Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“Your wife is currently still being operated on. They were able to get the baby out in time; however, due to the damage caused by the abruption, the bleeding couldn’t be stopped. The doctor’s in the process of removing Shiloh’s uterus in an attempt to get the bleeding under control.” The nurse explained
The baby and I waited another forty-five minutes for news.
I felt like Kevin Bacon in that movie She’s Having A Baby. I was totally and utterly lost. I had a baby, but no Shiloh. And although the baby was absolutely beautiful, I couldn’t celebrate yet, which made me feel like a big pile of shit.
I berated myself for hours on what I could’ve done differently, what I should be doing differently even now, but only managed to grab a hold of my overloaded emotions when the same nurse returned with a wide smile on my face.
I took a deep breath, and thanked the nurse, waited for her to round the corner, and then promptly fell apart.
I knew I was being watched.
I knew my brothers, as well as family and friends were just down the hall, and that nurses were watching me lose it, but I couldn’t help it.
I looked at that baby, the one that had Shiloh’s beautiful brown hair, and her big precious eyes, and I wept.
Or like Shiloh liked to say, watered my beard.
The good news was my wife was okay. My baby was okay. The bad news? My heart would never be the same.
***
Present
Rebel scooted closer into my side, burrowing in behind me, holding on while we all cheered for Janie.
At ten years old, she was hell on wheels, and she was daddy’s little girl for sure.
She lived for the opportunity to watch daddy shoot, work on motorcycles, wash the car, or even play a video game.
Where I was, she was, much to Shiloh’s annoyance.
In Rebel’s eyes, I could do no wrong.
“Daddy, lift me up. I can’t see Janie.” She yelled.
I did as instructed, and we all watched as Janie crossed the stage, biker boots and all, to accept her diploma.
“Thank God.” Shiloh muttered quietly from beside me.
I looked down into her beautiful face.
She was a little older now, a little more curvy. Her hair had pale silver strands that threaded through her brown locks here and there, but not in one single way did it detract from her beauty.
She was still just as loving and caring now, if not more so, than she’d been when I’d met her twelve years ago. “You can say that again.” I declared, smiling down at her.
Her eyes warmed as she looked from my smile to my daughter that was perched on the top of my shoulders. “One down, two to go.” She said, eyes twinkling.
“And now, I’d like to present to you the 2026 class Valedictorian, Kayla Nash!” The principal cheered.
Around us, our little family roared.
Kayla hadn’t led an easy life.
At the age of two, she’d lost her father, and one of my best friends, to the war in Iraq.
Eight years later, she lost her only other living relative, to cancer.
She’d moved in with us a couple of months before her grandmother had gotten too sick, where she’d remained for the last eight years. Each Sunday, like clockwork, she’d visit her father and grandmother, who were buried next to Kayla’s grandfather. There, she’d tell them her hopes and dreams, and goal of becoming the valedictorian, and then on to become a doctor that searched for a cure for cancer.
Every bit of instinct I possessed knew she’d accomplish that goal, too.
“Hello, class of 2026!” Kayla yelled into the microphone.
She was beautiful, and to see her standing there, wearing her yellow sash that declared her at the top of her class, I got a little teary eyed thinking about all that Dougie had missed when he’d died.
“One of my biggest motivators to be where I am today is because of one man.” She said, swallowing thickly. “He’s in heaven, and I call him daddy.”
Silence reined at her announcement, and I heard Cheyenne lose her battle with tears next to me.
“Sixteen years ago, he died protecting his country. He died doing what he loved. He died being a hero. My hero.” Kayla finished on a whisper.
Her tears spilled over her cheeks, but the waver in her voice didn’t stop her.
“He wrote me a letter while he was over there, and had one of his best friends in the world bring it home to me, to keep it safe until I was old enough to understand it.” Kayla said. “I’m going to read it to you, and maybe you’ll find inspiration in what he’s written to me, too. Or maybe once you leave here, there won’t be one single thing you enjoyed about my speech, but you’ll forever remember this letter. You’ll remember it when you need it the most, just like I have.”
She cleared her throat, and then started reading.
Pumpkin,
I’m writing this letter on a beautiful sunny day in the middle of an open desert.
Although you might not know it, I loved you very much. You were my world. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you’d become something great. Something this world has never experienced before.
I’ve been instructed to carry out one final mission before I come home. I have one of the greatest men the world has ever been blessed with at my side, and we’re going into hostile territory. Although it’s supposed to be routine, I want to write this letter to you, just in case. Which means, that if this letter is currently in your hands right now, I didn’t make it.
I want to impart on you some wisdom that I’ve learned.
The world is not a very nice place.
There are people in this world who will constantly bring you down. However, there are also people in this world that will help raise you up. Make you a person that you are proud to be.
You will find, many times in your life, things do not go your way.