Radioman (A 2/19th Spinoff) - Complete

Breakfast

Hannah giggled next to me, and I knew that she was perfectly aware of what had amused me.

It pushed back the cold empty feeling a little further. That little giggle of hers.

When we finished eating Hannah led me over to the sink and I stood next to her, my arm around her waist, as she filled the left sink with hot soapy water and began to wash the dishes, handing them to me to wash and dry and put in the dish rack. Two dishes, two glasses that we'd had orange juice with, a frying pan, the two plates that held what she had been cooking, a mixing bowl, and the wooden spoon.

Finished, we sat back down at the table, Hannah refilling my cup of coffee how I liked the second one. White and sweet, plenty of milk or creamer, extra sugar. She sat next to me, scooting the chair on the linoleum until I could feel her warm body pressed against my side.

She waited until I finished half the cup before she spoke. "I will stand next to you as their mortal coil is lowered into the embrace of the earth," she said, her voice soft. I didn't answer and she took my left hand in her small one. "But I am worried about you. Your soul has poison festering inside. I will need to draw it out, lance those terrible injuries you have sustained, and care for you."

Fear fluttered in my stomach for a moment until she raised my hand and kissed my knuckles.

The skin over my knuckles started tingling beneath her lips.

"I'm just going to bury them and go home," I told her.

The thought of returning to Alfenwehr and Atlas made my stomach hurt. They'd had us shut down Atlas a week ago, close the bunker doors and leave just the German Army and some MP's to guard the site, and had First Squad return to the barracks. I knew that Group was going to Graf again, or maybe Wildflecken, to take part in Reconstitution or WinTex.

We'd been so long most people hadn't known who we were, we'd been reported as dead, and they'd lost Atlas. We'd been flash grenaded and held in custody until we could be identified and then had undergone security checks to validate our identities.

From what Stillwater had told me the day before he had come to my room with the news, operating under the auspices of his Red Cross Representative appointing, most of First Squad would be kept back for Rear Detachment.

I suddenly wondered how Cromwell, Groom, and the others were doing at Special Weapons training.

"She's fine. Frightened at times, but she secretly relishes the challenges," Hannah told me.

I was used to that, like she knew what I was thinking. I'd seen her, really seen her, and it didn't frighten me. It's not like I was worried about what she'd hear me think, if she did listen.

It didn't really matter what I thought, she knew how I felt.

She kissed the back of my hand again.

"I'm going to be here, with you, the entire time," Hannah told me. "When it is time to leave, I will follow my own paths back, but until then, I am with you."

"Thank you," I told her.

"Of course, Paul, I love you," She said, snuggling up again. We held that pose for a long moment until Hannah suddenly came to her feet, like a ribbon of silk being lifted off the floor, her eyes flashing. She made a hissing sound, like some kind of wild cat, and stared at the front door.

I stood up with her, pushing in the chair to clear it from my immediate area. My fingertips reached for a pistol that was no longer there, habit gained from hard lessons.

Goddamn you, Stillwater, I thought.

A key rattled in the door and the polished brass knob slowly turned.

Hannah was in an ankle length gingham dress, a red cotton sash around her waist, her hair, which had been cascading down her back in a brushed copper wave, held tight in a thick braid that came down to the middle of her back. I could see bluish sparks dancing up and down on the braid as she moved to the side, taking her out of sight of the doorway.

I stepped forward until I stood in the middle of the frontroom, angling so the coffee table wasn't between me and the front door but the smaller couch was right there for me to dive behind if things went suddenly bad. Whether or not there were small arms in the house was something I hadn't checked yet. I wasn't carrying my knife or a bayonet. I was only armed with my hands and my training.

There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men, Stillwater's hoarse voice snaked through my mind and I could smell a sharp astringent smell.

I felt a flush of shame as I realized that part of me was still at Atlas.

The door opened.

Gail and Dave stood in the rain on the front step, staring into the clean house, both of them obviously shocked to see me.

"Paulie!" Gail exclaimed.

why won't you just leave me alone