The Unexpected War

by Jean-pierre Breton

  I tried to hold back the tears that were fighting their way to my eyes. “It’s all right, man. I already had a feeling something like that had happened to them,” I muttered gloomily. “I thought about them all the time in prison. They were what kept me going.”

  He nodded understandingly. “I loved them like my own sisters too, man. Remember Tina?” he asked me with a snicker.

  “Yeah, she was always such a pest. Anywhere I went, she always had my back.” I smiled as my mind wandered off to the three of us before the war. “Kate had it rough. She basically had to be a parent for us at the age of fourteen, when Mom died, but she somehow kept the three of us together as a family,” I told him, visualizing her chilling in the kitchen, making Tina and me her famous grilled cheese sandwiches. “What about you, bro? You never really told me much about your family in the resistance.”

  Grant hesitated and then said, “I lost them on the night of the invasion. Captain Murphy took me under his wing, though, and then I met you a week later.” He seemed to accept his past.

  “I almost forgot about Murphy!” I exclaimed with a laugh.

  “He was a straight-up baller,” Grant said, and we both laughed, remembering the man that basically was our father in the resistance.

  “Remember that cane he used to always walk around with, telling us it was his beating stick?” I asked him.

  Grant nodded and laughed.

  “I remember that time he caught us stealing cookies from the mess on my birthday,” I said fondly.

  “I thought he was going to kill us, man, but he was like, ‘You boys better have saved me one of those.’” Grant sat up and impersonated Murphy on the side of his bed.

  “Good times,” I said.

  “Can you believe that there’s a chance we might actually survive this war?” Grant asked me.

  I shook my head in disbelief, realizing it was coming to an end for us. “If you would have told me two years ago that I was going to live to be nineteen, I would have laughed straight in your face,” I told him.

  He nodded in agreement. “What do you think we’re going to do once this whole thing is said and done?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it before now,” I told him truthfully. “Hopefully, I’ll settle down somewhere, get myself a cottage by the lake or something, and live the dream with Lara and Rashellia.” He stared at me, seeming thoughtful, so I asked him, “What about you?”

  “I was thinking about being a carpenter or something trade-related like that,” he said, settling back down into his bed.

  I yawned, relaxing in my chair, and we sat there for a moment, just listening to the eerie silence of the infirmary. “Well, I hope it works out for you,” I said.

  He nodded his thanks. “Same to you, brother.” He leaned over, and we did our secret handshake that we had been doing ever since we were little kids.

  “All right, man. I’m out. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I unlocked my wheelchair with a playful salute.

  “All right, buddy. Peace!” he called back.

  I wheeled away happily to my wing of the hospital and got a nice night’s rest for the first time in a long time.

  Chapter 19

  I was in an exceptionally good mood the next morning. I don’t know why; I guess it was the thought that I was nearing the end of my stay in the infirmary, not to mention that I had a feeling that today was going to be a good day. My physiotherapy doctor came by early in the morning. He made me do an array of exercises and allowed me to practice walking on my own.

  He gave me a thumbs-up when I discovered I could make it short distances on my own now. My session ended an hour later, and the doctor wheeled me to my section of the hospital wing, where I watched television for a bit and played a game of chess with Keith, a wounded ex-PLF soldier. I wasn’t really paying attention and stared blankly at the board, realizing I was in checkmate.

  “Maybe next time, buddy,” Keith said.

  “Hopefully, I won’t be around here for a next time,” I laughed.

  “You’re getting out of this hellhole?” he asked enviously.

  I nodded happily.

  “All right, well, best of luck to you in the real world. It was nice meeting you.” He shook my hand as we got up to go back to our beds.

  “Thanks a lot, man. Same to you. Hope the leg gets better,” I told him, nodding at his legs—one was badly scarred with shrapnel; the other had been amputated and replaced with a mechanical leg.

  The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly. I was thrilled to see Lara come in as soon as the visiting hours opened in the afternoon. “Ta-da!” I called to her. I got up out of bed to show her that I could walk on my own again.

  “Wow, that’s impressive! I learned how to do that when I was, like, a year old,” she joked with me, giving me a kiss.

  “Oh really, smart ass?” I shot back with a laugh.

  She helped me back down into my wheelchair. “So I talked to your doctor this morning, and he told me that you’re good to go. I already signed all your release papers, along with all that other stuff, so let’s go pick up Grant and then go to our new home!” Lara said happily as she wheeled me down the hall to Grant’s wing.

  “All right. Sweet! We were accepted for housing in Brawklin?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it’s a pretty decent place. I think you’ll like it,” she said.

  “So what’s up?” I asked her suspiciously as she messed up my hair.

  “Nothing. I’m just glad to see you,” she replied mysteriously.

  “Yeah, right.”

  She giggled. “What? I can’t be happy?”

  “It’s not that. I’m just not used to seeing you so loose. I’m loving this side of you,” I told her.

  She smiled, kneeling down to kiss me as we approached Grant’s bed. Grant had a wrap around his leg and was using crutches to get around now, but it didn’t look like he was seriously wounded anymore. “Hey, man, what’s up!” he called as he spotted me.

  “Not much,” I said, standing up and giving him our secret handshake.

  “Oh, I see how it is. I get no hello?” Lara said playfully.

  He smiled at her and wobbled over to give her a light hug. I could see the uncomfortable look in her eyes, but she returned his hug with a pat on the back. In her culture, a man wasn’t supposed to touch a woman after she was married, but I had explained to her that in the human culture, it was polite to give a hug to someone you knew.

  It was good to see that she was at least trying to accept some of our ways. I sat down in the wheelchair as Grant rummaged around under his bed, retrieving his backpack. Then the three of us made our way through the door and toward the housing section of Brawklin City.

  “I have a surprise for both of you,” Lara said happily.

  “I knew you were hiding something!” I exclaimed.

  “It better be strippers,” Grant teased, making the three of us laugh.

  “Did we win the lottery?” I asked hopefully.

  She shook her head. “I wish,” she laughed.

  Grant and I looked at each other for a second, trying to figure out what the surprise could be. “So what is it?” we both asked simultaneously.

  “You’ll see,” she told us. “Be patient.”

  As we stopped in front of our door a moment later, she fumbled around in her pocket for a second and then pulled out our house key. She gave me a spare and then unlocked the door.

  “Welcome home!” David and Carana called to us happily as we entered the room.

  “Hey, guys, thanks a lot,” I said, happy that the five of us were reunited. Carana had a cake with “Welcome Home” written on it. Grant looked at the cake and joked, “Really? That’s it? This surprise sucks.”

  “Shut up,” Lara giggled,
glancing over at me excitedly. “You can come out now!” she called out.

  As my attention shifted to our bedroom door, a girl about my age emerged from behind it. “Tina?” I cried out happily, realizing who it was.

  She nodded, tears running down her face as she ran into my arms, giving me a hug. We stared at each other in disbelief. “I can’t believe it really is you!” she whispered, giving me a light peck on my cheek. “I thought you were dead, Lance.” She still seemed flabbergasted, and she took a step back to look me over, as if seeing me for the first time in her life.

  “I’ve seen better days,” I joked, indicating my bandaged stomach.

  When Tina didn’t notice Grant, he cleared his throat in her direction and gave her a devilish grin.

  “Grant! Hey! How are you, buddy?” she asked, helping him sit down on the recliner across from us.

  “Could be better,” he told her, lying back in the chair.

  Lara was about to sit down when Rashellia’s crying came from the other room.

  “Whoops, sounds like someone wants to come join the party,” Carana told us.

  Lara disappeared for a moment and returned with Rashellia in her arms. She took a seat on the couch with Grant, David, and Carana, who playfully comforted Rashellia with funny noises.

  I’d noticed that Tina’s arm looked stiff, so I asked her, “So what happened to your arm?”

  Her smile faded as she lifted her sleeve, revealing to me that it was a mechanical arm. “I lost it defusing a land mine,” she said.

  “And Kate?” I asked quietly.

  Tina just shook her head, staring away gloomily as the memories seemed to come back to haunt her.

  “Was it quick?” I asked hopefully.

  She nodded reassuringly. “I’m pretty sure she was dead before she even hit the ground,” Tina whispered.

  “I’m sorry,” Lara whispered to me in my head.

  “It’s fine,” I responded, but I wiped away a single tear that had run down my cheek.

  David, Tina, Grant, and I chatted for a little while about the resistance and our memories, as Carana and Lara politely and patiently listened to our stories.

  “So who wants to dig into the cake?” Lara asked finally, getting up to cut each of us a piece.

  “Thanks a lot!” we all told her gratefully a moment later as she served it to us.

  I felt kind of bad for Lara. Just as she sat down to relax again, Rashellia woke up and began squirming in Lara’s arms at the sight of me eating cake.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead. Want a piece of cake?” I asked her, bringing the fork up to her mouth.

  “No, Lance,” Lara told me firmly, batting the fork away gently with her hand.

  “Aw, why not?” I asked, feeling bad that I had just teased my own daughter, who was now staring at my piece disappointedly.

  “She’s too young. It will just make her sick,” she told me in her firm motherly tone.

  “Sorry, buddy. Mommy has spoken,” I told Rashellia, who of course couldn’t understand me.

  “Hey, that little tyke has a full set of teeth already? I thought she was only, like, two months old,” Grant said.

  “Of course she does,” Lara assured him. “She’s a half-blood. She grows her teeth before birth. She’s a real sweetheart, though. She’s so much less aggressive than a baby fiend, and that’s because she’s half human.” Lara leaned over and gave me an affectionate kiss.

  “Yeah, right. I tried to play with her yesterday, and she nearly ripped my other arm off,” Tina told us with a laugh.

  “Those were only warning bites. If Rashellia wanted to rip it off, she would have,” Lara told my sister cold-heartedly. “Besides, the only human she really likes is her father.” With that, she happily handed Rashellia over to me, and I held her nervously against my chest.

  Rashellia stared up at me for a moment with her sparkly blue eyes and gurgled contentedly, which turned into her gentle baby purr as she snuggled into my chest, absorbing the warmth.

  “Can she crawl already?” Carana asked me.

  I shrugged, embarrassed because I hadn’t seen her in a while.

  “Yes, she can,” Lara told her, jumping into the conversation to save me. “That’s the great thing about half-bloods—they learn quickly.” Lara gazed at Rashellia proudly.

  “Hey, man, she’s drooling all over you,” David told me with a laugh.

  I instinctively recoiled at the sight of the greenish saliva dripping down my white T-shirt. “Here you go, Mommy,” I called to Lara, handing Rashellia back.

  Everyone laughed except Lara, who stared at me unhappily. She cradled Rashellia gently as the baby began to cry and squirm in her arms, being a pest. “I have to go settle her down. If you guys could keep it down in here, that would be awesome,” Lara said before disappearing into our room.

  “Uh-oh. Someone’s in trouble,” Grant teased.

  I laughed, and a couple minutes later everyone got up, taking Lara’s hint that it was time to leave. Tina remained after the others left, and we talked for a little bit longer, catching up.

  “How is she treating you, Lance?” Tina whispered as we stood at the door.

  “She’s awesome, Tina. I love her,” I told her truthfully, but she looked worried.

  “You loved Rachel, too,” she debated with me.

  “Tina …” I said, wishing she hadn’t brought that up. “She’s gone. I have to move on.”

  Tina sighed. “Are you sure you’re moving on? Lara looks and acts like Rachel in so many ways.”

  I sighed, knowing she was right, but I truly did love Lara for Lara, despite what Tina thought.

  “Are you sure she’s even right for you? She seems very emotionally demanding,” Tina warned me quietly.

  “She doesn’t mean a lot of things she says when she’s angry. Fiends have a hard time controlling their emotions, unlike us,” I explained. It was clear that Tina wasn’t very fond of Lara.

  “All right. Well, I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t forced into this,” Tina told me with a gentle pat on my shoulder.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” I reassured her happily with a hug. “It was nice to see you again.”

  She returned the hug and gave me a soft kiss on my cheek. “You too, Lance. I love you,” she whispered.

  I nodded in agreement as she walked out into the hall. “Hey, do you want to do something tomorrow?” I called after her.

  She turned around, nodding happily. “Sweet. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Tina called back to me.

  As I closed the door behind me, I could hear the faint sounds of Rashellia in the other room as Lara sang gently to her. I wasn’t in any rush to go in and deal with Lara. I knew she was angry, so I deliberately took my time. I poured both of us a glass of orange juice, giving her a chance to cool off.

  When I finally entered her room, she was sitting there on the edge of the bed, softly humming to Rashellia, who was sucking blood sleepily from Lara’s arm. “Come here,” Lara whispered calmly, trying not to get Rashellia excited. She patted a place on the bed beside her. I obediently went over to her, taking a seat and placing our drinks on the bedside table. “Do you still love me, Lance?” she asked nervously.

  I responded instantly with a nod, giving her a kiss. I knew she was feeling insecure about our relationship. “Of course I do!” I told her firmly.

  “Let me hear you say it,” she begged, resting her head against my shoulder as we looked down at Rashellia.

  “I love you, Lara,” I whispered into her ear.

  She smiled happily, knowing I wasn’t just saying it. “Do you love her?” she asked, nodding at Rashellia.

  “You know I do,” I replied. “She means the world to me.”

  Lara smiled contentedly, slipp
ing the now-sleeping Rashellia into my arms and observing me as I held her cautiously. “She’s not a bomb,” Lara whispered patiently, rearranging my hands to support her body and head. “This is how you hold her, okay?”

  I nodded nervously. “I’m sorry; I’m terrible at this,” I admitted unhappily as I rocked Rashellia back and forth. She purred contentedly in her sleep.

  “Don’t be sorry. You’ll get the hang of it. It just takes time, that’s all,” she whispered supportively. She snuggled closer to me as we stared down at our child.

  “She’s so tiny that I’m afraid I’ll drop her or something,” I whispered a few moments later, breaking the tranquil silence surrounding us.

  “You’re doing fine,” she whispered encouragingly.

  “Lies. I’m a horrible father, aren’t I?”

  “Hey, I don’t ever want to hear you say that again!” Lara said softly, taking her hand and turning my head to look me in the eyes for the first time in a long time. “You’re not a horrible father, Lance. A horrible father would have left me and Rashellia and never come back.” She gave me a light kiss.

  “But I did leave you,” I whispered guiltily, returning her kiss with a soft peck on her neck.

  “No, you went to get firewood to keep me and the baby warm, silly,” she whispered in an attempt to ease my guilt.

  “Yeah, right. You and I both know that I got scared and bailed on you when you needed me the most,” I muttered, embarrassed.

  “I don’t care, Lance. I love you, you love me, and we both love Rashellia. That’s all that matters.” Lara gave me another reassuring kiss. “Why don’t you tuck her in so we can spend some quality Lance-and-Lara time?” she whispered playfully, beginning to take off her shirt.

  I nodded happily, and we both gave her a kiss on the forehead, being careful not to wake her up. We tucked her into her crib, gently bringing the blanket to her neck while placing one of her teddy bears next to her. Lara’s eyes flashed yellow for a second, as she turned off the lights. She smiled at me and took off the rest of her clothes. Then she gave me a kiss and led me to the bed, where we cuddled with one another affectionately.