Lovin' those R&Rs gang. Thanks so much! This is a pretty short chapter so I'm putting it up as a bonus.

He had felt pain before. The scar on his back was a tribute to what he could take as a human being. Being shot was a pain that ran through a body, with a bullet exploding as it hit any hard surface. His had been pretty clean. A different angle and he might not have been sitting here right now. This kind of pain was superficial. Cuts and bruises never got him down before and perhaps a busted rib or two would easily heal. On the battlefield, the first shot of Morphine led to the first taste of Heroin. And it was smooth. Dulled any pain a man could have. He thought about it now and how easy it would be to get off that bus and place a call. But somehow the realization of what he had done dulled this pain on its own, unlike the injury that led to his Purple Heart and shipped him back home. This pain had a purpose. That purpose sat in front of him.

He looked at her. He was closer than he had been in years as she cleaned him up the best she could. He wished he hadn't gotten that pint to work up the nerve to talk to her. Elsie's words haunted him all that night and into the next day. He knew she was right. Neither of them could go on with their lives until he spoke to her. Until he told her how sorry he was for what he had done. Maybe just a sip or two would help him out. When the bank employees stayed later, that sip became the whole bottle. While waiting for her to come out, it was gone before he knew it. Had he avoided that drink, he could have taken those guys and been her hero.

"I'm sorry Amber." He whispered as she touched the swollen cut on his forehead. "You could have left me there."

"No I couldn't. Just forget about it." She said as she turned the handkerchief, licked it again and wiped. "Let me do this before you're gone."

He gave her a strange look, "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

"You're going to disappear, Corny. I'm going to close my eyes and you're going to vanish. I don't know how you got here, or how long you'll last, but let me help you while you're still real." She was deadly serious.

He took her hand and cocked his head, "I'm always real." He said staring into her eyes.

She stared back, "If you say so. None of you are here long. I just have to do this then," she replied. She pushed her broken glasses up once more then removed them with an annoyed look. She turned his chin and concentrated on her First Aid.

His eyes fought to see her face as she turned him away. She was still just as beautiful, even unkempt and unadorned. He had seen her like this only once, years ago. It was at LuAnne's Pool Party. The girls sat in big hats, large glasses and bathing suits, sunning themselves and chatting. Not a single one would touch that water to ruin their perfect make-up and hair. But the boys had a different idea. One boy behind each chase lounge, a quick countdown and SPLASH! Every girl ended up in the pool. Oh, there were screams and gnashing of teeth. Vicky and Tammy even chased down Brad, fingernails flying, but all in all, it gave the girls an excuse to swim and enjoy themselves. After the mascara and lipstick was wiped off, they turned into kids and began to splash like teenagers.

Amber had arrived at that party directly after her trip to Europe. The stated idea of that trip was to study art at the Louvre, but everyone knew it was actually a buying spree. Velma and Amber picked up the latest fashions and always looked for an opportunity to show them off. This was one of them. She walked by him, wrapped in a short bathing cover-up and he didn't give her a second glance. However, when it fell to her ankles, every head turned. He had only seen a bikini in pictures of Brigitte Bardot. Yet, there she stood in an orange one. It was ORANGE for Pete's sake. Amongst the pinks and blues of the other bathing suits, hers positively screamed "look at me". And he did. Everyone did. She adjusted her hat and sat down, giving them all a needed break. However, after she landed in the pool, sitting was no longer an option. She caught his attention standing in line for the diving board. As she walked to the end, she hesitated for a moment, scanning to see who watched her. He watched her. Lord knows, he couldn't help it. He felt flushed as she jumped in and swam to the side, popping up directly in front of him. Head tilted back and eyes closed coming out of the water, she made her way up the ladder to get in line again. His eyes followed until she walked by Link, who stared back at him.

"That's quite a suit your girl's got, Man!" he laughed hiding his hormones.

Link laughed but continued to stare at him, "Yeah, glad she's mine."

He said his goodbyes not long after but he couldn't shake the picture in his mind. Of her face breaking the surface of the water followed by her orange bikini. It stayed with him, though he pushed it away. Many a time he saw her, even with the girls he bought in Saigon, his mind would drift back to that day by the pool. Without a stitch of make-up, hair hanging in strings around her face, she was the most sensuous sight he had ever seen. He squeezed his eyes shut as she turned his face back to hers.

She saw his eyes, "Am I hurting you?"

"Not at all." He replied.

She looked around as she stuffed her hankie back in her purse. "My stop is coming up soon. I, uh……I think, um…."

"What?" he asked as she stammered.

"Where is your stop?" she asked without looking up. "Where are you going?"

He closed his eyes and leaned back, "I think I'm going to just sleep here a while."

She looked at his head. Cut or concussion, he couldn't stay there. She picked up her glasses and pulled him to his feet, "No." was all she said as she lifted him. Down the aisle, out the door, she hesitated a second by the building.

"Moon! Kitty, kitty, kitty!" she cried out.

A large white cat ran up and weaved between her legs.

"You lead the way today." She said to the cat as she opened the front door.