CHAPTER FOURTEEN
On the plane, the men chatted about that feeling of fighting once again for something you believed in. They reminisced, joked, laughed, and then were ever grateful that they’d all walked away.
“Matthew, that might have been one of the best gifts you’ve ever given me,” said Ghost. “I’ve fought a lot of battles, some I didn’t think I’d walk away from.
I’ve fought side-by-side with my own men, my brothers and was always glad when we were able to come home.
But fighting for those young men with their entire lives ahead of them, that made me feel better than any of those battles. ”
Matthew smiled at Ghost, nodding.
“Same, Pops,” said Jean. “I feel exactly the way Ghost does but I think you knew we would feel this way. We fought for purpose but I think we’re all glad that it was the last time.”
The men stared at one another as Matthew just sat quietly.
“That’s why you did this,” said Rafe. “You knew this would be our last big battle and you wanted it to be special, to feel worthy. You knew we needed this.”
“I always know what you need,” smiled Matthew.
“You have fought on the frontlines for decades. Literally. Never considering your own safety or your own mortality. You’ve saved thousands of people, civilians and military personnel alike.
You’ve rescued world leaders, religious leaders, children and, much to my wife’s delight, animals. ”
The men all laughed, shaking their heads at the truth of the statement.
“You’ve done your time. You’ve earned this rest, this time to do something else good. Your fighting is behind you now.”
“Matthew, you always know what we need,” said Trak.
“I think that’s my job,” he smirked. They all heard a ‘yip’ and turned to see Gaspar’s chest squirming.
“Gaspar? What do you have?” asked Miller.
“Well, uh, this little guy was wandering around and he begged me to help him. His mother is gone and he doesn’t know where his siblings are. I mean, look at this face,” he said pulling the puppy from his jacket. The huge brown eyes stared at the men, the little puppy dirty and dusty.
“He needs a bath,” laughed Baptiste.
Gaspar nodded, headed toward the bathroom. The men watched as he scrubbed the sweet little pup and laughed at his big, rough hands smoothing the puppy’s fur with soapy water.
“What will you call him?” asked Angel.
“I don’t know,” said Gaspar staring at the sweet brown eyes. He wrapped the puppy in a towel and then looked at the others. “He’s a survivor. I mean, how does a puppy survive that chaos?”
“He needs a name,” said Zeke.
“Chaos,” said Trak. “His name is Chaos.”
The men laughed, nodding, each taking turns loving on the sweet puppy who babbled like a toddler in Gaspar’s ear. All these years he’d ignored the whisperings, the passing sounds as he walked by the animals at Belle Fleur. He figured it was some sort of trick of his mother’s.
Instead, it was a gift. A gift that his parents deemed he would need one day and indeed, he has needed it. Maybe now more than ever. Chaos licked his face over and over and he laughed.
“Okay, boy. Okay. I know. You’ll have a warm bed and more attention than you can stand when we get home.” The puppy seemed to understand, curling it a ball at the curvature of his arm.
Only a few hours after landing at Belle Fleur, Lucy came back holding Chaos, the newest member of the family.
“He’s healthy, surprisingly,” smiled Lucy. “We’ve given him his shots, a new collar and we’ve tagged him.”
“Any idea the mix of his breed?” asked Gaspar.
“Dad, he’s not a mixed breed,” she smiled. “He’s a Great Dane. That puppy will be almost two-hundred pounds in a year.”
“You’re fucking with me, Luce,” he said shocked, looking down at the puppy.
“Nope,” she laughed. “Chaos is about to create chaos. Have fun!” She started to walk away and he looked down at the sweet face in his arms.
“You knew. You knew exactly what you were and you didn’t tell me you little sneak,” he said to the dog.
“Everyone knew, brother,” said Trak slapping his back as he gave a scratch to Chaos. “You deserve this.”
The uproarious laughter made everyone smile. But there was still a lot of work to be done and no time to rest. With just a week until Christmas Eve, they had to finish the work and make a plan for delivery.
No problem.