"Yeah, sure, big guy. Like always. You stop by and see me when you're in D.C., and say hello to that sweet little girl, Ardith."
"Good-bye, Don."
"Good-bye, Murdock."
Ed DeWitt had been back from Iran for over a week now. For the last four days he hadn't even thought about the SEALS. It was new territory for him. He had taken a two-week leave. He and Milly were on what they called a pre-honeymoon. They drove up the long California coast toward Oregon, stopping at every small town and village. They shopped, and ate all sorts of unusual foods, bartered with the natives, and chilled out on the scenery and good company.
Now they lay on lounges watching the Pacific pound against the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon. The sun had just rimmed the horizon and sparkled a hundred shades of pink, deep reds, and purples into the generous spread of Oregon clouds.
"I may never go back," DeWitt said, sipping a cold beer.
Milly grinned. "Says who? We've got one more week. In about five days you'll get up and scan the international headlines. You'll call the quarter deck once a day to see what's going on in Third Platoon. You'll worry about how Fred Washington's shoulder is healing."
She sipped at her beer. "Hey, Ed. I wouldn't want it any other way. If you didn't do those things, you wouldn't be you. I fell in love with the real you. In spite of all the damned drawbacks — the danger, the outrageous things they ask you guys to do — I guess I wouldn't have that any other way as well."
"Woman, you make a lot of sense. Now rub my back." She did. "I had the idea to rub you somewhere else."
"Not out here."
They hadn't talked about Kat. Milly kept rubbing his back, then massaged his shoulders.
"Tell me about Kat. How did she do?"
"Like one of the guys, honest. She was a lady, who killed at least three of them. She probably saved the lives of one or two of Murdock's squad when three guys came up behind them. She heard them, turned, and cut down two of them with her submachine gun. The third one ran."
"That's enough. I don't want you to tell me so much you'll have to kill me. I'm glad she did well. Terribly happy that she didn't mess up and somebody else got killed. End of talk."
She stood and caught his hand. "Now, inside where there's a little privacy. I have something else I want to talk with you about. Body talk I guess you'd call it."
Ed DeWitt grinned. "Yeah, let's call it that."