The little girl, the futility of it all, the death, the pain… setting her rifle aside, she lowered her head and sobbed, burying her face in her arms until her chest racked with aches and cramps from trying to breathe bent over in the truck while weighed down with body armor.
"Sarge… Sarge, you okay?" Goodman asked. "Sarge!"
"Y… yeah." Linda sat up and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I'll be okay."
"I get it," Linc said to Linda, not upset at all by her display of emotion. "It's a shitty deal all around. But nobody in the platoon got hurt, nobody in the company's died. Take the win, Castellanos."
Linda nodded, but as the miles wheeled by, she knew she couldn't. She'd reached her limit, at least for a while.
Brutus's words came back to her unbidden. She remembered lying beside him on his couch, her head on his chest, his heartbeat steady in her ear as he talked about his injury.
"There's only so many big falls an athlete can take before the body just doesn't come back the way it used to,"he'd said softly, his fingers tracing patterns on her shoulder."When your bump card's full, even if the body wants to, it's time to hang up the cleats."
Linda didn't know about her physical bump card, but mentally… her bump card was full for the time being.
They got back to the airfield, where Alpha Company secured the field while Charlie loaded up. The Assistant Secretary of State, who wasn't physically injured beyond being shaken up, got into a chopper alone while leaving the rest of the aircrew behind to catch the long ride back to the United States by cargo plane with the rest of the troops.
"Wonder if they've got champagne on there," Hollywood asked, watching the chopper take off. "Maybe an in-flight movie?"
"Probably flight attendants," Linda said darkly, shaking her head.
Spying Lieutenant Parker talking to Captain King, she approached the two officers, who were in the middle of a discussion on the company's after action report.
"Hey sir? Got a minute?"
"Sure." Parker took a damp cloth and wiped his face.
A roar filled the air, and the two of them looked over to see the chopper take off. Parker made a face, apparently the bad feelings over its usage transcended officer or enlisted.
"Remind me, if anyone wants to hand down medals for today… I don't want one."
"Agreed. Sir, I've got something to talk with you about." Linda took a deep breath. "Something… medical."
26
BRUTUS
Brutus waited inside the echoing hangar. The cavernous space smelled of jet fuel and anticipation. "I appreciate you arranging this, Major," Brutus said, his gaze fixed on the empty tarmac. "I know I'm bending the rules."
Kota's reply was understanding. "Let's just say the battalion owes Castellanos a solid. And this return isn't exactly standard operating procedure, son."
Brutus ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the dust motes dancing in the shafts of sunlight that pierced the high windows.
"I've been glued to news sites, trying to figure out where they've been," Brutus admitted, running a hand through his hair.
Chris Morgan, in his camouflage uniform, offered a reassuring smile. "They don't tell me much either, Brutus. Just have faith in them."
Brutus hesitated. "I'm not much of a praying man, Chris. But I've been asking... hoping... that Linda doesn't have to be in danger anymore. That she doesn't have to spill any more blood."
Morgan nodded. "If she wants to stay in the infantry, that's the life she chose."
"I can still wish that Linda stays safe." Kota nodded thoughtfully. "There's a cadence... 'I'm not the fighter, I'm the fightin' man's son. But I'll do the fightin' until the fightin' man comes.' That's what we are, Brutus. Continuing a tradition. Even if we don't enjoy it."
"So why do it?" Brutus asked.
Kota's gaze softened. "So that my wife, my daughters, and people I don't even know, might not have to go through what I've been through. It might be temporary, the peace and security I provide might evaporate tomorrow. But it's not going anywhere today. Not as long as the 3/3 has anything to say about it."
Brutus considered that, the weight of Kota's words settling heavily in the space between them.
