I need a break,
he thought.
I've got a lot of leave built up and I think it's time I took it. Maybe head for the mountains again.
Master Sergeant Andrew Thomas certainly did need a break. Like most soldiers, he preferred doing soldier stuff to being stuck indoors all day every day. He had been a platoon sergeant for a field medical company, and before that a line medic for a company of infantry grunts. Good times, but he had jumped too soon on this promotion when it came up, not fully considering how mind numbing an office job could be. In military parlance, he was "flying a desk." He may have been stationed at popular Fort Lewis, Washington, but this job was anything but fun.
He had earned the honorific of "Doc" during two tours in Iraq with the Infantry. Yeah, everyone made fun of the grunts, but in reality they were what the Army was all about and taking care of them had been a distinct honor. He'd earned his Combat Medic Badge on his first tour as a buck Sergeant and had even been wounded in action, and for one particularly hairy mission he had been awarded a Silver Star for actions that had saved the lives of half a dozen of his guys at great risk to his own well being. His guys loved him as much as he loved them.
Now he was the NCO in charge of medical logistics for a brigade, which meant that he made sure they never ran out of what they needed to treat the wounded and that the medical supplies were always in the right place at the right time. It was an essential job, but he was not a desk jockey by nature and he chafed at the limitations of the position. He thought about it a lot.
Yeah, I made E8, but was it worth it? I should have waited for a First Sergeant slot to open even if I had to go to BFE to take it.
The electronic beeping of his desk phone stirred him from his reverie. He answered it professionally, as always.
"MEDLOG, Master Sergeant Thomas."
"Sergeant Thomas, it's Doctor Robinson."
The words set him on edge. When would these damn doctors learn that they were soldiers first and physicians second? Robinson was actual Lieutenant Colonel Debra Robinson, the Brigade Surgeon. Thomas himself was a Master Sergeant, three grades above Sergeant and with infinitely more experience, and he hated to be addressed as "Sergeant" even though the Army found it perfectly acceptable.
She'd never get away with that shit in the Marine Corps,
he mused.
They use full ranks as forms of address there. Ah, well.
"Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you?"
"Sergeant, I'd like you to drive me to the airport this afternoon."
"Ma'am, isn't the CQ available?" The Charge of Quarters was a junior enlisted troop assigned to run those kinds of errands. Asking Thomas to do it was actually an insult.
"Yes, but I want you to take me. We have several important things to discuss and I won't have to time to go over them with you before I leave. Can you meet me here at 1700?" On the 24-hour clock the military used that was 5 pm.
"Of course, Colonel. See you then."
Even officers get a better break,
he thought as he hung up the handset. Second Lieutenants were addressed as "Lieutenant", Lieutenant Colonels got to drop the qualifier when addressed, and all four of the ranks with stars were addressed as "General." But an enlisted puke with fifteen years in uniform and seven promotions still gets called "Sergeant." So wrong, on so many levels.
Thomas had to admit that while Robinson may not have been much of a soldier, she was a looker. Tall and trim, she made the normally sexless and shapeless Army Combat Uniform look like a fashion statement, filling it in all the right places in just the right way. He wondered if she had hers tailored, although doing that was banned by regulation.
And that face! High, angular cheekbones below sparkling brown eyes, a wide mouth with two rows of perfect teeth, a strong jaw, and a long neck that reminded him of a high fashion model. Like the other female soldiers, she pulled her blond hair back into a tight bun just above her neck. She was obviously smart enough to have conquered medical school, so she was a beauty queen AND a doctor AND a senior Army officer.
Definitely from one of the better neighborhoods in the gene pool,
he thought with a smile.
I guess there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours after work.
****************************************
That was how he found himself rapping on her door frame at the end of the workday.
"You ready, Colonel?"
"Yep, let me grab my stuff and get out of here." She started to reach for a small wheeled suitcase, but Thomas grabbed it first.
"You don't have to do that," she protested.
"It's how things are done, ma'am," he answered with a slight nod of his head. He turned to let her exit first, another military protocol. He followed her out the door, appreciating the rear view with just the slightest twinge of guilt.
"Let's take my car," she suggested. It's a long way and I don't want to use your gas. You can just leave it here when you come back." He followed her lead and they walked to a black BMW X5.
"Nice wheels, Colonel," he opined.
Yep, officers definitely had it better.
"Thanks. Here, you drive," she said, tossing him the key fob. He opened the tailgate and put her bag in the back, then closed it and walked to the right side to open her door. She was already getting in, so he walked around to the other side and eased himself into the driver's seat. He punched the button on the dash to start the engine and adjusted the seat and mirrors for his six-foot, two-inch frame. He backed out of the space and headed for the main road to the front gate.
"So, Andy, how long have you been doing this?"
"Andy"? Did she just call me "Andy"?
He gritted his teeth momentarily.
Fucking doctors.
"This job or the Army, ma'am?"
"Both. And call me Debra."
"Fat chance of that, Colonel. I've been in the Army for fifteen years, in this job for six months."
"Actually, I insist. We'll be working together for a while and formality can interfere with working relationships. Plus, we're not in the office." Concentrating on his driving, he was shocked when he felt her hand come to rest on his right leg as she spoke.
"Ma'am?" He glanced down at her hand, which still rested on his thigh.
"Yes?"
"Ahem...?" He nodded at her hand.
"Does that make you uncomfortable, Andy?"
"More puzzled than anything, Colonel."