So I got the inspiration for this one as i watched the news and saw so many troops coming home for Christmas. This is sort of a departure from my usual stories, but even i have a semi softer side. As normal i hope you find some enjoyment of this one and comment if you like it. I also want to say thanks to my new friend accents and tattoos for her help in editing this and making it more readable. Enough words from me kids as always enjoy the show!
For a love that wasn't supposed to be, theirs was always tested. Brent Edwardson was still in Kuwait as he had just come from a hellish nightmare that was the war in Iraq. For the past two years he was neck deep in some heavy violence that claimed the lives of several of his fellow squad members. For all his time in only one thought kept him going. The one thing he kept in the brim of his helmet for luck was a picture of his wife Jessica and their daughter Melissa.
Walking back from his command post office he had two bits of good news. The first was he had just got his rotation orders and was going home. The second was his wife had sent him a care package. In his room he opened the box and inside was a number of CD's. He listened to them with his roommates and the new rock songs he hadn't heard made him love his wife even more.
He got a sappy mix CD of love songs that made him smile deeply as he listened to the sounds of them. His heart was feeling more for her than the songs could say. The last thing he found at the bottom was a DVD with a note attached.
It read "A Xmas gift for my baby from his baby!"
Putting on the DVD he was greeted by the sight of his two year old little girl Melissa being held by his beautiful wife Jessica. The way they played with the camera made even the hardened troops watching the DVD with him smile warmly.
A few gave him shit about how hot Jessica was and how she could ever be with him. Brent took the jibes in stride as they watched on and then the play time with Melissa ended, much to his chagrin. He hadn't seen her since she was two months old and now she was two and getting big. Time had flown by too fast.
As he watched the music video he thought of Melissa and how tiny she was in his arms the last time he saw her. His attention went back to the video when he heard giggling and two girls talking. One voice he knew was Jessica; the other was her friend that he couldn't place the name of. Brent got a smile as he thought back to how his life had gone from shit to great with Jessica and he chuckled softly as he gazed at the video further.
Brent grew up in the seedier parts of Cleveland, Ohio. He and his mother lived alone, as she was constantly kicking one loser after another from their small trailer home. From an early age he was a trouble maker. It was a constant battle for authority with teachers and he made a huge mistake of hanging with the cool kids.
Brent had little to offer his "friends" and they treated him like a stray dog for the most part; unless they needed his help with a rival. He had an uncanny ability to win any fight thrown his way and with his crew that was quite often. He would beat his opponent and only then would he feel like he belonged; like they needed him and made his feel special.
They gave him pot and alcohol and he even had sex with the cool girls a few times. It all came to a head when the hottest girl from his crew made a mistake of bringing some pot to school. She didn't want to get caught with it so he took it and held it for her; he almost got away with it. However it didn't work as the bag slipped from his pocket right in front of a school police officer no less.
Being kicked out of school was expected for him, as he was a repeat trouble maker. His outlook on life was very bleak. As he sat in his room one day an epiphany came to his mind. He was being so very stupid with his choices in life. Knowing he needed to get away from this life he knuckled down hard and at nineteen he got his G.E.D.
Brent found an opportunity to leave the misery of his life and joined the Army shortly after he got his graduation papers. Desperately wanting to get away from all his troubles he volunteered for the new Stryker Brigades. Brent went to the training center at Yakima in Washington State.
Soon after he was done training he was deployed to Iraq for nineteen hellish months. The time there was pure hell as he saw many friends killed and many more wounded. He was not spared the harshness of combat as he was wounded three times and was involved in several ferocious fire fights.
After the tour he returned to training at the center. At twenty two years old and three years under his belt, he was already a seasoned veteran and was promoted to the rank of Specialist Four. He worked hard to train up the new recruits who were training to embark on a road he would hate to travel again.
Getting a day pass he went to town one fateful day and his life was changed forever.
Jessica Martin was what every man wanted. Her stunning looks and nice personality made her a target of every man and creep in a six mile radius. At five foot five she was not a tall person, but she made up for it in personality. It was like looking into the eyes of an angel sometimes as her infectious smile was so demanding it ripped a smile from even through someone with a dour exterior.
Her laugh could start a small riot when she was in a good mood and more than once it had. But for all her looks and charm Jessica was a nice, down to earth girl. She worked hard in school and graduated with honors. She was on the softball and track teams and did well at both. Her friends all agreed she was the "It" girl on campus and when she turned down a scholarship to work with the needy it made everyone freak out.
Jessica's parents were what some people called blue bloods. They came from an old family that had made a good living in the timber markets of Washington from an early time. They had expanded into several trucking companies that still ran to the day and even held shares in the local food markets. She was not lacking in money, but what she was lacking in was a decent person to spend her time with.
For a time she dated a "nice" guy her parents fawned over. After three months she ended their relationship because he was a stuck-up jerk. Her parents were furious that she dropped him but she became adamant about staying single because of him.
Her life also met a strange path when she was working at the local children's club. It was an after school program designed to keep kids away from the troubles of the urban lifestyles. While it did help some kids it couldn't save them all. She was threatened several times and even had to run to her car to get away from the local thugs trying to intimidate her. One day it came to an unusual turn.
She was walking to her car when she bumped into Brent and everything changed. They had an interesting conversation which consisted of Brent asking for directions to the nearest Laundromat, which made Jessica laugh. She noticed Brent had no clothes to wash. When she pointed this out she found his smile to be something nice and gave him her number.
A few dates turned into a few more then it led to a kiss one magical evening. The kiss they shared that night was something neither was prepared for. Jessica felt her whole body lifting off the ground when her lips met his. Brent felt his being shocked to the core by the sweetness of her lips. Neither could help when the sweet kiss became a bit more passionate. What started as a simple peck spiraled into a full blown make out session. It was Brent that stopped the kiss by pulling back and staring into her eyes. He could see in her hazy eyes that she wasn't upset he had pulled away. At that moment they both knew what was happening between them was pure magic.
Time flew by for the lovebirds and soon they found themselves on a strange footing. Brent would spend his nights in the barracks with his eyes open looking at a picture of her on the ceiling above him. Jessica spent her nights cuddled in her bed looking at his picture on her nightstand. They finally agreed after eight months of being an item that it was right.
Her parents on the other hand had far more to say about it. They refused to allow their daughter to marry a man like Brent. It wasn't that he was nice; it was he just another useless dreg in her father's eyes. Her mother had little nice things to say about him as well. Brent took the berating from her father like a man. When her father was done Brent gave him a dark smile and walked up to Jessica and kissed her fully on the mouth in front of them. Her father protested what he was doing but Brent's glare tore into her father's eyes and caused him to back away from the couple.
"I love Jessica and no matter what you say to me; nothing will change that!" he said firmly to her father's face.
Jessica's eyes misted over when she saw Brent standing up to her father and she ran to his side. She tore him from her father and they ran out the door hand in hand. They piled into his car and Brent sped off into the night.
They drove until they found themselves in front of a jeweler. They selected their rings and their next stop was at the local courthouse. He looked very casual in his khakis and button down red shirt and Jessica wore a sundress and flats. The judge may have raised an eyebrow at them as they stood before him but he performed a quick ceremony nonetheless and after a sweet kiss Brent and Jessica were married.
Brent caught hell from his command for marrying without letting them know ahead of time. He took the discipline without complaint but he knew he would have left for her if they had forbidden him from being with Jessica.
Life was a difficult process for the two as Jessica's parents cut her off and she had to get a job. Brent found an apartment for them to live in as the only fortunate thing going for them was his steady paycheck. Between that and the job Jessica found they made due at first. Another helping factor was Jessica's friend Laura. She put them in touch with a military friendly landlord who took them in.
Their lives got more complex when Jessica announced she was pregnant with their first child. Her parents flipped out on during the announcement over the phone and made her break down crying. The first three months were difficult and there were times she thought of an abortion but she knew she couldn't do that to Brent. Every day when he came home from the base her eyes filled with happiness at the sight of him. She had a feeling life was going to be alright.
Their lives got a bit easier when she was offered a good job at a high end department store. She was a great sales person and made a good commission each month. Slowly their lives got better and then Melissa was born. Brent had just gotten back from a horrible training period when he found her in the bathroom crying. She was sitting on the toilet in agony as he came in. Jessica let him know her water had broken and he got wide eyed.
He got her into the car and drove her to the base. On the base their beautiful baby girl took her first breath and mother and father held her tight. Bringing their child home was a great moment for both of their lives as the act validated they were a family now. The joys of caring for the child however was short lived. It was just two months after Melissa was brought home that he was told of the upcoming deployment back to Iraq.
Brent maintained a brave front as he was given the news. With a heavy heart he packed his gear in the apartment and Jessica helped. They folded the clothes neatly and placed them in the duffel bags and Jessica held her tongue for as long as she could. When she finally had enough of the silence she broke it abruptly.
"How long this time?" she asked as she folded one of his green t-shirts.
