Lone Star Secret

“Julia is a social worker. She often helps Children of the Day and was involved in helping us bring Ali over,” Anna explained. “She’s very interested in Ali’s case and his adjustment to life over here. He’ll be living with his grandfather and guardian, General Willis.”

David nodded. “Dr. Mike went beyond the call of duty to get him here.”

“Can you tell me more about what happened?” Anna asked. “It must have been awful for Ali, losing his mother and being all alone.” Then she shook her head. “I’m sorry. You might not be ready to talk about that.”

“It was a bad day,” David said, memories of dust and death and the roar of choppers always nearby. He hadn’t talked to anyone, not even his friend Maddie, about the day Ali came into the CASH, but he felt strongly that he could trust Anna, that she would understand. So he took her aside and started telling her in a quiet voice, reliving each second of that dark, dust-covered day. “Major Mike Montgomery—Dr. Mike—called me to the CASH with bad news. I figured we’d lost another soldier.”

Anna nodded sympathetically.

“I was tired and ready to hit the sack. We’d had a grueling day transporting the wounded, but when he told me it was Karima and Ali, well, I got over there as fast as I could.”

Anna touched a hand to his arm. “We heard it was a bomb.”

“She was bringing him in for a checkup. Their vehicle got hit by an IED—an improvised explosive device—about five miles from camp. Karima was killed instantly and Ali was in bad shape.”

David remembered rushing across the sprawling tent city and into the camp hospital, adrenaline and shock pushing away his fatigue. “I couldn’t believe it. Karima and Greg Willis fell in love in spite of the odds. Greg fell for her the first time she came into camp.”

“She was a vital part of our organization over there,” Anna said, tears welling in her eyes. “And I know she loved Greg and Ali so much.”

David nodded, wondering what that kind of love would feel like. He’d never had that, not even from his mother and certainly not from his father. “He married her even though General Willis disowned him for it. After Greg’s chopper went down, Dr. Mike and I vowed to watch over Karima and little Ali.”

“From what I’ve heard, you did exactly that,” Anna replied, her tone low but sure, her pretty eyes full of compassion.

David basked in her look and immediately started feeling better about things. “We failed him,” he said. His prayers for little Ali had been front and center in his mind as he’d headed into the chaos of the surgical field hospital. “He looked so fragile and pale. But Dr. Mike and Maddie worked hard to get him stable.”

Anna listened to his story, her gaze holding his as if he were the only person in the busy waiting room. “I’m so glad Ali had the two of you. Thank you again for helping us. I know his grandfather will appreciate it.”

David nodded, feeling humble all over again. “It was my last mission—to get Ali here. I’m glad I did.”

Dr. Mike had explained that the trauma of the boy’s injuries had created a hole between the lower chambers of his heart and it could only be repaired by someone who was highly skilled. According to Mike, Dr. Nora Blake was one of the best cardio surgeons in the country. She lived in Prairie Springs and worked in dual capacity at both the Fort Bonnell Medical Center and at a large urban hospital in nearby Austin. Dr. Mike trusted her with Ali’s life.

And apparently, so had Ali’s paternal grandfather.

David glanced over at the crowd watching and waving to the little boy. “I hear even old Warhorse Willis himself is softening. Guess it’s true if the boy’s going to live with the old man.”

Anna gave him a measured look, the slight disapproval of his choice of labels disappearing from her eyes in a twinkle. “General Willis has come a long way in letting go some of his preconceived notions, yes. He’s invested more than just money in Ali’s care and well-being, I think. This little boy has given General Willis a new lease on life.” She glanced out the double glass doors. “In fact, he’s supposed to be here today.”

David wondered if the ornery old general would show. When he used to complain about never knowing his father, Greg would tell him that might be a blessing in disguise. General Willis had been tough on his only son, demanding that Gregory follow in his footsteps by joining the army. Greg had been good at what he did, a real hero, but he’d angered his father by enlisting straight out of high school rather than going to officer’s training school as the general had planned. Things had gone downhill in the relationship from there on. Two different men, two different mindsets about war. At least Greg had had someone to fight against. Someone to fight with. It was one thing to fight strangers in a war, but another to have family with which to fight…and love and laugh. That kind of intimate relationship, no matter good or bad, was important.

As if thinking of the general had conjured him up, the doors swished open and in walked retired Brigadier General Marlon Willis. David noted how much the general had aged, but the man still carried himself like a soldier. Even with leathery lines slashing his face and a distinct slowness to his gait, the general demanded respect. David gave it to him with a salute.

“At ease, soldier,” the general said with a returning salute and a wry smile, his custom-made cowboy hat in his hand as he read David’s name tag. “Chief Ryland, it’s good to see you home safe and sound.” Then the tall, white-haired man turned to where Ali still sat on the stretcher. Glancing down at the boy, the general stood silent for a minute, then looked over at Anna. “Is this my…grandson?”

David watched as Anna touched a hand to General Willis’ shirtsleeve. “Yes, sir. This is Ali.”

The boy stared up at his grandfather with awe and fear, then looked toward his friend Chaplain Steve, a man he trusted since he and Steve had been e-mailing each other through Dr. Mike.

Steve leaned close. “Grandfather,” he said, pointing to Marlon.

Ali grinned, his limited English enough to understand one of the words Steve and Dr. Mike had tried to teach him. “Grand…father,” he said, the one word long and drawn out. Then he grinned. “Grandpa.”

Marlon grunted, but David didn’t miss the mist covering the old man’s steely eyes. “Hello, there, young fellow. I’ve hired a very nice nurse to help us. I figure we’ll both benefit from that.”

David and Anna laughed at the general’s wry humor.

Marlon nodded to everyone, then turned to Dr. Nora. “Tell me everything, doc. And I mean, everything.”

“Let’s get Ali into his room and get some tests going, then we’ll go into my office,” the doctor said.

Marlon nodded then took one of Ali’s tiny scarred hands. “It’s you and me now, kid. Two cowboys fighting off the bad guys.”

Ali nodded back. “Cowboy. Yippee!”

“I see someone has been teaching you how to become a Texan,” the general said with a smile.

David felt as if his world had shifted. Seeing Ali and his grandfather connect for the first time brought back the bitterness he’d felt for so long against his own absent father. And made him miss Gregory and Karima with an aching clarity.

Not wanting to be morose and bitter on this day of celebration, David glanced at Anna. As if sensing his eyes on her, she turned. “Chief, would you like to go get some breakfast with us?”

David looked around. Most of the others had left, even the eager reporters hoping for a heartwarming homecoming sound bite or a gut-wrenching picture for the front page. Maybe it was time for him to do the same. After all, he didn’t have anyone waiting to welcome him home. He’d told his mother to stay in Louisiana, that he’d call her the minute he landed. And he’d gotten that uncomfortable call out of the way earlier, thank goodness. The only thing on his agenda for the next week or so would be the mandatory post-deployment training that all the returning troops had to go through.

When he saw Chaplain Steve’s assessing gaze, he shook his head. “Another time maybe. As the chaplain knows, I have to go through a PDHRA before I can be considered human again.”

Steve grinned. “You look human enough, Chief, even if you are wearing ACUs. But yes, I expect I’ll be seeing you for part of your reintegration process this week. Still…you don’t have to get started on that right away. Sure you don’t want to come to breakfast with us?”

The challenging look in Anna’s eyes made him wish he hadn’t been so hasty in saying no.

David thought about his options.

“Let me see,” he said, scratching his head. “Post deployment health assessment, or breakfast—a real breakfast—with people who aren’t in a big hurry to get to the fight. Hmm.”

Anna lifted her head. “Oh, we’re always in a hurry around here, but we just take our time getting there.”

That brought a smile to his face. “Then I guess I might as well start my debriefing with a big Tex-Mex omelet and some real coffee.”

“I know just the place for that,” Caitlyn said, her arm linked in Steve’s. “You remember Prairie Springs Café, right, David?”

David laughed. “Is Max still there?”

“Still there,” Anna said as she motioned him toward the door. “And if I know Max, he’ll pull out the red carpet for a returning hero. Might even give you a free meal.” Tossing him a smile over her shoulder, she said, “Welcome home, cowboy.”

Anna watched as David wolfed down the last of his big omelet, then reached for another biscuit. “Did you miss American food, Chief?”

David buttered the flaky biscuit, then put down his knife. “It wasn’t so bad. We had something very close to American food on most days. That and our MREs, of course.”

Caitlyn wiped jelly off one of the twins’ mouths. “But a ready-to-eat meal can’t take the place of the real thing, can it?”

“No, I reckon not,” David replied, noticing the way Caitlyn and the chaplain kept smiling at each other. “You two an item or something?”