Days With Puck Greene.

Meet the Cadet

The call came at about 4 a.m.

"Hello?" I answered the house phone groggily trying to stir myself from my slumber.

"Is this Noah Strauss?" The voice was distinctly male, I sat up right blinking a few times.

"Yes." My heart hammered inside of my chest, thinking what could have happened to my father. I had known the call was coming, werent they supposed to show up with an official flag and papers in person? Rather than over a phone call? My breaths came in shallow gasps, even though I had been preparing myself for this since he announced his departure.

"Your father is ok, son relax." I could breathe again. " I'm a friend of his, my name is Michael. There was an accident, he's been transported to a wonderful hospital by airforce, he's going to be ok. May I speak with your mother?" 

"Tell me what happened first, I don't want her sugar coating it for me."

I heard a remorseful sigh over the line,"Noah-"

"Tell me." I demanded. Puck stirred next to me and I held my breath until her soft breathing evened back out. "Tell me," I said quieter. "Your fathers unit was clearing out the area, your father was in the tank it kept him safe. The group in front of us that went through got the first hit. Someone set off a series of bombs. Your dad wouldnt leave the survivers. He just carried as many as he could out of there, he saved my life. When all the adrenaline wore off, he found shrapnel in his right knee and a fat chunk of metal in his side. He's gone for an emergency surgery, and then they'll fly him home in about a week."

"How many lives did he save?"

"Six, and thats no small number Noah."

Dad got home alright. He stepped off the plane leaning heavily on one crutch and I had never seen my mom run so fast. She slammed into him burying her head in his shoulder. He stroked her hair and gave me a cocky grin. "Hi there Sally." He smirked at me.

My brother shrieked and jumped on him climbing him like a monkey. I had missed Dads booming laugh. I gave him a hug and he drew back slapping me in the arm. "You need to pump some iron boy, you're looking awful scrawny these days." Dad looked past me to Pucks small form. She held out a hand, "Dad this is Puck."  I said rubbing her arms with my hands as she faced my bear of a father.

"Puck Greene, Jacksons kid?" He asked taking her tiny palm in his lethal ones. She shifted looking uncomfortable.

"That'd be me sir." She nodded. Though she did her best not to I felt her shrinking back into my chest at the mention of her father.

"Why I remember you," He laughed. "You were the blond little girl that shoved Noahs face into a mud pie!" Puck blushes from ear to ear but laughs with him.

"I didn't even deserve it." I say miffed.

Puck scoffs at me. "You threw gum in my hair!"

"You called me a big eared no toothed butt munch!" I defended back.

"Everything I said was the truth," She laughs.

Puck stays for dinner and I was surprised how much she had in common with my dad, they talked from cars to tools to their favorite movies. Puck put on her coat and said goodnight to everyone before walking home in the dark alone, despite my fathers insistence that I walk her.

I sat in the chair and talked to him quietly my mothers head on his shoulder her eyes shut and her breathing even.

"Were you scared?" I ask him. He looks at me through heavily lidded eyes and tucks his hat down. "Of course I was scared, I wasn't scared of dying. I was scared of leaving your mother on her own without making sure she was taken care of."  

"Do you have to go back?" I ask quietly.

"No, but I'm going to Noah. I have a duty to fullfill and a country to protect."

"You can't save everyone dad," I mumble.

"No, but I can die trying." He rumbles at me.

We're quiet for a few minutes just listening to the clock tick away and I count the scars on my dads forearms. Puck has scars too, kind of like those. "How did you get those scars on your arms?"

"A guy tried to knife me, I was too quick for him," He smiles ruefully.  "I like that girl." He says after a minute.

I nod, "Me too, there's something off though. I think she might actually be living alone with her brother." He looks at me like he knows something I dont.

"What is it Dad?" I ask.

"Your mother and hers were pretty friendly, they used to have coffee together while you were all at school. Sometimes Pucks mother would be wearing shades and long sleeves in ninety degree weather. She was all covered in scars and bruises. When Puck was eight her mother overdosed on Xanax. That man Jackson was a no good drunk, if he's gone I say good riddance." I stared at my hands hard.

"Will you teach her how to fight?" I look at him, "She's a tough cookie, but I mean really show her how to fight?"

He rubs his eyes and says, "I might just do that."

I laid in bed feeling completely uneasy as Puck slept beside me, her feet were tangled up in mine and her arm was thrown over the edge of the bed as she snored away, softly. I carefully slid her teeshirt up to see her hips.

I felt my stomach roll at the sight of a brand mark on her skin. The burn was ghastly white against her skin and looked tender. I tucked her back against my chest and vowed to protect her from anyone and anything.

Suddenly all the weird phone calls and the nightmares made sense. I had a feeling her father wasnt really gone for good, I couldn't even be sure that he had ever hurt her, I just knew he never would again.