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I nod my head, as we walk out the barracks together and make our way to the DFAC. Once we get inside and give our numbers, we get in line to see Justin in front of us.
“Hey, Ry, Jonathan,” Staff Sergeant Justin Grayson (Gray) greets.
“What’s up, Gray?”
“Nothing, just enjoying the downtime and ready for some food. You?”
“I’ve been answering some neglected emails,” I answer with a shrug.
“I’ve been trying to catch up on sleep,” Jonathan chimes in.
“We definitely all need to do that. Aren’t you getting ready to go home soon?” Gray asks Jonathan as we all pick up a tray.
“Yeah. I’ll be headed home in a couple of weeks. I’ll be glad to get home and see my brother and his new wife.”
“How long have they been married now?”
“Almost six months,” Jonathan answers as he looks over at me.
I shrug my shoulders and continue down the line, getting food put on my plate. Any talk of marriage from anyone is enough to have me tuning out. Once I have my food and water, I head to a table with a couple more of our team members. I nod my head at everyone as I dig into my food.
My thoughts turn to if Megan and I would have gotten married when we were supposed to, we’d have been married for two and a half years already. I don’t want to allow my mind to think about what should have been, instead, I tune into the conversation that is going on right now and hears Gray ask, “How soon do you think we will be going on another mission?”
“No telling, why?” Jonathan asks.
“I’d like to take some leave and see my parents soon, but I don’t want to leave you all short a team member if I can help it.”
“Man, if you want to take some time to visit with your parents, then do it. We will be fine if something should come up. If it’s bad enough, we will grab another team to join us. You need to make your parents a priority, especially since your dad just had a heart attack last year,” I sternly tell him.
“I appreciate that. I hate leaving you all short, especially knowing Jonathan is going to be going home in a couple of weeks,” Gray says solemnly.
“Bro, we get it, we are family here, but your parents need you too. It’s been a year since you went home, definitely go. Hell, someone should make Ry go home, as much as his mother calls,” Staff Sergeant Liam Boyle chimes in.
“I’ll go home when I’m ready,” I mutter.
“Justin, get your ticket booked, put in your leave. If something major hits, I’ll come back off leave and be with the guys. Ry is right, you need to make more time for your parents, trust me,” Jonathan states.
We all know the reason he joined the military was because he lost his parents in a car accident, and the only family he has left is his brother, so he tries to make time to see his brother as much as he can.
We all finish our meal, head back to the barracks, I grab my gear and head over to the gym. I feel like I need to go a couple of rounds to relieve some of the mess that is jumbled in my mind.
Chapter 3
Ellie
“Elouise Matthews, how can I help you?”I answer the phone on my desk.
“Ellie, it’s Jacee, how are you doing today?”
“Mom, why do you insist on calling yourself by your name, when you call me?”I ask, with frustration in my voice.
“Well, probably because it’s the only way I can get you to talk to me.”
“That’s not true, mom, we just talked two days ago.”
“Actually, it was two weeks ago, but I digress.”
“Has it been that long already?”I ask, in wonderment, as the days just seem to all fall in one.
