Five Years Before,
Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Theusualbanterisbeing flung about in the Chinook. It helps calm the nerves and silence the sound of my heart beating in my ears. Scotty is in the pilot seat tonight with Johno as co-pilot. Two crazy Australian airmen who are two of the most skilled joint task force pilots flying in Afghanistan. We have gotten to know them both well over the last couple weeks during training exercises and planning sessions for tonight’s mission.
The guys have become part of our team, and tonight we are entrusting our lives to them, the same as any other member of the team. Over coms headsets Scotty and Johno join into our chatter occasionally, helping to ease the tension.
A short time later and Scotty’s voice changes, telling us we’ve reached the drop zone. It’s now all business and time to get serious.
Machine like, we repel rapidly down to the dark desert floor one after the other. No time to think, all the years of training has kicked in.
On high alert, constantly scanning the perimeter, we sprint across the rocky ground. Running for cover in case any insurgents in the area have heard us arrive.
Tonight, we are providing ground cover for a Special Forces team. Intelligence has come through that a local Taliban leader will be in a village a couple of miles away from the drop zone. This guy has been responsible for some serious shit, so we are keen to get in, get the job done and get the hell out again.
The village can be reached through a canyon. Not my favorite terrain. Too many places for the motherfuckers to hide with their rocket launchers.
It’s a clear cold night, and as we head into the canyon, everything has an eerie iridescent green glow through our night vision goggles. We spread out along the goat track, keeping near to boulders lining the track in case we need to find cover.
Our progress is slower than we'd hoped, but otherwise, everything is going as planned. We pick up the pace when we see the exit from the canyon and in the distance the lights from the village.
Blake is our platoon leader for this mission tonight, so he’s up front, flanked by Parker and Will, a little behind them is Ben, followed by Tim then me. Coming up the rear are Frank and Jack.
It is a quiet, still night, apart from the distant bark of a dog down in the village. It feels unnaturally quiet, why can’t we hear the sounds carrying up from the village? Families preparing for the evening meal. A twinge of unease runs up my spine.
Blake exits the canyon, and I see him disappear down the rocky, steep incline toward the village. Parker follows the same line taken by Blake, and there is Will to the right covering their progress from a large boulder.
A bunch of small rocks roll down the slope. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tim drop to the ground ahead of me. Instinctively I dive down too, as the air explodes all around me. I’m airborne, falling.
Searing heat burning my back. Gunfire spraying. Rocks tumbling onto me. Shouting, screaming, moaning.
Is it me or an animal making that noise? Maybe I will die here. Then blackness overwhelms me.
Seconds, minutes, or hours later, sounds come to me. Voices. American voices. I strain to hear what they are saying. Pain roars through my body, shaking me.
I want to shout, but nothing comes out. I want to tell them I’m alive, although I feel half dead.
Again later, Blake is calling my name. He is telling me something, but I can’t quite hear him above the sounds of a helicopter close by. I think, please, God, don’t let me die here. Cassie’s face flashes in my mind, and a different pain rocks my body, loss and regret.
I imagine Cassie sayinghold on, before I again sink into unconsciousness.
Chapter 12
Cassie
The Present
Shattered.Drainedoftears.I’m a bit overwhelmed by the rawness of the pain in my heart, as I lie on top of my bed in the dark replaying Luke's words, his expression, the touch of his hand. Flashes of moments from the bar this evening.
My brain feels fuzzy and confused as I sift through everything he told me. He explained a lot but left still more not understood. All the words he said to me made sense but what feels shaken, turned upside down, is how those words pierced my heart.
At some point during our brief conversation, something inside me tilted. Luke was no longer the callous boy who broke my heart and ruined my dreams of a happy ever after. Now, he's just a man, flawed like most, wanting to right some wrongs.
Tonight, has left me wondering what if? If he had only told me about his dad or about his friend dying when he was in Afghanistan. Or if I'd had some sense something was wrong. But there's no point second guessing myself, it's just wasted effort and wasted tears.
What I really didn’t expect tonight was to feel the same strong connection with Luke. The same sizzle of electricity coursing through my veins drawing me to him. It was there from the moment our eyes met, just like in the past those unusual bluey-gray eyes captivated me. Even if now those same eyes reflect a haunted iciness where once they sparked with an eagerness for life.
I try to compare my memories of the old Luke to the Luke I met tonight. He seemed familiar but not the same. I miss the boy Luke was.
