Gunslingers

Step. Clank. Step. Clank. Step. Clank.

Finally, I was getting the hang of this new leg. The doctors assured me the clanking sound would go away soon, but I had yet to master the hang of not having a knee. The prosthetic didn't have a knee joint, so I had to learn how to re-walk. And it was a lot harder than anyone told me it would be.

The good news was, I was going home this week. The phantom pains were barely there, and the pain was low again. The doctors here had lined up good doctors in Virginia and had found a physical therapist that specialized in working with amputee women. We were apparently a rare bunch.

"Rae, there are a few people here to see you," a nurse said as she helped me slip the fake leg off. "They're all pretty good looking, if you ask me."

I furrowed my brow. Who would be here to see me? My parents had died, my sisters didn't care, my friends were still in the sandbox, and Laura didn't really talk to me anymore. Unless they had somehow gotten a hold of the one person I didn't want to talk to, there was no way someone would come all the way to Germany to see me.

"We need to fucking talk, Rae." His voice sent shivers down my spine. "Alone."

I looked up and into deep, hazel eyes. There was so much anger there that I was stunned he could even look at me without killing me. Everything about him showed anger. He looked ready to kill, and I couldn't blame him. We were so volatile together. He shouldn't be here.

"Let's talk then, Sanders." I watched as he sat down, pulling his chair close to me. His eyes were still on fire.

"Alright, where would you like to begin? Should we start with the fact that we're still fucking married, the fact that you were supposed to get that annulled, the fact that you're an amputee now, or the fact that you took your pregnant ass into a war zone after telling me you aborted?" Matt asked, fire coming out of his eyes and his voice so low and pissed of, it shocked me.

"I sent in the paperwork, Sanders. I have no idea why we're still married. I sent that shit in as soon as we both signed it. Contact the damn lawyer who made it happen. I did my part. As for the amputation... shit fucking happens in Afghanistan. I remember getting shot in the stomach and nothing else. No one will tell me either. As for the abortion... I DID ABORT! Apparently, the doctor didn't realize they're were twins. Why the fuck are you even here?"

Matt looked taken aback for a second, but all that anger came rushing back. "Jesus fucking Christ. You killed two babies?"

I had to fight to not hit him. "They weren't babies. They were embryos. Since when did you become so fucking pro-life?"

Matt's eyes shot away from mine. "I have no idea, Martinez. I just had this idea of a family in my head, and it was suddenly in front of me. I'm an asshole about that, I know. But this other shit? Rae, I'm listed as your emergency contact! The entire fucking military knows we're married, except us."

"So what do you want to do about it?"

Matt rubbed the back of his head. "We need a divorce. Since it never got annulled and with our history, no sane judge is going to grant an annulment. We have to get a divorce."

"And how are we going to do that? You moved to California. I'm going back to Virginia. I'm not exactly mobile either, Sanders."

He sighed. "Why are things always difficult with you?"

"With me?" I asked, incredulous. "You make things difficult, Sanders. Ever since I met you, my life has spiraled out of control. Honestly, I need you to stay as far as fucking possible from me."

His hazel eyes blazed. "Not until we're divorced."

"Yes. I don't want you anywhere near me, Matthew. I mean that. You have made my life hell from day one."

Matt shot up, the chair hitting the ground. "And what the fuck have you done for me? My life was fucking fine until you decided to waltz into my SEAL operation and fuck it over. You would never have been injured if it weren't for your desire to be combat! Stop putting the blame on me and own up to your own mistakes!"

I somehow managed to get up and stand up. Somehow, I was in the large man's face. "My fault? You know what, Sanders, I will take blame. I will take blame for wanting to be treated with respect. I will take blame with pushing myself further than I should have. I will take blame for making my shoulder worst. I will take blame for losing my leg. I will take blame FOR FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU! I WILL TAKE BLAME FOR EVERY INCIDENT WITH YOU, FOR EVERY SEXUAL SITUATION. BUT I WILL NOT TAKE BLAME FOR THE SHOULDER INJURY OR YOUR OWN MESSED UP FEELINGS!"

Matt sneered at me. "Why do we always end up like this? Why am I always the one to blame?"

"I don't know," I said and got back into bed. "But you need to get the fuck away from me. You come near me again, and I will kill you."

"Not if I have the chance to kill you first."

Notes

Weird ass chapter, but Matt and Rae are just getting to the meat of their issues. What will happen next?