Page 39 of Be With Me
“Um, you’re a wife dealing with the aftermath of the first deployment for her spouse,” Mackey said matter-of-factly.
“Thanks, Mackey.” She already felt better about it all.
“Mooney would do the same for me if I had a partner.” Mackey was right; Mooney wouldn’t hesitate to help out Mackey’s partner… when he finally found his ONE.
§ § §
Mooney parked his car in the driveway and checked out the cars on the street. One looked like Kevin’s pickup and he’d swear that was Mackey’s Tucson. He stared over his shoulder as he opened the front door.
“’bout time you got your ass here. We’re hungry,” Danny called out from the couch.What?
“Umm, did I miss something?” Mooney closed the door. When he faced the living room, not only was Danny sitting there but all the guys were, including Brian and Mike.What the fuck?
“Hey, you’re home.” Debbie walked out of the kitchen and gave him a kiss. “I invited the guys over for dinner. I bumped into Kevin the other day and he mentioned how they werestarving.” She rolled her eyes as she said the last word. Yeah, he bet Kevin laid it on thick. “So go get changed and we’ll eat.”
Mooney inhaled trying to figure out what Debs had made. Hmmm, tomato sauce, garlic… “Lasagna?” he asked hopefully.
“How’d you guess? Figured if there were any leftovers, there would be volunteers to take it home.” A chorus of “me’s” sounded from the living room.
“In your dreams, boys. Any leftovers are property of me,” he claimed as he headed up the stairs to the master bedroom. The condo might be a bit big for just the two of them with three bedrooms but a room for storing gear and then a guest bedroom worked.
It didn’t take him long to get back downstairs to find them all at the table, waiting for him. Dinner was as rowdy as he’d expect with seven NCOs present, all trying to outdo each other with stories of soldiers that needed their heads straightened out.
Soon, they’d demolished the lasagna and no one was getting leftovers. There was barely one little corner left in the pan. Mooney stood and with one glance at the others, they were up and helping him.
“I’ve got this guys, you go sit down,” Debbie said as she stood.
“Oh no you don’t. You worked all day and then came home and cooked dinner. You go sit and we’ll clean this up. Won’t take us long at all,” Mooney said with a peck on Debbie’s lips, as he shooed her out of the dining nook. He’d thought she was nuts when she picked a table that sat eight when they furniture shopped. She’d given him a look then walked off. Her mind made up. Guess she was right.
Mooney had been correct saying it wouldn’t take them long to clean the table and put the room to rights.
“Ooh, look what I found.” Brian’s head couldn’t be seen as he was buried in the refrigerator. When he stood, he had a big bowl that looked like it had cake and whipped cream in it.
“You found dessert, good,” Debbie said from the doorway. “I meant to tell you it was there. None of you are allergic to strawberries, right?”
“Not me,” Mike said before turning toward the cabinets. “Plates up here?”
Mooney looked at Debbie. She looked more tired than normal after her shift. Maybe having the guys over on a workday wasn’t the best idea. Of course, it wasn’t his idea in the first place. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Debbie and she leaned into him with a sigh. Yeah, she was tired.
“I’ll kick the guys out and we can go to bed,” Mooney murmured in her ear.
“Not on my account you’re not. You visit with the guys and I’ll just head to the bedroom. Maybe I’ll read, maybe I’ll fall asleep. You haven’t seen them all since you’ve been back. I know you’ve talked with them and Lord knows you’ve probably seen enough of Mike and Brian over the past year. Just relax together for a change,” Debbie suggested. “Guys, I’m going to go upstairs. I’m exhausted. I hope you enjoyed dinner?”
“Best I’ve had in a long time,” Kevin told her as he came over and pulled Debbie out of Mooney’s arms for a hug. Mooney watched as the guys passed his wife around thanking her for all her efforts on their behalf. Yeah, his wife was amazing.
“Night everyone.” Debbie waved as she went up the stairs.
Before long they were all in the living room with dessert and coffee that someone had made. Mooney could feel the tension leave his shoulders. This is what he needed. Just time with some that had the same experiences as he had. Mackey and Spook were shooting the breeze about some province they’d both been to in Afghanistan while Danny, Mike and Kevin were talking about some hockey game from the other night.
Brian looked at Mooney then down at his bowl. Mooney could tell he had something on his mind. He’d learned Brian’s “tells” while they were deployed.
“What’s got you tied up, Holt?” Mooney asked. Putting his bowl on the coffee table and sitting back with his coffee.
“You having dreams?” Brian didn’t meet Mooney’s eyes.
The room went completely silent. All of them looking at each other, expectantly.
Mooney took a deep breath and released it before answering, “Yeah and they’re not the greatest.” That seemed to break the ice and they were all talking about what they’d seen and done and all of a sudden, Mooney wasn’t feeling the tightness that he’d felt since coming home.
