"How so?" Caster, who had a good reputation working with anger management issues, asked. Unlike the stereotypical doctor/patient therapy setup, Caster liked keeping a little half-desk with his chair, making his seat look a lot like a very expensive, very comfortable school desk.
"Well, you know how we've talked about self image?" Brutus asked.
Caster nodded.
"During my time there, I was able to see… a me I didn't think other people saw."
"What do you mean?" Caster asked.
"These people… well, some of them, not all of them, they didn't treat me as Brutus Townsend, linebacker and football player. I mean, they accepted that I'm a football player, and when I had problems understanding their world or their point of view, they'd try to recast what they wanted through the lens of football for me. But they also accepted me and even challenged me to be… more."
"You said in the past that you've often struggled with the world's view of you," Dr. Caster commented. "The soldiers you worked with wanted you to be more than you are?"
"They did," Brutus said. "It was sort of refreshing, having to prove myself to these people while at the same time being told that I could grow, do you understand? It left me with a lot of thoughts."
"What sort of thoughts?"
"During the last three days, we did what they called a field exercise. It was easy for them of course, these people are some tough individuals who can put up with ten times worse than I ever had to deal with. But we marched out into the woods, set up a base camp and did patrols, training scenarios and more. When we were back at camp though I got to think… and I started thinking about what I want to be beyond being a football player."
"Interesting. Any particular reason you started thinking about this?"
"Well, there was this one soldier… a very beautiful one…"
* * *
Brutus felt weird pulling up to the main gate at Fort Pickett again, having driven out the gate just the week before. This time he wasn't in his truck however, but his comfortable daily cruiser, a slightly used Mercedes with a custom made driver's side seat that was contoured perfectly to his body. The seat was after market of course, but made any sort of trip over an hour feel like nothing. It was the car he used for going to practice, since even after a hard practice or home game, the car made any commute feel easier.
"What brings you to Fort Pickett, Mister… Townsend?" the gate guard asked, checking his ID. He handed it back to Brutus, who tucked it into his wallet.
"I'm here to pick up someone," Brutus said. “I’ve been told I’m supposed to just park it right over there if you don't mind, I'm meeting her here at the gate."
The guard looked over his shoulder at the parking area Brutus indicated, and nodded. "Sure. Thanks."
Brutus pulled over, and shut off the engine. He was a few minutes early, but traffic had been light. The truth was, he was taking a risk coming back. He knew he was scared because he knew he was risking getting hurt. There was no way that he could be superficial with Linda, she wouldn't accept it.
But the more he'd thought of Linda over the past five days, the more he felt she was a chance very much worth taking.
Yes, he was risking his emotional self. But at the same time, being with Linda felt good, even when she was 'just' Sergeant Castellanos. She felt right with him. And the way she'd challenged him, and showed faith in his abilities to learn, made him feel like she was worth the risk.
Still, he'd almost given up on getting a reply from Linda when she hadn't texted him by Sunday night. But when she sent him a message Monday morning, he'd been almost overjoyed. In fact, he'd even cut his therapeutic soak in his house's whirlpool short in order to get out and dry off his hands enough to text her back.
Since then they'd exchanged a few texts, mostly at night after Linda was off work and could have the time to reply. She'd shown a side of her that he didn't even suspected existed before with the first pic she shared of herself. He'd playfully asked what she looked like 'off duty,' just so he was sure he could identify her when he came to pick her up.
She'd replied with a photo of her in her room doing a yoga pose, the camera clearly on the floor next to her, her thumb hitting the button. She hadn't been dressed provocatively, just regular PT shorts and a compression top… but it had been sexy nonetheless.
He'd been a little surprised when she said to meet him by the front gate, but agreed. He knew that Linda's career was important to her, and he wasn't sure how them seeing each other might affect her. He didn't want to create any problems for her.
A minute later he saw a figure on a bicycle, and he had to laugh quietly to himself as he saw Linda come riding up, the bike flying along while she barely pedaled. She got up to the guard shack and dismounted, and all concerns about professionalism fled his mind as he saw her.
She was glorious. In snug fitting jeans that showed off her long legs, a slightly puffy jacket that probably overly insulated her from the hint of chill even in the afternoon sunlight, and a purple beanie to protect her ears, she was beautiful, sexy, and everything he could ever want in a date.
"Hey Jerry, I'm heading off post," Linda told the guard as Brutus got out of his car. Clearly Linda wasn't too concerned about them being seen together, and she knew the guard on duty. "Mind if I plug in here?"
"Nah, go ahead Linda," the guard said. Pointing towards Brutus, he said, "Think that's your date. No worries, I'll take care of the bike."
"Thanks Jerry!" Linda said brightly.
She reached into her pocket and pulling out a cable, probably what she used to charge her bike's battery. She handed it to the guard before turning around to look at Brutus.
