CHAPTER 6 EDDIE GETS HIS HONORABLE DISCHARGE
3 months later
Eddie Diaz had seen a lot of blood and death in his life. He was a combat medic in the army, and he had served in several war zones, saving lives and patching up wounds. He was proud of his job, but he also paid a high price for it. He suffered from PTSD, and he had nightmares and flashbacks of the horrors he had witnessed. He was lucky to be alive, but he felt like a broken man.
Staff Sargeant Eddie Diaz, combat medic has been home for 3 months after an RPG sent his team to the ground and injured him. He often has to bite back the agony in his body and mind deal with his injuries sustained in the fatal crash and take care of his 2-year-old son Chris after his wife Shannon left him divorce and custody papers on the table.
Eddie Diaz stared at the divorce and custody papers on the table. He felt a surge of anger and sadness. He couldn't believe that Shannon had left him like this. He couldn't believe that she had given up on him. He couldn't believe that Shannon would abandon their son as she did.
He had been home for three months, recovering from the injuries he had sustained in the fatal helicopter crash that had almost killed him. He was suffering from nightmares, flashbacks, and anxiety. He had been struggling to cope with the pain, the trauma, and the loss. He had been trying his best to be a good father, a good husband, a good man.
But it wasn't enough. Shannon had grown tired of his mood swings, his withdrawal, his silence. She had grown frustrated with his lack of support as she termed it, his lack of affection, his lack of interest. She had grown scared of his outbursts, his darkness. She had instead grown distant, cold, and bitter.
She had packed her bags and left him a note. She had filed for divorce and custody, claiming that she was could no longer be a wife or a mother, that she didn't know how to be either anymore.
She had cut off all contact with him, ignoring his calls, his texts, his emails. She had broken his heart, his trust, his hope.
He felt alone, betrayed, and hopeless. He felt like he had nothing left to live for. He felt like he had failed as a father, as a husband, as a man.
He reached for his laptop and opened his email. He typed in the address of his only friend, the only person who understood him, the only person who cared for him. Evalynn Smith, codename 'Viper', the second-in-command of the SEAL team he had been attached to as a combat medic.
She had saved his life in the crash, pulling him out of the wreckage and calling for backup. She had visited him in the hospital, bringing him chocolates and books and her company when she could.
She had kept in touch with him, sending him messages and pictures and jokes. She had always been there for him, always supported him, always respected him.
He wrote a desperate email to her, venting about the situation and how he felt he was failing as a father. He told her everything, how Shannon had left him, how his parents were trying to take his son away from him, how felt as though he was failing his son, how he was overwhelmed and in pain and felt utterly lost. He begged her for help, for advice, for comfort. He hit send and waited for a reply.
He didn't get one. He checked his email every day, every hour, every minute. He waited for a sign, a word, a sound. He waited for a miracle.
He got one. Two weeks later, there was a knock on his door. Flustered, Eddie opened the door and found Viper standing on his doorstep, banged up and bruised, but smiling. She had a backpack on her shoulder and a duffel bag in her hand. She had a split lip and a bandage on her arm. And she had a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face.
"Hey, Doc. Long time no see. Can I come in?"
Eddie was speechless. He stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she was there. He couldn't believe that she had come for him. He couldn't believe that she had heard him.
He nodded and stepped aside. He let her in and closed the door. He hugged her and thanked her. He cried and laughed. He felt a surge of relief and joy. He felt a flicker of hope and life. He felt a touch of love.
She hugged him back and comforted him. She told him that she had read his email and that she had taken a leave of absence from the SEALs to come and help him. She told him that she had talked to his parents and that she had convinced them to back off and give him a chance and that she would stand in front of his parents should they ignore her warning to let him heal at his own pace.
She told him that she was here to stay with him for the next few weeks and help him take care of Chris and himself. She told him that she was here to be his friend, his partner, his ally.
Over the next few weeks Eddie slowly heals up with the help of Viper and a few weeks later realizes he has fallen in love with Evalynn 'Viper' Smith.
They started dating, and they fell in love. Eddie felt happy for the first time in a long time. He felt like he had found his soulmate. Evalynn made him feel alive, and she helped him heal. She encouraged him to go to therapy, and she supported him through his recovery.
Evalynn also met Chris, and she bonded with him instantly. She was kind and gentle with him, and she played with him and read him stories. She also taught him how to draw, how to ride a bike, and how to be brave.
She treated him like her own son, and he adored her. He started calling her "Mama", and she didn't mind. She loved him as much as she loved Eddie
He now has to decide if he can cope with loving a woman whose job is even more dangerous than his own. And whether he could be a husband again after the way his marriage to Shannon imploded. he realizes that...yes, he can be a husband again and that he loves Evalynn enough to step back and let her be who she was always meant to be...a protector.