by Laura Acton
Through his lawyer, he learned his toy soldier lived. Both Merrill and Murphy failed him. Once he found out, he ranted and raved he would kill all Brodericks. He was pissed but also wanted to make the Brodericks lives miserable waiting and wondering if and when he would strike again. Though he had no idea where Pletcher might be, the man would eventually surface and follow through for money. All Plouffe needed to do was wait.
He observed Merrill, Travis, and el-Younis led to cells in this section. Again, through his lawyer, he learned they were digging into Broderick’s Special Forces service. Plouffe still didn’t worry because his current lawyer confirmed he couldn’t be named in court proceedings, so a general court martial for attempted murder was off the table. And they would find no evidence of his treason—he covered that up too well.
Plouffe jumped at the distinctive loud click of cells unlocking. Seven men exited their cells. When they all started towards the center of the room, Plouffe yelled, “What the hell is going on? This is my time! Guards!”
Merrill approached Plouffe. He smiled and said in an unaffected voice, “Looks like they decided to let us spend some time together. Gentleman’s agreement is still in place—I presume.”
Plouffe wary of Merrill kept his eyes locked on the assassin. Plouffe had no idea if Merrill would be a threat. He could be saying that to get close to him. Plouffe took several steps backward. “I kept my side.”
Merrill laughed. “My lawyer already told me you implicated me in your rant to the general. I should’ve popped off your bobblehead years ago.”
Corporal Conan Travis sat in his cell, afraid to go out. He observed Plouffe from his cell. Plouffe had gotten his friend Murphy killed. Conan wondered if he was next. He wouldn’t put it past the major. Plouffe would likely kill him to shut him up like he silenced Gleason.
Standing outside his cell, Corporal Mamoon el-Younis waited as the others roam around the common area. He smiled. His friend came through. Mamoon slithered unnoticed into the room. He had only a few moments only before the guards would come.
A piercing scream filled the air as the guards rushed in to return the prisoners to their cells. As Plouffe dropped to the ground, Mamoon raised his hands, let the shiv fall to the floor, and held still. Plouffe writhed on the ground as a pool of blood grew around him.
St. Michael’s Hospital – Room 1030 – 9:30 p.m.
Four hours past and Dan remained locked in place. The others alternated between sitting and pacing. Jon thought over all Blaze said drawing a plan for himself personally to school his emotions. The only emotion he worried about showing is anger. He hoped he could keep himself under rigid control.
Scott roved over Dan hating this situation. His eyes landed on push button dangling off the bed near Dan’s hand. He followed the cord to where it attached to a machine on Dan’s IV pole. Aw Christ! Four hours and no pain meds.
He rose and viewed the screen on the pump which told him how often a dose was allowed and the last time the dose was administered. He grasped the button and pressed it. Dan was in enough pain, he didn’t need more. Scott could do this small thing for his cousin. He noted the time on his watch and set his timer for the next dose.
The entire group noticed what he did. So engrossed in their own thoughts, no one realized Dan received no pain meds. Lexa rose and gave him a hug and mouthed ‘thank you.’
There was a knock on the door. Nick rose to see who it was. Without unlocking it, he said, “Who is it?”
“Dr. Markson. Unlock this door now.”
“I’m sorry we can’t do that right now. Dan is fine with us right now. We will make sure he is okay.” Nick knew the doctor would have no clue what he meant, but it wasn’t for him to understand. “If we require anything, we’ll let you know,” Nick concluded with an air of authority then went back to his chair and sat back down.
The doctor didn’t know what to think. This was all so strange. After Mr. Palomo had forced him out of the room, Bill had been called for an emergency surgery. Dr. Markson had just returned. The nurse said no one came out and the door remained locked.
His patient had asked for privacy, but his team insisted on ignoring it. Mr. Hardy yelled at him, and Dan hadn’t kicked him out. In fact, Dan had made no ruckus to get them to leave. His Sergeant said he was fine with them.
Dr. Markson thought maybe Dan decided he didn’t want to be alone and he needed the comfort of his team. Dan needed to accept the fact he couldn’t return to the same job. Perhaps his team was helping him with that right now. Bill blew out a frustrated breath and said, “Okay, I’ll inform the nursing staff not to come in unless called.” He turned and headed to the nursing station still baffled by this—never had he ever had a patient like this.
Everyone in the room continued their vigil waiting for Dan to talk.
Listening and Gauntlet Thrown
40
August 4
St. Michael’s Hospital – Room 1030 – 1:30 a.m.
Over the last eight hours, no one had spoken more than a few whispered words. Around ten o’clock, Bram, Jon, and Loki placed brief calls to their families to let them know they wouldn’t be home tonight. Other than that, they all kept an eye on Dan—hoping to identify any indication he was coming out of it.
Dan hadn’t moved. His eyes blinked occasionally but never closed. They stared blankly ahead not focused. Scott made sure Dan got a dose of pain meds on the allowed intervals.
Loki spent lots of time thinking about the one-sided conversation. Jon appeared extremely troubled by what he heard. Loki surmised Jon was holding something significant back. He was about to ask when fresh tears fell from Dan’s eyes. Softly, Loki said, “Buddy, we’re here. When you want to talk, we’ll listen.”
No one expected an answer, so they were surprised when Dan haltingly said, “Every … thing … I … love … gets taken … away … from me. I can’t … live … like this … it … always … hurts. Maybe … it’s … punish … ment … for … every … one … I’ve … killed.”
Loki opened his mouth to respond when Ray clamped his hand over it and bent close to his ear. Ray barely whispered, “Just listen.” Loki nodded, and Ray removed his hand.
Dan’s first few words indicated how hard it would be to listen and not respond, but they held their tongues. Dan continued to spill his guts hesitantly one or two words between breaths. He spoke of the guilt he experienced killing so many people. His monolog included the guilt he also felt when men from his own unit died. Dan believed he was a failure because he didn’t save them.
Dan described how units left him on his own and how Murphy sabotaged his supplies and beat the crap out of him when he got the opportunity. It tugged at their hearts when he told them he was frightened every time he was away from Blaze’s unit. Words poured out, and they learned he believed no one except his unit and a few others cared if he lived or died.
Their hearts broke when Dan told them he wished Brody hadn’t stopped him when he tried to end his pain years ago. Tears flowed unchecked from many eyes when Dan said Brody would be alive today if he hadn’t stopped him because he wouldn’t have been alive to kill Brody. Several needed to turn away so Dan couldn’t see their emotions.
His body remained locked into place as misery poured out of Dan. Listening to the content of what Dan shared was agonizing, but so was the manner of his speaking and his gasps for air. His pace of speech heartbreakingly slow. If he had been able to speak normally, what he said would’ve been a thirty-minute monolog. That tore at their guts.
Jon glanced at the clock and noted that it was now three thirty-five. Dan talked non-stop for the past two hours. He worried whether Dan would accept and conquer the challenge. He hoped so.
Everyone held it together fairly well on the outside and followed Blaze’s rule of showing no emotion. That was until Dan began to tell them how he was tortured. Dan described in brutal detail the depraved, dehumanizing, and cruel things they did to get him to divulge intel.
St. Michael�
��s Hospital – Outside Room 1030 – 3:40 a.m.
Loki was the first to leave the room—his eyes wide and his body shaking with the horrors he heard. Such merciless things they did to Dan—the terrorists were animals. Loki leaned on the wall as he couldn’t stop the tears from slipping out. He wished he was able to stay in there for Dan—he let him down.
A short time later Lexa exited Dan’s room. She stood still in the center of the hallway. Her expression filled with rage as Lexa clenched her fists tightly. She couldn’t comprehend anyone much less Dan being put through things like that. Goddamned! Anger surged in her knowing what he went through.
The world was a darker place than she ever realized. A queasy sensation built in Lexa. She placed a hand on her stomach—willing it to settle. She wished Dan’s friend Brody was here—he helped Dan before. She didn’t know if the team would be successful in helping Dan through this.
She clenched her fists again and turned to go back in—she can do this for Dan. Lexa pushed her emotions down but stopped in her tracks when Ray and Bram joined them in the hall looking shell-shocked.
Ray leaned against the wall for support—his legs visibly shook.
Loki rushed to Ray and when his best friend’s legs gave out. Catching Ray, he lowered him to the ground gently.
Ray’s dark brown eyes sought Loki. His voice shook, “I tried, I just …”
Loki pulled Ray into a tight embrace when Ray’s words choked off with a sob. Without a doubt, Loki knew whatever Ray listened to must be horrendous because Ray never broke down. Ray is a rock and a calming presence. This is the first time Loki ever heard Ray cry.
When Bram exited the room, he collapsed on the floor and buried his face in his hands as he knelt in the middle of the hall. Bram now understood why Patch could only touch Dan on his left bicep after they rescued him. His heart ached for all Dan had been through—no one should ever experience that. No longer able to hold them back, quiet sobs wrenched out of him.
The sound of Bram crying pulled Lexa from her stupor. She dropped to the ground and wrapped her arms around Bram offering comfort to him. Until now, it had always been the other way around—Bram comforted her. Lexa didn’t want to know what drove Bram and Ray to this point.
Nick stayed as long as possible, trying to be there for Dan, but he swiftly left the room when Dan started to tell what the terrorists did to him when he tried to escape. His face ashen as he went directly to a trash can and vomited. He felt four hands lightly land on his back as he finished retching. Loki gave him a cup of water. He rinsed his mouth, spit, ran shaky hands over his face regaining his composure. He turned to assess his team in the hall.
All of them stunned and shaky he noted. No one said a word or thought any less of any of them for leaving the room. Quietly they sat on the floor with their backs against the wall opposite Dan’s room staring at the door, deep in their own musings. When the door opened again and the general staggered out, they realized whatever Dan shared reached a whole other level of depravity.
A red haze enveloped William. He read the report—the one Daniel gave after he was rescued. Jasper Pastore refused to allow him to sit in the interview room as Daniel gave his report out in Kandahar. He had nightmares for months after reading the report. Hearing Daniel’s halting voice as he narrated some of what the sadistic animals did shredded William’s heart and filled him with impotent rage.
He turned and glared at the closed door—he should be in there. Failing his son again. But William couldn’t guarantee his emotions wouldn’t show. Daniel never broke—never gave them the information they wanted—that’s what he had believed and had been so proud of Daniel.
But now William knew something which was never in the report. Something gut-wrenching. The reality was one man had broken Daniel in the worse way—many times. He now understood why Jasper refused to allow him to listen to Daniel give his report. His fists clenched unconsciously.
Though Daniel never gave them and ounce of intel. One bastard made Daniel believe he was a failure, unloved, forgotten, and completely worthless. The bastard used Daniel’s fears against him and broke Daniel in the most savage way possible—for the fun of it.
William slammed his fists into the wall multiple times until strong arms pulled him back. He turned to find Nick and Bram behind him. His voice choked, “I did that to my son. I destroyed my son. I’m a worthless father.” Then he collapsed to the floor and buried his face in his bloodied hands.
Nick glanced at the holes in the wall then crouched down and firmly said, “Dan isn’t destroyed, and you’re not a worthless father. He is hurting and needs support. You need to pull it together. Dan needs to know you will be there for him no matter what. Let him draw strength from your love.”
William peered up at Nick. He took a deep breath and blew it out raggedly.
“Let’s go get those hands cleaned up,” Bram said.
William inspected his hands then surveyed the wall. He didn’t recall punching the wall. He pushed himself up and looked over at Lexa, Ray, and Loki who were staring at him with trepidation. “Sorry for my temper.”
Loki recovered the quickest. “Don’t apologize. Though I’m damned glad I’m not Plouffe or Pletcher.”
Nick put a hand on the general’s uninjured shoulder and nudged him forward. He worried the general had reinjured his shoulder. Nick followed Bram and the general to the restroom.
St. Michael’s Hospital – 10th Floor Restroom – 3:55 a.m.
The water cascaded over his hands and William watched the water run pink. He didn’t resist or pull away when Bram stepped forward and examined his hands. Only now did he begin to feel the sting on his abraded knuckles. An emotional wreck, he tried to clamp his mask down.
Bram dried the general’s hands checking them over. Luckily nothing was broken—the knuckles were roughed up with a few cuts. “Your hands look okay, mostly. How’s your shoulder? Do you need your sling?”
Nick stood silently and waited, letting Bram take the lead because Bram seemed to have a knack for connecting with Brodericks.
William rolled his shoulder and winced slightly—damn that ached. Not wanting to let on he had been stupid enough to hurt himself, William deflected using Daniel’s term, “I’m fine. Good thing it wasn’t the concrete pillar.”
Noticing the deflection, wince, and hearing the general say fine, Bram replied, “You and Dan are more like you than you might realize. He deflects, and I’m figuring you’re using Dan’s definition of fine. I bandaged his hands once after he punched a brick wall when a call went south.”
William gave a curt nod. Normally he liked to hear he and Daniel were alike, but these traits were not stellar ones. Hiding pain, weakness, and letting loose rage were ingrained in him. Apparently in Daniel if Bram saw they were alike.
He contemplated whether he should go back in Daniel’s room now that he had released some of his rage. When the fury at Plouffe and others edged back in, as he thought about hearing more of Daniel’s pain, William realized he couldn’t control his emotions now—he is so very FINE!
Noticing the change in the general, Bram said, “If that were one of my children—even if they were adults—I couldn’t have listened as long as you did. It’s not a failure to recognize your child needs help you can’t give. A good parent knows when to get others to help. You’ve done that. Let us help.”
Nick gave the general a sympathetic smile. He also perceived what Bram did—Dan and General Broderick were alike in more ways than physical appearance. A sense of duty and need to protect pervasive in both of them. Nick discerned they shared a tendency to take on guilt for things out of their control and both used deflection. Private, honorable, and complex described Broderick men well.
William made no response as he thought about what Bram said. Not willing to release any of his blame, he simply headed out of the restroom needing to be closer to Daniel.
St. Michael’s Hospital – Outside Room 1030 – 4:05 a.m.
The three joined
the others now sitting on the ground, lining the walls outside the room. William glanced at the holes he made in the wall and accepted the fact he would be paying the hospital to fix it. As he sat down next to Bram, William’s eyes moved to Daniel’s room and stayed there. Sighing, he wished it was as easy to repair the damage done to his son as it was to patch a wall.
Happy to visit Blondie after a long and grueling fifteen-hour shift, Patch sauntered off the elevator. He didn’t even have time to eat today. They went from one crazy call to another. Exhausted, Jim checked his text messages after he dropped his last patient off in the ER and saw one from Blaze saying, give Beauty to Loki.
It was odd, yet it made him happy Blaze believed it was time for him to pass the torch to someone else. With his love of technology, Loki would be the perfect caretaker of Beauty. Old and so battered, Beauty might need some repairing soon.
Patch didn’t bother to check in at the tenth-floor nurse’s station they knew him well. Strolling down the hall his focus on thoughts instead of his surroundings. So glad they agreed to follow my recommendations. Blondie will heal much faster being more in control—it worked every time in Afghanistan.
A smile plastered on Patch’s face as he recalled the nurse’s idea for a pain pump. Why the hell didn’t I ever think of that? Betty was sure surprised when I hugged her. Heather only grinned at my enthusiasm.
He looked up and saw the group sitting on the floor in obvious distress. Patch knew those expressions, people about to vomit and in shock. Same ones he, Blaze, Winds, Ripsaw, and Mason had so many years ago.
Aw shit! They told Blondie about his lungs. Patch put two and two together and realized that someone from the team talked to Blaze. Patch slid down the wall next to Loki. Accept the challenge, little brother—take the challenge.