Will didn’t remember what Helen had fixed for dinner that night but be complimented her on it and she glowed. Then he settled down in his recliner, channel surfed the TV for a while, then took a nap. He was home. Nancy would be there tomorrow, and they would work through whatever problems faced them. Together, they would do it together. The lawyer had talked briefly with him that evening and said that if they didn’t want to go to trial there would almost certainly be some kind of a plea bargain they could make. The charges would get knocked down to manslaughter two but the chances of Nancy having to do at least two years in prison would be hard to get around. Dobler understood. A young man, twenty-two, had died and his girlfriend would be in a wheelchair for six months to repair the damage to her legs. He understood. He didn’t like it, but he knew there was no way around it. They would simply have to adapt.
At noon the next day, Maria and Dobler picked up Nancy at the discharge point of the Detention Center in Lakeside, seven miles north and east of San Diego. Nancy had her head down as she walked to the car. Maria put her in the back seat with Will, but she sat on the side as far from him as she could get.
She wouldn’t talk. Will moved over toward her, then pulled her over to him and put her head on his shoulder. Slowly she relaxed and before they were at the bay bridge, Nancy Dobler began to cry softly, wetting his shoulder and bringing dampness to Will’s eyes as well.
By the time they pulled up in front of the Dobler home, Nancy had her head on Will’s chest and her crying had stopped. His arms were around here. Neither of them had spoken yet. Maria eased out of the car so the two could be alone. She walked up to the house and talked with the kids who had been waiting.
Will tried. “Baby, I’m so sorry.” The words came out softly yet smothered with so much emotion that he could hardly understand them himself. Nancy turned and looked up him.
“Sweetheart… I didn’t mean… I didn’t try to hurt that boy.” She broke down again and he held her while she sobbed.
It was a half hour later before Nancy opened the door and helped Will out of the car and onto his crutches. His right leg was still heavily bandaged, and he wore shorts to give the wrappings room. He eased onto the crutches and they walked slowly up the sidewalk and into the door.
Maria had been talking to the kids, and now Helen and Charlie waited inside, and let their mother come to them. She did, hugged each one and kissed them. Being home made her feel better. Yes. Holding the kids was what she needed. Nancy thanked Maria, hugged her and then walked her to the door.
When she came back Nancy felt like her old self. She looked around and then at the kids. “Okay, you guys, who have you hired to clean up this place? It’s practically spotless.”
“Dad pulled an inspection,” Charlie said. “Gave us all morning to get the place ready.”
Nancy laughed. It was the first time in almost a week. “Yep, that sounds like our Will. Navy right down to the old gonads.” That made them all laugh.
Helen had been making dinner. She continued. There would be broiled herb chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, frozen peas, a fruit salad, and ice cream sundaes for desert. Nancy watched her with amazement.
“Whoever taught you to cook, young lady?”
Nancy turned, a sparkle in her eye. “A wise old Hindu monk who came only when I was alone in the kitchen.” Then she smiled. “I’ve been watching you for years, Mom. You’re a great cook.”
Nancy felt the tears coming again and thanked her daughter and left the room to find a box of tissues. It was so good to be home if even for a short time.
The phone rang and Nancy grabbed it out of habit. She always got the phone because sometimes raucous shipmates from years before would call up and usually Will didn’t want to go meet them for a drinking bout.
“Yes, good afternoon.”
“Mrs. Dobler. I’m Harry Justin, your lawyer. We met briefly at your arraignment. We need to do a lot of backgrounding. Could I come over tonight for a couple of hours?”
“Mr. Justin I appreciate what you have done for me and are doing. But I just now made it home. I’d really like to have tonight with the family. Would that be all right?”
“Yes, but I’ll call tomorrow. There is a lot I need to know about the stress of being a SEAL wife on top of the normal Navy problems. Yes, let’s do it tomorrow. I’ll call you about noon and set up something.”
That night after dinner, they turned off the TV and played dominoes the way they used to when the kids were learning to add and subtract.
“Been a long time, Mom,” Helen said.
“You can talk, you’re a hundred points ahead,” Will cracked.
Later that night, Nancy tenderly made love to Will, being careful of his wounded leg.
“Yes it was good for me,” Nancy said, poking Will in the shoulder as they lay side by side relaxing. “Tonight was a wonderful time. Something to remember.”
“Baby, I think it’s time we talk about my getting out of the platoon. I want to stay in the SEALs, but I won’t be on field duty. We talked about it once before. I’ll be in a support group somewhere, maybe supply or the boats. Lots of spots where I can save my rate. Then I get in the rest of my twenty years and we’ll talk about me finding some other type of employment.”
“But you love the SEALs, sweetheart. You’ve told me a dozen times that if you had to leave the platoon, you’d just as soon quit the Navy. I don’t want you to have to make that decision. Not on account of me. Look, Will. I understand this DUI I’ve got and the murder charge or manslaughter two, or whatever it comes down to. I know that means I’m going to have to do some time. That fancy lawyer is good, but he can’t get me a walk. We both know that. So, no more talk about quitting the platoon. Your wound won’t keep you out. You’re only thirty-seven. You’ve got another two good years with the kids out there swimming around. Now keep quiet. Has Big Boy down there had a long enough rest? I’m still just as horny as hell and there’s only one way to stop that itch.”
“Damn, sexy woman, it’s only been a half hour.” He laughed. “Hell, yes, Big Boy is coming up again and raring to go.”
The next morning, Will drove over to the SEALs base. It was only a little over two miles and he proved to Nancy that he could drive. He braked with his left foot.
Nancy went back inside the house and sat a moment looking around the place. Then she did a clean-up, putting everything in place. She laid out the menu for dinner that night, and made sure that all of the food was in the refrigerator or on the shelf. The kids were in school and would be home about three thirty.
Then she went into the bedroom, picked up a leather bag from the night stand, and took it into the bathroom. She cleaned the room until it sparkled, then sat down in the tub, and pulled the shower curtain so it hung inside the tub.
Nancy took the .45 caliber automatic pistol from the leather pouch and racked the slide back the way Will had taught her years ago. Yes, a round moved into the chamber. She flipped off the safety and put the muzzle up to the side of her head just above her ear.
Nancy said a short prayer, then pulled the trigger.
21
The SEALs had struggled through two whole days off. They hardly knew what to do with themselves. Ed DeWitt found a new chess opponent in the ward room and they had a best-three-out-of-five series going.
Murdock tried to follow the war. Bangladesh and Nepal were entirely subjugated. Nobody could figure out why. Then word came that ten divisions of Chinese infantry with armor support had moved into Pakistan with the country’s blessings and were concentrating on the Iranian border. Speculation was all over the place about China’s intentions. Murdock couldn’t figure it out. If they wanted territory, why not go for Afghanistan or India? No, India would retaliate with a nuclear weapon and end it in a rush. So Why Iran? True, those Arabs have some oil. Murdock looked it up. Iran has a little over ninety billion barrels of oil reserves. But they also had 1.4 million men under arms.