Coming Home (#Wattys 2017)

11; Hope

"How much farther?"

"We're almost there sweetheart."

By 'there' Carrie had no idea. But she hoped it was some sort of civilization. Because she was tired of being stuck in this damned desert.

"I hate sand," she told her husband once again as she trudged behind him.

"You've told me."

She hated sand a lot more now than before they left. The stuff got everywhere. Now that they only had the clothes on their bodies, she could feel it in her books from all this walking, and down her back from sleeping in it. The worst part was when the wind blew. She and Harrison would be rewarded with the familiar grainy taste of sand. It wasn't the soft beach sand. It was the stuff that hurt when it was blown in a sandstorm.

After another hour of walking they took another break to refill their canteens. With this heat they couldn't make it very far without stopping for water.

While Harrison went for a refill, Carrie laid back on the ground and watched the clouds rush by the block the sun.

✎✎✎

Carrie took cover behind a building with the rest of SEAL team 6. They were pinned down by Iraqis insurgents with help on the way. If only they could hold out a little longer.

There were still a few of them out in the open, seeking cover behind the tanks. It was then when Carrie saw her best friend go down. She ran out into the open while covering herself as she made her way over to the tank where her best friend lay.

All of a sudden, she felt a searing pain come from her foot. The next step she took on her left foot resulted in even more pain and was enough to take her down. She quickly scrambled behind the tank.

Carrie was too late. Her best friend Jess was already gone. She looked down at her foot. She'd been shot right on the inside of her left foot. Carrie felt herself become nauseous when she saw the tip of the bullet peeking out the other side of her foot.

More gunfire bounced of the metal tanks followed by the sound of a grenade. She looked over her shoulder to see the tank nearest to the right side of the street go up in flames.

Just as she heard the grenade bounce off the tank she was hiding behind, a pair of strong arms picked her up and tackled her into an alleyway that was controlled by Navy SEAL's. Moments later that very same tank exploded.

She owed her life to that man or woman who currently shielded her body as they returned fire. After a few very long minutes, the gunfire died down, and Carrie faced the person who'd saved her life for the very first time.

Carrie momentarily forgot about the pain in her foot once she saw him. He was very good-looking. He had hazel eyes and brown hair which was just a shade lighter than her own.

She stared longer than she intended. Once he laughed Carrie looked away. "Sorry."

He smiled. It was the first real smile she'd seen on anyone in the military in months. And it made her glad to be the one that caused it.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Carrie."

"Well Carrie, we need to get you out of here."

That snapped her back into reality. She looked down at her injured foot, very surprised to see it out of her boot and wrapped up with a towel.