Meant to Be (34 page)

Rad entertained little doubt these
people supported their country and their troops, but to them that
meant flying the flag or celebrating the Fourth of July. Maybe they
knew the guy down street was in the military and was gone for long
periods of time, but they didn’t pause to think about the long
hours he spent suffering in the cold mountains of Afghanistan or
about his fiancée sleeping alone, worrying about his safety night
after night. The war on terror wasn’t on their radar. It was
someplace else and someone else’s job to fight. The discrepancy
between those who put their lives on the line every day and those
who enjoyed a life of freedom because of it, was strikingly
clear.

When he finally pulled into the
driveway, Rad felt like his chest was going to explode. He turned
off the engine and took a deep breath to control his pounding
heart. He’d rather be out on the battlefield taking enemy fire than
do the job that lay before him. Heather was a sensible woman,
strong. But she was devoted to Wynn. Rad wasn’t sure how she would
handle his news—if she could handle it. To be counting down the
days until your wedding one moment, and then praying you’d just get
to see your loved one again the next, was a lot to ask of a
twenty-eight-year-old. How would she recover if she lost him before
she could even claim him as her husband?

Rad sat in his truck,
staring at the small rancher a moment. Wynn’s house—and pretty much
his second home—was a cozy, inviting little place, right down to
the white picket fence that ran around the yard. Rad smiled.
Dilapidated white picket fence that
is
. Heather had been after Wynn to repair
and paint it for months.

He had to give Heather credit. She’d
done a lot of work sprucing up the interior since moving in a few
months ago, insisting it would take the better part of a year to
get the man cave, as she called it, up to her standards before
officially moving in as Wynn’s wife.

Rad’s heart kicked
again.
Let’s get this done.

Walking to the door, Rad noticed the
kitchen light was on. Good. Maybe she was already up. That would
make things a little easier.

After ringing the doorbell, he saw the
curtains move, and the door opened almost immediately. Heather
stood there in sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt that had to
be Wynn’s.

“
Rad? What the heck are
you doing up and around so early?” She ran her eyes across his
unshaven face and smiled. “Or maybe you just haven’t gone to bed
yet.”

If Rad had figured out what he was
going to say beforehand, the words completely left him now. Heather
stood in front of him casually braiding her hair to the side,
smiling with such a carefree, innocent expression, he found it
difficult to breathe, let alone talk.

The awkward silence that ensued
apparently alarmed her, and the smile disappeared.

Rad cleared his throat. “Can I come
in?”

The expression on Heather’s face
changed from warm and welcoming to one of fear—and then
anger—before returning to fear again. For a moment he thought she
was actually going to refuse him and close the door as if that
would make whatever he was going to tell her go away. But at last
she lifted her chin and opened the door for him.

Once he was inside, she took a deep
breath and turned to face him. She still didn’t say anything. Just
waited for him to speak.

“
I don’t know any details,
Heather.”

She nodded, her chin and lips
trembling. “He’s still alive?”

Rad nodded, even though he
was thinking,
God, I hope
so
.

“
I wanted to be here when
you got the official word.”

“
Because you know it’s
bad.” The words were stated as a fact, not a question as she looked
up at him with fawn-like brown eyes that glistened
unnaturally.

“
That’s what they think in
the field.” He knew it was best to be honest with her. “But it
always seems that way when a brother is down.”

He took a step toward her and wrapped
his arms around her. “You don’t have to handle this alone. I want
you to know that.”

She cried softly in his arms a moment
as she absorbed the news and comprehended what it would mean. Then
she began to cry harder.

“
Heather, we don’t know
anything yet.” Rad rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. “Don’t
let your mind make it worse than it is.”

She shook her head against him. “You
d-d-don’t understand.” Choking sobs left her almost unable to
speak. “I’m pregnant.”

Rad’s heart jumped into his throat in
jubilation for the length of a heartbeat, and then landed hard in
his gut. He closed his eyes tightly as he thought about Wynn’s love
of children and how desperately he looked forward to being a
father.

“
Wynn doesn’t know?” His
voice cracked despite his best attempt to sound calm and in
control.

“
I didn’t want him to
worry about me while he was deployed.”

Rad pulled her out to arm’s length and
shook her gently. “Listen. You’re going to have to take care of
yourself through this, do you hear me?”

She nodded, but her eyes were slightly
glazed as if not completely comprehending what was
happening.

“
Do you see these
shoulders?” Rad shook her again.

She lifted her eyes to his broad
shoulders and nodded again.

“
They’re here to hold you
up, to carry you if necessary. Got it?”

“
I got it,” she murmured.
“I’m okay.”

But Rad could tell she was not okay.
Her entire body was trembling, and he wasn’t sure how much longer
she was going to remain standing. Guiding her over the couch, he
made her sit down. “Look Heather. We’ll get through this. Just take
some deep breaths.”

Heather nodded with her face in her
hands, but her shoulders shook as she sobbed. “This has to be a bad
dream.” She glanced at Rad as if to see if he was really there, and
then started crying again. “It can’t be real.”

“
I’m sorry, Heather.” Rad
tried to keep his own voice from quivering. “We need to stay
positive. We might be making this worse than it is.”

She wiped her face with an oversized
sleeve. I-I couldn’t sleep last night. It’s like I knew something
was wrong. I even put his sweatshirt on to feel closer to
him.”

“
He knows you’re pulling
for him, honey.” Rad squeezed her shoulder. “That will help him get
through this.”

“
But how
will
I
get
through it?” she whimpered. “He’s the strong one, the one I lean
on. I need
him
.”

Rad pulled her back into his arms.
“You’ll find out how strong you are. Wynn knows he can count on
you.”

Heather sniffled for a few more
minutes before turning to a table behind the couch for a tissue. “I
was getting ready to make some coffee.” She dabbed her eyes. “I’m
sure you could use some.”

“
I’ll get it. You take it
easy.”

Rad strode into the kitchen and filled
the container with water. As he dumped it into the coffeemaker, his
hand shook.

“
You’re as worried as I
am.” Heather’s voice came from just behind him.

Rad forced a laugh as he measured out
the coffee, but he didn’t turn around. He didn’t want Heather to
see his face. “I guess we’ll have to fight over him when he gets
back.”

He hoped his tone sounded more
convincing than he felt. Pops had not sounded very optimistic, and
as he thought back on the conversation, he wondered if he had
actually been preparing him for the worst.

“
I hope the phone rings
soon.” Heather walked back and forth beside the kitchen table, her
oversized slippers making a scuffing sound on the hardwood
floor.

Rad nodded. She was a military
wife—almost anyway—and knew a phone call would mean he was still
alive. The last thing either one of them wanted to hear was the
sound of the doorbell.

“
How long will we have to
wait do you think?” Heather took two mugs out of the cupboard and
set them on the counter. Her voice sounded calm, but her hands
shook and her eyes were brimming again.

“
It’s hard to say. Waiting
is going to be the hardest part.” Rad didn’t want to say it, but he
wasn’t sure Pops was even out of harm’s way when he had called. The
connection was bad, but he could have sworn he’d heard sporadic
gunfire. It would be just like Pops to send word so Rad could have
a head start in protecting Heather from the media.

Rad glanced at the small television
sitting on top of the refrigerator. His jaw clenched when he saw it
was on and turned to a news channel. Instead of following his first
instinct of ripping it out of the wall and throwing it out the
door, he turned to take Heather’s arm and lead her from the room.
But something on the screen caught his eye and he
stopped.

“
What’s
that
about?” He nodded toward the TV just as the
reporter covering the story mentioned the name “the former Angela
Powers.”

Heather looked at the television and
her expression turned to one of disdain. “Haven’t you heard? It’s
going to be the biggest society event of the year.”

Rad shook his head as he
stared at the picture of Angie walking out of a nightclub holding
hands with Joey Stanton, the lead singer for one of the hottest
rock bands in the country. “She’s
marrying
him?”

“
Umm-hmm.” Heather nodded.
“She’s been divorced for more than a month now. I’m surprised it
took her so long.”

For the first time, Rad saw the trace
of a smile on Heather’s face. He led her back toward the living
room, pleased that her thoughts had been diverted from Wynn, even
if it was only for a few minutes. “I wonder if we’re invited,” he
mused.

That made Heather laugh. “Don’t hold
your breath. I get the feeling you’re no longer on her ‘A’
list.”

“
Well, I wish her future
husband luck anyway.”

“
No you don’t.”

Yes, I do.” There was no humor in his
tone now. “Seriously, he’ll need it.”

Heather smiled pensively, but the
amusement soon drained from her expression as her thoughts returned
to Wynn. When she raised her gaze, rekindled pain flickered there
despite obvious efforts to stay strong. “Thanks for being here,
Rad.”

He ignored the comment. “What did you
have planned for today?”

“
I’m supposed to go into
the office at nine.”

“
What’s the number?” Rad
walked over to the phone. “I’ll tell them you won’t be
in.”

Heather wiped tears from her eyes as
quickly as they formed. “Maybe I should go. Maybe it will keep my
mind off things.”

“
You really think you’ll
be able to get any work done?”

Heather shook her head while biting a
fingernail. “No. You’re right.” She rubbed her temples. “I can’t
think straight.”

Rad wrote down the number and glanced
at his watch. It was too early to get hold of anyone now. He’d wait
another hour.

“
Really, Rad. I don’t know
how to thank you for this.”

Before he could say anything, the
phone rang. They both froze.

“
Do you want me to get
it?” Rad put his hand on her shoulder to calm her.

“
N-no. I’ll get
it.”

“
Hello? Yes, this is
Heather Kane.” Her voice shook only slightly.

“
Yes.”

Rad watched her swallow hard, and then
her chin began to tremble.

“
No, I don’t understand.
Hold on.” She handed Rad the phone and walked away with her hands
covering her face, her shoulders heaving with the sobs she tried to
suppress.

“
This is Michael
Radcliff.” His voice sounded calm and commanding, even though it
was not what he was feeling. “I’m here on behalf of Miss
Kane.”

After a few questions about his
relationship, the voice on the phone explained what they had
already told Heather.

Matthew Wynn had been hit with
shrapnel from an RPG close to his spine. He was in a drug-induced
coma and on life support.

“
Is he going to make it?”
Rad suddenly felt like Heather. Unable to hear. Unable to
comprehend.

The person on the other end of the
line ignored the question. “He’s being flown to Landstuhl this
afternoon. You’ll probably get an update from there.”

Then the line went dead.

Rad stood unmoving, still holding the
phone in his hand.

“
What am I going to do,
Rad?” Heather’s voice beside him made him realize he was not the
only one in the room. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped
her arms around him. He could feel her whole body tremble. “I don’t
know what to do.”

“
Be strong, Heather.” Rad
put the phone down and wrapped his arms around her. “He’d want you
to be strong.”