blondexhurricane:

As much as Delia wanted to try and correct her,
the look in the nurse’s eyes told her that it was
no use. It wouldn’t do any good, no matter how
hard she tried. More importantly than that, she
didn’t need to push Teddy and either cause her
further injury or have her be totally freaked out
to the point where she up and decided to shut
Delia out of her life altogether.

               “You know what? You’re probably right. I’m sure you’ll
               be back in Iraq to serve out the rest of your tour before
               you know it. Just as soon as your injuries are healed.”
               Was she making an even bigger mistake by trying to
               hide the truth from Teddy now? Was there a right way
               to handle a situation like this? “Whatever you do, and
               wherever you go, I hope you’ll come back to visit me.
               If only to say goodbye before you have to leave.”

Teddy didn’t know what compelled  her,  but  she
found   herself   saluting   this  young  girl.  She’d
obviously sustained  a loss far beyond her years,
and anyone  who could tough that out was a hero.
So, as Teddy took her leave, she put her hand to
her brow: “I’m sorry for your loss.”

               She  couldn’t  have  known  that  those  very  words
               had  been spoken to her some sixteen years before;
               in a different place, and in  a different  l  i  f  e  . She
               couldn’t remember the husband she had lost, or the
               daughter  who  had  been her only solace in a place
               she  could  never  call  h o m e .