by K. Sterling
“Maybe we should switch to a duvet?” He suggested before he stepped back. “Come on, we’ll take a shower and I’ll serve you dinner in bed.” Ross said. Parker nodded as he stepped out of his track pants. He cringed as he bent over to pick them up. He was going to hurt like hell tomorrow.
They showered, replaced the comforter and were eating pad thai as they watched the news when Ross’ phone rang. It was the “work” ring. Ross’ eyes slid to Parker’s and his lips pulled tight. Parker sighed as he took Ross’ bowl.
“I don’t suppose you could just let it go to voicemail.” He offered Ross a weak smile. Ross shook his head.
“I can’t.” He groaned as he reached for the phone, swiped at the screen and held it to his ear. “Hey.” Ross said. His eyes widened and he sat up straight. “They’re sure it’s them?” He slid from the bed and rushed to the closet. “You know I’m in Charlottesville, right? You’ll wait for me?” Ross asked. “Ok. I’ll be out the door in about five minutes.” Ross said as he tossed the duffle bag he kept ready out of the closet. “Good. I’ll see you in a few hours.” He was rubbing the back of his neck as he walked out of the closet. He’d pulled a t-shirt on and had switched his pajama pants for boxers. “I have to go.” Ross explained unnecessarily as he tossed a pair of cargo pants on the bed. Parker nodded and ignored the clenching in his stomach.
“But you’re not on call and you only have two weeks left.” He said as he set the bowls on the bedside table and got out of bed. “I thought they weren’t going to send you on anymore missions. You’re on terminal leave.” Parker stepped out of the way as Ross rushed past him and sat on the bed to pull on his socks. He grimaced as he looked up at Parker.
“They wouldn’t have called me if it wasn’t really important. This is huge, Parker.” Ross’ eyes were large, pleading for Parker to understand. “I have to do this.” He said as he zipped and buttoned his pants before he tugged on his boots. Parker threw his hands up as he walked toward Ross.
“Go get it out of your system and make this last time count.” Parker advised as he slid his arms around Ross’ neck. “I love you and I’ll miss the hell out of you. Do whatever it is you have to do and get back here as soon as you can.” Parker ordered before he pressed his lips to Ross’ and kissed him. Ross’ hands curved around Parker’s face as he tilted it, taking the kiss deeper. Ross groaned into Parker as his tongue swirled and thrust against Parker’s urgently. When he finally opened his eyes and released Parker’s lips, they shimmered as his forehead pressed against Parker’s. His lips nibbled and clung to Parker’s for a few more moments.
“I love you so much.” He whispered. “I’ll feel like I’m missing a piece of myself until I can hold you again.” Ross said and Parker gasped as a heavy ache filled his chest. He punched Ross in the shoulder.
“This sucks enough without you saying things like that.” Parker complained and Ross laughed as he pulled Parker into his arms.
“Sorry. You’ve turned me into a romantic, sentimental dork.” Ross explained and Parker nodded into the corner of Ross’ neck and pulled in a deep breath.
“But you’re my dork.” He insisted as he squeezed Ross tight.
“Always.” Ross said as he leaned back and pressed one final kiss to Parker’s lips before he released him and reached for his bag. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.” Ross waved over his shoulder as he went through the door.
Parker nodded as he sank onto the bed. He stared at the door as he listened for the sound of Ross’ car pulling out of the garage. He stared for several minutes after Ross left before he looked at their bowls. He frowned as he got up and took them to the kitchen. His appetite was completely gone.
Chapter 30
Frontline was almost over and Parker was just about to doze off when his phone lit up and started to vibrate on the coffee table. A series of numbers he’d never seen before flashed on the caller ID and his heart started to race and a large, goofy grin filled his face as he swiped to take that call. It had to be Ross.
“Hello?” Parker dropped his voice, going for sexy and relaxed.
“Parker, it’s Ross.” He sounded tired and his speech was a bit slurred. Parker frowned, they’d have to keep the call short. Definitely no phone sex.
“Hey. I miss you, are you on your way home?” Parker did his best to sound less whiney and more flirty.
“You sound so good, Parker.” Ross rasped weakly before he pulled in a long, ragged breath. “You have no idea…” There was another tortured breath and Parker’s heart slammed against his chest.
“Ross? What happened? Are you on your way home?” He asked frantically.
“No. I’m in Landstuhl. I’m not coming home for a while.” This time the slur was very heavy and Parker’s heart slowed to almost stopping and his body felt cold.
“What happened, Ross?” Parker sat up straight and had to hold the phone with both hands to keep from dropping it.
“I’m hurt. Well, I don’t hurt now.” He made a soft hum/laugh and sighed. “Morphine is a helluva thing, Parker. It was really bad for a while but I’m good now.” Ross mumbled and Parker wanted to rip his face off.
“Oh, my God, what happened?” He yelled and Ross made a shushing sound.
“Calm down. I’m ok now.” Ross soothed and Parker felt a hysterical laugh (or scream) bubbling within his chest. “I’m going into surgery soon. They won’t say it but they’re taking my leg.” He whispered and Parker bit his knuckle.
“Jesus… Fuck!” Parker shrieked as he jumped to his feet and began pacing. “Can it wait until I can get there? You can’t go through that without me.” His eyes were stinging and his nose burned as he began to cry. Ross made more soothing noises and everything felt even more absurd.
“No. You have to stay there. It won’t be good for you here and I don’t think they can wait.” Ross said gently and Parker decided that morphine was indeed a hell of a thing.
“I don’t care, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Parker insisted and there were voices in the background but Parker couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Parker, don’t. It’s too much of a mess to get you here and they’re not going to let you in.” Ross explained. He sounded weak and even more groggy. “I love you and they’ll send me back as soon as I can travel after surgery. I have to go, they’re ready for me. Call Bryan, he’ll take care of you. I love you and I promise I’m ok. I’m not scared.” Ross tried to make the last part sound reassuring but the drugs were getting the better of him. Parker pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
“I love you, Ross. Please, come home as soon as you can.” Parker begged as the last of his control slipped away.
“I will.” Ross was fading. “Love you, bye.” And the line went silent.
Parker’s entire body started to shake violently and he dropped to the ground. He felt like he was suffocating and began to gasp for breath as he fumbled, trying to find Bryan on his phone. As soon as the call was sent, Parker set the phone down and put it on speaker, he couldn’t trust his hands. It rang twice before Bryan picked up.
“Hey! We were just about to see if you wanted to join us for brunch!” Bryan said loudly and Parker shook his head as he struggled to make his mouth work. His throat felt clogged and his jaw wanted to stay clenched. “Parker?” Bryan called and Parker forced his mouth open and pulled in a deep, shuddering breath.
“It’s Ross!” Parker gasped and had to swallow the tremendous sob that was pummeling his chest and throat.
“Oh, God. What happened?” Bryan’s voice became low and heavy.
“I don’t know!” Ross howled. “He called and said he’s at Landstuhl. He’s going into surgery. Like, right now and he says they’re going to take his leg.” He could feel his face tingle and he knew he was starting to hyperventilate.
“Jesus.” Bryan whispered shakily. Parker’s face was getting numb.
“I want to go but he says I should stay. Can y
ou help me get over there?” Parker asked frantically.
“Listen to me. First, you need to breathe. You have to stay calm, Parker.” Bryan said slowly. “Ross is right. Even if you were a woman and his wife, it wouldn’t be a good idea. By the time we got you there, he’d probably be getting ready to fly back. And there’s no guarantee that you’d be able to see him.” He said gently. Parker was rocking back and forth, timing his breaths with the swing of his body and trying to calm down.
“What am I supposed to do?” He asked and Bryan sighed.
“I’m sending Ian over to get you. You’ll come here and stay with us. I’m going to make some phone calls and hopefully, I’ll have more answers for you when you get here.” He said and Parker grabbed onto the idea like a life raft.
“Thank you, Bryan.” Parker whispered.
“Not a problem. Ian’s already on his way. I’m going to let you go so I can make those calls.”
“Ok.”
“I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Bryan said before he hung up.
Ian arrived less than five minutes later and he held Parker’s hand the entire drive back to their place. He kept saying “Everything’s going to be ok.” and Parker could only nod. When they got to Bryan and Ian’s house, Bryan was on the phone, pacing in the living room as he listened.
“Oh, Jesus!” Bryan gasped. “And he was the only one? They didn’t lose anybody?” He asked incredulously. He paced and nodded along and at one point he covered his mouth and his eyes watered. Parker had to hang onto the arm of the couch to keep from running across the room and snatching the phone out of Bryan’s hand. “Jesus! That lucky son of a bitch.” Bryan murmured. He nodded and paced some more before he let out a long sigh. “Great. I’d appreciate that… Thanks so much… Bye.” Bryan pulled the phone from his ear and he rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the wall for several moments before he went to Parker and sat next to him on the couch. “I’m going to tell you as much as I can and make it as easy for you to understand as I can. But, you have to know that there’s a lot I can’t tell you. Please just listen and try to stay calm.” Bryan’s eyes searched Parker’s for any sign of agreement and understanding as he took Parker’s hand. Parker looked down at their hands and nodded weakly.
“Just tell me what you can.” He begged and Bryan squeezed his hand.
“It was a hostage rescue. Everything went as planned until they got to the helicopters. There were two. Ross’ got hit with an RPG. Luckily, the shot went wide but it damaged the helicopter before it could get very far off the ground. Ross and another team member got everyone out and found cover before they realized the pilot was injured and couldn’t get out. Ross went back and pulled the pilot out and was getting him clear when the helicopter was hit with another RPG and exploded. Ross was carrying the pilot and they were thrown. A large piece of debris tore through Ross’ leg but he was able to drag the pilot to safety. They were pinned down and under fire for about an hour before a team could get in and pick them up. Ross took a bullet to the side but nothing vital was hit. But he lost a lot of blood and he barely made it. As soon as he was stabilized, he was transported to Landstuhl. He’d already lost the leg. His CO says he wouldn’t even look at it during the fight, he just stayed focused on his men. As soon as they picked him up, the medics shot him full of morphine. Once he knew everyone was safe, Ross started demanding that they let him call you. They couldn’t get him to shut up and rest during the flight to Germany.” Bryan laughed softly and waited as Parker digested everything.
Parker took what felt like his first breath in several minutes and the floodgates opened. He began to cry hysterically as he imagined Ross flying through the air as his leg was ripped off, then crawling for safety. He imagined the fear and pain Ross had to have been in as he fought and bled from his leg and a fucking bullet wound to the chest. Bryan and Ian both held Parker as he screamed and sobbed. Then, Parker started to laugh hysterically. It was mostly relief but there was a trace of disbelief. How could this have happened to Ross?
“But he’s going to live?” Parker searched Bryan’s face and was relieved when he smiled weakly and nodded.
“He’s going to live. The only thing we aren't sure of is how much of his leg they’ll be able to save.” Bryan offered and Parker nodded. He couldn’t admit it, but he didn’t care about the leg, he was so relieved that Ross had survived the fight and was going to live. Another thought took hold.
“He’s done after this, right?” Parker demanded. It felt like the most selfish question he’d ever asked but he didn’t care. He felt Ian squeeze his hand and Bryan looked sad when he nodded.
“Yeah. He won’t go out again. He’ll get discharged.” He swallowed hard and his eyes were drenched when they met Parker’s. “That’s going to be harder for him to get over than losing the leg.” Bryan predicted. Parker ignored the tightness in his chest.
“I’ll help him get through this.” He vowed and Ian nodded in agreement.
“We’ll get him through this.” Ian announced before he hopped to his feet. “I don’t know about you two, but I need a drink.” He said as he went to the kitchen.
“It isn’t even 10:00 in the morning.” Bryan argued and Ian gave a him a hard stare from the other side of the counter.
“Really? What time is it in Germany, hon?” Ian asked before he set a bottle of vodka on the counter. Parker couldn’t help but smile.
“You know, I agree.” Parker said as he got up and went to offer his help. Bryan threw his hands up and followed.
“Might as well. Not like we’re doing anything but sitting by the phone.” He admitted.
Chapter 31
Parker paced nervously on the edge of a runway, occasionally glancing at the fog that clung to the ground and the sludge thick grey sky.
“Will they be able to land?” Parker asked as he approached Bryan.
“It’ll be fine. They’re used to landing in much worse.” He reassured Parker as he threw an arm over his shoulder. Parker nodded as he looked back at the sky.
“Thanks for everything.” Parker said and pulled in a deep breath, hoping it would help uncoil the tightness in his chest, stomach and gut. Bryan had called in every favor so they could be waiting and see Ross as soon as he landed at Andrews Air Force Base. He reminded himself that falling apart would only get him escorted off the runway and possibly the base.
“Don’t worry. I did it for Ross as much as I did it for you.” Bryan said as he gave Parker a hug. “Seeing us and knowing that we’re here for him will mean a lot.” He added and Parker felt another swell of emotion as he realized that they were all Ross had. He deserved so much more.
A distant roar reached them and Parker tensed and turned. He scanned the sky and waited for something to come into sight.
“That’s a C-17. That’ll be them.” Bryan said as he rubbed Parker’s shoulders.
A moment later a plane cut through the fog and Parker’s eyes widened in shock as it approached. It was as a hulking behemoth that had no business being in the air. Parker watched in stunned awe as it landed.
“Let’s go.” Bryan called as he ducked into his car. Parker jogged around and got in. He didn’t bother to buckle his belt as Bryan sped toward the plane. They watched as four ambulances and a bus parked near the plane and the back opened. A stream of passengers slowly filed out, some hobbling on crutches. There were wheelchairs pushed by medics before the first patient in a bed was rolled toward an ambulance that had backed up close to the plane. “There he is.” Bryan said. Parker felt his hand press against the middle of his back and he started to run. He reached the plane just as Ross’ bed was rolled onto the runway.
“Ross!” Parker cringed. He probably shouldn’t have yelled but the shock of seeing Ross, weak and strapped to a bed was too much. He looked frail and his skin was a pale grey.
“Parker?” Ross’ eyes struggled to open and his elbows pushed against the mattress in vain as he tried to sit up. “Parker
?” His voice was strained as his head lolled on the pillow. Parker clenched his jaw to keep from crying out as tears spilled down his face. He mouthed a silent plea to the medic next to Ross as he tried to move closer. The medic nodded as he stepped back and Parker fought the urge to pull Ross into his arms. Parker gently cupped his cheek and Ross sighed as he pressed his face into Parker’s hand.
“Ross.” Parker’s voice was shredded. “I’m here.” He whispered as he lowered his forehead and rested it on Ross’. “I love you so much and I’m going to take care of you.” Parker promised and tears flooded Ross’ heavy, unfocused eyes.
“It’s you.” Ross breathed. He tilted his head back and his lips brushed against Parker’s and he smiled. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.” Ross mumbled drunkenly. “I just wanted to hear your voice one last time. But you’re here.” He sighed again and his lips rubbed against Parker’s. Just as Parker was about to angle his head and kiss Ross a throat cleared above them and Parker jumped.
“I’m afraid we have to get this patient in an ambulance and on his way to Bethesda.” A stern looking young captain barked as he strode down the ramp. “Major Walters.” He said as he saluted Bryan. “I apologize to interrupt your reunion but we’ve got a patient that needs to go on to Brook to the Burn Unit.” He announced and Bryan nodded as he saluted back.
“We understand.” Bryan said as he put an arm around Parker and guided him back. “We’ll follow them to the Medical Center.” He said as he put his arm around Parker. It took everything within him not to push Bryan away and reach for Ross.
“Parker!” Ross moaned and pain exploded in Parker’s chest.
“I’m right behind you, Ross. I’ll see you as soon as possible.” He promised and Ross became restless and called his name again. Parker’s body was shaking as he watched Ross struggling and incoherent. “Please, be still.” Parker begged. “I’ll see you soon.” He repeated and Ross settled as his eyes found Parker. They were so cloudy and bounced as he tried to focus.