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

by Mairsile Leabhair

  Four hours of intense love making later, Vicky got up and stretched. “I’m starved, how about lunch?”

  “Want to go out, or order in?”

  “Oh, order in of course,” she replied with a grin. No sense in wasting precious time getting dressed.

  Aidan got up and dialed room service. She ordered the lunch special, and quickly walked back to the bed.

  “What’s the lunch special?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and asked, “Do we care?”

  Vicky laughed, “Ah, good point.”

  The afternoon was much the same as the morning, where each woman made up for two weeks of abstinence, mainly because they had been to tire to copulate. Finally, in the early evening, as they laid in each other’s arms, drained but satisfied, Vicky stated, “God, I’ve missed you so much. Do we have to go back?”

  Aidan thought she was being serious, “No, baby, not if you don’t want to.”

  Vicky mumbled, “Oh, thank you for that.” Then succumb to her exhaustion.

  Oh God, was she serious? Was I? Aidan had to fight off her apprehension, before she would allow herself to fall asleep. But sleep couldn’t wait, and soon, both were slumbering soundly in each other’s arms.

  ***

  “Aidan, Aidan wake up. We’re late!” Vicky jumped out of bed and began to dress. “It’s 16 30 hours. We’re going to miss curfew. Wake up!”

  Startled out of a sound sleep, Aidan jumped out of bed, “What?” she muttered as she brushed her tangle hair from her face.

  “We’re going to be late, come on, let’s go!”

  Vicky finished dressing and brought Aidan her clothes. Then she packed up their things and looked for the car keys.

  “Have you seen the keys?”

  “No, I thought they were on the table?”

  Quickly putting on her shirt, and zipping up her jeans, Aidan pulled on a boot and winced, “Found them.”

  They ran for their car, and were met by Jerry, who was running toward them, trying to zip his fly as he ran.

  As they drove back to base, Aidan, against her better judgment, asked the question that had nagged at her, last night.

  “Hey Vick, did you really mean that you didn’t want to go back?”

  Vicky looked at her curiously, and replied, “Of course I meant it. If I could stay in bed with you for the rest of my life, I surely wouldn’t want to go back to that place. Don’t worry honey, I plan to see this through.”

  “God, I love you, kid.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.” She squeezed Aidan’s thigh with her hand.

  “I’ll love you both, if you get us back on base in time.” Jerry quipped from the back seat, causing a laugh from both women, and a retort from Aidan.

  “I’m sorry Jerry, but I don’t do boys. However, I will get us back in time for a little spooning before bedtime…, uh, with Vicky that is.

  Jerry laughed, just as Aidan smashed the gas pedal down, and broke all the speed limits to get back on base, and in their rooms, just before curfew.

  Chapter 12

  Just when things become easier to handle, something invariably shifts in the cosmos, creating difficulties that, ordinarily, would never be foreseen as a problem. But as hard as one pulls against it, accepting the change is less of a struggle, than waiting for things to shift back. While weeks one through three focused more on fitness, week’s four through six concentrated on procedures. The trainees still did the calisthenics and hand-to-hand combat training every morning. But now, in the afternoons, their classes shifted, and focused more on learning to communicate using hand signals, how to read a map, do first aid in the field, and identify IED’s and unexploded ordnances.

  Of course, Vicky excelled at the first aid training, even though combat first aid was completely different from working in a sterile hospital. Jerry was especially keen on learning all he could about improvised explosive devices, having survived an IED, that took his buddy’s lives. They also learned some rudimentary Arabic words, where Vicky was a natural, with the phonetics of the language.

  Aidan outshined them all, at strategy and procedure training. She found she had a lot of aptitude for the details of a strategy. Considering she had never made it to high school, she was pretty proud of the fact that she was self-taught. Everything she knew, was because she did the research, practiced it, and consumed it. The Army trained her on the basics, and she took it upon herself to learn more.

  At the end of week four the Drill Sergeant called each trainee into his office, to discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and what they would need to do, to prepare for weeks five and six.

  Going down the list alphabetically, Aidan was the first one he called to his office.

  “Cassidy, you are an exemplary soldier, and when your mission is finished, perhaps you’ll consider working for us.”

  “Thank you, Drill Sergeant.”

  “Now, you’re looking very good in everything, except your focus. Let me be blunt, Cassidy. Montgomery is holding you back. Your mission could fail, if your attention is so easily distracted by her. You’ve got to train your focus, solely on the mission. To help you do that, you will be moved to another cabin immediately. You will spend this weekend, marching in formation. No play time. No girlfriend. No dice games. You’ve probably had demerits before, you know the drill. You need to be in mental shape, just as much as physical shape. Especially where you’re going. You are the leader of Operation Pink Knight, and it’s high time you act like it. So next week, you will assume the station of Team Leader, and oversee Montgomery’s and William’s training, exclusively.”

  She looked at him angrily, “Permission to speak freely, Drill Sergeant?”

  “Granted.”

  “What the fuck?”

  The sergeant smiled inside, but to Aidan, his face was stone cold. “Do you want to get her killed, Cassidy? You can’t protect anyone, if you’re worried about your friend. You’ve got to compartmentalize, or you’ll fail on your mission. Working off your distractions this weekend, will put everything into perspective for you. Then you will have these last two weeks, to get those two ready for the final round of qualifications. Do you understand?”

  She reluctantly said, “Hurrah”. Damn, he’s right. I’ve got to separate my emotions from my duty, but how can I do that to Vicky?

  Vicky waited nervously for her turn with the Drill Sergeant. She knew she was trying really hard, harder than most of the other trainees, she thought. She also knew that she just wasn’t cut out to be a soldier. She was homesick, and missed the everyday workings of the hospital. But she was determined not to let it weigh her down. Very soon, they would be on their way to a real war zone, and she had to be ready, for Aidan and Jerry’s sake.

  “Montgomery, you can come in now.”

  Vicky entered the office and took a seat in front of the Drill Sergeant’s desk. He leaned forward, and clasped his hands together. “Montgomery, when I saw you that first day, I would have laid odds that you’d quit by the third day, but you didn’t. You stuck it out, and I am impressed by your toughness.”

  “Thank you, Drill Sergeant.”

  He continued, “That is your strength, but your weakness is Cassidy.”

  “I don’t understand?”

  “You are as much a distraction to her, as she is to you. It will compromise the mission, for both of you. Personally, I think you should stay home.” He was so blunt, that Vicky started to protest, but he raised his thick hand, “Let me finish. Since I don’t think you’d be willing to do that, let me offer you some advice. When she says jump, you say how high. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Can I say something?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “I’ve known my best friend since I was in first grade, and I assure you, I will do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means asking how high she wants me to jump.”

  He smiled for the first time since she’d met him.

  “That’s what I wanted to hear, Montgomery.
And to help you accomplish that, I am moving Cassidy to the barracks, and making her the Team Leader, and there is no fraternizing with the Team Leader, understood?”

  “Oh,” Vicky let the word escape before she could stop it, “Um, I mean, hurrah.”

  It was the saddest hurrah the Drill Sergeant had ever heard, and for an instant, he felt bad, but only for an instant. “Now, here’s a trick you can use on the target range. When you’re looking at the bulls-eye, imagine it’s the enemy, about to shoot Cassidy. Don’t panic, just take a breath, squeeze the trigger, and blow the bastard away. Understand?”

  Vicky looked at him, smiled and shouted, “Hurrah!” As she turned to leave, she jibed, “You know, you should really smile more often, it’s very becoming on you.” She heard him laughing, as she closed the door.

  Finally, it was Jerry’s time to go before the Drill Sergeant.

  “Williams, like Cassidy, you are an exemplary soldier. But I’m curious why you want to follow her into another war zone, that could get you killed?”

  “I owe her my life, Drill Sergeant, I would go to hell and back, for her.”

  “I admire your attitude son, but I think, perhaps you are going to hell over there. What do you plan to do, when you get back from your mission, Williams?”

  Jerry looked at him a little confused, but answered the question, just the same, “Well, I was thinking of going to Boston to train as a fire fighter. I hear they’re the best.”

  “Why firefighting?”

  “I want to make a difference somehow, and figured that would be a good fit for me”

  The Sergeant was impressed with that answer, “Don’t lose sight of that goal, son.”

  Jerry nodded his head, “Hurrah”

  ***

  As soon as Vicky was finished with her interview, Aidan grabbed her arm, and pulled her outside, and around the corner.

  “The Drill Sergeant is having me move into the barracks tonight.”

  “I know, he told me that you were. This is all my fault, Aidan.”

  “The hell it is, kid. It’s my fault, because I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve got to find a way to make this work, for the both of us.”

  “Aidan, it will be all right.”

  “If it would be easier for you, Vicky, you can go back home, if you want to?”

  “Do you want me to leave, Aidan?”

  Aidan shook her head, trapping herself in her own frustrations. “Honestly, no, I really don’t. It’s selfish of me, but that’s the truth. But Vicky, I have to know I can pull this mission off, and bring us all home safe, and I can’t do that unless I have the balls to lead the team, without my emotions getting in the way. You understand, don’t you?”

  Remembering what she had promised the Drill Sergeant, just a few minutes ago, Vicky nodded her agreement. She decided to make it as easy on Aidan as she could, for both their sakes. “I understand, and I will support your decision. But please, can I have one last kiss before we separate?”

  Aidan grabbed her up in her arms, and kissed her deeply, absorbing her essence, into her very soul. Vicky grew dizzy from the passion. Then, slowly, reluctantly, they parted, going their separate ways, both with tears in their eyes.

  ***

  “No, she did not?”

  “I swear to God, Sally. I had barely walked through those hospital doors, and Kate was all over me like a bee to honey.”

  “And what did you do?”

  Ruth took a drink of her Scotch, and then grinned, “I enjoyed the ride.”

  “Good for you! So, are you two an item now?”

  “No, nothing like that. She’s teaching me a few technique’s that would blow your mind. It has really built my confidence up a lot, to have her as a teacher. She gives more than she gets from me, that’s for sure.”

  “Oh, I think she gets plenty out of you, uh… so to speak.”

  “Why, I do believe the shrink is blushing.”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  Sally Barrick, fifty-six years old, met Ruth in college, where they both rushed for the same fraternity. Ruth pledged because she only wanted the pin for her resume, nothing more. But when Sally saw her sitting there, looking wide eyed and intimidated, she introduced herself, and cajoled her to join in. As Ruth tells it now, Sally used her shrink voodoo on her, and she had no choice. Ruth went with Sally to a few events, like the unauthorized beer guzzling frat parties. Those were Ruth’s favorite, for that was where she discovered breasts.

  “So, I’m liking the new fashion statement you’re making now. Did Kate help with that too?”

  “Yeah, some of it. I mean, I had always loved these types of leather bracelets, but they brought out the tomboy in me. Something that I had always tried to hide. And Kate helped me with the shirt. In fact, she insisted I buy it, because she said I wasn’t the girlie-girl type.” Ruth looked down at her dark, plaid striped shirt, and pulled on the collar, “She said I needed something strong, to reflect my personality.”

  “And the hair? I like it short like that. Makes you look younger.”

  “I feel younger, Sally. I feel like a kid again, with my whole life ahead of me. And this time, I’m going to do it my way, and answer to no one.”

  “Amazing.” Sally took a sip of her wine, then added, “I’m impressed. Kate knows her stuff. I think she’s been very beneficial to you, in more ways than I had imagined. Just to get you to say you feel young, is an accomplishment all on its own.”

  “Nothing that an experienced bisexual nympho couldn’t cure.”

  ***

  Weekends were usually spent working on the firing range, or studying for tests that came every Monday. But this weekend, Aidan spent it marching the parade ground, carrying full battlefield equipment, while the Drill Sergeant barked orders at her. If Aidan wasn’t paying attention, or quick enough to obey, she had to drop, and do five pushups, in male fashion. It took quite a few pushups for Aidan get over her anger, and accept that she needed to focus.

  After a couple of hours of studying together with Jerry, Vicky finally gave up, and watched Aidan, marching in a circle.

  “I can’t stand this. How can I help her, Jerry?” Vicky was so worried for Aidan, that she was becoming angry.

  “It depends on how devious you want to be. I saw in this movie once, where the guys friends, mooned the Sergeant.”

  “For heaven’s sake, why?”

  “As a way to show their support I guess. It was pretty funny.”

  “Well, I’ve got a better way to show my support.”

  Vicky ran back to the barracks, and returned carrying her rifle and backpack. She fell in beside Aidan, and after correcting her step, she marched in unison with her.

  “No Vicky. You shouldn’t be here. Go back.” Aidan said sternly.

  But Vicky didn’t say a word. She glared at the Drill Sergeant, but kept marching beside Aidan. It wasn’t long before Jerry joined them, also carrying a rifle and backpack. They marched for an hour before the Drill Sergeant called them to attention, and the Commander walked up, taking his cover off, and tucking it under his arm. Aidan knew that for him to take off his headgear while outside, they were going to get a dressing down. She had seen it before, when it happened to her at Fort Leonard Wood.

  “So, are you three trying to be cute?”

  All three answered in unison, “No sir, Commander.”

  “Well then, Cassidy, why are you ignoring a direct order?”

  “Sir…,” Vicky spoke up first, “I’m the one who ignored the order, sir, not Aidan.”

  “I also ignored the order, sir.” Jerry added.

  “Would you agree, Aidan?”

  “No sir. I’m the one who ignored the order, sir.”

  Vicky forgot herself, “No, that’s not fair. She didn’t ask us to join her. In fact, she told me to leave.”

  “And therein lies the problem. Let me tell you what not being fair means to your mission, possibly your life. Cassidy told you to leave, but you didn’t listen to her. Now
she’s in trouble because you two couldn’t follow orders. Imagine if this were Syria, and she orders you back, but you don’t listen, and stepped on an anti-personnel mine. What then? Or she tells you to run, but you wait on her instead, and consequently you are shot by a sniper. Where does that leave Cassidy? Dead as well.”

  Vicky let out an audible gasp.

  “And do you know who’s fault all of that would have been, Cassidy?”

  “Sir, mine, sir.”

  The Commander confirmed, “Exactly right.”

  “But why would it be her fault if we didn’t do as we were told?”

  “Want to explain it to her, Cassidy?”

  “Permission to speak freely, sir?” He nodded his head. “Vicky, it would be my fault, because I didn’t instill in you the need to follow my orders. I’m sorry I didn’t think of this before dragging you all the way out here, but baby, I can’t make this work, as your lover.”

  The Drill Sergeant gruffly cleared his throat. He was unaccustomed to having two recruits talk in such a familiar manner.

  “Vicky, I understand now, what the Commander is saying. I love you with all my heart, kid. Say the word, and we’ll leave this instant. But, if you choose to continue, then you’ll have to see me as your boss, and I will have to see you as a soldier, nothing more.”

  It seemed like hours to Aidan, before Vicky finally spoke. “Team Leader Cassidy, permission to speak freely, ma’am?”

  Aidan grinned, “Permission granted.”

  “For better or for worse, ma’am. That’s what I will agree to, when the priest asks me if I take this woman. This is not the worst thing we’ve had to face together, Aidan. If I have to let you go, to keep you, so be it. I can make that sacrifice, if it will help keep you alive. Keep all of us alive.” Vicky stood erect, and snapped to attention, “Your orders, ma’am?”

  Aidan’s eyes moistened, as she grabbed Vicky, and pulled her to her waiting lips, kissing her passionately. At that moment, she didn’t care who was watching, not the Drill Sergeant, or the Commander, or even the President himself.