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My voice echoed around the room while I gripped his t-shirt in my fists, pressing my cheek to his chest until his grip loosened.
“I’m sorry, Freya,” he said after another moment, voice nothing but gravel and regret.
I just shook my head, retreating a little until I was staring into his pained face, and those pretty olive green eyes.
He didn’t keep eye contact. His face morphed into shame as he pushed me further away.
“I’m good. Please, go.”
Seeing the shame in his eyes made me angry for some reason. He’d been through literal hell in war, lost friends recently when he’d gotten hurt. There was no reason that he should feel shame, and it pissed me off that he did.
My mouth opened to lecture him over that look in his eyes, but the door suddenly burst open, sharp light flooding the bathroom and blinding us, which effectively shut me up.
“Holy shit, are you ok?” Dad’s voice came from just above my head as his hand stretched out to help Ashton up.
“I’m fine,” Ashton answered with a rough voice, his eyes open again, though he was squinting at the brightness of the light glaring down.
“You’re not fucking fine,” Dad growled, pulling Ashton up before he moved to do the same for me. “What’re you doing here, Freya?”
“You were busy, so I just…”
“This isn’t shit to play around with. Next time come get me,” Dad growled under his breath before he brusquely moved out.
My chest hurt watching him leave, but Ashton looked over his shoulder, his expression a cross between gratitude and confusion as they turned the corner.
I blew out a long breath, then hurried out of the door and went to my office where I could sit and figure out what the actual fuck just happened.
Chapter 5
Ashton
Two months is a long time. At least, it felt like a long time as I hung out in civilian clothing and waited for the bureaucrats to decide my future.
Sitting in my temporary CO’s office, I heard the words I dreaded, the ones that tore my life apart.
“I’m sorry, but with the headaches and blacking out, you’re a liability to your unit. You’ve all suffered a tragic loss, but there’s no reason you can’t get out there and live a normal life as a civilian.”
“That’s bullshit! I’ve given my entire life to the Marines! There’s got to be something—”
“Are you willing to bet your unit’s life on it?” he murmured, looking me straight in the eye.
Fuck…
I leaned back in the chair and shoved my hand through my freshly shorn hair.
“This is bullshit,” I breathed again.
“Like you said, you’ve given many good years to the Marines and the Raiders. Maybe it’s time for you to settle down and find yourself a nice girl.”
I blew out a long breath, and even though I wanted to just sit and scream or throw a tantrum like a fucking child, I did what I’d always been taught to and I sat up, accepting my fate.
“You’ll receive all the honors of a Marine injured in the line of duty and medically discharged.”
My CO stood and I just frowned as I got to my feet, too. The twinges of pain in my hip and leg were basically gone, but the headaches…God the headaches…
He saluted me, which meant there was nothing else to talk about. They didn’t want me back, so I was left to pick up the pieces.
I straightened my hand and clicked my heels together in what was probably the last salute of my fucking career, then hurried out of the office.
