Page 30
Story: Orders and Obsessions
“So we’re in agreement, her third and last punishment?” His dad said, eager to get me out of the way because I was one less recruit to worry about failing the fitness test.
“Sir, yes sir.” Mason said this with confidence, as if he had no doubts. I can’t blame him; he did warn me.
“And you’ll file charges for the theft?” Mason looked at me again, his eyes narrowing and his jaw tightening. He was really, really angry.
“Yes, sir.” I squinted at him. Did he really need to charge me extra?
“Okay, I’ll have an officer pick her up tonight.” The commander picked up the phone and started dialling.
“Sir, tonight? It’s late. Wouldn’t it be better tomorrow?” The commander was about to speak when there was another knock at the door. He hung up the phone and told the person who was knocking to come in.
“Sorry to bother you, commander, sir, but we found these in his car. We have a strong feeling they belong to her.”
The security guard dumped the stuff from my white plastic bag onto the table. The small box with big pink letters that said “PREGNANCY TEST” was on full display.
Mason’s eyes got as big as golf balls, and his head shot in my direction, breaking all the rules.
I couldn’t look at him, so I focused on the green spots that made the camouflage pattern on my trousers. I tried to blend in so well that I would disappear completely.
There was a lot of silence in the commander’s office, but my ears still hurt.
“Lieutenant, is this yours?” The commander’s voice was less stern and more curious.
“No, Sir.” Masons voice was full of fear.
“A pregnancy test,” the commander said. I slowly raised my eyes to meet his. “And why would you need a pregnancy test in a bootcamp detention where you can’t have visitors?”
“Maybe you should tell your officers that,” I said back. The commander stood up, leaned over the table, and looked down at me.
“Are you saying that my officers are to blame for that?” He looked at the pregnancy test and I smiled.
“No, the road is to blame for that. But this baby,” I patted my stomach, “is from one of your officers.”
“Rivers!” Mason yelled in his Lieutenant voice. We all looked at him right away. “Don’t throw accusations around; that’s a direct order.”
“I bet it is,” I said. My smile grew.
The commander opened the box and took it out. He looked at the instruction manual for a while before giving me the stick.
“Through there,” he said, pointing to a door with two strong fingers. “There’s no point in thinking there’s a problem if there isn’t one. Lieutenant, watch her do it.”
“Shouldn’t I have a female nurse instead of a male one? I’m not peeing in front of him.”
“This problem stays in this room, Rivers. Test now.” I held the test stick tightly in my hand and slowly walked to the bathroom with Mason behind me. “Leave the door open!” the commander yelled.
I sat down on the toilet seat and looked at Mason. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked like he didn’t want to talk to me. It was like he didn’t care.
He had emotionally distanced himself from the situation, and if I was pregnant, it was a problem. My issue. A problem, as his father said. That wasn’t his fault; it was mine.
I peed on the stick and then gave it to him with the pee side up. He grimaced, switched it, and then washed his hands.
The commander yelled, “What does it say?”
“It needs time,” Mason said as he looked at the test like he was about to defuse a bomb.
I muttered, “Dumbass.”
Mason took the stick outside and put it on the desk. The two men stood over it, watching closely, while I stayed back in the bathroom doorway.
“Pregnant,” said the commander in a clear voice.
“Pregnant,” Mason said again, this time more slowly and quietly, not believing it.
The commander narrowed his eyes at me, but Mason stayed focused on the test, hoping it would change.
“I know a guy. I’ll set up your appointment for tomorrow,” the commander said as he looked through a directory on his desk.
“You’re getting me a doctor?” I asked, not expecting that at all.
“An abortion.” He kept flipping through the directory, not even looking at me.
But Mason’s attention was drawn to his father, and then it turned to me, softening.
“What? I don’t think I am. I just found out. I need time to think about it.”
“What’s there to think about, Rivers? You broke the law and got yourself pregnant. You brought shame on our leadership.” He looked at Mason. “That wasn’t too hard,” Mason said, lowering his head. “We’re not keeping you here pregnant. You’ll go to jail pregnant. Is that what you want? Your baby will be born and go straight to foster care because you’re in jail.”
I turned to Mason for help, support, or something.
“Maybe the dad could—”
“No. Not my officers.” He cut in. “You’ve done enough to ruin my bootcamp. You’ve seduced my men. The only thing you can do is end the pregnancy. You’re selfish for even thinking you could keep it.”
I didn’t let my tears fall. Mason didn’t say anything. He didn’t stand up for me or our baby. He didn’t say anything and just stood there, staring at the dumb pee stick.
I asked him straight out, “What do you think?”
He started with “I think—” and then stopped for a moment to look at his father’s face, my face, and the positive pregnancy test again. “I believe you should have an abortion.”
I wanted to say something like, “Well, I think you should have wrapped up your d**k,” but I didn’t.
Instead, I just cried. My tears kept coming, and I put my hand over my mouth to stop the sobs. It was a mess, and it broke my heart, but neither of them made me feel better. Mason didn’t help me when I needed him the most.
“Take her to the disease centre. We’ll keep her there away from everyone else until her appointment. You can get better there, Rivers, and then we’ll tell the judge that boot camp isn’t working out for you. The charges depend mostly on how quietly the abortion goes.”
“Are you blackmailing me?” I whined.
“I’m giving you a free abortion and aftercare. I’m just strongly suggesting that you take me up on that offer, Rivers. You wouldn’t want the judge to find out about all the crimes you’ve committed while you’ve been here. Car theft. Theft of personal belongings. Anger and aggression. I’ll check on you tomorrow to make sure you’ve made the right choice. Keep her away from all the generals and recruits,” the commander said.
Mason walked me to the quarantine building, and it was an awkward silence the whole way there. I still cried, but I wouldn’t talk to him, look at him, or breathe the same air as him. I despised him.
He tried, nervously, “Riley—”
“Sir, yes sir.” Mason said this with confidence, as if he had no doubts. I can’t blame him; he did warn me.
“And you’ll file charges for the theft?” Mason looked at me again, his eyes narrowing and his jaw tightening. He was really, really angry.
“Yes, sir.” I squinted at him. Did he really need to charge me extra?
“Okay, I’ll have an officer pick her up tonight.” The commander picked up the phone and started dialling.
“Sir, tonight? It’s late. Wouldn’t it be better tomorrow?” The commander was about to speak when there was another knock at the door. He hung up the phone and told the person who was knocking to come in.
“Sorry to bother you, commander, sir, but we found these in his car. We have a strong feeling they belong to her.”
The security guard dumped the stuff from my white plastic bag onto the table. The small box with big pink letters that said “PREGNANCY TEST” was on full display.
Mason’s eyes got as big as golf balls, and his head shot in my direction, breaking all the rules.
I couldn’t look at him, so I focused on the green spots that made the camouflage pattern on my trousers. I tried to blend in so well that I would disappear completely.
There was a lot of silence in the commander’s office, but my ears still hurt.
“Lieutenant, is this yours?” The commander’s voice was less stern and more curious.
“No, Sir.” Masons voice was full of fear.
“A pregnancy test,” the commander said. I slowly raised my eyes to meet his. “And why would you need a pregnancy test in a bootcamp detention where you can’t have visitors?”
“Maybe you should tell your officers that,” I said back. The commander stood up, leaned over the table, and looked down at me.
“Are you saying that my officers are to blame for that?” He looked at the pregnancy test and I smiled.
“No, the road is to blame for that. But this baby,” I patted my stomach, “is from one of your officers.”
“Rivers!” Mason yelled in his Lieutenant voice. We all looked at him right away. “Don’t throw accusations around; that’s a direct order.”
“I bet it is,” I said. My smile grew.
The commander opened the box and took it out. He looked at the instruction manual for a while before giving me the stick.
“Through there,” he said, pointing to a door with two strong fingers. “There’s no point in thinking there’s a problem if there isn’t one. Lieutenant, watch her do it.”
“Shouldn’t I have a female nurse instead of a male one? I’m not peeing in front of him.”
“This problem stays in this room, Rivers. Test now.” I held the test stick tightly in my hand and slowly walked to the bathroom with Mason behind me. “Leave the door open!” the commander yelled.
I sat down on the toilet seat and looked at Mason. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked like he didn’t want to talk to me. It was like he didn’t care.
He had emotionally distanced himself from the situation, and if I was pregnant, it was a problem. My issue. A problem, as his father said. That wasn’t his fault; it was mine.
I peed on the stick and then gave it to him with the pee side up. He grimaced, switched it, and then washed his hands.
The commander yelled, “What does it say?”
“It needs time,” Mason said as he looked at the test like he was about to defuse a bomb.
I muttered, “Dumbass.”
Mason took the stick outside and put it on the desk. The two men stood over it, watching closely, while I stayed back in the bathroom doorway.
“Pregnant,” said the commander in a clear voice.
“Pregnant,” Mason said again, this time more slowly and quietly, not believing it.
The commander narrowed his eyes at me, but Mason stayed focused on the test, hoping it would change.
“I know a guy. I’ll set up your appointment for tomorrow,” the commander said as he looked through a directory on his desk.
“You’re getting me a doctor?” I asked, not expecting that at all.
“An abortion.” He kept flipping through the directory, not even looking at me.
But Mason’s attention was drawn to his father, and then it turned to me, softening.
“What? I don’t think I am. I just found out. I need time to think about it.”
“What’s there to think about, Rivers? You broke the law and got yourself pregnant. You brought shame on our leadership.” He looked at Mason. “That wasn’t too hard,” Mason said, lowering his head. “We’re not keeping you here pregnant. You’ll go to jail pregnant. Is that what you want? Your baby will be born and go straight to foster care because you’re in jail.”
I turned to Mason for help, support, or something.
“Maybe the dad could—”
“No. Not my officers.” He cut in. “You’ve done enough to ruin my bootcamp. You’ve seduced my men. The only thing you can do is end the pregnancy. You’re selfish for even thinking you could keep it.”
I didn’t let my tears fall. Mason didn’t say anything. He didn’t stand up for me or our baby. He didn’t say anything and just stood there, staring at the dumb pee stick.
I asked him straight out, “What do you think?”
He started with “I think—” and then stopped for a moment to look at his father’s face, my face, and the positive pregnancy test again. “I believe you should have an abortion.”
I wanted to say something like, “Well, I think you should have wrapped up your d**k,” but I didn’t.
Instead, I just cried. My tears kept coming, and I put my hand over my mouth to stop the sobs. It was a mess, and it broke my heart, but neither of them made me feel better. Mason didn’t help me when I needed him the most.
“Take her to the disease centre. We’ll keep her there away from everyone else until her appointment. You can get better there, Rivers, and then we’ll tell the judge that boot camp isn’t working out for you. The charges depend mostly on how quietly the abortion goes.”
“Are you blackmailing me?” I whined.
“I’m giving you a free abortion and aftercare. I’m just strongly suggesting that you take me up on that offer, Rivers. You wouldn’t want the judge to find out about all the crimes you’ve committed while you’ve been here. Car theft. Theft of personal belongings. Anger and aggression. I’ll check on you tomorrow to make sure you’ve made the right choice. Keep her away from all the generals and recruits,” the commander said.
Mason walked me to the quarantine building, and it was an awkward silence the whole way there. I still cried, but I wouldn’t talk to him, look at him, or breathe the same air as him. I despised him.
He tried, nervously, “Riley—”