Story Market Day

[ComCamGuy]

The Bachelorette Party


As advertised, Andrea had lots of drinking, games and not too far into the evening, the topic was shifted from general marriage advice to sex. It wasn’t a big surprise to anyone who knew Andrea; she had no modesty and enjoyed making others blush. Giggling, laughter and lewd descriptions were the norm.

Andrea seemed to make a sport of making Paige blush. As the night wore on and the drinking got heavier, the conversations, games and gifts got dirtier and raunchier, driving more and more drinking.

Amber did her best to be the wallflower and sip, not chug. She didn’t think her daughter, even though an adult, needed to hear her exploits enumerated along with the others as Andrea masterminded the games, reveals and embarrassments.

Besides, Amber was a professional observer and got a lot more fun watching and listening than participating. One of her observations was Petra didn’t seem really comfortable with the various exploit’s conversations, and in a different way than Amber.

Amber tried to not act like mom or mom by proxy when it came to Veronica and Violet’s enumerations but after several rounds of ‘never have I ever’, she knew a few more details than she wanted to about both of their sex lives, preferred positions and personal kinks.

Petra wasn’t sure why she was here. She loved hanging out with these guys, but this raunchfest of Andrea’s was doing nothing for her other than make her feel left out and…helpless? They were all talking about this boyfriend or that boyfriend, or girlfriend for that matter, and all she had were short term boyfriends who seemed to be after her for all the wrong reasons. Some of the reasons they wanted her were what drove some of her choices.

Her buzz cut hair was not just an ease of maintenance thing. When her hair was longer, almost any hairstyle made her look younger. It seemed the longer her hair was, the younger people thought she was.

Her T-shit and jeans attire was more than just cheap and practical. It had a more adult appearance than most other clothes she could find to fit her. God! She remembered stories from her mom about having the same problem growing up.

As Andrea pushed them deeper in the gutter, Petra couldn’t help but cringe at the descriptions. After Andrea successfully teased and prodded a very drunk Paige enough to reveal the ‘sufficiency’ of Henrik’s equipment, Petra’s drunk and horrified mind conjured the potential effect by extrapolating from ones she had experienced. Her last shred of control told her she was better off unconscious than hearing more. She downed the rest of the drink in front of her and willed herself to pass out.

Amber watched Petra do herself in and pass out. She wasn’t sure what all was going on with her, and by now her own mind wasn’t making it all the way to the top floor itself, but she made sure she was safe and curled up. Now all she had to do was wait out the ringleader and the bride. She saw Veronica and Violet were still upright and could help once people were ready for bed.

Finally, the maid of honor and the bride both passed out, signaling the end of the festivities.

“Can you two handle this? I’m going to go crash.” Amber asked as she stood up carefully.

Violet and Veronica ended up with the duty of putting everyone to bed.

 

[Texican]

CCG,

A little more detail about the exploits would probably exceed our wildest imaginations but would probably be censored.

Texican....

 

[ComCamGuy]

The Bachelor Party


The day of the Bachelor Party Sabine gathered the men together, minus Henrik.

“OK, guys. We need to talk about the Bachelor Party.”

The assembled group looked at one another. No one had given it much thought. This was apparent by their expressions. Sabine continued.

“The tradition started all the way back with the Spartans with a dinner and toasting. Most people these days think of a riotous party with strippers, hookers and debauchery, floating on a sea of alcohol. Well, that won’t work here.”

“With everything collapsing, ‘strippers-are-us’ isn’t answering their phone and the other prospects won’t work either. I’m the Master of Ceremonies, so it’s not me. Andrea is the MC for Paige’s party, so she is out. That leaves a scant field of women, almost all of which are related to one of you, so I am making the call. No strippers.”

Everyone was silent for a few as they appeared to think about her reasoning. In reality, both Silas and Ivar were a little relieved. Their hard drinking and partying days were behind them and both had seen the havoc too many naked women around impaired men could do, even or especially professionals. Sabine continued with her presentation.

“All of you have been married for many years. I am proposing a gathering with alcohol and cards. We sit around, play cards, drink, and advise the newest initiate to ranks of the married on the perils and pitfalls he should avoid to have a safe, successful and happy marriage. Any objections to my plan?” Her gaze swept the room. No one objected. “Good, now we don’t have much time and a lot to get done. Anyone needs extra help, let me know.”

They all filed out. The last one is Silas. He waited behind to speak to Sabine if she needed to talk to someone. He had come to recognize the signs of nervousness and apprehension in her. Sabine saw him stay behind and approached him, her tentative smile back on her face.

“It’s OK, Silas. I’m the dealer and don’t intend to drink much, if at all. I will let you guys fill him in on married life.” She slid a hand across his shoulder and gave him a small hug. “But I appreciate your concern. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

Silas was still worried for Sabine. He would be the only one at the table knowing anything about the tragic conclusion to her marriage, and most of that from bits and pieces from Amber. He resolved to go light on the booze at the party in case Sabine needed him. He didn’t know what kind of drunk she was. Sad? Happy? Maudlin? Angry? He had seen them all ten times over and although curious which way she went when she was in the bottle, he didn’t wish that loss of control on her now. Amber confided in him that was one of Sabine’s biggest fears.

That evening Sabine was playing dealer and bartender for the men. She nudged the conversation here and there. The theme was what to do to make and keep a marriage successful. Sabine seemed to know just what to ask Ivar or Silas to pull forth the next words of wisdom. From stories about when each realized they were in love with their significant other, how they proposed, first fights, first significant problems, all with how they moved through them.

Silas and Ivar, by silent mutual agreement went along with Sabine’s poking and prodding, doling out the wisdom for Henrik. They each picked the good examples, the ones they solved well, and skipped the ones that could still cause fights if the scabs were picked off, even years later.

Silas avoided the times when he felt like he could never win, never be right when Amber would twist everything with psychology to support and defend her being right and him wrong or when he felt so helpless, not being able to help her through something no matter how much he wanted to and tried to.

Ivar glossed over and didn’t mention the struggle with Sofia’s conflicted emotions, her reckless abandon and frantic partying nature to cover up her shy and introverted core built by her religious upbringing and her inability to fit there or with her family.

Both tried to pick and choose the stories and elements to share. Being successfully married for any length of time required the overriding emotion to be love and commitment. Silas and Ivar knew this and wanted to make this a positive evening and not something to scare and traumatize Henrik.

Jenson wasn’t as talkative during the party. Margaret’s death was still too fresh. He did add small things here and there, though. Many times, he would smile just a little and deferred to the other since in his words “I only had ten years, you guys have more experience to tell”. This was the prompt for Sabine to top off his drink.

Part of Jonas’ problem was he kept wondering how to move forward. He knew he had to learn how to look forward and not backward. He loved Margaret and a part of him always will, flaws and all. She was gone now, and he knew dwelling on her and looking backwards wouldn’t be healthy and would be bad for Jennifer. He had to respect her memory and support it to Jennifer but…and that’s where his brain broke down and he would take another drink.

At the end of the parties, everyone went their separate ways to get some sleep. One of the changes for the night was sleeping arraignments. The Bride and Groom were segregated. With all the people staying there after the dual drunkfests, it took a bit of shuffling, but Veronica posed the solution. Paige was sleeping in Sabine’s place upstairs with Andrea. Jonas was in the fourth bedroom upstairs. Silas and Amber were in the third Bedroom upstairs. Ivar was in the second upstairs bedroom. Veronica and Violet were on their normal place on the couch. It left Sabine and Petra needing a place to sleep. Veronica reminded Sabine about the tent on top of her G-Wagon. It was in the barn and had a small heater.

All things considered, both parties were a resounding success.

 

[ComCamGuy]

In the Tent, Dawn


Petra lay there in the dark. Her head was still spinning from the drinking. She wasn’t a heavy drinker and at her size, it didn’t take much. Her mind was filled with rampant erotica while she slept, no surprise considering what was going on when she passed out. She passed out? How did she get here?

She tried to feel her surroundings. She was in bed. She could feel soft flannel sheets against her skin. All of her skin. She was naked. Well, it wasn’t that unusual for her to sleep that way. Her hummingbird metabolism burned everything she put in so fast, she was a hot sleeper. Some of her best sleep was here in the winter with the dorm room window open. This wasn’t her dorm room.

Did she get undressed or did someone else do it for her? Well, no one here knew she normally slept naked to the best of her ability. So, if someone else made her naked, was it because she puked or peed or did they do anything else? Her brain raced down all the worry tracks in her head as she took better stock of what and how she felt.

It didn’t take long for her to sense no wetness or pain in her nether regions like was normal for her after sex, so the rampant activity she had in her dream or hallucinations while she was still drunk were just that, in her mind.

She knew she was still at the tipsy stage of drunk, but on the back end of her body burning it off. She was just drunk enough to relax quickly after her initial terror. The bed was comfy, and she was feeling no pain. She felt like she was in a pleasant, warm embrace. Embrace?

She had someone behind her, her arm across her body. Now she could feel her breathing, slow and shallow. Her brain struggled again to remember where she was and who this was, or at least who it was supposed to be.

Her eyes could give her no clues. She was in blackness. She forced her brain to swim through the alcohol fog and find the answers. Finally, she remembered she was supposed to be sleeping in the tent on top of Veronica’s Mercedes. Now, who was supposed to be here with her?

She dimly remembered Veronica laying out the sleeping plan. She worked her way through the memory until she had the answer. It was supposed to be Sabine. She didn’t know why other that the beds were taken and Veronica said Sabine would be in the tent with her.

With that puzzle solved, she had a new one. Sabine’s hand wasn’t stationary in her sleep. It wasn’t an unpleasant experience in abstract. The hand gently grazing up and down her torso felt nice, not like some of the clumsy groping she had from a couple boyfriends in their haste. This was soft and gentle. The problem was what to do if Sabine’s hands stray too far and get to other places.

Petra didn’t consider herself Bi or Bi curious. She was firmly in the frustrated heterosexual category. It wasn’t that she was freaked out by the concept. She just didn’t naturally think along those lines. Her bigger worry was Sabine was in a committed relationship with Andrea and she didn’t want to be someone making problems for her friends.

She just lay there enjoying the attention as she considered her options for what to do. Sabine’s hand stayed gentle and slow, always stopping well short of Petra’s panic zones. All was well and good until she felt Sabine playing with her bellybutton ring. She wasn’t sure what to do now. She felt Sabine jolt and stiffen. Time to speak. What to say? She knew she would be embarrassed as all hell were the situations reversed, Maybe she could play it cool?

“If you do anything more, Andrea might get jealous and I might have to rethink my life choices.”

“I’m sorry, Petra. I should have been more careful of what I do in my sleep.”

Sabine sounded somewhere between shocked and mortified.

Peta chuckled. “It’s ok. I understand. You must have gotten cold. I put out enough heat to frikken boil a bathtub full of water when I sleep. That’s why I rarely end up wearing anything when I sleep.”

“Still, I should have contained myself.” Sabine countered.

“Whatever. You curled up to me to keep warm. Don’t make it into a big deal. We’re good.” Petra forced a fake yawn and rolled back over.

Sabine mumbled another apology and exited the tent. Petra could barely hear her talking with probably Veronica and Violet if she heard correctly. She decided to stay in the tent for another twenty minutes to let Sabine recover from her shock and embarrassment.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Paige’s and Henrik’s Wedding


Paige and Henrik’s ceremony was perfect. The formal military attire most were wearing was a dramatic eye catcher, contrasted by the civilian attire of the others making it seem magical. Paige and Henrik positively glowed. Ivar performed the ceremony, a first for him. Jennifer was the ring bearer. She had almost a bigger smile than the bride. There were a few additional people from outside the group who attended from the 4x4 club on base. The food was spectacular, the cake amazing and the company was excellent.

Amber, Sofia, Ivar and Silas stood around talking as they watched Paige and Henrik drive off to their honeymoon getaway, curtesy of their friends in the 4X4 club.

“Sofia, you outdid yourself.” Ivar said as they stood there arms around each other’s waists.

“It’s a good thing there weren’t more people, otherwise we would have ben short in too many things.” Sofia replied.

Amber glanced around. She had no idea what would be lacking. Her eye caught some of the others already cleaning up. Andrea and Sabine were moving the leftovers into the house while Petra, Jonas and even Jennifer were picking up the trash and chairs.

Silas saw her glance and nodded.

“Yup, now the clean up begins. Let’s change first, then help.”

 

[ComCamGuy]

Ivar and Sofia’s House, the Next Day


Amber and Sofia sat on the couch talking. It was just the two of them for a change. Amber didn’t have patients today at the base. To be honest, she only had a couple of them anymore. The Jensen’s, Sabine, and two others were all she had left officially. Unofficially, she was trying to look out for Petra and of course, her oldest friend, Sofia.

She knew Sofia was going to be suffering a bit of a letdown following the wedding. She was so much in the moment doing everything, organizing everything and now, all the things keeping her busy and engaged were done.

Amber came over to give her some company other than Jennifer and to see if she could redirect her energies to the ‘next’ problem, or at least that was her plan. Instead, Sofia was already working two more projects. She still had Epiphany coming up and the impending move out to Paige’s place when they leave.

“So, I talked to Petra, and she is going to meet me at your place so we can work on Ivar’s present in the back yard.”

“You know, doing that is going to slow down me getting my garage back.” Amber replied with mock severity.

“It’s ok, Petra will help Silas get it onto the truck, whichever one they find, in time to move out to Paige’s, then you will have all the space you need.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know how soon those guys will be moving, so I’m not counting on anything.” Which was true. She didn’t know and Silas couldn’t tll her either. Amber didn’t want to pack everything up for a move next week, then live out of boxes for weeks, or months while Paige and the rest figure things out.

“I don’t think it will be long, otherwise they wouldn’t have already started all those preparations we saw.” Sofia countered.

“What do you think about the other idea they were talking about? Of moving north and joining up with them at Paige’s grandfathers?” It was one of Silas’ pet ideas he had started pushing. Amber saw the sense in it. Soon, there wouldn’t be the resources they currently enjoyed. No running down to the grocery store for the weekly food, or electricity or a lot of other things if Silas was right. Amber was trying to be a bit more optimistic, but she could hear the truth in his words when she let herself really hear him.

“Well, if we were going to do that, then we better start planning it soon, like they did. I don’t know though. We could do a lot worse off than the house we are going to move to when they leave.” Sofia hemmed and hawed.

“It’s just an idea and I’m not sure I like it yet, but Silas has been pushing it.”

“How often is he wrong about things like this?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t kept score but if he’s worried about staying here long term, we might want to listen to him.”

“This will take some serious discussion. Right now, we are still good where we are and have the move to Paige’s to worry about.”

Amber could tell Sofia wasn’t sure about any of this other than the move to Paige’s. This surprised her since Sofia was the enthusiastic one for the move to Paige’s early on. She wondered what was making her question the bigger move north.

“Just think on it then. It might make some of the finishing touches of Ivar’s present more important, too.” Amber pointed out.

“I promise I will put my full force of thought towards an answer.”

Amber recognized Sofia’s comment for what it was. Sofia was promising to pray for God’s guidance in this matter. Who could ask for more?

 

[ted]

Thank you.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Making a Commitment, Sort Of

The situation at the base seemed be evolving quicker than anticipated. While base personnel were finalizing their own transition plans, Ivar and the doctor taking over the clinic were hard at work organizing the turnover of assets including both equipment and people. A few of the people working at the clinic wanted to keep their jobs but as the scheduled closing time drew closer, most of the remaining personnel were deciding they needed an exodus plan.

Ivar was using who he had for what he needed, which anymore, wasn’t many for much. With this final push, he had groups stripping anything and everything useful out of all the far-flung locations on base and consolidating them in the two remaining spaces; the new clinic perimeter and the special operations compound. Within the special ops compound, he had the few remaining rental RVs parked to form a second living area outside the clinic compound which encompassed the base transient billeting and dormitory. The remaining personnel who were still living out in town like Paige, Henrik and the rest, this was another place they could live going forward.

Ivar still had his pirates hard at work implementing his plan. Paige was there distributing and dispersing weapons. Henrick and Jonas’ crew were still rummaging around trying to find anything left worth saving. Petra was hard at work on any and everything with engines. Occasionally, she was called upon to squeeze into the smallest of space to get the most rarest of finds.

On the home front it was not as easy to get things done. He could not just issue an order and expect it to get done. He had to talk it over with the others involved. He had to take their ‘feelings’ in to the decision making. Something like he saw the path clear. He did not understand why the other didn’t. He didn’t want to talk about it he just wanted to do it. Sometimes it he thought the Marines had it right but he loved his wife he could not do that to her. He would not do that to her. She would not let him do that to her. More talk he thought.

The long conversations during the week started slowly. First Silas and Amber talked alone and Ivar and Sofia, then Amber and Sophia talked about it while Silas and Ivar talked then it was Ivar and Amber and Silas and Sophia. Final the four of the sat down together for even longer conversations. These talks seemed to go on longer than the U.N. deciding the shape and size of the table prior to peace talks for Korea. In the end it was decide going north seemed the best idea.

Once the decision was made for the move to be their long term plan, Silas strong-armed Ivar trying set a turnover date. They could not move until the base was turned over and Ivar was pushing back on turning over.

He knew Ivar would keep trying to do ‘just one more thing’ for the people here. He was that kind of a commander. With a date, they could back engineer what needed done when, treating it just like any other deployment. It would make planning easier.

In a perfect world, Silas would have really liked to be ready and leave when Paige’s foursome was leaving, but he knew it would probably be too soon. They already had too much of a head start. Silas and Ivar went back and forth, trying to get at least a simple guestimate. Silas at least got Ivar to commit to making a turn over date to the doc. He knew once Ivar admitted it was somebody else’s problem and he was just helping turnover, then, the real preparations could begin.

It was time to do some serious planning for their trip. The two master minds new one of the first issues was who was going with them and what the vehicles they would need. They figure on their families, Jonas’ family and Petra probably. It was time to get started on finding a support vehicle. It was a mission for Mini-Mechanic. With the help her Sidekick Paige, they would start Petra planning and scrounging to build and outfit the vehicles their group would use to evacuate north. Silas wanted her to start before Paige left. Petra was good but still young, she would need Paige’s help to get started. Petra would then have a blueprint once she was off and running there was no stopping her. Wind her up, point her in the right direction, and watch her run was how he once heard her described. She had not disappointed him yet.

 

[Griz3752]

In a perfect world, Silas would have really liked to be ready and leave when Paige’s foursome was leaving, but he knew it would probably be too soon.

And how would that have coloured Paige & Co's confrontations along the way? Some well seasoned war fighters and who knows what kind of arms/tools they have cached for their exodus?

My oh my. ......

 

[ComCamGuy]

Five more former Marines, and more weapons to bring to bear could have made it different

 

[txs]

More weapons, What?, they're not "requisitioning" an mwrap or two for the trip?

 

[2T2-Crash]

Ooof, F* those things! Better off without em, specially headed north through mountains

 

[ComCamGuy]

Sundering


It was at one of these late-night gatherings Kingfisher returned and joined them in their discussions. One of the first things everyone noticed was a change in Kingfisher. It seemed he was twenty years younger, the Kingfisher of old, prompting a whole different discussion before dinner.

Amber was surprised when she opened the door for Kingfisher.

“Dang! I see the Christmas break did you some good! It’s about time you got your ass back!” she said as she gave him a big hug.

“Well…” He seemed at a loss for what to say. That happens sometimes to people when they get the stuffings squeezed out of them.

“Come on in. Food is almost ready.” She said as she let go of him.

Everyone was around the table, filling their plates moments later.

“It’s good you got back when you did. We have been hashing through what to do next.” Ivar commented.

“What do you mean what to do next?” Kingfisher was confused. Last he knew, they would be closing things down for the next six months. What happened and what did he miss?

“Well, we are looking at moving out of this little subdivision to somewhere more isolated and safer in the near future, but this place, once the base closes and California in general, aren’t going to be good retirement options.” Silas said from his place at the head of the table.

Sofia saw a pained look cross Kingfisher’s face, all the more obvious compared to his glowing nature he arrived here with.

“Any idea where you are looking to go?” came Kingfisher’s tentative question.

“That’s what we are all sitting around trying to hash out. Paige, Henrik, Sabine and Andrea are going north to her grandfather’s place up in Washington. When they go, Amber and I and Ivar, Sofia and the Jensen’s are going to take over their house in the country.” Silas explained.

“They aren’t going until after the wedding though, right?” Kingfisher asked.

“They already had the wedding. They had a bunch of us there for Christmas and were worried Violet and Veronica couldn’t make it back down if they waited any later. You missed it by three days.” Sofia said.

“Well, shit!” Kingfisher looked at his plate for a minute or two before he continued, “So, that’s the short-term plan. What’s the long-term options you guys are thinking about?”

“The tentative plan on the table is to bundle us all and go north to join Paige and the crew up there. Her grandfather say he has a place for a bunch us up near the national forest and it sounds like all they are asking for is helping them keep things safe around there. Paige said he called it some ‘woods work’ when she last talked to him the other day. She said he told her four or forty, as long as she vouched for them, he was good. That’s a hard offer to turn down.” Silas said

“That’s a big shot in the dark.” Kingfisher replied.

“Well, I don’t see any more trucks bringing food to the commissary and a two to four-hour drive for maybe some food if it’s available and if we can still get fuel? The area is beautiful but unsustainable for the population here. Most of us realize we have to go somewhere else and that is the best option, but the next problem will be when and how.” Said Amber before Silas could explain.

“But we can’t leave until all the people are taken care of. They are my responsibility!” Ivar interjected forcefully.

“Are you going to stay here forever, like some feudal lord! The Doc is going to run the clinic, and the only people still here will end up being people working with him! The staff of the clinic will be able to outprocess and push on any of the stragglers who come back, but shit! Almost all the families of the ones down helping the recovery have already left for their next location once they figured out this was the last duty station for them. Damn it! You have done your duty. Do a great left seat right seat turn over to the doc and start looking forward to what we do next, not focusing on aligning the deckchairs on the Titanic!” Silas practically exploded at Ivar. He loved the guy but sometimes his stubbornness was focused wrong.

Kingfisher could see this was a well-worn argument already. He just wasn’t here for most of it. He could see Amber and Silas were already committed to going north, Sofia was warming to the idea but didn’t know when they should. Then there’s Ivar.

Ivar’s the sort of Commander he loved working for. He was always willing to do the hard work with the rest of his guys, always the last to bed and first up, and his sense of commitment wasn’t letting him see a time he could leave before the last person was taken care of. That was the big sticking point. He knew his own news wouldn’t help.

“Boss, you have to look at this as a deployment” Kingfisher started but Ivar cut him off.

“I am and I’m not going to abandon anyone”

“Got it, but listen. When we deployed, we took care of ours. We made sure they had what they needed or were set up right before we left.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do and everyone wants me to cut bait and run!”

“No, think. We didn’t close the gate and shut down every base we redeployed from. There were still people working there after we left. We set things up for the better and left people set up the best we could, but we had another mission to move on to. That’s what we are doing here; setting them up as best we can then move on to the next mission because someone else is taking over the mission here.”

Kingfisher could see what he said had some impact on Ivar. He was thinking and breathing now instead of lashing out. Time to double down.

“The mission here is changing. The mission staying here is supporting the retirees in the area and taking care of any of the guys if they come back from the recovery mission. We know most of them are proceeding direct from there to either their new duty stations or their intended retirement locations. It’s better for you guys to go somewhere you’re needed and wanted rather than just staying here and getting in the way, draining the resources here.”

Amber caught something in the way Kingfisher was taking, and in what he said.

“You guys? Are you not wanting to come with us? We all are better when we are together.”

All eyes turned to Kingfisher.

“I’m going to be going south. Brice and Kestrel need me. My granddaughter Shannon needs me.”

Kingfisher could see it was a gut punch to the group. These were his best and oldest friends. He had gone to war with them. He had shed blood with them, He helped raise their children, they helped raise his. Now he was talking about leaving them, perhaps to never see them again.

Sofia was the first to break the silence.

“Granddaughter? You better have pictures.”

 

[ComCamGuy]

At the Base


With people back at work, there were still some things to take care of. Ivar had scavenging taking a bigger priority. Jonas was leading the crew Henrik was in charge on in his absence. One of the things he had to work around was the medical screening Sabine was conduction of the remaining personnel. She told him the Doc had her doing it so he could concentrate his people on setting up the clinic in its new location and organizing the support and logistics of the newer smaller compounds.

Sabine did a thorough exam. Blood, urine, eyes, ears, EKG 12-lead, she checked it all. His first dive physical wasn’t as intense as this was. What worried him was she asked him to come in for a follow up a couple days later. Once he had his crew working, he went back into the special ops compound to her office. When she saw the worried expression on his face she laughed.

“Don’t worry, Jonas! Nothing to worry about! Come on in , close the door and have a seat.”

“Shit! You had me worried! Called back right after a physical sets all kinds of bells and whistles off in your head.” Jonas said as he sat in the chair next to her small desk.

“You’re in perfect health, or at least as perfect as you could expect. Your stitches held great, the wounds are healing as they should. Cardiac is fine, blood is fine.”

“OK, so if everything is great, what did you need me for?” He was relieved. He wasn’t dying right now.

Sabine didn’t say anything right away. Now Jonas was getting nervous again.

“I…I called you back in because you might be able to help me with a problem I have with another patient.”

“Help you? I don’t know shit about medical. How could I help you with anything?”

Jonas saw Sabine looked nervous or unsure about something. She had done so much to help him and Jennifer. He had no idea how he could help her, but whatever she needed he was more than willing to try.

An hour later, he was still in a bit of disbelief. He went through a whole host of emotions talking with Sabine and discussing what he could do to help her. Embarrassment and disbelief were the biggest ones. He could see where Sabine might be nervous or pensive with what she was asking.

It took some discussion and hemming and hawing back and forth, but finally he could wrap his mind around it and say yes.

Sabine gave him some drugs and went through all the details of where to be and when so he could tell Sofia he wasn’t going to be home tomorrow night since he had a night ‘mission’.

 

[Griz3752]

“Granddaughter? You better have pictures.”

Sofia is letting her frustrated-at-not-being-a-Grand show through.

 

[txs]

Jonas picked to be baby daddy? Thank you Sir!

 

[Griz3752]

Jonas picked to be baby daddy? Thank you Sir!

I always suspected he was the guy tasked with that mission but it's good to get clarification. Now, how is Jennifer going to reconnect with her half-siblings? And when?

Like you thought this wasn't going to open up new avenues? Follow on circumstances and drama in its own right?


You must know us better than that by now good sir.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Re-Edit #7088

 

[txs]

is the #7088 posted above the re-edit? The 3rd paragraph has me confused (not hard). The first sentence runs into the second and something is missing. Is there a Jonas and a Jonah or is Jonah's a misprint.

 

[ComCamGuy]

is the #7088 posted above the re-edit? The 3rd paragraph has me confused (not hard). The first sentence runs into the second and something is missing. Is there a Jonas and a Jonah or is Jonah's a misprint.

might be a bit better now

 

[txs]

Yup, much better, thank you Sir!

 

[Paradox]

Another hint: put chickens feed away at night. Chickens roost at night and don't feed till morning. Rats eat all night long and you end up with lots and lots of fat rats and wasted feed.

Just as a note, rats can also chew through 5 gallon plastic buckets...

 

[ComCamGuy]

Favors Asked


Petra was both curious and nervous, being summoned to Sabine’s office. She was much more comfortable around her and the others compared to two or three months ago. The rank wasn’t intimidating to her now, even though she still respected it. She still had no idea what Sabine was needing from her. She knew a lot of the guy she was working with were doing some sort of medical check-ups this week. Maybe it was her turn?

It took Petra several tries and wrong turns to find Sabine’s office in one of the spec ops buildings. The door was open when she arrived, but Sabine wasn’t in her office. Petra briefly considered going looking for her but thought better of it. She was supposed t meet her here, so here she would wait.

She sat in the chair next to Sabine’s desk. She hated waiting, especially when she didn’t know what for. She looked around the office, bored. There were stacks of medical records folders on one end of the desk, A cart with medical equipment overflowing jammed a corner of an alcove along with the obligatory exam table, complete with exam light and stirrups. A shudder moved up her spine. She hoped she wasn’t supposed to be on the table today. Her sightseeing was cut short by Sabine’s appearance.

“Ah, good. You got my message.” Sabine said a she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her.

When the door shut, Petra felt an unexplainable jolt as the door latch clicked. She watched Sabine move to her desk and sit. Suddenly nervous, Petra squirmed in her seat. She found herself watching Sabine’s hands as she shuffled through the folders on her desk to get things out of her way.

Her hands. The long, strong looking fingers with their short manicured, unpainted nails. She remembered those hands grazing along her naked body. She self-consciously felt her bellybutton ring against her T-shirt under her uniform shirt. Her brain was so focused it missed Sabine’s next statement.

“What was that?” Petra looked up at Sabine’s face, hoping she wasn’t turning too red.

“I need to ask a favor, I said” Sabine repeated.

“So, no medical exam?” Petra said, still a bit unsure.

Sabine got a quizzical look on her face as she tried to make sense of Petra’s question before she answered.

“No. No medical exam. I need a favor though, and it's going to sound wierd.”

“OK, what do you need?”

“This evening, I’m going to have someone sitting in the UTV outside this building. I need you to drive them up to building 248. Here’s the funky part. I need you to not say a word to them or anyone else the whole time, regardless of what you see. Please.”

“OK? Do I get to find out what it’s about later?” Petra was confused again.

“Probably not, but I really need the help.”

“Sure, Sabine. I’ll be here.”

 

[Paradox]

Nothing less than a signed First Edition [albeit in paperback] will do. I'll pay good money for such.

Me, too. but hardcover.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Late That Evening


Petra showed up that evening, not sure what to expect. She came around the corner to find someone already seated in the UTV, just as she was told. As instructed, she climbed into the driver’s seat and started up the UTV. She knew where she was going, not that it made sense.

Moving up through the roads deeper into the empty training areas to one of the remote buildings. It made her nervous to be driving them to the middle of nowhere in complete silence. She tried to keep the ride smooth and steady. Motion sickness was a real concern. She didn’t know if he knew where they were going since he was blindfolded.

Twenty minutes later, they came around a curve and the building was in sight ahead of them. Someone was out front. At first, she didn’t recognize Sabine. She was used to seeing her either in uniform, or more recently, slacks and sweaters. Now here she was in the middle of nowhere dressed in some sort of puffy down trench coat, her hair in a loose ponytail.

She pulled up in front of where Sabine was waiting. Sabine came forward, opened the UTV’s door and guided Jenson from the seat. She led him from the vehicle to the door. Once she had him at the door, Sabine came back over to Petra in the driver’s seat and leaned in to whisper in Petra’s ear.

“Unless I say so Petra, we are to never speak of this again. Ever. It has to do with patient confidentiality. And thank you. I couldn’t trust anyone else. They would have asked too many questions. He should be recovered from the procedure in time to pick him up at dawn.”

Petra wasn’t sure what was going on, but this time it seemed Sabine was the nervous one.

 

[Paradox]

the cabin, which looked much larger on the inside than it did on the outside.

His cabin is a TARDIS?

Reading for the second time. Enjoying it as much. Thank you!

 

[txs]

While they out scavenging they gonna needs some machine tools, no matter how much ammo you have stored a long term collapse like this eventually they'll run out. Need the lathe to make dies for drawing brass and primer caps, you could drop back to black powder for a while if necessary but you gotta have primers. Maybe a squid machinist mate will wander in? If you have the machinery sit around too long in uncontrolled environment the electronics suffer.

 

[ComCamGuy]

While they out scavenging they gonna needs some machine tools, no matter how much ammo you have stored a long term collapse like this eventually they'll run out. Need the lathe to make dies for drawing brass and primer caps, you could drop back to black powder for a while if necessary but you gotta have primers. Maybe a squid machinist mate will wander in? If you have the machinery sit around too long in uncontrolled environment the electronics suffer.

Garen has lathes and mills, Paige has a lot of the skills and experience

 

[ComCamGuy]

Late That Evening


Jonas still had a hard time believing what he was about to do. Part of him felt guilty at even thinking about it. He spent ten years with Margaret and never strayed, not once. Wasn’t even tempted. It wasn’t a part of who he was.

The logical part of his mind reminded him she was gone. He remembered the emptiness he felt when the realization hit him, really hit him she was gone. Doing something with someone after Margaret died wasn’t cheating. Besides, this wasn’t a romantic fling. This was helping out someone in need. The fact it could be fun, well that was a bonus.

Sabine told him she understood and wouldn’t have asked except he was the most medically compatible, whatever that means. After he tentatively agreed, she gave him the rest of the lowdown. They would be meeting at one of the remote training buildings to ensure privacy. He would wear a blindfold the whole time. That part was a surprise. She explained it was to keep things ‘in the blind’ so to speak. This was to protect both their identities. He wasn’t to speak at all, and neither would she. Their actions would be guided by a third party, her sister. This way they wouldn’t recognize voices later.

It all sounded like something out of one of those romance novels Margaret used to read. The more he thought about it the more he was stunned he had agreed to do it.

Late evening found him sitting in the UTV behind Sabine’s office. In his hand he had a pill and a small bottle of water. She told him the pill would ease some of his anxiety. He took the pill and washed it down with the water Sabine provided. It had an acrid taste. Blindfold time.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but he heard the crunch of gravel and felt the UTV rock slightly as someone got it and started it up. Soon they were moving gently down the road.

With his eyes covered, the rest of his senses sharpened. He could smell the clean scent of the trees and snow as they went into the training area. He could feel his heart speeding up as he thought about where he was going and what he was supposed to be doing soon. As his pulse sped up, so did his breathing. As they slowed down, he caught an unexpected smell. Strawberries? That didn’t make sense.

He felt a hand on his shoulder now and heard the door to the UTV being opened. A soft woman’s voice whispered in his ear in a thick French accent.

“Step out and I will guide you.”

He stood up, the gravel under his feet again. He felt her take his arm and guide him somewhere. The sound of their footsteps changed, they were getting close to the building, he thought.

She took his arm and placed it on the wall.

“Wait here a moment.”

He heard her walk away and return. When she was back, she whispered in his ear again.

“Sabine said the drugs she gave you and my sister might make you a little lightheaded and forgetful. I will be here to take care of you both. You will never know how grateful we are you agreed to help her out.”

He almost spoke but he remembered Sabine’s directions explicitly, No Talking. Instead he just smiled and nodded his head as she led him inside.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Dawn

Petra decided to sleep at Sabine’s office so she could be close by the UTV if Sabine called. She knew she could lay down on the exam bed and get a nap, but to her surprise, she found a cot or folding medical cot or something already laid out in the back corner of her office, complete with wool blanket and pillow. She was tried to get some rest but kept waiting for her phone to ring. It never did and the sun rose as it did every day. She got up, started the UTV and started driving back to the building in the training area, thinking of all the things she might find when she got there.

It took longer than the night before, or at least that is what it seemed, as the thoughts of what she expected to see when she arrived kept racing through her head. All of sudden Petra’s mind turns to another concept, as Petra’s mind does at times , ‘I am the only one she trusts’. This is kinda of funny. What about all her other friends? When did they become so close? Then again they did sleep together, her brain reminded her with a chuckle. Petra was more confused than ever but she made herself a promise. Her mother taught to look for things and Sabine’s hands told her a story. She only read one a chapter. Petra hated not being able to finish a book.

Petra was not sure what she expected when she got back at the training building but was pleased to see there was no blood or bodies, or at least none she could see. When she arrived at the remote site, she pulled up to the building and waited. Moments later, Sabine appeared, leading a groggy looking Jensen. They got him seated in the UTV and buckled in. Petra was getting ready to leave when she realized she didn’t know where she was taking him. She walked back around to where Sabine stood and waved her over to the side.

“Where am I taking him?”

“Take him back to my office. He is still a bit out of it from the procedure but should be able to walk where you guide him. Keep his eyes covered, otherwise he will get a migraine from the light. There’s a cot in the back of my office, just lay him down on it and cover him up. I will check on him in a little while. I have to get my tools and equipment cleaned up here.” She handed Petra a key. “For the door.”

Petra wasn’t sure what was going on still. Sabine looked exhausted, her voice hoarse and dry sounding.

“Not a problem, Sabine.”

 

[ComCamGuy]

down trench

 

[Lake Lili]

That be a fine looking wearable sleeping bag.

 

[kyrsyan]

That be a fine looking wearable sleeping bag.

I'd be dying in it it if I had on heavy shoes or a hat. But as long as my head and feet are free, my body would probably love it.

 

[Texican]

So who got had during the night?

Will CCG reveal what happened?

Texican....

 

[ted]

Thank you.

 

[Cohickman]

So who got had during the night?

Will CCG reveal what happened?

Texican....

Dude, this is the mystery insemination of Andrea we were told about after Hendrick and Paige got back from their honeymoon. Now we know the identity of the inseminator!

 

[Cohickman]

I mean really Texican, try to keep up!! There are only a couple of main plot twists to deal with. And only the occasional flash back, side, forward, up, down and through the quantum Realm. Sheesh.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Re-edit #7110

 

[ComCamGuy]

Epiphany


It was a strange mash-up of traditions at Ivar and Sofia’s house for Epiphany. There was a light meal for Jonas and Jennifer before they went out to ‘play’. He was taking Jennifer over to the base for some sledding to give Ivar and Sofia a little alone time again.

The few Christmas decorations were still up. A single unopened box was under the tree. Neither Ivar or Sofia ate this morning and would fast until noon. They lay in bed, just resting until after Jonas and Jennifer left. Not that they were avoiding them, they were just…what? They didn’t know.

With daylight’s arrival, they moved into the living room. Ivar handed Sofia the box from under the tree.

“I hope you like it.” Ivar said, a hint of worry in his voice.

Sofia hefted the box. It made no noise but was heavy for its size. She carefully opened the paper and freed the lid of the box. Pulling back the flaps, she couldn’t make sense of the leather object inside, but marveled at the soft as butter feel of it. She pulled it out.

It was a jacket like none other. She ran her hands over it and inside it, finding the soft delicate feel of the shearling inside.

“Veronica helped me find it. She said she kept seeing you eyeballing hers the last couple times they were here. This one isn’t quite as durable as her RAF one, but close and this one is softer, warmer and more sized to keep you warm.”

Ivar kept talking, hoping she liked it. It was always such a crapshoot buying something like this for her. Veronica told him he should get one for her almost a year ago. The latest eyeballing of Veronica’s coat was just confirmation since he already had it in hand.

Sofia loved it. She knew she was hard to shop for, yet Ivar kept trying year after year. She had a hard time with jewelry for the sake of jewelry, a by-product of her upbringing. She had all the kitchen stuff, all the clothes, all the sewing gear in spades.

This…This was a home run. The coat was practical but was so far from what she would ever spend on herself. She hoped he would like her present to him as much as she liked his.

 

[txs]

Thanks you, Sir. Holy smokes it looks like Miss KathyFL has shot her muse up with some crystal meth! I haven't read hers, I can only keep track of one of these at a time, although I will say in my defense, this one is kinda complex.