Mettle of Honor (gxg)

Chapter 9

While the original estimate was that Sara and Justice would be home in a week, it actually took ten days because Sara's knee needed a little extra time to be stable before she was allowed to travel. She's taken a bullet right to the kneecap, and underwent multiple surgeries before they were ready to send her home. The flight back to the US was depressing, because while they were finally going home to see their loved ones, they knew that in the plane's cargo hold, there were several fellow soldiers going home for a very different reason, and they knew that for a little luck, that could have been either or both of them.

               Once home, they were taken to Fort Liberty, just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to be processed and discharged, though with a promotion to Specialist thrown in for good measure. It had been almost a month since they learned that would be their fate, but it didn't make the process any easier. But once that was done, they were picked up by Clive and Sara's mom, Rachel, who were holding hands the entire time.

               Yeah, that shocked the girls too. Evidently, when Clive went to tell Rachel about the girls being lost, she had broken down, and they had ended up grieving together. Rachel even took Clive to a survivors support group that she'd been going to after the loss of her husband. But when he had been able to come back and tell her that they were still alive, that was when things really took off, and she gave him a spurious kiss because she was so happy. That kiss turned into another, and then more, and now they were dating. It was early yet, but they looked happy, and after they had been alone for so long the girls were rooting for them.

               As much as they wanted to drive up to the apartment to see their wives, they couldn't deny a quick lunch with their parents, since they had been so worried about them as well. But once that was done, they drove up to Raleigh-Durham. Sara couldn't drive, not with her right knee in a brace, but Justice was more than capable since it was her left foot that was injured. Her old car, a 2010 Toyota Camry, had been sitting in her father's garage since she had enlisted, but it was ready to be used once more. Each girl packed a few suitcases of clothes so they could move in, and figured they could get the rest later.

               After a two hour drive, they arrived at the apartment complex, which neither girl really remembered after so long, and then made their way inside. Luckily, the building had an elevator, and Justice pulled a suitcase for each of them while Sara followed on her crutches. Justice still had a limp, but it was much more manageable than a new knee.

               "I'm so damn nervous," Sara said shakily as the elevator took them to the third floor. "Everything is so different now. It's weird being back like this."

               "Different isn't bad though," Justice pointed out. "Yeah, we're not in the army anymore, but we're alive and we get to see our wives every day. That seems like a pretty good deal." As confident as Justice was though, she was still anxious as they knocked on the door. Neither of them had ever gotten a key in their original stop to move them in, so they felt like guests at the moment.

               It was Elsie who opened the door, already knowing who it would be. She burst into tears at the sight of Justice, and then stepped gingerly into her arms, wrapping her arms around her giant wife, and clinging tightly to her. Elsie felt her heart soar at the sight of her wife, and the way Justice held her gave her a sliver of hope that things could be repaired.

Sara could see past them and into the room, but there was no sign of Kate yet, which confused her. She was stuck in the hallway, as Elsie and Justice blocked the doorway for a minute before Justice guided them inside, happy tears leaking out of her own eyes.

               "I made it, baby. I'm home for good." Justice was squeezing Elsie tight, though she was confused as to why her tiny wife was crying harder after that statement.