Chapter 3

Medical Treatment Facility in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan

The first thing I'm aware of is the pain. My body aches but this feeling in left shoulder is something new. There's this intense throbbing, it's deep and warm and not in a good way. It feels like someone's stomping on my shoulder wearing a metal soled boot. my eyes slowly flutter open to a dim light above me, but even turned down low, its blinding, I squint for a second, cringing. I shut my eyes and then open them again to. The walls are painted a sterile white but the paint is chipped and some of the wall is crumbling. Where the hell am I? I try to sit up but I groan and shut my eyes when a surge of pain ripples through my shoulder. Inhaling deeply I slowly slide my back up against the headboard of the bed so I'm in a sitting position. My heart is beating rapidly in my chest and my chest keeps tightening into a knot like a cramp. Trying to make sense of everything, I look down at myself to see that I'm wearing a gown that resembles the ones that patients wear in hospitals. I have a wire attached to my index finger that is attached to a machine with a monitor. Wait, am I in a hospital? All of a sudden a man walks in wearing a tanned shirt with a logo on the right armed sleeve which I automatically recognize as the RAMC (royal army medical corps).

"Sergeant Pierce, Finally you're awake" He says picking up a board from the bottom of my bed. He scans through it and then looks at me with a smile. "How are you feeling?" he asks. I look at him and shrug but then hiss. He chuckles a little and hums like I've already given him an answer. "Not too good then"

"What am I doing here? How long have I been in here for?" I ask groggily and my god it sounds like I've just woke up after a hard night smoking a 10 pack and drinking a whole bottle of hard bourbon. The doctor, well I think that's what he is, runs a hand through his thick grey main of hair and itches his stubbly chin.

"Do you not remember? You were shot Sergeant. You've been in here for 5 days." He states and I raise my eyebrows, do I remember? I try to rack my brain for anything but it's just fuzzy. He walks around to the monitor that reads my heartbeat and heart rate. "You were hit in the shoulder, you were very lucky Sergeant" He says as he looks at me.

"A bullet to the shoulder is very dangerous as is a bullet to anywhere on your body. The shoulder is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. The shoulder joint is formed where the humerus fits into the scapula like a ball and socket. You were shot four inches down from the top surface of the shoulder and a few inches in from the armpit. The bullet scraped your brachial plexus which is a bundle of nerves running from the spine, formed by the anterior rami of the lower four cervical nerves and first thoracic nerve. You were very lucky that it didn't pierce the artery, ramifications to the artery being damaged result in loss of feeling in the arm, damage to your spinal cord." He articulates and I nod trying to take in all the doctor language. During the free time I had when my group took their leave I attended a basic medical course, but nothing as detailed as what this doctor is saying.

"However…" He begins. Oh shit, this is where he gives me like the really bad news isn't it? "The bullet got lodged in your scapula which is your shoulder blade. We got the bullet out but it done slight damage to the bone."

"Right so what does that mean?" I ask getting a little impatient, I'm not being rude I just want to know what's going on with my shoulder and when I can get out of this place.

"Depends on the placement but normally after being shot the recovery time is about 1-2 months. Since the shoulder in your bone is damaged that also needs to heal, the extent of the damage isn't that bad but there is a large recovery time." He states and I sigh.

"How long?"

"All together? I'd say about 4 months recovery time" I shake my head with a laugh and he looks at me with a frown.

"Yeah well I'm not going on leave for 4 months. I have a duty here and I'm not throwing that away so I can sit at home doing fucking nothing" I state angrily and with my right arm I throw the thin whit medical blanket off my body and slowly swing my legs around so they hover off the floor. The doctor looks at me and shake his head furiously.

"You need to rest, the simplest movement right now could damage your shoulder further" He says walking to me and reaches for my arm. But I push him away and clutch my left shoulder that is covered with 2 large gauzes and stand up wobbly. I yank the clips off my finger and the little wires that are tapped onto my chest and hiss when I jerk a little too quickly resulting in a sharp shooting pain through my shoulder.

"I don't want to have to call somebody Sergeant, you need to lay back down on that bed." He says calmly but I growl and glare at him.

"I need to leave! Where's my uniform?" I exclaim and I know that pain is evident on my face but I don't care. I've experienced worse, like when I had my heart ripped out by the love of my life. With support from the bed I start to walk but I stop and take a seat on the bed trying to catch my breath. Damn, my head feels like someone has got a hammer and they are banging it against my temples. I shut my eyes and bring my right hand up and pinch the bridge of my nose trying to stop the throbbing in my head and my shoulder.

"Listen, I know it's going to be hard but you need to get better to be able to come back, right?" He says and I know he's right. If I don't recover properly this could ruin my whole career within the army, then what would I do? I open my eyes and look at the doctor.

"You're correct… Sorry for how I just acted" I apologise and he waves me off with his hand and a smile.

"I've dealt with much worse. Now I'm going to prescribe you some hydrocodone and that should relieve your pain and stiffness that can occur. Stay here" He finished the last part of the sentence with a grin and walks away. I sigh and wonder what's going to happen now. The doctor comes back with my medicine in a little orange bottle and puts them on the desk.

"If you need these refilled, go to your local chemist or GP and they will prescribe you some more" He says and I nod as I pick up the bottle. "I take it you want to leave now, so I have arranged for one of the guards to takes you back to your base back in Bagram. Your clothes are on that chair there, oh and one more thing, thank you for your service out there" The doctor says one last time before he walks out of the room leaving me to get changed.

Back in my fatigues and my left arm in a blue sling I walk into the base. Soldiers there are happy to see me, they all pat my good shoulder and my back with a smile.

"Good to see you Sergeant"

"Looking well Sergeant Pierce"

I nod at all of them with a small smile before making my way to the SMA's office. Since he is basically in charge he deals with the discharges, leaves and deployment. He's sitting in a chair talking to CSM which is the Command Sergeant Major. I clear my throat a little and they both turn around and look at me with a smile.

"Sergeant Pierce take a seat" Sergeant Major says and I slowly walk over to the seat and sit down. Finally the place stops spinning and I don't see two of the Command Sergeant Major. I blink a couple of times and the Sergeant Major looks at me with a small frown and pursed lips. "You don't look so good Sergeant Pierce" He states and refrain from snapping at him. No shit Sherlock, I was recently shot!

"I'm... I'm fine" I say breathlessly, why the hell do I feel so exhausted? I think they notice it too because they shake their heads.

"No you're not, you lost a lot of blood and I got the report from the doctor. I am issuing the discharge Sergeant" He says and I go to protest.

"I don't want to hear a word. You are one of the best soldiers here and if that means I have to let you go for a couple of months then so be it. Don't worry, we'll have you back after your shoulder has nicely recovered."

I sigh and know that there is no point arguing. Nodding, I look up at the SMA.

"When do I leave?"

"Tonight, you fly from Kabul to New York. From New York you will go to Columbus then…" He says and that is code for I have to rearrange my own transport back to Lima. At least all my flights are paid for, only problem is I have to make 2 stops.

"Get your stuff ready Sergeant, you're going home"

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I lean my head back onto the head of the dark green plane seat and wait for the plane to take off. I'm going home, I'm going back to Lima after how many years? Personally I don't think I'm ready, there is nothing really there for me, well except my Pop but he'll probably be working. I mean, I don't even have my own apartment, I never go home so what would I need an apartment for? It's only bills that I have to pay, not that I don't have the money because I do. My Pop runs a catering company called Pierce's Platters, which provides food for restaurants all around Lima and some even international. So my dad makes quite a bit of money catering but he's one of those men who like to save everything so he puts a quarter of what he earns into a saving's account in the bank. Some people say being in the army doesn't pay well, they're true, but your pay is determined by your ranks. Since I'm a sergeant my pay is greater than say a soldier who has the rank of a private. Not to forget allowances and courses I do to boost up my pay. Each month I get $3,064.20 which is a lot considering I don't have to pay tax or any of them other shitty bills. So per annum that's $36,768. I save all my money because I have nothing to spend it on, well except my insurance on my car. I brought a white BMW M5, don't ask why but I did.

It's been 4 years. I don't even have any friends to meet up with unless you count the pot heads that I used to hang around with in my senior year, everyone else has probably dispersed into bigger places and pursuing their dreams. I feel a smile grace my lips at the thought of my friends, my real friends making it in life. By my real friends, I'm talking about the people I used to sing and dance with in glee club, the people I cut out of my life when I was hurting, the people that I pushed away and the people that I started to resent. I could never hate them even though they probably hate me, better yet they probably don't even know who I am. I shake my head knowing that I need to forget about them and remember that I'm only going home to recover, then I'm going to go back and serve for my country. Yeah.

The flight from the airbase to New York was great, nice and peaceful. Couldn't say the same for this one though. The plane is packed full with kids shouting and running around. I'm pretty sure you're not even allowed out of your seat unless you're going to the toilet. I'm sitting next to the window and thank god I have a free seat next to me. Only a couple of hours then I'll be able to go home and get some rest, in my bed that I haven't been in for 4 years. I hope my pop changed the sheets, gross. I turn my head and look outside the little plane window, there's not a lot I can see bearing in mind that the darkness has engulfed everything only a smattering of luminous stars scatter the heavens. Even the moon has waned to almost nothing. I don't mind travelling, I know some people are like petrified of going on a plane, but I kind of like it. I like the feeling of the plane gliding through the sky, I love the take-off, and the landing. However I do not love the food. I look down at the tray and it looked as if it had been reheated too many times and it had wilted with the excess heat. Even if the food had been more inviting the portion was child-size and so by eating it you risked becoming hungrier rather than satiated. The airplane shuddered as we hit some turbulence and the food jostled in its tray. Even MRE's are better than this and that is saying something. I'll just have to wait until I get home, maybe have my dad cook me some mac n cheese, I love mac n cheese. Sighing I try to get comfy in the extremely uncomfortable seat and shut my eyes. Yep, definitely not getting no sleep. I'm in my fatigues so it makes it quite hard to get comfy, I lay my head on the window and watch out of it.

I somehow dozed off because when I awake there is a girl sitting next to me. I jump a little and she sends me a little shy smile.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you. Um the guy next to me was snoring pretty loudly so I moved here, is that okay?" She says and I nod at her. She smiles and leans her head back on the seat. I look at her and my eyes roam around her face. She's beautiful. She's got pale skin once like my own which is now a nice sun kissed colour from the sun, her brunette hair is wavy and falls on her shoulders, she has nice pink lips. All in all she looks like a beautiful woman. I think she notices me looking at her because she tilts her head and looks at me with a tiny playful smile. I clear my throat a little and gaze out of the window. So I miss her running all over my body and up to my face, over my amazing jaw line and my tongue that pokes out to coat my dry lips.

"I could never be in the Army, too scary" She says and I look at her with a little smile. Her eyes are a bright green colour and I look into them.

"It's not that bad" I say with a little shrug and she chuckles disbelievingly.

"What do you do if? You don't mind me asking" She asks and I shake my head. I don't mind when people ask, I like to tell people.

"I'm an infantry soldier. U.S Army" I state with a nod and she raises her eyebrows.

"Wow… So are you on like a mission or something?" She asks and I shake my head with a little laugh. I'm pretty sure there's no wars going on down here.

"No, I'm flying home." I say shortly not really wanting to say why. I mean it's not a bad thing and if she asks why I'll tell her but I'm not just going to shout out 'oh yeah I've been shot'.

"That's cool, I'm going to visit my parents. I live in new York so I don't get to see them often" She states. We get into a simple conversation that lasts about 20 minutes then I see her eyes start to droop. I know she's tired, so am I but I can't sleep for various reasons.

"You should get some sleep" I say and she yawns. She rubs her eyes and groans a little.

"I would love to but it's so hard to fall asleep on planes."

"I feel you"

"Ooh, I could use one of those neck pillows" She says with a bright smile and I raise one perfectly shaped eyebrow, mhmm we have tweezers in the army.

"Yeah but they don't give you one, you have to use your own" I say and laugh when her face drops. I get shushed by an old couple in front of us and I put my hands up in defence with an amused but apologetic smile. The girl next to me chuckles quietly and I realise something. "Hey, what's your name?" I ask.

"Jessica. Now that I think about it, I don't know your name either" She says through a chuckle and an amused smile.

"Brittany" I say and extend my hand for her to shake. She looks down at it and raises her eyebrows playfully but then she slides her hand into mine and shakes it. Wow, her hands are like really soft.

After that she brings the blue blanket that the airhostess's provide and wiggles around a bit to get comfy. I get back to gazing out of the window. Not long now. I feel something on my shoulder and I tense. Looking down I find Jessica's head tucked comfortably on my shoulder, the side of her head being supported by my uniform. Trying not to sound like a total fanny, I'm a little scared. I mean it's been awhile since I've had any affection like this, this is affection. I've had meaningless sex which usually results in the girl leaving during the night because soldiers can't be caught in bed with another person. The only girl who laid their head on her shoulder was… Jessica stirs and her body moves closer to mine so she fits into the side of my body. Okay… this is awkward but I don't know it feels somewhat normal. The airhostess comes along and looks at me with a warm smile, she then tilts her head a little as she looks down to the pretty girl who's clinging to me.

"Would you like me to get rid of that?" She asks sweetly and I frown, what the hell?

"Excuse me?" I say with a glare and a frown, the girls not doing no harm, only sleeping.

"The food, would you like me to take it away?" She says and my god I'm an idiot. I literally cringe and I refrain from grimacing with placing a small smile on my lips.

"Um yes… Thank you" I say and she takes the tray of mouldy food and walks away. I sigh and throw my head back into the seat. My eyes feel heavy and they start to flutter close throwing me into unconsciousness.

I feel someone shake me gently, then they call my name. I hum groggily but keep my eyes shut, the hand on my shoulder moves to my hand and I feel them squeeze it. My eyelids peel away from each other and I blink a couple of times. I see Jessica smiling down at me and I slide myself up in the chair so I'm upright.

"Hey, we've landed" Jessica says in a soft angelic voice. I smile at her and rub my eyes, surprisingly I didn't have a bad sleep.

"Great. Thanks for waking me"

"Thanks for being so comfy, that's the first time I've slept well on an airplane" She says through a chuckle and I smile at her showing my white teeth. Everybody on the plane start to stand up and that's are cue to leave. I stand up and stretch, my ACU jacket riding up a little showing my two-inch nylon web belt that is required to wear on my trousers. Jessica smiles at me and we walk off the plane together into the terminal. Great, now I have to go through the whole getting the bag stuff. Surprisingly my bag is actually there on the spinney thing, it's not like there's a lot in there, just some medicine, some tanned tops as well as my army PT sweatshirt and top and a hoodie. Grabbing my brown duffle bag I flick my wrist so I'm holding it but it rests behind my back on my shoulder. I look to the side to see Jessica struggling with her massive suitcase and I chuckle as I walk to her and lift the suitcase of the spinning wheel and set it down for her. She looks at me with a grateful smile and tucks a stray hand behind her ear.

"Thanks, that was heavy" She says and I chuckle. My pop was informed of my injury and when he found out he offered to pick me up from the airport. I guess it saves me the trouble of driving, my shoulder isn't exactly healed so it would be stupid for me to damage it further. Walking into the airport I thought it looked more like a shopping mall than anything. The tiles under foot gleamed white and everywhere were people milling around. There were two glass elevators leading to an upper floor which had the appearance of a food mall. And in the middle of several large open areas were blue fabric covered seats. The air was cool and only the faint aroma coming down from the food area gave it any scent. Some stairs lead up to a viewing deck where eager children watched the airplanes take off and land. There were mounted telescopes for them to look through and the back wall was one large window. Behind the telescopes was a scale model of the airport with the runways marked on it. Through the sea of people there's only one person I could see. My pop. His bright blue eyes are sparkling as he notices me, I kind of stick out, only being the person in Army fatigues. I smile and as I get closer I get a better look at him. His blonde hair is a darker shade and it's short with a hint of grey coating the sides, sort of in a military look style. The skin on his chin was as smooth as a twelve year old. It wasn't just his looks that were clean cut. He was a non-smoker, never tried drugs, exercised daily, kept a clean home and ran his own company. He's wearing a navy blue polo, Denim jeans and some brown boots. I'm about to walk to him until I realise that I haven't said my goodbyes to someone. I turn to Jessica and smile.

"So my pops over there… it was nice meeting you" I say politely sort of not knowing what to say. She smiles and let's go of her suitcase.

"Do you have a pen?" She asks as she rips a side of a leaflet she picks up from this table. I frown and hand her a pen from my ACU jacket, we always have to have one on us for various reasons. She writes something down on the paper and hands it to me with a smile. I look down at it to find out that it is a number. Her number. I look up at her with a smile and she spots her parents.

"Call me okay? Take care Brittany" She says before dragging her suitcase over to her parents who squeal excitedly and engulf her in a massive hug. I turn back to my pop and walk to him. He's sporting a massive smile and I feel giddy inside just seeing him. He opens his arms and I happily wrap my arms around him.

"Hey pop" I say breathlessly and he rubs my back and lets out a sigh.

"Britt, it's so good to see you" He says as he pulls back and looks at me with pride swirling in his eyes. He looks down at my fatigues and nods with a smile. "You excited to go home?"

"Yeah… Um can we get going now? I'm starving" I say not wanting to wait here. He nods and goes to take my bag but I stiffen and don't let him. He looks at me and I swallow a little. "I'll carry it pop" He nods and leads the way out of the airport to his black range rover. I put my bag in the back seats and get in the passenger. Pop gets in after and throws me an excited smile.

"You ready to go home?" he asks and I pause. Am I ready to go home? Go back to the place where I went off the walls, where the love of my life dumped me, where I took drugs and alcohol every day. Am I ready to face some of the people I used to be friends with? I don't know. I look to my pop and nod with a little smile. He grins and starts up the engine.

"Just you wait, Lima's changed since you've been gone. I'll cook you your favourite…" My pop rambles and I'm so glad to see him but a question keeps running through my head. Am I ready to go home?

Lima Ohio here I come.

So guess who's in the next chapter? ;) hope you enjoyed it.