Worth Saving(52)

“Of course it’s not wrong to move on, Austin. People die, and those that love them have to grieve and then move on, otherwise our lives end too. The only way to heal is to move on, and the only way to move on is to accept it.”

I don’t reply. I’m not sure if I really agree, so I just shift in my seat and wait for Major Nelson to continue.

“So, when do you go back to work?” he asks next.

“I still have a week of leave left.”

“I see. What’s going to be going on with your unit when you get back?”

“I’m not too sure, but I assume we’ll be training like usual—waiting for the next mission that calls us out.”

“So, here’s the big question, Captain,” he says, leaning forward and looking me in the eye. “When you come off of leave, you’ll have to sit in the pilot seat of a helicopter again. What’s it going to be like when you do that for the first time? Will you be able to handle it?”

“I hadn’t thought about that before,” I answer. “I don’t know. I want to say I’ll be fine, but I really can’t tell until I get there. I mean, the way my life has been going lately, it’s easy to think I’ll be okay. I’m doing good, sir, and I think I’ll continue to get better with every day. I’ve got Jason and I’ve got Layla to talk to when things get difficult, but when I’m with Layla, I don’t really have many difficult moments. I think I’m gonna be fine, Major, I really do. I guess when I come back next week I’ll let you know, but with the way everything has been these past few weeks, I’m optimistic.”

Major Nelson smiles at me, and then writes in the notepad. I can tell it’s not something good.

“Well, it’s good that you’re optimistic,” he says, finally looking up at me with a forced smile. “That’s always a good thing. Just remember what I said about acceptance, okay? I know things are looking up for you in your social life right now, but remember that avoidance isn’t a healthy way to deal with your issues. You have to confront them and accept them, and you seem to have a good support system to do that. You’re definitely getting better, and hopefully you can continue to show progress.”

“I hope so. I think so.”

“Good. Okay, Captain Sloan, that’s it for today. We’ll see you again in a week. You call me if you need me.”

“I know the drill, Major. Thanks. See you next week.”





Austin

“Can you say, case dismissed? That’s what I’m talking about, baby! Cheers.”

The four of us clang our glasses together and sip our drinks. Jason, Jordan, Layla, and I sit around a circular table in the middle of a packed Hard Rock Café, taking shots and eating in celebration of Jason and Jordan’s latest courtroom victory. Apparently, one of the arresting officers got caught trying to hide the surveillance footage showing the robber breaking into the house. Once the footage was found, Jason quickly got the charges dropped and made sure his friend stayed out of jail. Unfortunately, his victory means that he’ll be leaving Vegas soon, but I’m still glad for him.

“Congratulations, man,” I say, still shaking off the burning sensation from the shot. “Alright, so now that the case is over, break this down for me, bro. You had an arresting officer trying to hide evidence?”

“Yeah, can you believe that shit?” Jason replies. “Turns out, the robber was a friend of the arresting officer, and when he found out his robber-friend got shot and killed, he was pissed. So, he tried to hide the damn surveillance video from the house so my client would end up in jail for murder. Sneaky little bastard, huh?”

“So, how did he get caught?” Layla chimes in. She looks stunning in her royal blue dress with heels and earrings that match.

“The guy was a complete idiot,” Jordan says with a chuckle. “I guess he came up with his bright idea until all the stuff from the scene had already been checked into evidence. So, this dummy goes in and takes the video from the evidence locker. I guess he forgot everything in there is numbered, and once the trial started, everybody saw a crucial piece of evidence was missing. It took a little work to find the connection between the officer and the burglar, but once we did, we knew we had him. Just like that, case closed, bitch!”

“Wow. Well, I have to admit, you guys are awesome at what you do,” Layla admits.

“Oh, well that means a lot coming from you, Layla. Thank you.” Jason smiles and then sips his drink again. It’s something blue with a little yellow umbrella in it. Something girly that I already made fun of once, and I’m just waiting for another opportunity to jab at him again.

“See, so even though you’re absolutely horrible at basketball, at least you can win in a courtroom,” Layla jokes. Jordan and I laugh a little harder than we should. It’s pretty safe to say we’re all at least a little tipsy.

“Oh, so you got jokes? Whatever, we let you guys win,” Jason retorts. “You bring your ass to Seattle, where we have home court advantage, and we’ll see if you two get so lucky then.”

“Oh really, we have to fly all the way to Seattle for you to win? That’s just sad, Jason,” Layla responds just as her phone chimes and grabs all of our attention. She pulls it out of her purse and glances at the screen. I can tell she’s surprised by either the message or the sender, but she doesn’t reply. She just shoves the phone back into her purse, and then refocuses on us.