First Class Hero (First Class Novels) (4 page)

“Really,” he whispered as he reached for her hand. “And it
was a long time ago.”

“What happened?” she asked softly. Her hand lifted towards him
but then stopped and returned to her side.

Paul started walking back the way they had come. He took a
moment before he answered.

“You really want to know?”

Nic nodded.

“We were on a mission off the coast of Somalia. It was a
hostage situation and we were to go in and get them out. There were three of
them and they’d been held for a long time. We weren’t sure how much longer
before they’d be killed. The mission was planned right down to the minutest
detail, as they always are, and we were working with the most recent intel, but
we found out when we got to the compound where the hostages were that our
sources had not been the most reliable. They were ready for us. Phil was shot.”

“Phil? The Phil I met today?”

“Yeah. Hit in the leg. He couldn’t walk so I went back to
get him and I got hit here and here.” Paul pointed to his right shoulder and
his then his left bicep. “And I got shot here and here but I was wearing my
vest.” He tapped his chest twice.

“But you all got out?”

Paul nodded. “Yup, we did. We even got the hostages out
too.”

“So you got shot saving Phil.”

“He would’ve done the same for me. We don’t leave anyone
behind…
ever
.”

Nic looked at the vicious scars. “It must have been
incredibly painful.”

“In the heat of the moment I didn’t even know I’d been shot.
The adrenaline was pumping and the training just takes over. I know it sounds
cliché but it is really is the way it works. We train for that exact situation
and we don’t even need to think…the reaction is instant and automatic. It
wasn’t until we were in the helicopter that Ed saw blood on me. At first I just
figured it was Phil’s cuz I carried him out, but as time wore on I figured out
it was me.”

“And these?” Nic pointed at his abdomen.

“Oh those? That’s nothing. Just some shrapnel from a bomb.”

Nic’s mouth dropped open. “
Just
a bomb?”

Paul chuckled. “Yeah, just a bomb. We didn’t have time to
defuse it so I detonated it but I wasn’t quite far enough away.”

“That’s insane!”

“Yeah…I got in trouble for that one. Ed was
not
happy!”

“So you’re an actual hero?” she whispered.

“No,” Paul frowned. “I did my job and I had Phil’s back.
It’s what we all do every single day. I’m no more special than anyone else.”

“Did you get a medal? Isn’t it a purple heart or something?”

“If you’re wounded in battle, yeah, you get a purple heart.
I got a Bronze Star too. I gave that to my mom. She didn’t leave my side while
I was recovering. As overwhelming as she can be sometimes, she is my rock. I
think the mothers are the ones that deserve the medals. Well in my case anyway.”

They’d made their way back to the truck and Paul opened the
door and Nic climbed in. It was only a short drive back to her house and Nic
was surprised to feel disappointed that their time together had come to an end.

As they pulled up in front of her home, Paul jumped out and
ran around to open the door for her. He walked her to the front door and
thanked her for a very enjoyable afternoon. And then he walked back to the
truck and drove away.

Monday morning came far too early. Paul had not slept well.
If he was actually going to leave the Navy his window of opportunity was
closing quickly. He’d sat in bed and hand written his thoughts in a notebook
and had realized that he had already made his decision. He’d made it weeks ago.
He just needed to act on it.

Ed’s office had been turned into the baby’s room so Mariah
had the family computer on a desk in the corner of the kitchen.

“Mind if I use that for a bit? And can I print something?”
he asked as he entered the kitchen.

“Of course,” she smiled. “Coffee?”

“Mmm, please.”

“Ed has left already. He got a call in the middle of the
night. Something’s up.”

“Huh,” frowned Paul. It must have been important to call him
in the middle of the night. He turned his attention to the computer and opened
up a Word document and the words just flowed easily and quickly. It printed, he
signed it and folded the piece of paper in thirds and put it in his pocket.

Mariah placed a cup of coffee on the counter and Paul
thanked her. As he picked it up his phone began buzzing in his pocket. He
pulled it out and was immediately concerned as he read his commander’s name on
the caller I.D.

“Lathem,” he said as he answered the call. He listened for a
moment and nodded and replied in the affirmative on several occasions. He hung
up and looked at Mariah. “I’ve been recalled.”

“What? Is that why Ed was called last night?”

Paul sighed. “Probably. My team will be leaving on Thursday.
His team could be going too.”

“This doesn’t sound good,” Mariah said as she was trying to
remain calm, although it was difficult.

“I need to pack and book a flight.”

“Let me know if you need anything. If you need a ride to the
airport.”

Paul walked over to her and gave her a hug. “Thanks for
letting me invade your home. I really needed this trip.”

“Of course,” she replied. “You know you can come here
anytime. We love you and you are part of our family. Always have been and
always will be.”

Paul ran up the stairs, two at a time, and threw his stuff
together. He called the airline and booked a seat on a flight leaving at eleven
o’clock. He was headed back to San Diego and then off on a mission.

*****

Nic sat in the kitchen drinking her orange juice and
reviewing the classifieds on the internet. There weren’t any new job postings.

“So, how was yesterday with your sailor boy?” Evelyn asked
as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

Nic sighed. “First off, he’s a Navy Seal, and second, he’s
not mine.”

“Why would you not want him? He’s gorgeous! Everything every
woman could only dream about.”

“I barely know him. But it
was
fun. There was a whole
Navy Seal team there and their families. And surprisingly, they were all really
nice.”

“Why is that a surprise? There are lots of nice Navy guys.
I’ve met many of them,” she smirked.

“Well my experience hasn’t been as positive.”

“So are you going to see him again?”

“I don’t think so. My life is very up in the air at the
moment. I’m probably moving in the next few months and his job is not conducive
to a relationship, at least not a relationship with me. I’m not the woman for
him. Believe me, I know.”

“I think you should see what he has to say. And besides, he
may not want to see
you
again.” Evelyn walked out of the kitchen.

“Why wouldn’t he want to see me again?” Nic scowled. “Rude!”

*****

After a call to Ed as he sat in the airport, Paul understood
it was a major event they were headed to in the Middle East. It would entail
two Seal teams, Ed’s and Paul’s, and considerable involvement from a Carrier Strike
Group and UAVs, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

He wasn’t nervous; this is what he trained for. He had been
a Seal for a long time and had seen pretty much everything there was to see in
war and hostile situations. He was prepared. But he was also uneasy, and
that
was unusual.

Paul made the call he hated to make. He talked to his mom
for several minutes and heard the anxiety in her voice. She must have said she
loved him ten times during the short conversation. He hung up and sat at the
gate in the airport waiting for his plane to board. He fiddled with his phone,
turning it over in his hands. He scrolled through the contact list and pushed
the call button. 

“Hi,” Nic said.

“Hey,” Paul replied. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Thank you again for yesterday. I had a nice time.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I did too. Hey, um, I was calling
to…”

“You know I’m glad you called Paul. I don’t want to have any
misunderstandings hanging out there, and…”

“Nic, I’ve been recalled. I’m at the airport waiting for my
flight. I’m heading back to San Diego and then my team is heading off for a few
weeks. I was calling cuz I didn’t want you to think that I just didn’t call
you. I had a really nice time yesterday too. And I wanted you to know that. But
I’m not going to be able to call you, at least for the next several weeks and I
didn’t want you wondering what happened.”

“Oh.”

The gate agent announced boarding over the PA system and
Paul needed to get on the plane.

“I will call you when I get home if that’s okay,” Paul said.

“Yes, do that. Paul?”

“Yeah?”

“Be safe.”

“I always try.”

He hung up with Nic and turned off his phone. He made his
way onto the plane and found his seat. He didn’t like the feelings he was
having at all. In fact, he hated how he felt. He was not nervous at all about
the mission and he didn’t even know what that was. What he didn’t like was
worrying about someone he was leaving behind.

*****

Back in San Diego, Paul headed to his tiny apartment, more
like an over-sized storage shed with a bathroom, and packed for deployment. He had
talked to his Commander on the taxi ride from the airport and had been filled
in on the basics of the mission. They were going to rescue an American
journalist and her cameraman who were being held hostage, and the plan was to
eliminate as many of the terrorists as they could and bring the Americans home.
Apparently they would be heading to a secret compound that was housing not only
the two Americans but also a British soldier who had been missing for a couple
of weeks. The CIA had an asset on the ground and the information coming from
him described a military fortress, hence the multiple Seal teams and
cooperation of several branches of the military. The Special Air Service of the
British Special Forces would also be involved and they would meet up at the
military base in Kandahar.

Tuesday morning he was back on base and back with his team
preparing for their mission. They spent two days packing and making sure all
the equipment they would need would be making the trip with them. As Paul stood
on the tarmac Thursday morning preparing to board the transport plane, his mind
wandered back to Virginia and the woman who had somehow captured his interest
without even trying.

After ten years in the military, Paul had learned to sleep
anywhere, so the flight to Kandahar went by quickly and he was soon on base.

There were two Seal teams assembled. At one time or another
Paul had worked with every member of the teams and would gladly work with them
again. He trusted every one of them with his life. They were an elite group of
men trained by the very best and they would get the job done.

Paul had also met the SAS troop that had arrived. The sixteen
extremely skilled British military joined the Seals. He welcomed the idea of
working with the SAS, as they were considered one of the most elite Special
Forces units in the world. He was sure he would learn something and was honored
to work with them. Paul almost pitied the members of the Taliban who stood in
their way. They would regret it. Of that he was sure.

*****

Nic stood at the bar waiting for her table’s drink order. It
was a busy Saturday night and she and Evelyn were being run off their feet. But
tips were coming her way and that made her feel like her sore feet were worth
it.

“Here you go, hun,” Brian smiled as he lined the glasses up
in front of her.

Nic smiled and scooted up her tray and headed off to deliver
them to the waiting table. And so it went all night long. By the time the last
customer had been put in a taxi and the doors locked, Nic had made almost two
hundred dollars in tips.

“Nice!” she grinned as she put her earnings into her purse.

“Let me walk you ladies out,” offered Brian.

“It’s good to see a little twinkle in your eye tonight,” he
said as he stood by Nic’s car as she unlocked it.

“Twinkle?” Nic was surprised.

“Yeah, a twinkle. Probably helped with those tips too.”

Nic and Evelyn said goodnight and drove home.

“It’s true,” Evelyn agreed as they locked the front door
after getting home. “You do have a twinkle. It’s your Navy boy, huh?”

Nic rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’m not
interested!”

“I don’t believe you!”

*****

Maureen Lathem sat in the conference room of St. Luke’s Prep
School and reviewed the applications that had come in over the past few days.
She and Father Todd were to eliminate the unqualified applicants.

“Well, of the fifteen, we have eleven that have met the
minimum qualifications.”

Father Todd nodded. “I’m actually pleasantly surprised. I
didn’t think we would get that many.”

“Hmph! Did you look at some of these though? There really
are only two or three that we will want to interview,” Maureen frowned.

“That’s up to the selection committee to decide.”

“I am the selection committee!”

Father Todd chuckled. “One of the five, Maureen.”

“Well I know who I would select from these letters of
interest. I do believe if we are hiring a teacher we should not hire ones who
can’t spell!”

“I agree with you there,” Father Todd grinned. “It is rather
ironic that a few of these have spelled Manhattan incorrectly. I thought
everyone had word processors with spell check nowadays.”

Maureen pushed the reject pile to Father Todd. “Have the
secretary deal with these immediately. And this pile? I guess we reconvene the
committee and narrow it down.”

*****

Ed and Paul sat eating breakfast together. They had been
discussing the mission. They were still waiting on some crucial intel before
they got the green light to move.