Page 10 of Anders and the Girl Worth Fighting For
“What…” I couldn’t get more out, but I didn’t need to.
“You were hit with shrapnel from an IED. You’ve been outfor two days. We had to reconstruct parts of your left thigh. We stitched you up the best we can, but it will be a while before you can do anything more than enjoy a bit of rest.”
I could tell he tried to give me the facts while holding back the worst of it.
“You should have a visitor today. Major Moran has asked us to contact him when you wake up.” He had leaned back against the side table that was pushed into the corner like this was a casual conversation and we were friends. “Just between us, the guy seems like an ass.”
I laughed at that and discovered that besides destroying my leg, I must have bruised my ribs pretty good. I couldn’t move enough to check it out.
“He is an ass,” I said. I smiled at the nurse before he handed me the remote call button. “Call if you need anything.”
When he left me alone, I tried to take stock of my condition. Thanks to whatever they put in the IV, I wasn’t in any pain, but I could barely move. I used the remote to sit my bed up and check out my leg. It was still there, that was a relief, but a white bandage stretched from hip to knee. I could wiggle my toes, but that was about it for movement.
The TV droned on in the background as I tried to go back to sleep. Maybe if I wasn’t awake when Major Moron got here, I’d be able to avoid the inevitable a bit longer.
My luck wasn’t that good.
“Master Sergeant Gonzales,” he said as he positioned himself at the foot of my bed, “for your bravery in the line of duty, I’ve written a recommendation for a purple heart.” He straightened himself up like he earned it and not me.
“However,” he continued, “because you took liberties and put the lives of members of your squad at risk after I specifically denied your request for such a mission, you are being discharged under general discharge, other than honorable. We request thatyou do not reenlist.”
Well, fuck.
That wasn’t as bad as I expected. The Marines and I needed to part way as it was. Maybe now I could do some actual good in the world.
I didn’t have any more visitors for almost a day. I spent that time in and out of sleep and testing just how much I could move my leg, which only frustrated my nurse.
Tink, Grey, and Duke ambled into my hospital room sometime around noon on my fourth day in the hospital carrying a large pizza box and a six-pack of root beer.
“Apparently, it’s frowned upon to bring hospital patients actual beer,” Duke said as he handed me a can. I’m sure he actually tried it, too.
“Speaking of cans,” Duke continued, “did Major Moron already visit and boot you from the noble, blessed ranks of the Marine Corps?” He passed the drinks around before settling into the nearby chair, cracking his open and taking a long pull.
“Barely waited for me to be awake,” I said as I sipped on my root beer. “I’m not entirely sure it wasn’t a hallucination. I’m pretty sure he mentioned a Purple Heart somewhere in his speech. Though he looked a bit green as he vomited the words.” I exaggerated for the sake of the story, miming vomiting to get a laugh. It worked. Hospital room or not, joking with these guys set the world to rights and eased my troubles.
“Got a present for you,” Tink teased as he reached into his coat pocket. A familiar pile of papers emerged, and he threw them on the bed next to me. It took everything I had not to rip into that pile. The guys weren’t dumb. They knew how much these letters meant to me. I had a terrible poker face.
“O-oh.” Fucking hell. “Thanks.”
I looked away from them, hoping that they didn’t see how my fingers twitched to snatch the pages up and rifle through. Hopebloomed in my chest at the thought of a new letter.
“Tink thought you might want something to warm your bed while you’re stuck in here,” Duke said as he wagged his eyebrows suggestively. Leave it to Duke to cut right through the issue and state it as bluntly as possible. He left no room for hiding things. It was part of his charm.
I aimed a pillow precisely for Duke’s hand as he raised the root beer to his mouth. I knocked the can straight into his teeth.
“Watch it,” I said. We fuck around, but I didn’t want him getting ideas about sweet Grace.
“Sorry, man,” he said with a shit-eating grin on his face. “I didn’t realize you had it that bad.” Somehow I didn’t believe his apology. “I’m an ass,” he continued. He threw a wink at me and I knew he wasn’t sorry one bit.
“Damn, straight you are,” Grey chimed in around bites of his pizza.
“So I take it Icebox didn’t get the same treatment,” I said to change the subject, my hand still itching to grab the letters. “Seeing as he isn’t here, gracing me with his presence.”
“Nope. He gets to clean up literal shit and a lovely little dock in pay, but they let him stay,” Tink supplied while he passed me another slice of pizza. “Good thing, too. You know he has those plans for when he gets out and an honorable discharge will go a long way to making them happen.”
“Good,” I said definitively. “Where’s the napkins? Am I supposed to wipe my hands on the sheets? We’re men, not animals.” I held up my grease-stained hand, the IV tape tugging on my arm.
“Did your mom teach you that line?” Tink asked as he threw me paper towels from the bathroom.
