Burning Love

Prologue

Colton

"I bet you are happy to be getting back home tomorrow." Benson says over my shoulder. I barely hear what he says, my focus was on the picture of Lucy and our baby girl Bailey, Lucy included in her last letter. I couldn't believe how much Bailey had grown since the last picture Lucy sent me over a month ago. With every new letter there was a new milestone I was missing. Bailey's first word, dada, that made my heart ache just a little, but happy to know that even with me being gone for a year of her life, Bailey was still daddy's girl. I missed her first time rolling over. Her first steps. It's only a handful of milestones in the lifetime I will have with her after today.

I stuffed the photo back in my foot locker and finished lacing up my boots. In less than eighteen hours I would be home with my girls, finally able to start our lives together. This was my final tour of duty. The last time I would have to leave my girls. Lucy and I planned to wait to have kids until after I was done in the Marine Corps, but Bailey had other plans, she was ready to be in the world whether we were ready or not. I remember the look on Lucy's face when she walked out of the bathroom holding that blue stick. It was sheer panic and terror. It wasn't the way we had planned things to happen, but with kids they come when they are ready.

I left for Afghanistan three months after Bailey was born. I was grateful I had that time with her before missing an entire year of her life. It was just one year out of forever. I would make up for it when I got back. This past year has been the toughest of my life. It's not easy watching your kid grow up through pictures and broken up video chats. That comes with the territory of being a military man.

I grew up a military brat. We moved ten times by the time I graduated from high school. My dad was gone for most of it. He said it was a sacrifice worth making to serve his country. I have a ton of respect for my father. He may have been hard on me growing up, but he made me the man I am today. As much as he thinks that I should continue with my career in the Marines, I am ready to close this chapter of my life and be there for Lucy and Bailey. I want to be there to watch my daughter grow up. Take her to her first day of school, comfort her when she has a bad dream. Kick the ass of the first boy who breaks her heart. I want to be there for everything.

"Come on Gallagher, you're going to have plenty of time to read when we are out of this place."  I slid my helmet over my head and kicked Gallagher's bunk to get him going. The resident book worm sets his book down, then joins the rest of us show the new team the ropes before we board the plane for home.

"You didn't hear, I'm staying," Gallagher informed me.

"Don't you want to see your family?" I asked. Most of the guys here had been chomping on the bit to get back home to see their families.

"The only family I have left is the Marine Corps, Serge. I don't have anything worth going home to." He shrugged is off then dropped his book into his foot locker and tucked his helmet under his arm. In the eighteen months we have been stuck in this hell hole, that was the most I had heard Gallagher speak. He manly kept to himself. Mostly with his nose in a book. On the rare occasion we would a chuckle out of him when someone would make a comment on how we looked like we could be twins. The similarity took me off guard when he sat next to me on the plane. It was like looking in the mirror. For a brief moment I wondered if my dad had a son he didn't know about. I quickly shook that idea from my head. My dad had always been loyal to my mother.

I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Gallagher. I don't know what I would do without my family. Lucy and Bailey made life worth fighting for. 

****

There were flames all around me, the ringing in my ears was deafening. My head was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode off my body. I could taste blood in my mouth, and I could barely move my arms and legs. I tried to cry out , but my screams were lost amid the sound of bullets firing and the explosions happening around me. I looked to my left and saw dismembered bodies lying around me. This was a nightmare. It had to be, this couldn't be real.