Back In the World
Ch. 13
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The tall man raced over to his fallen wife.
She lifted her head and stifled an apology trying to fight her way up from the floor.
He grabbed her arm and stood strong enough for her to use as a pedestal.
"What did you think you were doing? You know you're not strong enough!" He was stern but trying to be compassionate.
"I know…It's just. I heard you going to get the mail, I wanted to see if…did he write?"
Hawkeye was torn. Should he just tell her no and spare her the terror his son wrote of. Or tell her the truth and bare the well of tears set to fall.
"No…nothing." He replied back.
No emotion was on her face when her reply came, "Oh. Alright." She laid back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling.
He started to walk away.
"You think Blake is alive Ben?" She uttered lifting her head slightly.
He shook his head side to side. "I…I don't know."
He left the room and took a seat back on the couch. Re-reading his sons letter and whimpering as silent as he could.
--
Blood spattered uniforms. Children crying and screaming for their mothers and fathers. It was a town, but no longer. Body parts laid on the streets and people were scorched from fires. The occasional gun shot rang out as someone was being put out of their misery. You walk past cribs now empty. You see a flat basketball laying outside. The dirt on the ground was hardened by the blood and the shrapnel stuck out of the trees. People reached out to you for help but you couldn't trust them. You couldn't even take their hand to comfort them. You couldn't reach out to them and say a prayer let a lone let your face smile to make a child happy. Screams haunted your nightmares. That is if you could get sleep at all. Your body ached and your hands trembled even if you couldn't feel it happening. You're shaken awake by another soldier and reflex points your gun at his chest. He throws his hands up in defense and silently says, 'We're moving out Pierce.'
Time to walk through another valley, time to see some more children killed. Time to test fate. It's time to move out.
--
"Hawk…any news from Blake?" BJ Hunnicutt asked hopeful.
He put the phone on his shoulder and walked towards the den to see if his wife was asleep. She was. He sat back on the kitchen table and continued.
"Actually, yea, this morning."
"Hey man, that's great. What he say?" He asked excited for his friend.
But Hawkeye wasn't all that excited. "Well he talked about friends he was making and a little about his CO…and then he started talking about…" He stopped and didn't continue.
"About what?" BJ asked waiting for the reply and wondering why his friend had stopped.
"Uh…about…" He stopped again, leaving a minute of silence in between. "He talked about how horrible it was… that he was terrified and scared. He said he couldn't believe it was happening and wished he was home and wished Jen was…was holding him like when he was a kid."
Little did he know his wife had made her way into the entrance way. His back turned to her as she clung to the wall.
"He said, not to worry and uh, that he hopes Jen is having a good time having the house to herself…he uh, yeah…that's pretty much it."
"Gee Hawk, we both know how bad those soldiers never wanted to go back, it's gotta be hard to hear it from your son. I'm sorry man. Look, I wish I could do more for you, I do…I'm just…I'm sorry."
"It's alright Beej; it's not your fault. And I appreciate your concern for us. I could always count on you."
"But apparently you can't count on your wife?" Jen said.
Hawkeye's head turned quickly and the phone fell to the table.
BJ pulled the phone from his ears as a result of the crash on the other end. "Hawkeye ya there? Everything alright…" he continued until his friend returned.
"I'll call ya back Beej." He hung up.
BJ took the phone from his ear and looked at it. "Great this again." He said hanging it up.
"Jen, baby, listen…"
"Don't baby me…I'm done with this…I'm done with the lying, I'm done with your shame, I'm done with you. You wanna sulk around in self pity because your life didn't turn out like Prince Charming, you go right ahead. But I'm not spending the last days of my life with a miserable man who still finds it difficult to separate feeling of love and compassion with that of duty and responsibility. Let me ask ya? When you were in Korea, did you lull around those patients? Did ya pass em by and walk away like you do to me, leaving a feeling of disgust behind. Well let me tell you Benjamin Pierce or Hawkeye as everyone else seems to know you by, I'm sick of it. In fact…I'm just sick period. Sick of seeing you wallow in pity for Blake and for me, I'm just sick of it. And I'm done." She fell to her knees as she lost the strength to stand and sighed deeply.
"I'm done." She repeated, slowly closing her eyes.
--
END CH. 13
Ch. 13
---
The tall man raced over to his fallen wife.
She lifted her head and stifled an apology trying to fight her way up from the floor.
He grabbed her arm and stood strong enough for her to use as a pedestal.
"What did you think you were doing? You know you're not strong enough!" He was stern but trying to be compassionate.
"I know…It's just. I heard you going to get the mail, I wanted to see if…did he write?"
Hawkeye was torn. Should he just tell her no and spare her the terror his son wrote of. Or tell her the truth and bare the well of tears set to fall.
"No…nothing." He replied back.
No emotion was on her face when her reply came, "Oh. Alright." She laid back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling.
He started to walk away.
"You think Blake is alive Ben?" She uttered lifting her head slightly.
He shook his head side to side. "I…I don't know."
He left the room and took a seat back on the couch. Re-reading his sons letter and whimpering as silent as he could.
--
Blood spattered uniforms. Children crying and screaming for their mothers and fathers. It was a town, but no longer. Body parts laid on the streets and people were scorched from fires. The occasional gun shot rang out as someone was being put out of their misery. You walk past cribs now empty. You see a flat basketball laying outside. The dirt on the ground was hardened by the blood and the shrapnel stuck out of the trees. People reached out to you for help but you couldn't trust them. You couldn't even take their hand to comfort them. You couldn't reach out to them and say a prayer let a lone let your face smile to make a child happy. Screams haunted your nightmares. That is if you could get sleep at all. Your body ached and your hands trembled even if you couldn't feel it happening. You're shaken awake by another soldier and reflex points your gun at his chest. He throws his hands up in defense and silently says, 'We're moving out Pierce.'
Time to walk through another valley, time to see some more children killed. Time to test fate. It's time to move out.
--
"Hawk…any news from Blake?" BJ Hunnicutt asked hopeful.
He put the phone on his shoulder and walked towards the den to see if his wife was asleep. She was. He sat back on the kitchen table and continued.
"Actually, yea, this morning."
"Hey man, that's great. What he say?" He asked excited for his friend.
But Hawkeye wasn't all that excited. "Well he talked about friends he was making and a little about his CO…and then he started talking about…" He stopped and didn't continue.
"About what?" BJ asked waiting for the reply and wondering why his friend had stopped.
"Uh…about…" He stopped again, leaving a minute of silence in between. "He talked about how horrible it was… that he was terrified and scared. He said he couldn't believe it was happening and wished he was home and wished Jen was…was holding him like when he was a kid."
Little did he know his wife had made her way into the entrance way. His back turned to her as she clung to the wall.
"He said, not to worry and uh, that he hopes Jen is having a good time having the house to herself…he uh, yeah…that's pretty much it."
"Gee Hawk, we both know how bad those soldiers never wanted to go back, it's gotta be hard to hear it from your son. I'm sorry man. Look, I wish I could do more for you, I do…I'm just…I'm sorry."
"It's alright Beej; it's not your fault. And I appreciate your concern for us. I could always count on you."
"But apparently you can't count on your wife?" Jen said.
Hawkeye's head turned quickly and the phone fell to the table.
BJ pulled the phone from his ears as a result of the crash on the other end. "Hawkeye ya there? Everything alright…" he continued until his friend returned.
"I'll call ya back Beej." He hung up.
BJ took the phone from his ear and looked at it. "Great this again." He said hanging it up.
"Jen, baby, listen…"
"Don't baby me…I'm done with this…I'm done with the lying, I'm done with your shame, I'm done with you. You wanna sulk around in self pity because your life didn't turn out like Prince Charming, you go right ahead. But I'm not spending the last days of my life with a miserable man who still finds it difficult to separate feeling of love and compassion with that of duty and responsibility. Let me ask ya? When you were in Korea, did you lull around those patients? Did ya pass em by and walk away like you do to me, leaving a feeling of disgust behind. Well let me tell you Benjamin Pierce or Hawkeye as everyone else seems to know you by, I'm sick of it. In fact…I'm just sick period. Sick of seeing you wallow in pity for Blake and for me, I'm just sick of it. And I'm done." She fell to her knees as she lost the strength to stand and sighed deeply.
"I'm done." She repeated, slowly closing her eyes.
--
END CH. 13