Steph's POV—Fort Benning
May 2004
I arrive in Georgia. I traded in my nice, dry heat for this disgusting humidity. At least it wasn't as hot as Georgia can get in the summer. Tomorrow, Carlos is graduating from Ranger school. Four months ago, I finished my training. Now, Carlos is finished. We are getting married the day after graduation. No one knows, well, no one except for Lester and Abuela Rosa. I believe the rest of the family knows our marriage is happening soon, but they have no idea when. All they know is that when we go to Jersey in a couple of weeks, we'll be married. They will be our only attendants. We have the paperwork completed and will be married by an Army Chaplain. It will be perfect. In two weeks, Tia Celia will throw us a big Burg bash. Yes, you heard me right. A big, Burg bash.
I felt what better way to give the proverbial finger to the Burg than to rub not only my rank but also my marriage to an outsider in their face. So many people are invited. Some, I look forward to seeing, like Carl Constanza, Eddie Gazarra, who married my cousin Shirley the Whiner, Mary Lou Molner, now Stankovic and her husband, Lenny. My Mazur grandparents will be there. They attended my graduation at Fort Huachuca.
My grandmother said that she will make sure that my parents and sister are there at my wedding reception. She wants to see how my mother will react when I am accepted fully by the Santos (Rizzi) and Manoso families. Since I've been away, my mother has lost some of her status as a Burg wife and mother. Thanks to Tia Celia, many started to question why Joe Morelli was never charged with rape, why my parents never took me to press charges against him for his actions. They don't understand how my mother could make me walk with him at my sister's wedding. They have begun to look at the way I have been treated my whole life and seem to be going against my mother. Yes, it will be good.
I was shocked, to say the least, to discover from Cal that none other than one Joseph Anthony Morelli was training for the SEALs. Cal heard of our tumultuous history and vowed to "help" Joe see that the SEALs are not a place for him. While Cal will not outright sabotage Joe, which is against the moral and ethical code of conduct, he will make sure that he digs his own grave. He has not talked him out of his bad choices, and in fact, encourages him to stick to his gut by challenging Joe's sense of perfection. So far, it seems to work, because it doesn't seem like Joe is going to make it to graduation.
I know that Carlos and Lester are itching to pay Joe back. They were annoyed they couldn't touch him at Valerie's wedding. I told them that the time will come when they can make Joe pay, but right now, we all have too much to risk. Our careers in the Army are more important than an old vendetta. Carlos, Bobby, Tank, and Lester have become inseparable, the 'fab four' of the Rangers. Together, they are the best achieving team to ever pass through the school, and individually, they are the top four. However, Carlos has far surpassed everyone. He has done so well that those in the class have started to call him Ranger because he exemplifies everything that a Ranger should be. I'm the only one who hasn't taken to his new nickname yet. I know, as an Intelligence Officer, that Carlos having a nickname is a good thing, as long as no one ever gets to know his actual name unless he wants to share that information. Both of our positions put us in danger from enemies if our identities are ever discovered. Though I will be Stephanie Manoso, I will keep my last name as 'Plum' for Army purposes. Anything to make it a little harder for someone to track me down.
I have stopped using credit cards and debit cards. They are too traceable. I have one credit card, which I use to rent a storage unit outside Sierra Vista, which is the town where Fort Huachuca is located. In that unit, I have nothing important, mostly civilian mementos, that can't be directly linked to me. Things like a soccer game ball I received at my last West Point game, a ball from my last Varsity game in Miami. I have some clothing and furniture, mostly my winter clothing, which I don't need right now. I pay that bill on time every month, so I have some sort of credit history if I ever decide to buy a home, start a business, or buy a car. I save as much money as possible because I don't get paid nearly enough.
I know that Carlos will be much better compensated, but he will be on the front lines. I only hope my counterparts who handle his missions will be as good as I am. I wish I could be on his team, behind the scenes, but the brass frowns upon the information gatherers knowing the foot soldiers. They claim it makes everyone too emotional, which increases the likelihood of someone getting hurt. I try to tell them it would do the opposite because no stone will be left unturned to help ensure that the unit returns home. So far, they don't believe me.
I'm at the local airport, waiting for my transport. I want to surprise Carlos and Lester, so I didn't tell them I was coming. They think I'm arriving tomorrow morning. I called the base and spoke to the commander. He is sending out an escort for me. As I sit waiting, I wonder how things will be for the next month and a half while Carlos is on leave.
I am going to be based out of Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia. Fort Belvoir is about thirty minutes from Washington D.C. and thirty minutes from Quantico. This is the main base of the Army Intelligence division. We will have housing there, and we have already decided to have Lester stay with us when he is stateside. It was cleared with base officials as well. Carlos will go on his first mission as a Ranger in six weeks. The next month is R and R for Carlos, then he has two weeks of pre-mission briefings. Once he gets overseas, he will be incommunicado until the objective is met, or until they are compromised. Then, there will be mission debriefings before he has another R and R period. As for me, I work nine to five, Monday through Friday unless I'm needed in the field, or if my team needs more intel. Then I work until I have what I need. I'm worried about Carlos. I know he is the best of the best, but I still worry. I love him. I never want to lose him, at least not until we are both old and gray.
"First Lieutenant Plum, Ma'am?" A soldier addresses me.
"At ease. Are you my escort?"
"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am. Do you have a satchel?"
"Nothing I can't handle."
"Please follow me. My name is PFC Tim Rodgers."
"Lead the way," I tell Rodgers. He takes me out to a Jeep, where I climb in after tossing my duffle in the back. We make small talk on the way to Fort Benning.
"PFC, where are the graduates now?"
"On break. The graduates will be in the mess hall at 1730. Most are going out tonight to celebrate."
"Where is the mess hall?"
"Straight down the road, on the right. Where are your quarters? The commander didn't tell me where you are staying."
"In town."
"Would you like me to drop you off in front of the mess hall? They should be arriving in about five minutes."
"That would be great, thank you."
We arrive outside the mess hall, and I can see the men walking towards the hall. I sigh. I can't believe that in 2004, women still aren't allowed to become Rangers. Maybe someday. I grab my duffle and say goodbye to my escort. I make sure my uniform is crisp and wait for my Carlos to arrive. I see four men walking together, and from the looks of their group, I know they are my guys. I outrank most of the men here, and they are pausing to salute as they walk by. I hate that they do this. I don't deserve their salute. Finally, they see me, and I watch their steps quicken. When they are in front of me, Lester appoints himself the spokesperson.
"First Lieutenant Plum, permission to forgo protocol." He states as they all salute me.
"Permission granted, Santos." I salute them back. One by one, they greet me with a hug and a kiss, starting with my brother, then Bobby, followed by Tank. When they finish, all that's left is my fiancé.
"Babe," he says before pulling me against him and kissing me. We wrap our arms around each other, getting lost in the sensation. God, how I've missed him.
"Second Lieutenant Manoso, you know that fraternizing with a senior officer is not allowed."
"Colonel Whitehorne, may I introduce you to my fiancé, First Lieutenant Stephanie Plum."
"Sir," I respond, with a salute.
"At ease. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. You seem to be our top information gatherer. If rumors are true, I wish all my men have you providing them with their intel."
"Thank you, Sir. I'm only doing my job."
"With integrity and perfection. Manoso is mighty proud of you, as is Santos."
"I'm proud of both Santos and Manoso as well. Becoming a Ranger is no easy feat."
"You got that right, Ma'am. I would be honored if you would join me at my table. Manoso, Santos, Brown, and DuPont, you are also invited to join me."
"Thank you, Sir. We are honored." Carlos replies. We enter the mess hall, following the Colonel to his table.
At dinner, we talk about some of the hijinks the Colonel and his colleagues got into during some of their missions, and how he always respected those of us in MI. He said if it weren't for our work, he'd be dead ten times over. I often get the feeling that many of the soldiers don't think of us as being soldiers, but hearing what the Colonel had to say made me proud of my choice. I only hope that I can keep my teams safe.
"How long have you known each other?" The Colonel asks Carlos.
"Since we were sixteen years old. My aunt hired her for the summer as a mother's helper to get her away from her family. Steph stayed in Miami, never returning to Trenton."
"How long have you been dating?"
I responded, "we started dating about a month after we met. We've been dating since."
"When is the big day?"
"The day after tomorrow. We're having a small ceremony on base, here, before heading back to New Jersey. Tia Celia, Santos' mom, along with my future mother-in-law, has a huge bash planned for us."
"I wish you both the best of luck. It's hard being a military spouse. There are lots of dangers that we face, and the danger rarely is over when we retire. We come home with demons, sometimes they never leave us. To have someone in your life who understands what you are going through, what you experienced, makes it easier to readjust, to keep going. That's why we encourage teamwork. That's why we encourage the powers that be to leave teams intact. There's a level of trust and understanding that gets built between those soldiers who fight together. The longer they remain together, the stronger that bond. It allows the men to anticipate each other, to appear, at least to an outsider, to have ESP. Reading those nuances can mean life or death in the jungles of South America or the deserts of the Middle East."
"As much as it will be difficult being stateside while Carlos is God knows where I could never prevent him from going. He needs the Rangers and the missions that come with it almost as much as he needs oxygen, almost as much as he needs me."
"I would never prevent Steph from taking her role behind the scenes. While she would make a great Ranger, she doesn't have the edge that's needed to be in the field. She's too innocent, even with all we've experienced. She always wants to believe the best in others, though she knows that is usually a façade." Carlos adds.
"I can see that you both are perfect for each other. The road ahead of you won't be easy, but the key to making any relationship work is communication. Carlos, while you may not be able to share the specifics of where you were or what you did, you need to share the emotional toll that those experiences have on you. You can't hold it inside. In her role, she will have a fairly good idea of what you faced and will know best how to help you get through what you need to get through. Trust is paramount. If there ever comes a day when you feel you can't go on together, have the decency to end your marriage before stepping out on the other. There is no faster way for a soldier to end up dead than to be a man or woman scorned."
I appreciate the words of wisdom from the Colonel. I hope Carlos is listening. Even though I can read him well, he's not as forthcoming to me as he once was. I know a lot is the training, the need to keep me safe. I can't tell him much about what I do, but I do share my emotions more. I hope that Carlos will open up to me. If not, I'll just have to find the right buttons to push. Dinner ends shortly after that, and we decide to go into town with the rest of the graduates to celebrate at a local watering hole.