The master Sergeant loves Hello Kitty
I don't own G.I .Joe, Nor do I make money off of them. But if Hasbro wants to give them away, I'll take them!
She was wearing her Hello Kitty shoes.
Pink, with white laces.
Matching Pink skirt, and pink and white striped shirt.
She liked pink.
Just like her Momma.
He had pulled her curly blonde hair up in a cute ponytail, with of course, a pink bow; he had gotten good at fixing her hair. Five years ago if anyone had told him he would be the hairdresser to a five year old child he would have told them to drop and give him 50. The idea would have been so far out the scope of his existence that he would have been brutally offended.
Then she had come along. The surprise of both of her parents' lives. An accident of one unprotected night.
It was the biggest, most profound, blessing of his!
He still remembered where he was and what he was doing when she told him they were expecting. He had been repairing the boards that bordered the mud pit on the PT course. There he was, muddy as hell, swearing at the splintered wood when she had approached him. He could tell something was wrong as soon as she walked up to him. Just the look on her face.
He called it shock and awe!
Shock that they hadn't been as careful as they thought, and fearful of his reaction. He had cursed, of course. A child was not in his life plan at that moment in time. Then he had taken her in his arms, and held her. Telling her it would be all right, they would be all right.
She hadn't wanted her child to grow up with her always leaving for dangerous missions. So she had resigned her post. He also, fearful of being sent out and not returning, resigned as well. He had more to live for now, and the chances were too great that a mission would go bad, leaving them to struggle. Alone.
No one else on Earth would have ever moved him to just up and abandon the team he had worked so tirelessly to build. Or to risk a court martial for fraternization.
Only his Barbie and Lizzie would ever be worth that. He had spent a lifetime in the Army. But for them he would leave it all behind.
He had returned to a position at Fort Benning.
Training the Pouges.
Damn stupid, Green ass Pouges!
They had gotten married, and bought their little house here right outside Of Columbus Georgia just twenty minutes from the base.
Life was good.
For two and a half years they were happy. Raising Lizzie, talking about maybe one more?
Then he had forgotten to buy that Damn milk.
He had been tired, finally heading home that night after a long grueling day with the new recruits.
He had quite simple forgotten to stop at the store. And once he got home and remembered, he was too tired to get back out.
If he had just remembered to buy that milk, she would have never been on the road that next morning.
Lizzie had to have milk with her foot loops.
"I'll be right back" she had yelled from the living room as she grabbed her keys and took off. He hadn't even kissed her goodbye. It was Sunday morning and he was stretched out in the bed, enjoying the rare event of sleeping late.
He had been lazy.
It was an hour later when he got the call. He had been worried already, pacing the floor in the kitchen. Lizzie was in the den watching Elmo.
He had grabbed her and raced to the hospital, the whole way praying that she was all right.
They told him the twenty-two year old college student who hit her had been drinking. He had crossed the center line and hit her head on. Her Lexus was no match for a Ford dually.
The doctor said it had been instant.
His beautiful Barbie doll, who had survived countless missions.
Who had been shot.
Who had been inside a tank when it exploded and lived to tell about it hadn't survived a head on collision on the Damned highway.
With a damn diesel truck.
He had lost his mind when they told him. The doctor, concerned about his state of things, and the well-being of the toddler with him had sequestered him in one of their quiet rooms and called the base.
Reaching his commanding officer, who in turn had made a call. Unprepared to know how to deal with a grief stricken Army Ranger who could squeeze most men's heads off their shoulders.
He called the one man who could deal with him.
He called Warrant Officer Faireborn.
Flint had been there in two hours, hopping a flight from the base. Lady Jaye and Scarlett with him.
They had taken over things,
Things his grief stricken mind couldn't process.
They had laid her to rest with full military honors, Not in Arlington where she belonged. But instead he placed her in the little Graveyard at the country church she had fallen in love with, and joined. She would be close by, so he could visit her.
Talk to her.
When they went to the suspect's first court appearance, he had tackled him. It had taken four officers and Flint to get him off that piece of shit.
Damn near broke his neck.
He went to every court appearance, until the boy was found guilty of vehicular homicide and went away for seven years.
Seven years!
That walking piece of crap had taken the only woman he had ever loved and his daughter's momma away.
And he got seven years.
All the Joes had come to her funeral and guys from the new base as well. Her mother hadn't even sent flowers. But he hadn't expected the old bitch to.
Some like Jaye and Flint stayed a while to help out. But finally had to leave.
Leave them Alone.
Scarlett had stayed the longest. Helping with Lizzie.
When had the healing started?
Well to be honest it never really had. What little bit that had was a few weeks after the funeral when everyone had gone home. All he had wanted to do was curl up and die to. But he couldn't. His one saving grace was Lizzie. She was 2 ½ years old. And she needed her daddy. So he began the long, lonely track of single parenthood.
He found a day sitter, eventually went back to work.
And every Sunday he took Lizzie to that little church for services. They always took flowers for her grave.
Every Sunday.
"C'mon daddy, we're gonna be late". Lizzie's little voice called as she headed to the front door. Her little book bag in her hand. She turned and scowled at him as he fumbled the keys, and his heart hurt. Her little cupid's bow mouth, the dimple in the left cheek. Those amazing blue eyes. All belonged to her momma.
And her sass to. Boy she had spunk.
That was his girl!
"Ahm commin'" he told her as he made his way to the door with her. They walked outside and he buckled her in for the ten minute drive to the elementary school.
He couldn't believe it was that time already. The last few years, which at the time had seemed to never end.
Had actually flown by. Gone was the toddler, and in her place a bright kindergartener.
They arrived at the school and he took her inside. At her room door he pressed a kiss to her cheek. Lizzie looked up at him and smiled.
"I love you daddy."
Then she was off, joining up with the rest of her class. He stood there for a little time watching her.
Her blond curls bouncing. He felt a swell of pride. None of the other little brats had anything on his Lizzie!
His Lizzie, who was smiling at her new teacher.
Elizabeth Courtney Sneeden.
His world.
He turned and made his way back to his truck.
Getting in he sighed.
Just then the sun broke through the clouds and a beam of sunlight shone straight into the truck seat.
And he felt the warm embrace.
Like a hug.
He felt it at odd times. When he was all alone and a tear slipped out of his eyes, when no one was there to see.
Or when Lizzie did something like Learn to ride her bike, or read. Things her mama was missing.
Things she would never be there to see.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and sank into the warmness and closed his eyes.
Then, out loud he said
"I love you Barbie doll".
Smiling Wayne Sneeden cranked his truck and pulled out of the school. Turning left onto the road towards the base.
And he knew one thing,
Damn he was a lucky man!
Well I hope everyone enjoyed that. I got this plot snippit in my mind yesterday. I dropped off my little girl at kindergarten and saw a man by himself dropping his little girl off. And the idea came to me.
Read and Review.
