Chapter Eleven

Elijah awoke with a start, his heart pounding and his sheets drenched with sweat. His left hand gripped an imaginary control on the chopper so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms. He had to get back to base with Matty. He had to save his friend. He wouldn’t think of the other two being dead, not now. He would just fly the helicopter through the mountains and get Matty to the hospital tent. Then, suddenly, it was his parents in the back of the chopper, and he was trying to get them to a Texas hospital.

The nightmare in Elijah’s head was still running. For a few minutes he couldn’t tell the difference in what was real and what was the dream. He blinked several times and suddenly realized that he was awake. He shook his head to erase the images. He’d been thousands of miles away when he got the news his folks had been killed. There was no way he had flown them to a hospital.

“It’s a biological family all tangled up with my air force family.” He switched off the clock and threw back the damp sheet. “And that’s why I don’t need to be in a relationship,” he muttered as he slung his legs over the side of the bed. “I couldn’t save any of them. Lauren could have killed Jayden today with that headbutt or knocked Mary into something sharp when she hit her, and I would have lost even more.”

His thoughts ran in fast circles as he got dressed. Henry and Mary were all the family he had left. What would he do without them? He could run the camp—that wouldn’t be a problem. But not having anyone was a terrifying thought. He went to the dining hall, turned on the lights, and made a full pot of coffee. He had finished half of the first cup when Mary came in that morning. One look at her face and Elijah knew something was terribly wrong.

“You look like you’re about to cry. Is Henry all right?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“He’s fine,” Mary said. “No, that’s a lie. He’s not fine. He’s downright heartsick, and I’m barely holding it together.”

“Is he sick?” A cold chill chased down Elijah’s spine.

“No, but his friend is.” Mary poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with Elijah. “Remember Joe? He came here a couple of Christmases ago with Henry’s old air force buddies. Joe is dying. He’s dying with pancreatic cancer. He’s got maybe six weeks to live.” Mary sighed.

“I remember two old guys coming to stay a few days. They spent hours around the table playing dominoes and drinking whiskey. I loved listening to their stories, but I don’t think I knew which one was Joe.” Elijah’s remaining three buddies had a conference call at Christmas, but he really should invite them to the camp so they could talk like Henry did with his old Vietnam teammates.

“The short one with a high-pitched voice,” she answered. “The other one was Ellis and he died that next spring.”

“Where does Joe live?” Elijah asked.

“West Memphis, Arkansas. That’s just this side of the Mississippi River. He used to grow rice out there in that flat country, but he retired when his wife died a few years ago. They never had children, so I guess he’ll wind up in a home of some kind until he dies.” Mary wiped the tears from her cheeks with the bottom of her apron.

“Why don’t you and Henry go stay with him? I can run this place. That way Joe can die in his house with Henry beside him,” Elijah said.

“Oh, honey, we couldn’t ask that of you.” Mary almost smiled. “That would be leaving you right in the middle of a session.”

“Joe might be gone before the end of July, and Henry will never forgive himself if he doesn’t go. Wouldn’t Joe do that for him if the roles were reversed?” Elijah was already wondering if he and the three women could manage, but he had to offer. If any of his three friends needed him, he’d be there as fast as that little plane sitting at the Alpine Municipal Airport could get him to them. He was a little surprised at his thoughts, since he and what remained of his team had all drifted apart since coming back to the States.

“He would, but . . .” Mary shook her head slowly back and forth.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned since you and Henry took me in after the air force, it’s there are no buts in friendship,” Elijah told her. “I’m not saying it will be easy or that I won’t miss you, but if we can’t handle it with the hands we’ve got, I’ll hire more,” he said. “You and Henry need to talk about this. Y’all could either drive and be there in a couple of days, or I can fly you in the plane. Joe should spend his last days with y’all rather than a bunch of strangers.”

“I can’t believe that you’re even offering to do this,” Mary said.

Elijah stood up, rounded the table, and hugged his aunt. “I’d do anything in my power for you and Henry. Go and stay as long as you need to. I’ve got help and we can take care of this place.”

“I’ll talk to Henry, and thank you,” Mary said.

“No thanks necessary.” He hugged her again and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. If he could have sat at the bedside of any of his late teammates, he would have never passed up the opportunity. And yet the burden of running the place without Henry and Mary lay on his shoulders like a ton of concrete.

The siren blew and the girls poured out of the cabins, lined up fairly well, and got ready for Elijah to lead them in the morning exercises. Henry came out of the barn just as they were finishing the drill. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and might break into tears at any minute. “I believe I’ll walk with y’all this morning. Can we talk?”

“Of course,” Elijah agreed and then pointed at Carmella. “You girls from the Daydream Cabin are responsible for leading the way this morning. Henry and I will bring up the rear.”

“Mary said she’d talked to you,” Henry said as they fell into step behind the eight girls.

“Going to be with Joe is the right thing to do,” Elijah said. “Mary doesn’t say much and keeps things inside so she doesn’t worry me or you, but she needs to get away for a while.”

“You’re right. I’m a tough old bird, but that girl hitting Mary kind of . . . well, it knocked both of us for a loop.”

“Me too,” Elijah agreed. “Would we need to do any paperwork?”

“We already did everything six months ago when we decided that this would be our last year. You’ve already been doing the business end, and we’ve got a good CPA who will continue to take care of the corporation end of things like payroll,” Henry answered. “It’s the physical part of things that bothers me. Will Jayden be agreeable to taking over the kitchen? Should we call Skyler and see if she would come back and do Jayden’s job in Daydream Cabin?”

“The girls might not like a change,” Elijah said, “but that’s a good idea. I’ll see if she’s back from that trip right after breakfast. Does this mean you’ll go?”

“Before we make a final decision, we’d like to have a visit with the staff, too. Being down a girl will help a little, but they all need to be willing to do a little more if it comes down to it,” Henry answered.