(Ridge)
I woke up at five. Didn't sleep much anyway.
Couldn't stop thinking about today. About what I had to do.
Five funerals. Five speeches. Five men I'd led to their deaths.
I got out of bed, careful not to wake Mira. Went to the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror.
The suit was hanging on the door. Black. Pressed. Ready.
I put it on. Buttoned the shirt. Struggled with the tie.
My hands were shaking.
I couldn't get it right. Kept messing it up.
"Here."
I turned. Mira was standing there, still in her pajamas.
She walked over, took the tie from my hands. Started fixing it for me.
"You don't have to do this alone," she said.
"Yeah, I do."
She finished the tie, adjusted it. Looked up at me. "You're going to get through this."
"I don't know if I can."
"You can. You're th
