To Love a Soldier Page 8

  “Maybe you shouldn’t risk it and just come in with me now,” I flirted.

  “Babe, you wiped me out. I don’t think I’d survive another round. Besides, we don’t have enough time and I feel like surviving the rest of John’s stay.”

  “All right, all right. I’ll get you later.” I winked and made my way upstairs to take a shower. I rushed to finish and get myself together. I got a clean towel and washcloth and left them in the bathroom for Brady. After I was ready, I headed downstairs to let him know I was done. I watched as he tossed his phone onto the coffee table. He didn’t acknowledge me coming into the room, so I knew something had his thoughts.

  “What’s up?” I casually asked. “Was that John or Mandy?”

  “No. Actually, it was Bill.”

  “Bill?”

  “Yeah, one of the guys from work,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “He wanted to let me know that he saw Mike again, hanging outside the jewelry store.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “I know, babe.” I could tell he was trying to stay calm. “Listen, I think I should go grab John and head to the mall. We really need to have a conversation with this guy.”

  “No!” I shouted. “Ain’t happening. No fucking way! You’ll get arrested and John will get thrown out of the Marines. Bad idea! Just no!”

  “It can’t be a coincidence that he’s there again, Liz,” Brady said. “I want to make sure whatever intentions he has are ended.”

  “What, by putting him in the hospital, or worse?” I lashed out. “It only takes one stupid mistake, and John’s hopes of a military career are over.”

  “Calm down, Liz,” Brady snapped. “I love how there are no side effects to my life if I go to jail.”

  “Fuck you, Brady. You know what I mean. I can’t have anything happen to either of you!”

  “All right, let’s just drop it before it ruins our day,” he pleaded.

  “Consider it dropped,” I said with a clipped, bitchy tone. “Now get ready before you make us late.”

  He just shook his head and walked upstairs. We hadn’t had many arguments in our time together, but the few we’d had had taught him to walk away, quickly. For the most part, I was a sweet girl, but when someone pisses me off I go from sweet to bitch in the blink of an eye. I really needed to work on that, since I’d been known to say hurtful things without thinking. I knew I could never take those words back.

  I opened the blinds in my living room and took a seat on my couch. I sat patiently, waiting for Brady to get ready, while staring outside. It was warmer than average for this time of year, but I was secretly hoping for a bad storm to roll in so John’s flight would get cancelled, giving me that much more time with him. Thoughts swarmed in my head as I continued to stare beyond my front lawn.

  I’m really going to miss my brother… again. I’m so proud of him for becoming the man he is and accomplishing the goals he set for himself, yet I can’t help but be saddened that he chose the same path that our father did, which got him killed. I worry about him all the time when he’s away. I wish I would let life distract me from it. It gets especially hard when I don’t hear back from him for days, sometimes weeks. He thinks that when he tells me not to worry, and that ‘my brothers have my back,’ it will make it easier. What about me, John? Where is my brother having my back? Then there’s what Mike did. I need to stop thinking about this; it’s making me nauseous. My relationship with Brady seems to be growing stronger each day, but now this whole Mike stalking me thing is fucking things up a bit. I was a little hard on Brady before. Maybe I should apologize…

  “Everything okay?” Brady interrupted my jumbled thoughts.

  “Everything’s fine.” I turned my head to face him. “I’m sorry about before. There’s just been a lot going on in my head lately.”

  “Understood.” He smiled and walked to me with open arms. “You don’t have to apologize, babe. I get it.”

  I hugged him back. That was easier than I thought. We grabbed our coats and keys and headed out to meet John and Mandy for lunch. We met up at the Olive Garden. Brady, Mandy, and I were treating John for his last day home. Lunch was uneventful, and we decided that we should just spend the day at home, since my mom was leaving work early and not taking a second shift so she could spend the evening with John.

  As we started heading back, John and Mandy took a detour so John could pick up some beer. When Brady and I pulled in, my mom was already home. We climbed out of the car and headed inside.

  “Hey guys,” she said with a smile. “Where’s John?”

  “He stopped to pick up some beer. He should be here in a few minutes.” I went and grabbed some old games, figuring it would be something to pass the time while we visited. I set them on the coffee table in the living room, where Brady and my mom were sitting. I plopped down by Brady, wondering what was taking John and Mandy so long. Another 45 minutes passed and I was getting concerned. I picked up my cell to text them both when I heard a car pull up.

  “Finally!” I ran to the window. It was Mandy’s car. “What the hell took them so long?”

  “Relax,” my mom said. “They probably stopped for a quickie.”

  “Mom!” I yelled. “That’s so gross!”

  Brady’s face turned red and he just kept his head down. The front door opened, and Mandy and John walked in.

  “Sorry we took so long,” Mandy said, annoyed. “We ran into a little trouble.”

  “Actually, his face ran into a little trouble,” John spat.

  “What happened?” I asked, looking down at John’s bloodied knuckles.

  The room erupted; everyone was talking excitedly at the same time. I could hear bits and pieces before getting distracted by a louder voice each time. John said something about running into one of Mike’s friends at the liquor store. Mandy bitched that he wouldn’t listen to her. Then Brady was trying to talk John into taking him back with him. My mom was yelling at John for being stupid as she left to get some stuff to clean off his hand. Before I could get everyone to settle down, I saw a police car pull up to the curb.

  “John!” I yelled, getting everyone to be silent. “The cops are here.” My stomach dropped, as I looked at him with fear. I didn’t know exactly what he had done, but I knew if he got into any trouble, it would be the end of his military career.

  “Relax,” John told me as he walked over and hugged me. “It’s all good.”

  He let go and escorted me into Brady’s arms. I was shaking. He walked outside and toward the policeman waiting at the end of my driveway. We all watched like little kids spying on their parents. I saw the policeman move his hand over his gun, as John got closer. John raised his hands and walked quicker towards the policeman.

  “Fuck!” I let out. “What the fuck?” It looked like John was going after the cop and the cop was going to pull his gun to protect himself. I ran to the front door and threw it open.

  “Stop!” I yelled, but John kept going.

  I watched as the policeman met with John on the driveway’s edge. Brady and Mandy hustled out the door and stood by me.

  “Oh, that’s the cop who showed up at the liquor store,” Mandy said, casually. I looked at Mandy and then back to John as I saw the cop extend his arm and give a quick handshake and then a one-armed hug.

  “What the fuck?” I asked, again. “I’m shitting myself here, thinking my brother’s about to get shot by a cop and they fucking hug!”

  “Sorry,” Mandy offered. “He told me on the way back the cop who showed up was a buddy he went through boot camp with years ago. This is all my fault.”

  “What’s your fault?” I asked. “We don’t even know the full story.”

  “We were leaving the store, and I saw one of the guys Mike was with at the party,” she started to explain. “I made the mistake of telling John and, before I could even blink, he was dragging this guy out of his car and around the side of the building. I ran over to stop him, but by the time I got over there, John had a
lready hit him a few times and was tossing him into a dumpster. I mean completely tossed him in!”

  “Which guy was it?” I asked.

  “Brandon,” she said. “I guess someone saw and called the cops because he pulled up as we were leaving. In retrospect, I guess the cop was being professional and not acknowledging they knew each other. John told him that he saw Brandon digging through the dumpster and fall in and he had tried to help him out, but his hand slipped and he accidentally hit the guy in the face and he fell in again.”

  Brady burst out laughing. “Sounds plausible to me.”

  We all headed down the driveway to find out what they were talking about. John introduced us all.

  “Elizabeth,” the cop said and smiled. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, confused. “Have we met?”

  “A few times, but it was a long time ago. I used to pal around with your brother in high school. He’s the reason I signed up for the Marines. I’m Joe. Joe Reed.”

  “Oh, Joe,” I somewhat pretended. The name was sort of familiar, but he must’ve looked very different because I didn’t recognize him. “Yeah, I kind of remember you being around.”

  “Well, it’s nice seeing you again. Sorry it has to be under these circumstances though. I’m real sorry to hear what happened. Don’t worry, he’ll get his.” Joe turned back to John. “Okay, so I pulled that scumbag out of the dumpster and tossed him against the wall. I explained to him what would happen if he reported any of this. You’re good to go, John.” He smiled. “Just remember - next time, don’t do it in public.”

  “Thanks, man,” John said, giving him another hug.

  Joe looked back as he was getting into his car. “John,” he called out. “Be safe out there.”

  John shook his head in acknowledgement. “Semper Fi, brother.”

  We all watched in relief as Joe pulled away.

  “See, you worry too much,” John said, taking me under his arm and we walked back to the house.

  “How’s Joe doing?” my mom asked, smiling at me because she had known it was him all along.

  “He’s doing great,” John answered.

  “I can’t believe you knew this guy and didn’t say anything!” I yelled at my mom.

  “Yeah, I see him now and then at the hospital. He keeps in touch with John, and he also always asks how you’re doing.”

  “I don’t really remember him, so that’s weird.” I noticed Brady looked concerned and a little jealous.

  “Relax, peashooter,” my mom said to Brady.

  “Oh, what? It doesn’t bother me,” Brady said, clearly lying.

  We went on with our evening, playing games and just having a good time hanging out. It wasn’t until around 11 that everyone decided to call it a night. John was going back with Mandy for the night, and I would meet them in the morning to take him to the airport. Brady and my mom had to go to work, so they would say their goodbyes tonight. Brady’s was the expected ‘it was good meeting ya, be safe,’ while my mom’s was an emotional rollercoaster. She said goodbye to John for 30 minutes. I had to hold her, so John and Mandy could leave.

  We retired to bed quickly after. Brady and I laid there, listening to my mom whimper. It was heartbreaking, but it was something I’d grown used to over the years. We listened as she cried herself to sleep.

  “Oh, my God,” Brady whispered. “I feel so bad.”

  “I know. She’s strong, so don’t worry. Go to sleep. You have to get up in a few hours for work.” Leaning over, I kissed him goodnight. I closed my eyes, and after a few breaths I was fast asleep. Only a few hours later, my alarm clock went off.

  I got up with Brady and we both hustled to get ready. My poor mother was already at work. Brady finished first and gave me a kiss goodbye.

  “Stay strong, babe. I’ll see you after work.”

  “I’ll try.” I smiled, hoping I could keep it together for just a little longer. Bullshit. I was going to fall to pieces like my mom did.

  I finished getting ready and left for Mandy’s.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rewind…Boot Camp

  John

  It was the last few days before graduation. Boot camp was a lot tougher than I had ever imagined it would be. I had been lifting weights since my freshman year in high school and was always doing cardio exercises. I had figured the mental part of boot camp might be tough, but the physical part wouldn’t be a challenge for me. Boy, was I wrong! Since day one, the drill instructors broke me down. I came into the Marines feeling like I was as tough as they come. I was a big guy and very muscular. Back home, people moved out of my way when I walked. Here… well, here was different. I always had to step out of the way for anyone who ranked higher than me, which was everyone, since technically I wasn’t anything but a maggot until I completed boot camp.

  Every day, I woke up early, exercised, and got pushed beyond my breaking point, but I kept going. I had no choice. I stepped aside and snapped at attention all day and night for the officers. There were a lot of decent guys I’d met here. Some of them couldn’t cut it, and I felt bad, but I couldn’t let my emotions fuck things up for me. I had managed to make quite a few friends, and also some enemies of sorts. Even though boot camp was like nothing any of us had ever experienced before, there were still some guys who maintained their petty ways. They would form cliques and single out other guys to pick on. I had never been one to put up with bullying, but there wasn’t much that could be done here. This was the Marine boot camp and nobody wanted to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.

  A month and a half in, we finally had some downtime one night. Most of us were hanging out in the mess hall doing personal things, like writing letters, reading, or catching up on our old, social lives. The group of other trainees came in. They looked around the hall and clearly were singling someone out. There was this guy, Joe, who had been their target over the last week or so. He lived in my area and we spent some time together with mutual friends, but never became real close. When the recruiters came to school and he was hanging around the table, I convinced him to give it a go and here we were. He always seemed to keep to himself and I let him be because I knew what a shock this was since I was living it too.

  I kept my head down. I really didn’t need the trouble. Anyone who had been hazed before just kept getting it over and over, until finally they broke and just couldn’t deal with it anymore. That’s what happened to most of the guys I knew who didn’t make the cut. I had worked so hard to get through this; I didn’t need a bunch of dumb fucks ruining it for me.

  Their so-called leader, Jim, walked in front while six others followed. He walked slowly down the middle of the hall, looking at everyone he passed. My turn was next. I kept my head down as he slowed down to check me out, but as he was right in front of me, I couldn’t help but veer my eyes up and make eye contact with him. He stopped short, almost causing a pile up of jerkoffs behind him. I did my best not to laugh at his idiot followers.

  Jim was somewhere around 5’11,” with a strange build. He looked like he lifted weights because he had muscular arms, but he didn’t work out in any other way. His stomach was skinny, along with his legs. He gave me a bit of a dirty look and didn’t seem to be moving forward. Here we go, I thought.

  I pushed my chair back and stood up slowly. My head passed his stomach, his chest, his head, until I towered over him. Then I tilted my head down to look at him again. “Jim.”

  “John,” Jim said. “Is there a problem?” His puppets started to circle me. I guess their leader wasn’t man enough to do his own fighting.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  “Nope. No problem,” Jim said. “We’re just looking for someone.”

  He stepped back and turned, continuing walking past with his followers no more than a footstep behind him. I sat back down and grabbed the book I had been reading. I kept glancing up to watch what was going to happen next. They made their way to the end of the mes
s hall where Joe Reed was hanging out with a few guys. I put my book down and watched. I felt bad; Joe was a good guy. We had done a lot of training together already because we were bunked together. He came into boot camp weak and shy, but I could already see him changing. He was working out on personal time to better his chances, and he was also going out of his comfort zone to interact with people. I considered him a friend, I guess. Jim walked over to Joe, who was sitting. They guys around Joe all got up and walked away.

  What the fuck, really? I thought.

  Joe kept his head down until Jim kicked his foot to make him look up. The hall became silent. I could hear everything now.

  “Look up at me, Reed,” Jim demanded.

  “Now what?” Joe asked.

  “I’ll tell you now what,” Jim yelled. “You were supposed to take over latrine duties for Charlie here.”

  “Yeah, you told me to do that yesterday,” Joe said. “But you don’t outrank anyone, Jim, so have Charlie go do it himself like his DI ordered.”

  Jim’s voice grew angry. “The problem with that is the Drill Instructor saw nothing was done and now Charlie has to clean them all, the whole fucking base.”

  “I can’t see how that’s a problem,” Joe snickered. “He’s a piece of shit so he’ll be in his element.”

  Jim stepped back, while his groupies surrounded Joe. I couldn’t believe that Joe not only had the balls to stand up to them, but he also didn’t seem scared, either. What was I doing? Joe was about to get jumped, and I was just sitting there.

  Fuck this! I stood up and quickly walked to the end of the hall. Some of the other recruits began to get up and follow me. I reached them at the same time Joe stood up to face them. Jim started with throwing a punch, which Joe easily blocked. He took Jim off his feet with a leg sweep. Four of the other six jumped on Joe and started punching. I rushed in and grabbed two of them by the backs of their shirts. I lifted them up with one arm each and tossed them over the mess hall table. The other two standing by were getting a beating from the fellow recruits who’d followed me. That left two on Joe.