SEALed At Sunset

by Hamilton, Sharon

  While Aimee continued to finger through cards, notes, receipts, and credit cards, Mrs. Jackson asked her, “So you haven’t seen your brother in seven years, then? Has anybody seen him?” She’d pulled a manilla file out of her desk drawer, briefly opened it, but then covered it with her arms.

  Aimee found the small picture, and carefully removed it where it had stuck to the back of her Social Security card. “Here we are. I was a sophomore in high school. He was a year ahead of me.”

  She handed the photograph to Mrs. Jackson.

  “What a lovely family. You sure growed up nice. Your brother looks a lot like you.” She leaned into the photograph and examined it more closely. “I’m thinking I’ve seen this boy. Of course, he’s not a boy now.”

  Aimee’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She had never hoped to find Logan, let alone find him here in Florida.

  “So does he work here? Will he be coming in today?”

  “I’m sorry, Aimee. I’m gonna have to refer you to the place where we get some of our helpers. I’m not supposed to give you much information, you know. It’s the law. But I feel for you.”

  “What do you mean organization?”

  Mrs. Jackson bit her lower lip, her eyes down cast.

  “Please. I need to find him.”

  “Were you aware he’s got problems?”

  “Yes. That started not long after this picture was taken. He had a drug problem. Long history of drug problems.”

  “Okay, then. Well as far as coming to work today, I can tell you that’s not happening. Apparently, if he’s this boy, this man, I’m pretty sure he’s the one that Sergio fired.” She gave Aimee a long look before she said, “He came from a halfway house. It’s a drug diversion program for drug offenses. Our owner likes to help those who can’t help themselves, and we get a steady stream of these kids, men and ladies, and, well, many of them work out and go on to do other things. Over half of them don’t make it. And I’m sorry to say, if he is your brother, he’s one of the ones who didn’t.”

  “Can you tell me where this halfway house is?”

  “First of all, he doesn’t use the name Logan Greer. I would probably get in a whole lotta trouble if I told you what name he used. But I can give you the name of the halfway house. Maybe he’s still there.”

  Aimee hugged Mrs. Jackson, and she danced down the stairs, clutching the address of the Sunshine Palms rehab facility. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to find, but now she knew that she might be able to connect with the remnants of her family.

  She wasn’t doing it for Logan or even for herself. She was doing it for her mom and dad.

  Chapter 15

  Andy and Cory left for the Tampa airport when it was still dark outside. He had a seven-thirty flight with one layover.

  “If she asks, will you tell Aimee I made it? I’m going to Texas?”

  “Of course I will. But she made it pretty clear how she wanted that to go.”

  “I’m just gonna keep it simple, Andy. This is going to be a really challenging course from what I’ve heard. But it should give me some good creds. I’m going to be a student-fiend, just focus on the work.”

  “And getting healthy.”

  “Absolutely. Put everything else out of my mind.”

  “I think that’s wise. Take it a little chunk at a time, Cory. With nobody looking over your shoulder, don’t go telling yourself you can have just one beer or some dumb shit. No creative thinking, okay?

  “Right. Some of the stories I heard last night, they started exactly like I’ve been doing. Some of these guys lost their houses, their families. A few of them even live under the freeway, and they still go to meetings.”

  “I think you should feel grateful. You let it slide one time, and then it starts all over again. You got to go back to zero.”

  “Well, I’m ready.”

  Andy pulled into short-term parking which got a reaction out of Cory. “You don’t have to do that. Just drop me off at the curb.”

  “Nope. I’m making sure you’re on that plane.”

  The airport was only half-open. Many of the airline kiosks were closed and the TSA lines were nonexistent. Cory checked one large suitcase and was handed his tickets. He threw his computer bag over his shoulder, and the two men hugged.

  They parted at the entrance to the First Class line. Cory showed his military ID, and was shuttled to the front.

  Andy lost track of him once he got through screening.

  Andy muttered a little prayer for his safety. “Godspeed, Cory. Take the chance you’re given. Don’t fuck it up.”

  Cory had convinced Andy to stay a little bit longer in the house. At first, all he wanted to do was go home and get someplace where it was familiar. He missed having bonfires on the beach with the guys, the workouts, and having beers at the Scupper.

  The ride home was going to take more time, since it was a Monday and the traffic was heavy. He stopped to buy some breakfast and then continued back, headed at last toward the beaches.

  Just like the first time he walked in, the picture window in the living room took his breath away. It had turned out to be a nice fall day after all, but rain was forecasted for tomorrow. He could see the huge gray clouds forming on the horizon.

  He moved his duffel bag to the bed in the spare bedroom, then sat out on the patio and watched the water and the carnival of people walking by.

  He decided to give Kyle Lansdowne, his LPO, a call.

  “Hey, Andy, have you been good?”

  “Not too good, thanks.”

  “I’m glad. You deserve a little R&R.” After a brief silence, Kyle asked him why he was calling.

  “I kind of ran into a situation here with Cory, and I wanted to run it by you.”

  “That’s a shame. You two are close. Did you guys have a falling out?”

  “Yes and no. It’s complicated. I just wanted to make sure I handled it correctly.”

  “Okay, I’ll see if I can help.”

  “Cory got himself jacked up on painkillers for his elbow fix, and to make matters worse, he was doing quite a bit of drinking. I didn’t worry about it at first, because I didn’t realize he was still using the pain pills. But he was drinking all day and would start right after breakfast. I got worried when I found out he was doing the pills too. That’s when I had to draw the line.”

  “Ouch. Not good. What do you want from me?”

  “I trust your judgment, Kyle. I just wanna know I did the right thing.”

  “Well, that depends, of course, on what you did.”

  Andy was annoyed with himself. It was a lot harder to talk to Kyle than he had anticipated.

  “We had a pretty bad argument, and I pretty much got in his face and told him he needed to clean himself up, get some help or, I threatened to call the cops, which of course would get the Navy involved.”

  “I’ll bet he didn’t like that one bit.”

  Andy could hear Kyle’s children in the background.

  “Excuse me, Andy, I have to go break something up.”

  “Go right ahead.” He listened while Kyle raised his voice, and after a quick discussion, several kids chattering at once, someone got a swift spank. Silence followed.

  “I’m back. Christy’s working today, so I’m watching the kids, and we have Danny’s here too.”

  “No problem. Sounds like it got resolved.”

  “It did. It most definitely did.”

  “Anyway, I felt like a traitor, but I was worried he was going to do something dumb.”

  “Okay, so what happened?”

  “I told him he should go check himself into somewhere and get some treatment. That’s when he told me that he had applied to Burn School in San Antonio, and they accepted him.”

  “That’s a good program. He was lucky to get in that one.”

  “Yeah, I thought so too. I really worried he’d blow the opportunity.”

  Andy watched as a little kid was riding on one of the fat tire bikes, and
had the speed cranked up and was going too fast. Just as he predicted, the boy lost control when he got caught in the surf. The bike stopped, but he kept going, flipping end-over-end over the handlebars.

  “I just saw a major wipeout with one of these beach bikes you can rent. The kid’s going to be okay, though, it seems.”

  “You need to go check on him?”

  “No, he had several adults chasing him to begin with.

  “Got it.”

  “Anyway, I wasn’t the only one he’s been hiding things from. He had a really nice girl here, and she broke up with him, when she found out all the stuff he was doing. So, the long and short of it is, I shipped him off to San Antonio this morning. I paid for his ticket so he’d get there and have a room on the hospital campus. Apparently he can get some counseling and treatment there since he’s enrolled in the school.”

  “Sounds like everything’s going to sort itself out. I’d say you did good.”

  “I just want to know if I should have done more. Am I obligated to report this? I don’t want the Navy breathing down my neck if they think I didn’t bring it to someone’s attention.”

  “You’re doing that now, Andy. But I wouldn’t worry about it. I mean, he’s going to be in a hospital setting, a facility there where they can take care of him if he goes off the rails. They run a pretty tight ship. The Army doesn’t take too kindly to SEALs messing up their program, so I think it would be dangerous to have someone intervene and give them advanced warning. Let them figure it out for themselves. He’s going to be watched like a hawk. They’ll bust him for anything, trust me.”

  Andy was relieved.

  “Now, that’s not to say he couldn’t find somebody to get in trouble with, but if he’s motivated, he should be okay. It’s not like he’s been doing this for a couple of years or anything, right?”

  “Right.”

  “I wouldn’t punish yourself or overthink it. I think you helped him dodge a bullet. That’s good on you.”

  “Thanks, Kyle.”

  “Do you want me to give you some referrals, see if I can get some names over at the joint base?”

  “That would be good. Just in case.”

  “Good. I’ll dig around and text them to you tomorrow. So how much longer are you staying?”

  “I’m supposed to come back in about a week. It’s beautiful here. But it’s way different than California.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s nice over there on the Gulf.”

  “I was thinking… Cory paid up rent through the end of next month on this house here. I was wondering if I could extend my time here a few days longer. What do you think?”

  “You had a tough one, especially for your first tour. I can authorize an extra week, even two, if you need it. If you stay in shape, all you’d be missing here is a little bit of work up. We don’t have our next assignment yet. So stay and get some of that beach time that you missed before. It’s hard on a guy when you have to watch out for somebody else. You’re a good friend. He’s lucky to have you. I’ve had guys who nearly get killed worrying about someone else on a mission, always watching for them to do something stupid. Just kick back and enjoy it for a little while, and then come home.”

  “Thanks, Kyle. I really appreciate that. I’ll let you know a couple of days ahead of time.”

  “No problem. Don’t expect a limo at the airport or anything.”

  Andy chuckled. “Can you believe it? I was going to send the Team some oranges and you can’t ship them to California. Did you know that?”

  “I do now. Get lots of rest, kid. And get some running in, and get to the gym. You know the drill.”

  “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “And, Andy, go get laid. That’s an order.”

  Chapter 16

  Aimee had called ahead to the Sunshine Palms, and she was told that non-patients—even family members—were not allowed to visit without prior medical authorization. She tried to get herself an appointment with one of the counselors, but she kept getting stalled.

  In the morning she was going to keep to her normal routine. She’d take her hour-long run along the beach, and then she was going to attempt a visit in person. She’d see if she could worm her way inside.

  She’d tossed and turned all night long, unable to sleep. Even the cup of hot chocolate and a little romance TV at midnight didn’t help. She tried to read, and her eyes wouldn’t focus.

  Taking a shower usually relaxed her, so she used her lavender shower gel that always left a soothing, gentle scent on her skin. She changed her pajamas to a fresh nightgown and finally was able to fall asleep.

  Six o’clock in the morning came very early. She slipped on her black running pants, and her lavender fleece top. Placing her hair in a ponytail, she decided not to wear her baseball cap. She grabbed a water from the refrigerator, placing it behind her waist in the pocket, and headed to the door. When her feet touched the outside, she realized she’d forgotten to put on her shoes!

  Back in the bedroom, she applied first aid cream to her blisters, gingerly covered them with ankle socks, and once again slipped into her green Nikes.

  There was no fog today. Just a beautiful rose, purple, and orange sky, reflections of a sunrise happening behind her to the east. She set her watch for thirty minutes, and started her run.

  There were several more people out this early, since it was supposed to be an extremely warm day. She greeted the two bicycle twins, and the woman’s group running to strike a blow for breast cancer, again.

  “Good going, ladies!” she shouted.

  “You too!” they said, along with several virtual air high-fives.

  A pair of older men were working near the water’s edge with metal detectors. A young couple sat on one of the benches next to a beach access trail. An older couple walked hand-in-hand.

  In the distance, she saw the dark outline of someone sitting on the sand, watching the waves. As she approached, he turned his head in her direction, and she instantly recognized Andy.

  She nearly stumbled, so surprised. Her left foot crossed over her right, and she lost her balance for a second. He was on his feet in a flash, but she’d already righted herself and didn’t need assistance.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I’m at Cory’s for a few days more. I don’t want to interfere with your run, but can I join you?”

  Aimee felt her cheeks and neck turn blotchy red, like what always happened when she was nervous. Her swarm of buzzing butterflies set up a vibration in her chest that caused her breathing to hitch.

  “Okay, let’s go,” she agreed.

  Aimee resumed her somewhat faster pace, and he stayed right next to her, matching her stride in tandem. There were so many things running through her mind as she tried to focus on the crunch of shells beneath her feet, the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach, and the faint calling of birds. But she also couldn’t help but hear his heavy breathing.

  What she’d been most afraid of, came true. He knew what he was doing, she thought. He knows if he doesn’t say anything, I’ll die of curiosity. That was so unfair.

  “You surprised me. I never expected to see you again, Andy.”

  “I saw you the day before yesterday on your run. I wasn’t sure you’d speak to me.”

  Aimee paused. Then asked, “So when do you leave for California?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. Cory’s gone to Texas and offered to let me stay in the house for a little bit. I’m supposed to box up his things and send them out to him in exchange.”

  “So, he’s moved there, permanently?”

  “It’s a year-long training program, if he makes it through. Not everyone does.”

  Aimee developed a cramp in her side and stopped. She placed her hands on her knees and bent over, taking deep breaths.

  Andy stopped as well. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Cramp.”

  Aimee pulled her water bottle out of the back of her fleece running jacket, unscrewed th
e top and drank several gulps. She handed the bottle to Andy.

  His eyes were soft and friendly, the coldness of three days ago gone. It was so unfair how incredibly handsome he was. She watched him drink water, trying not to stare at the way his neck looked when he swallowed, and it made her thirsty too.

  “Thanks,” he said, handing the bottle back to her. She screwed the top back on and shoved it at her waist behind her, giving him a smirk, intentionally trying not to smile.

  She looked at her watch. “Okay, looks like I have about ten minutes and then I’m supposed to turn around and go the other direction. I can go farther if you’d like.” She resumed her pace.

  “Can I buy you breakfast at Connie’s?”

  Aimee had practiced what she would say if Andy had tried to call her. But she hadn’t been prepared for this.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know if you’re hungry or you don’t know if you want to?” he asked, his voice smooth and level.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Are you still angry?”

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  “It’s a choice, Aimee. It’s up to you, but I’d still have breakfast with you, even if you are still angry.”

  She was losing the battle. He was so disarming, letting her completely run the conversation, sticking to her like glue as they continued down the beach. He wasn’t going to stop.

  “Okay, I give up.”

  “Just say when.”

  A few paces later, she pointed off to the left and then walked across the softer sand and up the steps to the beach access trail. They went single file between the buildings with the palm trees over their heads, just like before.

  He turned the corner before she did, opening the door for her. She didn’t make eye contact, but when they were seated at a table, he sat across from her. She couldn’t avoid him any longer.

  The plastic menu gave her some cover as she delved into every line, reading everything printed there, even though she knew what she was going to order, would always order.