Page 5 of Shelter for Shay
Moose let that sink in. The last time they’d been to The Refuge, it had helped in ways nothing else had. Quiet cabins. No expectations. Real work, done without the noise of the world closing in.
He was looking forward to it.
But one thing tugged at him.
“My chickens,” he muttered.
Thor raised a brow. “Still with the chickens, huh?”
“They’re therapy birds,” Moose said flatly. “You try listening to the world fall apart and then going home to silence. Chickens are honest. They squawk, they peck, they don’t ask questions.”
“You’ll be able to see the damn chickens after debrief. We’ll have at least one night in Virginia before heading to New Mexico. I want to see that baby girl of mine.”
“Your poor wife.” Moose chuckled, which cost him a hefty dose of pain, but he didn’t care. It was good to be alive. Good to feel, even if it was pain.
“Okay, both my girls.” Thor smirked. “But we digress. I spoke to your neighbor and she’s agreed to watch them while you’re gone. Said something about naming the new one Beyoncé? Something about how that one sings a different kind of song.”
Moose groaned. “That woman’s a menace, but she loves my chickens.”
“She likes you.”
“She likes feeding my birds and threatening to knit me weird things.”
“Sounds like love.”
Moose chuckled. The woman in question was pushing seventy. She was more like a mom or a favorite aunt than anything and while she watched his chickens during deployments, he did things around the house for her. “Sarah’s the best,” Moose said.
They fell into a comfortable silence and Moose’s mind wandered all the way back to the days he liked to forget but couldn’t because it meant forgetting about the woman who saved his life—literally. And in moments like this, it always came back to Margaret.
“I’ve been meaning to write my old school counselor. Haven’t in a while.”
Thor tilted his head. “Getting in touch with people who matter after something like this is normal.”
“That’s true. But this is more like the event triggered the fact I haven’t heard from Margaret this year,” Moose said. “She used to check with me a couple times a year. Always during the holidays and generally in the summer. Never stopped, not even if I didn’t answer.” He paused. “She’s the reason I didn’t end up dead or in jail before the Navy.”
“We all wish we could meet this woman.”
“She doesn’t fly.” Moose shook his head. “She writes to me all the time about her daughter, Shay, who has traveled the globe. I guess Shay has lived in Spain, Africa, Italy, and I can’t remember the other places. Margaret has always felt bad she’s never gone to visit her daughter, always forcing Shay to come home. But flying is something she’s utterly terrified of.”
“Why?”
“She’s just afraid, I guess.” Moose arched a brow. “Margaret, the school counselor who taught me that I wasn’t the sum of my parents, will only travel by car or train. She’s a homebody, and there’s nothing wrong with that. She’s always said she likes the same four walls. I kind of understand that. If I ever left the military, I’d probably enjoy staying in the same space.”
“Danni and I talk about that all the time.” Thor leaned against the side of the bed. “We have friends who all they want to do is travel, and Danni and I both agree, if I’m ever not a SEAL, the farthest we’re going is Disney.”
“That’s an experience all by itself,” Moose said.
“Want me to get you paper and pen so you can write to Margaret?”
“I’ll write her when I get home or to The Refuge,” Moose said. “I’ll be in a better headspace there and will be able to write something positive.” He waved his good hand. “Here, the beeping sounds remind me of the tick right before the explosion. One shadow across that door, and I’ll be right back there and that’s a vibe I don’t need to put down in a letter.”
“I get that.” Thor nodded.
Once Moose had his feet under him, he’d reach out to Margaret. He owed her a letter. He’d promised her when he joined the Navy that he’d always let her know he was still kicking when he’d been knocked down.
But he needed a moment to ground himself. Once the ringing in his ears faded. Once his shoulder stopped throbbing and the nightmares stopped burning through his sleep like wildfire.
The Refuge would help with that.
