Fraternizing (56 page)

Her hand went to
her chest as she let the tears fall. I leaned in and kissed them away, hoping
she would grant me permission to make her utterly and completely mine.

“I love you so
much, Alex. I just—“

“You don’t have
to answer me right now. I just want you thinking about it.”

A knock came on
the door and the nurse walked in, carrying a tray full of meds.

“Here you go,
Pfc. Bennett. There is a sleeping pill in here, so you will be out in no time.”

Cassie took the
pills and washed them down with water. I turned and smiled at the nurse, urging
her back out of the room. She got the clue, hurrying back out to her station. When
she was out, I turned back to Cassie, trying to figure out what was running
through her mind.

“What about the
investigation?” she asked. I could tell she was stuffed with worry, and I was
too, but I wasn’t about to let it kill this moment for us.

“Fuck that
investigation. They can rip everything away from me, take me clear down to
Private, and it wouldn’t mean shit to me as long as I’ve got you by my side.”

“This is exactly
what I didn’t want. I didn’t want you having to choose between everything
you’ve worked so hard for and me. I didn’t want to be the one to ruin
everything for you.”

Listening to her
blame herself was beginning to claw away at me. Her words were eagle-like
talons ripping into my flesh, slowing pulling my skin down, exposing the inside
and dousing it with acid. Nothing that had happened between us was any of her
fault
, and I was not about to let her take responsibility
for any of it.

“Let me remind
you that I am the superior in this situation and that I pursued you. Nowhere in
this equation do I see you ruining anything for me. I made a conscious choice,
and I don’t fucking regret it, but it’ll break me in half if I can’t have
you—all of you.”

Just as she was
about to speak, the door swung open, no courtesy knock whatsoever, and a woman
walked in. She looked tired and rundown, and her foul aroma of cigarette smoke
nearly knocked me off of my feet. She didn’t look too old, but her face was
filled with wrinkles, and the long, scraggly blonde hair covering her head
didn’t help her look. Her eyes struck Cassie, pinning her full of mockery and
repulsion. My guard dog senses came alive, wanting this woman to leave because
her presence had obviously disturbed Cassie. She moved further into the room,
smiling a wicked smile that sent chills down my back.

“Well, well,
well. Look at this here. I knew you’d find some fucking way to get yourself in
some sort of trouble.”

I didn’t like her
look, and now I wasn’t too keen on her tone.

“Who the
fuck are
you?” I asked, highly annoyed by the less than
gracious entrance she made into the room.

“Who are you?”
she asked, turning to me with contempt in her eyes.

Cassie rolled her
eyes,
then
sighed.

“Alex, this is my
mom, Emmalyn Bennett. Mom, this is my boyfriend, Alex.”

Confirmation that
this was her mom soured my mood, making me
want
to
grab Cassie and take her away from there.

“Hmmm.
Was
he the one that did this to you? You never did have any
sort of fucking judgment.”

“You watch your
mouth when you speak to her. I don’t know why you’re here, but if it’s only to
cause problems, then it’s best you leave before I lose my fucking temper.” My
clenched jaw made it easy for her to read that I wasn’t messing around.

Cassie sat in
bed, mortified and not knowing what to say or do. I didn’t know her mom, but
from everything I had heard, and from what I had just seen, I didn’t want her
around.

And I was more
than willing to be the one to remove her ass.

“What are you
doing here?” Cassie finally asked. I didn’t care what her reasons were. I just
wanted to see her turn and leave the same way that she came in.

“You got your ass
beat so badly that you were in and out of consciousness. The hospital staff
called me since I’m your next of kin.”

Hearing her say
that was like a sledgehammer to the gut. Seeing this woman, Cassie’s decision
maker in the event of anything ever going wrong, solidified my belief that her
marrying me was for the best. I needed to rid this trash out of her life. I
needed to make sure that her past didn’t come soiling our future.

We stood in a
silent stalemate for a few minutes, my heart pounding, the sound beating
against my eardrums. The horrendous information I had learned about Cassie’s
mom wasn’t doing the real life image justice. This woman was repugnant in its
truest form. She made my skin crawl, and her demeanor ignited an adverse
reaction that I wasn’t even going to waste time trying to hide. This bitch was
mean, cruel, and nasty. Her time tormenting Cassie was over. I stood and walked
over in her direction when there was another knock on the door. Our chief
instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Chavez, and the Company Gunny, Gunnery Sergeant
Bokowski, marched in, looking stern faced and on a mission. Their attire alone
told me they were there on official business.

“Sergeant Cruz?”
they asked, looking in my direction.

“Yes. What is
this about?”

They stood,
surveying the room before finally focusing their attention back to me.

“Sergeant Cruz
you are suspected of fraternization. By order of First Sergeant O’Hara, we are
to escort you to his office where you will receive official charges.”

A piece of me
wanted to shout how much of a pussy First Sergeant O’Hara was for sending his
henchmen here to do his dirty work instead of detaining me on his own. He’d had
me, and he’d had every opportunity to take me in. Instead, he chose to have my
Chief Instructor and Company Gunny do it for him. The thought of his utter
cowardice sent anger flaring through my nostrils as I stood, feeling like I
could break through walls at the moment. The two Gunnery Sergeants stood,
waiting for me to make my way over to them, but I didn’t.

 
I had known this day would come, but I
had no idea how it would play out, and this was the last way I could have
imagined—Cassie lying in a hospital bed, her piece of shit mom in the
room with her, and me being escorted out. It was a bad dream come to life. The
walls had finally come crashing down.

Gunny Bokowski
grew tired of waiting. “Right fucking now, Cruz!”

I looked back to
Cassie who had tears falling from her eyes. I hated seeing her cry, and in the
past day I had seen more tears fall from those gorgeous eyes than I had cared
to see in all of my lifetime. Her hurt brought me hurt, and I hated it.

My eyes swung
over to the living cancer stick, sitting there, satisfaction written all over
her face. I could tell that the fact that I was being led out made her happy. It
was heartbreaking for her daughter, and she seemed to thrive on that shit. I
took a couple of slow and methodical steps over to where Chavez and Bokowski were
standing, then looked back at Cassie, sadness written all over her face. I
didn’t say a word as I allowed them to reign me in, but Cassie stopped crying
long enough to yell out, “Yes, Alex. It’s a yes.”

Standing enclosed
between the two men, I had never felt so free. To hear those words come out of
Cassie’s mouth was the key to freedom. I was floating on cloud fucking nine,
and nothing else factored into my moment of happiness as I stood to lose so
much, but gained so much more in return.

I mouthed
I love you
as I was led out of the room,
feeling queasy that her mom was still there with her, but also fulfilled that I
had gotten her. Cassie was all I had ever wanted from the very beginning, and
if it meant losing everything to gain her, it was the sacrifice that I was
willing to make.

I walked out of
the hospital, looking like a criminal as curious eyes glued onto
me
as I stood encased between two stern faced, uniformed
gunnies. But the accusations, the punishments—none of it was enough to
take away what I had just won. Cassie Bennett was the ultimate prize, and the
love she gave me was worth more than anything else. My temporary punishment was
no match for my lifelong gain.

As I was led into
the back of the duty car, a satisfied
grin
creeped
across my face.

Like Cassie’s
butterfly, in every way that mattered, I was finally free.

Glossary

A-duty: assistant to the Duty NCO

Barracks Whore: female who sleeps around with males in the barracks

Blouse: long sleeve top to the cammies, covering the green t-shirt

Boot Bands: elastic bands used to keep the pant legs tight around the
boot.

Bootcamp: training to transform civilians into Marines. Performed at
Parris Island, South Carolina and San Diego.

Boot Marines: military slang term for a new Marine

Brig: military prison

Buddy Program: going through entry level training with a friend/buddy

Cammies: camouflage utility uniform

Chevrons: symbols of enlisted ranks above private

Chief Instructor: head instructor in charge of all instructors,
insuring proper training to students.

Chow: food

Commanding Officer (CO): in charge of the entire unit

Company Gunny: Gunnery Sergeant in charge of everyday operations for
the unit.

Company Honorman: top graduate out of bootcamp

Court Martial: a judicial proceeding

Cover: headgear

Devil Dog: nickname for a Marine

Dog Tags: the informal name for the identification tags worn by
military members.

Duty NCO- Non Commissioned Officer responsible for patrol and security
of a specified area (Corporal or Sergeant)

Field Day: detailed and thorough cleaning of an area

Firewatch: acting as a patrolling security guard

Groupie: usually a female who actively seeks out military members

Gunny: nickname for Gunnery Sergeant

Headgear: hats, helmets, caps, etc…

Knife hand: fingers extended and joined with the thumb along the side
of the hand. Used to point at someone or something.

MCT: Marine Combat Training (skills training for non-infantry Marines)

MOS: Military Occupational Specialty (job classification)

NJP: Non-Judicial Punishment

Oorah: spirited cry used to respond to a verbal greeting or show great
enthusiasm.

PCS: Permanent Change of Station (transfer to another base)

PFT: Physical Fitness Test (semi-annual test measuring strength,
agility, and endurance.)

PT gear: Physical Training gear (green workout clothing)

Seabag: duffel bag used to carry one’s personal belongings

Service Charlies: consists of green trousers and short sleeved, khaki
shirt

Seven Ton: a large military truck

TAD: Temporary Assigned Duty (temporarily detached from home unit for a
short amount of time)

Tag Chasers: see groupie

UA- Unexcused Absence

Walking Mattress: derogatory term used to describe females who sleep
around

Wall Locker: closet style storage area

Stay Tuned for….

Compromising

The exciting conclusion to Alex and Cassie’s story!

Acknowledgements

As
always, I have a whole host of people to thank.

I want
to thank my wonderfully, supportive husband, who provided his expertise on the
Marine Corps to help make this book possible. Thank you for your service, for
your support, and for your love. I found my “ALEX” when I married you, babe!

I want
to thank Leeann, for your undying love and support of my work, and everything
you have done to help get my name out there. You rock. Someday I’ll be in GA so
we can meet.
J