………….. Time seemed to pass so slowly. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours and hours seemed like days. I walked from the kitchen with a glass of water, Mom was asleep in the recliner Flynn was sprawled across the couch his arms under his head. I went up to my room my graduation gown was hanging on the door of the closet. I picked up my cell phone the clock read 3.48am I crolled through till I found Brody’s number and hit call.
Brody * the damn horses had better have got lose Jared if you’re calling me at almost 3 in the morning
Me * Brody… it’s Breana
I heard scuffling
Brody * B is everything okay… you okay aren’t you?
Me * I’m fine… I’m sorry to call so late or early one of them… I didn’t want to call your Mom and Dad.
Brody * okay.
Me * J.J. called me earlier tonight?
Brody * he didn’t screw up did he?
Me * no… somethings happened there was a lot of shouting and gunfire when I was talking to him.
Brody * okay what does that mean? I’m sorry I’m half asleep and not totally sure what he does when he’s away.
Me * gunfire inside the base where they are is bad… communication went down.
Brody * Oh god…
Me * My Grandpa’s pulling in every favor he can to find out information but even Marine communication has gone down so we have no idea what’s happening.
Brody * I need to call my parents… are you okay?
Me * no not really… I just thought you should be warned in case…
I couldn’t bring myself to say the rest of what I wanted to
Brody * call as soon as you hear anything please
Me * I will… and I’m sorry I had to do this.
Brody * I’m glad you did
I hung up the phone and rested my head in my hands. I got up and walked across the hall to my Mom and Dad’s room and went to Dad’s Dresser and pulled out one of his old worn pt shirts and took off my own shirt and put it on and sat on the bed hugging my knees to my chest. I ached from the inside out. I had no tears left in me to cry out. I rested my chin on my knees the sounds of the birds waking filtered through the open window as it was joined by the sound of a car pulling into the drive and boots on the concrete. I uncurled my legs and got off the bed Gramps was in the living room talking quietly to a now awake Mom.
“I wondered where you were?” she said smiling at me in Dad’s shirt “I wondered when that would come out of the dresser”
“I needed it” I murmured fingering the soft worn grey cotton of the shirt I always gravitated to when I was down I’d but it away again after sorting things out with J.J.. “Gramps” I pleaded hoping he had some news. He walked over to me and took my hands as Mom woke Flynn.
“All I have is what the Air force have given me there was by the looks of it some attack on the base… there’s fires burning there and we can see movement but as too what or who is there moving… I’m sorry baby girl we just don’t know till the guys on the ground get there” I closed my eyes and nodded. “Look I have threes phones on me he patted his pockets we will know as soon as anything is found out” I walked over to the window and looked out at the pale blue dawn sky. “Phillip’s flight comes in, in 45 minutes” Gramps said turning to Mom.
“We’ll be there Dad” she said kissing his cheek. Gramps walked over to me and hugged me and kissed my head.
“Come see your dad Honey” he sighed.
“I’ll bring her” Flynn said still sitting on the couch “you take Mom”
“But…” Mom started but Flynn just gave her a reassuring smile “Okay… I’ll go get changed” Flynn didn’t move and neither did I until Mom and Gramps left the house. I was still looking out of the window.
“I called his brother” I said still not moving “I had to tell some one that there Marine might not be coming home” Flynn got up and came over to me and turned me to face him “What did I do that was so wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought I was a good Marine kid” I looked at him “a good sister… so why do I have to go through the shit I have for the past 8 months”
“You want to know what I think” he sighed tipping his head to the side “I think this is your part of the curse” I blinked letting it sink in what he was saying “You know Nana had the boyfriend that tried to kill her… Grandma had that crazy stalker guy and Dad’s ex to deal with… and Mom…” he looked down he didn’t like to say anything about Mom being raped and the accident where they almost lost the two of us before we were even born. “I think this is the thing that you have to deal with and get through”
“I want to but I don’t know if I am as tough as Mom and the others” I admitted to him.
“Tough I’ve seen you take down a guy for saying the Marines we pussies” he chuckled “Hell you’re my sister and I avoid pissing you off” he smiled at me “I bet Mom thought at some point she wasn’t tough enough… you can do this B that’s one thing I do know you have all of us to lean on” he hugged me “I think you need to see your other Marines” he picked up the keys for his truck and put his arm round me as we headed for the hanger where the Marine flight was coming to……………..
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