A Soldier to Love Read online

  A Soldier’s Love

  By

  EA Hunt

  Copyright, 2015, by EA Hunt Publishing

  All rights reserved

  Published June 2015

  DEDICATION

  Hearts are like people they break easily but when you find the right one to mend it, to make sure it doesn’t break again then life is a wonderful and awesome journey.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  “I’m sorry; did you say you were pregnant?”

  Elsie Martin smiled and nodded, “yes, I am”, she said as she placed a hand on her stomach.

  Madge Martin looked at her daughter, “and who’s the father?”

  “Momma that is not a question you ask someone.”

  “It is when your daughter’s a whore.”

  “Momma!”

  Madge shook her head, “there was the man who came to the family picnic, the man who took you out to the movies then there was the one I saw coming out of your house zipping up his pants.”

  Elsie licked her lips, “Momma Jason, the guy from the picnic was a year ago and I haven’t seen him. The movie was with a co-worker and he’s gayer than the Tony Awards and the man you saw leaving my house was Lucas the man I have been seeing for the last few months.”

  “Well, at least he’s black. You know those white folks are bad news.”

  “Momma”

  Madge shook her head, “you won’t convince me otherwise. That’s the reason my baby is in jail now because he got involved with those people.”

  “No, Anthony is in jail because-”

  Madge hit her fist on the table, “don’t bad mouth your brother.”

  “I wasn’t Momma. I was just”

  “What? Huh? Bad mouthing him. He’s a good boy and you have always been jealous. Jealous of all this things he was going to become and your choice to become nothing.”

  Elsie closed her eyes she was not going to cry. Crying would do no good. “I’m going to go. I’ll talk with you later, Momma.”

  “Hmm,” Madge said as she turned and walked away from her daughter.

  ***

  “You’re enlisting again.”

  “It’s not enlisting again Mom. I’m just signing another contract,” Eric Reynolds told his mother.

  Joanna looked at her sister-in-law Janelle, “do you hear this? He wants to go back to that God awful desert and get himself killed.”

  “Joanna this is his decision he is a grown man,” Janelle told her.

  “He is my son and I want him home not clear across the world risking his life for people who don’t want him there.”

  “Mom”

  “What about Maggie,” Joanna questioned; she wasn’t a fan of her son’s girlfriend but she knew she could count on the woman to knock some sense into her child.

  “She’s dealing with some family issues. I’ve talked to her about this and she is ok with me signing another contract. Actually this will be my last one. After this I can retire at full benefits.”

  “If you make it back alive,” Joanna spat.

  “Wow way to have faith in me,” Eric replied.

  “I didn’t like this when you signed up at eighteen I’m not a fan of it now. So I won’t sugar coat my disgust at the fact you want to stay in the Army.”

  “The Army has been good to me and I like what I’m doing.”

  “Good like it until the day someone blows you up into a million little pieces. I promise you I will not mourn you. I will only say I told you so,” on that Joanna turned and headed away from her son.

  Eric watched his mother go hoping that one day she would be happy with the choices he made.

  Chapter 1

  Six months later ……..

  “How was your doctor's appointment?”

  Elsie wiped at her tears as she sat in her car in the hospital’s parking garage. How was her doctor's appointment terrible but she was not about to tell Eric that. He was in a war zone the last thing he needed was to hear about her disastrous appointment. “It was fine,” she replied trying to make her voice sound as normal as possible.

  “Try again,” Eric said. He could tell there was something wrong he heard the catch in her voice.

  Elsie sighed, “Fine; He said my pressure was finally under control and that I’m still pregnant.”

  Eric wanted to laugh at the pout he head in her voice but he had learned the hard way you don’t laugh at Ms. Elsie Martin. Not if you didn’t want to hear a new combination of curse words. It still amazed him that the smart, beautiful woman he was talking to could curse like a sailor “it’s only two more weeks.”

  Elsie sighed, as she laid her head on the back of her driver side seat. She closed her eyes she was tired of hearing she had two more weeks. She wanted it to be no more weeks. She was tired of not being able to find a comfortable position to sleep in. She was tired of walking two feet and being out of breath. She was just tired.

  “Elsie? Elsie, are you there?” Eric questioned eagerly he was halfway around the world and if she was in trouble he couldn’t help her.

  “I’m here.” She sighed, “just tired.”

  “I know,” he said. She was so uncomfortable. Walking was becoming difficult. Sleeping was nonexistent and her pressure didn’t seem to want to stay where she or her doctor could control it. He worried about her so much. The little information he did have he had to almost drag out of her because she wanted to protect him and all he wanted to do was protect her. Make her more comfortable in her last months, weeks of pregnancy. “I wish I could've called last night and kept you company,” he said to her.

  “It’s ok. I was so exhausted I would have been horrible company.”

  “Still can’t find a comfortable position?” He questioned. In most of the books he had read on his phone about pregnancy she needed a body pillow to make her comfortable. Something which could hold her stomach up a little so everything wasn’t just on one side stressing out her body.

  “Not really. Last night I was able to get some semblance of sleep after hours of tossing and turning.”

  If I were there I would have been your body pillow. His hard against her soft would have made her more than comfort. He replied, “Good, you need your rest.” Eric wished she would go on maternity leave but Elsie wanted to work until the day before she delivered something he was not in favor of and had told her several times. Which she would politely and strongly reminded him there was no way she could take maternity leave before she had enough money banked for when she wasn’t working.

  “Is that good as in ‘I’m glad you were able to sleep’ or good ‘I wish you would listen to me and start maternity leave,’” Elsie questioned. She loved the fact Eric cared about her and seemed to call when she needed to hear his voice the most but she was not in the mood to have the same conversation over again.

  “The latter,” he replied he had offered to cover any bills she would incur while on leave. It wasn’t like he was using his money for anything. He lived in Post housing and he didn’t really have expenses because he was a bachelor.

  Elsie looked at her car's console she released a breath they had been having this same conversation for the last three months. Ever since Eric found out about her pregnancy and all that came along with it. He believed she should be at home in bed taking care of her herself and the baby. What he failed to realize was that she had another child to take care of and a home to maintain “Eric I am not taking your money. I-”

  “Stop
,” Eric sighed, she thought people would think she was using him because of his job and what it came with but he had told her time and again he didn’t care what anyone thought. She was his to take care of and that was the end of it. He had kept the last portion to himself wanting to tell her in person he wanted more from her than friendship. “You need to be at home in bed. The doctor prescribed bed rest, not you working until you go into labor.”

  “How,” Elsie sighed “Mara, I cannot believe she told you what my doctor said.”

  “She was worried. While she was in computer class she IMed me and she told me what the doctor said. She just wants you to be healthy Eli just like I do.”

  Elsie shook her head he had started calling her Eli a few weeks ago she had thought the nickname was cute. Cuter than what her name actually was. She was named after a cow. Ok that wasn’t totally true but that was what people thought when they heard it. Elsie started her car she needed to get to work. She pulled out of the parking space before she answered Eric, “I know you want me to be ok.”

  “I want more than ok Eli. I want healthy you and the little Miss.”

  “Eric, what you are asking of me is something I can’t readily agree to.”

  “Why not? It’s not like I’m doing anything with it,” he replied.

  “For one I have been taking care of myself for a very long time. Two how would it look if I allowed you to pay my bills? You’re a friend” one I wish was more “and always seem to know when I am having a mini meltdown. Sometimes I think you’re clairvoyant.”

  “Sorry but my mother did have me tested,” he joked.

  Elsie chuckled as she paid to leave the hospital parking garage “ok Sheldon,” she replied mentioning the name of one of their favorite TV show character. Sometimes she would sit and watch a TV show with him when they were Skyping. She would fix it so he would see the TV along with her and they would talk about the show before he had to end their conversations. They hadn’t had many TV nights. All because he was always out on patrol or on a special mission and wasn’t able to contact her much. Plus lately their conversations have been centered on the baby and her health.

  “I miss our date nights,” Eric said. He missed how they would just sit and watch TV all the time him wishing he was there holding her while the show or movie played. He had dreamed of holding her while they did these things instead of just seeing her on a computer screen her beautiful deep chestnut brown skin glowing with laughter and her deep brown eyes sparkling because she was excited to have a night alone with him. Those were his milder dreams. The ones he could tolerate others left him awake most of the night wanting, needing the woman he was on the phone with.

  “I miss them too but you have had patrol or missions to attend to. I understand.”

  “Even though they have kept me from contacting you for a few days,” he questioned needing to hear her answer. Maggie hadn’t like the fact he would be out of contact with her for two or more days sometimes. That had been one of the many issues they had had.

  Three days. For three days she had waited for his call then she had seen on news reports that a patrol of soldiers had been ambushed and killed. She had cried for two days thinking it was Eric. On the third day of her tears her phone had rang and Eric had been on the other end. She had collapsed on the floor in tears telling him between sobs she thought he was dead. “Eric”

  “Please don’t try and sugar coat it? You were a wreck when I called and I was a wreck after I talked with you because I was worried you would end up in the hospital.”

  “I was fine,” she replied she hadn’t been ok that day but she wasn’t about to tell him because of his call she and the baby had been placed on a pressure monitor because her doctor was afraid she was going to have a stroke.

  “Far from it but I will let it go for now,” he told her. She had been crying so hard he thought she was going to end up hyperventilating.

  “Thank you. Hey you never did tell me how you got my number in the first place.” Before his call about his first patrol without contact they had been exchanging e-mails, IM messages and a few letters. They had never spoken on the phone. She had never heard the southern drawl which made her panties cream.

  Eric chuckled Elsie had captured his attention from the first day he had seen a picture of her. Once he had that picture he had used a connection in Communications to find the woman’s number. “That is my secret Eli.”

  “That’s-”

  Time!

  Eric cursed under his breath as he saw the flashing red light. He needed to get off the phone. Something he didn’t want to do he loved hearing Elsie’s smooth Midwestern accent. “Honey, I have to go. I will try and call or email before I head out on patrol.”

  “Ok. Please be careful,” she said not wanting to cry. She hated his patrol. She always imagined the worse.

  “I will,” I love you. Eric wanted to say before he hung up but he wasn’t going to say he loved her over the phone. No when he said he loved her he was going to be on one knee asking her to marry him. That was the only option in telling Ms. Elsie that he loved her.

  ***

  Elsie killed the engine to her car grabbed her things and headed into her office. She released a breath as she punched in her security code and headed towards her office. She had a few reports to finish and a synopsis of her position to write up for her temporary replacement. She placed her things on her desk and booted up her computer. She was about to open her emails when she saw a message alert on her screen. She opened the IM message.

  ‘Patrol tonight then a potential mission. Do not watch the news. I will call when I can. Give Mara a hug for me and please rest. I have every intention on meeting you in person.’

  Elsie smiled at the message. Before she answered him she opened the picture which accompanied all Eric’s messages. She sniffled as she looked at the man before her. He was six three, by his admission, with an athletic muscular build, sandy blonde hair, blue green eyes which held way too much knowledge and Greek features. He had confessed in one of their many conversations over the last few months that his father had been of Greek heritage. Something he, Eric, was proud of but his, Eric’s, mother had thought it was useless because many Greeks had a deep tan, something Eric had, and were thought to either be Hispanic or of mixed race. The way Eric had said it made it seem like the woman was racist. Elsie chuckled she wondered what Eric’s mother would think of Mara? Her daughter was mixed with black and white and had the same tan coloring as Eric. Elsie hit the ‘reply’ button.

  ‘Be careful I have every intention on meeting you too. Also I will not watch the news. I promise.’

  She hit send. Then opened her work screen and tried to get some work done which was hard especially when she was worried about a man she was coming to love who was halfway around the world getting possibly shot at. Elsie shook her head. When Mara had come home six months ago and said her school was going to be sending care packages to soldiers as a school project. She, Elsie, had signed her daughter’s permission slip to participate thinking it was a good idea. The solider they had been given for a care package was Eric Reynolds. He had given the school a brief synopsis of what he liked and what he needed. There hadn’t been anything which stood out to her except the fact he loved Reese’s candy. Something in which was her favorite candy also. When she had seen that she had made sure and sent him a case of the candy and a Reese’s pillow along with a note of ‘be careful and thank you for serving you country’.

  Elsie pulled up the report she had been working on the day before. She hadn’t expected a response from him but two weeks after the package was sent a letter had arrived in her mail box from Lieutenant Eric Reynolds. The letter had been a ‘thank you’ for the care package and a picture of the pillow on his bed for all to see with the caption ‘sweet dreams’. She had wanted to write him back with a thank you for sending the picture but she hadn’t been sure if that was appropriate. So she had booted up her computer at home and logged onto a support group for family
with family in the military. She had just watched the comments of those in the room before she had asked her question.

  Several messages came back to her but one stood out. Janelle Artson. She was an older woman with a nephew who was serving. He called her when he got the chance but she hadn’t seen him in a few months. Every time they had made plans for him to visit her in rural Tennessee he would be deployed out. She had told Elsie that anyone who would come into a chat room like this to make sure they were 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.