ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
So did I. Autocorrect has been kicking my ass. I went through the word doc and did a ‘replace’ and fixed 67 of them today
Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Once inside the house, Sabine and Henrik found Andrea standing outside the door to the master bedroom. Sabine was the first to ask.
“What’s going on? Why are you out here?”
“Paige won’t let me in. She has the door locked!”
Henrik was startled. He hadn’t been gone that long and she was asleep when he left, or so he though.
Sabine went to the door and knocked.
“Paige, it’s Sabine. Let me in. Henrik wanted me to make sure you didn’t hurt something when you had your coughing fit.”
They heard the door unlock from the inside and Paige’s voice coming through the door.
“Just you Sabine. No one else.”
Henrik and Andrea looked at one another, puzzled. Sabine slipped in the partially opened door. As Andrea started to dart for the opening, the door closed and they heard the bolt slam shut.
“What’s going on? Why are you out here?”
“Paige won’t let me in. She has the door locked!”
Henrik was startled. He hadn’t been gone that long and she was asleep when he left, or so he though.
Sabine went to the door and knocked.
“Paige, it’s Sabine. Let me in. Henrik wanted me to make sure you didn’t hurt something when you had your coughing fit.”
They heard the door unlock from the inside and Paige’s voice coming through the door.
“Just you Sabine. No one else.”
Henrik and Andrea looked at one another, puzzled. Sabine slipped in the partially opened door. As Andrea started to dart for the opening, the door closed and they heard the bolt slam shut.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“So what’s going on, Paige?” Sabine tried for a light, conversational tone.
“You guys need to stop treating me like a little kid!” Paige was walking delicately back down the half flight of stairs into the main master bedroom. Sabine was watching her movement. She seemed to be stiffer and hurting more than earlier when they got home.
“Like what?” Sabine stalled for time and explanation.
“The Sergeant Major said it was time to tell me stuff. Henrik dodged around the topic like a teenager caught masturbating and Andrea is acting squirrely too. You at least said you would tell me, you just wanted to make sure you did it in the right order.” Paige’s temper was definitely up. “In a few moments, I’m going to let the rest of them in and we are all going to talk about this. Correction, I am going to issue a declaration, then we will HOPFULLY talk about this. You have five minutes to make sure I didn’t break things with my coughing fit. Understood?”
“Understood.” Sabine raised Paige’s shirt, checked the stitches, listened to her chest, and palpated the bruised areas, all to determine everything was status quo from this morning. While she did this, she could see out of the corner of her eye Paige working on something with her laptop.
“Well, Paige, nothing worse for wear I can find. What do you want me to do now?”
“Let them in.”
Sabine went to the door. Sliding back the bolt, she opened the door and motioned an anxious Henrik and Andrea inside the room. Paige spoke immediately, cutting off any questions.
“Come in, Sit down.” Paige was sitting propped up against the headboard, her laptop in her lap. The next thing that caught their eyes was an image on the huge tv in the bedroom. It was a split screen in=mage of four different camera angles, two wide and two close up, of Frickel entering the armory and dropping Paige with one punch, followed by the repeated kicks to her unconscious form. The image kept repeating in a twenty second loop.
Andrea’s eyes were wide and full of tears. She had not watched this part more than once, and then only from one angle. Here it was, damn near life sized in 4k brilliant color and detail, four views, complete with sound.
Henrik’s focus was on Paige’s face when he came in. He knew he had failed her again. He wasn’t sure how to regain her trust and love. She had a fierce and determined visage, set to some terrible purpose.
Everyone sat facing Paige. When all were settled, she spoke again.
“This is what happened to me. I’ve seen it. It was my body kicked and punched. It was done to me. My body hurts. I refuse to let my mind retreat and cower from it. It happened. I will deal with the inevitable consequences. I will need support and assistance. What I don’t need is people hiding things from me and trying to lock me away in a box like some rare comic book or treating me like a five year old who must be protected from the truth of things. You three are my dearest friends, the ones I love as I have never loved anyone else. I tell you this right now, and hold no illusions about the seriousness of my next statement. You will fill me in on all the goings on following my attack as implied you should by the Sergeant Major this morning. You will tell me what I want to know and support me, or you will get out of my house and my life. Is this understood?”
“You guys need to stop treating me like a little kid!” Paige was walking delicately back down the half flight of stairs into the main master bedroom. Sabine was watching her movement. She seemed to be stiffer and hurting more than earlier when they got home.
“Like what?” Sabine stalled for time and explanation.
“The Sergeant Major said it was time to tell me stuff. Henrik dodged around the topic like a teenager caught masturbating and Andrea is acting squirrely too. You at least said you would tell me, you just wanted to make sure you did it in the right order.” Paige’s temper was definitely up. “In a few moments, I’m going to let the rest of them in and we are all going to talk about this. Correction, I am going to issue a declaration, then we will HOPFULLY talk about this. You have five minutes to make sure I didn’t break things with my coughing fit. Understood?”
“Understood.” Sabine raised Paige’s shirt, checked the stitches, listened to her chest, and palpated the bruised areas, all to determine everything was status quo from this morning. While she did this, she could see out of the corner of her eye Paige working on something with her laptop.
“Well, Paige, nothing worse for wear I can find. What do you want me to do now?”
“Let them in.”
Sabine went to the door. Sliding back the bolt, she opened the door and motioned an anxious Henrik and Andrea inside the room. Paige spoke immediately, cutting off any questions.
“Come in, Sit down.” Paige was sitting propped up against the headboard, her laptop in her lap. The next thing that caught their eyes was an image on the huge tv in the bedroom. It was a split screen in=mage of four different camera angles, two wide and two close up, of Frickel entering the armory and dropping Paige with one punch, followed by the repeated kicks to her unconscious form. The image kept repeating in a twenty second loop.
Andrea’s eyes were wide and full of tears. She had not watched this part more than once, and then only from one angle. Here it was, damn near life sized in 4k brilliant color and detail, four views, complete with sound.
Henrik’s focus was on Paige’s face when he came in. He knew he had failed her again. He wasn’t sure how to regain her trust and love. She had a fierce and determined visage, set to some terrible purpose.
Everyone sat facing Paige. When all were settled, she spoke again.
“This is what happened to me. I’ve seen it. It was my body kicked and punched. It was done to me. My body hurts. I refuse to let my mind retreat and cower from it. It happened. I will deal with the inevitable consequences. I will need support and assistance. What I don’t need is people hiding things from me and trying to lock me away in a box like some rare comic book or treating me like a five year old who must be protected from the truth of things. You three are my dearest friends, the ones I love as I have never loved anyone else. I tell you this right now, and hold no illusions about the seriousness of my next statement. You will fill me in on all the goings on following my attack as implied you should by the Sergeant Major this morning. You will tell me what I want to know and support me, or you will get out of my house and my life. Is this understood?”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
This was a thunderbolt from the blue to Henrik and Andrea. Both sat in shocked silence. Sabine just sat there. She felt this was coming and in a way was glad for it. Paige was fighting back against what was done to her, and right away. She wish she had had such strength herself those many years ago. She would have been much better off. No event, no trial, no running scared. She kept her poker face on. She didn’t want to disrupt Paige’s moment. It was all hers. She earned it.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Henrik and Andrea both looked sheepish. They looked at their feet and then back at Paige. Henrik was the first to speak.
“I’m sorry. I screwed up. I just don’t know how to help without screwing it up. I want you safe but I don’t know how to do that without causing a mess between us. Tel me what you want and how I can help.” His voice was close to cracking as he spoke. She could feel the sincerity and the love in it. A small nod from Paige was all the reply he got before she turned to Andrea.
“And you?”
Andrea didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, but her best friend growing up had something horrible happen to her and when she learned all the details, the spiral to her taking her own life began. She didn’t want that for Paige. She would do whatever she had to to protect Paige from a similar fate. She also knew Paige was serious and she knew Sabine. Sabine could be a brutally cold fish at times and already fought with Andrea about telling Paige everything. Nothing she could do would stop Paige from learning it all, so at least if Andrea stuck around she could try to deflect some of the harm. She nodded wordlessly to Paige. She would agree to help.
Paige turned to all three of them and spoke again.
“Now that’s cleared up, everybody get out for a few. I need to talk to Sabine alone. Then everyone needs to get some sleep and I need a pain pill. Get your facts in order. Tomorrow evening we will lay out everything so I really know what’s going on.”
Henrik and Andrea shuffled from the room, each looking back at Sabine still sitting in the chair next to the bed. Once the door was closed, Paige looked over at Sabine.
“3.6 pounds”
Sabine had a puzzled look on her face. She didn’t understand. Paige elaborated as she pushed some buttons on the computer in her lap. Suddenly, a full sized 60” screen close up 4k image of Sabine’s face and outstretched arm with pistol filled the screen.
“3.6 pounds of pressure is all it would have taken for the pistol to have fired. Your face went slack, your finger knuckle whitened, and then your eyes shifted, followed by you removing the safety. You tried to shoot him. Whether it was for me or for you, in that instant you killed him in your head and your finger tried to follow through. I could never ask anything greater of you than what you did in that moment, even more than saving my life, which the doctors said you did moments before.” Paige pushed another button and the image disappeared. Paige slumped some then spoke.
“I’m tired. Let that big oaf of mine in. I need to get some sleep, then I need to figure out how he and I can fix things. He feels like shit but he needs to lighten up some and go back to us being us.”
Without a word, Sabine got up, walked to the door and exited, passing Henrik on his way in.
“I’m sorry. I screwed up. I just don’t know how to help without screwing it up. I want you safe but I don’t know how to do that without causing a mess between us. Tel me what you want and how I can help.” His voice was close to cracking as he spoke. She could feel the sincerity and the love in it. A small nod from Paige was all the reply he got before she turned to Andrea.
“And you?”
Andrea didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, but her best friend growing up had something horrible happen to her and when she learned all the details, the spiral to her taking her own life began. She didn’t want that for Paige. She would do whatever she had to to protect Paige from a similar fate. She also knew Paige was serious and she knew Sabine. Sabine could be a brutally cold fish at times and already fought with Andrea about telling Paige everything. Nothing she could do would stop Paige from learning it all, so at least if Andrea stuck around she could try to deflect some of the harm. She nodded wordlessly to Paige. She would agree to help.
Paige turned to all three of them and spoke again.
“Now that’s cleared up, everybody get out for a few. I need to talk to Sabine alone. Then everyone needs to get some sleep and I need a pain pill. Get your facts in order. Tomorrow evening we will lay out everything so I really know what’s going on.”
Henrik and Andrea shuffled from the room, each looking back at Sabine still sitting in the chair next to the bed. Once the door was closed, Paige looked over at Sabine.
“3.6 pounds”
Sabine had a puzzled look on her face. She didn’t understand. Paige elaborated as she pushed some buttons on the computer in her lap. Suddenly, a full sized 60” screen close up 4k image of Sabine’s face and outstretched arm with pistol filled the screen.
“3.6 pounds of pressure is all it would have taken for the pistol to have fired. Your face went slack, your finger knuckle whitened, and then your eyes shifted, followed by you removing the safety. You tried to shoot him. Whether it was for me or for you, in that instant you killed him in your head and your finger tried to follow through. I could never ask anything greater of you than what you did in that moment, even more than saving my life, which the doctors said you did moments before.” Paige pushed another button and the image disappeared. Paige slumped some then spoke.
“I’m tired. Let that big oaf of mine in. I need to get some sleep, then I need to figure out how he and I can fix things. He feels like shit but he needs to lighten up some and go back to us being us.”
Without a word, Sabine got up, walked to the door and exited, passing Henrik on his way in.
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Great, thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The next morning, everyone was subdued. Paige stayed in bed, the pain pill knocking her out for some much needed rest. Henrik slipped out of the house and off to work first. Andrea and Sabine drove separately to work. They hadn’t spoken much since the night before. Each needed to process the events and did so in their own ways.
Henrik was put to work leading a crew doing inventory and reset of the field gear. Nobody asked him where he was and they seemed to be a bit standoffish with him. Maybe they didn’t want to intrude in his thought processes. It could have been the deep scowl on his face and reserved nature. Either way, he didn’t notice. He was deep in thought trying to process the short conversation he had with Paige when he went back into the bedroom.
He walked in past Sabine, a curious glance thrown her way. Paige was sliding down in the bed carefully.
“I’m…”
“Sorry, I know” Paige had cut him off. “I know you are trying to do what you can for me, but I won’t let him break me. He’s the one who ****ed up. He is the one who will pay, not me. We will be ok. I’m not made of glass. I’m still the person from two weeks ago, just a bit more brittle for a while. And a lot more careful about some things, like sitting where I can’t see people approaching me. It will be a long time, if ever, before I could do that. I need my guy back, not this eggshells and bubble wrap person. We have a lot of time ahead of us. I want to make the most of it. If anything, this taught me life is short and unpredictable.” She yawned. “Get to bed. You have work tomorrow. I get to sleep in.”
Henrik, not normally good with words, was at a loss for something to say. He figured to do what he could, instead. He would show her he was still the guy she loved and he would work hard to treat her how she wanted, and not let his worries overcome that. A quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get a couple of aspirin for his headache and to bed he went.
Henrik was put to work leading a crew doing inventory and reset of the field gear. Nobody asked him where he was and they seemed to be a bit standoffish with him. Maybe they didn’t want to intrude in his thought processes. It could have been the deep scowl on his face and reserved nature. Either way, he didn’t notice. He was deep in thought trying to process the short conversation he had with Paige when he went back into the bedroom.
He walked in past Sabine, a curious glance thrown her way. Paige was sliding down in the bed carefully.
“I’m…”
“Sorry, I know” Paige had cut him off. “I know you are trying to do what you can for me, but I won’t let him break me. He’s the one who ****ed up. He is the one who will pay, not me. We will be ok. I’m not made of glass. I’m still the person from two weeks ago, just a bit more brittle for a while. And a lot more careful about some things, like sitting where I can’t see people approaching me. It will be a long time, if ever, before I could do that. I need my guy back, not this eggshells and bubble wrap person. We have a lot of time ahead of us. I want to make the most of it. If anything, this taught me life is short and unpredictable.” She yawned. “Get to bed. You have work tomorrow. I get to sleep in.”
Henrik, not normally good with words, was at a loss for something to say. He figured to do what he could, instead. He would show her he was still the guy she loved and he would work hard to treat her how she wanted, and not let his worries overcome that. A quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get a couple of aspirin for his headache and to bed he went.
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ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Sabine and Andrea had exchanged a few words when Sabine came into their bedroom that night. Andrea was still wound up some.
“I hope you’re happy. You get your way!” Andre spit out at Sabine when she came in.
Sabine froze in the doorway for a moment before replying.
“Actually, I’m sad. I’m sad you had so little faith in Paige and think me so petty to gloat about agreeing with Paige’s decision. I didn’t talk her into anything, I didn’t convince her. She came to this on her own. She is refusing to be the helpless victim. She is a strong person, a hell of a lot stronger than I was.” The last part almost under her breath. “We need to support her in this, not try to make her weaker. She’s right. She has already seen the worst of it. The rest won’t do much but help. Why are you fighting her on this?”
“I don’t want her hurt!”
“She’s already been hurt. This will help bring closure and help her heal. If you love me half as much as you love her, help me help her heal. Let’s get some sleep though. I hate fighting, especially at the wee hours of the morning.” She used the sudden shocked appearance of Andrea to disengage and go take a much needed shower. She was still ripe from her workout and hated that sweaty sticky feeling in bed. It always brought back bad memories/ Memories she didn’t need to pile on her brain with everything else.
Andrea was stunned. She didn’t realize Sabine knew about her unrequited love for Paige. Sabine knowing rather than just suspecting, and her willingness to bring it up in this fight was like a punch to the solar plexus. Worse, Sabine didn’t even seem mad or perturbed by it! It just seemed to be an accepted element of their relationship! This confused her even more. Sometimes Sabine was so undecipherable. She didn’t know what to say or do. She just lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time. She was laying there when Sabine came out of the shower. Sabine didn’t say another word, just climbed into the bed and went to sleep. Sleep took a lot longer for Andrea.
“I hope you’re happy. You get your way!” Andre spit out at Sabine when she came in.
Sabine froze in the doorway for a moment before replying.
“Actually, I’m sad. I’m sad you had so little faith in Paige and think me so petty to gloat about agreeing with Paige’s decision. I didn’t talk her into anything, I didn’t convince her. She came to this on her own. She is refusing to be the helpless victim. She is a strong person, a hell of a lot stronger than I was.” The last part almost under her breath. “We need to support her in this, not try to make her weaker. She’s right. She has already seen the worst of it. The rest won’t do much but help. Why are you fighting her on this?”
“I don’t want her hurt!”
“She’s already been hurt. This will help bring closure and help her heal. If you love me half as much as you love her, help me help her heal. Let’s get some sleep though. I hate fighting, especially at the wee hours of the morning.” She used the sudden shocked appearance of Andrea to disengage and go take a much needed shower. She was still ripe from her workout and hated that sweaty sticky feeling in bed. It always brought back bad memories/ Memories she didn’t need to pile on her brain with everything else.
Andrea was stunned. She didn’t realize Sabine knew about her unrequited love for Paige. Sabine knowing rather than just suspecting, and her willingness to bring it up in this fight was like a punch to the solar plexus. Worse, Sabine didn’t even seem mad or perturbed by it! It just seemed to be an accepted element of their relationship! This confused her even more. Sometimes Sabine was so undecipherable. She didn’t know what to say or do. She just lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time. She was laying there when Sabine came out of the shower. Sabine didn’t say another word, just climbed into the bed and went to sleep. Sleep took a lot longer for Andrea.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Sabine stood under the shower, letting the scalding hot water flow over her back. She had to relax. She had to release. She had so much tension built up in her this past two weeks, she thought she was going to snap in half. She knew she shouldn’t have said what she did to Andrea. She had known almost from the very start of their relationship Andrea was in love with Paige. For the most part Sabine was in willful denial and let it slide. She knew Andrea cared about her as well, but push comes to shove, she felt, no knew, Andrea would drop her like a hot rock if Paige said she wanted Andrea like Andrea wanted her to. Sabine knew the dangers of such blind raw feelings first hand. Her body still bore scars from that fiasco and it has taken years for her to get on stable footing. She knows Andrea deserves more than she can give, but ….but….but…. That’s where her brain breaks down. She didn’t know if she could ever get to that level of trust and commitment again to ever really ’love’ someone again. Too many things were broken inside her to ever get that part of her back.
The water loosened some of the arthritis and scar tissue in her back. She hoped it would stay mellow long enough for her to get some sleep. She finished in the shower. A part of her looked at herself in the mirror as she dried her hair. She could see all the fine lines and faint marks she knew were there. She was a little self-conscious about Henrik seeing her in just the tank top and running shorts. The worry was always there about others seeing and reacting to the scars and asking about their cause. She didn’t want to revisit them in the telling. This was part of the reason she always wanted such control in the bedroom. It wasn’t about ‘being in control’ it was the desperate need to never lose control there again.
That’s also why the lights were low in the bedroom. Andrea learned quickly the fastest way to kill a mood was to run a finger along a scar line, ask about a mark, or heaven forbid a more aggressive move like holding Sabine’s wrists over her head unbidden! She had freaked and bolted from the room that night. She wouldn’t, couldn’t talk about it afterward other than tell Andrea she was sorry and it’s not a good idea, she couldn’t stand that captive feeling!
Sabine went to bed. When she climbed in, she could tell Andrea was still awake. She had no words to help right now so she forced herself to go to sleep. Tomorrow might bring a better insight to how to fix things. God! How she missed the carefree days of three weeks ago!
The water loosened some of the arthritis and scar tissue in her back. She hoped it would stay mellow long enough for her to get some sleep. She finished in the shower. A part of her looked at herself in the mirror as she dried her hair. She could see all the fine lines and faint marks she knew were there. She was a little self-conscious about Henrik seeing her in just the tank top and running shorts. The worry was always there about others seeing and reacting to the scars and asking about their cause. She didn’t want to revisit them in the telling. This was part of the reason she always wanted such control in the bedroom. It wasn’t about ‘being in control’ it was the desperate need to never lose control there again.
That’s also why the lights were low in the bedroom. Andrea learned quickly the fastest way to kill a mood was to run a finger along a scar line, ask about a mark, or heaven forbid a more aggressive move like holding Sabine’s wrists over her head unbidden! She had freaked and bolted from the room that night. She wouldn’t, couldn’t talk about it afterward other than tell Andrea she was sorry and it’s not a good idea, she couldn’t stand that captive feeling!
Sabine went to bed. When she climbed in, she could tell Andrea was still awake. She had no words to help right now so she forced herself to go to sleep. Tomorrow might bring a better insight to how to fix things. God! How she missed the carefree days of three weeks ago!
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Paige was surprised when Sabine showed up at the house a couple hours early with two bags of groceries.
“I thought we did a ton of shopping the other …. Oh, that was almost two weeks ago” Paige paused. The coma was still throwing off the calendar in her head, and probably would for some time she realized. “So what are you doing home early?”
“I’m going to make dinner early since we will have a bunch of things to discuss and some show and tell this evening.” Was Sabine’s reply as she started pulling stuff from the bags and laying them out on the counter.
Paige was glad everyone seemed to take her ultimatum seriously, or at least Sabine did. She wondered what Henrik and Andrea were going to be like this evening. Her musing was broken by her observations of the various things Sabine was pulling from the bags. She had only seen her do quick microwave stuff or simple box meals like mac and cheese. This looked like she stole an Iron Chefs shopping cart.
“What are you making?”
“If it works and I remembered everything, Beef Tenderloin Medallions in burgundy sauce with squid ink Alfredo on the side, then toffee popcorn for dessert and movie time”
This was not what Paige was expecting in the least.
“Where did you learn to do that? I didn’t know you could cook.”
Sabine paused mid-movement, a pained look on her face.
“I don’t cook, or at least I don’t any more. I learned as a kid. My mother was a professional chef.” She started moving around again, gathering tools and separating ingredients into groups.
“I never knew that. Why did we not know? You never talk about your parents.”
“I don’t….” Sabine stammered for a moment then seemed to collect the words she wanted. “We have nothing to do with each other anymore”
“Oh…I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“They made their choice, and their choice wasn’t their only daughter. Instead, they sided with a stranger against me.” The tone in her voice said the topic was closed. “So, why don’t we talk about what I know and what went down while you were doing your sleeping beauty routine. I’ll talk and cook, and you listen and ask questions. That way when the others get home, they can tell you the next parts I wasn’t around for without needing the full rehash of my parts.”
Paige could see Sabine needed the distraction and her plan made sense. They opened a couple bottles of wine, Sabine cooked and she talked. She told her about the briefings by the Sergeant Major, the military concealed pistol permit, the warning about keeping their heads on swivels, all in as much detail as she could remember.
Paige was really surprised with the issued pistol thing. She was even more shocked when Sabine told her a second one and permit were in her bag for Paige. The Sergeant Major gave it to Sabine for her this morning.
Sabine segued to the issue of political issues on base and the concerns about the prisoner transfer and their ‘Hail Mary’ solution. This meant she had to explain who they brought in and why. Halfway through a bottle apiece, and now Paige was a little tipsy. This made some of the things she was told a little easier to accept, which was part of Sabine’s plan. Not so much as to get her drunk. Just enough to take the edge off.
“The Commander’s and the Sergeant Major’s daughters? They did that for me?” Paige’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“Some of it was how much you and his daughter, the Sergeant Major’s, look alike. Well, when they showed up, an idea was hatched. It wasn’t necessarily the Sergeant Major or the Commanders idea, it was all us little guys being devious. He just knew those two he could trust beyond a doubt.” A shadow passed over Sabine’s face after she said this, causing her to pause. “Well we figured to screw with Frickel’s head even more. The plan was to make him think it was you, all healthy and spry, helping deliver him to confinement far away from where he knew anyone to pull strings for him. I stayed at the hospital with you while Andrea and Henrik did the handiwork of turning Violet into ‘Paige’. From what I understand, it was quite convincing. Andrea had a good picture to show you how close she got the resemblance. They will have to tell you their part.”
After this, it was small talk for a bit, waiting for the others to get home. The food preparation was at just the right pause point to be ready quickly when the others got here. The talk turned serious again as they waited.
“You know he loves you, Right?”
Paige stared at her glass for a moment or two before answering.
“Yeah, and I love him too. He’s like a giant puppy who never learned he was now a two hundred pound dog. He tries to do the right thing, but just doesn’t understand what that thing is. Like now. He wanted to shield me from danger since he couldn’t before and I got hurt. Thank god I didn’t deploy with him! His head would have exploded! I don’t want to break him or change that protectiveness towards me, but, Dammit I need to get him to control it a little better and not try to manipulate me.”
At the word manipulate, Paige saw Sabine shudder and stiffen, if only for a moment. Then it was gone by the time Sabine spoke.
“Yeah, I think that’s a little bit of the problem with Andrea as well. You know she loves you, right?”
Paige almost chokes on a sip of her wine at this comment. This was not something she was expecting to discuss with Sabine.
“Well, I think she’s more in love with the idea of being in love with me.” Paige tried to deflect some. “Besides, I think its just a hold over. She loves you now.”
“I know, but I also know I’m the consolation prize in this and I’m ok with it. I understand my place. I’m a little too broken to give her the love she deserves so how can I be pissed if I don’t get back more than I can give. It would be selfish of me.” Sabine drained the last of her wine and stood up. “I’m going to check the food, do you need a refill?”
“I thought we did a ton of shopping the other …. Oh, that was almost two weeks ago” Paige paused. The coma was still throwing off the calendar in her head, and probably would for some time she realized. “So what are you doing home early?”
“I’m going to make dinner early since we will have a bunch of things to discuss and some show and tell this evening.” Was Sabine’s reply as she started pulling stuff from the bags and laying them out on the counter.
Paige was glad everyone seemed to take her ultimatum seriously, or at least Sabine did. She wondered what Henrik and Andrea were going to be like this evening. Her musing was broken by her observations of the various things Sabine was pulling from the bags. She had only seen her do quick microwave stuff or simple box meals like mac and cheese. This looked like she stole an Iron Chefs shopping cart.
“What are you making?”
“If it works and I remembered everything, Beef Tenderloin Medallions in burgundy sauce with squid ink Alfredo on the side, then toffee popcorn for dessert and movie time”
This was not what Paige was expecting in the least.
“Where did you learn to do that? I didn’t know you could cook.”
Sabine paused mid-movement, a pained look on her face.
“I don’t cook, or at least I don’t any more. I learned as a kid. My mother was a professional chef.” She started moving around again, gathering tools and separating ingredients into groups.
“I never knew that. Why did we not know? You never talk about your parents.”
“I don’t….” Sabine stammered for a moment then seemed to collect the words she wanted. “We have nothing to do with each other anymore”
“Oh…I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“They made their choice, and their choice wasn’t their only daughter. Instead, they sided with a stranger against me.” The tone in her voice said the topic was closed. “So, why don’t we talk about what I know and what went down while you were doing your sleeping beauty routine. I’ll talk and cook, and you listen and ask questions. That way when the others get home, they can tell you the next parts I wasn’t around for without needing the full rehash of my parts.”
Paige could see Sabine needed the distraction and her plan made sense. They opened a couple bottles of wine, Sabine cooked and she talked. She told her about the briefings by the Sergeant Major, the military concealed pistol permit, the warning about keeping their heads on swivels, all in as much detail as she could remember.
Paige was really surprised with the issued pistol thing. She was even more shocked when Sabine told her a second one and permit were in her bag for Paige. The Sergeant Major gave it to Sabine for her this morning.
Sabine segued to the issue of political issues on base and the concerns about the prisoner transfer and their ‘Hail Mary’ solution. This meant she had to explain who they brought in and why. Halfway through a bottle apiece, and now Paige was a little tipsy. This made some of the things she was told a little easier to accept, which was part of Sabine’s plan. Not so much as to get her drunk. Just enough to take the edge off.
“The Commander’s and the Sergeant Major’s daughters? They did that for me?” Paige’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“Some of it was how much you and his daughter, the Sergeant Major’s, look alike. Well, when they showed up, an idea was hatched. It wasn’t necessarily the Sergeant Major or the Commanders idea, it was all us little guys being devious. He just knew those two he could trust beyond a doubt.” A shadow passed over Sabine’s face after she said this, causing her to pause. “Well we figured to screw with Frickel’s head even more. The plan was to make him think it was you, all healthy and spry, helping deliver him to confinement far away from where he knew anyone to pull strings for him. I stayed at the hospital with you while Andrea and Henrik did the handiwork of turning Violet into ‘Paige’. From what I understand, it was quite convincing. Andrea had a good picture to show you how close she got the resemblance. They will have to tell you their part.”
After this, it was small talk for a bit, waiting for the others to get home. The food preparation was at just the right pause point to be ready quickly when the others got here. The talk turned serious again as they waited.
“You know he loves you, Right?”
Paige stared at her glass for a moment or two before answering.
“Yeah, and I love him too. He’s like a giant puppy who never learned he was now a two hundred pound dog. He tries to do the right thing, but just doesn’t understand what that thing is. Like now. He wanted to shield me from danger since he couldn’t before and I got hurt. Thank god I didn’t deploy with him! His head would have exploded! I don’t want to break him or change that protectiveness towards me, but, Dammit I need to get him to control it a little better and not try to manipulate me.”
At the word manipulate, Paige saw Sabine shudder and stiffen, if only for a moment. Then it was gone by the time Sabine spoke.
“Yeah, I think that’s a little bit of the problem with Andrea as well. You know she loves you, right?”
Paige almost chokes on a sip of her wine at this comment. This was not something she was expecting to discuss with Sabine.
“Well, I think she’s more in love with the idea of being in love with me.” Paige tried to deflect some. “Besides, I think its just a hold over. She loves you now.”
“I know, but I also know I’m the consolation prize in this and I’m ok with it. I understand my place. I’m a little too broken to give her the love she deserves so how can I be pissed if I don’t get back more than I can give. It would be selfish of me.” Sabine drained the last of her wine and stood up. “I’m going to check the food, do you need a refill?”
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The smells wafting through the house when Andrea and Henrik walked in were mouthwatering to say the least. Fresh made bread, meaty beef, all served to fire up their appetites. Sabine’s voice came to them from the kitchen.
“Alright, guys, get changed, dinner is headed to the table”
Then Paige’s voice joined hers.
“Hurry up guys, the smell had been killing me! I can’t wait to dig in!”
Andrea and Henrik looked at one another. They were not sure what was going on. Each had a bit of worry for this evening, not knowing how it would go and kind of afraid to ask. Henrik looked at Andrea.
“Well, I guess the condemned get a good last meal.” He smiled to take some of the sting out of it.
Andrea wasn’t in quite as easy going mood. She was still nervous and worried about the statement Sabine made about Andrea loving Paige. She was quivering as she walked up the stairs to the top level where their bedroom was. She could barely make her hands work to unbutton her clothes. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the door open behind her and Sabine come in.
Sabine walked up to her and took hold of her hands to stop their shaking.
“Relax. Everything will be OK.” She started to pick up where Andrea left off with the buttons. “Change clothes and come on down. You and I are good as far as I’m concerned. Don’t worry on my account. What we need to do is get everybody together and talk. We all need some closure on Frickel. Paige won’t be worried any more, I’m not worried about him anymore. You need to not worry about him anymore. Don’t give him the power!” Sabine’s voice turned into a growl. Then she got control of her voice again and returned to the soothing, quiet tones. “Yes, we should be careful. No we shouldn’t live in fear. If we stay afraid, they win. We have to get back to enjoying life. Enjoying life without the fear is the best revenge on bastards like Frickel.” She helped Andrea slide on some comfortable clothes. “Now, let’s go downstairs, have some good food and you guys can tell Paige about how you two tricked the snot out of that idiot. Don’t forget to bring your pad so you can show Paige the side by side pictures. You did one hell of a job!” Then we all move to the couches for fresh toffee popcorn and watch the 80’s style flick of the villain getting tricked by the good guys. This should close the book on our Frickel worries.”
Andrea wrapped Sabine in a passionate embrace. Sabine could feel the shudders of some sobbing and hear Andrea’s muffled voice.
“I’m sorry! You deserve more! I do love you. Please believe me!”
“Shhh. I’m ok, I’m good with things. Don’t worry about us. We are good. Now,” She lightly held Andrea away from her. “Let’s get downstairs before the food I worked on for half a day either gets cold or gets hovered up by that stomach with tree trunk legs!”
Sabine wrapped her arm around Andrea’s shoulder as they walked downstairs.
“Alright, guys, get changed, dinner is headed to the table”
Then Paige’s voice joined hers.
“Hurry up guys, the smell had been killing me! I can’t wait to dig in!”
Andrea and Henrik looked at one another. They were not sure what was going on. Each had a bit of worry for this evening, not knowing how it would go and kind of afraid to ask. Henrik looked at Andrea.
“Well, I guess the condemned get a good last meal.” He smiled to take some of the sting out of it.
Andrea wasn’t in quite as easy going mood. She was still nervous and worried about the statement Sabine made about Andrea loving Paige. She was quivering as she walked up the stairs to the top level where their bedroom was. She could barely make her hands work to unbutton her clothes. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the door open behind her and Sabine come in.
Sabine walked up to her and took hold of her hands to stop their shaking.
“Relax. Everything will be OK.” She started to pick up where Andrea left off with the buttons. “Change clothes and come on down. You and I are good as far as I’m concerned. Don’t worry on my account. What we need to do is get everybody together and talk. We all need some closure on Frickel. Paige won’t be worried any more, I’m not worried about him anymore. You need to not worry about him anymore. Don’t give him the power!” Sabine’s voice turned into a growl. Then she got control of her voice again and returned to the soothing, quiet tones. “Yes, we should be careful. No we shouldn’t live in fear. If we stay afraid, they win. We have to get back to enjoying life. Enjoying life without the fear is the best revenge on bastards like Frickel.” She helped Andrea slide on some comfortable clothes. “Now, let’s go downstairs, have some good food and you guys can tell Paige about how you two tricked the snot out of that idiot. Don’t forget to bring your pad so you can show Paige the side by side pictures. You did one hell of a job!” Then we all move to the couches for fresh toffee popcorn and watch the 80’s style flick of the villain getting tricked by the good guys. This should close the book on our Frickel worries.”
Andrea wrapped Sabine in a passionate embrace. Sabine could feel the shudders of some sobbing and hear Andrea’s muffled voice.
“I’m sorry! You deserve more! I do love you. Please believe me!”
“Shhh. I’m ok, I’m good with things. Don’t worry about us. We are good. Now,” She lightly held Andrea away from her. “Let’s get downstairs before the food I worked on for half a day either gets cold or gets hovered up by that stomach with tree trunk legs!”
Sabine wrapped her arm around Andrea’s shoulder as they walked downstairs.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Henrik wasn’t sure what all was going on so, when in doubt, eat was his motto. His father was always saying that few problems couldn’t be worked out at a table as long as the food and drink kept coming. He stripped down and took a quick five minute rinse off to get rid of a day’s worth of box moving dust and sweat. When he stepped out of the shower, Paige was there. He saw a glint in her eyes and a light rose color to her cheeks to go with her lopsided grin. Before he could say anything, she slid up next to him and placed a slim, strong finger to his lips.
“You want to protect me. I love that about you. You just need to let me tell you when I don’t need you to do my battles for me. If I didn’t think your heart was in the right place, I’d skewer it with a stick and shove it back into its proper place.”
Part of his brain wanted to say screw the food, he had her here and she was acting impish, and …….. then he thought about how he didn’t want to ruin the moment by squishing her hurt ribs and lung. He would need to wait and just enjoy she was feeling good enough to be playful again. By the time these thoughts played out, she was already sliding away towards the stairs. She knew exactly what she was doing, and had done it on purpose. From the stairs up she called back.
“Better hurry up, or I’m eating your share!”
“You want to protect me. I love that about you. You just need to let me tell you when I don’t need you to do my battles for me. If I didn’t think your heart was in the right place, I’d skewer it with a stick and shove it back into its proper place.”
Part of his brain wanted to say screw the food, he had her here and she was acting impish, and …….. then he thought about how he didn’t want to ruin the moment by squishing her hurt ribs and lung. He would need to wait and just enjoy she was feeling good enough to be playful again. By the time these thoughts played out, she was already sliding away towards the stairs. She knew exactly what she was doing, and had done it on purpose. From the stairs up she called back.
“Better hurry up, or I’m eating your share!”
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The dinner turned out to be a happy affair instead of a tense or stressful one for the most part. The food was wonderful. Everyone heaped praises on Sabine for the meal. It was not just tasty. The presentation looked like a five-star restaurant. The jet-black noodles dripped with rich Alfredo. The beef was tender. The burgundy reduction was rich. The homemade bread was plentiful to sop up all the drippings. Paige had stopped with the wine. She needed to focus and more wine wasn’t compatible for the next part of her plan.
Towards the end of the meal, Sabine steered the conversation towards the topic for the evening.
“So, I told Paige about everything I knew leading up to the point you,” Sabine pointed at Andrea, “drove off with Violet to transform her into ‘Super Paige’. You better take it from there about how you pulled it off.”
Andrea was momentarily nervous, then she got into it. She recounted the whole conversation about hair, walk, talk and mannerisms. She had the full attention of her audience. Paige was a little embarrassed and self-conscious that her mannerisms were distinctive enough to be described and mimicked.
Andrea may as well have been talking about wedding preparations, she was so animated and proud of her accomplishments. She next went into the whole process they did at the house. From the hair coloring to the shower with the right shampoo, to the underwear, padding the bra, and then the make-up, she went step by step. Several times Sabine and Henrik tried to ger her to show Paige the picture, but Andrea wasn’t going to spoil it by showing the results too early.
Paige was in awe and also a bit embarrassed at the extent they went. Violet not only wore her uniform; she was wearing everything ‘hers’. Bra? Underwear? Paige thought it was a little too far, and a touch creepy maybe. The next part was maybe even a little creepier. She had to admit; however, the results were absolutely stunning. When Andrea finally showed her the side by side pics, Paige accused her of some photoshop trickery at first, even though she knew better. She stared back and forth between the two images several times.
Henrik started talking about his part, starting with his olfactory observation. Paige was blushing again. Only her Henrik would consider gun oil a perfume. He went on to describe their conversation driving to the base in her Cherokee, culminating in the scene when they arrived at the van. Henrik being the painfully honest boyfriend he was told her about the kiss on the cheek and comment through the open window before he drove away.
Sabine was listening and, more importantly, watching Paige’s reaction as she listened. She could see the whole gambit of emotions playing out on her face. She also was alert to any problems with Henrik and Andrea. She knew after Henrik’s kiss on the cheek confession, it was time to break out the dessert and start the movie.
“Alright everyone, time to move to the couch. I’ll get the popcorn. You guys have seen it. I wrote some note so we can skip ahead through the blank spots, unlike last time. You guys can bail whenever you get too tired or bored, I’ll stick for the whole thing, since I am the one hand receipted for the disk.”
Everyone piled onto the big couch, Paige in the middle, with Henrik on her left and Andrea and Sabine on her right. At the start of the movie, Sabine tried to keep a little disconnect and lightheartedness going with movie theater humor.
“No coming attractions, but we also don’t have to put up with some jackass with a ten-gallon hat or a bouffant hairdo in the row ahead of us.” She had two huge bowls of freshly made toffee popcorn for the four of them.
Paige was a bit surprised when Veronica’s line about ‘the raping of her six-year-old son!’. OK, surprised might be a bit mild. She almost choked on her popcorn!
“Oh, this shit is evil! I’m glad they are on my side!”
The mental torture kept a smile on Paige’s face. Sabine kept fast forwarding the huge blank spot so it took a lot less time to go through than the long slow lead up the first time they watched it. This also moved the feel from creepy horror and suspense to 80’s intrigue and action. Once they got to the bathroom scene, things had settled down to the point Andrea and Henrik were feeling a little silly for their earlier concerns.
The drawn-out violence of Frickel’s demise had everyone silent again. After the fight, everyone was watching Paige, wondering what her reaction would be.
“Well, I guess that takes care of that.” Paige was still digesting what she just saw. She sat there for a few. Sabine took the cue and told the others she would clean up, and they could go ahead and crash. She wasn’t going in until noon so she could sleep in.
Henrik and Andrea knew they still had to go to work in the morning and took her up on the offer. Once they had left, Sabine looked at Paige.
“Did you want to see the final conversation with Violet and Veronica?”
“Yeah, no good reason to stop now.”
They sat and watched Violet and Veronica talking on their drive. Paige was shaken by Violet’s statement about her chances at survival against Frickel and how being knocked out saved her life. Sabine saw its effects and had to speak, had to break the spell.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah, I guess. I knew it was bad, but some part of me didn’t want to admit I would have been killed that day. I’m lucky to be alive.”
“Yup, you’re lucky to be alive, but that’s just it. You are ALIVE! Don’t let him win! You are alive and free and walking around. He is in the hospital until he goes to prison for the rest of his life. Even if he gets parole, he will forever suffer the errors of his ways. Oh, and he will forever think you were the one who stopped him. You were the one he couldn’t defeat! Even though Violet did the leg work, you were the catalyst. You stopped him. Let’s put him behind you as much as we can. If we move forward, he loses more.”
“Your right.” Paige sat there for a few minutes while Sabine moved some more dishes into the dishwasher and started it. Paige seemed to come to some sort of decision. She explained what she was thinking to Sabine.
“So, would it work?”
Sabine thought for a few moments before she answered.
“Yeah, it will work. You stopped the wine before we finished dinner.” She looked at her watch. “So that should be cleared enough by now. Go with a full dose and be careful. Slow and steady, no roughhousing”
“Thanks. Thanks for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you other than die.” She gave Sabine a big hug before leaving the kitchen.
Henrik was asleep when he felt Paige come to bed. She slid in carefully. He could feel her slide up against him. It took a few moments for her to make her way up against him. He felt something different than he expected. She was naked.
“Hey, wait. Are you sure? What about your…”
“SSShhh. My ribs will be fine. I’m alive. I could have died but I didn’t. I intend to enjoy life, since we don’t know how long any of us have. Let me be alive.”
Towards the end of the meal, Sabine steered the conversation towards the topic for the evening.
“So, I told Paige about everything I knew leading up to the point you,” Sabine pointed at Andrea, “drove off with Violet to transform her into ‘Super Paige’. You better take it from there about how you pulled it off.”
Andrea was momentarily nervous, then she got into it. She recounted the whole conversation about hair, walk, talk and mannerisms. She had the full attention of her audience. Paige was a little embarrassed and self-conscious that her mannerisms were distinctive enough to be described and mimicked.
Andrea may as well have been talking about wedding preparations, she was so animated and proud of her accomplishments. She next went into the whole process they did at the house. From the hair coloring to the shower with the right shampoo, to the underwear, padding the bra, and then the make-up, she went step by step. Several times Sabine and Henrik tried to ger her to show Paige the picture, but Andrea wasn’t going to spoil it by showing the results too early.
Paige was in awe and also a bit embarrassed at the extent they went. Violet not only wore her uniform; she was wearing everything ‘hers’. Bra? Underwear? Paige thought it was a little too far, and a touch creepy maybe. The next part was maybe even a little creepier. She had to admit; however, the results were absolutely stunning. When Andrea finally showed her the side by side pics, Paige accused her of some photoshop trickery at first, even though she knew better. She stared back and forth between the two images several times.
Henrik started talking about his part, starting with his olfactory observation. Paige was blushing again. Only her Henrik would consider gun oil a perfume. He went on to describe their conversation driving to the base in her Cherokee, culminating in the scene when they arrived at the van. Henrik being the painfully honest boyfriend he was told her about the kiss on the cheek and comment through the open window before he drove away.
Sabine was listening and, more importantly, watching Paige’s reaction as she listened. She could see the whole gambit of emotions playing out on her face. She also was alert to any problems with Henrik and Andrea. She knew after Henrik’s kiss on the cheek confession, it was time to break out the dessert and start the movie.
“Alright everyone, time to move to the couch. I’ll get the popcorn. You guys have seen it. I wrote some note so we can skip ahead through the blank spots, unlike last time. You guys can bail whenever you get too tired or bored, I’ll stick for the whole thing, since I am the one hand receipted for the disk.”
Everyone piled onto the big couch, Paige in the middle, with Henrik on her left and Andrea and Sabine on her right. At the start of the movie, Sabine tried to keep a little disconnect and lightheartedness going with movie theater humor.
“No coming attractions, but we also don’t have to put up with some jackass with a ten-gallon hat or a bouffant hairdo in the row ahead of us.” She had two huge bowls of freshly made toffee popcorn for the four of them.
Paige was a bit surprised when Veronica’s line about ‘the raping of her six-year-old son!’. OK, surprised might be a bit mild. She almost choked on her popcorn!
“Oh, this shit is evil! I’m glad they are on my side!”
The mental torture kept a smile on Paige’s face. Sabine kept fast forwarding the huge blank spot so it took a lot less time to go through than the long slow lead up the first time they watched it. This also moved the feel from creepy horror and suspense to 80’s intrigue and action. Once they got to the bathroom scene, things had settled down to the point Andrea and Henrik were feeling a little silly for their earlier concerns.
The drawn-out violence of Frickel’s demise had everyone silent again. After the fight, everyone was watching Paige, wondering what her reaction would be.
“Well, I guess that takes care of that.” Paige was still digesting what she just saw. She sat there for a few. Sabine took the cue and told the others she would clean up, and they could go ahead and crash. She wasn’t going in until noon so she could sleep in.
Henrik and Andrea knew they still had to go to work in the morning and took her up on the offer. Once they had left, Sabine looked at Paige.
“Did you want to see the final conversation with Violet and Veronica?”
“Yeah, no good reason to stop now.”
They sat and watched Violet and Veronica talking on their drive. Paige was shaken by Violet’s statement about her chances at survival against Frickel and how being knocked out saved her life. Sabine saw its effects and had to speak, had to break the spell.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah, I guess. I knew it was bad, but some part of me didn’t want to admit I would have been killed that day. I’m lucky to be alive.”
“Yup, you’re lucky to be alive, but that’s just it. You are ALIVE! Don’t let him win! You are alive and free and walking around. He is in the hospital until he goes to prison for the rest of his life. Even if he gets parole, he will forever suffer the errors of his ways. Oh, and he will forever think you were the one who stopped him. You were the one he couldn’t defeat! Even though Violet did the leg work, you were the catalyst. You stopped him. Let’s put him behind you as much as we can. If we move forward, he loses more.”
“Your right.” Paige sat there for a few minutes while Sabine moved some more dishes into the dishwasher and started it. Paige seemed to come to some sort of decision. She explained what she was thinking to Sabine.
“So, would it work?”
Sabine thought for a few moments before she answered.
“Yeah, it will work. You stopped the wine before we finished dinner.” She looked at her watch. “So that should be cleared enough by now. Go with a full dose and be careful. Slow and steady, no roughhousing”
“Thanks. Thanks for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you other than die.” She gave Sabine a big hug before leaving the kitchen.
Henrik was asleep when he felt Paige come to bed. She slid in carefully. He could feel her slide up against him. It took a few moments for her to make her way up against him. He felt something different than he expected. She was naked.
“Hey, wait. Are you sure? What about your…”
“SSShhh. My ribs will be fine. I’m alive. I could have died but I didn’t. I intend to enjoy life, since we don’t know how long any of us have. Let me be alive.”
Side track: Anyone that uses a hot air popcorn popper, as it is popping, drizzle in some honey. Use real honey, local is better, not the flavored cane syrup that is imported. It may take several tries to see how much you like, start out with a little and work up. Taste kind of like caramel corn, but more umami, rich-earthy taste.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Sabine wasn’t sure where she was at. She woke up, drenched in sweat, trembling. Someone was holding her. It was Andrea. Her soft voice was full of concern.
“Do you know where you are now?”
“Yeah. What happened?” Sabine’s throat felt raw and her head ached.
“I don’t know. You were trashing and screaming in your sleep. I tried to wake you up before you woke everybody else up.” Andrea was confused and concerned. This was something new.
Sabine took a moment or two to try and collect her thoughts. She had a wisp of memory lingering from her dream or nightmare. It was mainly the smell of hot dust or sand or concrete. She couldn’t place it. Whatever it was, she knew part of the cause. She didn’t drink much anymore because alcohol was the key to the strongbox in her mind. It unlocked the places she hid all the horrible memories she was trying to keep buried. Hot and sandy, must be deployment related. Thank god it was just that and not some of the other, worse ones from ….
“It was just too much wine tonight. I’m sorry. I should be fine now, why don’t you go back to sleep. I’m going to take a shower and rinse this off.”
“You sure?” The concern was all over Andrea’s face and in her voice.
“Yeah, just some old stuff trying to make its way to the surface. I’ll be fine.” Sabine willed herself to not wobble as she walked do the shower.
She had her epiphany in the shower. As the water poured over her, she knew she had to lance this boil in her psyche, otherwise it could eat her alive. It almost did before. She couldn’t do that to her friends, her only friends. She was stuck. The solution presented itself as she was getting dressed. When she saw it, a sad smile made its way onto her face. She told Andrea she was going early to take care of some stuff and run some errands so she should stay in bed and sleep.
Andrea wasn’t buying it, but she knew pushing Sabine too soon about it would be bad. She figured to pretend to go back to sleep since she wouldn’t be able to really sleep now. She was still worried about Sabine.
Sabine was trying so hard to be the anchor for the group while Paige was hurt. But who helps Sabine? Andrea knew she had to try. Sabine has done so much for the rest of them.
She was so worried about losing Paige she forgot she could lose Sabine the same way as her friend. By God she was not going to find her hanging some where either. It was time to be her rock. After all she had to remember it was Henrik’s responsibility to take care of Paige no matter how much she loved her. She had to admit Paige would never love her like she loves Henrik. Now it was time to figure out how.
“Do you know where you are now?”
“Yeah. What happened?” Sabine’s throat felt raw and her head ached.
“I don’t know. You were trashing and screaming in your sleep. I tried to wake you up before you woke everybody else up.” Andrea was confused and concerned. This was something new.
Sabine took a moment or two to try and collect her thoughts. She had a wisp of memory lingering from her dream or nightmare. It was mainly the smell of hot dust or sand or concrete. She couldn’t place it. Whatever it was, she knew part of the cause. She didn’t drink much anymore because alcohol was the key to the strongbox in her mind. It unlocked the places she hid all the horrible memories she was trying to keep buried. Hot and sandy, must be deployment related. Thank god it was just that and not some of the other, worse ones from ….
“It was just too much wine tonight. I’m sorry. I should be fine now, why don’t you go back to sleep. I’m going to take a shower and rinse this off.”
“You sure?” The concern was all over Andrea’s face and in her voice.
“Yeah, just some old stuff trying to make its way to the surface. I’ll be fine.” Sabine willed herself to not wobble as she walked do the shower.
She had her epiphany in the shower. As the water poured over her, she knew she had to lance this boil in her psyche, otherwise it could eat her alive. It almost did before. She couldn’t do that to her friends, her only friends. She was stuck. The solution presented itself as she was getting dressed. When she saw it, a sad smile made its way onto her face. She told Andrea she was going early to take care of some stuff and run some errands so she should stay in bed and sleep.
Andrea wasn’t buying it, but she knew pushing Sabine too soon about it would be bad. She figured to pretend to go back to sleep since she wouldn’t be able to really sleep now. She was still worried about Sabine.
Sabine was trying so hard to be the anchor for the group while Paige was hurt. But who helps Sabine? Andrea knew she had to try. Sabine has done so much for the rest of them.
She was so worried about losing Paige she forgot she could lose Sabine the same way as her friend. By God she was not going to find her hanging some where either. It was time to be her rock. After all she had to remember it was Henrik’s responsibility to take care of Paige no matter how much she loved her. She had to admit Paige would never love her like she loves Henrik. Now it was time to figure out how.
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