Page 52 of A SEAL's Protection
His face turns serious. “I won’t be around for a few days though. An old buddy got caught up in a bad mission, and he’s not in a good way.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Ryan was on my team before I got out. We went through BUD/s together. You know how it is.”
I nod at his words. Anyone who survived Hell Week alongside you is a brother for life.
“What happened?”
Hudson frowns. “Details are hazy.”
Not uncommon in the Teams. Most information about missions is classified, especially when something goes wrong.
“He caught the wrong end of an explosion. I’m driving to Kentucky to see him tomorrow. He lost a leg.”
I wince at the news and look down at my beer. That’s the risk we take as special forces. Not everyone comes back whole.
“Shit, bro. That’s tough.”
“He’s taking it bad. Refusing to speak to his family. They pleaded with me to try to see him.”
He rubs the bridge of his nose. “It’s going to take time.”
I’m reminded of how lucky we are. I left with injuries, aches and pains, but I’ve got all my limbs.
My phone buzzes with a text, and it’s from my sister.
It will be around 1100 hours in New Zealand, a good time to speak.
“I need to call my sister,” I tell Hudson. “Then I’m going to head home. I’m whacked.”
I leave him nursing his beer and head to the parking lot as I bring up Keely’s number.
She picks up immediately.
“You were easier to get ahold of when you were in the military.”
My sister’s as sarcastic as me, and her tone puts a grin on my face. “Maybe I’m avoiding you.”
She cackles. “Nah. More likely you’ve been off somewhere saving the world. Doing something much more interesting than trying to figure out soil rotation and where to plant the seedlings this year.”
I scratch my ear. “That does sound much more interesting.”
She sighs into the phone. “So are you coming over here to help or not?”
I take a deep breath. Keely puts on a brave face, but taking over Dad’s farm was hard. It’s a struggle to run a place like that on your own. I own half the farm, I’m out of the military, it’s a nice community, my father’s people are there, and Keely needs the help.
I feel the pull of family, of my responsibility as the head of the family now. Although if I tried to say that to my sister, she’d probably punch me.
The logical move would be to go back and help her run the farm.
But I’ve never done the logical thing. My gut tells me to stay—that my home is here now, where my mother’s people are from,where my SEAL brothers are. Home is the country I served, and the place where the woman I love is.
I take a big breath, ready to be honest with Keely and with myself. “I’m not coming back to New Zealand.”
She lets out a long sigh. “I knew you were going to say that. But I hoped otherwise.”
“Sorry, Keels. I’ll help you find someone to help with the place. And when you’re ready, you can buy me out if that’s what you want. Then it will all be yours.”
