Back to You

by Jessica Scott

  “Quit bickering like an old married couple and help me. I still need to find the chaplain’s assistant to confirm that everything’s in order for the ceremony. The little shit’s nowhere to be found.”

  Trent stuffed his hands in his pockets and raised both eyebrows. “Did you really just refer to a chaplain’s assistant as a little shit?”

  “Isn’t that like a speed pass straight to hell?” Carponti said.

  Shane shot them both a deadpan look. “I have met some really great chaplain’s assistants over the years. This kid? Not even close to the same quality. My calibrated NCO Spidey senses tell me he’s using drugs.”

  Trent sobered. “What makes you say that?”

  “Just a hunch. You’ve been an officer for too long. You’re not as finely in tune with the stupid shit our boys are still doing.”

  “I’ll go see if he’s in the back office.” Carponti wandered off, leaving Trent and Shane alone in the chapel. The silence of the worship center was sterile. Clean. It felt light, somehow untouched by the darkness of the people who walked through it.

  “You doing okay?” Shane asked after a moment.

  “Yeah. Actually I am.” Last night had been hard, so goddamned hard. But this morning, Laura had lain in bed with him for a few minutes between waking up and having to get the kids going for school and he’d felt something strange—a sense of peace.

  It was something he’d never thought he’d ever feel again.

  “Do you worry about screwing things up with Jen?” Trent asked.

  Shane shifted and folded his arms over his chest. He cleared his throat. “It took me a long time to realize I was a large part of the reason why my first marriage failed. And I am determined not to repeat those same mistakes with Jen.”

  “Are you going to deploy again?”

  Shane sighed. “Probably. I’ve only got a few more years to go before I can retire. I’ll stay in, do this last rotation then go try to find a desk job somewhere.”

  “You? At a desk?” Trent shook his head.

  “You need to do the same damn thing,” Shane said.

  “I’m working on it,” Trent said. “I honestly didn’t think I had a second chance.”

  “Laura loves you. She’s always loved you. You were just too stupid to see that she was right here, waiting for you to get your head out of your ass and come home to her.”

  Regret twisted against Trent’s heart. He’d given up so much, chasing an elusive master that would never let him go. The army didn’t need his sacrifice. It didn’t need his blood.

  He was one of the lucky ones. He had a beautiful family, a family he’d avoided because he couldn’t confront the magnitude of changes the war had wrought in him.

  It was time to face the life he had.

  Something warm swelled and burst inside him, shocking him with the overwhelming simplicity of being… home. He rounded the corner to find Laura reading a pamphlet. She smiled as he approached.

  “Where are the kids?” Trent asked her.

  She motioned over her shoulder, then slipped the pamphlet back into its slot. “Ethan took Emma to the bathroom.”

  “You let them go alone?”

  She smiled. Obviously he hadn’t hidden the shock in his voice very well. “Yes. It’s good for him to learn to watch over his little sister.”

  “That means that either she’s going in the men’s room or he’s going in the women’s room.” Trent sounded horrified and Laura couldn’t suppress her smile.

  “He’s six. He’s fine in the women’s restroom for a little while longer.” She shrugged, a smile teasing her lips. “Besides, it’s Thursday afternoon during family time. No one is here right now anyway.”

  “Oh.”

  Shane stalked around the corner, fury radiating off him in palpable waves. “We don’t have a church.”

  Just like that everyone appeared in the little hallway.

  “What do you mean, we don’t have a church?” Jen said. “What happened?”

  “The little shithead stoner chaplain’s assistant didn’t schedule it,” Shane snapped. “The chaplain’s free to marry us, but some officers’ wives’ club meeting is going to be here in the chapel that day.”

  Carponti scowled. “They should just move the meeting. Why do they get priority?”

  “Because it’s the post commander’s wife’s pet project,” Shane said. He sighed heavily, covering Jen’s hand with his. “We’ll figure something out,” he said softly.

  “Why don’t you just get married at your place?” Trent asked. “You’ve got enough space for it.”

  “Sure,” Shane snorted. “We can get married on the back porch.”

  “We could build a gazebo. Or one of those pergola thingies that have the slating over the top?” This from Carponti, who suddenly looked serious. As if a light bulb had been turned on inside her head, Nicole instantly whipped out her smartphone and started typing.

  “We could set it up this weekend. There’s an unfinished furniture place in Temple. We could check there,” Laura said, brightening at the idea. “And I could get some sheer drapes. It would be beautiful.”

  Jen didn’t look convinced. “That’s a lot of work to get done in a weekend,” she said. “We could just go to the Justice of the Peace.” She lifted her chin, looking up at Shane. “I don’t really care where we get married.”

  “It matters.” Shane cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over it before he looked over at them. “Let’s do this.”

  Laura shooed Carponti and Nicole out, and she and Trent followed right behind them.

  “I think building the pergola is a perfect idea,” Trent said, after they had shut the door.

  “I’ve already found one,” Nicole said, holding up her smartphone. “We can pick up the materials today and start building.”

  “We’ll need gravel to level the ground out,” Laura said.

  Trent looked over at her. “How do you know all this?”

  She smiled up at him. “I’ve kept myself amused with home improvement projects while you’ve been gone,” she said. “How much money are we talking about?”

  “We’re looking at about $500.” Nicole held the phone out so Laura could see. “Trent, we’ll need your truck.”

  “Done. We can go pick up the material now if they like the looks of it.” He glanced at Laura.

  “We’ll need to feed the kids on the way, but yeah.” Laura grinned. “This is awesome.”

  Carponti looked down at his prosthetic. “I wonder if they make a hammer attachment for the Nub.”

  Laura choked back a laugh as Trent groaned and shook his head. The kids came running toward them from down the hall, and Emma collided with Laura’s leg.

  “Hey, kiddos, we need to take a little trip.”

  “Aww! Mommy, I wanted to go to the lake today,” Ethan said, stomping his foot. Laura narrowed her eyes, wondering if it was possible for her son to have PMS. Most of the time he was such a great kid. But sometimes? She wanted to volunteer for a deployment.

  Trent knelt down to Ethan’s level. “We’ve got to do something really important for Shane’s wedding. I’m going to need your help, though, okay? Because I’m out of practice with building stuff.”

  “Mommy’s really good at building stuff,” Emma said.

  Ethan’s eyes went wide. “What are we building?”

  “A place for Shane and Jen to get married,” Trent said.

  “Do I get to nail anything with my hammer?” Ethan asked.

  “Can I help, too?” Emma asked.

  He glanced up at Laura, unsure about what the age limits were for hammers. She stood there, watching him, her hand over her mouth, her eyes shimmering. He held his breath thinking he’d gone too far, that he’d undermined her somehow. But then she nodded, a hesitant smile on her lips. He was sure she already had a plan to keep them entertained while the adults worked.

  “Sure you can. But you’ve got to be really careful with the hammers and stuff. We’ve got to
head out now to get the supplies we need. Can you and your sister be good for us?”

  Ethan nodded solemnly. “Sure, Daddy.”

  “Promise, Daddy,” Emma said.

  Laura watched the interchange between her son and her husband. It was such a simple exchange, yet so significant. He’d come so far. She knew there were still long days and nights ahead of them but watching him with their kids, watching him smile and feel at ease, she knew they had a chance. A small chance, one that could easily be destroyed by a careless gesture or thoughtless word, but a chance nonetheless.

  The little things were what mattered most to two people building a life together. Not the big grand gestures. It was Shane telling Jen he wanted their wedding day to be perfect—not because Jen demanded it but because he wanted it to be special for her.

  It was Nicole, staying strong while her husband recovered from his injuries.

  It was Trent, kneeling in front of their son and daughter and talking them into helping him build something for their friends.

  In that moment, she looked at her husband and her son and her daughter and her heart was open and vulnerable. Her soul was stripped bare.

  There was no protecting her heart from her love for this man. He could very well leave her again but at that moment, she loved him with everything she had.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Laura wasn’t planning on staying at work long today. The entire unit was back from NTC and Laura had planned on taking a day off to finish some of the prep work for the building project this weekend. She was trying to get a few e-mails sent that absolutely had to be sent and then she was going to make herself scarce, because the longer she stayed at the office, the more she risked getting pulled into something she didn’t have the time to deal with today.

  So of course, Patrick knocked on her door right as she was finishing her last e-mail. Because karma hated her.

  “You have a sec?” he asked.

  She hadn’t honestly expected to be left alone to actually get some work done. “Sure, what’s up?”

  “So this is going to sound like a really jacked-up request but do you have LT Randall’s wife’s address?”

  Laura rocked back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. The company doesn’t have her address and her husband isn’t answering his phone and we need to find her.”

  “Why isn’t she at work?”

  “That’s what we need to find out. Apparently, she’s been unaccounted for for three days.”

  Laura leaned forward. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No.” Patrick leaned on her door. “So can you help me out?”

  “Sure. Give me a sec.” It actually took her less than a minute to pull the soldier’s address. “Now what?”

  “Now I’m going to her house.” There was bitterness in Patrick’s voice.

  “I’m not exactly sure that’s a good idea,” Laura said. “Why are you going? And don’t we usually go in pairs to soldiers’ houses?”

  “I’m going because most of the unit isn’t here today because of the training holiday. It’s a long drawn-out story that starts with Colonel Richter telling me to get my ass out there and get her here no matter what before close of business today.” He paused. “So are you volunteering? I mean, I know she’s a soldier and all but technically, she is a spouse.”

  Laura sighed and resigned herself to not getting out of there early because Patrick was right. It was part of her job description to do home visits. They were by far her least favorite part of the job because you never knew what you’d find. “Sure,” she said and grabbed her purse along with a log form, so that she could keep detailed notes of everything that happened today.

  Adorno lived less than a mile away but a few minutes later, when she opened the door, Laura was reminded of exactly why she hated home visits.

  Randall’s wife was a walking disaster. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her hair hadn’t been washed in at least three days and Laura could see what looked like two boxes of half-eaten pizza on the kitchen counter behind her. There was evidence of a crime against Ben & Jerry’s on the kitchen table behind her. “What?” Adorno said.

  Patrick released a deep breath. “I need you to get dressed. The brigade commander wants to see you.”

  “I’m on quarters.” She thrust a piece of paper at him. Laura frowned as Patrick’s face flushed deep scarlet as he read the sick call slip. Laura looked at him and waited for an explanation. What the hell was on that slip to make him blush?

  He handed it to her and Laura read it once, then again, then looked back at the soldier, a deep sympathy twisting beneath her heart. She should hate the girl but what was on that slip was enough to make her feel nothing but compassion for the young woman.

  Her husband had given her an STD. It didn’t get much worse than that.

  “The brigade commander wants to see you,” Patrick said again. “This isn’t really optional.”

  Her bottom lip quivered. “But what about…?” She motioned to the paper in Laura’s hand.

  “The colonel will clear it up with the docs, I’m sure.”

  Laura looked at the young woman. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

  Adorno’s eyes flashed angrily. “Thank you but don’t be sorry for me. I want to cut my cheating, lying husband’s balls off. I’ll be much better then.”

  Beside her, Patrick cleared his throat. “Yes, well, please don’t do any of that around me. I’d rather not be involved in any assault cases.”

  Adorno laughed but it was a harsh, strangled sound. “Can I meet you at brigade?”

  Patrick shook his head. “Sorry. You need to ride with myself and Mrs. Davila. No one has seen you for three days.”

  Her lip quivered again. “My asshole husband won’t be there, will he?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Patrick said.

  Adorno sighed and it reminded Laura of one of Ethan’s sulks. She almost smiled but figured the young soldier wouldn’t do well with that. She’d think Laura was laughing at her when she was doing no such thing.

  Adorno stepped back and invited them into the house. “Fine,” she said. “I have to take a shower.”

  As she retreated to her bedroom, Patrick and Laura stood in the foyer. Laura briefly noticed that there was no cat and no kittens, either. Looked like she’d been lying about the cat the other day at the office. Nice.

  Neither of them was willing to cross any farther into the house. It wasn’t dirty. It was messy and had clearly not been cleaned in a few days. But Laura wasn’t in any place to judge.

  There was a crash from the bedroom and Laura and Patrick rushed back.

  Adorno knelt on the floor, her small body wracked by great, heaving sobs as she tried to pick up ragged pieces of broken glass.

  “Here, stop. You’re going to cut yourself.” Laura eased her away from the glass but she was practically incoherent.

  “I… can’t… believe… he cheated on me.”

  Laura had seen far too many young wives devastated by one of the ugly truths of the army life: Men often strayed. It could be because of the war, the strain, or simply too much distance between them and their spouse.

  Adorno had learned this lesson early in life. Still, it came with a price tag because her husband’s cheating had come with an STD. One that could be cured, but still. It sucked, and no matter how much Laura had hated this soldier at one time, she felt nothing but sympathy for her right then.

  “Want me to call Trent and tell him you’ll be late?” Patrick said, picking up the last of the broken glass.

  Laura glanced at her watch. She was supposed to meet everyone in half an hour. There was no way she’d make it. “Yes, please.”

  Adorno looked at her like she’d grown three heads. “Trent? Trent Davila is your husband?”

  Laura leaned back. “You didn’t put that together with my name and his being the same?” she asked.

  Adorno shook her head sl
owly. “Oh ma’am, you must hate me.” Her voice was the barest whisper.

  Laura said nothing. What could she possibly say that wasn’t a lie? She did hate this soldier at one point. Maybe not at that exact moment, but there was bitter resentment toward a soldier who would lie to save her own skin and ruin Laura’s husband’s life.

  “You do hate me,” Adorno said when Laura didn’t respond.

  “I think you’ve made some poor choices,” Laura said finally, seeking the only pragmatic thing she could say.

  Adorno’s eyes filled once more and she covered her face with her hands. “I hate him,” she whispered. “He ruined my life.” She swiped angrily at her cheeks. “I believed him when he said he was working late.” She looked at Laura. “I feel so stupid.”

  “We all make stupid choices when it comes to love,” Laura said. “Did you ever love him?”

  “I thought I did,” she said sadly. “Now? Now I’m not sure.” She paused. “I am so sorry for what he’s done to Captain Davila.”

  Laura swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s not just what he did to my husband,” she said gently. “What he’s done has affected our entire family.” She could have said what you’ve done but she didn’t. If anything, this young woman needed her support right now. She’d been married, involved in a big news army scandal, cheated on, and now, it looked like, left. Laura didn’t need to add anything else to the baggage this young woman was going to carry around with her. But she looked at the young soldier quizzically. “How did you not put two and two together and not know he was my husband? I’ve been to the FRG meetings.”

  Adorno flushed. “Davila is a really common name. And I thought you were just there because it was your job,” she said. Her cheeks flamed red. “I ruined your life and you’re still being kind to me. You knew all along who I was?”

  Laura nodded.

  “How could you be nice to me?”

  “Well, I did want to choke you when you demanded I call the brigade commander over kittens.” Adorno flushed and covered her mouth with her hand and Laura wasn’t sure if she was smothering a laugh or a sob. “But we were all young once. We all did stupid things in the name of love.” She waved one hand. “I generally try to limit my stupid things to ruining my own life and not other people’s, but you get the idea.”