Battle Tested

by Laura Scott

  He made the call to Lieutenant General Hall anyway, feeling the need to understand his options. Or lack thereof. Pulling himself together wasn’t easy, but he wouldn’t let Vanessa down.

  At fourteen thirty he strode purposefully to Vanessa’s house to take over Aiden’s puppy-sitting duties. Aiden was glad to see him and quickly reviewed the puppy’s routine. Isaac assured the young man he could handle it, and sent him off to his appointment.

  The four pups, especially Denali and Smoky, were becoming rambunctious, rolling around and playing, nipping at his shoelaces. Shenandoah was the smallest and seemed content to curl in the crook of his arm. He could see why being around the puppies helped Aiden relax because he felt his own burdens slip away as he played with the adorable balls of fur.

  Lieutenant General Hall surprised him by promptly returning his call. “Captain Goddard? I’d like to see you as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, sir. I should be able to get there by seventeen hundred hours, maybe sooner.”

  “I expect to see you at seventeen hundred hours, then.” The tone in the commander’s voice didn’t invite room to negotiate.

  “Yes, sir.”

  When the door banged open sixty minutes later, Isaac was ready to go, knowing it would take time for him to go home to change and then to get across base to the Base Command offices. When he caught a glimpse of Aiden’s face, he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  Vanessa’s brother didn’t answer, didn’t look at Isaac or the puppies, but wordlessly disappeared into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

  Isaac quickly set the box of puppies aside, to head over to Aiden’s door. He knocked lightly, but there was no answer. He tried again, harder, then turned the handle and pushed it open.

  Aiden sat on the floor in the corner of the room, holding his head in his hands and rocking back and forth, clearly agitated. He was mumbling under his breath, but Isaac couldn’t figure out what he was saying.

  “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  No answer.

  Concerned, knowing he couldn’t leave nor could he stay until the end of Vanessa’s shift without disobeying a direct order, he pulled out his phone to call Vanessa. If anyone could figure out what had happened with Aiden, it was likely his sister.

  “Hi, Isaac.”

  “Vanessa? You need to get home as soon as possible.”

  “Why?”

  He swallowed hard. “Aiden needs you. Something has happened and he’s regressed, badly.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as possible. Please, Isaac, don’t leave him alone until I get there, okay?”

  “I won’t, but hurry. I have a meeting with Lieutenant General Hall at seventeen hundred hours.” He disconnected the call and returned to the kitchen. Maybe the puppies would help.

  He couldn’t imagine what had transpired to send the thriving young man reeling backward into a pit of despair.

  FOURTEEN

  Vanessa was taking care of what was now her fourth Tyraxal overdose patient when Isaac called. As much as she wanted to drop everything and rush to her brother’s side, it wasn’t quite that easy to leave work.

  She couldn’t abandon her two critically ill patients.

  Bothered by both the latest overdose of Tyraxal and the news of her brother’s severe regression, she continued caring for her patients while at the same time calling nurses from the upcoming shift to see if anyone would be willing to come in early to relieve her.

  On the third phone call, she was relieved to hear that Second Lieutenant Shelly Arron was willing to start her shift early. Knowing Vanessa had someone on the way made it easier to concentrate on everything that needed to be done.

  Her patient with the Tyraxal overdose wasn’t nearly as critically ill as the previous patients had been, either because Carson Baker hadn’t ingested as much Tyraxal or because he’d been found earlier—she couldn’t say for sure.

  Regardless, she silently thanked God for sparing this young airman first class’s life. And it occurred to her that maybe, once the airman recovered, they might find out where he’d gotten the medication. From the brief history the ER doc had obtained, it appeared Airman First Class Carson Baker hadn’t seen any combat.

  So why had he been given PTSD medications?

  She made a mental note to let Captain Blackwood know about this latest overdose, then quickly finished her charting just as her colleague Shelly walked in. Over the next fifteen minutes Vanessa provided detailed information on the two patients she was handing over to Shelly, and when she finished, she was about to head straight home, when something made her pause.

  Picking up the phone at the nurses’ station, she called Flintman’s office. His receptionist answered.

  “This is Vanessa Gomez, I really need to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Flintman as soon as possible.”

  “He’s with a patient,” the receptionist told her. “But he should be finished in about twenty minutes or so.”

  “Let him know I’ll be there. Tell him it’s about my brother, Aiden.”

  “I will,” the woman promised.

  Satisfied that she had a plan, she stepped away from the desk to use her personal phone to call Isaac. “How’s Aiden?”

  “He’s in his room.” Isaac’s voice sounded grim. “Are you on your way? He won’t talk to me about what happened in therapy. Worse, I brought in the box of puppies and he wouldn’t even look at them.”

  Her stomach twisted painfully. “I don’t understand. He was doing so well!”

  “It could be a small thing that triggered a powerful flashback. That’s how PTSD works. It’s rarely logical or tangible.”

  She knew he was right, but the possible explanation didn’t make her feel any better. Fighting a wave of despair, she sighed. “Tell him the puppies need him. That Master Sergeant Westley James won’t let him keep them if he can’t take care of them.”

  “Aren’t you coming home?” Isaac asked. “He’s pretty bad, Vanessa. He’s sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth.”

  She closed her eyes, wishing the image wasn’t so clear in her mind. “Listen, I’m going to head up to see Lieutenant Colonel Flintman. He’s finishing up with a patient and I want to catch him before he leaves for the day.”

  “He can’t give you details about Aiden’s therapy,” Isaac protested. “It’s confidential.”

  “I know that,” she agreed. “But Aiden gave Lieutenant Colonel Flintman permission to talk to me about his treatment plan. I don’t need specifics, but there has to be some explanation as to what sent my brother over the edge during today’s session.”

  Isaac let out a sigh. “I guess it can’t hurt. How long will you be? I’m already running late for my meeting with the base commander.”

  Vanessa hated the idea of leaving her brother alone. “Can’t you reschedule your appointment?”

  “It was an order, Vanessa. I promise to return here as soon as possible.”

  “Yeah, okay.” She didn’t like it, but understood. “Go then. But do me a favor, leave Eagle with Aiden. Tell him to protect. Eagle will stand guard over Aiden and the puppies until I get home.”

  “Vanessa—” he started, but she cut him off.

  “Just go. Right now, I have to get up to Flintman’s office. I’ll head home as soon as possible.” She disconnected from the call, swallowing her frustration.

  She’d been in the Air Force long enough to know that disobeying a direct order would result in a formal reprimand or worse. She tried to accept that Isaac needed to go, but there was a small part of her that felt he could have handled things better.

  Seeing as he suffered from PTSD, too, she thought he’d be more understanding of Aiden’s plight.

  She gave herself a mental shake. Isaac wasn’t important right now. Her brother was.

  The psychiatrist had to have some idea o
f how to manage this new facet of Aiden’s illness.

  Because she couldn’t stand watching her brother suffer.

  * * *

  Isaac was halfway down Canyon when he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

  He couldn’t do it. Leaving Aiden alone didn’t feel right. Turning to head back the way he’d come, he pulled out his phone and called Base Command.

  “Lieutenant General Hall’s office.”

  “This is Captain Goddard. Please extend my apologies to the commander, unfortunately, I won’t be able to make our meeting after all.”

  “Excuse me, Captain, but I believe the commander issued a direct order.”

  He winced. “Yes, I know. I would never disobey an order unless there was a very important reason. The mental health and well-being of a young airman is on the line. Aiden Gomez is in the middle of a flashback and cannot be left alone. I’m sorry.”

  “But—”

  He disconnected the call, wondering if this was how his career was meant to end.

  Quickening his pace, he shook off thoughts of his uncertain future and considered what he might say to break through the wall Aiden had built.

  He knew what it was like to be trapped in a nightmare. He’d suffered several instances just like Aiden’s. But he was puzzled by the impetus behind the kid’s regression. What had triggered the setback? He’d told Vanessa that it could be anything, yet he found it odd that Aiden had reacted so negatively after he’d been doing so well.

  The truck attack from yesterday? Could be. It wasn’t unusual to see a delayed reaction. It was also possible that Aiden had witnessed something on the way home from the hospital. Sweeping his gaze over the area, he didn’t see any sign of violence.

  Maybe Aiden had spoken of the truck attack during his session. If so, it could be that Lieutenant Colonel Flintman inadvertently said something that had triggered a flashback.

  The more Isaac considered that possibility, the more he believed it. It was the only thing that made sense.

  Boyd Sullivan’s attempt to harm Vanessa was causing collateral damage. To Aiden and the others who’d gotten caught along the way. Two deaths for sure—the man who’d tried to steal the puppies, and the driver of the pickup truck.

  So much death.

  Did Boyd Sullivan know Vanessa had a younger brother? What if he turned his attention to Aiden?

  Isaac broke into a run, reaching Vanessa’s house in record time. The cop stationed outside the door looked surprised as he offered a salute.

  He returned the gesture automatically. “Is Airman Gomez still inside?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.” He moved through the kitchen, feeling a sense of relief when he noticed Eagle was sitting tall at Aiden’s door. Exactly the way Vanessa had said he would be.

  “Good boy. Protect, Eagle,” he said as he moved past into Aiden’s room. The Doberman rose to his feet for a moment, sniffed around the room for a minute, then sat back down on his haunches.

  Aiden was still rocking in the corner, oblivious to the puppies rolling and playing around him. Tango must have sensed Aiden’s distress, because the golden retriever was stretched out on the floor beside Aiden, with his wide head pressed against Aiden’s hip.

  Isaac hesitated, then offered a silent prayer.

  Lord, please help me find a way to get through to this troubled young man. Grant me and give me the strength and wisdom to help him, Amen.

  Feeling slightly more confident, Isaac approached cautiously. “Hi, Aiden. I’m back and willing to listen if you’re in the mood to talk.”

  The young man ignored him, keeping up his rhythmic rocking back and forth.

  “I know what it’s like to suffer a flashback like the one you’re going through,” Isaac went on. “Sometimes it was the littlest thing that set them off, too. I don’t want you to feel bad if that happened to you.”

  Nothing.

  “Aiden, did watching the truck attack bring this on? Or was it something else? You didn’t see anyone on your way back from the hospital, did you?”

  More silence.

  “If you did see someone, please let me know. If Boyd Sullivan is around, we need to find him before he can harm anyone else.”

  Aiden stopped rocking for thirty seconds but didn’t meet Isaac’s gaze.

  “You know what Sullivan looks like, don’t you?” Isaac pressed. Talking about Boyd Sullivan seemed to be causing a breakthrough. Was it possible Aiden had seen the Red Rose Killer? “You’ve seen pictures of Boyd, right?”

  Aiden resumed his rocking, but the movements were slower now, as if the young man was indeed listening to what Isaac had to say.

  His heart filled with hope that he was causing Aiden’s hard barrier to crack, letting a bit of light through. But he needed to do more. He knew, more than anyone, how easy it was to build a wall to protect your mind. He racked his brain to find a way to breach Aiden’s protective barrier.

  “Vanessa saved him once,” he went on, hoping that more discussion about Boyd Sullivan would bring Aiden back to the present. “Your sister has a kind and nurturing heart. She told me she came across Boyd when he was injured and helped him out. Apparently he didn’t want to go to the hospital and risk getting in trouble for fighting, so she bandaged him up with her own personal first-aid kit.”

  Aiden stopped rocking for the second time, and Isaac found himself holding his breath, hoping and praying that he’d explain what had happened.

  “She cares about you, Aiden, very much. In fact, she’s taking the change in your condition so seriously, she headed back to the hospital to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Flintman.”

  Aiden’s head shot up, meeting his gaze. “No.” The word was hoarse, as if the young man’s throat was sore from silent screams.

  “Yes, she did,” Isaac confirmed with a gentle smile. “But don’t worry, Flintman won’t discuss details of your sessions with her. She only wants advice on how to help you.”

  “No!” Aiden’s voice was louder this time, startling the puppies playing on his lap.

  Isaac frowned, trying to understand. “No, what? Talk to me, Aiden. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Blood!” Aiden reached out to grasp Isaac’s arm, gripping it tightly. “No! Get to Vanessa!”

  He still didn’t understand. “Was Boyd waiting for you outside the hospital? Is that what you’re telling me? Boyd is hiding and waiting for Vanessa?”

  Tango lifted his head and nudged Aiden. The young man instinctively put his arm around the golden’s neck. “Flintman is a bad guy,” he finally said.

  “Flintman?” Isaac felt the blood drain out of his face as the puzzle pieces fell into place. “You saw blood in Flintman’s office? Because he’s a bad guy?”

  Aiden nodded then buried his face against Tango’s fur.

  Isaac sprang to his feet. How much time had passed since Vanessa left to see Flintman?

  Too much.

  He put a leash on Eagle, grateful when the dog accompanied him without a problem. He headed to the door, pausing for a moment when he saw the cop standing there.

  “You need to stay here and guard Airman Gomez and the puppies, understand?” he said. “That’s an order.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Without hesitation, he ran outside with Eagle keeping pace beside him, calling Blackwood as he went, hoping and praying he wasn’t too late.

  FIFTEEN

  Vanessa was intercepted by Captain Leo Turner on her way to see Flintman.

  “How dare you accuse me of attacking you?” He approached with blazing fury in his eyes. “I know you were upset about our breakup, but this is a new low, Vanessa.”

  She really wasn’t in the mood for Leo’s theatrics. Interesting how he’d acted sweet as pie the last time they had run into each other, even asking her to meet him for dinner. There must have been s
ome underlying ulterior motive she couldn’t possibly understand.

  “I didn’t.” She stepped to the side to move past him.

  He grabbed her arm, stopping her. “You sent the Security Forces after me!”

  A frisson of fear darted down her spine. Was it possible Leo was behind the attacks on her? Had he said something to Aiden, causing her brother to regress? She couldn’t understand what motive he’d have for trying to kill her.

  Then again, she didn’t understand much about Captain Leo Turner.

  Steeling her resolve, she looked down at his hand around her arm, then back up at him, her gaze narrowing. “Let me go, Leo, or you’ll have a good reason to be afraid of the Security Forces.”

  He met her gaze squarely, then reluctantly released her. “I don’t appreciate you dragging my name through the mud. I can tell everyone is staring at me behind my back, and it’s all because of you!”

  She shook her head, amazed that Leo could be so self-centered. What on earth had she liked about him in the first place? Oh, he’d wooed her with sweet words and promises, but now she understood he was a jerk through and through.

  Regardless, she didn’t have time for this. It was already well past seventeen thirty and the hospital crowd was thinning out. Most of the people in leadership roles were gone for the day, and she needed to get to Flintman before he left, too. “In case you missed the news flash, I was attacked several times over the past week.”

  “And you told the cops you suspected me?” Leo asked with a sneer.

  “No. I actually told them that kind of behavior wasn’t your style, but maybe I was wrong about that. You did just grab my arm.”

  His gaze darkened with anger.

  She stared at his dark eyes, wondering if he was the guilty one. Stiffening her resolve, she went on, “Even if you didn’t attack me, you know those pesky Security Forces guys, they tend to follow up on every possible lead.” She tsk-tsked. “So sorry they bothered you, Leo, and since you had an alibi for the most recent incident, Captain Blackwood doesn’t think you’re involved.”