Hannah knew Cora was right. She had seen Ben in action. Even under an ambush, he had kept his poise. He hadn’t seemed concerned when he was going out on this mission. He was more worried about her than the actual mission. He had been in the Army for thirteen years so she knew this wasn’t his first mission and it sadly wouldn’t be his last. Hannah didn’t correct Cora on her and Ben’s dating status. They’d had an incredible night of passion but that didn’t mean they were together. She had wanted him to stay and not join the army when they were teenagers and he fled her as fast as his feet allowed him. Seeing him in action she was glad he didn’t stay. He was born to be in the military and she couldn’t take that away from him. She loved him. Always had and always would, so where did that leave them? She had to go back home and face her parents but what about after? Ben had heartbreaker written all over him. He had no room in his life for a relationship. And she didn’t think she could just sit on the porch waiting to see if and when he would ever come home.
Hannah didn’t know how long it would take Aaron, or Hound to his friends, Cora was teaching her their names to find the snitch. She had every intention of staying until the end. Ben promised to take her to her parents in Portland but she didn’t know what she would do after that. That was the million dollar question. She felt safe with Ben and after several sessions with the base psychologist, she was feeling a little more like her old self. She felt things with Ben she had never felt before and doubted she ever would again. The only downside to being with Ben would be the long waiting for him to come home and fear if he wouldn’t. She loved him, but was her love strong enough?
“Is that what went wrong in your relationship with Liam?”
Cora’s features pinched and she turned away. It seemed for once Hannah asked her something she didn’t want to talk about. “No,” Cora finally said after a moment of silence. “It wasn’t the leaving. That I could handle. I grew up in a military family so I was used to my parents being gone for months at a time. It was the secrets. Not the missions he went on. But there were times he was supposed to come over and bailed at the last second and wouldn’t explain why. Anytime I would ask he would dodge the conversation. I decided I couldn’t be with someone who lied to me all the time so I broke up with him.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Hannah hugged her. Cora hesitated a moment then returned the embrace. It gave her strength to know that if she was willing and okay to always wonder what if, she could stay. At least she would have Cora to keep her company.
Cora shrugged the sympathy off and suggested they go out. Hannah wanted to remain just in case Ben came home unexpectedly but knew she couldn’t revolve her life around waiting for him. It wasn’t what he would want for her.
She still needed to call her family and let them know she was alive. But every time she went to pick up the phone something stopped her. She no longer feared they wouldn’t accept her; no something else stayed her hand. She feared if she let them know she was alive then her little world with Ben and his team was over. She didn’t want to give that up yet. Her parents would never want her to leave their sight again not caring she was almost thirty-two years old. Ben would go back to California and she would be a prisoner in Portland at her parent’s home. They would probably want media to capture the moment. She shuddered at the thought. She hated the thought of being on the cover of TV or a newspaper. She just wanted to return to a quiet life. But could she really return to a normal life? Every time she went out with Cora she was always looking over her shoulder. At Ben’s house, she listened for any sound out of the ordinary. The base psychologist told her it was normal and that it would take time before she felt comfortable again. Hannah didn’t want to be patient and wait to feel normal again. She didn’t want to depend on Cora or Ben for who knew how long. If she was going to try and be with Ben then she needed to be normal now.
Ben and his team had been gone for eight agonizing days. Cora continued to keep her occupied and during the day it worked. Cora worked from home and could take breaks as often as she liked. At night was the hardest though. It was just her and her thoughts. Wondering where Ben was and if he was okay. She believed he would come back to her she just didn’t know when. The wait was killing her. She slept in his bed in his t-shirts to feel a little closer to him. His pillow still smelled like him and so she held it close to her face at night imagining he was sleeping beside her.
She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt something was off. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. It felt like someone was watching her. She hadn’t heard a sound though so what could it be? Hannah turned over and saw a figure standing over her. She opened her mouth to scream but
