by Isabella
“Major, Nic, wake-up,” Claire said very softly just in case Nic startled easily. “Time to get up, Major.”
There it is again a honeyed voice telling her to wake up. Nic opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful sight before her. Brown eyes and hair, and full, luscious lips that begged to be kissed. Striking features that reminded her of those Greek goddesses she had read about. Nic let her eyes drift shut again, trying to go back to sleep and dream about her goddess. But the silken request for her to wake up came yet again, only this time Nic felt a hand on her shoulder shaking her awake. Please go away and leave me to my dreams.
“Major, it’s 6:00 am and I’m sure you need to get ready for work,” said the honeyed voice.
Nic felt her back protest at the position she had been sitting in all night. She realized that she wasn’t dreaming and she wasn’t lying in her bed at home. Nic opened her eyes, and looked directly into Claire’s bemused stare as she started to take her daughter out of Nic’s lap.
“Oh, ah, sorry Claire. I can explain…” Nic said when Claire raised an eyebrow in question. “I was starting to leave after I checked on you last night, but I heard Grace starting to wake up, so I, uh, just came in here and picked her up. I guess we both fell asleep.” She decided to wait until Claire said something before embarrassing herself more.
“Nic, it’s ok. I appreciate you looking after Grace and me. But you don’t have to feel responsible for us. I’m a big girl and can take care of us, trust me.” Claire was trying to take Grace, but her daughter had other ideas as she clung to Nic’s neck.
Noticing the look on Claire’s face as her child cuddled into Nic’s chest, she said, “It must be the uniform.” Nic watched as Claire just nodded and smiled. The officer noticed that Claire had showered and changed into a college t-shirt and sweat pants. She couldn’t help but notice how cute Claire looked in the oversized clothing. She also noticed Claire hadn’t thought to put on a bra and it was obvious. God, how could I look at her that way? Nic thought, chastising herself for looking at the widow in an unprofessional manner.
Claire noticed that something had suddenly made Nic uncomfortable as her body stiffened. Must be how Grace has taken to her, she thought, reaching for her daughter. Grace gave a weak protest, but as soon as Claire asked Grace if she was hungry, she latched onto her mother and nodded.
“Nic, I am going to make Grace some breakfast. Would you like to join us?” Claire asked, wondering why Nic was staring at the floor rather than at her.
“Thank you for the offer, but I should be getting to the office to find out if there is any news about Mike.”
“You’re welcome to stay Nic. It’s the least I can do for staying with Grace all night. I’m sure that wasn’t the most comfortable place you’ve had to sleep lately.”
“It’s fine, really. Perhaps a rain check? I really do need to get to the office and see what I can find out.”
“I understand Major, but would you mind coming by later? I’m not sure where to start to settle Mike’s affairs. Maybe you can brief me as to what the military will need from me and what the time line is for things here.”
“Of course. How about if I stop by after lunch? That way I can go home and get a shower and then get a briefing on what’s going on at the office. Hopefully, I’ll have good news for you. I’ll also bring any paperwork that will help in the process and may need your signature.”
“That’ll be fine, Major.”
“Please, remember you promised to call me Nic.”
“I’m sorry. Old habits die hard. I’ll try to remember.”
“Thank you,” Nic said as she went outside. Ducking her head towards Grace she grabbed the child’s hand and scrunched her nose. “And good-bye to you, too, princess.”
Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, she turned and walked towards her car. Nic didn’t know where all of that mushiness came from and was surprised by her own behavior with the little girl. She smiled as she remembered rocking the little girl to sleep the night before. What she wouldn’t do for a family of her own. Nic thought about how different her life would be if she had someone to come home to and to share her days and her nights with. Would she give up everything and settle down if she found the right person? In her current line of work, another woman was damn near impossible to find, and with the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy she would never find her as long as she was in the Corps. Well someday, when she had time and was ready to settle down, that was exactly what she would do. Now she just needed the perfect woman. She scoffed at the thought and headed to the office.
###
As the Major made her way to her office she noticed the clouds that had threatened rain the day before were gone and replaced with a warm, gentle breeze. Nic liked days like this. They reminded her of another time when she didn’t have a care in the world and could just sit back and enjoy what nature had to offer. She often spent time outdoors, hiking or hanging out at the beach. She truly loved the beach. It centered her, especially after the accident, when so much of her life had changed. She still found joy in walking along the sand, or sitting and just watching the tides roll in.
Pulling into her parking space at the barracks, the Major noticed that the sergeant was already there. Nic appreciated Sergeant Ross’s dedication and reminded herself to tell him that when she got a chance. But right now she needed to help Mike’s family get closure. She looked down at her uniform to make sure it wasn’t too wrinkled, that her buttons were closed and her boots were laced. Nic always wanted to lead by example. It was her style, and she didn’t ask her people to do something she wasn’t willing to or hadn’t done herself. If you wanted respect you had to earn it and show the people you lead that you respected them too. So far it had worked for her, but there was always that one asshole that had to have his clock reset every once in a while, and Nic wasn’t against resetting one every now and then. In fact, she relished having to establish the pecking order occasionally, as it kept everything in perspective.
Nic opened the door to the office and Sergeant Ross stood quickly to attention and called out, “Officer on deck.”
It had been an ongoing joke between the two, with Nic admonishing him the first time he had done it. Sergeant Ross had done a tour on a ship, where the custom was to call out the greeting when an officer entered the room.
Nic looked around and noticed that no one had gotten to the office yet, probably because it was the weekend and duty hours were a little more relaxed. Giving him her best evil eye Nic yanked her cap off and tossed it on her desk.
“Knock it off Sergeant. How many times do I have to tell you that isn’t funny anymore? It makes me damn uncomfortable. Save it for the brass asses that come through that door. Next time I am going to drop you for 100 push-ups on my count, got it?” Nic chided the sergeant as she walked passed his desk. She knew how much he hated working out and only did it because it was required, and the three times a week he did bother were barely keeping his gut in check.
“Yes ma’am,” he said, saluting as she walked by, knowing that would piss her off just as much. They had a relationship based on mutual respect, and she knew she wouldn’t be half as good at her job without Sergeant. Ross, so she tolerated his jokes.
“Any news on the Capt. Monroe’s whereabouts?”
“Not yet Major. I have called Germany again and they still don’t know anything.”
“Great, just great. Well let’s call Iraq again and see if they found something.”
“Yes ma’am. By the way, I didn’t call the Chaplain like you told me to. I figured you were just kidding about the Captain’s wife killing you. Besides, I’ve seen her. You can take her anytime. She’s just a little thing,” he said, chuckling.
“Looks can be deceiving Sergeant. Remember that Private who nearly cleaned your clock in P.T.? She was little and put you on your ass in about three seconds flat.”
“Yeah, I remember. Thanks for the walk down memory lane Major. Can I get back to work now?”<
br />
“Hey, far be it from me to stop you from doing your job, Sergeant. By the way do you ever see that Private?” Nic said, chuckling at the blush that had crawled up the Sergeant’s neck to his ears.
“Never.”
Nic knew Sergeant Ross saw the young Private, who was now a Private First Class, damn near everyday in the mess hall. She still gave him that nod that meant she had him and he knew it.
“Good, I would hate to think that you see her everyday and she rubs your nose in it. I mean, that would suck royally,” Nic said as she passed by Sgt Ross on her way to her office. Looking down at the papers stacked on her desk, Nic remembered that she had duties other than just doing her informs and she needed to get busy on those as well before her superiors came down on her.
Two hours later, Nic had made a sizeable dent in the paperwork on her desk and her back ached from sitting still too long. Her scar ached as she stood up and stretched her back. Looking at the clock on the wall, Nic remembered that she needed to eat and shower and not necessarily in that order, considering she had slept in her BDU’s all night. She grabbed her cap and informed Sergeant Ross that she was going home to shower and change and get something to eat. She looked back at the sergeant when he didn’t answer and saw the puzzled look on his face.
“Don’t ask. Call me if you hear anything.”
“Yes ma’am.”
She stopped him as he started to stand up and salute. “Don’t even think about it Sergeant Smart Ass or you can drop right now and give me fifty,” Nic said, grinning as she walked out the door.
CHAPTER FIVE
Claire sat on her couch, absently twisting her wedding ring. She was thinking about all the things she needed to do to put Mike’s affairs in order. Nic had told her she would help, but Claire didn’t want to be a burden on anyone, especially Nic. Claire smiled as she thought about finding Nic sleeping with Grace. She should have been concerned when she saw the two together, but she wasn’t. Nic seemed so comfortable with Grace and her daughter seemed to be taken with Nic. Claire wondered what kind of woman joined the Marine Corps and then chose to fly helicopters. Someone with something to prove, she thought. Claire knew little about the women of the Corps since Mike was in an attack unit. Women weren’t allowed in the combat units and that included an attack helicopter unit. Her access to Marine women was limited to the occasional encounter at a military ball or battalion function.
The more Claire thought about it, the more she wondered if she could have been a rough and tough Marine. Nic had a certain confidence about her that Claire found sexy. Did I just say sexy and Nic in the same sentence? She cocked her head to the side, considering the question. It was true. Nic had self-confidence, a bearing that made her stand out from the rest of the Marine Corps officers. She walked with her head high, but lacked the swagger that some pilots seemed to have. Once, Claire had made the mistake of calling one of Mike’s friends a pilot. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned and looked her right in the eyes. Without blinking he told her to never refer to him as a pilot— he was a Marine Aviator. Big difference, he said.
No, Claire couldn’t see Nic acting like that, pompous and arrogant. Nic had shown her tenderness when she had held her the night before, something she couldn’t see a male Corps member providing. Claire remembered how solid Nic felt as she held her while she cried. The smell of Nic’s perfume, a subtle mix of clean and citrus had enveloped her while she leaned against the officer’s chest. Claire closed her eyes again as she thought about Nic’s arms wrapped around her, rocking her back and forth. It almost seemed surreal now, being held by a woman again. The softness of her touch and the gentleness of her voice still rang in Claire’s ears. She felt her body start to react at the thought of Nic holding her. She was just the kind of woman Claire had been attracted to in college.
###
Nic sat in her car, thinking about Claire and everything she was going through. She thought about all of the spouses and families that had to endure the process of burying their loved ones. Then she thought about her own crew and what their families had gone through. Nic had missed all of the funerals and memorials for the crew, her crew. She was in a hospital bed barely able to sit-up, let alone talk to anyone about what happened. Maybe that was why she was taking what happened to Mike so hard, because she knew him, went to college with him, and was stationed at the same base in Iraq. She had socialized with his family at unit functions so it was painful to see what Claire was going through all by herself. Well, soon it would be over for Claire and she would move on to a new life and learn to deal with the loss. Given enough time, they all moved on eventually, and Nic would too. Eventually.
She couldn’t get Claire out of her mind. She was a beautiful, vibrant woman who had her whole life ahead of her. After a long, hot shower, Nic opted for a pair of jeans, t-shirt and boots. Now, she felt a little more normal, and more—human. Although it might be strange to people outside the military, as long as she had the uniform on she felt like she should act accordingly. Which in and of itself wasn’t a bad thing, but it sure was nice to look like an average civilian occasionally. It was such a beautiful day she decided to ride her bike to Claire’s house. The fresh air and freedom would do her soul some good right now. She tucked the necessary paperwork in her saddlebag, wishing she could leave it behind.
Nic leaned over the bike and remembered the last time she was on it. She flushed at the memory and felt a resultant tug between her legs. Nic started the bike, adjusted her helmet, zipped up her jacket and slipped on her gloves. She loved how the bike felt like a part of her every time she rode it. Gliding down the street she didn’t think about anything but the machine and the feeling of power and freedom it gave her. And, of course, the occasional car that always seemed to cut her off when she rode.
She decided to take the long way to Claire’s house. First, she wanted a longer ride to blow the cobwebs out and reenergize and second, she was confused by the flutter of nervousness in her stomach when she thought of spending more time with Claire. She parked in Claire’s driveway and took her cell phone out of the inside pocket of her jacket. She briefly talked to Sergeant Ross who had nothing new to report and promised to call her if anything came up. She informed him that if she was needed, she would be at Claire’s for a bit to see if she needed anything before returning to the office to finish up her paperwork.
Just as she was about to knock, the door opened and several women started down the steps. Quickly stepping aside, she avoided running into them, although they weren’t paying attention to anyone as Claire said goodbye to them and thanked them for their kindness.
“Oh, sorry, we didn’t see you there. Major Caldwell? Is that you? I didn’t recognize you out of uniform. Sorry,” the woman in front said, this time looking Nic up and down as if inspecting a side of beef.
“No problem ma’am. I’m just here to check on Mrs. Monroe and then I’m off to the office,” the major said, slightly irritated that she felt the need to explain her appearance. Turning, Nic caught sight of Claire looking down at her as Claire waved good-bye to the wives.
“Please come in, Nic.”
“Thanks. I hope this is a good time for me to come by? I didn’t think to call first. Sorry.” Nic swallowed hard, wondering what it was about Claire that caused her to lose her train of thought and babble like some school girl. She turned when she heard Grace behind her and quickly lifted the little girl into the air.
“Oh, sorry. I hope it’s all right that I picked her up, I just —” Nic said, suddenly aware of what she had done. “She’s just so cute and sweet…”
“She seems to be really attached to you, too. You’re all she has talked about all day. She told everyone that you spent the night and slept with her in her room. Try explaining that to the wives that just left. Besides, she seems to really calm down when you’re here.”
“I’m sorry if it caused any problems for you.”
“No, not at all. Besides, the other wives are happy that the milita
ry is helping out so much.”
“Well that’s why I’m here. You know, to check on you and Grace and see if there is anything I can do to help out,” she said, as she followed Claire into the living room. Nic sat down on the couch with Grace still in her arms. The little girl curled up on Nic’s chest and started to doze off.
“Well, if you can come over about this time everyday and do that,” Claire said, pointing to the little girl now sleeping on Nic’s chest. “It would help out a great deal. She’s had a hard time going down for a nap ever since we got the news of Mike’s death. I’m sure she’s picking up on the stress in the house and doesn’t have a way to process it like you and I do. So she’s fighting her normal routine.”
“Well, I’m not sure I can come by everyday at this time, but I can make it a point to stop by everyday and check in on you two if you would like?”
“Thank you for the offer Nic, but I am sure you have lots of other work that you should be giving your attention to. Besides, I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you are Claire. Maybe I can take care of Grace if you would like to do some shopping or just have some time to yourself. I know how stressful all of this can be, really.”
