CHAPTER FIVE

It felt good to throw the little jerk named Knight. She had been a little self-conscious with Slattery watching and wanted to make a good impression. She felt like she did and then that kid thought he was going to just take her down. She probably shouldn't have toyed with him like she did, but she couldn't help it. Then the kid had the nerve to think he could take her from behind.

She didn't miss the reaction from Slattery when she told the kid off, and it wasn't long after that that Slattery had left her to do her job without being watched. The rest of the group went well as she started breaking down moves and teaching them the proper way to use their body in combat. She repeated that with the other five groups and Knight was the only cocky asshole she had to deal with today.

The day was over, and the recruits were eating in the mess hall. She wasn't ready to be with the group, so she held back in the barracks. She was stretched out on her cot when Tex walked in.

"Knock, knock, man on the floor," he announced. Jesse rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, so you say," she retorted. Tex mocked hurt holding his hand against his chest.

"Ow, man, tough crowd tonight."

"What do you want?"

"Well, I noticed you weren't in the mess hall and came to make sure you ate a meal tonight."

"Thanks for checking up on me, Dad," Jesse said with a smirk.

"Hey, now. Seriously. Me and a couple of the guys are heading into town for a bite. That mess hall slop wasn't gonna cut it for me."

"Who's going?"

"Will it make a difference?"

"Probably not. I'm not in the mood for company."

"You're never in the mood for company. You're the most antisocial person I know."

"Complete opposite of your social butterfly ass," Jesse sighed.

"Just don't understand it is all," Tex said with a shrug. "I like people."

"Good for you," Jesse said growing tired of the conversation. "You never answered my question though."

"Sheesh, it really matters who's going with me?"

"Forget it, I'll grab some slop after the recruits are done."

"Fine, but it's me and Slattery, and Gavin. You know Gavin."

"Yeah, we worked a job together before the world went to hell."

"So wanna come with?" Tex asked with eyebrows raised. Jesse thought it over. She knew she could keep company with Tex and Gavin. It was Slattery being there that was a little unnerving. "Mike doesn't bite," Tex said reading her mind.

"Fuck off, Tex," Jesse said feeling a little salty. Tex laughed.

"Come on, do you some good to get out and let loose a little."

"Fuck it," Jesse sighed and got to her feet. "Fine, but only cuz I'm hungry, and you're paying."

"Wait what?"

"You're paying," Jesse said with a smile. Tex shook his head but then put a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll get you out of the barrack?"

"Yep," Jesse said.

"Then I'm paying, let's go."

Jesse sat in the back seat of the jeep next to Gavin on the way to the bar Tex had picked. They found a table for four and sat down waiting for a waitress to come by. Jesse ended up next to Slattery and across from Tex. She was quiet, staying out of the conversation the other three were having.

Finally, the waitress came, and they ordered their food and a round of beers. Jesses wasn't a big drinker, but Tex insisted so she ended up with a beer and a water. She figured she could sip at the beer and drink the water. She sat back in the chair and waited for her food to come, ignoring the conversation that was continuing around her. She had no idea what they were talking about and quite frankly, she didn't care.

There were a few times she noticed Slattery looking her way but when she brought her eyes up his shifted back to the other two, resuming the conversation. The three seemed to understand her mood and left her alone, which made her happy. The food arrived and she dug into the burger and fries she ordered. When she was finished, she noticed that Tex and Gavin had a few empty glasses on the table. Tex was getting loud. She tuned into the conversation to gauge if she was going to have to extract him from the bar or not. Wouldn't be the first time she had to get him out of a bar. Gavin was talking.

"Sure, Tex, right over there," he was saying pointing to the corner of the bar. Jesse looked and saw two women dressed a bit provocatively looking at their table, giggling. Jesse rolled her eyes.

"I'm game if you are Gav," Tex said stretching out in his chair a bit.

"For pete's sake," Jesse mumbled, and she saw Slattery look at her with an amused smile on his face. "Really, Tex?"

"What? Jealous Second Place?" Tex asked.

"Of that?" Jesse asked hooking a thumb in the direction of the ladies at the bar. "Not a chance. Just think before you act."

"I already have," Tex said waggling his eyebrows.

"Brother. You don't know where they've been, Tex," Jesse said making a face. Slattery laughed next to her, and Gavin stuck his tongue out at her.

"SP is just jealous, Tex. Come on, let's at least dance with them," Gavin said. Jesse shook her head.

"I ain't lugging your asses to the infirmary for anything you pick up," Jesse said as she took a drink of her water.

"Whatever," Tex said with a laugh. He and Gavin stood from the table and walked off towards the two women.

"Christ," Jesse mumbled shaking her head.

"They're quite the pair," Slattery said, and Jesse nodded.

"Tex thinks he's a ladies' man, and Gavin is just a horny old man. Both always been like that."

"You've known them long?" Slattery asked. Jesse bristled a little, as she felt he was trying to dig into her past again, but she decided to answer anyway.

"I've worked with both in the past. More so with Tex but did a couple small jobs with Gavin."

"How'd you get into that line of work?" Slattery asked. Jesse glanced at him, but he was staring down into mostly empty beer glass. Jesse decided to give him a little.

"I'd just got out of the Army and needed a paycheck. I was…struggling to conform to civilian life."

"So, you found a solution?"

"Tex found me. He was working for a guy that was recruiting. He'd just lost of a couple guys for various reasons and Tex had known my last CO. He gave Tex my name and Tex convinced me to give it a try."

"Must have liked it enough, you said more than one job."

"Well enough to stick it out. I was selective on the jobs I took," Jesse said. She found the more she talked to him to easier it came. "Plus, Tex made it interesting. I worked with him the most."

"Tex is an interesting guy," Slattery said with a chuckle. Jesse nodded.

"He's loud," Jesse said, then laughed.

"Opposite of you," he said softly. Jesse looked at her mostly full beer. She felt he was pushing for more personal information now.

"Guess it's supposed to rain tomorrow," she said putting up her defenses. Mike frowned but took the hint. She liked that about him. She could tell he genuinely wanted to get to know her, but he also wasn't pushing. She fingered the handle of her beer glass then glanced over at Mike's empty one. She slid her glass over and pulled his in front of her. Mike looked at her with amusement.

"I'm not much of a drinker," she confessed quietly, taking a drink from her water glass. Mike chuckled before he took a drink of her beer. He looked at her and smiled.

"Your secret is safe with me," he said with a wink. She smiled as she looked down at the table. She glanced up to see him staring at her.

"What?" she asked feeling self-conscious. He paused a moment.

"Nothing," he mumbled and took another drink of the beer. He was staring down at the table and Jesse could tell he was lost in thought.

She looked over and saw Tex and Gavin had both secured a woman to dance with. She rolled her eyes. Slattery finished her beer and set the empty glass on the table. She glanced at him and saw he still appeared to be lost in thought. She wondered what he was thinking about. The noise of the bar was starting to get to her, and she wished they could just go back to the barracks. She knew Tex was nowhere near ready to leave yet. She glanced at her watch.

"Want to get out of here?" Slattery asked suddenly and Jesse froze a moment. She looked at him, and he kept his eyes down cast on the table.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked cautiously. Slattery brought his eyes up and searched hers.

"Somewhere quieter," he replied with a shrug. There was no hidden meaning behind his words, she could tell he just wanted out of the environment they were in too. Jesse nodded slowly and stood up. Slattery was reaching for his wallet. Jesse touched his arm.

"Nope, this nights on Tex," she said with a smile. Slattery looked over at Tex on the dance floor and laughed. He looked back at her and shook his head a little, pulling a twenty from his wallet and dropping it on the table.

"I'll pull my weight," he mumbled. "Come on."

She let him lead her out of the bar, his arm draped lightly over her shoulders. Once they were out in the open air, he dropped his arm and they walked for a bit across the parking lot. Slattery pointed to a bench across the street, and they made their way in that direction. Jesse sat down and leaned her head back against the top of the bench looking up at the starry night. The air was cool and crisp, and most importantly, quiet. Slattery sat down next to her, keeping a small gap between them.

"I've always liked the stars," Slattery said quietly, and Jesse picked her head up and looked at him. There was a sadness about him that she hadn't noticed before.

"I can imagine. Being a sailor," Jesse said, leaning her head back again. It was a clear night and there were lots of stars to see.

"Partly," Slattery agreed. "I think I always like them. Especially when I got away from land. There's nothing like the brilliant night sky in the middle of the ocean."

"Might be right," Jesse said, not knowing how to respond to that. Slattery glanced at her.

"My son liked the stars too. He wanted to be an astronaut," Slattery said his voice breaking a little. Jesse didn't know what to say, she could feel the sadness rolling off him now. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," she replied. She thought about her own grief and how it hit her at odd times. "Sometimes grief hits us at odd times."

"I lost him to the Red Flu," Slattery continued. Jesse felt a little uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if he was going to expect her to share something with him too. She wasn't ready to talk about what she had lost. It was still too raw and painful, even after all the years that had passed. "I lost my wife and girls too."

"I'm sorry," Jesse said unsure of what else to say. Everyone had lost someone.

"Sometimes it feels like yesterday, other times I forget what it was like."

"Grief is weird like that," Jesse said. Slattery looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm making you uncomfortable."

"It's okay. I just don't like talking about what I lost."

"Might help if you did," Slattery said turning a little, so he was facing her. She shook her head. Nope. Not going to happen. Slattery nodded slowly. "Sorry, right."

He turned to face forward again and there was a bit of awkwardness between them now. Jesse felt the fatigue of the day run through her system. She wished Tex would give up for the night, or at least give them the keys to the jeep.

"Did you learn to fight like that in the Army?" Slattery asked out of the blue after a long silence. Jesse smiled a little.

"Did I impress you today?" she asked. Slattery chuckled.

"Maybe a little."

"Wait till you see when I'm not holding back," she replied with a shrug. "And no. I learned to fight before I joined the Army. They just invested in me until I was a well-oiled machine."

"Just watch yourself around recruit Knight. He seemed to get a chip on his shoulder."

"I noticed. Kid is cocky. Needs a good officer to take him down a peg."

"Not my job anymore. But I'm sure he'll meet his match in the Army soon enough."

They sat in silence, this time comfortable, for a while before Tex and Gavin stumbled out of the bar. Slattery stood and held out a hand to Jesse. She looked at it briefly before she took it and pulled herself to her feet with it. Slattery held onto her hand for a moment before he let her go and turned towards the two inebriated men.

"Better go get the keys," Slattery mumbled as he headed back across the road. Jesse waited a moment, then followed him, glad they were going to be heading back to the barracks.

To Be Continued…