Ski nodded at him, “From my perspective, I’m glad you did. If you weren’t attached with us on this mission - my wife would be burying what was left of me.”
The two men eased back into the strained silence from before. I looked at Max, who looked like he had taken a ride on an emotional roller coaster and was definitely ready to get off. Ski, who had looked near death’s door when I arrived, seemed to have somehow improved.
I stood up and walked to the entrance of their make-shift shelter. I looked into the sky and saw the constellation Orion, twinkling back at me. This had always been one of my favorites. Not knowing where Max was, was far less frightening when we were still under the same sky, even if we were half a world or so away from one another.
I walked back over to Max, still seated on the floor, and I was content to stay with him as long as I was able to. The radio came to life in Max’s hand, “Fox two three, this is Ranger six nine, extraction ETA five minutes.”
Max’s face lit up as he responded back on the radio, “Ranger six nine, confirmed fox two three is awaiting extraction, ETA five minutes.” He jumped up, grabbed his gear, threw it on his back, and started pulling Ski’s willing body to the doorway.
Just as before my vision began to blur; I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay long enough for the rescue. It was okay because at least I knew he was being rescued, that he wasn’t stuck up on a mountain with no food or water, baking in the sun. The veranda came back into focus, and my heart was beating fast with the idea that maybe today Max would get my mom’s voice mail and know I’m fine.
I left Joe on the veranda and went back to my room. I could feel a warmth radiating inside me. Max was okay, he’d know that I was okay, soon. I decided to take a shower, relax a little, wait for his call. As I undressed, I looked in the full-length mirror. It was the first time I could bring myself to really look at the slashes all over me. I had been sliced on nearly every inch of my body; the only place without scars were my face and hands. I’ve never been all that vain, but the scars were huge. I would wear them the rest of my life - a constant reminder to Max. After seeing his guilt first hand, I wondered if he’d ever be able to look at me again?
If I’m repulsed at the sight of me, how will he feel?
Chapter 6
I didn’t hear from Max the day that he was rescued, or even the day after that. I was feeling a little sorry for myself wondering when I would get some sort of word from Max. It was a little easier knowing that he was fine, but the silence throbbed. I was so jumpy last night that my mom asked the nurse to check the medications I had been given, thinking I might be close to an overdose of some kind. When I closed my eyes, I tried to make the tunnel appear and thought only of Max. But the silence continued to torture me, no contact at all from Max, and I couldn’t make this stupid sight thing work at all.
I woke up the next morning with an ache in my heart that became more painful by the minute. I stared at the network news channels to see if a helicopter had been shot down, or a convoy had been attacked, but nothing. The emptiness wouldn’t go away, and I called my mom again to see if she had heard from Max. She hadn’t. She didn’t act like my question bothered her in the least, even though I had asked her the same one every day since the big wake up. I knew in my heart that the minute she had any contact with him she would drop whatever she was doing to tell me, but I couldn’t help calling her and asking the question anyway.
As I sat staring at the world news for the fifth time, Joe rushed into my room. It was nearly time for breakfast, so when I saw him I got to my feet and started toward the door. Joe was so excited he almost sounded giddy, “Loraine, you aren’t the most popular person in the wing anymore. I just got a call from my grandson. He’s going to be here in a few hours. Ha! Now it’ll be my turn to share my visitor with you!”
He and I had a running joke that because not enough of his friends and family were showing him the love he could borrow one of my visitors whenever he felt the need. Truth be told, he was a widower who had outlived two of his children, and most of his friends didn’t drive. I didn’t spend time with him because I felt sorry for him. I genuinely liked his company, so it was disheartening to see him sitting off in the rec room by himself every time someone came to see me. After a while, all my family and friends just knew that he was part of the package deal when they came to see me.
My dad and he swapped fishing stories, my mom offered to go water his plants, and Seth even lost a few games of backgammon to him. Joe never complained that he was lonely, but I thought that may be part of the reason he opted to go to the assisted living area with me after he was cleared by his doctor to leave the nursing home.
When we went to breakfast, Joe’s manners with the cooking staff had
