Lewis sat in the bed at Darmstadt, inclined up enough to be mostly sitting up, staring at the rain lashing at the window. It was only the first week of September, only two weeks since she'd been out at Atlas, and REFORGER 88 had finally begun this morning.
That meant most of 2/19th was off supporting other units, taking part in the massive 30 day wargame that would cover most of Western Europe. From what she had heard, Atlas would be hosting a Brigade of troops from stateside, getting them used to operating in an NBC environment, teaching them all of the hard lessons that the Atlas crew had learned over the years in the hopes that maybe it would save lives.
Tears ran down her face as she stared at the window, cradling her fiberglass cast covered left arm close. The cast covered her arm from mid-biceps to the tips of her fingers, and if it wasn't for the painkillers in her IV she'd be able to feel the pain from the repairs the orthopedic surgeons had done on her arm.
The Atlas Crew, something she'd been a part of, was beyond her reach now as much as the rain outside the window.
Things would never be the same again.
It felt right to her that it was raining.
The tingling in her legs flared up, taking her breath away, then faded back into the odd prickly numbness that they'd had since the last surgery. She looked away from the window to the end of the blanket, where it was pulled off of her toes.
She willed them to move and watched as they trembled slightly before half curling.
The tingling returned.
She relaxed, watching her toes straighten back out.
The tingling went away.
Relaxing back against the inclined bed, Lewis sobbed slightly, turning her head and looking back out the window where the wind was lashing the rain against the glass.
I'm only eighteen, went through her head. It's not fair. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
She sat in the room, alone, watching the rain on the window.
The stuffed rabbit, a floppy eared brown and white one, watched her with unblinking eyes from where Stillwater had placed it on the dresser next to the two medals Lieutenant Colonel Henry had presented her with.
Like Lewis, it was silent, and just watched.
YOU ARE READING
Third Person - Complete
Historical FictionPFC James Roberts just wanted to serve his country, like his father and grandfather. He left his middle class life to join the military with the hope of making his family proud. Graduating top of his class in Basic Training, attending Advanced Indiv...
