Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, no copyright infringement intended.
Nertoold54: That's what I thought about the football stereotype. I used to watch it all the time before I got married LOL then I had to much to do half the time to watch...ahh well...Shame on me.
Dreadswench: Bwuahahaha that's what I'm talking about. Start the kids out early =D you'll have a little football player on your hands ;-P
Angelbach: I wrote her and a Romero as not so much not getting it but choosing to ignore it even though they did get it. Yes FFN's new system with reviews are screwy and I can't figure out how to fix it so it shows my reviews like they were =(
GeorgieNZ: Ha no worries I just put that note there so people would realize that if you're not logged in your review won't show up on my review list and that it makes it difficult for me to determine who said what lol.
ArielBrennan: Yeah smuttiness is a word (or at least it is now =P) Unfortunately there's no B&B smut in this particular story. Sorry, this is M&L's story. Ha I was wondering when someone would bring up the whole they're just kids thing. Yeah for her, Goodman's comment, was like comparing her sex life to her uncle's. Definitely A-W-K-W-A-R-D. We got a little bit of B&B in the next chapter. Mostly Booth but Brennan passes through ;-)
Thank you for your reviews and I really hope I didn't miss anyone. FFN's new review system is a little wonky =/ so until I figure it out please forgive me if I miss replying to your review. It is unintentional!
Chapter 41 – Keeping the Vermin at Bay
"Lasagna," Michelle answered with a grin.
"I was talking to Legates but okay," Techie grinned, closing the door behind him. Legates chuckled and Michelle shook her head.
"You need to keep her if she can cook," Techie said. Michelle pouted at Legates; she had just told him she couldn't cook. Legates smiled down at her.
"I'd keep her even if she couldn't cook," Legates said.
"Good idea," Techie said, flopping down on his bed. There was a knock on the door and it flew open.
"I smell food," Johnson said, coming in the room.
"Come in," Techie said sarcastically. Johnson stood sniffing appreciatively.
"It's drifting down the hallway," Johnson said, reaching for the oven door.
"Don't open the oven door," Michelle said, rolling her eyes.
Johnson pulled his hand back. Techie chuckled at Michelle's ability to know what they were doing without looking. Johnson flopped down on the floor by Techie's bed.
"Ten to one says the entire unit will be in here before your timer goes off," Legates murmured.
Michelle glanced at her phone and shrugged. She jumped when the door was flung open and bounced against the wall behind it.
"I smell lasagna," Addison bellowed, purposely pronouncing the 'g'. Michelle looked at Legates who grinned at her. She burst into laughter and snuggled closer to him.
"Good thing I made a huge freaking pan. By the way you know you only have one pot?" She asked, running her hand across his stomach.
"Yeah, we either eat out or at the dining hall," he said, shrugging.
"Where'd you get a lasagna recipe?" He asked her with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Umm, Booth sent it to me. He says it's 'Mama's Lasagna'. Whatever that means," she said. Legates smiled as he pictured the large, older woman that had enveloped Booth and Brennan in a hug.
"Should be good then," Legates said, catching her hand as her fingertips sneaked below his waistband.
"Ehhhh," she whined at him. He chuckled and squeezed her hand lightly.
"Hey, you two, put your clothes on," Wilson yelled as he walked into the room.
"That makes four," Michelle said, pausing as someone else entered the room, "make that five."
"Who is cooking?" Goodman asked, sniffing appreciatively.
Michelle looked at her phone and sighed. Getting up, she walked over to the kitchen area and opened the refrigerator. Pulling out three disposable trays, she opened the oven and stuck them in. The men watched her with interest.
"You're cooking enough to feed an army," Goodman noted as the door behind him opened.
Brown stuck his head in then walked in when he saw everyone. Not saying anything, Michelle returned to the other side of the bookcases and lay down next to Legates.
"Six," she muttered.
"Who is missing?" He asked, moving as if he'd get up to check. She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him down.
"Perkins, and Oaks," she said.
They heard the two men arguing outside the door. Giggling, she stood up and walked to the door. Opening it, she found the last two standing outside the door arguing about whether they should knock. She put her hand on her hip and watched them arguing.
They suddenly realized the door was standing open and turned to look at her. Laughing, she stepped back to let them in. After they entered, she closed the door and returned to the bed. She laughed at the men draped all over the floor and Techie's bed.
"Dammit, woman, they've invaded my bed," Techie fussed.
"Not my fault you can't wash to keep the vermin at bay," she shot back as she rounded the corner.
Legates lay on the bed with his hand over his mouth stifling his laughter. His eyes twinkled over the top of his hand. She lay down next to him and poked him in the side making him burst into laughter. She shrieked in laughter as three bodies suddenly landed on the bed with them.
"Maybe if Legates would wash his sheets more often, you wouldn't have vermin in your bed," Techie called out his voice full of laughter.
"Oaks, get your ass outta my face," Michelle laughed.
"Got a present for you," he teased.
"Oh please, NO," she shrieked, pushing on his butt.
"Hey, that was Wilson not me," Oaks protested. Michelle laughed and Legates lay there watching them.
"My butt smells like roses," Oaks told her in solemn tone.
"I swear by all that's holy if you fart on me, I will stab you in the ass," Michelle threatened. Oaks snorted his laughter until he felt something prick his butt.
"Hey!" He bellowed, scrambling to get off her. He sat on Addison's back and stared at the knife Michelle had just pressed into his butt.
"Legates, your girl just poked me in the asshole," Oaks whined at Legates whose face was turning red from laughing so hard.
"Did you enjoy it?" Legates asked, after he caught his breath. His question made Perkins bellow in laughter.
"What the HELL is going on in here?" Rogers yelled as she stormed in the room. Michelle lifted an eyebrow at Legates.
"I was poking Oaks in the pooper," Michelle told Rogers.
"It is entirely too loud in here," Rogers snapped. Michelle looked at the men piled on the bed with a raised eyebrow.
"These are not military barracks, Sergeant. These are privately owned premises. Therefore there are no quiet hours. As such unless someone called the police to complain there is nothing you can say about it. On that note you entered an abode without invitation or permission," Legates said mildly.
Rogers rocked back at Legates' logic. Turning on her heel, she stormed from the room knowing that he was right. The door snapped shut behind her and there was a burst of laughter on the other side of the door.
"Dude, get your keister off me," Addison said, bouncing his shoulders and dumping Oaks on the floor.
"How in the hell can ya'll be sneaky snipers? You are loud as shit," Michelle said, laughing at the guys.
They looked at each other and shrugged at her comment. Her phone trilled out Eddie Murphy's voice saying 'I'm going to hit you so hard it will make your ancestors dizzy'. The men paused, looked at Michelle then started laughing.
Standing up and stepping over Oaks, she walked to the oven and opened the door. Pausing, she looked around and sighed. Walking back to Legates side of the bookcases, she opened the bottom and pulled out a towel.
"Woman, what are you doing?" Legates asked, watching as she took another clean towel from his diminishing stock.
"Stop whining, I'll wash some towels for you, you big baby," Michelle said, disappearing around the corner.
She folded it over and pulled out the lasagna, setting it on top of the stove. She then pulled out the bread sticks covered in garlic butter. The guys started sneaking up on her.
"Another ten to fifteen minutes," she said, without turning around.
Their shoulders slumped and they walked back to where they had previously been sitting. She punched a few buttons on her phone and set the alarm. Walking back to the bed, she crawled over Perkins and squeezing between him and Legates. Perkins wiggled his eyebrows and scooted closer to her.
"Touch her and I'll cut your nuts off," Legates warned him.
Perkins snorted until Michelle held her knife up for Legates. Perkins scooted back over leaving a respectable distance between him and Michelle.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" Michelle asked, looking at Legates her face painted with curiosity. He scrunched his face as he thought about it.
"I have an appointment with Dr. Nabhan then I'm heading to the gym," he grunted.
"Dream doctor?" Perkins snickered.
"Huh?" Michelle asked, looking at Perkins in confusion.
"I want you to journal your dreams and we'll discuss them at your next appointment," Oaks imitated the doctor. Michelle shook her head and laid it on Legates chest. He ran his hand gently through her hair, silently soothing her.
"It's not like anything major happened over there," Perkins snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Excuse me I need to pee," she said quickly as she scrambled up and headed to the bathroom.
Closing the door and locking it behind her, she walked to the other side and locked the door. Sitting down on the toilet, she dropped her head into her hand. Legates reached over and grabbed Perkins by the ear. Dragging the other man over towards his face, Legates glared at him.
"You are a stupid shit," he hissed at Perkins.
Perkins' eyes went wide and he frantically glanced around at the other men who were glaring at him. His mouth fell open as he realized what he'd done.
"Damn," he whispered in horror at his own stupidity.
Legates rolled out of the bed and walked to the bathroom door. He gently knocked and listened for something from the other side. Michelle wiped the tears off her face and let out a sigh.
"I'll be right out," she said, after clearing her throat.
Standing up, she turned on the water and splashed the cool water on her face. She turned off the water and took a steadying breath. After unlocking the doors, she opened the one to Legates' room. The door was blocked by his large frame.
Pushing her back into the bathroom, he closed the door behind him. Pulling her against his chest, he took a steadying breath. Michelle sighed and settled her cheek against his chest. Wrapping her arms around him, she relaxed into him.
"He didn't think about what he was saying," Legates whispered near her temple.
"I know, I just needed to collect myself," she said quietly. He put his hands on each side of her face and lifted it so she was looking at him.
"Something awful happened over there. Some of us still have nightmares about it. Don't let his macho posturing fool you. He spoke without thinking. Even if he doesn't have nightmares a lot of us still do," he told her seriously.
She nodded but looked down at his chest. Hooking his thumbs under her chin, he pulled her face up again and dropped a kiss on her lips. The silence on the other side of the door was broken by 'I mean, if I went around sayin' I was an emperor just because some moistened bink had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away!'.
Legates pulled back from her lips with a smile. She grinned at him and stepped back. He stepped away from the door and pulled it open. She stepped around him and out of the bathroom. The men were holding plates and standing around the stove with looks of anticipation on their faces. Michelle sighed and walked to the stove and pulled down two plates.
Digging through the plasticware, she took her time pulling out two and a knife. Groaning at the thought of having to cut the lasagna with a plastic knife, she lifted the tin foil. The men pressed in around her as she began cutting the pan of lasagna into servings. When she was finished, she used a fork and her finger to pile a sloppy mess on her plate.
She never understood why the first one always came out that way. The second piece, she put on a plate then added garlic bread to each. Turning, she followed Legates back to his bed. He was carrying two drinks. He smirked at her and crooked his finger at her.
"You going to let them have some?" He asked with a snicker.
"Go ahead guys," she called out.
"Back off, my room. Me first," Techie growled at the crowd of encroaching men.
Michelle waited until Legates was settled on the bed and then handed him his plate. Once he was comfortable, she leaned across him and put her plate on the nightstand. He looked at her and frowned. She heard the crinkle of tinfoil being placed back over the pan a few moments later.
"When did we buy tinfoil?" Techie wondered out loud as he covered the few pieces of lasagna that was left.
"I bought it," Michelle murmured.
"How domestic," Techie said, smirking.
"Bite me," she said, glowering.
"Not his job," Wilson said, laughing.
Legates leaned over and wiggled his eyebrows at Michelle. She sighed and rolled her eyes then stuck her tongue out at him. He wiggled his eyebrows again making her laugh.
"And you talk about me," she muttered. He reached over and handed her the plate from the nightstand.
"Eat," he commanded.
"Pushy," she muttered.
"What? It's good, you should eat some," he said, waving his fork at her. Sighing, she stuck her fork in her lasagna and began to eat.
"It's almost as good as my mom's," Brown said.
Michelle raised an eyebrow at Legates and smirked. Legates leaned his head against the wall behind him and started chuckling.
"You laughing at my mom, Legates?" Brown asked in a growling tone. Michelle swallowed her lasagna and giggled.
"No, he's laughing at you, mama's boy," Michelle shot back.
"I'm not a mama's boy," Brown whined.
"Yeah, you are," Michelle said, laughing and trying not to dump her plate. Her eyes landed on the alarm clock next to the bed and she scowled at it.
"Baby, scowling at the clock won't change the time, slow it down or make it stop. Finish your dinner," Legates said with an indulgent smile.
She sighed but nodded then stood up. Walking to the counter, she set her plate down and pulled a piece of tinfoil from the roll and covered her lasagna. After sticking it in the fridge, she walked back to the bed and flopped down. He frowned at her and let out a sigh. As much as he was enjoying the lasagna, he could eat that later. Setting it to the side, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and snuggled in closer.
"I don't wanna go," she whined. He chuckled and squeezed her tight against him.
"Yeah, but you have lots and lots of classes tomorrow. You'd have to get up even earlier to go to class if you stayed here," he said against her temple.
"Ehhhh," she whined again.
"Quit whining, you big baby," Wilson teased.
"Screw you, Wilson," she grumbled at him her voice muffled with laughter.
Her back pocket started chiming and she whined again. Then Legates heard a song that overlapped the chimes. Cocking his head, he tried to recognize the tune.
"It's the midnight chime from Cinderella," Perkins said from the other side of the bookcase. Perkins looked around sheepishly at the men staring at him.
"What? I have a little sister and it's her favorite Disney movie. I had to listen to that movie..unggh," he explained.
Michelle giggled but sat up on the edge of the bed. She stood up and bustled around the room gathering her stuff up. She pulled open the top drawer, started digging and mumbling.
"Dammit, I know I put it in here," she grumbled, still digging.
The men watched in amusement as she destroyed Legates' neatly folded clothes. They started laughing when a pair of bikini purple zebra striped underwear flopped out and hung over the edge of the drawer.
"Purple zebra panties, Legates? I would have thought pink cheetah print," Oaks said with a snort.
Michelle rolled her eyes, picked the panties up and turned to face the guys. Holding them up to the front of her hips with a smirk.
"I do believe these are mine," she said impishly. The guys groaned and looked away from her. Turning back to the drawer, she started digging around again.
"Aha, there it is," she said, pulling a travel toothbrush case out and setting it on top of the dresser.
Moving quickly, she refolded the clothes and pushed the drawer closed. She started stuffing things in her bag, Legates watched in amusement.
"Uh, uh, put those back. I'll wash them and you'll have something here," he said, indicating she should put the pajamas back on the bed. She stopped and looked up at him.
"Promise not to wear them?" She asked with a wide grin on her face. He gave her a puckish look and let out a resigned sigh.
"Okay, I promise. But I really like Happy Bunny," he pouted.
The men on the other side of the bookcase sat around in a food satisfied stupor. They burst into laughter at the two of them. Michelle pulled the pajamas out and threw them on the bed. He pouted when he heard her pull the zipper closed. He knew it was time to take her home. He knew he had to but that didn't mean he had to like it. Standing up, he looked around for his keys.
"In your bowl on top of the fridge," Techie called, making Michelle look at Legates in question.
"I was looking for my keys," he muttered. He reached up in the bowl and grabbed his key.
"Bye, guys," Michelle called out, going out the door.
"Bye," they hollered.
Legates closed the door behind himself and followed Michelle down the hall. When he stepped out of the building, Michelle was standing there looking around. He hit the fob on his keys, the truck beeped and the lights flashed. She turned to look at him with questions written all over her face.
He smiled, put his hand on her lower back and guided her to the passenger's side of the truck. Opening the door, he helped her climb into the large truck. Walking around to the driver's side, he climbed in and started the truck.
"I told you I had vehicles, plural. This is my other vehicle," he told her with a smile.
"A big ass, honkin', huge truck?" She queried with a grin. He grinned at her and shrugged.
"I had to find a vehicle I could drive for long periods of time without getting a leg cramp from being squished," he laughed. She chuffed out a laugh and shook her head.
"So what is this honking, huge ass, thing?" She asked, looking around the interior.
"It's a Ford Super Duty F-450 King Ranch," he told her.
"Um okay," she said, still looking around.
"It's a big ass, honkin', huge truck with lots of bells and whistles," he told her with a grin.
"So, out of curiosity and you can tell me to mind my own business but how do you afford two vehicles? I thought military pay sucked," she said scrunching her face, "this must be a fifty thousand dollar truck. It's got all the bells and whistles."
He chuckled at her then leered in her direction.
"In my free time I used to be a gigolo," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"I'd pay you for it," she smirked.
"In that case you owe me...a lot of money," he said, laughing.
"I'll write you a check," she snorted out. He burst into laughter and shook his head.
"Anyway, no we don't make shit. But we don't really have shit to spend on necessities either. The army feeds us, most of the time shelters us and pretty much clothes us," he said, shrugging.
"But you don't live on base," she pointed out.
"No, but we live in dorms that used to be barracks so the guy who owns them rents them to us for dirt cheap and when I say dirt cheap I mean like three hundred bucks a month and that includes utilities. As you've seen I don't own a TV and my stereo I've had since high school," he said, shrugging again.
"I guess I can see that," she said, nodding.
"Most of my personal items are either still at my parents or here with me," he said. Michelle's mouth fell open.
"Umm wow, I have a storage unit full of stuff," she stuttered. He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What kind of stuff?" He asked, wondering what the heck she could possibly own.
"Couch, bedroom sets, refrigerator, dishes, pots, pans, utensils, uhh there might be a TV in there that sort of thing. Oh wait, I think there's a bed in there too," she said, looking at her fingernails.
"Woah, wait, where in the hell did you get all that stuff. You have an entire hous-" he stopped suddenly when it clicked where exactly she had gotten that stuff. He let out a sigh and reached over for her hand.
"Don't answer that stupid question," he said, lightly squeezing her hand.
He remembered she'd said her father had been murdered. He pulled to a stop in front of her dorm, he reached for the door and she laughed.
"Josh, there is no point in you coming up," she chided gently. He laughed then leaned over to catch her mouth in a kiss.
"Thank you for making me lasagna," he said softly.
"Well, if you hadn't fed your whole unit you'd have more," she said with a wink. Grabbing her bag, she opened the door and slid out of the truck. He laughed when she squealed as she slid from the truck.
"I'll call you tomorrow," he told her. She paused before closing the door.
"Okay," she said, smiling.
Closing the door, she walked up the steps. Pausing near the door, she waved her wallet in front of the door and pulled it open. She disappeared into the building and he drove off into the night.
He drove back to the dorms and walked with a purpose down the hall. Stopping at Perkins' door, he knocked.
"Come in," Perkins called. Legates entered and stalked towards Perkins. Perkins looked at him with a frown. Legates got right up in his face.
"DO. NOT. EVER. Say that nothing happened over there. Do you remember hearing Dr. Brennan scream on the way back to the camp?" Legates asked in a hiss.
Perkins swallowed, closed his eyes and nodded.
"Michelle listened to that for hours. She came back and didn't sleep because every time she did she heard it over and over," Legates continued, not knowing that Brennan hadn't made a sound while being tortured.
Perkins swallowed again, he was starting to get nervous.
"So, do not say nothing happened over there. Something did happen and it was beyond horrific for some of us. Maybe not you, but I know it was for me and not just because I'm dating Michelle either," Legates hissed before turning and stalking back to the door.
Opening it, he left and slammed it behind him. Perkins let out a sigh but jumped when the bathroom door opened. Addison looked over at Perkins with a frown.
"You okay?" Addison asked, looking closely at Perkins.
"Yeah," Perkins stuttered, cleared his throat, "yeah, I'm fine."
Legates walked to his room and heard music playing. Laughing, he spun on his heel and went back to the lounge. Andrea must be on the phone. Poor Techie, Legates thought. He hoped for his friend's sake he could talk his girlfriend into moving up here.
Flopping down on the couch, Legates picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels. The lounge was empty and quiet. He drifted off to sleep watching a show about carving ice with chainsaws.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
Michelle went upstairs and into her dorm room. Brittney was sitting on the couch waiting for her roommate to return. When Michelle walked in, Brittney smiled.
"Sooooo tell me about your weekend. Last I saw there was a note saying you went sky diving then poof Tanya says you're with this Josh guy," Brittney said suspiciously.
Michelle dropped her bag on the floor and sat down on the couch next to Brittney. With a sigh, Michelle related the story of what had happened that weekend. Brittney's face contorted in horror as Michelle related what had happened after she left the dorm.
"So when do I get to meet this imaginary Josh? Tanya swears he's a ten foot tall Greek God and HE told me that he had a four foot long one and it was as wide as a roll of bologna," Brittney said suspiciously. Michelle started giggling at her description.
"Umm I haven't asked yet but if you're going to Tanya's New Year's party, he should be there with me," Michelle said, scrunching her face and making a mental note to ask him.
"Okay, I'll let it slide until then. My finals are right after New Years so I'll be gone by then," Brittney said. Michelle sucked in a breath. It was time for the conversation she wasn't looking forward too.
"Brittney, I'm going to be moving in with Tanya in the first of the year," Michelle said, looking down at her hands. Brittney nodded as if she suspected as much.
"Well, I enjoyed being your roommate," Brittney said with a smile. Michelle looked up at her and smiled.
"You know we'll see each other around," Michelle said, smiling.
"Yep, now you need to get to bed. You have a sucky day tomorrow," Brittney pointed out. Michelle groaned and stood up.
"Tell me about it," she muttered.
Grabbing her bag, Michelle went to her room. She threw the bag down, walked to the dresser and pulled out her pajamas. Quickly changing, she pulled the stuff from her pants pockets and chucked the jeans in her hamper. Picking up her shirt, she chucked it in the hamper as well. After turning off the light, she crawled into bed, curled up and fell asleep.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
Legates woke with a jerk when Addison swept his foot under Legates' feet knocking them from their crossed position. Grunting, he glared up at Addison.
"What the hell man?" Legates growled, glaring at Addison.
"We just got a call we're to report for accountability," Addison grumbled.
"Since when?" Legates asked, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.
"Since this morning, well last night an email was sent out," Addison said.
"What are they going to have us start slinging boxes or something?" Legates asked, glowering at Addison.
"No something about guys missing their appointments for no reason," Addison said, shrugging.
"Shit," Legates grumbled. Standing up, he winced as his back cracked.
"What are you doing down here anyway?" Addison asked, following Legates out the door and up the steps.
"Eh, Techie was on the phone with Andrea when I got home last night," Legates said, shrugging.
"Oh," Addison said. Legates walked down the hall and into his room. Techie was sprawled on his bed snoring lightly.
"Hey, snuggle bunny, we have accountability," Legates said, throwing the sock he'd just pulled off his foot at Techie. Techie snorted then sat up with a scowl.
"God, that thing smells awful," Techie growled, throwing the sock back at Legates.
Smiling, Legates walked to his side of the bookcases and grabbed a towel. Going to the shower, he took a quick one and then got dressed. Techie walked past Legates and got in the shower. Glancing at his watch, Legates grinned and picked up his phone.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
Michelle was in the shower when her phone beeped letting her know she had a text. Sighing, she finished her shower and as she was drying off she heard it beep in rapid succession. Wrapping the towel around her, she picked it up.
Good Morning
She glared at the phone and snorted.
Stop glaring and get up
If you don't get up I'll just call
She laughed and shot a text back.
I was in the shower
Oooooohhhhh pictures?
She burst into laughter and shook her head.
With ur guys in the same building hell no
Awww
What are you doing up so early?
Accountability.
huh?
guys aren't showing up 2 doc appts so we have 2 check in each morning Mon-Fri
Unnggghh that sucks
Meh
Have to get ready for class talk 2 u L8TR?
Yeah
Smiling she got up and got dressed for the day. An hour later, she was headed across campus to her new morning coffee stop.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
Legates was laying on the bed when Techie came out of the bathroom.
"Where'd you sleep last night?" Techie asked, walking to his side of the room.
"I fell asleep in the lounge watching some ice carving show," Legates said.
"I'll be ready in a few," Techie muttered.
"No worries, we still have an hour before we have to be there," Legates said, crossing his ankles. Thirty minutes later, they were climbing into Legates' truck and headed to report in.
"You know if the guys would just freaking go to their appointments we wouldn't have to do this," Legates grumbled.
"Bet it's Perkins that ain't showing up," Techie muttered.
"Probably," Legates said, his eyes narrowing.
After reporting in, the men split up and went their separate ways. Techie got a ride back with Perkins and Legates headed over to his appointment. He walked into the doctor's office carrying a black notebook with nothing written on the outside but looking at it you could see the pages had been opened, turned and written on.
When his name was called, Legates stood up and entered the office. The doctor gestured to the couch and Legates sat down. His knee started bouncing and his eyes shot around the room.
"So, I see you wrote your dreams down," Dr. Nabhan said, gesturing toward the notebook.
Legates clutched it tighter unsure if he wanted this man looking at these dreams. The doctor saw his uncertainty and tried to soothe the man.
"Josh, I'm not going to judge. You soldiers see things, bad things and I can't begin to understand what you're thinking or feeling. And being soldiers you don't want to say. This is a way for me to take a look analytically at what is going on," Dr. Nabhan said, holding out his hands.
"They're a little disjointed because there are times when I can't find the right word for what I'm seeing," Legates said quietly.
"That's fine. Let me see what's going on," Dr. Nabhan said, reaching out his hand.
Legates handed him the journal and looked at the floor. Dr. Nabhan opened the journal and began to skim the journal entries. His mouth pursed at the varied nightmares and the random timing to them.
"There is a two week period here where they seemed to be worse. Is this where you were TDY?" Dr. Nabhan asked, seeing a pattern there.
"Yeah," Legates said, looking at his clenched hands which were hanging between his knees.
"And yet there were none the night before you left?" Dr. Nabhan said, his finger moving down the journal dates.
"Uh, I was too tired to dream," Legates said almost embarrassed.
"Hmmm, Michelle was with you wasn't she?" Dr. Nabhan asked, looking up at Legates.
"Yeah," Legates affirmed.
Dr. Nabhan saw that there were two sets of nightmares one that happened on the weekend when Dr. Nabhan assumed Michelle was there and one that did not. Nodding his head, Dr. Nabhan continued to flip through the nightmares.
"Okay, we're definitely going to have to work on these. Has Michelle ever asked about these?" Dr. Nabhan asked, looking at Legates closely.
"No, we kind of have this thing. We both know we have things we're not ready to talk about yet. We respect that and when and if one of us is ready we'll talk," Legates told him.
"Hmm, sounds like both of you have had a run in with pushy people trying to force it," Dr. Nabhan said thoughtfully.
"My parents have never pushed but when I was first-" Legates cut off. This was not what he was here to talk about.
"You were first what?" Dr. Nabhan asked, watching Legates closely.
"Nothing and it has nothing to do with this," Legates said, pointing to the journal.
"Okay, we'll just say you had someone who pushed," Dr. Nabhan said. The doctor had the feeling if he pushed too hard, Legates would bolt like a frightened rabbit.
"Okay, we'll just say that," Legates said.
"It would seem that the ones revolving around Michelle are that you are unable to stop her from being raped or tortured," Dr. Nabhan said quietly.
"If we'd been later it could have happened," Legates said, swallowing hard.
"But you weren't and it didn't happen," Dr. Nabhan pointed out. Legates let out a sigh and sat back with a glare.
"Not helpful, okay," Dr. Nabhan said thoughtfully. Dr. Nabhan pursed his lips and looked down again at the notebook.
"Let me examine these further. I'll just go make copies," Dr. Nabhan said, standing up. Legates looked nervously at the doctor.
"Do not worry these fall under patient confidentiality," Dr. Nabhan assured him.
Legates sat back and worried his lip with his teeth. He wasn't sure he wanted copies of that floating around this office. When Dr. Nabhan returned, he saw Legates sitting on the couch, his knee bouncing, his hands clenched, and his lips tucked in his teeth. He could almost smell Legates' nervousness in the room.
"Josh, I will not let anyone see these," Dr. Nabhan said, trying to calm Legates down.
"I think I need to make sure if it's okay with Michelle," Legates mumbled.
"Why?" Dr. Nabhan asked curious at Legates reaction.
"This is about her not me. I'm not sure if she is comfortable with you knowing about this," Legates mumbled.
"These," the doctor said, waving the papers, "include her but are not necessarily about her. These are about you and how your psyche is handling the event." Legates took a deep breath and shook his head.
"If I call back and ask for them back will you return them?" Legates asked the doctor, looking him in the eye.
"Yes, I can agree to that," Dr. Nabhan agreed.
"These will be the only copies?" Legates grilled, the doctor.
"Yes, these will be the only copies," Dr. Nabhan assured him.
"I want that in writing on military stationary," Legates said.
The doctor sighed but nodded and walked to his desk. He wrote out a letter on Army stationary, signed it and handed it to Legates. Legates nodded, grabbed his notebook and walked out of the doctors office. He made another appointment and left wondering if he'd just betrayed Michelle somehow.
He let out a sigh and walked down to his truck. He drove back to the dorm and climbed up the stairs to his room. He laid down on the bed and stared at the phone clutched in his hand. He didn't know how long he sat staring at the phone before he typed in a text and hit send.
A/N: Uh oh what was the text he sent? Serious conversation, nightmares, guilt, the lab, maniacal laugh, homicidal thoughts, Catholic guilt thing, Dr. Sweets, sentience, toe jam flavor, poking Oaks, understanding, being juvenile, ideas, algorithms, certifications, sweaty ass, Jolly Green Giant, oxygen mask, head over heels, drilling, a wedgie, no resistance, and wearing her out.
Please leave a review...they force me to take breaks from packing =D