Chapter 40

We made it back to the school with Zeke and BK still chuckling to themselves. I got out and got my butt inside before they were even out of the unit. I wasn't in the mood to listen to those two old farts with their weird sense of humor. Sarah met me at the door almost as soon as I got inside, wanting to know where I had snuck off to, leaving her all alone in the office. I bent down and kissed her on top of the head, telling her that I had a few things I had to do before Puddles got here this morning. She gave me one of those looks like I used to get from my daughter before she grinned at me and headed back towards the kitchen. I went in and put the AK on the desk, making sure I ejected the live round out and loading it back in the mag. I dug the extras out of my side pockets and headed back out to the dining room looking for something to eat. I wanted to sit and think a little before our company arrived.

I wondered how many had gone AWOL from the fort and if Kittrick even realized they were absent. I know that when I was in the service we had roll call every morning, and sometimes in the evenings after chow. I wondered to myself if they still did that and if so, why no one had missed the absentees. Maybe some of the NCO's were covering for them but still, someone should have noticed that they were missing. I sat down and Shelly brought me over a cup of coffee, telling me breakfast would be served in a few minutes. She looked at me kinda funny for a moment before she went back to the kitchen. BK came over with one of the vests, handing it to me. I looked at him in surprise before he explained why.

"Sarah told me last night yours was stinky and I forgot until I saw you without it this morning. Thom, you and I are old soldiers and I know as well as you that men just don't slip out of a fort, especially in those numbers without someone missing them. Do you think that one of the higher ups is covering for them?"

"I was just running over it in my head, BK. I can't figure out how they are getting away with it, but like you, I think Kittrick has a big problem that he hasn't even found out about yet. Since we are under Martial Law, they could be shot if it was discovered. I think I need to have a talk with the Colonel and bring him up to date about what we are talking about. Things are just not adding up for me, no matter how I look at it. If there are more of them doing this even part time, someone high up is recruiting them and we need to find out who it is and put a stop to it ASAP! BK, those missiles are hard to come by even when they are used on the range, so you can bet your last dollar someone who is high up in ordinance is sneaking them out of the fort. They keep a tight count on those kinds of weapons and what we have out there in that truck should have been missed on their weekly inventory count. Let me go to the radio room and see if the chopper has left yet, and if it hasn't maybe I can get Kittrick to come in with it. This is way above my pay grade, BK."

I did and found out that Kittrick was aboard with his armorer as well as one of the advance men from Ft. Bragg. I signed off and heard the whump whump of a Huey coming in for a landing. I knew the sound from another time and it was one I had heard thousands of times. I went back out and sat down next to Sarah who was waiting on me with my plate and coffee. I started eating and watched as the visitors came in. I thought one of them looked familiar and when they got closer, I almost choked, thinking I was seeing a ghost. Sarah asked me what was wrong and I just mumbled something in my shock at seeing an old friend from the past I thought had died. He spied me and our eyes met. He almost stumbled in shock before breaking out in a huge grin that went from ear to ear.

I hadn't realized I was up and moving, almost running as he was until we came together in a big hug. Both of us had tears in our eyes as we hugged and smacked each other on the back. It took several tries before either one of us could speak coherently, saying more than "oh my God" to each other.

We separated, still holding each other's upper arms and smiling. He spoke before me and it was almost exactly what I was saying, but not as loudly. "I thought you were dead, Sarge!"