She pursed her lips and stood. "Thanks for the education, Mr. Stokes. It looks like we have some work to do. Let's get after it."
05/01/02 - 1730 hours
It was four days later when Corky decided to bite the bullet. She wasn't sure if it was the right decision but she felt she owed it to herself to try. The Commander clearly had a multifaceted personality and there was no denying she found the woman intriguing, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise. She suspected that under all of the bravado the woman displayed, there lurked a person she would like to know. The only question remaining was whether or not she could stand to be in her company long enough to find out.
With this mission in mind, she waited until the end of the workday and marched determinedly to the Commander's quarters. Upon arrival, she found a closed door and took a minute to cement the binds on her temper before knocking. When she received no response, she knocked again and poked her head in to find an empty office. She walked a few paces into the room and was surprised to hear singing, or what passed for it, coming from the woman's quarters. Corky winced; it was painfully obvious that vocal talent wasn't on the Commander's list of abilities. She went to knock on the door but paused when she caught sight of Little Lovecraft sitting in the chair behind the Commander's desk. Her eyes narrowed and she had to take a moment to forcibly remind herself why she was doing this.
Finally, she turned and pounded on the door a little more loudly than she had intended. She quickly grew annoyed when it wasn't answered and she was assaulted by another verse being sung in the other room.
"Hush, my darling, don't cry, my darling, the lion sleeps tonight!"
"Jesus, it sounds like she's boiling a fuckin' cat," Corky whispered in disgust and knocked on the door again.
"A wimoweh, a wimoweh, a wimoweh..."
"God help us all," she exclaimed, coming to the abrupt decision to just open the door. "Commander?"
Corky had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. The woman had headphones on and was singing into her toothbrush as she stood in front of her little sink and mirror. Dressed in her fatigue pants and bra, she swayed her ass back and forth in time with the music.
Finally, she turned to see that she had unexpected company and Corky couldn't contain her laughter when she yelped and jumped in surprise, almost falling down. When she got over her shock, she ripped the Walkman off angrily, her eyes flashing indignantly with embarrassment.
"Don't you know how to knock?" she asked irritably and was none too pleased when the doctor indulged in a fresh gale of laughter. "What's so damn funny?"
Corky could barely summon the breath needed to answer. "Your face."
"What about my face?"
Corky raised a finger and pointed at the mirror.
Malory frowned and turned to take in her reflection, immediately flushing with a new wave of crimson. "Goddamn it," she hissed and reached for a towel to wipe away the toothpaste that covered her chin and was running down her neck.
"Do you..." Corky struggled, "...do you often foam at the mouth?"
Malory stomped her foot, ignoring the comment and afraid that the doctor's laughter might be contagious. "You might as well come in," she said sarcastically, picking up a T-shirt from the floor to put on.
Corky took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes before walking completely into the room. She looked around for a place to sit down but there wasn't a square inch of space that wasn't covered with something.
Malory saw the dilemma and walked over to throw the clothes covering the room's single chair onto the floor. "Have a seat."
Corky admired the disheveled room with amusement. "How do you walk around in here?"
"When it gets tired of me stepping on it, it just gets out of the way. Was there something you wanted to see me about?"
Corky smiled, the Commander was doing an admirable job of ignoring the blush that still clung to her face. It made her task a little easier. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner and maybe watch a movie?"
Malory blinked. "Huh?"
"Please, don't make me ask again. It was hard enough just to decide to."
A long, befuddled stare. "Sure, I'd like that."
--------
Corky picked a spot in the mess that was somewhat secluded and sat down across from the Commander, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. Whether she was still embarrassed over having been caught goofing around or just perplexed at the developing situation was yet to be determined. She watched the woman play with the food on her plate and it suddenly occurred to her that the enigmatic Commander was probably used to being in charge and wasn't sure how to act when the shoe was on the other foot. She decided to press the perceived advantage.
"So, where are you from?"
"Uh... Boston."
"Interesting, you don't have an accent."
"No, I moved around too much to develop one."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty."
"What's your favorite food?"
"Pussy."
Corky's cheeks ballooned in an effort to stifle a bray of involuntary laughter; she covered her mouth with her hand and looked away in sudden embarrassment. When she had composed herself, she turned back to the table and looked at the Commander unbelievingly.
"Have you no shame?" she both asked and accused.
"Why did you ask me out?"
Corky shook her head sadly. "Because, despite the fact that you can be an atrocious bitch, I sense a likable person underneath."
Malory raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you think I'm a hottie?"
Corky sighed. This was going to be more difficult than expected. "Can you at least try not to be an ass?"
A small smile. "I'll do my best."
"Your best can be very good when you put your mind to it."
"What in the world does that mean?"
"It means I've watched you," Corky said. "I've watched you win over everybody here. You're intelligent, capable, undemanding, and brave. I watched you risk your life to save Mark and unfortunately, I watched you be the most unendurable person I've ever met. Why can't you be the person that everybody likes and admires to me?"
A genuine smile. "Maybe it's a case of teasing the girl you like."
Corky chuckled. "We're not in grade school here. Your idea of teasing and mine are quite different. I've never hit anyone in anger until I met you."
"I had it coming," she said lamely.
Corky just stared. "You enjoyed it and you enjoyed pissing me off, didn't you?"
"I can't say that I enjoyed being struck. But yeah, it was a hoot watching you get madder than a one-legged cat trying to bury shit on a frozen pond."
Corky's eyes narrowed and the grip she had on her fork tightened. "Do you ever think before you speak or are you this tactless and tasteless with everybody?"
Chastised, Malory reviewed her part of the conversation. "I guess I could've phrased that differently," she admitted, shoving a heaping forkful of food in her mouth.
"Are you a virgin?"
"What?" she exclaimed around her food.
"You heard me."
Malory hurriedly swallowed. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because you come on stronger than cheap aftershave but don't have the faintest idea how to be flattering," she explained, watching the woman wolf down another huge mouthful of food. "Plus, you have despicable table manners, a crass vocabulary, and you're a slob. I would imagine those qualities don't appeal to many women."
Malory took the diatribe in stride. "You're the one who asked me to dinner, so I must appeal to you in some way."
Corky decided to use the Commander's tactics against her. "Sure, you've got an awesome set of tits."
"I knew you thought so," she replied triumphantly.
Foiled, Corky scowled. "So you didn't answer my question."
"What question was that?"
"Are you a virgin?"
"Would it make you happy if I said yes?"
"I don't know, it might answer some questions I have about you."
"Are you?"
"Am I what? A virgin?"
"Yeah."
"No, I'm not."
"Are you a slut then?"
Corky ground her teeth. "No, are you?"
"No, but I'm willing to learn."
The smile came without permission. "You kill me," she stated with a quick chuckle.
"Thanks...uhm... I guess."
"So tell me about yourself."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything you want to tell me."
Malory propped her chin on her hand thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I like needlessly violent movies and I vote Republican."
Corky laughed at her brevity. "Is that all you want to share?"
"I guess," she replied. "I'm not very good at this. If you want to know something it would be easier if you asked me."
Corky shook her head. "You vote Republican?"
"Of course," Malory said imperiously.
"Why would a gay officer in the military vote Republican?"
"Who said I was gay?"
Corky gaped. "Aren't you?"
"Well, duh."
An exasperated sigh. "You're being an ass again."
"Thanks for pointing that out," she said dryly. "I vote Republican because I believe in the bigger picture."
"Care to explain?"
"I won't endorse a party just because of selfishness. I try to balance between what's good for me and what's good for the country as a whole."
"For instance?"
"Take gun control for example. It's the very height of stupidity to believe that taking that right away from me will take guns away from criminals. The men and women that have fought and died for our country's ideals did not give their lives so I could be shot down defenseless in my home because some political hack convinced a majority of Congress that I should no longer have the right to bear arms."
"And this serves the bigger picture how?"
"How do I vote for a party that promises equal rights for homosexuals but wants to take rights away from the nation as a whole? That's the very definition of selfishness. I get something for me at everyone else's expense, that doesn't serve the bigger picture."
"Nice speech."
Malory shrugged. "I can ride a soapbox when I have to. Your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"Tell me about you."
Corky smiled engagingly. "What would you like to know?"
Malory leaned forward excitedly. "Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Do you have a family? Will you kiss me goodnight? Do you have a pet? How old are you? Do you have a home somewhere? Where do you want to go when you leave here? What kinda music do you like? What's your favorite...?"
"Wait!" Corky exclaimed with a laugh. "Lemme catch up."
"Okay."
"Let's see," she said. "I'm from Corpus Christi, I went to Texas A M, my parents live in Arizona now, no siblings, maybe, no pets, twenty-seven, I sublet my apartment, I haven't thought about it, and classical."
Malory filtered through the responses carefully and smiled slyly. "You will."
"I will what?"
"So what do we have in the way of movies to watch?" she asked brightly.
--------
When they entered the small lounge it was empty with the exception of the fair-featured Lieutenant Ring, who was sitting up asleep on the couch, his mouth hanging open. Malory walked over and nudged him from behind.
"Looks like your show is over," she said, gesturing to the blue-screened television when he groggily turned eyes in her direction.
"Uh... yeah," he mumbled, lifting himself to his feet and sleepwalking out of the room silently.
Malory watched him go with an amused smile and turned to her companion. "So what's playing?"
Corky ambled over and opened a large cabinet containing a huge assortment of DVD's. "You choose," she offered diplomatically.
Her eyes widened when she saw the collection. "Oh, cool," she said, ambling over to peruse.
"You don't seem to know a lot about this place for being the one in charge," Corky observed.
"I'm pacing myself," she replied, extending a case. "Let's watch this."
Corky looked at the cover and sighed. "Can we pick something else?"
"What's wrong with 'Reservoir Dogs'?"
Corky just rolled her eyes.
"Fine, you choose," Malory said, walking around and flopping down on the sofa.
"Okay," Corky said cheerfully, spending a few minutes going over her possible choices. "How about 'Hope Floats'?"
"What's it about?"
For an answer, Corky walked over and handed her the case to read, waiting for acceptance.
"I think I'd rather set myself on fire," Malory proclaimed, tossing the case on the coffee table as if it offended her.
Corky closed her eyes and sighed.
After ten minutes of offers and rejections they finally agreed on 'Kingpin'. A movie that Malory enjoyed immensely, often laughing raucously at the crude humor that Corky endured with small sighs, eye rolling, and the occasional small chuckle.
As soon as it ended, Malory spun around in her seat unexpectedly, ending up on her back, her legs dangling over the end of the sofa and her head in Corky's lap. She stared up at her surprised companion hopefully. "You wanna make out now?"
"You're unbelievable," Corky said, amused.
"So is that a yes?"
"I think I'll pass," Corky said with a grin.
"Come on, you know you want to," Malory rumbled.
Corky brought a hand up to smooth red hair from the face in her lap. Surprised at herself, she tore her hand away as if it were on fire. Displacing the woman from her lap roughly, she stood and took several steps away from the sofa.
Almost thrown to the floor, Malory resituated herself confusedly and turned a questioning look on her companion. "Well, gee. A simple no would've sufficed."
Corky threw her a regretful look. "I'm sorry," she said. "Maybe we better call it a night."
Malory frowned but nodded her acceptance reluctantly. "Come on," she said, standing up and gesturing to the door. "I'll walk you to your quarters."
Corky nodded and preceded her into the hall, glancing over her shoulder occasionally at the obviously moping woman. Coming to a decision, she turned when they reached Medical and held out a hand, which Malory tentatively took with a quizzical expression.
Corky pulled her forward and stood on her tiptoes, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight, Malory," she said and quickly disengaged to retreat into her quarters, closing the door behind her.
The Commander watched the door close and let a goofy smile take control of her features. She turned on her heel and happily bounced down the hall toward her own quarters.
"A wimoweh, a wimoweh, a wimoweh," she warbled.
IV
05/02/02 - 0730 hours
The next morning, Malory entered the mess and was disappointed not to find the doctor in attendance. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a seat with the educated types, hobnobbing with them cheerfully for close to an hour. When they eventually broke up to go make themselves busy, she rapidly found herself bored. Torn between returning to her office to do nothing and paying the doctor a visit, she chose the latter.
She burst into Medical with a happy smile only to have it slowly change into a frown; the place was deserted. Disenchanted, she was turning to leave when she spotted an abandoned stethoscope residing upon a countertop. Excited at the discovery, she wasted no time in experimenting with it, immediately putting it on and listening to her heartbeat. When that activity became dull, she began placing it on every object she could find, hoping it would make a noise. She was in the process of clicking Corky's desk lamp on and off in the hopes that the light bulb would make a cool sound when a throat being cleared signaled that she had been caught playing.
She turned to find the doctor staring at he
r from the doorway, her face a mixture of curiosity, peevishness, and amusement.
"Uhm... I was just...uh..." she struggled, noting Corky's raised eyebrow and finally opted for the truth. "Okay, I was fuckin' around."
"No kidding?"
Malory shrugged lamely, watching the doctor set her coffee down and walk over to grab the end of the stethoscope dangling on her chest.
"This is not a toy," Corky said sternly and for good measure, flicked the sensor sharply and pulled the scope from her ears.
"Oww," Malory yelped.
"What are you doing in here anyway?" Corky asked, trying not to be amused at the chastised look she was receiving.
"I guess I wanted to see you."
Corky looked at her inquisitively for a long moment, unsure what to say in response. "I..."
"Commander?" the radio on Malory's waist squawked loudly.
Irritated at the interruption, she snatched it from her belt. "What?"
"Uhm... Commander, are you alone?" McNeely asked.
"No," Malory said confusedly. "Should I be?"
"I think that would be best, Commander."
"Very well," she said. "Five minutes."
"Understood."
Malory put the radio back on her belt with a wrinkled brow.
"What was that about?"
"No idea," she said. "Uhm... I have to go," she said, making tracks for the door.
"Malory?" Corky said before she could leave and she stopped in the doorway, turning a pleased look over her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Drop by my quarters tonight, if you want," Corky said shyly.
A slow, shit-eating grin. "Should I wear something sexy?"
"Do you own anything sexy?" Corky asked, rolling her eyes.
"Just my birthday suit."
"Come fully dressed."
--------
Malory walked the last few paces to the bottom of excavation, breathing heavily. The conversation with McNeely had been cryptic and uninformative, the man only saying that they had found something and her presence was required. She took the last step and let out a relieved breath; the going down was tiring and painfully slow. The men were standing about fifty yards away, apparently standing around and shooting the shit.
"Sergeant Major," she yelled out and McNeely broke from the crowd, starting an easy jog over to meet her and she admired him as he approached. Easily a decade and change older than her, the Sergeant moved with an easy grace that spoke of a lifetime of physical conditioning. Other than the dark brown hair above his ears that had started to gray, one would suspect the man to be a least ten years younger than he actually was. His green eyes sparkled with intelligence and hinted at a barely suppressed sly humor.
Stories by Kiera Dellacroix Page 60