killed in an accident. Died with his boots on, and believe me, that’s how he wanted to go. Spent the rest of my growing-up years with my grandparents. Gramps is still there, and I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
“At least there’s home,” Jaxson said, his glower less threatening. “Thank God for that.”
Soon, Blessing escorted another man into the room. Tall, fit, he had an air of confidence about him. “Gentlemen, this is Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Cameron Freeland. May I introduce you to John Roster, Army.”
John took to his feet. “Sir.”
Cameron shook his hand, telling him to skip the formalities. After meeting the others, they took seats again, each giving their short story along with their introduction. Cam had taken the recliner to John’s left, forcing him to turn his head more fully to keep the man in his sights as they spoke. Cam’s gaze narrowed for a few seconds, landing on the scarring before giving an almost imperceptible nod.
“Medical?” Cam asked.
Nodding, he repeated what he’d told the others. “Eighteen C, Special Forces. Lost my peripheral vision with flying debris on our last mission. Surgery saved my sight but not enough. Had four more years to retirement.”
Cam talked to all of them about finding new possibilities in the civilian world, but a headache was making it hard to concentrate. Reaching inside his backpack for aspirin, his fingers landed on a packet of paper. He pulled out a letter, the envelope folded and worn. His mind was so focused on the contents, he almost missed Jaxson’s question. Looking up, he found all four men staring at him.
“Got letters from a bunch of kids in a school near home. They got my name from the American Legion my grandfather goes to when they wanted a local serviceperson to write to.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t too bad. Kind of made some of the shit days better.”
Jaxson held his gaze, lifting his eyebrow. “Hell, go by and see them when you get home. They’d get a kick out of it.”
“You think?”
“We had a couple of servicemen come by for career day when I was in high school. Thought it was the best fuckin’ job anyone could ever want.”
The idea of visiting a school with a bunch of little kids held no appeal, but he just nodded as Blessing’s words moved through his mind. “Find some way to repay the kindness that someone has shown to you. Gratitude goes a long way to helping us find our own happiness.”
John was finally on his way to his departure gate, the atmosphere around him almost manic as passengers hustled along, as anxious as he was to be out of the terminal. Sensing someone’s presence just to his left, he jerked his head around to see Cam walking beside him.
“Damn, didn’t mean to spook you.”
“No worries. Still getting used to limited vision on that side.”
“Gotcha. You heading to B terminal?”
“I am.” John continued walking with Cam as they weaved in and out of the crowd, sometimes feeling like a salmon swimming against the stream.
“Me, too. What time is your flight?”
“Not until ten-thirty. I figured I’d camp out at Gate B-24 until my flight was called.” The closer they got to the gates the tighter the crowd was, and he thought of Jaxson struggling with his crutches. “Damn, Jaxson is going to have a time getting to his gate.”
Cam nodded to a restaurant on the concourse. “Let’s stop here. I’ll buy breakfast.”
John hesitated, but Cam convinced him when he reminded him that they still had three hours before they’d board. Plus, the idea of food and hot coffee was more than enough invitation. Once at a table, Cam leaned back in his seat. “So, home is Maine?”
“Yeah, just my Gramps, but it’s the only home I have.” As soon as his coffee came, he began digging into his backpack, pulling out a few things until his fingers landed on the ibuprofen. Popping a couple of pills with the hot coffee, he swallowed.
Cam’s attention landed on the back of envelopes John had taken out of his backpack. “Mind if I take a look at them?”
John shrugged and handed over one of the envelopes.
Cam slid the folded piece of paper out and began reading, chuckling at the child’s letter and picture. Looking up, Cam said, “You said last night these helped you get through some shit days.”
John’s fingers landed on the stack of envelopes, lightly touching them. “Yeah. Kids are cool.”
Cam talked for a few minutes about coaching baseball at