The Marine & The Beauty Queen Ch. 01

Then I just waited. At 12, they brought me lunch, which for hospital food was actually quite good.

True to her word, at almost preciously 1 pm, Susan walked through the door.

To be honest, I really didn't know quite what to expect today. I mean we had talked for hours and hours the previous day, and at one point Susan actually kissed me. Just a very brief kiss on the lips – but still a kiss.

So, what would today bring?

When Susan walked in, she walked over, grabbed my hand in both of hers . . . then leaned over and gave me another kiss! Wow! I mean it was only a second or two longer than the one from yesterday, and closed-mouthed (no tongue), but still a wonderful kiss!

"Are you ready to get out of her for a little while?" she asked.

"As long as you keep me away from Debra and the torture chamber you folks call physical therapy, then yes," I exclaimed.

Susan laughed, then helped me into a wheelchair, and pushed me outside into the sunshine.

We found a beautiful little secluded garden area on the hospital grounds, and we just sat, holding hands and talking for hours.

By six pm, I had to use the bathroom so Susan wheeled me back to my room, then offered to "help" me if I needed assistance. She actually asked if she needed to hold "it" while I peed.

I couldn't help it. I blushed, Susan started laughing, and I blushed even more.

I threatened to hit her with my crutches!

We were both laughing like crazy people now.

When I finally was able to conclude my business in the bathroom, Susan wheeled me to the hospital cafeteria where we ate our first meal together.

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes in a hospital cafeteria is not exactly the most romantic meal I have ever had.

Wait, let me revise that: With Susan, meatloaf and mashed potatoes in a hospital cafeteria might well be the most romantic meal I had ever had. It was certainly one of the most memorable.

My surgery had been Sunday morning, and, other than Monday, every day that week was virtually a repeat.

Godzilla, I mean Debra would wake me up every morning at 6 am, then take me to the torture chamber for two hours.

Back in my room, I would eat breakfast, read, sleep, read, eat lunch, and then wait for Susan.

And every day, sometime after breakfast, and well before lunch, I found out why people hate sponge baths.

Every day Susan would arrive at 1 pm, exactly.

And every day, when Susan walked into my room she would lean over and kiss me. And every day the kiss would last a little longer.

After the kiss, Susan would then wheel me around the hospital, or around the grounds outside. We would sit and hold hands and talk – for hours.

After eating, she would take me back to my room and help me into bed, then we would talk and talk and talk. Every night, a nurse would come in and say that visiting hours were over.

And every night, before leaving, Susan would lean over and give me another kiss.

I never tried to grab her, or prolong the kiss. I just let her kiss me.

By Thursday night, I felt her tongue press against my lips. I opened my mouth, and we finally exchanged a deep kiss. I was still making no effort to hold her or force her against me. I just very lightly put my hands on her shoulders.

We actually kissed for several minutes before Susan pulled back and said, "Wow!"

"Yea," I agreed, "that was really Wow!"

Susan just looked down at me for a few minutes with a very serious look on her face, then her face transformed into an absolutely gorgeous smile: "See you around one," she said, then swayed out the door.

The next morning, Cerberus, I mean Debra woke me up, then wheeled me down for my usual torture session, which seemed especially painful today. The rest of the day proceeded like normal, until it was time for lunch.

For a change, Debra brought me lunch herself, and sat down beside the bed.

She watched me eat for a few minutes, then began:

"Are you going to hurt her?" she said.

Before I could even answer, Debra continued talking.

"Did you know that Susan normally only volunteers two or three days a week at the hospital? But she has been here every day this week – because of you.

"I don't think I have ever seen anyone fall so completely in love before, so quickly. I can tell, just from watching the two of you that you also care for her.

"But do you understand that Susan is incredibly vulnerable right now?

"Did she tell you about her mother dying a year ago?"

I told Debra, that yes, Susan told me.

"Did she tell you that nine months ago, three days after the Miss Texas Pageant, she was brutally raped?"

I could literally feel the blood drain from my face, and it was obvious to Debra that Susan had not told me.

"Oh, my God, no! She hasn't said a word about it," I croaked out.

"Since then, she hasn't looked at any guy – until you.

"She talks about you all the time. About how confident and sure of yourself you are, yet how gentle and relaxed you are. About how you are always making her laugh. How easily you can laugh at yourself and tell stories about some of the dumb things you did growing up. And how intensely you listen when she is talking.

"Susan's mother and I grew up together, and I'm actually Susan's Godmother. I helped her get this volunteer job, so she could start interacting with people again, and was hoping that through helping others, she could also start helping herself," Debra said.

"I could not love Susan any more if she were my own daughter," Debra continued.

"I want to ask you again. Are you going to hurt her?"

"Oh God, Debra, I knew I was falling in love with Susan, but not until now did I actually realize just how much I love her. How much I want to protect her. How much I want to hold her. How much I want to help her.

"I swear Debra, I will never intentionally hurt her!"

Debra and I talked for another 30 minutes, and I began to realize that beneath that gruff exterior beats a heart of gold.

As 1 pm neared, Debra got ready to leave, but advised me to not say anything to Susan about any of the things we had talked about.

"When she's ready for you to know, she'll tell you," she advised.

I lay there for about 10 minutes, until I saw my door start to open. I knew it had to be Susan, so I closed my eyes, and pretended to be sleeping.

Unfortunately, I couldn't keep my ruse up very long. About 30 seconds after I heard Susan walk over to my bed, my lips began curling upward in a smile, but I continued to keep my eyes closed.

"Hmmm," I heard Susan say, "I've heard about the handsome prince waking Sleeping Beauty with a kiss, but I not sure what to do with this situation.

"Oh, now I remember," she said, "I've read about the beautiful maiden kissing the ugly frog who turns into a prince! I wonder if that will work here?"

Then she leaned over and kissed me on the lips.

I immediately opened my eyes and was looking directly into her eyes from a distance of about two inches.

We both immediately dissolved into laughter.

"Forsooth, fair maiden, it is I Prince Charming," I declared, once I was able to stop laughing. "Your kiss has broken the evil spell. Are . . . are you an angel?"

"Nay, Prince, not an angel but a simple maiden am I," she said. "But my Lord, I had always heard that Prince Charming was supposed to be riding on a white horse, not laying around on a white hospital bed . . . and was supposed to be much more handsome!"

We both began laughing again, until Susan walked over to my closet and started taking out my khaki Marine uniform.

"Here, start getting dressed," she ordered. "I am kidnapping you for the entire weekend."

When I questioned her about my leaving the hospital, she explained she had already cleared it with both my doctor, and with the head nurse, Debra. Suddenly it made sense why Debra had stopped by for our private conversation earlier today.

"In less than three months, I'll be graduating with my nursing degree," she continued, "and I can take care of you at the ranch, as easily as I can here."

I already knew that Susan had a near perfect 3.98 grade point average in nursing, and would be graduating with honors.

She added that the doctor, even though he wasn't actually supposed to, had given her a medical kit containing everything they thought she might need.

I think I groaned a little as I swung my injured leg across the bed.

"Are you okay?" Susan immediately asked, the concern evident on her face.

I assured her I was fine, just remarked that they were "especially sadistic" today during my morning physical therapy.

Unfortunately, my khaki trousers would not fit over the bandages on my knee, so we had to settle for a pair of shorts, and a comfortable shirt.

But before Susan put the uniform back in the closet, she started asking about the medals on the shirt. I explained what each meant, including the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Not what had happened to get them, but what the medals were.

"You were wounded?" she asked. "Where?"

"In Iraq," I answered.

"No, I mean where on your body?" she explained.

"In Iraq," I again said.

No matter how many times she asked, nor how many different ways, my only answer was always, "In Iraq."

Finally, somewhat exasperated, she declared: "I promise you I will find out before the weekend is over!"