St. Clair Ch. 01: Soldier Girl

The lean woman might be just what the Doctor ordered for Tammi. And the interest the woman showed as she watched Tammi walk to the order window was pretty damn clear.

Still, the Sheriff took his job seriously So maybe it was time to introduce himself.

TJ had just finished rearranging groceries in the back of her truck when the thickset sheriff she'd seen in the diner all week strolled up and leaned on her closed tail gate.

"Hot, huh?"

Long pause.

TJ tensed and waited for the rest – the "watch what you do around here" speech.

The sheriff settled into his arms a bit and stared down the dusty road into the horizon.

"You gonna be around here a while?"

"Maybe." TJ pulled a cold coke out of one of the bags to drink on the way home. "Gotta see what there is to do."

"We have a dispatcher position open, you can fill an application out with Deputy Sorenson." He gestured down Main to a wooden sign that grandiosely proclaimed a small heavily built building to be the Sheriff's Office. "Not much excitement, compared to what you're used to, and the pay sucks, but it's a job. Get ya out of the house. And it gets you a reserve police commission if you have a current POST– saw the tattoo."

A job offer? TJ blinked, she'd expected to be "warned off the local girl."

"Thanks, I'll check on that."

He stared thoughtfully back at the diner for a breath.

"Been a long time since I've seen Tammi laugh. Her man's a real asshole. Reckon you probably figured that out."

Pause. TJ stood wordlessly, then nodded slowly, silently.

"You know," The sheriff continued as he pushed off the tailgate. "Andy blew out his right leg playing football in high school. Has to be careful, one good hit to that knee and he's in the hospital. Serve him right if it did go out though. He's like to kill Tammi one of these days. Girl can't get the sense to leave him"

He nodded and moved on down the sidewalk.

TJ sat in her truck, pondering the conversation, thinking carefully about the layers of meaning.

The Sheriff's Office was neater and a bit more modern than TJ expected. The only person in the office, a huge blonde deputy with the heavy muscles of a serious weightlifter loomed over one of the three desks. As he saw her enter he stood up, his head almost seemed to brush the ceiling. He grinned broadly.

"You must be TJ."

He enjoyed her confusion for a moment, then held up a mobile radio.

"Sheriff got your name from Tammi after he talked to you, and radioed ahead, said he was thinking you might be interested in the dispatcher position. Don't figure on too many women running around that fit your description."

TJ relaxed and shook her head "You threw me for a minute. Yeah, I'd like to apply."

He handed over a sheaf of papers that he'd obviously put on the corner of his desk when the Sheriff called him.

"My names Danny Sorenson, but you can call me 'Swede', everybody here does."

The application only took about 5 minutes to fill out, including the time it took for 'Swede' to make copies of her IDs.

He grinned when he saw her POST certification date.

"Thank God for small favors. I may actually get to take some of my comp time."

"When will I know if..."

"Hell, your first shift will be as soon as we can process the paperwork with county – maybe three to four weeks. The only reason it will take that long is we have to get it signed by the county board and they only meet once a month. Shannon will call your references, but unless you have a felony count hanging over you, you're as good as hired. Or he wouldn't have asked you."

Swede showed her around the station, which certainly didn't take long. Aside the from the main office and the Sheriff's personal office – which was decorated with a large USMC flag – there was a comms room, three secure interrogation rooms and a jail large enough for 20 people. According to Swede, there were about 16 deputies total, with 4 on shift and 2 on short notice recall at any time. Dispatchers made about 2 dollars above minimum wage, but any time she worked in reserve deputy status, she'd make a couple dollars more per hour. TJ got the impression from Swede that she'd be spending a lot of time as a deputy – the extra dispatch position was a way for the Sheriff to get the county to employ an extra deputy without having to establish the position.

He handed her the Sheriff's card as she was leaving, so she'd be able to get in touch "if they forgot about her."

His grin made it clear that wasn't likely to happen.

The dream came again, the same dream as always. But something changed – the dream was not quite the same this time. As TJ rolled the insurgent off her, everything froze. Deaner sat up and looked at her with his remaining blood filled eye. His deep South accent was slurred by the missing half of his jaw.

"You have to be there for each other."

Even in the frozen moment, TJ still found words, "What are you talking about"

"Sorry Sarge. That would be cheating." a deep chuckle.

He cocked his shattered head to one side, listening carefully.

"You'd better get going, She needs your help. She needs it now."

TJ woke with a start. A shout, a scream, something... All she heard was the chorus of frogs.

She tried to ignore it, but she knew, she was sure she had heard a woman – Tammi, she was sure - scream and beg for mercy, and the sound of shouting, angry thudding blows. She looked at the clock – it was midnight, and she was wide awake. She hesitated for a moment, but annoyed, grabbed her 'peg' and strapped it on.

It wouldn't hurt to go for a drive.

The silver white moonlight illuminated the side road clearly, a single figure stumbling down the gravel toward a trailer at the end. As TJ turned in and slowed alongside her, Tammi kept lurching unsteadily ahead, feet crunching on the unnaturally white gravel in the moonlight, eyes fixed on the trailer.

"Tammi!"

It took three tries, but she finally looked, and twitched her head, surprised to see TJ.

"Need a lift?"

Tammi looked at her, face drawn, pale and with a new, livid bruise forming over the whole left side. Hope first, then hope drained. She looked over at the trailer.

"no, 'most there."

Her lip was split, bad. A drop fell and spattered to sit starkly black and dead on the white gravel.

"You don't have to go there." Softly.

"Andy... Andy'll kill me if I ain't home 'fore him."

She kept walking, grim faced and pale.

TJ stopped the truck and watched Tammi pull herself up the steps.

Shit.

She was still sitting there when a smashed up brown Ford coup roared up to the trailer. She caught a look at Andy. Drunk as hell, tight lipped, white with fury and wrapping a chain around his fist. Snarling as he stalked toward the trailer door.

"Where are you, damn BITCH! I can't believe you made me look like that in front of my friends! Try to be a nice guy..."

His voice cut off as he slammed the door behind him.

TJ breathed in slowly. No pretending she didn't know.

No walking away.

Moments later she was trying the door. Locked. Cruel, cutting words and a begging, pleading, voice twined around each other from inside. The meaning was clear even though TJ couldn't make out the words. She coiled herself and slammed against the cheap door – it popped open and she lurched inside.

Tammi was curled up on the floor, Andy standing over her with clenched fist – he was starting to uncoil the chain.

"You goddam little BITCH!"

TJ caught the hand with the chain and pulled him around. No light of recognition, she didn't give him time to think. Every ounce of frustration and anger she had went into her punch. Andy's eyes rolled back and he collapsed straight down. TJ looked at the prone form. Lined herself up and brought her weight down on the side of the right knee. She felt a chorus of sickening pops and cracks. Tammi was still curled up, body racked by the kind of hard sobs that only the most hopeless can muster. TJ pulled the hand with the chain out and stomped on each finger separately.

Just for added measure she kicked him in the groin as hard as she could.

Tammi's sobs had slowed to a shaky whimper and TJ saw the mascara-streaked eyes looking up at her blankly. She gently helped Tammi up, sat her on the ratty couch and picked up the phone.

Shannon looked across the table at Tina James. This close, he could see that she had the wiry build of a distance runner. Her thin grey tank top and pajama shorts didn't hide much of the scarring, or anything else for that matter, though she seemed entirely unconcerned about that. Combat tours change your definition of modesty and personal space pretty quickly, he reflected.

He'd called for her record right after she'd filled out her application. Three tours in Iraq. He called her old unit. Even accounting for exaggeration, she'd come off as a combination of everybody's favorite cousin and the Terminator.

"So, I'm supposed to ask what you were doing there."

"I couldn't sleep, went for a drive, just sort of found her walking on the road..."

He cut her off.

"I am sure you picked her up and dropped her at her house, but she left her purse in your truck, right? Had to go back to return it, of course. Nobody answered, the door was open, and you really just wanted to leave the purse inside. Funny, him kicking in his own door like that, but you can never tell with drunks. And him trying to hit you with a chain, when you asked him to stop beating Tammi? Pretty clear case of self-defense."

The Sheriff was already writing the statement down without her saying a word. Her eye socket itched for a second and she rubbed it with a knuckle while he continued.

"Be surprised if Andy ever tries anything like that on a woman again. Broken jaw, wired shut. Doc says the knee'll never be right again.. An' you'd think he'd know better than to hit a wall with a chain wrapped around his hand, busted every bone in it."

He scanned his witness statement.

"Tammi will be out in a few minutes, Once Doc is done with her medical eval. Right now it looks like more broken ribs and bruises, but you stopped it in time."

He looked thoughtful. "She needs someplace to stay; its Andy's trailer and she don't have any close family left. I could stick her in the hotel, but I'd think she'd be safer with you." He paused, looking at her - a steady, meaningful look.

TJ shifted uncomfortably, reflecting that there were different types of 'safety' for a woman. "I suppose I could ask if she wants to stay at my place."

Shannon nodded. "Prob'ly best."

He sighed. "I've known Tammi since she was five. Good girl. She deserves better than that asshole. Her last boyfriend killed himself when they broke up. I think maybe Andy was her way of punishing herself."

Tammi barely said a word when she came out, just looked around uncertain, pale, drawn, and skittish.

TJ tried to think of something to say, but Shannon stood up.

"Tammi, I asked Miss James here to see if she could let you stay for a few days. When we brought Andy in, he had some stuff on him that I need to talk to him about when he gets out of surgery."

Tammi kept looking down at her shoes "I really shouldn't, um, inconvenience you..."

TJ finally found her voice "No inconvenience – I have a guest room at the cabin and you can stay as long as you want."

Tammi looked at her tentatively. "If you're sure..."

"I'm sure."

Shannon walked over to a locker and pulled out a package – toothbrush, toothpaste, some soap and shampoo. TJ couldn't see what else.

"I don't have much for you Tammi, but I can at least give you an 'inmate' package of necessities. Trailer's taped off so you can't go in. Call me tomorrow and we'll see if we can get you in to get some of your things."

The ride back to the cabin took about fifteen minutes, but Tammi had slumped over against her and fallen asleep in less than five. TJ managed to walk Tammi into the guest room, got her sat on the bed and pulled her shoes off. Tammi mumbled a few words, nothing coherent, and fumbled her clothes off. TJ felt herself flush, and tried not to stare as she helped Tammi the rest of the way into bed. Tammi was snoring softly before TJ even had the blanket pulled all the way up.

TJ's sleep was restless and filled with crystal blue eyes and soft blonde hair.

Morning came far faster than TJ expected – she managed to strap on her leg and stagger to the kitchen, finding Tammi already there, brewing coffee and sorting food on the counter with almost startling efficiency. She had washed the make-up off her battered face, and was wearing one of TJ's father's old button up denim work shirts with the sleeves rolled up. From her demeanor, she was obviously a more of a morning person than TJ.

Tammi looked at her and caught her breath, then seemed to set herself.

"Morning TJ, I took some liberties. I had a quick shower, then came out here and made some coffee. I'm not sure what you have planned for food, but I can make a mean omelet. Or I can fix what appears to be enough catfish for the entire town."

If anyone else had poked around the closets where Tammi had obviously retrieved the shirt, or sorted through her refrigerator and freezer, TJ would have been pissed. But Tammi did have to wear something, and her bloodstained clothes from last night weren't a very good option. TJ tried desperately not to think about what Tammi might or might not be wearing under the work shirt, feeling herself flush a little.

"Thanks Tammi, omelets sound good, but you're a guest..."

"Bullshit, Shannon imposed on you to take me in. Probably couldn't get me a room at the hotel. He means well, but sometimes he can be pretty sure of himself about what people should do. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can. But until then, I can at least make myself useful."

While TJ was pouring herself a cup of coffee, Tammi pushed past her to get into the refrigerator. The incidental contact was very distracting and very informative about at least one article that Tammi was definitely not wearing under the shirt. TJ focused on the coffee cup, desperately suppressing a libido that hadn't bothered to show up in six months and now seemed to be stuck on permanent overdrive.

"Tammi, you really can stay as long as you want – I have plenty of room, and I'd welcome some company around here." TJ hoped that didn't sound as desperate and creepy from the outside as it sounded to her.

Tammi smiled at her – winced a little as her split lip pulled and toned it down just a bit.

"We'll figure out some kind of rent..."

"No, I'd feel crappy about making money off someone's misfortune. Especially someone I like."

Tammi actually skipped the long step between them and grabbed TJ in a hug. TJ felt her temperature rise rapidly and she sought someplace – anyplace – appropriate where she could trust her hands. She finally managed to place them on Tammi's shoulder blades.

"Thank you, TJ."

By the time Tammi let go, TJ was seriously considering a 2 hour long cold shower.

Breakfast was the best TJ could remember having – Tammi seem to have dropped the hopelessness of last night and was relentlessly upbeat and positive. For TJ it was like being caught in a warm sunbeam after a long grey winter.

After they cleaned up the breakfast table, Tammi asked if they could call the Sheriff and see if she could pick up some of her clothes.

"I at least need to get some clean underwear." Tammi flipped up the side of the work shirt, displaying a bare hip.

TJ managed to choke out, "Yeah... I'd better call him." Before fleeing to the safety of her room to change.

Complicating the situation, the only clothes TJ had that would fit Tammi's curves were TJ's baggy grey pajama shorts and a white T-shirt. The shorts, very loose on TJ, were a bit tight on Tammi.

Fortunately, Swede told them they could come by to pick up clothes, but he would have to inventory everything.

As Swede and TJ followed Tammi into the trailer he leaned over to TJ and whispered.

"Careful, you'll catch Donwanna. It can kill ya."

TJ looked at him perplexed. Swede grinned.

"Take a bite of that butt, don' wanna let go and get dragged to death."

TJ snorted, then realized she should have been more discrete.

"What..."

Swede cut her off with a grin.

"Ain't implying nothing, except that you have a pulse. That girl is a heart attack in motion. Hell, she's my cousin and I don't trust me around her."

Tammi's mood brightened even further as she packed her clothes into a duffel TJ had brought. She particularly delighted in making Swede write down descriptions of her underwear.

"Red lace panties, size 7"

"Black lace thong, no size indicated"

When Tammi gleefully produced a cupless black leather bustier and matching leather thong, Swede turned red, scooped everything into the duffel and wrote.

"Underwear, women's, assorted"

They also picked up the raggedy brown coup. Among his other faults, Andy had had his driver's license revoked for repeated DWIs, and the car, a remnant of Tammi's college days, was very much hers.

The next two months were a hell of sorts, and TJ wouldn't have traded them for anything.

She still hadn't started working – it'd been delayed while Andy sought a plea deal. The attack on Tammi plus the meth the EMTs had found in his pockets had collided with a serious suspended sentence for theft. He didn't have much to plead with, but he knew he'd be better off without a jury looking at the pictures of Tammi's battered face.

Tammi returned to work that Monday for the day shift at the diner, but she always zipped straight home, and after she showered up, they spent hours talking about just about everything.

Tammi had a degree in Ecology, of all things. But hadn't found a job in the field and had kind of given up. She seemed to have given up on a lot when she hooked up with Andy.

TJ heard about her last boyfriend – They'd agreed not be serious through their whole relationship – just a college thing. She'd only found out from his suicide note that he'd changed his mind. TJ avoided talking about her own relationships, but talked endlessly about growing up and Army life.

Tammi just seemed to know when to listen and know when she would have to carry the conversation. TJ's occasional long stretches of silence, usually when one of her memories connected with her lost squad, didn't seem to bother her at all.

Still though, Tammi had a habit of walking around in her underwear and a t-shirt and TJ was constantly straining not to stare at her. She also had a complete lack of any sense of personal space, she simply squeezed by TJ to get things. The only thing keeping TJ sane was her now nightly habit of 'relieving' her stress.

....A soldier from another squad ran up alongside the halted vehicle and headed toward the door of the nearest building. Even as he grabbed the door handle, she screamed at him to stop. The door was limned in unreal yellow-orange light as it bulged outward from the explosion. SSG James watched in horror as the door sheared the unknown soldier off at the waist. The legs and pelvis staggered two insane steps before falling to the ground in arching spray of blood that seemed to hang in the air unmoving. As the building expanded outward toward her squad members, she screamed for them to get down.

"TJ!"

"TJ"

"TJ!"

Suddenly she was staring into tropical sea eyes. Tammi was sitting on the side of the bed, pulling her up into her arms.

"I'm here now."

TJ's breath caught, then everything broke. She began to sob, fighting it at first, but it built too quickly and too sharply; she was still too confused from waking up so suddenly. Wave after wave broke through. She felt like she would never stop. Through it all, Tammi just held on to her and talked quietly. She didn't promise it would be okay or try to calm her, she just promised to be there as long as TJ needed her.