doing the right thing by a soldier was someone she wished would write her nephew.
Elsie smiled she had left the chat room feeling like writing to Eric would be an ok thing. The following day she had written him a thank you and had also logged back on to the chat room and thanked Janelle since then she and Janelle had become friends and had even made plans to visit with each other after the baby was born.
“So how was your doctor’s appointment?”
Elsie looked up from her computer and gave her friend Synette Brown a small smile, “it was fine”.
Synette walked into the room, “Just fine. From the way your eyes look it seems you’ve been crying, want to tell me why?”
Elsie shook her head, she hadn’t told Syn she was supposed to be on bed rest. Her friend would have pitched a fit and that was the last thing Elsie wanted, “I may have cried a little”.
“Why?” Synette questioned, as she took the seat before Elsie’s desk. Her friend was not being as forthcoming as she would like. She’d known the woman since she, Synette, had started working for Crimson three years before. Elsie was a rising star in the company. The woman was a natural with clients. She could keep quiet about some things and stand her ground about others. Like now. Syn knew there was something her friend was not telling her.
“Why what?”
“Why were you crying and I don’t want to hear that mess about you’re not going to tell me.”
Elsie sat back in her chair, “you sound like Eric” she said. Once the man got more comfortable with her he refused to hear her say anything but the truth when it came to her, Mara and the baby.
“How is my favorite sexy solider?” Synette questioned. She had come across Eric’s picture when she and Elsie had been talking about a client. Her friend had been IMing the man and the conversation was pretty heated with Eric wanting Elsie to take better care of herself and her friend fighting the man all the way. Elsie trying to assert her independence and Eric wanting to take care of her. They were like an old married couple.
“He’s fine; he has a patrol tonight so I’m not to watch the news.”
“After the last meltdown I would say you shouldn’t either.”
“Please,” Elsie’s said as she rubbed a hand over her forehead, “I don’t need this from you too.”
“Have you told him?”
Elsie bit her lower lip.
“Elsie, he deserves to know.”
“No, he doesn’t. I don’t want him worrying about me even more than he already is. I need him to focus on what he’s doing so he can come home.”
“You ended up in the hospital,” she had called her friend that night only to have Elsie crying almost hysterically that Eric was dead. Synette knew her friend needed to calm down for her sake and that of her baby’s.
“I know but I don’t want him to know.”
“I will let this be your call but only this once. If I have to I will call that sexy solider of yours and have him find a way back to you. So he can make you follow the doctor’s orders.”
“He’s not-”
“He is,” Synette stood “lunch”
“If the conversation is not about Eric sure”
“And if it is”
“Syn”
Synette winked at her, “I’ll think about a different subject,” was all she said before she stood turned and walked out of the office.
***
This was the longest patrol he had ever been on. They had been at this for ten hours with another two to go. Eric sat down on a large piece of rubble in which had once been someone’s home. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture he carried with him every time he went on patrol. He looked at the picture of Elsie smiling slightly at the camera. Her eyes were twinkling and she was hugging their daughter, Mara. Eric sighed when he had asked her for a picture she had balked questioning why he wanted a picture of her. He had told her because he wanted to know what she looked like. He would never tell her that her voice haunted him in his dreams and
Elsie smiled she had left the chat room feeling like writing to Eric would be an ok thing. The following day she had written him a thank you and had also logged back on to the chat room and thanked Janelle since then she and Janelle had become friends and had even made plans to visit with each other after the baby was born.
“So how was your doctor’s appointment?”
Elsie looked up from her computer and gave her friend Synette Brown a small smile, “it was fine”.
Synette walked into the room, “Just fine. From the way your eyes look it seems you’ve been crying, want to tell me why?”
Elsie shook her head, she hadn’t told Syn she was supposed to be on bed rest. Her friend would have pitched a fit and that was the last thing Elsie wanted, “I may have cried a little”.
“Why?” Synette questioned, as she took the seat before Elsie’s desk. Her friend was not being as forthcoming as she would like. She’d known the woman since she, Synette, had started working for Crimson three years before. Elsie was a rising star in the company. The woman was a natural with clients. She could keep quiet about some things and stand her ground about others. Like now. Syn knew there was something her friend was not telling her.
“Why what?”
“Why were you crying and I don’t want to hear that mess about you’re not going to tell me.”
Elsie sat back in her chair, “you sound like Eric” she said. Once the man got more comfortable with her he refused to hear her say anything but the truth when it came to her, Mara and the baby.
“How is my favorite sexy solider?” Synette questioned. She had come across Eric’s picture when she and Elsie had been talking about a client. Her friend had been IMing the man and the conversation was pretty heated with Eric wanting Elsie to take better care of herself and her friend fighting the man all the way. Elsie trying to assert her independence and Eric wanting to take care of her. They were like an old married couple.
“He’s fine; he has a patrol tonight so I’m not to watch the news.”
“After the last meltdown I would say you shouldn’t either.”
“Please,” Elsie’s said as she rubbed a hand over her forehead, “I don’t need this from you too.”
“Have you told him?”
Elsie bit her lower lip.
“Elsie, he deserves to know.”
“No, he doesn’t. I don’t want him worrying about me even more than he already is. I need him to focus on what he’s doing so he can come home.”
“You ended up in the hospital,” she had called her friend that night only to have Elsie crying almost hysterically that Eric was dead. Synette knew her friend needed to calm down for her sake and that of her baby’s.
“I know but I don’t want him to know.”
“I will let this be your call but only this once. If I have to I will call that sexy solider of yours and have him find a way back to you. So he can make you follow the doctor’s orders.”
“He’s not-”
“He is,” Synette stood “lunch”
“If the conversation is not about Eric sure”
“And if it is”
“Syn”
Synette winked at her, “I’ll think about a different subject,” was all she said before she stood turned and walked out of the office.
***
This was the longest patrol he had ever been on. They had been at this for ten hours with another two to go. Eric sat down on a large piece of rubble in which had once been someone’s home. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture he carried with him every time he went on patrol. He looked at the picture of Elsie smiling slightly at the camera. Her eyes were twinkling and she was hugging their daughter, Mara. Eric sighed when he had asked her for a picture she had balked questioning why he wanted a picture of her. He had told her because he wanted to know what she looked like. He would never tell her that her voice haunted him in his dreams and
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