I get up and go to his room, where he's lying on his bed, turned away from me, still crying softly. I sit down and put my hand on his shoulder, causing him to sniff loudly, trying to be quieter. “I'm sorry, Lance. I was wrong to yell at you.”
He doesn’t respond. Sighing, I shake my head, feeling even more like shit. “Buddy . . . I was wrong. Since hearing about Daddy being in a fight, I've been scared, baby. I don't want him to be hurt, and I didn't want to scare you either, so I didn't tell you everything that's been going on. But that meant that I kept getting more and more scared, and I haven’t looked after you like I should have the last couple of days.”
Lance turns over, sniffing and wiping at his nose. “You’re sad?”
“Yes, baby,” I whisper, starting to cry. I reach out, and he sits up, hugging me tightly. We both cry, so much so that I don't hear the knock on my door until it's repeated louder. I let go of Lance and take his hand. “Let's see who it is . . . and then after that, we'll go for a bike ride.”
Lance nods, and we get off his bed, walking to the front door. There's a third knock, and then a voice outside. “Lindsey? Sergeant Morgan! It's Pete Lemmon! Open up!”
I open the door and see Captain Lemmon standing there, a West Point t-shirt on, a grin on his face. “Sir? What is it?”
“It's good news,” Captain Lemmon says, trying not to smile more. “I just got off the phone with the S-1. He's been a bug in his buddy's ear for the past two days. The Pentagon just got an update from the brigade in Afghanistan.”
“Aaron?” I ask, squeezing Lance's hand. “Is Aaron okay?”
Captain Lemmon nods. “Yes. The officer with the concussion was the CO, who's being flown out of country now. Aaron's being treated at a field hospital, off the line in Kabul for something or the other, but he's going to be okay. I don't have much more info right now, but I'm already working a connection I've got. That hospital has video conferencing capabilities, and I'm going to do what I can to get a call set up ASAP. Earliest is going to be tomorrow though. Think you can hang on that long?”
I look at Lance, who nods, smiling. “Can I see Daddy?”
Captain Lemmon kneels down, looking Lance in the eye. “Yes, son, that means you should be able to see him. Gimme a little time though.”
“Okay, sir!” Lance says, grinning.
I stand there, still shocked and happy, while Captain Lemmon looks at me. “You okay, Lindsey?”
I nod, tears of happiness coming to my eyes. “Yes, sir.”
He puts an arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze, chuckling. “When I'm off duty, I think you can start to call me Pete, okay? Especially if you're Aaron's girl. Just off duty though.”
“I don't think so, sir. But maybe in a few months, when I go on terminal leave, I'd like that.”
Captain Lemmon gives me one last squeeze and lets go. “Good deal, and I'll hold you to that.”
Lance grabs at my shirt. “Mommy, can we go ride now?”
I smile and hug my son, relieved. “Yes, baby. Let's go on a bike ride.”
Chapter 23
Aaron
The first sound I'm aware of when I wake up is the whir of an air conditioner. That's something I haven't heard in a very long time, and I open my eyes, wondering what the hell happened.
The tent I'm in is white on the inside, and I've seen one of these before. It's a field hospital. I remember doing an exercise with a Combat Support Hospital one time and helping set up the equipment. The white vinyl on the inside of the tent is supposed to be like the operating room at a regular hospital, so that blood or other bodily fluids are easy to see and clean up.
“What happened?” I ask, lying back. “I was just closing my eyes.”
“No, what you did was pass out from blood loss and exhaustion,” a nurse says, coming over. “Next time you get shot in the leg, make sure you remember to not wait a couple of hours to put a pressure bandage on it. As it is, you're going to be here a little while. Probably better for you anyway.”
“No way,” I grumble, sitting up. I see the IV connected to my arm and reach for it, but the nurse takes me by the wrist and pulls it away. “I've got to get back to the Spartans.”
“You plan on flying yourself?” the nurse asks, giving me a raised eyebrow. “Because you're fifty miles from your unit right now.”
“I can steal a vehicle,” I grumble, lying back. “Shit. So, who's running Alpha Company?”
“I believe your battalion commander assigned his XO to the company for now. Between him and your First Sergeant, they're in good hands,” the nurse reassures me. “Relax, let me go get the doctors, and we'll see about getting you back to your unit as quickly as possible.”
“Captain Stephens?” I ask. “What about him?”
The nurse shakes her head. “I don't know. Maybe the doctor can tell you. Relax. We'll get you taken care of.”
I nod and lie back, still tired, but I can't go back to sleep. When the flap on the tent opens again, I see a Major come in, but he's got the air of a doctor, and most military docs like their patients to be casual with them. “Hey, Doc.”