Time Is The Key To Everything

Chapter 26: The Telegram

Paul resisted the urge to squirm beneath the sharp gaze of the recruiting officer. It didn't help that his legs were beginning to fall asleep. The thought almost made him smile. He had sat in his wheelchair for years and now just sitting for a few hours made him restless. The other source of his anxiety came from the fact that the only person who knew he was here was Ama.

He hadn't even told Faizan and Mavridis and he had certainly not told Cassidy. He had spent weeks trying to come up with a way to tell her that he planned on going back to the army. How could he explain that it was something that he had to do? That he would never rest until he faced that which terrified him the most? She had helped him take his first steps, she had mended his broken body and now he had to use it to finish what had started years ago. Ama told him he was crazy. Perhaps he was, but he was here now and there no turning back.

The recruiting officer grunted and Paul snapped back to attention.

"So it says here that you were officially discharged following the unfortunate deaths of all the members of your company except you and two other men. Is this correct?" The man did not sound very sincere as he said this, but Paul ignored it and nodded.

"It also says that you were permanently crippled. You look fine to me. Explain."

Paul coughed. He was more nervous than he had anticipated. "It's true that my legs suffered heavy damaged from a grenade explosion and I have spent the past four years, until recently, in a wheelchair."

"That's a long time in a wheelchair. How'd you learn how to walk again, boy?" Paul winced at the address.

"I was taught, sir."

"By who?"

"Two women. One is a ballet teacher; the other is…a friend."

The officer leaned back in his chair. "So you're telling me that after four years of being incapacitated, you were taught how to walk by two completely unqualified women?"

"Yes, sir."

The man shook his head. "Now that is a crazy story. It's almost as crazy as you wanting to come back to the army. I know a lot of men who would give up more than their legs to escape the front line. Why are you here? What are you trying to prove?"

"Nothing, sir. This war almost took away my legs and now that I have them back, I believe it's only appropriate to finish the job I have started."

"Is that what you think?" The officer almost sounded amused. "To be honest, I'm very reluctant to admit you back into the armed forces. Not only are you a former member of a disgraced unit, but how do I know that you won't suddenly have some leg attack and collapse in the middle of the field?"

"Concerning my former company, there's nothing I can say except that I had the misfortune of being under the command of a man who should have never been allowed to graduate from the academy. Concerning my legs, well sir, you may believe them unqualified, but the two women that helped me walk again are more qualified than any physician I have ever encountered. I don't know what will happen when I'm out there but I can assure you that my burdens will be my own and no soldier will have to suffer because of me."

The officer tapped his pen against the desk and for a second, Paul thought that he would be dismissed. But then the man closed his file and stamped it. The words "Approved" shone in bright red ink on the top.

"I'll tell you the truth Lee, I think you're a fool, but I would get my ass kicked by my superiors if they found out that I rejected a perfectly good soldier. Still, don't make me regret this decision."

Paul stood up. "You won't sir."

"You will report in 24 hours."

"Thank you, sir."