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12
Landon
“Are comms still down?” Sgt. Sierra asked when Landon stepped behind him in the chow line.
“I’m going to check after I get something to eat.” Landon twisted the ring on his finger. He’d slept in this morning instead of heading to the computer. It was hard to break away from his dreams when they were of her and the kids. At least the ship was moving again.
“Half rations,” Sgt. Sierra grimaced as he grabbed his tray.
“They could feed me dog food for all I care right now.” Landon carried his breakfast over to the empty table and sat down on the attached swivel stool. A cup of rice, brown gravy with chunks of what must be meat, and a half slice of cold white bread stared back at him. He barely tasted it in his haste to get something into his stomach.
“You want mine too?” Sgt. Sierra asked with his eyebrow raised.
“I’m good.” Landon mopped up what was left of the gravy with the bread. “That might have actually been dog food.” Sgt. Sierra ripped open a stack of sugar packets and poured the granules into his coffee.
“You’re going to get diabetes.” Landon grimaced when he reached for another sugar pack.
“What are you my doctor or something?” Sgt. Sierra sipped the coffee flavored sugar and sighed.
“That’s exactly what I am.” Landon downed the rest of his black coffee and tossed the empty plastic mug on the tray.
“Alright Doc.” He rolled his eyes. “What do you got going on today?”
“Wellness checks on every single one of you window lickers after I go check on Martinez. He should be getting released from his 72-hour confinement soon.”
“About Martinez…” Sgt. Sierra’s voice trailed off as he looked around the mess deck. Satisfied no one was listening, he leaned forward on the table. “Are you doing okay with all that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Landon folded his arms over his chest.
“Look, I’m not trying to pry open old wounds or anything, but the way you acted the other day reminded me of Campbell and I wanted to make sure you’re alright.”
Landon’s eyes darkened when he heard the name and he closed them to block out the too bright fluorescent light. “That was a different situation.”
“I know that. It’s just the way you lost it for a minute put me right back there.”
“You really think now is the best time to bring this up?” Landon opened his eyes and stared at him, seeing the kid he once was with his face streaked in blood and dirt as he dragged him away from Campbell’s dead body and merging it with the version of his friend who sat before him now. “Campbell didn’t want to die. Martinez is a different story.”
“I know.” Sgt. Sierra lowered his face. “But you beat yourself up for the rest of that deployment about not carrying him out of there fast enough and I know how that shit lingers. Campbell, Martinez, none of them are your fault.”
“Maybe you should’ve joined the Navy if you wanted to be a shrink.” Landon chuckled.
“I’m serious, man. Let it out if you need to.”
Landon shook his head. “Thanks, but no thanks. Do you remember Campbell though? That kid was a good dude.”
“Yeah, he was. Didn’t he sneak in that bottle of Jägermeister into the barracks and get us all drunk in Yuma?” Sgt. Sierra studied Landon’s expression, waiting to see if he needed to keep talking.
“Yep.” Landon nodded and looked away.
“You know I probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and I know a few other guys that feel the same.” Sgt. Sierra choked out the words he hoped would help ease the guilt Landon carried.
Landon forced himself to smile. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you either.”
Sgt. Sierra put his hands under his chin and puckered his lips as he batted his long dark lashes flirtatiously. “Are you going to kiss me now?”
“I’ve got something you can kiss.” Landon laughed as he grabbed his tray and walked away.
He didn’t want to think about the past as he walked alone to medical trying to get to a computer before the day began and he didn’t want to think about what the future might be like either. The last few days had slipped by in a blur of rumors and meaningless nothing work to fill the time. Brooms to push, random training to attend, meals that weren’t filling enough.
