Fort Lenordwood, Missouri was hot as hell in the spring, and even hotter in the summer which happened to be the time that Jensen Ackles arrived for basic training (14 page)

Maybe they'd get that this shit is serious. Anyways it was good seeing you and Patrick last month. Nice send off. I hear Brendon is kicking ass and taking names. Who would have thought that the kid had it in him?

Kenneth

244

PS did you know that Patrick and Connelly were going at it like bunnies all through BCT?

***

Kenneth 26Jun02

Good to hear from you man. We're at NTC now. Got our orders to head over in a few months. I guess I got lucky on the unit part. These guys are pretty squared away. I ran into a guy who had Grabowski. He didn't have a favorable opinion of the man but he's a fuck up so most likely Grabowski rode him hard.

I heard from Brendon last week. He loves Korea. I fucking hated it. I think we all knew he was going to be good at this stuff. He's goofy but he was always a team player.

What the hell? Dude, they were fucking? I'm going to kill Patrick.

Ryan.

***

Patrick,

5July2002

Fucker! How in the hell did you and Connelly do it?

Ryan

***

Ryan,

7July2002

Nice to hear from you too! It's all about keeping sex away from the job. You're just pissed off because it took Grabowski eight fucking weeks to get into your pants. Mark and I started during the third week.

Patrick.

246

***

Patrick 9July2002

You suck ass.

Ryan.

***

Ryan,

9July2002

Dude, if that's what you think pleases a man like Grabowski no wonder it was a onetime deal.

Patrick (who got laid more in BCT than you did!)

247

***

Ryan,

Patrick,

and

Kenneth.

20Aug2002

WTF? Seriously. Was everyone except me having sex in BCT?

Brendon

***

Brendon,

21Aug2002

Nope. Kenneth didn't have sex either and his palm doesn't count.

Ryan

***

248

Everyone,

22Aug2002

Fuck y'all. Rosey and her girls fucking rocked it out in basic.

Kenneth

***

23Aug2002

Did you guys hear? Brodrick was killed.

Brendon

***

Brendon,

23Aug2002

When? Where?

Ryan

249

***

Everyone

24Aug2002

Last week in Baghdad. Fuckers. I hope they got the bastards.

Brendon

***

Everyone

27Aug2002

Anyone know where he's from?

Patrick

***

250

Everyone

28Aug2002

California. He just got married too. I hate this fucking war.

Kenneth

***

Everyone

30Aug2002

Sent flowers to his funeral from us. Seems stupid as fuck to do that.

Patrick

PS Anyone hear from Ryan?

***

251

Patrick 01Sept2002

I did. He called and said he was headed over. In Kuwait by now. He tried calling you.

No answer.

Brendon

***

Hey

Guys,

05Oct2002

I'm here. Everything is good. Went out with my BC and we ate Haji food. Don't do it.

Not even if someone in higher rank orders you. I haven't been able to walk two steps without shitting. I fucking hate it here.

Ryan

252

***

Hey

guys

02Feb2004

I'm getting out. Two tours and I'm done. I never want to see blood again. Ever.

Kenneth

***

Kenneth

22Feb2004

Don't blame you man. I've been giving some serious thought to it myself. If I do another fifteen-month tour I may just decide to get the fuck out. Good to know your home though.

Ryan

***

Hey

guys,

02March2004

Made it here. This place is the most godforsaken place I’ve ever been in.

Brendon

***

Furry,

03March2004

Keep your head down and ears open.

Grabowski

***

Hey

guys,

04March2004

Y'all will never guess who I got an email from.

Brendon

254

***

Brandon

04March2004

Grabowski.

Ryan

***

Brandon

05March2004

Grabowski

Patrick

***

255

Brandon

05March2004

Grabowski

Kenneth

***

Everyone

12March2004

How did you guys know?

Brendon

***

Brandon

13March2004

Second day in country he emailed me. Never answered an email though.

Ryan

***

Everyone

25May2004

Patrick got hit today. He's okay. Just grazed.

Kenneth

***

Patrick 26May2004

You okay? I heard you got hit. Let us know.

Ryan

***

Ryan

27May2004

I'm fine. Like Rosey said Just a graze. Fucker couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. My BC nailed his ass to the wall.

Patrick

257

***

Guys,

10June2005

Heading back over with the Tenth. I'll email when I'm in country.

Ryan.

***

Freckles,

11Nov2005

I know you probably hate that name, but I kinda got attached to it. Anyways I heard through the grapevine that y'all lost your first buddy. It's hard and it sucks but keep on soldiering on. Don't let that get you down, otherwise you could be next.

Drill Sergeant Grabowski.

258

***

Drill

Sergeant

Grabowski,

15Nov2005

Thanks for the note. It actually helped out a lot and I hate to have to admit that.

Freckles or as I like to be addressed now,

Sgt. Ryan Gracin.

***

SGT

Freckles, 25Nov2005

I like Freckles. It has a nice ring to it.

DRILL Sergeant Grabowski. (Or as I'm called now “the fuck up who is now an E5

again.”)

***

259

26Nov2005

“The Fuck Up”

Dude! How did you lose a rank in five years? Aren't you supposed to gain rank?

SGT Gracin.

***

Sgt.

Freckles

Gracin

11Dec2005

Fucking pogue, just out of ROTC snot-nosed little fuck of an officer tried to make my men leave the chow hall after a twenty-four hour QRF. It was a bad day. I didn't react well.

Forever YOUR Drill Sergeant Grabowski

***

260

Phillip (we're the same rank get over it.)

24Dec2005

Did you clock the bastard good? I fucking hate those butterbars. They piss me the fuck off. They should have pinned a fucking medal on your chest. I bet the bastard got a purple heart for the ass-kicking he got.

Sgt. Gracin

***

Sgt

Freckles

01Jan2006

Yeah, pissed me off too but I'm outta here in three days and a wake-up. Catch you on the flip side.

Keep your head and ass down. If you do get shot do it in the head. An ass that good shouldn't get fucked up.

Phillip.

261

***

Phillip 09Jan2006

You're home now. It's good. Have a beer for me.

Ryan.

***

Ryan loved Fort Hood. The weather rocked mostly and it was a damn sight better than Iraq. He pulled his pick-up truck into the parking spot outside of the main PX. He had been pleasantly surprised to see Patrick had already been there.

It had been a minor miracle that had them both stationed at Hood. Ryan was very thankful for it though. Patrick had two tours under his belt and Ryan was working on his third.

It had been crazy since basic, some five years ago.

262

Brendon was still kicking it up over at Fort Lewis. Ryan kinda missed the kid. They hadn't seen each other since before Ryan shipped to the freaking box. It had been good to get home after fifteen months.

Kenneth had gotten out a few years back. The stress of being a combat medic got to him, not that Ryan blamed him. Some days he thought it would be a good time for him to get out.

He grabbed the black Stetson on the seat beside him, and pulled it low on his head. The gold braid band was sitting in its spot.

“Ryan, you just like wearing the hat and spurs because it makes you look like a cowboy.”

His best friend Patrick laughed, as he pulled in next to Ryan on his motorcycle.

“Yeah, cause the ACU digi pattern is what all the cool cowboys are wearing this year,”

Ryan replied dryly.

263

“Holy shit! Freckles, aren't you just a sight for sore eyes.”

Ryan would know that voice from anywhere. It's the only voice that made a cold sweat break out on his skin. He turned slowly and blinked. Sitting behind the biggest fucking black truck he had ever seen was none other than Drill Sergeant Phillip Grabowski.

Ryan considered himself a good, proper soldier. He had great military bearing and he damn sure wasn't a green FNG. But seeing the Drill Sergeant again made him want to stand at

‘parade rest.’ “Drill Sergeant Grabowski,” he said, by way of greeting. He felt like ramming his head into his truck. He felt like such a dork.

“Keep that up, Sergeant.” Grabowski slurred the words out, making them sound a helluva lot dirtier than they were. “Freckles, I might think you liked me dominating the hell out of you.”

264

Patrick was biting his lip to keep from laughing. He cleared his throat. “So,
Drill
Sergeant Grabowski, you making a statement with that truck of yours? Over compensating for somethin’?”

Ryan could kill Patrick and probably get away with it. Damn combat stress anyhow.

“I dunno, maybe you should ask your buddy,” Phillip said, laughing.

Ryan sighed. This was why he refused to buy a lottery ticket. His luck sucked. That could only explain why Drill Sergeant Fucking Grabowski would be at Hood at the same fucking time as him. “It wasn't anything to write home to momma about,” he muttered.

“Dude!” Patrick's eyebrow raised and he burst into laughter. “You walked like a fucking duck all day.”

265

“You know, Patrick, they say that combat stress sometimes takes a while to manifest. I been home for like six months now and I'm starting to feel stressed.” Ryan spoke offhandedly.

“You know what your problem is?” When Ryan didn't answer Grabowski finished anyway. “You don't get laid enough.”

Patrick laughed so hard Ryan thought he was going to fall off his motorcycle. “I keep telling him that but you know our Ryan. He's waiting on his prince to come.”

“You both can kiss my ass. I have an hour lunch and would like to eat if y'all don't mind.” Ryan left both men there. He heard Phillip's truck roar into a parking spot he would have sworn was too small to fit that huge-assed truck into, then two sets of feet pounding behind him.

“Aww, come on Ryan. We're playin' with you. You know you love me,” Patrick said.

266

Ryan turned and thanked whatever God it was that made him able to look at Grabowski, all six-foot -four inches of him in ACU's, black Stetson and gold spurs and NOT

make an ass out of himself. It seems that not only did the man age well, but he fucking looked hotter.

Ryan turned and flipped Patrick off.

“Damn, he's gotten bitchy,” Phillip said with a grin.

***

They sat at the food court at the PX. Ryan was happily munching away at his Subway Foot long while Patrick ate Popeye's. Both of them were looking at Phillip like he had grown another head.

267

“Seriously? You're gonna eat all of that?” Patrick blinked.

Phillip had gotten something from just about every fast food place in the joint.

“I'm hungry. I had to get Katie off to school and didn't eat breakfast.” Phillip defended himself as he tore into a Wendy's cheeseburger.

“How in the hell do you eat that shit and not weigh five hundred pounds?” Ryan asked.

The former Drill Sergeant shrugged. “Dunno, good genes I guess.”

“I can't watch. My arteries are already clogging just from being so close to so much grease,” Patrick said as he stood up.

“Mark said y'all were having a reunion this weekend,” Phillip said.

268

“Yeah. Kenneth and Brendon are coming in. Brendon's on leave and Kenneth comes up about once a month.” Ryan answered for Patrick. “Mark said that King was doing well.”

“Yup he and Jamie had their fifth kid last year.” Phillip smiled widely. “They named him Phillip. How fucking cool is that?”

Patrick snorted. “Don't feel all superior, they named their daughter “Marcy”, he reminded Phillip.

Phillip just grinned.

“Anyways I'll catch you both later. Coming to the bar tonight Phil?” Patrick grinned when Ryan blinked.

269

Ryan wished he could be as easy with Phillip as Patrick seemed to be. Even fucking the guy the last day of BCT didn't ease Ryan. The man was still the bastard that had fucked with him so hard he still winced whenever someone said they were a Drill Sergeant. He was twenty-seven years old but around Phillip he was back to being twenty-two.

“Probably not. Sandy's coming to pick up Katie-did. She lives over in the Cove.”

Patrick nodded. His phone rang and he smiled. “Awww, I tell ya Mark is like fucking clock work. I'll see y'all later.” He flipped the phone open, carrying his chicken and walked out the door, leaving Phillip and Ryan alone.

Ryan ate quietly, unsure what to say. This was ridiculous. “So, five years,” he said stupidly. He NEVER had issues talking to men, not even men he’d slept with on one occasion.

Phillip grinned at Ryan. He wiped his mouth and nodded. Ryan figured he really shouldn't be staring at the man's mouth. “Five years.”

270