Weapons of War by M. R. Forbes Read Free Book Online

stepping aside to let him in. "Be gentle with him, sir. He isn't feeling well."
    "He's my father, Sergeant. First and foremost. I want to help him."
    "Yes, sir."
    Gabriel entered the living space, closing the hatch behind him. He could smell the vomit in the air, and he noticed the stain of it still on the floor.  
    "You come to tell me I'm a screw-up?" Theodore St. Martin asked, moving into the room. He was wearing his full dress uniform, crisp and tight. "You come to tell me I don't deserve to lead these fine men and women?"
    "Dad," Gabriel said.
    "We ain't stupid, son. Neither one of us. We both know what happened out there, and we both know the cause."
    He pulled something from his pocket. The remainder of his pills. He tossed them to Gabriel, who caught them smoothly.
    "I ain't hiding from my responsibility in here, Gabe. I'm getting my ass clean. Two hours ain't much so far, but I need to be stronger. I need to deal with the pain. Those people are counting on me. They're trusting me to take care of them, the way I did all those years ago. To get them away from harm." His voice cracked as he said it, his emotions threatening to break through the resolve of a General.
    He paused, turning away so Gabriel couldn't see his face. It was just as well. Gabriel had never seen his father like this, and it was waging war on his composure, too.
    "They still believe in you," Gabriel said. "They don't blame you for this. You did the best you could."
    Theodore's head whipped back. "Best I could? No, I did not do the best I could. I gave in to the demon of pain. I let my weakness get the better of me, and I damn near got us all killed. If you hadn't been so quick up to the bridge, we'd all be one with the Atlantic Ocean right about now." He walked over to the sofa and sat down. "I blanked, son. Completely blanked. Couldn't think a lick. All I could see was your mom and me on the beach in Hawaii. What a time that was. No Dread, no war. No outpost in the middle of a sea of nowhere."
    "Because of these," Gabriel said, shaking the bottle. "When you don't take them, you get sick."
    "I'd rather be floating in my own vomit than losing my head when it's needed the most. Oh, don't get me wrong, son. I want them. I really want them. I'm damn near ready to tear your head off to get another hit. I ain't going to do it. I have a responsibility to these people. They're following me because I promised to give them everything I had to take back what's ours. You got us the gun. You gave us that chance. I need to hold up my end."
    "I'm not arguing with that as a soldier," Gabriel said. "As a son, I don't want to see you in pain."
    "I appreciate that. I do. There ain't no way around it. Not this time. I'm going to hurt. I'm going to hurt bad for the next few days. You want to help me? Don't tell anyone."
    "Why not?"
    "Ain't none of their business for one. It will be more effective when I reappear clean and sober for another."
    "Okay. You know our situation?"
    "Diallo passed the info along to me, yeah. Up shit's creek and we ain't got a paddle."
    "Huh?"
    "I guess you're too young for that one. Point is, we ended up in a bad way thanks to me. Now, the only reason I let you in here is because you know something about your mother. Vivian tried to use that line to get in here too, but I wanted to hear about it direct."
    Gabriel clenched his jaw. He had been holding onto the slim hope his father would forget. As if that would ever happen.  
    "It isn't good news," he said.
    "Fifty years," Theodore replied. "I wanted it to be. I was hoping she was with him. General Rodriguez. I wanted it so bad." He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. At first, Gabriel thought he was going to cry, but then he rubbed his face and sat back up. "It was all wishful thinking, wasn't it? Selfish, wishful thinking. God's always had a plan for my Juliet. I wish it had included me for all of my days, but that ain't His way, is it?"
    "I don't know," Gabriel said.
    "I do. You