"Drinks by Roxy are now served." Roxy re- entered the Holding dining room stirring a pitcher. Claudia Joy followed close behind with a tray of glasses and a cup of herbal tea for Denise.

"It doesn't seem fair," said Denise "you all get those and I have to drink tea. The sacrifices we make for our children."

"Yes, but they're all worth it in the end," Claudia Joy said reassuringly.

Roxy began passing the drinks around. First pouring one for Claudia Joy then Pamela then retrieving a third glass, she turned to Joan. "And one for the Colonel."

"None for me thanks," said Joan.

"Why," inquired Roxy "I promise they aren't poisoned or nothing."

"No, I'll pass," was Joan's nonchalant reply. "If you guys will excuse me, I think I'll call Patty to check on the baby. She was a little fussy before we left."

"Joan, I'm sure she's fine. She always gets a bit fussy when we leave her and then she quiets down as soon as were gone." Roland was doing his best to reassure her. "Patty can handle her. Relax. How about I make you some tea?"

"I'm sure she's fine, but I still want to call. You all go ahead. Pamela tell your story. I'll be right back."

As Joan left the room a confused Roxy asked Roland, "Was it something I said? I didn't mean to make her mad. I was just trying to offer her a drink."

Roland rose and laid a reassuring hand on Roxy's shoulder. "It's not you Rox. It's just that Joan's doctor and occupational therapist both agree that she shouldn't drink alcohol right now. It may slow down her recovery."

"Oh my God, Roland, why didn't you tell me? Here I am offering up booze that she's not supposed to be drinking. Color Roxy stupid again."

"Roxy, sweetheart you didn't know," Claudia Joy stated in a kind and sincere voice. Picking up her own glass, she took a long sip and said, "I love my drink. It's delicious."

Roxy unaffected by Claudia Joy's kindness, continued her scolding of Roland. "That's the sort of thing you should tell a person when they're offering someone a drink. And me and my big mouth bragging on my marquritas. I'll hold you personally responsible for this if Trevor ends up on potty duty over this. She's probably calling someone right now."

Roland let out a laugh. "I doubt that seriously Rox seeing that Joan is on medical leave. Trust me, if she could be shelling out orders in Iraq punishing Trevor would be the last thing on her mind. And I didn't say anything about the drinks because it's good for Joan to figure out how to adjust in social situations herself. It's all part of her therapy. I trust the process. Now, enough about my wife's medical concerns, Pamela promised us a story and I for one am ready to hear it.

Pamela who had polished off one drink was pouring herself another. On Roland's cue, she hastily took a sip from her new glass and cleared her throat. "How Chase and I meet. Now, let me see. Where should I start? "She paused and looked into space as if deep in thought. "The beginning is just as good a place as anywhere."

It was the summer of 1997. I was a beat cop back then assigned to the Pier District in downtown Boston. My partner was a hard nose, by the book kind of guy. He didn't cut anyone any slack. I was a rookie that he had taken under his wing because he had worked with my father and he knew all three of my brothers. It was the weekend of the Cheers Beer Festival. Danny, my partner, and I were assigned to walk the beat and help with crowd control. It was nearing the end of our shift when we got a call over the radio- a drunken disorderly down by the water front. It seems a fight had broken out by the docks. A local band was doing an outdoor concert for the festival and some of the drunken fans had gotten out of control. Danny and I rushed to the scene. When we got there, a large crowd had formed a ring around two guys who were beating each other to death.

"One of them was Chase," supplied Roxy.

"No, Chase was never a fighter. He loves being a soldier and combat, but he was never the aggressor in our relationship. That title goes to me. Anyway Rox, can I finish my story."

"The two guys were fighting," Denise prompted.

Yes, two guys were fighting and Danny and I was the first unit to arrive on the scene. We broke the fight up and disbanded the group of onlookers. We took the two guys who had been fighting in to the precinct. They were both pretty hammered. It was policy that we hold them for twenty- four hours and let them sober up. If they had no priors, we would fine them for drunk and disorderly conduct and let them go.

"I still don't understand what this has to do with you and Chase," interrupted a very impatient Roxy.

"I'm getting there keep your panties on," snapped Pamela.

One of the guys that I arrested was named Bruce. Bruce Patterson. Bruce was a private in the army. It seems that he and a group of his buddies had come to Boston to celebrate. It was their last night in the city. They were all stationed at Fort Campbell just outside of New York. They had to be on duty the next day.

"Joan was stationed at Fort Campbell when we met. Small world," laughed Roland.

Roxy let out an impatient sigh.

"Sorry Rox, I won't do it again promise," Roland said lightly tapping her on the shoulder.

"Roxy, why are you so interested in how Chase and Pamela met?" Denise asked.

"I don't know. I just know that I feel head over heels for Trevor from the moment I saw him. I always wondered if that was true for all military wives. Do we all just swoon at the sight of these guys in uniform, or was it just me?"

Claudia Joy chimed in. "I love the sight of Michael in his uniform. There is nothing like a soldier in his dress blues, but I don't think I feel in love with his uniform. I would love Michael in or out of his uniform. I love the man not the clothes."

"I can tell you Rox that it was not Chase's uniform that attracted me to him. I saw men in uniforms every day. What I liked most about Chase was the fact that he didn't use his uniform as a red cape. You know he didn't mind being in a relationship with a take charge woman. He wasn't intimidated by who I was. A lot of guys heard I was a cop and never called again, but not Chase he was different."

"Pamela, can we please get on with the story," Roxy begged.

Yeah, well I arrested this guy Bruce and he spent a night in the hole. I talked to him for a while as I was checking him into lock-up. I thought he was too drunk to remember me, but the next day I was coming in for my shift just as he was being released. We met up in the hallway, and he remembered me as the girl cop who had arrested him the day before. He told me that he thought I was cute and was wondering if I liked to go out with him sometimes.

"So, the guy you arrested asked you on a date?" asked a confused Claudia Joy.

"An even better question is did you go?" Denise asked in amazement.

"Hey Denise, Claudia Joy don't judge me! I was a female cop who was overly obsessed with her job. I had to take the dates where I could get them."

"Pamela we're not judging; we're just asking. I'm the nurse who was fired for dating her patient remember," added Denise.

"Anyway," said Pamela as she continued with her story. Bruce asked me out a couple of times and we dated briefly. After about our 4th date we both realized that the chemistry just wasn't there. We stayed friends and I like hanging with Bruce and his buddies. They were all serious soldiers, but real party boys too.

"Was Chase a friend of Bruce's," asked Roxy.

"Well, not exactly. Bruce and Chase knew each other. They served in the same unit, but friends is not a word I would use to describe their relationship. Chase and Bruce both lived in apartments off post that offered great discounts for soldiers.

" Shadow Glenn," supplied Roland "Joan and I lived there for a year or two after we were married. The apartments are about four blocks from Fort Campbell. It really is a small world."

Pamela smiled. Yeah Roland, Shadow Glenn. That is where I met Chase for the first time. She continued with her story.

Even though I lived in Boston, I still visited Bruce from time to time on my weekends off. The weekend I met Chase was the long Memorial Day weekend. I had been working double shifts all week to earn some extra money for a Caribbean Cruise with some girlfriends. Bruce was having a big holiday cook –out and he invited me to come and stay the weekend. I felt that I deserved a break and I needed some time just to let my hair down. Bruce's place was the perfect place to do this. I wasn't under the watchful eye of my dad or brothers. I have to admit that I probably drank too much and ate too little the night of the party. Things really got out of hand. People were taking belly shots , drinks were flowing non- stop and a few guys got so wasted that they ventured to jump from Bruce's third floor balcony into the pool below.

"Hey, that sounds like my kind of party," grinned Roxy.

It was a lot of fun for the partiers, but some of the other residents were not so happy with all the drinking and the noise. Chase just so happened to live in the apartment below Bruce's. He could hear everything that was going on through his ceiling. Saying he was not happy would be a huge understatement. At about midnight, the party had been going strong for several hours, and we had no intentions of slowing down any time soon. A very hostile and impatient Chase came banging on Bruce's door. Apparently, Bruce and Chase had had run-ins before both on and off post. Bruce was really drunk and was making a big joke out of the fact that Chase was complaining. Bruce laughed and slammed the door in Chase's face. Well, that only made Chase angrier. About an hour later, Chase came up stairs again. This time he brushed pass the girl who opened the door and bolted through the living room and headed straight for Bruce. A huge fight broke out. Tables, lamps, and chairs went flying in all directions. Girls were screaming at the tops of their lungs and ducking for cover. Some of Bruce's soldier friends left the party out of fear that the police would be called. It took about five guys to pull Chase and Bruce apart. I jumped in Chase's face and started screaming, cursing and ordering him to get out before I called thecops. Chase looked at me and laughed dryly. "I hope you don't kiss your mother with that mouth, Red." "Red, who are you calling Red?" I retorted. "my name is Pamela."

"Yeah, that sounds about right for you and Chase," said Roxy.

"I think we were born to argue with each other."

Denise asked, " So Pamela, how did the two of you go from that argument to married?"

The next morning, I was helping Bruce clean up the huge mess from the party and fight. I was taking some of the trash bags down the fire escape to a dumpster in the back alley. Chase had his apartment window open as I was passing by. On my way back up the fire escape he stopped me. "So Red, what's a classy girl like you doing hanging with the likes of Patterson?" I think that was the first time that anyone had called me classy in my whole life. "Bruce is a friend of mine, and I told you last night the name is Pamela not Red."

Chase cocked his head and looked out the window at me. I'm sorry about all that commotion last night, but I was just trying to get some rest. I work my regular duty on post and I do swing shift hours at an auto factory. Last night was one of the few nights I had at home to rest. That party had been loud and rowdy all day and night. I just wanted to get some sleep.

We talked for what must have been hours on that fire escape. In that time I learned that Chase was the oldest of three and the only boy. He was working extra to have money to send home to his parents. His mother had never worked in her adult life, and his father was very sick and could no longer work. He had two younger sisters. One was in college. He was sending money to both his sister and his parents. He barely had any money left over at the end of the month for himself. Chase had joined the army straight out of high school. He had even given up a football scholarship to State to enlist. His parents needed money and college didn't pay. He didn't want to be an extra bill for them. Chase was driven to make as much money as he could. He was working really hard to earn promotions and more than anything he wanted to get into Delta. For the first month that we knew each other he rarely talked about anything else.

"Wow, Chase knew he wanted to be in Delta even before you guys got married? In all the time that I've known him; I never knew it meant that much to him," said Roxy.

Pamela sat silently for a minute then regaining her senses she said. "Delta was always Chase's dream. I always knew he would achieve it too. I don't think I've ever known anyone who wanted something so badly."

"It's like that for soldiers you know." Everyone had been so into Pamela's story that no one even noticed Joan when she reentered the room. "You want something a rank, a position, a promotion and you're willing to sacrifice almost anything to get it."

"What about you Joan," asked Claudia Joy "what do you want from your army career?"

Joan sat thinking for a long minute. Well, I've already gotten way more than I ever thought possible. Girls who grow up with parents like mine in the neighborhoods like the one that I came from don't aspire for much. I'm a Lt. Colonel—the highest ranking female on this post. I have a wonderful child.

"And a handsome husband," supplied Roland.

"Yes, a very handsome husband," continued Joan. "I have pretty much everything I want."

"Colonel, your nose is growing," kidded Roxy.

"No, really Roxy I can honestly say that I have everything that I want. There was a time when I wanted to be a one maybe a two star. Now, I just want to raise the happy and healthiest little girl and grow old with the love of my life," Joan said as she smiled adoringly at Roland.

"The two of you are making me sick," said Pamela as she faked throwing up.

"Now Pamela, leave them alone," said Claudia Joy. "I think it's sweet."

"You would," laughed Roxy, "You and the General are the poster children on how to keep it hot and heavy after 40."

"Roxy," scolded Denise, "Claudia Joy is barely 40."

"Denise please, we all know that you and Colonel Sherwood are still going at it hot and heavy too. Heck, all a person has to do is look at that stomach you're carrying around to know that." Pamela added.

"Pamela I think you and Roxy have had enough excitement for the night. What do you say? Shall we call it an evening?" asked Claudia Joy.

"I think that's a good idea," said Roland. "Denise needs her rest." He and Joan rise in preparation to go.

Roxy stood blocking the doorway. "You just hold it right there mister. You and the Colonel owe us a story and no one is leaving here until we get it."

"Roxy, come on it's getting late," said Claudia Joy.

"Claudia Joy come on- live a little. Roland has heard all of our stories whether he wants to or not. He rarely tells us anything about himself." Roxy then turns her attention to Joan and Roland. "Come on you guys we're all friends here. Tell us how does a soldier meet a doctor?"

"You know," said Denise, "I've always wondered how you two met myself. You don't have to share if you don't want to, but I think it's a pretty interesting story."

Roland and Joan exchanged glances. "The story is really not interesting at all," laughed Joan.

"It is just your run of the mill boy meets girl type of thing," added Roland.

"Good," said Roxy as she grabbed each of them by an elbow and lead them over to Claudia Joy's sofa, "then you won't mind sharing it. And be sure to start at the beginning."