Free Soldier Up by Unknown Page B

get any worse?” He then asked her, “Well what did they tell you?”
                  “That your one bad ass!” she laughed.
                  John was shocked, and then laughed, “What?”
                  “The Army guys at the range tried to explain to me what a Ranger was and then a Green Beret and then they thought the DD-214 looked like you were in Delta which I not really sure what that means other than it’s the best of the best.”
                  “Where’s the copy of the DD-214 you made?”
                  “I tore it all up in as small a pieces I could get it and threw it away. I thought about talking to you about it, but I felt if you had really wanted me to know about all of that you would have told me.”
                  John nodded, “It’s not so much that, do you remember when we were dating and I mentioned I used to be in the Army, do you remember what you said?”
                  “No, not really.”
                  “You said how could anyone ever go into the military?  After that I was afraid to say anything I didn’t want to lose you. Also, I was trying to put it all behind me, just like I did with being that computer geek after I graduated from College.”
                  “John, listen to me, you took what I said the wrong way, I admire anyone who goes into the military, that’s what I meant.  And why can’t you be both? The Warrior and the Computer geek?”
                  John nodded and thought about it, then looked at her for a moment, “You know I really love you?”
                  She reached over and rubbed the back of his neck, “I love you too.”
                  The next day John called the Sergeant Major and talked to him about getting together and talking about old times, they agreed to get together that week.  He asked how everything went after he left and on the drive home.  John told him it went great and relieved to have so much off his back.  He said he would explain more when they got together.
                  Two days later they were at the hospital and Morgan was on her way.  Once he got Mel into the ER and on her way to delivery he made three phones calls, the first one to his mom to let her know her grand-daughter was on the way, and yes they knew the sex of the baby weeks before, then he called Mel’s parents who said they were on the way and then he called Sergeant Major Dognillo and told him the baby was on the way, “What hospital?” Dogillo asked.
                  “You don’t have to do that I was just letting you know because we were supposed to get together tonight after work?”
                  “Hey,” the Sergeant Major said.  “Remember it’s what teammates do!”
                  “Yeah I remember.” Said John.
                  “Alright then I’ll be there in ten.”

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Over the next couple of weeks John had been helping Mel after the baby was born.  The reality of the situation was that he was driving Mel crazy, the Sergeant Major had called to check up on them.  She begged him to come and get John and get him out of the house for a few hours, even better the day.  He told her not to worry, he was on his way and he would get him out-of-the-way for the day.  He said he has some work for him to do.  She asked if it had to do with the Army, he replied it did, she said great I think he could really use it.  She told him that she believed that he really loved his job but he really missed the Army at least in her opinion.
                  Sergeant Major Dognillo arrived at their home within fifteen minutes in uniform, Mel answered the door.  She let the Sergeant Major know that John was in the garage which he was trying to turn into his man cave.
                  “Sergeant Major what