AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I get it. I understand.”
“Be a friend,” Jill urged. “It will be fine.”
Nodding, she followed Jill in and saw that the new arrival’s presence nearly filled the tiny cabin. She could feel his eyes on her, as if he was judging or measuring her as a person, and felt slightly nervous. Did he know about her past? Jill was awfully free with telling her about his injuries and his own history.
“Ortega, this is Lena Bow – Lena, Ortega,” Houghton said simply. “I trust you two will get along. Ortega, you’ll find the axe in the barn. You’re on wood duty for all the cabins. I’ve got some leather gloves you can use to help keep from destroying your hands, brother.”
“Chopping wood, huh.”
“Yup. Gotta keep it cozy. It gets cold here – oh, and before I forget? Pills?” Houghton said simply, holding out his hand and looking at the new soldier. He didn’t hesitate, simply opening his canvas bag and pulling out an amber-colored bottle.
“Antibiotics – good. Looks like you have two or three days left?”
“Yup.”
“Anything else?”
“What are you looking for?” the newest arrival said bluntly – and Lena nearly threw up in awareness. They weren’t looking at her but asking on her behalf.
“I have a problem,” she volunteered softly, causing the soldier to look at her sharply. “He’s looking for pain pills or narcotics, anything of the sort.”
“I see,” Ortega hesitated and didn’t look away from her. “I don’t take that stuff because I hate how it makes me feel. No morphine, no Oxy, no Percocet, but any of you are welcome to check my bag.”
“I don’t mean to be cruel or nosy, but they were asking on my behalf – not because they don’t trust you. They don’t trustmeyet.”
He didn’t say a word but rather picked up his bag and dumped the entire thing on the floor, making quite a mess, and she felt humiliated when Jill gasped audibly.
“No pills, Lena. Just me – and amoxicillin. Is that going to be okay?”
“Lena?” Houghton said quietly.
“That’s fine. I’m fine. I just wanted to clarify since it was coming up so quickly in conversation.”
“I’m an open book – just ask,” Ortega said bluntly.
“We’ll leave you two to get… acquainted,” Jill said nervously – and avoided looking at Lena as she glared at her husband.
As the door shut behind them, neither moved.
“You’re clean now?”
The question seemed to hang in the air between them, immediately making her feel defensive. This was a messed-up situation for both of them, and this man dumped everything on the floor like a jerk to prove a point.
She tried to act casual, tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, and knew she was failing.
“Yep. I’m clean. It’s been almost a month since my last binge, and there’s nothing better than waking up disoriented, in the grass somewhere strange, and puking on yourself. If I see a brightly-colored pill? I fall right off my ivory tower and…”
“I was just asking,” he interrupted flatly, frowning.
“I was just telling you.”
“Well?”
“Well,what?”
“Let’s talk about the obvious. You’re a girl, and I’m a guy.”
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
