Perfect Soldier: The Complete Story (5-Part BBW Military Romance Novel) (18 page)

Chapter
Three

Colton

Over seven hours into my flight, I woke up to a
voice coming over the speakers announcing that we were about to make our
descent into Dubai.
All passengers must return to their seats and put on
their safety belts.
I opened the cover over my window and looked down
beneath me: desert and water and the strange city of Dubai somewhere below,
though not in eyesight quite yet.

Dubai was a strange place: an oasis of wealth and
modern technology amidst the rubble of the troubled societies of the Middle
East and Africa. It was a safe place, but there was an underlying tension, a
sort of clash of cultures. I didn’t exactly feel at home here, but I was
grateful to have received medical attention at its hospitals. Few other cities
in the area had medical treatment centers so clean, modern, and professional.

After picking up my bags, I walked out to the front
of the airport and got into a cab. The midday sun was shockingly bright here,
and it took me a little while to adjust. I might have been slightly groggy when
I’d first gotten off of the plane, but I was wide awake by now. I gave the
driver the address of the hospital and he sped off through the busy streets.

An hour later, doctors were poking and prodding me,
asking me many questions about how I felt, whether I’d strained myself at all
over the past several days. I told them I hadn’t; I assumed that passionate sex
didn’t constitute overworking my muscles. Ha!

The doctors ran a few tests and looked at the
healing wound on my leg. They seemed satisfied with my progress. I waited
around for the results of the tests and soon enough I was cleared to head back
to the field. Five hours later I was on a military plane back to Kabul,
Afghanistan.

But before I left Dubai, I tried to see if I could
track down Percy to see how he was doing. He’d been in a bit rougher condition
than I was when we’d parted ways, so I figured he’d still be receiving
treatment at the hospital. But after asking around a bit, I found out he’d
already flown out a few days earlier.
Damn
, I thought,
that man is as
tough as nails
. I looked forward to catching up with him once I was back.

***

Catherine

Finally arriving back in Tulsa was a huge relief.
Even though I was still missing Colt, it felt great being home again. As
expected, it took me a bit of time to adjust back to a regular sleeping
schedule, but fortunately I didn’t have classes just yet. I was only working a
few nights each week, so it didn’t matter too much whether I slept in late or
if I was up in the middle of the night.

Despite my relaxed schedule, however, the next few
weeks went by surprisingly quickly. I had to schedule classes for next
semester, pick up text books, pay the bills that had piled up while I’d been
gone, restock on groceries, etc. Just typical errands that had been neglected
over the past few weeks.

In my spare time, I was reading constantly. Before
my trip to Paris, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed reading for pleasure, bogged
down as I usually was with technical science textbooks for my classes. With
these last few weeks of free-time, I was determined to get in all the novels I
could before my mental energy switched over to my classes.

Colt had sent me home with another huge check to
cover tuition this semester. I’d tried to refuse, but he would have none of it.
Nevertheless, I still tried to take on a few extra shifts at the bar to earn
some spare cash. Maybe if I saved up enough money I could take Colt on a trip
when he finally came home for good. He deserved something nice like that.

***

Colton

After arriving in Kabul, I joined a contingent of
troops being transported to Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. We
drove in armored vehicles for most of the six hour trip. Air travel might have
been faster, but there was a certain risk of being targeted by rocket-fire from
insurgents, so a military convoy was the smartest option.

The path between Lashkar Gah and Kabul was
well-travelled and relatively safe. Our trip went smoothly and we rolled into
Helmand in the early morning when soldiers were just waking to their daily
duties. After hoisting my bags out of the armored vehicle, I walked over to my
old barracks. The air was cold and I breathed in deeply. While I would rather
still be in Paris with Cat, I was sort of glad to be back.

I walked inside to find several of the guys tossing
and turning in the dark, hoping for a few extra minutes of sleep before the
long day ahead. All the days on this job were long, after all. I threw my bags
down on the floor and hopped onto my bunk. I lay back for a few seconds and
closed my eyes, dozing slightly since I was unable to sleep on the rough roads
to the base in Helmand.

A few minutes later, I felt a punch in the shoulder
and I snapped back to consciousness.

“Man, oh, man. He’s gone for almost a month and the
first thing he does when he gets back is take a nap.”

I didn’t need to wait for my eyes to adjust to the
lack of light to know who’d punched me – I could tell who it was by the sound
of his voice.

“Percy, you son of a bitch,” I said, springing out
of the bunk and offering my hand. “How are ya?”

“I’m great, man. Have a good trip?”

“Definitely. You know, I looked for you when I
stopped in at the hospital in Dubai to get my medical clearance. I was
surprised to hear you were back already.”

“Yeah, man. Me too. I could have stayed longer at
the hospital, but I just felt so damn restless. I was complaining all the time,
cooped up. I don’t know if I’m actually fit to be here, or if the doctors just
signed my clearance to get rid of me.”

“Ha, that doesn’t surprise me one bit. So the arm’s
good then?”

“Eh, it’s alright. Got some pain, some weakness. I
can’t go on patrol or much else right now. Can’t whip a gun around as fast as I
used to, arm is still a little shaky. I’m inside pushing papers and shit like
that. Going to the gym, just trying to get my strength back.”

“Gotcha.”

“But come on, man. It’s breakfast time, let’s get a
meal. I want to hear about this trip of yours.”

Once we were in the mess hall, I took a look at the
food on my plate and winced. I’d forgotten how bad this stuff was in my short
time away. Even the food at the hospital was better than this. I took a few
bites and decided I was more than full.

I told Percy about the trip to Paris, but found I
didn’t have much to say about it. Yes, it was an incredible experience, but it
was incredible because of who Cat was and what that environment had brought out
in her. All the details seemed too personal, too private and internal to my
relationship with Cat for me to really share with someone else.

Instead, I pulled out the small velvet box and
tossed it over to Percy who caught it in his hands.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Take a look inside,” I said.

Percy opened it up and his eyes got wide.

“Damn, man. I don’t know much about this kind of
stuff, but even I can tell this must have cost a small fortune.”

“Yup.”

“Is she worth it?”

“Oh yeah. That I’m sure of.”

“So you’re real serious about this girl? When are you
popping the question?”

“Whenever I’m home I guess. I almost did it in
Paris, but for some reason I held back.”

“Second-guessing?” he asked, still studying the
ring.

“Nahh, something about it just didn’t seem right. I
didn’t want us to have to spend out engagement living half a world apart from
each other.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“But it’s more than that though. I just feel like,
and God forbid this should happen, if something unexpected were to occur out
here and for some reason I didn’t make it back home, being engaged would
somehow make it even harder on her.”

“Don’t say shit like that, man. Nobody’s dying here.
Least of all you or me.”

“I know, I know. It’s just this is the type of thing
you think about when you care about someone. I never worried so much about my
own safety before I met her. When someone becomes a part of you, you want to
survive just for them.”

Percy closed the box and tossed it back to me.

“But aren’t you taking another sort of risk though
by passing up the opportunity to propose? I mean, suppose you don’t make it
back, just supposing, that shit isn’t happening, but say that it did. Wouldn’t
you regret not letting her know how you feel?”

The comment took me by surprise. Percy wasn’t
normally this insightful. It was a valid question.

“I think she knows,” I said after a brief pause. “
She
has to know by now
.”

Chapter
Four

Catherine

A couple weeks before classes I received a letter
from Colt. It was the first communication we’d had since parting ways in Paris.

***

Dear Cat,

I hope this letter finds you well. After
I left Paris, I headed for Dubai to check in with my doctors. You’ll be happy
to know that they said I was healing up just fine. The part you won’t be happy
to hear is that they cleared me immediately to head to Afghanistan. But we both
knew that was inevitable.

The operation here is going well. After
the attack in which I was shot, security has really clamped down here. They
increased the troop count at the base, so while that means things are a little
cramped, it also means the area is much more secure. Attacks have trickled down
to practically zero in the past few weeks.

I’m still missing you terribly, but the
new memories I have are giving me the strength I need to carry on with life
here. I’ve been fortunate to have the most pleasant dreams about you lately,
but I look forward to when you aren’t just in my dreams, but in my waking life.

Anyway, I hope you’re doing well. Have
you figured out what classes you’ll be taking this fall? I’ll be excited to
know when you finally decide. I hope life is otherwise going well for you. I
can’t wait to see you again, whenever that might be.

Love,

Colt

***

Dear Colt,

Glad to hear you’re healing well. Though
I wasn’t surprised after the way you slept with me in Paris (you seemed to have
more than enough energy ;)). And I’m definitely happy knowing that things are a
little bit safer over there.

I haven’t signed up for classes just
yet. The deadline is coming up next week. There’s still space in a couple of
the different required classes, so I kind of have my pick. I’m thinking about
taking a chemistry class and also Intermediate Anatomy.

Believe it or not, I’m committed to
doing Advanced Biology. I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but I feel like
I should take it now while the subject matter is fresh in my mind. If I put it
off, it will just be more difficult. So here goes nothing…

Also, I think I’m going to start working
on Vet school applications as well. It’s crazy, but I was just thinking the
other day how I’m almost done with my requirements. I’ll be able to finish up
in two semesters at this rate, which means I could potentially be enrolling in
vet school this time next year. Of course there’s the matter of finding the
money, but I’m getting ahead of myself…

My main goal right now is to stay
focused on the present. When I think too far into the future, I tend to neglect
what’s going on right now. But you’ve got to go through the present to get to
the future, right?

Thinking of the future also just makes
me wonder about when you’re coming home. Do you have any idea? I’m sorry, I
don’t mean to keep asking that question when I know that you don’t know for
sure yourself. I just keep hoping that one day I’ll get a phone call again like
right before we went to Paris, only this time you’ll be telling me you’re
coming home for good.

Again, I’m not trying to sound
unsupportive. I know this is important to you, and it’s important to me, too. I
really mean that from the bottom of my heart. But you’re important to me, too.
Not just as a soldier, but for being the man that you are.

I can't wait to have you back in my life
on a daily basis. And thanks again for taking me to Paris. It was absolutely
magical, especially with you at my side.

As always, please stay safe. I miss you
so much, Colt.

Love,

Cat

***

Catherine

I re-read the letter twice before sending it. It was
clear that what I felt for him was something new to me, something stronger than
I’d ever felt before. The last few paragraphs of the letter I’d just written
provided conclusive evidence. I hadn’t poured my heart out like that in a long
time. I sealed the envelope and dropped it in the mailbox on my way to the
Registrar’s office the next day.

About three weeks later I heard back from Colt. It
was after my first week of classes of the semester. I came home that day at
6:30 PM. I had a shift at the bar coming up, but I was feeling so damn tired I
thought I might call in and just watch some Netflix. But I knew I couldn’t do
that in good conscience; I didn’t want to make things harder for everyone else
just because I felt lazy. I’d need to go inside and have a quick dinner, put on
some make-up, change and head to work.

I trudged up the stairs to my apartment, dreading
the next several hours of my life. On the way, I stopped at my mailbox and
found a letter from Colt inside. I smiled to myself as I cradled it gently in
my hand, as is it was some kind of precious artifact. At least there was
some
upside to this day.

***

Dear Cat,

I’m happy to hear you’re taking a risk and
going in for Advanced Bio. I think you’ve got the right attitude, and I’ll be
excited to hear how it’s going once classes start up.

Things have been low-key here as I
transition back into military life. It’s surprising how much even a short time
away can throw one off. The environment here is a bit different from when I
left. I’d almost describe it as boring. In general, we seem a bit overstaffed,
so I’m thinking that some of us are about to be re-assigned to a new operation
in one of the other provinces, but that’s purely speculation on my part.

Ultimately, however, things are good.
I’ve been going on patrols without trouble or concern. Honestly, I think the
deadliest thing in the area might be the horrible food I’ve been eating lately.
I’m definitely not in Paris anymore, that’s for damn sure.

As far as when I might come home, I
don’t know anything new in that regard, but I’ve been trying to feel things out
by talking with some of my superiors. I don’t want to get your hopes up,
especially so early on, but I’m looking into what possibility there is for
domestic assignments. It would be something along the lines of analyzing
intelligence for the military.

I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately
and I know that in the end I just want to be closer to you. I’m doing
everything in my power to make that happen. The Army has been good to me, but
maybe it’s time to explore a new period in my life. Regardless, I hope you’re a
part of it.

Love,

Colt

P.S.: I’m very happy to hear about the
Vet school applications. Let me know where you’re applying!