C. Brown - Compromising

“Furthermore, sir, I present the text message exchanges between Sergeant Cruz and Private First Class Bennett, to include photographs.”

The Sergeant walked over and took those pieces of evidence. More than anything else, that felt like the last straw. That would be the piece that would seal the deal, strip me of what little rank I held, and lock me away until they strapped a dishonorable discharge around my neck and sent me on my way. That thought paralyzed me. As hard as I had worked to move on and make something of myself, I was destined to be exactly what my mother had said I would be—a nothing. A nobody.

“Objection, your honor—”

“You will have your chance at rebuttal, Captain Hedlund,” Colonel Thompson reprimanded.

I looked over to Alex who had his eyes trained on Major Godinez, looking as if he wanted to punch him in the face and stomp him into the ground. I had seen that look before, and when Alex got it, nothing good came from it. Nothing at all.

“Your honor, a pair of Sergeant Cruz’s dog tags were found in the wall locker of Private First Class Bennett.”

The Sergeant walked over and took the zip lock bag containing Alex’s coveted dog tags. Alex twisted his head, cracking his neck as his moist, deliciously plump lips puckered into an angry pout. Captain Hedlund was given notes from Lance Corporal Nelson, something highlighted in yellow, pointing out something that put a gentle smile on his face. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but if it were a sign that we could be spared in some way, I couldn’t wait until he was able to speak.

“And finally, your honor, I have First Sergeant O’Hara’s sworn statement accompanied by a signed statement of understanding from Sergeant Cruz himself. He stood in the office of First Sergeant O’Hara and admitted to the charges against him.”

The Sergeant, once again, took the evidence and marched it over to Colonel Thompson, who looked it over, then looked back to Major Godinez.

“Is this everything, Major?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Um, your honor,” First Sergeant O’Hara called out, skidding his chair back and standing up. Major Godinez grabbed his shoulder and motioned for him to sit back down. He listened, shutting his mouth and taking his seat without so much as a peep. They exchanged a hushed but heated exchange as First Sergeant O’Hara pointed out something in a notebook and Major Godinez brushed it off.

I was thankful that they were done presenting evidence because from where I was sitting, I was drowning in my own shit, and there wasn’t any help in sight.

“Captain Hedlund, you may now present your argument,” Colonel Thompson commanded.

Captain Hedlund stood, taking a notebook from Lance Corporal Nelson and addressing the court.

“Good morning, Colonel Thompson. Major Godinez would lead you to believe that this is an open and shut case, given the evidence that he has presented in court today. Unfortunately, we have something called protocol that must take place when charging a Marine with a crime, and that protocol was bypassed.”

My ears perked up at the mention of protocol and things not going accordingly.

“Those sworn statements are he say she say and should be inadmissible in court. We have an innocent until proven guilty stance here, and my clients were guilty in the eyes of First Sergeant O’Hara and Major Godinez before they were given proper counsel.”

“I’m glad you have such strong conviction, Captain, but that is not evidence,” Colonel Thompson badgered.

Captain Hedlund raised a finger, then strutted further into the middle of the room.

“Case in point, Private First Class Bennett was attacked by a Private Allen in her barracks room on a Friday evening. Luckily, Sergeant Cruz was in the barracks and received word from the firewatch that there was an attack in progress. He rushed to the scene of the crime and was able to fend off Private Allen, saving Private First Class Bennett from an uncertain, but potentially fatal fate. The relationship in question stems from that incident.”

Potentially fatal fate…

I had never allowed my mind to wander to what could have happened to me had Allen not been stopped. He was much larger than myself, and was hell bent on destroying me—what that meant, I had no clue. Tears threatened to spill as I listened to Captain Hedlund speak.

Alex snuck a peek over at me as I gently wiped at my eyes. His face softened, and his eyes glistened as he took me in. The sordid tale of Allen—his abominable, animalistic behavior—and me was too much for both of us to take. It made sense. Whenever Alex heard of these events, he regressed back into someone unknown. He turned into a person who was incapable of dealing with the stresses of the situation, and now was no exception.

“I would like to add, your honor, that while my client, Private First Class Bennett, was lying in a hospital bed, struggling to recover from the attack, Sergeant Cruz, her instructor who had saved her, was led out by his Chief Instructor and Company Gunnery Sergeant and placed on barracks restriction without ever being charged with a crime, or read his rights. This is not the way we conduct lawful business in the Marine Corps. My client’s rights were violated, and it took me fighting the command to have him removed.”

O’Hara was squirming in his seat now, and Major Godinez looked less confident.

“While my client was placed on barracks restriction, his phone was confiscated, leaving him with no means of communication, and he had yet to be provided with counsel. The information removed from that phone is inadmissible in court.”

“We did obtain proper authority for the evidence we have presented in court, your honor,” Major Godinez challenged.

“That authority was granted after the fact, your honor. Anything taken prior to the given authority is an abuse of my clients’ right to privacy.”

“Surely, your honor, the severity of this crime, the given evidence, and the sworn eye witness statements warrants a further look.”

“We have to remain diligent and follow protocol, your honor.”

Colonel Thompson held up his hand, silencing both counsels. He was deep in thought, looking over the evidence presented, taking in the notes on what Captain Hedlund had countered with, then finally looked down to us on the floor and began speaking again.

“If there is no further evidence, I would like to take this back to my chambers to look it over before making a decision to carry on with the court-martial or dismiss all charges. Court will reconvene in thirty minutes.”

“All rise,” the Sergeant barked.

The next sound I heard was the pound of the gavel striking the wood block as the Colonel stood and walked out of the courtroom. Captain Hedlund looked cool and collected while Alex sat with an unreadable expression on his face. It wasn’t often that I couldn’t find a trace of emotion on his face, whether it is anger, lust, admiration, or a wicked combination of all three. He sat frozen, dazing off into space, probably feeling the same way that I was.

Lance Corporal Nelson opened a folder and showed the contents to Alex, lowly mumbling something to him as he finally allowed a faint smile to grace his beautiful face. Whatever was there had me intrigued, but I was stuck, frozen in my seat, afraid to move for fear that movement would seal my dreaded fate.

Captain Hedlund excused himself, and Lance Corporal Nelson followed closely behind him, leaving Alex and me sitting there alone, sitting in a pot of our own mess, barely on speaking terms and hoping for the best outcome for one another. I wanted so badly to touch him, to wrap my arms around him and kiss him with every ounce of passion inside of me. I wanted to be Alex and Cassie once again.

“Hey, Blondie…you okay?” he asked, that deep, husky voice breaking me from my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I breathed, hoping and praying that my lust wasn’t plastered all over my face.

A wry smile fixed on Alex’s lips, indicating that he could probably tell something was up with me, and it had nothing to do with the court proceedings. The cockiness he carried by nature couldn’t be stifled—not even in a courtroom where at any moment, a judge would walk through those doors and seal our fate. Alex didn’t seem to care. He was a walking enigma, keeping those around him on their toes, guessing what he would do next.

“Don’t sweat this shit. Regardless of what happens, I think Captain Hedlund has argued a good counter and those assholes are shaking.”

“Alex, knock it off. We’re as good as done. They have so much shit that it’s easy for a blind man to see that we’re guilty. Even if we don’t get the max, we have something coming our way, and that alone should have you worried.”

He turned in his chair, facing me head on as his entrancing golden eyes poured into mine. “It’s so funny how not too long ago, all of this was worth it. Now, it’s like the biggest mistake you’ve ever made. Well, I’ll tell you what, Blondie, you’re my favorite fucking mistake. And punished or not, I’m never going to regret what we did or what we had. You shouldn’t either.”

He turned back around in his seat, pulled out his cell phone and began typing away. Alex Cruz, for everything that we were embroiled in, still had a way with words. His words played on my ears like soft notes from melodic piano keys.

His favorite mistake?

If that were the case, why had he pulled the plug on us? Why couldn’t he continue on with our relationship and work things out the way any normal functioning couple would? Suddenly, the answer to that question came barreling towards me with enough force to knock me off my feet. Alex and I were not, nor would we ever be a normal couple. There was something absolutely intriguing, inexplicable, and downright consuming about the way we fell in love and how hard we had fallen. It wasn’t normal, nor was it right, but it was what it was, and I knew that nothing from here on out could or would be conventional with us.

Now I just had to make it through the next ten minutes or so, find out my fate, and see if there were anything left to salvage of our fractured love. I didn’t have long to wait as the lawyers came filing back into the courtroom, each side looking eager and victorious.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel that same ambition. My eyes lay plastered on the Sergeant who stood and walked to the front of the judge’s bench. “All rise. The Honorable Colonel Thompson presiding.”

The hammer was about to come down, and for once in my life, all of the control that I loved to hold and exert was non-existent. That skinny fucking Sergeant stood there, possibly knowing my fate, and there wasn’t a goddamned thing that I could do about it. I stole a glance at Cassie and watched her swallow a lump through that deliciously dainty neck of hers. More than anything else, I was afraid for her. Fear radiated through her eyes, and as I stood on the other side of Captain Hedlund, there wasn’t shit that I could do to help her, to ease her fears, to calm her down. I felt helpless and worthless. But more than anything, I felt angry.

I sucked on my bottom lip and swallowed hard, breathing hard through my nose like a bull waiting to be released. One way or another, this anxiety was going to subside, and I needed to hear something because I was bursting at the seams with no help in sight.

Captain Hedlund gave a confirming nod to both Cassie and me, but no emotion could be traced through his eyes. He was stoic as a statue, and if he were nervous or confident, he wasn’t letting on. For a second, I decided he really couldn’t give two shits about what would happen to us. That he was assigned to us because it was his job and nothing more.

I shut my eyes and lightly shook my head, hoping to shake away the paranoia. The dangling noose was getting the best of me, and I had to find a way to clear my mind. My heart beat so fast I felt as if it would burst through my ribcage, and as soon as Colonel Thompson began speaking, all blood drained from my face.

“I have considered the evidence presented by both sides of this case. I am twenty-two years into the Marine Corps, and it is, without a doubt, the fiber of my being. We create and maintain the world’s best warriors because we instill discipline and follow through with it in all facets of what we do.”

His words were like an incinerator slowly melting me before I was finally taken and thrown into the fire.