June
2006
Even
though he knew it was coming, Lucky James flinched at the first
volley of gunfire. He remained steady for the next two volleys, the
loud crack giving way to the mournful sound of the bugle.
During
his five years with the 75th Ranger Regiment, he’d never attended a
stateside service for a fallen soldier. He’d stood at attention on
a tarmac halfway around the world as the American flag was lowered to
half-staff and “Taps” blared from loudspeakers. He’d carried
flag-draped metal coffins holding the remains of his brothers-in-arms
up the ramp of the C-130 that would deliver them home. He’d knelt
beside many of those coffins, placed his hand atop them, silently
begging forgiveness for failing them. After all, as a Ranger medic,
his number one priority was to return his fellow soldiers home to
their loved ones safe and sound. Not in a box. Never in a box.
When
the bugler finished, the honor guard lifted the American flag from
Ethan Dellinger’s casket and began the ceremonial folding. Everyone
watched in silence as the soldiers worked in tandem, pulling the
fabric taught, smoothing each crease, making each fold with
precision. It had been years since he’d last seen Ethan; his last
memories of him were as a chatty middle schooler who invited himself
to shoot hoops with Lucky at a nearby playground one day. Over the
course of the next few years, Ethan would show up out of the blue and
follow Lucky around as he worked on his car, mowed the yard, whatever
he was doing. Right up until the day Lucky left for basic training.
To
be completely honest, Lucky hadn’t given much thought to Ethan
during the past five years. After all, he was just a kid he once
knew. He hadn’t even known Ethan had joined the army immediately
following his high school graduation. Only after arriving home on
leave the day before had Lucky learned from his father that “the
youngest Dellinger boy” had been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Barely
three weeks into his very first deployment, Army Pfc. Ethan Dellinger
died two months shy of his nineteenth birthday.
His
immediate family assembled only feet away from his casket with the
remaining friends and family forming a semicircle around the grave
site. From where Lucky stood at the back, he could see each of their
faces. Ethan’s mother and father sat side by side on small folding
chairs with elderly relatives, grandparents perhaps, seated next to
them. The youngest of four children, Ethan’s immediate family was
large to begin with, and when in-laws, nieces, and nephews were
thrown into the mix, it grew to massive proportions.
Despite
the large gathering, his eyes were drawn to Ethan’s sister, Rachel.
She stood out even among her own siblings with her fiery red hair and
bright blue eyes.
She
and Lucky were of the same age, had attended the same schools from
the time Lucky and his father moved to Durant, Oklahoma, in the
middle of seventh grade. In all that time, he’d never spoken more
to her than the occasional hello, goodbye, or single-word answer. And
for as long as he could remember, while she’d never paid any mind
to him, she’d always had his attention, despite the fact they
traveled in different social circles.
But
what stood out about her today he found upsetting. There she was,
surrounded by all these people, all family or friends of her brother,
and she stood completely alone. With her arms wrapped tight around
her middle, Rachel comforted herself at a time when no one else
seemed to notice or care.
It
took every bit of self-restraint for him to not make a scene, march
over to where she stood, and pull her into his arms. He was on the
verge of saying to hell with being polite when the service ended and
the crowd began to disperse. Everyone except him. He remained right
where he stood, watching Rachel as she walked over to Ethan’s
casket, pressed a kiss to her fingertips, and laid her hand upon the
polished wood.
He
had only taken a few steps in her direction when her head lifted and
she caught sight of him. Much to his surprise, she stepped away from
Ethan’s casket and walked toward him. Her blue eyes were red and
swollen, her face tearstained.
“Rachel,”
he began the moment she was in earshot. “I’m very sorry about
Ethan. He was a great—”
Before
he could finish his condolences, her palm met his cheek with a
resounding crack.
“How
dare you come here,” she said bitterly.
The
tears fell freely down her face now. Her hands shook and her body
vibrated with restrained fury.
He
apologized a second time for reasons unknown even to him. But judging
from the expression on her face and the hurt in her eyes, the words
needed to be said.
“This
is your fault,” she said, pointing to the hole where her brother’s
casket would be lowered and the adjacent pile of red dirt that would
bury him deep beneath the earth’s surface. “Ethan idolized you.
Wanted to be you. He joined the army in hopes of following in your
footsteps. Except he didn’t score high enough to be a medic. Wasn’t
fit enough to be a Ranger. I hope you’re happy.”
Stunned
into silence, he could do little more than watch as Rachel Dellinger
turned her back on him and walked away.
About
HERE AND NOW
The
Rangers of the 1st/75th fight hard, train hard and play hard. They
are physically strong and mentally tough, disciplined and courageous.
But all their military training hasn't prepared them for falling in
love.
Former
Ranger Medic Lucky James feels right at home working long night
shifts in the ER, but less so during the day, when his college
classes are filled with flirtatious co-eds. When his 19-year-old chem
lab partner shows up at his work with dinner for “her Lucky,” he
quickly enlists the help of Rachel Dellinger, a nurse and fellow
third shift vampire.
Rachel
is a people pleaser at heart, but she’s finally decided enough is
enough when it comes to her on-again, off-again boyfriend. When Lucky
begs Rachel to help him ward off the advances of his teenager
pursuer, she blackmails him into helping move her things out of the
apartment she shared with her ex into a place all her own.
From
there a friendship is born between two people just trying to make it
through the night. Neither are living in the past or planning for the
future. Until one day changes everything.
About
CHERYL ETCHISON
Cheryl
Etchison graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in
journalism and news communications and has worked as a newspaper
reporter, marketing coordinator and in public relations for a MLB and
NHL team. Currently, she lives in Austin, Texas and is a stay at home
mom to three girls. ONCE AND FOR ALL is her first novel.
Where
to buy HERE AND NOW
Barnes
and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-and-now-cheryl-etchison/1123496147?ean=9780062471062
Google
Play:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cheryl_Etchison_Here_and_Now?id=PjPZCgAAQBAJ
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