Chapter 15

Carlos, known as Ric, and his small entourage of men Tank, Lester and Bobby, were assigned to keep a close eye on the young boy named Miton. They watched his father Ali beat him for bragging about his honourable sacrifice. He said it was a disgrace for a boy of twelve to seek recognition for his job. Giving your life for the cause should be enough recognition. The money Ali received had already been spent and he couldn't afford to return it or pay it back. If Mohammed decided to replace him, their entire family would be executed. Fortunately for the boy's family, it was too late for Mohammed's men to find a more suitable replacement.

The alpha team was stationed outside Mohammed's compound. I received coded intel and confirmation the dragon, Hussein, had been slain. There was no indication which team forwarded the message, but it really wasn't my job to know. Orders to enter the snake den was passed along to the Rangers team. Neutralizing the boy and entering the snake den was to happen simultaneously.

At 0500 hours on March 15, 2006 Ranger team alpha and their backup squadron, gamma, breached the compound and permanently stopped Mohammed from carrying out his plans. He was dead within minutes from a well placed bullet between his eyes. There were no survivors in his compound. Our teams suffered minor injuries. Maps and paraphernalia were retrieved during the raid. They used the information to alert our government to send more men to prevent another world war.

Squadron delta, who was responsible for neutralizing Miton, just had to sit back and watch the event play out. Ram watched through his long range scope preparing to pull the trigger. Carlos talked to his CO and suggested they wait. After watching the interaction between father and son, Carlos felt they would cause their own demise. Ram was waiting patiently for the order to shoot. As Carlos predicted, Ali shoved Miton towards the gates after he strapped the explosives to his son's ribs, legs and arms. The kid was skinny and the extra weight had the potential to throw off his centre of gravity. Miton stumbled and fell onto his stomach. His father, Ali, looked on in horror as his son fell. He didn't get to see what happened next. Miton exploded next to the munitions vault. Explosions ripped throughout the small compound. When the fire, smoke and explosions settled, everyone behind the walls were dead. Ram radioed the ground crew to enter the compound and verify the deaths. A few hours later, they confirmed there were no survivors.

The nearby squadron was ordered to head towards base where I was staying. It would take a few weeks for Carlos' squadron to hike to our base. We still had a few more months left on our tour. Rangers team alpha were going home to debrief. Their backup squadron, gamma, was also finished their tour and going home. The computer intelligence team in DC will catalog the intel received and enter names, locations and possible weapons into the database.

An attempted computer breach a few months later had both Carlos and my team returning home. We were filtering through our database when I noticed the hacker. He was immediately shut down but I couldn't fix the breach from this desert. I needed to go home and issue my request. We needed to wait until a new team arrived to man our base.

When Carlos' squadron arrived, a few guys flirted with me while Carlos was helping his CO brief the new team. Cal told them who I married and they quickly backed off. My husband had quite the reputation among the men. Nobody messed with Ric or his wife.

Carlos and I spent our free time together. His friends always volunteered to be our lookouts whenever we made love, which we did as often and quietly as possible. Watching my man train and run drills with his squad set my hormones on fire. I noticed a few men sneak off to meet some local women. Carlos, of course, was never one of them. If he wasn't training or running drills, he was with me.

It was mid June when I finally received the order to return home. I grabbed a backup of the database and never let it out of my sight. We were flown by helicopter to an airfield in Turkey where we'd catch our flight home. What felt like days passed when the plane finally touched down on American soil. We took a commercial flight from New York to Columbus Georgia. A convoy of Jeeps provided transportation back to base. I started feeling a little nauseous and I suspected the reason why. My birth control shot was last month, but it was expired for a few days before it was administered. I was capable of injecting myself, but I needed to wait for the medic to arrive with the prescription. The medic, a man named Johnson, assured me it would still work but would wear off a bit earlier. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Mama and Papa were waiting for me at Uncle Alex's house with a pharmaceutical bag. I wanted to shower off the desert before visiting with them. Carlos grabbed the bag, took my hand and led me to our room. "Babe? Are you okay?" he asked passing me the bag.

"Mostly," I replied as I pulled out a pregnancy test. How Mama knew to bring one would baffle me for years.

"Really?" he asked excitedly. The timing was off by a year, but we had already agreed if it happened accidentally, we'd accept our fate.

"Maybe? I'll pee on the stick and we can shower while we're waiting for the results." He was completely on board with my plan. After sharing the crude bathrooms with my team, having Carlos in our bathroom while I peed on the stick didn't bother me. I set the test on the bathroom vanity and started removing my clothes.

Carlos started the shower before stripping. We had a very 'hot' shower to wash off our last mission. He was attentive and my skin was hypersensitive. I knew I was pregnant without looking at the test. Our shower ended when the water started to get cold. We stepped from the shower to wrap ourselves in towels. Carlos picked up the plastic test and smiled. He looked happy. Dropping to his knees, he opened my towel to kiss my stomach. Yup, I was right. The test confirmed we are having a baby.

We made love again before remembering we had guests to entertain. After quickly dressing, I grabbed the pregnancy test and returned it to the bag. Carlos held my hand as we followed the voices to the kitchen. Mama was making us dinner. I was planning to have her open the bag, but my stomach growled to indicate I needed food first.

Uncle Alex asked, "What's in the bag?"

I gave it to him and replied, "See for yourself."

He reached into the bag to grab the item. "You're pregnant!" he shouted. Mama whipped her head around to look at me. She placed the wooden spoon on the counter and pulled me into a hug.

"Hija, I'm so happy for you and Carlos." She pulled Carlos into her arms after releasing me. I was hugged by Uncle Alex and Papa before I was returned to Carlos.

"You'll need to remain State-side, either here in Georgia or in DC," General Palmer announced. I know I flip between Ace, Uncle Alex and General Palmer. He's Ace when I'm deployed. Uncle Alex when he's acting like family and General Palmer when he starts barking orders.

"She needs to visit the doctor for confirmation," Papa wisely added.

I was already scheduled for my post-deployment physical tomorrow morning. They'll take a sample and test if for everything imaginable including pregnancy. "I have an appointment tomorrow."

Halfway through eating dinner someone knocked on the door. Uncle Alex opened it to find General Rogers on the opposite side. "I'm sorry to intrude. I need to speak to Manoso and Palmer." Carlos and I waited for Rogers to enter the dining room. Mama grabbed a plate of food and set it in an empty space, motioning him to take a seat.

Rogers ate as we discussed the weather. We'd be discussing our last mission if Mama and Papa weren't here. After our plates were emptied, I helped Mama carry the dirty dishes to the kitchen. "It must be important Mama. He's not known to show up unannounced without a valid explanation."

"I understand. We have to go home soon. More young teens will arrive tomorrow," she sadly said. Mama used to love running the school, but I noticed lately she just wasn't up for the gig anymore. She needed a change.

"Will you and Papa move here when I have the baby?" I was hoping she'd say yes. Carlos was hoping to join the Rangers.

"It's a possibility. We have business to handle before we can commit," she answered.

"Fair enough. I love you Mama."

"I love you too hija." Papa entered the kitchen as I was saying goodbye. He pulled me into his arms and told me he loved me. I walked them to the door, thanked Mama for cooking dinner and gave them a parting hug.

The men moved to the living room while I saw my parents off. Rogers was waiting for me to take a seat before stating the reason for the visit. "I want both of you on the Rangers team. Separately your intuitions are on the mark. Together you surpass all expectations. We need men... and women like you to pave the way." I was completely shocked. He actually wanted me to attend Ranger training. I listened as he listed his expectations. My heart sank when I remembered my pregnancy. "Take a few hours to think about my offer and discuss it among yourselves. I expect an answer by 1400 tomorrow."

He shook our hands and left us sitting on the couch with our chins resting in our laps. Rogers thanked Ace for dinner then saw himself to the door. "What am I going to do Ace? I really want to train to be a Ranger, but I'm pregnant."

"Many female soldiers trained during the first two trimesters. If you start your training immediately, you'll get through the toughest part of training before you reach twenty weeks." It was risky, but it was something I really wanted to do. He gave me some hope. I would have to pass the preliminary tests before I go for training. There's still time for me to secure a position. I let my uncle's words sink in as I loaded the dishwasher. "I'm heading back to base." He gave me a hug and left his house to give us some privacy.

Carlos and I lay naked in our bed to discuss our options. "I need to tell him about our baby," I argued. Uncle Alex made me think I should keep my pregnancy as a secret.

"He asked you to consider joining and I think he already knows," Carlos said as he gently stroked my stomach.

"How? The only way he'd know is if you, Uncle Alex, Mama or Papa told him," I disagreed.

"Babe. When you were saying goodbye to Tia Ella and Tio Luis, Rogers took his empty beer bottle to the kitchen," he answered but didn't elaborate further.

"It was on the counter," I whispered. He must know I'm pregnant yet he still asked me to consider joining the Rangers. Training was going to be difficult but not impossible. I'll have to finish the physical portion before I reach twenty-six weeks, but it's doable. There's nothing wrong with exercising throughout my pregnancy. I'll need to lower the intensity by the last trimester. Sparring will need to stop too. A well placed punch or kick could cause me to miscarry.

"Stop worrying Babe. We'll take training one day at a time."

We agreed to accept the offer. I was going to tell Rogers about my pregnancy. Uncle Alex said I should keep it to myself, but I feel it's a lie by omission.

The following morning, Carlos and I decided to meet with General Rogers before my appointment. At first Rogers thought we were declining, but quickly realized we were all in. I made an effort to tell him about my pregnancy. He kept cutting me off until he finally said, "Plausible deniability." If that's how he wants to play it, I'm all for it. "Preliminary screening starts tomorrow 0700," he announced before dismissing us.

I went for my physical in the infirmary. The medic asked questions regarding birth control. He took a blood sample and made a note of my last injection. I was surprised he didn't order a pregnancy test or even ask about the possibility. Carlos had his physical after mine. We'll have the results within 24 hours.

Carlos and I had the rest of the day off, so we went home to spend time training for tomorrow. I knew we had to pass a series of physical and psychological tests before we could begin training. "Did he order a pregnancy test?" Carlos asked once we were alone.

"No. He said to return in eight weeks. I need to have my blood pressure and hormone levels checked before I can receive my next birth control injection."

"Then they'll know," he added.

"Exactly. If we make it past the preliminaries, we'll begin the eight week program the following day." I paid close attention to timelines indicated.

"What specialty are you going to follow?" he asked hoping I would select one not involving close contact fighting.

"Computer intelligence and sniper. I would still need the basic training all Rangers receive and my aim is very accurate." He couldn't disagree with me. "I was wondering something..." I started.

"About?" he asked.

"Why we were approached for Ranger training? I thought you had to apply."

"I wasn't the only one who didn't apply," he announced. He dialled a number on his satellite phone and held it to his ear. After a very brief conversation, he invited some friends over.

Close to twenty minutes later, I heard a series of knocks on the door followed by a palm slap. Carlos opened the door to Lester, Tank, Bobby, Ram and Cal. A few more men filed in after them. "Hal," a tall muscular Thor look alike introduced himself.

"Junior, Manny, Rodriguez, Silvio, Zip and Zero," Carlos introduced the other men. Rodriguez and Junior were Mexican American. Both had black hair and dark brown eyes. Manny was Greek. His hair was dark brown and he has gorgeous hazel eyes. Silvio, Junior and Zip are Italian American. They have blue eyes and hair the same colour as mine. Zero was platinum blond with pale blue eyes. He was a first generation Scandinavian American. Most of the men were between six feet and six foot four with exception of Hal. He was the same height and build as Tank.

"Hi guys. I'm Fannie," I introduced myself using my Army name.

"I thought you said her name was Stephanie," Manny looked to Carlos for confirmation. I should have been upset he told the men my real name, but I really wasn't.

"My real name is Stephanie, but call me Fannie on base. It's what everyone else besides Carlos calls me," I replied.

"Who is Carlos?" Manny asked. I started laughing.

"Ric is Carlos. I guess I should do as I say?" I joked. "Why are all these men here Ric?" I decided to use his other name.

"We've been invited for Ranger training," Bobby answered for the group. "I heard you're the first woman to ever be invited."

"Yup. I am," I confirmed. Exactly how many men were invited to train?

"A quarter of the men from your basic training year, a quarter from the year following and half from my year. Plus Cal and Ram," Tank said matter of factly proving I spoke my thoughts aloud.

"And you know... because..." I prompted him to continue.

"Major General Sherman," he replied as though I should now the answer.

It barely took me a few seconds to make the connection. "Your father or uncle?" I asked. Major Sherman was too old to be his brother.

"Uncle," Tank stated.