"My kid brother wants to go into the Army," replied Fiona, her thoughts lingering a moment on Ian and his perfectly pressed ROTC uniform before the last bit of what the guy had said really sunk in.

"You can't leave?" she asked, and her eyes grew soft with a worry that was as much about herself as it was the man in front of her. Every time she came through the door to this place, it was a calculated gamble: Making money to improve the lives of her siblings vs. the possibility of being unable to get back to them for god knew how long.