I'll Be Back

Thinking Of Home

Lisa lays in her hospital bed. She's happy she doesn't have to wear the gown now and is able to cover up her body. When she was able to look at herself in the mirror for the first time in years, she almost threw up at how different she looked. Pale and skinny. Scars, bruises, and fading cuts all over. The only thing recognizable were her eyes. But even looking into her own, they're now distant, weary. Has seen what other human beings are capable of. She's now in a black Army crewneck sweatshirt with the yellow lettering and some joggers one of the nice nurses went out to buy for her. Even though the size is extra small, they're still baggy. The feeding tube is still attached to her nose. She's gained some weight and the doctors have set a goal weight for her to reach in order to release her to go home. Her body will forever be crippled though. Her leg and ankle are completely shot. She has to wear a large metal brace now and use a cane, more than likely for the rest of her life. She's been told that when she arrives home, she needs to have extensive back and shoulder surgery. Currently her left arm lay in a sling to keep the pain down. That's another issue. Being in the camp she was constantly running on adrenaline and fear of being killed so she never allowed herself to feel her body's injuries. When she finally awoken in the hospital, she cried out so loud that the nurses thought she was dying. Lisa at the moment thought death would feel way better than having to live with that. They finally administered pain medication and have slowly been reducing it each day as her body heals.

A military lawyer and a General named Silas are standing and speaking to her. She's not really paying attention though. The gist she gets is that there's an investigation going on now and they want her to give a deposition on everything that happened to her, starting from the morning she left for the original mission.

"Can I wait? I mean... it doesn't have to be now does it?" Lisa asks them carefully. She really doesn't want to trudge it all up again. She wants to lock it away in a box and throw away the key. Especially when she is back home with Jennie and everyone.

"Yes of course we can wait. We just wanted to tell you that when you go home and are settled, the military will probably summon you for your deposition. It's mandatory, so skipping out on it will officially name you AWOL and could be arrested, so don't do that. When you complete the deposition you'll officially be given an honorable discharge from the Army of the United States of America." General Silas states. Lisa nods and turns to look out her hospital window. "Well that's all we came by to tell you, and give you your flight information. The doctors say you will be good to go in a few more days. You'll be on a plane with other soldiers, some are also POW's and other's were just in the fighting. A bus will come and pick you guys up from here and take you to the plane. You'll have a stop in London just to fuel up then you'll land at JFK airport. Once things are official they will call your wife and let her know." Lisa doesn't reply or acknowledge them, getting lost in her thoughts of home.

When she looks back over they're gone. Lisa realizes she must have zoned out and didn't hear their goodbye's or exits. She wonders if Jennie will even recognize her. How could her wife recognize her when she can't even recognize herself? Will her appearance scare her children? Will she be able to recognize them? She has so many fears and thoughts about home and they never shut up. She can barely sleep now, the only time she does is when she's drugged up. Her mind running crazily. Did Jennie move on? If she moved on, what does it mean for her? Did anyone pass away while she was gone? What was the nickname she gave Aden? She can't remember it. She's been hit in the head so many times, she can't remember what she use to call him. What was the nickname her father use to call her? She can't remember that either. There's so many things she can't remember because her head got beaten so many times. Lisa doesn't realize her heart rate monitor spiked with panic at her thoughts until a nurse comes in. The nurse looks at the monitor and then at Lisa who is just silently panicking. So she reaches out her fingers onto her pulse and realizes it's not a malfunction.