Soldiers in Heat: Training Session by Joanna A. Haze

were both seen at a hotel together.
Is this correct?”
    “ Yes, sir, but we were not
together in that capacity,” she answered. On the inside she was
screaming. She fought hard to maintain the position of attention.
No matter what she had to hold her bearing.
    “ So you weren’t seen getting a
room together?” The commander raised his eyebrows.
    Kimberly’s mouth flew open. She closed it and
took a big swallow. “No sir.”
    “ What exactly where you doing at
the hotel together? You do understand the rules of OCS, don’t you?
This is a serious charge.”
    Am I being punked? Kimberly looked from
the Commander, her husband, to Captain Brown. Captain Brown avoided
eye contact.
    “ Sir, I was not at the hotel with
Candidate Harvey.”
    “ Your husband was so concerned
about you he decided to use the GPS on your cell phone and tracked
you to the hotel. He walked in and caught you red
handed.”
    “ Sir, I did not go to the hotel
with Candidate Harvey nor was I meeting him there.”
    Dammit Harvey say something! She looked
at him, willing him to say something. He’d checked out. There was a
blank stare on his face.
    The Commander slammed his fist on the desk. “I
will not sit here and be lied to. You have already admitted to
being at the hotel. Your husband caught you. That fact that you are
married makes this inexcusable. Your behavior is not with in line
with those of the OCS program and of that of the United States
Army. The Battalion Commander has already been notified. He has
made his ruling. You are remanded to HHC. Go pack your stuff and
get the hell out of my company. Captain Brown, see to it they are
out of here before my formation ends.”
    Kimberly heard the words coming out his mouth,
but it took a moment to sink in. She had been kicked out the OCS
program and was now the custody of HHC. Anger and hurt swept over
her. She saluted the Captain. He didn’t return the
salute.
    Doing an about face, she marched out the
office and ran up the stairs to her room. Once there, she burst out
crying. She grabbed her bags and packed while wiping away
tears.
    “ You can fight this.” Captain
Brown stood at her door.
    “ Sir?” She kept packing
    “ I’m not supposed to tell you.” He
stepped in the room. “Request a hearing as soon as you get to HHC.
They will have to give you a board hearing. You can call witnesses,
including cadre. I can vouch for your conduct while under my
charge.”
    She nodded, but it didn’t stop her from being
down. HHC was where all the rejects went.
    “ The Commander is only following
the orders of the Battalion Commander, who is a racist asshole. No
minority goes up before him and gets a fair shot. Your husband
handed him a gift. One less of us in the program.”
    Captain Brown grabbed one of her duffle bags
and slung it over his shoulder. She followed him into the hallway
and down to Harvey’s room. He was standing by with his bags. They
stepped behind Captain Brown and headed down the stairs to the
company’s pickup.
    “ Put the bags in the back. Harvey,
you get in the back with the bags and, Woodson, you up
front.”
    She gave a last glance to Delta Company and
climbed into the truck. They road in silence on the short trip over
to HHC. She’d turned to a zombie by the time they pulled up. Her
body moved involuntary. She went through the motions of going
inside the triple-wide trailer and being checked in.
    Captain Brown gave her a pat on the back.
“First thing in the morning. You hear me?”
    She gave him a blank stare. He walked away and
left them there. Her chest hurt. She needed to lie down.
    Kimberly walked behind the short red-haired
HHC Candidate who guided her to the female bay. Inside was a room
with about thirty bunk beds stacked wall to wall and down the
center.
    Back to bootcamp style
living.
    “ What are you in for?” the girl
asked.
    She remained silent.
    The girl looked at her with pity. “Here’s your
bunk. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you’re here.