âWhat, other than being two soldiers from Brooklyn who are supposed to be dead?â James replied, the tiniest of smiles flickering across his face. âYeah, weâre two peas in a pod.â Then he sighed again. âIt just⊠Itâs not going to go away any time soon. All of this stuff in my head, all of the stuff that still isnât there⊠I canât do anything because thereâs so much that I donât remember, and so much that I canât forget.â
   Stella listened to him with intent, letting his words swallow her, envelop her like a bad rash. The tidal wave of guilt that followed most likely wasnât her bed-companionâs intention, but it happened anyway. Leaning up, Stella placed a light kiss on his cheek.     âAnd thatâs why Iâm here. To help you through the bad and reclaim the good. No matter what.â










