“It’s nice to see you,” Hammond said. “Glad you got out of this one with only a couple scratches.”
White smiled. He had known Hammond since he was a boy. His father had served under Hammond twice, excluding Maxwell’s current assignment at JSOC. Hammond’s daughter, Veronica, had been White’s best friend until he entered the Air Force Academy. At first, they had kept in touch almost every week, but after a few years their lives had taken them in different directions, and the time between phone calls had gotten longer and longer. They still talked occasionally, and he knew she was now a PhD candidate at Yale University. The last time they had spoken, a week prior to his deployment to Iraq, she’d been on her way to an archaeological site in Greece.
“But seriously, Clay, how are you feeling?” Hammond asked, standing next to White’s bed.
“I feel fine, sir,” White replied truthfully. “The doctors said I’ll be able to return to my unit in a month or so.”
“Good to hear it,” Hammond said. “What you and that crew of yours did out there to rescue those two marine aviators was outstanding.”
For the first time, White noticed that Hammond’s eyes were bloodshot and sunken, as if he hadn’t slept for days.
“Thank you, sir. So that others may live, right?”
“Right,” Hammond replied, looking a little uneasy. “So that others may live.”
Then there was an awkward moment of silence. White spoke first.
“How’s Veronica, General?” he asked. “I haven’t heard from her since she left for Greece.”
At the mention of his daughter, a faint smile came upon Hammond’s face. Veronica was her father’s pride and joy. Hammond cleared his throat and said, “She’s doing fine. I told her you were injured. She’s on her way to see you.”
White was confused. There was no reason for Hammond to have done so. It wasn’t as if he and Veronica were in a romantic relationship. They were friends. That was it. “Sir, you shouldn’t have—”
Hammond interrupted him. “There’s something else I need to tell you, Clay,” he said, an unfamiliar gruffness in his voice.
White felt an involuntary tightening of his chest and shoulders. There it is, he thought. Here’s the real reason he’s here.
“It’s about your dad,” Hammond said, his face suddenly ashy white. “His helicopter was shot down south of Bagram by the Taliban two days ago. There were no survivors.”
White felt all the blood drain from his face.
“I’m so sorry,” Hammond said.
White met the general’s eyes for a moment, then nodded. He had so many questions, but his first thoughts were for his mother. “Does my mom know?”
“I spoke with her a few hours after Maxwell’s helicopter went down. Heather is with her now.”
White’s mother was one tough lady, and famously spare with her emotions. Still, the loss of her husband was going to create a huge void in her life. She’d been married to Maxwell for almost thirty-five years. This was almost one hundred times longer than White’s longest relationship. He was glad Hammond’s wife would be by her side to provide emotional support if needed.
“Your father was quite a hero, Clay,” Hammond said. “He spoke often of you.”
White didn’t know if it was true or not, but it was nice of Hammond to say.
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “I appreciate you coming all this way. You didn’t have to.”
“Your dad was a good friend,” Hammond said, almost to himself. “I had to.”
Somehow, that didn’t make White feel any better. In fact, he felt sick to his stomach.
So many missed opportunities, he thought. His mother had tried her very best to bring the two of them closer, but their respective careers and deployments hadn’t made it easy. Still, White should have made an extra effort to be more present, to call more often. But he hadn’t. And now he regretted it.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” he said after a moment. His eyes were sad but dry.
“If there’s anything I can do, Clay, you let me know,” Hammond said.
“I appreciate that, sir,” White replied. “Means a lot.”
Hammond placed his hand on White’s shoulder. “Maybe it won’t be today or tomorrow. Maybe not even next year. It doesn’t matter. I’ll be there when you need me. In the meantime, I’ve got your six.”
White nodded. “Thank you. What about the Taliban fighters? Were they ever found?”