Master Sergeant Abraham Marley Forbes had fallen in love.
Chapter Five
Knees bent, crouching as low as seventy-five pounds of equipment strapped to their backs would allow, Abe and his unit moved silently through the jungle. Their senses so heightened by survival instinct they could almost hear their heartbeats, they knew death was out there, waiting. They smelled it, felt it. How many times had they already escaped it and when would their luck run out?
Abe motioned with his head for them to start moving in the direction of a clearing. The village was ahead. They were friendlies. The unit had lived with them for a while, providing some much-needed medical care and getting to know some of the families. If they were lucky they could stop there now.
It took only moments to reach the village. Strange. No one was around, even though it was the middle of the day. Abe tensed, sweat trickling down the back of his neck, his gear suddenly too heavy. He took a step closer to one of the huts and the gear pushed him ankle deep into the muddy ground. Glancing around, he noticed several of the others were already waist-deep in the muck. Another step and Abe was in it to his knees. His hand tightened on his rifle and his pulse raced. He tried licking his parched lips, but his tongue was just as dry.
A little more and he’d be at the nearest door.
He reached out to push on it and shouted, shielding his eyes as the door blew off. His skin burned, but to his surprise he was still in one piece, though waist-deep in mud. Pushing through what was left of the door he stared for a moment at the carnage. Severed heads, the eyes wide in horror, scattered around him. Scraps of wood, dark with blood, lay amidst piles of bloody feet, arms, legs, and hands.
* * * * *
“Abe!” Angela shook his shoulder, her pulse racing.
He turned so fast she didn’t have a chance to react and pinned her beneath him, his eyes glaring into hers. Sweat misted his face and his breath came in short pants. His anger faded suddenly and he sat up, glancing around the room.
“I’m sorry.” He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Must have forgotten where I was.”
Still shaken, Angela also sat up, pulling the sheet around her. Moments ago, she’d awakened to his groaning and thrashing. Moonlight bathing the room told her it was late and Abe was having one hell of a nightmare.
“Are you all right?” She cupped his cheek in her hand. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.” He jerked away from her touch.
She rested her hands on his chest. “But—”
“I said no!” He grasped her wrists and placed them firmly at her sides before lying down with his back to her. “Go back to sleep.”
Angela gritted her teeth. A smart woman would have been afraid of an angry six-foot-three Marine, but a smart woman wouldn’t have slept with him so fast in the first place.
“Give the orders to someone else, Master Sergeant,” she snapped. “I’m not one of your damn soldiers!”
Not bothering to see if he’d reply, she left the bed, taking the covers with her, and trudged to the living room.
She’d just settled onto a corner of the couch and closed her eyes when she felt the cushion beside her sink. Abe wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. Still angry, she contemplated shoving him away as he had done to her.
“I’m sorry,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I shouldn’t have turned you away like that.”
“I was just worried about you, that’s all. When I woke up I wasn’t sure what was wrong at first.”
“It was only a dream. I get ‘em sometimes.”
“Was it about what happened to you?”
“It was about ‘Nam, if that’s what you mean.”
Slipping her arms around his waist, she tilted her face up to his. “Isn’t there someone who can help you with…with that kind of thing?”
“What, you mean a shrink? I’ve been talking to them. They can’t just fix it, though. The mind isn’t like some