1. "Sea of Love" is a beautiful song by Phil Phillips & the Twilights, later covered by Robert Plant in the 80s. Every song used in this story will be in my Spotify playlist, "Love in Camp Henderson" soundtrack. Please be sure to look up the playlist for any readers who have Spotify.
2. Interracial dating wasn't allowed until the late 1960s in California, to which I do not understand why it was illegal. Boyle and Nurse Katie's romance will be an interracial one.
3. Lowes, the home improvement store, was founded in 1921, hence why Duke said he would marry Alana in a Lowes if he could. I also used to work at Lowes as a sales associate.
4. Poland was a communist country from 1945 to 1989.
5. Polish translations: Zabierzemy dwa piwa. On weźmie stek wieprzowy, a ja wątróbkę drobiową z dodatkiem pierogów= We will take two beers. He will take the pork steak, and I will take the chicken liver with a side of pierogies. Dzięki= thank you. Oczywiście, kapral.= Of course, Corporal. Zadzwoń po karetkę= call an ambulance.
6. Singer Bobby Vinton was a Polish American singer in the 60s. He was nicknamed 'The Polish Prince.'
7. I understand 'Boyle' is an Irish name, but I decided to make his character interesting.
8. I used to make bath bombs, and one of the scents I used is the cologne Gomer is wearing. DM me if you want to know more about my former bath bomb endeavors…or not, lol.
*GC*
The following day, Gomer woke up in a relatively good mood. The scene from the other night kept playing in his head; he was never in that position with anyone in his life, woman or man. Not even Luanne had done something like that to him. Although he didn't let it on that he enjoyed what happened, Gomer did enjoy it. However, he wished that he could explain why he felt different. Was it because he was touched for the first time, or was it with someone he cared about? He figured he would deal with it later and head to the mess hall for breakfast. Once the platoon got to the mess hall for breakfast, they served themselves breakfast, then found where to sit. Gomer sat across from Duke, who spoke to Gomer about his date with Alana from the night before.
"I got to her flat with a dozen red roses in my hand. The first thing she did was jump on me and kiss me." Duke chuckled. "Anyway, she made this delicious beef stroganoff, which is a recipe she got from back home; it tasted pretty good. Then she wanted to dance to her favorite song, "Sea of Love," which we did; at the end of the night, all she wanted to do was dance. It was nice. We hadn't seen each other since she's been working a lot, so we made the most of it. I'm telling ya, she's the one. I swear, I'm going to marry her one day. Hell, I would marry her in the middle of a Lowes if I could. Gomer, by the end of the year, I'm going to buy her a ring and ask her to marry me!"
"That's great, Duke. I'm so happy for you!" Gomer smiled.
"Well, before I ask Alana to marry me," Duke spoke again, "will you be my best man when that day comes?"
Beaming with excitement, Gomer cried out, "Why, Duke, I would be honored to be your best man!"
Duke grinned at Gomer. The two friends continued eating their breakfast; Gomer munched on his potatoes in silence, not realizing Duke stared intently at him.
"You know, Gome…you look different," Duke spoke, making Gomer look up.
"Huh…how so?" Gomer asked, almost fearful Duke had a feeling about his tryst with Carter.
"I don't know…did you lose weight?" Duke asked.
Relieved, Gomer replied, "Oh…I don't know. I don't think so."
"Hmm…you look like you did. You look good." Duke replied.
Gomer smiled at his friend. Duke spoke again while eating his eggs, "I take it last night was fun for you? You seemed in a good mood this morning."
Smiling at his friend, Gomer spoke, "What is there to not be in a good mood about?"
"Uh…the hike we'll have to endure after this?" Duke joked, changing the topic again, "You know, today's food ain't half bad. Although that cook still hates me. I don't understand why."
"Maybe because you said her food tasted bad, Duke. You need to be careful with other's feelin's." Gomer spoke.
"Gome, that lady doesn't have feelings. I don't know what she has, but it ain't feelings." Duke chuckled.
Gomer shook his head and then continued eating his food. Once breakfast was finished, the platoon walked back to their barracks to get their gear on for their forced hike again. As Gomer was getting ready for the hike, he was singing "I'm Into Something Good" to himself, as he was still happy about the night before. While singing, Mendes put his arm around Gomer, then spoke, "Pyle, who sings that song?"
"Herman's Hermits, Noah. It's a good song, and…."
"Let's keep it that way." Mendes patted Gomer on the shoulder, making Jackson laugh.
Gomer just looked at Mendes and Jackson while Duke glared at them. Mendes caught Duke glaring at him, saying, "Relax, Slater. I was just playing around."
"Don't even waste your breath on him, brother. Let's just get into formation before Carter gives us an earful." Jackson told Mendes.
As the two trouble makers walked out of the barracks, Duke turned to Gomer, saying, "I should've decked him on Easter when I had the chance."
"Don't let him get to you, Duke," Gomer replied.
"Yep," Duke answered, changing the topic immediately. "You have your inhaler? I'll pack the spare just in case…."
"Got it in my pocket!" Gomer took out the inhaler, showing it to Duke.
"Great! Let's go!" Duke spoke again.
Once the two friends were ready, they got into formation with the rest of the platoon. Meanwhile, Carter and Boyle were preparing for the hike in their barracks. Boyle noticed Carter was moving rather slowly.
"You okay, Vince? You seem to be moving slowly." Boyle asked.
Shaking out of his thoughts, Carter turned to Boyle and replied, "Oh…uh…yeah, Chuck. Just got a lot on my mind, is all."
Boyle smiled at the Sergeant, replying, "Well, whatever is going on with you, this hike will probably help you clear your head."
"Yeah…" Carter simply replied.
The truth was, he didn't want to have to face Gomer after the night before. Knowing he had violated him the night before, then having to face him for a hike did not sit right with him. Just thinking about it over and over made his stomach churn with disgust. How could he violate Gomer?
'What was I thinking doing that?' Carter thought to himself. 'God, why did I even do that?'
Adding the finishing touches to his hiking gear, Carter then decided for himself, 'Fuck it. I will treat him like I normally did before the shit hit the fan in the food bunker. I have to. Fuck my feelings.'
Once he was ready, Carter and Boyle walked out of their barracks. To Carter's surprise, the platoon was prepared but not in formation.
"Attention!" Carter shouted.
Everyone got to attention when they heard Carter's voice boom. The sight of Carter made Gomer's heart flutter again, even at attention. Carter quickly eyed him, then turned his attention to what he was doing.
"Alright, men! Let's move! Face left!"
The men complied and started to march as Carter counted in step. The hike wasn't as strenuous as the last few hikes had been. Carter figured he'd go easy on everyone today since he already had so much on his mind. Sure the hills got steeper and steeper, and everyone felt their legs go wobbly, but at least it wasn't as hot out, and no one was getting nauseous. The only concern was when Gomer started to wheeze again from the hike. Carter stopped the men, then got into Sergeant mode, turning his attention to Gomer.
"Pyle, take your inhaler. We will stop for five minutes to let you get situated." Carter spoke in a business-like tone of voice.
Gomer figured he only did it because it was his job. On the other hand, Carter was just trying to make everything seem normal. Gomer took a few puffs on his inhaler, then took a few seconds until he felt better.
"You good?" Carter asked.
"Yes, Sergeant," Gomer replied sweetly.
"Good!" Carter responded cooly, turning away from Gomer, "Let's move!"
Although he knew he had to keep it regular, why did Carter seem so cold towards Gomer?
Duke looked at Gomer as they walked, whispering, "You okay, buddy?"
"Yes, Duke. I'm okay." Gomer responded.
"Pyle and Slater cut the chatter and keep marching! You're here to be Marines, not gossip like two old ladies, or do I have to spell it out for you two dumbasses?" Carter barked.
Gomer felt a twinge of hurt run through him. Why was Carter like this? Oh well. He just kept marching, not trying to think about it.
*GC*
Over the week, Carter proceeded to ignore and avoid Gomer as much as he could, except when he couldn't, which made it all the more difficult. To try and push what happened out of his mind, he acted tougher on Gomer than the other men, making him do more challenging tasks, putting him on garbage duty, cleaning duty…even having him dig holes. Although he wasn't malicious, he made sure Gomer carried his inhaler. Did it make the Sergeant feel good? No, because he felt horrible acting how he did at the end of the day.
As for Gomer, whenever he got back to the barracks after his duties, he would sleep in silent tears about why Carter was acting the way he was. He made sure no one heard him crying; hence, he would usually fall asleep crying, then wake up with puffy eyes, much to Duke's concern. The following Friday, Carter decided to have an inspection. As the platoon cleaned up the barracks from top to bottom, Gomer made sure his bed looked extra neat; he didn't want Carter to bark at him. One of the platoon mates, a young, skinny blonde, looked at Gomer's bed, commenting, "Wow…I should have you make my bed. The corners are all perfect."
"Thank you, Gavin. Grandma Pyle taught me how to make a perfect bed. She wouldn't let me have no breakfast until all the corners were in apple-pie order!"
"Huh?" Gavin asked, confused as to what Gomer meant.
"It means it looks nice and neat," Gomer explained.
"You could've said that." Gavin joked, making them both laugh.
Gavin patted Gomer on the shoulder and then got back to their duties. Once the barracks were in great shape, a voice then yelled, "Attention!"
Everyone immediately stood at attention as Carter started to inspect the barracks. So far, everything seemed well, as he was complimenting the other men. The Sergeant then got to Mendes' bunk, observing it. He frowned at the fact the blankets looked crooked.
"Mendes, this bed is uneven. Learn how to make a bed, won't you?" Carter snapped.
He didn't see Mendes glare at him. Once Carter got to Gomer's bed, he noticed that Gomer's bed was perfectly made. Even his locker was up to well organized. Heck, he couldn't say a bad word about Gomer; he had come a long way since they met. Staying in Sergeant mode, Carter looked at Gomer unpleasantly, "What the hell, Pyle, did you get help making this bed?"
"N…no, sir." Gomer softly responded.
"Are you sure? Because this bed looks almost too perfectly made for someone like you." Carter insulted Gomer. "I find it hard to believe that you managed to be this organized."
Gomer hadn't said anything in response. Carter got into his face, saying, "What, Pyle? Cat got your tongue? You have nothing to say to defend yourself?"
"No, sir," Gomer replied.
"Didn't think so." Carter started to unmake Gomer's bed, ripping the sheets off the mattress, throwing his pillow on the floor, then messing up his locker while Gomer just stood there and watched.
"Clean that up, Pyle! Don't let me catch you getting help again!" Carter said in an icy tone, then continued the inspection.
Once the inspection was done, Gomer got down and started making his bed again. Duke looked at Gomer, asking, "What was that about?"
"I don't know, Duke. I wouldn't worry too much about it." Gomer softly replied, trying not to cry.
"Gome, you crying?" Duke asked his friend.
"No, Duke…" Gomer replied.
"Tell your voice that," Duke said, softening his expression. "Want to go into town just to get your mind off what happened?"
"I'm on cleaning duty again but thank you," Gomer told Duke.
Duke nodded his head, then said, "Okay…."
Once Duke got up and left, Gomer cleaned up, letting his tears fall freely while no one was around.
*GC*
That night, Carter was alone in his barracks. He couldn't get over the fact that he made Gomer feel terrible during the inspection, and all for what? He saw the look of hurt and humiliation on Gomer's face when he messed up his locker and bunk. The Sergeant knew he couldn't let his feelings take over on the base and had tried to push them out. Frustrated, he pushed his papers off his desk and threw his pen cup against the wall, with the pens flying everywhere. He got up from his chair and walked over to his locker, punching it until he was out of breath, leaving a dent. Panting hard from hitting his locker, Carter walked over to his desk chair and pulled a cigar and lighter. He needed a cigar badly. Lighting it up, Carter took in a puff, smoking out of frustration. Boyle walked into the barracks with his head down, holding the roster sheet, saying, "Hey, Vince, I…."
Boyle looked up, looking at the mess Carter had made.
"Did a tornado blow through?" Boyle joked.
Carter glared at Boyle, saying, "I'm having a shitty week."
"Okay, but did you have to do this?" Boyle spoke. "My God, it looks like a bomb went off here!"
Carter got up from his seat, shouting, "Just shut up, Chuck, and help me pick up this stuff!"
Boyle placed the sheet of paper in his hands down on the table just to assist Carter in cleaning up. Boyle looked up at Carter's locker, looking at the dent on the door.
"Did you punch the locker?" Boyle asked.
"Don't worry about that." Carter snapped.
"Your knuckles are bleeding, Vince!" Boyle stated.
"No shit!" Carter curtly replied.
Boyle went from finding it funny to being concerned for the Sergeant. Why was Carter so wound up? Why was he hard on Gomer? He had so many questions.
"Do you want to go to the Chaplain and talk?" Boyle asked.
"You know I'm not religious, Boyle," Carter replied.
"That's not what I mean!" Boyle snapped. "I mean, you are so wound up this week. You need to talk to someone. Because this right here…I can't even begin to explain this."
Carter took a breath, then placed his hands on his head, rubbing his forehead.
"Sorry, Boyle. I don't know what came over me, to be honest."
Boyle just gave Carter a sympathetic look. Carter then spoke again, but this time he was boisterous, "I'm just here day in and day out…it's the same routine over and over, and to be frank, I'm sick of it! I need a furlough or something because I'm going crazy here!"
"Well…before you consider a leave, why don't we go out tonight. I don't plan on doing anything with anyone. It'll be my treat again."
"Done! Let me clean this up and then try to fix the dent in my locker before I get written up." Carter chuckled.
"You probably aren't the first to get into a fight with your locker, and you won't be the last." Boyle joked. "Also, take care of your knuckles there, will ya?"
*GC*
Carter drove himself and Boyle into the town, heading to a Polish restaurant. Carter figured since Boyle was treating, he'd not fight it and let Boyle choose a place to eat. They walked in and were seated immediately; the hostess handed them menus before heading back to her station.
"Boy, you don't see a lot of Polish restaurants around nowadays since they became communist," Carter stated while he looked down at the menu.
Boyle shrugged, saying, "Yeah…well, thank God for this one. I was craving Polish food for a while now."
"Look, the menu is not even in English." Carter chuckled. "All that this place is missing is Bobby Vinton."
Coincidently, the next song that played happened to be Bobby Vinton's 'Roses are Red.' The two laughed at the irony of the moment.
"Can't have a Polish restaurant without the Polish prince himself," Boyle stated.
"I had no idea you were even Polish, Chuck. I thought you were all Irish." Carter stated.
Boyle shrugged, replying, "Irish father, Polish mother. They were only together for three weeks before they got engaged. My grandparents didn't like that they were marrying outside their cultures and forbade it."
"Shit…" was all Carter could mutter.
"So, long story short, they got married behind their parents' backs, which led them to not speaking until I was born."
"And your mother still thought you were a girl when she was pregnant with you." Carter joked, adding a laugh.
Boyle glared at him, which only made Carter laugh more. The waitress, a middle-aged Polish woman, walked over to take their orders. Boyle turned to Carter, asking, "Do you know what you want?"
"Can you order for me? I don't know how to pronounce any of this stuff." Carter stated that as he slammed down the menu, he was frustrated he couldn't pronounce anything.
This made the waitress giggled. Boyle smirked, staring down at the menu, saying, "Let me see…my Polish is a little rough."
Boyle stared down at the menu to see what Carter would like. Seconds later, he looked up at the waitress and spoke, "Zabierzemy dwa piwa. On weźmie stek wieprzowy, a ja wątróbkę drobiową z dodatkiem pierogów."
Upon hearing his Corporal speak Polish, Carter gave him a weird look as if he were saying, 'That's rough?'
As the waitress wrote down their orders, she looked back at him, replying, "Oczywiście, Kapral."
When she walked off, Carter looked at Boyle, impressed, "Gee, Chuck. You didn't tell me you spoke Polish."
Boyle smirked, saying, "My grandmother and mother spoke it around me, so I picked it up over time."
"Huh…didn't know that." Carter chuckled. "Anyway, what did you order me?"
"Well, knowing you, I figured you would want red meat or something. So I ordered you Stek Wieprzowy."
Carter looked at Boyle confusedly, "English, please?"
This made Boyle chuckle, "It's called pork steak. I also ordered you a beer."
"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Chuck."
Moments later, the waitress came by with their beers, saying, "Here are your beers, gentlemen."
"Thanks," Carter replied.
"Dzięki." Boyle smiled at the waitress before she walked off.
Once she was gone, Carter rolled his eyes at Boyle, showing off his ability to speak Polish, then sipped his beer. He smacked his lips when he swallowed, saying, "Hey, this is pretty good."
"Polish beer is a rare delicacy." Boyle shrugged. "Glad you like it."
Carter put down his drink and spoke, "I appreciate this, Chuck."
"Well, as a friend and your Corporal, I do care about your well-being, Vince. I would never steer you wrong."
That made Carter chuckle.
"So, in all seriousness, what's bothering you?" Boyle spoke.
Looking up at the Corporal, the Sergeant's replied, "Huh?"
"What's going on in your life that you seem very wound up?" Boyle repeated his question.
The Sergeant lit up a cigar, speaking to his Corporal again, "Chuck, I told you. I have a lot going on, is all; it don't mean anything is wrong with me. No sense in pushing it any further."
"I don't know, Vince. It seems as if there is more than you are letting on…."
"I'm telling you, there is nothing wrong with me!" Carter snapped. "My God, what is it with you people constantly asking if I'm okay?"
"Alright! I'm sorry! I won't bother you after tonight." Boyle snapped back, then took a sip of his beer.
After a few seconds of silence, Carter puffed his cigar, saying, "Sorry…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to flip out on you like that."
"It's fine, Serge," Boyle replied half-heartedly as he sipped his beer.
The next song that came on was Roy Orbison's, 'Crying,' which sent a chill up Carter's spine that he couldn't explain why that would be. Letting out a sigh, the Sergeant spoke to the Corporal, stating, "I really can't…well…not sure how to explain."
"That's fine. But can I ask you one thing?" Boyle asked.
"What?" Carter asked as he sipped his beer.
"Does it have anything to do with Pyle?" Boyle asked again.
Flinching from Boyle's question, Carter asked, "Where did Pyle come into this?"
"Because I've noticed that you have been stressing out ever since you start getting on Pyle's case again. Making him do extra duties, yelling at him over minor things, need I go on? Because I will go on."
The Sergeant became defensive to this accusation.
"Pyle is a nitwit, Boyle, and we both know that. Might as well work him harder because of it."
"But do you think he's a nitwit, or are you saying that to mask whatever you feel? Because whatever is going on with you, there is no need to take it out on Pyle. He's not your punching bag. He's a member of your platoon. Also, I find it weird how you went from being patient with him to just letting every little thing that he does tick you off like it had been before…before the incident. Unless something happened between you two and you just don't want to tell me?"
This made Carter think for a moment; as much as he wanted to tell Boyle what went on between him and Gomer, he knew he couldn't. He didn't care about what would happen to himself; he was more worried about what would happen to Gomer. It wasn't that he didn't trust Boyle; he just wanted nothing bad to happen.
"I…I can't say…" was all Carter told him.
Boyle gave Carter a look that let him know he understood.
"When you are ready to tell me, feel free to tell me. Other than that, I won't pursue it any further than I have."
Carter rubbed his temples, feeling a tension headache come upon him; this is what stress did to him, so he puffed his cigar, looking down at the table.
"If you think I'm going to hold you, forget it." Boyle joked.
The Sergeant gave the Corporal the middle finger as he spat, "Fuck you."
This caused them to laugh. Their food arrived before they knew it; it smelled incredible, something that Carter had never smelled before. The waitress placed their food in front of them, cheerfully saying, "Here you go, Marines. Enjoy!"
"Thank you. Can I get another beer?" Carter asked her.
"Yes." The waitress took Carter's empty glass away.
Boyle looked up at the waitress, smiling at her, "Dzięki."
As she walked off, Carter put out his cigar before eating. The two dug into their food silently while Tom Jones' song, 'Deliah,' filled the restaurant. Not able to deal with the silence anymore, Boyle spoke up, "So…what's the verdict?"
"Huh?" Carter looked up while chewing.
"The food? Do you like it?" Boyle asked.
"Oh yeah…it is. Thanks for ordering for me." Carter replied with his mouth full.
He ignored Boyle's look of disgust. Boyle decided to speak again, "When I was little, my grandma used to make perogies. These are good, but not my grandma's."
This made Carter scoff. Boyle offered him some perogies, which Carter accepted. He took one off the plate, then put it in his mouth. As he chewed, he spoke, "Not bad. They taste like raviolis."
Lightly laughing, Boyle took the plate back, "Glad you like them."
"You know, I might come back just for the…whatever those are," Carter said, suddenly forgetting the name of the perogies.
"Perogies." Boyle corrected him.
"Right, thank you…."
Boyle smirked at his Sergeant. The two ate in silence, enjoying the restaurant's atmosphere and the food. Boyle figured he got what he needed to out from Carter about why he was acting off, especially towards Gomer. Deciding to speak again, the Corporal said, "My mother would like this place. My father, on the other hand, wasn't too keen on Polish food, so my mother had to learn how to make Irish recipes for him. Makes me wonder how they managed to stay married all these years. The one thing they can agree on are potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes."
"Yeah…" Carter snickered right as he was given another beer, turning to the waitress, "thank you."
As the waitress walked off, Boyle continued to speak, "Another thing they agreed on is how they disciplined me. If I was really bad, my mother would make me get the belt or the shoe of my choice, then that would be the one I would get beaten with."
This confession made Carter laugh and say, "Boy, my mother didn't have to hit me to let me know I was in deep shit."
"Oh really?" Boyle laughed.
"Yeah. She just had to give me a look, and then I would stop whatever I was going to do." Carter said with a soft laugh.
"Gee, I think that's a little more intimidating. My parents were very old school when it came to discipline. They told me that's how their folks did it back in the old country." Boyle confessed to Carter.
"Well, I'm thankful my parents were born in America." Carter joked, lighting up another cigar.
The two friends laughed. Once they were satisfied with their meals, Boyle was delightfully beside himself, "That was delicious."
Carter took a puff of his cigar, speaking to Boyle again, "You want to know what's funny?"
Boyle sipped his beer, looking up at Carter with huge eyes noticing something off.
"That we're both Marines, and the one thing that can scare us still is our mothers."
Laughing at his own joke, Carter took another puff of his cigar. Boyle listened to Carter while observing why he looked flushed in the face.
"My mother still will yell at me over the phone over the smallest things. She will call up the base and will say, 'Vincey, did you make sure to eat today?'"
"Uh…Serge?" Boyle spoke.
"I swear, Boyle, I'm convinced she forgets me and my sisters are adults. It's no wonder my sister decided to elope."
"Serge…"
"The day my sister, Babe, got married, she called my mother to tell her she got married, only for my mother to yell, 'What? You got married and didn't tell me! Why didn't you tell me!'" Carter laughed. "Oh man…it was…."
"Vince!" Boyle yelled.
"What, Chuck? I'm trying to tell you a…."
"Your face and neck are red!" Boyle cried out.
"Huh?" Carter responded.
"Your face and neck are red, and you're starting to swell."
Carter turned to look at his reflection in a nearby window, seeing that Boyle was correct. The waitress walked over, speaking, "How are we…oh my God!"
"How the fuck did this happen?" Carter felt his throat slowly starting to close up.
"We need to get you back to the hospital on the base." Boyle cried, turning to the waitress. "Call an ambulance! Zadzwoń po karetkę!"
The waitress ran to the nearest phone to call an ambulance. Carter noticed the restaurant staff panic.
Moments later, before he knew it, the paramedics stormed through the doors, placing the Sergeant on a stretcher.
"Chuck," Carter managed to take his car keys out of his pocket, tossing them to Boyle, "drive my car back to the base, take over for me! I will see you there!"
Once Carter was out of sight, Boyle ran his fingers through his hair out of frustration.
*GC*
The men noticed ambulance lights coming through the gates back on the base. Gomer and Duke, who were walking back from the mess hall, saw this.
"I wonder what happened." Duke wondered.
"I don't know, Duke. I hope whoever was brought here is okay." Gomer replied.
Duke shook his head, then placed his hand on Gomer's back, leading them away, "Come on."
Once the two friends got back to the barracks, Gavin and Perez, who were playing a card game, saw them walk in.
"I just heard a bunch of sirens going off. What happened?" Perez asked.
"Who knows?" Duke shrugged, taking a seat on the stool.
"Hopefully, nothing bad happened to no one," Gomer stated.
"Just be happy it wasn't you, Pyle," Gavin told him.
"No, he's right, Gome. Don't make too much out of it. I'm sure whoever it was will be fine." Duke added.
Gomer frowned a little but complied with Duke's words. Moments later, Boyle walked in, calling for attention. When Boyle spoke, the men got up, "Alright, I will be your acting Sergeant again. Sergeant Carter was just admitted into the ER."
This news made Gomer's heart drop. What could happen to Carter?
"What happened to him?" Gavin asked.
"He had a bad reaction to something he ate, so they are taking care of him in the infirmary. If you need anything, you are to come to me. That is all. As you were."
Once everyone got out of attention, Gomer ran over to Boyle, "Hey, Corporal Boyle, will Sergeant Carter be okay?"
The Corporal looked at Gomer, seeing how he was apprehensive for Carter, answered, "He'll be fine. Don't worry too much. It was a terrible food reaction."
"Can I see him tonight?" Gomer asked.
"Honestly, Pyle, knowing Sergeant Carter, he won't want any visitors. But, I will give you an update on him. Don't worry."
"Right, Corporal," Gomer replied.
As Boyle left the barracks of Company B, Duke walked over to Gomer, asking, "You okay, buddy?"
"No…I'm worried about him."
"Gome, he'll be okay. It's just food allergies. I've had them. He'll be fine." Duke reassured Gomer.
Gomer smiled at his friend. Duke patted Gomer on the arm. Gomer then walked over to his locker, overhearing Mendes and Jackson talking again.
"An allergic reaction? I feel bad for the thing he ate." Jackson joked.
"I'm only sorry that I didn't get to see Carter turn red like a lobster," Mendes added.
Gomer turned to the two, crying out, "You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves, making funnies out of someone bein' sick. He could've died from food allergies."
"Relax, Pyle. We're joking." Jackson laughed.
"Don't bother. Sergeant's little bitch will always defend him, even when he's been treating him like a little bitch all week." Mendes interjected.
Duke was about to say something before Gomer spoke in a sweet yet strong tone, "You two are real crude and rotten for saying such things. Do you hear me? You are real crude and rotten."
Starting at Gomer, the two trouble makers shook their heads, then walked away from Gomer. Duke moved towards Gomer, saying, "Good for you. I would've said worse, but I'm proud of you."
Gomer didn't reply. He wanted nothing more but to see the man he felt strongly for. Even if Carter had been tough on him all week, it didn't matter to Gomer; he wanted to see him.
*GC*
Knocked out from the medicine they gave him, Carter slept off his food reaction. What was in the food to make him have a bad reaction? Or was it the beer? Whatever it was, that would be the first and final time Carter ever ate Polish food. As he slept, he had a dream that a visitor was sitting in the room with him:
*Dream*
"Oh my God…what did you do to get to this point, Vince?" A voice asked.
Waking up, Carter turned to see Louie sitting in the chair beside his bed.
"Louie…you're back…."
"Sort of, but not really." Louie got up, moving to his seat to sit on the bed.
Carter sat up from his bed, rubbing his head.
"Damn, cuore impavido. What happened?" Louie asked.
"I don't know what the hell it was, but I think it's safe to say I'm allergic to whatever was in that food."
The comment made Louie laugh as Carter scowled at him.
"What? What's so funny, Louie?" He snapped.
"Nothing…" Louie kept laughing. "It's just you."
This made Carter glare at him even more. Louie looked at him, still laughing, "If looks could kill right now, I'd be dead again."
Carter had to admit, that was pretty funny. He softened his features, saying, "I guess it was pretty funny."
Louie took a breath to stop laughing, saying, "In all seriousness, do you want to know why I'm back again?"
"To check on me. like you made it clear before?" Carter asked.
"I wanted to talk to you…regarding how you treated Pyle."
The Sergeant had a feeling Louie would bring that up.
"You haven't been very nice to him this week, Vince, and it hurts to see that."
"How does it hurt you? What does this…."
"Because don't you remember that I sent him to you? It seemed like you were starting to become happy again, and that handsome man brought your smile back to your face. It made me happy to see you smile again. But you act like an asshole to him, and all for what?"
The Sergeant was silent for a second. He took a breath saying, "You don't know why…."
"I do know why. You thought he didn't like the moment that happened between you two. You have a bad habit of jumping to conclusions, Vince, and trying so hard to push what happened out of your mind isn't helping you any. You are going back to your old ways, pushing him around, losing your patience with him…if you must know, he cried himself to sleep almost every night because of you."
Carter took in Louie's words; Gomer Pyle was crying every night, over him?
"I didn't know that…."
"No, you didn't! You didn't talk to him or explain what you feel, nor did you give him the chance to let him tell his side of how he felt!"
Carter looked down, feeling terrible for how he treated Gomer.
"I'm sorry, Louie." Carter softly replied.
"Don't apologize to me. Talk to Pyle. Explain your piece, then let him explain his. You two need each other."
The Sergeant nodded his head. Louie took Carter's hand, kissing it tenderly, then placing it upon his cheek.
*End of dream*
Carter woke up, calling out, "Louie?" No one was there. He turned to look at the clock, as it read 2 AM. How long had he been out for?
'I have to stop imagining he's still here...' Carter told himself. 'But he does have a point.'
The good thing was his rash was gone. He sat up, rubbing his head. The room was dark, with the only light being from the stars and moon outside the window.
'I wonder if Pyle's checking out the moon tonight.' He thought to himself.
"It's about time you woke up." A voice stated.
Carter turned to his left to see Boyle sitting in the chair beside the bed.
"How long have you been here?" Carter asked.
"Not too long. After I told the men you were admitted, I did some work back in the duty hut, then came here. Who's Louie?"
"Oh...an old friend of mine from Korea."
"Oh, okay. How do you feel?"
The Sergeant rubbed his eyes and shook his head, "Better now, considering your people tried to kill me."
The Corporal made a face, indicating he didn't appreciate the joke.
"Relax, Boyle. It's a joke." Carter snapped.
"Yeah…" Boyle responded.
"I'm not sure what they gave me, but they rammed a needle in my thigh that had something to help slow the swelling. I ain't even red anymore."
"I think they gave you an antihistamine or something." Boyle shrugged.
"Oh…well, I don't know what was in that drug, but they fixed me, that's for sure."
The Corporal chuckled lightly.
"Anyway, did the doctor say when I can leave? I don't feel like staying here all night."
At that moment, Nurse Katie walked in with a clipboard. Boyle immediately stood up at her presence. As she was about to speak, Katie noticed Boyle, then blushed to herself, "Oh…Corporal Boyle…"
"Good evening, Nurse Kathryn." Boyle greeted her.
"It's Katie. No need to be formal." Katie giggled.
"Oh…" Boyle ran his fingers through his hair, "then you can call me Chuck."
"Okay…Chuck." Katie bashfully giggled, "how are you tonight?"
"Doing great, even better now," Boyle replied, flirting with her.
Katie batted her eyelashes at Boyle, smiling sheepishly at him. Carter cleared his throat, attempting to grab her attention back. Katie turned to the Sergeant, saying, "Oh my gosh, Sergeant Carter, I almost forgot…how do you feel?"
"Better, thanks." He replied.
"Okay then…well…if you feel better, then you are good to go!" Katie fumbled with her words, being in the presence of the handsome Corporal. "I…I will have the doctor sign the discharge papers, and you can leave anytime."
"Great. Thank you." Carter stated.
Before Katie left the room, she gave Boyle a sweet smile and walked out of the room, leaving the men alone. Carter looked at Boyle. The Corporal caught his Sergeant giving him a look, crying out, "What?"
"I didn't say nothin'!" Carter replied as he got out of bed.
"She's beautiful," Boyle told Carter as he looked at the nurse from outside the room.
"Oh, I've noticed that. You don't have to tell me." Carter replied, agreeing with Boyle.
Boyle quickly eyed Carter, smirking to himself while the Sergeant got out of bed, getting ready to return to his barracks.
"You still want me to take over duties tomorrow?" Boyle asked, still looking out the door.
"No, Chuck, I'll be…." Carter looked up, seeing that Boyle was still looking at the beautiful nurse, talking to another nurse, handing her files from her clipboard, "Are you distracted?"
Boyle shook his head, stammering, "What? Huh? Oh…sorry, Serge…."
Carter shook his head, "Gee, I would hate to see you in war; God forbid a beautiful dame walks your way, you are bound to get killed by the enemy."
This comment made Boyle blush.
*GC*
The following Sunday, Gomer was shining boots with Perez when another Private walked in, saying, "Gomer, Sergeant wants to see you in his office."
Gomer looked at Perez, who gave him a reassuring look. The sweet Private put the boot down and walked to Carter's barracks. He knocked on the door, making Carter look up from his desk.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Gomer asked.
"Yeah, Pyle. Shut the door, will ya?" Carter ordered.
Gomer shut the door, locking it behind him. Carter got up from his chair, taking a seat on his desk. He took a deep breath while the sweet Private held onto his cap tightly. Carter looked up at Gomer, saying, "Look, Pyle…about last week…I'm sorry for how I've been acting towards you. I don't know why I did it, but…I feel like shit doin' so."
Gomer was quiet for a few seconds. He then replied to his Sergeant, "I forgive you, Sergeant. I don't take anything personal. But, I won't lie, it did hurt my feelins' a bit."
This statement made Carter feel terrible.
"Can I ask why you were treatin' me a lot different?" Gomer asked. "Why were you avoidin' me and being' mean?"
"Honestly," Carter started to explain, "it was because of what happened between us the night we drove to the beach to look at the stars. I thought I violated you. I tried to push out what happened by acting the way I did before we got into the food bunker."
Taking in what Carter told him, Gomer made an 'o' shape with his lips, saying, "Oh…."
"Look…I know we can't be obvious on the base, and when I start getting into my Sergeant mode, I do it because no one can know about us. But what I did…was out of line. I'm truly sorry, Pyle. If you hate me, I understand. If you want to put me on report for what I did to you on the beach, please feel free to do so; I won't blame you if you want to report me."
"Sergeant, I could never hate you." Gomer cried out softly. "I was taken aback, but I don't hate you. I wasn't plannin' on puttin' you on report."
"Good. Because I don't think I can take you hating me. The other men, maybe." Carter joked, making Gomer lightly chuckle, "You, never."
Gomer lightly smiled at this realization. Carter held his hand out to Gomer, who walked over, taking his hand. The Sergeant pulled the Private closer to him.
"I never told you this, but…" Gomer blushed, looking down at his feet, "no one has ever touched me like that before. I liked it. What I liked about it the most was…the one who touched me was you…."
This statement took Carter by surprise. Gomer liked what happened. Making circles with his thumbs on Gomer's wrist, Carter stared at the sweet Private. Carter felt tears about to form in his eyes but refused to let them fall, for he thought it wasn't very Sergeant-like of him.
"I told you the night you were in the hospital that I had to be patient with you; I meant it. I promise to be better to you, Pyle."
"I know, Sergeant."
"As long as you don't think I overstepped, I'm glad," Carter responded to Gomer's confession.
"You didn't...golly; I could never think of you oversteppin'," Gomer said.
Carter smiled at Gomer. He took Gomer by the back of the head, then brought his lips to his, kissing him with passion. When they pulled apart, they panted for air.
"I missed that." Carter chuckled.
"I missed you," Gomer whispered.
"I don't want to be without you again," Carter whispered back.
Gomer cupped Carter's face with his hand before kissing him again. Before they knew it, Carter pressed his forehead against's Gomer's, saying, "Pyle…I'd like to be with you…in a relationship…that is if you want it?"
Taken aback, Gomer spoke, "Sergeant…I…."
"Listen, Pyle," Carter once again spoke, "we cannot be obvious on the base, but I will let you know that you will have control in this. I understand if you don't want this, and I will not ask again. I'll leave you alone. But I want you to know what I'm feeling…it won't go away since that first night in the food bunker…hell, even way before what happened in the food bunker, but you know what I mean."
Gomer stood there speechless; did Carter just admit he had feelings for him since way before the incident? Carter continued his confession, "Look, I may not know much of nothin', but what I know is that I can't stop thinkin' about you…."
"Sergeant…" Gomer cut Carter off, "I would love to be in a relationship with you."
This made the Sergeant smile. He again took Gomer into his arms, kissing him. Pulling apart again, Carter whispered, "I'd like to take you out on a date…."
"Weren't we already on a date at the Italian restaurant, though? And what about Easter dinner?" Gomer questioned innocently.
"Call it what you want." Carter lightly chortled.
"Sergeant…I…" Carter cut Gomer off by placing his thumb on Gomer's lips.
"Vince. Call me Vince…." Carter responded.
"V…Vince…" Gomer softly responded.
"Yeah, Gomer?" Carter asked, running his left hand down Gomer's hip.
"I'd like to learn more about you…." Gomer responded.
This made Carter smile. The two were about to share another kiss until they were interrupted by a knocking noise.
"Vince! Why is the door locked?" Boyle called from outside, knocking on the door.
Gomer and Carter looked at one another. They immediately pulled apart.
"What do we do?" Gomer cried out nervously.
Thinking for a few seconds, Carter looked at Gomer, saying, "Okay…to not make it obvious, I will start yelling, and you just act natural. Okay?"
"Okay, Ser…I mean, Vince." Gomer replied.
The Sergeant gave the Private a peck on the lips, only to quickly feel his lips against his own again. He then got back into his chair, giving Gomer the cue to unlock the door. Gomer opened the door, letting Boyle in. Confused, Boyle walked in, seeing both Carter and Gomer look flushed and nervous.
"What's going on? Why was the door locked?" The Corporal asked suspiciously.
Carter faced Gomer, yelling, "Damn it, Pyle? How many times do I have to tell you, when you are in here sorting out my desk, do not lock the door!"
Gomer immediately took the hint of Carter's yelling, acting along, "Gee, Sergeant, I'm sor…."
"I don't want to hear it, Pyle! I want you out! Out, out, OUT!" Carter shouted.
Gomer sprinted out, with Boyle watching him run. He turned to Carter, asking, "What happened?"
"Don't ask," Carter responded, frustrated.
Boyle sat down at his desk, about to start something, when he noticed something out of the ordinary, "Vince…I know it isn't my business, but…why are your cheeks red? Did you drink Polish beer again?"
Realizing Boyle was correct, Carter got up, then spoke defensively, "I don't know…it's hot in here…and…Boyle, mind your business, will ya!"
As Carter stormed out, Boyle smirked, hinting what may've gone on.
'I knew it. I just knew it.' Boyle thought to himself, then realizing something else, 'Shit…this means I owe Slater money…maybe he won't remember. Oh well.'
Boyle shrugged his shoulders, going back to work. Meanwhile, Gomer went back to his post, sitting down, continuing to shine shoes with a smile on his face. Perez looked up at him, then spoke, "I take it all went well with Carter?"
"Oh yes, Robert…it did…it was better than I expected," Gomer replied, smiling to himself.
*GC*
The base went on as expected throughout the next three days, with duties and routines. Although they decided to be in a relationship with one another, Gomer and Carter would exchange looks of admiration when no one was looking. It wasn't enough for them; for the most part, it was hard for them to see each other in private…that was when the Sergeant had an idea.
Gomer was busy wiping down the windows when Carter walked by that Thursday. Remembering what Carter said about them not being evident on the base didn't stop Gomer's heart from beating at his sight. Acting natural, Carter walked by Gomer, saying in his Sergeant tone, "Come on, Pyle! You call those windows clean? Put your back into it!"
As he walked off, Gomer noticed Carter drop a piece of paper at his feet. Gomer picked it up, "Sergeant Carter, you dropped…."
Carter walked off, ignoring Gomer. Feeling the need to see if it was necessary, the Private opened up the folded-up piece of paper. It read: 8:15 PM. Meet me in the storage room.
Smiling to himself, Gomer put the note in his pocket, continuing his work. After window duty, Gomer was to do work in the motor pool, fixing a jeep that had some troubles with it. Once that duty was complete, Gomer took a shower, getting himself cleaned up for dinner time in the mess hall. After dinner, while the other men decided to go out for drinks and play pool, Gomer walked towards the storage room, ensuring no one saw him. As far as he was concerned, he was in the clear. When he opened the door, Gomer called out, "Vince? Vince?"
Not expecting what was coming next, he felt his arm being grabbed. It was Carter pulling him towards where he was. Carter pushed Gomer against the storage room wall, kissing him passionately. Gomer returned the kiss as he felt his heart quicken. The two men kissed with full-on need, Carter pressing his body hard against Gomer, making him moan in the kiss. Once they pulled away, they caught their breaths, looking into one another's eyes.
"Shazam…" Gomer said breathlessly.
Carter smiled at Gomer, saying, "Hi…."
"Hi…" Gomer replied.
The Sergeant smiled at Gomer, taking his wrist, leading him to a cot he had laid on the storage room floor.
"Why is there a cot on the floor?" Gomer asked.
"Because I put it there," Carter replied as he laid down on top of the cot.
He then patted his hand on the cot, "Come lay next to me."
The Private complied with his Sergeant, laying beside him. Once on the cot, the two looked into one another's eyes for a few seconds. Gomer had to ask, "Why are you staring at me?"
Carter shrugged, replying, "No reason. I just like lookin' at you."
The private blushed. Carter smiled back at him, brushing the back of his finger upon his cheek. He leaned in to kiss him; it was soft and sweet this time.
"I missed this," Carter stated.
"I missed it too, Ser…I mean Vince." Gomer stated.
"It's going to take some time getting used to, right?" Carter chuckled.
"I guess so. I'm not used to saying your name like this." Gomer replied.
"Just give it time," Carter replied, suddenly sitting up. "Gomer, sit up, then place your back against me. I want to hold you."
Again, Gomer complied with his Sergeant. He sat, pressing his back against Carter as Carter wrapped his arms around Gomer's waist, taking in his scent while the tiny radio beside them played Herman's Hermits, 'There's a Kind of Hush.'
"Golly…I love Herman's Hermits." While Carter had his nose against the Private's neck, Gomer stated, smelling of a musky mint mixed with pine.
"You smell good. What is that?" Carter asked.
"It's called Winter Tundra. I picked it up at the PX with Duke. It reminded me of winters back in Mayberry." Gomer explained.
"I like it," Carter stated.
"Thank you," Gomer replied, blushing.
The two stayed like that for a few moments until Gomer felt himself getting a little heated. This concerned Carter, considering what happened last time.
"What's wrong?" Carter asked.
"Nothing. I can breathe just fine. You don't need to worry 'bout that. It's just that it's stuffy in here." Gomer sweetly replied. "Would you mind if I strip to my undershirt?"
"Do what you need to do," Carter responded.
Releasing himself from Carter's hold and getting to his knees, Gomer undid his khaki shirt, making himself comfortable. He didn't catch Carter watching him undress to his white shirt. As Gomer's undershirt rode up some, Carter noticed a scar on the right of his stomach.
"What happened there?" Carter asked, pointing to the scar.
Gomer noticed the scar, "Oh…that was when I was a younglin', and I had the appendix."
"Why didn't I know you had your appendix taken out?" Carter asked, feeling the need to feel the scar tenderly.
"You never asked me." Gomer chuckled.
The Sergeant made a face, smiling faintly, as he touched the scar gently. Gomer lightly gasped at someone feeling his scar, only because he had never had anyone do that to him before. It must've been why Gomer never walked around shirtless, unlike the other men.
"Why don't you show it off? It would make great for an interesting story." Carter joked.
"I try not to show it. It doesn't bring back fond memories. The only good thing about that day was the ice cream." Gomer explained.
Carter laughed, responding to the story, "You and ice cream, I don't understand it."
The Private grinned. Starting to get heated, Carter removed his shirt, making himself comfortable. Once they felt cool, they got back into the sitting position. Feeling the need to ask, Carter asked Gomer, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened the day you had your appendix removed?"
"Momma called Grandma Pyle to come to get me because she said I was drivin' her crazy, which she and Grandpa Pyle did. It wasn't until Grandma Pyle screamed at her, saying I needed to go to the doctor. Grandpa Pyle drove that car faster than a rabbit could run. He took me to the hospital because I had the appendix."
Taking in the new information, Carter felt himself getting angry. He didn't want to get mad in front of Gomer but instead sighed out of frustration, "Gomer, I'm sorry that happened to you."
"Don't be. I'm not. It's in the past, and Grandma and Grandpa Pyle took care of me, and I got to eat ice cream."
"But still…don't you feel anger towards your mother?"
"Not really," Gomer smiled as he looked up at him, "I'm truly not mad at her."
The song then changed to J.J. Jackson's, 'But It's Alright.' Carter spoke to Gomer, taking in another sigh, "There is nothing wrong with feeling angry towards someone like that, Gomer. That's what I'm trying to say to you."
"I don't like bein' angry; it isn't good to hold such hate towards someone. Sometimes, you gotta leave stuff in the past and move on."
Making a, 'hmmm' sound, Carter responded, "You're good, Gomer, you know that? You're real good."
Gomer looked up at him with a faint smile. He laid his head back against Carter's shoulder. Carter kissed the top of Gomer's ear, holding him tighter against him, tapping his fingers to the music's beat against Gomer's stomach. Gomer leaned against the Sergeant's shoulder, smiling, "Vince, I have to tell you something."
"What is it, Gomer?" Carter asked.
"Well…remember when the fellas were gettin' letters from girls, and you didn't get any?"
"Yeah…" Carter became interested in what Gomer said, "what about that time?"
"Did you know I was the one who wrote you those letters that time?"
Surprised, Carter looked at Gomer, saying, "You…you wrote those letters?"
"Uh-huh." Gomer turned to face his Sergeant. "I felt bad you were gettin' any letters from girls, so I wrote those letters to make you smile. Except, I meant every word I wrote."
The Sergeant was quiet for a few moments. This put anxiety into Gomer, "Please don't be mad. I had good intentions and…."
"Gomer," Carter spoke, "I understand why you did it. Fuck, if anything, I had a feelin' it was you all along."
"Really? Well, surprise, surprise, surprise…." Gomer stated, making Carter scoff. "But how?"
"I could tell it was your handwriting." Carter laughed lightly. "I didn't want to let on that I knew it was you."
This made Gomer smile. Carter leaned into Gomer to kiss him again, whispering, "I think it's safe to say I had feelings for you too."
"Really? Since when?" Gomer asked, giggling lightly to Carter, kissing the top of his ear.
"When we first met in basic training…and I saw you…." Carter explained with every kiss, his lips moving from Gomer's ear to neck. "I thought you were cute…then you put on my dress blues…I realized that I liked you…and I couldn't get you out of my mind…."
"I thought you were mad at me. You made me wear a bucket." Gomer replied, letting out a soft moan.
"Oh, I was pissed…." Carter chuckled, still kissing the sensitive spot on Gomer's neck, only to hear his cries of pleasure. "But that was the moment I realized I liked you."
Gomer moaned every time Carter kissed that spot, taking in the Sergeant's statement. Carter whispered into Gomer's flesh, "When I first heard you sing, I knew I truly had feelings for you."
"You did, Ser…I mean, Vince?" Gomer whispered back.
"Yeah…I did," Carter replied, kissing Gomer's ear again.
Gomer giggled as Carter did this, muttering, "That tickles..."
The Sergeant smirked, moving his lips again to kiss Gomer's temple, the resting his chin on top of the Private's head. They laid there looking up at the skylight, watching the moon.
"Well, Glory be," Gomer exclaimed, "a blood moon!"
The Sergeant looked to see what Gomer was looking at.
"I haven't seen one in a while," Gomer stated. "Grandpa Pyle used to tell me that a blood moon meant it was goin' to be a scorcher the next day. I never cared for hot days, but I love lookin' at a blood moon. It makes me think of a big ball of fire that comes out at night."
The Sergeant chuckled at Gomer's enthusiasm over the moon. He was then reminded of his memories.
"Reminds me of my senior year final project," Carter told Gomer. "I painted a blood moon for my final art class in high school. My mother hung it up, along with most of my paintings."
"What was your most favorite piece of art that you painted?" Gomer asked.
"Honestly," Carter stated, "I think my best painting was of a teal door. My art teacher put me on the spot with the whole class, saying my painting was what she expected. It's safe to say I lost friends that day."
Carter added a chuckle to his story. The Private listened to the Sergeant's words, smiling. He wanted nothing much but to see what kind of artwork Carter could do. Then it all of a sudden hit Gomer.
"Vince," Gomer asked, "I remember your birthday is next Thursday. Are you doing anything for your birthday next week?"
"Uh...I don't care to celebrate my birthday. It's just another day to me." Carter shrugged.
Gomer frowned, making a 'hmm' sound with his lips.
"Why do you ask?" Carter asked.
"I was wonderin' is all," Gomer responded.
Softly kissing the top of Gomer's head, Carter decided to change the topic onto the Private, "So...did the stars always interest you?"
"Not until I went to live with Grandma and Grandpa Pyle. The sky used to look so clear at night that I would look up at the sky. Me and Grandpa Pyle would have camping trips once a night every month, looking at the stars with my telescope. Before Christmastime, that was our special camping trip. Me, Grandpa, and Cousin Goober would all go camping and set up our tent, a campfire, and very warm sleepin' bags. Then Grandpa Pyle would make me hot cocoa and s'mores under the fire while we watched the stars with my telescope. I told Grandpa me and Cousin Goober planned to spot Santa on Christmas Eve with my telescope, but he told us that Santa would not visit if we tried that." Gomer explained. "Then the next day, we would chop down a tree in the woods, carry it on home and decorate it while Grandma Pyle baked cookies. Those were my best memories."
"That sounds real nice," Carter told Gomer, responding to the story.
The two of them looked up at the moon shining through the skylight. It was quiet until Gomer spoke again, "Vince?"
"Yeah, Gomer?"
"Can you do what you did…that night on the beach? I liked it…and I want you to do it again." Gomer asked bashfully, letting himself out of Carter's grasp to lay down.
"Are you sure?" Carter asked, making sure Gomer was comfortable with it this time, lying beside him.
"Yes. I…I want to try it again without feelin' nervous like before." Gomer said with sincerity in his voice. "I'm sorry I felt like that. I hope I…."
"Gomer, you didn't," Carter reassured him. "Trust me; you didn't."
"Okay, good. Because it would mean a lot to me…if you did that again."
With that being said, the Sergeant obliged what the Private wanted, while the song changed to '5 O'Clock World' by the Vouges.
"If you feel any uncomfortable, I'll stop," Carter whispered.
Gomer just nodded, wanting nothing more but for the Sergeant to touch him again. The Sergeant kissed the Private softly on the lips, moving his lips to his jawbone, tracing his tongue along, making Gomer moan out in pleasure. Carter slowly placed his hand over the Private's crotch, rubbing him gently. This made Gomer gasp sharply. Carter leaned into Gomer's ear, whispering, "Gomer, you sure you want this?"
"I'm sure…." Gomer looked into his lover's eyes.
The Private was more than sure he wanted this. Continuing in his actions, Carter kissed the Private's neck, gently biting down on the sensitive part of his neck, making Gomer cry out.
"You like that?" Carter whispered into Gomer's ear.
"Y...yes..." Gomer shakily responded.
Feeling the Private was excited enough, Carter took Gomer out of his pants, then began stroking him at a slow pace as his tongue made circles on the Private's neck.
"Oh my..." Gomer tilted his head back, biting down on his lip.
"You're biting your lip again...you really need to stop that around me..." Carter whispered as he stroked slowly.
The Private let out a low moan as Carter worked double time, pleasuring him. The Sergeant's lips moved from the Private's neck to his collar bone. He kissed his collar bone gently, kisses turning into playful nibbles. Before Gomer knew it, Carter's nibbles turned into harsh bites and sucks; he wanted to be sure to leave his mark on him.
"Oh, my stars!" Gomer cried out, feeling pleasure run through him as the Sergeant sucked on his collar bone; he gripped onto the cot he left, his body tensing up.
Unsure of what to do with his other hand, Gomer placed his hand over the Sergeant's crotch, rubbing him, making Carter groan in pleasure. For a beginner, Gomer was skilled, and Carter wondered what it would feel like to have Gomer touch him in the flesh. Carter's hand moved faster, biting and sucking that one spot on his collar bone harder until Gomer felt unable to take it anymore.
"V…Vince…I think I'm going to…." Gomer warned Carter right before he expelled all over Carter's hand.
The Private let out a cry as his body shook and his breathing slowed down. Carter released Gomer from his hand, giving the Private a chance to catch his breath while the song played out. The Sergeant looked at the Private, a smile appearing on his face, "Are you okay?"
Gomer, still catching his breath, blurted out with a smile on his adorable face, "Golly…."
This made the two laugh. Carter turned Gomer's face to kiss his lips.
"Yeah…what you just said" Carter chuckled, looking at Gomer, who was panting.
"I have to ask…." Gomer turned to Carter, blushing, "what was that thing that…my body did…."
"It's called an orgasm." Carter laughed. "I take it you liked it?"
"Yes…" Gomer said breathlessly. "I only want to feel that with you…."
Not answering, Carter kissed Gomer again, pressing his forehead against the Private's as the night sky shined down on them.