To Love and Heal (The Power of Love Series) (8 page)

By the time that
Anna figured out he had just returned a fallen baby bird to its nest, Caleb was
already back on the ground, and the nervous squawks had subsided.

Anna sat back down
on the bed, both touched and confused by what she had just witnessed. Certainly
it didn't jibe with the coldness she saw in Caleb last night – or had she
triggered an instantaneous wall in her attempt to convince him to seek
counseling for PTSD?  Trust your gut, she thought to herself … but her gut
these days was on an endless rollercoaster, and as such, it was increasingly
more difficult to read.

Still, she thought
back to Caleb's pained expression as he talked about Haley. Though she felt she
had tried to help him to no avail and should simply stand back, something –
yes, her gut – said otherwise.  A sudden plan of action sprang into her
head, along with uncertainty as to whether she could actually pull it
off.  But with the practicality of resolve and the magic of a miracle …
she just might help make a formerly impossible dream come true.

FIVE

"Representative Lawton will see you now," an
assistant said as he led Anna into a spacious, red-carpeted office.

The congresswoman rose from her seat behind a massive
mahogany desk and approached Anna, shaking her hand firmly before sinking into
a plush chair several feet across from her.  "So how can I help
you?" she asked,

"There's something that I'm trying to make happen, and
I'm not sure where to begin, so I figured I'd start at the top."

Representative Lawton smiled wryly.  "Flattery
will get you everywhere."  Known as a no-nonsense, seasoned
politician, she was well liked by her constituents and had easily won the last
reelection. Impeccably dressed in a blue pinstripe skirt and blazer with a
crisp white blouse and pearls, she oozed regal professionalism.

"I have a veteran of the Afghanistan War working to
remodel my house.  He recently came back from his third tour of duty, and
even though he would never talk about this himself, the fact is that other
soldiers are alive today because of his actions."  Anna paused to
extract a photocopied news article from her purse.  "This is about
his receiving the Bronze Star," she explained as the handed over the
article.

Representative Lawton scanned the article closely, then
looked up at Anna.  "Definitely hero material."

"If I hadn't come across this story online, I would
never have known that he was awarded a medal for his actions.  He won't
talk much about what happened there, but it's clear to me that he's suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder."

"As are many soldiers returning from Afghanistan and
Iraq."

"I know – and I've talked to Caleb about going for
counseling, but he doesn't think he has a problem."

Representative Lawton shifted in her chair. 
"That's a tough one. Many of these soldiers are afraid that it will be a
blight on their record if they receive counseling, and the sad fact is that
suicide is a real danger among this group."

"I know," Anna acknowledged quietly, feeling as
though she had been kicked in the gut.

"I'm still not sure how I can help – other than
putting him in contact with some top-notch counselors, which I'm sure I could
do."

"That's not exactly why I'm here."

Representative Lawton arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"During his last deployment, a young soldier died when
he jumped in front of Caleb to protect him in an ambush during a rescue. The
soldier died in his arms, and I know he feels it was his duty to keep everyone
in his crew safe."

Representative Lawton breathed in audibly and shook her
head sympathetically.

"I know there's no way to change what happened to that
soldier," Anna continued. "But there's another comrade that Caleb
feels he left behind in Afghanistan, and that's who I'm trying to bring back. I
really think this could help him to move forward if this were actually to
happen."

Representative Lawton twisted her pearls with her fingers.
"Pardon me for being blunt, but you do realize I can't just snap my
fingers and bring home a soldier who's on active duty."

Anna hesitated, but only slightly.  "Well, what
if she had four legs and a tail?"

The congresswoman froze in mid-pearl twist.  "I'm
sorry – what did you just say?"

"Representative Lawton, I happen to know you're a dog
lover."  As if confirming Anna's declaration, both women turned to
view several framed pictures on the desk of the lawmaker hugging her two
sizeable English bulldogs.

Anna knew she had to strike while the iron was hot.
"The Taliban won't allow dogs as pets, so strays are a huge problem in
Afghanistan.  Many of the soldiers take in the dogs – even though it's
against regulations – and the bond that they share with these dogs helps keep
them sane.  There's been no shortage of news stories about this."
 She paused to pull another piece of paper from her purse. 
"That's a picture of Caleb and Haley.  It was from a story that I
found online about stray dogs that have saved soldiers in Afghanistan and
Iraq.  Haley alerted Caleb and the other soldiers in his living quarters
to a suicide bomber who had snuck onto the base during the night.  He was
apparently planning to detonate the bomb in the barracks, but it went off just
outside during the ruckus after Haley started barking and then ran after him. I
know Caleb is worried about what will happen to her now that he's back
here."

"I would imagine she's being looked after by the other
soldiers."

"I'm sure she is – but eventually they'll be leaving,
too.  I just think that it would really help Caleb get to a better place
if he had her here.  She saved his life, and unlike the soldier who did
the same and was killed, it's not too late for him to feel like he's repaid the
favor, so to speak."

Representative Lawton studied Anna closely.  "And
what did you say this man's relationship is to you?  He's remodeling your
house?"

"Yes." Silence hung between them for longer than
Anna was comfortable with.  "But I'm not going to lie to you. 
I've grown to care about Caleb and I want to help him get back to the person
that he was before all this happened to him.  I know dogs have been
brought back for soldiers before."

"Then you must also know that it's no easy feat to
pull off.  Aren't there some rescue organizations that have been set up
specifically for bringing some of these dogs over here?"

"Yes, and I did look into them.  But even if they
added Haley to the rescue list, it would be a while before anything could
happen, and I really think it's critical to reunite her with Caleb as soon as
possible."

"Do you even know what this would cost – if the dog
can actually be found, which there's no guarantee at this point."

"It's about four-thousand dollars on average to fly a
dog back from Afghanistan or Iraq."

"And this money is coming from … where?"

"I'll pay for it."

Representative Lawton appeared unconvinced. "You have
that kind of money just lying around?"

"No, I would have to tap into my savings. But it's
worth it to me."

Representative Lawton shot Anna a knowing look. 
"That must be one hell of a house remodeler."

Anna managed a half smile.  "Yes, he is … and I
also think Haley is one hell of a dog who deserves a chance at a better
life.  So it's a win-win situation."

As Representative Lawton clasped her hands together and
looked up at the ceiling, Anna could almost hear the wheels turning. 
Finally, she looked back at Anna.  "I tell you what – let me reach
out to a few people.  I can't promise anything, but maybe there's a way we
can get the ball rolling on this without you having to dig into your own
pockets.  With this economy, that should be the last option.  My
husband also sits on the board of Vantage Airways, and like I said, I can't
promise anything, but maybe that can be of some help to us."

Anna smiled appreciatively.  "Thank you so
much."

Representative Lawton tilted her head sideways. "Let
me guess – you already knew my husband was on the board of directors for the
airline."

Anna grinned.  "I might have read that
somewhere."

Representative Lawton shook her head, but smiled
nonetheless.  "Someone obviously did her homework. Well, I admire
your tenacity, and Caleb is very lucky to have someone like you in his
corner."

Anna thanked the congresswoman as she rose from her seat, a
spark of hope unfurling in her heart.  Now all she had to do was get Haley
back in Caleb's corner as well, knowing that the special bond they shared just
might make all the difference in the world.

SIX

"Wow – things are really coming together," Anna
remarked as she paused in the living room on the way to the kitchen for her
morning cup of coffee.

Almost two weeks has passed since their conflicted parting
of ways in the guesthouse, and Anna had since done her best to keep things on a
strictly professional level – not the easiest thing to do considering her
undeniable attraction to Caleb, but certainly the right thing under the
circumstances. And the fact that there was no indication on his part that he
wanted to resume what had
seemed
at the time to be something more only
made it that much easier to keep her resolve.

Caleb stood up from where he had been kneeling on the floor
to measure a piece of siding.  "Glad you like what you see. Most of
the bull work is done – now it's just putting on the finishing touches, and
pretty soon you'll have a fully functional house."

His eyes met hers and lingered longer than she expected,
prompting her to wonder if he felt even a fraction of the pang that grabbed her
stomach at the thought of never seeing him again once the job was
finished.  A few more moments of seeming connection before he looked away,
taking her wishful thinking along for the journey. She was almost grateful when
the front doorbell suddenly rang and cut through the awkward silence.

"This better be Publisher's Clearing House with my
million-dollar win," Anna said as she headed to the door.

Caleb grinned. "Wouldn't that be nice."

She cautiously opened the door, immediately recognizing the
easygoing smile on the other side.  "Hi there – come on in," she
said as Joel readily obliged.

"Hey, man – what's going on?" Caleb exclaimed,
his face visibly brightening at the sight of his friend.

"I wanted to tell you the good news in person."

Caleb grabbed Joel's hand in a vigorous shake. "Let's
hear it!"

"My unit's been called up again. I'm leaving
tomorrow."

Caleb's smile instantly vanished. "Are you
serious?"

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but it's been crazy
trying to tie up loose ends before I leave."

"So I take it the good news part was a joke,"
Caleb said, clearly not amused.

"You know me – always trying to put a positive spin on
things."

Anna looked down at the floor, her own concern for Joel
further weighed down by the heaviness in the room.  It was almost as if
she could feel the dread that was growing exponentially inside of Caleb.

Joel forced a shrug. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for
those gourmet MREs." Seeing Anna's quizzical look, he added, "Meals
Ready to Eat."

Anna nodded and did her best to smile, although she was now
feeling anything but upbeat.

"Have you given any thought to getting out of the
Reserves?" Caleb asked.

"Now you're starting to sound like Sharon."

"What can I say? You married a good – and smart –
woman."

"Don't I know
it. And I'm telling you what I told her.  This is it for me.  I don't
want to be one of those guys who's in and out of a revolving door with
back-to-back tours. Like she keeps telling me
– I was
born with only three-quarters of my sanity, so I need to preserve what I
have."

"I was thinking it was more like one-quarter, but I'll
give you the benefit of the doubt," Caleb said with a reluctant grin.

"Well, I wish I could stay longer, but I still have a
few things to get squared away – not to mention I want to spend as much time as
possible today with Sharon and Jacob."

"Don't blame you.  I'm just glad you came by
before shipping out."

"Wouldn't dream of not saying goodbye." He shook
Caleb's hand, then pulled him into a back-slapping embrace. "It's a good
thing you don't have to go back with me, since you no doubt would have to save
my ass a half-dozen times again."

"It was more like a dozen times, but who's
counting," Caleb forcibly joked, clearly doing his best to hide his deep
concern. 

As if on cue, Joel's face grew dark, an uncharacteristic
display of seriousness that made Anna wonder if he was more worried about the
months ahead than he was letting on.

"Take care of yourself," Caleb said firmly yet
quietly, unwilling to let go of his grip on Joel's hand.