They drilled their basic plan in the kill house, debriefed, then did it again. Over and over, they fleshed out the plan of attack, poked holes in it, prepared for contingencies, then reset and began again.
Less than twenty-four hours later, his team was on a plane to Lubbock, Texas where they piled into beat-up pickup trucks and drove to their location. They planned to attack at night and only after arriving on scene did they change into their pitch-black operational uniforms designed for night ops.
The whole operation could still be a drill. They wouldn’t know until handed their weapons. A staple of the life of a Delta Force member, surprise drills were designed to be as realistic as possible. Today, the weapons they were handed lacked the yellow plastic plugs that indicated this was nothing more than a drill.
Jeremiah gave him another grin. This was a real mission, with real hostages, and the ever-present threat of injury. The team deployed according to plan. They infiltrated the building. Everything played out without resistance until he exchanged a look with his teammates.
It was too quiet.
The blinding flash came moments before a concussive force slammed Caleb against the wall. A fiery ball of flame billowed outward from what used to be a door. Caustic smoke filled the hallway, burning his lungs and blinding him. He had been preparing to breach that door with his team. The blast reverberated in the walls, vibrated the air, and rang in his ears.
Smoke and debris boiled out from where the bomb had gone off. There was no sign of the door. A series of flashes flickered in his vision and something felt off.
Maybe he was in shock?
A hoarse roar bore down on them, men rushing through the sudden breach, too stupid to realize they ran toward certain death. He and his teammates lifted their weapons and did what they did best. Uncharacteristically, he missed two shots.
In the end, they killed most of the militia, saved the hostages, and looked back at a building engulfed in flames. A huge bite had been taken out of one side of the building, and thousands of shards of glass and steel littered the ground. It was hard to believe the bomb had done so much damage, or that the idiots had rigged one in the first place.
Several of the militia died in the blast, fortunately, none of the hostages. As for his team, it didn't look like anyone had major injuries. He lifted his hand to wipe at the sweat on his brow, then blinked with surprise at the blood.
Jeremiah grabbed Caleb by his uniform and dragged him away from the group of hostages he guarded. His vision blurred and the left side of his face burned.
"I'm good." He tried to shrug Jeremiah off, but his friend wasn't having it.
He would understand why later.
Chapter 20
Caitlyn
When the phone rang, Caitlyn looked at the number with surprise.
“Mrs. Caswell?”
It had been a couple weeks since Caleb left and there was no reason for his mother to be calling her. Unless…she placed her hand over her belly and bit back a sob. His job was dangerous. She knew this, and maybe a part of her knew this day would come. The call which would destroy the foundation of her world.
“Caitlyn, do you have a minute?”
Her hands shook. There were very few reasons Caleb’s mother would have to call. Caitlyn sat down and cupped her cellphone after pressing the speakerphone. She rocked back and forth, trying to hold back tears until she heard the words she never wanted to hear.
Was this the call she had been dreading since Caleb first enlisted in the Marines? She didn’t know what to expect. What she’d seen on television and in the movies involved men in dress uniform with severe expressions knocking on the door. But, those notifications only went to immediate family members. At this point, she didn’t register as a significant other. For his mother to be calling brought too many bad thoughts to mind. Had Caleb’s mother received a knock on her door?
Please don’t be dead!
Despite ending things between them, she always knew Caleb would be in her life. In one way or another, their fates were intertwined. Even if it was only in the stories his mother told everyone in the diner, she counted on having at least that fragile thread to hold on to.
A connection between them. It couldn’t be gone.
“Are you sitting down?” Martha’s stoicism came through as it always had. Even after her diagnosis, she had always been unshakable.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice cracked and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. Bear picked up on her distress and came to her, rubbing his shoulder against her leg. She absently reached down and dug her fingers through his thick hair, twisting and pulling. Bear didn’t mind. He leaned harder against her and propped his snout on her thigh. His brows tented up and his loving eyes latched on to hers.
“Are you sitting?” His mother repeated.
Caitlyn gave a shaky nod until she realized Martha couldn’t see the jerky bounce of her head.
“Yes. I’m sitting. What’s wrong? What happened to…” The words wouldn’t come, but her tears fell freely enough. She couldn’t say it. Couldn’t say the words which would damn her to a life of loneliness.
“Hush, dear. Don’t cry. Caleb’s okay, or will be. He’s been in an accident. He’s in the hospital, but he’s going to be okay.”
“W-what happened?” Her voice shook and she wiped at her cheeks.
An accident. What the hell did that mean? In Caleb’s line of work an accident spanned the spectrum from a paper cut to death. He was alive. His mother said he was alive. Which left what? Gunshot wound? Did he lose a leg? An arm? Both? All his extremities? Images of wounded vets flew though her mind, men who sacrificed for their country and paid an impossible price.
“And of course, you know Caleb. He doesn’t want me to fly down to Fort Brag to see him. He doesn’t want to inconvenience me.”
“But, you’re going, right?”
“I guess that depends on you.”
“On me?”
“Hun, Caleb is a strong man who doesn’t need his mother babying him. This is going to be hard and it’s going to change his life. I’m thinking one of those changes might be exactly what’s been missing.”
Caitlyn wasn’t dense, and Martha had never been good about beating around the bush, but if she was going to see Caleb it would mean stepping far outside her comfort zone.
“I don’t know if I can…”
“Hun, it’s already taken care of.”
Caitlyn could just see Martha’s smug expression. The woman could be a master manipulator if she decided she was going to get her way. In this, Martha seemed to have deemed that to be the case. Caitlyn wasn’t getting out of this request.
“I can’t leave.”
“Caitlyn, there’s no way you can stay. This is it. It’s time to get your man. You don’t understand what this means to him, or what he’s lost. Everything is going to be different for him. He needs someone by his side to help him through the rough patches. Lord knows there’s going to be a lot of those.”
Her brows scrunched together. “What do you mean?”
“Only that the two of you belong together. You need to go to him.”
“I can’t afford a ticket.”
She could. The ranch was doing well and making a profit, but her guide business was still getting off the ground. She didn’t like mixing the two but would do it if she had to.
“Taken care of.”
“I can’t afford to leave my car in long term storage.”
“Taken care of.”
“What about Bear?”
“You sure have a gazillion excuses. What are you afraid of?”
Caleb. She was deathly afraid of Caleb. He hadn’t said See you later. He cut the cord, leaving without looking back. There was nothing left.
“I’m afraid he won’t want to see me. We didn’t leave things on good terms.”
“I know exactly how you two left things, and I know my son. He’s being strong for your sake. Now, I’m telling you that it’s your turn
to be strong for him.”
“But…”
“It’s done. I called Marge, and she told everyone else. All you need to do is get to Bozeman and get on a plane. How soon do you think it’ll take you to pack?”
“I can’t go.” Palpitations fluttered in her chest.
“Now’s the time. I know how you two left things, but I also know what I saw on my son’s face and in his heart when he walked out my door. If he’s the one you want, it’s time to put your fears aside. Show him that he means more to you than your fear of leaving Bear Creek.”
“Mrs. Caswell…”
“Listen, your father and I always had a plan to get you two together. We knew following your dreams was important, but so too is finding your soulmate. You found each other too young, and needed some time apart to learn who you were as adults, but we always knew you’d find your way back to each other. It’s time. Time to be strong and take a leap of faith. Caleb won’t let anything happen to you, but in order to do that, you need to be with him. Wherever that is, the two of you need to face the future together, as a team.”
“But I can’t…”
“Hun, weren’t you listening? It’s been taken care of. All you need is to get on that plane. A man named Jeremiah will meet you. He’s on Caleb’s team, and he’ll take you to him.”
“Wouldn’t you rather go?”
But was that what she wanted? The idea of Caleb alone in a hospital ripped at her insides. She belonged beside him, if only to hold his hand.
“Hun, it’s killing me not going, but I know what my son needs and he needs you. Don’t make me a liar and not go. Everyone’s already chipped in for the ticket.”
The corners of her mouth turned down and her chin trembled, but that was all. There really was only one option. Caleb’s mother spoke true, and she knew what Caitlyn would decide before Caitlyn made her decision.
She took in a deep breath and found the strength to conquer her fears. She would do it for Caleb.
“One hour.”
“I take that as a yes?”
“Yes, but can someone drive me to the airport?”
“You really don’t listen well.” His mother laughed. “Just pack your things. We’ve got the rest taken care of.”
It was several hours to the nearest airport and she knew nothing about leaving a car. Fortunately, it being a slow time of year, she didn’t have any clients she would need to cancel. Her calendar was wide open and for the first time in several weeks, her heart filled with hope.
An hour later, Bob Jenkins, Jerry Altman, Tom Studer, Marge, and Caleb’s mom showed up at her doorstep.
Marge could barely contain her excitement. Tom’s face brightened every time he looked at her. Bob’s mouth curved into one of his rare smiles, and Jerry’s eyes glistened. He wiped at them when he didn’t think she was looking.
To her surprise, all three men climbed inside Bob’s truck. She had an escort to the airport. Marge stayed behind with Caleb’s mom. They would watch over Bear while she was gone. They really had planned every detail. This was why she loved small towns. People cared and they took care of their own. She didn’t have to worry about Bear or anything else.
When Martha gave her a hug, she whispered into Caitlyn’s ear. “Bring my son home.”
“Yes, Mrs. Caswell.”
“Call me Martha, hun. I think we’re way past Mrs. Caswell.”
With the love and support of her friends, Caitlyn took the hardest step of her life. She climbed into Bob’s truck and let him take her beyond the safety of home, but it didn’t matter. She had no fear. Caleb waited at the other end. If home was where the heart was, then she belonged by his side. Not that she wasn’t terrified of leaving Bear Creek. Not that she worried about a freak accident. And maybe she believed her father. The men who came after her mother were long gone, perhaps even dead. They didn’t care about her.
Her Marine would shield her from the scary things the world had to offer and she would never be afraid with him by her side.
Chapter 21
Caleb
The word unsalvageable wasn't a word Caleb ever wanted used about any body part, especially one of his, but there was nothing the doctors could do. The blast sent a shard of metal through his left eye, rendering it unsalvageable. There was no recovery from that.
He was blind in his left eye.
It was done. Time to accept it.
Time to move on.
At least, the right one still worked, but for a sniper, losing an eye meant the end of his career.
He sat with his docs, listening to what needed to happen next. His Commanding Officer came to the hospital to check on him and to discuss the next steps.
There would be no more Delta Force. With one eye, he wasn’t deployable and the loss of depth perception made him a liability. The truth was hard enough to face.
His days as an operative were over.
After his future with Delta Force had been confirmed a no-go, he stopped listening to the docs. They said there was a career left for him in the Marines if he wanted it. Although with the degree of his injury, he would likely be medically boarded out. Medically non-deployable was a death sentence for a man like him.
Those reenlistment papers he signed? They meant nothing now.
He should feel devastated.
Oddly, this change in his status didn’t upset him as much as he thought it should.
Delta Force had always been a dream of his. To become one of the elite of the elite was a hard-won privilege and he would always carry the honor of being a Delta Force operative. They couldn’t take that away from him.
He made a call home and told his mother about his injury. She wanted to come to Fort Brag and see him in the hospital, but he told her there was no need. Frankly, he still had stuff to sort out and wasn’t done mourning the loss of his career; or the eye.
What did he want to do with the rest of his life? It had always been the Marines.
There were still a couple surgeries to go. The remains of the eye had to go, and there was the fracture of the bone surrounding the eye socket. Rehab would follow and once all the swelling went down, there would be fittings for a prosthesis. Until then, he would have to wear a patch over his eye.
They wouldn’t kick him out until they patched him up as best they could. It wasn’t like he would be out of the Marines in a few days. More likely, it would take a year, after the surgeries and healing. He would keep his post. His commanding officer said he would be a valuable asset to train others.
It sucked.
Jeremiah and the rest of the team presented him with a black patch complete with requisite skull and crossbones. It was an asshole move, and totally perfect. He cracked a smile for the first time when he put the patch over his good eye. They all thought that was funny. It wasn’t. It was a sobering reminder that his injury could have been much worse. At least he walked out of that shitstorm.
When one door closes another opens.
That saying gave him a lot to think about while he sat around in the hospital. He called an unlikely source for advice on what to do next.
“Hello?” Drake’s low baritone rumbled through the speaker of the cell phone.
“Hey, it’s Caleb.”
“Caleb!” Drake sounded genuinely excited. “What’s going on?”
“Stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Yeah, stuff happened and I was wondering if I could ask a few questions.”
“I’ve got tons of advice.”
“You mentioned I should consider a degree in business.”
“I did, but I thought that wasn’t of interest.”
“It wasn’t, but might be now.”
“What changed?” An ex-Green Beret, Drake understood classified missions. He also knew how to keep his mouth shut. Not that either mattered. What Caleb had to say wasn’t top secret. Hell, it wasn’t even secret.
“I was just wondering how necessary it was, and if I did, what kind of opportunities might be
available.”
“With me, not much, unfortunately. I’m not looking to hire anyone on, but if you’re asking about opportunities with a certain someone…”
“We didn’t leave things on the best of terms, but yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinking.”
“Tell me what you have in mind.”
“Well, you manage things for Caitlyn’s ranch. What does that involve?”
They spoke for an hour. Caleb explained his injuries and need for a job change. The urge to explore and see new things would always be a part of him, but the ache in his heart when he thought of Caitlyn, and the stabbing loneliness when he avoided thinking about her, led him to an obvious decision.
It was the only decision. He was going home.
Caitlyn was the one he wanted.
He would always want her. She was his other half and he couldn’t see spending the rest of his life without her by his side.
He didn’t begrudge the years he spent in the Marines. Those experiences had been a necessary part of molding him into the man he was today. If he hadn’t pursued his dream, he would have always wondered if he had what it took to be one of the best. Not knowing would’ve eaten at him, and that gnawing restlessness would’ve destroyed anything he tried to build with Caitlyn.
Now, he knew what he was capable of and could look for different challenges. The only thing missing from his life wasn’t adventure. It was his soulmate.
The next step began by fitting into Caitlyn’s life, which meant he needed to change. He spent years pursuing his dreams. It was time to support hers. Drake assured him he could learn what he needed through online courses or he could go to Montana State University in Bozeman and get his degree there.
The G.I. Bill gave him the funds he needed to get back on his feet, but he couldn’t imagine four more years away from home.
Home.
He felt it now. A deep sense of calm with the idea of settling down.
An online degree sounded perfect. He could pursue his undergraduate degree in business, maybe even get an MBA online as well, and Drake would show him everything he needed to know about running a cattle ranch.
Caleb: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 3) Page 15