Touch of Home (Blessing Montana Book 2)

by Marissa Dobson

  Yelling in the distance caught his attention. He couldn’t make out what was being said, only the anger in the tone rang clear. Without the siren he wouldn’t have thought much of it—everyone had to let off steam from time to time—but now he found himself jogging toward it, rifle at the ready. Master Sergeant Baker came around the corner, sprinting toward the main gate. Forcing Daniel to pick up his pace.

  “Stay the fuck away!” The words were too muffled by the alarm for him to make out the voice, but the gunfire that erupted had Daniel on edge. What the hell is going on?

  “Listen to me Allen—” Another round of gunfire cut off Barrett’s words.

  “Fuck.” He pushed through those who had gathered, moving toward where he heard Barrett’s voice. Sure enough as he broke through the crowd, Lance Corporal Allen was standing there, his rifle raised in the air.

  “I can’t. This needs to stop! I can’t do it anymore!” Allen screamed.

  “Allen…” Daniel lowered his rifle and stepped toward him. With Barrett behind him, his rifle raised and Master Sergeant Baker moving in from behind, he was covered. At least he hoped. “We all have moments when it becomes too much.”

  “She was a little girl!” The rage was overtaken by sadness as the tears streamed down his face. “Just a little girl…”

  “Let’s talk. Put the weapon down and talk about this.” As Daniel inched closer his gaze shifted toward Allen’s hands. Blood dripped from them soaking into his uniform and falling onto the sand below. “What have you done?”

  “Me?” Allen’s adjusted his weapon to point the barrel at Daniel. “I tried to save her.”

  “To yourself, Allen. What have you done to yourself? Man, you’re bleeding.” They had to get the situation under control quickly, otherwise Allen would bleed out before they got the change to save him.

  “Nothing. It’s nothing.” Allen’s finger inched toward the trigger.

  “Tommy…” A woman pushed her way through the others, coming in from Allen’s side. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Jess.” Allen lowered the rifle and his knees gave way. Dropping down onto the bloody sand, he stared at the young Marine. “You’re here because of me, but I can’t protect you. I can’t protect anyone. I failed you…I failed her…”

  “You failed no one.” She moved closer until she reached him and sank to her knees next to him. “What happened?”

  Master Sergeant Baker moved in, grabbing the rifle before Allen could react. “Medics!”

  Daniel stood on the sidelines, watching as the female Marine interacted with Allen. Was this the Lance Corporal Jacobs that Allen was so fond of? He wasn’t sure, but the way Allen mumbled one apology after another, he believed it was. As much as he tried, he couldn’t remember their story. Only faint bells rang inside his head. Possibly high school friends? He thought he remembered Allen saying he and Jacobs enlisted together, though at the time he hadn’t realized Jacobs was female.

  The pieces weren’t falling into place and he was too exhausted to try to connect the dots. He dragged his hand over his face and looked at the young Marine. Allen broke under the strain and Daniel couldn’t help but blame himself. He’s under my command. I should have seen the warning signs.

  “Gunny.” Barrett appeared next to him and tipped his head indicating he wanted privacy.

  “Nothing to see here folks. Move along. Everyone back to work.” Master Sergeant Baker hollered, making everyone scram back to where they should be.

  Daniel took a few steps away, giving Barrett the privacy he wanted, but still close enough he could watch as the medics attended to Allen. “What?” His tone was clipped but his annoyance wasn’t at Barrett, but himself.

  “He was fine when we broke away to get some sleep.” Barrett ran his hand over the top his head. “I never suspected anything. Not from him. If I was worried about anyone it was Murry. He has a little girl about the victim’s age.”

  “To be safe, go check on him. We need to know he’s dealing with today’s events. If not, we’ll deal with it.” Daniel let out a deep sigh. “I’m going to have a word with Allen. I’ll meet you back in the tent shortly.”

  With a nod Barrett headed over to check on Murry, leaving Daniel alone with his thoughts.

  This is why I’m retiring. It’s time. I should have seen Allen was having a hard time with this. You didn’t fail kid, I did.

  Chapter Eleven: Second Guessing

  It had been more than seventy-two hours since Allen’s breakdown, still Daniel couldn’t stop analyzing the situation over and over in his mind. He blamed himself for not seeing Allen’s reaction coming. The girl was too young. It had sliced into every member of the team, still he should have known Allen was on shaky ground.

  He watched his men like a hawk, looking for any clue that could alert him to another breakdown. The squad as a whole was quiet, he couldn’t blame them. Between the young girls’ death and Allen, they had a lot on their minds.

  Every time Daniel closed his eyes, he could see it all happen again.

  With Barrett behind the wheel, Daniel was left with the opportunity to ponder the information their patrol operation had gathered. The small town had a group of elders leading them and through his time there Daniel had been able to develop a rocky relationship with them. His team helped the elders when they could for exchange of information. This had worked well for them so far but today it proved vital.

  “Think they were passing through?” Barrett spoke breaking through Daniel’s thoughts.

  “Doubt it.” He ran his hands over his uniform pants, trying to wipe the sweat away. With the sun high above baking everything in its path, he was anxious to get back to base and shower. No matter how long he was in Iraq he couldn’t adjust to the ungodly heat. That and the sandstorms.

  “The village is small, mostly women and children. A few men, but not enough to put up a strong fight. The elders are too old to be much threat.” Barrett listed things that were already running through Daniel’s mind. “They’re looking to take over the village, possibly recruit some of the younger boys.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “Gunny.” Hamilton called from the turret. “One o’clock.”

  Everyone was already on edge with members of a jihadist group Islamic State in the area, but tension within the Humvee rose even higher, as they turned their attention to what Corporal Hamilton spotted in the distance. Daniel leaned forward to try and get a better view. The figure on the side of the dirt road was crunched over, making it impossible for him to make out a threat.

  At first it was too far away for him to make out, but as the figure came into view he could make out a woman crouched on the side of the dirt road.

  “Hold up,” he ordered Barrett, grabbing the binoculars. As he brought the binoculars to his eyes the Humvee slowed to a stop.

  Instantly he could make out the woman, tears streaming down her face as she clutched something to her chest. His gaze dipped slower. Not something, someone. More precisely a young girl. Blood covered the ground in front of them.

  “Fuck.” He didn’t know what had caused the incident, but he was compelled to help.

  “What is it?” Lance Corporal Allen questioned from the backseat.

  “Murry get your med kit, you’re going to need it. Everyone else on alert.” Needing to warn the second Humvee he grabbed the radio next to him. “We’re going in. Stay back and vigilant.”

  “Could be a trap, Hamilton keep your eyes peeled.” Barrett crept the Humvee ahead, taking it slow enough everyone could watch for any possible threats.

  As they neared, the young girl’s gaze grabbed Daniel’s attention. As her body shook she stared in their direction, yet not a single tear fell from her eyes. Child nor mother moved as the Humvee neared them. With the blood trail to the road, Daniel wasn’t sure they could move even if they wanted.

  “Oh shit!” Murry bitched as he was able to take in the scene.

  “Do what you can, we’ll ke
ep guard.” Daniel ordered.

  The Humvee had barely come to a stop when Murry hopped out, his med kit in hand. Daniel hot on his heels, rifle in hand. “We can help. What happened?”

  The woman spoke in her native tongue forcing Murry to look at Daniel for clarification. “IED.”

  As he spoke to the woman, Murry pulled the shirt soaked with blood from the girls’ arm.

  “Fuck!” Murry’s grunt had Daniel glancing the at young girl. Blood sprayed from the severed artery in her arm. “I need help.”

  “Allen.” With Hamilton in the turret and the others keeping an eye on their surroundings, Daniel hollered to the youngest of the team. “Aid Murry with whatever he needs.”

  It was a long shot. Too long. Yet they still tried. Each second that ticked by made it clear they weren’t going to save her. Just as there was nothing they could do for the girl there was nothing Daniel could say to ease the woman’s pain.

  Murry leaned over the girl, his fingers on her pulse, while his gaze met Daniel’s. A brief shake of the head made it clear the girl was gone.

  “My family’s gone. Husband. Now Ashna. Please…help her.” The woman screamed in Arabic, her hands clinging to the front of Murry’s uniform, leaving bloody handprints. “Please!”

  “I’m sorry.” Daniel stepped closer placing his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Let us take you home. Do you have family you can go to?”

  There was nothing he could do to change what had happened. They’d been too late to save Ashna. Too late to do anything more than help the grieving woman bring her daughter’s body back to the village.

  It was something every one of them would carry with them for the rest of their lives. For Daniel it would be another thing that haunted him whenever he closed his eyes.

  Needing an escape, he rubbed a hand over his face and focused on the computer screen in front of him. There was a new email from Emily, one that he hoped could help relieve some of the tension in his muscles.

  Daniel,

  Teacher fantasy huh? Maybe I should put on a pencil skirt, white blouse, and pull my hair into a bun just to take a picture for you? That might help get me a starring role in teacher fantasies.

  I don’t blame you for searching for me online. I’ve seen the pictures of you and Hazel on her social media. Did you know there’s a picture of you in your dress blues hanging in the lobby of Blessing Elementary? You look so handsome in uniform, but I bet you look even better out of it. Gosh, just typing that makes me blush.

  I’m sure I’m not the first to tell you that. There are a couple teachers always asking Hazel about you. You’re the town hero and a sexy hero at that. When you come back to Blessing you’re going to have your choice of women. The whole town talks about you. In the three years I’ve been here I’ve heard a number of stories about you, including that you saved Marshall Elliott from a house fire when you were only seventeen.

  I can’t take all the credit for my students paying attention. They’re good kids. I do have one little troublemaker in class. Hazel says he reminds her of you. Always the class clown. When he finally settles down he’s a good student and can ace whatever assignment I give him. Sadly, that’s not as often as I’d like, which is why he currently has a D. In a couple more weeks the semester will be over, and he’ll be on Christmas break. I can only hope he can at least hold onto the D, otherwise he’ll have to repeat the fourth grade. He should squeak by as long as he doesn’t blow off the rest of the work I have for them between now and break.

  Thank you for your kind offer. We have received a couple handwritten letters from our soldiers. Many have e-mailed the class. There is one who has been e-mailing each week. The students look forward to hearing from him. To them it doesn’t matter if it’s a mailed letter or an e-mail, they get the same excitement. I love seeing the joy on their faces. Even my troublemaker enjoys that part of our class.

  Dinner…sure. But I have a condition. You need to e-mail Hazel, now. She came into my classroom this morning—forty minutes before school and you know your sister, it’s a big deal for her to get here early. She’s afraid you’re angry with her. She needs to know you’re okay. E-mail her and let her know you’re being safe. Please.

  Stay safe and keep your ass covered. Hazel will blame herself if something happens to you now.

  Emily

  After recent events the last thing he wanted to do was e-mail his sister. He only stopped by the computer tent to connect with Emily. Otherwise he’d have hit his cot or went for a run. Still duty called. It wasn’t military obligations but one he had to his sister. He’d been putting it off too long, now it was time for him to at least send her a quick e-mail. He sucked in a deep breath and hit compose.

  Hazel,

  I’m fine and I’m not mad at you. Actually…well let’s just say Emily’s nice. Nice doesn’t mean you were right, but I forgive you for forcing her to correspond with me. If I find out you laid one of your guilt trips on her there might be hell to pay. She wouldn’t have deserved that.

  I love you, but please stay out of my love life. I don’t need you hooking me up with her or anyone else. Let me get back to the states before you start any of your matchmaking.

  Love,

  Daniel

  With that sent he clicked back to Emily’s e-mail. His mind already conjuring up the image of her in a pencil skirt, blouse, and her hair up in a bun. Only the moment he did, he could picture himself pulling her close and letting down her hair. As the blonde hair cascaded down around her shoulders, his fingers worked on each of the blouse buttons. What is it about Emily? He craved her like nothing he’d ever experienced before.

  Emily,

  I’ve e-mailed my meddling sister. It was short, but I’ve relieved her fears that I’m mad at her.

  Now with my duty—e-mailing Hazel—done, I can tell you this…I’m picturing you just as you described. Damn woman, that’s hot. Maybe I can convince you to wear that sexy teacher outfit for me when I get home. Though let’s leave the bun go. I love the way your blonde hair cascades down around your shoulders. I can picture tangling my fingers in it.

  Recent events reminded me once again why this is the right decision. I need to put this part of my life behind me. Maybe it’s overdue. I started thinking about it the last time my contract was up, four years ago, only to recommit again. Not this time. Leaving the Marines behind is the only way I’m going to be able to have another life. Otherwise this will always control my future.

  Your little troublemaker/class clown, yep that was me. One exception, I wouldn’t have aced the assignment the teacher gave me, even if I was paying attention. In most subjects I was an average student at best. History was the exception, I loved that class. It was the one period I’d stop acting out and pay attention in. Math though, let’s just say I was a D student there, and only by the skin of my teeth. Reminiscing about school makes me realize one thing, I’m sure glad it’s over.

  Tell me, when you’re not teaching or being conned into things by Hazel, what do you like to do? Don’t throw that question back at me, because I don’t know. It seems too long since I had time to do what I wanted. I love to grill and that’s one thing I’m looking forward to doing once I’m stateside. Invite some friends over, throw a few steaks on the grill, have a couple beers. There’s nothing better than that. An evening like that spent with good friends can help me forget all the shit the goes on in my life. I could really use one of those days now.

  Sorry to be such a downer. The shit you see…it just takes a toll after a while. Maybe that’s why I missed it. Maybe I’m getting too hardened by this life that I overlook what should be obvious. Once a leader gets to that point they can’t lead, they can’t do their job. They’ll fail those around them. I swore to myself years ago I’d never let that happen. Guess I failed myself too.

  Looking forward to our dinner date will help me get through the next few weeks.

  Daniel

  Chapter Twelve: Encouragement

  Curled up on
the sofa Emily grabbed her laptop from the end table and ran her finger across the screen. Leaning back against the cushions she tried to ease the tension in her muscles. It had been one of the longest weeks of her life but tomorrow was Friday. As much as she loved teaching and her students she was ready for another break. Seeing Hazel around the school, the fear shining in her eyes, was too much for Emily to deal with anymore. Neither of them had heard from Daniel since she sent that message to him, begging him to e-mail Hazel.

  The fear that weighed down her shoulders was irrational. He was in a war zone, and not hearing from him didn’t mean something had happened to him. There were plenty of times that she had been out of communication, yet everything was fine. The only difference was now she wasn’t the one fighting for their country, she was now on this side of the communication. Still Hazel’s anxiety had become Emily’s burden to carry as well. As much as she knew it was irrational, she couldn’t help herself.

  If she had to count how many times she checked her e-mail in the last few days she wouldn’t have been surprised to see it was more than she checked her inbox in the past year. It was agonizing to launch her inbox each time and never see a message from him.

  “This is what all the loved ones of our service personnel go through every deployment.” As her inbox loaded she tipped her head up toward the ceiling and let out a sigh. “It’s a different experience. One that’s slightly overwhelming.”

  The laptop dinged, letting her know she had mail. Her heart slipped a beat. Daniel. She turned her attention back to the laptop and tried to keep her hope from rising. Yet even as she did it was soaring.

  “I don’t care if he e-mails me, as long as he contacts Hazel.” As the words left her mouth she knew it was a lie. She wanted to hear from him too. “Let him be safe. That’s what matters.”