To Love a Soldier (3 page)

A Safer Place

My eyelids were heavy. I struggled to open them, letting small pockets of light in. My head was achy and pounding. I let out a slow, painful sigh.

“Liz.” It was the familiar voice of my mother. “Liz, come on. You need to wake up.”

I strained to push my eyelids open more. “Mom?” I asked, unsure of anything. I had no idea where I was, or why I was in so much pain.

“Yes, baby, it’s me. Come on, I know you want to sleep, but you have to fight it. You need to fight it.” Her voice broke. I could hear the familiar sound of pain in her plea. It brought back vivid memories of childhood, when we struggled with my dad never returning home.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Kane. She’s gonna be okay,” I heard Riley tell my mother in a soft voice.

“Liz, I’m here.” It was Brady’s unmistakable voice. “Your mom is here, Ri is here, and even your brother got leave and is on his way home. You need to wake up, Liz.”

My brother is on his way?
What the fuck happened that he’s coming home?

Feeling completely disoriented, I mustered the strength to lift my head slowly and get my eyes open. Brady was right in front of my face. “Brady, what happened? Why does my head hurt so badly? Were we in an accident?”

“I’m so sorry, baby.” He broken down in tears. “I’m so sorry.”

I looked at him, concerned.
What the hell happened?
I looked around and immediately realized I was in a hospital room. Now that I was coming to, my whole body ached, but my head hurt the worst. “Brady, whatever it was, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

I saw my mom gently push herself between Brady and me. Brady turned away, facing the wall to hide his emotions.
Was he crying?
Ri moved over to console him, while my mom took my face in her hand.

“Liz.” She took in and let out a deep breath. “We need to talk about what happened. At least what you can remember.”

“Mom, I really don’t know what happened. How did I end up here?”

She recalled the accounts of the night, based on what Brady had described to her. Nothing sounded crazy enough to have me end up here. Then, with her voice cracking, she told me what had
actually happened from the accounts of other people at the party and the police, who apparently showed up when they got the call from someone at the party. Slowly, I began to remember parts of the night. Nothing at all about passing out and being dragged down to a basement, but I did remember the creepy Mike guy and his friends. I remembered most of the night, up until Brady left to get Ri. My mother went on to tell me that the police had a man in custody and, from all accounts, they think that he got access to my drink and put a roofie drug in it. She said the test results showed traces of sodium oxybate. It also explained why he had been trying so hard to push a mixed drink on me earlier and why, when I came back from the bathroom, I started to feel really off. As I took in everything she told me, I recounted the events in my head one more time to try to make sense of what happened. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as soon as the realization hit me.

“Why? Why would someone do this to me? Why?” I cried.

Brady tossed a chair across the room, swearing he was going to get him and stormed out. Ri and my mother held me in their arms for the next thirty minutes. It hurt to cry, but it hurt more to think of what had happened to me. My mom and Ri assured me that he didn’t get the chance to rape me, but it didn’t feel that way. I felt so violated and vulnerable. I felt like I cried until nothing more would come out.

They stayed with me the rest of the day, until my mom left to get us food. Ri stayed in, quiet, mostly texting the whole time. No doubt this was some
major gossip and everyone wanted to know what had happened from the victim’s best friend. I stared blankly out into the hallway, watching nurses come and go. After a while, watching the same thing started to become blurry, until a figure entered the doorway. Rubbing my eyes, I had to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

“Remember me?” she asked.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me!” I shouted in anger. “Do you ever give up? His girlfriend is in the hospital, and you have the nerve to come here to stalk him?”

It was Mandy. Here I was
, a complete fucking mess. I felt like a turd that was just shot out of a donkey’s ass and I probably looked the same way, while this bitch strutted in, looking like a damn model.

“Liz, calm down,” Ri interjected, pissing me off. “You don’t understand.”

“Ri, this slut has been stalking Brady since she saw us at dinner last night. I can’t believe she fucking came here,” I seethed through gritted teeth, making my head pound even more.

“Liz, this is Mandy.”

“Yeah, I know who she is. I just told you who she was. This is probably her fault; she was probably busy seducing my boyfriend so that he wasn’t there to help me!”

“Actually,” Mandy said, as she stepped in closer, “I wasn’t with your boyfriend last night. I was too busy saving you from that pig.”

My jaw dropped.
Mandy saved me?
It sent a shiver down my spine, bringing back another piece of last night. It was as if the lost memories were coming back to me in reverse. I remembered hearing a woman’s voice calling for help. I remembered thinking there was someone else in trouble with me. Then I remembered feeling helpless and disgusted.

“You’re the one who called for help?” I asked, ashamed about flipping out on her.

Mandy smiled. “Well, I’m the one who clocked that scumbag in the head with a 2x4 and dragged you out of the basement. Yeah, I also called for help while I was dragging you out. No offense, but you were a little heavy and I didn’t think I could carry you up the stairs myself. You know, like dead weight and all.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not calling you fat, Liz,” Ri jumped in.

“No, I get it.” I shook my head in appreciation. “I think I owe you an apology, Mandy.”

“You don’t, Liz. Can I call you Liz?” I nodded. “I should apologize for
kind of being a bitch. Listen, your boyfriend is definitely sexy, but I’m not interested. I was having a little fun watching your reactions when you came to the pizza place, and I couldn’t stop myself. It was just harmless flirting, more so because I and some other waitresses were having a laugh at your reaction each time I’d walk away. Then when I showed up at the party and happened to see both of you sitting there, I mean, come on.”

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. It was my fault for being insecure! “You’re such a bitch,” I said, but this time in more of a teasing manner.

“I can’t argue with that. I know I am.” She smiled. “But once I saw you in the kitchen with that scumbag, Mike, I was sure to watch his every move.”

“You know Mike?” It didn’t seem like a girl of her caliber would never be around someone like him.

“Yeah, unfortunately I had the displeasure of finding out just who Mike was about seven years ago. I was about 14, and my friends and I were hanging around the wrong types of people. I dunno, I guess to be popular at the time and hang with an older crowd. Anyway, Mike and one of his friends pulled the same shit with me then. Only difference is they finished what they started.”

“Oh, Mandy.” I found it hard not to feel compassionate towards her.
“I’m so sorry. Why isn’t he in jail or something? How is he still out there doing the same thing?”

“Because he got away with it, obviously.” Her face became grim. “Put it this way, the police tend
to always lean more towards the explanation of girls getting too drunk and being willing, then changing their minds about it after they sobered up. I had witnesses seeing him put something in my drink. They couldn’t prove it because, by the time I remembered what happened, it was too late for testing like you had. He told them that I asked them both to have sex with me, so they considered it consent and me a slut. Same with his friend. The exact same story.” She shook her head. “His friend moved a few years back, but Mike never left town. I know everything about Mike. I know where he lives. I know where he works, which is why when I go to the mall, it’s only when he’s not working. I know you’re probably wondering why I was at the party to begin with and it’s because all my friends were going to be there and I knew I would be safe. Actually, I wasn’t going to go, but something told me I should. Guess you were that reason…” She trailed off. “It took years for me to recover, so I know what you’re going through. If there’s anything I can do for you, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Mandy, I don’t think what I went through was quite the same thing.
I’m really sorry for what happened to you and I’m sorry for being such a bitch.”

“Listen, I shouldn’t gotten so carried away at your expense. I already apologized for that and I sort of saved you, so I think it’s bygones,” she said, finishing with a small laugh.

“Bygones.” I smiled up at her.

I Love a Man in Uniform

Mandy

Usually when you do something good, you get bit in the ass later, but this good deed started a new chapter in my life. I couldn’t believe I had mustered the courage to face Mike, especially while he was about to do the same act that he destroyed my youth.

I suppose going through the same horrible experience somehow gave us a connection. That aside, Liz was a genuinely
decent person. It didn’t take long to figure out that she was struggling to find herself and had suffered some painful roadblocks in her past.

Right before Liz was discharged from the hospital, I spent time with her, trying to help talk her
through the traumatic memories that were slowly coming back. In the middle of talking, we were both stopped by the pounding of feet running down the hall. Seconds later, a huge man ran past the doorway. We watched as he sped by, only to hear the feet stomping louder to a stop.

“Oh shit!” Liz let out.

Before I could even ask, the man rushed his way into the room. He was big. Really big. Standing at six-foot-two, he had to be about 250 pounds, which was all muscle. This guy was ripped. He was wearing jeans and a concert t-shirt; I could see the tight muscles right through both. His arms were massive and covered in tattoos. I could see the anger growing in his eyes, but he never broke eye contact with Liz. She started to cry, and I jumped out of my seat.

“Listen, you big motherfucker,” I said, confronting the man. “Fuck you and fuck your scumbag friend. If you take another step toward my friend, you’re going to have to explain to the cops how you got laid the fuck out by a girl.”

The man broke eye contact with Liz and quickly lowered his eyes to my level. It was probably clear that my threat was all bark and no bite, because it would take a truck to knock this guy over. I didn’t care, though. Liz had been through enough and I had to try to keep her safe.

The man took a step toward me and smiled. I knew we needed help.

“Security!” I yelled out. I clenched a fist tight and threw it as hard as I could. It connected square in his cheek.

“Shit, seriously? You’re wearing a damn ring, too!” He locked his arms around me. I struggled, but it was a moot point.
Clearly, I had failed to do anything, except make him angrier. I needed to let out a louder scream to get security or a nurse in here to help, but he had hold of me so tightly that I couldn’t take in a deep enough breath to scream with.

“Listen, calm down,” he said. “I’m Liz’s brother, John.” He forcibly spun around to face Liz and I saw her go from crying to laughing.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I spat. “Liz, why didn’t you say something before I punched your brother?” She began laughing harder. His big arms gently released me and spun me around to face him.
Holy fuck, her brother is hot.

“I’m really sorry. It’s just that you caught me off guard and then came in looking like you wanted to kill someone.”

“No apology needed,” John answered with a smile. “I guess now I know better than to not take your threat seriously.” He laughed. “I’m glad my sister has a friend who would protect her.” I couldn’t stop looking directly into his big, brown eyes. He gave me a big smile and gently moved me out of his path.

“
Tizzy Lizzy,” he said, as he walked to her bedside.

“Tizzy,” was all I could get out before Liz stopped me.

“No way, Mandy; he’s the only one that gets to call me that. Just an inside thing from when we were kids.”

John sat on the bed and held Liz in his arms for several minutes while she cried. I had to step out because it was getting me choked up. I decided to give them some time and went to grab water for everyone. I roamed the hospital hallways. Somehow, an hour passed, and I figured that was enough time. I made my way back to the room. I walked in
, and John stood up straight and greeted me as ma’am.

“Ma’am?” I sneered. “I’ll give you a fuck’n ma’am.” I tossed a water bottle at him. With quick reflexes, he caught the bottle and gave it to his sister.

“Thanks, Mandy,” he said with sincerity. “If there is ever anything I can do to repay you for helping my sister like you did, just say so and it’s yours.”

“
Actually…there is.” I looked him straight in his eyes. I wanted him bad, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to find out just who John Kane was. “Take me out.”

He looked at me, slightly confused. “You mean like on a date or something?”

“Yeah, like on a date.” I laughed. “Listen, I saved your sister, so the least you could do is take me out.”

John, caught off guard, stood there, speechless. It was clear he was suddenly nervous
by the way he began to look around the room as if to find something to change the subject.

Liz started laughing. “Holy shit. Big John silenced by a woman. See, John?
I didn’t nickname her Eye Candy Mandy for nothing.”

“Eye Candy Mandy? Really, Liz?”

“Relax. It was before I knew you. Besides, take it as a compliment.”

John finally found the courage to speak. “Yes,” his voice cracked.

“Yes? That’s all you can say?” I teased. “That doesn’t even make sense, John. Does yes mean okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. I also want you to wear your dress uniform,” I demanded. “I want dinner, maybe a movie, and definitely some drinks out of you.”

“Hey, John,” Liz chimed in. “It sounds like Mandy is going to show you just how unfitting ma’am is for her.”

He blushed. I had to leave to make the dinner shift at Carmine’s, so I gave Liz a hug goodbye. John, a gentleman, stood as I was making my exit.

“I can walk you to your car,” he offered.

“What, you don’t think I can handle myself?”

“Oh, believe me, I know you can. My jaw still hurts.”

“I can help with that,” I said in my best seductive voice. I climbed up on my tippy toes and kissed his cheek. It wasn’t enough to satisfy me, so I grabbed him by the back of his head and planted my lips right on his. Pressing harder before pulling away, I bid him goodnight with a wink.

Making my way out of the room, I made sure to shake my hips as I left him behind. I knew he was still standing in the same spot, dumbfounded. I could make out Liz’s laughter as I turned the corner. If anything, I’m glad I gave her a
good laugh.