--------
Chapter 3 - The Game
--------
"Mrs. Rudat, it's been really nice talking with you again," Carla said, as she gathered her equipment into her bag. "I'll come by in a few days, same time, same place."
"I'll look forward to your visit. You are so kind, my dear," Mrs. Rudat replied, smiling.
"My, there's quite a bit of noise coming from the front of the house," Carla commented. "Do you feel up to visiting with your company?" She asked, walking back over to Mrs. Rudat.
"Yes, I think I do," Mrs. Rudat said, sitting up in her bed. "They sound young, must be some of Ronnie's friends. I'd love to meet them. I'm sure they're good kids just like he is. Did I tell you my little Ronnie is in the Army, Dr. Ramirez?"
"Yes," Carla answered, smiling as she parked the wheelchair next to the bed. "Okay, whenever you're ready," she said, waiting for Mrs. Rudat to move to the edge of the bed. She carefully lifted the elderly lady and placed her in the wheelchair. "Comfy?" Carla asked, placing an afghan over her legs.
Mrs. Rudat adjusted herself a little. "I'm fine. Ronnie is such an angel. He comes home every chance he gets and makes sure I'm being well taken care of."
"I'm sure he does," Carla replied. She pushed Mrs. Rudat into the hallway and down the short length to the living room. Both women were shocked to see how many people could fit into the modest sized house. Carla looked down at Mrs. Rudat. "Are you doing okay?" she asked concerned.
"Oh my," Mrs. Rudat sighed. "Yes, I'm okay, dearie. This is such a nice surprise." She looked at the two young men sitting on her couch, not seeing her son. "Ronald?" she said softly.
Mrs. Vasquez walked into the living room from the kitchen. "Mama Rudat," she greeted. "Ron's out back with some of the others. I think he brought his whole unit here," she laughed. "Carla, would you mind taking her around back for me? I have lots of cooking to do. Oh, and stay for dinner, if you're able to, mi hija."
Carla looked at her watch. She started to decline the offer, but hesitated when her eyes met Lifeline's as she looked back up. "I don't want to intrude. You seem to have a house full already."
"Nonsense," Mrs. Vasquez refuted. "Besides, you might meet your destiny tonight. There are quite a few available men here tonight." She paused before adding, "and mighty good looking ones also."
"Mrs. Vasquez," Carla huffed, playfully grabbing Mrs. Vasquez's arm. "I'll stick around, but only if you promise not to play matchmaker tonight. Okay?" Carla asked, her eyes finding their way back to Lifeline.
Lifeline felt a pair of eyes watch him. He looked around to the only other room where people were, the kitchen. He slightly blushed as he saw Carla talking and laughing with Mrs. Vasquez. Catching himself beginning to stare, he turned his attention back to the game, hoping she hadn't noticed.
"Of course not," Mrs. Vasquez said, crossing her fingers behind her back. She grinned, hoping she hadn't misjudged the medic's look. She went out to the living room and momentarily pulled Ace and Lifeline away from their game. "I just wanted to introduce you boys to Gladys, Ronald's mother, and Dr. Carla Ramirez, Gladys' doctor. She'll be staying for dinner also." Mrs. Vasquez said, smiling at Lifeline. "These are a couple of Ronald's friends, Brad and Ed," she said, turning to Carla and winking as she said Lifeline's name. Lifeline and Ace introduced themselves to Carla and Mrs. Rudat.
After exchanging pleasantries, Carla asked Mrs. Rudat if she was ready to go find her son. "Yes, dearie, I am," she responded. Mrs. Vasquez grinned, hoping the seeds of romance were planted.
Carla wheeled Mrs. Rudat to the back door. "Here, let me get that," Lifeline said, following them. He held the door open as they exited.
"Thank you," both Carla and Mrs. Rudat replied. Carla parked Mrs. Rudat on the back porch where she had a good view of the game. "You let me know the minute you start feeling cold or uncomfortable, okay," Carla instructed, making sure the wheels were locked before setting out a couple of folding chairs for herself and Lifeline.
"I will," Mrs. Rudat answered.
"I'll get those Ca... Dr. Ramirez," Lifeline said, correcting himself as he started to call her by her first name. He walked over to the lawn chairs and set them up next to Mrs. Rudat's wheelchair. The three sat, talking about different things and becoming acquainted with Lifeline.
Dusty was in the middle of a play when he noticed his mother out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he had a surge of energy and ran the ball right past Duke and Wild Bill, scoring a touchdown for his team.
"Hey, weren't you Mr. All-American in high school and captain of your college football team, Con?" Wild Bill asked, mockingly. "How did you let a sloppy play get passed you?
"Yes, and if you don't want to be stuck scrubbing the showers with a toothbrush until it's as shiny as a baby's butt, you won't say another word about this," Duke reprimanded, trying to remain serious.
"Remember, he just told Bill to hush on the subject, not the..." Shipwreck stopped mid-sentence, seeing the warning look on Duke's face.
"Bwark, bwark, say it, sailor, say it," Polly mocked, hovering over his shoulder.
Shipwreck gritted his teeth, trying to remain on his better behavior for Dusty's mother. "Quiet, bird," he whispered harshly.
"Not the rest of us... not the rest of us," Polly finished his master's sentence as he flew in Duke's direction.
Footloose held the moody sailor back. "Dude, the mama figure," he said, pointing at the porch.
Mrs. Rudat smiled and waved back at the men as Dusty spiked the ball and ran up to the porch. "Mama," he said, giving his mother a hug and a kiss. Dusty held out his hand to Carla. "You must be her new doctor. Mrs. Vasquez has said so many good things about you."
Carla blushed. "Thank you. Your mother is a wonderful woman, Ronald. It's an honor to take care of her."
"I see you've met Ed," Dusty said, seeing the team's medic standing next to her. "He's our medic and a very good one. And that's Conrad, Bill, Ettienne, Albert, David, Hector, Lance, and Andrew."
Carla repeated the names as Dusty pointed out each person, hoping she could remember them. "Guys, this is Dr. Ramirez. Mama's doc," he said loudly to the others who approached them.
"You up for a friendly game of flag football, Doctor?" Duke asked.
"Hey, she's like a girl, man," Footloose complained.
"Yeah, so what," Carla replied. "Never played football with a girl before? I'm in." She turned her attention briefly to Mrs. Rudat. "Ring your bell if you need me."
"I'll sit with her," Lifeline offered. "Football's not my sport."
"No, you can take my place," Dusty countered. "I can stay here. Besides, I haven't seen mama in months."
"Come on, Ed. Everyone plays a little football. It's the All-American sport," Carla said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the yard with her.
"I'm sorry to correct you, Dr. Ramirez, but baseball is the All-American sport not football," Lifeline said. He tugged on his arm, playing like he wanted to break her grasp.
Clutch eyed the doctor over. "Aren't you afraid of breaking a nail or messing up your hair?"
"Behave yourselves," Wild Bill ordered, wanting to smack half his teammates upside the head. "Didn't your mamas teach you how to act around a lady? And don't make me bring up the time Scarlett, Cover Girl and Jinx kicked yo' arses in this here game the last time we played."
Duke laughed, remembering that game. "Never underestimate the enemy, especially when they're female. Remember men, women have never played fair since the beginning of time," he laughed.
"Yeah, Con, the only reason you have the nerve to say that is because your girlfriend is inside the kitchen and doesn't have a chance of hearing ya," Alpine spouted.
Carla rolled her eyes. "Just get setup already."
"You heard the lady, line up," Duke smiled. "Ed, you're on our side. Doctor, you're on Lance's team."
As everyone lined up, Clutch looked at Carla, who was walking towards him. "That's right, come to papa," he said.
Carla looked at him dead in the eyes. "So, which one of these guys is your kid? I didn't think you looked that old," she smirked, taking her place on the field.
"47 White... 47 White... hut... hut hut... Hike!" Footloose called out, looking to both sides making sure his team was ready to start the play. "Hey, Zook, dude, that like, uh, means hike the ball already."
"Oh, uh huh," Bazooka grunted, hiking the ball back to Footloose, who took a couple of steps back and passed the ball to Lifeline. Lifeline jumped and caught the ball. As he took off running to the mock end zone, Sandstorm decided to join the game, pushing Lifeline into Carla. Next thing they knew, Lifeline had tackled her to the ground with Sandstorm nudging both of them.
"Sandstorm, quit it," Carla ordered, giggling, feeling the coyote's fur brush against her leg. As she looked up, her sparkling, hazel eyes met Lifeline's deep brown eyes. "Ed," she blushed.
Lifeline froze, speechless. "Uh... yes," he stuttered, hoping the others hadn't noticed his daze. "I'm sorry about this," he said, slowly getting up, just to be pushed over again by Dusty's pet.
"Doesn't seem like Sandstorm cares too much for me, Ron," Lifeline chuckled.
Dusty and his mother just laughed. "Ronnie, I'm ready to go back inside, son," his mother said quietly.
"Okay, mama," Dusty answered, standing up and propping the door open.
Mrs. Rudat looked back as her son wheeled her inside. "You kids have fun with your game. Dinner shouldn't be much longer."
"Yes ma'am," the others replied.
Ignoring Carla's commands to behave and stop, Sandstorm, who seemed to have mission of his own, continued to playfully attack Lifeline every time the medic tried to stand up.
"Come on, let the happy couple get up," Alpine chuckled as he held Sandstorm back, allowing time for his teammate to stand up.
"Thank you," Carla said, taking Lifeline's extended hand as they both glared at Alpine.
Footloose sighed, "Deluded dog," as he petted the coyote's back. Sandstorm growled to show his discontent at being called "deluded". "Okay, okay," Footloose said, waving his hand in an 'I give' motion as he backed up, distancing himself from Dusty's pet.
Mrs. Vasquez came out to announce that the gang had just enough time to clean up before dinner was ready.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Scarlett and Cover Girl busied themselves with cleaning vegetables and making homemade guacamole. Occasionally, one or both of them would look out the window to see how the game was progressing. Cover Girl happened to catch Sandstorm playing matchmaker between Lifeline and the doctor. Calling Scarlett over, she pointed out what she saw, and both women exchanged mischievous looks.
Dusty walked into the kitchen pushing his mom in her wheelchair. Hearing him clear his voice, Cover Girl and Scarlett whirled around as they removed the 'up to something' smile from their faces and replaced it with an 'I am innocent' look. Dusty shook his head, smiling.
Scarlett walked over to Dusty and his mom as they entered the kitchen. Dusty said, "Mama, this is Shana."
Scarlett smiled and offered her hand to the elderly woman. "Ma'am, thank you for having the team here. You have a beautiful home."
"You are welcome, dearie. It is no trouble at all. Mrs. Vasquez loves to cook," Mrs. Rudat stated, pulling Scarlett into a hug. After the hug broke, Scarlett excused herself to go help Mrs. Vasquez set the tables.
Ace sat in the living room glued to the television set, completely ignorant to all the activity surrounding the dining tables. "Brad, you could help," Scarlett fussed at the fighter pilot.
Ace dismissively waved her off, his eyes never leaving the game. "The score is tied, Red."
Scarlett huffed and apologized to Mrs. Vasquez, who just smiled, waving off the apology. "No need to apologize. I am used to it."
In the kitchen, Dusty walked over to Cover Girl, gently taking her by the hand, and led her over to his mom. "Mama, this is Courtney. She is my very special girl," Dusty said, turning pink from the introduction. He had told his mom about Cover Girl but actually introducing them in person was nerve-wrecking to the Desert Trooper.
Cover Girl smiled at Mrs. Rudat. "Nice to finally meet you, ma'am. Ron has told me a lot about you."
Mrs. Rudat's eyes looked over the woman standing before her who had made his son so happy. She was a pretty good judge of character and had told Dusty that some of his former girlfriends were not worthy of his kindness. She held out her frail hand to Cover Girl. "Come closer, child," she beckoned.
Taking a step forward, Cover Girl placed her hand in Dusty's mom's hand, unsure of what the woman was going to do or say. She cast her eyes over to Dusty, meeting his warm smile and soft hazel eyes, before she refocused her full attention to the elderly woman.
Once Mrs. Rudat had a firm grip on Cover Girl's hand, she tugged the younger woman close to her, wrapping her into a warm embrace. She hugged her as tightly as she could, whispering, "Courtney, I am so happy to meet you. Ronnie talks about you all the time, and I have so wanted to meet you. You have been so good for him."
Cover Girl blushed at Mrs. Rudat's kind words. "Ron has been a blessing to me as well."
Dusty walked up and put his arms around both of the women that were so special to him, giving them both a hug.
Releasing Cover Girl, Mrs. Rudat said, "Okay, Ronnie, be a dear and push me out to the table. Courtney, you and Ronnie will sit on one side of me, okay? I want Dr. Ramirez on the other side of me."
Cover Girl nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Dusty smiled and kissed his mom's cheek. "Anything for you, mama." As he turned the wheelchair around, Cover Girl snagged his arm and whispered hastily into Dusty's ear, "Put Lifeline beside the doctor for me."
Dusty arched a brow but nodded and pushed his mom out to the table, sitting her at the head of the table. Scarlett had taken a seat on Duke's lap and was involved in a heart-to-heart talk. They stopped as soon as the Rudats entered the room. Scarlett got up and excused herself back into the kitchen.
Duke chuckled, teasing, "I might be able to get her to cook for me yet."
Scarlett turned around at the doorway and flashed him a bright smile that had a hidden threat to it. Wild Bill and Gung-Ho uttered a low whistle. "Look out, partner. You are going to pay for that comment," Wild Bill warned Duke.
Ace looked up from the game. "What did I miss?" he asked eagerly.
"Our fearless leader is going to…" Shipwreck started but was interrupted by Alpine, "Just a little friendly banter between Top and Red. Nothing that we haven't seen before."
"Uh, ouch," Bazooka shrugged, hearing the conversation and giving Duke a merciful look.
"Top's gonna get it," Polly barked, flying right underneath the ceiling, just out of reach of the sailor's reach.
Duke glared at the parrot. "Polly, I'm enrolling you in obedience school when we get back home."
"Mama, pay them no attention," Dusty explained. "They do this all the time."
"If you say so, Ronnie," she replied, smiling at all the commotion in her home.
"Oh Ronnie," Clutch echoed. "We do not do this all the time. Sometimes it is worse."
"Okay, gentlemen, enough," Duke said, glaring at Clutch, daring him to say another word or tease Dusty again.
"Sorry, Top," Clutch quickly muttered, sitting down in a chair that would give him a good view of the game.
Mrs. Vasquez smiled at the conversation and disappeared back into the kitchen. "Okay señoritas, let's get this food dished up. I think your teammates are hungry."
Cover Girl grinned at the sweet lady. "I am sure they are."
Footloose wandered into the kitchen, his stomach growling from hunger. "Man…," he began then smiled. "Never mind."
Shipwreck, Carla, and Lifeline were walking into the living room as Footloose returned from the kitchen, announcing, "Dudes and dudettes, the food is coming."
TBC