No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

“You know how much you mean to me right?” She nods. I lean over to kiss her and she falls back on the bed. I’m now on the bed with her. We’re frantic trying to remove clothes but she stops us.

“I don’t want a quick fuck.” Mia fixes her clothes and pants.

“Besides knowing your brother’s timing, we’d just get naked and he’s standing in the doorway.” We both laugh as I help her up. She’s standing there against the bed. “I like your hair up like this. You should do it more often; I can see your big brown eyes. I’ll help you downstairs.” She gets on my back for a piggyback ride. I have her small suitcase in one hand, and she has a backpack with her laptop and meds in there.

“He got called into work, is there someone to take me to the place tonight?”

“We can.” Mrs. Edwards stands up. I sit Mia down on the couch.

“I’ll call you later.” I kiss her goodnight. As I drive back to the bar, I feel nervous that I’m not there for her. She seems upbeat and talking a good game but why don’t I believe it?

Chapter Seven

Mia

My parents just left after being here three hours talking to Albert, walking around, and trying to convince me to come home. They don’t think I’m ready for this and I agree with them. Did I just say yes to make Darren happy?

My hands shake as I lay in this comfortable bed. “Just breathe Mia. You can do this.” I can’t even convince myself that this is true. Ever since I woke up from the coma, I can’t sleep with my door closed. I need to know there’s a light shining out there. I never needed a night light before but now I’m afraid of the dark. I take my night pills including my sleeping pill. I try not to take that pill because deep sleep for me is never good.

I finally start to fall asleep to the sounds of the show Heartland on the television.

Laughter coming from the tent draws my attention, I walk in to see my friends playing cards. “Why was I not invited?”

“Because you cheat!” Marcus laughs.

“No I don’t. You’re a sore loser that I know how to play poker better than you.” He shrugs knowing that I’m right. I’m about to sit down next to him when there’s a high piercing sound then explosions everywhere. I was staring at Marcus one minute and the next he’s on top of me, dead. I push him off of me and get up to see what’s going on. Everyone in the tent is dead. “No!” I scream. I grab a gun that was next to the door. I peek my head out of the tent and see soldiers running around with their guns up in the air then scanning the area. I follow suit. I see my captain checking someone’s pulse.

“What happened?” He stares at me with this blank stare.

“Suicide bomber came in as a pregnant woman. After the explosion gunfire started happening. I don’t know who is alive and who is dead. Are you hurt?” I look down to my fatigues to see that I’m covered in blood.

“It’s not mine. I’m okay.”

“Good, let’s move.” We start walking toward the tent that I just left. I sniffle walking past it and knowing that the friends that were in there lost their lives. We’ve been in the same unit since after graduation, five years of friendship built and now gone. I’ll never hear Marcus’s hyena laugh. Karen smacking her gum constantly. Charlie’s book smart attitude to be right about everything. Larry’s snoring when we’re out on missions. I shake my head trying to focus on what’s ahead of me. My captain is yelling things to more survivors. Then we hear a click under his foot.

“Is that what I think it is?” He nods slowly. “How do I dismantle it?”

“Get away from me. There’s no way to disarm it.” He’s calm and collected. He breathes slow and easy. “Soldier, I gave you an order.” I nod as I turn to run. I get so far but I stop. I don’t know why I stopped but I turn to say something to him. Next thing I know the blast from the landmine sends me flying a good ten feet. I land on my back, hard. I’m going in and out of consciousness. I don’t know how long I was lying there before someone came to check on me.

“This one is still alive but won’t be for long if we don’t get her out of here,” someone yells. My neck moves slightly. “Mia, is that you? Oh God it’s Mia!” I don’t recognize the voice.

“What do we have?” a female voice asks the man who is holding my hand.

“Third degree burns on the face and shoulder. Left leg missing and I tied it off so no more blood loss. Blood coming from the back of the head, multiple shrapnel injuries, and I don’t know the extent of everything until I can get her in the operating room.” Operating room, it’s Aaron.

“Aaron, am I going to die?” I barely get the words out.

“Not if I can help it.”

I sit up from my sleep screaming and crying. “Oh my God.” I sob when I feel something bump my right arm and there’s a dog trying to get into my lap. I couldn’t help but laugh at this dog. He’s all white with a black heart shape around his nose. “Hello there. What’s your name?” I hug the puppy then pet him for a little bit before the puppy decided he had other plans. The puppy is standing on my lap with his two paws on my shoulders like he’s trying to push me backward. I lie back down on my back and he curls up on my stomach and falls