Life Sentence

Chapter One

I rolled over in bed to reach for my phone. I checked my email and the daily weather as I did every morning while walking outside. Nothing new- junk mail and rain. I've lived in New York State for about two years now and I'm still not accustomed to the cold weather. I missed the southern California sun. I almost lost the cup of coffee my wife handed to me as the boys ran past me.

They seem to love the rain. Well, Gunner, Dexter and Deejay do. Sniper, on the other hand, hates going outside when the weather is bad.
While the others take their time doing their business in the mornings; sniper barely steps off the porch long enough to pee before he darts back inside to be dried off by my wife, Ashley. Because he was labeled a pitbull mix he spent his life in a shelter prior to us adopting him. Despite his brindle coat, he's anything but the stereotypical pitbull.

I was just taking a sip of my coffee when the mailman walked up. Gunner greeted him like he always does. Granted he was primarily a black and tan coonhound, but for a shelter dog that no one wanted, he's near perfect. After he finished relieving himself he too went inside to get dried off.

Before I glanced at the mail I called Deejay over. He had already gotten his white paws filthy with mud and he now looked black and brown instead of black and white. He is definitely our special child. He never grew to the full size a typical husky should. He still stumbled over himself but he definitely lived up to his breed. He was stubborn and too smart for his own good. He learned at a young age how to manipulate us. His most famous stunt is acting crippled so we would carry him everywhere. It took both us and the vet too long to realize he wasn't ill but had a serious case of 'fake-itous'.

Dexter was always the last to come inside. He was my shadow. He followed me literally everywhere. So long as I was outside, so was he. When we went to the breeder to get him I instantly fell in love with his giant ears and light tan and black markings. He was my baby from day one.

Typically I would head back inside to open the mail but today I began to browse it before going in. When I saw an envelope from Fort Leavenworth Penitentiary, I immediately opened it.

Crystal Engert,

As a victim/witness to the court martial trial US v Martinez you are entitled to notification of a change in the prisoner's status. In accordance with DD Form 2704, you have selected to be notified when the status of inmate Daniel Martinez has changed.

After careful review, the inmate Daniel Martinez has been approved for early release on the following date

March 22, 2017

If any questions should arise please feel free to contact my office.

Regards,
Gerald Holcomb
Chief of Witness Notification

At the sight of the word 'release' I dropped my coffee and my wife came running outside. Since the day we met she has always come to my rescue.

We didn't meet until after it happened but that has never stopped her from being empathetic. Sometimes I worry that the entire thing has effected her more so than it has effected me. She'd never let you know it though. Ashley has this rock solid wall that manages to keep everyone out. Everyone except the very few people that she has decided to invite inside these walls. The lucky few that are invited in never leave but I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to after knowing how safe and secure it is on the inside.

I must've had an episode in that moment because the next thing I knew I was sitting on the sofa staring at a glass of water in my hands. I looked over at the clock to see how long I had been out. 11:47am.

Only four hours this time.

The episodes have ranged from a few hours to a few weeks. Dissociation is a funny thing. One minute you're watching TV or eating dinner and the next minute two weeks have gone by and your little brother has gone to prom and is getting ready for graduation. There's pictures to prove it has happened and that you were there but there's no memory of it.

There's no connection.

I'm sure it's happened to you. You get in the car and drive to work but you don't exactly remember the drive, you just kind of get there. That's dissociation. Unfortunately it's more intense for others than it is for some. For me, it's not just commutes to work I can't remember or be a part of. It's whole days, it's dinner dates, it's real life and I'm practically sleep walking through it.

My train of thought was stopped abruptly as Dexter jumped up next to me on the couch. He's almost as good as Ashley when it comes to reading me. I thought for sure we'd have to put him through classes but he's proved since the day we brought him home that classes wouldn't necessary.
He was snapping me out of episodes and soothing my anxiety even before his ears stood up. I guess that's to be expected with a German Shepherd but I like to think he's special.

"Want something to eat baby girl?"
Something about that pet name just makes me want to melt. I've always been her "baby girl". I'm pretty sure she has been calling me that since the first day we met.