Chapter Four
Adam
Sergeant O’Shaughnessy was kind enough to drive me to the cemetery on the outskirts of town, citing he needed to patrol the area anyway for teenagers skipping school.
When he parked the car near Shawn’s gravesite, I was glad to see it decorated in American flags and flowers. I liked the idea of him continuing to be honored in death.
Instead of driving off, Brian got out and walked me to our friend’s grave. He stared at the marker for a minute before quietly placing a penny on the ledge of the headstone, next to an array of other coins and murmuring, “I’ll be back soon to see you, Obie.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Take as much time as you need. I’ve got to check out the area,” then walked back to his patrol car, got in, and drove off.
I blinked back tears as I stared at the words on the stone.
Shawn Patrick O’Brien, First Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps.
Seeing it in writing finally made it seem real. Up until now, I think I’d tricked my brain into believing he was simply away on a different mission.
I guess, in a way, he was.
“Hey, buddy. I told you I’d keep my promise.
Sorry it took so long,” I said softly as I knelt on the damp grass.
“I see they promoted you. I just finished with physical therapy.” I held up my twisted and scarred left arm and hand, flexing my fingers then making a fist a few times as if to show him the progress I’d made.
“My contract was up, and I decided not to re-sign. Although I’m not sure what civilian life has in store for me.
I guess I’ll see what happens when I get back to Lancastle. ”
I paused, trying to think what else to tell my deceased Marine brother.
“I met your best friend, Brian. He’s the one who actually drove me here.
I’ll bet you two were hellraisers in school.
” I imagined the antics the two boys probably pulled when they were younger.
“He’s taking me to your parents after I leave here.
Hopefully, I can get the ring and give it to Lainey today so I can catch my bus tomorrow morning. ”
I waited another minute before I stood and fished a quarter from my pocket to set on his tombstone. Knowing it symbolized I was with him when he was killed, I was surprised to see two other quarters in the mix of coins and wondered who else from our team had visited.
“I’ll be honest. I’m not sure if I’ll be back this way again, but I want you to know I’ll never forget you.” I laid my hand flat against the letters of his name. “I hope you forgive me; I promise to try and live a life that honors your sacrifice.”
With that, I slowly walked toward where Brian had parked his car further down the cemetery lane.
He gave me a sad smile when I opened the passenger door. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
~~
We pulled up to a modest two-story home with white siding and black shutters. Both were in need of a fresh coat of paint, as was the railing on the wrap-around porch.
“Why don’t I introduce you?” Brian said as he put the car in park. “I haven’t seen Hugh and Teresa since the funeral.”
“Again, I appreciate it.”
Before we were halfway up the walk, the screen door slammed, and a woman appeared at the top of the front steps.
She was wearing a frilly white apron over dark blue jeans and a blue and purple floral blouse, along with a pair of brown leather sandals.
Her reddish-brown hair with streaks of grey was pulled back in a bun, and her twinkling baby-blue eyes were familiar. I knew she had to be Shawn’s mom.
With her hand on her hip, she declared, “Brian Michael O’Shaughnessy—where have you been? I told you not to be a stranger!”
“I know, Mrs. O’Brien,” he said sheepishly as he walked up the steps and kissed her cheek. “We’re short staffed at the department, and it seems like all I do is work.”
She smiled as she patted his cheek. “Well, you’re here now, so you’re forgiven,” then she turned her attention toward me.
Before she could ask, Brian introduced me.
“This is Adam Callahan. He served with Shawn in the Middle East.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she nodded subtly.
“I recognize you from the photos Shawn sent.” A single tear trickled down her cheek as she grabbed my right hand and held it between her palms. “He treasured your friendship.”
“Thank you, ma’am. That means a lot.”
Her mouth curved into a grin.
“He said you were the only one who understood what the sun did to his pasty skin.”
That made me laugh out loud.
“Us Irish lads went through a lot of sunscreen. Thank you for always sending extra.”
“I was happy to. Thank you for being a good friend to my boy.”
I wasn’t so sure if she’d still feel that way if she knew Shawn was killed because of me.
“He was a good friend to me, too. Everyone loved Shawn.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
“He was easy to love.”
We stood in silence for a beat then she brought her hands to her chest and declared, “Oh my goodness! Where are my manners? Come in!”
~~
Mrs. O’Brien offered us sweet tea and chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven.
The smell of fresh-baked cookies filled the house, and it’d been no hardship to accept.
As we munched on the offered snacks, an older lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat, denim overalls, and a pink t-shirt with a floral design walked through the screen door, letting it slam behind her.
I made a mental note that the O’Brien’s really needed to install a door closer on their screen door.
The woman saw us sitting at the dining room table and slapped her green and pink leather gardening gloves against her palm while proclaiming, “Brian O’Shaughnessy, you can’t leave your patrol car in front of the house! The neighbors are all going to be talking!”
Brian stood with a big grin and walked toward the woman.
“Granny O’Brien! It’s good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you, too, boy. But seriously, you can’t come over when you’re off-duty? You have to park your cop car in our driveway, so Mrs. Tierney has something to gossip about?”
“Mrs. Tierney is going to gossip anyway. Besides, it feels like the only time I’m off-duty these days is when I’m sleeping.”
“Sounds like something you should take up with the Chief.”
Before he responded, she looked at me with one raised eyebrow. “And who’s this?”
Mrs. O’Brien put her hand on my shoulder. “Ma, this is Adam Callahan. He served with Shawn. Adam, this is my mother-in-law, Maeve.”
Her gaze focused on my left hand.
“Were you in his Hummer, too?”
“No, ma’am. A different vehicle. Mine ran over an IED.”
Her expression softened.
“It’s nice of you to come visit Shawn’s family.”
“I promised him I would.”
“I’m glad you kept your promise. That’s important. It says a lot about your character.” Granny turned her attention back to Brian, still standing next to her. “Speaking of character—who are you dating these days?”
“Ma!” Mrs. O’Brien cried out. “That’s none of your business.”
The older woman continued, like she hadn’t even heard her daughter-in-law.
“I hope she’s a good Irish girl. I know your mother would like nothing more than a big Catholic wedding.”
Shawn’s mom placed her hand on her hips. “How do you know what Alice wants?”
“Of course that’s what she wants. I see her at mass every week!” She batted her eyes when she looked at him with a mischievous smile. “Molly Daugherty is still available.”
“ Molly Daugherty ?” Mrs. O’Brien roared. “You mean Shawn’s high school girlfriend?”
“Yeah, so? He moved on—with a Protestant girl, no less.” She crossed herself. “Glory be, my great-grandson is half-Protestant.”
“Ma, stop. If Lainey hears you talking like that, she won’t let us watch Conor. I’ll kick you to the curb before I lose the chance to spend time with my grandson, old woman.”
Wait. Grandson?
The shock must have shown on my face because Brian explained, “Lainey got pregnant before Shawn shipped out and was waiting to tell him when he was home on leave. We didn’t know she was expecting until his funeral. Conor is two months old now.”
“Still think you should get a DNA test,” the older woman grumbled.
“We don’t need a test,” Mrs. O’Brien admonished. “Conor looks exactly like Shawn did when he was a baby.”
“Hmph.”
The awkwardness hung over the room, and Brian turned toward Shawn’s mom.
“That’s part of why Adam came. Shawn had bought Lainey an engagement ring. He made Adam promise to make sure she got it if something happened to him.”
“I—I don’t know anything about that. Granted, I haven’t gone in his room much since…” She didn’t finish her thought.
“It’s in his safe in his closet,” I said quietly.
“I didn’t even know he had a safe.”
Brian asked, “Would it be okay if we looked?”
“Yes, of course. You know where it is.”
I followed Brian up the stairs to the second door on the right.
He paused with his hand on the doorknob and blew out a breath before opening the door.
I think I’d half-expected posters on the wall of women in bikinis with piles of laundry in the corners, like my room at my parents’ house had been, but I should have known better. Shawn had been meticulous about his area of our shared tent, even in the middle of the desert.
Everything was neat and orderly. The bed, with a navy blue and forest green comforter, was made tight enough to bounce a quarter off, like I’d expect a Marine’s bed to look.
The items on the desk were all lined up neatly, as were the knickknacks and trophies on his dresser and chest of drawers.
Although the hamper in the corner still had dirty clothes in it, there wasn’t even a stray sock on the floor.
Brian opened the sliding door of the closet. The shirts were neatly organized and separated by type: button downs, polos, and flannels. His pants hung on nonslip pant hangers. Underneath, a shoe rack held his shined loafers and pristine tennis shoes.
Brian slid the door, so the other side of the closet was exposed. In the corner, sat a small safe.
I crouched down and twisted the numbers on the dial until I’d put in the nine-eleven-one sequence.
“You weren’t lying,” Brian softly remarked when I lifted the lever and it opened. “He gave you the combination.”
I didn’t take offense on that lying remark, chalking it up to his being best buddies with Shawn. Instead, I pulled the safe’s door open. Inside were some baseball cards, a manilla envelope and some other envelopes, and a small, wooden, heart-shaped box.
I pulled the box out and flipped open the lid.
A round solitaire diamond that was probably half a carat sparkled from where it sat snug in its slot in the black velvet.
Brian looked over my shoulder and murmured, “I’ll be damned. He really was going to ask her to marry him.”
“You seem surprised.”
“I am, a little. I think maybe they were keeping their relationship quiet because—”
“She’s not Catholic.”
“Yeah. His parents accept Lainey now, but I think that’s mainly so she’ll allow them to be in Conor’s life.
I don’t think they’d be as welcoming if their grandson wasn’t involved.
And I know if Lainey hadn’t agreed to let him be baptized in the church in October, Granny would have already snuck him off and had him baptized by Father Daniels. ”
I laughed, but I got the feeling he was only half-joking.
His radio crackled with a dispatcher asking, “Sierra Four, what’s your twenty?”
Brian clicked the microphone clipped to his shoulder.
“Still at two thirty-seven Oak Street. I’ll be clearing shortly.” He looked at me and nodded toward the hall. “Come on. I probably should get back to work.”