Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Romance

Ella

Whitney and I sat hunched by the MTC, chewing on beef jerky. Whitney sat on her butt, her legs sprawled out in front of her. She indignantly ripped a chunk of jerky with her teeth and glared at her red converse. "What do you mean he set a date for his wedding?"

I glanced at her white shorts and took a swig of my water bottle, "Why does it matter? You guys dated like a million years ago. And your butt is gonna be all sandy."

"Why is he getting married before me?" she groaned into her knees. "Am I not pretty enough?"

I rolled my eyes, "It's because you're ignoring the guy who we all know you want."

She mumbled, "Oh, I'm Ella and I know everything about love!"

I snorted and rubbed her back, comfortingly, "You'll be okay, sweetie."

She groaned into her knees as Private Morgan passed by. She stopped in front of me and dropped to a squat so that she was at eye level with me. "I'm in love with Captain Cooper."

I slowly nodded, confused, as Whitney looked up, "Well, everybody can tell that, Private Morgan."

"But there is a female nurse here!" she exclaimed quickly.

"There are a lot of nurses here..." I reminded her.

"No! Ella, you don't get it! This one--ooh she can't keep her paws off of Captain!"

Whitney and I exchanged a look before giggling. Private Morgan stood up, angrily, "What's so funny? Why are you laughing?"

"You're funny when you're jealous!" Whitney laughed.

Private Morgan flushed and giggled a little, "Do you really think so?"

I nodded, "You're funny, Ericka--can I call you that?"

Ericka nodded, excitedly before glancing behind her. When she turned back, her face was twisted into a scowl, "It's her. She's all over the Captain!"

Whitney and I leaned over to see around Ericka, who hissed, "Be subtle!"

Sure enough, there was Nurse Amy Gibson twisting her long blonde locks around her perfectly painted finger. She was standing, leaned up against the wall to the mess hall, laughing about something Captain Cooper looked confused about. 

"Oh, that's Amy," Whitney rolled her eyes. "She'll flirt with anybody. I heard she and the hospital CEO had sex because she wanted to be his right hand mistress and have a fuck ton of power."

Ericka snorted and dropped back down into a squat, "Oh, look at her! 'I'm so smart because I'm a nurse!' Well, I think nurses are dumb and overrated!"

I cleared my throat, "Ericka, Whitney and I are both nurses."

"Oh, I didn't mean you guys, obviously," she rubbed our heads. "But look at her! 'I'm so pretty because I have blonde hair!'"

"Ericka," Whitney rolled her eyes. "you're a blonde."

"T-that really doesn't matter!" she sputtered as she grabbed onto her strawberry blonde braid.

~oOo~

Gabe slid next to me in the mess hall for dinner. Today, we were served bland pasta and garlic bread with a bottle of water. I smiled up at him as he sat down across from Captain Cooper and beside me. He grinned down at me and gestured to his whole face, "You've got a little something...everywhere."

"Hush," I scoffed. "It's pasta, it's meant to be eaten messil--ow! Ericka, what the hell?" 

Ericka had kicked me under the table and angrily gestured to Amy, who was indeed making eyes at Captain Cooper while sitting with Dr. Kamau and Keith, absentmindedly talking. I rolled my eyes as Whitney slid in beside me, Brandon pulling up a chair at the end of the table, "Ericka just chill."

Gabe gave me a questioning look as Ericka sulked, sinking into her seat and shoving her garlic bread in her mouth. I shook my head, as if to say 'don't even.' He nodded, and asked me about my day.

"It was great," I smiled. "Little Janet gave me a phone call. She says she misses me. What about you?"

He lifted his arm to show me his forearm which was bandaged, "I injured myself."

"What happened?" alarmed, I grabbed his arm, ready to further examine it. "Are you okay?"

He laughed embarassedly, "I was trying to show this kid how to properly shovel and I broke it."

I dropped his arm, "Don't make me worry like tha--"

Ericka slammed her first on the table, angrily rising from the table, "Oh, so she's a lovely woman, isn't she? You might as well say that she gave you head in the shower!"

"Private Morgan," Captain Cooper looked up at her, as stoic as always. "Don't make a scene."

By now the whole mess hall had fallen silent, all eyes were trained on the stoic captain and his enraged partner. Ericka glared down at him, "That's all you've been talking about! 'Wow, Nurse Gibson volunteered to come to Kenya!' 'Back in Los Angeles, Nurse Gibson is so revered!' That tramp is all you've been talking about!"

"Private Morgan, this is not the time or place--"

"That's all you tell me! For the past three years, that's all you've said! I'm sick of it! I don't want to be in a relationship if I have to hi--"

"Ericka!" Captain Cooper stood up. "That's enough."

Ericka glared at him before storming off.

~oOo~

Gabe and I sat in the kitchen after dinner, just talking. We sat across from each other, a candle lit behind me. He sighed and leaned his head backwards, "I wish I could take you to a nice dinner, you know? Maybe a movie afterwards."

"We just had dinner," I smiled. "And we can't watch movies here, but I have books."

"What good are books?" Gabe groaned.

"I can read a book aloud for you, it'll be like a movie."

He sat up, considering my proposal, "What books do you have?"

"Let me check my bag," I grinned, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him towards my room.

"Elladora Anderson, this better to be a ploy to get me into your room alone so you can be a pervert."

"Hush," I rolled my eyes as he held the door to my quarters open for me. "Thank you." I led him to my bed and gestured for him to have a seat as I rummaged through my few books that I had decided to bring. "Okay, so I have It by Stephen King, From the New World by Yusuke Kishi, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling."

"You can choose," he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down onto the bed, next to him. "Actually, what is From the New World about?"

"Okay so, basically it's about a Japanese society 1000 years from now with the ability of telekinesis and their messed up society."

"Sounds...interesting?"

"I'm excited, can we read it?"

"Sure, just get your cute butt over here so you can read to me."

I laughed and settled down beside him, propping the pillow up so that we could lounge comfortably. We read through much of the night, laughing at the funny parts and him teasing me when I got emotional. I wasn't sure who fell asleep first, but I do remember the warmth of his arms around me as we laid on my bed, reading together. I remember how safe and secure it had all felt. But most of all, I remember how amazing it felt to wake up in the morning and turn to see Gabriel Whit's droopy eyes as he murmured, "Good morning, beautiful."