Author's note
I like to thank the one guest reviewer for leaving a comment. I am glad to see that someone is still following this.
Here is the next one :D
Enjoy
Charlie's POV
A day after the explosion
"You do your homework and then Brandon can come over, deal?" I tell my son, as we get out of the car.
"Mom?" Alex questions just as I take my bag and groceries from the back seat. "Daddy's friend Andrew is here."
I quickly look up and see Mr. Andrew Jones standing at our front door. This can't be good!
"Andrew?" I call out and lock the car. I know something is off, because Andrew always calls ahead before he comes over.
"I need to talk to you" He replies with a serious expression on his face.
"Alex, do your homework in your room today…but no playing with your toys." I say to my son and as he starts to protest I add sternly "No complaining, remember our deal!" My son only nods defeated and I gesture for Andrew t follow me into the kitchen.
"Coffee?" I ask, trying not to think about what his visit could mean.
"Yes please" He replies and sits down. After I place the coffee in front of him, I sit down myself.
"What happened?" I find myself asking after a while of silence.
"We are unsure at the moment. But it is not good." Andrew replies and my heart rate sky rockets.
"Is he dead?" I question shakily.
"Not that we no off. There was an explosion. Bass's squad was ambushed. Sergeant Richard McDonald died. Bass, Private First Class Reginald Mayfair and Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Nash were taken." My hands start to shake and I loose grip of the coffee cup. It slips out of my hands and breaks into a million pieces as it hits the ground.
Andrew immediately jumps up and grabs the dust pan that is lying next to the bin. While he is cleaning up, I just stare into nothingness. I can feel tears rolling down my cheek, but I can't make myself move. I am frozen to the spot. I am feeling shocked mixed with anger and worry. "What do you mean by taken? By whom?"
"We think that the Taliban took him, but there hasn't been any ransom demand or a video claiming responsibility for the attack" Andrew replies. I appreciate that Andrew came to tell me and not one of the other agents, it helps to hear this from a friend and not a stranger.
"Are you looking for them? There has to be a way of knowing where they took him" I question and as I look down I realize that my hands are still shaking. My cell phone rings in my bag, but I couldn't care less at the moment.
"Yes, the army is looking for them. We will find them" Andrew assures me.
"We…we were just getting everything back on track…why did this had to happen?`" I mumble to no one in particular, trying to make sense of it all.
"Do you want me to cal Miles or your mother?" Andrew questions.
"I…I will…uh… Miles… Miles needs t know… and shit, Connor, I need to call Connor too…What am I going to tell Alex?" I just ramble on, unsure of what to do or who to call first.
"Mom…your phone" Alex says as he enters the kitchen and holds out the offending device to me. I didn't even hear him come down the stairs.
"Would you mind…?" I ask Andrew motioning towards Alex.
"No…I will keep him busy." Andrew assures me and then turns to Alex. "Come on, I will help you with your homework…but you can't tell your mother!" At that Alex just rolls his eyes laughing and runs up the stairs, with Andrew hot on his heels. Alex is unstoppable since he got his cask off. Constantly running around, I am having trouble keeping up with him all the time.
My phone starts ringing again and I look at the screen and sigh. Jason. He has been calling every few days since that night, but thankfully I was always at work or otherwise engaged. I need to put an end to this now.
"Hey, why don't you answer your phone?" Jason says as I pick up.
"Ugh…Jason…You and I have nothing to say to each other anymore" I tell him. "I want you to stop calling."
"I just want to see you Charlie. I need to apologize, in person. Did you get my flowers?" He questions. He send flowers to my work and home, as Bass was still here. And I was barely able to keep my husband from marching over to the office Jason works at, with a baseball bat.
"NO…Stop…with everything. Or I will call the cops. This has to stop Jason" I reply angrily. Why doesn't he take the hint?
"I just want to apologize Charlie." Jason says desperately.
"Well I accept your apology…now Stop calling!" I nearly shout and hang up.
My eyes fall on a photo of Alex, Bass and myself which is hanging on the fridge. The picture was taken a day before he deployed again.
We were at the zoo and we took the picture in front of the Elephants. This picture has made me smile every day since Bass has been gone. An Elephant photo bombed us and has his trunk on Alex's shoulder trying to reach into the bag of peanut M&M's that my son his holding. Alex's face is a mixture of horror and laughter and I just had to tape it to the fridge.
As my eyes settle on Bass's laughing face, the fact that he is out there somewhere, with his mates, being held hostage by the Taliban, hits me with full force. Tears gather in my eyes and my heart hurts. This can't be happening!
I press my lips tightly together to keep myself from screaming out loud. Then I take a multiple calming breaths and wipe the tears away with the back of my hand. I need to keep it together for Alex's sake. And I need to believe that Bass will make it back to me and our son.
My next call is to Miles, who promises he will call Connor and then come over immediately.
Andrew stays till after dinner and leaves with a promise to check in with us tomorrow. Where as Miles stays the night. Since I brought is duffle bag, I assume he will stay longer than just one night.
Sleep does not come easy that night. The worry for Bass and what they are doing to him is overwhelming. And my head only comes up with the worst case scenarios.
Alex cried a little. I think he doesn't quiet understand what is happening and that his Dad my never come back home.
Good? Bad? Ugly? Let me know?