Lean on Me

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “They’re waiting for you to contact,” Sergeant Dusty said. “I have a replacement for your laptop.”

  “Ok, drama’s over,” Joseph said. “Get out your computers and wait for assignments. Trece and White Boy are with me.”

  “Mattie, I need about fifteen minutes before I know what we have to do,” Alex said. “I wish we had Troy.”

  “His mother was released,” Matthew said. “But there’s no way he’s going to risk having her watch the boys. Dahlia’s due to… come home at the end of this week or early next week. Leena’s mother is going to be moved early next week.”

  “That’s our target,” Alex said. “We pick up these teams and get back to help Troy and Leena.”

  “Yes sir,” Matthew said.

  “Ok listen up,” Alex said. “We are now bonded to this plane. For the next few days, we will live on this plane. Flight crews will rotate around us. We’ll land at bases from which Zack and Cliff will fly us to our target destination.”

  “You heard her,” Matthew said. “Get ready so you can work the moment you have an assignment.”

  “Trece and White Boy,” Joseph said. “You may deplane to get our nutrition. We did this a couple of times on the Fey Special Forces Team. We’re going to fly from place to place picking up people. We need food for the next four days. No MREs. Lots of water. Coffee. Ensure. Oranges. Lots of oranges. Oh hell, I’ll make a list.”

  Joseph dropped to a seat and began rummaging through his duffle for a pad of paper.

  “Colin, MJ, give Trece and White Boy your list of supplies,” Matthew said. “Plan for four days.”

  “Assume the worst,” Joseph said. “The absolute worst.”

  “We need ammunition and weapons,” Alex said. “Even though these are friendlies, we must assume the worst.”

  “When I’m done with this, I’ll work on that,” Joseph said. “We can pick up what we need at the bases.”

  “Jesse can help,” Alex said.

  “He’s waiting for me to finish my grocery list,” Joseph smiled at Alex.

  “We need someone on families,” Alex said.

  “We can take that,” Vince said. “Leena and I. Our work won’t start until you know where and what. We’ll start the family contacts.”

  “Great,” Alex said. “What about that kid? The intern?”

  “He’s waiting for us in Washington DC,” Sergeant Dusty said.

  “And the dog?” Trece asked.

  “He’s coming along,” Sergeant Dusty said.

  Unsure of how to respond, the team looked to Alex. She shrugged.

  “He seemed pretty handy,” Alex said.

  “Dog food, dog treats,” Joseph said looking up from his list. “Got it.”

  “Request permission to handle the music, sir,” Cliff, the co-pilot, said.

  “Permission granted,” Alex said.

  “Let’s do this thing,” Matthew said.

  FFF

  Wednesday early morning

  October 28 – 2:04 a.m. MDT

  Between Denver and Washington DC

  “I’m delighted you called,” John said.

  Wearing her wireless headset, Alex’s eyes reviewed his face on the Skype video. Thanks to satellite Internet, and a great tech team, the plane had high-speed Internet access.

  Like something out of Indiana Jones, their trip was created while they were in the middle of it. Men and women from every branch of the military worked through the night to ease their journey. They were polite and efficient. Gratefully, the Pentagon’s commitment to “any resource” meant any resource. After planning their route, she had worked with Sergeant Dusty to coordinate their transportation. Royce cleared every financial request with ease.

  “Can’t talk?” he asked.

  “Everyone’s asleep. I’m just not sure what to say,” Alex said. The sight of his face made her smile. “I’m glad to see you. Thanks for waiting up for me.”

  “Actually…” He moved the netbook’s webcam to show that he was in their bed with their English Springer spaniel, Maggie, by his side. “We were napping.”

  She smiled.

  “I had big plans for tonight,” John said.

  “Plans?” Alex asked.

  “For our anniversary,” John said.

  “Last week?” Alex asked.

  “My plans were for tonight,” John said. “We’ve now missed our make-up-for-missing-the-actual-anniversary date.”

  Alex pressed her hand to her heart. Tears appeared in her eyes.

  “It’s not the first one we’ve missed,” John said.

  “Doesn’t make it any easier,” Alex said.

  “No, it’s not easy.”

  Alex bit her lip to keep from asking her automatic question: “Is it too much? Should we split up?” After last winter’s fiasco, she had promised him she’d stop asking him if he wanted to divorce her.

  “Biting your lip?” John smiled.

  She nodded.

  “Kind of you.”

  She smiled.

  “I want updates on everything,” he said. “But… mostly I want to see you, hear how you are and tell you all about me.”

  “My news is pretty boring,” Alex said. “I’m in a plane on my way back to Washington to pick up a guy with a dog. Then we’re going to… I think Libya, but I don’t know if that’s completely determined yet. This plane is going to be my home for the next few days.”

  “Few?” John asked.

  “We have five stops to make,” Alex said.

  “Five? I thought Nancy said it was four,” John said.

  “Got another call,” Alex said. “Team from Spain may be in Libya.”

  She raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

  “The rest are US teams,” Alex said. “If we’re lucky, we’ll get other calls while we’re out. Otherwise, it’s boring old spy work. How are you?”

  “I miss you,” John said. “I’m not sure why it’s so bad this time. I miss looking at you. I guess that’s weird.”

  “Why don’t you tell me your news?” Alex asked. “Maybe that will help.”

  “Good thinking,” John said. “Fionn is indeed here.”

  “Your sister Rita’s second son?” Alex asked. “Wow.”

  “Student visa,” John said. “He’s going to take a few review classes, get his residency, and take the MCATs.”

  “He told me he wanted to be a doctor like Johnny,” Alex said.

  “That’s what he says,” John said. “He’s going to follow me on my rounds tomorrow morning. We’ll see how he does.”

  “How is it for you to have him around?” Alex asked.

  “Weird,” John said. “I have a tremendous fondness for him, like he’s my own son. Yet, I don’t know him at all. He’s easy to be around, funny. He seems happy to be here.”

  “Sounds nice,” Alex said.

  “I think you’ll love him,” John said. “Helene came down from Boulder to ‘show him the ropes’ of living with us. He followed her around like a lost puppy. He knows she has a boyfriend, but you can’t stop the heart.”

  Alex beamed at him.

  “That’s what he says,” John said.

  “He says that?” Alex laughed.

  “I know,” John said. “Let’s see… Cian thinks something very dangerous might be going on next door.”

  “How do ‘very dangerous’ and ‘might’ go together?” Alex asked.

  “Oh sorry,” John said. “The ‘might’ is mine.”

  “What’s going on?” Alex asked.

  “Someone bought the house next door,” John yawned. “Between us and Mattie and Erin’s house. Paid cash. The first thing they did was dump some junker car in their garage.”

  “Junker car?” Alex’s eyebrows went up.

  “I was going to ask Raz to take a look at it,” John said. “I think it’s a vehicle, but Eoin thinks it’s some kind of bomb. Anyway, the new possibly dangerous neighbors are working on the house, but they’re not doing the usual stuff.”

>   “Usual stuff?” Alex asked.

  “Kitchens, baths,” John said. “Painting, stuff like that.”

  “Maybe they’re not rehabbing the place,” Alex said.

  “No,” John said. “They’ve had work men there since we got back from Washington. Electricians, mostly. They’re friendly enough but…”

  John shrugged.

  “If the bizarre remodeling wasn’t enough,” John said. “The guy who moved in is odd. Long white beard, belly paunch, and weird accent. He looks like something out of Master and Commander.”

  “Should I check it out?” Alex asked.

  “I know my brother and his friend are as paranoid as all hell,” John said.

  “Their spidey sense is a little on the sensitive side.” Alex furrowed her brow and drifted off into thought.

  John tapped the webcam to interrupt her thought.

  “Drifted off?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “You always pull into yourself when you’re on a mission,” he said. “Remember, we used to row about it when we were first married?’

  Alex nodded. He smiled.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Was the car an Oldsmobile?”

  “I believe so,” he nodded. “Why?”

  “I was going to say that their spidey sense is sensitive,” Alex said. “But accurate. Looks like they were spot on.”

  “You’ll check it out?” John asked.

  “Yep,” Alex said. “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but you’ll be safe?”

  “According to Jimmy, all of us Kellys are in danger,” John said.

  “You’ll be safe?” Her eyebrows knitted together with worry.

  “Will you be safe?” he asked.

  “Of course,” she smiled.

  “I’ll do the same,” he said.

  “How are you recovering from the marathon?” Alex asked.

  “I’m all right,” John said. “My morning run was short and a little stiff. Is Troy coming home?”

  “Sunday or Monday,” Alex said. “We’re going to try to get back in time to help him bring Dahlia home.”

  “Really?” John’s face lit up. “That’s excellent news. I thought you’d be gone five weeks or more.”

  “We have to find all these people,” Alex said. “We’re better equipped to do that at home.”

  Alex’s head bobbed up and down in a nod.

  “Your plan?” he smiled.

  “My order,” she beamed.

  “Good to be the boss,” John smiled.

  Alex nodded.

  “How was last night?” John asked.

  “Good. Hard,” Alex said. “I’m not sure why, but it was harder than other years. Seemed like everyone felt it. The whole night felt more real.”

  “Someone took a few photos,” John said.

  “Really?” Alex’s hands sped across the keys. “Where?”

  “Twitter,” John said. “From a window above. It’s taken with a phone so the quality isn’t great. But I can see you and Raz. God, that’s a gorgeous dress. You’ll wear it for me?”

  “I have it in my bag,” Alex said.

  “And the shoes?”

  “In the bag.”

  “I’m a lucky man,” he said.

  “You don’t have a Twitter account,” Alex said. “How did you see the photo?”

  “Samantha,” John said. “She wanted to know what was going on.”

  “What’s happening in the photo?” Alex asked.

  “Raz is crying, weeping more like, tears down his face. His eyes are closed and he’s holding onto you,” John said. “You’re holding his head against your shoulder. It’s very sweet.”

  “Sami’s not going to think so,” Alex said.

  “I didn’t say she thought it was sweet,” he said. “I thought it was sweet.”

  “It’s funny because Raz has texted and talked to Sami,” Alex said. “She hasn’t said anything.”

  “You know what she’s like,” John said. “She’s waiting to spring it on him so she’ll get a more honest response.”

  “I wonder when that’s ever worked,” Alex said.

  “You can’t blame the girl for trying,” John said. “I think she genuinely fancies him.”

  “That’s good because the feeling is mutual,” Alex said.

  “I know,” he smiled.

  He fell silent, and for a moment, they looked at each other.

  “This is not going to be very fun, is it?” John asked.

  Alex shook her head in a “no.”

  “I’ll be here when you get back,” he said.

  “Thanks.”

  “Will I talk to you again?” he asked.

  “Most of this trip is plane flight,” Alex said. “I’ll call every night. You can call me too.”

  “And you’ll answer the phone?”

  Alex nodded.

  “Well, that’s it then,” he said. “I should sleep. You should sleep. I miss you, my love. Come home.”

  “I love you,” she said.

  He waved his hand and was gone. They’d agreed to only say their vows when they left in person. Somehow, having not said them, she felt more lonely. She looked for the Twitter pictures and requested their immediate withdrawal. She was about to close her laptop when John called.

  “Can’t do it,” he said.

  “Doesn’t feel right,” she said.

  He held his left hand up as they always did. When she covered the image with her left hand, he repeated the vows they’d confirmed a few years ago. She said hers. He kissed his index and middle finger and held it up. She kissed him goodnight as well. With a nod, the screen went black.

  “Sam has a picture of us?” Raz asked. “From last night?”

  Alex nodded. He gave a slight shake of his head.

  “I hope it doesn’t cause you trouble,” Alex said.

  “We can practice our working it out skills,” Raz said. He held out his arm. “Get some rest, my Fey. This trip is going to suck.”

  Smiling, she nestled into him and fell asleep.

  F

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Four days later

  Saturday afternoon

  October 31 – 2:34 p.m. MDT

  Somewhere over the continent of Asia

  Alex completed her fifth circuit of Burpees, jumping jacks, and squat thrusts. She hopped up from the plane’s floor and Vince took her spot. She walked toward the pilot end of the plane, where she took Colin’s spot and started running in place. Raz joined her in the jog.

  As the plane flew back and forth across time zones, the team had spent the last four days on this C-130. They only left the plane to pick up lost soldiers. So far, they’d “rescued” lost soldiers from the beaches of Borneo, a luxurious palace in Libya, and a plush pleasure resort in Thailand. After interviewing the lost soldiers, the team dropped them at whatever base or hospital ship was close. So far, none of the soldiers were injured. A few of them weren’t thrilled with their “rescue.” Still, it was good to find the men healthy and accounted for.

  Overall, the Fey Team was doing well. They were lucky, because everyone genuinely liked each other. Even when tempers flared, someone was able to cool things down. They spent most of their flying time cataloguing what they had learned from the lost soldiers. The rest of the time they worked out, slept, and ate. They were tired and smelled like dirty gym socks, but for better or worse, they were hanging in there.

  They had two more lost-soldier teams to pick-up before they returned to Washington DC. They would finally shower and change into dress uniforms. Half of the team would help Troy bring Dahlia home. The other half would help Leena get her mother installed in a quality nursing home in Denver. The plan assumed that everything came off without a hitch.

  In the end, they were soldiers. They did what they were told to do, no matter what the sacrifice. Hearing the Skype phone bell, Alex looked up to see Leena take a call from her princess-costume-clad daughter. S
atellite Internet, good humor, and patience had eased the pain of this journey.

  Hearing Raz say something, Alex raised her eyebrows.

  “Lost in thought?” he asked.

  “Counting.”

  “Counting?” Raz asked.

  “That’s what’s making this mission work,” Alex said.

  “Do you have decent food on the list?” Raz asked.

  “No, but I will add that,” Alex said. “Sending Margaret along with Trece and White Boy was brilliant.”

  “She has a eye for decent snacks,” Raz said. “Otherwise, we’d only have fruit and veg.”

  Alex nodded.

  “It’s not like you couldn’t stand to lose a percentage or two of body fat,” White Boy said as he moved past them to change stations. “All of you.”

  The team groaned.

  “Can I ask you something?” Raz asked.

  “You have to say the magic word,” Alex said.

  “Trick or treat,” Raz said.

  Because it was Halloween, Matthew had decided they would be playing “trick or treat.” If someone said “trick or treat” to another, they could ask a question, for a favor, or a possession.

  “Of course,” Alex said. “Anything.”

  “Why the oranges?” Raz asked. “You’ve always had them. It never occurred to me that it was weird until we were dropping off the Spanish team.”

  “Those oranges were amazing,” Alex said.

  “I’ve never had better,” Raz said. “How many cases did they give us?”

  “Five,” Alex said. “They said they’re sending some to Buckley for us to bring home.”

  “They would have given you anything, Alex,” Joseph said. He started jogging next to Raz. “They were grateful we found their men. They should be. Libya’s going to erupt into war any day now.”

  “If Joiner hadn’t screwed us so badly in Libya, we wouldn’t have made such good friends there,” Alex said. “I think we owe Cee Cee Joiner a thank you.”

  “Dear Cee Cee,” Joseph started. “Thanks for screwing us over in Libya. Those six days in the desert without water or food weren’t fun. But all’s well that ends well. Love, Alex.”

  “The Fey,” Raz laughed.

  “I’ll get right on it,” Sergeant Dusty started jogging next to Joseph.

  Alex laughed and went to do squat jumps onto a wooden crate.