Map to Redemption

Day -25 (Part 4)

(Just a quick recap: during the last chapter, at the end, Jake said he had one more thing to show Lyra and brought her over to sit down. This is the final part of Day -25, and it brings a very long, descriptive scene that some of you have been waiting patiently for. Ahem. 🫣 Thank you for sticking around, there is more story to come!)

Lyra nods curiously.

"Of course. What is it, my wonderful man?"

Jake holds her close to him for just a moment, before pulling away so they can sit down on the edge of the mattress. His hands slowly slide down to the hem of his pants, and he looks at her, ensuring she understands exactly what he is about to reveal.

"I understand if this might come as a shock, but I want to share everything about myself with you, my dear."

He pulls his pant leg up, just enough to show her where his right leg ends below the knee, as he stares into her eyes.

Lyra watches in shock, seeing his leg has ended and a prosthetic is in place of his foot and most of his calf. After a few seconds, she finally tears her eyes away to return to his face, which is somber and hesitant. "Oh, sweetheart. Is that the injury from your time in the military?"

Inside, she feels devastated, but to show him she isn't deterred by it, she moves closer and holds his hand again.

Jake notices the shock on her face when he reveals the amputation, and he nods, feeling reassured by her warm words and gentle touch. He squeezes her hand as well, loving how she holds it reassuringly as he answers.

"Yes, but I promise I am still good to keep up with you despite that." Jake chuckles as he smiles at her, hoping to show her that this wound does not affect him as much as it did at first.

She smiles sadly, her expression filled with love. "I do not doubt it." Lyra leans closer and kisses his cheek. "Thank you for sharing this with me. Would you be willing to tell me how it happened?"

He wraps his arms around her again and pulls her a little closer, needing to hold her as he braces himself to share his story.

"Of course, my love. I will do my best to explain what happened." He pauses to gather his words and takes a deep breath before speaking again. "I . . . I was injured while on a mission in Iraq. I was trying to disarm a bomb while under attack from enemy soldiers."

"Wh-what?" her eyes are huge as she cups his face in his hands. "A bomb? Oh, dear goddess, Jake . . ."

Jake notices the expression of shock and concern on her face, and he feels his heart ache knowing how distraught she is. He places his hands gently over hers, keeping them in place. He decides to quickly tell the rest of the story and get it over with, for both of their sakes.

"Yes, love, but the bomb is not what got me. I disabled it, but while I did, I was hit with a large-caliber round above my ankle. The bones shattered. Other soldiers dragged me out of there and had to tourniquet my leg to stop the bleeding. By the time we returned to base, there was nothing left to save."

She gasps, shaking at the imagery behind this description. "Oh, Jake, no..." she shakes her head, trying to rid it of the thought of him being in so much pain, let alone how dangerous that was.

"I . . . I am alright now, dearest. I promise." He leans in and kisses her softly, wanting to do what he can to reassure her.

Her eyes close as they kiss, but tears leak out. She clings to him tightly and caresses the back of his head.

"Please, please don't cry, dearest." Jake feels terrible. He wanted to make her feel better about it, not upset her, but now he regrets being so descriptive. He gently wipes the tears away from her cheeks with his fingertips, trying his best to calm her down.