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She was aher letters without the presence of the other , finally ive her a letter in return It was short He tired easily but he wanted the little girl to knohat her letters meant to him

I got my bike, Dash Momma was really surprised On Christmas day I was sure Santa didn’t trust , and when Momma answe

red the door, there wasred bike It had my name on it It was just for me alone and it was brand new And it had a helloves And I have elbow pads And I have knee pads And there was even a present for my Momma from Santa Can you believe it, Dash? It was the best Christmas ever Santa even remembered my Momma

Of course Santa rehly thanked the Major for taking care of his request The long robe would keep the mother warm until his arms could do the job Cassie had said her momma was often cold…

Then the letters stopped A ht back, his legs working once again, his strength back at top peak, they had stopped Concerned, he had asked Commander Thoht, cheerful little girl whose ive her love so freely

Coret to inform you that little Cassidy Colder and her mother, Elizabeth, died in a fire that overtook their aparto The bodies were unrecoverable, but there is no doubt that they, along with several others, were caught in the blaze There was some trouble associated with the child and mother, rumors I’ve heard of a contract on their lives Please let me know if you would like me to obtain more information…

The fax had arrived froator he had hired

Cohbors had heard the screa it in a irl who had saved hione

For days he sat silent, staring broodingly at the ceiling For so long he had been alone He had awakened each day knowing he had no one Had gone to sleep each night feeling the loss Yet, while he lay near death, God had brought hiain It was a terrible blow to the soul he thought had withered away years ago He knew only blood and death Had never known innocence until Cassie and her Momma, Lizbeth The iered in his mind Elizabeth His Elizabeth

In thirty years of living, Dash had never clairown up knowing his survival depended on having no one, knowing he was different, knowing how imperative it was that he hide those differences He had made his oay in life, had literally raised hih to join the Army

He had h not close to hiiven him a base to interact, to sharpen his intellect, to learn how to lead For twelve years he had done just that Led Hehis capabilities there He had thought he hadn’t needed anything more

Dash realized norong he had been

Elizabeth and Cassie’s deaths tore a wound in his soul he couldn’t explain He had never touched the wohter She wasn’t hisdifferent His soul howled at the loss and soe, refused to allow him to deny the bond that existed between him, mother and child

“Dash, you have to snap out of this” Coreen eyes sos happen, son You can’t explain them or make sense of them At least you have a part of her to remember”

Dash stilled the howl that wanted to rise to his lips He had nothing A pile of fragile letters wasn’t enough Not nearly enough