Chapter 33 Part 33
Asher
The large house felt empty, leading him to truly feel the depth of their absence. It didn’t feel like his home anymore. He hadn’t expected Maggie to stay. Besides, he wasn’t sure if he wanted her there either. He could feel the hollowness from them not being there, and he was on the verge of calling Maggie to try and talk it out when his phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Asher? It’s Polly,” the voice said.
“Hey, Polly, is everything okay?” She sounded on the verge of tears.
“It’s Mark… He’s…he’s dead,” she said, and the sobs started.
Asher slumped down on the couch, and dragged his free hand over his face. The pain of Mark’s loss started deep in his soul. Mark had been a close friend in the Army, and had taken voluntary discharge six months before Asher did.
“What happened?”
“He shot himself,” Polly whispered, as Asher closed his eyes.
“I’m on my way, Polly.”
“Thank you, Asher. I’ll see you soon.”
After the call ended, Asher leaned his head back against the couch. Mark Waters was dead. He couldn’t believe it. The idea of it made him feel numb. His body moved automatically, packing a duffel bag, putting his suit in a plastic garment bag, and loading his personal firearm. It was a 9mm, P90.
With a heavy heart, Asher locked his front door, and got into his truck. It was a 9-hour trip to Mark’s house, so he stopped in front of the main house as he left and got out of his truck. He found his father on the porch, smoking his pipe, and nursing a cup of coffee.
“You look terrible,” Thomas said.
“I’m heading out, Pops. I just received a call that one of my Army brothers has died.”
“I’m sorry, Asher. We’ll keep the fort here,” Thomas said.
“I might be gone all week. Polly didn’t sound so well over the phone, and I was close with Mark. We spent six years together in the desert.”
“Call us if you need anything,” he said, gripping Asher’s hand tightly.
“I will.”
Asher got back into his truck and drove down the dirt road. His truck slowed automatically when he saw Maggie’s house, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he sped up, and drove away. Asher stopped in town to fill his tank with gas, bought supplies for the road, and less than an hour later, he was back on the road, heading out of town.
Asher stopped for food once, and filled up his tank again. The freeway was busy, but not congested. The radio’s volume was low while his thoughts had taken a darker turn. Why would Mark shoot himself? Mark had struggled with the same nightmares, the same PTSD, and night sweats.
Asher swallowed the emotion away. Was he in danger of losing the battle, too? Things must have gotten really bad for Mark to pull the trigger. Asher had never had a suicidal thought in his life, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
At 7 p.m., Asher pulled his truck into Mark and Polly’s driveway. He stared at the house for a few minutes. He’d helped them move in five years earlier. He’d cried, and laughed with Mark when his son was born, while they were stuck in the sand dunes. There were so many memories. He’d been to their wedding, and had been Mark’s best man. It was almost too much to think of him as dead.
He got out of the truck, and the front door of the house opened. Polly stood there, looking small, and frail. Asher’s heart contracted painfully, as he walked toward her, and picked her up in his arms. “I’m so sorry, Polly.”
“I’m glad you’re here. I can get you a room at the inn down the street if you don’t want to stay here,” Polly said, as she wiped the tears from her face.
“I’ll be fine here. I’m not leaving you alone,” Asher said.
He got his duffel bag from his truck, and locked the doors. Polly held the door open for him, walking in first, before he followed. It looked exactly like he remembered, and he fought the instant tears that sprang into his eyes. He walked down the hall to the guest room, where he placed his bag on the floor by the bed.
“Uncle Ash! Daddy went to heaven!” The little boy jumped into his arms. At the age of three, he couldn’t possibly fathom the meaning of death yet. Asher blinked his eyes rapidly and smiled at Matty in his arms.
“Yeah, buddy, Daddy went to heaven.”
“Will Dakota go to heaven to work with Daddy?”
Asher hugged the boy tighter. “Dakota’s going to sit this round out, buddy.”
“Mommy said Dakota can’t stay here. She can’t handle him without Daddy.”
Dakota had been part of the K-9 unit deployed to Afghanistan. He’d slept between Asher and Mark at night, and on more than one occasion, he had warned them of impending danger. Mark had seemed depressed about being discharged, so Asher agreed to let Dakota be discharged with him. He’d missed the dog, but he had been convinced that Mark needed the dog more.
“Let’s go find your mom, Matty.”
“She’s been crying the whole day. There was a loud boom in the shed. Mommy screamed and ran outside to where Daddy was, but he didn’t come out. Mommy’s very sad that Daddy went to heaven.”
Asher wanted to crush Matty to his chest, but he knew the boy wouldn’t understand. He was now also worried about Dakota. What did Polly have planned? She couldn’t get rid of him. The dog was a war hero.
He carried Matty back to the living room. Polly was sitting on Mark’s recliner, her legs pulled up on the seat. Her head was to the side, her cheek resting against the material. Her eyes were red and puffy as she sniffled.
“Have you had dinner yet, buddy?” Matty shook his head no, and Asher retreated from the living room. “Let’s see what your momma’s hiding in the fridge.”
“There’s a pot roast in the oven. Momma made it earlier, but I think she forgot about it.”
After dinner, Asher put Matty to bed, tucking him in. In the living room, he picked Polly up, and carried her to her bedroom. When he covered her with the blankets, she gripped his arm.
“Thank you, Asher. I haven’t had the energy to call anyone else.”
“I’ll do that, Polly. Don’t worry. I’m here.”
“He loved you, you know. Mark always said you were the brother he never had.” Her eyes closed again, and she turned on her side.
“I loved him, too.”