Just the Six of Us Bk. 02 Ch. 06

The sound of a small dog barking from somewhere in the house could be heard, and the noise quickly grew louder until it was obvious that the source of the noise was directly on the other side of the closed door. She glanced down at Max, but he looked like he couldn't care less, panting happily with the same, adorable, goofy look on his face that he always had.

A few seconds went by before she heard a deep, gruff voice yell, "Shut up already," before the door was unlocked and opened.

A tall man with a warm, smiling face greeted them.

"Mike Matthews," Mike said, reaching out to shake the man's hand.

"Bud Turner," the man said, briefly shaking it before pulling Mike in for a surprise embrace that ended with a hearty pat on the back. "Good to finally meet you!"

"You too, sir," Mike said, turning and raising a hand toward Danni. "This is my girlfriend, Danni."

Danni felt a rush of happiness when she heard him refer to her as his girlfriend but stifled her giddiness quickly as Dan turned to shake her hand.

"Lovely to meet you," she said sweetly, offering a warm smile.

"Likewise," Bud said, then stepped out of the way as he held to the door open and gestured behind him.

"Y'all come on in," he said.

"Is our dog going to be okay to come in or does he need to stay out here?" Mike asked, pausing just after he'd started moving forward.

"Oh hell no, he's fine to come in," Bud said. "That noisy little bastard is Frankie, my wife's dog. Don't mind him none, though, he's harmless."

Danni saw a scruffy looking mutt that appeared to be about half of Max's size, wagging his tail madly and vibrating in place just inside the house. Following Mike in, the two paused just inside as Bud came around and began to lead the way forward.

She took a moment to make sure that Max and Frankie were going to get along, and after the required butt-sniffing session, the two seemed to be fast friends.

They stepped out of the entryway into a short hallway that had a large opening on the left side. Bud continued to lead the way, stepping through the doorway and moving over to a woman standing just inside and smiling warmly.

"This is my wife," Bud said.

"Maryann," she said warmly, and quickly pulled Mike close in for a hug.

"Mike," he said. "This is my s... girlfriend, Danni," he said.

She mentally face-palmed, hearing him stumble and almost refer to her as his sister. She recovered quickly though and stepped in for a hug as well.

"You are just the prettiest thing," Maryann said warmly. "Thank you so much for coming to visit with us."

"It's our pleasure," Mike said, stepping back to stand beside Danni.

"Oh, my goodness," Maryann said, spying Max sitting like a giant dumpling in front of Danni's feet. "Max was it?" she asked, looking up at Danni.

She nodded.

"Who's a good boy?" Maryann gushed, kneeling down and giving Max more than a little affection.

The other three watched with amused smiles before she stood again.

"Supper's just about ready if you guys are ready to eat," Maryann said, gesturing to another archway and the dining room beyond.

"Sounds good," Mike said, glancing at her briefly and winking.

They stepped through the archway and gathered around the table as Maryann disappeared through another doorway.

Conversation filled the room then as the three of them talked. Maryann reappeared a minute later carrying a plate of fried chicken and set it down on the table.

"Can I give you a hand?" Danni asked, standing.

"Oh, thank you," Maryann said, smiling briefly before turning.

Danni followed quickly into a modest kitchen and began to help carry a surprising amount of food to the dining room. As she and their host finished setting the table, Danni heard Mike and Bud talking about Bud serving in Vietnam, though most of the terminology that they were using was lost on her.

During dinner, Danni and Maryann listened politely as Mike answered questions about his time overseas as Bud continued to ask questions while they ate. Mike seemed to be happy to talk about the various things he did, and it was nice for Danni to get a little bit more info about this part of his life that the rest of the family had very little information about.

At one point, Maryann turned and smiled at Danni then rolled her eyes. Danni smiled back at her.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Maryann asked.

Danni smiled, her mind working fast to come up with plausible details that didn't include the fact that they were siblings.

"We dated a little when the two of us were still in college," she began, "but we split up after. Mike joined the Marines right after we broke up. I never stopped loving him though, and when he was finished, he came back to me, and we pretty much just picked up right where we left off."

"Its nice to see a couple so clearly in love," Maryann commented, smiling at her before taking a bite of food.

"It's been wonderful having him back," Danni admitted. "Even with..." she began but then trailed off and glanced up at Maryann.

Maryann gave her a warm smile and Danni could see the look of understanding. The older woman reached over and kindly squeezed her arm for a moment.

"Any plans for you two to get married?" Maryann asked, her voice much lower than before so that Mike wouldn't be able to easily hear. Danni didn't think that he was even paying attention though.

She turned back to look at Maryann and offered a shrug. "To be honest, we're just trying to get back to feeling normal, you know?"

Maryann nodded. "It can certainly be rough," she conceded. "So... what do you do?"

Immediately grateful for the change in conversation topics, Danni took a drink and washed down her latest morsel of chicken before answering.

"I'm an ER nurse," she said.

The two talked for a few minutes more about the ins and outs of her job before conversation turned to a new topic and the four began conversing together again.

Dinner went much more pleasantly than Danni had figured it might. The two parents definitely had a palpable air of sorrow around them, but they seemed to hide it well. Though, she supposed that she might be better equipped to notice such things given her line of work.

"Well, that hit the spot my dear," Bud said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach.

"So delicious, thank you so much," Danni agreed.

"It was my pleasure," Maryann replied.

She stood up from the table and grabbed her plate, Danni following suit.

"Well, Mike," Bud said, pushing his own chair back from the table. "What say you and me go take a walk after we get this mess sorted."

"Sure," Mike said simply, standing along with the older man.

"Oh, you boys don't trouble yourselves," Maryann said, offering a pointed look at Danni.

"We can manage," Danni added, smiling at the two men, having picked up Maryann's hidden meaning. She got the feeling that Bud was looking forward to talking with Mike alone and knew that Mike had been anxious to get a potentially tough part of the visit over with.

"Ain't gotta twist my arm," Bud said, smiling at his wife. He gestured for Mike to follow and walked through the doorway to the kitchen, paused to drop his plate off at the sink, then led Mike out the other doorway to another room beyond with a door just on the other side that led outside.

Danni and Maryann began to clear the table, Danni focusing on bringing things to the kitchen and letting Maryann work on putting them in storage containers. Halfway through, the older woman's tactics changed, and she announced her intention to pack some food for Mike and Danni.

A somewhat awkward silence descended on the two and Danni began to feel a little trepidatious about opening up any conversations. It began to feel like anything she might say could potentially lead to Maryann thinking about her deceased son.

Once the table was cleared, Danni quietly asked for a wash rag to wipe the table down. Maryann pulled a drawer open and wet a fresh one, then turned and smiled at Danni, offering the rag. Danni saw tears beginning to rim the eyes of the other woman and gave her a gentle smile of comfort.

Maryann closed her eyes, lowering her head as her shoulders began to bob, Danni's arms wrapping around her and pulling her in for a hug. She squeezed gently, holding her there and just trying to be as much of a source of comfort as she could.

After a few minutes of quiet, subtle sobbing, Maryann lifted her face and used the wet washcloth to wipe her face, then chuckled quietly and handed it to Danni. She frowned almost immediately though, and sank slowly to floor, her face in her hands. Danni knelt beside her, then turned and joined her in leaning up against the kitchen cabinet.

After a few minutes of silence, she finally decided to speak.

"My... siblings... and I... lost both of our parents when I was just 14 or so," Danni said quietly. "I know that's not nearly the same as losing a child, and I would never try and equate the two. I just... I know what its like to feel just so emotionally drained and to feel such an overwhelming loss. I can remember the finest details of the evening when the police came and talked to my oldest sister, then how she told me and my other siblings what had happened. I can remember the look in her eyes, and even what we were all wearing. I can remember it all like it was yesterday."

She was silent for a few seconds, lost in thought before she spoke again.

"I remember that even though I was mourning, what hurt the most was when people would try and comfort me or ask how I was doing. It was like... both of my parents died. How do you think I'm doing?"

Maryann snickered quietly at that, nodding at the words.

"Plus, now that I'm an ER nurse, I've seen loss up close. I've had to talk to parents after they've been told the most devasting thing they'll ever hear. You quickly learn that the only thing you can really do or say that makes any difference at all, is 'I'm sorry that this happened.' Everything else just makes people upset or comes off as hollow.'"

Maryann sighed deeply after a few seconds of silence. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to keep going on. It feels so... unfair. How am I ever going to get over this?"

"I don't think you're supposed to get over it," Danni said after a few moments. "I still miss my mom and dad as much as I did the day they died. I think you just get better at being able to handle it. I know it might sound silly, but I once heard that grief is like a suitcase filled with rocks. You're always going to have to carry it with you, but sometimes, it's just full of little pebbles, and it's easy to bear. Others, its full of bricks and you need someone to help you."

She fell silent after that, tentatively glancing over.

"Mike is lucky to have you," Maryann said at length. "I'm sorry I broke down. I thought I would be able to handle it until after y'all had left, but..."

"There's no reason to apologize," Danni assured her. "Mike has his moments too."

Maryann took a deep breath and began to get up off the floor. Danni stood quickly and helped her up.

"How's he doing?" Maryann asked.

Danni took a deep breath, thinking back to the rough times that Mike had been having lately.

"He's doing okay," she said. "He has nightmares every now and then and wakes up in a panic. But he's usually more terrified about accidentally hurting me than anything else. I just try and be there for him."

"That's all your really can do," Maryann said. "I went through it once before when my husband came home from Vietnam. I think talking to other Marines is a big help for him. I know it was before, but there aren't a whole lot of his friends left around. I think he and Mike will be able to help each other, though."

"How's Bud holding up?" Danni asked, taking the washrag and following Maryann through to the dining room.

"He tries to be 'Mister Big Tough Marine' most of the time, but it's been hard," Maryann said. "I know it's been difficult for him to not go back to drinking, but I'm proud of him for not crossing that threshold yet. Still, I find him sitting alone in his rocking chair some nights, staring off into space and fighting some long-forgotten battle in his head. I find that its best to just let him be during those times. I know he'd never intentionally hurt me, but there are times when they just aren't 'here' anymore, if you understand what I mean."

Danni nodded silently. Mike first nightmare came to mind, and how he'd been squeezing Emma so tight.

"I think it might be easier for us," Maryann said after Danni wiped the crumbs she'd gathered into a pile on the table into her palm. She turned, the older woman following as she went and tossed the crumbs into the trash and rinsed the rag out in the sink.

"I think that since we're mostly in the dark about what actually goes on over there," Maryann continued as the two began to rinse the dishes off and load them in the washer. "I think that the mystery of what happened might be easier to handle than actually knowing."

"I would think so," Danni agreed. "I told Mike that he can tell me whatever he needs to if it will help."

Maryann nodded but snickered quietly. "Well, just understand that even if he does, its going to be a heavily 'sanitized' version. Just... don't ever press him to tell you." As she spoke the last words, Maryann turned and looked at Danni, putting a hand on her wrist.

"No, I would never," Danni agreed.

Maryann smiled again, and the two resumed washing dishes and loading them into the dish washer.

"So, is it okay to ask how Chuck was as a child?" Danni asked, turning and looking at Maryann hesitantly.

"Ha," Maryann said, laughing genuinely and smiling. "Lord... that boy..." she said. "I swear there wasn't a day that went by where he wasn't getting in trouble for something or coming home with a fresh injury."

Danni smiled, seeing the mirth in the woman's eyes as she began to recount story after story of her son's misadventures growing up. He seemed to be a very disaster-prone child.

After the washer was loaded, Danni and Maryann went to the living room and talked about Danni's sisters and her brother, who just happened to be a lot like Mike. She kept the details on him vague, not that she thought that anyone would even think to make that leap in thought.

*****

Mike

Mike heart had been pounding when they were driving up, but it was good to see Bud so jovial and happy to see them when they got out. He'd seen pictures of Turner's parents before, of course, and Maryann looked just as kind as she had when he'd first seen her.

Still, it was easy to see the sadness barely concealed beneath the masks of happiness the two wore. As they sat down to eat dinner, Mike found that it was much easier to relate and talk to Bud than Maryann, the older Marine knowing more of what Mike gone through.

The two briefly talked about Mike's time in boot camp before he noticed the ladies starting to have their own conversation. Chuckling to himself, he turned back to Bud. "So, Chuckie told me that you did a couple of tours in 'Nam? Who were you with?"

Bud grinned widely and took a drink of his iced tea before responding. "Did most of my time with the '2/3'. 2nd Battalion got into a lot of shit when I was in there."

Mike nodded, listening as Bud talked broadly about some of the action he'd seen. After several minutes, the older Marine chuckled and shook his head. "Goddamn if I don't miss the shit sometimes, though."

"I know what you mean," Mike said, nodding.

He began to elaborate on some of his experiences overseas, at least the more peaceful ones. He was pretty sure that Bud would want to get the real details on what had happened to his son but knew that would be later when Maryann and Danni were doing something else.

After they all finished eating, the ladies quickly shooed them outside and started cleaning.

Mike could sense the atmosphere around he and Bud change a bit as they went out the back door, but it wasn't hostile or anything. He followed the older man out past a small shed and to a dirt road, catching up to walk beside him. The two continued to walk for a little longer, down a short hill and to a small pond that had a couple of chairs in a small clearing. The sun was just about setting when they sat down.

"So... how are you doing with all this?" Bud asked finally.

Mike shrugged. "You know how it is. I'm dealing as best I can. I appreciate you letting me come and visit. Chuckie was..." He trailed off, closing his eyes for a second.

"My son was crazy," Bud said, turning to chuckle at Mike.

"Goddamn he was crazy," Mike said. "Loud and hilarious but fuck if he wasn't the craziest bastard around. And the fucker never seemed to put on a single pound, no matter how much he ate. Skinny bastard."

"Yeah, that's my boy," Bud said, grinning widely and shaking his head. He fell silent though, quietly waiting while Mike took a moment to collect himself. "How many brothers did you lose that day?" he asked.

"Two," Mike said immediately. He closed his eyes, almost hearing the gunfire erupting around him. "I'm guessing the Corps didn't give you many details about what happened."

"Hell no," Bud said. "I guess... I was just hoping that you might be able to tell me how it all went down."

Mike nodded, remembering Jimbo's words to him at the bar. "Anything for a brother."

"We were out on mounted patrol, Jackson, Turner, Burnsey, and Eggers in the lead vehicle. I was right behind them in the second truck when the lead truck stopped. Burnsey was in the turret where he stayed. Chuckie called out over comms that there was something in the road and that they were too close. LT had just ordered us to back up when it happened."

Mike was immediately back there, hearing the distant sounds of gunfire and the sound of his own voice yelling out orders.

"The truck was blown to shit," Mike said, shaking his head. "Chuckie had opened his door, I guess to get a better look at the thing he'd seen, and he was thrown about ten feet. Jackson had stopped far enough away from the IED that the guys in the truck weren't killed, though the vehicle itself was fucked. Burnsey was thrown free of the turret, both his legs mangled. Jackson and Eggers were badly injured, but they'd eventually survive."

He stared at the setting sun, the image of the burning orb small comfort to the torment whirling in his mind.

"I'd already started for Chuckie before he'd landed. The explosion wasn't as powerful as some I'd seen, but he was close enough for it to kill him instantly. We started taking fire immediately, though I never saw where it was coming from. I grabbed Chuckie and slung him over my shoulder, then scrambled for cover. I called for a Corpsman and my driver, Wilkins, rushed over to where we were to check on me. I was holding Chuckie tight against me, and rounds are just hammering into the embankment we were behind. I could hear LT calling out orders and heard my gunner and the other two vehicles open up on 'em. Wilkins called my name once again, and I turned to look at him. He asked me if I was good, then turned and poked his head up above the embankment."

He closed his eyes, hearing the snap and wet crunch of the bullet hitting Wilkin's skull.

"Lucky shot got him right between the eyes," Mike said. "Knocked him onto his back halfway down the embankment."

He closed his eyes, fighting back the images filling his head. Finally, he was able to get himself squared away again and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"We called in CAS and took out the attackers after that. We CASEVAC'd the wounded, but I didn't expect them to make it. Burnsey lost his legs, and Eggers and Jackson were both badly burned; but they all lived."

He fell silent after that, staring down at the water for a while and letting Bud process all the info.