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I take her fingers in mine, making good on her sitting on my lap. I resist the smile that’s eager to bloom on my face.
“I was more interested in hunting knives, orienteering, bows. My dad moved to Alaska, and I spent a lot of time up there too. He was in a bad accident and talked me through using a tourniquet. After that, when I went home, I learned about the opportunity to do dual enrollment through my high school and community college. Two years later, I had a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. Two years after that, I had a bachelor’s in nursing. Then I, um, enlisted as a military nurse.”
The way she hesitates suggests there’s more.
“You met someone?”
“When I was in college. He was in the military too. Different branch, but I figured it would be a way for us to be closer, so to speak. A few years in, he was killed.” Her eyes tear up as if the memory still stings. “It was tough. After that, I found it harder to work with the wounded. I got transferred to assist the staff veterinarian.”
“Seriously?”
“I don’t think they knew what to do with me.”
“I bounced back and forth between combat zones and ships. They wanted me in the thick of it because I was good at my job.”
I glance at the merits on the wall. “Really good.”
“But I couldn’t stomach it.” Her voice is strained like this is a source of regret.
“You patched me up just fine.”
“This is different. When we’d have a new person, critically injured, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan and—”
“Do you still think about him?”
“Only when we were at the wedding.” Her shoulder lifts as if her answer, having let go of that dream with him, pains her.
I don’t know if I could fill Ethan’s shoes, but the fact that Lally uses the wordwetells me that she’s grieved him, but perhaps hasn’t given up on sharing her future with someone she loves.
“While on the ship, there was a lot of downtime. I used it to read, learn, and figure out my next steps. In the end, I couldn’t become a history teacher. I had to help somehow...animals, in this case. Before I left the military, I had the idea for a ‘pet’ project to train therapy-type dogs for veterans.”
“No,” I say, shocked.
“Yes. Is that a bad thing?” She falters.
“No, it’s just...that’s amazing.” My crazy idea suddenly feels possible, but also terrifying, and that’s saying something, because my motto is to be prepared, not scared.
Brows creased with concern, I ask, “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re also a veteran?”
She shrugs. “I don’t talk much about that time of my life.”
“By any chance did you know Sean and Boo?”
“No, I figured that out when Ross told me about him even though I didn’t realize he had a MWD. His brother and I never crossed paths.”
“Maybe we did. As dangerous as it can be, it’s a small world.”
“Strange too, how it led us together.”
Her gaze jumps from the photo of the guy on the wall. It’s then that I notice another of the two of them, her hand in his, a ring sparkling on her fourth finger. They were engaged. Lally was someone’s sweetheart.
My heart breaks for her. She’s so strong, but I see there is a delicate, fragile part to her after all. Or maybe it’s me. Both of us? More than anything, I want to take away her pain and for her to like me.
That’s new. Strange. Unexpected.
She gets to her feet and refills my iced tea. “So, talk to me about your plan.”
“You’re not going to believe it.”
