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His answer was simple. He pushed down the top of his laptop. “You’ve seen all the important stuff. The rest of it is just window dressing. Just nothing important.” He looked at her again with red eyes. “Once you see the world this way, there are some things you cannot unsee. I feel like we both lost our innocence. He’s right about people coming over and doing whatever the heck they want. And we can’t protect everybody, can we?”
She leaned forward and took his face in her hands, giving him all the love she felt in her chest.
“Harper, we can try. We can save some. And that’s a start. We can do that together. We have to try. Remember what you used to tell me all the time? Evil exists because good men and women do nothing in the face of it? That’s never been more true than today. It always was true, but we can’t sit back and do nothing. What is it you want me to do?”
He inhaled deeply and then sighed. He was exhausted. Her man was looking ten years older than she’d seen him before. The weight of trying to spread himself so thin, as if he was some kind of a Superman who could save the whole world, weight on him. Although he’d done so many good things with his time on the teams and now this new Silver Team program, which had already saved numerous people and stopped several terrorist attacks, he was focusing on what he hadn’t been able to do rather than what he had done.
“We can’t do it alone, Harper. We need the team. I’m part of the team now. It’s nothing I wanted to do with my life, trust me, but there’s no way around it, is there? It’s inevitable, and despite what you said, if we don’t pay attention to it, it will come back when we least expect it. It will come back roaring, stronger. We need to prepare ourselves, think about it logically like you said, and set up a plan.”
He nodded his head and stared at his lap. She took his hands in hers. “Harper, look at me.”
He raised his head slowly. “Lydia, I can’t hardly do that. I’m so ashamed.”
“Why? You’ve done all you could physically do!”
“I completed the mission yes. But I didn’t neutralize the threat. And those two years you were gone, I didn’t investigate. Just took the word for it that you were gone. And I tried to get over that. Unsuccessfully, I might say, but I should’ve looked into it further. This is all my fault.”
She could see he was struggling and that there was nothing more talk could accomplish tonight.
“Listen, I think we should turn in early. Let’s call and see if we can pick up Venom, and then let’s the three of us just go to bed, to sleep. We’kk pray for resilience and strength tomorrow. I’m sure the answers will come.”
“I should get the guys to come over again.”
“I think that’s a good idea. And I wonder if Sally is in danger, as well.”
“I thought of that. I’ll see if I can get a third man.”
She agreed.
“This is huge. I’m not sure if the Silver Team will be able to handle this one, because it’s so personal, but I’m gonna at least get the time off to be able to handle this properly.”
“They’ve seen this video?”
“Oh yes, the president and the admiral both. They were pretty shaken. They told me to show you. They wanted you to understand what the stakes were.”
“But did they say anything to you about Silver Team not getting involved?”
“Well, it’s in the charter. We’re not to do personal vendettas, that sort of thing. That fancy little phrase ends with ‘or the appearance of’,” he said, his fingers in air quotes. “But I think he’ll allow time off and let me assemble something as long as I am able to reassure them we’re able to function and I don’t allow these personal things to get in the way of making good decisions or risking the program or any of my men’s lives. It can be done, Lydia. I just don’t know if I can manage personally. And I don’t know if I can get sanctions for it.”
She nodded and squeezed his hands. Then she leaned over and gave him a kiss. “You need to rest, Harper. You just need to rest. You call your guys, and I’ll give the vet a call and see if we can pick up Venom. I know that would make you feel better, wouldn’t it?”
“You bet. But only if it’s good for him.”
“I got it. I’ll make sure.”
So while Harper called Greg and Danny, he also was able to give Sally a heads-up. He told her he had ordered a third former SEAL Team member to come watch at her house tonight. Lydia could hear Sally squawking and arguing with Harper from clear across the room, but he insisted.
The hospital came on the line.
“Oh, yes, Mrs. Cunningham! Dr. Gordon was going to give you a call and suggest it. He’s up and awake, and he’s feeling much better. I think he would love to come home with you guys. There’s going to be some precautionary instructions, and I wouldn’t let him run around outside on his own. You’ll have to walk him with a leash and keep a special eye out for him and check all his potty breaks, if you know what I mean.”
“It’s fine with me. Just put it all in writing with instructions. We’ll be down in the next twenty minutes or so to pick him up. And thank you for all you’ve done for him, for all you’ve done for me and for Harper too. Venom means the world to us.”
The guys were going to arrive while they were down at the hospital. When they walked inside the lobby, the technicians behind the desk were bright and chipper.
“We’re so happy for you guys. He’s such a wonderful dog. Even licked our hands when we were drawing blood. He’s probably not going to want to eat till tomorrow, which is normal. Just offer him small amounts throughout the day. We’re sending a few cans of the special food with you to ease his stomach back into food.”
“You have the written instructions for us?” Lydia asked.
