***
The beeping of machines greeted Gina when she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Rafe slumped over in a chair, his head resting on the bed next to her. After a moment she recognized that it was a hospital bed that she was laying in. The beeping machines she heard were hooked up to herself.
As she tried to move, she woke up Rafe. He momentarily looked around the room as he tried to discern what was going on. When his eyes locked onto hers, he sprang up from the chair and his lips were upon hers.
“Gina, I-I thought-” He fumbled as he tried to find the words to say.
She ignored the aches of her body, glad to feel his arms around her. As his body pressed against hers, she noticed that there was something missing from herself. She breathed deeply and tried to speak. “Rafe…the baby.”
He released her and just then the door of the room opened and Leila and a nurse walked in together. A smile lit up Leila’s face. “Oh, you’re awake.”
In her arms she carried a small bundle of cloth. Beaming, she brought the bundle over to the couple and passed it off to Gina.
Rafe kissed the top of her head. “Gina, meet our son.”
The breath caught in her throat as she looked at the tiny face of her son, alive and well in her arms. She smiled as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Here they both were, strong and healthy.
“I know we hadn’t quite decided on a name yet,” Rafe said. “We thought we’d wait for you to wake up.”
Gina kissed her son’s forehead. “Aiden.”
THE END
Bonus Story 17/40
Unbreakable SEAL
Leslie ran her fingers through her curly brown hair as she sang in the shower happily. She did a little dance as she lathered the shampoo into her locks. She was excited, clearly. A very special person was coming to visit and she had been counting down the days and the day had finally arrived. This man was very important to her and she was determined to show him a great time.
Robert Wolfe, her stepbrother, was a man that everyone adored. He was always standing up for others, and was strong and courageous. Not to mention he had killer looks. The ladies couldn’t get enough of his dark hair, bold golden eyes and strong jaw. The lady killer part Leslie wasn’t too pleased about, but what could she do? In any case, she loved Robert, and despite the distance between them he always supported her however he could.
Leslie arranged to take the week off from work so that she could properly dedicate her time to him. Robert, who was in the Navy, was protecting their seas, and risking his life every day. The least she could do was take that week off to de-stress him. The decision to take so much time off was one that her fellow co-workers scratched their heads at. But what did they know? They didn’t understand how she felt about him and how he was a rock in her life.
Leslie stepped out of the shower taking a towel to the curly madness that was her hair and then to her bare body. She glanced at the clock; she wouldn’t be picking up Robert until later that afternoon. She would be going to lunch with one of her co-workers, Max, who happened to also be a very good friend of hers. Leslie stepped out of the steamy bathroom and went to her closet to pick out her outfit. Meanwhile she texted Max letting him know that she would be on her way to the restaurant soon.
Leslie stood in front of her large collection of clothes wondering what she would wear. This would be the first time Robert had seen her in four years and she wanted to look her best. Removing the towel from her curvy damp figure and throwing it to the floor, the fresh-scrubbed, naked lady sashayed around her walk in closet gravitating towards the back of it.
“Hm, I’m thinking, dark blue,” she said as she whipped out a long, dark blue sundress. She was happy with the spring weather where the sun was out but not blazing and the air was fresh. This weather was perfect weather in her eyes.
Stepping back into her room, Leslie slipped on her underwear before slipping on the soft fabric of the sundress. She proceeded to do a very natural look for her makeup and settled on black sandals. Finally, she regarded herself in her full body mirror, and silently gave herself a nod of approval.
Leslie heard her phone ringing on the soft mattress and walked over it to answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I’m here. Where are you?”
The man on the line was Max, Leslie pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the time on her phone. Her eyes widened realizing she had spent too much time getting ready and she was late. However she didn’t feel too bad, it was necessary she took her time. She wanted to look her best.
“Sorry. I’m coming now.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a sigh as he ended the call.
Leslie grabbed her purse and exited her apartment, giving her sleeping grey cat a quick pet before leaving. Luckily, the restaurant that Leslie had chosen was not far from her apartment.
Leslie walked into the modest restaurant and looked around for her dark haired co-worker. She saw him at a corner table with his back turned to her.
She cautiously approached the tall male, not 100% sure if that was indeed the man she was here to see. Leslie took a quick peek at his face erasing the doubt that it might not be him.
“Max,” she said with a smile as she took a seat in front of the brown-eyed male.
“Finally,” he said with an annoyed look in his eyes as he took a sip of his coffee.
“Sorry,” Leslie said as she flashed her best apologetic look before flagging the waitress down. “I’m picking up Robert after this so I have to look my best,” she said with a small smile. Turning her attention to the waitress, Leslie ordered a pastry and small coffee before returning to her brunch date with Max.
“So you’re very excited,” he said as he raised his eyebrow at her.
“Of course I am, and I could do without your judging face,” Leslie said with a sigh as she checked her phone for any messages from Robert. None so far. She wondered what he was doing.
“I’m just saying, you know those types of guys have mental issues being in the army and navy, they see a lot of messed up stuff.”
“Well I would too if I had the pressure of protecting a whole country on my shoulders,” Leslie snapped back. These comments of Max were beginning to get under her skin. Max hadn’t seen a hard day in his life and he was judging someone else.
“Look I’m not trying to offend—”
“That’s exactly what you’re doing Max, why are you so against me having him stay with me?”
Leslie didn’t get it. Ever since she told Max that Robert was coming to visit and how excited she was, his mood had been sour. She couldn’t understand his distaste for a man whom he had never met and knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, Max lowered his eyes feeling bad about his attitude towards the visit. The truth was his feelings for Leslie had gone unnoticed for the 5 years he had known her. He couldn’t help the surge of jealousy that erupted in his body at her excitement about Robert’s visit. She even forgot that Max’s birthday would clash with Robert’s visit.
“I’m sorry,” Max said after the uncomfortable silence between them.
“Apology accepted, now can we please have a nice brunch?”
Leslie dug into her pastry and refused to let Max’s insensitive words get to her. Even so she couldn’t ignore the nagging uneasiness in her heart.
Would Robert be okay?
*****
Leslie sat in her car driving towards the train station to pick up Robert. During the silent ride she had questioned her friendship with Max. Sure she knew he was a judging person but not against her. His attitude had spoiled her mood somewhat. Even so she would have to try not to let his words get to her because in a matter of minutes she would be seeing Robert.
Leslie pulled up to the train station parking lot and looked in the mirror in the sun visor to check her appearance. The nervousness began to rise in her stomach as she sat in the car alone with her thoughts. Would Robert be happy to see her? Would things be awkward? What would they eve
n talk about? All these thoughts were making Leslie nervous for this week long visit.
“Ah, what am I nervous for? I’ve know this man my whole life,” Leslie said to her own reflection, shaking her head. This was clearly normal jitters. She was thinking too much about things.
Leslie stepped out of her car after a few minutes and checked her face and clothes one more time before heading towards the main area of the train station. She joined a few others who were excitedly waiting for the arrival of the train. Leslie stood next to the tracks and followed their path with her eyes. The cool breeze from the large mass of water on the other side of the tracks washed over her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the salty air before the loud noise of a horn echoed in the air.
Leslie took a deep breath and watched the large, heavy train approach closer. She took a step back from the edge of the platform as it was coming to a stop in front of the station. Leslie could feel the excitement in the air grow as the train came to a complete stop.
Simultaneously, all the doors opened and the train employees exited the train first to usher the passengers out. In a matter of seconds, passengers began to flow out of the doors causing a large crowd to form. Leslie, with her short stature, attempted to look through the sea of people to find her stepbrother.
The amount of bodies within the area grew to be too much and Leslie found her back pressed against the wall.
“Shit,” she said biting her lip as she pulled out her phone and saw that Robert had texted her. Leslie quickly texted Robert back saying that she was at the train station and that he should stay in one spot so she could find him. She then gripped her phone in her hand and began to push through the crowd to go to the center of the station. As she tried to get through the swarm of people chatting and hugging one another, she was accidently pushed. Leslie felt herself stumbling backwards and couldn’t catch herself in time. She prepared for the impact but it never came.
Surprisingly, Leslie felt strong hands at her back catching her as she fell. She blinked a few times trying to figure out why she hadn’t made contact with the ground. Eventually, she looked up to find a familiar face looking down at her with a toothy smile. The 6’1” navy officer helped her to her feet and playfully brushed off her shoulders.
“Robert,” Leslie said slowly as her brain came to the realization that Robert was standing right in front of her. He was finally here and her brain couldn’t formulate proper thoughts.
“Why are you looking so shocked?”
Robert laughed and reached over to pull her into a tight hug. Leslie’s hands went up slowly to grab onto the strong back. Her eyes closed as the scent of his cologne filled her nose. He smelled like fresh water and not at all like he’d been traveling for six hours.
Leslie looked up and met the golden eyes that seem to sparkle in the sun. Her mouth was slightly agape as she felt herself fall into the eyes looking back at her with confusion and a slight hint of concern.
“Leslie, you okay?” said Robert.
Leslie snapped out of her trance embarrassed by her behavior and pulled away from Robert’s tight embrace.
“Yeah, sorry,” she said. She looked into his eyes. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Robert nodded with a smile as he took her hand and led her away from the crowded people. Without hesitation, Leslie followed Robert as he led her to a grassy area near the station. He had come to a stop and faced her once again.
“You don’t know how happy I am to be here, I really needed this,” he said as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder.
Leslie felt shy then and looked down at the pavement. She was feeling far more nervous than she let on but she wasn’t trying to show that.
“I’m happy too, and I can’t wait to show you a good time,” Leslie said with smile as she reached over and shyly took his warm hand into hers. Leslie led the Navy officer to the parking lot towards her car.
“How was your trip?”
“Well there was a crying baby, the attendant kept trying to get my number, a couple behind me was going through a break up and the meal gave someone food poisoning and they pretty much demolished the toilet.”
Leslie stopped walking and looked back at Robert who had just told her these things in an unbelievably calm manner. After a moment she let out a laugh and found that she couldn’t stop. Robert’s modesty was amazing considering how rich he was, the fact that he took a train instead of a first class flight really said something.
“Yeah it was pretty great,” Robert said as he began to chuckle at the string of bad luck that occurred during his trip. He had a thing for scenery; he wouldn’t have seen the tress, mountains and things of that nature from an airplane.
“That’s pretty hilarious,” Leslie said, calming down finally. She continued their short journey and finally reached her black sleek Mercedes Benz. Robert whistled as he let go of her hand and admired the car.
“Someone is doing well for herself,” he said as he ran his hand through the recently cleaned car. Leslie chuckled and unlocked the car and shook her head; working as a paralegal had its perks.
Robert threw his bag in the back seat before entering in the passenger side of the vehicle. Leslie soon entered into the driver’s side and looked over at Robert who was already messing with the stereo buttons.
She smiled at his curiosity; he sensed this and looked over with questioning eyes.
“What?”
Leslie shook her head as she started the car, ready to depart the train station. She found that the nervousness she felt earlier had completely dissipated.
*****
The sun had begun to set as Leslie drove them to her favorite bar. Robert was all for getting a drink after his hectic train ride.
After finding a parking spot and stepping out, Leslie found the bar to be bustling with women in tight dresses and men in suits. This was a slightly more upscale bar so the crowd often looked fancier than how they would at a regular bar. Leslie looked over at Robert who was in awe of the bright lights and party people loitering in the front of the bar. She decided that his all-black everything attire would suit this bar nicely; in fact he had a tall, dark and handsome vibe going for him.
In the midst of her lustful thoughts, Leslie felt a large hand plant itself on her shoulder. Startled, she looked up at Robert who had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“What are we waiting for?”
Leslie wasn’t sure if at that moment she should be worried about the look in his eyes.
“Nothing, let’s go,” Leslie said, hiding her concern with an equally mischievous smile. She made her way to the bar.
Leslie was not surprised by the looks Robert received from the women nearby. He was a handsome, single man and his golden eyes seemed to see into the soul. Leslie would have to make sure not to let her jealousy show.
They got to the front entrance and were let into the bar by the bouncer with no conflict. The booming music and bodies moving got Leslie’s blood pumping. She hadn’t been out to a place like this in a long time and she was ready to have a good time.
Robert tapped her shoulder, drawing her attention to the bar to grab a drink. Leslie nodded and followed his lead to the already packed space where the bartender was serving drinks. Robert had no problem making his way to the bartender despite the crowd. Leslie observed the males giving him cold looks as their female counterparts gazed at Robert’s attractiveness. Leslie laughed to herself as the women surrounding them whispered to each other. Most likely plotting how they would approach such a strong presence, Leslie thought.
Closely behind him, Leslie leaned her back against his as he ordered drinks. She regarded the scene, watching the moving bodies on the dance floor enthralled with the beat of the music. Leslie herself couldn’t help but to sway her hips to the beat.
Leslie felt Robert suddenly turn around causing her to move forward so that she wouldn’t be in his way. Robert had two medium-sized glasses in his hands and pointed his head to the left signaling the empty table
for them to sit at. Leslie nodded and quickly led the way to the empty table. He set the glasses down and pulled Leslie’s chair out letting her take a seat before taking his own.
She smiled at him as she watched him settle into his seat bobbing his head to the music.
“What is this,” Leslie said as she leaned in trying to speak over the music.
Robert only replied with a grin and raised the glass to her lips. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow as she wondered if he simply planned to get her drunk. Whatever his plan was, Leslie wasn’t a lightweight and it was Robert whom she planned to get drunk.
“Together,” Leslie mouthed as she raised his own glass to his lips as he did to her. Robert laughed but Leslie couldn’t hear it—she just saw his mouth open and his shoulders move up and down.
Leslie tilted the glass she had in her hand and watched as Robert’s lips parted to intake the clear liquid. He drank it without a single hesitation causing Leslie to conclude the drink was not as strong as she feared. Likewise, Robert tilted the glass on Leslie’s lips urging her to drink as well. While Leslie did so she felt the burning sensation travel down her throat crashing down her initial assumption about the liquid not being that strong. She finished the drink nonetheless but not without a pained look on her face.
This time Leslie could hear Robert’s laughter as she felt the skin in her throat being burned off by the liquid she just consumed. She immediately flagged down a waitress and asked for some cranberry juice to soothe her throat. Robert also took the opportunity to order another round of drinks. Leslie leaned back in her chair and fanned her flushed face. The alcohol was hitting her system quicker than she would have liked.
“Enjoying yourself I hope,” Leslie said over the music before she downed the cranberry juice set before her.
Robert placed the new round of drinks in front of them and nodded.
Suburban Cyborg Page 56
