I needed to find cover. I found it, rolled to it, then scanned the debris. From a two-story, elevated position, the darkness was cut through by muzzled flashes.Kill zone.
“Suppressive fire! Break contact right! Move the wounded!” I commanded after I pressed the PPT (push-to-talk) on my radio.
I crawled toward the second squad while rounds sounded over my head. There was no time for fear, just action. With his leg pinned and mangled, Specialist Washington still tried toreturn fire. I ignored him when he told me to leave him. I would never do that flawed shit.
I pulled him across gravel under active fire after I grabbed the drag handle. Washington was heavy, but that didn’t matter, and it wouldn’t stop me. Behind partial cover, another soldier was frozen. He was too young for this shit.
We locked eyes. “Look! Look at me now! Return fire! You are going home!”
My words activated his training. His focus locked in. We had to make it ten minutes until air support arrived. That meant nothing, because if one second could change a life, imagine what ten minutes could do. By the time air support arrived, there were multiple casualties and destruction everywhere.
On the way back to the forward operating base (FOB), all I could think about was how it could all have been avoided. What could have been done differently? What could I have done differently? We lost so many men, and for what?
Baby,You’re Home . . .
The love of my life lived inPlasters,Georgia, a town that I’d never heard of. I would never have guessed that in my lifetime. The way that he handled me was breathtaking because he didn’t handle me. Vic didn’t feel the need to be overprotective in a sense that made me feel that I couldn’t protect myself. He had my back with the knowledge that I had my front.
He, as well as his family, proved that he had my back at the movie night. Did I overreact in the situation? Absolutely not! Had I shot him, that would have been an overreaction.
Since I’d been atRosebuds, those little fuckas had been obnoxious as hell. Beverly’s business at the bed-and-breakfast was already slim, and her sons didn’t help. I found out acouple of weeks after I started my stay that they stayed onsite. I assumed she had a house somewhere else on the property. Apparently, this was her house, and over the years, it was expanded to create the bed-and-breakfast.
Since the movie night, I had steered clear of the diner and the bed-and-breakfast. Her sons learned nothing from what I heard. The few times that I’d seen them since, they didn’t speak to me, but their eyes spoke volumes. The tall one was mad and embarrassed.I should learn his name.It was clear that he had turned into the butt of jokes among the teens of the town. He didn’t like that, and I saw that every time he looked at me.
I was kinda bummed that I couldn’t go into the diner, because the food was great. Luckily, my man would bring me carryout.My man.A part of me was surprised that he saw me in that way because of our age gap. I surmised that my life experiences gave me a maturity beyond my age.
The widest age gap that had ever been between myself and a person I dealt with was maybe two years. I wasn’t sure if the ten years was the reason that Vic’s dick game was so stupefying. There was a very gentle way that he made love to me that was great and I needed at times. Then there were those times that he just fucked the unsolicited gall out of me. The first time we had sex in our hideaway, it felt like the stars were our comforter.
I was the happiest that I ever remembered myself being. I’d had less nightmares since being here inPlastersand with Vic. They still happened, but not as frequent or as intense. There was something about his body next to me at night that brought me peace.
With that being said, I was confused why tonight felt different. Something was wrong. Both of us were light sleepers by nature, so when I felt Vic’s body tense under me, it put me on high alert. I lifted my head slightly to look at the clock on the bedside table:0403.
His body was still, his breathing was controlled, too controlled. I saw his hand move under the sheet, the hand that was furthest from me. I watched it to make sense of his action. When he reached out and gripped for something that wasn’t there, I knew. I knew all too well.
I lifted my head to finally see his face. His eyes were wide open, but it was clear that he was not in the room with me. He reached and gripped again.A rifle.That reach and grip was what you did when you needed a rifle that was out of reach.
My hand was already on his chest and had not moved. “Dawson.” I made sure my tone was low and even.
I needed to ground him, so I spoke with a firmer tone. Not louder, but firmer. “Hey, baby. Look at me.”
His chest rose and fell. “Move squad two. Break contact right.”
My palm pressed down on his chest in an attempt to anchor him. I spoke to him the entire time. “Look at me, baby.”
His gaze shifted all around the bedroom before it found me. He double blinked.
“I’m going to straddle you, Vic. It’s me, Minnow,” I said softly.
I moved slowly as I straddled him. Once I was on top of him, I held onto him tightly and allowed my body to be dead weight on top of him.
“Where are you?” I asked him softly in a calm voice.
With a shallow voice, he responded. “Plasters,Georgia.” His response sounded robotic.
“Okay. What year is it?” I asked.
His breathing had calmed. He blinked a few times. “Twenty twenty-six.”
I removed my arms from under his arms to slowly place my hands on both sides of his face. I paused after I cupped his face. His eyes found mine. “Who am I?”
