Chapter 6
Kassie and Catherine entered the cabin. Instead of the usual craziness of kids playing and babies crying, the home remained quiet.
“Where are the kids?” Kassie asked Maddie as they set their purses on the counter.
Glancing up the stairs, Maddie nodded. “Bryanna and Lizzy went upstairs to comfort the girls. Melody got upset when Samantha read one of the nursery books to Grace. She insisted we read the bomb shelter book from the diaper bag,” she informed them sadly.
Sighing, Catherine said, “I’ll go talk to her.”
She climbed the stairs to Emma’s room, recalling the hundred times she fetched her daughter from her best friend. Usually giggles filled the air, but she only heard a quiet sniffle. Opening the door, she found Bryanna hugging Melody while Lizzy comforted Miya and Emma.
“Mom,” Melody choked out. “Dad only read the military books to Grace. We can’t let her forget.”
Catherine smiled and pulled her daughter into her arms, acknowledging Bryanna, who seemed affected by her daughter’s confession. “I know, honey. We won’t let her forget,” she said softly, gazing at Lizzy. “Do you mind if I talk to Melody for a minute?”
The two women smiled knowingly and hustled the girls from the room. Catherine sat on Emma’s bed and patted the space beside her as she lay against the pillows. She wrapped her arms around Melody and stroked her hair.
“I know this must be hard on you,” Catherine murmured softly. “It’s all right to cry for Dad. Grief has a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it. Only this afternoon, I cried in Kassie’s office.”
“You did?” Melody turned to gaze at her.
“Yeah. I loved your dad so much, I can’t imagine a life without him,” she confided. “It sounds like you’re having a difficult time of it, too.”
“I don’t want us to forget him,” Melody said, her eyes filling with fresh tears.
“We won’t. Dad may not be here physically anymore, but he’s in our hearts.
For me, I see him in you, your brother, and your sister.
You’ll carry on our love. You have an important job.
Grace and Derrick won’t recall Dad’s voice or how he barked orders.
It’s up to you to carry on with his traditions.
Can you think of one Dad might say to them? ”
Melody thought for a moment before speaking. “He’d say, Grace Armstrong, if you don’t pick up those toys from the living room floor, you’ll have to drop and give me twenty,’ And he didn’t mean push-ups,” she added.
“Oh, I like it. It’s a good one. What about for Derrick?” Catherine asked, pushing Melody’s hair from her face.
Melody twisted her mouth to the side, mimicking Leo. “He’d say, Derrick, you put the Armstrongs to shame. Stop digging in your doo doo before they call you Derrick doo doo. Kit Kat, he’s your son, make him stop.”
Catherine smiled as Melody giggled. “You sound exactly like your father,” she said, tapping her nose.
“Will it always hurt this much?” Melody asked. “My heart can’t take much more.”
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “But I count myself lucky to feel the pain. We know Dad loved us more than anything. It means we loved him as fiercely as he did us. One day, we might remember something funny he used to do, and it’ll make us laugh.
Instead of it hurting, it’ll become a treasured memory.
When we miss him terribly, we can replay some videos and let Grace and Derrick hear Dad’s voice. ”
“Do you think he misses us?” Melody asked quietly.
“Without a doubt,” she said emphatically. “Dad did everything to get back to us. Sometimes, it’s not enough. He sacrificed for his country and to give you a better world to grow up in. His life meant something.”
“He meant everything,” Melody said sadly.
“Yeah, he did,” she agreed. “Shall we join the others? The team will call and update us if they found Dad’s remains. They’re doing everything to bring him back.”
“What if he didn’t get injured but someone else did?” Melody asked hopefully.
Catherine slowly shook her head. “It’s Dad’s. Uncle Saint and Uncle Taco found his work phone and his gun. You know Dad never leaves Betsy unless she’s locked up for the night.”
“He said his gun was his mistress,” Melody recalled. “Why did he call it Betsy?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Catherine chuckled. “When your dad dated me, a girl named Betsy developed a slight crush on him. Later, he learned she turned into a model, and he said even Betsy didn’t hold a candle to me. It’s his way of saying I meant more to him than his gun.”
“He loved you very much,” Melody said with pride.
The lump in her throat grew bigger as she fought back the tears as she recalled the numerous fights over stupid stuff. She’d trade it all for one more day with him. “Yes, he did. Why don’t we check on his team? He’d want them to feel supported while they’re away.”
“All right,” her daughter said as she rolled off the bed and helped her stand. “Do you want another boy or a girl?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s another baby who carries a piece of your dad with them,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “It’ll be lucky to have a big sister like you.”
“Don’t worry, Mom, once I get to know it, I’ll find a perfect dad response for it,” she promised.
“I’m counting on it,” Catherine assured her as they walked out of the room.
Kassie watched her warily as she made it to the living room. Chase already ushered Melody to the kid’s table with build-your-own pizza night fixings.
“Everything all right?” Kassie asked.
“Yes, we needed a minute. What time will the team call?” Catherine asked, watching Melody place her toppings on her crust.
“They’ll call when they have a secure connection,” Kassie said. “We’re hoping sometime between dinner and clean up from the pizza brigade.”
“What did the grans make us to eat?” she asked, trying to sound hopeful.
“We have chicken pot pie, salad, and baked apple dumplings,” Kassie said. “Bear’s setting up the computer in my bedroom, and Chase helped him move chairs in there. The kids can stay out here with the grans.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” she said quietly. “We’re only missing the team and him.”
Kassie hugged her tightly. “There will always be a hole there. No one can fill his place.”
“No one wants to,” Catherine said. “Did you read your letter?”
“No. I plan to read it after I get the kids down for the night,” Kassie informed her. “Did you?”
“No. I’m doing the same,” she said, sitting at the table.
Kassie brought her a glass of cucumber and mint water and a plate of sliced carrots and celery with a dab of peanut butter. “It’ll be another half hour before we eat. We’re letting the kids bake their pizzas first.”
“What would I do without you?” Catherine asked.
“You’ll never have to know,” Kassie assured her, watching the kids bring their crusts to Carol and Edie to put in the oven as they finished.
Bryanna went into the nursery to answer the call of a crying baby as Lizzy held Beth and spoke with Samantha, who held Ari.
“Did you ever imagine us surrounded by this large family when you lived in that awful apartment?”
“If you had never called Leo, I might still be there,” Kassie admitted.
“He never left my side even when I acted like a pain in his ass. People think Chase and I have made a difference on this mountain. Leo brought his men here and taught them by example about loyalty when he saved Whiskey. He volunteered for veteran meetings for PTSD, and he helped this community. Sparky and Stormy may not have gotten a second chance without his intervention. Everyone in this room can attest to how Leo touched their lives.”
“It’s more than we even dreamed,” Catherine said, forcing herself to eat the food. “Do you have some acetaminophen? I have another headache.”
“You need to lie down. Your blood pressure keeps spiking,” Kassie gently reminded her.
“I promise to take it easy after the men call,” she vowed. “I know they’ll say the same thing, or they’d have called by now. I guess, I sorta hope they find something…anything.”
“Oh, honey, we’re all praying for the same thing,” Kassie said emphatically. “There’s nothing wrong with holding a bit of faith. After all, Leo’s known for his stubborn, ornery, less than normal ways of getting things handled.”
Sighing, Catherine set the fork down. She gazed at the kids playing.
Melody picked up a slice of her already baked pizza and shared it with Emma and Miya while they waited for theirs.
The boys eagerly waited for theirs to come out of the oven.
Grace played blocks with Beth and Tori while Derrick sat in a play pen, playing with toys.
She turned to Kassie and said, “Death has an unfair advantage. I’m afraid even Leo can’t cheat it. ”
Kassie squeezed her gently as she wiped tears with a napkin.
Bear entered the living room and nodded toward them, indicating the team finally called.
The grans watched the kids while the others filed into Kassie and Chase’s bedroom. They sat in chairs while the screen remained blank.
Bear cleared his throat and gazed at Julie, who held Melissa in her arms. She smiled encouragingly at him and nodded for him to continue.
“The team wants to talk to all of us at once, and then we’ll give each couple a minute of privacy at the end,” he informed the group. “I know you must have a ton of questions, and it’ll be easier to ask them when everyone can hear their responses. Catherine, you’ll go first.”
Catherine sat in the front row and straightened her shoulders. Leo’s men had searched for his remains for months and didn’t need to see her coming apart. She knew they did everything in their power to bring her husband home to her family.