-Sean-
Today is the day.

Charlie called me late last night from the hospital in DC. She’s only a couple of hours away from me, and I’m finally getting to see her. It’s only been five months since she left, but it feels like it’s been a lifetime.

Coach said I had to be at practice this morning, and it’s killing me. But I’m allowed to leave as soon as practice is over, and he changed tomorrow’s practice time to the evening so I can spend the night in Washington. A couple of the guys offered to go with me, and I told them all they’re more than welcome to drive down. I don’t think they’ll be allowed into the hospital, though. Especially not all at the same time.

As soon as practice is over Brayden, Luke and I jump into my Rover and hit the highway. At practice Luke decided he was driving, even though it’s my car. He claims that since I’m so excited to see her, I’m more likely to go way too fast and either get us into an accident or get a ticket. I don’t really care if I get a ticket, but it makes sense. At least he’s keeping a decent pace and we’re right on schedule to get there.

A couple of my teammates tweeted about what was going on, and we’ve been having a good time reading some of the responses. I’m pleased with what most of the people have to say, but of course there are a couple of people from a certain city who have no idea what it means to have class. I mean, come on. This woman lost her leg in the war, defending your country. Show some respect. There are also a couple of bunnies who are shamelessly upset about the fact that my fiancee is home. Fortunately, most people are just wishing us both good fortune and happiness ahead of us.

“So what’s the deal with the cameras?” Brayden asks from the back seat when we’re about half an hour away.
I sigh. “This wasn’t my idea, but I kinda didn’t have a choice except go along with it. The league decided that since our story has been so public, they wanted to make a short documentary about it. They’ve taken some film from past events and stuff, including Paul’s press conference. And they’re going to use some of the film from that documentary we used to watch on National Geographic to talk about Pararescue Jumpers. And of course they’re going to include the video of her coming home last time. Apparently everyone who follows hockey all across the world has fallen in love with Charlie, and wants to see our ‘happy ending’ or whatever. They’re also getting interviews with guys all across the league, talking about me and us and generally supporting the military.”
“So what’s the problem with that? I think it sounds like a great idea.” He says.
“The problem is that Charlie doesn’t know about this. What if she doesn’t want them filming her in the hospital? And they want to film her coming home and stuff. What if she thinks that’s an invasion of her privacy? Cause truthfully, it kinda is.” He thinks for a second. “Plus, I know I’m going to be a mess when I see her for the first time. I’ll probably cry and I don’t need the whole world to see that shit.” I laugh.
“I guess you’re right.” He says. “But like you said, you didn’t have a choice. You might as well make the best of it and make everyone completely fall in love with your relationship. Maybe the Broad Street Bullies will stop getting so many haters if one of us seems like a decent person.”

We all laugh, and then fall into a silence. We’re almost there, and I can feel my heart starting to race. My palms are sweaty and my knee can’t stop shaking. I’m so close to my Charlie, I can feel it.

Luke pulls into the hospital’s campus and we’re thankful there’s a map at the entrance. This place is huge.
“What building is Charlie in?” He asks, studying the map.
“She’s in the American Building, number 19.” I say. I’ve had that destination permanently ingrained in my head for the past twelve hours.
He locates it, and of course it’s all the way on the other side of the campus. I groan and sink into my seat. The Schenn brothers both laugh at me.

It feels like forever, but we finally pull up to a building with a gigantic number 19 on the front. We pull into a parking spot and the two cars with our teammates in them pull in on either side of us. I’m suddenly frozen in my seat. I’m about to see my fiancee for the first time in five months. So much has changed in those five months. What if she doesn’t want to be with me anymore? What if she’s completely changed? I read somewhere that veterans who suffer major injuries sometimes come home completely different. They don’t want anything to do with their lives before their accident, and shut everyone out, including their own families. Charlie won’t be like that, will she?

I snap out of my daze when I hear Hartnell’s booming voice.
“At least she had the decency to pick a good building number!”
The guys all chuckle.
“Come on, man. You gotta go get your woman now.” Brayden says to me, opening my door. I nod to him and my teammates, who have all agreed to hang out in the parking lot until I come back. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that the camera crew the league sent is only two guys, with small cameras with them. One of them is already interviewing some of the guys, so I figure he’s going to stay out here.
“Ready to go?” The one who isn’t filming my stupid friends asks with his camera pointed at me.
“Yeah.” I smile. “Let’s do this.”

We walk through the doors an I head straight for the information desk. The woman looks up at me and smiles.
“Hi, I’m here to see Senior Airman Charlotte Coleman.” I say.
“What’s your relation?” She asks.
“She’s my fiancee.” I respond.
She types something into her computer and makes a few clicks with her mouse.
“She’s on floor six, room 615. Take the elevators on your left, and when you exit them you’ll take a right. Her room is the last one at the end of the hallway on the left.”

I thank her and practically sprint to the elevators.

“What are you thinking right now?” The camera man asks.
“I’m not really thinking anything right now, to be honest.” I say. “I just want to get up there and see her, you know? Though I do wish this elevator would move faster.” He chuckles.

The doors finally open and we shuffle in. I press the button for the sixth floor and wait for the doors to close. They’re taking forever, so I hit the ‘close doors’ button a couple of times. We both laugh.
“I guess I’m kinda impatient right now.” I joke.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?” He asks.
“She left in early July, so almost 5 months.” I respond as the doors finally close.
“And you’ve been engaged since when?”
“Early June. So we had a month together as an engaged couple before she was deployed.”
“And when did she get injured?”
“About a month and a half ago.”
“She was in a coma for a little over a week, right?”
“They were the worst ten days of my life.” I say honestly.
“We’ve heard some rumors that you’ve been holding onto her engagement ring. Is that true?”
“Yeah.” I say, pulling my chain out of my shirt. “I’ve got it right here. It hasn’t left me since they day she left.”

The doors open and I step out into the hallway and turn to the right. The hallway is a lot different from what I had been expecting. I figured it would be exactly like a normal hospital, with white walls and sterile everything. I can feel Charlie’s energy pulling me towards the end of the hallway and my pace quickens. I reach the door marked 615 and take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I turn the door and it opens easily.

The very first thing I hear is that glorious laugh, which instantly puts a smile on my face. She’s sitting on a chair in the corner of the room with her back to me. There’s a man sitting across from her, laughing along with her. His arm is in a sling and they’re playing cards. He looks up at me and I can see recognition in his face.

“Charlie, I have to go now.” He says.
“Oh, Matt! You party pooper. We haven’t even finished our game!” Her voice is beautiful.
“You have a visitor, my dear. I think you’ll be more interested in him than me.” He winks to her and she slowly turns.

Her eyes connect with mine and she gasps.
“Sean.” She says. Tears instantly fill her eyes.
“Hi, beautiful.” I cross the room towards her and this Matt guy pats my shoulder on the way out.

I finally reach her chair and I kneel down next to her. Our eyes are locked together. My right hand runs through her hair and slowly starts caressing her cheek while the other laces with the fingers on her hand that doesn’t have the cast. I realize we both have tears streaming down our faces. I lean in and gently press my lips to hers, savoring the first kiss I’ve had in five months. Slowly I pull back, nuzzling my nose against hers.

“I love you so much.” I say.
“I love you too.” She whispers.

I press my lips to hers again, but this time more firmly. When I finally pull away, my thumbs instantly go to her cheeks, wiping away her tears. She lifts her one hand to wipe mine away and we both smile.

I lean over and push the table closer toward the window. I pull the second chair over and sit in it, my one hand never leaving hers. I lift our conjoined hands up to my mouth and begin kissing her fingers. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my entire life.

“I think you have something that belongs to me.” She says, pulling my eyes back to her face. Her smile is gleaming, and knocks the wind out of my lungs.

I place her hand on my knee and reach up to my chain, undoing the clasp. I slide the diamond ring into my hand and put the chain back on. She reaches for it, but I intercept her hand with my empty one, intertwining our fingers.

“You have to say yes again.” I tease her.
“Yes.” She says instantly. I chuckle.
“I didn’t even ask you the question!” I chide.
“You didn’t have to. Give me my ring.”
We both laugh.
“Charlotte Rose Coleman, will you marry me?” I ask.
“Of course I will, Sean.”

My face is beaming as I slide it onto her ring finger, kissing it for good measure.

The camera man moves closer, reminding me that he is here. Charlie’s vision darts to him and she eyes him suspiciously.

“Who’s that?” She asks me.
“I got what I needed, Mr. Couturier.” He says, turning the camera off. “I’ll wait for you out in the hallway.” He turns and exits the room, closing the door behind him,
“Sean, what’s going on?” Charlie asks again.
“Apparently every hockey fan in North America has been following our story. The league decided that they wanted to make a mini documentary about us, so they sent someone with me to record us seeing each other for the first time. I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. I’m so sorry if you’re not okay with it.” I’m nervous about her reaction. “Tell me right now if you’re not comfortable with it and I’ll go out there and break the camera. I’ll call whoever I have to and tell them that it’s not okay, and I’ll get it shut down.”

To my surprise, she just laughs.
“Sean, I think it’s a fantastic idea.” She says, rubbing her thumb along the back of my hand.
“Okay good. Brayden thinks so, too. He said we might get less haters if one of the Broad Street Bullies has a decent reputation.”
She laughs again, and my heart swells. I feel like I’m falling in love with her all over again. I want to make this woman laugh every second of every day.

“Where is that little monster?” She asks. “I thought for sure he would be here with you.”
“Pretty much half the team is downstairs in the parking lot. They all wanted to come with me, but then they realized they wouldn’t all be allowed in at the same time. And they wanted to give up some privacy first.”
“That’s sweet of them.” She smiles.

I kiss her hand again. It makes me so happy that she loves my friends, and that my friends love her.

“Sean?” She says in a timid voice.
“Yeah baby?”
“I- Um... Do you want to see it?” She asks.
That’s when I notice that her lower half is covered with a blanket. I was so happy to see her that I had totally forgotten why she was here in the first place. I swallow.
“Yeah, I want to see it.” She looks nervous. “But if you’re not ready to show me, I understand.”
“I want to show you.” She says. “But I- I gotta warn you, Sean. It’s weird. The doctor did a nice job with the stitches, but it’s still a shock.”
“I want to see it, Charlie. I promise you I’m sticking around for a while. Actually the rest of our lives. So I’m going to see it eventually.” She gives me a half smile.

She lets go of my hand and reaches down to the blanket. Her hand is shaking. I cover it with my own and squeeze gently, not letting go. Together, our fingers grip the edge of the blanket and pull it to the side.

She’s wearing shorts and the first thing I notice is the giant scar on her thigh. It’s probably about eight or nine inches long, and the skin is pink like it’s still healing. My fingers from my free hand lightly trace it and the other small scars around it. I’m not ready to look any farther yet, so I bring my eyes back up to Charlie’s face. My hand leaves her leg and I cup her chin, bringing my lips to hers. She’s crying again, so I wipe away her tears.

“Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you.” I whisper. “It doesn’t matter if you have two legs or one leg or no legs. I love you with all of my heart.”

She sniffles and I place a kiss to her forehead.

Now’s the moment of truth. I have to look at the biggest injury the love of my life has ever had to endure. My heart is breaking. I glance back down to the scar on her thigh and let my eyes travel down her leg.

I’m surprised at how clean it looks. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it shocks me at first. I couldn’t bring myself to look at any pictures of amputations, so I had no idea what was in store for me. A couple of inches above where her knee should be, her leg just ends abruptly. There’s a thin line running along the bottom where I can see the stitches used to be. The entire area is pink with new skin, and looks a little painful.

“Does it hurt?” I ask through my silent tears.
“Sometimes.” She responds. “Some days it feels fine and others it’s really sensitive. They said that’s because it’s still healing, and it’ll mostly go away.”
I choke back a small sob and close my eyes, willing my tears to stop. Her hand lightly grazes my cheek and I feel her press her forehead to mine.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie.” I say with my eyes still closed.
“Why are you sorry, Sean?” She asks.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry I couldn’t convince you to stay home with me.”
“Sean, you had no way of protecting me. There was no chance of you convincing me to stay home. It’s what I wanted to do.” She says, kissing my temple.
I open my eyes and search her face.
“Do you regret it?” I ask. “Do you regret going?”
“Absolutely not.” She responds. “A Pararescue Jumper knows that they are putting themselves in danger every time they get a call. We do it because we want to save another person’s life. That’s why our motto is ‘These Things We Do, That Others May Live.’ It symbolizes our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the life of another person. I’ve saved a lot of lives, Sean. I’ll never regret that.”

I take this moment to press my lips to hers once again.

“You’re amazing.” I say. She blushes. “I’m serious, Charlie. You’re a true hero.... You’re my hero.”
“Oh, Sean...” She shakes her head, looking down.
“Don’t you ever forget how much I love you.” I say.

Our moment is interrupted by a nurse coming into the room.
“I’m sorry sir, but it’s time for physical therapy. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
My head drops, and I squeeze her hand a little tighter.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.” I promise.
“You better be.” She laughs. “And bring the monkeys with you.”
“Of course.” I kiss her ring again, beyond happy that it’s back on her finger where it belongs.
“I think I’m getting measured for my prosthetic tomorrow morning.” She says, excitement in her voice.
“That’s amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”
“Me neither. It’ll be nice to be able to get up and walk around without crutches or anyone’s help.”

I can see the nurse getting a little impatient with me.
“I’m sorry that I have to go. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can tomorrow. And I’ll bring some of the guys.”

She has a tear threatening to fall on her face. I kiss it away.
“I love you, Sean.” She says.
“I love you too, Charlie.” I respond. “I love you so much.”
I press my lips to hers again, but this time it’s different. Almost simultaneously we both deepen the kiss, unable to get enough of each other. Like magnets, it’s almost impossible to pull us apart. My fingers are threaded in her hair and her hand is grasping my bicep. With all my mental strength, I pull myself away from her and rest my forehead on hers.
“You gotta go to therapy now. So that you can come home to me sooner.” I say.
“As soon as I can.” She responds.

“Would you like to help me get her into her wheelchair?” The nurse asks. “I can show you what to do so that you know how.” I look at Charlie. I know she doesn’t want any help with anything, but I also know she’s going to need it. She slightly nods her head, and the nurse comes over to her other side. She brings the wheelchair right up to Charlie’s side.

“The main thing is to support her left side. Wrap your arm around her waist and she’ll wrap her arm around your shoulders.” I do as I’m told, and Charlie holds onto my neck. “Let her push herself up from the chair, but make sure you’re supporting her in case she’s unbalanced.” Charlie stands. She wobbles a little, and I make sure to hold her tight. “She’s going to rest the majority of her weight on you and hop over towards the chair.” Charlie does just that, and now she’s standing right in front of it. “Now slowly turn her around so her back is to the chair.” I turn dramatically and Charlie laughs. “Now let her sit on her own, but help her balance her weight so she doesn’t fall.” We do exactly as we’re told, and Charlie is seated in the wheelchair. “That was fantastic.” The nurse says. “You two move so well together, it’s like you’re one person. I see why you’re wearing that engagement ring.” We both blush and I press a quick kiss to her lips.

“You know, it would probably be easier if I just picked you up and did all the work.” I joke.
“I do remember you telling me one time that you like picking me up.” She giggles. I grab the handles of the chair and begin wheeling her out the door behind the nurse.
“I mean, we might as well take advantage of this amazingly strong upper body. Right?” She lets out a gorgeous laugh and I see the nurse chuckling too.
“Whatever you say, love.” She says looking back at me.

We reach the elevator bank and I see the camera man waiting for me. He raises an eyebrow at me, asking if it’s okay to film this. I nod and he brings his camera up and turns it on. The nurse motions for us to say goodbye, and my fingers instantly lace with Charlie’s. I bend down and place a searing kiss to her lips. Now that I have her back, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t forget why she agreed to marry me.
“I love you, Charlie.” I say when I pull away.
“I love you too, Sean.” She says. “Tell the monkeys I love them all too, and I’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Will do.”

The elevator door dings, and I press another quick kiss to her lips before stepping back into it. The last thing I see as the doors are closing is Charlie’s radiant smile. My company lowers his camera and gives me a smile.
“Did you get what you needed?” I ask.
“Definitely.” He responds. “I just wanted to say that I respect the relationship you two have. My uncle was in the Marines, so I know what it’s like being a military family member. And with your demanding lifestyle... it’s very respectable.”
“Thank you.” I say.

The doors open and we’re on the bottom floor. We walk out to the parking lot and find that two of the cars have already left. Only the car with Brayden and Luke remains. As soon as they see us exit the building they both hop up from their seats and look at me expectantly.
“Well, how is she?” Luke asks.
“She’s perfect, as usual.” I respond. They both snort.
“You’re so whipped.” Brayden laughs.
“Like you have room to talk!” I chirp back. “Let’s get to the hotel and get all the guys. I’ll tell you all how she is at the same time.”

They agree and we get into the car. I feel a pull on my heart and realize I’m already missing her. I’m so glad I’ll never have to worry about her from now on.

Notes

They're finally together!