Missing You

Jenny (Chapter 1)

Jenny

Not for the first time did Jenny take hold of her desk as mortar shots fired in the distance. Everything within her collapsible office rattled, and she thought for sure today would be the day that the damn thing came down on top of her.

This god forsaken place was not on her top list of deployments she found interesting and she'd only been here for six months. The people in most of the country were fine. It was the few bad apples that made life hell. Plus, the weather. And the sand. And the heat.

She'd rather be in Russia in the winter.

But no, her orders were to be in the desert, and not just any desert, the hottest damn desert in the world. Well, it might not have been the hottest, but it sure felt like it. It was downright miserable, and that made her Marines miserable. Marines that are miserable do some strange and stupid shit.

It had been a long six months already.

Breaking her mental rant with a shake of her head, she listened to a shout in the distance, she knew they'd all be in for a long day. Even with the mound of paperwork she had to get done, mixed with the other duties she was required to do, this hesitation in her schedule was not a welcome one. War tended to be like that.

This was where fear began to creep in. The muscles in her stomach clenched as her body fought to remain in control. It would do no good for her people to see her muscles twitch, hear a shake in her voice, or see a doubt in her eyes. Her Marines expected better than that. She refused to show fear not because it would peg her as weak, but because others depended on her to be strong.

The only time she allowed herself to let go was when she was at home, her husband of ten years holding her, as she released a full deployments worth of tears in a single moment.

That wasn't an option and wouldn't be for another six long months. The only thing she could look forward to was being able to call him at the end of the week. When the phone lines would be open for a short amount of time.

Sometimes, even then, she wasn't able to use the phones. Her Marines came first. They always have and always would. There was never a question when it came to who got to use the lines. If time was still available, she'd take her turn.

Sure, fellow officers used their position to gain access to the phones first, it just wasn't her. Those men and women were on the front line longer than she was and they deserved more privileges. She did what she could to provide that in any way she was allowed.

Did that make her stand out in a crowd? Yep. Did she care much? Nope.

"Captain Windsor," a deep voice shouted from the entrance of her building.

"Yes?" she shouted back.

"Ma'am, I've been told to get you to the barracks. It's going to be a rough day today."

She sighed and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. She had two options here. One, go with the Lance Corporal and two, ignore him. Pros and cons? Pro would be a day off work, safety of the barracks, and maybe she'd get to have at least two hot meals.

Cons? She'd have to leave her Marines here, and that was the only con she needed to decide. "Lance Corporal tell whoever sent you I'm staying put. If they wanted me in the barracks, they wouldn't have passed down a fucking mound of paperwork that's growing faster than the amount of sand in my damn boots."

"Yes ma'am. Colonel Eggart said you'd say that. You sure you want me to relay that message?"

"Word for word, Lance Corporal." Even though the distance between her desk and the only door in the office was a good bit, she could see him cringe and take his leave. Poor kid screwed up bad enough to be Eggart's bitch for a week. She wouldn't wish that on anyone.