stretched and threw on his gear. “Where’s she staying at again?”
“In the barracks.” Rodriguez said quietly and nodded towards the kids. “Third door from the latrines on the right. Don’t worry I’ll stay with them.” Almost as an afterthought she asked “When do the kids go to the daycare?”
“0700.” Lacey grumbled as he shrugged into his plate carrier and slung his rifle across his chest. He looked sheepishly at the floor and grumbled under his breath. “Make sure they get something to eat before they go if I’m not back.”
Lacey followed Rodriguez’s directions and found Frays curled up on her cot with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at him when he came in. “Hey Frays.” he said quietly as he ducked inside. It was a minor shock when the woman stood up and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
It took a couple moments to get Frays back over to what he assumed was her cot. It occurred to him that this was the first time he had actually been in her quarters. Lacey rubbed her back and held her, waiting for her to calm down. He unbuckled her LCS and helped her shrug out of the vest…
He took off his own armor and nudged it under her cot to rest with Frays’ gear. A little thrill went through him as Frays snuggled against his chest. “It’s alright, Frays.” Lacey whispered in her ear as he squeezed her tight. “I gotcha. It’s alright…shh…” After a few moments Adam gently leaned against her getting Amy to lie down next to him on the cot. It was a tight fit but they somehow managed to make it work.
Frays rolled onto her other side putting her face to face with Lacey. She smiled shyly. “I’m sorry Frannie woke you.” Frays whispered. Conflicting emotions ran through her as she lay there in this man’s arms. Anger at Frannie. Shame. Rage…and…she did not really want to admit it but she was kind of attracted to this scrawny little Marine.
There was strength in the man that she found herself drawn to. Not a physical strength mind you…Frays was fairly certain that she could beat him two out of three in an arm wrestling contest. No…more like the mental strength to do what had to be done. Lacey’s wife as well as Frays’ father had been bitten by zombies and turned but Lacey had…dealt with them. Somehow Frays knew she did not have it in her to shoot what used to be her parents. If she had been there in the cabin instead of him she would have died, eaten alive by her own parents because she could not do what needed to be done.
And as much as she claimed to be a Christian this man had always treated her with kindness and warmth no matter how little she might have deserved it. He had endured every harsh word she had ever said every time she had lost her temper and hit him... Even though he had lost his wife the mother of his children Lacey went out of his way to see to her needs and make sure she was okay. That night in her parents’ laundry room would always hold a special place in her heart when the two of them had curled up against the wall and held each other tight listening to the thumping of the dryer until she fell asleep…
He had held her tight and whispered in her ear when she was in the middle of a nervous breakdown even though, as a father, he was the one person she expected to think of her as the worst kind of monster. But he did not. Instead he did his best to comfort her and take care of her…the exact opposite of what she herself had done when Lacey had confessed…what he had done in Boston…
“It’s okay, Am…Frays…” he shifted a little, slipping an arm very carefully under the woman’s neck. “Rodriguez is going to watch the kids for me.” Lacey brushed a couple locks of hair away from the woman’s face and maneuvered just ever so slightly closer to her. He noticed the flush in her cheeks, the heat of her breath on his face…
Lacey’s eyes went wide when Frays scooted up a little bit and kissed
“In the barracks.” Rodriguez said quietly and nodded towards the kids. “Third door from the latrines on the right. Don’t worry I’ll stay with them.” Almost as an afterthought she asked “When do the kids go to the daycare?”
“0700.” Lacey grumbled as he shrugged into his plate carrier and slung his rifle across his chest. He looked sheepishly at the floor and grumbled under his breath. “Make sure they get something to eat before they go if I’m not back.”
Lacey followed Rodriguez’s directions and found Frays curled up on her cot with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at him when he came in. “Hey Frays.” he said quietly as he ducked inside. It was a minor shock when the woman stood up and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
It took a couple moments to get Frays back over to what he assumed was her cot. It occurred to him that this was the first time he had actually been in her quarters. Lacey rubbed her back and held her, waiting for her to calm down. He unbuckled her LCS and helped her shrug out of the vest…
He took off his own armor and nudged it under her cot to rest with Frays’ gear. A little thrill went through him as Frays snuggled against his chest. “It’s alright, Frays.” Lacey whispered in her ear as he squeezed her tight. “I gotcha. It’s alright…shh…” After a few moments Adam gently leaned against her getting Amy to lie down next to him on the cot. It was a tight fit but they somehow managed to make it work.
Frays rolled onto her other side putting her face to face with Lacey. She smiled shyly. “I’m sorry Frannie woke you.” Frays whispered. Conflicting emotions ran through her as she lay there in this man’s arms. Anger at Frannie. Shame. Rage…and…she did not really want to admit it but she was kind of attracted to this scrawny little Marine.
There was strength in the man that she found herself drawn to. Not a physical strength mind you…Frays was fairly certain that she could beat him two out of three in an arm wrestling contest. No…more like the mental strength to do what had to be done. Lacey’s wife as well as Frays’ father had been bitten by zombies and turned but Lacey had…dealt with them. Somehow Frays knew she did not have it in her to shoot what used to be her parents. If she had been there in the cabin instead of him she would have died, eaten alive by her own parents because she could not do what needed to be done.
And as much as she claimed to be a Christian this man had always treated her with kindness and warmth no matter how little she might have deserved it. He had endured every harsh word she had ever said every time she had lost her temper and hit him... Even though he had lost his wife the mother of his children Lacey went out of his way to see to her needs and make sure she was okay. That night in her parents’ laundry room would always hold a special place in her heart when the two of them had curled up against the wall and held each other tight listening to the thumping of the dryer until she fell asleep…
He had held her tight and whispered in her ear when she was in the middle of a nervous breakdown even though, as a father, he was the one person she expected to think of her as the worst kind of monster. But he did not. Instead he did his best to comfort her and take care of her…the exact opposite of what she herself had done when Lacey had confessed…what he had done in Boston…
“It’s okay, Am…Frays…” he shifted a little, slipping an arm very carefully under the woman’s neck. “Rodriguez is going to watch the kids for me.” Lacey brushed a couple locks of hair away from the woman’s face and maneuvered just ever so slightly closer to her. He noticed the flush in her cheeks, the heat of her breath on his face…
Lacey’s eyes went wide when Frays scooted up a little bit and kissed
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