The Sailor and the Hawk

I went for a run early this morning, going around the entire base before leaving and running around the small town of Great Lakes. Ky had been texting me over the past week, asking me how I was doing. I responded the same thing every time; I'm fine.
The cool October air burned in my lungs and stung my face as I ran harder and faster. I could feel my eyes welling with tears as I my mind drifted to Afghanistan. I came to a park and leaned against a tree, gasping for air and crying silently. I doubled over, my hands on my knees and trying to hold myself up. Memories flooded my mind.

It was hot, hotter than usual. I walked out of the makeshift barracks, my desert camo blending with the hot sand around me. There was a breeze coming down from the far mountains, only slightly cooler than the still air. I was at camp with a team of SEALS. Base camp while we waited for them to return from their mission. I didn't know what it was but I knew that I was one of only three corpsman there. It was quiet. Dead silence. There was a lull in time before it all happened so quickly. Popping, bright flashes, smoke and fire.

I let out a loud sob and my body shook as I bit my fist. I leaned my head back against the tree and closed my eyes for a moment before pushing myself up and started to run back to base. My legs wobbled slightly but I pushed myself, as hard as I could, to get back. When I did, I had a few missed calls from Ky and one from Jon. I collapsed onto the bed and sighed heavily, as if my body were trying to push out all the air that I had taken, the air that had burned my lungs. My phone rang again and I slowly picked it up, answering without checking who it was.

“Thank god! I was worried about you! Why haven't you been picking up?” Kylee asked in her worried way.

“I went for a run.” I said blandly. These flashbacks always left me feeling weak and numb. I tried to force any type of emotion into my voice so Ky wouldn't bug me. “I just got back. What did you need?” I asked, a little better this time.

“Are you busy today? I was wondering if you wanted to hang out....” she asked hesitantly. I was never busy. I told Ky that I was working usually but the truth was that since coming back, they've kept me on a psych leave.

“Don't you have that exam?” I asked, kicking off my running shoes and throwing them across the room.

“Katie....I took that three days ago. I texted you that I passed.” she said. I slapped myself on the forehead. Dumbass...

“Shit, yeah, you're right. Sorry. Um....no, I'm not busy.” I said, rubbing my face for a moment.

“Alright, cool. Do you wanna just come over and we'll go out to lunch?” she asked. I stood up, pulling off my running clothes.

“Yeah, I just gotta take a shower real quick. I'll be right over.” I said. I hung up and showered, scrubbing a little harshly then pulling my hair up into a bun and throwing on some jeans and a sweater. I pulled on some boots and grabbed my bag, going down and getting in the car.

I took my time driving over to Kylee and Jon's apartment. I wanted some time to re-adjust myself and come back to reality. By the time I pulled up, I was better than before. I applied some highlight to my cheeks and brow bone to brighten myself up. I gave my make up one more pass over with the mirror before nodding and going up in the elevator.