AN: I know this is short, but this chapter has some important stuff in it! Thanks for reading, guys! I love you all!
Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter to tumblr user ican-whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa. She partially inspired this chapter. -LB
Sara saw it all in slow motion. The hummer driving up to the outpost. The miles and miles of desert. The sudden explosion that rocked the camp. She saw herself running, tripping. Ripping open the door of the half-destroyed hummer. Pulling one body out of the wreckage. Leaning over her, crying, begging her to hold on. She saw herself being pulled away, from the body. Another explosion as the vehicle's engine combusted.
She saw the funeral. All the officers and soldiers in their dress uniforms as shots were fired over the casket. She saw herself, stoic as ever, refusing to shed a tear. Then crying herself to sleep that night, and six nights after it.
An alarm clock rang, waking Sara out of her nightmare. She was drenched in sweat, her hands were shaking, and her pulse was racing. She threw her blanket off, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She put her head in her hands and a tear slide down her cheek.
It had been over seven years since she'd dreamed about that day. About Emy. She had been doing so well. And now…. Now that she was going back to where it had happened, it was all coming back.
Emy had been a staff sergeant, stationed under Sara's command. It had been Sara's first commission as a captain, leading the outpost in the middle of the desert in Afghanistan. Emy had been her right hand man, or woman as it were.
And somewhere along the way, Sara had fallen in love with Emy. Emy had taken care of her. It had been hard for Sara to adjust to being fully in command. She got stressed a lot. And Emy was always there for her. Their friendship quickly turned into a relationship, one they couldn't talk about with anyone. So Emy's death had hit Sara harder than many thought was normal.
What was supposed to be a simple supply run, had turned into a tragic accident when Emy's hummer ran over a stray landmine on its return. Emy died of internal bleeding within five minutes. Sara had been sent home for the funeral. When she got back to the states, though, she had an emotional breakdown. Her commanding officers forced her to go to therapy. And even after she seemed to be doing better, they made her stay in the States and train recruits.
But that was seven years ago. And as Sara sat on the edge of her bed, she thought about how far she'd come. She was a Lieutenant Colonel now. She had seen hundreds of recruits graduate their training and become good soldiers. And she was back in the field. She would be going back to Afghanistan to take over from a retiring General in just a few hours. She was excited.
Well, that was before she had woken to a dream of her former lover. She tried not to worry too much as she showered, packed her bags, and headed to the Army base she would be flying out of. She hoped that the dream wasn't a warning about going back.