Stormwatch - A Serene Summer Day

"Come for me darling," she whispered and suddenly her right hand flashed up and down the length of his cock, her left hand cupping his aching balls.

"Aaahhhh... I'm going to... I'm going to..."

"Cum for me lover, I want your cum," she whispered. Her words and her hands brought him over the edge and suddenly he was cumming. Spurt after spurt fired out of his cock and was caught in the stream of the shower. His body twitched and jerked with each powerful wave of release, and he thought he was going to faint from the power of his orgasm.

Audrey held his cock and balls gently as the spasms faded and his cock slowly deflated, and his balls relaxed in her hand. A feeling of euphoria washed over Mike; he had completely forgotten how wonderful something as simple as a handjob felt when another person was involved. "Oh darling!" he said as he turned around to Audrey. "That was so..." He stopped there, the look on her face was one of near terror. She was huddled into herself as if waiting for a beating and was trembling. "What's the matter love?" She was so fearful that he completely missed the fact that she was naked also. Her hourglass figure is an erection producing work of art, but right now all that Mike saw was the fear in her eyes, and now she was looking downward, avoiding his look.

"Was it ok? Did I do good?" she asked in a tiny, fearful voice.

What do I say to that? he asked himself, it was obvious that the wrong word would crush her. What did those people do to this precious waif? With a finger under her chin, he lifted her eyes to his and it was a fight, she didn't want to lift her eyes. When she finally surrendered and looked up, he saw terrified anticipation in her eyes. What do you say to that? He realized that his indecision was making matters worse, she was becoming more afraid with every second that ticked by. Just say what's in your heart! he demanded of himself, the same advice he gave Maurene and Veronica all of their young lives.

"That was so wonderful... I love you darling," he whispered then he leaned in for a kiss, so sweet, so gentle. She melted in his arms as her terror washed away. Their kiss lasted forever, a delightful eternity where only the two of them existed and their ages were no longer a barrier. When their lips parted their forever continued as they drank in each other's eyes. Finally, Mike turned off the water and carefully dried Audrey before leading her back to the living room.

"Do you poppa? do you love me?" she asked as they cuddled watched the fire burning in the big stone fireplace.

"Yes, I do," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm not sure I know what that means," she said as she watched the fire.

"My generation said that it means never having to say you're sorry, but that's wrong, everyone messes up. We need to say I'm sorry when we mess up." She lay pondering what he was getting at when Mike said, "If I scared you or upset you when I said I love you then I'm very, very sorry."

Audrey rolled over in his arms to face him. "No, that's not it, I feel the same way about you," Audrey said. "It's just... I want to go fast, but I think we need to go slow."

As they lost themselves in each other's eyes, Mike said, "at my age, slow is the only speed I got left."

"That's why I love you," she responded. "You let me pick the speed." After a kiss she smiled and said, "I do love you."

"Wouldn't you previous... partners let you pick the speeds?" He didn't want to say lovers or parents, so partners had to suffice.

"No, if mom wanted sex, I had to jump." She rolled over to face the fire again and wiggled her ass back at him and as they cuddled, they drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

Josh was breathing heavily now, but it was easier to breathe than before, they were much lower now. He secured his gun team in their seats except for Craig, he was secured to the floor, Josh didn't have the heart to move him much. The Ws were injured but alive, he bandaged up their injuries as best he could and went back to the main gun, the 105mm Howitzer. It was stuck in the down (loading) position and without power it would not come back up to 90 degrees. There was no working with the flight crew and the IO team over the intercom because there was no intercom, or any other power back here. They'll have to land with the gun with the muzzle pointing down, it shouldn't drag on the runway when they land... maybe.

He prepared to buckle himself in when he took role call in his head, flight crew and engineer should be ok, the cockpit wasn't hit. The IO team was secure in their booth, but it looked like their systems were out. Josh's team on the guns was hit the worst, his friend Craig Dempsey lay dead on the deck, chest ripped wide open, he bled out moments after the blast... the Ws, Wyatt and Wayne injured and strapped in... who am I forgetting...

"Ellie!" Where the hell is the load master Elinore Stadelmeyer? She should be here somewhere... damn it! Josh began to look around as best as possible, but with the lights out he couldn't see much. They've been in near total darkness since he put the fires out.

He pulled out a flashlight, it wasn't much but it was enough. He frantically searched the blood slicked belly of the gunship, looking underneath stowage and seats, where the hell is she? She's not a tiny woman, just as tall as he is, she couldn't be hiding anywhere. THINK! Where is she? Ok Josh, think... She usually sits on the rear door when it's closed, it's a 45-degree angle ramp, and it puts her out of the gun crew's way, but she's available if needed.

Now with the flashlight Josh saw where all that noise was coming from, wind being sucked through a huge hole, that's where the roaring sound is coming from. When the gun or missile or whatever hit, it blew open a huge hole. Josh had a sick feeling that Ellie was sucked out into the night and they lost her... but then he saw the strap, there's a safety strap that hooks to the harness that she wears when she walks out to the end of the door when it's open, she wears it when they're firing for some reason. The strap was hanging out of the hole. He grabbed the strap and there was tension on it! He leaned over and peered out into the night and by the light of the flashlight he saw Ellie hanging from the strap in the slipstream... she had a knife and was cutting the strap!

"ELLIE! STOP!" he shrieked, and he began to haul the safety strap in. He was weak and shaking, his boots slipping and sliding on the spilled blood, they're going to land any moment and she'll be dragged to death! He's got to get her inside the plane! "ELLIE! STOP!" Suddenly his feet slipped, and he went out the hole with a scream...

"What's wrong!" Terri cried as she threw open the bedroom door. She saw Veronica sitting on the bed, Josh's head on her lap, he was curled up and shuddering but as Veronica shushed away his terror and gently stroked his head he began to calm down.

"Give me a couple of minutes," said Veronica softly without taking her eyes from her trembling husband.

About ten minutes later, when Josh was fully asleep, Veronica came out of the bedroom wearing a large heavy sweater and walked straight out to the porch and Terri followed. Out on the porch Veronica lit a hurricane lantern with shaking hands then lit a thin black cigar and puffed on it nervously. The silvery moonlight made the scenery look almost surreal and she realized why Josh bought this place, just looking at the lake and the trees probably does more for him than an entire battalion of VA psychologists. "What happened in there?" asked Terri. "I thought he was going to kill you."

"No, he'd never do that," said Veronica. "He ummm..." she puffed again then took a nip from a bottle of apple schnapps that was left on the porch for these such occasions. "His last mission was pretty bad, they were hit and were on fire, they lost two engines... one of his crew members was killed, another one, her name was Ellie, Josh found her dangling outside of the airplane on a strap. She didn't have the strength to pull herself in and saw that they were landing..." Veronica had to hold back the tears, "she was trying to cut the strap, she didn't want to be dragged to death." Now Veronica's hands were shaking, she couldn't imagine the horror that shattered her husband. With shuddering hands she took another swig from the schnapps then said, "He fell out of the plane trying to pull her in."

"He fell out of the airplane? What happened?" asked Terri, her eyes huge in surprise.

"He held on to her strap and another guy came and pulled him in, then he pulled Ellie in... He got her inside and put a tourniquet on her leg and strapped her in before the plane landed. It was a rough landing and he got hurt..." The only other thing that Josh said about that mission was that he got a medal for it, but he can't discuss the medal because of politics."

"Holy shit," said Terri in a tiny voice. "Politics?"

"They were flying over a country that wasn't a friend of ours. They can't go handing out medals for actions taken in a country we don't have permission to fly over."

"That's fucking stupid," said Terri.

"Tell me about it." Veronica looked at the sliver moon and smiled. "He saved an extra life that night. When Ellie got home and got her brain straightened out and got fitted for her new leg, she and her husband..." Veronica sighed happily. "Somewhere down in Florida is a baby girl named Joshilyn who will probably grow up very, very happy her mother didn't name her Ephrath, the feminine equivalent of Ephraim." Veronica pulled out her phone and showed Terri a picture of a very pregnant Elli and her husband Nate before they left Amelia Island. Ellie's metal leg was prominent in the picture.

"Damn," gasped Terri, she now understood why her boss shows up to work looking exhausted and jumps at loud noises. "Does his night terror happen a lot?"

"Not anymore, this was the first in a long time... he's getting help." Veronica sat down in a comfortable folding chair and passed the schnapps to Terri. "Twenty-two veterans kill themselves every day... and now I understand why. Josh's story has a happy ending, but many don't..." She sipped from the bottle again. "Not here. Not on my watch."

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

Morning was beautiful and Josh's terror of the night before was forgotten, but the experience leaves him emotionally crippled the morning following his dream. Terri woke up just as the sun rose above the horizon and was feeling pretty good that she beat Josh and Veronica to wakefulness, she didn't hear a sound from their room. She pulled on sweatpants and a zip up hoodie then stepped out onto the porch and as the sky started to lighten, through the morning mist. "Coffee! I'll put on some coffee," she decided.

Terri went back inside and being as quiet as possible she grabbed the percolator and added water and coffee grounds then stepped outside again. She opened the metal grate to the fire ring and started to build a fire when she saw movement down at the pond... it wasn't a deer, it was her hosts standing back-to-back on the dock, fishing. As she watched, Veronica reeled in a nice size fish, put it on the stringer and blew a chirp on her whistle, then she handed her rod and reel to Josh and headed off to her morning jog.

Muttering under her breath Terri abandoned the idea of a fire in the big metal fire ring, slammed the metal grate on it, put the camp coffee pot on the table waiting for another time. She headed down to the dock where Josh handed her Veronica's fishing pole wordlessly, then before Terri could cast said, "Come on," and he led her onto the pontoon boat.

Casting off they putt-putted out to the middle of the big pond where he shut off the motor and dropped an anchor and there, they fished quietly in the morning fog which slowly began to lift. The silence was finally broken by Terri reeling in a nice small mouth bass. Terri expertly unhooked her fish and held him up for inspection. "Whatcha think boss?"

"That's a nice fish, and you did really well with him."

"Of course, I'm Canadian, it's what we do." Terri examined her fish closely, "Is he a keeper?"

"That's up to you, he could be your dinner tonight." Josh took out his phone and took a picture of a broadly grinning Terri and her fish before she crouched down and released him.

"No fish fry tonight?" asked Josh as Terri expertly put a worm on her hook.

"Nah, I'll let him go back to swimmin' an' shit, but next time there's tartar sauce in his future." Terri watched her fish swim off happily. "I'll send that picture to Ned, just to make him feel bad, that guy can't catch a cold."

"There they go," said Josh and he pointed out Audrey and Veronica as they jogged past a break in the trees.

They fished in silence for a long time then, "hey, that's a nice wedding ring you're wearing," said Terri out of the blue. "Get it in a box of Cracker Jack?"

"First of all, you are too young to remember when Cracker Jack came in an actual box with prizes, and secondly I knew that Veronica was going to let you guys know."

"You planned it?"

"Sort of, we figured that would take the pressure off the "planning committee" and we could have a nice happy celebration instead of a huge serious production come September."

"I think your plan is going to work." Terri added her new fish to the stringer, "they were talking about rolling a keg down the aisle when we left."

"That's more like what we wanted," chuckled Josh.

A few minutes later Terri watched Josh's eyes track Veronica and Audrey as they jogged past the opening in the trees. "You ok with Audrey and Veronica's dad?"

"Yeah, I'm happy for the both of them..." He crouched and released a really aggressive bluegill. "They've both been fucked over by life; I think they were beat into a shapes that compliments each other."

"They're really happy together, like you and Veronica," Terri looked at her boss out the corner of her eye.

"Don't you go getting all philosophical on me," said Josh.

"No, really. You two fit together so nicely, it's like a TV show, the Glamor Girl and the Redneck, it would be like Taylor Swift and..."

"Jeff Foxworthy?" offered Josh.

"I was going to say Larry the Cable Guy, but that Jeff guy will do, I think I've heard of him." Josh shook his head, and they fished in silence. "I just want you to know..." Terri fought for the words then finally said, "If something is on your mind you can come to me, ya know? I might not understand, but I can listen n' shit."

"Well, I appreciate the offer, I truly do, but don't be offended if I don't take you up on it. I've got two shrinks, a pastor, a wife, and a pastor's wife listening to me whine, I don't need a co-worker to find out just how fucked up I am."

"I heard you last night," said Terry softly. "I just wanted you to know..."

"I understand, all I ask is that you... just... be good."

"Wha?"

"Listen, we... people like me we sign up hoping to make a difference. They send us somewhere to fix something and we go hoping to fix a situation, and we all leave something behind... But when we come back and see what's going on here..." his face started to turn red. "I can't watch the news; I just want to..." he let out an angry breath, his fingers tightened on his rod and reel. "When I do watch the news, I just think I wasted my time; I can't fix over there with everything over here falling apart..."

The boat had turned in the gentle breeze and where they sat, they could see both cabins facing the pond, Audrey and Veronica bent over by Josh and Veronica' cabin, puffing through huge smiles after their four-mile jog. "This is my world now," he said relaxing. "It was a long time getting here, and this is where I'll stay. They need me and..." he reeled in his line. "... that's all I got to say about that."

Terri looked at her boss confused, just what was he mad at? It was deeper than she wanted to think right now, but at least he appreciated the offer. "You know what your problem is redneck? You're out here fishin' and there ain't no beer!"

"No beer until after lunch, that's the rule," he said as he pulled in the anchor then waved at Mike emerging from the trees at the far corner of the pond in his rowboat. "Ready for breakfast dad?"

"You bet son!"

The pontoon boat pulled up to Mike's rowboat and Josh handed down a rope to Mike then slowly headed back to the dock. Josh tied up to the dock and took his cooler of fish and added Mike's catch then wordlessly headed back to the cleaning table behind the cabin while Terri and Mike watched. Neither had seen Josh like this, most of the time he's either happy or grumpy, right now he's just... numb.

The sun was burning off the morning clouds as Audrey and Veronica brought plates of pancakes and sausage from the kitchenette. "Where's Josh?" Veronica asked.

"He's behind the cabin cleaning fish," said Terri, her face lined with concern. As Veronica set the pancakes down and opened the picnic table umbrella Terri said quietly, "I think I broke him."

"What do you mean?"

"I asked him to talk to me and he... he started getting all sad n' shit. Said he wasted his time in the army and he hasn't said nothin' since."

"Air Force," corrected Veronica for the umpteenth time. As Veronica hurried behind the cabin Terri looked at the big flagpole, the clanging of the snaffles against the metal pole was beginning to haunt her.

Veronica found Josh at the cleaning table, the fish were filleted, the mess cleaned up, and Josh was staring at the table with a sad look in his eye and a very sharp knife in his hand. "Terri says you think you wasted your time in the Air Force," said Veronica softly. She was terrified, that knife was so sharp...

"Yeah, it looks like it... look at the news... What the hell was I defending and protecting? Why the hell did I bother?"

"It isn't our problem anymore," said Veronica. "You did your job, and we were good while you were guarding us. Now we need you to defend and protect me, and now dad and Audrey."

"It's just..." he was in agony trying to form the words that would describe the reason for his anger without sounding childish. "I... am... so... angry that they put me out, just because I can't run... I was a shop chief, and a damn good one... Do you realize how much money this cost us when they turned me out before I reached 20 years? My retirement is a fraction of what it should be..."

"We don't need the money; I just need you..." She gently touched his arm, and she felt the tension drain out of him. His body relaxed; he eased his fileting knife into the sheath, and he handed it to her. She didn't take the knife, instead she opened his tackle box and after a pause he placed the knife in the tackle box where it belonged. Veronica felt Josh trembling and realized that he was close to having a melt-down and she looked him in the eye, "We are going to be ok, whatever it takes, ok?"

Josh nodded and responded to her kisses but remained silent.

"Well, come on, come and have breakfast and we'll go look at our wedding chapel, you don't have to talk, we'll go look at a bit of the property you haven't looked at before. That always cheers you up."

After a sadly quiet breakfast, Josh, Veronica, Audrey, and Mike took a ride in the golf cart to inspect Veronica's find while Terri remained behind saying that she had something to do. At the pavilion they saw that what Josh thought was a picnic pavilion and ignored pending other concerns, just might be a chapel, or an outdoor classroom, or a meeting hall. Stout upright logs held aloft a peaked roof above a dirt floor with a raised stage at one end. Inside and outside of the pavilion there were rows of logs set vertically into the ground and rose to about two feet like stumps, The outside stumps were weather rotted but those under the roof were in good shape although they were mostly hidden by the weeds. "I'll bet you that these held up benches."