(Untitled)

[heretofight]

He fucking hated rehab and physical therapy and all that shit. It didn't matter how many times he'd had to go through it, feeling like he was building his body back from the ground up was the kind of frustrating he just wasn't patient enough to deal with. But he gritted his teeth and he took it, 'cause ending up with a bum arm for the rest of his

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[seeyousoonthen]

Savannah didn't do lessons on the weekend. The children who came in on the weekends got to paint and draw and build and such, but they also got to play games. Savannah did her best to come up with games that all age groups could play together. She had decided that the game of the weekend needed a ball and so she went to the rec center to see if there was anything other than a basket ball or a baseball she could use.

It was impossible to miss the man with the dumb bell. He looked like he had spent years sculpting his body into something solid and powerful. What really caught her eye was his tattoos. Fearless and bold, Savannah abandoned her quest in favor of going right over to him.

"Oh, your tattoos are just wonderful," she said. "Do they mean something special?"

[heretofight]

It was really weird, how the people on the island would just... come up to you and start chatting, like you were old friends or something. Tommy wasn't sure it was ever something he'd get the hang of. Maybe when he'd been a kid, but he'd spent the last year building up that don't fuck with me persona, just to keep a little distance, and having it effectively shattered on the island was just a little nerve-wracking.

Still, she was young and pretty and so damn pregnant she looked ready to pop, and if she wanted to ask him questions about his tattoos, he wasn't gonna be a prick about it.

"Uh, yeah. Some of 'em, sure," he said, putting the dumbbell aside, "Got others that just mean I was off base with my buddies and too buzzed to give a damn about catchin' Hep C. But uh, thanks."

[seeyousoonthen]

Being haunted by John's ghost was something that she had gotten used to to an extent, only to have the specter of him come to her once again with every soldier she met. Sometimes it was demeanor, sometimes dedication. Now it was as simple as plain words and a bit of ink.

What does that one mean?
I don't want to tell you.
Why not?
It's a swear.

"They're real nice," she said after a moment of hesitation. Just a moment to shake her memories off of her so she could be in the moment.

"I'm Savannah. I didn't mean to interrupt your work out. They're just so, well, so big."

[heretofight]

"Hey, no problem," he said with a polite smile, and even though he noticed her hesitation, that faraway look in her eyes, he didn't comment. Wasn't his business.

There was no way doing a couple reps with a ten pound weight was going to get him sweating, but he still wiped his palms across his thighs before offering a hand. "I'm Tommy."

[seeyousoonthen]

"It's real nice to meet you, Tommy," she said as she shook his hand. His were so much bigger than her own, and strong. A smile danced on her lips at the thought of what a man like him could do on a Habitat crew- if he were so inclined.

"I'm from Lenoir, North Carolina. You've probably never heard of it. No one has. It was two thousand-one where I left from. What about you?" she asked. She'd found she got so much more from someone if she offered up just a bit of herself first. Greased the wheels or whatever the phrase was.

[heretofight]

That level of openness with a stranger wasn't something he was used to. In all honesty, it made him uncomfortable, if only 'cause he'd feel bad for being just a little less than forthcoming with her.

"From Pittsburgh. Two thousand-ten."

[seeyousoonthen]

"Oh," she said softly. Two thousand ten. Time was so funny here. Everything was funny here. Often, if she let herself really think about it, very little about this place made sense except what the people had carved out for themselves.

She did her best to not let her thoughts wander.

"Have you been here long?" she asked. "I don't get out too much right now so I'm sure I miss saying hello to all sorts of people."

[heretofight]

"Couple'a weeks," Tommy answered. He knew to the day, even though he'd done all he could to avoid counting them down. Denial was hard to manage when you were keeping close track of the details.

"Looks like you're due any day."

[seeyousoonthen]

"I wish. I've got a little over a month but I'm ready to be finished," Savannah replied. It was a reflex to rub the roundness of her belly, almost as if she were reassuring herself it was still there.

"I'll be glad when it's done and I can go back to normal. I'm dying to go surfing," she continued, chatting along happily.

She was happy to talk to anyone, though she found more often than not she was drawn to talk to people who didn't say much. It was like pulling teeth to get Mace to have a conversation. It was something she was used to, though. Tim wasn't always conversational and John was a prolific writer but it took a bit to warm him up when talking. Savannah actually liked that. It made every word seem more golden, more worth hearing. When speech was rare it became precious.

[heretofight]

"You do a lotta surfin' down in Lenoir?" he asked, knowing the answer. Which meant she'd been on the island for a while. He knew people spent years trapped there, but it wasn't something he was willing to accept as a possibility for himself just yet.

[seeyousoonthen]

"I surfed in Wilmington, actually. Lenoir is horse country. I'm so glad I can still do it here," she explained. "Well, you know what I mean. I'll be able to do it again in a couple months once the baby's gone. I can't wait. The two things I love most are horses and surfing."

She loved other things, too. Passionately. But for right now all she could do was long for the things that she was being denied. She wanted so badly to ride but it was just too risky right now.

"I need to find a ball. That's what I came in for. It was real nice to meet you, Tommy," she continued, her hand moving from her belly to her back.

She was just never comfortable any more.

"I'll see you soon then, okay?"