by June Kramin
“Aw, baby,” Van whispered and kissed her cheek.
“She passed out?” Derrick asked as he walked over.
“She’s tired and gets stressed easily. You’re lucky she didn’t see my knuckles earlier. I’m surprised she hasn’t puked yet.” Derrick placed his hands on her neck as if checking for a pulse. “She’s okay,” Van assured him. “She can’t take this shit.”
“She shouldn’t have to, Van.”
“So now what? I’m drunk, AWOL, and my wife is passed out.”
“We’ll take you home,” Joe said. “We’ll deal with it in the morning.”
“Not before I drive over and kill that sonofabitch.”
“You’re not doing anything tonight, Van. If I have to sit on you all night myself, I will. You’re drunk and beyond irrational. Before you do something you can’t take back, get a good night’s rest. Take care of your wife, man.”
“I’ll carry her down.” Derrick reached for her.
“I’ll carry my own wife.” Van pushed his hand away.
“I don’t give a goddamn about your back, shithead. You’re loaded and you’re not taking that pretty package down those stairs. She’s been through enough tonight. She doesn’t need your sorry ass falling on her, too.”
Van looked over at the second MP, not knowing what to make of his silence. He was the newest of the team. Their paths hadn’t crossed often, but they had always been friendly. He finally spoke up.
“My wife is due with our second kid in a month. If that sonofabitch touched her, I’d want to kill him, too. I know I didn’t see anything, but I’ll say what it takes tomorrow to set things right. I’m staying at your place tonight if I have to take a floor and I’m not taking no for an answer, brother.”
~*~
The second MP, Petty Officer Owen, drove Van and Reggie back to their house. He went through the house first, making sure it was truly empty, then came back and carried in Reggie. Once she was settled in bed, the men walked out to the living room.
“You don’t need to stay. I’m not leaving her alone.”
“I’m staying. If he shows up, I want a witness to whatever goes on.”
“Then thanks,” Van said as they shared a quick man-hug. “I’m about to fall over. The guest room is made up. You don’t need take the floor.”
Van was only in bed for a few minutes when Reggie’s head began to go side-to-side and she softly repeated, “No.”
“Baby?” Van tried to gently shake her awake.
“No!” she said a little louder. She was still asleep, apparently having a nightmare. He’d already had to prove himself once tonight. He didn’t want her giving their houseguest any more reason for doubt that he wasn’t abusing her, but he didn’t want to scare her any worse either. Van didn’t see that he had much choice. Placing his hand over her mouth, he gently shook her awake. He held her close, hoping it would be a comfort and not put another fear in her. “Baby?”
She flailed once as she woke with a start and let out a cry that was muffled by his hand. Realizing where she was, she relaxed instantly. “Oh, Van. I’m sorry.”
“You know…why do you only say sorry when you shouldn’t?” He laughed softly, trying to make light of things for her. “What is it, Reg? What’s happening? Is there more that I need to know?”
“No. That’s all that’s happened tonight.”
“What about before tonight?”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Someone has done something to you, dammit. Tell me the truth already.” Van was still trying to keep things to a whisper. He was wishing they had the house to themselves.
She swallowed hard. “You know what I did before. Every now and then some guys were rough. Nothing really bad happened. Bouncers were usually never far away. You get so you can send those things deep in your mind. You know? Usually I can. Tonight…it…it came back.”
He pulled her close to him. “He’s going to pay, baby. If I have to kill him myself…he’s going to pay.”
“No you’re not. It wasn’t that bad.”
“The hell it wasn’t. You don’t have nightmares for nothing. What if you keep having them now? I don’t want you reliving this shit.”
“I won’t. Really, I won’t. Killing him won’t help matters for me and it will only make things worse for you. I’ve been through…worse. Just a little. He didn’t get much, I swear, Van.”
“You trying to convince me or you?”
“I’m trying to tell you the truth. Please. I don’t want you in any more trouble over me. This will go nowhere, like everything important always does where the military is concerned. You make a big deal out of it and the only thing it will accomplish is I won’t be able to face anyone.”
“Oh no, you don’t. You don’t get to feel guilty over this. You did nothing but be beautiful and breathe.”
“How’s your back?”
“Don’t try to change the subject.”
“You took a bad spill.”
“Savorski broke my fall.”
She giggled. “I love you. Can you just hold me?”
“Come here.” He lay flat on his back and held his arms up to her. She snuggled into his chest; which was her favorite way to sleep. They were both out in minutes.
~*~
Even though it was after three when they went to bed, everyone was up at seven, waiting for the bomb to drop. They were drinking coffee in the screened porch when Joe and Derrick showed up. They were in their dress blues. This couldn’t be good.
Van held his arms in front of him as if waiting for handcuffs. “You hauling me away?”
“How about a cup of coffee?” Joe asked.
“I’ll get it.” Reggie jumped up. Her heart was racing again. She needed to be moving around or she was worried she’d pass out again.
The men waited for her to come back before they spoke. She handed them their coffees and sat on Van’s lap. She knew she couldn’t fight them if they were going to take him away, but she needed to be as near as she could be to him.
“So?” Van finally broke the silence.
“We pulled Bert outta bed at five this morning.” Derrick said. Bert was the Executive Officer of the station.
“I bet that made him happy.”
“We wanted to beat ‘pencil dick’ there. We did, by about half an hour. Bert had heard enough to get a good base of the truth before Garner started flapping his gums. He’s really not sure what to do, Van. He knows there’s tension with you and Garner. You think he doesn’t know why, but he does. He knows about Garner and all his fuck-ups. Sorry, Reggie, screw-ups. That will be dealt with when this is settled. He still doesn’t condone the punching, although I think secretly he wants to pat your back as well.”
Joe continued from there. “He didn’t know about the paperwork. He swears he never would have pushed it through. Garner is in some shit for jumping the chain of command on that, too, but Bert can’t undo it now that it’s been done.”
“Dammit!”
“He’s not doing anything to you as far as the punch, but if you refuse to go desk jockey—”
“I won’t.”
“They have an honorable discharge waiting for you in his office.”
~*~
Van sat in the chair with his lips pinched tight. He couldn’t even say a word. The only thing he loved was ripped from him. It took a few minutes, but it finally occurred to him, it wasn’t the only thing he loved. The other was right there on his lap. He gave his wife a squeeze.
“What about what he did to Reggie?”
“Unless she wants to bring up charges, there’s not a lot that he can do. Even if she does…I hate to say it, but there’s probably nothing they can do.”
“That’s bullshit!”
“It’s his word against hers and they’ll think she’ll say anything for you. I’m not saying I agree with it; it’s just the way it is.”
“But what about what you saw, Joe?”
Joe looked to Reggie and was a
bout to speak when she leaned closer into her husband. “I won’t do it. I’m not saying anything. It’s not going to do any good anyway. I won’t go through the embarrassment, Van. I won’t.”
“So Garner walks and I get booted?”
“That sums it up,” Joe said.
“It’s a shitty deal, but you could have been looking at three years in the pen for decking an officer. I’d say you got the lesser of two evils.”
~*~
That night Van and Reggie lay in bed holding each other. They hadn’t said much throughout the day. Van needed things to sink in and Reggie had given him space. She was afraid it hadn’t completely hit him yet and was waiting for him to blow. He finally spoke after they lay there for almost an hour.
“He’s fixed it so I couldn’t even be a cop, you know.”
“Don’t hate me for saying this, but maybe you shouldn’t be, Van. I know you love the whole hero thing, but I don’t want to be married to a cop. I’d do it if that’s what it would take to make you happy, but I wouldn’t like it. I’d worry every second you were away.” She leaned up and kissed him on the chin. “Can’t you find something that would make you happy that didn’t put your life on the line? Can you try to find happiness in something that would bring you home to me every night in one piece? No injuries, no bruises from bullets?”
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, baby.”
“I know,” she said, taking her spot on his chest and stroking his sides. “But maybe this is a fresh start for us. Let’s go somewhere and do something different for both of us. I think I’ve taken the ‘lumber girl salesman’ thing as far as I can take it. I’m burned out. Let’s make a fresh start.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “You want to move back to Maui?”
“You know, honestly? I don’t think so.”
“Really?”
“Really. I miss Bri and Troy and all, but I like the mainland. I like driving from one state to another. I like the change of seasons and the cheaper prices. I don’t want to move back, not now anyway.”
“So then, what?”
“How about your home?”
“You want to move to Minnesota?”
“Sure. I can be the Wicked Witch of the Midwest. See how that goes for a while.”
He laughed and held her tight. “You were freezing in the winter here when it dropped to forty.”
“So?”
“Put a negative sign in front of that. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I think you can come up with a way to keep me warm.” She kissed his chest again. “Really. I think I can take it. I’d rather add a jacket than be hot all the time. These muggy summers here are running me down. Maui was never this humid.”
“You want one extreme to the other?”
“I’d be happy anywhere with you. I told you that.”
“You don’t even get along with my sisters. Why would you want to live near them?”
“That’s only because we haven’t had the chance to know each other.” She leaned up and propped herself on her arm. “Maybe if we spent more time together, they’d get past thinking I’m pure evil just because I don’t go to the same kind of church they do.”
“That’s right. They’ll see you are evil in so many other ways.”
“They need to loosen up.” She cuddled up to him again. “They’ll have to love me once they get to know me better. Who could be better for you than me? Don’t answer that,” she said, playfully smacking his chest.
“You’re sure about this? I wouldn’t ask you to go there, baby.”
“I want to. Really. As long as that’s what you want.”
“I was a park ranger in for a bit around Bemidji when I was in college. It’s a pretty area. I wouldn’t mind living there. There’s a ton of lakes so you’ll still be surrounded with water.”
His tone was almost back to normal. She thought he might be okay. Soon they could put the military life behind them and live like normal people. Maybe he could find a job he liked that wouldn’t be so taxing on his back and if he had a boss that was a jerk, he could quit and find something else without being forced to take the abuse. She didn’t care what she did next. She was excited to look for something new. Right now, however, she was excited in another way. “My love?”
“Yes?”
“You want a cookie?”
“Oh, I want a cookie.”
~*~
One night after dinner a few weeks earlier, Reggie was getting ready for a shower. “Leave the dishes, I’ll get them when I get out.”
Wanting to help, he had started to do them anyway and dropped a glass in the sink. “Dammit!”
She came running into the kitchen in a towel. “What happened?”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Her eyes became wide when she saw the paper towel on his hand. “You’re bleeding.”
“It ain’t bad. I’ll take care of it. I don’t want you seeing it and getting sick.”
“I want to help you.”
He snapped at her. “I got it! You won’t help me by passing out. Your ‘limp dick’ husband can’t pick you up like he used to, you know!”
She stomped off toward the bedroom and slammed the door. After a few minutes, he came in the room and sat on the bed next to her. He had his finger wrapped with duct tape. She picked it up and gave it a kiss. “Nice bandage.”
“We were all out of Bob the Builder.”
She laughed then looked up at him with serious eyes. “I wish you’d let me do the dishes. You know you get frustrated about your hand every time.”
As much as Van tried to deny when he was experiencing stronger bursts of pain, Reggie always knew when his back was bothering him. She always knew when he had to pop an extra pill. He was also having issues with the feeling in three fingers in his right hand. A nerve was pinching him, worse on some days than others, and he had problems with his grip. She learned not to baby him since he was sensitive about it, but she tried to do things like the dishes so he wouldn’t have to mess with them.
“I hate feeling useless. I should be able to help you around here.”
“You’re not useless, dammit. If I really needed help, I’d ask. And if I ever hear you use the phrase ‘limp dick’ again, I’ll beat you senseless. You hear me?”
“Promise to spank me instead?”
“I mean it Donovan William.” She backed away from his kiss.
“Oh, the middle name. I am in trouble.” Nothing snapped him out of a bad mood faster than trying to get her out of one that was on a rebound from his.
“Damn straight. Nobody puts my husband down. Especially you.”
“All right,” he answered like a scolded child. “I can haz cookie now?” he asked as he laid her backward on the bed.
Reggie’s newest hobby had become printing cute pictures off internet sites like LOLCats and Icanhazcheeseburger. Each one sported a funny cat photo and captions with goofy spellings of words. Since they couldn’t get a cat, Van tolerated the pictures plastered on the refrigerator and had started referring to wanting her as ‘having his cookie.’
“You can haz cookie now,” she said with a kiss, quoting one of her favorites.
Chapter 13
WITHIN TWO WEEKS of the punching incident, the movers had packed up their house and their things were on the way to storage in Big Lake, Minnesota. When you left the service, they were responsible for sending you back to where you originated. That would get their things close enough until they made up their minds as to exactly where they wanted to settle. They waved goodbye to the movers and climbed in their truck. Van and Reggie were going to take their time driving up. They wanted to stop at Disneyworld as well as visit Reggie’s parents and brother. They were making it a second honeymoon.
Van put his hand on Reggie’s leg. “I just have one thing I need to do before we go, baby.”
She smiled. “Of course.” He drove a couple miles, stopped at a row of townhouses and parked across
the street on the Gulf side. “Who lives here?”
“Just one of the guys. He borrowed my Gerber tool my last shift and I never got it back. Wait here. I’ll only be a second.”
“Okay, my love.” Reggie stood by the water while she waited. In all the time they spent there, she was still always amazed that the water came right up to the roads. She was used to waves and currents from Hawaii and always thought it strange that there was no tide to speak of. She closed her eyes and took in one last deep breath. “Goodbye, Florida.” She looked back across the road looking for Van. She didn’t see him, but the name on the mailbox almost jumped off and bit her like a snake. Garner.
“No!” she cried and ran across the street.
By the clanking going on, she could tell things were being knocked over in the carport. She ran under the stilted town home, finding them in a utility room. Metal racks were knocked over and Van held his former CO by his neck, a good foot off the floor.
“Van, no!” she screamed as she held one of her husband’s arms with both of hers.
“This bastard isn’t getting off Scott-free, baby.”
“Yes, he is! You’re out of the military, but you’ll still go to jail! Stop it!”
He only pressed Garner further into the wall. Garner’s hands held onto Van’s as he hung there, flailing.
“Stop it, Van, please! For me!”
His features finally softened and he lowered Garner to the ground. Van raised his finger to say something to him, but he had no words. He turned and began to walk out of the room. Reggie followed.
Garner straightened his shirt. “I knew you liked it,” he said at Reggie’s back.
Van spun around but Reggie was closer. She brought her leg up hard and fast. The fluidness and grace of the move would have made her ballet instructor proud. She made contact. Garner hit the ground.
Van looked at her and smiled.
“Say I look cute when I’m pissed and you’ll get one, too, Kimball.” She stormed past him and out the door.
They turned onto US1 and rode in silence for a long time. Reggie had been angry enough that she shook for a while, but refused to let herself get lightheaded. She hated how she reacted to stress and cursed under her breath for miles. After steaming all the way to Key Largo, she finally blew. She leaned over and punched Van in the arm. Of course, it did nothing to him. He laughed at her efforts. That made her even angrier. He pulled the vehicle off the road at a small unofficial rest area.
