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Rayne jolted awake. The air was still and calm. A frog was ribbitting just outside the tent. Rayne looked about her, tears stinging her eyes. Her M-16 was clutched tightly in her hands. A quick glance down at her watch told her that it was just before oh-four-hundred hours. She had been asleep for nearly three hours. But was it all a dream? Rayne continued to gaze about her. Her eyes had focused in the darkness of the tent and now she could see the other female soldiers sound asleep.
Confused, Rayne stepped onto the grass. She went to the tent flap and peered out. Just like in her tent, all was quiet. Nothing seemed to be disturbed. Even more startled and confused, Rayne started towards the tent where Keller slept. Crossing the compound, Rayne tried to find comfort in the silence. But none was to be had for the eerie quiet only deepened Rayne's fear.
The male tent was quiet except for a few soldiers who snored. Rayne paused outside the tent. It was forbidden for females to enter the male barracks in the dark. If she was caught, she'd be in major trouble. But the truth of whether or not her dream was real haunted her.
A light turned on from within Base Command. Curiosity arose in Rayne's mind. She stepped towards the building. Perhaps Captain Guiry was awake. Perhaps Rayne could talk to him about her dream and maybe he could find Keller for her; that is, if it was only a dream that she had. If it wasn't…Rayne hoped that whoever was inside the building could help calm her spirits.
Just then someone stepped out of the building. Rayne peered in the light at the figure. She gave a gasp of disbelief.
"Rayne?" Keller inquired; unsure of who he was seeing. He stepped closer. Indeed, he was looking at his fellow comrade. Keller gave a small smile, asking, "What are you doing out here so early? Reveille is not at least for another…"
Keller's words faded as he neared her. Instead of the normal bright, cheerful eyes that he normally would see, Keller only saw pain and suffering. Friendly curiosity turned to concern as Keller quickened his pace. Stopping next to Rayne, Keller quietly asked, "What's wrong?"
Confused tears welled in Rayne's eyes. Slowly the frightened female shifted her gaze up and over to Keller. The look of genuine concern was evident in her friend's expression. But could this be real? Just a moment ago the compound was erupt in flames and Keller, her dear beloved friend, was lying in a pool of blood, dying. Now everything was quiet. The sun had begun its ascent in the sky. Could any of this be real? What was there to believe?
Rayne reached out with her left hand and gently placed her left hand on Keller's chest. Slowly, as if trying to sort out her confused mind, Rayne ran her hand up to Keller's shoulder and then down along his arm. Rayne's soft blue eyes gazed about Keller. Her mind was still not made up yet.
A soft touch made Rayne jump slightly. She looked down at her right hand. Keller had taken her right hand and was now gently holding it in his hand. It had only taken moments for Keller to realize Rayne's peculiar behavior. There could only be this explanation: the poor girl had had a bad dream. And from the looks of it, Rayne's dream had to have been quite vivid.
Now all Keller could do for Rayne was comfort her and let her know that she was awake and not still living in her dream. And hopefully this action would bring his beloved friend out of her trance before the snooping journalist awoke and found the two acting in an "unprofessional" manner in the compound. It wasn't so much the fact that Melissa would spot them; it was more of the fact that Melissa would only be too happy to put it in her report that the Delta Force was nothing more than a dating service for lonely Special Forces guys. Even Rayne would hate for Melissa to get anything worthy to write about.
With this in mind, Keller brought Rayne's hand to his cheek. Keller could feel the tremble against his skin. Rayne was afraid, terribly afraid. But then, the shaking stopped. Keller's eyes met Rayne's. Realization had hit.
Keller drew his friend close to him. He felt Rayne lay her head against his chest. Her arms had slipped around his back and for a lengthy time Rayne embraced her dear friend. And then finally, Rayne spoke.
"I had a bad dream," Rayne stated in a mild, tired voice.
"I can see that," Keller replied, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"It was so real," Rayne breathed dazed-like. "This whole place was under attack by the Jangaweed. Melissa was constantly in my face, preventing me from doing my job. She had a video camera and her main focus was me. And then…you were, you were…" Rayne tightened her hold on Keller, continuing, "And I couldn't…because she was…and then you…you were…"
"It was all a dream," Keller told Rayne gently, lifting her chin. He gazed deep into her tear-filled eyes. "It is the thirteenth of October and all is well here." He paused, thinking for a bit. "Well, yesterday it was kind of hairy with that patrol and brief fire-fight with the militia. But other than that things are okay."
"I must be losing my nerve," Rayne muttered dejectedly. "I'm having daily nightmares; I can barely concentrate on the mission. I'm having mood swings galore and sometimes I can't keep myself from crying. I find myself being drawn to you more and more. I think it's because I'm starting to lose my hardcore reflexes and starting to act more girlish…maybe I'm …"
"…overreacting…" Keller suggested with a kind voice. He gave Rayne a gentle smile. "You fret over nothing. All the guys have been suffering lately. The Army has been putting us in overtime because of the war in Iraq. We didn't have any time to recover and recoup from being in Falleluhj when we were stationed here in Sudan. Lucky for us that we have one helluva captain looking out for us. We'd be packing our bags and heading back to Iraq right now instead of Germany if it wasn't for him."
"But still, I'm second-guessing myself…"
"You're overworked, just like the rest of us," Keller stated. "We get two weeks of uninterrupted peace and quiet. Once you get off your weary feet and relax you'll feel better. And then once we're back in motion again everything will just click. Don't you worry about losing your nerve. If you've lost it, then we're all in the same boat. Nobody is different; we're all the same."
"I love hearing you speak," Rayne murmured. "You're soothing to the soul."
"Well you heal the wounded spirit," Keller smiled. He gave Rayne a gentle kiss on the lips, whispering, "Forever we are together; our hearts joined, we are one for always. Good morning my love. Together we start a bright new day."
AUTHOR'S NOTE - For all those who have come so far, thank you for finishing my story. This story was (in a way) fun to write as I have been thinking about whether or not Rayne would be the type to sleep holding her M-16, on-base or not.