Allison stepped back and stood beside her mom. He went to her dad and gave him a hug.

"Be safe, okay, Ben?"

"I will don't worry about me. You just focus on getting better, okay?"

"I'll try. It's been a pleasure getting to know you, Ben. I couldn't have picked a better boyfriend for Allison. I really hope you guys make it." Ben sighed, knowing that he was telling him goodbye.

"Don't say that, Mr. Johnson, I'm not going to say my goodbyes yet. I'll be back and I'll see you soon." Her dad shook his head,

"You come back in nine months, Ben. I don't have that long; I only have three months, at most. I know what you're doing and it's nice. Believe me, I wish what you were saying was the case but unfortunately it isn't. There's no use pretending." Despite himself, he nodded and gave him another hug,

"Good-bye, Mr. Johnson. Thank you for everything; you opened your house up to me and welcomed me with open arms. I really felt like I was a part of your family and I can't tell you how much that's meant to me." Her dad smiled weakly and they said good-bye one more time before leaving.


It was 4:40 when they got to Ben's house. Allison was quiet and barely said a word on their way back to his house. When they reached his house, his dad's car was parked in the driveway. They went inside, where his dad was making dinner.

They ate together and they both ended up telling his father about Allison's dad's condition. He was shocked and told Allison that if she needed anything, he would be there for her. After they ate, Allison helped his father clean up while Ben went to go pack and get dressed. He packed all of his things and put on his uniform. He stared at himself in the mirror for a minute before he sighed and picked up his bag.

He walked back into the kitchen where Allison and his dad were just finishing cleaning. When she saw him she stared at him for a moment. She finally looked away and he thought he saw tears in her eyes. His father cut in and asked,

"Well, it's going on 5:00; do you want to head on?" Ben glanced at Aison and she looked at him. Despite himself, he nodded,

"Yeah, let's go."

It took about twenty minutes to get to the airport. Ben rode up front with his father while Allison rode in the back seat. When they got there, he grabbed his bag from the trunk and they headed inside. While they were walking, he reached for her hand. They sat in the lobby for almost a half an hour. He sat next to her, his hand locked with hers. It was mostly quiet except for a few exchanges of information between Allison and his father. At 5:45, fifteen minutes before his plane was scheduled to leave, his dad put his hands on his knees,

"Well, it's about that time, isn't it?" Ben looked away, then at Allison. She had tears in her eyes and it was all he could do to swallow the lump in his throat and nod his head. He told his dad good-bye first. He put his bag down and hugged him,

"Be safe, okay? I love you, Ben."

"I love you, too, and I will. Don't have too much fun without me, okay?" His dad smiled and nodded,

"Okay." They hugged one more time and Ben turned to Allison. His dad walked off to the side, giving them time alone. When he turned to Allison, she had her arms crossed and she had tears in her eyes. He sighed and opened his arms.

He held her for a while; he stroked her hair and he could hear her crying. After holding her for a while, he pulled away and put both of his hands on her cheeks and put his forehead to hers,

"I promise I'll come back to you. I promise, okay?" She nodded as tears fell down her cheeks. He hugged her again, getting tears in his own eyes,

'I love you so much, Allison."

"I love you, too." He stroked her cheek gently and kissed her

"Are you going to write to me?" She smiled, weakly,

"Of course I am. It's only nine months this time, I can handle that." He smiled and kissed her again,

"Thank you. Tell your dad I'm going to miss him."

She nodded as more tears fell down her cheeks. He held her again and kissed her head as the intercom came on overhead, announcing that his plane was now boarding. Despite how much he wanted to say right here with Allison, he forced himself to pull away,

"I have to go." She nodded, her lip quivering,

"I know."

He kissed her one last time and whispered how much he loved her. He force d himself to let her go and he reached for his bag and slung it over his shoulder He waved to his father and to Allison, who stood with her arms crossed and tears in her eyes. He turned and walked down the hallway and into, what he thought would be, nine months away from everything he loved.


Whoa, did you catch that at the end? "What he thought would be..." Hmmm, what's going to happen? I don't know! Actually I do know... so i'll try to get it up soon so you can know too! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please please please review! :)