their bows.
Every head in the room turned and watched him go.
He walked all the way across the gymnasium.
Straight to the back wall.
Straight to the empty table in the far corner, by the bleachers.
He halted directly in front of our table.
Caleb stared up at him.
His fork was halfway to his mouth. A bite of pancake dripping syrup. His mouth was completely open.
The admiral didn’t look at Caleb. Not yet.
He was looking at me.
At my ribbons. Row by row. Like he was reading them.
His eyes stopped at the top row. At the blue ribbon with the thin white stripe.
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
Then he looked at my face.
For a long time.
Then his eyes dropped to my name tag. Black plastic. White letters.
HALLORAN.
His face changed.
I watched it happen. I watched something open up behind his eyes.
