A/N #1: Again, I'm not sure you're paying me any never mind, so go on, I'll talk at the bottom of this chapter. ;)
~oOo~
Afghanistan... Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 5:20 P.M.
I rubbed my chest while I waited for the call to connect. The docs had stripped me down to my T-shirt and fatigues, given me something for the pain, and taken me off duty for a few days. Fuck, if that shit wasn't tender!
The call connected, and I swear to God, I'd never seen a more beautiful or sad sight in all my life. Despite her red, puffy eyes and what looked like new tears forming, Bella was just...perfect. Her eyes met mine, and all my pain faded into the background because hers was more important. She was trying so damn hard to hold back her tears.
"Hey, sweetheart," I sighed, sitting forward a bit. "I'm sorry they woke you..."
"Just...tell me you're okay, Edward," she interrupted me as a tear slid slowly down her cheek. "That's all I'm asking."
"Oh, baby, please don't cry. I'm fine. I promise," I vowed, rubbing my face. "I'm just a little banged up, that's all."
"Show me," she ordered, frowning at me, and she was still fucking beautiful, all angry and worried and commanding. "Now, Sarge!"
"Show you?" I verified, cracking a smile. "Bella, this isn't that kind of call."
"Edward Masen, if you don't show me that you're okay, I swear to..." She huffed in her anger, though I could still see her worry. "Now isn't the time for you to play sexy and cute. Show. Me."
"'Kay," I sighed, groaning and wincing when I pulled my shirt up.
I knew for a fact that shit looked worse than it felt, though it felt like utter hell. A long, black and blue – with a little red thrown in for good measure – swipe of a bruise was slashed across my chest. One or two of my upper ribs looked swollen and broken, but they weren't; they'd just taken the brunt of it all.
"What happened?" she whispered, a whole new flock of tears coursing down her face as her eyes watched my hands lower my shirt.
"What did Alice tell you, love?" I countered, sitting forward again.
"I'd rather hear it from you."
"Okay," I conceded, so I told her what had happened, including the part about Wells. "It was so fucking close, Bella," I whispered, shaking my head, barely looking at her, and suddenly everything that had scared me came rushing out of me in one breath. "All I fucking want is to get to you. That's it! That's all. And it seems like all the fucking odds are stacked against me. What if... I mean... What if? I've still got four and a half months of this shit!"
A sob erupted from the computer, and I suddenly felt like an asshole.
"Baby, please, please, don't cry. I'm sorry," I begged, wanting to grab her, but I had to settle for the sides of the fucking desk. "I didn't mean it. I'm just so scared... I'm gonna fuck this up, I just know it."
"Edward," she cried, shaking her head slowly. The tears were a steady stream now, and I'd have given anything in order to be able to wipe them away since it was my fault they were there in the first place. "You're not going to fuck up," she breathed, though she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at her hands. "You can't do that. You just can't," she rambled. I was afraid she was in shock. It was like she wasn't even talking to me. "You have to stay safe, baby. Please. I love you...and nothing can happen to you. I can't lose you."
I sat really still, my eyes watching her face. I wasn't even sure she was aware that she'd said it. My heart exploded in my chest, which actually kind of fucking hurt against my sore-ass ribs, but now I had to calm her down because she needed to know she wasn't alone.
"Bella, love...look at me. Look at the computer," I told her in as calm a voice as I could muster, my hands squeezing into fists, because goddamn it, I wanted to touch her! Sweet, worried brown gazed up at me, and I took a deep breath and let it out, just to try to calm my heart. "I'm sorry that I scared you. I'm sorry we're both freaking out." I smiled, tilting my head at her. "Take a breath and let it out for me, sweetheart."
She did as I asked, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand. "You're okay?" she asked again, her voice rough but still so beautiful.
I chuckled, nodding slowly, because she was just too sweet and cute for words. "Yes. I promise. I let my guard down for a split second..."
"Well, don't do that again," she ordered, frowning at me again. "I mean it, babe. Please?"
Instead of answering her question, I countered it with a few of my own. "We can do this, right? We can make it through? We can tough it through hell in order to get to heaven, right?"
Finally, she cracked a smile, a sweet little giggle escaping her. "Yeah, but..." Her hands curled into claws in front of the screen, like she was trying to reach through the computer. "You have to be so careful, Edward. I'm sorry I'm not handling this well...you're my first high-risk boyfriend."
I laughed, shaking my head at her, because she'd found her sense of humor again. "You were perfect, beautiful. In fact, I expected you to run for the hills at this point."
"No, I can't," she sighed, smiling a sweet smile as she rested her chin on her hands. "You're stuck with me, Sarge."
"Yeah, I see that," I snickered, rubbing my chest a bit, but my smile faded as I just stared at her.
Despite both of us losing it, she was still there. She'd been there since the beginning, shown me that I wasn't alone, and she wasn't going anywhere.
"God, you're so fucking beautiful, Bella," I sighed, finally just surrendering to whatever this was that had happened between us. I couldn't fight it any longer. "And I love you, too."
~oOo~
A/N #2: **plugs ears to squealing** :D Bella saying her ILY was as natural as breathing. I loved that. And Sarge was right there with her. He'd been telling her for a while now anyway.
First of all, the way that this fell, we couldn't bear to just give you two chapters, especially when Sarge was injured. And second, this was such an important step in this story. A huge turning point, if you will. Personally, I see this fic in stages, and we've passed two of them already. There are about 4 to 5 more...in just my own opinion.
That being said, I know...I KNOW that you're ready for a face to face with these two, but I'm begging for you to trust us. For you, it seems like it's been a long time, but if you really look at all the timestamps on every email and every Skype session, you'll see that they communicate almost daily. If I swear to you it's worth the wait, would you believe me? Us? Because it truly is. :)
Okay, I'm sorry if Sarge's accident scared you, but that's about as angsty as this story gets. **shrugs** Yup, tis true. :) I know you've got celebrating to do now that the three most important words have been said, so we'll see you tomorrow. Mooches, Deb. :)