Learn with Me

by Kris Jacen

  “Oh you all decided, did you?”

  “We did. Totally don’t understand what that heptad is that sergeant major was talking about but it sounded like a good thing. You and Carter would be waiting for me if I needed you to. You’d be there for any of us so… just stop arguing with me so I can pull the car up.” Randolph slightly bumped into Siah’s shoulder as he walked passed him.

  “Ranny?” Siah waited until Randolph turned back. “You’re right, we would be and I’m glad you’re here.” Randolph gave him a smile and walked away.

  § § § §

  Carter vaguely remembered leaving the hospital with Siah and… Randolph? Siah helped him into the backseat of the car and buckled him in. Carter thought he heard them talking about food but ewwww, the thought of eating made him queasy. Or was it the meds? He gave up trying to figure that out and went to sleep.

  Next thing he knew he was sitting at the little table in Siah’s kitchen and there was a bowl of soup in front of him. Oh yeah, these meds were playing with him.

  “What did they give me? I’m all fuzzy.” Carter looked at Siah, trying to focus but there was a blurry glow around his head.

  “They didn’t give you anything other than Tylenol since you have a concussion. Eat your soup so we can get you to lie down.”

  Since lying down was top of his priority list, Carter just started eating. He only got about half way through the bowl before he couldn’t eat any more and pushed it away.

  “Come on, you, let’s get you to bed.” Had to be one of Carter’s favorite statements from Siah.

  They shuffled him into the bedroom and Siah pulled his shirt off him then covered him up. Carter reached out and grabbed Siah’s hand.

  “You’re sleeping here too, right?”

  “Where else would I sleep?” Siah had a strange look on his face.

  “I need you here.”

  “I’ll be right back. Going to lock down the house and turn off the lights.”

  It didn’t take Siah more than five minutes before he was climbing into bed with Carter who wrapped himself around Siah as soon as he was beside him.

  “I could get used to this,” Carter murmured.

  “Why don’t you, and move in here?” Siah asked.

  “I’ll think about it when I’m not fuzzy,” Carter answered. He still wasn’t sure he was good enough for Siah but tonight wasn’t when he should make any big decisions. That was the last thought he had before drifting off.

  § § § §

  If Carter had to talk to one more person about his attack, he might go postal. In the three weeks since, he’d talked to more MPs than he ever wanted to, Captain Harris, Top Redmond, Sergeant Major Short, and Colonel Kimber. Top made him see a shrink. Wells, Randolph, and Tank wanted to know what had happened and asked him repeatedly who did it.

  The only one not riding his ass about it was Siah. He was Carter’s touchstone through it all. Siah was just there for him, holding Carter at night while he drifted off. Pulling him out of his nightmares which Carter knew were all about the attack even though the shrink thought part of it came from deployments. Oh yeah, Carter had internally rolled his eyes since he hadn’t had any PTSD before the attack. How he’d be getting through this without Siah, Carter didn’t know. Carter had been staying at Siah’s every night. He didn’t know how he’d sleep without him these days.

  Siah hadn’t asked Carter to move in again but the idea was floating between them. Carter just wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet… even though he was basically living there now.

  Carter was supposed to meet Mooney for lunch today. They hadn’t gotten together in a few weeks. He knew Mooney and the heptad were worried about him. It was nice they cared. Even though he’d only met them a few times, Mike, Brian and Spook had all texted to check on him. Sergeant Major Mac and Top Glenn had called him a few times. Mooney? He was checking on Carter every few days. It was like having a group of older brothers watching out for him. As he was about to walk out of Sergeant Love’s office, Carter heard some guys in the hallway.

  “Think they’ll win? Shit, the losing streak they’ve got going this season sucks,” Price said.

  “Not fucking likely,” Danner shot back.

  Carter didn’t hear anything else as they moved down the hall. Close call but he’d ducked the assholes. He double checked the time, just enough to make it to the diner.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Siah was sitting on one edge of the couch grading history reports with Carter on the other end doing homework. He’d taken on those two courses this term and although he’d argue with Siah about it, Carter was excelling at them.

  Carter had told Siah school wasn’t his thing. That he’d struggled through high school. Siah just thought he’d not had the best teachers back then. Oh he didn’t think it was all on the teachers, Carter deserved and accepted his part in his lack of interest. Siah just believed it took the right combination of subject, teacher, and commitment from the student for it all to click.

  Looking over at the set-top box, Siah noticed it was getting late. He’d gotten through most of the reports. He could finish up during his prep period tomorrow. Time to move to bed. Siah gathered everything into the folder and shoved it into his bag before he looked over at Carter. He was all bent over, muttering to himself.

  “Hey you,” Siah said softly.

  Carter stopped what he was doing and looked over at Siah, blinking a few times. A smile turned up the corner of his mouth as he replied, “Hey back.”

  “Time for bed. Come on, it’ll be there tomorrow night.” Siah got up and then said, “Race you to the bed.”

  Before Carter could even respond, Siah was down the hall laughing as he heard Carter call out, “So not fair!”

  “Give it up and crawl in here with me. We locked up earlier.” Siah was already snuggling into his pillow by the time Carter walked through the door.

  “At least you left me some covers tonight,” Carter teased.

  “For now. For now.” Siah turned over as Carter got in and spooned behind him.

  Carter placed a kiss on ‘his spot’ on the side of Siah’s neck. “Night.”

  “Night.”

  § § § §

  Something woke Siah. He wasn’t sure what was going on. The bed was shaking and he was cold. Carter stole the blankets tonight. It was normally Siah that stole the blankets and Carter the pillows. Siah turned over to pull some blanket back when he realized why the bed was shaking. Carter was tossing and turning. He was mumbling something but Siah couldn’t figure out what.

  Siah’d done a little research about PTSD and what to do for flashbacks even though Carter was pretty stable. Sitting up, Siah reached for the light next to the bed. It was dim enough that it wouldn’t blind him but it should have enough light that if Carter woke up he’d be able to see it was Siah next to him.

  Carter continued to thrash back and forth but since he wasn’t hurting himself, Siah just watched him. After a few minutes, Siah started to quietly talk to Carter. Not trying to startle him awake but more bring him about slowly then all of a sudden, Carter jerked up and screamed.

  “Fuck! Danner!” Carter’s eyes were open but Siah wasn’t sure if he was really awake then he began to sob.

  “Carter, I’m here. I’m right here.” Siah repeated himself over and over, pulling Carter into him and rocking.

  Finally, Carter’s shaking stopped and Siah didn’t think he was crying anymore. “Carter? Are you with me?”

  “Yeah, I need Mooney.”

  § § § §

  Calling Mooney in the middle of the night wasn’t something Carter ever really wanted to do but he just wasn’t sure what to do. Whether his brain was making things up to end everything or not. Mooney’s quick “On my way” was almost a balm though.

  It always amazed Carter when senior NCOs and officers could respond intelligently in the middle of the night, kinda like mothers, they were up and functioning in seconds.

  Not too long after h
e called, Mooney was knocking on Siah’s door. When he came in, he had the MP first sergeant with him. Neither were in uniform but they really didn’t need the clothes to command the room when they entered.

  “I thought it would be better for Holland to hear what you had to say immediately. You said you remembered something and since this is her investigation…” Mooney trailed off.

  “Sorry to get you up in the middle of the night, First Sergeant.” Carter thought an apology was in order. She wasn’t his first sergeant; she didn’t need to jump for him.

  “Not a problem, Sergeant. The battalion has classified your attack as a hate crime so it’s top priority. No command likes it when that classification comes up.”

  “Mooney, First Sergeant? Please have a seat,” Siah said. “Can I get you some coffee?”

  “Thanks, Siah but I’m good. Holland?” Mooney answered.

  “I’m good thanks,” she said as she sat down. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s going on, Sergeant?”

  “I woke up screaming about an hour ago. Siah told me I’ve been having dreams since the attack, which I don’t remember, but tonight was the first time I woke myself. I know who attacked me now.”

  “And how are you sure?” she asked.

  “When you first interviewed me, I told you I remembered them talking as they left?” Carter thought he had told her this.

  Holland had pulled out a notebook when she sat and she flipped through it now. She stopped at a page and started nodding. “Yes, you did. What’s different tonight?”

  “Today at the unit, I heard two guys talking in the hallway and one of them said ‘not fucking likely’. I just shrugged it off at the time but it must have shaken something loose. It was the same voice saying the phrase.”

  Mooney turned to Siah. “What did I tell you and your crew at the hospital?”

  It took Siah a moment to remember what Mooney was talking about. “When we were in the waiting room? You told us the attack was an act of a coward but he’d give himself away.”

  Mooney just sat there smugly having called it right.

  “So one of the guys in the hallway is the one that attacked you? Did you know the guys?” Holland asked.

  “Unfortunately, I do. Mooney does too…” Carter trailed off, biting at his lip. He was having problems making eye contact with the senior NCOs. He was still feeling like a failure for not getting any hits in.

  “Carter? Look at me,” Mooney commanded quietly. It took him a minute to look up but met Mooney’s look. “You did everything you could to protect yourself from an unprovoked attack. I don’t know many that could have done more than you, unless they’ve had advanced training,” Mooney finished looking at Siah.

  “Already on it, Mooney. Soon as his ribs are fully healed, Carter’s on the mat with me.” Siah was adamant Carter get personal defense training above what he’d gotten in combatives.

  “All right, Sergeant. Can you tell me the person’s name?” Holland pulled the conversation back.

  “Danner.” That one name set Mooney off. He pushed himself off the chair and paced for a minute.

  “You’re fucking kidding me? That little shit. Your first sergeant is going to be pissed.” Mooney stopped to take a breath and sit back down. “Who’s going to wake Redmond?”

  “Are you absolutely sure, Sergeant? We haven’t got much to go on with evidence and if you have a prior relationship with this soldier…” Holland left the sentence out there hanging.

  Carter sat there for a minute, blinking, before he broke out laughing. She thought— Oh that was a good one. After a minute or so, he got himself under control.

  “No ma’am, it’s never been that type of relationship. Danner, and two of his compatriots, have several times expressed their disgust in a gay man in their unit. Actually in the Army at all.” Carter corrected the first sergeant.

  “Ahhh, so not a relationship gone bad but a small-minded male thinking he’s better than others.” The look on Holland’s face said it all. She’d experienced similar situations as a female in a male environment. “Think it might be a good idea if First Sergeant Redmond did a barracks inspection tomorrow.”

  “Oh, I think that’s a splendid idea,” Mooney agreed with Holland. “Wish I could be there to witness it.”

  “Splendid? Really, Mooney?” Siah was chuckling.

  Mooney blushed and rolled his eyes. “It was my turn to review vocab with the boys last night.”

  “Okay, let me wake up Redmond. He’s not going to be too happy that the perpetrator is a member of his unit, but he will be happy to get this matter sorted. If this male is as arrogant as he seems to be, he’s not going to have gotten rid of anything. He’s probably got the physical evidence still in his possession, thinking we’d never find him.” Holland stood and walked into the kitchen area for a little quiet.

  Carter looked at the time on the TV. Shit, 0400. “Sorry for getting you out of bed in the middle of the night, Mooney.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Mooney waved him off. “Debs wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t get woken up at least a few times a month. She’ll have to adjust soon.”

  “Why would she have to do that?” Siah asked.

  “I’m approaching thirty years soon. Unless I’m appointed to the branch command sergeant major or school sergeant major, I’ve done just about all I can do in the Army.”

  “So you’re retiring?” Carter asked.

  “We’re talking about it. The boys like their school and have a lot of opportunities around here. I’m sure I can find a job. Debs is talking about wanting to get her masters. It’s time her and the boys get to decide where we live. They’ve moved at the whims of the military for decades.”

  “If you get out, the military will be losing a great leader,” Carter told him.

  “I’m not retiring yet. I’m having fun over at CID but it’s a possibility.” Mooney grinned.

  Holland came back into the room. “Surprise inspection tomorrow morning. Myself and a team will be in the commander’s office waiting to be called. Hopefully, Redmond will find what we’re looking for. Get some sleep if you can, Sergeant.”

  “Not sure I can get anymore at this point, First Sergeant. Let me show you out.” Carter started to get up.

  “Stand down,” Mooney said. “I’ll walk her out since I’m going to head home and change. Think I’ll do PT with the unit today since I’m awake.”

  “Thanks isn’t enough, Mooney. Maybe we’ll take the boys for you for a night. You could take Debbie somewhere special?” Siah offered as he and Carter stood.

  “Ohhhh, Debs would like that and our anniversary is coming up soon. Twenty years in the blink of an eye. I’ll get back to you. See what I can come up with.” Mooney winked and walked out with Holland.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  It was almost anticlimactic after he got Holland and Mooney out of bed. The next morning, at PT formation, Redmond pulled those that lived in the barracks to stand in front of their doors as he did an inspection. He dismissed the rest of the unit but not knowing what was going on, of course, they all hung around where they could watch the proceedings. Since Carter knew what was going on, he wasn’t moving an inch.

  Looked like Top had decided since he was going to flip one room, why don’t do them all at the same time? Top must be having second thoughts after he finished the third room, he already had a collection of drug paraphernalia and some neo-Nazi propaganda. Looked like there was going to be some openings in the salute battery soon.

  When Redmond got to Danner’s room, he was slouching against the wall looking bored. “This is bullshit. I haven’t done nothing,” he started to argue.

  “Shut it, Danner. I have the right to enter this room whenever I want. I own these barracks. If you have any issues with that? The sergeant major’s office is right over there.” Redmond pointed in the direction of the battalion headquarters. “Now open the door and stand aside.”

  Moving as slowly as humanly possible, Dan
ner pushed on his door and shifted staying in the doorway.

  “Move to the outside of the door, Danner. Now!” Redmond commanded, Carter could hear in his voice he was pissed.

  “But—” Danner was stupid.

  “Sergeant, if you don’t follow my orders right fucking now, I will have you up on an Article 15 and out of this battery.” Redmond wasn’t playing anymore. Carter almost felt bad for Danner then he shifted and his ribs hurt. Yeah, not feeling bad.

  Danner stood there for another minute before he moved. Redmond and one of the platoon sergeants entered the barrack room. After a few minutes, Redmond and the sergeant came to the door. “Danner, I’m taking you to Captain Harris’ office. Sergeant Candid, stand guard on this door. No one in or out. I need to get the MPs.”

  § § § §

  Mooney and Holland were right. Danner was stupid enough he still had the shemagh along with a uniform splattered with blood and a pair of gloves. Yeah, a lot of them had the shemaghs they’d used to cover their heads from deployments but Danner hadn’t deployed. They were going to test the blood but thought it would come back to Carter. He was over in Mooney’s office telling him all that went on that morning.

  “Top is pissed. How all this shit was going on and his platoon sergeants had no clue? Oh yeah, there’s going to be counseling. Captain Harris is incensed. His officers didn’t know what was going on and weren’t apparently supervising for shit. Holland escorted Danner to the MP station for processing and confinement. He’ll be spending time in Leavenworth. Stevens was the moron with the neo-Nazi pamphlets, he’s out of here as soon as the paperwork is done. Price and the other soldier with the drugs are being tested and if they come back positive? Can you say dishonorable discharge?”

  “Christ, I almost feel bad for Redmond. Yes, he and Harris are relatively new to the unit but still? No first sergeant wants all this on his head.” Mooney was leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head.

  “Guess battalion command is pissed too. They’re starting inquiries as to how these men got assigned here. Are you really thinking about retiring?” Carter still couldn’t believe that Mooney had said that.