A Fragile Balance--Sneak Peek III: Separation

Ava & Arden Regatti

My hands shook while I wrote the scene below (...in fact are shaking still) and when it was done, I was sobbing so hard I could barely read the words I was putting on the page. It didn't matter. I didn't need to read them; I lived them and images like the one below are burned into my brain for the rest of my life. Many military families experience real-life scenes like this one on a regular basis.

To all my brothers and sisters in the armed forces and the families that support them, I sincerely hope the words from my books honor the spirit of what you must do daily.

Love,
A.

A Fragile Balance
by Amy M. Schaefer

Separation

*Note: Nick is leaving for his new duty station in Italy. Abby and their daughters have taken him to the hanger where he'll catch the bus that will take him to his flight.

They drove in silence the short distance from their townhouse on base to the hanger where Nick would leave for Italy. The parking lot was already full of families just like theirs in various stages of unloading. Abby got the girls out and took each of their hands, walking them over to the roped off area where family members waited, while Nick took his bags and went to check in. Abby and the girls stopped at a table set up by the Enlisted Spouses Club and got a cookie then went to find a spot to wait. Abby sat Indian-style on the Tarmac, pulling the girls down into her lap and they played a silly game of "Eye Spy", where the girls kept choosing a tree for the topic and giggling when "tree" was guessed. All too quickly Nick's shadow appeared over them and he knelt down, scooping the little girls up into his arms. "Be good for Mommy, munchkins," he said, then covered the girls' pretty faces with kisses. Abby couldn't look, bowing her head while he said his goodbyes. His hand reached down in front of her face and she took it, gripping tight as he pulled her to her feet. The girls had arms around his legs and the sight made her choke back a sob. Nick drew her into his arms, squeezing tight. He whispered, "It will be over soon, baby." She could only nod, her silent tears soaking his uniform shirt.

She pulled back, looking up at him and wishing for the life of her that she had the right words to say, but nothing would come. She stepped away and Arden came with her, putting a little arm around her mother's leg, gripping tightly to the jean fabric and popping her thumb into her mouth. Nick brushed his fingertips over Abby's soft cheek, patted his youngest daughter on top of the head and went to pull Ava away. "Time for me to go, munchkin," he told her gently. "No," she replied stubbornly and squeezed his leg tighter. "Baby, daddy has to leave," he said, pulling a little harder to get her to release him. Big, fat tears were streaming down her face when she looked up at him. "Please don't leave me daddy," she begged. Abby reached down, got Ava by the waist and pulled her up into her arms. "Go," she whispered to her husband while her daughter fought to get free. He turned and left them, walking towards the bus that would take him to his plane while his wife directed their girls back to the car. When he got to the bus door, he turned to look back. Arden was walking stoically with her mother, holding tightly to her hand, but Ava was kicking and screaming. The Sergeant behind Nick patted him hard on the back. "At least they were here, man. It's worse when whey don't come. Trust me," he said somberly. Nick nodded and boarded the bus. Christ how he hated this part of his job.