~ Finding Your Heart ~
by planetsolin

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Disclaimers: see part one.

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CHAPTER FOUR

The news came to the Brooks household in the form of a phone call that came just as they sat down for breakfast. Annie answered the summons but immediately passed the receiver over to her husband when she learned who was on the line. She was strong, but not that strong. She could not bear to have anyone tell her that her eldest daughter was dead. While she waited patiently, John listened to the man on the other end of the phone. There was a long moment of silence after the man hung up the receiver.

"Is she?"

"Alive," John reassured his wife aware of the anxious look in her hazel eyes.

Annie wasn't able to say any more, emitting only a loud sob before falling into her husbands arms for a long embrace. There was silence as the pair held on to each other, relieved and knowing that the news could have been worse. This is how their son-in-law found them when he arrived minutes later.

Joe stepped through the kitchen doorway and stopped, his eyes taking in the scene before him. For a brief moment he thought the worst.

"Halley?" He barely uttered the name.

"She's injured, but alive," John assured the younger man, who felt immediate relief.

"How bad is she?" He asked as Annie finally disengaged herself from her husbands embrace. She grabbed a Kleenex from the box on the counter and hastily wiped her damp eyes.

"She has several gunshot wounds," the older man related what he had been told. "The Lieutenant couldn't tell me how the wounds were received but he said that she was in good condition and on her way to Germany for treatment."

"Thank God," the woman breathed a sigh of relief. Their relief was mixed with worry about their daughters injuries, but they would not be able to learn more about their eldest child until she called and they weren't certain when that would be.
____________________________

Vivian Bryce stepped anxiously up to the door leading to her grand-daughters hospital room. She paused, almost afraid to go any further. She would have turned and run except for the gentle squeeze of her husband's hand on her arm. She glanced at him, looking for the reassurance that only he could give her.

The last forty eight hours had taken them on a roller coaster ride of emotion. Only twenty four hours earlier they had been called with an urgent message that Eden was alive and that she was on her way to the military hospital in Germany.

The initial relief she had felt had been quickly tempered by the ominous warning that their grand-daughter was in critical condition. Eden's injuries were severe and no one yet knew the chances of her survival. It had been friends at the White House that had hastily arranged a private flight to Germany so they could be by Eden's bedside. The whole flight she had prayed that she would not have to bury her grand-daughter the way that she had buried her son and daughter-in-law.

Now, clinging to her husband for support, she took a deep breath before stepping forward, passing through the open door. She didn't know what to expect and her stride faltered as she caught sight of the bandaged figure laying quietly on the hospital bed.
She swallowed nervously, her limbs shaking as she moved hesitantly towards the bed. It was a shock to see the vibrant child so frail looking and still. Her pretty face was bruised and cut, her head along with the rest of her body swathed in thick sterile bandages. She looked as helpless and innocent as when she was a child.

Vivian struggled to control the emotions that welled up behind her blue eyes. She loved her grandchild desperately but had always been afraid to show how much she cared. The child had always been so resilient and independent.

She stepped up to the bed and stared at the silent form which lay beneath the starched white sheets. The girl's face looked unusually pale and hauntingly close to death. She gingerly reached out and touched the young woman's hand, feeling it's cold clamminess.

"She looks almost dead," she spoke her thoughts out loud.

"The doctor said that she was very ill," Vance reminded his wife. They had spoken to the doctors before making their way to their grand-daughters room. They had been detailed on her injuries which were so severe that even the medical physicians treating her weren't certain how long it would take for her to recover.

"It's just so strange to see her this way," the woman sighed. "She has always been so strong and independent. When she fell and hurt herself she never cried. I would see her lips tremble and her eyes cloud with tears but she never cried. Sometimes I got the feeling that she didn't want to be human."

Vance said nothing. He had understood his grand-daughters desire for independence. It had been in response to the pain of losing both her parents in such a short time of each other. Their deaths made her understand life sooner then she should have.

She had tried to be perfect to fit into their rigid world. There were many times that he wished he had treated her differently but he could not change the past. He got a chair for his wife and placed it beside the bed. Neither knew how long it would be but they would be there waiting for when she woke.

Halley's nose twitched in automatic response to the pungent odour of ammonia and cleaning fluids that filled the air. She slowly cracked an eye open letting it do a basic reconnaissance of the room before allowing her other green orb open. She could tell by the simple, sterile and basic furniture that she was in hospital.

Her eyelids dropped closed again as she picked her brain for the last of her memories. It all came slowly back to her, first in disjointed bits and pieces and then as a film in which she was watching herself participate.

She felt again the heat of the desert air and salt water spray under the twirling rotor blades of the helicopter. She remembered the feeling of her legs buckling beneath her, sending her plummeting under the water. She felt again, her lungs gasping for air as she was dragged out of the surf and hauled up into the cargo hold of the Black Hawk there to rescue them. Over the whine of the chopper turbine and steady burp of guns, she felt the searing pain that pierced her body that finally sent her spiraling into the blackness of unconsciousness.

For the next forty eight hours she had drifted in and out of consciousness, her mind seeing only flashes of the activity that surrounded her, her brain registering the details for later perusal. They had all made it back to the Carrier where she remembered seeing the anxious faces of her squad mates peering over her as she was hurried into surgery.

There were doctors in their sterile gowns and white masks, the tone of their voices, calm yet urgent as they stripped away her uniform and gear. She woke later, the constant throb and hum of the giant floating city echoing through the small room. Now she was alone, surrounded by silence, with the agonies of her injuries now a dull throb instead of the sharp pain. As her vision cleared she was better able to take stock of her situation.

She was in a hospital bed, in a land medical facility. Her arms were bare and unscathed with the exception of a few bruises. There was a large bandage around her mid-section and her right leg was in a cast that reached to the top of her thigh and was suspended in a sling hanging over the bed.

She sighed. She would have to wait until she talked to a doctor but she was intelligent enough to know that she was seriously injured. Vaguely she remember the pain in her knee and in her back and surmised that she had been on the receiving end of several bullets.

She scanned the room but there was nothing to indicate what time of day it was or the date for that matter. She shifted in bed, craning her neck to see if she could tell anything about the day from the window but the curtain was pulled over it. With some frustration she dropped back onto the pillow, groaning when she jarred her injury.

"You better be careful Hal, you open up those stitches and the doctors will have to go back in there," a low voice interrupted her thoughts and Halley saw Horst Becker sitting in a wheel chair in the doorway of her room.

"Bec!" Her pleased surprise at his appearance quickly turned to a concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it will take more then a bullet in the shoulder to stop me," the man snorted as he wheeled the chair into the room using one hand. He motioned to his arm which was in a sling. "They are just keeping me in here until they can get me on a flight back to the States. This earned me a thirty day leave."

"Slacker," Halley teased making the man snort again.

"Look whose talking," Horst retorted. "You will be following me soon."

"Really, what exactly is wrong with me?" the woman wanted to know.

"Hasn't the doctor told you?" the man's eyes narrowed.

"Just woke up," was the reply.

"Well, then let me give you the simple details," the man said. "You caught one in the right knee and one in the side."

"Damn," Halley sighed knowing immediately the gravidity of her injuries. She looked at the man who seemed to know everything. "How about our package, did she make it?"

"Yep, she is in the ICU, in critical condition, her situation is still touch and go."
Halley let out another sigh grateful that their mission had not been a complete failure. She silently prayed that the other woman would survive. The short time they had spent together had allowed her to get to know the woman enough to care about what happened to her.

"Ahh, you are finally awake," an officious young man in a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck said as he walked into the room. He paused at the foot of the bed and grabbed the chart, scanning the contents hastily. "How are you feeling Sgt. Braeden?"

"Like crap," Halley answered honestly.

"That's good to hear considering what the alternative could be," the man announced abruptly and then glanced at the soldier in the wheelchair. "If you don't mind I would like to speak with my patient here."

"Sure no problem doc," Horst nodded and then glanced at his leader. "I'll pop by later."

"Thanks Bec, it was nice to see you're okay."

There was silence for only as long as it took the soldier to wheel himself out of the room and then the medic turned his full attention on the woman laying on the bed.

"My name is Dr. Reesor and you will be under my care while you are a patient here," he introduced himself as he walked around the bed to stand next to her. He took her arm and hastily fastened a pressure cuff around her biceps. There was silence again as he took her blood pressure, nodded with a pleased smile when he recorded that it was normal.
"I expect you have some questions?"

"Only the obvious," she replied and he laughed.

"I should have known," the smile on his face disappeared and his young features became serious. "You sustained two gunshot wounds. One entered your back under the third rib, and fortunately it did no damage to any internal organs. We had no trouble extricating it. Unfortunately the same can not be said for the bullet that entered your right knee."

He paused and taking a pen from his pocket he motioned to the area of the bandage on her leg where her knee would be. "The bullet entered in a way that it shattered the bone, splintering it. Your tendons were also destroyed in the process. We were able to piece most of your knee back together with screws but I would be lying to you if I were to say that it will heal perfectly."

"What are you saying exactly?" Halley wanted to know.

"With extensive therapy you will be able to regain most of your mobility in your knee but it will never be a hundred per cent."

"Is it a discharge wound?"

"Well, I don't know what you do for the military Sgt. Braeden, but unless it was a desk job, you won't be going back to it." Dr. Reesor was honest. He watched as the green eyes closed. It was never an easy thing to tell a patient the extent of their injuries and even harder to tell someone their career was over.

"I know it might seem devastating Sgt. but the bright side is that you will eventually be able to walk without a cane," the man paused. "We will be keeping you here for a few days before shipping you back to the states. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"A phone," Halley managed to say, not bothering to open her eyes. "I would like to call my family."

"Certainly," the Doctor agreed and was already on his way to the door. "I will tell a nurse to bring you a phone immediately."

With that he was gone and she was alone. Halley knew that her injuries could have been much worse and that she could have been killed, yet the news that her leg would never return to normal was disconcerting. She had often flirted with the idea of leaving the military, but had never seriously given the idea much thought. The only skill that the military had taught her was how to kill.

She was still thinking about what the doctor had told her when an orderly arrived with the phone that she had requested. The man stayed long enough to help her put the call through before leaving her to the privacy of her call. She had no watch to tell what time it was but she hoped that it wasn't an inopportune hour. The phone was picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Halley, is that you?" Annie didn't know whether to believe the voice on the other end of the phone really belonged to her daughter.

"Yeah, mom, it's me, did I call at a bad time?"

"No, certainly not." The older woman wouldn't have cared if the call had come in the middle of the night, she was so glad to hear from her child. "A man from the marines called and said that you were hurt."

"Yeah, but it's nothing serious," Halley lied. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to worry. There would be enough time later for them to fuss over her injuries.

"Halley, you're a bad liar," Annie chastised her daughter.

"Honest mom, I'm okay, you'll see for yourself in a few weeks when I come home."

"You better not be lying to me girl, I'm still your momma and I can still turn you over my knee."

Halley laughed as a vision of her tiny mother struggling to spank her. It felt so good to talk to the older woman for it was only the sound of her parents voices that made her feel normal. She knew that she would have to lean on them in the future.

"Is dad there?"

"Sorry dear, he just went out to the field, Joe needed some help this morning. He will be disappointed that he missed your call."

"Well, tell him I am okay, I know he worries," Halley said aware that the orderly had returned for the phone.

"I will dear," Annie hated that their phone call was so short. "You behave and listen to the doctor."

"Mommmm," the younger woman whined with a grin.

"I'm serious dear, don't give them a hard time, everything they do is to help you."

"I know, I know. But hey, I got to go."

"I know dear, call again as soon as you can."

"I will." Halley promised.

"And Halley dear."

"Yes, mom."

"We love you."

"I love you too mom." The soldier mumbled before hanging up the phone.

___________________________


"Why are you crying?" a loving voice cut through her restless dreams.

"Because I hurt," the little girl inside answered.

"It is only temporary."

"No, this will always be with me," she disagreed. "It's almost as bad as the pain I felt when I lost you."

"You never lost me," the voice replied. "I am always with you. You have only to look in a mirror to see my face."

"No I have been alone all my life," she responded defiantly. "It would have been better if
I had been the one to die in the crash."

"You were never alone, you have your grandparents."

"They don't love me," the little girl said in a trembling voice. "After you died they were always angry. They hated me because I reminded them of you."

"They love you more then you think," the faceless voice disagreed softly. "If you had died you would have missed out on the best part of yourself. You are only now just beginning to learn the truth. Your destiny lies beyond this moment. You are strong. You have survived the worst, it will be easier now. Follow your dreams, find your heart."

Eden woke from her drug induced coma, stirred from sleep by the long forgotten image of her fathers smile. His image faded to be replaced by that of someone else. A woman with a painted face and green eyes. Silent tears rolled down her face. The tears of so many years came unabated. She wept uncontrollably, her wounded body shuddering from the intensity of the emotions that swept through her senses.

Vivian sat quietly watching as the tears rolled down from behind closed eyes, over battered pale cheeks. She swallowed hard, her throat dry. She knew that she should do something but she was at a loss of how to comfort her only grandchild. She wished that her husband was there, aware that he would know the right thing to do.

Instead she remained very still, not reaching for the free hand that lay upon the sheets, instead she laced her fingers together and sat silently, listening to her grand-daughters anguish until the sobbing stopped. She thought the girl had fallen asleep, but the younger woman had only run out of tears.

Eden turned her head slightly to glance around the room. She did not know where she was. Her eyes paused at the sight of the elegantly dressed woman sitting erect in the chair next to the bed.

She suddenly felt embarrassed that the older woman had witnessed her crying.

"Grandmother," she said in a weak, trembling voice. "What are you doing here?"

"The Navy called," Vivian said stiffly, the strain of her vigil etched on her delicate features. She stood up, her knuckles nearly white from clutching her handbag. "I will never forgive you for this. I thought it was your father all over again. I told you I never wanted to go through that again."

Eden closed her eyes tightly to prevent the tears from escaping. She felt an enormous emotional pain that was more intense then any physical hurt she had ever felt.
Vivian knew instantly that she had once again said the wrong thing yet she couldn't withdraw her words. It was too late, the girl would never believe that she had not meant it the way it had sounded. She shifted uncomfortably in the awkward silence. She stared at her grand-daughters uncompromising face.

She was willing to admitted that she had failed as a grandmother. In the weeks following her son's death she had been selfish in her grief. Afterwards it had been to late to repair the damage. In the following years there had been too many occasions when she had said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Now it appeared to late to change things.

"Eden," she said in a hesitant voice.

"No, please don't say any more," the younger woman's voice trembled. "I know how you feel, I have always known."

"Your father broke my heart when he died. I never recovered from that because I loved him so terribly much. You are the only thing left of him, there is nothing else," Vivian said biting thoughtfully on her lower lip.

"I am not my father," Eden replied stiffly.

"Yes, you are. You have the same eyes, the same mannerisms, the same strength," she disagreed, pausing in hopes that the girl would understand. "I don't think you know how hard it was for me to watch you grow up. Everyday, you grew more and more like him, a father you hardly knew.

"You were so determined to be like him that you thought of nothing but flying jets. Nothing else mattered or interested you. It was like you had the idea that if you could do everything good enough it would somehow bring him back."

Eden said nothing aware that her grandmother had analyzed the situation with startling clarity. She looked at the woman and saw how much she had hurt her. She turned away feeling guilty and understanding for the first time why their relationship was so strained.

"I wanted to know how he felt," she said quietly. "I wanted to know what he went through."

"Do you think you accomplished that now?" Vivian asked. "Do you think this is worth it?"

Eden had no immediate answer. She was not brave enough yet to admit that she had been wrong. Her silence allowed her grandmother to draw her own conclusions. The older woman sighed and then moved towards the door.

"Regardless what you go through it will never be the same as what happened to your father. You will never know what he went through because nobody knows," the woman shook her head sadly. "You will never be happy until you kill yourself."

With that the woman was gone leaving Eden staring at the empty doorway, her eyes filling with tears. She sobbed quietly not knowing that her grandmother had paused just outside the door. Vivian was so engrossed in listening to her grand-daughter that she did not see her husband approach. He knew immediately something had happened and a glance into the room confirmed his suspicions.

"What did you do?" he demanded, feeling a measure of anger at his wife.

"I can't do it again," Vivian defended herself. "I can't stand by and watch her kill herself."

"Vivian," Vance sighed. He had been torn between the two women from the moment that Eden had come to live with them. His wife had been inconsolable and the child had withdrawn. He was a diplomat used to brokering peace treaties and trade agreements between hostile countries but he had been unable to bridge the gulf between the two women.

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized, brushing a slender hand across her eyes. "I know it was wrong but I couldn't face losing her."

"We didn't lose her," the man put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake.

"We didn't lose her and we are going in there and show our support for her."

"I can't." Vivian shook her head. "I can't go back in there right now."

Without another word the woman twisted out of his grasp and marched down the hallway. For a long moment Vance was torn. He knew that he needed to reason with his wife but he also knew that his grand-daughter needed to know that they were there for her. He squared his shoulders and entered the room hoping that he could somehow make amends for whatever his wife had said in his absence.

In spite of her promise to her mother Halley found it increasingly hard to remain inactive. She lay in bed, tossing and turning restlessly, unable to get comfortable. She had tried to read the magazines that the orderlies had brought in for her entertainment but none of the articles held her interest. The last couple of days her boredom had been alleviated by the presence of her friend Horst Becker but he had been shipped stateside the previous day.

"I see you are having a problem sleeping," Victor the orderly said as he entered the room with a wheelchair. His brown eyes fell on the pile of magazines that were laying on the floor by the bed.

"Sleep!" Halley echoed. "If I get any more sleep I will go crazy."

The orderly laughed, pushing the chair further into the room. "That is the exact reason I went to the doctor and asked if it was all right to take you for a stroll."

"Oh, Victor, you are a sweetheart," the woman was grateful. She tossed off the blankets in anticipation.

"Not so quick Sergeant," the man scolded. "This little joy ride comes with a price."

"Yeah?" Halley eyed the man skeptically.

"Yep," Victor nodded. "First we have to take a trip down the hall to physical therapy, the therapists there are just waiting to get their hands on you."

The young woman considered the options and looked at the young man. "Well, what are you waiting for, anything is better then lying here going stir crazy."

The orderly grinned and within a few moments they had successfully transferred the small woman from the bed to the wheelchair. The trip down the hallway to the physical therapy room was uneventful and after a short wait, Halley was put through some relatively easy hand and arm exercises. When she left the room an hour later she was more tired and sore then she had expected.

"Hey Victor, seeing I was such a good girl, can you do me a favour?" Halley asked the man as he wheeled her back down the hallway.

"What's that?"

"Can we pop around to the ICU?"

"Why?"

"Well, there was a flier who came in at the same time as me, a woman."

"Yeah, I know who your talking about," Victor nodded his head. As an orderly he was privy to most of the gossip that circulated through the hospital and he had heard all the stories involving the two women. He had almost been expecting this request. "She's doing remarkable well for the extent of her injuries."

"She seemed like a survivor," Halley agreed. "Anyway, I just want to see for myself that she's okay."

"All right, but we have to check with the nurses first."

"Deal."

When they arrived at the ICU they were informed that the woman in question had been moved to a private room on the top floor. Not able to resist her pleading and imploring green eyes, Victor pushed his patient to the room where the woman had been placed. A quick peek in the room showed that the figure in bed was alone.

"Can you give me a moment?" Halley asked and once again Victor nodded, glancing at his watch and deciding that it was time for his smoke break.

"I'll be back in ten to pick you up."

Halley nodded and watched him stroll down the hallway towards the lounge before she slowly rolled the chair into the small room. She tried hard to be as quiet as possible not wanting to wake the sleeping woman, content only to sit next to the bed and stare at the pale face that had been invading her thoughts of late. Unexpectedly the blue eyes popped open.

"Ahh." Halley was clearly startled that the woman was awake.

"You." In spite of her drowsiness Eden knew immediately to whom those familiar green eyes belonged too.

"Me?" Halley squeaked.

"You saved my life."

"Nah, we just helped you get back home," the small blond woman shrugged, uncomfortable with the appreciation. Blue orbs trailed down to the wheelchair and the leg that was heavily bandaged in a cast.

"You're hurt?"

"A few scratches," Halley attempted to dismiss her wounds. "How are you doing?"

"I feel terrible, but they said that is good sign, means I'm still alive," the dark haired woman said in a sarcastic voice that made the other woman smile.

"You're not in the ICU, so that has to be a good sign," the blond woman agreed.

"Yes," Eden nodded and those intense blue eyes were looking at her again. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving my life."

Halley blushed. It was rare that she was given credit for anything other then taking another life. "I was just doing my job."

"You did more then your job," Eden disagreed. "I might be high on drugs but I can still hear clearly and the doctors said that draining my wounds saved me."

"If that's the case then you need to thank Doc, or Corporal Doug Benning as he is known to the marines." The blond woman said shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Praise was a rarity in her profession and she was unused to it.

"Well, then he deserves to be thanked as well," the woman on the bed sighed and closed her eyes.

"You're tired, I should be going or the doctors will scold me for wearing you out."

"No, please stay, it's nice to have someone to talk too." Eden said thinking of the strained conversation that marked the visits from her grandparents. She always felt a sense of relief when they left.

"Ok," Halley agreed, much preferring Victor to come fetch her then trying to clumsily maneuver her chair. "Have you talked to your folks yet?"

"Yeah," the taller woman nodded her head slightly. "They weren't to happy to see me in here."

"I think they should be mighty happy considering the alternative," the Sgt. snorted not understanding, aware of the relief that her own parents had expressed at her well being.

"Doesn't matter," Eden shrugged. She didn't want to talk about her family. "How long did they say you were going to be out of action?"

"They haven't given me any dates yet," Halley couldn't stop the darkening of her features. "What about you? Did they say when they were going to ship you home?"

"Not for at least another week. They want to make sure I am completely out of danger before they transport me."

"The doctors like to be careful," Halley agreed and was about to say more but a slight cough was Victor's way of announcing his presence. "Well, my chauffeur is here so I guess that means it's time for me to go."

"Will you come visit me again?"

"Do you want me too?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay," Halley agreed and smiled. On the ship there was an invisible barrier that had prevented them from getting to know each other, but here, even though they were separated by rank, they were equal.

"Do you think you could take me down later?" the blond woman asked the orderly as he helped transfer her back to her bed.

"I will see how my schedule works out," Victor promised before departing.

As it turned out the man didn't have time but he passed the request along to the man who replaced him in the evening and not long after visiting hours were over, Carl, came to take her down the hall to where the flier was laying.

Eden was grateful when the bell summoning the end of visiting hours sounded. It had been another difficult visit with her grandparents and it was a relief that the medication had made her too dozy for much conversation.

She sighed and closed her eyes. She was tired, but sleep was elusive, her thoughts to active to give her mind any peace. It seemed that every part of her body ached. It took her a moment before she realized that she was no longer alone. Blue and green eyes met.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, please stay." Eden begged not wanting to be alone. There was something about this other woman's presence that made her feel that everything would work out all right.

"Just ring the bell when you want to leave and I will come get you," Carl assured the Sgt. before slipping out of the room and onto the ward.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I dropped out of the sky without a parachute," the dark haired woman replied with a crooked smile.

"Well, I guess they don't expect you hotshots to need training on how to jump," Halley agreed glad to see that the woman was in good humour.

"Nope, for us jet jockeys it's on the job training."

The Sgt. laughed. "Good thing I stay on the ground."

They chatted some more about different things until Halley noticed the other woman's eyes struggling to stay open. "I guess I should go and let you sleep."

"Would you mind staying until I did?" Eden didn't know where that request had come from for she was usually to independent to show such weakness but it was something that she really wanted. Perhaps it was the medication that made her admit her desires when before she would have let the moment slip away.

"No," the blond woman felt a twinge of happiness. She sensed that this stoic woman was as independent as herself. "Would you like me to tell you a story?"

"Sure," Eden nodded.

"Once upon a time in a desert land," Halley began relating a story that she had read in one of her books of history.

The flier allowed her eyes to drift closed, soothened by the comforting tones of the woman's lilting voice. For a while before she slipped off to sleep, she was transported back to ancient times in a city of an even older civilization. Her final thoughts were of a storyteller and her warrior friend.

Halley stopped speaking only when she was certain the other woman was sleeping. For a long moment she allowed herself the guilty pleasure of staring at the beautiful woman. She had admired the grace and beauty of the pilot for a long time and considered herself lucky that she was now getting the opportunity to get to spend time with her. She sat silently for a long time, gingerly reaching out to stroke the bare hand that was laying on top of the bed sheet. The skin was soft and smooth. With a sigh she rang the bell summoning the orderly.

From that day until the one when she was to be shipped home, Halley made it a habit of dropping in on the flier. Sometimes they would talk, sharing more of themselves as they discussed a variety of subjects, and at other times they would just sit quietly, comfortable in each others presence. Every night the Sgt. popped by to tell the older woman a story.

"It helps her you know," the nurse said startling Halley out of her quiet observation of the ailing pilot.

"What?"

"Those stories you tell her each night, they help her sleep," the motherly woman said stepping into the darkened hospital room.

"Well, anything to help her," Halley shrugged slightly embarrassed.

"Before you started coming to visit she would have terrible nightmares," the nurse continued to speak as she took hold of the wheelchair and started pushing the small soldier back to her own room. "Her grandparents come to visit everyday and spend several hours with her, but she is never happy to see them. I think she was becoming so stressed that her mind would react, but with you it's different."

Halley was silent, not certain anything she did helped the woman. It was the next morning that she got her marching orders. After a thorough examination the Doctor announced that she was fit enough for the trip back to the States.

"We will of course be sending you to Bethesda Naval Hospital to continue your recuperation," Dr. Ressor explained as he scribbled notes on the clipboard attached to the end of the bed. "You won't be there long though. I expect the doctors will get you set up on a regular physical therapy regiment and then release you home."

"Are they going to muster me out?"

"I can't tell you that," the man was honest. It was a question that he heard more often then any other. "They will do a thorough examination of you when you get there and then make their recommendations to your superiors upon that. But to be blunt, if I were you I would be thinking about what to do with the rest of my life."

Halley was troubled by the news of her eminent departure for two reasons. One she would be getting closer to finding out what her future held, but more importantly she would be leaving her new friend behind. The idea of possibly never seeing the tall dark haired pilot again was depressing. She had begun to look forward to their conversations which had become more spirited with each passing day.

She seriously considered not going back to visit the woman but knew in an instant that was not an option.

The late afternoon visiting hours were almost over when she received a surprise visit from a distinguished looking gentleman with vaguely familiar features. It was only after he introduced himself that Halley realized who the man was.

"I hope you don't mind but the nurses have been telling us how you have befriended our
grand-daughter Eden," Vance said aware of the uncomfortable way the small blond woman was shifting in her bed.

"Well, we just happened to be on the same boat," the Sgt. said not certain what this man knew about the circumstances surrounding his grand-daughters injuries.

"It's all right Sgt., we are fully aware of the whole situation," the man assured her. "We know you were part of the team that rescued Eden after she was shot down."

"We just happened to be in the area," Halley said lamely not sure what to say. "We couldn't leave knowing we had left someone behind."

"No, and for that I am grateful, her grandmother and I are both grateful. Eden is the only family we have left. We only had one child and we lost him in Vietnam, much in the same way that we almost lost Eden. He was shot down over North Vietnam. He was not rescued and unfortunately when the POW's were returned after the end of the war he was not among them. To this day we don't know what happened to him. It would have killed us if we had to go through the same thing with Eden."

"I'm glad then I could help bring her back. Hopefully she won't be involved in any more ejections."

"Yes. As much as I want her to be happy I am also relieved to know that she won't be flying for the Navy any more."

"No?"

"No," the man shook his head. "Her injuries are such that her flying days are over. At least her grandmother is happy."

Yes, Halley thought, but what about Eden? She had been fretting about her own injuries not once considering that the tall dark haired woman would be in the same position. She thought about all the times the other woman had spoken of the joy of flying, of soaring in the wide open space. She knew that the news would be devastating to the older woman and was not surprised when later she found the pilot in a somber mood, staring out the window at the darkness of the night.

"Hey," she said as she wheeled herself into the dimly lit room.

"Hi," the other woman barely wasted a glance in her direction before turning once again to stare out the window.

"Are you okay?" Halley wanted to help the woman in any manner that she could.

"No," Eden sighed. "The doctor told me today that I probably won't be able to fly again and that they are going to recommend me for a medical discharge."

"I'm sorry." There was nothing else that the Sgt could say.

Eden closed her eyes, struggling to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. But as hard as
she tried she wasn't able to hold back the sob that escaped from between her clenched teeth. It was followed by another and unexpectedly she felt a warm soft hand stroking her arm.

"It's okay, let it out," Halley wished that she could do more to comfort the woman. She cursed her injury that prevented her from rising out of her wheelchair. She still needed an overhead bar to help her up. There was none there.

Eden did just that. In that moment she allowed all her tightly suppressed emotions to bubble forth and spill out. She did not felt ashamed to show such emotion in front of the other woman. She let the tears flow, soaking the pillow on which her head rested. It was a long time before the crying finally subsided but Halley continued to grip the woman's hand between her own.

"What made you want to fly?" the smaller woman finally asked, breaking the silence of the room.

"I don't know," Eden was sincere. "It was always something I wanted to do. I suppose it was in part because it was something my father loved. When I was small he used to take me up whenever he could. I think I was flying before I was even walking."

"There's no reason you can't still do that," Halley said hesitantly. "I mean you might not be able to fly for the military but I am certain that once you heal you will be able to fly private planes as a civilian."

"Yeah," the dark head nodded as blue eyes finally turned to the smaller woman, the grip on her hand tightening. "Thank you."

"Anytime," the Sgt. smiled.

"I don't know how I would have made it these last few days without you here."

"You would have managed but I do admit that you were lucky to have my company."
The tall woman released a choked chortle. "Yes I was."

"Which brings me to the reason for my visit," Halley took a deep breath the expression on her face darkening. "I'm being shipped home tomorrow."

Eden felt an immense sadness at the prospect of not seeing this small woman again. She didn't want the friendship they had started building to end. Not yet. The younger soldier had been such a comfort to her.

"I ....," she paused not certain what to say. "Would it be all right if I stayed in contact with you?"

"Sure, I'd like that," Halley immediately agreed looking around for a pen and paper but seeing nothing. "There doesn't seem to be anything to write with here, so how about I leave my contact information with the nurses."

"Sure," Eden agreed. "I'll miss your story telling."

"And I'll miss having a captive audience," the smaller woman joked. "Most of the time when I open my mouth everyone heads for the door."

"Only cause they are fools."

"Thank you," Halley grinned widely. "I'll be waiting at Bethesda for you."

On the off chance that their paths wouldn't cross again, Halley did as she had promised, leaving a variety of addresses and numbers where the older woman would be able to reach her. In spite of that she spent most of the flight back to the states worrying that she might never see the tall flier again. It was strange how that thought upset her and in an attempt to distract her mind, she closed her eyes and gave into the sleep.



CHAPTER FIVE


Eden gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, willing herself not to succumb to the pain that sliced through her body as the doctors prodded and poked her injuries. A fine sheen of sweat appeared on her brow and her features turned a deathly pale. She knew the purpose of this particular examination was to determine whether she was healthy enough to make the seven hour journey back to the States.

"Well, Commander," Dr. Hadder announced when he was done. "I think it's time that we shipped you home."

"By home, I assume you are referring to the States?" Vance Bryce spoke up. His wife and him had been waiting patiently on the outer edges of room while the doctors had checked over their grand-daughter.

"Yes," the physician briefly turned to the older man before looking back at his patient.

"You have a lot of recovery to accomplish before we even think of releasing you from medical care."

Eden nodded. She understood all that. She had seen the broken bodies of other soldiers and fliers over her career. She knew what to expect and that her recovery would be a long and tedious.

"I have scheduled you for the flight out on the day after tomorrow," the doctor continued when no one spoke.

The flier merely nodded her head again. At this point it made no difference to her which hospital she recovered in. If there was one glimmer of hope it was that her new friend would be at her destination. Just the thought of seeing the small blond woman again gave her a sense of hope.
___________________________

Halley grumbled and swore as she dealt with the few exercises that she was forced to do as part of her physical therapy. She grunted as she lifted the weights in her hands, the perspiration trickling down her temple to the side of her face. She could feel the effort and pain through her injured side and down her leg. It was not a pleasant sensation. She dropped the weights on the mat and struggled to sit up, relieved that she was done for another session.

She sighed and glanced across the room to where her individual therapist was working with another patient. For the last week she had endured an endless battery of tests on her leg, as the doctors had scanned and x-rayed her limb all in an attempt to assure themselves that the bone was healing. The wound in her side was less serious and healing nicely.

She had also met with her Marine Liaison officer to discuss her options for the future. Though it was to early to say, she was almost certain that she would be given a medical discharge. She sighed and closed her eyes. She had not given much thought to the future. The military had been her chosen career, she had no idea what else she was capable of doing. She knew that her parents would be pleased for they worried constantly about her safety.

"Sgt. Braeden, are you ready to go?" the voice interrupted her thoughts and she glanced up to see the orderly was there to take her back to her room.

She nodded and allowed the man to help her from the exercise bench into the wheelchair. They had tried to start her on a pair of crutches earlier that week but it had only served to agitate the wound in her side. There was silence as they returned to her room on the fourth floor.

"How did it go today Sgt?" Lt. Jeannie Adams asked as she came into the room to administer the small woman's medication.

"All right," Halley shrugged, unable to hide the fact that she was in a miserable mood.

"Oh, so it's one of those days when your feeling sorry for yourself," the nurse shook her head.

"I'm allowed," the blond woman groused.

"Sgt. your injuries are minor compared so some of the sailors we have in here, be happy that you are alive."

Halley had a retort on her lips but she held her tongue. She knew that her mood was the result of more then just her injuries. It was the combination of several things. She was alone and injured and in a hospital thousands of miles from home and even though she had spoken with her parents several times since arriving back into the States she was still lonely. Horst Becker, who had been recovering from his own wound, had been released the previous day.

"Why just this morning we received a pilot from overseas with critical injuries." Halley had stopped listening to the nurse's chatter until her words caught her attention.

"Was it a woman?" The Sgt. asked eagerly and the nurse paused.

"Yes, do you know her?"

"I might. There was a pilot that served on the same ship as I who was injured," Halley replied aware that she had to be careful. She knew that friendships between the different ranks were discouraged and she was certain that rules would be more strictly re-enforced here then it had been in Germany.

"I'm not sure about that, all I know is that she was placed on the third floor."

The small blond woman didn't say any more determined to go on a private scouting mission later that evening after visiting hours. She was helped in her search by a young orderly whom she had befriended since arriving at the hospital. Ryan Marsh was someone whom Halley knew she could trust and he found out the information she needed.
________________________

Eden felt totally listless. The long flight from Germany had taken it's toll in spite of the fact that she had slept most of the trip. If there was one blessing, it was that her grandfather had pulled enough strings to get her a private room. A room that would most likely be her home for the next couple of weeks. She closed her eyes in an attempt to seduce herself to sleep, but it continued to remain elusive even though she was tired. She heard a squeak and cracked an eye open, expecting to see a nurse. Her surprise was complete when the image of small blonde woman in a wheelchair filled her vision.

"Hey!" A pair of blue eyes opened.

"Hey, yourself," Halley cracked a grin, amazed at how pleased she was to see the other woman. She wheeled herself into the private room steeling herself to the pain the action caused to ripple through her stitched up side. "Sorry, if I woke you."

"You didn't," Eden assured the Sgt. with a shake of her head. "I wasn't sure I would get to see you again. I thought that they might have turned you loose already."

"Not yet," the smaller woman shook her head and wheeled herself further into the room.

"They haven't finished pricking and prodding me yet. I think they have a quota of holes they have to put into you before they release you."

The flier couldn't help the small laugh that came to her lips. It had been such a long time since she had laughed. Without realizing it her spirits lifted with the presence of this other woman.

"I missed your company."

"Really?" Halley quirked her eyebrows. "Can I get a tape and record you saying that. My Commander will be surprised."

"I highly doubt that."

"Yeah," the small woman grinned and then sobered. "How are you doing?"

"They tell me I'm healing but I don't feel much better," Eden sighed. "I know I should be patient but...."

"It's hard," the blond woman finished the other woman's sentence. "I'm not used to being cooped up so being confined to this damn wheelchair is a real lesson in patience."

"How are your injuries?" the tall woman asked, knowing she was the reason the other woman was in hospital.

"Healing," the Sgt. shrugged indifferently. "Like you it's going to take time. They have me in physical therapy already. I think once they are confident I can get around on crutches they will kick me loose."

"I guess you will be happy to be mobile again?"

"Yeah, but I have kind of enjoyed being catered too," Halley grinned mischievously, causing the taller woman to laugh. It amazed her how much better she felt when this small blond was around.

"Have your parents been to see you?" Eden could not deny the curiosity she felt towards all things connected to the smaller woman. It had been a long time since she had felt that way about anyone.

"Nah," the Sgt. shook her head. "They wanted to come but I told them not too, that I would be home soon on leave."

The blond recalled the conversation she had with her caring parents who had been eager to drop everything and fly down to visit her in hospital. Fortunately she had persuaded them not to waste the money, finally convincing them that they couldn't leave Joe alone to finish putting the crop in the fields.

"You never told me where home was?"

Halley blushed, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. "Canada."

"Your Canadian?" The confession came as a surprise.

"No, not technically, I mean I am a landed immigrant but I was born in Kansas City," the blond shook her head. "My parents moved north when I was five."

"Why didn't you join the Canadian military?"

"There wasn't the same opportunities as there was in the Marines," Halley was honest.
"Even though Canada is a lot more open about allot of things, there were certain trades not open to women. I wanted a bit more challenge."

Eden thought about it a moment, remembering the patches and ensigna on her uniform.

"To be honest I am a little surprised by your rating. I didn't think women were allowed on the front lines."

"Technically we aren't," the blond said and then paused for a minute to debate whether or not she could be honest with the older woman. She looked at the broken flier and knew that she could trust this person. "Officially I am not allowed to say anything but I am a pilot project. The Pentagon really
wanted to see if it was possible to integrate women into all areas of the military.

"One day they asked for volunteers. I was a communications specialist at the time and bored with my job so I jumped at the chance. They selected ten of us, seven of which were either cut or dropped out of the program because of their deficiencies. The three of us who managed to survive the rigorous indoctrination were then assigned to various duties with front line units."

"I never heard about it."

"You weren't supposed too," the smaller woman sighed. "We were approached individually and everything we did was always on a need to know basis."

"Are you glad you volunteered?"

Halley was silent. She had never been asked that question. Certainly if she knew back then what she did now, she would re-consider her willingness to sign her life blindly over to those in charge of the program. She had done things and been involved in situations that she had never expected to find herself in and though she was proud of her accomplishments she wasn't certain she was as proud of some of the things she had done.

Eden saw the darkening of her companions light features and decided to change the subject. There was an edge to the blond that hinted at things that were better left untouched.

"What do your parents do?"

"They are farmers," the Sgt's features lit up. "They have a twenty-five hundred acre farm where they grow wheat and some vegetables. They also have a few cattle and a couple of horses."

"That sounds wonderful."

"It is," the younger woman enthused. "I think I miss the beauty and solitude of the farm where you can walk for miles without seeing another person. At night you can build a fire wherever you want and just lie on the grass and stare up into the night sky."

Eden continued to listen as her new friend described her life growing up on the farm. The work and the fun seemed to mix together into an existence that was completely alien to the older woman. She had been raised in the confines of the social norms that most children of diplomatic parents found themselves in.

However, instead of foreign countries, her memories were of boarding schools and military academies, intermingled with exotic holidays spent in some foreign country. She had never really had a home after her parents had died. There had been her grand-parents estate in Virginia but it was a rare occasion when she had spent more then a curtsey visit. She wondered where she would go from here. Certainly her grandparents would expect her to spend her recovery time with them, but she wasn't sure she could endure the sterile loneliness that awaited her there.

"What about you?" Halley was just as curious about the flier, knowing the rigorous progress it took for someone not only to complete pilot training but to land a coveted spot as a jet pilot.

"My parents died when I was young so I was raised by my grandparents," Eden was honest. Normally she was vague about her private life but there was something about this woman that made her want to share everything about herself. "Actually a better description was that I was raised by the various housemothers at the boarding schools I attended while my grandparents were filling a diplomatic post overseas. I really only spent the occasional holiday with them."

"Wow," the Sgt. was genuinely impressed. "I suppose you've been all over the world?"

"Yes," the dark haired woman shrugged. "But it wasn't as glamorous as you might think. I never really got to see much of any place because most of the time I spent accompanying my grandparents to the various official functions. Summer vacations were usually spent at some sort of camp."

Halley listened as the dark haired woman described her life. It did sound glamorous but also lonely. She thought of her own upbringing with her three sisters, a smile coming to her lips at the memories of the adventures they had shared, afternoons they had sneak away from their chores to go swimming in the nearby creek. She knew she would never trade those experiences for anything. Those times where what had pulled her through in the darkest moments of her life.

"Are your grandparents here?" The smaller woman asked.

"Yeah," the flier nodded. "Their estate is only an hour from here so they now drive up daily. They are retired from the diplomatic Corp so they have nothing else to do."

Halley nodded, aware of the heaviness of her companion's voice. She could detect the fatigue that had quietly stolen it's way over the other woman's features. She knew that as much as she wanted to extend this visit it was time to leave. There would be other visits where she could learn more.

"Would you like to hear another story?"

"I would love one," the dark haired woman brightened at the idea. She enjoyed the smaller woman's stories.

Halley grinned and began. "Once upon a time there was a woman warrior...."

Like at the hospital in Germany, their evening visits continued. They would share the events of their day, commiserating with each other before chatting about other subjects. Each evening would end with Halley putting the flier to sleep with a story of an ancient warrior woman. Somehow they were both comforted by this simple bedtime ritual.

"That was a wonderful story," Eden remarked one evening when she was in particular discomfort. Normally she would be asleep by the time Halley finished the dialogue but it had been a rough day and for some reason she had developed an infection in one of her wounds. She was gripped with a slight fever and a fine sheen of sweat beaded across her dark brows.

"Thank you," the smaller woman blushed faintly at the compliment, though she was concerned by
the look of her friend. She knew that the night nurse would be making her rounds shortly so was not unduly concerned. Hopefully, an extra dose of medication would help to knock the other woman out.

"Have you ever thought of writing them out and getting them published?"

"Not seriously," the marine was honest. "I'm not sure there would be a market for my stories. As much as the public has changed in its attitude I don't think readers are quite ready for stories about a pair of strong women warriors."

"I don't know about that," Eden sighed closing her eyes unable to fight the fatigue yet not able to fall asleep. "Look at the both of us, I would like to think that we are both strong and capable women."

"Yes, but what we do is not the normal," Halley replied softly. "Are you sure I can't do anything for you?"

"No," the dark haired woman shook her head. "I just feel so hot."

The Sgt. nodded her head trying to think of something she could do even while keeping the other woman's mind off her troubles. She wheeled across the room and into the adjoining bathroom where she spied a washcloth and a small basin. After filling the pan with water she wheeled back into the room placing the basin of cold water on a stand by the bed before clumsily lifting herself out of the wheelchair to sit on the edge of the bed.
Her perch was awkward but it served its purpose, as she soaked the washcloth in the water, wringing out the cloth before placing it on the other woman's forehead.

"That feels so nice," Eden sighed with contentment at the feeling of the coolness on her brow. "Where do you come up with ideas for your stories?"

"I enjoy reading about ancient history and Greek and Roman mythology is a large part of that," Halley replied as she continued to apply the cool compress to the other woman's heated skin.

"Do you use some of your own experiences?" the dark haired woman mumbled through partially closed lips. Her blue eyes were closed. "I had an English professor who said that we should only write from experience because that was all we knew."

"I suppose that's true, but as I didn't live back in ancient times I guess I have to use some creative license," the smaller woman chuckled and then grew silent as she contemplated the rest of her response. "I suppose my experiences, at least my feelings, do influence my characters. I want them to be do-gooders and fight for a higher cause."

"Is that how you see yourself?"

It was an innocent question but one that Halley had been asking herself more increasingly over the last few months. When she had signed up for the pilot project she had imagined paving the way for other women like herself but now she wasn't certain that what she was doing was right. She knew that women were as capable and as strong as men emotionally and could perform the tasks requested, she just didn't know if it was a good idea for anyone, man or woman, to do what she had been called to do.

She sighed. It had all seemed so simple back in the beginning. She had been as patriotic as the next person and the images of dead and injured people, caught in the vengeful acts of the terrorists had been enough to justify everything she had been called to do. But the initial anger had faded until now there were times when she really questioned if what she did, served any purpose at all.

Her mind flashed back to her next to last assignment. Her commanders had been ecstatic with the success of her mission and she had been guaranteed a commendation for her actions, but that had done nothing to assuage the doubts that had sprung into her mind. Before she had been careful to target only those directly responsible, but the last mission had been clear. She was supposed to eliminate everyone in the camp.

In spite of the orders she could not dismiss the feelings that she was no better then those she had been sent to dispose of. The images of the children's faces flashed before her eyes only to be quickly extinguished. She didn't want to think about them. She felt a light touch on her arm and looked up to see a pair of cloudy blue eyes watching her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she flashed a fake smile. "Sorry, I just got lost in thought."

Eden watched her companion for a moment longer before closing her eyes and reveling into the refreshing feeling of the cool cloth against her burning skin. She sensed there was more to the small woman and for a fleeting moment she had seen pain and something else in the green eyes before a curtain had dropped over them.

"My goodness what on earth is going on here?" a matronly voice asked with some alarm and Halley twisted on the bed to look at the older gray haired woman who bustled into the room. She knew this was the night nurse on her evening rounds.

"The Commander was hot, so I thought I would give her some relief," the small woman replied.

"You should have called a nurse," the Lieutenant rasped, grasping the cloth from the small woman hand and unceremoniously helping her down from the bed back into the wheelchair.

"You were all busy I didn't think it was much of a deal," Halley retorted not liking this woman much.

"Now where do you belong, your own nurse will be worried," the Lieutenant fussed needlessly.

"Nah, she knows where I am."

"Well, the Commander needs her rest," the older woman continued to bustle around the bed, fixing the mussed up sheets.

"Tomorrow?"

Halley glanced passed the nurse to the woman lying on the bed. For a moment blue and green eyes met and a small smile crept over the blond woman's features. She nodded and then mouthed a good night before wheeling herself out of the room and down the hall to the elevators.

It wasn't the next evening or the one after that for each time Halley wheeled herself to the flier's room it was to find the door closed, effectively sealed from everyone else. According to a well meaning corpsman she was able to learn that the Commander was fighting a bad infection.

Regardless the Marine Sgt. returned nightly to see how her new friend was doing and was relieved and rewarded when she finally found the other woman's room once more accessible after four days.

"Don't stay to long," the nurse cautioned upon her entrance. "She needs her rest."
Halley nodded and wheeled herself to the side of the bed. "Hey." She greeted when blue and green eyes met.

"Hey yourself," Eden managed to murmur. She was completely exhausted in spite of the endless hours of sleep that she had been doing.

"Heard you were in a bad way," the blond woman said.

"Yeah," the dark hair bobbed a little. "The doctors had to go back in and remove a sliver of metal from my thigh."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," the dark head nodded again, allowing her blue eyes to roam over the other woman. She had missed the smaller woman. Her eyes came to rest on the white bandage wrapped around the blond's right wrist. "What happened?"

"I learned that I was not at all coordinated with crutches," Halley snorted with a blush. "The therapist thought I was ready to graduate from this chair. I was doing pretty good until I snagged the end of the crutch on the base of one of their exercise machines. Needless to say that I went for a fall." She raised her bandaged hand. "It's just a sprain but it will keep me in this chair a few extra days."

"Good," Eden murmured before closing her eyes, and the smaller woman was left to wonder about the last comment. "I didn't thank you for what you did for me the other day."

"It wasn't much," the blond woman blushed again.

"No, but it was the thought," the dark haired woman countered, opening her eyes again and looking down at the smaller woman. "You always seem to be coming to my rescue."

"Just glad I can help out," Halley was unable to get rid of the heat that was flooding her face. "Nurse Wretched wasn't as pleased."

"Don't worry about it," Eden chuckled. "I outrank her."

The blond grinned, feeling better now that she could see that her friend was getting better. "Would you like to hear a story?"

"I would love one," the flier was sincere and closed her eyes as the other woman's lilting voice began to wash over and soothe her senses. In just a short while the woman was breathing long and softly and Halley paused looking over the smooth plains of the other woman's face.

"I see you have returned," the woman was brisk, almost rude in her manner. "I suggest Sgt. that you return to your room. I hope you weren't bothering the Commander, I would hate to have to report you."

"Report me for what?" Halley was indignant.

"I don't know how things are run at your camp but here fraternization is looked down upon," came the brusque reply. The nurse had learned allot about her patient and saw it as her duty to protect the young pilot from those not of her position or social standing.

"Listen, Lieutenant," the name was ground out between two rows of prefect teeth. "The Commander and I have had the misfortune of having served on the same ship and been caught in the same misfortunate incident. I hardly think the fact that we are conversing in hospital while we recover classifies as fraternization. Besides I doubt that either of us has much of a career left once we leave the hospital."

Without another word Halley swung around and maneuvered her chair out of the room, missing the orderly that was hovering anxiously by the door. The staff all knew the older nurses pendant for enforcing the rules.

"Hey, Sgt. don't worry about Nurse Scott, she tends to take her duties too seriously but she is off for a week after tonight," the orderly confided as he fell into step behind the wheelchair and began giving it a push. The staff had noticed how brighter the Commander was after a visit with the Marine so none of them were about to interfere.

Halley made no comment. She had been in the military long enough to know about those who took their duties to seriously. They were the ones who made life miserable for all those trying to make their own lives better.

Not about to be deterred, Halley continued with her evening visits and was rewarded to see that with each day the flier was getting better. Finally one evening she wheeled into the room to see the woman sitting up in her bed.

"Hey," she called in greeting.

"Hey, yourself," Eden flashed the smaller woman a smile. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I managed to get out of bed today."

"Great news." Halley was genuinely impressed. "That must mean you are getting better."

"Yes," the dark haired woman nodded. "The doctors think that the piece of metal that they found in me was what was re-tarting my recovery."

"Well, it's good they got it," the Marine nodded with pleasure as she drew a pack of card off of her lap. "I thought we would do something different tonight. Care for a game of gin rummy?"

"Sure," Eden nodded and for the next hour the two women traded cards and wins as both were equal in their talent for the game.

The next night Halley returned with a small game board and chess pieces instinctively knowing that the woman was a player and was surprised to learn that the taller woman had never played the game but was willing to learn. For the next few nights they puzzled over the game and before long Eden knew the basics, a natural talent as the marine had suspected.

It was the end of the week when the wheelchair was taken away from Halley and she was forced to use the crutches to get around. Eden had also graduated to physical therapy and was now using a walker to move a few steps. The two women met in therapy and natural gravitated towards each other, encouraging and supporting each other. It soon became a familiar sight to see the two women slowly walking down the hallways together.

"I don't like it," Nurse Scott groused one afternoon when she was working. She was strict in her brief that officers and enlisted personnel should not intermingle.

"Give it a break," another, younger nurse snorted. "If you can't see that they are good for each other then perhaps you are in the wrong profession. They have survived something that either of us will ever understand so why can't you just leave them alone."

The older woman was about to make a comment but paused to watch as the two women were stopped by a doctor. An older man she had worked with for years. He was a major and she was certain that he would have an opinion on fraternization. She watched as he smiled at the two women and then continued on to the nurse's desk where she was standing.

"I don't think it's right," Nurse Scott decided to make her opinions known.

"What's not right?" Dr. Franz asked as he picked up a client chart and began making notes.

"The two of them. It's not right an officer with an enlisted person."

"Perhaps," the Major was non-committal. His first and only concern was patient welfare.

He had never been one to get caught up in the military protocol. He had worked on a front line unit as a corpsman in Vietnam. That experience was what had prompted him to go to medical school. It was also the experience of getting to know the men who had fought and died in that war that had prompted him to stay in the military.

"I think I will have a word with Major Dorsey," Nurse Scott continued when she saw that she was
getting nowhere with the doctor.

Major Franz paused for a moment before closing the chart and putting it back into its holder. "I suggest you think twice before making any waves." He glanced at the two women again who had reached the end of the hallway and where now making their way back. "Commander Bryce is politically connected in a way that if you get on her bad side could adversely affect your career."

"What do you mean?" the Lieutenant was shocked by the doctor's statement.

"Ambassador Bryce, the Commanders grand-father, is a friend of the President, and he is quite pleased that his grand-daughter has made a good friend." He paused, stuffing his pen into the breast pocket of his white lab coat. "If I were you I would leave matters alone."

Without another word the man turned and walked back down the hallway, smiling at the two women before moving towards the elevators to continue his rounds. Nurse Scott considered the doctors words, mulling over her decision and deciding perhaps it was best to leave things be.

"Wow, you are doing great," Halley praised her friend once they reach the woman's bed. They had not gone far but it had been enough to put a strain on the taller woman. There were beads of perspiration on her brow.

Eden only growled before struggling back into her bed. Every part of her body ached. They had gone further then ever before but the strain of the exertion had left her completely exhausted. She wondered if she would ever be able to exercise for hours like she once had.

"Don't worry, it will just take some time," Halley encouraged, sensing the other woman's frustration.

"I know," the dark haired woman sighed and looked at her companion who had flopped into the chair that was sitting next to the bed. There was an expression on the smaller woman's face that she had learned indicated that there was a problem. "What's up?"
Halley flashed a grim smile at the other woman. "I got my walking papers this morning."

"Oh?" the news came as a shock to the older woman. She was unable to hide the disappointment she felt. "When do you go?"

"At the end of the week," the marine replied. "They have set me up with a physical therapy program I can do on my own so there is no other reason to keep me here."

Eden nodded, the joy suddenly going out of her day. She knew it was silly but she had come to look forward to the visits from the smaller woman and the time they had spent together. She knew that she would not have been able to tolerate her incapacitation as well without this woman's support.

"Where are you going?"

"Home, I called my parents and they are overjoyed," Halley replied remembering the phone call she had placed to her family right after the doctor's visit. She would be flying home and only needed to get the arrival times for them to be at the airport. "I have forty-five days leave coming and after that I will be given a medical discharge."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I guess so," the blond shrugged. "It will be different, I have been in the military all my adult life but I will get a small disability pension and I have managed to save enough money to go back to school or just keep me going until I figure out what I want to do with my life. Maybe I will just stay home and help with the farm like I used to do when I was in high school." She paused and glanced at the woman whom she had come to consider a friend. "What about you?"

"I will be here for awhile," Eden sighed, thinking of how lonely her days would be once the small woman was gone. "Then who knows."

She had also had a visit from her Naval Liaison officer but had not been in the mood to speak with him. But she was smart enough to know that the Navy was no longer an option. She would heal but she would always remain in imperfect health so she knew that her days as a pilot were over. She knew that she could probably land a job as an instructor or administrator but that was not what she wanted. If she couldn't fly then she could see no need for her to remain around all that she truly loved.

"We can still write can't we?" Halley asked tentatively.

"Absolutely," Eden smiled reassuringly. She had carefully tucked the other woman's addresses in amongst her personal affects. She had every intention of keeping in contact with this woman.

The two women had remained light hearted for the rest of the week but both knew that their time together was growing short. Their evening ritual remained the same though now Eden was able to remain awake for the entire story. Each evening ended with the flier encouraging the smaller woman to consider becoming a writer, though Halley knew it was harder then just sitting down and putting words on a piece of paper.

Finally the day of departure came and Halley made her way down the hospital corridor dressed in her civilian clothes, one last time, saying goodbye to those nurses and orderly's who had become friends during her stay. She knew these professionals had a tough job and respected most of them for the care and compassion they showed.

"I will write," Halley promised her taller companion when she came to say goodbye.

"I will miss you." Eden smiled bravely, already beginning to feel lonely.

"Well, then you are just going to have to come out and visit me when you finally get out of this joint," the small flashed her patented smile and the dark haired woman nodded.

"I will."

"I'm serious," Halley said. "I reckon the farm would be the best place for you to recover. The fresh air, the peace and quiet, my moms cooking."

Eden laughed and raised her hands in defense. "Okay, okay I am convinced, and I promise when I get out of here I will come to visit."

"Good cause you still owe me a dinner," the Marine said reminding the other woman of an earlier promise. Eden looked confused and the smaller woman repeated the conversation they had shared in the cave.

"Hmmm, I could plead incapacitation but I trust you didn't take advantage of me for anything more than just a dinner."

"Nope," Halley grinned and then impulsively leaned in and hugged the taller woman, holding on tightly and wishing privately that she wasn't leaving. But as all things in life, it was constantly changing and right now she was stepping on.

"Take care of yourself."

"You too," Eden waved and then watched with cloudy blue eyes as the smaller woman made her way out of her room and disappeared down the hallway. Almost instantly she felt the loss.


CHAPTER SIX


Halley paused at the bottom step turning to wave one last time to her sister and niece as they sped out of the yard and down the gravel road. Only when they were out of sight did she turn and slowly limp up the porch steps. She hobbled across the veranda to a wicker chair with a small stool in front of it dropping into the chair and hoisting her bandaged leg onto the cushioned stool, she dropped the crutches beside her.

"You're home," John Braeden greeted his eldest daughter, stepping out of the kitchen and joining the girl outside. He dropped his thick frame onto the swing. "How'd it go with the doctors?"

"He said it would be a few more weeks and then they need to operate again," the small woman sighed. "After that will be another six to eight weeks in another cast followed by therapy. He expects I will only walk with a slight limp after that."

"That's good to hear," the man nodded. In spite of her injury they were glad to have her home. His wise green eyes could see that she was harder and that there was a darker edge to her normally vibrant personality.

"Yeah," Halley nodded with a sigh, her eyes focused on the offending cast. "Probably the least of what I deserve."

"What do you mean by that?" It had not escaped the man's attention that there was a troubled look in the younger green eyes that met him.

"I've done things I'm not proud of dad," Halley confessed.

John sighed. He had seen the same haunting expressions in the faces of his colleagues from wars past. His daughter had always been vague as to the exact nature of her duties in the military since she had been promoted and reassigned. He knew that she had traveled too many of the worlds hotspots and that she was part of an experimental program but that was all that she would ever tell them. He knew from experience that she was hiding secrets. Secrets of events and actions that never reached the publics knowledge.

"Did you do it on your own or were you told to do it?" He asked.

"What difference does it make?"

"A big difference," John disagreed.

"I could have refused," Halley shook her head looking away.

"No, you couldn't," the man sighed. "You are a soldier doing what you were trained to do."

"But in the long run dad what does it mean?" She looked back at him unable to hide the burden that weighted heavily on her soul. "I could understand if my actions prevented a war but in the long run it didn't do anything."

"Perhaps that's because you can't always see the end results, you might never know how your actions affected the world," John could understand the torment his daughter was facing. It was the same dilemma that he had faced himself, the first time he had fired a gun at an enemy with the knowledge that he had killed someone. He had moved to Canada in an effort to save his children from ever having experience what he had and yet he had been unsuccessful in protecting them.

"Maybe it means one thing."

"What?"

"That it's time to get out."

"I had thought of that," Halley confessed looking down at her hands which were folded across her lap. "But I've really only ever been in the army. I don't know anything else."

"Nonsense girl, your smart as a whip, you can do anything you put your mind too," John snorted. "You were raised on a farm, isn't any shame on becoming a farmer."

"Sounds like you are looking for some time off?"

"Well, yeah," the man admitted with a shy grin. "I would like to take some time away, maybe take your mom traveling."

"She'd like that," the idea began to take seed in her mind. She had always loved living on the farm. It had a solitude and peace that she had not found anywhere else that she had traveled. It was here that she had her fondest memories. Perhaps it was time to walk away from the Marines and begin the rest of her life.

"It's something we've wanted to do for awhile," John confessed. "But neither of us liked the idea of leaving Joe here looking after things by himself. With you here we wouldn't be so worried. You know how to do everything."

"Well, I got time to think about it," Halley sighed. "I am on medical leave until this thing heals."

"I hope you think on it seriously," the man said rising to his feet. It was then he remembered the envelop in his pocket. He dug it out and tossed it on his daughters lap.

"This came in the mail this morning. Envelop smells mighty pretty."

The blond woman grabbed the plain envelope and glanced at the postmark a blush automatically flooding her face. She knew that she would be teased merciless if she didn't say something quick. She brought the envelope to her nose and sniffed.

"I don't know about you old man, you must be losing your senses, smells like hospital to me."

John chuckled and without further comment opened the screen door and stepped back into the kitchen. Halley waited only until he was gone before tearing open the seal and digging the neatly penned letter from it's pouch. She somehow knew that the tall flier had great penmanship.

Halley

How are you? Did you manage to get home safely? Is your family happy to have you home? I hope this note finds you well onto your way of recovery. As you probably noticed by the postmark, I am still at Bethesda and will be here for another few weeks. The doctors are pleased with the progress of my recovery and they think that with extensive physical therapy that I will be back to normal with only a long scar to remind me of my adventures.

You would think that would be good news, but I am still waiting to hear from my squadron. The one thing the doctors won't say is if I will be in good enough shape to fly again. I guess for that I will just have to be patient and wait.

Not much else to say. The hospital food is the same and Nurse Wretched is still fussing about who comes to visit who. Other then physical therapy there isn't much to keep me occupied. I have convinced my grandparents that they don't need to come everyday and they seem to agree as we never have much to say to each other anyway. The long hours of boredom makes me selfishly wish that you were still here. I miss your company and our chats. Mostly I miss your stories and am finding it hard to fall asleep on most nights.

Well, I should stop rambling. Thankfully my writing arm was not affected by my injuries. Hopefully all is well with you.

Take care
Eden


Halley re-read the letter twice amazed how the words on the page seemed to lift her spirits. A smile instinctively crept across the small woman's features as she immediately went in search of a pen and paper.


Eden

Good to hear from you and sorry that Nurse Wretched is still monitoring the halls...(smile). I am still in a leg cast and will be for some months yet. I am to go back to hospital for more surgery at which time they will be removing some of the screws from my bones. It will be at that time that I will know for sure how permanently my knee is damaged. Until then I will sit here and enjoy the summertime.

The weather has been cooperating and the days are warm without being too hot so I am acting like the old class of British, sitting, reading under the shade of the trees, drinking iced tea and lime. (Have I painted an idyllic enough picture for you?)

Mom and dad are happy to have me home and are doing their best to try and persuade me to stay. They are doing a good job and unless the Marines have something special and worthwhile to offer me I will probably take them up on the offer. I had forgotten how peaceful it was out here and how easy it is to forgot the troubles of the world. However, once again it comes down to what the Marines want to do with me when the doctors send in their final reports.

Well, that is all I have for now. I guess once the doctors give you the okay you will be back up soaring through the sky. I can see you climbing into the cockpit even now, a wide smile on your face. It is a beautiful sight.

Until next time
Halley


Eden returned from her afternoon therapy session to find a plain white envelope on the table tray on her bed. She could tell by the postmark who it was from. She read the letter twice, a smile creeping its way across her face at the images the blond woman painted with her words. She knew that the Marine had a talent and hoped she would recognize it.

"Good news?" The low voice interrupted her musings and she glanced up to see
Commander Hawkwin standing in the doorway.

"Commander," she gave an awkward salute which the man returned. He watched as the smile disappeared to be replaced by the usual stoic expression she wore around her comrades.

"So is it good news?" Carleton Hawkwin motioned once again to the letter as he took several tentative steps into the room.

"Yes, sir," Eden replied formally and then carefully put away the letter. She didn't want to discuss the matter. "When did you get back sir?"

"Two days ago," the Commander sighed internally. He tried to get to know all the members of the squadron he commanded on a personal basis yet he had not been able to learn more then just the basic information about the female pilot. He didn't even know if there was anyone significant in her life. "We have all been given a thirty day leave while the ship is refit and re-supplied and then it will be back to the middle east."

Eden knew that she would miss this new tour of duty and for the first time she wasn't disappointed. Normally she enjoyed deployments for it meant more then the usual training flights.

"How are you doing?" Carleton was genuinely concerned about the woman.

"I'm slowly healing," the woman reported. "Hopefully, I will be out of here in a few more weeks and then its just the physical therapy I have to worry about."

"When can I expect you back on the flight line?"

"I don't know sir," Eden was honest. "I'm not sure I want to go back."

The statement shocked the Commander into silence. He knew that the younger woman lived to fly. The idea that she was seriously considering giving it up came completely as a surprise.

"You know what happened wasn't your fault," the man said, thinking that he understood the reason for her hesitancy. "Hell, you stayed in the air longer then most under the circumstances."

"I know sir," Eden knew that she would always feel responsible for the loss of her plane and crew member. "It's all a mute point anyway. I doubt I will get a medical clearance to fly again. The doctors say I won't suffer any debilitating effects but we all know how rigorous the medical rules are for flying."

"I would hate to lose your flying experience," Hawkwin sighed. "We could always use a good XO."

"Sorry sir, I think it would be to hard being around the flight crews not being able to fly," the pilot was honest and the Commander could understand her feelings. The only reason he remained in his position was because he was occasionally able to get into a jet and soar over the earth. He knew that if he couldn't fly he wouldn't be able to put up with the hassles and paperwork his job required.

"I hope you think long and hard before making your decision."

"It won't be up to me," she reminded.

The Commander stayed a few more minutes of which they chatted idly about what was going on in the squadron and the world. When he finally left Eden felt her mood sink and listlessly she put away the letter and tried to sleep.

Halley knew that she was being a nuisance but since receiving her first letter from the tall dark haired pilot she had been pestering her mother daily, pushing her each morning to take a run into town to collect the mail from the local post office. A trip the woman usually didn't make until the afternoon.

"It might help if you told us a little about this mysterious person," Annie commented dryly, one morning as her eldest daughter kept watching the clock and suggesting a trip into town.

Halley was silent, unsure if she should say anything. "She's just a friend."

"Ah, huh," the older woman nodded making her own determination as to the situation.

Her oldest daughter had "come out" to them during her teenage years and from then on they had anxiously waited for their child to bring home a woman for them to meet. Halley had been alone most of her life and though the girl had casually dated there had never seemed to be anyone special. This did not seem to be the case with the mysterious letter writer.

Halley waited two weeks, an interminable time for the normally patient woman before picking up a pen and writing the stoic woman she considered a friend.


Eden,

Hope all is well with you. I waited to hear from you and when I didn't I began to worry that you may have suffered some setback in your recovery.

All is well in my part of the world. I will be going into hospital next week to get the screws removed at which time another cast will be put on. I am told to expect it to be in place from six to eight weeks before I graduate to a walking cast. Actually, I am beginning to think the medical staff have a conspiracy to make me go crazy with boredom as there is precious little I can do with this cast on my leg.

The weather of July is beautiful. The days have been warm and sunny with brief afternoon rain showers to bring the temperatures down so that the evenings are pleasantly cool. My dad has once again gotten into the habit of having a nightly fire in the pit near the vegetable garden. We sit out under the stars and talk about anything and everything. Janice, my sister, and her husband Joe, occasionally stop by to join the three of us. It's nice to be around family again.

Well, I better wrap this up. Hope all is well and waiting to hear from you.

Your friend
Halley


Eden received the letter on the last day of her hospital stay. She had not written the Marine since her last letter. The visit from her Commanding Officer had sent her into a spiral of memories she had wanted to bury. Finally she had sought the assistance of a psychologist at the hospital to get out of her dark mood. She picked up a pen and began to write.


Halley,

Sorry this had been so long in coming. As you inferred I did suffer a setback which I will detail later and it is only now that I have the strength and energy to reply to your earlier letter.

As of tomorrow I will have a new address. The doctors are finally releasing me into the world. I will be staying at my grand-parents home to complete my recovery. I have managed with physical therapy to have a wide range of movement in my limbs. However, I am not certain that it will be enough to receive clearance to fly. If that is the case I have already informed my Commanding Officer of my intention to ask the Navy for a medical discharge.

As mentioned earlier I had a setback. Now you are wondering how I can have a setback and still be released from hospital. Well, the setback was more emotional then physical. According to my psychologist, the events finally registered themselves on my brain and I crashed. Not a pretty sight.

I know what everyone says and my practical side agrees that the loss of my plane and my crew member was not my fault, but I still accept responsibility for his death. His safety was entrusted to me and I let him down. I will never forget that even if I allow myself to be forgiven.

Phew. Sorry for unburdening myself like that but I felt you would understand. You have been a great friend and I am certain that I had only gotten this far because of your support and encouragement. I will never forget what you did for me "out there."
I will sign off for now. I hope that the surgery goes well.

Your friend
Eden Bryce
175 Glourchester Rd.
Whitshire, Virginia 54798


Halley arrived home from the hospital after her second surgery to find the pilots letter waiting. She settled on the large double bed and opened the envelope, eagerly reading the contents. She found herself feeling a wide scope of emotions from pain and sympathy to happiness. She knew then that whatever she did she would make sure never to lose this woman from her life. Immediately she penned a response.


Eden,

I was glad to get your letter. I am sorry that you feel responsible for your crewman's death. I wish I knew something to say to take away your pain but I know that isn't possible. Truth is, everyday I face my own demons. It is only my ability to forgive myself that makes me able to sleep at night. Our training was meant so that we would be responsible for the taking of lives. Sometimes those dying are innocent, their existence tainted only by association or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We blame others in an attempt to alleviate our own responsibility but in the end it is we ourselves who must one day face our Creator and explain to him our actions. Until then we must live the best way we can.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so heavy but I sense a kindred soul in you. I cherish the fact that you trusted me enough to confide your misgivings. I also hope that whenever you feel another setback coming you will contact me. I don't have any answers but I have a pair of ears to listen with and shoulders to cry on.

It's a beautiful day here. I am lying in bed in the first floor spare bedroom that my parents converted for me so that I wouldn't have to traverse the steps to my usual second floor bedroom. The window is open and I am lucky enough to feel the warm breeze that blows.

It's getting to the end of July and the busy season on the farm is fast approaching. Unfortunately because of my injury I will be nothing more then a bystander in this years activities. It will be at least another six weeks before I get a walking cast. Until then I continue to rely on the crutches.

I received some papers from the Marines in the mail the other day. It looks like they have conceded that I won't be fit to return to active duty once my injury is healed and they are offering me a medical discharge. I supposed I could fight it but I am tired of fighting and therefore will tender my letter of resignation. It looks like I might take up farming, at least for the immediate future until I figure out what I want to do with my life.

Okay, enough for this round. I hope you are enjoying your convalesce.

Your friend
Halley

PS: If you ever feel like calling me, you can reach me at 1-780-473-7080.


Eden put the letter down and looked out across the immaculately groomed lawn to the row of trees and the small pond beyond. She enjoyed the peace of the place and her grandparents had left her mostly alone but she knew that would change once her mobility and stamina increased. Already they were hinting at various fall activities that she would be expected to attend if she were to remain in the area.

For the first time she acknowledged an important factor in her reason for joining the Navy. She had wanted to follow in her father's footsteps but she had also been running from the conventional lifestyle she knew she would be forced to live otherwise. She had never been impressed by the social events she had been made to attend or the powerful and important people she had met. She knew there was something more then that in life.

Vivian paused at the French doors that led out into the terrace, her cerulean eyes taken in the tall rangy frame of her only grandchild. It had been a pleasure having the girl in the large house. It had made the place seem less empty in spite of the aloofness she felt in the younger woman. It pained her immeasurably to acknowledge that the girl could not be natural and at ease around them.

She sighed realizing it was probably their own fault. They had not expected to raise a tiny child in their middle age and it had been easier to ship her off to boarding school then deal with a child in their busy life. Their diplomatic career had been blossoming and their lives had no place for a small child.

The result was the girl have been raised with certain expectations by strangers. She had been taught to be self-sufficient and not to depend on anyone. She had missed out on having the normal loving family relationship growing up and when they had finally tried to reach out it was to late. They were strangers tied together by a shared tragedy and blood.

Vivian took a deep breath and stepped out onto the terrace quietly slipping into a chair next to the younger woman. She noticed the letter on the table. The girl had almost seemed excited when it had been delivered earlier that morning.

"Did you get good news?" she asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"Yes," Eden acknowledged stiffly, automatically straightening in her chair. She wondered why everyone asked the same question.

"Is it from someone special?" Vivian wondered. The girl never spoke of her private life and they were absolutely clueless about any romantic entanglements in which she may be involved.

"Yes," Eden answered after a long moment. She rarely made friends yet the small blond and her had clicked almost from the first moment. "It's from a friend of mine. A woman I met on-board ship."

"Strange I thought it had a foreign postmark."

"She's from Canada, but she was born in the States."

"That would explain it," Vivian flashed a smile. This was almost the most personal information she had ever gotten out of the girl. "Is she another pilot?"

"No, she was in the marines," Eden replied hesitantly, unsure of how much to tell her grandparent. They did not know of her attraction to women. It was a subject she had never deemed necessary to discuss with them. "She was involved in rescuing me."

"Ah, yes," the older woman seemed to understand. "I remember your grandfather visiting a young woman involved in rescuing you. She was also injured."

"She was shot in the side and the knee."

"Is she home now recovering?"

"Yes," Eden nodded and fell silent glancing only briefly at the older woman before focusing again on the lawns. The ensuing silence told the older woman that she would get no more voluntary information from the younger woman. With a sigh she rose from her chair.

"Your grandfather invited Senator Mateo and his wife over for dinner next Tuesday. We would like you to join us?"

"I would prefer to have a tray in my room if that is all right?"

"We would prefer that you joined us," Vivian said and Eden knew that it was more of an order then a request. "You can excuse yourself once you've eaten."

"Yes, ma'am," the younger woman agreed knowing that she really had no choice in the matter.

"Thank you," the older woman said and then quietly retreated back into the house, leaving her stoic grand-daughter alone with her thoughts.
__________________________________________

The day that Halley officially received her discharge from the military Annie announced that they were having a barbecue. She had lived for fifteen years in fear that her daughter would be killed so no one was happier then her and though she knew that her eldest child was still uncertain about her future she was in the mood for a celebration. In no time she had the arrangements made and the neighbours were all invited. As the harvest season was not yet in full swing they expected a large turn out.

It had been more then a dozen years since Halley had lived in the area but news of her return spread quickly in the tight knit community and the evening of the party, vehicles of all sizes and shapes filled the driveway and lined the road. Even her two city dwelling sisters and their families took time out to join the celebration. The small former Marine was overwhelmed and knew that her parents had many friends in the neighbourhood.

"So kid, how do you feel?" Joe asked finally managing to corner his sister-in-law alone. They were sitting on several home made benches that had been hastily erected in the days prior to the barbecue.

"Weird," Halley was honest with the man who had been her friend since childhood. "I have been involved with the military in one form or another since I was fifteen."

Joe remembered those early days. They had joined the local cadets but it had quickly become apparent that while Halley had excelled at the training and activities, he had been less then enthusiastic. In the end he had resigned after a year, finding other interests to fill his spare moments.

"Do you know what you are going to do now?"

"I haven't a clue," the small woman sighed. "Dad has been hinting that he would like me to hang around and help out. He isn't getting any younger and I know both of you could use the help."

"I hear a but in there some place," Joe was astute enough to know that the woman wasn't saying everything.

"Yes," Halley smiled grimly at the man. "As much as I would love to stay here and live, I don't know that it would be the best for me."

"Why?"

"I have been in the military since I was eighteen. I am thirty four years old and I have yet to live my own life. Hell, I have even put off getting involved with anyone because I knew what the implications were if my lifestyle was ever found out."

"But I thought the U.S. had a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy?"

"Yes, but regardless of what they say they don't want gays or lesbians in the military," Halley explained. "I know of six cases where marines were given dishonourable discharges because of their sexual orientation and another half dozen who were investigated for being gay but it was never proven."

"But your not in the military any more," Joe reminded softly. "No one is going care who you go out with out here."

"Probably not, but where am I going to find anyone to date in the middle of nowhere?" Halley asked and it took a moment for the man to comprehend what his friend was saying.

"Okay, I see your point," he nodded taking a sip of his beer. There was nothing more that he would like then to work together again with his best friend but he knew that someone like her deserved to have companionship. "What about the woman Mom told us about, that woman you are writing too?"

The blond woman laughed. "We are friends and nothing more."

"Are you sure?" Joe prodded watching her out of the corner of his eye. He noticed the little blush that crept up her neck.

"Yes," she said firmly. "Besides I hardly think she would want to move to the middle of nowhere."

"I don't know about that," the man shook his head with a grin. "I would think that with your charm you would be able to convince anyone to move out here."

"Charm? You're delusional man," Halley chuckled. It felt good to share the easy going companionship that she had not shared with anyone in a long time. "I am going to have to ask my sister what she is feeding you, I think you've been brainwashed."

Joe laughed. "Truth is I think you just have to mention to your sister that you are looking for a date and she would be out there helping you look."

"No, please not that," the small woman groaned remembering the last time her sisters had attempted to set her up on a date. Disaster would be the only proper word to describe the evening that had followed. After that night she had made her sisters swear never to attempt to fix her up again.

The man couldn't contain his laugh at the memory and they were soon joined by others who were naturally drawn to the friendly bantering. By the time the last of the guests had departed it was late in the evening with Joe and Janice staying to help clean up before taking their leave. Still to restless to sleep she sat down by the fire which was still burning brightly. She was soon joined by her parents who settled on the bench on either side of her.

"Thank you," she smiled and hugged them. "This was a wonderful evening. I got to see people I hadn't seen in ages."

"Well, we thought it would be nice to welcome you home," Annie held up her hand to silence her daughter. "I know you have been here for awhile but there was always this cloud hanging over our heads. It wasn't until you officially got your discharge papers that we could really believe that you were home for good."

"I still don't know how long I will be here," Halley reminded gently.

"We know," John interjected. "But we want you to know that you always have a home here. We know that there will be some things that you want to do before settling down but we want you to consider this as your home."

"I do dad," Halley assured them both. "It didn't matter where I was but whenever I thought of home, I thought of here."

"Good," Annie nodded her head as if that finalized everything. She glanced at her watch and stood up. "I don't know about you two but it's way past my bedtime."

"Bed sounds good," John agreed and stood up. "Don't stay up all night."
"I won't," the girl grinned. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the pair replied before making their way to the house, leaving their daughter alone with her thoughts.

_____________________________

Vance Bryce decided on having a smoke before retiring after a long evening. He stepped into the den and noticed immediately that the doors leading onto the terrace were open. The book laying on the leather sofa and the coffee mug on the end table told him that this was where his grand-daughter had retreated after dinner.

He stepped through the doors, his tall frame momentarily framed by the light that spilled from the open windows. His gray eyes swept the lawns following the stone path that lead to the gazebo in the gardens and the small pond beyond. It was here that he found the young woman sitting, her blue eyes seemingly staring into the surrounding darkness.

In the short time since she had been there he had noticed a remarkable improvement in her physical well being. A large part he knew was her determination to heal and the rigorous exercise program she put herself through. Even though the wounds were healed there was still stiffness to the young woman's movements. The doctors could not predict whether she would ever lose the rigidity. Though her internal organs had not been damaged, the muscles in her thigh and side had been shredded.

"Do you mind if I join you?

"No, sir," Eden replied formally, straightening her shoulders. She had known the instant she was no longer alone. The fragrant aroma of her grandfathers cigarettes proceeding his arrival. She was silent as the man lowered his frame onto the bench on which she was sitting. They sat quietly enjoying the beauty of the night.

"I understand your leave will be up soon."

"Yes, sir," Eden confirmed. "I have to report to Bethesda for a final medical examination and then my squadron."

"Have you given any thought to what you will do if they don't clear you to fly?"

"Yes, sir," the tall woman nodded her dark head. "I figure to resign my commission and perhaps do a little traveling. I have been around the world but I have seen precious little of it."

"Yes, I suppose there is no need to settle down," Vance agreed. "Have you heard how that young Marine Sergeant is doing?"

Eden knew to whom her grandfather was referring. She knew that he had paid the young woman a visit prior to her departure from Germany. "She is still recovering. Her injuries are to the extent that she won't be able to return to active duty."

"That's a shame, she seemed to be a capable young woman," the man was genuine. The few minutes that he had spent with the marine had left a good impression on him.

"Yes, sir," Eden agreed.

"I don't suppose you ever thought of giving the diplomatic service a consideration," the man broached a subject that had been on his mind for a long time. It had always be his dream for his family to follow in his footsteps.

"No, sir," the woman was firm in her decision. She knew that it would please her grandparents if she considered a career in diplomacy but she was tired of politics and being around politicians. She would have thought they had realized her aversion in her unwillingness to join them in anything that resembled politics.

"Then what do you think you will do?"

"I hadn't thought much about it," she sighed. "Perhaps I will become an instructor. I thought I would worry about that when I knew more about my future."

"Well, you can't leave it too long," the diplomat said. They had never had this type of discussion before as the girl had always known precisely what she wanted to do. Now it was likely that her career with the Navy was over.

"Yes, sir," Eden did not bother arguing with him, knowing it was simpler to just agree with him.

"Well, it's been a long day," the man sighed and rose to his feet. "Don't stay out to late."

"No, sir."

Eden listened as the man's steps faded down the path. She wasn't sure what she wanted with her future but she did know it would not be here in the shadows of her grandparents and the life they lived. That evening at their insistence she had joined them for dinner with a Senator and his wife. She had been bored with the political conversation between the men and had not been interested in the gossip that the women had exchanged. She had fled their presence as soon as seemed respectable, preferring the company of a good book to that of people.

She thought of the small blond marine, thinking about the letters they exchanged. Slowly but surely she felt herself becoming closer to the blond and not for the first time did she seriously contemplate going to visit the small woman. It might be a start. With that in mind she rose and slowly made her way back to the house and the warm bed that awaited.
Halley received the letter a week later. Annie couldn't help but notice the broad smile that broke across her daughters face at it's arrival. She watched as the girl pulled out a chair and settled at the table before tearing the envelop open.


Halley

How are you? I am writing this in hopes that your earlier invitation is still open. I have an appointment with my squad commander at the beginning of next week. My medical test results are in and though I do not qualify for a medical discharge, I am not fit for flight duty. Therefore, I have made the decision to request an early discharge.

Technically, I owe the Navy at least another year from my last enlistment, I feel I have a good chance of getting a discharge because of the change in my flight status. At least that is my hope. The thought of having to spend another year by the flight line without being able to fly is to upsetting to contemplate.

Anyway, as I alluded too earlier, I thought perhaps once out, I would do some traveling and see the parts of the world that I missed out on the first go round. With that in mind, I thought my first stop would be in Canada, a farm, where a former marine and friend of mine resides. Perhaps a visit would help me to persuade her to join me on some of my journeys. Have you been to Australia?

Well, I think I will leave it at that and sign off for now to let you think about it. Hope this finds you well
and enjoying your new civilian life.

Your friend
Eden


Halley could barely contain her excitement. She couldn't think of anything better then to travel the world in the company of the tall dark haired woman. She had plenty of money saved from her years in the military and so that was not an issue. She glanced across the table at her mother who was pealing potatoes for dinner.

"Mom, would it be all right if I invited a friend to come visit me here?" The former Marine knew that it wouldn't be a problem but she respected her parents and thought to ask their permission.

"Certainly dear, we would love to have your friend come visit," Annie was sincere. She could think of nothing better then welcoming her daughter's friend. They had always made sure that their children's friends felt as comfortable here as they did in their own homes.

"Thanks," Halley flashed her mother a warm smile before going in search of a pen and some paper.


Eden

Hello my friend. Yes, the invitation is still open. I would relish the opportunity to show a city slicker such as yourself what is all involved in life on the farm.

My leg is healing on schedule and I should be graduating to a walking cast in the near future. I received my discharge papers and have been given a small disability pension to compensate for my lost mobility. After fifteen years I am now officially a civilian. I think it will take some time for me to get used to.

The thought of taking a trip for the pure joy of traveling sounds great. If you are serious, and I hope you are, about dragging an old marine with a bum knee around the world then I am definitely there. I have never been to the Land Down Under and would certainly look forward to seeing the country with you.

It's getting to the end of August and the harvest season is in full swing. I have been relegated to helping my mom in the kitchen with making the meals. It's a necessary job but I would rather be out in the fields. (Yes, I can cook, if you are wondering, but my culinary skills are limited.)

Other then that I haven't been doing much. The weather is holding and the nights are still warm and beautiful. Well, it's time to start on dinner so I will sign off for now.

Your friend
Halley


Eden smiled. The letter had cheered her up considerably. Her request for a discharge had been granted and she had spent the next few days going through the various formalities of out processing. In some ways it had been hard to say goodbye to the way of life that she had lived for the last twenty years. She wondered if the small marine had felt the same pangs of regret and sorrow.

With that part of her life over, she had went around to her commanders and said her goodbyes before packing her duffle bag and tossing it into the back of her car. She took one last look around before stepping into the jeep and putting it in gear. She did not look back again, determined to put that part of her life behind her and move on to the future.


Continued in part four

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