As the plane descended, Delaney Hunter heard the pilot on the PA say, "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We are just about to touch down at McCarren Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, in just a few minutes, and we are right on time. The weather around McCarren is rather warm with temperatures in the low nineties. The local time is 10:43 pm, so those of you with regular watches might want to take a moment to reset them. Please remain seated until the plane comes to a complete stop and on behalf of the crew we wish to thank you for flying with us today."

Delaney fidgeted nervously, feeling the descent of the craft, taking several deep breaths. She hadn't flown since she was sent to Walter Reed over three years ago, just after being injured in the war. She closed her eyes; the memories of the cries she heard from the wounded on the same plane from that fateful trip haunted her. She wasn't screaming because she was sedated and drifting in and out of consciousness. She could feel the deep pain in her leg from where the IED had caught her. Little did she know that within a few hours of landing, she'd lose her left leg, just below her knee.

It was the wheels of the plane as it touched the ground that jerked Delaney out of her memories and made her shake. She knew it was PTSD that caused her to tremble, and she had to remind herself, she would be fine. There was only one person on the earth who could have gotten her on a plane again this soon, and that person was the reason she was now here.

The passengers quickly rose and began to gather their belongings, but Delaney waited. She knew just getting off the plane with her leg would be a challenge in itself, but the flight attendant took her cane and she knew she would need it to walk, without falling. Soon, people started filing off, chattering excitedly about what they would do first, or moaning about being tired. Delaney stood up, only to remember her leg wasn't attached.

She flagged down a flight attendant and said, "Excuse me, but I think I lost my leg."

Delaney grabbed her pant leg to show the gap below her knee. The flight attendant gasped and Delaney laughed. "I'm sorry. It's just lying on the floor. But I do need my cane."

"Do you need any help getting off the plane?"

"No, I just need my cane."

Delaney sat back down and reattached her leg, then stood up as the flight attendant handed her the cane. "Here you are ma'am."

"Thanks."

Delaney was one of the last passengers to leave the plane. She made the trek to the luggage area, and waited with the others for her bags. A few people glanced and whispered in her direction, but she didn't care. When her sea-bag finally made its way down the conveyer belt, she slung it onto her back and headed toward the door.

"Doc! Doc!"

The voice was the first bit of comfort she felt since she left. She looked up to see the dark straight hair and brown skin of her friend, Maria Valencia, running toward her. The two hadn't seen each other since her departure from Walter Reed two years prior, but it was like nothing had changed. Maria wrapped her long, slender arms around Delaney. The two friends hugged for what felt like an eternity, then separated. Delaney could see the glass eye staring back at her, and the scars around it from the same IED that took her leg.

"Evening Sarge," said Delaney.

"Evening Doc," said Maria.

"How was your flight?"

"Long."

"I'm so glad you're here."

"Only for you Sarge, only for you."

"Enough of that Sarge shit! Please, we're civilians now. Call me Maria. Please."

"Only if you call me Delaney."

There was a brief moment of silence, then they two women laughed. "Come on, my sister is waiting in the car."

Maria led Delaney outside into the suffocating heat. "Fuck me Maria! Do you like living in hell?"

"It's not that bad," said Maria. "At least the sun is down."

"Maria!" called a woman by a green convertible.

Maria led Delaney to the car and helped her put her bag into the trunk. "Ester, this is Delaney. Delaney, my sister, Ester."

Ester looked the way Maria did before she lost her eye, but was a bit taller and clearly older. "Good evening," said Ester.

"Hi," said Delaney. "It's nice to meet you. I remember Maria telling me about you all the time."

Ester looked at Maria and smiled. "Ironic, since all I've heard for the last month is Delaney this and Delaney that."

"Ester, you know Delaney's the reason I'm here today."

"Bullshit!" snapped Delaney. "You're the reason I'm here today."

Ester looked at the two, then said, "Shall we go then? Traffic going to be crazy enough as it is."

The two friends sat in the back and Ester drove them into Henderson, and Maria's parent's home. The house was spacious and homey, and abuzz with wedding preparations. Maria introduced Delaney to everyone, then took her to her bedroom.

"Tomorrow you'll meet Randolph," said Maria. "Then we'll get you fitted for your dress."

"When's the wedding again?"

"Saturday. The bachelorette party is Friday night at the best man's house. Randolph will be there as well. It's supposed to be quite the soirée. I hope you brought a bathing suit that isn't military issued."

"Bathing suit? You didn't mention anything about that."

"Oh? Well then I guess we'll have to buy you one tomorrow while we are out."

"You sure Ester will be willing to drive us around so much?"

"I can drive during the day if I want," snapped Maria. "My fucking eye doesn't prevent me from living."

Delaney sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just now getting my driving privileges back."

"Can you drive?"

"Yeah, so long as it's not a stick."

Maria smiled. "Then tomorrow, you're driving."

"Me? I've never been to Vegas before."

"So what? I can give you directions and my car isn't a stick. It'll be fun!"

"Okay, sure." Delaney's voice had lost most of its confidence and joy from before.

Maria put her hand on Delaney's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just so fucking tired of being treated like an invalid. 'Poor Maria, she lost her eye in the war.' Ugh! I lost my eye, not my fucking life."

"Try being me. Though, I did scare the shit of a flight attendant today."

"How?"

Delaney related the story about how she fooled the flight attendant. The two sat and shared stories and memories of their experiences. The next morning after Maria's mother fixed everyone a hot breakfast of omelets, the girls showered and headed out. Per Maria's word, Delaney drove them all over Las Vegas. Their first stop was at Randolph's work, the large law firm where he had been working since being recruited from law school. He was a handsome man with reddish-blonde hair and piercing green eyes, and it was clear to all he was madly in love with Maria.

Then they went to the dress shop for the final fitting for Delaney and Maria's dresses. Because Delaney only had the one leg, they had to find shoes that would work with it. Once that was done, it was bathing suit shopping. Each stop meant cool air conditioning, followed by blistering triple-digit heat. Delaney began to wonder if she would survive the extreme dry heat of Las Vegas and its triple-digit temperatures.

Friday arrived quickly and with the sun dipping in the horizon, the extreme triple-digit temps made the idea of a pool party sound refreshing. The girls wore loose tops and shorts over their suits, and drove to the party. The house was somewhat secluded and the valets took care of the cars. The girls wandered back to see naked and nearly-naked guests running around and jumping in and out of the pool.

"What the hell?" asked Delaney.

"Didn't I tell you it was bathing suit optional?"

"NO!"

"Oh, oops," giggled Maria.

Maria and Delaney removed their clothes, except for their bathing suits and headed out to the pool. Randolph swept Maria off and Delaney decided she wanted to swim. She sat down to remove her leg when a man approached, and said "Good evening."

Delaney looked up to see the tall, muscular man with the thick black hair, rugged jaw line, and deep-set brown eyes. "Hi."

"Did you lose that in the war?" he asked, pointing at her leg.

"Yeah," she said. "It was the same IED that took Maria's eye. I'm Delaney, by the way."

"Graham," he said extending his hand.

Delaney shook his hand and asked, "So are you a friend of the bride or groom?"

"Both. But more the groom. I'm the best man."

Delaney giggled. "We finally meet. I'm the maid of honor."

Delaney removed her leg, then stood up. "You're taller than I expected," said Graham.

"Don't let the leg fool you, I'm really rather short."

Graham laughed. He admired how the blue bikini seemed to both fit Delaney's natural curves and matched her blue eyes. Her delicate features and blonde hair made him wonder what a petite girl like this was ever doing in the Marines.