480 Hours

2 | I'll Take Today

Maggie Bailey

"Mags, did you finish setting up the guest room?" Liam had asked me a form of that question at least eight times since his Marine buddy had asked to stay with us. I didn't have a problem with our new houseguest, but I was already taking care of one depressed Marine; I did not need another.

I had never seen Liam look so nervous before. "Yeah, it's all set up for your friend." He smiled in my direction before closing the sliding glass door at the back of the house that led out to the beach.

"I would have done it myself but..." Liam still had yet to accept that he would only ever have one hand. I often caught him trying to complete tasks that required two hands, only to grow frustrated with himself when he couldn't do it.

He started my way before stopping to give my dog, Duke, a pat on his massive head. "Do you know when he will be here?" Duke was supposed to be my dog; I had gotten him not long after the accident, but once Liam lost his arm, my specially trained PTSD dog became our shared companion.

"Visiting hours at the hospital end at eight, so I would imagine he will be here any minute." Liam had spent far too many hours at that hospital not to know when visiting hours were over.

At first, that's how I saw him. I would come home on the weekends from school so he did not drive himself completely insane while trapped in a hospital room. After a few trips and hours of physical therapy later, it became evident that he would need someone to help him once he was released from the hospital. So, the minute I graduated with my degree in graphic design, I moved back to Seaton Bay to be with Liam. We bought a house on the beach together and talked about his injury as seldom as possible, per his request.

As if on queue, there was a loud knock on the front door. Liam quickly rushed past me in order to open the door for his friend while I acknowledged Duke. "Bailey, it's good to see you man." And just like that, I was irrelevant to the conversation. If it weren't for Duke charging towards the both of them, I would have left the room.

When I turned around to chase after the dog, I was forced to acknowledge Liam's gorgeous friend. While my parents had been alive I had been a military brat, forced to follow my father around as he was stationed in new places every couple of years. For that reason, I had seen hundreds of Marines during my lifetime, but none that looked like Staff Sergeant Hogan. "Hoagie, this is my little sister Margaret, she won't bother you while you're here though, I promise." And suddenly I was Liam's annoying little sister again, not cool enough to hang out with him and his friends.

The young Marine stood up straight before extending his hand for me to shake. When I went to take it, Duke pushed his way in between the two of us, not knowing how to react in the presence of this stranger. He was trained to not only comfort me when I had a symptom associated with my PTSD, but also to protect me from injury.

"I'm sorry about Duke, he is super protective. I swear he is a big sweetheart though once he gets to know you. And please, call me Maggie." The Marine crouched down in order to acknowledge the dog, scratching him a few times before he stood up tall once again.

I made eye contact with Liam, who widened his eyes at me to indicate he wanted me to offer my assistance to his friend. "I can show you to your room if you would like to follow me. Do you need help with your bags?"

The man, who reeked of military authority, chuckled before shaking his head and picking up the bags on his own. He followed me to the room adjacent to my own, acknowledging me after placing his things on the bed. "You can call me Landon, by the way. I don't think Liam ever actually gave you my first name." Never before had I found a man in uniform attractive. My father had drilled into my mind at a young age that the uniform was something to respect, not lust after.