“They are going to use it on a neighbouring country. Women and children will be their target. This weapon will cause mass destruction and death.”
The president turns to me. “Are you going to do what you’ve been trained to do, Buzz?” His eyes hold mine.
I don’t answer as I stare straight ahead.
“You need to think of those poor women and children who will die a painful death without medical treatment. This could be catastrophic, Buzz.”
I watch him, and my jaw clenches as I imagine what they will go through.
Innocent children.
“Are you with us? Will you lead the team? Nobody else has the experience to get this job done and get out of there safely as you do. Are you going to do what you’ve been trained to do, Buzz?” he repeats.
“Yes, sir, Mr. President,” I reply on autopilot.
He nods. “You leave in twenty-four hours.”
He turns to everyone and nods. “Thank you.”
We all stand and salute him.
He salutes back, nods, and leaves the room with everyone following him.
I drop my head to stare at the table in front of me.
“Deployments are never easy, but this one will be the hardest.”
* * *
BRIDGET
“Is everything all right?” I ask.
Ally has just left our hotel room, after Ben got back from his meeting.
“Ally’s nice.” I smile.
He nods as his eyes search mine. “Are you okay?”
I smile. “I’m okay, bit stressed out, but I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.” I watch him. “Are you okay?” I ask.
His eyes search mine.
Something is clearly wrong with him. “What is it?” I whisper.
He swallows the lump in his throat. “I’ve been deployed.”
My face falls. “What?”
“I leave tomorrow.”
“For where?” I snap.
“Syria.”
I shake my head. “No. You’re not going.” I shake my head harder. “No,” I repeat.
“Bridget…”
“No, Ben,” I cry as my eyes fill with tears. “You’re finished in the army. You’re coming home to Australia with me.”
“It’s short. I’ll only be gone a week or two.” He tries to grab me and I pull out of his grip.
“I don’t have a choice!” he snaps. “I have to do what’s right.”
The tears break the dam and roll down my face. “What about what’s right for me? For us, Ben?”
He looks at me blankly.
“Why? What’s… what’s so important that you have to go?” I stammer.
“A nuclear weapon,” he replies flatly.
My face falls. Oh, my God. I begin to shake my head frantically. “No. No. No.”
“Bridget,” he says solemnly. “There is a weapon that is going to be used on women and children if it isn’t retrieved by us. Greg Jackson sold it on the black market to be used on a neighbouring country. The changeover is in three days. We have to stop it before it happens. Thousands of lives will be lost if it isn’t stopped by us.”
Tears fill my eyes. “It’s only your life I care about,” I whisper.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll be home soon.” He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face to meet his. “I promise.” He kisses me softly and I scrunch my face up against his. “I’m going to put you on a plane in the morning, and you’re going to go home to Australia and organise our wedding.”
He kisses me again and I shake my head. “Ben, I can’t stand being away from you. Don’t go, please don’t go,” I beg. “Don’t leave me again.”
He grabs my face in his hands and holds it to his. “This is the time, Bridget.”
My eyes search his in question.
“I need you to be strong. I need you to be an army wife and hold it together until I get back home.”
The tears roll down my face. “I don’t know how to be strong without you.”
He smiles and pulls me to him tightly. “Yes, you do. You know you do,” he breathes into my hair.
I cry against his chest, loving the way he holds me tight. “It’s okay, angel. I promise it will be okay.”
“I was thinking that I pack up my apartment here in Washington and we just rent it out,” Ben muses in the darkness as he plays with my hair.
It’s 4:00 a.m. and Ben and I haven’t been to sleep yet. We can’t waste one second of each other’s company.
After my hour-long melt down, I have finally manned-up and am putting on a brave face, but only for him.
We’ve talked about where we’re going to live in Australia, our wedding, and everything in between.
We’ve been making love off and on for hours. Deployment lovemaking is a whole other species.
I can’t even deal with how intimate the night has been.
He stays silent for a moment, twiddling my hair between his fingers. “I’m going to get Brock to stay with you until I get back.”
“No.” I sigh. “I’m a big girl; I can look after myself.”
“I’ll just feel better if he’s with you.” He kisses my forehead. “This week has been horrific.”