Page 107 of Fire and Rain
He walked over to Trey. “Have you seen Spurrier?”
Trey shook his head. “I haven’t seen him for a couple of days.”
Captain Walcott must have overheard because he walked over to Sean. “Lt. Spurrier resigned his commission. He’d fulfilled his service agreement and requested a voluntary separation, which was finalized a few days ago.”
The news hit Sean like a fist to the gut.
“I understand your dismay. Spurrier was an excellent pilot.”
But Walcott didn’t understand at all. James was one of only two other survivors of that terrible night. He had understood.
Then Walcott stuck out his hand. “By the way, you made the cut. You’re advancing in rank—and serving another tour of duty in Kodiak. I’ll have the paperwork sorted by the end of next week. Congratulations again.”
Still reeling but pleased with this news, Sean took Walcott’s hand. “Thank you, sir.”
Eden walked over with Maverick in her arms, concern on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He took Maverick from her, put his hat on Maverick’s head. “Do you want to see the helicopters, buddy?”
Maverick pointed. “Copta!”
“That’s what I thought.”
* * *
Eden walked along Jewel Beach,holding hands with Sean, the two of them talking about the good news Sean had gotten today and enjoying the ocean air. Maverick walked ahead of them, filling his pail with treasure—the big shell of a geoduck clam, a marble, a twisted bit of copper wiring.
“See, Mommy?”
“That’s a barnacle shell.” She laughed as Maverick tried to saybarnacle.
“Nucko.”
Sean chuckled. “Good enough, kid.”
“Are you going to be taking Dalton’s place in avionics?” Eden knew that wasn’t an assignment Sean had wanted.
“It looks like it.” He nudged a piece of aqua-colored sea glass from the sand with the toe of his boot, which Eden picked up and dropped in her bucket. “On the upside, you won’t have to worry about me as much, and I get to stay in Kodiak for now.”
Eden had been so relieved to learn he wouldn’t be transferred away. “Though I appreciate the fact you won’t be flying as often, I also want you to be happy.”
“I’ve got other priorities now, other things that matter more.” He smiled, squeezed her hand, but she could see the sadness in his eyes.
She knew what was troubling him. “I’m really sorry about James leaving. You flew a lot of missions together, didn’t you?”
More than that, James and Wade were the other two who’d survived the crash, and she could understand how that night had forged an unspoken bond between them.
“We did—dozens and dozens of missions. He insisted on flying to rescue you even though it was his day off. I think he felt like he owed it to you.”
Eden couldn’t help but feel touched. “He didn’t need to do that.”
“In his mind, he did, and I understand that. I also get that he might have been done flying. Most pilots come with an expiration date, but I think he left because the stress of living with the memory of that night was tearing him apart. I just wish he’d said goodbye. Walcott doesn’t even know where he went. He just left base and … disappeared.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe he just needs to be alone for now.”
They continued down the beach, gravel crunching beneath their boots, the conversation drifting to the medal ceremony and then Maverick’s birthday next week.
“I can’t believe my baby is going to be two.” She watched as Maverick dug in the sand with a small stick, something she’d done so often as a child.
