Trouble, with a capital T. - Nestor Oceteva

19th August 2011

I don't know how long I prayed to see his face again but eventually I woke in a hospital room. I waited for a while hoping he was just getting something to eat but he never came. The doctor came in, his English wasn't good and I couldn't speak Turkic. With the help of a nurse to partially translate they told me the bullet narrowly missed everything major but I needed two transfusions for all the blood loss. The doctor gave me a sealed envelope with the Navy emblem on it before he left.

I let it sit for three days before I got the balls to open it. Ripping the top off, I found a folded letter stamped with the navy emblem and another thicker sheet of paper. Taking a deep breath I broke the seal and opened the letter.

Petty Officer Nadia Lopez.

You are hereby stripped of your title and dismissed from the services of the United States of America's Naval Unit.
Dismissal is upheld under section 4: failure to notify your superiors of a pregnancy and for having sexual relations with a fellow crew member.
This is effective immediately.
Any belongings onboard are the property of the government and will not be returned.

Regards,
Lieutenant Officer Julia Matthews

THAT BITCH! I knew wanted Nestor and she had it in for me from the moment she stepped on that deck. I was fuming. There was only rumours about Nestor and I, no proof so she had to make up some bullshit pregnancy tale. I pressed the emergency call button. This was easily sorted.

The nurse came rushing in and froze when she saw me ripping the IV out of my arm and the cords stuck to my chest. "I need a blood test done to prove I'm not pregnant." The nurse looked at me with furrowed eyebrows and I thought maybe she didn't understand the question but she answered with her heavy accent. "That won't be possible. You are 13 weeks along."

I was glad I didn't have the monitors connected, I didn't need the blaring alarms proving how much I was panicking. I could hear the blood rushing through my ears and starting fumbling around for the phone on the beside table. I don't know how I didn't throw up from the sick feeling in my stomach.

I had to take a second attempt to dial the number as my hands were shaking so hard. The call connected to the US Naval Base automated system. I hit 2 for a direct line to a ship. "USS Liberty II" It rang for a while before Griggs whiny voice answered but I cut him off. "Put me through to Officer Nestor Oceteva." "Who is this?" I didn't know whether he would hang up if I told him my name but I didn't lie. "It's his WIFE! Put me through to him. NOW!" I heard the line get transferred and the phone connect.

"Hello?" Fucking Julia answered the phon in his room. "Put Nestor on the phone bitch." I heard her shrill laugh. "He doesn't want to talk to you Nadia. You're career is over, don't ruin his too. He knows about the baby, he just doesn't care. Goodbye." The call disconnected and I dropped the phone. I could see the nurse asking me something but my brain wasn't cooperating.

They sedated me because I couldn't shake the panic attack and they didn't want to risk the baby. The baby. I have a baby growing inside me. I don't know what I am going to do. I don't even know how I am going to survive little lone raise a child. I contemplated calling my parents but I couldn't do that to myself. I sat in the bed and brainstormed what I could do to raise money and get Stateside.

I decided that I would go to the US embassy to get a new passport then look into flying home. I was pulled from my thoughts to a soft knock on the door. I looked up, expecting a nurse but found a soldier. He looked around the room first before entering. He looked familiar but I couldn't figure it out. "Hey, I'm Coco, we were on that last op together." Ah that makes sense. "Hey I'm Nadia, what are you doing here?"

He sagged down at the chair beside the bed, making himself comfortable. I raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, after all he's the first and last visitor I'll have. "One of my boys is down the hall, thought I would see how you are doing? I haven't seen your team come by." Fucking baby hormones, I tried but I couldn't stop the tears that ran down my face. He looked panicked, he didn't know how to comfort me and it made me laugh a little bit.

"Dishonourable discharge. There's no one coming back for me." He ran a hand through his scruffy hair. "Shit, sorry Nadia. Can you fight it?" I snorted thinking of my failed attempt to disprove it. "Not really, it's gonna be a little human in about six months. I only found out when I woke up here." I could hear Coco mumbling to himself, maybe it's his thing. "When are you heading home?" Hmm good question. "I need to get a passport first, until then I am fucked. The kept everything. My ID's, passport, credit cards. Everything was on the ship and they won't release them. I can't access my bank account without an ID."

The man sat quietly for a long time before he hit his legs and stood up. "Well come on then, you can come back to the base with me until you and bump are sorted." I was grateful but I felt like it would be too much to ask. "No, no, it's fine. I can't put this on you. I'll find a way." He just scoff and started to bus about the room gathering the small belongings that came in with me.

I pulled my pants up under the hospital gown and found my bra but they probably cut my shirt of since it wasn't here. Coco took his kevlar vest off and shrugged off the plain button down shirt off and handed it to me. I felt bad as it just left him in a singlet but he was already putting his vest back on. "Thanks." I felt strange, déjà vu hit me, like this was a dream that I had been in before but couldn't remember it. I shook the feeling off and pulled the gown off, swapping it for Coco's shirt.