Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Lily
“I’ll make the phone calls and let everyone know,” Lily said as she stood up. “You keep your phone open.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Anna said with a wide grin.
“Can we go outside?” Blaze asked. “I want to tell Mr. Tom that our dad’s been found.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Lily said.
“I could use some hugs from Max, so I’m going too,” Nora said softly before she jumped up and followed her brother out the back door.
“I wish I could just run outside and burn off this energy,” Anna commented with a soft chuckle.
“To be nine years old again,” Lily replied before she walked into the kitchen and grabbed her phone.
She was shaking and there was a lump in her throat. She was ecstatic that her son-in-law was safe and would be home soon, but until he was, she didn’t know if she could believe it.
She dialed Cody’s number first, and he answered on the third ring.
“Hey, Mom,” he said groggily.
“He’s been found,” she said into the phone, pacing the length of the kitchen. “Cody, they found Luke. He’s alive.”
“What?” Cody’s voice cracked on the other end. “Are you sure?”
“They said it’s him,” Lily answered, her voice thick with restrained emotion. “They’re not saying much yet. Just that he’s at Ramstein. He’s in surgery. But he’s alive, Cody.”
Her son took a shaky breath. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in twenty.”
Lily ended the call and immediately dialed Margot, her fingers trembling. The line picked up with a cheerful, “Hey, what’s going on?”
“They found him,” Lily said. “Luke. He’s alive, Margot.”
There was a stunned silence on the other end, followed by a gasp. “Lily. Oh my God.”
“He’s in Germany. They’re not saying much yet, just that he was found and brought in. He’s in surgery right now.”
“I’m coming over,” Margot said without hesitation. “Right now.”
Lily barely had time to breathe before she hit Claudia’s name next. This time she was more composed, her tone even, though her heart was galloping. Claudia wept openly when she heard the news and said she, Henry, and the girls would be right over.
It wasn’t even fifteen minutes later when a soft knock at the front door pulled Lily from her place at the kitchen counter. She opened the door to find Tom standing there with a warm loaf of banana bread wrapped in foil, the scent curling into the air like something from a childhood dream.
“Thought you girls might want something sweet,” he said with a smile, handing it over. “No reason. Just felt like baking. And then I learned that it’s a celebratory banana bread.”
Lily blinked at him, touched by the timing. “Tom,” she said, her voice wobbling, “they found Luke. He’s alive.”
Tom’s eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. “That’s amazing. I thought something was wrong with how hard the kids were pounding on the door.”
“He thought it was the police,” June giggled as she walked up behind him.
Max was already chasing the kids in the yard, June watching them with a wide smile.
“Only the police knock that hard,” he said defensively.
“And you would know this how?”
“I watch a lot of cop shows in my retired life,” he said jokingly.
“Come in, come in,” Lily said as she waved her hand and gestured for them to come into the house. “I think everyone will be here shortly as we wait for more news.”
“This is the best thing I’ve heard in months,” Tom told her as he reached out and squeezed her arm.
Tom came inside and June did as well. She hugged Anna and they talked quietly for a few moments before June made her way out into the backyard with the kids.
“I think she’s still getting used to being around the adults, but the kids, they don’t judge or ask questions,” Tom said as he watched his daughter walk outside.
“They have a special way of being a safe space for adults without even realizing it,” Lily said.
“Let me help you get things ready. I can run to the store if I need to.”
“I’m certain that Margot made a stop there as soon as she left her house,” Lily answered with a laugh. “I’ll bet money she shows up with grocery bags and donuts for the kids.”
Tom laughed, and the two of them went into the kitchen, where he helped her start cleaning up the dishes from breakfast.
The house filled up quickly. Cody arrived first, his usual composure barely holding together as he hugged his mother fiercely and immediately made his way to Anna, who stood to meet him, wrapped tightly in a blanket.
Then came Margot, breathless and teary-eyed, carrying as many grocery bags as her arms could handle.
Tom and Lily shared a look, laughing at how right Lily had been.
Margot immediately wrapped Anna in her arms like a protective shield.
Jess and Maisie weren’t far behind, along with Claudia and Henry, who brought a stack of Tupperware containers without being asked, meatballs, pasta salad, garlic bread.
“Do you have this stuff on standby?” Tom teased playfully.
“It was dinner last night,” Claudia said. “But, yes, there’s always an overabundance of food in our house.”
“She has always cooked as though we were feeding an army,” Henry interjected.
It was like a magnet had been set off in the heart of the house, pulling everyone close to its center. There was no hesitation, no questioning whether they should come. It was understood. Luke was family.
“Okay, who do we have to bribe to get him home faster?” Henry said, sitting at the kitchen island as he unboxed the food. “Name a general, I’ll make a donation.”
Everyone chuckled softly, their laughter colored by relief and nerves.
Anna shook her head, trying to hide the way her hands trembled. “I need to go to him,” she said suddenly, standing up from her chair. “I need to get on a plane.”
Lily stepped toward her, gently placing a hand on her back. “Sweetheart, let’s wait for the doctor’s report. They’ll call.”
Cody nodded solemnly. “Anna, listen to me.” He met his sister’s eyes.
“You’ll go. But not yet. Right now, he’s at Ramstein.
If he’s out of surgery soon, he’ll go to the ICU.
Depending on his injuries and stability, they may keep him there or transfer him to Walter Reed.
They don’t allow family to travel until they’ve stabilized him, especially after a rescue op. ”
Anna’s face fell, but she nodded, willing herself to take in the information.
“They’ll give you clearance,” Cody continued. “They’ll coordinate travel for you, even help with accommodations. But right now, it’s about healing him. They’ll have to debrief him, too.”
Lily watched as her daughter closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The weight of waiting, of being helpless, settled heavily across her face, but she nodded again.
“Okay,” Anna whispered. “Okay.”
Claudia wrapped her arms around her. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re staying as long as you need us.”
Maisie and Jess had joined the kids in the yard, and Lily caught a glimpse of them all playing together. June throwing the ball, Maisie chasing after Max, Jess carrying a pitcher of lemonade out with plastic cups.
It was chaos, and it was perfect.
Lily turned to the window, her gaze soft. “David did this,” she whispered to herself.
“What?” Cody asked gently.
She smiled faintly. “Your dad. He’s watching out for Luke. I know it.”
Cody didn’t answer, but he took her hand and squeezed it once.
Everyone filtered into the living room, the kitchen, and the yard. The air buzzed with cautious hope, and Lily watched as Anna slowly unfurled, talking to her brother, hugging her family, drinking coffee that she wasn’t even sure she poured.
At one point, Cody pulled out his phone and began explaining things in more detail, laying out what might be happening.
“When a soldier’s found after going MIA, the first thing is transport to a secure base.
Ramstein is equipped for trauma. If he was injured badly, he’s already had a field triage, probably something temporary until surgery. ”
“Will they let him call her?” Lily asked.
“They will. Once he’s awake. Once he’s lucid enough. It may be a day or two. But they’ll make sure she hears from him.”
Henry tried to lighten the mood. “You know Luke. He’s probably asking to call her while under anesthesia.”
That earned a few tired smiles, and Margot said, “As long as he doesn’t try to charm the German doctors.”
“Wouldn’t work,” Claudia added. “They’re immune to that boyish nonsense.”
Anna sat on the couch, letting the warmth of their presence anchor her. “I knew he wasn’t gone,” she said softly. “I couldn’t explain it. But I knew.”
Lily moved to sit beside her, wrapping her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Because he wasn’t. You two…you’re tied in ways the rest of us don’t get to see.”
“I just want to hear his voice,” Anna whispered.
“You will,” Lily promised.
Outside, the sun dipped lower in the sky. The kids’ laughter rang out across the lawn as Max barked joyfully at the falling ball. Jess had produced a blanket from somewhere, and she and Maisie were lying on the grass, staring up at the sky.
It felt like a balm. A moment stolen from the chaos of the last few months.
Cody returned from the kitchen, carrying two mugs. He handed one to Anna and crouched in front of her. “Coffee. Terrible, burnt, and way too strong. But it’s what Dad would’ve made.”
Anna took it and smiled faintly. “That’s exactly what I need.”
A beat later, Anna’s phone vibrated on the table. Everyone fell silent as she reached for it, her breath catching.
She read it once. Then again. Her mouth opened.
“He’s out of surgery,” she said, her voice shaking. “It went well.”
The room erupted. Not in screams or cheers, but in the kind of emotional relief that makes people exhale for the first time in hours. Jess hugged Maisie, who hugged Claudia, who passed the news to Henry.
Anna stood again, this time steadier. “They said he’ll call when he can. They’ll keep me updated.”
Tears streaked her cheeks, but she didn’t bother wiping them away.
“He’s okay,” she whispered.
Lily reached out again, pulling her close. “He’s going to come home.”
“I know,” Anna said, burying her face in her shoulder.
Cody turned away, blinking hard. He stepped out onto the porch for a minute, and Lily followed him, giving him space but staying close just in case.
“You okay?” she asked.
He nodded, staring out over the yard. “It’s just been so long. I didn’t realize how much I missed him until I thought he was gone. I guess…I was preparing to have to step up for Anna and the kids. I didn’t…didn’t know if I was ready to do that.”
Lily slipped her hand into his. “We’re not meant to lose people like that.”
“No,” he agreed quietly. “We’re not.”
Back inside, the family began to gather plates, to clean up, to make space on couches and chairs. It didn’t matter if they stayed another hour or another five. They were here for Anna and the kids.
The stars will come out soon, Lily thought as she looked up. And when they did, she’d look for the brightest one and thank David for watching over his daughter’s husband.