Christina woke up to her grandmother coughing again. But this time, it was a little bit mild. When her grandmother decided to take a nap, Christina ordered room service with the money that her mom had to get her some breakfast and to get her grandmother some soup and tea. When it arrived, Christina walked over to her and tapped her lightly.
"Grandma." Christina whispered in their language. "Your soup is here."
"Oh. Okay." Athena sniffed as she lifted out of the bed and stretched. "Thank you, dear."
"Welcome." Christina said as she sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. "Um........grandma?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you keep on coughing?" Christina whined. "Is something wrong?"
Athena took a sip of her soup, then glanced at her curious granddaughter.
"Grandma......has a disease." Athena sighed. "A disease that you.....catch from men. Certain men."
"What is it?" Christina asked again.
"I'll tell you about it when you get older, okay?" Athena nodded.
"Okay." Christina sighed as she grabbed her plate and sat back against her bed.
Meanwhile, Numra was out doing her daily routine. A routine, with the MEN.
"I don't know what I've been told!" The commander chanted.
"I don't know what I've been told!" Numra and the men chanted as they jogged through the heavy mudd and pouring rain.
"Army vets are gonna get gold!" The commander shouted as he jogged in the front.
"Army vets are gonna get gold!"
"U.S.!"
"U.S.!" The men chanted.
"U.S.!!"
"U.S.!!!!"
"Alright, boys. Keep on running!" The commander shouted. "What do you do when a hail of gunfire comes your way?"
In that instant, everyone dropped down and splashed onto the soaked mud. None of the men were bothered by it, but Numra never adjusted to it. As mud coated their camouflage outfits, they whipped their guns out of their large back pockets and aimed it into the wooded area.
"Remember, do not ever unload fire unless your enemy is in your sight!" The commander shouted as rain spat from his mouth.
"Yes sir!" Everyone chanted.
"Alright. Your workout is done, ladies. Tomorrow, we will be learning how it feels to be wounded." The commander said as everyone stood up onto their feet. "Get cleaned up in the locker room and head home. We've got a long day tomorrow."
As Numra and the men headed to the showers, Numra kept her clothes on like she always did and waited until the men were naked and rinsing their bodies off into the showers.
"Frank man, commander was about to get in your ass." A man named Jackie laughed, talking to Numra as he rinsed and cleaned the shower.
"I know." Numra laughed in her fake tone, sitting on the bench. "I know how much he hates tardiness."
"Why don't you ever take a shower here, Frank?" A white man named Joey laughed as he showered in the large shower with the crowd of men. "We don't look at each others penises or anything. We shower and get ready to go."
"Well uh......it's because I have a daughter." Numra nodded as she smiled. "I like to get home to her as soon as I can."
"Oh I didn't know that you had kids!" A man in the back named Seiji smiled, washing his shoulders. "What's her name?"
"Christina." Numra nodded.
"And do you have a lovely wife?" Jackie said, giving her a devilish grin.
"N-not anymore." Numra stuttered. "We uh......divorced a few years back."
"Oh alright."
"As a matter of fact, I better get there before the nanny does." Numra smiled as she stepped out. "Uh.......chow!"
"Chow!" All of the men said, finishing their showers.
Numra jolted out of the men's bathroom and ran into the women's, looking at herself in the mirror. She was soaked in mud.
"Oh my goodness." Numra sighed as she grabbed a napkin, wet it, then grabbed her bag. "I'm gonna soak in the tub when I get home..."
Once again, Dr. August closed his office down early. But as he was getting ready to leave, he called Numra to see if she'd answer his phone. She didn't pick up. He let out a deep breath, then called someone else.
Jayla.
"Hello?" Jayla said as she answered the phone.
"Hey Jayla can uh......can you come over for a second?" Dr. August asked. "No sexual shit or anything. I just....I need someone to vent to."
"Of course." Jayla said in a serious tone. "I'll be right on my way."
Within the next 35 minutes, someone knocked on Dr. August's door. Jayla. When he opened the door, Jayla could see that Dr. August hadn't slept in days. Jayla quickly ran inside and hugged him as hard as he could, allowing him to break down on her shoulder. Soon after, Jayla sat on the couch and listened to him vent about everything. From Numra, to his job, to Christina, all of it.
"She won't.......she won't even talk to me." Dr. August said as he shook his head, allowing Jayla to rub his shoulders. "I haven't slept in about 4 days."
"Chres, you've got to get some sleep." Jayla said as she rubbed his shoulders a little more. "It's not healthy."
"I can't." Dr. August said as he shook his head. "It's like..........I need her."
"No you don't, Chres." Jayla growled. "You don't need Numra for shit."
"What?" Dr. August said as he looked at her.
"If she's off ignoring you and leaving you without speaking to you or letting you tell your story, then fuck her!" Jayla barked. "You see how quick I came over here for you? That's what a person who really cares about you would do. Hell, you forgot my birthday and kicked me to the curb and where am I? I'm right by your side! You rescued her from Iraq and how does she repay you? She kicks you to the side. Think about that!"
Dr. August really thought about everything Jayla had said. She was right. He was once again confused on who cared about him more.
"I never thought of it that way." Dr. August sighed. "Wow."
"The only person you need is Christina and you need to get her before Numra's controlling ass take her back to Iraq." Jayla said in a serious tone. "A real woman wouldn't keep you away from your daughter. Seriously."
Dr. August lifted up and smiled at Jayla, watching her smile back.
"Thanks Jayla." Dr. August smiled.
"If you ever need a friend, you can still call me." Jayla smiled as she stepped out of his home. "I'll see you later."
Dr. August was so confused and lost that he wasn't thinking straight. But bouncing back and forth from Jayla and Numra was really starting to take a toll on his mind and health.
As the day drew into the night, Numra still hadn't made it back to the hotel, leaving Christina to care for her grandmother. They played games and watched TV for the whole time, spending nice grandmother and granddaughter time together. As her grandmother grew tired, Christina tucked her grandmother in her bed and watched her fall asleep quickly. As Christina decided to finish watching TV, she felt something buzz on her bed. When she looked, it was Numra's iPhone. She accidentally left it this morning.
"Aww man." Christina sighed as she slid the phone open. "H-hello?"
"Hello Numra?" The woman on the other line smiled.
"Uh......uh..........yes?" Christina said, making her voice sound a little more seductive.
"It's me, Hannah. have the results to your tests!" The doctor cheered on the other line. "Would you like to hear the answer?"
"Sure?" Christina shrugged.
"The results came back positive." The doctor said in a calm tone. "You're a month pregnant. Congratulations!"