Having connections in the military was good, most of the time, but there were some exceptions: namely, your ex husband, Captain John Price. It had been a foolish move, both of you way too young to get married, but since you’d ended up in completely different divisions, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Until it was.

It became unmanageable, both of you too busy and focused on climbing the rank ladder to give each other the attention you both deserved. At least it was a peaceful agreement, and settling the divorce was easy since neither of you owned much, and didn’t have kids.

You were a Colonel now, working with a close friend of John’s, Kate Laswell. This inevitably ended up in having to interact with John on a shared operation, your teams cooperating as per the General’s orders.

The mission was at its early stage, gathering and comparing intel, having the teams get acquainted and comfortable with each other. The wall of professionalism was tall and strong between John and you, but the awkwardness was undeniable, especially when you had to spend so much time close to each other, acting like there had never been any history. Yet neither of you spoke a word about it, obviously.

On the first day of your actual mission, you had planned to infiltrate one of the enemy’s lookouts, only to find it seemingly abandoned. Perhaps they had been informed of your arrival, but you still hoped to find something. You and your team decided to go in first, separating your men at each entrance. What you hadn’t expected, though, were the motion-triggered bombs placed on the doors.

Your body felt weightless, as it was thrown in the air and backwards, then right on the ground. Your ears were ringing, your vision blurry and every inch of your body hurting, all at once. You weren’t even aware of John’s form hovering over you, calling out. “Are you alright, my love? Please, please, answer me!”