Always Forward

Prologue: Troubling News

                                                 ~ PROLOGUE ~

                                              - Troubling News -

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Military Housing Complex

Melissa Killinger set the pot filled to the brim with lukewarm water in her hand on the hot burner. She made sure the burner was set to medium heat before stepping away from the stove. She approached the nearby cabinet and opened it in search of the half-empty box of family-size tea bags. It'd been a long time since she had had tea, she reflected. Thinking back, the last time had been shortly before her husband had left for deployment.

That had been nearly two months ago, shortly before she'd learned she was carrying their first child. With that thought in mind, her free hand fell to the small bulge in her stomach, which she rubbed gingerly. With her other hand she retrieved the box of tea bags and set it upon the counter next to the stove.

Melissa patiently waited for the water to come to a rolling boil, passing the time by staring out the nearby window at the road past her yard outside. She watched as a group of children played in the street. It appeared to her that they were playing a lively game of tag, and the smallest hint of a smile formed around her lips. As she was about to look away, Melissa noted her reflection in the glass pane of the window.

She was remarkably gorgeous, with a lithe, fit frame. Her sandy blonde hair was long and thick, falling just below her shoulders. Melissa's eyes were a deep shimmering blue, and her overall complexion was mildly tan. She spent a great deal of time outdoors even despite the fact she found herself doing more upkeep around the house with her husband's absence. Many of the other military spouses on her block envied her as their free time was significantly more limited due to have one or more young children.

Tearing her attention away from the window, Melissa noticed the water had finally come to a boil. She opened the box of tea bags and took four bags out, placing them in the pot, the strings draped over the side. As she waited for the water to seep through the bags, she spared another glance out the window. She was about to look away when something caught her eye.

An unmarked military humvee turned the corner on to her street. She could just barely make out two men in the front of the vehicle, dressed in the standard blue dress uniform that had become an iconic symbol of the Marines. The vehicle slowed down before coming to a halt in front of her house.

Curiosity piqued in the back of her mind as she intently watched the humvee now parked in front of her home. A moment passed by as the two men shuffled around inside the vehicle before they opened the doors and stepped out. Melissa recognized both men right off the bat. The man whom exited the passenger side of the vehicle was Major John Stiggs, a liaison with Camp Lejeune's Public Affairs Office (PAO). The other man, whom bore silver oak leaves on the collar of his uniform jacket, was Lieutenant Colonel Bill Weatherby, the commanding officer of the 1st MSOB.

Major Stiggs and Colonel Weatherby donned their covers and marched up the driveway towards the front door. A tide of thoughts flooded her mind in an instant, none of them at all optimistic. Such unexpected visits by individuals such as Stiggs and Weatherby were the unspoken fear of every military spouse, as it generally meant bad news was to be given. The kind of earth shattering news that no one wanted to hear because it meant a part of their lives were torn away from them for all eternity.

A trio of knocks at the front door echoed through the house, tearing Melissa from her thoughts. She inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself before moving to greet the two men at the door. Each step she took towards the door became more difficult to take. Time seemed to hastily slow down as she edged closer to the door that separated her from the bad news that she was bound to hear. She considered never answering the door in hopes that they would leave her alone, but she realized how foolish that sounded as she finally reached the door. Steeling herself for what lay ahead, she opened the door.