I had been thinking about the baby in that very moment it happened. I had been looking across the dry desert sands, thinking about Rory holding our baby. I thought of the baby’s adorable little smile looking up at me and reaching for my hand. I had been thinking about it growing up and all things I could teach him or her. All the life lessons I had learned in the army that I could pass down. Than I thought about Rory, being a father. How good he would look packing our little child’s lunches. When he or she went off to school we could run up stairs and tear each other’s clothes off. I had been dreaming of all these things when I heard it.

The first explosion came from the distance. One ear shattering blow about half a mile away. Troops began running in all different directions and yelling commands. It wasn’t until the second explosion that I felt my entire body shake and realized we were under attack. I looked up to see two planes circling around above our camp. I ran towards the bunker, dodging flying objects and covering my face from the sand whirling around in the air. As I ran for cover I heard a soldier yell my name. I stopped to turn around. As I began to turn I felt a strong blow to my head and everything went black.

I went back to dreaming. Dreaming of my first night with Rory. How amazing it was. How perfect his slim abs and tight little butt had been. The sex had been so good. So good it had created a child. Our child.

I awoke in a hospital gown to a nurse laughing at me.

“Good dreaming?” She giggled.

I looked down to see I was rock hard after dreaming about mine and Rory’s first night together. “Oh shit, that’s embarrassing.” I tried covering it.

“Don’t worry it happens all the time,” she said reassuring me.

“I was thinking of my mate.” I blurted out. Like she cared. “He’s having our baby.”

“That’s wonderful!” She exclaimed back.

After saying those words I realized I needed to talk to him, make sure he was okay. I told the nurse. “Please I need to make sure he’s ok.” The panic I felt was enough to make my boner go away real fast.

“We need to make sure you’re okay first,” she answered back.

“What is wrong with me?” I asked confused. I was disoriented, not recognizing I had been knocked out for several hours. I looked around my body for noticeable damage. My shoulder was in a sling I realized and my neck was being supported by one of those ridiculous looking neck braces. I suddenly was worried about myself and the other soldiers.

She gave me a run threw of what had happened. I had been hit, knocked unconscious and made first priority to be sent to the city center’s hospital, among a handful of other injured troops. Troops that had minor injuries were moved to another base camp closer by and were being attended to be first aid relief units. The camp had been, for the most part, destroyed. They were working on evacuating all units.

Suddenly my heart started racing. “They’re evacuating all units!” I practically screamed at the nurse.

“Yes,” she smiled. I think she was happy she was the one who got to deliver the good news to me. “As soon as you’re done with your check-ups, you’ll be given leave to go back home.”

My heart sank a little despite that news. I touched my neck brace looking worried.

I heard her laugh at me again. “Don’t worry soldier, that’s just a mandatory precaution because of your concussion. I’ll take it off as soon as you’re checked out” I smiled at her, pleased she understood my concern. “Your partner should be notified today or tomorrow about your arrival back in Canada.

“Canada?”

“Yes, Canada? That is where you are from is it not?” She gave me a strange look as if she should be more concerned about my head than she thought.

I laughed and felt a pain jolt through my shoulder.

“Careful,” she said as she came to my assistance.

“Thank you.” The pain went away quickly as she adjusted my pillows. “No, it’s just my partner, he’s living in Colombia. He’s having our baby soon. Really soon. I want to be with him, if I can.”

She gave me a disapproving look. “Sorry sweetie, I think you’ll have to go to the Canadian Base to be monitored in case of further injury.”

The look of disappointment must have been quite clear to her because she smiled at me and told me it wouldn’t take long and added, “Be happy you’re alive, honey.”

She was right, a lot worse could have happened. I was grateful. She told me she would return shortly with my results and tomorrow we would go over the final check-ups. As she went to exit, pulling back the curtain that separated me from the rest of the hospital patients I stopped her. “Wait,” she stopped.

“Yes?”

“Do you know what has happened to private Ryan Nelson?”

“Ryan Nelson? Sorry, hun, he hasn’t come through my doors.”

“It’s okay, thank you.” God, I hoped he was okay. I watched her close the curtains and disappear.

The next day I was given the green light to go ahead to take my leave. My nurse gave me a wheelchair, only for precautionary reasons, and she wheeled me to the shuttle that was taking a handful of other soldiers and myself to the airport. I really wanted to know what happened to everyone, especially Ryan, but all I could really think about was the fact that I could finally go home. I could finally see Rory and our baby.