Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Anna
The house had long since gone quiet now that everyone had left for the day.
She was grateful that everyone had come over to keep her and the kids company.
It did wonders to help her think of anything but the possibilities of what her husband was going through right now.
It was great for the kids, and that’s all that really mattered.
But now, in the quiet aftermath, Anna stood at the kitchen sink, rinsing the last of the dinner plates, her hands moving on autopilot.
The twins sat at the table, coloring quietly, their usual chatter subdued.
The silence in the house was thicker than it had been in the days before, still laced with the uncertainty that had taken up permanent residence in her chest.
“Keep sight of the shore, Anna.”
Luke’s words were playing on a loop in her head. She kept sight of the shore and held the prayer in her heart that she’d hear those words out of his mouth before long. It felt as though time was moving through mud, and also that it was moving too fast.
Anna knew that Luke had been trained to survive until help came, and she didn’t doubt his skills, but there had been too much time since the initial visit to tell her that his jet had gone down.
They didn’t even really explain to her if it had crashed, nor how bad it was.
They were telling her the bare minimum, and that worried her.
When a knock sounded at the front door, Anna’s stomach dropped.
It’s probably just another meal train visit or someone trying to be helpful. She chided herself. It’s not always going to be bad news.
She dried her hands quickly and moved through the house, each step slower than the last. As she opened the door, her breath caught.
There he was again. The soldier. The same man who had delivered the first gut-wrenching news just days ago. His uniform looked the same, but this time, his eyes held something different. Not finality, not hope, but something in between. A pause in the unknown.
“Ma’am,” he said, his voice calm and steady.
Anna nodded silently, then stepped outside and closed the door behind her. The last thing she wanted was for the twins to overhear before she was ready.
“Did you…have you found him?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The soldier exhaled slowly. “We located the wreckage of the jet. Both ejection seats were deployed. That means your husband and his copilot made it out.”
Anna’s knees nearly buckled. She gripped the porch railing tightly.
“That’s good, right? That means…”
“It means they survived the crash,” he said gently. “What we believe is that they headed for higher ground. It’s mountainous terrain, and the weather’s been unpredictable. But search teams are still out there. We haven’t given up.”
Tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision. But she didn’t let them fall.
Not here. Not now.
“So… still missing.”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am. But this is good news, as far as things go.
They’re trained for this kind of situation.
They know how to survive. There are a few friendly villages in the area, too.
Likely, they’ve found shelter and help. We’re still searching, and I’ll bring you more news as soon as I have it. ”
Anna swallowed hard, her throat tight. She nodded slowly. “Thank you. For the update.”
The soldier looked at her for a moment longer, offering a quiet nod of respect before turning and walking back toward the black SUV parked at the end of the driveway.
Anna stood there a few seconds longer, willing her legs to hold, willing her heart to stay still. When she finally went back inside, the twins looked up at her with wide eyes.
“Mommy?” Blaze asked, his voice uncertain. “Was that the soldier again?”
Anna knelt between them, her arms resting gently on the backs of their chairs. “Yes, it was. He came to give us an update about Daddy.”
Nora reached for her hand, and Anna took it gratefully.
“They found Daddy’s jet,” she said, her voice calm, controlled. “But it had crashed.”
Blaze gasped. “Is he…?”
“They think he and the other pilot got out safely,” she continued quickly, squeezing their hands. “They believe they’re out there, looking for help. The soldiers are still searching. They’re not giving up. And neither are we.”
The twins were silent for a long moment, processing.
“That means he’s not… gone?” Nora asked.
Anna shook her head. “No, sweetie. He’s not gone. He’s just… not home yet.”
Blaze stood up quickly and crossed over to her, his arms wrapping tightly around her neck. Nora joined them seconds later. Anna held them both, her arms full of the weight that kept her grounded.
For a long while, they sat there like that, all three wrapped in the kind of embrace that speaks without words. That breathes strength and steadiness into the fragile cracks.
Anna didn’t cry. Not yet.
Later, after the twins had been bathed and tucked into bed, after she’d told the lighthouse story again and smoothed down their hair and kissed their cheeks goodnight, Anna slipped out the back door.
The cool night air wrapped around her, salt-laced and familiar. She moved barefoot down the weathered steps that led to the beach, the sand cool against her skin. The moon hung high and round above the ocean, casting a silver glow across the restless waves.
She walked to the edge of the surf and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around them as her eyes fixed on the horizon.
That’s where he was. Somewhere beyond the horizon, alive. That was what she had to believe.
The dam finally broke. Tears spilled quietly, no sobs, no sounds, just hot, heavy drops that rolled down her cheeks and soaked into the fabric of her sweatshirt.
She’d been strong all day. For the kids. For herself. For the man she loved who was out there somewhere, hopefully looking at the same moon and thinking of her.
She tilted her head back, looking up at the stars. “You better come back to us,” she whispered. “You better fight your way home.”
The wind responded with a gentle gust, as if the night itself was offering comfort.
Anna sat there for a long time, letting her thoughts drift with the tide.
She remembered the last time they’d walked Buckroe Beach together, the day he found out about the deployment.
They’d been running around preparing, but Luke wanted to take a break, take a minute for the four of them to be together at their favorite spot.
Buckroe Beach was about five miles from the base and a place they went as often as possible.
That day he’d picked her up and spun her around, laughing as she squealed.
The twins had chased the waves down the shoreline, their giggles like music.
He’d kissed her forehead and promised he’d be back before she knew it.
She held onto that memory like a lighthouse in the storm.
Eventually, the tears stopped. Not because the ache was gone, but because there was no more room for it tonight.
She stood slowly, brushing the sand from her legs. The moonlight lit her path back up the steps and into the house where her children slept soundly, trusting in the world she worked so hard to keep steady.
She closed and locked the door behind her, pausing to listen to the gentle hush of waves in the distance.
Another day was coming. And she would face it: strong, steady, and with hope. Because that’s what he’d need to come home to and what they all needed to believe in. And she would not let go.
The next morning dawned soft and pink, sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains in the kitchen. Anna stood at the stove, flipping pancakes while the smell of coffee drifted through the air.
The twins stumbled in, sleepy-eyed but smiling.
“Morning, Mommy,” Nora mumbled.
Blaze climbed onto a stool, rubbing his eyes. “Did you dream about Daddy?”
Anna smiled gently. “I did. He was safe. And he missed us.”
They nodded, content with that answer.
After breakfast, Lily helped the kids with their homework while Anna sat at the kitchen table with her phone, waiting for the clock to hit nine. Right on the dot, she called the liaison’s number.
“Lieutenant Morris,” came the voice on the other end.
“It’s Anna Caldwell. Any updates?”
He was kind, professional. “No change this morning, ma’am. Search-and-rescue operations are still active in the region. I’ll notify you immediately with any developments.”
She thanked him and hung up.
The kids played outside later with Max, while Tom and her mother worked on the yard. Anna tidied the living room, trying to do something to clear her head and keep herself busy at the same time. Lily walked into the house with a giant basket of fruit.
“Mrs. Carter just dropped this off. She brought some ice cream for the twins, too. They’re outside with Tom and Max eating it.”
“That was kind of her. I didn’t expect so much support from here.”
“It’s been your home forever, even if you’ve been gone,” Lily answered softly. “Everyone loves you and Luke and the kids. You’re family.”
“I know, it just…I guess it’s felt like we’ve been so far away from home for so long, but it’s definitely felt like home since we got here.”
“I’m glad. You’re doing so well,” her mother said, brushing Anna’s hair gently back. “You don’t have to be this strong all the time.”
“I do,” Anna said. “I can’t break down in front of the kids and…I just can’t break down.”
“I’ve got you when you do, okay?”