Last Time For Everything

Chapter Four

AJ's POV

I groan and roll over in my bed as my alarm clock buzzes.  Even though I'm off from work today, I have a list of things to get done that never get done while I'm working.  I open my eyes and turn off the alarm, unplug my phone from the cord, and put on my glasses that lay at my bedside.  I lay in bed for a bit while going through my phone.  Luckily, I have no calls or texts from Patrick, after the disastrous events last night.  I figured I'd just rip off the band aid, but it turns out I'm not over Cody, or Adrian, for that matter.  As the thought of them crosses my mind, I reach my hand down,  lightly gripping the necklace hanging around my neck.  I look at the pictures of them on my dresser across the room, and my eyes start to sting with tears, so I look away.

I sit up in my bed, reaching to open the drawer on my night stand, and pull out the small red velvet box, open it up, and look at the diamond ring inside.  I sigh and take it out of the box, sliding it onto my left ring finger.  I put the box back into the drawer, and get out of bed, walking over to my bedroom window.  I pull back the curtains, and peek between the blinds, seeing white everywhere.  The snow that had fallen overnight - and is still falling - covers the city, making everything look like a cloud.  I open the blinds to let light into my room, grab my phone, and make my way to the kitchen to make coffee.

I turn on the news in the living room, before making my way into the kitchen to make my coffee. The cold hardwood on the bottom of my feet causes shivers through my whole body, and I instantly regret not wearing fuzzy socks.  I get a coffee filter and the coffee out of the pantry, and put water into the coffee maker.  I put two huge scoops of coffee into the filter, close the top, and turn on the coffee maker.  I grab a banana off of the counter, and head to sit down on the couch to watch a bit of TV while I wait for the coffee.  Before I sit down, I grab a fuzzy blanket out of the ottoman in front of one of the chairs in my living room.

I sit on the couch, watching the news while curled up in my blanket, eating my banana, when my phone begins to ring.  I lean forward to where my phone is sitting on the coffee table, and perk up when I see a picture of my brother, Grant, on the screen.  I swallow a the bite of banana I had in my mouth before answering the phone.  

"What's up Major?", I say with a huge smile as I answer the phone.

"Hey peanut!", he says on the other end of the line.  I can hear chaos in the background from his three boys, my nephews, Justin, Anthony, and Seth.  "How is everyone?", I ask him.

"We're good", he says as the background noise becomes quieter.  I guess he moved away from the boys.  "Just crazy here.  The new dog is pissing and shitting everywhere, so Ava is quickly regretting adopting him as the boys' Christmas present".

"I told her it was a stupid idea", I say with a laugh as I stand up to go throw away my banana peel and get my coffee.  "Yeah, I don't know what she was thinking", he laughs.  I walk over to the cabinet and get out a mug that says "Hooah" in big green letters on the side.  I pour my coffee, and listen to my brother as he continues to talk.

"And now she has to deal with the dog, three boys, and packing up the house.  I got PCSed a few days ago", he tells me as I get cream out of the fridge.  "Did you get your promotion?", I ask excitedly, the thought of my brother being promoted from Major Grant Mason of the United States Army to Lieutenant Colonel Grant Mason.

"No, not yet", he sighs, "They want me in the First Battalion at Fort Stewart", he says quietly, and my heart drops.  For three years he had been teaching recruits in Army aviation in 1st Aviation Brigade at Fort Rucker in Alabama.  If the Army trusts you to teach the soldiers of the future, that's a huge honor.  But, taking him from training to a base camp, everyone knows that means that they want you to deploy sometime in the near future.