Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Bobby kept dreaming about the FUBAR mission he got assigned to during a Ranger deployment. He got put on another team from Manoso with his childhood friend, Sid Dalton. It wasn't the first time Bobby Brown got assigned to Dalton's team. They required Bobby's skill as a medic to help the men survive the mission.
He knew it was dangerous after the team got briefed. Bobby packed extra medical supplies from the infirmary. "Do you have enough?" Captain Smithers jokingly asked.
"I doubt it," Bobby replied. "But they won't let me take more." Bobby felt the mission had the potential to change his life. He had no idea his errant thought would become a reality.
"Stay safe out there," Smithers said. "Team Delta has your back." Bobby nodded, then left the infirmary. He wasn't supposed to discuss the mission with anyone not present during the brief. Bobby would later learn that Captain Smithers was leading team Delta.
Bobby Brown, Sid Dalton, Brian Gideon, David Reid, Spencer Holden and Deric Garcia were on team Beta. They had two days to review the intel. Pedro Gomez took over his father's regime when Ranger team Alpha neutralized his father, Jorge Gomez, the previous year. Unlike his father, Jorge, Pedro was sadistic. He enjoyed torturing the women before selling them into slavery. Pedro revelled in discovering new ways to break the women.
When they found Pedro Gomez, he was hurting a woman in the most gruesome way possible. The poor young woman got shackled to an overhead ceiling bolt. Her arms pulled her body straight, and she could barely touch the floor with her toes. The strain on her arms nearly dislocated her shoulders. She struggled to remain upright. Pedro used his switchblade to stab the woman in her ass, legs and abdomen. None of the injuries were enough to kill her, but they would guarantee her compliance.
Unknown to Pedro, the woman had type 1 diabetes. She went into shock from lack of food and blood loss. The woman died before Pedro could finish breaking her. Pedro had other women shackled inside the room. When the gorgeous blond died, the other women quickly fell in line. Over several months, Pedro let his men use the women until they reciprocated their actions. Pedro planned to trade the women for drugs and weapons.
Bobby and his team took out Pedro and his crew, but not without half the men sustaining injuries. Only Bobby and Sid were unharmed. They loaded the men in the two Jeeps they had available to leave the area. Sid drove the lead car while Bobby followed behind. They stopped many times on the road to the extraction site for Bobby to administer the pain medication to the injured men. Bobby and Sid kept each other awake by communicating through their coms.
After travelling for another hour, Sid's car hit a roadside bomb. Bobby swerved to miss hitting the other vehicle, causing his Jeep to flip. He grabbed the medic bag to check on Sid and the other men. Sid was the only survivor of the car explosion. "Bobby," Sid said from beneath the wreckage.
"I'm right here," Bobby replied. Bobby assessed Sid's injuries. Sid's legs got pinned beneath the Jeep. He lost a lot of blood, but Bobby was confident he could save his friend's life.
"Promise." Bobby waited for Sid to finish his sentence. He opened the medic bag to administer the remaining morphine into Sid's arm. "Promise you'll go to Mardi Gras for me."
"I promise," Bobby said, wiping his eyes on his arm. "What can I do to ease the pain?"
"Let me die," Sid begged. "My arm is gone. I don't want to live with prosthetics. Bobby shook his head. He was a medic, not a killer. Bobby had to kill the enemies, but that was different than watching your friend die. "Please, Bobby. I can't move my legs."
Bobby looked around the wreckage of Sid's Jeep. The other men were dead. Bobby knew the men from his vehicle got bumps and bruises, but they were alive. "I don't have any more morphine," Bobby confessed. "There's nothing in my medic bag to cause an overdose."
"Then you have to do it, Bobby," Sid begged. "Please, end my life. I want to see everything good in my life before I die."
"Don't ask me to do this, Sid," Bobby said. "I don't want to do this. There has to be another way. I could break your neck."
"Bobby, please be honest. Would my injuries kill me?" Sid asked. Bobby assessed him again, then shook his head. "Please have mercy, Bobby. Help me die."
Bobby cried as he wrapped his hands around Sid's neck. He reluctantly applied pressure. Sid smiled a second before his face went completely slack and his hazel eyes dimmed. Bobby cried as he felt the life slip from his best friend's body. He cried for a few minutes.
David Reid and Spencer Holden limped toward Bobby. "Come on, man. We have to get out of here," Spencer said. Bobby tugged the dog tags off Sid's neck. "We've got Deric and Brian's tags." Bobby nodded and followed the men into the brush.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I murdered my friend," Bobby whispered. "It never occurred to me that I should have injected air into his vein to cause a heart attack."
"I'm so sorry, Bobby," Stephanie cried as she wrapped her arms around his chest. Bobby found himself comforting Stephanie. He didn't want to tell her about the FUBAR mission, but he didn't have any other choice. It was the only way for her to understand the severity of his nightmares.
"Being here, in New Orleans, brought the memories to the surface," Bobby confessed.
"What can we do to help?" Edna asked, walking into Bobby's bedroom. Edna wore a long flannel nightgown. She resembled Estelle Getty on the Golden Girls.
"Grandma, we should do everything Sid wanted to do with Bobby at the Mardi Gras," Stephanie replied.
"I can do that," Edna said. "We're here for you, Bobby. Let's make happy memories in honour of your friend."
"Sid Dalton's request will not go unfulfilled." Stephanie squeezed Bobby. "You know we'll do anything to help you, right?" she asked.
"I know, Steph. You can't repeat anything about that mission. I could get in a lot of trouble for sharing the details," Bobby said. Stephanie rolled her eyes. Bobby didn't have to ask Stephanie to remain silent. She would never betray his trust.
"It was necessary, Bobby." Stephanie hugged him again. Stephanie couldn't believe Sid had asked Bobby to do that. It would have been more humane for Bobby to snap his neck. To ask his best friend to choke him to death caused undo trauma and stress to Bobby. "You know I don't think differently of you. Bobby, you did what Sid asked. Sid probably didn't realize how much it would traumatize you."
Edna left the room briefly, then returned with a cup of warm milk. "I'm sure whatever you've got in that needle would knock you out. But warm milk would help, too," Edna said, passing the mug to Bobby.
"Thanks, Edna," Bobby replied. He liked having someone take care of him. It was a change from him tending to others.
"I promise to keep your secret, Bobby. You have many years ahead of you. I wouldn't do anything to shorten the time available for you to enjoy," Edna said. "What did your friend want to do during Mardi Gras?"
Bobby drank the milk as he explained the activities. Edna got excited the more Bobby talked while Stephanie internally groaned. Stephanie couldn't wait to attend the parades. But the after party on Bourbon Street intimidated her. How would Stephanie keep an eye on her grandmother?
"We'll do everything together," Bobby said, answering her unasked question.
"Hot damn," Edna said. "I've got myself a hottie for the party." Bobby's face paled as Stephanie laughed.
"You opened yourself for that one," Stephanie said. "Goodnight, Bobby. Do you need that to help you sleep?" Stephanie pointed to the syringe on the nightstand.
"Not tonight, Steph. Can you put it back into the duffle?" Bobby asked. Stephanie kissed Bobby's cheek, then returned the syringe to the bag. Bobby watched his friend leave his room. He couldn't believe he had told her about Sid Dalton. Bobby thought Stephanie would hate him for murdering his friend. He was relieved when she treated him the same as usual.
~~~~~~~~~~
Stephanie and Edna listened for Bobby to have nightmares during the night. Edna asked Stephanie how she got Bobby to wake up without restraining him. "Ranger told me to turn the lights on and off ten times. I think it subconsciously stimulates their brain to make them realize they are dreaming," she explained. "I'm not a psychologist, so I can't verify his statement is correct."
"I didn't hear much of the conversation, but why is Bobby traumatized by honouring his friend and comrade's wishes?" Edna curiously asked.
"To be honest, it would traumatize me too, grandma. Watching your friend die as you assist would be the worst torture I could ever endure. It would break me as easily as it broke Bobby. He is a medic for a reason. Bobby doesn't take a life without it negatively affecting him. I don't think Bobby realized how much strength it took to end Sid's life. Hopefully, I would never get put in that situation. I wouldn't be able to follow through with the request," Stephanie replied. "I wonder why Ranger didn't warn me."
"You are made of stronger stuff. He knows you can handle anything thrown at you. But we should stay on guard when the others get their turn," Edna told her granddaughter.
Stephanie couldn't agree more. She wanted to be mad at Ranger, but he had no idea Bobby's trauma would manifest in that manner. Bobby didn't mean to choke her. "How did grandpa handle what he saw during his deployments? Was he the same man?" Stephanie asked.
"When Harry returned from the 1958 Lebanon crisis, he was different. I was raising Shirley and was pregnant with your mother before he got deployed. I'm not sure what he witnessed, but he became more rigid within the home. Everything had to be just right, or he'd blow a gasket. I quickly learned to obey his commands. It wasn't the life I had imagined for myself, but during those days, it was expected of housewives to stay home to raise children."
"Is that why mom wants me to get married and have children?" Stephanie asked.
"Your grandfather was proud of his daughters for following in my footsteps as a wife and mother. I wanted my girls to fly. They shouldn't have to be doomed to domestic servitude like me," Edna confessed. Stephanie looked at her grandmother as though seeing her for the first time.
"Why didn't you get a part-time job when Aunt Shirley and Helen went to school full time?"
"Stephie, I wanted to work, but your grandfather forbade me from working outside the home. Since he paid the bills, I had to abide by his rules. Your mother wanted you and Valerie to have the life she only hoped to have. The goal was to raise her daughters to be independent and make a life outside the home. Everything changed when your aunt died. Helen felt it was her duty to make her father proud and become the mother she is today," Edna explained. "Personally, I think Helen enjoyed the extra attention from her father."
"I don't think I could ever raise children. The thought alone scares me," Stephanie admitted. She knew how close that nearly became a reality.
"Maybe someday you'll change your mind, Stephie. If your Ranger wants a child with you, would you have one?" Edna asked. She didn't wait for her granddaughter to reply. "Go check on Bobby. I'm tired."
Stephanie hugged her grandmother, then watched her climb into bed. A few minutes later, Stephanie went to check on Bobby. He mumbled before sitting up. "Can't sleep?" Bobby rested his back against the headboard. He moved the other pillow and invited Stephanie to sit beside him.
"I can, but I was worried about you," Stephanie replied. Stephanie climbed onto the bed. She leaned into his side. Bobby wrapped his arm around her shoulder, then pulled her closer. "What you did for your friend was both amazing and frightening. You are a good man, Bobby Brown."
"I'm a coward. I should have fought for his right to live," he quietly replied.
"You don't really believe that, Bobby. Deep inside your heart, you know helping him die was the right decision." Stephanie tilted her head to look at her friend. "We all make difficult decisions for other people. It took a lot of strength and determination for you to help your friend. Would he have had a quality life if he lived?"
"No. He lost an arm and both legs were pinned beneath the wreckage. When I palpated his lower abdomen, he couldn't feel where I pressed. He didn't have to tell me. I knew because he didn't flinch from the pain or pressure I applied. Sid was paralyzed from the waist down. He made me promise to end his life if he couldn't walk. It was his greatest fear," Bobby confessed.
"You kept your promise as you honoured his wishes, Bobby. Sid would have struggled to maneuver through life. He would need constant assistance and therapy. You had mercy on him and helped him die. I'm sorry you didn't have a medical way to achieve the same goal. Have you talked to his family?"
"No. I was too afraid to face them. His parents died a few months after receiving the news. Sid only has Stacy, his only sibling." Bobby pulled on the chain around his neck. Stephanie shifted until she could look into his eyes. She gently lifted the tags to read the inscribed words.
"Oh, Bobby. You've been hanging onto his tags. I think you should return them to his sister," Stephanie said. "Keeping them would weigh you down like an albatross. It's time to let go of the guilt and pain. Sid wouldn't want you to live like this." Stephanie pulled the chain over his neck, then settled them onto hers. "Let me carry the burden."
Bobby wiped the tears from his eyes. "I can't ask you to do that." He wondered if Stephanie would think he was a wimp for crying. Stephanie was unlike any woman he had met. She was loving, kind and generous. Ranger was a lucky man. Hopefully, he would pull his head from his ass and commit to the gorgeous brunette with big blue eyes.
"You're not asking. I'm offering. There's a big difference between the two. You have helped me more times than I can count on both hands and feet. It's my turn to help you. Please, Bobby, let me reciprocate," Stephanie replied.
"What would I do without you?" Bobby quietly asked. Stephanie had no clue. She's still trying to figure out what she'd do without her Merry Men and Ranger.
Bobby kissed Stephanie's cheek, then pulled her down into the bed. He wrapped his arms around the woman lying beside him. Stephanie fell asleep, wrapped in Bobby's arms. It was the first time in months that he didn't have a nightmare. Stephanie only shared a bed with Bobby during that night. He never crossed the line or made her feel uncomfortable. There was no awkwardness the following morning. Bobby and Stephanie had a clear understanding regarding what they meant to each other. They were close friends.
~~~~~~~~~~
Edna, Stephanie and Bobby attended every Mardi Gras parade. They had a lot of fun in New Orleans. Some of the events involved visiting parks and museums, but the trio had done all of those activities before Fat Tuesday. Bobby seemed to be coping well after baring his soul to Stephanie. She was proud of her friend.
Sid's dog tags fell between Stephanie's breasts. She never took them off. Stephanie carried that burden for Bobby. She noticed his hands kept reaching for his neck, where the chain previously resided. Every time Stephanie saw the action, she would hold his hand to offer him comfort.
Bobby was surprised the most by Edna. She took care of him. He had forgotten how good it felt. They watched movies together and shared details about their families while growing up. Bobby had no idea that Edna had done so much for Stephanie. He wondered if Ranger knew. "No," Stephanie replied. "He doesn't know, but I will eventually tell him. Promise you won't tell a soul."
"I promise," Bobby replied. "It's nice to understand why you feel the way you do. I'm honoured that you shared that difficult time in your past with me."
"I'm ashamed to admit, but it was therapeutic," Stephanie said.
"I hope your experience didn't affect your future." Stephanie shrugged because it already had.
"Let's go before we miss the party. Grandma would be devastated if we didn't go out in style." Bobby laughed when Stephanie changed the subject to something less emotional. He knew what could happen during the party and needed to keep his wits about him. Stephanie went into her bedroom to change. Denial Land, Stephanie Michelle Plum is checking in for the next few hours.
Edna wore a pink tank top and yoga pants. Stephanie laughed when Bobby's eyes bugged out. She wore a skimpy pale blue top and black boy shorts. Her outfit left nothing to the imagination. "You're looking toned," Bobby commented when Stephanie entered the living room.
"It's all your fault," Stephanie joked. Bobby and Stephanie went to the hotel gym every morning to exercise. She had to admit running on the treadmill was more desirable than running outside.
"The guys aren't going to know what to think," he said. Bobby took a few pictures as Stephanie flexed her muscles. Edna laughed at their antics. She was proud of Bobby and her granddaughter. They had grown a lot during their time in New Orleans. Edna could already see the positive changes baring their secrets initiated. If Edna died that day, she would be smiling. Edna loved seeing Stephanie relaxed and happy.
Stephanie shrugged. Bobby's eyes darkened when Stephanie tucked the tags into her bra. "Mind out of the gutter, Bobby. I love you as a brother, and brothers do not look at their sisters like that," she said with laughter. Bobby shook his head and mumbled.
Mardi Gras and the after party was everything Edna could have hoped for and more. She bared her breasts to the crowd. The men hooted, then someone put a lei around her neck. Within an hour, Edna wore ten. Stephanie raised her shirt, exposing her pale pink bra. Bobby was slightly disappointed it wasn't see-through, but Stephanie didn't want an image of her bare breasts on the internet. He managed to snap a photo, then sent it to Ranger. Bobby looked at the picture before deleting it. Ranger would take him to the mats if he kept it.
"I feel like we're in a can like sardines," Stephanie said when another man pinched her ass. "I'm going to have permanent bruises after tonight."
Bobby laughed. "I must have got groped a hundred times. It wasn't so bad from the women, but I could have done without the men touching me," Bobby replied.
Stephanie doubled over in laughter. "I'm having so much fun." She threw her arm across Edna's shoulders. "Thank you for bringing me along on your adventure, grandma."
"Anything for you, baby granddaughter," Edna replied. She squeaked a second later. "The crowd is getting fresh."
Another hot, sweaty body pressed against Stephanie's back. She gently pushed her elbow into the man's abs. "Sorry," he mumbled.
When they returned to the hotel exhausted, Stephanie found twenty-five stickers stuck to her clothes. All had men's phone numbers. Stephanie tossed them into the trash. She took a hot shower to wash away the day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ranger nearly fell out of his chair when he opened the attachment for Bobby's text. His Babe exposed her chest during the Mardi Gras party. Her pale pink bra against her skin made it appear that she was naked. Ranger enlarged the image to take a closer look. Babe was developing muscle tone. "Proud of you, Babe."
He felt guilty for not warning Stephanie ahead of time. Ranger wanted to beg her for forgiveness. But Ranger had no clue Bobby Brown would wrap his hands around Stephanie's neck to choke her. Bobby never reacted that way before so his action surprised everyone. As though she sensed his guilt, Stephanie sent Ranger a text. "I forgive you. Nobody could have predicted his reaction. Take care, Batman. I'll call you later."
