Peace with the Pieces

By A.J. Nighthawke

Asa has been best friends with Jesse and Ellie Winterberry since childhood. From then on, he's practically been an adopted son to the Winterberry family. He and Jesse are the ones left in Trust since Ellie is serving three years as a medic in the U.S. Army. One phone call set events in motion that will change their lives. Ellie Winterberry is being transported to Germany. She hurt, broken, and thousands of miles from home and support.
When Asa is finally reunited with his best friend again, she's battling more than physical injuries. Ellie is in pieces. Asa's always liked Ellie but now he wants to hold all of her pieces together. Can the two best friends become something more? Will Jesse finally give his blessing? It's possible that Asa could lose them both and his spot in the Winterberry family if he pursues Ellie. That's if she entertains the idea at all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.J. Nighthawke
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201549831

A.J. Nighthawke

There is nothing like a good story that leaves you feeling warm and cozy inside. Here is my promise to you - Within the pages of my books, you will never find anything vulgar or inappropriate. My goal is to leave you encouraged and happy. Who doesn't like a happy ending? You may find a little drama, maybe a touch of suspense. Some of the characters might even face hard challenge's but a sweet kiss, and a happily ever after is a must.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Asa

      The crunch of the gravel stops my arm from lifting the ax high above my head again. My biceps and shoulders already burn from the exertion, which keeps me warm. I’m pretty sure that the tendons in my upper body are molten fire. The familiar black and white pulls to park, bringing a smile to my face, not that anyone can tell. This dark beard covers a lot.

    One of my best friends steps from the cruiser. Jesse and I have been as thick as thieves since we met when I was a child. Growing up, it was the two of us and his sister Ellie making us the three musketeers.

    Asa! Jesse calls, hurrying towards me. His tone and the severe pinch of his brow are the first warning that something is wrong. If my first clue isn’t enough, Jesse’s bloodshot eyes and trembling hands confirm that something is terribly wrong.

    What happened? I question, dropping the ax into the dirt with a thud.

    My feet hurry to close the distance between us. Jessie is a mess, heaving deep sobs so that I can’t make out a single word that he is trying to say.

    Breathe, man, I interject, reaching out a hand to steady him.

    It’s Ellie, he rasps, inhaling out of rhythm and too deep. My heart sinks at those two words because our third musketeer and Jesse’s baby sister is currently deployed overseas in the U. S. Army. 

    Tell me that she’s alright, Jesse, I demand, my thoughts drifting to my other best friend. Please, man. Tell me she’s alright.

      We don’t know, Jesse barely chokes out.

      Tell me what you do know, I plead, leading Jesse into the house.

      Only that she is alive and being transported to Germany, he answers, still heaving. Dad just called… I came here… I didn’t know what to do.

      I’m glad you did, I counter, cutting him off as I rush to hop in the shower.

      He calls through the door, still carrying on the conversation, Someone is supposed to call Dad with an update in a few hours.

    I’ll ride home with you, I say, inviting myself. The Winterberry’s house is practically my second home anyway. The truth is that I’ll be a mess if I have to wait around this farm until Jesse calls with an update.

Thanks, man, Jesse sighs. I hurry to pull on another flannel shirt and jeans.

    When I step back out, I see that Jesse is fidgeting his hands, his mind racing just like mine. Every time I close my eyes, I see Ellie.

    Ellie Joelle Winterberry has been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember. She and Jesse are practically a package deal. Actually, when you get one Winterberry, you get the entire horde of them. As an only child raised by my grandparents, I always dreamed of having brothers and sisters. God gave them to me when I met the Winterberry’s.

      The Winterberry family is a shock to the senses. There were nine Winterberry’s when I first met them. Now, I’ve lost count. Jesse and Ellie are the youngest of the Winterberry family.

    Nate and MarilynnWinterberry married young, having five kids before the age of thirty. After waiting ten years, along came Jesse. Of course, Nate and Marilynn didn’t want him to grow up alone, so they had Ellie.

    Five of the Winterberry children are happily married and already have children of their own. There are already fourteen grandchildren and more on the way. Jesse and Ellie aren’t even married yet.

      The first time that I walked into the Winterberry home, I became a bonus child. That means that I was treated like everyone else. That spot means the world to me.

    The last I saw Ellie was at the going away party her family threw before she left for boot camp. It was packed. Since then, I’ve only talked with her on glitchy video chats or by email. It’s not the same as having her here at home.

      Pulling on my coat, I walk towards the door. Jesse lives nearby, so I’ll drive us to the Winterberry house. It’s the least I can do.

      Jesse and I take my truck because he is in no shape to drive. By the time we show up, the place is packed. Sara, the oldest, paces the porch while talking on her cell. Logan and Miles, brothers one and two, stand talking to the pastor.

  Following Jesse through the somber atmosphere, the heavy dread already hangs like a blanket of fog and nearly suffocating. Logan and Miles stop their conversation mid-sentence. We all exchange hugs as Miles tries to reassure us that Ellie is tough and that she will be alright. I can only pray that he is right.

    Sara waves as we pass by, still in a discussion on her cell. Entering the house, brothers three and four, Gentry and Clay, sit with Nate by the phone while their wives are in the kitchen trying to distract Marilynn.

    None of the Grandkids are here, so they must be at Logan’s house with Claire. Marilynn rushes from the kitchen to throw her arms around Jesse and me. It just shows that I am hers as well.

    Marilynn trembles, already hiccupping.

    Mama, I’m guessing that they haven’t called yet? Jesse questions and I feel Marilynn shaking her head.

    My baby is hurt, and none of us can do a thing, she rasps through tears. Ellie has to be alright.

      Mama, let's just wait until we hear, Sara says, coming from behind us. We don’t know anything.

    Over the next few hours, we all wait on pins and needles. Ladies from the church and around the community bring enough food to feed us all. The tension mounts by the minute, and everyone jumps every single time the phone rings. Most people are just letting us know that they are praying.

    At 11:17 at night, the dreaded phone call that we’ve been waiting on comes. Nate takes the call without putting it on speakerphone for everyone to hear. We all know that he is trying to buffer any bad news. Everyone sits quietly, understanding and respecting his place.

    Nate says very little at first, his eyes glassing over before tears stream freely. That leads to a chain reaction with everyone else. He asks about prognosis and recovery, letting us know that Ellie is alive. There is a wave of relief that settles in the crowded room, but we know that it’s bad if they had to transport her to Germany.

    My heart pounds like a jackhammer. I wish that there was a way that I could comfort her… to just see her. Jessie, Ellie, and I were close throughout childhood. I’ve missed her. Trust, North Carolina isn’t the same without her here.

    Nate hangs up the phone as the rest of us hold our breath. Taking a deep inhale, he explains that Ellie was out on a mission with her unit. As a combat medic, her presence on a team is vital. There was an attack where two of her comrades were wounded. Ellie was helping those that were hurt when the enemy closed in. Shots were exchanged, and Ellie was trying to defend her team all while returning fire. As the bullets rained on them, Ellie threw herself over her two teammates, taking four rounds to the body,

      I think that I feel as sick as everyone else. Ellie has been shot. She’s hurt, fighting, alone, and thousands of miles away from everyone that loves her.

    She’s in critical condition, Nate says, reaching to pull a whimpering Marilynn into his arms. We will get daily updates.

      Marilynn lifts her head from Nate’s shoulders. Y’all bow your heads. We are gonna pray as a family.

Chapter 2