Chet delivered the pain medication into the Maverick’s muscular shoulder and waited a few minutes to put a muzzle on the nearly unconscious dog. He covered him with a blanket.
They must have radioed for a medical copter as soon as the device exploded, because Rob heard the telltale sounds of its approach. He looked around to find where his helmet and rifle had landed, then joined the rest of his unit to provide cover.
His head hurt and he felt dizzy, but he wasn’t about to opt out of doing everything he could to help Trevor and Maverick get out of here quickly. He searched around for Howie and saw him sitting a short distance away, being tended by one of the other guys. At least Howie wasn’t covered in blood. He shuddered, unable to process the explosion and its aftermath.
Trevor had to make it. If he didn’t, how could he tell Mary Jane?
Two days after the explosion that killed his friend, Rob was released from the base hospital, although not yet cleared for duty. In addition to a concussion, they were concerned about traumatic brain injury. He shuddered. He’d known others who had been within a blast zone and scrambled their brains so badly they never fully recovered. Initially he’d been foggy and confused, but he hadn’t lost his ability to think, and his capabilities reemerged with a few days’ rest.
His commander had come by for a debriefing, and he’d been able to recall every excruciating detail of seeing his friend dying and listening to his last wishes. Colonel Marsh gave the okay for Rob to tell Mary Jane an abbreviated version of what had happened. Since she wasn’t family, the military wouldn’t officially notify her. The commander offered the chaplain if Rob didn’t want to make the call. Maverick was still recovering from his injuries, and the veterinarian hadn’t yet determined whether he’d be fit for duty again.
He looked at his watch. Time to quit stalling. He took in a deep breath and headed to Trevor’s locker. A duffel filled the bottom of the space, and Rob pulled it out and put it on his friend’s cot. In a side compartment, he found what he was looking for—a white envelope with the name “Mary Jane Van Buren” scrawled in blue ink in Trevor’s writing.
What surprised him was another envelope beneath it, marked with his own name. What the hell?
He put aside the message to Mary Jane and tore open the one addressed to him.
Rob—
If you’re reading this, it’s because I didn’t make it. While we try hard to survive each mission, there are never any guarantees. Whatever you do, don’t blame yourself in any way. I know you, so I know you’ll think there was something you should have done.
What I need from you now is something only you can do. You know me, and you’re my best friend. Since I don’t have family left anywhere, I’m asking you to do the biggest favor a guy can ask.
You’ve always wondered about my relationship with Mary Jane. While it’s true we’ve been friends since we were teens, I love her. I haven’t had the nerve to tell her yet. I’ve been thinking about getting out after this enlistment period is over.
Not only do I need you to take the letter I wrote her to Ridgeview, I need you to watch out for her. Make sure she gets through my death and gets on with her life. I want her to be happy. I want her to find someone to love her the way I wanted to.
I know I’m asking a lot. I’m asking you to protect her, since I no longer can. Make sure she knows how much I loved her, and how important she’ll always be to me.
Thanks, buddy,
Trevor
P.S. If you can, help her get custody of Maverick. He’ll help keep her safe, and I know she’ll love him as much as I did.
He wiped away his tears, glad nobody was around to see his outpouring of emotion. Fuck it all. His buddy had asked for something he wasn’t sure he could manage. He didn’t have any magic words to help MJ overcome whatever she felt for Trevor and move on with her life. He sure didn’t know how to help her take Trevor’s place with Maverick.
I’ll do what I can, Trevor. I promise.
Around zero five hundred—eight-thirty the previous night in Ridgeview—he made the phone call he’d been dreading.
“Hello?”
“Mary Jane? This is Rob Michelini. I’m Trevor’s best friend.”
“Oh, of course, he’s talked about you a lot. I thought you were in Af…er, overseas with him.”
“Yeah.” He took a breath. “He wanted me to call you. Something happened. There was an incident. An explosion. He got hurt bad—”
“No! Tell me he’s okay!” He heard her sob.
“I’m sorry. He didn’t make it.” His voice cracked with emotion.
“Oh, God, no! Not Trevor! No! He can’t be gone!” He heard an anguished wail right before the phone went dead.
Chapter One
June, 2018—Eight Months Later
Rob raised his hand and hesitated before knocking. He’d spent eight months dreaming about the day he’d deliver Trevor’s letter and Maverick to MJ. Now he felt sick to his stomach. He leaned against the cane he carried to help support his weak leg, the one injured the month following his buddy’s death. Everything had changed the day Trevor died, and he couldn’t seem to pull himself together. He’d promised, though, and he was a man of his word. Semper Fi.
He knocked loudly against the oak door and waited. A light shone from a room at the
