Touched By A Marine (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Deployment

The last of the luggage was placed on the ground as Roman shut the trunk. Noah leaned against the hood of the car with his arms folded across his chest as he scanned the long line of military personnel and their families. It was a warm sunny afternoon and the weather was perfect for today's takeoff. I remained seated in the car as my hand tightly gripped the door handle until pain bloomed in my palm shouting out in protest, telling me to relax and let go. Brad sat next to me as he placed his hand on my thigh and gave it a little squeeze. My eyes were too busy trained on the metal fence as a timer clicked down the final moments before it was time to go inside and say goodbye. I breathed in slowly as I felt my throat starting to close up again.

"James?" Brad said quietly. "Baby, say something."

I shook my head. "I can't. Because no matter what I say, no words can ever stop you from leaving me."

"Look at me." I did and then he said, "I don't know how long I'll be gone for, but I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid. Promise me." I nodded my head as he continued. "Whenever you feel like your about to lose control, I want you to write to me or you can leave me a video message via Skype. That way we'll always have some sort of communication between the two of us."

"But that still won't change the fact that you won't be here beside me. I don't know how I'm going to get through these first few months without you."

"Listen you have my family, Roman, and of course Noah to help you through this. In the meantime, I've asked that you stay near the base as my parents have a house here that you can stay in until I return to you. And to make sure that you're not alone, Roman and Noah will be staying with you as well."

I touched Brad's hand as I looked back at the timer as it counted down the last five seconds. Soon a loud buzzer sounded throughout the base as the gate opened and the crowd started to go inside. A knock on the window caused me to jump as I glared at Roman who waved at us to get out of the car. I opened the door as I slowly made my way to the front and leaned against Noah for emotional support. Taking his bags in hand, Brad stood tall as he marched over to the gate keeper and showed him his ID badge. We followed the crowd of voice as they led us straight into a large hanger bay where they housed the military transport helicopters.

As the crowd spread out amongst themselves, Brad took me aside inside an empty office as Roman and Noah blocked out the window. Taking me in his arms, Brad lifted me off the floor as I wrapped my legs around his waist and braced myself against the wall as he kissed me deeply. His tongue parted my lips as I moaned softly and took off his hat, running my fingers through his hair as he chuckled. When the kiss ended and we pulled away I couldn't help but whimper and plead with him to kiss me again. Afterwards, I was set down in an empty chair as Brad paced back and forth in front of me. He looked nervous as his hand went into his left pocket and kneeled down in front of me.

"James, when I met you on the top of that roof a month ago, I had no idea how much of an impact you would have on my life. You made me feel loved for the first time in a long time and for that I thank you. And after everything we've been through, I don't see us growing apart. I see us happily building our lives together. I guess what I'm trying to say is, James will you do me the honor of wearing this ring."

I nearly screamed as he pulled out the small black box and pulled back the top. Inside was a ring with three small diamonds and one blue sapphire stone to mark his birthdate. Taking my hand in his he said, "Now I know that it's too soon for us to be getting married, but I want you to think of this ring as a promise ring. And the moment I come home from fighting this war, you be the one I come home to, understand?"

I nodded as more tears slid down my face. He placed the ring on my finger as he kissed me again and hugged me tight. A voice came over the intercom as it announced the helicopters were fueled and ready for takeoff and that all military personnel please make their way to the front of the hanger bay doors. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at Brad and told him just how much I loved him. We exited the office as he hugged his brother and gave Noah a firm handshake. He picked up his bags as he walked over to the other Marines and stood beside them. The doors soon opened after that, allowing the sunlight to peek on through as I stood between Roman and Noah.

The helicopters engines came to life as the rotating blades started to pick up speed. The door was lowered as one by one the Marines reported in and entered the cramp space. My legs made the motion to move as I did it without even thinking and soon I was running across the tarmac against the shouts of Roman who chased after me. I called out to Brad who turned around and dropped his bags as I jumped into his arms and kissed him again.

"Promise me that you're going to come back!" I said.

"I promise baby. Oh, God, I promise."

"I love you Brad." I cried.

"I love you more."

A member of the National Guard came up to us as he demanded that Brad put me down and pick up his gear and get his ass on the damn helicopter. I was passed from Brad's arms to another as I clung to Roman's shirt and watched as the love of my life walked away from me. The bay door closed just as Brad took his seat at the back of the helicopter. Soon they were cleared for takeoff as the blades spun even faster until the wheels were lifted off the ground. Turning on his heel, Roman carried me back to the hanger where Noah was already waiting to comfort me. I watched over his shoulder as the last helicopter that carried Brad soared out of my view and into the afternoon sun.

Later that evening, as darkness fell over the base and the streets were quite and empty, I sat in my room on the second floor next to the window as a gentle breeze billowed around the curtains. The moon was out along with millions of stars that blanketed the entire sky. Brad once told me that no matter where you are in the world, the moon is no bigger then your thumb. As I placed my thumb over the moon my phone that sat on the windowsill started to vibrate as I picked it up and unlocked the screen. My heart thundered in my veins when I saw who was video calling me. Brad. I quickly hit the answer button and positioned myself within the camera's range as Brad's face came into view. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he left me and already it like a year had gone by.

"Hi, baby. How are you holding up?"

"Oh, Brad, I miss you so much."

"I know. I miss you too. How are things with Roman and Noah? Are they treating you well?"

"Yeah, they are. But I don't want to talk about them. I just need to hear your voice again. I'm glad you called me."

He smiled. "I wish I there with you right about now."

"How are things over there?" I asked.

"It's too quiet for me. That's for damn sure. And it's gonna be hard to fall asleep without you next to me."

"Tell me about it."

I watched as Brad looked off camera just for a few second until he came back on and said, "Baby I'm afraid I'm gonna have to go now, okay? I don't know when I'll be able to talk again but just know that I am safe and that I love you very much."

"I love you too." I replied tearfully as I reached out and tried to touch his face through the screen.

The video call ended shortly thereafter as I sat there and cried for a few minutes. After a while I got up and changed into my pajama's as I crawled into bed and placed a hand on the empty side where Brad used to sleep. His pillow still formed the spot where his head layed as I pulled it over to me and put my face in it, smelling his scent again. And without his arms around me I felt alone and unsafe. I don't even think I went to sleep that night. But when morning came, and Brad still wasn't sleeping beside me, I realized that it wasn't a dream. It was more like a nightmare. I just had to take it one step at a time. I emerged from the bedroom as I made my way downstairs into the living room where Roman and Noah were already glued to the TV watching the news.

A female newscaster was announcing that reports of an attack had just come through the airwaves. Just then a video showed flames of smoke and debris as parts of buildings and cars littered the cities streets. Soldiers walked along the sidewalks as they asked everyone to step away including the camera crew who had just arrived on scene. Reports of bodies were being airlifted out of the hot zone and taken to nearby base camps for immediate medical treatment. I sat down on the couch as my hand went to heart and I closed my eyes and prayed that Brad was still alive somewhere and not there amongst the ruins.

Brad...God help us.