A War on Two Fronts (Peterick)

Chapter 16

-Pete-

"Patrick! Say something!" I begged in a hushed tone trying not to wake the rest of the camp.

"And say what?" Patrick snapped back.

"Is this about what happened in the hole? Just let me help you."

"I don't know how to let you help me." He said looking down.

"Just let it out. Talk to me about it." I said grabbing his hands in mine.

"Pete... I... I killed someone today..." He pulled his hands away. "I shot him between the eyes while he was begging and crying for mercy. What kind of person does that make me?" I noticed the tear rolling down his cheek.

"Patrick... He was going to kill you if you didn't shoot first. If you didn't fire that first shot, you wouldn't be here with me. That doesn't make you a bad person. You are the single greatest person I know."

"But how am I supposed to live with myself knowing I killed him?"

"How could you live with yourself if he killed you?" I asked.

"Pete. That makes no sense. I'd be dead."

"Exactly. And I can't have you leaving me here by myself."

"But... but the guilt is eating me away." He said.

"Like any wound, it will fade and pass with time. Its still fresh in your mind, but as time goes on, it will get better. I promise." I pulled in for a hug tightly and he returned it with a warm embrace.

"Thanks, Pete... I don't know what I would do without you." He said with a smile on his face.

"Probably drown in your own self pity." I said as a joke.

"I know that's a joke, but its probably true."

Silence.

"Hey, 'Trick. Why don't you write in you're notebook anymore?" I asked. "I haven't seem you write in it since before we left boot camp."

"There's no one over there. You're the only person that matters and keeps me grounded anymore. Not anybody back home. I don't have to write to someone who is always here, so I never write. You're my rock Pete. I lean on you when I feel like I'm going to fall and you never let me down."

I love him so much... I think to myself as I'm filled with a warm happiness. I look at him in the eyes, then the lips and almost go for it.

Woah Pete. You don't want a repeat of what happened last time.

So I back off.

"It goes both ways Patrick. I need you just as much as you need me." He blushes. "We should get some sleep. Goodnight Pattycakes."

"Goodnight."

I love you. I wish I could say. My last thoughts and dreams of that night are of Patrick.

* * *

The next few days are made up of marching. Nothing could have prepared me for this. My feet were always sore and tired and my knees always weak. But at least I get to spend my days with Patrick.

"Hey guys." Joe walks up to Patrick and I casually.

"Hey." Patrick says.

"Sup?" I asked.

"I hate to intrude, but can I borrow Pete for a minute Patrick?"

"Sure. Take him. Now I don't have to babysit him." Patrick joked.

"Cool." Joe said, pulling us to the back of the group.

"What's up, man?" I asked.

"So, how are you and Patrick?" He asked.

"I told you, there's nothing going in between Patrick and I."

"Shut the fuck up. I see the way you look at each other and how you never leave his side." He said nudging my side with his elbow.

"Okay, so what if I do love him?" He doesn't love me. He made that very clear."

"And when was that?" Joe asked.

"Back in boot camp."

"People can change in that amount of time, no matter how short a time it was. There's something between you two that I've never seen you have with anyone else."

"That's because everyone else was just a one night stand." I said.

"Exactly. You need to tell him how you feel."

"Why do you care so much?" I asked.

"Let's call it a personal investment. I know we weren't all that good of friends back home, but being here has showed me you have to value what you have."

"Oh.. Another thing, I thought you hated gay people?" I said puzzled.

"Yeah well... like I said, people change."

"I guess."

"You should get back to your boyfriend. Go on." He says pushing me forward. I roll my eyes and pick up my pace to catch back up to Patrick.

"Hey." I said.

"Hi. What did he want?" He asked.

"Just to talk about some personal things."

"Oh." He said.

As we were walking, the road become less defined and we were soon walking in fields of tall grass and jungle ferns. The sun was just just hitting noon when the first explosion was triggered.

My first instinct was to grab Patrick and hit the ground but another explosion detonated much closer.

"Pete! We have to get out of here!" Patrick yelled as he stood up and grabbed my held helping me off the ground.

Land mines were going off all around. Yellow orange explosions sent dirt, and men flying in all directions.

"PETE! PATRICK! OVER HERE!" Joe yelled motioning for us to come towards him. I hope he knows what he's talking about.

Patrick and I take of running in that direction, the forces of the blast almost knocking us off our feet. Before we can get to Joe, a mine explodes behind us. I fly forward away from Patrick.

"PATRICK!" I scream. My vision is blurry and my ears shot from the explosion. All I hear is a high pitched ringing. I feel someone slam into me and help me off the ground.

Thank God. Its Patrick. Looking up, I see Joe running towards us. Then another mine goes off right under Joe, and he was gone in the blink of an eye.

"JOE!!" I tried to run to save him, but Partick was holding me back.

"You can't save him Pete. He's gone." He told me.

I fought against Patrick but he somehow held me back until the explosions died down and there were no more.

Through tear filled eyes I looked for Joe, but he really was gone.