Free Heroes Never Die by Lois Sanders Page B

she would be returning, yet saying goodbye seemed so final.  She looked at Brian.  His expression told her that he was anxious to begin their new life.  He took her hand and headed toward the front door, but Stephanie paused for a moment and looked back.  Once she left her familiar home, she could never return to the childhood she once knew.  But in a strange and wonderful way, she knew the life she was meant to live all along was just one step away.  She looked to Brian.  He was happier than she had ever seen him.  He pressed her mouth with a kiss and led her to a waiting car.  Rowdy opened the door and ushered them inside.  My life has just begun!
     
    Chapter Seven:
    The cool, crisp days of autumn made their colorful appearance.  Stephanie marveled how she and Brian had become increasingly reliant upon each other for love and support.  She recalled what her dad had said about clinging to Brian instead of the things that used to make her happy and, as usual, her dad was right.  She shuddered at the thought of living without Brian.
    Robert invited Stephanie and Brian over to watch a college football game.  They were enjoying the rivalry when, mid-game, the news broke in.
    “We have just received word from the State Department that an American Naval ship, the USS Polaris, has been attacked by Iraqi fighter jets.  The State Department has confirmed that twenty-three crewmen aboard the USS Polaris are dead as a result of the unprovoked missile attack.  President McCarthy has called an emergency meeting of his cabinet to discuss the available options.  I repeat…”
    Stephanie was alarmed.  The President had already vowed to keep the Persian Gulf open, and striking an American Naval ship was striking the hearts of home.  With Iran’s destruction imminent and Saudi Arabia tilting toward Russia, the area was wide open for Russian aggrandizement.
    The newscaster now had a panel of experts to lend their opinion in this perilous situation.  Stephanie could feel a violent storm brewing and she left the room and walked to the kitchen as though being out of earshot would end the talk of war.  She could still hear Brian and her dad in the family room trying to predict the outcome.
    “Will you bring me another beer?” Brian called.
    Stephanie went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer.  She reached in the drawer for a bottle opener, lifted off the cap, and poured the beer into a tall glass.  She filled a bowl with pretzels and returned to the family room.  “Here you go, hon.”  She handed Brian the beer, set the bowl of pretzels on the table, and took a seat next to him.  The football game had resumed and the afternoon slowly returned to normal when the newscaster suddenly broke in with another special bulletin.  Brian and Robert fell silent.
    The bulletin was being broadcast live from the White House.  President Patrick McCarthy, from his desk in the Oval Office, addressed the nation.  His face was as serious as his lengthy message, and just as Stephanie’s dad and Brian had predicted, the President declared war.
    Stephanie reached for Brian’s right arm.  News of the war flashed across the TV.  Scenes of the destruction played while the newscaster solemnly reported the increasing number of fatalities, but all that Stephanie could do was worry about her newlywed husband who could be called away to serve any day.  She glanced at him.  His gaze was intently focused on the TV, his mouth set in a straight line.  If you only knew how much I need you.
    As Brian drove home that evening, the ominous threat of war loomed over Stephanie.  She was quiet and apprehensive.  The two men she loved most were under the Army’s authority, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing either one of them.  She reached for Brian’s hand, but neither of them spoke a word.  She knew that Brian would never admit it, but the war was on his mind, too.
    Stephanie walked inside their home and headed