Read Online Sarah's Prayer: A Sunset Single (Sunset Series 1.1) by J. Brent Eaton - Free Book Online
Authors: J. Brent Eaton
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into."
Breathe, Sarah. He's not dumping you. "Alright, Michael. I’m listening. I'm glad you feel comfortable talking to me."
"I feel like I could share anything with you, Sarah. That's why I need to tell you this." Michael shifted to turn so he could face Sarah. "After A&M, I went into the Army as a Lieutenant. Because of my degree in computer science and aptitude scores as well as being a Rudder Ranger in the Corps, I got a shot at Ranger school early on. I ended up doing a lot of stuff overseas that I'll never be able to talk about. On my last tour my convoy got hit with an IED to lead off an ambush." Michael grew quiet. "Everything was a dusty blur. All I remember was my leg going numb. I pulled some of my guys behind a vehicle to get them out harm's way and returned fire before I passed out.
Sarah listened intently with a growing sadness because she knew this story would only grow more painful.
"I woke up in a hospital with everyone telling me what a hero I was. I saved some of my soldiers, but one of them died in the blast. I didn't bring everyone home alive. What kind of a hero is that? Anyway, the best I have to show for that experience is this." Michael leaned down and tapped his knuckles on his leg. The sound was sharp and hollow.
The sound shocked Sarah, but she did her best not to react. As a hospice social worker she had been exposed to far worse.
"I lost my lower left leg in the blast. The Army gave me some medals as a consolation prize on my way out the door. When I got home, my wife and family couldn't handle my injury." Michael's eyes grew misty. "I lost a lot, Sarah. I just want you to know who and what I am before we go too far."
Sarah sat for a minute absorbing what she had just learned. Physical characteristics were never a big deal for her. The fact that Michael had this injury didn't bother her nearly as much as how it affected him. "Michael, we are all wounded in some way. Some wounds are just more obvious than others." She unconsciously touched her scarred arm.
"It doesn't bother you that I'm crippled?"
"Until you told me just now, I really didn't know. So, you aren't 'crippled' in the least. You've overcome a disability, maybe, but you aren't crippled."
Michael let a tear slip from his eye and rubbed it away quickly. He couldn't speak. He reached his hand to her. She took it empathetically.
"I have a story I want to share with you too, Michael, to let you know why it's so difficult for me to trust men. You've overcome that barrier amazingly well, by the way, but I need to share the story with you." Sarah recounted the pain of her relationship with Brian and how her family confronted her.
Michael took particular interest in how Brian ended the relationship. "So he ended up in the ER with a broken arm and broke it off with you the next day?"
"That about sums it up, yes."
"Didn't you find that rather curious?"
"I was curious, but I didn't ask too many questions. I just took it as a sign that the relationship was over and felt relieved. To be honest, I didn't know how to face him and tell him it was over."
"Have you heard from him since?"
"Oh, he's sent me an apology email occasionally. Updates on how his life is going. How he went through therapy. He's sent me old pictures. He's never suggested we try to get back together. That would never happen. I think he just wanted me to know he was sorry for what he did."
"He doesn't deserve you, Sarah." Michael smiled warmly.
"Why, thank you Michael... So, what I said about all of us being wounded. I may carry only small scars on the outside, but the ones on the inside have taken years to heal." She showed him the faded streaks on her arm.
"He did that to you?" Michael was visibly disturbed by what he saw. "How could anyone mistreat you like that? You're kind, sweet and caring beyond words... You're the first person... first woman I've felt comfortable telling about my leg. You didn't even flinch when I said it. All I felt from you was...
Breathe, Sarah. He's not dumping you. "Alright, Michael. I’m listening. I'm glad you feel comfortable talking to me."
"I feel like I could share anything with you, Sarah. That's why I need to tell you this." Michael shifted to turn so he could face Sarah. "After A&M, I went into the Army as a Lieutenant. Because of my degree in computer science and aptitude scores as well as being a Rudder Ranger in the Corps, I got a shot at Ranger school early on. I ended up doing a lot of stuff overseas that I'll never be able to talk about. On my last tour my convoy got hit with an IED to lead off an ambush." Michael grew quiet. "Everything was a dusty blur. All I remember was my leg going numb. I pulled some of my guys behind a vehicle to get them out harm's way and returned fire before I passed out.
Sarah listened intently with a growing sadness because she knew this story would only grow more painful.
"I woke up in a hospital with everyone telling me what a hero I was. I saved some of my soldiers, but one of them died in the blast. I didn't bring everyone home alive. What kind of a hero is that? Anyway, the best I have to show for that experience is this." Michael leaned down and tapped his knuckles on his leg. The sound was sharp and hollow.
The sound shocked Sarah, but she did her best not to react. As a hospice social worker she had been exposed to far worse.
"I lost my lower left leg in the blast. The Army gave me some medals as a consolation prize on my way out the door. When I got home, my wife and family couldn't handle my injury." Michael's eyes grew misty. "I lost a lot, Sarah. I just want you to know who and what I am before we go too far."
Sarah sat for a minute absorbing what she had just learned. Physical characteristics were never a big deal for her. The fact that Michael had this injury didn't bother her nearly as much as how it affected him. "Michael, we are all wounded in some way. Some wounds are just more obvious than others." She unconsciously touched her scarred arm.
"It doesn't bother you that I'm crippled?"
"Until you told me just now, I really didn't know. So, you aren't 'crippled' in the least. You've overcome a disability, maybe, but you aren't crippled."
Michael let a tear slip from his eye and rubbed it away quickly. He couldn't speak. He reached his hand to her. She took it empathetically.
"I have a story I want to share with you too, Michael, to let you know why it's so difficult for me to trust men. You've overcome that barrier amazingly well, by the way, but I need to share the story with you." Sarah recounted the pain of her relationship with Brian and how her family confronted her.
Michael took particular interest in how Brian ended the relationship. "So he ended up in the ER with a broken arm and broke it off with you the next day?"
"That about sums it up, yes."
"Didn't you find that rather curious?"
"I was curious, but I didn't ask too many questions. I just took it as a sign that the relationship was over and felt relieved. To be honest, I didn't know how to face him and tell him it was over."
"Have you heard from him since?"
"Oh, he's sent me an apology email occasionally. Updates on how his life is going. How he went through therapy. He's sent me old pictures. He's never suggested we try to get back together. That would never happen. I think he just wanted me to know he was sorry for what he did."
"He doesn't deserve you, Sarah." Michael smiled warmly.
"Why, thank you Michael... So, what I said about all of us being wounded. I may carry only small scars on the outside, but the ones on the inside have taken years to heal." She showed him the faded streaks on her arm.
"He did that to you?" Michael was visibly disturbed by what he saw. "How could anyone mistreat you like that? You're kind, sweet and caring beyond words... You're the first person... first woman I've felt comfortable telling about my leg. You didn't even flinch when I said it. All I felt from you was...
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