“HOOOOAH!”It was the first time they hadbeen allowed to use the term. Each man was nearly giddy that theDrill Sergeant demanded they say it. It meant inhiseyesthey weresoldiers.
Ryan on the other hand was crying like Brendon.All those weeks had changed him. Suddenly it wasn't all about him.It was about the guys who he served with. The guys who he cried,bled and sweated with. This was what it was all about.
Grabowski, King and Connelly had done their jobsand done them well. They had broken each of them and remade theminto men who would gladly die for each other. It seemed odd to Ryanto think of the Drill Sergeants as anything but evil bastards whowanted nothing more than to kill them in their sleep. Now hethought of them as men who built character and team mates.
Grabowski was standing in front of Ryan.“Congratulations, Private First Class Gracin,” he said, in his softoh-so-sexy voice. He held his hand out and Ryan took it. He couldfeel the plastic tag slide into his hand. As he walked away hesmiled one more time at Ryan. King and Connelly both congratulatedRyan and moved down the row with Grabowski.
“Congratulations, Private Smith.”
Ryan was crying. He didn't care who saw. Theyhad made it. They were Soldiers. Together. Even stoic Patrick wascrying.
After the ceremony they were sent back to thebarracks to clean and pack their bags. Three days after, he wasabout to get the shock of his life during ‘Family Day’.
***
The day was beautiful. Ryan knew that each manwas excited to see girlfriends, parents or siblings. It saddenedRyan some that no one came for him. He had called home and told hisparents he was graduating, but they claimed they didn't have timeto come and watch it. So, unlike his friends, Ryan would be back atthe barracks. Thankfully he wasn't the only one.
Drill Sergeant King came in smiling more thannormal. Following him was a four-year-old boy and a two-year-oldgirl.
Ryan smiled. At one point he would have swornthat King was just a machine assembled at Drill Sergeant School butseeing him with his children made the man seem….human.
The Drill Sergeant laughed at something hisdaughter said.
“Privates, I know it's hard to imagine thatanyone ever willingly had kids with Drill Sergeant King,” Connellysaid.
“Hims MY daddy,” the boy said, grinningwildly.
Jamie King stood off to the side. Ryan thoughtshe was really pretty.
They had been in the formation for a while now.Parents and family members were mingling alongside each other, notsaying much of anything, just grinning at their loved ones.
“DADDY!!” came the loud cry of a dark-hairedlittle girl. Ryan figured she was Connelly's daughter, even thoughshe didn't look one bit like him. That's when it hit him. Thelittle girl was the spitting image of….
“Smidge!” Phillip said, wrapping his daughterinto his arms.
Ryan must have swayed or something becausePatrick whispered 'steady' to him as he watched the two in front ofhim embrace. He noticed a pretty, petite, dark-haired womanstanding at the side smiling at the two. He wanted to seriouslycry. Then he wanted to beat the living shit out of Grabowski. Whatwas it with him and finding the wrong freaking men every singlefucking time?
***
Ryan didn't feel like going to the ‘Davis Club’with the others who didn't have family show up. Instead he wentback into the barracks. It had been nearly eight hours since he sawPhillip and his family together. He was still fucking miserable.Kenneth, Brendon and Patrick had almost stayed with him until hethreatened to kick their asses. He wasn't a fucking girl, for Godsakes. He was thankful that Graduation was tomorrow. He couldn'tstand the thought of seeing Phillip again.
The man, who had kissed the hell out of him,fucked with him and in general made his life unbearable was fuckingmarried with a kid.
He noticed the Drill Sergeant's office door wasopen but didn't go in. Instead he just went back to his strippedbed.
He lay down on the bed that had been Patrick'sand thought about his life. He didn't hear the heavy footsteps thatstopped just outside his door.
***
Phillip stood just outside Ryan's door. Hesmiled to himself thinking of the first time he had seen Ryan. Hehad decided to run over to reception and see what the new recruitslooked like.
Bob had laughed about Ryan, calling the blond alittle ‘twink’. Phillip agreed, but Ryan was easily thebest-looking twink he had ever seen. Even if he was afour-eyes.
Ryan had run off the bus with his hair flying.Phillip remembered how his breath had caught. He had never seen amore beautiful man in his entire life. Right then and there heprayed that Ryan would be assigned to anyone but him.
When he noticed that Ryan had been assigned tohis platoon he wanted to kill someone-- or bend the young recruitover the couch in the office and fuck him senseless. Ryan nearlymade his military bearing a complete sham. It had been over sincePhillip had seen how beautiful Ryan's green eyes were. They were soclear and so youthful that it almost hurt Phillip to look athim.
King and Connelly had teased him unmercifullyabout his 'crush' on the raw recruit. He had to make sure that itwasn't found out by the other recruits.
