Remember, It’s You I Love: Operation Pink Knight

by Mairsile Leabhair

  After shocking her body into compliance, when breakfast was finally called, instead of going in to the mess hall, Vicky detoured to the trash can on the side of the building. Hugging it tight, she could only produce the dry heaves, because her stomach was still empty. Aidan watched, but didn’t let Vicky see her. She didn’t want her to be embarrassed on her first day, for doing something that Aidan, herself had done, during her first boot camp. Instead, she went inside, and joined the food line. Vicky caught up to her, and together they sat down to a hearty breakfast.

  “You know, I try to jog three, four miles every day. I don’t understand why today was so hard for me?”

  “Maybe it’s because you haven’t been jogging since you were shot, and you probably haven’t done heavy calisthenics like we did this morning, on an empty stomach before, right?

  “You’re right, Aidan, I think I over did it this morning. But it’s all good now, I’m starved.”

  Aidan watched, as Vicky scarfed her food down, and thought she’d better warn her, “Uh, kid, I wouldn’t take that large a bite, you might not—”

  Vicky’s eyes grew large with pain, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. She ran outside and around the corner. Aidan would have laughed, if she wasn’t so concerned for her. Watching as Vicky came back in, pale and sweaty, Aidan handed her a glass of water.

  “You okay, baby? How’s your heart?”

  Vicky sat beside her, and took a sip of the water, “I’m fine, no pain from that area.”

  “It’ll get easier kid, I promise.”

  “When, after we leave for Syria?”

  “No, actually, after we get back from there.” Though Aidan said it with humor, she was completely serious.

  “God, please help me survive this.” Vicky said prayfully.

  Aidan rubbed the back of Vicky’s neck, and whispered into her ear, “You can do this, baby, you can do this.”

  Vicky nodded her head, took another sip of water, then looked into her lover’s eyes, “Damn straight, I can do this.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  ***

  Where North Carolina had greeted the sunrise an hour ago, the sun had not yet pierced through the fog, that was beginning to settle on the ground by the small lake, in Vicky’s backyard.

  The hot cup of coffee in his hand, let lose its flume of steam in the cool air, as if it wanted to join the morning fog, that was thickest over the lake’s surface. Leonard inhaled deeply, and exhaled just as quickly. Damn city air. Taking a sip of his coffee, he scoped out the plot of land, situated behind Vicky’s house, and in front of the lake, and decided it would be a good spot for a garden. While he enjoyed a restaurant meal from time to time, Leonard much preferred fresh vegetables, grown naturally. Besides, he enjoyed getting his hands dirty.

  Leonard rubbed a cramp from his left arm, and took another sip of coffee. Damn city mattress. He squatted beside the bank, and watched the water lap over the mud. He could get use to that. Especially considering he would soon be fishing off that bank. His daughter told him that, she and her neighbor, take turns stocking the lake with different types of fish, and he was welcomed to bring his rod and reel. It was the first thing he packed. While Vicky didn’t have time to fish, she did believe it would help keep the lake healthy, to restock it once a year. Though small by some standards, the lake was large enough to have a peer to fish off of, and plenty of trees around it, to nap under. Leonard thought it was the most perfect lake he had ever seen.

  Thinking of Vicky, his thoughts began to wonder where she was, and what she was doing. But then, he knew what she was doing, and why. Worry creased his brow, at the thought that she was training for battle, like he had done years ago. He knew his daughter was tough, and stubborn to a fault sometimes. And that had pretty much gotten her to where she was today, running a multi-million dollar healthcare system. But he knew, being tough in a board room, is completely useless on a battlefield. He also knew that Aidan had been through hell and back, in Iraq, and she knew what she was doing, and could do what needed to be done, to protect his daughter.

  He found himself wishing he was there, with them, helping them. Leonard picked up a thick tree branch, and pushed the tip deep into the mud. When he was in the Marines, he fought in the hundred hour war, better known as Desert Storm, where ninety percent of those hours was spent sitting around waiting for action. But when action came, before they deployed, Leonard and his buddies, would place a personal item on a stick, or voodoo stick, as they called it, to bring them good luck. When the mission was over, they removed their items from the stick, with great pomp and circumstance.

  But there was one time, where his friend’s good luck piece, was not picked up. Leonard remembered the day he saw the voodoo stick, empty, except for the picture of Bobby’s wife, still hanging from it. Bobby Castle, a young farm boy from Missouri, became Leonard’s best buddy at boot camp. Bobby went on to be a Harrier pilot, and Leonard stayed with the infantry, and rose to the rank of First Sergeant.

  After delivering Leonard close to the hot zone, for a reconnaissance mission, Bobby was on his way back to base. That’s when his Harrier was shot down. Leonard saw it happen, and radioed in the coordinates. He helped searched the area, but they only found the plane wreckage. Leonard’s unit was ordered out of the zone, and Leonard was literally forced to leave his friend behind. Bobby was listed as missing in action, but a few months later, the government listed him as killed in action. Leonard never forgave himself, for leaving his friend behind.

  He walked into the garage of his daughter’s house, and rifled through a box marked Aidan. Vicky had packed her belongings together to make room for her parents to move in, and had placed her treasures with Aidan, in a box by its self. Leonard was looking for one specific item, that he remember seeing Vicky play with as a child. He found what he was looking for, at the bottom of the box. Two plastic figurines. One a fairy princess, the other a prince. Going down memory lane, he smiled at the recollection of Vicky pretending that she was the princess, and Aidan was the prince. Leonard took the figurines into the house and looked for some string, then he went out back, and hung them on the voodoo stick, to bring the girls good luck.

  ***

  Calisthenics and more running, filled up the recruits mornings. When they broke for lunch, which was k-rations on the side of the cold, damp road, Vicky was careful to drink lots of water but couldn’t stomach eating anything. She gave hers to Aidan.

  “You’ve got to eat something, Vick, you’ve got to keep your strength up.”

  “I will eat tonight, honey, I promise, now stop coddling me. I have to be able to do this on my own. You understand, right?”

  She did understand, and was really proud, but disappointed at the same time. She loved taking care of Vicky. Not that Vicky needed it, but it was something she had done since elementary school, and it was second nature to her. This is going to be hard, for more reasons than Aidan had even considered. But she would support her lover in whatever way she needed to be supported, even if it meant letting her fall down, and get back up on her own.

  “Okay, one last kiss, just for me, then you’re on your own, kid”

  “Deal.”

  The two kissed, deep and hard, which did not go unnoticed by the Drill Sergeant.

  He bellowed at the two lovers, “No kissing in the ranks soldier! Do you understand?”

  Vicky was mortified, but managed to join Aidan in a hurrah.

  ***

  That afternoon was devoted to the shooting range. Vicky was not looking forward to that. She had been afraid of guns, ever since Aidan shot her father’s pistol at a tree, when they were little girls. The power of it is what scared her the most. She had never held a gun, let alone shoot one. She flashed back to when she was nine years old, and Aidan tried to get her to shoot a gun.

  ***

  “What’s that, Aid?”

  “It’s a gun silly, what did you think it was?”

  “Just because you’re ten years o
ld now, you don’t have to be mean, Aidan.”

  “I’m sorry, Vick. It’s my father’s pistol. I took it off his desk. It was just lying there.”

  “Do you know how to use it?”

  “No, not really. I mean, I’ve seen guns on TV, and it looks pretty simple. You just point and pull the trigger. How hard can that be?”

  “I don’t like it, Aidan, I think you should put it back.”

  “Ah, don’t be such a scaredy cat. I’ll be careful with it.”

  Aidan held it up, and aimed at the tree trunk. She imagined a big red target on the side of the tree, and aimed for the bull’s eye. She pulled the trigger, and fired the gun, but the sound was so loud, and the recoil so surprising, that she ended up on her butt. Vicky stood beside her, crying.

  “What are you crying for, I’m not hurt, silly.” She stood up, and rubbed her sore behind.

  Vicky pouted, “It scared me!”

  “Here, you shoot it, and then you won’t be so scared of it anymore.” She handed the pistol to Vicky, but she wouldn’t touch it.

  “No, I don’t like guns, and you shouldn’t either. Please put it away, Aidan.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. You’re such a baby sometimes, Vicky.”

  She began to bawl harder, which of course made Aidan feel bad.

  “All right, all right. I’ll put it away already, jeez.”

  ***

  Vicky shook the bad memory from her mind and looked over at Aidan, who was four rows down from her. Aidan was a natural with the rifle, and a dead aim, hitting the bulls-eye every time. She finished shooting her rounds, before Vicky had even fired her first shot.

  The instructor stood beside Vicky, and showed her how to hold the rifle. How to fit the butt of the rifle into her shoulder, place her finger on the trigger, and line up the sights on the barrel, with the target. But when she finally conquered her fears, and fired the weapon, she wasn’t prepared for the recoil, and fell on her behind, just as Aidan had done as a kid.

  Aidan’s first instinct was to rush over to her. But as she took a step, she reconsidered, knowing that was the last thing Vicky needed right now, and her needs came first.

  Vicky stood up, brushed herself off, and tried again. This time she pushed against the anticipated recoil, and ended up with a bruised shoulder. Aidan held her breath, waiting to see how Vicky would handle it. She didn’t have to wait long, Vicky rubbed her shoulder, and tried again. She took her stance, held her breath, and fired. Again, she bruised her shoulder.

  Aidan could clearly see the sun sparkling off the tears in Vicky’s eyes. Tears of frustration and pain. Her heart was in knots. She desperately wanted to help Vicky, but had to respect her wishes, no matter how much it hurt her heart to do it. Oh God, this is hell!

  At dinner in the mess hall, Vicky rubbed her shoulder, and played with her food. She tried to keep up with the conversation, but she was so exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone form a sentence. Seeing her lover like this was too much for Aidan. She had to find a way to help Vicky, that wouldn’t usurp her efforts in front of the others.

  “Well I’m exhausted. I think I’ll turn in now.” Aidan stated, to those at the table.

  “Oh, yes, me too.” Vicky was so relieved. Her pride wouldn’t let her give in first, but thanks to her lover, she wouldn’t have to.

  Aidan gathered up their food, and motioned for Vicky to follow her. Together they went back to their cabin, where Aidan immediately switched over to caregiver. She sat Vicky down next to the small table, where she also set down their food. Then she unbuttoned Vicky’s blouse, and winced at the big purple bruise on her shoulder. Damn, baby. She felt the tender spot, making sure it wasn’t worse than it looked, and then she went to the freezer, and pulled out a freezable ice bag. Standard stock for this kind of intense training. Wrapping it up in a towel, Aidan gently placed it on Vicky’s raw shoulder, and used towels to secure it in place. Then she set the food out, and handed Vicky a fork. Vicky nibbled at her food, but she didn’t really eat anything. Instead, she watched Aidan searched the kitchen area for a plastic bag. Once Aidan had that, she walked over to the bed, took out her knife, and slash a hole in a pillow.

  “Why did you just kill that pillow, honey?”

  “Take a bite of your food, and I’ll tell you.” Aidan was not above bribing her lover, if she had too. After all, they use to bribe and dare each other all the time, as kids. But back then, it was for things like taking out the garbage, or drying the dishes. The stakes were much higher, now.

  Vicky did as she was told, and took a big bite of food, as Aidan explained about the plastic bag, while she stuffed it full of foam rubber cubes, from the pillow.

  “Tomorrow, before we go out to the practice range, tape this over your shoulder. It will help cushion the kick of the rifle.”

  “Oh, that’s so smart.” Vicky perked up enough to take another bite of food, and motioned for Aidan to join her.

  “You’re doing really good, kid, but you’re choking up on the trigger. Just try to relax, and let the rifle do all the work.”

  Aidan took a big bite of food, and Vicky leaned close, and kissed her sweetly on the cheek.

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” She pushed her plate to the side, and got up. She walked over to the bed, and sat down on the edge, lifting her leg up to take her boot off. But the motion unbalanced her center of gravity, and she ended up lying across the bed. As if the bed pulled her down, and wrapped her in its comforting arms, Vicky was a sleep before her head touched the mattress.

  Aidan couldn’t help but smile at her. She pulled Vicky’s boots off, and lifted her legs onto the bed. Then she unbuckled her belt, and unzipped her pants, working them down, and off her legs. Next she unbuttoned her shirt, and raised each arm to pull it off, leaving Vicky in a tank top and panties. She slept through the whole thing, as Aidan covered her with a blanket, and, brushing her hair to the side, she kissed her forehead. My brave baby. So stubborn and determined. I hope your little body can take it, because I need you with me, kid. Aidan undressed, and turned out the light, then joined her lover in bed, also falling asleep, as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  Chapter 10

  Lying between consciousness, and the sweet haze of a lingering dream, that had her reaching out for her lover, Aidan woke to a cold, empty bed. She made a quick scan of the room, noticing that Vicky’s boots were gone. Dressing quickly, she ran out the door into the darkness. When she looked at her watch, she realized it was an hour before roll call. She looked everywhere, and was beginning to get worried, when she heard gun fire, and realized that she had not yet searched the firing range. Aidan ran over and found Vicky about to take a shot. She stopped instantly, before Vicky saw her, and waited in the shadows.

  “Place the rifle into the shoulder…,” Vicky was reciting the instructions out loud, “line it up,” she stared down the length of the barrel, “don’t choke,” she put her finger on the trigger, “relax, and let the rifle do all the work.” She inhaled, stuck her tongue in the corner of her mouth, and squeezed the trigger. It wasn’t a bulls-eye, in fact, it barely hit the target. But it was a personal triumph to her. When she turned to put the gun away, Aidan could see the grin on her face. With a sigh of relief, Aidan walked over to her, applauding.

  “You’re looking pretty good out there, kid. How’s the shoulder feeling?”

  She rubbed her shoulder, and Aidan could hear the crinkle of the plastic bag underneath.

  “Nothing a little anti-inflammatory pill, and some foam rubber, won’t cure.” She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then whispered into Aidan’s ear, “And some tender loving care, from my honey.”

  Aidan grinned, a deep satisfaction welling up inside of her.

  Unbeknownst to the two women, the Drill Sergeant, who had been watching Vicky practice, walked away, an impressed smile on his face.

  “Hey Aidan, since you’re up anyway, will you help me do some sit ups? I could only do five yesterday,
and that’s not even five percent of what I need to do.”

  “Sure, if you’ll help me do some too?”

  Vicky knew Aidan didn’t really need the help, but she was grateful for the support, just the same. “I’d be happy to, and after that, maybe we can work on throwing a knife at each other.”

  “Uh…, I think maybe we should practice throwing it at the target first, don’t you?”

  Vicky snickered, as the two walked over to the work-out area, where the mats had been laid out on a concrete court, and began working on their exercises.

  The rest of the week went much the same. Vicky and Aidan practiced before the sun came up, then worked out again with the group. Aidan showed her a few tricks with the rifle, and soon Vicky could fire without the homemade cushion, something Vicky was both relieved, and proud of.

  As the firing range exercises became slightly easier for Vicky, the knife throwing exercises became much harder. No matter how hard she concentrated, the knife flew everywhere, but toward the target. One time she had even gotten ahead of herself, and the knife flew behind her. It was a testament to the intuitiveness of her trainer, that he always stood behind, and to the side of the throwing arm of the trainee.

  After that, Aidan and Vicky concentrated their free time on practicing the best way to throw a knife. By this time, Jerry had joined them in their pre-dawn routine. He was very skilled at throwing knifes, and gave Vicky some pointers, and soon she was able to at least hit the target. Finally, one of the throws actually stabbed the bull’s eye.

  She joked with newfound buoyancy, “This could come in handy in the board room.”