Chapter 24
Ford
When I landed, I met River at the airport. We greeted each other. Then he led me through the terminal.
"Thanks for coming."
"We promised to be there for each other."
"When Mitchell's brother called asking for help, I couldn't say no. I thought it would help to have everyone here."
I hadn't bothered to book a hotel room. I figured we'd be at Mitchell's place most of the time.
We stepped through the automatic doors, the air warmer than in Colorado. "I thought we could go to Mitchell's first."
"That works for me." I shrugged off my jacket before getting into his truck.
River drove me to an apartment complex, and we knocked on a first-floor apartment door. A sharp bark inside told me that Mitchell had a dog.
A few seconds later, my friend Ryan opened the door. "Hey, thanks for coming."
We slapped each other's backs and stepped inside. The room itself was dark, the curtains closed, and it took a few seconds to adjust to the light.
"Sorry about the light. I couldn't convince Mitchell to open the blinds," Ryan whispered.
"The other guys are on their way," River told Ryan.
"Good," Ryan said to River, and then to Mitchell, he said, "Your friends are here."
Mitchell sighed, letting his head fall back. "You shouldn't have come."
River shrugged. "Eh. I haven't seen you in a while."
Mitchell's gaze shifted from Ryan to me. "You got out recently. Are you having trouble getting a job?"
I sat on the edge of the couch, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my thighs. "I work for my family's construction business."
Mitchell's eyes dimmed. "Of course."
I knew I was lucky to have family to help me when I left, and others didn't have that same support. "Are you having trouble finding something?"
"My skills don't exactly translate to real life jobs, you know?" Mitchell said.
I wanted to help him, but I'd have to talk to my brothers about bringing someone new on. I had a feeling they'd want to help a veteran, especially if he was a friend of mine. But he might want to stay close to his family.
"Have you contacted the Veteran's Administration? Maybe you could get something in the government?" Ryan asked.
"Everything just feels so hard. I can't seem to get out of bed or cook breakfast. What's the point, ya know?"
"I got out because I wanted to be closer to my family. I wanted to reconnect with them, and it's been nice. One of the jobs I'm working on is with my ex."
Ryan whistled. "That could be bad."
"We reconnected, and it's been great. I think I was meant to come home now when she's living there too.
We picked up where we left off. Is there something like that for you?
A person you want to see or something you want to do?
" I asked Mitchell, worried that we didn't have the skills to deal with something like this.
Mitchell shrugged. "It all seems pointless."
I exchanged a look with Ryan, and then I said, "Is there something you enjoy doing? Taking your dog for a walk, working out? If so, you could start there."
Mitchell didn't respond.
"Tell us about your girl," Ryan prompted me, even though he'd heard this story enough times through the years.
"Natasha and I dated in high school but couldn't survive the distance when she went to college and I enlisted."
Ryan nodded encouragingly, even though I wasn't sure Mitchell was even listening to me.
We were experienced with how tough distance could be on a relationship.
Many guys returned to find that their girls had been cheating or moved on without telling them.
It was rough. "I apologized for how I acted back then, and we agreed to work together.
She has an inn in this little town that's Christmas twenty-four seven.
I suggested we spend some time together.
Maybe she could show me the town and take me to the holiday events, make up for the time I missed.
It quickly evolved into something more."
"She know you're here?" Ryan asked.
"I told her, but she didn't respond to my text." I wondered why that was. Was she worried I'd walk away again? That distance would make our relationship too difficult? "She was in charge of a parade in town, so she was probably busy."
"She worried about what happened last time? How you checked out of the relationship?" Ryan asked.
I hadn't even thought about that. "I was supposed to help her with the parade she’s hosting tomorrow, but I thought she'd understand that I needed to be here for a friend."
"If you didn't talk about it, how do you know how she feels?" Ryan asked.
That was a good point. One that had me worried. "It's weird she didn't respond."
"Life is short. We gotta hold onto the people that mean something to us," Ryan said.
I knew he had loss in his life, but he didn't talk too much about it. "That's good advice."
"Don't let her slip through your fingers," River added.
"I won't." I intended to reach out as soon as we were done talking with Mitchell.
I just hoped she wasn't upset with me. Should I have done more to get into contact with her?
I thought a text would be sufficient, given the time I had to search for flights, pack, and get to the airport.
Maybe I should have called her or talked to her in person, but that would have meant more time before I could get to Mitchell.
"There are so many things to look forward to. You just have to know what you want, I guess. Do you want a particular kind of job? Do you want to meet someone? What do you want?" River asked Mitchell.
His head rolled back and forth on the couch cushion. "That's the thing. I have no idea."
"You should come to Colorado. You can stay at my girl's inn and be immersed in the magic of the holidays."
"Maybe a vacation, getting out of this apartment, would be good for you," Ryan said.
"It would be a nice change of scenery," River added.
"You could stay at the inn or with me." I didn't mind hosting, and I'd love to have my friends come visit.
"The thought of packing—" Mitchell trailed off.
"In the meantime, you want to find a place you can workout?" Ryan asked, searching on his phone.
"I haven't bothered to join a gym."
Ryan nodded. "Let's take a look at some now. See if you like one, and get you signed up. Your health insurance pays for it.”
We enjoyed physical exercise, especially when it wasn't at six in the morning for PT. Working out on our own terms was better.
We got changed into workout clothes and headed to the gym. We worked out, one of us sticking by Mitchell. I thought he was just lost and needed some direction. If one of us checked in on him, hopefully he'd be okay. His brother lived close by, so he had him and now us.
At the end of the work out, Ryan helped him sign up for a membership, and then we went back to Mitchell's to change for dinner.
The idea was to stay by Mitchell's side and give him some motivation to feel better.
So we insisted on going out to dinner at a local sports bar.
Afterward, we discussed staying in his apartment.
I would have to sleep on the floor, but I was used to much worse conditions.
And being there for my friend was worth it.
When we got home, Mitchell seemed a little better. But I was exhausted from traveling and worrying about my friend, I fell asleep without reaching for my phone.
The next morning, we made breakfast for everyone, and then researched veterans in the area that might be able to mentor Mitchell.
It was evening before I had a chance to shoot a quick text to Natasha.
Ford: Sorry I couldn't be at the parade.
It took a while for her response, and I was drifting off when my phone buzzed.
Natasha: Where were you?
Hadn't I told her I was leaving to help my friend? I searched through my text chain with her and saw the error message that the one I'd sent about leaving Colorado hadn't been delivered.
Ford: It looks like my previous text never went through. I had to help one of my friends in the army. He's having a tough time since he transitioned out.
Natasha: All I knew was that you didn't show up for the parade.
Ford: I'm sorry. I meant to tell you. When River called, I had to pack and look for flights. It was rushed.
It took a few minutes for the next text to come through from her.
Natasha: How's your friend doing?
Ford: He's feeling down, but we're helping him. Got him to go to a gym and workout. Then we took him to dinner. I'm staying at his place.
Ford: I said he should visit Christmas Town. That it lifts everyone's spirits.
When she didn't respond, I texted again.
Ford: How was the parade?
Natasha: Crazy but good. It was as smooth as we could have hoped for.
Ford: That's great, right? How is the toy drive going?
Natasha: The floor at town hall is covered.
She sent me an image with the tree in the corner, and the rest of the room filled with toys.
Ford: I love seeing that.
Natasha: I've had a long day. I think I'm going to bed.
I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn't on the floor of my buddy's house with my friends sprawled in sleeping bags next to me. She hadn't asked when I was coming home, and I didn't know when that would be. Her failure to ask about the details was telling.
Had I brought up bad memories? She thought I'd ghosted her, and now she was distancing herself from me. But there was nothing I could do about it in North Carolina. I had to hope that she'd listen to me when I got back.
We spent the week with Mitchell, helping him apply for jobs and setting him up with a local veteran, so he could mentor him through the transition.
He promised to visit me soon in Christmas Town.
I wanted all my friends to come with him.
Maybe around Christmas, so they could experience what the area had to offer: skiing, hot chocolate, and the holiday stuff.
Mitchell promised to stay in touch and seemed better when we left.