War Hero

Chapter One

He is just staring at me. Rodrick is staring with his big blue eyes he has inherited from his mother. Oh, his mother. I cannot believe I'm doing this to her. I have loved her for so long, been through so much with her. But now I'm contemplating leaving her and our child.

But joining the army should be a good thing right? I would be helping my country and earning enough money to support this little guy right here.

Wait-I'm getting ahead of myself! I haven't given you anybackground information; I just came in and started venting off the top of my head. Stop being so selfish, Beck!

My name is Beckett Oliver-fiancé and father of one. I'm sure some of you may be snickering at me thinking: ugh! Child out of wedlock! You've doomed for failure the moment you lost your virginity before you had even considered marriage! But trust me; I know I've made a mistake. But I want to fix that.

All I want is to get my son everything he needs to be successful and in order to do that I, myself, must be successful first. My son is a big priority in my life, but not the only one. The other is my fiancé. I love her to death and I would hate to spend a year or two drafted in Afghanistan with short, limited leaves in between, but I feel like it's my only choice right now.

Were living in an R.V. parked in my parent's driveway at nineteen years-old with a year-old baby! What kind of life is that? How can we make memories while I'm just working in a car garage and Jade is working as a hostess at a mediocre restaurant and sings every Tuesday and Thursday on the entertainment stage-oh yeah! My fiancé's name is Jade West (soon to be Oliver, of course)

And our parents are supportive. Well, mine are devoted supporters at least. Her parents are divorced and her father had kicked her out when she had gotten pregnant and convinced her mother to do the same in order to 'teach the sinning slut a lesson' but eventually her mother couldn't take it any longer and asked her to move back in. Yet, Jade being Jade, said no and she could shove the offer up her ass.

She only accepted her mother's offer when the hospital bills were out of hand and we needed help. Her father came around when he had heard the baby was boy. He had always wanted a son, but Jade's mother had birth complications when she had Jade, and became infertile and when they got divorced he couldn't find a woman he enjoyed that wanted any children. So he settled with the daughter he scarred forever.

So in the end, Jade is basically using her parents for money. But all-in-all I don't think that's so bad after all the crap they put her through (even before the pregnancy).

I love Jade, I love Rodrick. I love my parents for all their support. I could care less about Jade's parents. But the life I have is one I love. Am I willing to put that all at risk for the U.S. army? Hell, I wasn't even born in this country and I still want to help them out.

I understand the hardships and heartbreaks joining would cause, but I know what I have to do.

"You want to what?" she's yelling, now. I just told her I want to join the army and she's furious.

"I'm thinking about joining the Army" I said. I had to tell her, I wasn't to get up one day and say I was going to Afghanistan.

"I don't care! You're not doing it!" Jade says, her voice beginning to crack.

"But Jade! We need the money! Do you really want to live off of your parents forever!" I knew I hit a soft-spot. But it needed to be said, it was the truth.

"No! But we could get on our feet any other way!" she's begging now, and Jade never begs.

"Jade! Everything else requires college or university and those require money- which we don't have!" I begin yelling, and I never yell at her. It's something new to me, and I don't like it.

My yell got Rodrick to wake up from his mid-day nap and now he's wailing and punching and kicking the air from his crib.

Jade picked him up and sat on the bed rocking him back and forth cooing "shh baby it's okay, mommys here, mommy will always be here"

"You're really do this Jade?" I asked annoyed that she's using Rod to send me on a guilt trip.

"If you're really going to join the Army, then yes" she said as she coddling the baby.

"I don't want to join the Army" her eyes lit up when I said that, but darkened as I continued "I need to join the Army"

"No, Beck! Just no! You will not leave me and your son to go and die or, even worse, meet some prettier girl that already in the Army and fall in love with her okay!" Of course Jade would think that.

"I promise I will never find anyone I love more in the world other than you and Rodrick, and I will do my best not to die" I chuckled kneeling down to look into her eyes.

Her mouth opened to say something but then the baby began to stir, so I picked him up and said to him "Who wants daddy to join the Army- Roddie does! Yes he does!"

Jade could never resist when I baby-talked Rodrick.

"Okay...I'll think about it" she stood up and I gave her a peck on the lips.

"Thank you" another peck "I love you"

"I love you too" she picked up a now sleeping Rod from my arms and into the crib "but if you fall in love with some Army chick, you better hope you died in battle

I chuckled and kissed her again.