A Soldier's Gift

by Lynne St. James

  The night was clear with a light breeze, perfect weather for wandering along the shoreline. Locking her purse in the car she rolled up her jeans, changed into the flip-flops she kept in the car and grabbed a beach towel. The boards of the wooden path through the dunes were damp from previous visitors and coated with moist sand. When she got to the end, she kicked off the flip-flops and squished the sand between her toes.

  Darkness had fallen and the beach was mostly deserted, which was fine with Beth. It’s the way she liked it. Starfish Beach. She’d been going there since she was younger than Dani. It was as much home as any house she’d lived in. Spreading the towel and sitting down, she leaned back and gazed at the stars.

  The gentle waves lapping against the shore, and the light sea breeze eased over her, healing her internal wounds like a bandage. Calm slid over her like a soft blanket and she was able to really breathe for the first time in ages. As she inhaled the damp, salty air, her body relaxed. Julie had been right as usual. Beth closed her eyes and let the moment take her away, to happier times, baby giggles, family picnics, being in love. Whoa where did that come from? Her eyes popped open as the thought passed through her mind. Was Julie right about that too? Beth hadn’t dated for years. She didn’t count the one or two blind dates Julie dragged her on. She’d been busy getting the store set up and taking care of Dani. Besides, Doug left some deep emotional wounds when they’d finally called it quits.

  Sighing, she admitted she missed having a man in her life to spend time with, and sex would be nice too. Damn. She couldn’t remember the last time it wasn’t just her and her Hitachi, at least it took the edge off. She missed the physical connection. But why dwell on it now though? And why would the image of the solider from the military hospital pop into her head? She talked to him for maybe five or ten minutes, but there was something about him she couldn’t get out of her head. Overactive imagination? Or maybe it was time to get out Mr. Hitachi and have some ‘me’ time.

  No clouds were in sight as Beth stared at the star-filled sky. Her father showed her the constellations and she could still find most of them. After a few minutes she picked out the Big Dipper and the North Star. A streak out of the corner of her eye distracted her from her search. A shooting star. When was the last time she’d seen one? As it crossed the night sky she made a wish. It might be silly, but why not, what did she have to lose? That’s what shooting stars were for, right? Wishing.

  The breeze picked up and the air got cooler telling her it was time to go home. Beth folded the towel, grabbed her shoes, and made her way back to the car. Knocking the sand off her feet along the way, she smiled realizing she was happy and relaxed for the first time in months. Her center was back where it belonged. Taking one last deep breath of sea air, she got into the car and drove home.

  As soon as she stepped out of the car she could hear Bo barking. His welcome home came across loud and clear. “Okay, boy. I’m coming.” As she opened the door, he jumped up and with a paw on each shoulder, he licked her face. “Geesh. I’m happy to see you too.”

  His poufy poodle tail looked like a propeller as it wagged a mile a minute. He jumped around like Rudolph at the reindeer games while she put down her purse headed to the sliding doors to let him out. They should have named him Tigger, he bounced more than any dog she’d ever known.

  It was strange to be home, she’d been staying in the hospital for so long it felt like the normal thing to do. Not sleepy, she definitely wasn’t ready to go to bed. An image of the soldier popped into her head. She wondered what he looked like under all the bandages. From the way his head was shaved he probably had a head wound. Recalling their meeting, and seeing him sitting in the easy chair in the solarium, she remembered how his shoulders were the same width as the chair, and the muscles in his arms were clearly visible in the t-shirt he wore. How would they feel wrapped around her, holding her close? Damn woman, you’re horny. Get a grip or something. A bubble bath sounded like the perfect solution.

  Making sure the doors were all locked, she went into the kitchen and poured a glass of her favorite pinot noir and brought it upstairs. Bo followed, as usual, but he wasn’t going to be happy when she shut him out of the bathroom. She’d learned the hard way he loved bubble baths too. No way was she going to run around the house chasing a bubble-covered dog who thought it was a game. The goal was to soak in the bubbles, have some wine, and enjoy the moment.

  While waiting for the tub to fill she took a long drink of the wine, undressed, and examined herself in the mirror. Not too bad for thirty-four, but definitely not bikini material. Her curvy body had added some extra padding since Dani was born. Tracing the stretch marks over her rounded belly, she shrugged. She’d always considered them a badge of honor for having carried a baby, and she wouldn’t give them up for anything if it meant not having Dani.

  Leaning closer to the mirror, tiny little lines were visible at the corners of her eyes, and she had bags under her eyes big enough to pack for a week away. Oh well, not like I’m trying to impress anyone. Then the soldier’s face appeared. What would he think of her body? Would he be turned off by her chubby thighs, curvy hips, and rounded tummy? He probably went for the young ones, hell, he probably was one of the young ones. But maybe he wouldn’t care, his eyes were bandaged, for all she knew he was permanently blind so he’d only be able to feel her extra padding.

  Laughing at her silliness, she stepped into the tub and surrounded herself with orange blossom scented bubbles. “Ahh.” Leaning her head against the edge, she let the heat of the water seep into her muscles, releasing the last of the tension she’d held onto. The movement of the water caressed her skin, and the heat heightened her sensitivity.

  Sliding fingers over her breasts, she tweaked the already hardened nipples, and moaned. As she teased them with her fingertips the heat traveled to her pussy. Even in the water she could feel her juices between her legs. Skimming along her body, she parted her labia and slid her index finger over her clit. “Mmmm.”

  Rubbing the hard little nub, her body tightened as her orgasm drew closer. Her breath caught in her throat as she worked her hard clit and then slid two fingers into her pussy. Thrusting with her right hand, she used the left to play with her clit. Her muscles tightened and she clenched her legs holding her fingers in place as she came, the buildup always better than the release. Even with the Hitachi, she never felt like she’d experienced all there was, hell, even with Doug sex hadn’t been great. Maybe it was her and this was all she’d ever feel.

  The water cooled enough to give her a chill. Emptying the tub, she stood under the pulsating stream from the shower. Afterwards, she put on her favorite oversized t-shirt and joined Bo on the bed. His tail wagged a few times when she slid under the covers and then he returned to his doggy dreams. “I wonder what you dream about. Treats? Long walks, your people?”

  Fluffing the pillows she leaned back, grabbed her book, and continued where she’d left off. It’d been so long since she’d read any of it she couldn’t remember the story, and she didn’t care. Dropping it on the night table, she turned off the light and listened to doggy snores as they lulled her to sleep. For the first time in months she didn’t think about all the stress in her life and fell into a deep restful sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  It was discharge day and Mac couldn’t wait. He’d been dressed since seven a.m. and was waiting in Tag’s room. They were like kids on the last day of school waiting for the clock to count down to dismissal. Or maybe they were more like caged bears waiting to be released back into the wild. Yeah that was it. He laughed thinking about it.

  “What the hell are you laughing at? You keep laughing for no reason, people are going to think you’re a little crazy.”

  “Fuck you. I was thinking about how anxious we are to get the hell out of here.”

  “No shit. I wanted to call Anna and tell her to wake up and come get us at six. I was worried she’d be so pissed she wouldn’t come at all.”

  Mac la
ughed. “I wouldn’t blame her. Besides, the doc hasn’t signed the papers. I asked already.”

  “What the hell is he waiting for?”

  “I think to make sure we didn’t try to get out early.”

  “Yeah like that’d happen. What, we’d just hitchhike to the apartment? I don’t even know the address. How’re the eyes today?”

  “Not bad. I still can’t read but I can definitely see distances better. I could have lived without seeing your ugly mug.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “No thanks, I thought you had your hand for that?”

  “Son-of-a-bitch. Is it fuck with Tag day?”

  “Maybe? Got a problem with that?”

  “Hell yeah I do.”

  They were laughing when Dr. Andrews came in. “I should have known you’d be here, Lieutenant. I went to your room first.”

  “Sorry, doc. We’ve been waiting for you all morning.”

  “It’s only ten a.m.”

  Tag laughed. “Yeah but he’s been ready since about six.”

  Dr. Andrews laughed and checked the chart. Mac had been surprised to see he was a lot younger than he’d thought. Only a hint of gray, but he’d been right about the glasses. Score one for his powers of deduction.

  “You’re both going to have to come in for follow ups and, Lt. Taggart, you should have your PT schedule.”

  “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “Good. Make sure you keep to it. If you have any problems before our appointment in two weeks give me a call. My contact information will be with your copies of the discharge papers. Now. Lt. MacDonald, you need to follow up with Dr. Pinsky, right? I also want to see you in a month to see how your head is healing. Same goes for you, if you have any issues call for an appointment sooner.”

  “Yes, sir. Will do.”

  “Don’t forget the other appointments you have for OT, PT and your mental health appointments and groups. It’s all mandatory or we’ll send the dogs after you. Also, you’ll both have to assemble and participate, you’ve been assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit now that you’ve been discharged from here. You two will be missed around here. But I’m happy to see you both getting out of here.”

  “Thanks, doc, for everything.”

  “You’re welcome. Take care both of you.” He shook their hands and left Tag’s room.

  “Looks like we’ve been cut loose.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I guess as happy as I am to blow this popsicle stand, I’m worried about what’s next. I don’t know how to do anything else except be a soldier. I never expected to have to work a desk job.”

  “We’ll figure it out. Besides if you to decide not to reenlist with the army you can always go work for the family business.”

  “Hell no, why do you think I went in the service in the first place.” Tag laughed, but Mac heard the hesitation, and he knew the real reason Tag had joined up. They’d work it out. He had no idea what was next for him either. He definitely couldn’t deploy in his current condition. He did have one thing on his list, tracking down Mrs. Fraser. Maybe he’d volunteer to work with other wounded soldiers and with the kids too. It was something he’d been thinking about.

  “When is Anna getting here?”

  “She’s here now,” she said as she walked into the room. It was the first time Mac could sort of see her. His sight was improving slowly but details were definitely still an issue.

  “Hey, kid, thanks for coming.” Tag stood and hugged his sister. Mac couldn’t see much of her expression but it didn’t look like she felt awkward around him. Tag said his parents were freaked out and didn’t know how to deal with him, but Anna seemed to be handling it okay.

  “It’s not like I could leave your sorry ass here, now could I?” She laughed. “Hi, Mac. How’s it going?”

  “Good, hell, great since we get out of here.”

  “I figured you’d be pacing the lobby waiting for me. I was surprised I had to come up.”

  “The doc just did the final paperwork so your timing was great.”

  “Good. Your apartment is ready too. I got everything on your list and the furniture was delivered yesterday. Mom and Dad insisted on paying for it. And before you start bitching, they can definitely afford it, and if it makes them feel better, just let them go with it. Okay?”

  Mac laughed. “She told you, huh?”

  “She always does. I don’t care about the furniture but if they start the hovering crap we’ll change the locks and stop answering the door.”

  It was Anna’s turn to giggle. “No problem. Why do I feel like I’m going to be playing referee?”

  “Because you are.”

  Sue came in with their discharge papers and hugged them. “I’ll miss you two. Stop by and say hi once in a while, you’ll be here enough.”

  “We will,” Tag said.

  “Thanks for taking such great care of us,” Mac added as he hugged her.

  “Just doing my job.” Mac thought she sounded a little choked up but couldn’t tell for sure. It was going to be a long three months, but he wasn’t going to complain. This was so much better than the black hole he’d been in for the last three months. Any sight was better than none at all.

  “I have two orderlies coming to take you out.”

  “Why?”

  “Protocol. You know how it is. Sorry, but you’ll be away from it soon enough, one more wheel chair ride for each of you won’t hurt,” Sue said as she left.

  “Damn we were so close.”

  “Yet so far,” Tag finished for Mac.

  “Your stuff arrived from the Army and we put it in the apartment, so you have your uniforms and whatever regular clothes you had with you, but it’s not much.”

  “Great, thanks, Anna. We really appreciate all you’ve done.”

  “It hasn’t been much, and it’s the least I can do for my big brother and his best friend.” She grinned, and he could definitely see the wide smile so much like Tag’s.

  The orderlies showed up with the two wheelchairs and as they pushed Mac onto the elevator, he understood what Tag was feeling. He’d been there for so long it was comfortable. He couldn’t wait to get out, but now the time had finally come he was worried about what the future would hold for them.

  It turned out to be about a fifteen-minute drive to their apartment, and it was a lot different from their quarters in Afghanistan, that’s for sure. Mac was impressed. Anna found them a really nice place, but then again, Tag was used to living in luxury. He wondered how much this place was going to set him back for his half every month.

  It was large, two master bedrooms with bathrooms, a large kitchen, living room, club house with pool and exercise equipment. The two bedrooms were identical so Anna and her father picked one for each and unpacked their stuff.

  “I bought groceries, but if there’s other stuff you want there’s a Publix down the street that delivers so you can call and order whatever you need. Tag, you have a company credit card in your room. I wasn’t sure what you’d do for money until you get your accounts set up.”

  “We’re good. I don’t need it. We’re still getting paid by the army, and they use direct deposit. So I think we’re both good, right, Mac?”

  “Yep I’m good. Thanks again, Anna. You really went above and beyond.”

  “No problem. Okay, I’m out of here. I have to swing by the office.”

  “It’s Saturday.”

  “And your point? We’re open on weekends, when do you think working people want to look at houses? Besides, it’s busy with all the summer rentals.” She didn’t wait for an answer and just waved as she closed the door. She’d left two sets of keys on the kitchen counter. It was weird being there. They looked at each other and shrugged. They’d get used to it. They’d been through hell and this was the other side.

  Chapter Nine

  Three weeks later Dani was still in the hospital. She’d developed an infection and they couldn’t discharge her after all. B
eth did her best to keep her daughter’s spirits up but it was getting harder. She’d had Doug’s body cremated and decided when Dani was out of the hospital and up to it, they’d spread his ashes in the ocean.

  Beth and Julie were sharing lunch in the bookstore when her phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Mrs. Fraser?”

  “Yes, hi, Jackie.” By now Beth knew most of the nurses by their voice since she’d spoken to them so much. “Is everything okay?” Dumb question. If they were calling something was up.

  “Dani’s having a bad day. She won’t let us take blood or even check her vitals.”

  “I’m sorry. Let me see how soon I can get over there.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry to bother you at work but we need to check the status of the infection.”

  “I know, Jackie. Don’t worry about.” Disconnecting the call, she put the phone on the counter and looked at her Greek salad like it was a container of worms, her appetite deserting her once again.

  “Is Dani okay? You can go now if you need to, you know that right?” Julie looked concerned.

  “I know. I was going to finish lunch but I seem to have lost my appetite. The nurse said she was hurting and not cooperating.”

  “Poor kid. Life’s really sucking for her this year.”

  “I know. I just keep telling her that when it’s all behind her she’ll realize how good life can be because she’s seen the crappy part.”

  “Good. I’ve noticed you’re more positive. I don’t know what changed but I sure as hell am glad it did.”

  “I took your advice.”

  “You did? You got laid?”

  “No.” Beth laughed and almost choked on the water she’d just sipped. “I went to the beach.”