[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Unless you have a time machine to go back and never talk about this in the first place.
Curses spluttered off his lips. I wish.
If he did, he d go back to the fateful Christmas she d asked him for the special favour
that had set all this in motion and say, No fucking way!
Since he couldn t, he brushed a kiss over her temple and held her close. He needs us to
be there for him no matter what. Can you do that?
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
49
She pulled back and silently regarded him for a long time. Then she licked her lower lip
and murmured, I don t know. There was a time I thought I could accept you and him, but I
don t know any more. And can you really accept him and me?
Brendan s heart lurched. He loved Ty so very much he didn t want to let him go. But
could he share him? In particular, could he if he was the part-time lover and Bianca got him
full-time?
* * * *
Ty suffered the humiliation of discharge. Worse, because of Brendan, the thing was a
media circus, and his face was splashed across not only local TV but the whole damned
internet.
His parents were in shock. His mom said she couldn t face her neighbours or her ladies
guild at church.
Several of his former platoon mates had been interviewed to say they didn t want him
back, that he d ogled their naked bodies in the shower.
His mother s pastor openly prayed for his soul on national TV.
Bianca s family declined comment, but they hadn t sent any words of encouragement,
either.
Nor was the gay community wholly on his side after they discovered his engagement to
Bianca.
He was an outcast.
A half-breed.
The next few days crawled by in a blur of boredom. To pass the time while he was
incarcerated in a boring jail cell, he worked out doing push ups, stomach crunches and
jumping jacks. He read whatever he could the Bible and trade magazines. His stomach
protested at the bad grub so he ate little.
He ached to see Bianca but had been limited to a few short visits.
He became intimately familiar with the ceiling. He prayed his life wasn t ruined. More
importantly, he prayed Bianca s wasn t.
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
50
Hey you, Jack LaLanne. Your attorney s here. His guard, a young, bald guy with a
tough New York accent twitched his moustache and jingled the keys in his door. D-day s
here. He wants you to put on your full military dress.
His officer s bars felt heavier than the weight of the world, and he kissed them goodbye.
He watched his new whiskers wash down the drain with life as he knew it.
His blood boiled, and the pulse at the base of his neck hammered, deafening him.
* * * *
Ty sat up erect and poised as he could. He focused on the tribunal proceedings as best
as he could, gluing his gaze on whomever had the floor.
When the prosecuting attorney mounted huge, blown-up glossies of himself and
Brendan kissing, groping, and undeniably engaging in homosexual acts while he was
dressed in his military uniform, his shoulders slumped. Knots twisted in his gut so hard he
thought he would throw up. His head pounded so hard he couldn t make out their words.
Did he need to?
Those photos damned him to hell.
What had possessed him to lose control while still in uniform, in front of a crowded
room? He cursed his randy dick.
He couldn t blame anyone but himself. No one had put a gun to his head. He knew the
rules and the consequences even if he thought them archaic.
He isn t military material, the prosecuting attorney said as she jabbed her finger at
Ty. He definitely isn t officer material.
That stung so he sat up straighter and glared at the bony colonel.
I wouldn t follow him anywhere, especially not into battle, and I wouldn t trust the
safety of our troops to someone who shows such poor judgement.
She spun on her glossy black heels to face the judge, a full bird colonel. There s no
doubt Captain Gibson broke the law. Furthermore, he showed total disregard for his rank
and for the Army. We can t afford to keep him in our ranks, for our safety or for his.
The judge tugged at his moustache and frowned at Ty. I agree. Captain Gibson has
conducted himself inappropriately and brought disgrace to both himself and the Army. We
cannot afford to overlook his bad conduct, nor do we have a choice. It s against the law.
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
51
We protest! This is commy law! We aren t in the Dark Ages anymore! Sexuality has no
bearing on job performance.
Ty moaned at the sound of Brendan s voice. Of its own volition, his body twisted in his
chair so he could get a look at the commotion behind him.
The two MPs held Brendan as they tried to escort him out. A third MP gripped the gun
in the holster on his hip.
Brendan was dressed in a conservative black suit and tie, although eye-liner rimmed his
crazed eyes, and his ebony hair spiked out in several directions. He spat at the policemen and
jutted out his chin. I thought we were living in the land of the free and the brave. Obviously,
it s the land of the bigoted and the small-minded.
Although Ty agreed with every word Brendan shouted, he sat stoically. The Army
wouldn t cave to insults, and he couldn t afford more bad behaviour unless he wanted to
land in the brig until he was too impotent to enjoy sex with anyone and Bianca and Brendan
forgot what he looked like.
As Brendan was being dragged out of the courtroom to a chant of gay rights in the
corridor beyond, Ty pursed his lips and gave a slight nod.
Several mind-numbing moments later, Ty was a civilian without a job. In a daze, he
roamed the streets, wondering what to do next. He knew he should feel grateful to be free
and not locked up to rot in a military jail, but he didn t feel much of anything except panic.
Going out of business signs and deserted stores were almost as prevalent as places open
for business. Gone were the Help Wanted signs from the convenience stores and gas stations
that had always been there before his stint overseas.
He dropped a few quarters in a newspaper stand and thumbed to the classifieds. Sales
opportunities requiring money up front but few real employment opportunities littered the
columns.
As the sun set over the city as well as his hopes and dreams, he made his way home. At
least, he hoped Bianca would let him in. It hadn t escaped his notice that she hadn t been at
his trial like Brendan, and he didn t know what to make of her absence.
* * * *
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
52 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
Unless you have a time machine to go back and never talk about this in the first place.
Curses spluttered off his lips. I wish.
If he did, he d go back to the fateful Christmas she d asked him for the special favour
that had set all this in motion and say, No fucking way!
Since he couldn t, he brushed a kiss over her temple and held her close. He needs us to
be there for him no matter what. Can you do that?
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
49
She pulled back and silently regarded him for a long time. Then she licked her lower lip
and murmured, I don t know. There was a time I thought I could accept you and him, but I
don t know any more. And can you really accept him and me?
Brendan s heart lurched. He loved Ty so very much he didn t want to let him go. But
could he share him? In particular, could he if he was the part-time lover and Bianca got him
full-time?
* * * *
Ty suffered the humiliation of discharge. Worse, because of Brendan, the thing was a
media circus, and his face was splashed across not only local TV but the whole damned
internet.
His parents were in shock. His mom said she couldn t face her neighbours or her ladies
guild at church.
Several of his former platoon mates had been interviewed to say they didn t want him
back, that he d ogled their naked bodies in the shower.
His mother s pastor openly prayed for his soul on national TV.
Bianca s family declined comment, but they hadn t sent any words of encouragement,
either.
Nor was the gay community wholly on his side after they discovered his engagement to
Bianca.
He was an outcast.
A half-breed.
The next few days crawled by in a blur of boredom. To pass the time while he was
incarcerated in a boring jail cell, he worked out doing push ups, stomach crunches and
jumping jacks. He read whatever he could the Bible and trade magazines. His stomach
protested at the bad grub so he ate little.
He ached to see Bianca but had been limited to a few short visits.
He became intimately familiar with the ceiling. He prayed his life wasn t ruined. More
importantly, he prayed Bianca s wasn t.
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
50
Hey you, Jack LaLanne. Your attorney s here. His guard, a young, bald guy with a
tough New York accent twitched his moustache and jingled the keys in his door. D-day s
here. He wants you to put on your full military dress.
His officer s bars felt heavier than the weight of the world, and he kissed them goodbye.
He watched his new whiskers wash down the drain with life as he knew it.
His blood boiled, and the pulse at the base of his neck hammered, deafening him.
* * * *
Ty sat up erect and poised as he could. He focused on the tribunal proceedings as best
as he could, gluing his gaze on whomever had the floor.
When the prosecuting attorney mounted huge, blown-up glossies of himself and
Brendan kissing, groping, and undeniably engaging in homosexual acts while he was
dressed in his military uniform, his shoulders slumped. Knots twisted in his gut so hard he
thought he would throw up. His head pounded so hard he couldn t make out their words.
Did he need to?
Those photos damned him to hell.
What had possessed him to lose control while still in uniform, in front of a crowded
room? He cursed his randy dick.
He couldn t blame anyone but himself. No one had put a gun to his head. He knew the
rules and the consequences even if he thought them archaic.
He isn t military material, the prosecuting attorney said as she jabbed her finger at
Ty. He definitely isn t officer material.
That stung so he sat up straighter and glared at the bony colonel.
I wouldn t follow him anywhere, especially not into battle, and I wouldn t trust the
safety of our troops to someone who shows such poor judgement.
She spun on her glossy black heels to face the judge, a full bird colonel. There s no
doubt Captain Gibson broke the law. Furthermore, he showed total disregard for his rank
and for the Army. We can t afford to keep him in our ranks, for our safety or for his.
The judge tugged at his moustache and frowned at Ty. I agree. Captain Gibson has
conducted himself inappropriately and brought disgrace to both himself and the Army. We
cannot afford to overlook his bad conduct, nor do we have a choice. It s against the law.
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
51
We protest! This is commy law! We aren t in the Dark Ages anymore! Sexuality has no
bearing on job performance.
Ty moaned at the sound of Brendan s voice. Of its own volition, his body twisted in his
chair so he could get a look at the commotion behind him.
The two MPs held Brendan as they tried to escort him out. A third MP gripped the gun
in the holster on his hip.
Brendan was dressed in a conservative black suit and tie, although eye-liner rimmed his
crazed eyes, and his ebony hair spiked out in several directions. He spat at the policemen and
jutted out his chin. I thought we were living in the land of the free and the brave. Obviously,
it s the land of the bigoted and the small-minded.
Although Ty agreed with every word Brendan shouted, he sat stoically. The Army
wouldn t cave to insults, and he couldn t afford more bad behaviour unless he wanted to
land in the brig until he was too impotent to enjoy sex with anyone and Bianca and Brendan
forgot what he looked like.
As Brendan was being dragged out of the courtroom to a chant of gay rights in the
corridor beyond, Ty pursed his lips and gave a slight nod.
Several mind-numbing moments later, Ty was a civilian without a job. In a daze, he
roamed the streets, wondering what to do next. He knew he should feel grateful to be free
and not locked up to rot in a military jail, but he didn t feel much of anything except panic.
Going out of business signs and deserted stores were almost as prevalent as places open
for business. Gone were the Help Wanted signs from the convenience stores and gas stations
that had always been there before his stint overseas.
He dropped a few quarters in a newspaper stand and thumbed to the classifieds. Sales
opportunities requiring money up front but few real employment opportunities littered the
columns.
As the sun set over the city as well as his hopes and dreams, he made his way home. At
least, he hoped Bianca would let him in. It hadn t escaped his notice that she hadn t been at
his trial like Brendan, and he didn t know what to make of her absence.
* * * *
BAD CONDUCT Ashley Ladd
52 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]