This is the last piece of the story I’ve written so far. More will come soon. In this section, Alison reveals to Robb all the details of that fateful night.
Part Three can be found here.
Alison released his hand to press her fingers to her eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths before continuing.
“The force of the explosion knocked me on my ass. The CLS recovered faster, and threw himself on top of me and Brandon, shielding us from debris.”
“He’s a hero, too,” said Robb, who wished he could shake the guy’s hand for potentially saving the life of the wonderful woman in front of him.
“Yes, he is,” she agreed.
“What was his name?”
“I .. .what?” Now she raised her head and gave him a blank stare.
“The CLS. What was his name?”
Her gaze shifted to something over his left shoulder, and her eyes became unfocused as she lost herself in her memories.
“Daniel,” she said finally. “I was flat on my back, the wind knocked out of me, but somehow I managed to scramble to my hands and knees. There was smoke and dust everywhere, and the other soldiers were shouting. That’s when the rounds really started flying. I started shouting for Cole. When he didn’t respond, I left Brandon with Daniel and crawled on all fours toward the front truck.”
“It must have been difficult,” Robb mused quietly, “to crawl all that way. I’m sure it was hard to see, and I don’t know about you, but if I get the wind knocked out of me I’m pretty much out for the count.”
Alison shifted, sat up, her eyes clearing and focusing on his face. “It sucked,” she admitted succinctly. “It felt like I had crawled the entire length of a football field before I finally reached Cole. By the time I got to him, he was too far gone for me to do anything other than what I did.” She placed her hand on his, where it lay on his knee. Robb linked his fingers with hers, unsure of who he was trying to comfort—her for the pain she’d endured, or himself because he realized that he was rapidly losing himself to her. And he didn’t mind one bit.
“What did you do for him?”
“I dragged myself up, and leaned against the tire he’d been crouched next to. The blast hadn’t blown him far, since he’d been snugged up against the truck when it went off. Somehow, I managed to drag him into my lap, and cradle him in my arms. I still don’t know how I did it,” she confessed. “Cole was easily a couple inches over six feet, at least two hundred pounds of solid muscle.”
“Adrenaline.”
“Most likely. I remember looking down into his eyes, how they were glazed over in pain and shock. He had lost most of both legs, and was bleeding severely. There was blood everywhere, all over both of us, pooling on the ground beside me. I started to cry, and he lifted a hand to my face, told me how I had to let him go, that he loved me and that I needed to tell his family he loved them, too. He said not to cry.” Her tears fell freely again, unheeded, and she made no effort to stop them. “He must have been so weak, fighting for every breath. The last thing he said was ‘If only everybody cared and loved like you do, Alison, this war wouldn’t be necessary.’ Then he slipped away from me. Gone in a split second.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Acting on instinct and not caring about the possible consequences, Robb pulled her off the couch and onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. “Go ahead and cry, love. Let it all out.”
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