to ask where. He knew what she meant.
Back to Iraq.
But the TV flickered on, and he quickly clicked through the various news channels, but they were showing nothing special. No breaking stories, no special reports, no relentless what-if-ing over pictures of some devastation or disaster.
“It’s not fair,” Maggie said, and he could tell she was fighting tears. “She was supposed to have a full month. This is bullshit.”
“What happened?” Jules asked, as he went online to check Twitter. Often news came through via the Internet first. But Twitter was quiet, too.
“It’s stupid,” Maggie told him fiercely. “There was some stupid car accident, and everyone’s okay, but one of the NCOs broke her legs and the other one hurt his back, and the really stupid part is that in the entire stupid Army, there’s apparently no one else who can do my mom’s job and—” She broke off as Jules heard the murmur of another voice. “I’m talking to Jules and … Wait! Mom!”
But the phone was apparently snatched out of the girl’s hands by her mother. “I am so sorry,” Arlene said, her voice thick with her apology. “She shouldn’t have called you. This is completely inappropriate—”
“It’s okay,” Jules said.
“No,” Arlene said. “It is not.”
He could hear Maggie in the background. “I was just calling him to see if he could give us a ride to the airport, so at least I can have an extra half hour with you instead of having a stupid taxi pick you up!”
“Oh, shit,” Jules realized. “Will and Dolphina went to New York.” One of Dolphina’s many cousins was getting married in a little town just south of Buffalo called Hamburg.
“They must’ve turned off their phones for the ceremony,” Arlene told him. “And even if they turn them on right away, they won’t get back here until tonight.”
“I’ll drive you to the airport,” Jules volunteered. “Because Maggie’s right. That way she can go, too, and be with you for as long as she possibly can.”
“Thank you,” Arlene said. “It’s too much, but … Thank you.”
“It’s not too much,” Jules countered. “Maggie’s my friend. You’re my friend. Friends call friends when they need help.”
“When have you ever called anyone for help?” Arlene asked.
Jules laughed. “Oh, sweetie, you have no idea. Remind me to tell you about the time I was on this godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere, and I actually called … certain friends in very high places for some serious help. But let’s not get into it now. It’s not a story that works well in short form, plus I’d rather find out what’s going on with you. There’s really no one else in the entire U.S. Army who can do your job for a few more weeks, until your leave is up?”
Arlene sighed. “Of course there is. But unit cohesion suffers when new faces are brought in. And when unit cohesion suffers, soldiers—kids—die. I can’t—” Her voice broke, but she faltered only slightly before soldiering on. “I can’t let that happen. My CO called me directly and asked me to return early. In exchange, she’s going to try to see what she can do to get me home for good, as soon as possible.”
Jules could hear Maggie clearly in the background. “How could you believe anything any of them tells you?”
“I have to go,” Arlene spoke over the girl. “If only to help them through the transition.” She sighed heavily again. “It’s particularly important because everyone’s favorite first lieutenant was killed in the same car accident. God, Maggie’s right about it being incredibly stupid. Despite all of the snipers and IEDs, Kevin died because a contractor in a semi got stung by some kind of wasp or a bee, and he swerved into oncoming traffic.”
“I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend,” Jules murmured. “And yeah, it can seem ridiculous. And even arbitrary. A car accident in a war zone …?”
He heard Maggie say something, but this time her words were indiscernible. It was clear, though, that she had started to cry.
“I have to go back, Mag,” Arlene told her daughter again. “I wish I didn’t have to. I wish I could say no …”
“Have you told Jack?” Jules asked quietly.
“Yeah. He ran to the airport, to try to get a flight back to Boston. I don’t know if he got one, because his phone died en route, and … He’s not going to make it anyway, because my flight’s at five-thirty.”
“Tonight?” Jules asked, his voice betraying his surprise.
“Yes, tonight.”