The Writer's Assistant (ManxMan)

Chapter 39: Skinny Dipping

"The pipe broke," I explained, attempting to repair the damage. "We tried to fix it this morning but almost flooded the bathroom."

The memory of Oliver grabbing the wrench and clumsily smashing it against the pipe, hoping it'd miraculously fix, flashed in my mind. The result was a dent that caused water to spray all over my face. I had made two mistakes this morning: trusting Oliver with a wrench and standing too close to him while he wielded it.

"You live with him?" Zack asked, slanting his head.

"Oh, no, but I'm with him almost every day," I chuckled sheepishly, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks. Eager to divert the subject, I asked, "Can I ask something?"

"Shoot," Zack replied, giving me an encouraging nod.

"How did you become close to Oliver? If you were so scared of him, wasn't it hard to get close to him?" I murmured, genuinely intrigued.

Zack leaned back, recalling the memories. "It wasn't easy at first, I'll admit. Oliver had this aura of authority that made us all keep our distance. But over time, as we went through intense training and faced dangerous situations together, we got close pretty quickly. We realized that Oliver wasn't just a tough leader but someone who genuinely cared about his team. He pushed us to our limits but had our backs when it mattered the most. We saw his dedication, his bravery, and his unwavering loyalty. It was in those moments that the fear turned into respect and, eventually, friendship," he explained, his voice softening as he reminisced. "I wanted to keep in touch with him. I wasn't lying when I said you don't find men like him in the military or anywhere else," he chuckled. "He also saved my life."

"How did he save your life?" I inquired.

"I was shot."

"What?!"

"Gun accident," he clarified. "One of the new trainees forgot his gun had ammo and accidentally shot me near the rib," Zack explained, lifting his shirt to reveal the gunshot wound. "We didn't have any medics nearby, and while my other comrades were crying and already preparing for my funeral, Oliver jabbed me with morphine and did the surgery using only a needle, gloves, and threads."

"Was he qualified to stitch you up?"

"He knows how to knit, if that counts as something," he chuckled. "He had the basic training, but he doesn't have an official certificate."

My eyes widened in astonishment. I glanced at Oliver, suddenly seeing him in a new light.

"I've felt indebted to Oliver ever since," Zack admitted. He continued to share more stories about him and Oliver, but one story in particular caught my attention. Zack mentioned the name "Ethan Schmol" as if I should be familiar with it.

"Ethan Schmol?" I echoed. "Who's that?"

"A guy who hates Oliver. Ethan was incredibly jealous of Oliver's rapid advancement in the ranks and his medals," he elaborated. "Ethan used to be the golden boy among the higher officers until Oliver joined our unit and stole the spotlight."He went on to recount a disturbing incident. "He attempted to sabotage one of Oliver's training sessions. He loosened one of the climbing ropes Oliver was supposed to use, but Oliver was sick that day, and someone else ended up climbing the rope," Zack muttered grimly, his expression dark. "Poor boy is stuck in a wheelchair and probably will be for the rest of his life. He was devastated when he had to quit the army."

My eyes widened in shock. 

"Why would Ethan do something that?!"

Zack shrugged. "There's lots of comradeship in the military, but also jealousy and competition."

"And what happened to Ethan?"

"Well, his career went down the drain. When the commanders found out, they stripped him of all his special badges and discharged him from the military. Word got along quickly, and we all knew he'd never make a career in the military. I'm not saying he didn't deserve the punishment, but he had aspired to become a high-ranking officer like his father, and coming from a military family myself, I know how much pressure that can be. But that dream was shattered due to what he'd done. The kid had lots of potential but crushed his own dreams," he sighed. "But Oliver still visits Sean."

"Sean?"

"The one who climbed the rope and fell," Zack said with a sad smile. "Everyone in the unit used to visit him, but as time passed, they slowly forgot about him," Zack revealed, a tinge of regret in his voice. "Even I find myself caught up with work nowadays, making it difficult to find the time to go there. Oliver is the only one who's been consistent, and I think that says a lot about him." He paused. "Then again, he was the one most affected by the incident. He probably still blames himself for what had happened. He quit the military shortly after the incident. It shocked us all because the colonels were already discussing promoting him as captain."

"Guilt? But it wasn't his fault," I frowned.

"No, but Oliver can be incredibly hard on himself. He trained the hardest in the military, not because he wanted to surpass others or earn more badges, but because he needed to push himself to the limits, almost as if he was determined to distract himself. Day and night, he poured everything into his training. Higher-ranking officers admired his dedication, but it was as if he was punishing himself, and everyone in the unit couldn't help but wonder what had driven him to such extremes. I learned later that Oliver had joined the military after a tragic car accident, and I guess it has something to do with that."

He let out a heavy sigh, his voice filled with understanding. 

"I think it's the same with his writing. It's a way for him to distract himself." Zack gave me a small smile. "Will you take care of him? Oliver doesn't show much of himself, but I think he suffers a lot. Even though none of us knew the extent of his struggles, we could sense that he was grappling with something."

"What are you guys talking about?" Oliver asked, joining us. I stiffened, but Zack kept a calm demeanor.

"I was just telling Daniel about that time our unit secretly went skinny-dipping in the mosquito-infested lake near our camp," Zack transitioned smoothly, flashing him a grin.

Oliver chuckled. "Oh, right, I remember that. The colonel thought we had given each other hickeys and made us hold Captain pussy and vow to never mention this outside the camp. I bet he still thinks we had a massive orgy that night," he laughed with a nostalgic smile. "Good times."