Title: Declaration
Chapter 3
*****
I'm wide awake and staring at the "ceiling" of our tent. It's another cold night, but by now, I'm used to how cold desert nights can be. It's not the cold that's keeping me awake. It's the gnawing fear that I won't be able to hold onto the warmth I have at home.
I nudge the sleeping man next to me. "Gunny," I whisper. "Wake up."
He jolts awake, and immediately reaches for his weapon.
"Calm down," I say. "I just want to talk."
"What?" He glances around the tent, as if he's trying to spot some unseen menace. Then, he places his gun back onto the ground. "What? he repeats sleepily.
"Do you have anyone at home?" I ask.
"What?" He shakes his head, trying to wake up. Gunny has a tendency to be monosyllabic until he's fully awake.
"A girl." I say. "Do you have a significant other at home?" I'm pretty sure he doesn't. I never hear him talk about anyone.
He rubs his eyes. "No. I don't have much luck with long-term relationships."
I sigh. "Neither do I."
"Are you okay, sir?" He asks, rolling onto his back.
I prop myself up on one elbow. "Yeah," I say.
"You seem melancholy tonight."
"Well, Gunny," I say. "No offense, but you're not the Marine I want to be sleeping next to tonight."
"Are you sure, sir?" he grins. "Some of the girls at the local watering hole tell me I have a cute smile."
"It's charming," I laugh.
Gunny and I are rapidly becoming close friends. I remember him being at the JAG headquarters in Falls Church, but I never really got to know him until we worked together in the Afghan desert. After that. he followed me to Paraguay, where he went undercover to track down a terrorist named Sadik. Sadik got away, but Gunny wound up saving my life. Now, all these months later, we're lying next to each other in a tent, in the middle of the desert, on another mission. I appreciate Gunny, both for his professionalism, and for his amiable demeanor. Besides, he seems to genuinely like me, which is an uncommon occurrence.
"Trouble between you and Colonel Mackenzie, sir?" he asks.
Letting out a breath, I say, "I honestly don't know." I pull at the fabric of my sleeping bag. "I'm just talking."
"Is it the job, sir?"
"Yes," I say, sitting up. "She complicates my life, Gunny. My life used to be simple. I worked. I went home. I spent time with Mother. I jumped at Rabb's beck and call. It was all very routine and uncomplicated."
"She makes life more interesting, though. Doesn't she?"
I nod. "Oh, yeah. But I think my life is a little too interesting for her."
"Did she actually say this to you, sir? Or are you assuming that's what she's feeling?"
I cock my head to consider this, and my mind drifts back to the last time Sarah and I broached the topic. "Well, yes and no. She told me she needs to 'get used to sharing me with the whole country.'"
"Well, it sounds like she's trying."
"I guess." I tug my bottom lip. "It's just that I've gone through this with my mother. She loathes the job."
He rolls onto one side until he's facing me. "And has your mother ever told you to get the hell out of her life?"
I frown. "No. Of course not."
"Well, then," he yawns. "Why assume Colonel Mackenzie will turn and run? She is a Marine, sir. We face tougher obstacles than your job while we're still in training."
"Is that so?" I grin. "I guess you're right."
He rolls onto his stomach. "Yes, sir." Stretching, he says, "Sir?"
"Yeah?"
"Go to sleep or I'll knock you out."
Smiling, I lay back, close my eyes, and let the desert night lull me to sleep.
