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Chapter 2 - Arrival
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Three military vehicles pulled up to the Rudat house. As Dusty turned into the driveway, he motioned for the others to park along the street. The desert trooper frowned when he saw a strange vehicle parked in the drive.
Cover Girl looked over at the worried expression on Dusty's face. "What is it?" She asked quietly, placing a hand on his arm.
Footloose's eyes moved back and forth between Dusty and Cover Girl as Lifeline caught a glimpse of the medical emblem on the license plate of the shiny black vehicle. The medic bit his lower lip, waiting for Dusty's reply.
Dusty shrugged his shoulders, glancing over at Cover Girl. "I am not sure. I do not know whom that Pilot belongs to. The station wagon is mama's. Let me go make sure everything is okay," he said hastily, as he jumped out and ran up to the house.
Duke and Gung-Ho had pulled their vehicles up along the street and got out, wondering why Dusty left his vehicle so quickly. Walking up to Cover Girl, Scarlett asked, "Court, is something wrong?"
"I don't know. Dusty doesn't know who the Pilot belongs to and is worried," Cover Girl stated, pointing to the black vehicle.
Lifeline swallowed hard. "Courtney, look at the license plate. That is a physician's decal. Unless I miss my guess, I would say that the owner of that vehicle is a doctor."
Cover Girl looked worriedly at Lifeline and Scarlett then focused on the door to the house, waiting for Dusty to return.
Inside the Rudat's living room, Mrs. Vasquez met Dusty and greeted him with a huge hug. "Ronnie, it is so nice to see you. Where is everyone else?" she asked, fearing that they backed out on her offer for a big dinner.
Dusty relaxed a bit, knowing that if Mrs. Vasquez was acting like this that everything must be okay. "They are outside. But who's SUV is that?"
Smiling, Mrs. Vasquez understood what was concerning Dusty. "Oh no, mi hijo. Everything is fine. That is Dr. Ramirez's car, your mom's new doctor. She is here for your mom's scheduled appointment. She stops by every few days and has done wonders."
Dusty laughed and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I was worried, especially since you just told me that mama was doing better."
Back outside of the house, Cover Girl had gotten out of the car and started to walk in a small oval. "Hey Doll Face, will you please not do that?" Shipwreck asked. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from pacing.
"Sorry, guys," Cover Girl apologized, looking at the team, "Ron's mom has been sick a lot. It worries me."
Footloose climbed out. "Hey man, don't get mental on us yet. Just…"
Duke interrupted Footloose with a glare. "Courtney, let's not jump to conclusions, okay?"
Suddenly, a dog, resembling a coyote, ran around from the back of the house and started to growl.
"Oh man, a rabid dog," Footloose exclaimed, jumping back in the vehicle, knocking Lifeline out of his way.
"Watch out!" Lifeline retorted, steadying himself from falling into the vehicle.
"Wait, don't run," Cover Girl said, as she noticed the panicked look in several of her teammates' eyes. "That is Dusty's dog, I think. I have only seen pictures." She knelt down and held out her hand. Whistling softly, she spoke, "Sandstorm, come here boy."
Lifeline cringed, whispering, "Courtney, be careful." He wanted to warn her about dog bites but did not want to scare her.
On the other side of a jeep, Alpine looked to Shipwreck. "Dog? Are you sure that is a dog?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "Looks more like a coyote to me."
"Yeah," the sailor nodded. "Let's just hope Desert boy decides to leave him here. It's bad enough we have Timber and other annoying pets running around base. We certainly do not need anymore." He clasped Polly's beak shut before the parrot could utter a word.
Sandstorm stopped growling and looked at the strange person, who was kneeling before him, uttering his name. He slowly approached her, cocking his head to the side and pointing his ears towards her voice.
Cover Girl watched the coyote and continued to beckon it, quietly calling his name, "Come here, Sandstorm."
The coyote sniffed Cover Girl's hand before he licked it and began to wag his tail.
Grinning, Cover Girl said, "See, told ya. And yes, Alpine, Sandstorm is a coyote." She petted the coyote then watched as he made his way around to the other Joes, demanding their full attention.
Back inside the house, Mrs. Vasquez smiled back at Dusty. "Well, don't just stand there and be rude. Have your friends come in. I told your mom that we were having company. Go on, mi amor," she gently berated the desert trooper.
"Yes, ma'am," Dusty grinned, walking back to the door. He chuckled as he watched his teammates petting and playing with Sandstorm. Cover Girl saw Dusty come to the door and was relieved that he had a smile on his face. Sandstorm immediately sensed his master's presence. He quickly ran from Alpine and Bazooka, jumping on Dusty playfully.
Dusty laughed as Mrs. Vasquez came to the doorway and waved the group inside. "Come on in, por favor," she requested.
Duke and Scarlett were the first to approach the house and introduce themselves to the friendly woman. Wild Bill, Ace, Gung-Ho, Alpine, Bazooka, Clutch, and Shipwreck followed Duke, leaving Cover Girl, Footloose, and Lifeline outside with Dusty and Sandstorm.
Sandstorm romped with Dusty a little while longer before checking out Footloose and Lifeline again, finally sitting down at Cover Girl's feet, waiting for her hand to run through his thick fur. The four laughed as Cover Girl leaned down to pet the tame coyote. "Would you look at that? My coyote is trying to steal my girl," Dusty laughed.
"Dude, you are deeply deluded," Footloose huffed, turning to go inside the house. "Come on Lifeline, let the mental ones be."
Following Footloose up to the house, Lifeline shook his head and muttered, "I cannot believe Ron has a coyote for a pet."
Cover Girl looked up at Dusty. "Desert, no one can steal me away from you. Don't you worry."
Dusty bent over and kissed her. "Shall we go inside?" Turning his attention back to Sandstorm, he commanded, "Sandstorm! Go lie down!"
The coyote immediately got up and disappeared around the side of the house as Dusty put his arm across Cover Girl's shoulders and guided her to the house. Once inside, she was introduced to Mrs. Vasquez, who hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "So nice to meet you finally. Ronnie talks about you all the time."
Cover Girl blushed, murmuring, "Nice to meet you too." When the hug broke, she politely asked, "Do you need some help in the kitchen?"
Mrs. Vasquez nodded, telling the others, "Make yourselves at home. Ronnie, take them out in the backyard, if you like."
Dusty nodded. "Come on, you heard the lady," he said as he began to usher everyone out.
Ace opted to stay inside, stating, "I think I will check out the game on TV. I have some bets placed." Dusty laughed, knowing the pilot's weakness for gambling. 'This is the wrong city for you to visit', he thought, shaking his head as he joined back up with the others.
Cover Girl snagged Scarlett as she tried to escape to the outdoors with the guys. "Oh no you don't, Red. You can help."
Scarlett grinned. "I tried," she winked at Duke then followed Cover Girl into the kitchen to help finish the meal. "Smells great," she told Mrs. Vasquez.
"Muchas gracias, señorita," Mrs. Vasquez replied, handing the two redheads some vegetables to clean. Dusty grinned at the women as he went back to the kitchen to get all the guys something to drink.
Meanwhile, Duke and Bazooka eyed the big backyard. "You know, this yard is big enough for a football game. What do you guys think?" the team leader asked, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
Lifeline grumbled, "Football is too rough. I think I will go back in and watch the game with Ace."
"Suit yourself, mon ami," Gung-Ho stated.
As the guys split up into teams, Lifeline walked back into the house and sat down beside Ace on the sofa. He looked around at the cozy home and turned his attention to the game.
TBC