Please don’t let them take me to the hospital. Just need to rest. Then I’ll explain everything. – Staff Sergeant Thomas Morrison, Retired.”
David. My David. Dead twelve years this month.
The Army had told me David died instantly in an IED explosion. That he didn’t suffer. That was all they ever told me.
The biker groaned and shifted slightly. Fresh blood seeped from somewhere under his vest. He was hurt. Badly hurt. But his note said no hospital.
I made a decision that went against every logical thought in my head. I went inside, got blankets and my first aid kit, and came back out. Then I sat down next to this stranger and began cleaning his wounds.
He woke up when I pressed the antiseptic to a gash on his forehead.
“Mrs. Chen?” His voice was hoarse, broken. “Is it really you?”
“Who are you?” I demanded. “What happened to you? Why are you here?”
He tried to sit up but winced and fell back. “My name is Thomas Morrison. I was your son’s squad leader in Afghanistan. I’ve been looking for you for twelve years.”
“Looking for me? Why?”
My heart stopped.
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