Part 332: Good Friends
contributed by Lizzie. :)
Kellye slowly opened her eyes. She looked to her right and saw Jenny curled up in a chair, asleep. She sighed and whispered to herself, "Gotta love great friends."
She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before falling asleep, yet again.
---
"Schroeder!" a voice yelled.
Kellye quickly jumped off her cot and stood at attention before SGT Zale.“Yes, Sergeant?” she replied.
Zale had an annoyed look on his face as he stood in front of the young soldier with his hands behind his back. He slowly circled her as he spoke, “Schroeder, I got a surprise for you. In fact, you might just like it! You have someone who requests your presence in the mess hall. I don’t know who the hell it is, but the Colonel ordered me to get you over there.”
Kellye looked at him, puzzled. Who could possibly visit her in the middle of the Iraqi desert? She thought that maybe her Sergeant was screwing with her, because he loved to mess with his squads’ minds.“Well get going!” he yelled at her as he pointed to the exit of the tent.
She saw he was ticked off so she followed orders and quickly walked out of the tent after picking up her cover and rifle.As she stepped into the heat of the desert, Kellye wondered where her older brother was in all this. Last she had heard from him, he was in Taji. But then again, Brian’s unit tended to move around a lot. She shook off the thought as she neared the chow hall.Kellye stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. She walked inside and didn’t see anyone new. Her buddies Mossie and Mallman, also known as Caramel, were laughing at something, and other soldiers from her unit were socializing, eating, and even sleeping.
She was scanning the crowd for anyone unfamiliar when somebody came up behind her and tickled her sides. She squealed and jumped to face the person.Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw who it was. “Brian!!!” she screamed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Brian just laughed. “Whoa there, Sis, don’t knock me over.”
Kellye let go of him, half crying, half laughing. “Sorry, Brian. I’m just so happy to see you! What are you doing here?”
Brian then got a saddened look on his face. “Let’s sit down, Dove, okay?”
Kellye eyed her brother with concern as he led her to a table and sat down. He was struggling to find the words he needed to say to her. “Um, Kel? I, uh...” he started, “I’m...my unit...we’re pushing into Baghdad. Kel, I’m going...I’m going into combat. I’m going into combat and I’m not sure I’ll make it out alive.”
“Wh...what do you mean? You’ll make it, you’re good.”
“I don’t know, Kel, I just have this feeling that something bad’s gonna happen to me,” he stopped and looked at her. “Kellye, I came here because I needed to talk to you before I...go in. Just in case, you know? You’re my sister, and I wanted to tell you I love you.”
Tears started forming in Kellye’s eyes at the sheer thought of Brian getting killed. As much as she wanted to push it out of her mind, she knew the threat was always there. She closed her eyes and felt Brian put something in her hand. She looked and saw it was an envelope. Brian looked at her sadly. “Don’t read it unless something happens to me. Alright?”
Kellye just nodded her head, keeping her eyes on her boots. Her brother put his hand on her chin and made her look at him. “I love you, War Dove.”
She pulled him into an embrace and thought about never letting go when a voice yelled across the room at Brian, “Yo, Schroeds, we gots to go!”
The siblings slowly parted and stood up. They said goodbye as Brian followed his comrades outside and to their convoy. He climbed into a humvee and looked out the window at Kellye. He gave her a small wave and the line of vehicles rolled out.
Two days passed and Kellye got no word about Brian. ‘No news is good news,’ she told herself, ‘He’s alright."
As she was filling sandbags with some other soldier, SGT Zale came over to her. “What did I do wrong now, Sarge?” she asked sarcastically.
Zale had a solemn look as he said, “Schroeder, I’ve got some bad news.”
No more needed to be said. Kellye knew what had happened. She started to take quick, deep breaths and she started to cry. “No...no, no, no, no, no...”
“I’m sorry, Schroeder, I really am,” Zale spoke.
Kellye looked at him. “Where is he? Where is he, I need to see him!”
Then she saw two medics slowly setting a litter down in the sand. Kellye saw immediately that it was her brother. She ran over and fell to her knees on the ground beside him. Kellye didn’t know what to do. Brian, her rock, her best friend, her brother, was dead. Gone. She sank down and sat on her heels. She reached for his helmet which had been laid between his ankles. She picked it up and looked inside. Taped to the inside was a picture of her.
All of a sudden, he opened his eyes and stared straight at her.
He said something, but it wasn’t his voice. It was Jenny’s.
---
“Wake up, Kellye. Wake up,” Jenny said as she gently shook her friend.
Kellye’s eyes snapped open and looked around frantically. She was nearly hyperventilating and sweating profusely. She had been crying.“You okay?” her blonde friend asked, concerned.
Kellye started to calm down. “Yeah, I-I think so.”
Jenny let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. “What were you dreaming about that got you breathing so fast?”
“My brother,” Kellye whispered after a moment.
Jenny needed no further explanation; she knew how much Kellye missed her brother. Kellye wiped her tears, trying to push back the memories. She then turned on her side to face her new friend. "You gonna be here when I wake up?" she asked.
Jenny smiled a warm smile. She gently took Kellye's hand to assure her she wasn't alone.
They sat in silence until Jenny heard Kellye’s breaths even out. She was asleep again. The young blonde hoped her friend's dreams would be a little more pleasant the second time around.
Kellye slowly opened her eyes. She looked to her right and saw Jenny curled up in a chair, asleep. She sighed and whispered to herself, "Gotta love great friends."
She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before falling asleep, yet again.
---
"Schroeder!" a voice yelled.
Kellye quickly jumped off her cot and stood at attention before SGT Zale.“Yes, Sergeant?” she replied.
Zale had an annoyed look on his face as he stood in front of the young soldier with his hands behind his back. He slowly circled her as he spoke, “Schroeder, I got a surprise for you. In fact, you might just like it! You have someone who requests your presence in the mess hall. I don’t know who the hell it is, but the Colonel ordered me to get you over there.”
Kellye looked at him, puzzled. Who could possibly visit her in the middle of the Iraqi desert? She thought that maybe her Sergeant was screwing with her, because he loved to mess with his squads’ minds.“Well get going!” he yelled at her as he pointed to the exit of the tent.
She saw he was ticked off so she followed orders and quickly walked out of the tent after picking up her cover and rifle.As she stepped into the heat of the desert, Kellye wondered where her older brother was in all this. Last she had heard from him, he was in Taji. But then again, Brian’s unit tended to move around a lot. She shook off the thought as she neared the chow hall.Kellye stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. She walked inside and didn’t see anyone new. Her buddies Mossie and Mallman, also known as Caramel, were laughing at something, and other soldiers from her unit were socializing, eating, and even sleeping.
She was scanning the crowd for anyone unfamiliar when somebody came up behind her and tickled her sides. She squealed and jumped to face the person.Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw who it was. “Brian!!!” she screamed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Brian just laughed. “Whoa there, Sis, don’t knock me over.”
Kellye let go of him, half crying, half laughing. “Sorry, Brian. I’m just so happy to see you! What are you doing here?”
Brian then got a saddened look on his face. “Let’s sit down, Dove, okay?”
Kellye eyed her brother with concern as he led her to a table and sat down. He was struggling to find the words he needed to say to her. “Um, Kel? I, uh...” he started, “I’m...my unit...we’re pushing into Baghdad. Kel, I’m going...I’m going into combat. I’m going into combat and I’m not sure I’ll make it out alive.”
“Wh...what do you mean? You’ll make it, you’re good.”
“I don’t know, Kel, I just have this feeling that something bad’s gonna happen to me,” he stopped and looked at her. “Kellye, I came here because I needed to talk to you before I...go in. Just in case, you know? You’re my sister, and I wanted to tell you I love you.”
Tears started forming in Kellye’s eyes at the sheer thought of Brian getting killed. As much as she wanted to push it out of her mind, she knew the threat was always there. She closed her eyes and felt Brian put something in her hand. She looked and saw it was an envelope. Brian looked at her sadly. “Don’t read it unless something happens to me. Alright?”
Kellye just nodded her head, keeping her eyes on her boots. Her brother put his hand on her chin and made her look at him. “I love you, War Dove.”
She pulled him into an embrace and thought about never letting go when a voice yelled across the room at Brian, “Yo, Schroeds, we gots to go!”
The siblings slowly parted and stood up. They said goodbye as Brian followed his comrades outside and to their convoy. He climbed into a humvee and looked out the window at Kellye. He gave her a small wave and the line of vehicles rolled out.
Two days passed and Kellye got no word about Brian. ‘No news is good news,’ she told herself, ‘He’s alright."
As she was filling sandbags with some other soldier, SGT Zale came over to her. “What did I do wrong now, Sarge?” she asked sarcastically.
Zale had a solemn look as he said, “Schroeder, I’ve got some bad news.”
No more needed to be said. Kellye knew what had happened. She started to take quick, deep breaths and she started to cry. “No...no, no, no, no, no...”
“I’m sorry, Schroeder, I really am,” Zale spoke.
Kellye looked at him. “Where is he? Where is he, I need to see him!”
Then she saw two medics slowly setting a litter down in the sand. Kellye saw immediately that it was her brother. She ran over and fell to her knees on the ground beside him. Kellye didn’t know what to do. Brian, her rock, her best friend, her brother, was dead. Gone. She sank down and sat on her heels. She reached for his helmet which had been laid between his ankles. She picked it up and looked inside. Taped to the inside was a picture of her.
All of a sudden, he opened his eyes and stared straight at her.
He said something, but it wasn’t his voice. It was Jenny’s.
---
“Wake up, Kellye. Wake up,” Jenny said as she gently shook her friend.
Kellye’s eyes snapped open and looked around frantically. She was nearly hyperventilating and sweating profusely. She had been crying.“You okay?” her blonde friend asked, concerned.
Kellye started to calm down. “Yeah, I-I think so.”
Jenny let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. “What were you dreaming about that got you breathing so fast?”
“My brother,” Kellye whispered after a moment.
Jenny needed no further explanation; she knew how much Kellye missed her brother. Kellye wiped her tears, trying to push back the memories. She then turned on her side to face her new friend. "You gonna be here when I wake up?" she asked.
Jenny smiled a warm smile. She gently took Kellye's hand to assure her she wasn't alone.
They sat in silence until Jenny heard Kellye’s breaths even out. She was asleep again. The young blonde hoped her friend's dreams would be a little more pleasant the second time around.
posted by Jason | 5:09 AM
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