Survivor's Remorse: Brothers of Ink and Steel by Kathryn Thomas Page A
Authors: Kathryn Thomas
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morning than to watch television, but the room was dark.
Leo spoke again but she couldn’t make out what he was saying, his words muddied and blurred in his sleep. She listened carefully until she could make out that he was talking to someone named Miller, and someone else named Hitch or Hitchens. She debated waking him, but didn’t. His dream seemed peaceful. As she watched, he moaned softly, in pain or pleasure.
“No!” he shouted, the word bright and clear in the silence, making her start. “No, no, no…” he murmured as his voice trailed away before he moaned again, twisting slowly under the blanket. “I tried,” he wept. “I tried… I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” he said before his voice, once again, trailed away into whispers that she couldn’t understand. But he still twisted and moved under the blanket, panting and gasping.
“Leo!” Jamie whispered as she sat down beside him. “Leo, wake up! You’re having a nightmare.” She could just make out his face in the glow from the streetlight. It was twisted into the most profound agony imaginable. “Leo!” she hissed a bit louder as she touched his face and felt the wetness of his sweat, and perhaps tears.
His shriek at her touch as he lunged up and away from her made her cry out. He turned to look at her, his eyes wide and unfocused as he panted.
“Leo! Are you okay? You were having a nightmare,” she gasped as she tried to slow her own thudding heart.
She watched as he swam up out of the nightmare, his eyes finally focusing on her. His face twisted, and he reached for her, pulling her into an embrace so tight she feared her ribs would crack. As her arms went around him, he began to shudder and jerk and she heard him gasp as he was racked with sobs.
“Shhh…” she purred as she rocked him, her hand on the back of his head, holding him to her shoulder. “It will be okay, Leo. It will be okay,” she murmured as her own tears began to fall. So much pain...
***
Jamie started awake when Leo stirred, his head still in her lap. The sun was bright in the sky and she could just make out that the clock on the microwave had only three numbers glowing, so it was sometime before ten in the morning. Leo stirred again and then sat up, blinking rapidly, a confused look on his face.
“Good morning,” Jamie said brightly. She smiled as she watched him flush in embarrassment.
“Jamie! I’m so sorry about—”
“Hush now. Nothing to be sorry about. If I had minded you spending the night, I would have kicked your ass out.”
“But—”
“Shhh. Everything is okay. I was glad to be here for you.”
Leo looked at her a moment. “Thank you. I’m sorry I woke you up. And I’m sorry that you had to see that. I…”
“Leo… what happened to you? It’s obvious it was no accident.” She paused, but then continued. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want, but I would like to know.”
Leo looked into Jamie’s eyes for a moment, then decided it was the least he could do. She deserved to know after last night. “I was Sergeant for Second Platoon, Charlie… never mind that… it isn’t important. Anyway, we were on a convoy escort duty and ran into an ambush.” He paused, but she waited, letting him go at his own pace. “It was bad. Real bad. We were pinned down, in the middle of nowhere, with no one to help us.”
When he didn’t seem to want to continue, she spoke. “You were injured?”
“Yeah.”
“Miller and Hitch?”
“Miller was a corporal, and maybe my best friend. First Sergeant Hitchens was the Platoon Sergeant. They were both KIA… killed in action.”
“But you survived, obviously.”
“Yeah. I was lucky. The cavalry arrived just in time.”
Again, Jamie could tell there was more to the story than Leo was telling. While that may have been traumatic, it didn’t explain everything. No… there was
Leo spoke again but she couldn’t make out what he was saying, his words muddied and blurred in his sleep. She listened carefully until she could make out that he was talking to someone named Miller, and someone else named Hitch or Hitchens. She debated waking him, but didn’t. His dream seemed peaceful. As she watched, he moaned softly, in pain or pleasure.
“No!” he shouted, the word bright and clear in the silence, making her start. “No, no, no…” he murmured as his voice trailed away before he moaned again, twisting slowly under the blanket. “I tried,” he wept. “I tried… I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” he said before his voice, once again, trailed away into whispers that she couldn’t understand. But he still twisted and moved under the blanket, panting and gasping.
“Leo!” Jamie whispered as she sat down beside him. “Leo, wake up! You’re having a nightmare.” She could just make out his face in the glow from the streetlight. It was twisted into the most profound agony imaginable. “Leo!” she hissed a bit louder as she touched his face and felt the wetness of his sweat, and perhaps tears.
His shriek at her touch as he lunged up and away from her made her cry out. He turned to look at her, his eyes wide and unfocused as he panted.
“Leo! Are you okay? You were having a nightmare,” she gasped as she tried to slow her own thudding heart.
She watched as he swam up out of the nightmare, his eyes finally focusing on her. His face twisted, and he reached for her, pulling her into an embrace so tight she feared her ribs would crack. As her arms went around him, he began to shudder and jerk and she heard him gasp as he was racked with sobs.
“Shhh…” she purred as she rocked him, her hand on the back of his head, holding him to her shoulder. “It will be okay, Leo. It will be okay,” she murmured as her own tears began to fall. So much pain...
***
Jamie started awake when Leo stirred, his head still in her lap. The sun was bright in the sky and she could just make out that the clock on the microwave had only three numbers glowing, so it was sometime before ten in the morning. Leo stirred again and then sat up, blinking rapidly, a confused look on his face.
“Good morning,” Jamie said brightly. She smiled as she watched him flush in embarrassment.
“Jamie! I’m so sorry about—”
“Hush now. Nothing to be sorry about. If I had minded you spending the night, I would have kicked your ass out.”
“But—”
“Shhh. Everything is okay. I was glad to be here for you.”
Leo looked at her a moment. “Thank you. I’m sorry I woke you up. And I’m sorry that you had to see that. I…”
“Leo… what happened to you? It’s obvious it was no accident.” She paused, but then continued. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want, but I would like to know.”
Leo looked into Jamie’s eyes for a moment, then decided it was the least he could do. She deserved to know after last night. “I was Sergeant for Second Platoon, Charlie… never mind that… it isn’t important. Anyway, we were on a convoy escort duty and ran into an ambush.” He paused, but she waited, letting him go at his own pace. “It was bad. Real bad. We were pinned down, in the middle of nowhere, with no one to help us.”
When he didn’t seem to want to continue, she spoke. “You were injured?”
“Yeah.”
“Miller and Hitch?”
“Miller was a corporal, and maybe my best friend. First Sergeant Hitchens was the Platoon Sergeant. They were both KIA… killed in action.”
“But you survived, obviously.”
“Yeah. I was lucky. The cavalry arrived just in time.”
Again, Jamie could tell there was more to the story than Leo was telling. While that may have been traumatic, it didn’t explain everything. No… there was
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