A silence descended up on the room. It was as if every single one of them was thinking about Heath and what he’d brought into their world. Gratitude hung in the air.
“Mama’s right when she said we’re healing, but we would like to know what happened.” Tish, Vinny’s twin sister spoke up. She darted a nervous glance around her as if she wasn’t sure she should have piped up. Stacia, the middle sister, put her arm around Tish in a comforting gesture.
Tony nodded in agreement. “We do have questions, Heath. Ones we haven’t been given answers for as of yet. We understand things take some time with the military, but we would love to have closure if that’s possible.” Mr. Peretti was no longer smiling. His features radiated tension. Tony didn’t need to explain himself. The past year must have been excruciatingly painful. Vinny had clearly been the center of their world.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner and help you answer those questions,” Heath said. He wanted to be totally honest with Vinny’s family about his own struggles. “When I came home from Afghanistan I was struggling with a lot of issues. I have PTSD and I’m working to overcome it. Witnessing Vinny’s death was devastating for me. I felt guilty about that since he gave up his life for mine, so I tried to stuff it down. It didn’t work out very well.” Heath shuddered. “I know it might be hard to hear, but I want to tell you everything I remember about his death.”
Viola reached out and clasped Heath’s hands in her own. “Take your time, Heath. Go at your own pace, son. I know it’s painful for you to relive this.”
Heath nodded. Finally, he felt strong enough to talk about it in-depth with the people who had mattered the most to Vinny. “Eight months ago this would have been impossible. But I’m stronger now. There were things I buried, but I’ve spent the last few months figuring things out. I remember everything. And I want to share it with you. All of it.”
*
Afghanistan
One year earlier
Heath looked up at the sky and let out a sigh. It was a beautiful day with nary a cloud in sight. The sky was the color of a robin’s egg. Even in a war zone like Afghanistan, beauty could still be found. It never failed to amaze him. Lately he had been feeling such strong waves of homesickness. Although he was committed to the objectives of his country, he longed for home.
Thankfully, he had just finished skyping with Bella. Although the connection hadn’t been the best, it had been a blessing to see her beautiful face staring back at him. And hearing her voice had been a Godsend. It made him all the more eager to get back home to her and his life in Pelican Bay. He couldn’t wait for their future to unfold. Heath had every intention of buying her a wedding ring and asking her to marry him.
Corporal Vinny Peretti, his best friend and the finest soldier he’d ever know, walked up to him from the barracks. “You ready to go on patrol so we can come back for the barbecue? Italian is the best food in the world, but barbecue is a close second,” Vinny said. With his red hair and intense green eyes, Vinny didn’t look Italian at all in Heath’s opinion. But, Vinny was the proudest Italian he’d ever met in his life. Vinny was a walking fountain of information about Italy and the things that made it the greatest nation other than the good old USA.
“You had me at barbecue. Let’s get this over and done with so we can join the festivities,” Heath said. “We’re saying goodbye to a few buddies today.” It was always a bittersweet feeling when they said farewell to their fellow soldiers who were heading back home. Although he was happy for them, it was hard to not feel envious.
Heath’s mouth watered at the thought of eating barbecue. It reminded him of home. These days he was holding on to anything that reminded him of Pelican Bay and the ones he loved with all of his heart. Although it was his supreme honor to protect and serve America, he wanted to be back stateside.
As Vinny drove toward the perimeter of the base, they came across a gate that needed to opened. Vinny turned toward Heath. “Get the gate, will you?”
Heath sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes at Vinny. “I’m getting pretty tired of being the gate opener,” Heath said with a chuckle. “One of these days I want to be the driver.”
“Dream on, Donahue,” Vinny said. “Remember that time you drove me back home to Savannah from Pelican Bay? I don’t recall ever being so scared in my life.”
Heath chuckled. “You’re delusional. I’m so good I could drive for Nascar.”
The sound of Vinny’s laughter filled the air. “Ha Ha. You’ve got jokes, Donahue. Jokes for days.”
Heath jumped out of the Humvee and walked toward the gate. Things were quiet this afternoon due to the barbecue. Doing patrol was still imperative. There really was never a dull moment here in Afghanistan. When you put your guard down, danger always presented itself. None of them ever forgot they were in a war zone. To do so would be deadly.
Suddenly, Heath spotted a figure in his peripheral vision. He turned his head and saw a figured dressed in light brown apparel running away in the opposite direction just as something landed nearby with a thud and a whizzing sound.
Heath’s heart began to pound like crazy. The person fleeing had thrown a live grenade on the ground. He froze.
“No, Heath,” Vinny screamed. “Get down. Stay back.” There was a blur of motion as Vinny ran in Heath’s direction and seemed to fly in the air, landing with a thud on the ground.
“No!” Heath cried out, just as he figured out what his best friend was doing. The explosion rent the air with a horrific sound. The blast threw Heath backwards and he raised his arms up in front of his face as a protective gesture. A burning sensation tore across his exposed skin. He let out a wild cry of pain. Fighting against the burning sensation in his hands, he scrambled on his hands and knees, looking around desperately for Vinny. He had to get to him. He had to help his best friend. Bile rose up in his throat as he came across remnants of him. Bone. Flesh. It was too horrific for his mind to process. Vinny had sacrificed himself for Heath.
He saw something gold glinting in the rubble. It was Vinny’s cross necklace—his most treasured possession. Hea
th reached for it, managing to grab ahold of it as searing pain shot up his arms.
Suddenly, everything went black. Just before he passed out, Heath knew he needed to return the gold cross to Vinny’s family.
*
A hushed silence filled the Peretti’s living room as Heath finished his story. He felt Micah’s arm around his shoulder, providing support. When he looked around him, there wasn’t a dry eye in the group.
“Thank you, Heath,” Viola said in a raspy, emotion-filled voice. “They kept telling us he was a hero and that they are awarding him the Medal of Honor, but the details were scant.”