They got into position hidden by trees, brush, and tall grass. Quickly and silently they set their gear up. A man in his early fourties, with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, looks through a pair of hand held binnoculars towards a window of a house sitting in the middle of a large wooded area with an electric fence surrounding the property. Next to him is a woman, with dark brown hair and chocolate colored eyes, sets up the gun mount and gun. Looking through the lens, she takes aim at the same window. Focusing the gun for the distance, she nods slightly and waits for the target.
A heavy set man, dressed in a crimson silk shirt and black pair of pants, walks in front of the window drinking a glass of liquor and talking on the phone.
A slight crack of her neck and she is once again looking through the scope. Silence surrounds her as she focuses. Silently she waited for the sign as she felt more and more a part of the gun. Her heartbeat slowed as did her breathing and then she felt the tap. Before her partner had time to pull his hand away, the shot was fired. She watched through the scope as her bullet hit its mark. A slow grin spreads across her face as both her and Mitch, her partner, make quick work of breaking down everything and getting out of there. They are to meet the unit not too far away.
Five clicks away from their unit, they were ambushed. Knocked unconscious, they were bound and gagged then drug to the enemies camp. Once they were there, they were tied to tree trunks. Mitch was the first to wake. He looked around and found the sky dark and the camp quiet minus a couple guards. Quickly he kicked the leg next to his, then looked over when he heard a soft moan. “Lyn, wake up.” He whispered.
Lyn opened her eyes and looked around quickly before looking to Mitch. Looking around them for any ears, she looks to his hands. “Can you get free?”
“No, you?”
Lyn tried to wiggle her wrists out of her restraints, but found she was unable. She looked at Mitch and shook her head no. Then she caught sight of someone walking towards them. At first all she saw was a shadow figure, but as it drew closer she saw the details of the man. His eyes were black as a moonless night and his hair was black and blowing freely with the gentle breeze. He walked up to Lyn and looked her over before turning and saying in, surprisingly, English. “You are tresspassing onto my territory. I do not care who you are or why you are here. You now belong to me.”
Lyn got as much saliva as she could in her mouth. When he turned and looked at her again, she spit on him. He then laughed and wiped the liquid off with a hankerchief and lowered himself slightly. “You are going to be fun to break my sweet.”
The next thing she knows, she sees a big fist and everything goes black again.
When she wakes again, she finds herself alone in a fancy bedroom. She was no longer dressed in her camo, instead she was dressed in a thin silk gown and satin slippers. Not even wanting to think about how that happened, she makes her way to the door and checks to see if its locked. Discovering that it is, she walks to the window and checks it. Searching the entire room and finding every entrance locked or blocked, she looks around for something she can throw at the window. Before she can act on her thoughts, the door unlocks. Turning around in time to see her capture enter the room and shut the door behind him. Hearing the lock she arches a brow and looks to him silently.
He walks closer to her appreciating the sight before him. Licking his lips he grins slightly. “We can do this the easy way or the fun way.”
“I’ve always been a fun kinda girl.”
The man grins and nods slightly. He takes off his jacket and watches Lyn as he drapes his jacket on the bed. Rolling up his sleeves, he takes his stance and grins more. “Ladies first.”
Lyn acknowledged him then kicked him in the groin followed by a right hook to his jaw. He countered with tackling her to the ground and sitting on top of her with her arms under his knees. He looks to her and grins as he proceeds to beat her within an inch of her life. When she had no more fight in her, he removed his clothing and had his way with her.
For a week straight, she got no sleep. At dawn she would be beaten and when he had beat her to his satisfaction, he would do anything he wanted. When he was done playing with her, he tied her up in the middle of the camp with nothing on.
As the camp got their jollies, Lyn drifted between fantasy and reality. For two long years, that was her life. The only break she got was when she was whipped over and over again for what seemed like forever. The camp was surprised that she continued to cling to her life, but she was determined to be stronger and better than them, just like she was trained to do.
When the rescue came, she thought it was a dream just like everything else. When she felt hands touch her skin she actually screamed in pain. When the soldiers realized who it was, they moved faster than what she could. She was covered, picked up, carried to the chopper, and sent back to base. Doc gave her a shot to put her to sleep so he could fix her.
LtCol Huntington finally woke three months later. At first she didn’t know where she was but a nurse, realizing that she was awake, came over to her and told her that she was in the hospital and that the doctor would be arriving soon. When the doctor arrived, he told her that she would heal and that no major damage had been done. It was then that Lyn realized that she was wrapped entirely with gauze. The doctor smiled and began cutting the gauze from her body. When all the gauze was gone, Lyn was afraid to look in the mirror. But knowing she had to deal with whatever she looked like, she should be happy she was still alive. Taking the mirror in her hand, she slowly turns the reflective side to her, and what she saw looking back at her brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t recognize herself anymore behind the scars that marred her body. Knowing that she would never be accepted in the public’s eye, she thought about how Johnnie would react. Laying the mirror down, she looked back to the doctor. “How long before I can return to work?”
The doctor looked at her a bit surprised. “Once you are able to move around on your own, there shouldn’t be a problem. Physically there is nothing wrong with you, its your mental stability I am worried about.”
Lyn looked at the doctor coldly and watched as he walked out of the room. Once she was alone, she lowered her head and cried. She cried for what had been done to her, for the life she had taken, and for the shunning she was sure to come. After her tears, she sat there numb until her unit showed up. She tried to hide her horrific face from them, but they wouldn’t have it. It was then that she heard what had happened to Mitch. They had killed him the very first night.
Lyn started rehabilitation the next day. She wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. Her unit was out there without her and that was just unacceptable. The days passed and she pushed herself until she could push no more. Within a month she was back to normal, sort of, and when given the clearance to return, she found she was transferred to the hospital at base. Packing her things, she makes her way to the plane that takes her back to base. When she got there, she was surprised to find everyone there with welcoming arms. After saying her hellos and not saying a word about what happened to her, she reported to the officer in charge.
Getting her orders, she takes her things to her bed and locker. Putting everything away, she reports for duty and is soon lost in the details of work. While she worked there, she started to forget about her scars and how she looked. There it didn’t matter. All that mattered was taking care of the sick and wounded. One patient in particular was in labor. Lyn and the doctor did everything they could to save the woman, but she must have known that she was going to die, because she asked Lyn to raise her child. Promising she would, she showed the woman her son and before the woman died, she named her son Shai.
Lyn was stunned. She looked at the baby she held in her arms and arched a brow. “Hello Shai.”
She had no idea on how to take care of a baby. Well she knew all the basics, but she was no where near prepared form something like this. Looking to the now dead woman, she knows she can’t give it back. She looks to the doctor shaking her head slightly not even having a clue what to ask. The doctor looked at her as she held the baby. She looked so beautiful. He knew in his gut that she would be the best mother this child would ever have. He looked to her eyes and smiled slightly. “How long have you been here LtCol?”
Lyn looks to the doctor and thinks about the answer for a second. “About a year Sir.”
His grin widens. “Congratulations. Its a boy.”
Everything stopped and she stared at the doctor as if he had gone mad. “Excuse me Sir?” Her voice a bit higher in tone.
He chuckles and walks over to her until he is close enough to speak softly. Looking to her eyes, “Look, if I find an abandoned baby I have to find its home and if no one claims it, then it goes off to an orphanage in God knows where. If its lucky it will see its tenth birthday. Or, you could have had a child during your term and at the end of your term, you and your son can go home and have a good life together. There is no one more qualified to take care of this child at this camp. You are in the perfect position Lynelle. You help me in the hospital and you are trained for combat.” He grins” I bet in ten years you would move hell itself to protect Little Shai here, and I think the devil himself would shake.”
Lyn stared at the doctor then looks down to the baby and arches her brow again. “Shai Huntington.” She tilts her head slightly. “It does sound nice.” She looks to the doctor. “But I don’t know what to do! I mean I know how to fix wounds and stuff but I never babysat.”
He laughs now. “I guess there is a first for everything. I will show you everything you need to know. Mom said I was the best babysitter ever. I got stuck watching my younger sisters…alot.” He snickers. ” I will get everything set up for you. Since he was born here and I was the tending physician, I will need your signature since you are mom.”
Lyn sighs softly and looks back to the baby. Then she watched as the baby curled up against her and latched himself to her heart. She licks her lips and softens her voice. “Get everything I need to sign.”
When she looks to the doctor again, he is grinning from ear to ear and she couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Shaking her head slightly as he walks off to get the papers, she glances to the baby she held in her arms then to the mother and her smile fades. Silently she walked over to the woman and looked down at her. Lyn leans down and softly kisses the woman’s cheek and whispers. “Thank you.”
Standing back up, she adjusts Shai in her arms and continues doing her duties. When the doctor returned to where he left Lyn, he found it empty. Papers and pen in hand, he turns around and finds Lyn checking on patients as she carried the baby. He starts laughing silently as he walks towards her. “LtCol, a moment please?”
Lyn looks up and smiles softly. Excusing herself for a moment, she meets the doctor part of the way. “Yes?”
He couldn’t help but laugh softly. “You can put Shai down.”
“Where?”
He looked around and nodded as he looked to Lyn. “I see your point. I will see what I can rig up for you. Here are the papers I was telling you about. Just need you to fill these out when you are able to and return them to me.”
He then gently takes the baby from her. “I will take this little guy from you and get him all set so he can go home tomorrow.” He looks to Lyn. “Diapers, newborn and you will need formula. with iron if you can find it. “ He smirks and looks to Lyn. “You have a very busy day ahead of you LtCol, I advise you get started.”
Lyn looks to him, disbelieving her ears. Then she hears him say dismissed. She saluted and started down the hall towards the doors. She walked out into the bright sunlight and she looked up to the sky. “Are you kidding me?”
Shaking her head, she gets in her jeep and makes her way to the city. She could only hope she finds what she needs.
After what seemed like forever, Lyn arrived in a fairly large town that had everything she needed. Getting the diapers and formula, a few outfits and a couple hats for the baby, she makes her way to the check out until she catches sight of a baby backpack and sling for newborns. She got one of each plus a few bottles, couple packages of wipes, some socks, a diaper bag, a bassinet, some powder, diaper ointment, a bottle of baby bath and shampoo. By the time she was done, her cart was filled to the max and Lyn felt secure that she had gotten everything she would need. Heading back to the check out, she pays for everything with her own money and lugs it all out to the car.
Getting everything home, she unloads the car and begins making a place for her new son. When she was done, she glanced at her watch and figured that she would get about four hours of sleep before she had to get ready for work. Setting her watch alarm, she crashes on the couch and is sleeping instantly.
When she hears the alarm four hours later, she drags herself off the couch and heads to the bathroom. Taking a q1uick shower, she dresses and heads off to the hospital.
