Her heart pounded in her chest. Her pulse raced. She tried to throw her gun to the ground, but it was glued to her steady hands. Her superior officer grabbed her by the arm and pointed toward three other shadows moving into the darkness. Light began to shine from windows out into the sandy yard, where no grass grew and where children played and chased each other during the daylight hours. Jessica抯 ears rang so badly that she covered them with her hands, and she began to jog, but when she heard the screams of a child, she stopped and turned around. A little girl had come from one of the houses and was kneeling over a dead body.
揘o! No!?Jessica dropped to her knees. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard that she couldn抰 even hear her teammates yelling at her. Her hands were clammy and the rifle slipped away, landing on the dirt and sending a puff of sand into her teary eyes.
One of her teammates pulled her up, grabbed her rifle, and shoved her into a vehicle. They were all elated that they抎 taken out a high-ranking enemy, but Jessica couldn抰 blink away the sight of that little girl crying for her father or maybe even her older brother.
揟hat little girl lost a loved one,?she said.
揊or the greater good.?A teammate patted her on the shoulder.
揋et over it, Callaway,?another one said. 揧ou were doing your job. We rescued the hostage and took out a major player. This was a success.?
揟ell it to that child,?she said and turned away from the guys. When she got back to the post, she took a long lukewarm shower, but it did nothing to wash away the pain in her soul.
She awoke with a start, sat straight up in bed, and wiped the sweat from her face with the tail of her nightshirt. 揑t抯 just another nightmare,?she told herself. She checked the clock and stretched out again.
This time the dream started after the gun battle, and the little girl who was lamenting had blonde hair. Jessica dropped her weapon on the ground and went to comfort the child, but when she got there, the man on the ground was Wade Granger. Jessica couldn抰 breathe, couldn抰 think, and her heart felt like a stone in her chest.
Wade awoke with a start and was on his feet before his eyes were fully open. He turned around twice, bumped his shoulder on the edge of the cabinet, and stubbed his toe on the corner of the booth that served as a dining table. Going back to sleep wasn抰 an option, and besides, it was just an hour before he would normally be awake and ready to go to the bar. He dressed in faded camouflage pants and a brown T-shirt with an army logo on the back and headed outside.
He made his way to the front of the old church, thinking all the while that Oscar was probably right about what people would call the place. He unlocked the door, eased it shut, and quietly made his way to the kitchen in the dark. He switched on the light over the sink rather than the overhead and put on a pot of coffee. It had just begun to drip when he heard Jessica screaming. His first thought was that someone had broken into the building and was hurting her. Without a second thought, he ran from the kitchen to the hallway and didn抰 even hesitate before rushing into Jessica抯 bedroom.
The only light in the room came from the two motion-detecting floodlights that had come on when he had walked across the parking lot. He glanced around for a split second, then realized that Jessica was flailing about, weeping, and screaming one word梟o梠ver and over again. He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.
揓essica, wake up,?he said in a normal voice. 揧ou are having a nightmare.?
A fine sheen of sweat glistened on her face. A steady stream of tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped on the pillowcase. He reached for a tissue and gently dabbed away the moisture.
揓essica, you have to wake up,?he whispered.
揇on抰 be dead,?she muttered as she reached out to touch his chest. 揚lease, God, don抰 let him be dead. I抦 sorry. I didn抰 know it was you. I thought I was firing at an enemy. Wake up, Wade. Stay with me. I will never forgive you if you die. I need you.?
Wade took her hands in his and held them tightly. 揓essica!?he said in a loud voice. 揥ake up.?
Her eyes popped open, but they were unfocused. She stared straight ahead into what Wade could only describe as an abyss. 揓essica, look at me. It抯 just a nightmare. I抦 right here. I抦 not dead,?he said.
She turned her head slightly, and fresh tears flooded her cheeks. 揑抦 so sorry, Wade. Forgive me.?
揊or what??he asked.
揑 took you from your beautiful daughter, and she抯 weeping for you. If you can hear me, you can . . .?She stopped talking and sat up, wrapped her arms around Wade, and soaked the shoulder of his T-shirt with more tears. 揧ou are alive. It was just a dream.?
揘o, darlin??Wade pulled her even closer to his chest and gently massaged her back. 揑t was a nightmare. Was it about one of your missions??