Chapter 25: Norfolk, Virginia - May 2015
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Teylor leaned against the hood of the jeep, pretending not to see the couple standing on the other side of the vehicle. Danny had one arm wrapped around his wife, while the other stroked the top of baby Frankie's head. Kara looked up at her husband, the words she was speaking too soft for Teylor to hear. But there was no mistaking the look in her eyes; the love, the fear, the resolution.
For the briefest of moments, Teylor felt jealous. Not because he had any interest in Kara - he didn't, and even the idea made him feel awkward - but because Kara was there. Despite their fight, despite all the uncertainty of their relationship and the fact that they said their goodbyes this morning, Teylor couldn't help but wish that Caro was here to send him off the way that Kara was sending Danny off. One last memory, one last kiss.
A promise that she would be here when he got back.
A movement caught his eye, and Teylor turned his head to see Caro rounding the corner of the command center, her gaze reflecting the same uncertainty that he felt. Without thinking, Teylor stretched out his hand, remaining perfectly still as Caro traversed the fifteen feet that separated them, intertwining their fingers. She was wearing her scrubs, no jacket, apparently having come directly from the hospital.
"You don't have to go." Caro's free hand dug into his sleeve, her eyes wide, her voice husky. "It's not fair. Asking you to go find their families when you know that yours is gone. Everyone will understand if you sit this one out."
This was not a new argument and Teylor rubbed his thumb along her palm. "That's why I have to go, Caro."
She stared, her eyes huge. "I don't understand."
The whispered word hung between them. Teylor wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the fresh scent of soap and wondering how to explain something that he barely understood himself. "I have to go because I've been through it. Because I know what it is like to spend months wondering, always hoping for a miracle, and then to find out that they were dead before we even left the Arctic. If the guys weren't there in Louisiana with me….I'm not sure what I would have done. They're my brothers, Caro. I can't make them go through that alone."
Caro pulled back, although she didn't move her hands from his chest. "How long will you be gone?"
"A month, maybe six weeks. Danny will get word to Kara. She'll let you know where we are."
Caro nodded, firmly, then she leaned up to press a kiss against his lips. "I love you."
The words pounded through his head. "I love you too."
Wolf's voice interrupted the moment. "Time to go, Cruz."
One final kiss, a touch of their hands, and then Caro was moving away and Teylor was sliding into the driver's seat. As they pulled away, Teylor took a moment to look in the rear-view mirror. Caro was standing next to Kara, arms wrapped around her middle, neither woman waving.
And he wondered whether he would see her again.
They were off the base and at the edge of town before Danny held out a small piece of paper, folded in half. "This is from Kara. You aren't allowed to ask where she got it."
Puzzled, Teylor unfolded the paper. The only words were "Size 6", in rather familiar script, and a small circle. Teylor slid the note into his pocket, returning his attention returning to the empty road, feeling the sudden urge to whistle.
The circle was the size of a ring.