The Solider Husband

13 April, Military Base Hospital, City K

Matthew started to wake and realised that he was not in his bed at either the Villa or the on base accommodations. It was then he recalled being shot twice at the Nang Foundation Charitable Event last night when people wanted to drag Lexi away. The look as that started to happen on Lexi's face was etched in his mind.

When he found out who was responsible for that, he would ensure that they paid for it. Just as he would make the Devil pay for how he humiliated Lexi when he kidnapped her and he just happened to be there. No one had the right to hurt her.

That made Matthew realise that he had done that himself. When he left for his special forces training, he put his desire and career ahead of her rather than waiting for her and putting her first until she turned eighteen. Yes, she would have been a young military wife, with her husband away for months for training but she would have been secure in their relationship and not driven her to drink, have a drunken encounter with her distant cousin, and into a marriage, which if he was reading things right, was something she did not want.

But then, she would not have had Dominic, and he would not be blessed with a wonderful stepson in his life, and potentially the possibility of children with Lexi in the future.

Then, he comes back, and to protect her and her assets, he forces her without her current consent into a marriage. It was what he wanted since the summer after the year he graduated, and he took the chance that he had. That was what he wanted and being honest with himself is what he wanted even now. She fought for weeks and eventually agreed to give their relationship a reall chance of success, and then this happens.

He was bad news for Lexi. She needed safety, and his being around her failed to deliver that time and time again.

Carefully, Matthew turned his head, and noticed Lexi in a hospital gown with a blanket over her, sitting beside his left hand side, head falling on her arms that were on the bed, with a few tears escaping out of her eyes.

Carefully he moved his left hand and started to wipe the tears away.

Feeling a thumb slightly caressing her cheek, Lexi opened her eyes and saw Matthew with a concerned look on his face and said, "You are awake?"

"I am, but why are you sitting here. You should be in bed getting sleep?"

"I tried. They allowed me to be admitted last night, and every time I closed my eyes laying in the bed the other side of you, I saw you getting shot. This time you were not hit in the arm but in the chest and you died in my arms…" This though set Lexi off crying again.

Wiping the tears as best he could, Matthew said "Lexi sweetheart, I am alright. Getting shot like this is, and please do not take this the wrong way, is an occupational hazard. I observed what was happening, calculated the risks and knew what could happen. It was quickly obvious that there was only one of them who knew how to handle a weapon, and he was focused on me not looking around. The rest of them were, ultimately there for intimidation purposes to keep everyone else under control. The one thing they did not count on was John and Lieutenant Li. Their presence made me know we could take them down quickly in a controlled manner, which is what we did."

"But you got shot!" came a wailed response.

Taking Lexi's hand in his Matthew continued "Lexi, after I promised you that I would not bring my service weapons to events when I was in civilian clothing, my superiors insisted that the civilian suits I wear to them, have the latest technology in bullet proof material in them at critical locations. Unless they aimed at my head, I was confident that I would survive being shot. That was the case."

"Matthew, that is idiotic to think."

"Lexi it is not, I simply made a professional judgement like you do in designing clothes for people. I made the same assessment I made at your graduation dance but took more risks than I had to today. I had to trust David, Ben, and Joseph, who at that time had shockingly bad reputations in the military and were on their last chance before they faced a dishonourable discharge. As well, I had to believe that I had read the situation correctly, which given my limited experience was worrying. All I had to do last night was trust that John and Lieutenant Li would do what they are trained to do, and they did. My concern was you and only you. I needed you to be safe and that was my only thought."

Seeing the sincerity on Matthew's face Lexi knew that she was his priority. Taking a couple of breaths to stop her crying more, Lexi leaned in and kissed his cheek before saying "That might be true Matthew, but you forget it is not all about you. Being reckless with your life leaves behind me, your wife, Dominic, and any children we might have during our marriage, your brother and brothers-in-law, your friends, and even though you detest them your parents. Did you think about us? No…"

"Lexi, my thoughts were about you and Dominic. If it had to come to your life or mine, Dominic will always need you, his mother, rather than me his step-father, and I would sacrifice my life for the two of you every time…"

"Sacrifice your life," came Lexi's angry response. "That shows how little you care. What do you think our lives will be if you do that? I have had to pick myself up once when my husband died and do you think I want to do it a second time."

Realising that he had driven Lexi to a bad point, Matthew looked at her and said "Lexi, that is the last thing I want to do, but know this the two most important people in the world to me at this exact moment are you and Dominic. Any children we have will stand with you. I do not want to leave you until we are old together, but I want you to live."

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