The Innocent Soldier - Linstead

The Innocent Soldier - Chapter 1

Erin's POV:

My phone starts ringing just as I'm walking out the door. I see that it's Jay and I grin from ear to ear. Jay is just getting back from his 3rd tour in Afghanistan. After this one ends, he should be done for awhile, if not, for good.

"Hey."

"Hey, my plane just landed.."

"Okay, I was just about to head to the docks to watch the firework show. Want me to come get you?"

"Oh I forgot about that. No, I can get a cab. The docks on the west side right?"

"Yeah. Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Yeah I'm fine. You go ahead, I'll meet you."

"Okay then, I'll see you there, love you!!"

"Love you too!"

*At the docks* 

"JAY!" I yell right after he sneaks up behind me. I jump into his arms and he grips tight. Yeah we talked on the phone like 20 minutes ago but I haven't seen him for 4 months. "Hey baby." He says as he's slowly putting me down.

"The fireworks start at 9:30 and its 8:00 now. You want to go get something to eat?"

"Erin, get to know me already. I'm always hungry."

"I do know you, I'm just being polite."

We continue to walk to the restaurant on the river as we're holding hands. God have I missed him. I've gotten tired of waking up to an empty bed, having to wake myself up, or making myself pancakes. I've missed the smartass comments too, surprisingly enough. All the guys at work have tried to keep me company, even "Doctor Halstead" tried, but nothing could compare to Jay. We get to the restaurant and eat. It's now 9:00 and I want to go get a seat with a good view.

"Hey we gotta get going. I know this apartment building with a great view that has always allowed a few people to sit there for the show."

"Sounds good."

We get to the apartments parking lot and lean up against a pole holding the cement awning up. Its a minute or two until the show starts. Jay has his arm around my waist and we're still leaning against the pole.

"Hey I gotta go to the bathroom before it starts."

"Okay but hurry up, it's starts in a just a minute."

"I'll try."

As soon as he turns around to make his way into the building, the show starts. I turn around to see if he even made it in yet and I see him covering his head and sprinting into the building. "Somethings wrong" I think to myself and I sprint after him, completely forgetting about the fireworks. I run in to see him in a corner covering his head and ears like he's being shot at.
"Jay! What's wrong baby, I'm here, I'm here" I say trying to calm him down. I crouch down to his level and he's shaking violently. I look and his eyes are closed. I sit by him trying to calm him but nothing is working. The fireworks stop and he slowly lifts his head. "I'm sorry, Erin. I thought I could handle it." He whispered as he leaned into me. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here."

I wrote this to try and bring attention to holidays like Memorial Day. There are PTSD victims all around. Not just from war, but from the police force, firefighting backgrounds, hospitals, abusive pasts, rape victim pasts, etc. PTSD is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It can lead to suicide, self harm, or the harm of others. It's most common in war veterans but anybody can have it. Below is a picture of a war veteran hiding from fireworks because they thought they could handle it, but they found out the hard way, that they were wrong.

With holidays like these, there are a lot of careless people out there who use fireworks like toys. A lot of people use fireworks in compact neighborhoods, like mine. Just please, before you use fireworks anywhere near another house, apartment building, etc, ask if any of those residents are sensitive to fireworks, or loud sounds. The sound of a firework is very similar to a gunshot, and it could trigger a bad memory and send the person into distress. Please be aware of your surroundings on holidays like this. If you have Anxiety, PTSD, or even if you think you might have either or, please tell someone, get help. There's nothing wrong with you, it's what happened to you. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Thank you.