Sand Storm 2005 -- Part II By: Holloway Copyright 2005 Holloway
This is a work of fiction with an adult theme. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the story: Frontrnrusa@netscape.net
Every fucking patrol something new happens or some new regulation goes into affect limiting our ability to respond to the enemy timely. We were told repeatedly that accidentally killing an Iraqi was bad for relations with the people of the country. I thought to myself, bad for them, what about my brothers whose blood soaks the streets here every night because these so called nice people continue to blow them and us up.
I know that Corey must get tired of me complaining all the time. I knew that every time I wrote him bitching he was nervous about me making it back home. I certainly had a lot of time to think about going back home. Corey already had a good job with a local law firm, he made more in a month then I made in a year. When I told him about that he got pissed and said it didn't matter because everything we had belong to both of us. I loved Corey and wondered how long he could be happy with someone like me with only a high school education. I never asked him that question I didn't want him upset. I love Corey with all my heart but I'm a realist and I understand that I come from the poor other side of the tracks. I made up my mind that from now on no matter what happens here or how angry I get I'm not telling Corey about it, he deserves better.
Friday night a sniper killed Clark as we walked down the street. I heard a thud before I heard the explosion from the firing gun. Clark looked at me like he was surprised then he fell backwards, his head hit the pavement with a crack. I immediately lifted him in my arms, his head dangled he looked fine. I felt something on my leg I put my hand on my leg my fingers were blood red. I ripped open Clark's shirt, he'd been shot through the heart, my fingers went to his neck there was no pulse. I closed his eyes and held him until the Corpsman made two soldiers help me to stand up. I was led to a Humvee and transported back to base.
Gunny Watson called me to his tent I still had blood all over me. As soon as I walked in his tent he told me to be at ease. "Corporal, I know how hard it is to see a brother, a Marine die. I've seen it happen since I was your age it doesn't get any easier. We have to find peace in the fact that our brother's died doing something they believed in, they died as Marines. I'm going to give you a couple of days R&R it will help you refocus, that's all." As I was walking out Gunny called out, "Chason I'm sorry about Clark he was a damn good Marine."
I ran like the wind finding a secluded place and cried not out loud but silently. The entire time I thought about Clark I kept picturing the body being Corey's it made me crazy. In the morning I was bused to the R&R site. There was an Exchange; it was just like a regular base. I got a shower then changed into a pair of shorts and went to the telephone exchange. I was about to drop twenty dollars in quarters in the phone when one of the soldiers handed me a phone card, he said the people back home had sent them for us to call home. I nodded and thanked him. My hand shook as I called the apartment, I thought to myself Corey wouldn't answer or worse someone else would answer. It was close to 2am in the world. The phone rang almost five times before I heard the receiver being fumbled around and a sleepy voice say 'hello.'
"Corey it's me Chason." I heard him wake up right then.
"Baby is every thing all right?"
"Yeah, I needed to hear your voice."
Corey's voice trembled as he talked, "I miss you so much I work all the time just to keep from going crazy worrying about you."
I made sure my voice sounded strong, "you don't need to worry, I'm not letting anything happen to me, I'm looking forward to holding you in my arms and keeping you safe for the rest of our lives."
Corey began to cry softly, "Chason you still love me?"
"More than you can imagine."
"I love you with my entire life I miss you so much I want you to come home."
Trying my hardest, "that's what I want too, just four more months and this tour is over with then nothing is keeping me from you. Corey I love you baby with all my heart, I want nothing more than to make you happy. Please don't cry I'm fine, I had an hour before patrol and wanted to call you and tell you I love you." I knew if I told him I was in R&R he'd question me and I couldn't lie to him not ever.
We talked until the phone card ran out I told him over and over I loved him until the line went dead. I walked around base then ate chow. The exchange was opened so I walked over and looked through the cards finding a couple for Corey. As soon as I got back to my rack I dug through my pictures finding a bunch I'd taken of me and the guys these last seven months. I wrote a long letter to Corey and included pictures in each card, I was in time for the post office to get them out on the next flight. That night I watched television before going to sleep early I was worn out.
The place was deserted the next day there were only three or four guys around. I watched television and drank a coke. A kid probably my age came in the day room and sat down opposite from where I was sitting. In between movies he introduced himself as Ronnie, we shook hands. While we were talking the movie came on. Before long Ronnie was within reach. He offered me some chips, we cheered the hero of the movie and once it was over we walked around the base. It was getting dark when we ate chow. Ronnie was in the Army stationed in California too. He'd been here almost a year, he had taken a few days leave and the R&R site was the only place to take a couple of days. After a while Ronnie asked if I wanted to get a couple of beers since it was our last night here. I nodded and we ended up with two tall ones. I had never been a big drinker we returned to my room, it was just me living in the room now. Ronnie sat on one of the other racks and we talked about Iraq and back home. Ronnie had already finished his beer and went to the drink machine and got another beer. When he returned he sat on my rack and offered me a sip, I showed him my half full bottle. Ronnie looked at me and put his hand on the front of my pants I didn't push his hand away. I watched him unzip my pants then put his head in my lap. I grabbed his blonde hair and my hips moved voluntarily, he unzipped his pants and started jerking off as he gave me a blowjob. I held his head firmly and within a minute or so I was over the edge I warned him, he didn't move and I fired deep in his throat, he moaned and came too. I lay there exhausted, my fingers stroking the side of his face. He looked up at me, "thanks." I nodded my head. He laid his head back down and soon he had me hard as a rock once again. I ran my fingers through his hair and my cock jumped. He was eager to please me and made me cum once again. Before the night was over I lifted his legs to my shoulder, he seemed afraid but I assured him I wouldn't hurt him. He cried out as I buried myself deep inside of him, he looked at me his body shook and he shot his load all over his abs and chest. I buried myself inside him and pumped what felt like a gallon of hot seed deep inside of him. Exhausted we lay beside each other when it got light outside we showered and then said so long. As I was traveling back to the platoon I thought to myself, I didn't even know the kids last name. I smiled to myself I needed last night to get through the next couple of months, being with someone made me feel alive. It also made me realize how much I needed to be home with Corey.
Every patrol I was on was always life or death it only took one mistake for someone to end up going home in a body bag. The enemy in this country looked just like the people we were trying to free.
Around mid-night on April 2, we were in single file on either side of the street, so far it had been real quiet. I was near a small shop when the windows blew out and the entire building crashed down. I felt my body thrown maybe twenty feet I landed on my ass and it hurt like hell. When I tired to open my eyes they burned, as I touched my face I understood why. The blast had sent shrapnel flying into my face and the heat of the explosion had burned my face and chest. Blood was rolling into my eyes whenever I tried to open them. I heard the call for the corpsman. Soon as I felt him near me I told him my eyes were burning. He flashed a light and wiped my face gently. I asked him how many guys were hurt he said only me. I knew the guys were standing around me, it was at that time I heard JJ the sergeant of my platoon tell the corpsman I had a huge fucking hole in my right calf. The Corpsman moved around me and shined his light I could hear a couple of the guys groan, and say oh shit man. The corpsman remained calm and asked the radio operator to get a chopper to the pickup site immediately. I was lifted onto a stretcher and placed inside an ambulance about five minutes later I was flying off in a helicopter for a hospital.
It was dark outside as I lay on a stretcher in the hospital. Medical personnel surrounded me, cutting off my uniform, taking blood and putting IVs in my arms. When they turned me to my left side I cried out it hurt so fucking bad. Quickly the doctor laid me back, his fingers moved over each leg up over my stomach chest, neck and head. I heard him tell the nurse to get the Ortho guys down here now. After an MRI I was cleaned up and wheeled into an operating room, no one had said anything to me about what was wrong. I shook my head as the anesthesiologist tried to put the mask over my face, I called out.
"What's wrong with me."
He patted my head, "be patient son we'll take good care of you."
I shook his hand off, "what in the fuck is wrong with me?"
He called the doctor over, he stood where I could see him and explained I had a piece of shrapnel embedded in my right thigh near the pelvis it had broken my hip and took a huge chunk of tissue out of my leg and my leg from the calf down was gone.
I thanked him and lay back allowing the mask to be put over my face.
I woke the next morning, I was cold and called out for the nurse. He hurried in and put another blanket on me. I felt him lift up the blanket and check the bandages on my leg. He read the monitors I was hooked up to and asked how I was feeling, I said I was thirsty he gently propped my head up and gave me a sip of water. I watched him inject a syringe into the IV hanging above my head. I tried to smile, "thanks." He nodded placing the call button by my hand in case I needed anything else. I don't remember him leaving the room before I went back to sleep. Another couple of days passed before I woke up, a different nurse was in the room adjusting my IV and reading the monitors. She smiled when I opened my eyes she took a warm cloth and gently wiped my eyes.
"Good afternoon, Chason, how do you feel?"
I tried to move around and winced, "I'm hungry and I hurt all over."
She laughed, "I'm glad you're hungry I'll get you something to eat, I'll be right back." Five minutes later she walked in with a tray and for the next 30 minutes she helped me eat before laying me back on my bed. She said the doctor would be in soon. Soon turned out to be three hours later.
We shook hands and then he examined me when he finished he smiled, "you're healing nicely." He sat down in a chair and looked at me, "Chason let's get to the reason you're here. Your face, neck, chest and stomach were burned pretty badly, you're healing but there will be noticeable scaring. You're a good looking kid still so don't worry about it. As for your hip that's a bigger problem. We saved most of your leg and rebuilt the hip but in doing so we had to cut away a large portion of muscle and nerves. I'm not sure how well your the remainder of your leg is going to work until we get you into physical therapy. Any questions?"
I shook my head then asked a question, "Can I call home?"
He smiled, "of course."
Once again the nurse came in carrying a phone, she plugged it in then looked at me, "you have the same privacy you have at home."
I smiled and thanked her as she left the room. I can honestly say I have never been as scared as I was dialing that number. Not even the fire that killed my family made me as scared as I was feeling now. It was late night in the world.
Corey answered, "hello."
"Hey it's me."
Corey's voice changed, "what's happened?"
My voice trembled, "I've been hurt in a bombing, I'm going to be all right."
I heard Corey drop the phone, "Oh God no. Please." He picked up the phone, "I'm sorry I've been dreading this call. Where are you?" "
I'm on my way to California I'll be there in two days. I miss you a lot."
Corey's voice softened, "Chason I love you so much. Can you tell me what happened?"
I told him the story about the burns and my hip, he began to cry.
"Chason I don't give a shit what happens you belong to me and I want you home." He calmed down and we talked, he was going to take time off as soon as I arrived. He told me he loved me with all his heart as the phone went dead.
After I hung up the phone I looked around for a mirror, there were none in the room anywhere. When the corpsman came in the room I asked him for a mirror. He nodded his head, when he returned he handed me a mirror, I looked at my face I had a scar and burns on my forehead.
The corpsman smiled, "the burns will disappear in time and the scar will be almost invisible in another couple of months. Your eyebrows will grow back and so will your hair in front. Your girlfriend will still think your cute."
I grinned at him, "thanks. Can I ask you another question?"
He nodded, "what about my leg?" He walked over close to the bed and asked me if he told me the truth would I tell the doctor he'd told me.
I shook my head, no.
He looked at me, "Chason, you'll probably end up losing the entire leg, I'm not a doctor but it's been damaged really bad. Ask the doctor when he comes in later to check on your leg."
I shook his hand and said thank you. He smiled and walked out.
The doctor made rounds about 2:30pm, as he was looking under my bandages I blurted out, "I'm going to lose the leg correct?"
He looked at me and paused, then checked the bandages again, "You've got a 30/70 chance of saving the leg, it doesn't look good, I'm sorry I don't have better news."
When he walked out I pulled my pillow over my face and screamed, then I just broke down and cried. I don't remember the next two days all I remember is waking up in California. My entire body felt hot and I was in pain, I remember someone saying something and then I was asleep once again. The next time I woke I felt much better. Sitting in the chair next to my bed was Corey he smiled at me then tears filled his eyes, "I've been so worried about you."
I looked in his eyes, "Am I ugly now."
He laughed, "you look just like you did when you left except for that small scar and that just makes you look rugged."
I wasn't satisfied, "Corey are we going to be able to handle what's happened to me?"
He smiled, "Chason loving you is more than what you look like it's about who you are and who we are when we're together. The doctor has assured me the new prosthetic leg will make you as good as new."
The minute he said that I threw the covers off my body, my hand searched for my leg, only a small part of it remained. I cried and Corey threw his arms around me. A nurse walked in and Corey ask her to leave he said he'd calm me down. He held me in his arms.
"Chason do you love me?"
Through my tears I answered, "Yes more than anything."
"We're a team baby, we will be all right."
I hugged him tighter, "I'm sorry for doing this to you."
A cry escaped Corey's throat, "Chason had you died I would not have lived without you, I swore that to myself when you left, I'm glad you're home with me for the rest of our lives, we have each other nothing else will ever matter."
With Corey's help and physical therapy I have two good legs again, one is prosthetic but when I have long pants on your can hardly tell. I can run and Corey and I play basketball all the time. I love Corey with all my heart.
I'm still in the Marines working in administration. I've fought real hard to stay in, I know I'm limited and I know that soon they'll have no choice but to discharge me. Corey wants me to think about becoming a carpenter, it's something I've always wanted to do, I like working with my hands. Corey likes the idea of me building the furniture for our house, the more he talks about it the more excited I've become.
The first night Corey and I slept together, I held him close for a long time talking to him and whispering words of love. We made love over and over until exhausted he lay asleep on my arm. I knew at that moment what love was all about. We've both shed a couple of tears over being separated and then returning like this. Corey seems more relaxed and happier, now when he comes home he kisses me and I hold him tight in my arms, I love him more than anything in the world and he knows it.