Bridges 20

Chapter 20.

It’s a messed up drive for the first part of it with me thinking about Cass’s mood if there was something behind it or if she was just having a day or if it’s something that’s going to come up in our relationship. She is the most awesome woman I think that I’ve, no I know that I’ve ever had in my life but still it’s a relationship and I’ve not had the best of track records.

I had said once after the last relationship with the last girl that I had been with that I’d never again go there. But Cass has been a better woman that my ex and all of her friends.

I’m in a bit of a funk and stewing over the whole thing and I do that, not just my usual stuff but that whole girl thing I guess. I really don’t know any girls really that don’t have the whole over analyze everything that goes on in our relationships.

Lacey’s riding shotgun and turns to look at me after I’ve been driving for like twenty minutes. “Okay spill girl.”

I sigh. “I dunno Lace, it’s just I think that there might be something wrong. Cass seemed kind of I don’t know off? She kind of just was all quiet? Like she wasn’t into going on the trip with us.”

She looked at me. “Well y’know she’s going to have times where she’s not want to do stuff you want to do right?”

“Yeah I know.”

“And you’re in a three way relationship, that’s got to be hard on her head.”

“Yeah…I’ve been afraid of that.”

“Don’t. Look Sam, You and her and Brandon said no bullshit. So unless she comes to you with it leave it. Hell she might just not have come for just the reasons that she said.”

Jenny chimes in from the back seat. “An Cass is a lesbian ‘n all, some of those girls don’t like the same things as the rest of us do. Heck she might not want to have come with us because we was goin shoppin. I hear that some of them girls don’t like to shop.”

Lacey shakes her head. “Y’know I can sort of get that we both got the same parts sex with girl on girl thing but not liking to go shopping? That’s just freaky, that’s almost sick.”

I can’t help but to smile. That’s so Lacey, She might have come home but she brought a lot of New York with her. Jenny nodding along to Lacey’s sage like wisdom just made it oddly better.

We stop at Tim Horton’s and get our coffees for the drive and take a pee before we have to drive too far. I can’t help but wonder if my hormones affected my bladder size because I swear I go to the bathroom way more than I used to before transition.

Lacey takes the chance to nicotine herself up and Jenny and I get a really big box of Timbits. There’s just something about finger foods and being a girl that just fits. There’s a couple of guys checking us out and I whisper to Jenny. “Hey three hot guys at ten o’clock.”

It’s Jenny so she looks at her watch.

“No over there on our left.”

I whisper it and we both end up sneaking peeks and giggling a bit as they notice us noticing and they do that guy thing where they’re vainly trying to look cool or to straighten themselves up to look more…whatever. They’re kind cute in that paving crew, construction worker kind of way.

“Jen, here open up and eat it slowly out of my fingers.”

I take out a cherry filled Timbit and feed it to her sexy slow and her eyes widen but they sparkle too. I move it just a little back and forth getting some powdered sugar and cherry filling on her lips and she licks them off. Then my fingers and takes one from the box herself and feeds me one too. I make it really slow and seductive.

They’re really staring at us now, you can almost see their heads turning to follow the Timbits from me to Jenny and then we stop and smile and wave at the guys and run out laughing and giggling and Lacey’s got a smile on her face as she walks up to me hugs both of us then she kisses me and slides her hand over Jenny’s butt and squeezes. She’s a good kisser, not Cass but still a good kisser. Lacey breaks the kiss with me and wave through the window at the three guys who are looking like someone smacked them with a fish.

We pile into the truck and I gun it at the turn out of the parking lot, squealing my tires just like being back in high school all over again. We crack up laughing and howling and just being girls even if the only one young enough to still have that apply to her is Jenny.

But this; this is what I’d been missing out on growing up like I did. I never really did the whole hanging out thing that much and this, this feels good. It feels like I’m catching up on who I really am.

We laugh until out sides are hurting and the Lacey pulls out her phone and shows us the recording of me and Jenny doing that all over again but she’s panning back between us and the reactions of the guys too. It sets us all off on another fit of laughs and giggles and an hour of the three of us talking about all the cute guy merits of each one of them. I point out from my own experience when the guys are doing a crotch check because things are starting to bind on them, which just causes more laughter.

The next thing I know Lacey has a mixed CD in the stereo and we’re listening to cruising songs as we drive headed to Vancouver.

(*in the following are snippets of the songs they're singing along to.)

* “Life is a Highway! I would ride it all night long!”
“If you’re going my way! I would drive it all night long!”

* “Hey now! You’re an All-Star, get your game, go play!”
“Hey now! You’re a Rock-Star, get the show on, get paid!”
“And all that glitters is gold…”
“Only shooting stars break the mold…”

* “It’s been one week since you looked at me!”
“Cocked your head to the side and said I’m angry!”
“Five days since you laughed at me, saying get that together, come back and see me.”
“Three days since the living room.”
“I realized it’s all my fault but couldn’t tell you.”
“Yesterday you’d forgiven me, it’ll still be two days till I say I’m sorry.’

* “Well shake it up baby now…!”
“Twist and Shout!”

* “’Cause I’m TNT, I’m dynamite!”
“And I’ll win the fight!”
“TNT!”

* “Dirty Deeds and they're Done Dirt Cheap!”

And the songs and the singing at the tops of our lungs keeps going stopping once more for gas and a pee just before we head into to Vancouver Island and on our way to CFB Comox.

The girls are appropriately awed the closer we get to the base. Comox is a pretty big place and is pretty much the big cheese on this coast. Canadian Armed Forces…we do it all. Comox has got Navy and Air force as well as Reg-forces and everything else including trainees and is also a busy airport. But there’s several segmented and sectioned off areas that are strictly for CAF use only.

The guards check us out at the gate and I show my ID and the girl on duty checks the computer and the hard-sheets and smiles at me. “Welcome back lieutenant, ill get you to pull over there so we can take a look at your cargo and get some visitor passes for you friends and then get you on your way.”

We pulled over to the main security building and checked in with the corporal there and he took us inside and got us set up with the office crowd as he and a customs guy went over our baked goods and we had our ID’s checked and I got a couple of looks and she went and got her Captain. It was Lolly Tate.

Lolly, yup His parents were a little off when they named him that but hey I was named Samaritan so who am I to judge. He talks to the girl and she looks at him. I hear the whispered “Really?” He said something and nods then comes over and Hugs me.

I wasn’t expecting the hug. I’m glad for it though. He pulls back and stares at me taking me all in. “Well Samaritan Chase aren’t you the vision of lovely now. Or is it Samantha now?”

“No It’s still Samaritan, I never really wanted to change that. It’s unique and it helps me feel closer to my folks and everything. But People still mostly call me Sam.”

“Sam it is then, but Samantha suits you very nicely.”

He gives me this exaggerated eye waggle that sets me off laughing. I pull Lolly’s hand and haul him over to meet Lacey and Jenny.

“Girls this is Captain Lolly Tate. Lolly, this is Jenny who’s my housemate and the little sister I never had and this is Lacey my best friend and high-school ex.”

He hugged them and shook hands with both of them before saying. “Our Sam’s something else ain’t she. I really should’ve known she was an Angel when she showed up in that creek over in there. I took an AK round to the leg and as big as I am she patches my up so I don’t bleed to death and hauled my butt to the trucks.”

“I was just doing my job Lolly.” I’m starting to blush.

“Yeah and you took a round to your vest plate getting me out of there. Lookit Sammy there’d be a bunch of guys dead if you weren’t there out in the field and we all remember you for it.”

“Lolly……” I almost whine turning red but Lacey has this…oh…this got real look on her face and Jenny and some of these kids in the office are staring at me like…It’s a total change around from when I first came in.

We make some small talk as we get our papers and he goes with us over to Logistics and shipping which are these really huge warehouses a huge amount of gear and supplies goes through here. The relief supplies for the tsunami that hit Thailand and Sri Lanka and other places comes through here, anything you send to Afghanistan comes through here.

We get introductions to the crews handling care packages going over there by Lolly and soon we’re getting names and wrapping the bakery boxes up for the guys and girls over there first in x-mas paper then in regulation brown shipping paper so they’ll get surprised when they open it and see the x-mas paper inside.

We’re eating extra cookies as we wrap and Jenny started singing x-mas songs with that lilting southern accent and honestly it caught on. There were lots of pictures taken and She’s a good ol girl in the best way and getting to have her picture taken with our troops was such a huge thrill to her.

She even sang the sweetest version of Oh Canada I’ve ever heard in a long, long time. I’m not the only one to get choked up over it. By and large we Canadians don’t generally go overboard on national pride that you can see. But just scratch the surface…it’s red and white under there. Especially with armed forces personnel. There’s clapping at her from some of us.

I’m cleaning up when a jeep pulls up and two MP’s get out. They come over to me. “Lt. Chase?”

“Yes? How can I help you Sergeant ?”

“The Commander and Colonel Masterson would like to see you Ma’am.”

I blink at the Ma’am, I’m so not used to that. I nod. “More than happy to gentlemen. Lacey, Jenny I’ll be back are you two going to be okay?”

Lacey waves me off. “Go on, we’ll be fine we’ve got lots here still to keep us busy.” she winked and head gestured to some of the cuter guys that we’ve been working with. I roll my eyes and head over to the jeep. The Corporal moves from sitting in the shotgun seat and sit’s in the back. “Ma’am.” He nods to me.

We drive to command and they even open the door for me. Then it’s down the hall and up the stairs to the 4th floor. You take the stairs, it’s considered good form to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Down the hall to reception. I look at the operations officers. “Lt. Chase. I was told to come here for the Commander and Colonel Masterson.”

He looks at me then at his various charts. “Ah Yes just wait here and I’ll let the Colonel know you’re here.” I take a seat in one of the nearby chairs. I’m sort of nervous. The Commander could want to see me for about a thousand reasons. Colonel Masterson is the head medical officer for this section of the country in essence he’s my boss. There’s likely some one over him but I generally get my orders from him.

Oh-boy, he actually comes out to see me. “Sam, come with me please.” Yeah he can call me by my first name. It comes with spending time with a man up to your wrists in some poor Arab kids guts. We served together in my first tour over in Golan Heights peacekeeping there. I get up and follow him to his office. He looks me over. “It seems that you’ve turned out to be quite a striking young lady.” I blush a bit.

“Thank You Colonel.”

“Well I’ve some good news and some just news.”

“I’ll take the just news first sir.”

“Alright, We need you back Chase. We’re running low on good medical personnel. Now we’re not requesting you for field duty but I need you here part time teaching.”

“Teaching?”

“Yes teaching, now there’s some stuff you need to brush up on and I want you to take two twelve hour shifts at St. Luke’s in your hometown to get up to speed and to start training to become a nurse practitioner. You think you’re up for something that big?”

“I’m not sure sir, I’m still in treatment for my PTSD issues.”

“I know and I’m sending you to a CAF certified local doctor so things will be easier for you getting therapy.”

“That’d be great sir. Can I think about it?”

“Oh course, now how about the good news.”

“I can always use some good news sir.”

He passes me an envelope. I look at him and he nods and I take the papers out. I start reading…. “Are you sure, I mean has she discussed this with you sir?”

He looks at me. “More than past the allotted time, I’m confident in her decision.”

I look back to the papers….. I just got the nod, the big nod. My shrink just said I was more than ready and emotionally stable enough…To get my final surgery. I’m crying it’s such a weight leaving It’s getting to me, It felt like a way holding my breath for a long, long time.

“There’s more.” He says smiling at me.

“M...More?”

“Yes, we’ve had this opening Sam, we can fit you in for SRS as soon as next week.”

“N..next week? For SRS?”

“Yeah, there was another patient in the services we were doing this for ahead of you and her spot became open.”

“Open?”

“Yes, apparently her surgery wasn’t coming in time and she lost her fight with depression and she filed her final discharge papers with a .45.”

“Oh….” I look down, tears there my own relief mixed with if it wasn’t for Brandon…

He sets his hand on my shoulder. “Look Sam, take this. If this helps in anyway to keep you from doing what Nicole did then it’s worth it.”

“Okay…where do I sign.”

“I’ve got the papers right here.”