She laughed. “I meant being his friend.” She paused, ‘But, yes, that too.”
“Okay. I can do that. You probably need time with Bart.”
“Yes, thank you. I’m glad you joined the conversation. Keep up the good work.”
Molly sat in the reception area making small talk with Amy until Bart appeared and they moved out into the hall.
“How’d it go?”
“Fine.”
“Did I do any harm?”
“You helped. She liked you. She said I was lucky to find you.”
“Do you have any homework?”
“More sex.”
“Perfect.”
Molly took his arm and pulled herself tight as they walked down the steps of the building.
What happened next occurred so fast, Molly wasn’t able to piece it together until it was over. They were walking down the main street of Omak. She was tight on his arm. Late spring temperatures were warming up. They were at the park. The dogs had seen them coming and were barking their excitement.Molly heard a hot rod coming up the main drag. She heard an explosion, and suddenly she was on the ground with Bart’s body straddling her.
She lay on the ground, his body heavy on top of her. She was pinned down. He wasn’t letting her up. As he was scanning the scene, Molly figured out what happened. The hot rod backfired, causing a loud, unexpected explosion. The bomb-like noise triggered a PTSD moment for Bart who’d instinctively thrown her to the ground, protecting her from enemy fire.
She wrapped her arms around his back and whispered, “It’s okay. The hot rod just backfired. We’re okay.” Bear and Shadow were straining at their lines, barking and jumping about, not sure what happened to their masters.
Without saying anything, Bart got up and pulled Molly to her feet. Molly wanted the dogs to know everything was fine. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest and holding him tight. She’d just gotten an up front and personal dose of PTSD. It was unsettling. He seemed to be in her world until he wasn’t. Until a crowded room put him on high alert. Until a hot rod backfired and sent him back to Afghanistan. She held him close, and he let her. He still hadn’t said anything.
Finally, she took his arm and they continued walking toward Bear and Shadow, untying them and letting them run around. They settled on the bench, Molly still holding his arm, snuggled in. She decided to wait until he was ready to speak. It took a few minutes before his words came in a slow, measured voice.
“I’m sorry about that. The explosion startled me.”
“I understand. I just experienced your PTSD.”
“Yes. I hope you’re not around when a helicopter flies over.”
“I hope I am. I want to be there for you at these moments.”
She kissed his cheek and held on a little tighter.
They had lunch at Molly’s favorite Mexican food truck. She didn’t want to take him inside another crowded restaurant. She wasn’t that hungry after the big breakfast, but she liked the idea of street tacos. They settled at a picnic table under a tree, the dogs sitting nearby in the shade with a bowl of water. The day was warming up. Molly was now conscious of passing cars and pedestrians, people nearby, life in the small, rural town.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. Again, I apologize. Are you okay? I threw you down pretty hard.”
“Fortunately, we landed on grass. It would have been harder on pavement. But, this rodeo girl has been thrown to the ground many times, not always in soft dirt.”
“You’re getting an introduction to the PTSD. A crowded restaurant. My therapist. A backfiring car.”
“Yes, and I’m glad I am.”
“Not having second thoughts?”
“To the contrary. Makes me want to be there for you.”
