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"The way he lived, brother."
Riggs nodded. "It's good you'll be there for the family."
"Wouldn't have it any other way. Gun offered to tag along and say a few words."
He and Riggs chuckled, leaving Georgie and Charli looking confused until Riggs explained. "As you ladies may have guessed by now, Gun isn't exactly chatty."
Georgie looked at Gunner, who just smiled and shook his head. "Well, we better hit the brick, bud," Grady shook Riggs' hand again. "Gimme a holler next time you visit the family, and we'll throw some steaks on the grill and see what kind of damage we can do to a case of beer."
"Sounds good. And I will. Thanks for stopping by, Grady. It means a lot."
"I wouldn't have missed the chance. And I fully expect you back in the game, Riggs. Don't let me down."
"Hooyah," was Riggs' response.
"It was great to meet you," Charli said to Riggs, including Georgie with her smile.
"Same here," Georgie replied, looking from her to Grady. "And I hope you're going to be around more," she added to Gunner.
"Do my best, ma'am."
Georgie smiled and hugged Gunner. "Be safe, big guy."
"My middle name."
Everyone laughed at that, and the visitors left. "That was a nice surprise," Georgie commented, noticing that Riggs was no longer smiling. "Is everything okay?"
He hesitated, and when he finally spoke, she experienced a bit of heartbreak for him. "Do you think it's possible? That I'll be able to go back to active duty?"
"I think anything's possible, but since I have no clue about the regulations set for Navy SEALs, I have no way of answering. I can promise that we will do everything possible to get you ready for it. The rest is up to the Navy."
"Fair enough."
"So, do you still want to go for a ride?"
"Even more," he replied. "I need a change of scenery in the worst way."
"Then let's go."
"Are you going to catch hell for this?" he asked as they entered the elevator.
"Not if we don't get caught."
"That's my girl," he smiled at her.
It shocked Georgie that a small tease like that thrilled her. But then, almost everything about Riggs thrilled her. And she wasn't going to waste time trying to analyze it. She would enjoy an hour or so away from the hospital, hoping it lifted his spirits and took his mind off the "what if’s" associated with his condition.
Riggs wondered if Georgie realized how much she revealed about herself as she showed him the area. She told him who she was by where she drove him and what she said about the places they saw. He liked her more with each mile, and the time passed too quickly.
"This is my favorite bridge," she said as they drove onto the Longfellow Bridge.
"Why?"
She cut him a quick smile. "It might sound fanciful, but it reminds me that life is full of connections, seemingly unconnected events that come together and are significant. Like this bridge. Originally, it was the Cambridge Bridge, but it was renamed Longfellow Bridge in 1927 by the Massachusetts General Court to honor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."
"The poet?"
"Yes, the one who wrote about the predecessor West Boston Bridge in his poem The Bridge, in 1845.