I have a very serious and somewhat nervous Isabella looking into my eyes with the deepest affection that is held within hers. By the way, her eyes are sparkling in the early morning sun; I am not fully sure if she is just glowing from radiance or if she, indeed, maybe on the brink of crying.
She is making me worry somewhat, but as I have learned on several occasions, I that shall let her gather herself, and she shall speak when she is ready. But what can be this great that it has stunned this confident woman to silence, which is now going on for much longer than my worrying heart can take?
If she is having second thoughts, then I'd say that we are past the point of return now. Much to my relief, with somewhat stumbling mumbles, she starts to speak.
"Soldier, you know how much I love you."
"Yes, like infinity and beyond."
"Don't make me laugh; this is serious."
"How serious? Like turn around and go back home serious?"
"No! God, no! I d
It has come to that time again that I need to say my goodbyes. The week has come and gone faster than I wanted. It feels that I have not spent near enough time with Isabella. The most unbearing thing shall be being away from the baby. I have grown fond of the idea and even more attached to something that has not yet even given shape. To say that I am not going to miss the both of them with be a lie.The anticipation of deploying on the other side is equally just exciting. This time we will be away for a definite six months. This time the stakes are higher, and the danger is far greater. Camp Baharia in Fallujah, the base name, has a tight connection with its operating force; in fact, the Marine Corps are referred to as mushaat al baharia in the Arabian language; hence the free translation, the name describes the navy walkers. Among the military troop and plenty of other officials, including the 2-nd Battalion 1-st Marines, it is referred to as Dreamland.And this is wh
…Isabella POV…They say that reality comes to bite you when you least expect it. Well, a ghost from my past has just surfaced its head. In a way, I knew that he would one day come. I knew that he should find me, and then it will just start all over again.But there is a question that begs, how did he know that Clayton will not be here. Does this mean that he has been watching me this whole time, just waiting for his gap to step from out the darkness?What I also know is that he will not leave until he came here to say what he has to say. Knowing him though he has not come to talk, he has so to say, come to claim his prize. Or what he always comes for.Am I glad that Clayton is not here to see this playoff? I can honestly say yes. But what I also know is that Clayton is going to be furious if he ever has to find out. I have hidden it very well up until now; I just hope he leaves before Denise and Richard comes.So for once again, I ask
I have just received somewhat disturbing news. Isabella's husband is very much still alive. Now, this brings two things to mind. Does she know that he is? Or is she in danger? I have no way of confirming this for myself. I am off in the middle of hostile country; there is not much I can do from here. What I can do is phone her for a brief moment.So as I go to my tent, I feel a somewhat nervous feeling creep into my heart. Or is it fear, fear for Isabella and our child? I will simply die if anything has to happen to her by a man that she once trusted. Well, that all depends if she knows about him or not.And it is with this thought in mind that I, with rather trembling fingers, called Isabella's number. I patiently, in absolute frustration, wait for her to answer the call.Yet, there is no answer.…Isabella POV…I have a rather annoying, suppose to be dead husband standing in front of me demanding that I conveniently take him back. Ye
I have just established that Isabella has had yet another secret from me. As far as the secrets go between us, I can honestly say that this is a big one. Yes, me hiding that I was disabled can count as unforgivable. But having a seemingly innocent man sort of propose to you and then on top of that you are expecting a child, well that is kind of a bigger deal.I am all the way here in Fallujah; there is no way I can protect her, that being said, if she wishes to be protected at all. The biggest question here is, why has she not thrown this man out or, even worse, accepted my offer to get him removed. Does she still have feelings for Mark? He is her real husband, after all.Now, where does that leave me? A man that clearly looks like the cheating kind. Never once have I been unfaithful, and right now, I look like a man that is messing with a married woman. And let us not forget the fact that we are having a child together.With that, a whole new bunch of que
Today my old squad led under Galland now, are making our way into the city. Routine run, nothing too serious to worry about. We do not foresee any resistance, only a lot of stranded civilians. Now there is the majority of the boys that are finding this unnerving due to the amount of Marines that have been killed recently. My advice, keep your head in the game; when they get confronted, then we deal with it then. No need to foreseeing the worse if it is not going to happen. So after we have geared up, we get into the Humvee and make our way away from the camp towards the city. It is ominous; the black smoke lay thick from the tires that have been burnt. The road seems eerily quiet with not a lot of civilians around. This is going to be a quick run-through, and then we are out again …Isabella POV… Clayton's old squad is going out today, and, as with Clayton, he has gone out with them. Now I wish that he did not do it. At least he was honest in telling m
We have just come to realize that we have been ambushed. Clearing the first and the second floor has found us peace that they are not hidden behind any of the walls or, as some of the daring ones will do, in a nearby closet. These buildings, even this one, which is a bit more modern, they all have their own creek and cracking sounds. If some asshole on the very far side of the third floor opens a door, we are for sure certain to know about it.So we are making the way upstairs slow and steady. Make one wrong move, and it just might be the end of you. It is you or the man on the other side of the gun; no time for hesitation. If you want to make it alive out of this building today, you should be alert, and you should not falter.I can see the steady tremble in the hands of some of the guys; of course, it is fine to be scared. But you should not let that make you lose sight of the task at hand. So we crawl if I even dare say so, up the stairs. Much to my horror, as we get
Today we are getting ready to go out again. This time it is going to be somewhat more dangerous than we had yesterday. When the words like 'Marines being killed' is said in the same sentence of today's mission, it does seem to bring out some sense of dread out of you. But we do now show fear. We do not falter. We are Marines, we do not lose. There is not one word spoken as we set off in the Humvee to a part of Fallujah.Galland is especially gone nervous, he has not even blinked an eye. I think the poor man is terrified beyond tomorrow. How do you reassure a man that everything shall be okay when you have no idea of knowing it yourself? But I know that he is strong and that there is nothing that will break him down. Yes, there is only one thing that he cannot see past at a time like this, is us being taken hostage before. The word kills Marines has the same effect as what it has on the rest of the squad.So all I can do is but put my hand on his shoulder and give him t
What defines fear? The feeling that grips your stomach, suffocates your lungs, and tears your heart will slow agony from your chest.What is fear for a Marine? The joke that you tell at night around the fire. It brings you only but a sense of what you truly are. You fight, and you fight to the end.But what is fear when you see it on the faces of the men that you vow to protect? It is a pain that rips your flesh from your body to an agonizingly slow pace.This is something that you do not foresee. You do not expect a child to lead you into the belly of a beast. You are trained to always be on alert. But when you are a man with a child or even one on the way, which most of us are, you do not expect to be deceived by one.We have been forced to sit down on our knees in front of what seems to be some of the most intimidating men that most of us have seen. What do I see them as? They are fools; they have no idea the error they have just brought onto themselve
It is in and out of consciousness that we take the drive back to camp. My leg is hurting like a bitch, and the only thing I can focus my mind on is…not fucking again.I don't know how badly I am injured; the moment I try to lift my head, I have Harrison pushing me down again. I have Lopez applying pressure on my leg to try and stop the blood from gushing out.I feel like a mess.I am losing a lot of blood very quickly, for the dizziness is starting to set in. Then…I am out.Next time I come to, I am being carried into the nurse's tent where you have a severely understaffed medical team running to save the lives of the badly injured. The ones only in need of a view stitched or a non-serious bullet to be removed are pushed to the side.If I thought the battlefield was a complete mess, this is complete chaos. Today is a very sad day for every Marine that walks and that used to walk these grounds. Here, in this tent, there will be more li
There is a rumbling thunder that comes down with great speed onto our backs. You can hear as brick by brick come crashing to the floor, splitting into pieces. As I, the final one, get to the street, we watch as it comes down to a spectacular end. A big cloud of dust covers us and half down the street.Once most of the dust has settled, we make our way back to the Humvees."Woohoo, that was fucking close."Lopez snaps his head to my left and looks me amazed in the eyes, "You losing your mind there, Lieutenant?""Now that was a rush. If I say it is better than sex, then Isabella might just kill me."Everyone only but bursts out in laughter at me as we have once again missed another near-death experience. These three months better come quickly, for this heart cannot take this excitement anymore. And let us forget about the heart, that was fucking tough on my leg. I am going to sit in pain for at least another day or two.But there is no time to
It is yet another morning at the bus station that I have to say goodbye to my family. This time shall be the final time that I shall give my mother that near-death experience where she so wishes to slap all sanity into me.But that is not my concern; my biggest is leaving the woman behind that I shall marry and start a family with. Her eyes are filled with tears of both happiness and joy; I think that seeing me doing this the last time is what shall drive her to get through the last three months.Though getting on that bus does not make it any easier. Three months is a long time for someone that is on nothing but hostile ground.And with that, as all the times before, I watch as the five most important people in my life become nothing but little ants in the back window.The drive to Pendleton this time is filled is heartache, and the flight to camp does not even bring as much joy as I wish it to be.But I am here to fulfill what I promised myself,
It is early morning as I sit on the porch waiting for Isi to wake up.There are only two things playing on my mind this morning.I am so goddamn happy to be home, and worst of all, I need to go back and finished what I have started.It is only another three months stretch to go, and by the way that things seem, some of the boys might be coming home earlier.Now I know that she will not love the idea, but I am not deserting my country; even though I chose my wife, I still have a service that I need to fulfill. One thing Clayton Jackson is not known for is to run away and hide. I want to be that hero; I want to make that difference, and god, I will be doing it the right way.So as Miss Sleepy Heads sticks her head around the corner, I know that she has watched me while I have been having turmoiled in my head."What has your daydreaming so early in the morning, soldier?""Well…" she only but cocks her head and looks at me."
I need to stop for one moment and take a step back; what makes this all worthwhile is the beauty that lies in my arms. Should I not have had her presence in my life, I would not have had the sheer willpower to take the impossible onTo have beauty in your life is easy, but to have the beauty of the woman that you love and the one that loves you in return is the greatest gift that one can experience. I can, with all honesty, say that there is no doubt that she completes my life. To be lonely for eternity can be seen as a life sentence, but having what you crave, is the greatest blessing.I have never been more assured to have chosen her to be mine for life.She does not only live in her own body; she lives in mine too. We are part of each other; we are one. I hear her footsteps in the passageways of my heart. Her voice echoes through my veins. I can see her face in the mirrors of my memories. She has engraved herself deep into my soul. She will forever be a part
What is the greatest thing a man can experience?Having back what you have thought you have lost for good. It is true that good things happen to those who wait, but damn, did I had to wait too long"Soldier, Are you going to stop staring at my stomach?""Sorry boo, but I still cannot believe that it is real, and you are sort of kind of a bit, so I can just not miss it.""You can be glad my hands are swollen, or else I would have punched you."I am a mess right now; I happy messed up, man. Here is the woman that I love more than anything, and she is still having our baby. I have missed out on so much, I can only imagine what she must have gone through, but I don't understand.""Boo, but why did you tell me that you lost the baby.""Mark said, as I told you, that he would kill your parents if I told anyone. He had this crazy idea in his head that he could raise our child as his own.""But where did James come in?""J
I know Isabella for far too long, for one, she is wearing some rather oversized shirt, which is not mine, and one that I very doubt would be that of James. And for a second, that damn sugar rush that she is forcing into that body, that well…"Isi, is there something that you are not telling me?""Clay, I think you need to come to sit down. Can I grab you a beer or something?""Somehow, I think I am going to need something far stronger than a beer right now. I think that overprized whiskey there will just do fine."With that, I watch her move toward the cupboard; her shirt is just a slight bit over that perky ass that has become slightly perkier than before. Now, if I were not so goddamn curious, then I would have pinned her down on this very kitchen counter, but I seem to feel that we will be requiring a bed for this one.So as she comes to sit across from me and to push a glass of chilled whiskey over to me, she casually has some oddly fres
We have not been able to find Caylee, but as per news from Matty, they have found Mark. Between the three of them, they came up with a plan to wrong the people whom they believe that wrong them. Well, what one hell of a wicked plan, if you may ask me.Now the last time I have spoken to Isabella, she was still very much taken aback by the great ordeal that has happened to her.Well, today I have a surprise for her. It took a lot of string, but I finally got the big man at the top to let me step away for but a brief moment. Now nobody expects me to know, of course, for I know that my dear mother can not keep her dear old mouth any more quiet than Betty.So it is with very hesitant steps that I finally step in front of the door that I have a grave to be for too many nights now.But from inside, I only hear her grunt and curse underneath her breath, "I told you goddam people that I do not have anything else to say."With a rather loud huff and a somewh
…Matty POV…A part of me is questioning if I truly did hear the words that are coming from the direction in front of me. If there are ever the most terrifying words that one has spoken, then I a sure that this will be it. I do wish that he did not just say that, for I am more afraid of Clayton's life than mine.No, as I stare into the godawful face of James, the other man has not yet made his appearance. Well, this shall not happen today. I shall not allow to be taken and overpowered by two men that clearly think that they are playing god.Now, as I watch Isabella's face, I see the terror creep over her face as the other man starts to speak. If there is ever the most terrifying look that words can not speak then that is what is on her face. But as this man steps forward, I can see the utmost expression of joy on his godawful face."Mark," I hear her gasp as she nearly trembles over in tears. "What are you doing here?""Next time, get