No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

caught his dad’s gaze sweep over him accompanied by an appreciative smile. “Look at you. By God, you’re a man now.” Marvin patted Sterling on the back. “Where does the time go?”

“I’ve missed you too, Dad. I’m glad to be back home.”

“Go put your stuff away and make yourself comfortable. Your room is waiting for you. If you’re hungry, there’s some food in the refrigerator. I’ll be right here in front of the TV. You can come join me later if you’d like.”

Sterling grinned. “Sure, Dad.” He climbed the stairs to the second floor and heaved a long sigh of relief as he nestled into the familiar hallway off a small loft that led to two bedrooms. His room, on the left, connected with the other bedroom through an adjoining bathroom. He recalled fond memories when Abby spent the night in the adjacent bedroom. He also remembered a few rare but glorious instances she spent the night in his bed. Of course, sharing the bed with his best friend only happened as they grew older.

His parents trusted her and rightly so. He never got anywhere with Abby. A hug at the most and a peck on the cheek was all he snuck out of his golden girl, yet he never tried for anything else. What treasured gifts she gave to him were solely up to her. They were, after all, only best friends.

He slipped his phone out of a front pocket of his duffle when he found a text message from Abby. Staring at the screen, he unlocked it using the face recognition software and quickly replied to Abby’s query, asking if he was okay. A few seconds later, he found her request for a FaceTime conversation. His heart jumped into his throat as he eagerly pressed the button to accept.

He smiled as he greeted her. “Hey you. I just texted you. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? I know you’re home, in familiar territory but it’s been years and I just wanted to make sure you’ll be okay tonight—your first night home.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Do you need Gunner? I can bring him over, if you want.” Abby turned to her right and beckoned at something out of his sight. “Come here, Gunner. Say hi to your dad.” A large, furry German shepherd appeared in the screen followed shortly by a nose wiping over part of the screen. They shared a laugh as Abby pulled the dog back. “You silly thing. I said say hi not nose your dad.”

The image of his beautiful tan and black colored dog tugged at his heart. Tears sprung to the corners of his eyes. “Hey, Gunner, I’ve missed you, boy.” During his time away, Abby did all she could to have Gunner trained for what Sterling needed. Still, there was only so much she was able to do, on her own. The rest was now up to Sterling. He cooed at and complimented Gunner while the dog whined and pawed at the phone.

“Aww, Gunner misses you. You sure you don’t want me to bring him over? I can leave after I drop him off.” Abby ran her slim fingers through Gunner’s thick fur. “I worry about you, that’s all. I think you need Gunner.”

Sterling chuckled. “If you brought Gunner over, I’d want you to stay too but you’re with Phil. I don’t care to have him here too. Hopefully he’s not with you and listening to our conversation but if he is . . . well, now he knows my thoughts.”

“Sterling . . .” she chided. “He’s in the other room and no, he won’t bite.”

“Yeah, but I might.”

She laughed. “You don’t like him, do you? Why? You don’t know him yet. Wait till you get to know him. We should have dinner, with him, tomorrow night.”

Sterling shook his head. “No, tomorrow is just for you and me. That’s what I want.”

She gave him a winning smile. “Okay, Mr. Military Man, you get what you want since you’re back in town. But listen, I am really worried about you and your nightmares. Do you want me to come over with Gunner?”

Sterling glanced off to one side and considered her request. Did he want her to come over? Hell yeah. Once she set foot in his bedroom, he’d ask her to stay, forever. Yet, she was with Phil, possibly spending the night with the man . . . The idea had Sterling’s stomach cringing and his tongue ready to shout out words, syllables, noise, anything to get her to stop from making the same mistake she had four months ago before she took Phil back. Why in the world she did was beyond him. Yet, Abby was just like that. Always willing to give someone a second chance, even if they didn’t deserve it.

The only exception, now, was that Sterling was back in town and Abby wanted to spend time with him too. He wanted his best friend back the way he knew her and grew up with her, including her covetous attention which he took for granted in the past but had learned to cherish over the last several years while he was away.

Beyond the phone calls, she’d sent him cards and care packages almost monthly. She even mailed care packages to those soldiers he became close with, some who didn’t have family or friends waiting for them back home. In his book, the woman was uniquely a saint. She said it was the least she could do, to thank him and the others serving their country for her to live freely. From the day the Army claimed her best friend, she wanted to do what little she could—a feat that flooded through and warmed his heart with impossible amounts of gratitude and appreciation each time he pondered the generosity and concern of the one woman he admired most in the world.

For Abby, he’d do anything.

He couldn’t ask her to abandon her date for him . . . or could he?

A long, reluctant sigh