Line of Fire by Simone Anderson

military was concerned, he didn’t need to know. His heart disagreed.
    “Hayden’s tough. Resourceful. He’ll find a way out,” Neal Edwards said firmly running along beside him.
    “I know,” Christian replied without looking up.
    “Move out!” the platoon chief yelled.
    Tension had skyrocketed within his eight-man team. His teammates, his friends, had proven that most of them didn’t care whether or not he was gay as long as he did his job. The next time Seiboweitz had said something, the response had been a quick hit to the jaw.
    “They’re trying to—” Jason said matching his pace.
    “To be nice? Understanding? Encouraging? I know that. But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still missing and they can’t even tell where he went missing at. Obviously the mission isn’t done yet, but I can’t—”
    “How do you feel about Hayden?”
    “How do I what?”
    “You’re not deaf, you heard me.”
    Christian rolled his shoulders and thought about Jason’s question. He needed more time with Hayden before he could say with any amount of certainty that he loved the man. He cared about him. A lot. Hayden was different than any other guy he’d dated or gone out with. He was the perfect man for him, Christian just didn’t know if they were a good couple, strong enough to weather what was bound to be thrown their way. The needs of the teams and the military would always outweigh the needs of the couple. It didn’t matter what the gender was.
    “Well?”
    “I care about him. A lot.”
    “You outted yourself and went on a three-day bender because you care about him?” Jason laughed.
    Christian punched his friend hard. “Technically, it only took me several hours to pass out drunk and a hangover the next day. So, maybe twenty-four hours. Two days tops. I did not drink the next day. Well, I didn’t get drunk.”
    “The outing? Because I know you never planned on it until you knew for certain he was the one. Shit, you wouldn’t have told me, given half a choice.”
    Christian shrugged and increased his speed.
    “Spill,” Jason ordered, using his most commanding voice.
    “That shit doesn’t work on me,” Christian laughed.
    He still couldn’t explain why he admitted to being gay. Hell, everything after Lieutenant Ellison had said Hayden was missing was still hazy. Some of it had been filled in for him, usually with added events and more grandiose actions every telling until it reached the point of absurdity. Christian ignored his best friend’s comments as he increased his pace, pushing his body as hard as he could.
    Christian heard his name called as soon as he rounded the corner their building. Swearing, he altered course and found himself once again standing in front of Lieutenant Ellison.
    “Sir, you wished to see me?” Christian asked, snapping a salute.
    “At ease, Williams,” Ellison said flatly.
    Christian shifted into an at-ease position. Movement at his periphery told him that his teammates had stopped not to far from where he stood. Lieutenant Ellison was alone this time; he doubted they would give him bad news without a Chaplain present. That there was a relationship of some sort between Hayden and him had been evident from the last meeting.
    “Thought you’d like to know that Petty Officer Medema has been found, alive and well, and was flown to Balboa Naval Base this morning,” Lieutenant Ellison said, smiling.
    The weight sitting on Christian’s chest lifted and he could breathe again. Found. Nothing else mattered now. Hayden had been found and was on his way home.
    “He’ll be home in a couple of days. He’ll be off for at least two weeks, and we’ll know more later.”
    Christian nodded. “Understood sir, thank you sir.”
    “Dismissed Petty Officer.”
    Christian snapped to attention and saluted before turning and joining his friends. He ignored their questions as thoughts raced through his mind. Hayden was coming home. Depending on what the doctors found during