In with the old, out with the new

by dont_hate_me01

Summary:

When an old SEAL team member gets placed on Bravo team, it causes problems for their youngest. Clay gets shunted by his brothers, might get kicked off the team, and that’s only the start of his problems.

Notes:

AN 1: To allyhope who is responsible for planting this little seed of an idea in my muse's head, I hope you will enjoy this story!
AN 2: To the amazing, RoboFoxtrot, thank you for agreeing to help me out with the beta side of things on this fic. You did a fantastic job on this first chapter, fighting it into shape.
AN 3: This is a WIP and will take a while to complete. Please be patient.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Eric scanned the group of people in the room and silently sighed. He’d been in the Navy for more than twenty years. Hell, it had been almost thirty years, and in all that time, there wasn’t a group such as Bravo, who had kept him on his toes, and at the same time made all of his hair go gray.

His gaze landed on the rookie, before he mentally slapped himself behind the head. Clay Spenser was no longer the rookie. He was a seasoned Tier One SEAL, and Eric knew that one day he would be named with the best.

Clay was busy describing something to his best friend, Sonny Quinn. If anyone had told Eric a year and a half ago, that Sonny would become friends with a guy ten years his junior, Eric would’ve laughed at them, and yet, it became true. They still ripped at one another but it was out of camaraderie, and not out of animosity.

Eric looked on as Cerberus sat silently next to his dad and handler, Brock. Those two were a unit, well, except if you put Clay in the mix. Then, the poor dog had real difficulty in choosing. Luckily, Brock had no problem with sharing Cerb with Clay. At least they knew that Clay was safe when the dog was nearby.

Cerberus went down on his belly, looked over his shoulder, and Eric smiled as the dog sighed. He stared at Brock until the man looked down, and then Cerb slowly turned his head so that he stared at Clay. He then stared at Brock again.

Eric waited for Brock’s reaction and he smiled when Brock rolled his eyes and with a small nod of his head Cerberus darted off. With a single jump he landed right on Clay’s lap. Cerberus licked Clay twice in the face, pushing Clay back into his chair so that he had more space to lie down, before he settled himself on Clay’s lap.

And what did Clay do? He merely laughed at Sonny’s antics, kissed the dog on the head and made sure to lean back so that Cerberus would be comfortable on his lap.

Eric caught Brock’s eye and he smirked. “I’m not sure who’s going to miss who the most.”

Brock shrugged. “I can’t say either. Luckily we’ve got Face time.” He grinned.

Eric laughed. “You do realize that Cerberus will only need you to make the call and the rest of the time you’ll be invisible to those two.”

Brock nodded. “If Cerb is happy, then I am too.”

“If you say so, Reynolds.” Eric slapped the K9 handler on the shoulder, and moved to the front of the briefing room.

“Listen up.” He stood with his hands at his sides and the room quieted down.

“Change of plans.” He started off and ignored the different groans he got with his statement.

“First of all, Bravo team’s deployment has been moved back until the next rotation.” That got a few frowns, but no one commented on the fact. He knew why it was, because Jason had remained silent. The Bravo team leader knew about the change, and although he hadn’t informed his team about it, the fact that he remained calm made the rest of the team to remain calm as well.

“Why?”

Eric smiled when Clay spoke up. The youngest one never failed to speak up.

“Two reasons.” Eric watched Brock, when the man nodded, he proceeded. “Brock and Cerberus have been selected to go and represent the Navy SEALS K9 unit in Germany and train with their Naval Special Forces Command for three months. They will go as an instructing pair.”

A round of cheers erupted, Brock received more than one slap on the back and even Cerberus got patted on the head by everyone in range of Clay.

Eric didn’t miss the look on Clay’s face before it morphed into a smile. He was right, the kid was going to miss Cerberus.

“What’s the second reason?” Sonny asked as the room quieted down again.

“Since you cannot deploy as an incomplete unit, you will be rotated for missions. But you will get a sixth member.”

The noise level remained intense, but more hostile at the same time. Eric glared at Jason. It was time that the Bravo lead stepped up. He caught Jason’s gaze on him and Eric returned the stare. The room quieted down.

“Anything you want to share with us, Jace?” Ray asked his best friend as he tilted his chair back so that it balanced on the back legs.

Jason sighed, glared at Eric again and stood up. “It’s not a rookie.”

“I fucking hope not, one is enough.” Sonny laughed when he saw the look on Clay’s face.

“If it’s not a rookie, then who is it?” Trent glared at the team lead.

“Tiger.”

“What? He retired out of the teams’ eons ago.” Ray leaned forward and the chair evened out on all four legs.

Jason shook his head. “Junior.”

Ray grinned and Sonny slapped the table. “Why didn’t you say so from the beginning, brother?”

Trent slapped Sonny on the shoulder and even Brock appeared relaxed. Only Clay was confused.

“Who’s Tiger? And for that matter, who’s Junior?”

Sonny stared at Clay as if he was from another planet. “You seriously telling me you have no cooking clue who Tiger is?”

“Yeah, I’m telling you I don’t know who that is.”

“And you’re called SEAL royalty.” Sonny rolled his eyes.

“I’m not, and it still doesn’t help me to know who this Tiger is.”

“Tiger’s real name is Dean Meddings. He was a Tier One operator a few years back. Did duty just after your dad, I would say,” Ray stated as he took pity on Clay.

“He got the nickname of Tiger after his team was sent on a mission to India, and a Bengal tiger decided he wanted Dean as his dinner. Long story short, Dean didn’t become cat food, although he did lose two fingers on his right hand.”

“Okay. And Junior, that his son?” Clay inquired.

“Yup. Scary son of a bitch.” Sonny grinned from ear to ear. “Take my advice, Clay, never ever try to drink with that man. He will drink you under the table, and still be ready to take on a whole enemy patrol unit on his own.”

“Which team is he?” Clay frowned. If he wasn’t a rookie, it meant that he was a SEAL team member, so he had to be with one of the other teams.

“He’s not.” Eric spoke up. “Junior left the Navy about five years ago. He’d reenlisted and the brass has requested him to consider coming back as the head of Green team. He’d requested that he wanted to go out in the field for a few months before he took up that mantle.”

“He’s taking over Adam’s job.” Clay couldn’t keep the hurt out of his voice.

Eric nodded.

“When’s he coming in?” Jason got to his feet.

“He’s already stateside. Supposed to come in today.”

“Awesome.” Sonny slapped the table.

“When are you leaving?” Clay turned and look at Brock. Cerberus had left his lap and was seated right next to him on the floor.

“Sunday morning.”

“Great, it means we can go drinking Saturday night after the golf, and get Clay acquainted with Junior.” Sonny slapped Clay on the shoulder.

Eric wanted to speak up when the door to the briefing room opened up. Roars of joy erupted as a man with two cases of beer entered the room.

Clay watched as the whole team moved forward, rid the man of the cases of beer and engulfed him in fierce hugs. The man was well over six feet in height, with jet black hair, a thick mustache and beard with emerald green eyes.

Clay waited patiently for the team to greet the man before he moved forward to introduce himself. He gazed down when Cerberus blocked his way. “Boy?” Clay asked, confused. He tried to step around the dog, but Cerberus stopped him again.

“Seems someone might be jealous.” Lisa grinned. She was the only one who saw what Cerberus did.

Clay merely nodded. He had a feeling it wasn’t jealousy. Cerberus’ whole posture was stiff against his leg. He could feel the vibration in his legs as Cerberus growled deep within his chest, but so softly that the team couldn’t hear over the noise they made.

Clay went down on his haunches and scratched Cerberus’ ears. “It’s all right, boy.” He got to his feet and this time he moved around the dog. Clay stepped closer to the group and things quieted down. He reached out with his hand. “Clay Spenser.”

The man called Junior glanced at the offered hand and then at Jason.

“Ash Spenser’s kid?”

Jason nodded.

Junior returned the nod, but made no attempt to shake Clay’s hand. In fact, he turned and focused his attention back on Sonny and Ray. He started talking about the time he was still in the Navy.

Clay dropped his hand and shook his head. It seemed once again being Ash’s kid would influence how people saw him.

“Let’s get out of here.” Jason clapped his hands and everyone moved out. The team milled around the door and Clay moved backwards to let them pass. Junior was the last at the door right before Clay. He placed his hand on Clay’s chest and held him back.

Clay frowned at the motion.

“Get the beer,” Junior ordered with a smile, but his eyes were cold.

Clay nodded and turned back to pick up the two cases. The door clicked closed behind him. He looked back and found that he was alone in the room. Clay huffed, picked up the beer and carried it to the door. He placed the one case down and reached for his keycard to unlock the door. His pocket was empty.

“What the fuck?” Clay searched all of his pockets, but came up empty. He moved back to where he sat and looked around. He even went as far as to get on his knees and searched for the keycard underneath the table. Nothing.

Clay sighed. He’d forgotten his phone in his cage as it was charging, so it wasn’t as if someone would notice it in the holder outside the door and come and look to see who was in here. Because they were not briefed for a mission, he didn’t bring his laptop with him. Clay searched around the room for a landline and yelled out of frustration. The last time Jason had a tantrum, he’d destroyed the only telephone in the room and it hadn’t been replaced. The room was built with security in mind, so there wasn’t even a window he could open and get out. He was truly stuck with no way out.

What made things worse was the fact that it was Friday and after five in the afternoon. The building would in all likelihood be empty. It didn’t stop him from going to the door and banging on it. Clay even shouted, but got no reply. He was stuck until someone came into the room, or when his teammates realized he was missing and started looking for him. Clay rolled his eyes, he could already hear Sonny ripping him one for losing his access card.

Clay shrugged. Nothing much he could do now and wait. His gaze landed on the beer and he grinned. At least he had something to drink.

--SEAL TEAM--

“Hey, where’s Pretty Boy?” Sonny asked as he returned with the first round of drinks and realized that their youngest was missing.

The team looked around but no one saw him. Sonny reached for his phone when Junior spoke up.

“Hey, Sonny do you remember the time when that RPG flew right through the scooby van’s open door and out of the window on the other side?”

Clay forgotten, Sonny pocket his phone and started telling the rest of the team about the RPG. The story had them all in stitches and they continued to reminisce about the past. Alcohol flowed freely, and time became something that no one thought about until the early hours of the following morning. By that time, no one on the team even remembered that Clay wasn’t with them.

--SEAL TEAM--

Mandy sighed and dragged her hand tiredly across her face. She couldn’t believe that she’d forgotten the file in Bravo team’s briefing room. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was necessary for an upcoming mission, she would’ve left it there until Monday morning. However, she wanted to work on it when she got plagued with insomnia so she drove to the Base and made her way to the room. She placed her phone in the holder and used her keycard and entered the room.

Mandy frowned. “Clay?” she asked surprised when she saw Bravo team’s youngest member laying belly up on the table. She had thought the room was empty. Clay had a beer in his hand and a few empty bottles strewn around.

“What are you doing here?” She walked towards the table.

“Waiting to get out.” Clay struggled to get up from the table and landed unsteadily on his feet.

“What?” Mandy was confused. “Are you telling me you’ve been here since your meeting ended?” She didn’t attend the meeting; it wasn’t necessary, but she knew it ended around five. It was now five in the morning.

“Yup.” Clay dragged his hands over his face and shuddered. He felt scruffy and dirty. He needed to get out of this place.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

Clay managed not to snipe at her. “Lost my keycard, and there’s no phone in here.” He bent over, groaning as his stiff muscles refused to fully comply with the position he wanted his body in. He picked up two bottles and moved unsteadily towards the door.

“Think you had enough.” Mandy placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I know.” He stared at the bottles and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. “It’s not beer, Mandy.”

Many frowned and then a light went on. “Oh. Yeah, sorry.” She nodded. Twelve hours stuck in a room with no way out. She understood when he said that wasn’t beer. She moved to the table and picked up the file she came for. “Well, what do you say, let’s get out of here.” She used her card to key them out.

In the hallway, Clay stopped. “Will you do me a favor?”

Mandy smiled. She had a feeling she knew what he wanted. “Not a word to anyone?” She took a guess.

“Yeah, thank you.”

Mandy nodded and then moved down the hallway. “Go and shower, Clay, and get some sleep. See you on Monday,” she called over her shoulder.

“Thank you, again.” Clay made his way over to the team cages and let himself in. He was grateful for the fact that he didn’t need a keycard to get in and the key to his cage was in his jeans pocket. He opened up his area and reached for his phone. He knew he had to let Sonny know he was okay. The man was going to rip him apart for not answering his phone. He wondered how many text messages and missed calls he had.

Clay’s legs gave way and he landed heavily on his hammock. “Nothing.” He glared at his phone if it was possessed by a demon. It was fully charged and had a strong signal. Yet, it showed no missed calls, no text messages. His hand trembled when he reached for the button on the side and powered down his phone. Maybe there was a glitch in the system. He left it off for a few minutes, and switched it on again. Clay managed not to look at the screen as it came to life. He left it next to him on the hammock, but his phone didn’t make a sound.

Clay hung his head. Nothing. No missed calls, no messages. He knew he shouldn’t read anything into it. He wasn’t some neurotic, insecure guy. They got busy, that was all. Clay regarded his phone for another second and then rose to his feet. He needed a shower and grabbed his toiletries before he headed to the bathrooms. He would look for his access card when he got back and then he would get some sleep. The team had a round of golf scheduled for the afternoon. It meant he would get a few hours of shuteye before he would head out to meet them. Clay looked forward to the golf, he had a big wager with Sonny, and he knew he was going to win. Sonny didn’t stand a chance. With that thought, Clay got into the shower and soon forgot about the lack of calls and messages.

--SEAL TEAM--

Clay glared at his watch again. Not even three minutes had passed since the last time he’d checked. And, still the guys hadn’t arrived. Tee off was at 1205 and it was already 1200. It was really strange. He’d checked his phone again. Still no missed calls or text messages. He didn’t want to phone them, still a bit pissed off that none of them had searched for him the night before. Clay knew that he was acting a bit childish, but damn it, it hurt.

By 1300 he finally gave in and made the call. Sonny’s phone rang. Just as he thought the call wouldn’t be answered, the call went through. Except that it wasn’t Sonny’s voice that answered the phone. It was a voice he didn’t recognized and for a moment Clay thought he’d dialed the wrong number. Clay took the phone from his ear and glared at the caller ID. It showed Sonny.

“May I speak to Sonny,” Clay managed to speak up.

“That’s not possible right now,” the voice replied.

“What’s he doing?” Clay frowned.

“Who’s this?” the voice asked.

Clay frowned. His name should appear on the screen. “It’s Clay.”

“Ash’s kid.” The voice became cold.

Clay realized who it was. Junior. He had no reply to the man’s statement. He didn’t want to be known as Ash Spenser’s kid, but at the same time the man was still his father. Clay was about to speak up, when Junior beat him to it.

“Listen, I’ll tell him you called. We’re busy playing a round of golf, and he’s having the best round of his life. I can’t give him the phone now.”

For a moment Clay was left stunned. But even before he could respond, the call was ended. He stared at the phone flabbergasted. Without thinking he scrolled down and found the text that confirmed the arrangements for today. It was at the right place, right time.

“Fuck that.” For a split second he thought of throwing his phone, but that would mean that Jason and Blackburn wouldn’t be able to get a hold of him and he would be in trouble. But then on the other hand, it’s not as if they were looking for him now either. Clay pushed his phone into his pocket and headed home.

--SEAL TEAM--

Clay was holding a pity party for one. He was aware of the fact that he felt sorry for himself, but right at that moment, he didn’t care. It was Saturday evening and he hadn't heard a word from anyone on the team. A text from Brock informed him that his flight was at 1100 tomorrow morning. At this stage, he wasn’t sure if he was going to go and say goodbye.

A knock at his door made him turn his head, but he didn’t get off the couch. Whoever it was could leave. The knock got repeated and Clay ignored it again.

“Spenser!”

It was Sonny’s voice. For a moment Clay wanted to jump up and go and open the door, instead he reached for his phone and turning it on silent. He knew what Sonny would do. The phone was still in his hand when it started to vibrate. Clay continued to look at the screen. Sonny didn’t leave a message. Clay listened intently until he heard Sonny’s footsteps as they moved away from the door. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes, before finally drifting off to sleep.

--SEAL TEAM--

Things were weird at the Base on Sunday morning. The guys gave him strange looks, and didn’t talk much to him. It suited Clay perfectly. He took Cerberus from Brock and went to the obstacle course where he played with the dog. When they were both tired, they sat down. Clay shared his water with Cerberus before both of them lay down on the grass and relaxed.

“You know it’s only for three months.”

Clay opened his eyes and watched as Brock took a seat next to him on the grass. He had no reply so he kept quiet.

“I am a bit jealous,” Brock added with a grin. “Cerberus has never warmed up to any of the guys like he did with you. Yes, he sees all of them as his uncles, and he will protect every one of them should the need arise, but I’m telling you, Clay that if he had to choose between you and any of them, or, even between you and me for that matter, he will choose you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Brock shook his head. “There’s no need for you to be sorry. It makes me realize how special you are. I am proud to call you my brother.”

Clay managed not to snort. He gave a small nod of his head.

Brock rose to his feet. “We need to go.” He snapped his fingers and Cerberus got to his feet. Brock placed him in his harness and attached his lead to his collar.

Clay rose to his feet as well. He opened his mouth but then closed it again.

“Something on your mind, Kid?” Brock frowned. Clay wasn’t himself. He hoped the kid wasn’t coming down with something.

“Nothing.” Clay shook his head and started walking away.

Brock stared after Clay and when Cerberus whined, he gazed down at his K9 partner. “There’s something wrong, Cerb, but I don’t know what. I’ll make sure to tell Trent to keep an eye on him.” He scratched Cerb’s ears and then followed after Clay.

The whole team waited for them at the entrance of the obstacle course. Together they made their way to where the C-17 stood on the runway. It didn’t matter that he was invited by the Special Forces in Germany, there’s no fancy flight available. Instead, a military flight had been deemed good enough.

Brock greeted each of his brothers with a fist bump and a hug. He had to hold Cerberus back when he growled at Junior. The team thought it to be funny, but Brock frowned at the action. It wasn’t something Cerb did often, and when he did, it meant he didn’t trust that person. Unfortunately, he couldn’t dwell on it as he had to get on board.

Clay stood to the side, away from the group and it bothered Brock. He hugged his younger brother hard. “Take care of yourself.” Clay nodded but didn’t respond verbally. Brock pulled away, but halted when Clay placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Clay?”

Clay opened his mouth and closed it yet again. He shook his head. “Nothing. Enjoy it over there.” He smiled.

Brock noticed that the smile didn’t reach Clay’s eyes and it made him uneasy. Before he could inquire, Sonny dragged him by the arm and he got smothered in another hug from the rest of the team.

Before he could ask anyone if they knew what was wrong with their youngest, he had to move deeper into the belly of the airplane as they were ready to take off. He wanted to kick himself for not talking to Trent. Brock made a mental note to text Trent the moment they’d reached altitude. There was something wrong with Clay and he had a feeling the sooner they found out what it was the better.

Once again, he wondered why Clay missed out on joining them on Friday night and for that matter at the golf yesterday. He wanted to call the younger man on Friday, but they started drinking and time passed in a haze. He’d thought they’d see him at the golf, but he didn’t show. Junior told them that he had personally phoned Clay after getting the number from Sonny, to let him know of the change in venue.

Brock had a feeling he should’ve asked Clay today. He wanted to kick himself for not doing that. He fired of a rapid text to Trent and hoped that by the time they’d landed in Germany, things would be sorted out.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Notes:

AN 1: RoboFoxtrot was once again responsible for the beta work on this chapter. Thank you! All remaining mistakes are mine alone.

AN 2: This remaines a WIP and will take a while to complete.

Bravo Team cages: 2 ½ months later

“What the fuck, Spenser!” Jason slammed the kid hard into his cage, ignoring the way Clay grimaced as he continued with his tirade.

“You knew it was a fucking training exercise. Why the fuck did you have your principal firearm with you instead of your training firearm? If Ray dies, I will make sure you rot in hell!” Jason stepped away, moved forward and with all the power he had slammed Clay back against the cage again.

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on with you, but I’ve had it! You’ve been fucking up for the past two months. I’ve, we’ve, given you more than enough time to get your head in the game, but you don’t give a fuck. You’re not worthy of being on Bravo Team. You’re out.” Jason balled his fist and swung it up, but at the last moment he let his hand fall. “You’re not worth it. Clear out your cage. I don’t want to see you here again. Blackburn and Harrington can deal with your ass.” He spun around and stormed to the door where he slammed it shut behind him.

The moment the door slammed shut, Clay fell to his knees. He ignored the blood that dripped from the back of his head, or that it felt as if his brain wanted to seep out of his ears. He ignored how his side throbbed and didn’t even notice the blood that oozed from beneath his t-shirt.

Clay’s whole body shook as he lay on the cold floor. He gasped for air, but his lungs refused to take oxygen in. He could feel himself hyperventilating, but couldn’t give a damn. The only thing he could concentrate on was the fact that Ray was shot. That his team accused him of shooting Ray.

The irritating ringtone of his phone made him gasp for air and he looked up to where his phone was in his cage. He knew he had to get up and answer it, but his body didn’t want to obey. Clay stayed where he was. The phone stopped ringing and then started up again. Clay knew it wouldn’t stop ringing until he answered it. Finally, he managed to get to his feet and stumbled over to his holding area.

He struggled to retrieve the key out of his pants, but eventually he managed to unlock the cage door and answered the phone.

“Sir.” His voice sounded strange to his own ears. Clay sunk down the inside of his cage. He lowered his head onto his one arm while still holding his phone in his other hand. Every word spoken over the phone pierced his heart. He tried to speak up a time or two, but in no uncertain terms was told to shut up. Not that it would’ve helped, he’d stopped trying to speak up more than a month ago. No one listened. They only blamed.

The captain made things very simple for him. He was on suspension until NCIS concluded their investigation. There would also be an internal investigation into his conduct. Until the conclusion of both investigations, he was barred from the base. It was made clear to him that he should have no contact with any member of Bravo team, their support team, or any member of Alpha, or their support team. Harrington would contact him if anything else needed to be said. The call ended and it left Clay with silence.

Clay had no idea on how long he stayed on the floor until he rose to his feet. He moved on autopilot as he packed up his cage and got rid of the pieces of gear he still had on. Clay pulled his t-shirt over his head and donned a clean one, before he bundled the clothes up, and tossed them in a bag. He didn’t even notice the blood stains on it and he continued to ignore his aching side and head. Nor did he notice the droplets of blood that now decorated his cage. When Clay was packed up, he looked around the team area for a moment. He was going to miss the team and he would never regret a moment being with them.

Clay was grateful for the fact that he managed to load his stuff into his car without meeting anyone he knew. He wouldn’t have been able to face anyone right now. Clay got into his car and drove to the security checkpoint. There they took his credentials away from him, and by the sneer on the guard’s face, Clay knew the man was aware of what had happened. As he drove off base, he couldn’t help but look back in his rearview mirror. It broke his heart. The only place he called home was now off limits to him. He would never set foot on it again.

--SEAL TEAM--

When Clay stopped in front of his apartment complex, he knew that he wouldn’t be staying there anymore. The Alpha and Bravo teams were a close-knit family, and he couldn’t see that Derek would want him around. With his mind made up, Clay left all the stuff from his cage in the car and headed up the flights of stairs with only his keys. He sighed a sigh of relief when he managed to get into his place without seeing a familiar face.

Clay stood still and looked around. He smiled at the memory of him and Stella when they first came and checked the place out. The estate agent thinking that they were married and how for a moment Clay thought how good that would be. But it didn’t work out, and now after a year he finally saw that they weren’t meant to be together and he’d made peace with it.

Now he had something else he had to make peace with. Something that he never thought would ever happen. Clay moved around in the apartment as he gathered clothes and shoes. A photo of him and the team made his legs go weak and he sat down heavily on the couch.

The last two months had been hell. In the beginning he sucked it up, took the ribbing, which turned physical from Meddings. He had sustained more bruises in a single hand to hand training session with Meddings, than what he did with Sonny over half a year. Meddings, sorry, Master Chief Meddings, insisted that Clay addressed him with his rank. The rest of the team thought it was funny. It was one of the first instances that Clay realized, Meddings planned on making his life hell. Unfortunately, Clay had no idea why. He’d even asked Meddings once what the problem was, but the man ignored him flat out.

Things had started to go wrong and he got blamed. He had tried to speak up, tried to tell his brothers that it wasn’t him, that he wouldn’t do things like that. That he knew better, but it was as if they’d gone hard of hearing. Things that he packed away disappeared, or damaged when taken out.

In one incident, Sonny had found his lucky hat in Clay’s cage after Clay had told him he didn’t take it. It didn’t matter how many times Clay said he had no idea where it came from, Sonny didn’t believe him and had been furious. Ray and Trent had to hold Sonny back when he wanted to beat Clay to a pulp.

Clay went to Ray’s home to talk to the man after he’d realized that Meddings was trying to make his life hell. Ray had told him he had to man up, that Meddings wasn’t bad; he had a different style of leadership that Clay had to get used to. He didn’t try and get Ray to understand, merely nodded and said he would try. Ray had slapped him on the shoulder and that was the end of that conversation.

Trent started missing medical supplies, but then they would turn up in Clay’s bag or cage. Their medic had even forced him to take a drug test to make sure he was clean. He’d thought that Trent would at least listen to him, but he hadn’t. Instead, when Clay tried to approach him to help tape up a sprained ankle after a one on one training session with Meddings, the medic told him to stop pretending and that he wasn’t hurt. That night Clay got drunk alone. The next day he had to run the obstacle course with full gear as punishment for being hungover, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He’d tried to talk to Jason, but could never find the man alone. It was as if Meddings was attached to Jason’s hip. Clay had started to ignore orders from Jason in the hope that Jason would take him on and demand from him what the hell was going on, but instead, Meddings told Jason he’ll take care of it and Jason nodded before he walked away.

It became unbearable and he started to worry that they would sideline him for missions, but that never happened. In fact, it was as if the missions were the only times things went smoothly, almost perfectly.

Clay knew the reason why as well. He teamed up with Sonny and even though his best friend had grown hostile towards him, the big Texan still had his back. Clay from his side, made sure that he always had Sonny’s back, as well as the rest of his brothers.

But it turned out he was wrong. Clay stared down at his hands. They were still tainted red with Ray’s blood. He’d tried to scrub it off, but it stayed pink. Clay closed his eyes for a moment but they snapped open. Now was not the time to think of what had happened. He got to his feet and gasped as the pain in his side made itself known. Clay pressed his hand against his side, but didn’t even bother to look down. Clay knew that if he looked, he would find a variety of bruises across his chest, sides and abdomen. There was nothing he could do about it. It would heal on its own. All the other bruises he sustained at Meddings hands healed.

Clay grabbed the last of the clothes he wanted, stuffed everything into a bag and left his apartment. He would keep the key until the finalization of the investigations and then he would hand it in. Thinking of the investigations made him grimace and gave him hope at the same time. He knew the internal investigation would find him guilty on something. Even if it was because his father was Ash Spenser.

Clay held more hope for the NCIS investigation. He would tell his side of the story, hopefully the agents would listen to him. Maybe even find evidence that proved his version of events. And Ray would back him up. But with the way things had gone, he couldn’t help but doubt if that would happen. If Ray would have his back. If NCIS cleared him, maybe his team would then believe him. But what if they didn’t?

Clay knew that the possibility was great that it might happen. He’d never reported anything that had happened. When he first realized that his own team didn’t believe him, he realized, if he took things higher, they would see him as a snitch or something even worse. His team would no longer trust him. The thing is, his team no longer trusted him in any case, and now they believed he was the one who shot Ray. He didn’t, he wouldn’t. His training firearm had the blank rounds as required; he’d loaded them himself last night. His main Glock was with him in his cage as he’d slept there. He’d taken both weapons, with the rest of his gear, to the practice area where they would run through a training exercise.

They were divided into pairs. He and Ray had partnered up. Clay loved working with Ray, the calm man always brought more insight to the training exercises. They would discuss the many scenarios before executing the best option. In nine out of ten times, they won. This time was supposed to be no different. And yet, something happened. His Glock was used to shoot Ray, and his training firearm was missing.

Clay dragged his hand over his hair. He winced when his head ached as he brushed over it. He looked at his hand, saw the red on it, but it didn’t sink in. Instead, he wiped his bloody palm off on the leg of his trousers and forgot about the blood.

He tried to remember what had happened next, but he kept on coming up blank. He’d heard the shot, it sounded wrong. He felt a sort of thump to his left side and at the same time Ray fell. He’d launched forward to make sure Ray didn’t hit his head on a piece of furniture used as a prompt in the room. But then things went dark around him and when he came to, the first thing he saw, was Ray on the ground. Unconscious, with blood oozing from beneath his tactical vest. He was aware that he yelled, that he called out cease fire and man down. He’d gotten himself next to Ray, tried to stem the bleeding, while at the same time screamed for Trent, screamed for Ray to hold on. Then the team was there and Clay thought things would be all right. He was wrong. Clay closed his eyes and shook his head as got into the Mustang. He didn’t look back as he drove out of the parking lot. It seemed like that part of his life was over.

--SEAL TEAM--

Clay looked up as he parked his car in the parking bay furthest away from the entrance. His eye caught the time on his watch. It was almost two in the morning. The hospital parking lot was empty. He knew he was taking a chance in coming here, but he had to find out if Ray was okay. Clay looked around the empty parking lot. None of the cars he spotted were familiar, but that didn’t mean that the team wouldn’t be here.

Clay slowly got out of his car. He swayed on his feet as he stood up, but he shook the dizziness off, and made his way over to the hospital entrance. His head throbbed with each step he took. His vision blurred, in fact, it had been blurry since he opened his eyes and saw Ray down. But at that stage, it didn’t matter, it still didn’t matter. He’d gotten used to it, hell he drove around in his car with the blurred vision. He was a SEAL and a bit of blurry vision wasn’t going to slow him down. Except that he wasn’t. He wasn’t a SEAL anymore, not if the brass had their say about it. Clay knew what Jason thought about it. The team’s attitude would be the same.

His side ached in tandem with his head and he placed his hand over it. It felt warm to the touch and although he felt it, it didn’t register. He squared his shoulders and finally made his way into the hospital. It was quiet and for a moment he was grateful that the Base hospital closed down for renovations. All the patients were treated at the local hospital, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to see Ray at all.

Without being noticed, he made his way to the large board that indicated which patients were admitted to which ward. Clay was thankful that he knew where the board was located as he dated a nurse for a few months and she showed him the board once. It was how the nursing staff knew where their patients were when the computer system crashed. It was color coded. Each color represented a ward.

Clay found Ray’s name. He was on the second floor. Surgical wing. Clay ducked around the corner when he heard footsteps coming his way. He stayed hidden until they disappeared before he moved from his hiding spot. He reached the elevator unseen, but decided against taking it. He didn’t want to alert the nursing staff that someone was on the floor should the elevator ding when it stopped.

Clay spotted the stairs to the side and made his way over. This was a risky move. Medical personnel tended to use the stairs more, it was quicker. He could only hope that because it was so late, he wouldn’t come across someone.

Luck was on his side as he made his way to the second floor. The door to the stairs opened up right across from the nurses’ station. It was empty and he snuck across the passage. He had to squint to see, but he found Ray’s room number, and made his way over to the room.

Except for Ray, the room was empty and Clay stayed in the doorway, not daring to go any closer. He knew he didn’t have much time. There was a recliner next to Ray’s bed and by the bundled-up blanket, he knew Naima was close by. She most likely went to the bathroom or to get some coffee. She would have unlimited access to Ray’s room, not only because she was his wife, but she was a nurse at the same hospital.

Clay took a closer look at Ray. He had a nasal cannula for oxygen. A pulse oximeter on his finger with different monitors hooked up behind him. His face was lax and Clay knew he wasn’t in pain. He wished he knew what the damage was, but at least he knew Ray was still alive.

Clay moved back but stopped when a voice spoke up behind him.

“Came to finish the job?”

Clay lowered his head. Naima’s voice dripped with anger. He slowly turned around, but found himself unable to look her in the eye. “I’m sorry,” he managed to mumble.

“Sorry? Sorry?”

Naima pushed hard at him and Clay stumbled backwards. He didn’t lift a hand to stop her.

“You nearly killed my husband, the father to my children, and the only thing you can say is, sorry?”

Clay tried to speak up, but she beat him to the punch.

“I don’t know why you’re here, Clay, but you’re not welcome. Get out. Get out and don’t come near us again. If you don’t leave now, I will call security. I will call Jason.”

Clay nodded, took a last look at Ray and then silently left the room. When she called his name, he turned around.

“I will never forgive you for what you’ve done, Clay. You’re worse than your father.”

Clay stared at her and then turned back. The words stung and it robbed him of his breath, but he managed to keep to his feet as he made his way back down the stairs, and into his car.

--SEAL TEAM--

Lisa glared down at her phone with a scowl. She’d been trying to get hold of Clay since the shit hit the fan. She needed to know if he was okay. Clay might have shot Ray, but it was an accident. Not for one moment did she think it was deliberate. Although, she couldn’t help wonder why he had his main Glock with him, instead of his training firearm. It was something that she didn’t understand. Clay was very particular with something like that. Something wasn’t adding up and if she could only get a hold of him and talk to him.

She wished she could ask one of the team if they’d had any contact with Clay, but she was raving mad with all of them. They had all turned on Clay, accusing him of wanting to kill Ray. It took Trent, Full Metal and Derek to pin Sonny down when he wanted to go and kill Clay with his bare hands. Jason didn’t even try to stop Sonny, he just stood there.

When she tried to ask them what the hell was wrong with them, they’d told her to get out, that she wasn’t welcome if she took Clay’s side. She didn’t even attempt to explain, but left the room immediately. She was so disappointed in them, and not only in Bravo team, but also in Blackburn. Not even the Lieutenant-Commander had tried backup Clay.

“Call me back, or send me a text if you get this message, Clay. I only want to know if you’re okay, please.” Lisa left the message and ended the call. She rose to her feet, took her keys and headed out the door. She had gone to Clay’s apartment twice, but struck out both times. She’d spoken to Trish, but Derek’s wife said she hadn’t heard or seen any sign of life coming from Clay’s apartment. Lisa had no idea where else the young man could be.

“Please be all right,” Lisa whispered to herself as she got into her car and drove back to Clay’s apartment.

--SEAL TEAM--

Clay heard the phone next to him on the seat. It was Davis’ ringtone, but he ignored it. Just like he ignored it the previous times it rang. He didn’t want to talk to her, he didn’t want to hear how she accused him of wanting to kill Ray or how she wanted to make sure he never came back.

Clay tightened the grip he had on the steering wheel as he sat at the red traffic light and waited for it to turn green. He had no idea where he was, and he couldn’t care. The light flicked over and he pulled away.

The only thing he heard was the air horn before something slammed into the driver’s side of the Mustang. Clay felt it as the car got lifted in the air, he felt when it rolled and rolled again. He felt the pain as he got tossed like a rag doll inside of his own car and as the car landed, it skidded off the road and slammed into a lamp post. He felt the car bent around the pole as it finally came to a halt. Not being able to go anywhere else, Clay’s world darkened around him and it became quiet.

--SEAL TEAM--

Naval Base: 2 days later

Lisa lowered her head and cursed silently. She had learned that Clay had gone AWOL. No one knew what had happened to him, he’d disappeared into thin air. His phone didn’t even ring anymore; it was dead. She’d tried to ping his phone, but with no luck. The fact that he was missing made the rest of the base believe in his guilt. Lisa had found out quickly that she was one of very few people who was of the opinion that there had to be another explanation. Unfortunately, none of those people were Clay’s brothers.

She wished Ray would wake up. He was the only one who’d be able to say what had happened during the exercise. But he’d developed an infection and was still unconscious. Still, the doctors were optimistic that he would make a full recovery.

Sonny had gone ballistic when Naima told them that Clay had shown up at Ray’s hospital room. It was the last time anyone had seen him. The brass went as far as to place an MP in front of Ray’s room. That had angered her so much that she wanted to kill someone with her bare hands. When Sonny had asked her what was wrong, she glared at him as if he was from another planet. She’d only told him that if he didn’t know, there was no reason for her to try and explain. She’d not spoken to him, or for that matter, to any of the others since then.

Her phoned buzzed and she grabbed it without looking at the screen. “Clay?” she asked breathlessly.

“No, it’s Brock.”

Lisa’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, sorry,” she replied disappointed.

“Are you all right?” For that matter, what is going on there?”

Lisa took a deep breath. She had a feeling that between everything that happened, no one even thought of getting a hold of Brock to tell him. “I’m sorry. Things have been hectic on this side.”

“Has Bravo spun up? That the reason why I can’t get hold of them? Or are they in trouble?”

A sob escaped from her lips. Lisa had no idea where the tears came from. Never before had she lost control over her emotions.

“Lisa?” Brock sounded confused.

“Sorry, it’s been a hell of a couple of days,” she sniffed as she answered. She took a deep breath. “There’s a lot of things I need to tell you.”

“Everyone all right?”

“No.” Lisa shook her head even if Brock couldn’t see her. “I need you to listen and please don’t interrupt until I’m done. Please.”

“I’ll try my best. What’s going on, Davis?”

With a stuttering breath, she managed to tell Brock everything that had happened. Silence greeted her from the other side of the phone. “Brock?”

“Fuck.”

For a moment she wondered if Brock was going to start spewing hate towards Clay as well. She was ready not only to defend Spenser, but also to end the call. She had enough of everyone blaming Clay without hearing his side of the story. But then Brock surprised her.

“Is Ray going to be all right? And what about Clay, how is he holding up?”

His words made her sob again. For the first time someone asked how Clay was doing. It broke her heart. “Ray is going to be fine, but Clay.” Lisa swallowed. “He went AWOL. I’ve got no idea where he is.”

“Shit. What does Jason say? Are they looking for him?”

Lisa snorted. She couldn’t keep the venom out of her voice as she told Brock what the team did and how they treated Clay.

“Then I’m glad I’m coming home, it seems I need to let Cerberus loose on a few people.”

“What? Aren’t you supposed to be coming home only in a week’s time?” Lisa picked up her diary and paged through it.

“Yeah, but we wrapped up things earlier than expected. Since both myself and Cerb are homesick, we’ve decided to come back sooner.”

“When are you landing?” She had no doubt that he would be on a military flight.

“I was getting on a flight tomorrow, but after what you told me I’ll be on the next priority flight that leaves in a couple of hours. I’ll be on base by tonight.”

Lisa’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I’ll wait for you on base.”

“We’ll sort this out.”

She ended the call and smiled. Finally, she had someone with her in Clay’s corner. Now she only had to find the wayward SEAL.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Notes:

AN 1: Thank you to RoboFoxtrot for all of your assistance in shaping this chapter into something readable!

AN 2: To sailormade, thank you for answering some of my medical questions.

AN 3: All remaining mistakes, medical and otherwise remains mine.

Doctor Alex Goodwin gazed up from the chart he had in his hands to the patient in the bed. John Doe, aged mid to late twenties. The young man who was in a coma, had been brought in two days ago unconscious, with severe injuries. It included a compound fracture of the femur, combined with a displaced fracture of the tibia in the left leg. He’d sustained a fractured pelvis; internal bleeding with injuries to his spleen, liver and right kidney. The radius and ulna bones of the right arm fractured, combined with a dislocated right shoulder. And that was still not the end of things.

He’d suffered an epidural hematoma. They had to do a trepanation to release the pressured blood buildup inside the skull, but even with that done, the intracranial pressure still increased. They were fearing possible brain damage. But that was something that they would only be able to determine once he came out of his coma. If he ever did.

The young man had also sustained deep third degree burns on his right leg before he was pulled from the wreckage. Unfortunately, the car exploded shortly thereafter and they were still awaiting the police to get back to them on a possible name for their patient.

More disturbing, was the number of bruises on his body that weren’t sustained in the collision, ranging from being a day old to at least two weeks, and some even older. Someone had used this young man as a punching bag over an extended period of time, but he had no idea why.

He had contacted the police after surgery, when what initially appeared to be a puncture wound, turned out to be a GSW. A GSW that was not sustained in the accident, and had definitely not been treated. The bullet was lodged against the seventh rib on the left. He had managed to retrieve it and had made sure to keep it for the police. The wound had already become infected and with the shock the young man now suffered, the infection and fever might be the cause of death, if none of the other injuries ended his life first.

From the numerous other scars, including at least two other GSW scars and three knife scars, Alex knew that the young man either lived a life of crime, or he was in the police or military. The problem was, his hairstyle and beard were not in line with either police or military requirements, unless he worked undercover or special forces. His bet was on the last, they were in Virginia with a large presence of Navy personnel all around them.

He turned when the door to the ICU room opened. He smiled as Nurse Blunt entered the room. “Everything arranged?”

“Yes, Doctor. The medivac helicopter will be here in an hour’s time. I’ve spoken to Washington State, they’ll be ready for our patient on the other side.” Emily sighed. “But there’s something else as well.”

Alex frowned. “You look worried.”

Emily nodded. “There are two agents here from NCIS, they want to talk to you.”

“They identified our John Doe?”

She shrugged. “They’re not the forthcoming type. Just showed their credentials and asked to speak to you.”

He nodded. “Let me go and speak to them. Please make sure he’s ready for the flight. Also, I’ve changed his fever reducer dosage, please administer that now. Call me if you need me.” With a smile he left her with their patient and made his way to his office where he knew Emily would’ve left them.

--SEAL TEAM--

The two agents rose to their feet when Goodwin entered the office. After introductions were made and everyone sat down again, the doctor spoke up first. “What can I do for you, agents?”

Agent Carville took out a photo and handed it to him. “Is this your patient?”

“Navy.” Alex nodded as he gazed at the photo of the young man in full uniform. He didn’t say it out loud, but he had identified his patient as a SEAL. It explained the beard, longish hair and scars. “It’s him.” He looked up. “What’s his name?”

“Petty Officer Clay Spenser.”

“Clay Spenser.” The doctor smiled. “We’ve all tried to guess, but as far as I know, no one guessed Clay.”

The two agents looked at one another. Carville spoke up again. “What’s his prognosis?”

Alex shook his head. “I can’t say. At this stage it doesn’t look good. That’s the main reason why we’re transferring him to Washington State Hospital. There he can receive the best medical care possible, but since I now know he’s Navy, I’ll inform Washington State, and if they’re of the opinion that he is stable enough, they might transfer him to Bethesda Naval Hospital.”

“We’ll be taking custody of him.”

Alex frowned. “I know it’s got nothing to do with me, but why? And what do you mean, taking custody of him? If you’re thinking of placing him in cuffs, or even cuffing him to the bed, then I’ve got to tell you, agents, I will not allow that. He’s not going anywhere. He’s in a coma, he’s not a threat to anyone.”

Carville raised his hand. “We understand, but he went AWOL and he’s wanted in connection with the attempted murder of a fellow teammate.”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. “What does it have to do with NCIS if he’s gone AWOL, and maybe he acted in self-defense?” Something inside of him wanted to make sure he protected this young man from what the agents told him. He didn’t know the young man at all, but the kid brought out the protector inside of him to life.

Carville frowned. “You don’t know what transpired, nor do you know Spenser, why would you even suggest that he acted in self-defense?”

Alex cocked his head. “You haven’t spoken to the police?” He sighed when both men shook their heads. He reached into the drawer and took out a small sample bottle. “Because of this.” He placed it on the desk.

Carville picked it up. “Where did you get it?”

“The correct question should be where did I retrieved it from? The answer – from inside Clay Spenser’s body. It was lodged against the seventh rib where I had to dig it out. We didn’t even know it was a GSW, as it presented as a puncture wound he’d sustained in the accident. It had not been treated, and the infection caused by that is one of the reason’s we’re not sure if he’s going to survive.”

“Can you estimate how old it is?”

Alex cocked his head. “I can’t tell you exactly when he sustained the GSW, but if you’re asking me if it’s an old wound, then no. That wound was still actively bleeding, it couldn’t have been more than twenty-four hours before the crash that he was shot, of that I’m pretty sure.”

Carville looked at the tiny piece of lead in the sample bottle and then at his partner. “I have a feeling we have a few extra questions to ask.” He turned his attention back to the doctor on the other side of the desk.

“We will need a statement from you.”

“No problem.” Alex settled in his chair. “I can give it to you now if you want. I can also get you a copy of Spenser’s file. I know that’s not routine, and I don’t have his permission, but that young man has been put through the wringer even before he’d been shot and I’ve treated a few SEALs in my time, none of them looked like him.”

Carville frowned. “What do you mean?” Carville refrained from asking how the doctor knew that Spenser was a SEAL.

“In short – Clay Spenser was used as someone’s punching bag. What I can’t understand, is why didn’t he, or for that matter, anyone in his team speak up, unless they’re responsible for his condition. And then, Agents, you’ve got a huge problem on your hands, because then an elite team who's supposed to protect our country is physically abusing one of their own. Before you say it could’ve been because of training, there’s no defensive bruises on him, no bruised knuckles to indicate that he fought back. If he was a child, Agent Carville, I wouldn’t have hesitated one moment to call child services. I don’t know in which unit Spenser is, but there’s something going on that you need to figure out. I don’t know this young man, and in all honesty, I may never get to know him, but I have a feeling he either shot his team mate in self-defense, or someone else is to blame for this whole thing. But what I do hope is that you get to the bottom of this and soon.”

Carville got to his feet. The sample bottle in his hand. “My partner will take down your statement, I’ve got a few things to follow up on.” He nodded and exited the office.

--SEAL TEAM--

NCIS OFFICES: Hours later

Carville made his way down to the basement where their forensic expert had her lab. Abby was a Goth, weird in all things, but still brilliant. If there was one person who’d be able to assist him, it was her.

He knew he was in her domain when the elevator lift opened up and the first thing he felt was the bass of the music as it vibrated off the walls. For a moment he cringed before taking a deep breath as the electronic doors swished up and stepped in.

Abigail Sciuto stood with her back to him as she danced to the rhythm of the beat, while at the same time her fingers rolled over the keyboard in front of her. He stepped deeper into the lab and thought of a way in to get her attention, while at the same time not to cause her to jump in fright. He then remembered what Agent Gibbs did, and he walked to the wall, and pulled the plug from the socket. It had the required effect. The Goth immediately turned. Before she could scold him, he spoke up.

“I need your help.” He held up the plastic cup with the mangled piece of lead in it, and in the other hand, the confiscated Glock from Petty Officer Clay Spenser.

Abby glared at the agent and then sighed. “You always bring me interesting cases, Agent Carville.” She made grabby hands and took the items from him. She lifted an eyebrow when he didn’t move.

“Chain of custody papers?”

“Yeah, of course.” He grinned as he pulled the paper from his jacket pocket and watched as she signed for the two evidence bags.

“What do you want to know?”

“Did this slug come out of this weapon?”

Abby picked up the bottle and shook it slightly. “Badly damaged, but I can check for you.”

“Thank you.” He smiled.

She nodded. “What’s the case about?”

“SEAL shooting his team mate during a training exercise.”

Abby frowned at the information. “A trained SEAL?” She shook his head. “He was then either very stupid or it was intentional.”

Carville shrugged.

She cocked her head. “What aren’t you telling me, Agent Carville?”

“Richard.”

Abby smiled. “Richard. I’ll remember.” He was cute. “So?”

“It’s all confusing at this stage, and I’ve got a feeling that if you prove my theory right, then it’s going to become more confusing than what it already is.”

“Awesome. I like confusing. No, scrap that, I love confusing. Want to tell me more?”

Richard shook his head. “Let me keep you in suspense. I need to do a few follow up questions, and if you tell me what I want to hear, I’ll fill you in on the rest.”

“Deal.” Abby reached out and shook his hand.

Richard smiled at her again before he left. He had a group of SEALs to find and some questions to ask. He hated that Senior Chief Perry was still unconscious, it was the only man who could clear everything up. But they couldn’t wait for him to wake up, they – he had a job to do and one he always did well.

--SEAL TEAM--

Same evening – Base Airfield: 2230

Lisa didn’t give a damn who saw her, but the moment Brock and Cerberus stood before her, she went on her toes and hugged the dark headed man hard. She sighed as he returned the hug and appreciated it when he didn’t let go for a long time.

“Any news on Clay? And how is Ray doing?” Brock asked as Davis stepped back.

“Ray is still in hospital. Surgery went well, but he hasn’t regained consciousness. As for Clay.” She shook her head. “No news, his phone is still off.” She swallowed. “I’ve started phoning hospitals.” She lowered her head. “I couldn’t bring myself to phone the morgues.”

“He’s not dead.” Brock lifted her head and waited until she looked him in the eyes. “Clay’s not dead.”

Lisa nodded. She took a deep breath. “You’re right, he’s not dead.”

“Good. Now, let’s get going, I know I’m starving and I know Cerberus as well. Let’s get something to eat and then we can start looking for Clay together.”

She nodded again. When Brock started to walk away, she grabbed hold of his arm.

“Thank you,” she spoke up when he looked at her.

Brock nodded. “Let’s find him so that I can knock some sense into my brothers.” He still was unsure what transpired in the almost three months of him being away, and couldn’t understand that he’d missed everything. None of the others said a word, and Clay, well, it seemed the kid had become an expert in hiding stuff. That was going to stop the moment he got hold of him. Between him and Lisa and Cerberus they would get to the bottom of this mess.

--SEAL TEAM--

Carville looked at his phone screen and with a grin he answered the call. “You’ve got something for me?”

“The slug is pretty badly damaged, but I managed to get enough identifying marks on it to tell you, yes, it had been fired from that Glock.”

Richard closed his eyes. Abigail Sciuto made his hunch a reality. He needed to get back to the scene where the training exercise took place. It was almost midnight. Abby really did an amazing job getting the results to him so quickly.

“If I come and pick you up, will you go to the scene with me?” He asked quickly and held his breath.

“Do you know how late it is, Agent Carville?”

“Richard. And yes, I do. But it’s important.” He listened as he heard her moving around and could picture her pacing the lab.

“I’ll be waiting at security for you. But you better tell me everything.”

Richard grinned from ear to ear. “See you in forty minutes.” He ended the call, picked up his notes and dialed a number he was told would give him what he wanted, when he wanted. When the call was answered, he got straight to the point.

“Petty Officer Davis? Agent Carville, I need access to the training house Bravo team used for their exercise. And I need it immediately.”

For a moment the Petty Officer sounded confused, but she quickly responded and he arranged to meet her in an hour and a half. It didn’t even bother him that it would be in the early hours of the morning, he had a case to solve and the sooner he did it, the better.

--SEAL TEAM--

“Everything okay?” Brock asked as Lisa ended the call.

“Yeah.” She looked at him. “It was the NCIS agent. He wants to see the training house.”

Brock frowned. “This time of the night? He does realize he’s not going to see much? I mean that thing gets either blown or shot up on a daily basis.”

Lisa nodded. “But, the section of the house they used was redone the day before and it was cordoned off by NCIS until they’ve done with their investigations. They have a good possibility of finding something, I’m not sure what that might be.”

Brock cocked his head. “That’s unfair.” He simulates a pout. “In all the years I’ve been on Bravo that house has never been redone. Now I’m gone for three months and it gets a makeover.”

Brock’s remark brought a smile to Lisa’s face. “You do realize that it’s only the dry walls that they replaced. Nothing else.”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s still unfair.” He got to his feet. Cerberus lifted his head, huffed at him and lowered his head back onto his paws. “Will this agent tell you if they found Clay?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him much since the first time he was here. He did interview the team, spoke to Blackburn and Harrington. Had a quick look at the training house and left again.”

Brock nodded. “Something must’ve happened for him to want to have a look again at almost two in the morning.”

“But is it good?” Lisa rose to her own feet. “You coming with?” She had to meet the agent at the gate and escort him to the training field.

Brock hummed in agreement. “I want to hear what he has to say.” He clicked his fingers and Cerberus glared at him before the dog got up.

“I know, buddy. It’s been a long day and an even longer night, but Clay needs us.” He scratched the dog’s ears.

The three of them exited the building and made their way over to the security point. They didn’t have to wait long before the dark colored sedan arrived at the gate. It went through security and when the agent got out of the car, Lisa introduced Brock and also Cerberus to Agent Carville. A petite black-haired woman got out of the car as well and stood to the side. Lisa smiled at her and watched the two men before her.

The two men stared at one another and then Brock stepped closer and hugged the agent hard. “It’s been far too long.”

Lisa frowned. “You know one another?”

Brock grinned. “Richard dated my sister many moons ago.”

“And I still want to kick myself for letting her go,” Richard responded. “You’re looking good, Brock.” He slapped the man on the back. “You finally fulfilled your dream if you hang around here.”

“I did.” Brock became serious. “You need to know, it’s my team you’re investigating.”

Richard frowned. “I didn’t come across your name.”

“I only came back from Germany a few hours back. Davis filled me in on what had happened.”

Richard nodded. “I’ll have to do an interview with you as well, and technically, you’re not supposed to be here, but I would love to have your input on things here.”

“No problem.” Brock stared at a man he once regarded as a friend. “Spenser didn’t do it.”

Richard cocked his head and then nodded. He turned to the petty officer. “I found Spenser.”

“What? Where? Is he all right?” she bombarded him with questions.

“He didn’t go AWOL.” He ignored the rest of her questions for now. He noticed the way her shoulders sagged with relief.

“Where is he?” Brock repeated Lisa’s question.

Richard sighed. “Let me take a look at the training house first and then I’ll tell you what I can. I need to see it for myself.” He slapped himself on the forehead. “Sorry, I also forgot my manners.”

He turned and indicated to the woman who came closer. “This is Abigail Sciuto. NCIS’ top forensics analyst. I asked her to come with me because she can interpret a crime scene better than any other analyst that I know, and she’s got some amazing gadgets she plays with.”

Richard introduced her to both Davis and Brock and they all laughed when Cerberus wiggled himself between Brock and Abby to get her attention. After that, the four humans and one dog made their way across the base and proceeded to the training grounds to the house that Bravo used for their disastrous training exercise.

--SEAL TEAM--

The first thing Abby smelled was gun powder. It hung heavy in the air and it even made her sneeze. The four of them walked through the house as Petty Officer Davis explained to them what the exercise entailed.

“The team was divided into pairs?” she asked as she stood at the place where the incident took place.

“Yes. Spenser paired up with Perry. Hayes was with Junior, while Sawyer and Quinn were together.” Lisa supplied the information.

“What was the purpose of the exercise?”

“They were practicing a standard take down procedure of multiple targets in a single-story dwelling.”

“They practice this often?” Richard asked the question.

“At least once a week if we’re not on a mission or deployed,” Brock responded. He stared down at the concrete floor. The blood stains appeared brown. He shuddered at the thought that it was Ray’s blood.

“Each scenario exactly the same?”

“No.” Brock shook his head. “Every scenario is a mixed bag. Even each practice round is different. We practice these kinds of scenarios at least five times in a row on a single day. For example, in this room we might have two operators, and two targets with a hostage, the next round it might be two operators, three targets and two hostages. We don’t keep things the same, we need to stay alert all the time. You can’t go in and expect things to be the same every time, that’s not how things will work in the real world.”

Abby hunkered next to the blood stain. “Senior Chief Perry was hit on the right side?” She’d finally gotten all the information from Carville on the way over to the base. She hasn’t said anything out loud, but there was something hinky going on.

“Yes.”

“Do you know where Petty Officer Spenser was when he called out for help?”

“From what I could gather he was right next to Ray, putting pressure on the wound.”

“And the firearm?” Abby looked at Richard.

Lisa shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. I know it was Clay’s primary Glock.”

Abby came to her feet. She turned to the SEAL. “Some teams personalize their weapons, like a colored grip or the bud being a different color than the standard matt black or silver of the rest of the firearm. What about Spenser, did he do something like that?”

“All of our side arms and rifles are marked with the Bravo team insignia.” He rolled up his sleeve and showed her the small tattoo on the inside of his left forearm. “Too that, Clay’s Glock bud is a fluorescent green. His training pistol has no green bud.”

Abby nodded. The Glock Richard brought to her had a florescent green bud. “Anyone else in the team using the same color on the bud?”

“No.”

She moved to the drywall at the side where the bullet should have ended up if it was a through-and-through. There were a few dents in the wall, some black spots, but no projectile itself. She looked around but found nothing. Her eye caught the camera in the corner and Abby frowned. Why were they struggling to put all the pieces of the puzzle together if there was footage.

“Where’s the footage?” She indicated to the camera but at the same time she retrieved her laptop from her bag and sat down on the floor. She wanted to run a program on her computer which would cover all the possible angles from where the shot could’ve been fired from to where the projectile would’ve landed up afterwards.

Lisa groaned. “When the crew did the last repairs on the house the day before, they managed to damage the wiring. It didn’t work.”

“Only to this camera?” Abby asked as she typed away.

“No, all of them.”

Richard frowned. “Is it standard procedure to continue with a training exercise if the cameras are out of order?”

“Yes. Especially since body cams are more readily used these days.”

“They had body cams?” Richard wondered why this information wasn’t shared with him from the beginning.

Abby raised her head at the question.

Lisa sighed. “No.” Her eyes lingered on Brock. “It was misplaced.”

Brock cocked his head. “Clay?” It didn’t make sense to him. It was something that Lisa normally took care of.

“Explain,” Richard urged them on.

Lisa once again looked at Brock before she spoke up. “The body cams are not stored with the rest of the gear. They are kept separate due to the fact that these oafs have the tendency to throw body armor on the floor when they undress. That led to the body cams being damaged. Now it's changed. Body cams are removed directly after a mission or an exercise, and one team member is responsible for packing them away.”

“Spenser’s job?”

“Not usually,” Brock spoke up first. “When did that change?”

“Whose job was it normally?”

Lisa stared at the two men. “It was my job,” she answered the agent’s question first. “It changed about a month and a half back, I would say.”

“Why?” both men asked simultaneously.

“As punishment.” Lisa bowed her head.

“What?” Brock frowned. “Punishment for what?”

“For disobeying an order from Meddings.” Lisa sighed. “Junior does not like Clay, although if you ask any of the guys, they would deny it, but it was clear. And you know Clay, he doesn’t keep quiet, but then Junior started pulling rank and told Clay that he was insubordinate. That ruffled Clay’s feathers even more, but when he tried to complain about it, both Jason and Ray told him that Junior was a Master Chief and that any orders he gave Clay should be obeyed in the same way he obeyed their orders.” Lisa threw her hands in the air. “He even insisted on Clay addressing him on his rank. The guys thought it was a hoot, and didn’t see how negatively it impacted Clay.”

Richard lifted his hand. “There’s something more going on in this unit than this attempted murder. Unfortunately, from what I hear, it falls beyond the scope of my investigation, but this needs to be brought under the attention of the higher ups.” But Davis’ words reminded him of what Doctor Goodwin told them about the numerous bruises on Spenser’s body.

Brock nodded, but by the look on Davis’ face, he knew there was more. He made a note to ask her to tell him everything. Richard was right, there was something going on in Bravo team and whatever it was, it wasn’t good. It had torn his family of brothers apart, but it seemed that none of them had realized that.

“Okay,” Abby said as she got to her feet. “We need to look for the bullet in this area.” She indicated to the laptop screen.

“What are you looking for?” Brock inquired.

Richard answered. He didn’t want to let them know what they had found, not yet, in any case. “Senior Chief Perry’s wound was a through and through. We need the slug to compare it with ammunition fired from Petty Officer Spenser’s weapon for evidentiary value.”

Lisa swallowed hard. They were there looking for evidence to prove Clay had indeed shot Ray. Her heart ached. She nodded her head and stood back. She wasn’t going to help them look. They could do that on their own.

Richard and Abby started on the outside borders of the perimeter and worked their way inwards in a slow and meticulous manner. Except for spent shell casings, which there were plenty, they found no slug. Both of them knew what it meant and they shared a look.

Abby packed up her laptop and gave more attention to Cerberus. He was a beautiful dog. She could see the special bond he had with his handler and she suspected that they were more than team members. “Cerberus is your dog.”

Brock nodded. “I got him as a pup, raised him, trained him myself before he became a part of Bravo team. He’s more than my K9 partner, he’s my best friend.”

“How does he feel about the rest of the team?” She scratched Cerberus’ ears and smiled as he sighed at her actions.

“He sees them as his honorary uncles. Except for Clay.” Brock grinned.

“He doesn’t like him?” Abby frowned.

“No,” Lisa laughed. “Cerb sees Clay as the pup of his pack. He’s extremely protective towards the kid. I think sometimes Brock wonders to whom Cerb really belongs to.”

“Does he dislike anyone?” Richard asked as he scribbled some notes into his pocketbook.

Brock shook his head. “Those are few and far in between. It’s been a while since he last indicated that he doesn’t like someone.”

“He doesn’t like Meddings,” Lisa responded.

Brock frowned. “Don’t think that’s possible, Lisa. I mean, he came in on Friday, and we flew out on Sunday.”

“Cerberus stopped Clay from going towards the team when Junior arrived on Friday in the team room. And I heard how Trent teased Junior about Cerb growling at him when the team sent you off on Sunday. He doesn’t like the man.”

“You don’t like him either.” Abby watched the other woman.

“He’s a master chief, what I think of him is irrelevant.” She turned her attention back to the NCIS agent. “You had a look around, what do you know about Spenser? You said he didn’t go AWOL, where is he?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“He was involved in an accident and is in the hospital.”

“What? Where? When? Which hospital?” She fired all the questions at him.

“In the early hours of the morning after this incident. He was treated at a local hospital but he was airlifted to Washington State, and if they deem him stable enough, they will transfer him to Bethesda Naval Hospital.”

Lisa blanched at the agent’s words. “Airlifted, stable enough? What injuries did he sustain? Is he all right?”

“I can’t tell you much, but he’s in a coma. Get in contact with Doctor Goodwin. He’ll be able to tell you more.” Richard wrote the doctor’s number down on the back of his business card and handed it to her. “He’s alive and that’s what you need to focus on now.”

Lisa’s hands trembled when she took the card. “Thank you.”

They made their way back from the training house to where Richard had parked his car. There they split up. Brock, Cerb and Lisa went back to the base offices, while Richard and Abby got into the car. He wanted to speak up, but Abby beat him to it.

“Clay Spenser didn’t shoot his senior chief. That bullet went through the chief and got stuck in Spenser’s body.”

Richard nodded. “That’s my theory as well.”

“That clears him of attempted murder.”

“Yes, but it leaves us with several unanswered questions.”

Abby nodded. “Who pulled the trigger? Why use Spenser’s firearm? And what happened to Spenser’s training firearm?”

“What was their intention? To kill Perry; to get Spenser off the team? And why?” Richard responded with his own set of questions.

“You’ve got a hinky case on your hands, Agent Carville, Richard.” Abby smiled. “Please keep me up to date, I would love to hear what happened. And, if there’s anything else I can do for you, let me know.”

“Thanks, Abby.” Richard replied distracted. His theory proved right, but he was no closer to a possible suspect. He needed to talk to Captain Harrington and Lieutenant Commander Blackburn again. Abby was right, there was something hinky going on and he needed to find out what it was.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Notes:

AN 1: Thank you again to, RoboFoxtrot for doing the hard work in getting this chapter into shape.

AN 2: All remaining mistakes, medical and otherwise remains mine.

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 3 days later (1 week after the accident)

Lisa sat with her head bowed, her hands clenched in her lap as she silently prayed in the ICU waiting room. It had been the worst three days of her life. She and Brock had so many questions and not enough answers. They’d both figured out that there was something strange going on, something that the NCIS agent didn’t tell them.

The forensic analyst, Abby, said that Ray’s wound was a through and through, and that they were at the training house to look for the slug, a slug that they didn’t find. What did that mean? What were they not telling them?

Brock had contacted Jason and then he went to meet the team. When he returned, both he and Cerberus were in foul moods. He told her that Jason and Sonny went as far as to say that if they saw Clay, they would kill him. Not even Trent wanted to know about Clay. When he had tried to establish if they knew where Clay was, they told him that he went AWOL, and other than that, they didn’t care.

Brock had tried to explain what had happened to Clay, but he was told to drop it. That the investigators would sort things out. They were already talking among themselves to get another Bravo team member and strong hints were dropped that they wanted Junior to join them.

He’d tried to find out what had happened, why there was so much animosity towards Clay, but Jason said that he’d made a mistake, that Clay wasn’t a good fit for Bravo. That he wasn’t supposed to be a Tier One operator. That he was too young and too cocky. He’d stated that he would personally make sure that no other SEAL team, Tier One, or lower, took Clay in as a team member.

Brock had confronted Lisa about what she had seen, what she’d done and she told him what she’d noticed. That Junior went hard at Clay, that he always said that Clay was too soft, too slow and that the jokes he made were far from being funny.

That the rest of the team followed Junior blindly and the few times Clay had tried to speak up, he was shut down extremely fast. She knew he never socialized with the team anymore, that he’d lost weight, and that he had dark circles underneath his eyes due to a lack of sleep. She’d seen him hide the fact that he was in pain; she’d tried to get him to talk to her, but he’d shut her out as the team did with him.

Lisa also told him that Clay never gave up. That he always had his team’s back. Even saved Junior’s life when they went on a rescue mission and one of the bad guys got the drop on him. It was Clay who took the man out. He received no thanks, was merely told that he did his job adequately.

It was as if everyone walked with blinders on when it came to Junior Meddings. Even Blackburn and Harrington couldn’t find fault with his actions.

What made things worse, was Ray’s condition. He was still in ICU, still unconscious, and he kept on experiencing setbacks. Either he would suffer from an infection, or his fever would spike, or both. The doctors operated again to clean the wound for a second time, but where they were optimistic that he would make a full recovery, they were now tight-lipped over his prognosis.

Clay wasn’t faring any better. He was still in a coma, was fighting a vicious infection in his leg that had been burned in the accident. Lisa and Brock were horrified to learn that Clay had almost burned to death in the accident. What made it worse was that the skin grafts didn’t take, and they had to remove it, and redo it. His leg was a bloody mess.

The bleeding in his brain stopped, but the swelling was still a problem. The doctors now talked about permanent brain damage. Especially, after the last round of brain scans they took. His kidneys were failing, and if they didn’t respond to the medication by the end of the day, they would start dialysis in the morning.

Someone cleared his throat at the door of the waiting room and Lisa gazed up.

“What are you doing here?” She didn’t even attempt to be respectful. She’d lost all respect for the officers on the team.

“I came to check on Spenser.”

“He doesn’t need you here.”

“Davis.”

Lisa rose to her feet. “No, I don’t want to hear it. You’re supposed to be their commanding officer, their direct superior, to be there for all of them, but you weren’t. You failed him.”

“I know.” Eric bowed his head. “I know, Lisa.” He sighed. “Just after you requested special liberty, shit hit the fan. A commission appointed by SecNav swept in. They’ve started auditing the whole of DEVGRU. Did you know it would happen?”

She shook her head. “No.” She didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to.

“They’re threatening to split Bravo team up.”

Lisa shrugged. “It’s not as if they are a team anymore.”

Eric sighed. “Can you tell me how he’s doing?”

She ignored his request. “How did you know he was here?”

“Agent Carville came in yesterday afternoon to conduct further interviews. He told us.”

Lisa nodded. “Does the whole of Bravo know?”

“Yes.”

She sighed. “Do they hate him that much?”

“Lisa.” Eric shook his head. “You don’t understand.”

“No, No. You don’t get to tell me that I don’t understand, Eric. Clay’s call sign is Bravo six. On each mission that they went on, he had their backs and you can’t tell me otherwise. He’s loyal to Jason, and the team. And what do they do? They accuse him of something he would never do, they abandoned him. You being here alone, proves that again.”

“It was his primary weapon that was used.”

Lisa wanted to scream out of frustration. She still didn’t have all the answers, but she knew something wasn’t adding up. “Ray’s GSW was a through and through, right?”

Eric nodded.

“They couldn’t find the slug in the training house, Eric. How is that possible? If it went through Ray it had to be embedded in the floor, the wall, but there’s nothing. Where is that bullet?”

Eric frowned at the news. He didn’t know that. But then, he didn’t know much. After Agent Carville left, he’d shut himself in his office and had a hard look at himself and his actions over the last couple of months. He came to the realization that he’d been a pathetic leader. He’d let Bravo team down. More importantly, he let Spenser down.

“Will you please tell me how Spenser is doing?” he tried again.

She stared at him for a long time. “I don’t know much. Because I’m not his next of kin, or his medical proxy, they won’t tell me.” Lisa continued to tell him what she did know.

Hearing Clay’s injuries made him blanch. He didn’t even know Spenser was in a coma. Carville merely told them that Clay was hospitalized. It was worse than what he had imagined. He made a mental note to phone Jason. They needed to know this.

“Who is Clay’s medical proxy? Ash?”

“No, Stella. He never changed it. Brock is trying to get hold of her, but she’s somewhere in Europe on a sabbatical.”

“Shit. It would’ve been better if it was Ash.”

“Really? Do you see him here?”

“Does he know?”

“I called him myself. He was touring the country for his book. He said he would call me for updates. I’ve heard nothing of him since.” Lisa made her way to the door. “I’m going to get coffee.” She didn’t even bother to ask Eric if he wanted some, just exited the room, leaving him alone to wait.

It’s here that Brock found him a few minutes later.

“Commander.” Brock unleashed Cerberus and watched as the dog huffed once in the direction of their unit leader, before he turned and made himself comfortable in the opposite corner.

“I am really in the dog box.” Eric gazed up at Brock. “I failed him. I failed the team.”

Brock nodded. “You did. But you’re here now.”

“Davis feels it’s too late.”

“Maybe.”

“You’re not going to make it easier for me either, are you?”

“Why should I, Sir?” Brock shook his head. “We all know that Jason is the best team leader out there, or he used to be.” He shrugged. “But you, Sir? You are the best commander out there. You stepped up every time Bravo needed you and came through for us. You went to bat for us against those cake eaters on many occasions. You had our backs. But then something changed. And the scary part is, that it changed in less than three months. I don’t understand why. I don’t understand how. Bravo team was supposed to be family, Blackburn, and family sticks together. That’s what we tried to teach Clay since the moment he became our rookie. We all realized that he struggled with the concept of having someone around that believed in him, that trusted him. But step by step we gained his trust and he gave us everything he had in him. He gave Bravo more than a hundred-and-ten percent. And what did you do in return? What did the rest of Bravo do in return? Hell, even me? We destroyed that trust.”

Eric shook his head. “Not you. You weren’t here. This isn’t on you.”

Brock grunted. “I wish I could be as confident about that as you. I should’ve pushed him harder when I asked what was wrong and he told me nothing. I should’ve continued to ask, but I stopped because each time he gave me the same answer. You know what that answer was, Eric? ‘I am fine.’ I shouldn’t have believed him and maybe he would’ve told me something, anything that could’ve prevented this.” Brock threw his hands up in the air.

“What is even worse, is when I talked to the guys, none of them said anything. They joked around, and now that I’m thinking back on those conversations, they only told me about Meddings. What badass shit he’d done. How they all went drinking, went on missions together and how Meddings saved the day so many times.” Brock shook his head. “I am also to blame.”

Eric wanted to answer, but his cell phone rang and he dug it from his pocket. “It’s Jason.” He answered the call quickly.

“What?” Eric stared at Brock. “Is he all right? Was Naima there?” He shook his head. “No.” Eric paced the room and dragged his hand over his face. “No, Jason.” He came to a halt.

“Damn it, Hayes, listen to me!” he yelled into the phone. The line went quiet.

“Are you listening Master Chief?” Eric nodded in satisfaction. “Good, because I’m only going to say this once. It wasn’t Spenser.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure it wasn’t him. Because…”

The ranting on the other side of the line started up again. Eric held the phone away from his ear. When things became quiet, he brought the phone back to his ear. “You done, Master Chief?” His voice was ice cold.

“It wasn’t Spenser because he’s in no condition to do that. He’s not merely in hospital as Carville told us. Spenser is in Bethesda Naval Hospital and he’s in a coma. Do you hear me, Jason? It was not Clay, who tried to kill Ray in that hospital bed. Now, get your head out of your ass and come to your senses.” Eric didn’t wait for Jason to respond as he ended the call. He stared at Brock.

“Someone tried to suffocate Ray in his hospital bed. They left Clay’s cap behind.”

“What?” Brock paled at the information. “Is Ray okay? Naima? Where was the MP Davis told me about?”

“The doctors are still assessing Ray, but from what Jason said, it didn’t sound as if Ray suffered any further injuries. Naima wasn’t there and the MP stepped into the restroom for a second. An orderly saw the male person in the room and when he inquired what the man was doing, he got tackled to the floor and the person fled.”

“And of course, they thought it was Clay.” Brock sunk down on the hard plastic chair at his back. “I don’t think Bravo will ever be whole again, Eric.”

Eric took his place next to Brock. He wanted to speak up, to tell Brock that they would heal, but he had a feeling that if he did speak up, his words would be false. Instead the two men sat side by side in silence.

--SEAL TEAM--

Lisa looked down at her hands, she realized that she’d been doing that a lot the last couple of days. She pressed her hands between her thighs and forced herself to look up, grimacing at the sight. They had finally gotten hold of Stella and with a lot of wangling, she was now Clay’s medical proxy. It wasn’t something that she’d wanted to do, but between her and Brock they would figure things out.

It was the first time she had managed to get a closer look at Clay. The doctors had also informed her about all of Clay’s injuries, reminding her once again how strong Clay was. Lisa wasn’t sure if she would’ve survived if it was her who’d sustained all of those injuries.

Her eyes travelled down his body. His head was wrapped, and on the side, and there was a rod protruding, which measured the internal pressure in his brain.

She noted the way his chest rose up and down as the ventilator forced air into his lungs. His right arm was in a cast and fastened to his chest to help stabilize his reduced shoulder. Clay was covered with a light sheet which hid the surgical incisions for his internal injuries. She knew with his fractured pelvis, his broken left leg, and severe burns on the right leg, it would be months before he would be able to walk again.

They’d let her stay when they changed the dressings on the burns an hour ago. She’d requested to stay; someone would need to help Clay when he was released from hospital and she intended to be the one to help him every step of the way. It looked raw, it was raw, but the nursing staff was optimistic. The infection had cleared up and the new grafts seem to have taken this time around.

Lisa startled when a shrill sound penetrated her thoughts. She jumped to her feet, uncertain of what to do. Even as she headed to the door, a nurse entered the room. Without being told, Lisa left the room and waited in the hallway.

Another nurse followed the first and then the doctor. She could hear the murmured voices from inside the room. Finally, the shrill sound ended and then the doctor stood in front of her.

“What happened? Is Clay all right?”

Doctor Paddington nodded. “He’s doing well.”

“What was that alarm?”

“The sound of good news,” he added with a smile. “Clay’s starting to trigger the ventilator.”

Lisa frowned. “What does that mean?”

“In short. It means that he’s trying to breathe on his own.”

Lisa smiled. It was the first piece of good news she’d heard in a very long time. “He’s out of his coma?”

“Not yet, but he’s moving in the right direction. I can’t tell you how long he’ll still be in a coma, but with him triggering the vent, he’s taken the first step and that’s what we want.”

Lisa squealed. “Thank you.” She reached for her phone. She had to let Brock know.

--SEAL TEAM--

Little Creek General Hospital

Ray’s room: 24 Hours later

“Are you willing to listen to what I have to say, or am I going to waste my breath?” Brock glared at the rest of the team. His stare included Naima. He’d heard from Lisa that she accused Clay of being as bad as his father and he was livid at her for that comment.

“I don’t want to hear.” Sonny crossed his arms over his chest.

Brock cocked his head. “Are you so fucking insecure, Sonny that you don’t want to acknowledge that you’ve made a mistake?” It seems it didn’t matter that Clay was in a coma, the team still believed that Clay was responsible for trying to suffocate Ray.

“I made no mistake.” Sonny didn’t meet Brock’s gaze.

Brock shook his head. “The rest of you feel the same?” He received no verbal response, but the fact that none of them spoke up, gave him his answer.

“I’ll be on my way.” He rose to his feet. Movement from the bed got his attention.

“Ray?”

His single word had the whole room up on their feet. Everyone tried to talk at the same time. A shrill whistle made them shut up. They all turned to face Trent. Their medic leaned over the bed, with Naima at his side.

“Ray?”

They watched as Ray moved his head around on the pillow. He pulled his leg up before he straightened it out again.

“Talk to him, Naima.” Trent stood to the side.

Naima talked to Ray, raking her fingers through his hair, and finally Ray opened his eyes. For a moment he appeared confused, but then his eyes focused on his wife and he smiled.

“Naima.”

“Ray.” She smiled back at him.

“You okay?” he asked with a frown.

Naima sniffed. “I’m the one who should ask you, not the other way around.” She squeezed his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” He swallowed. “What happened?” He grimaced when he tried to move around.

“Careful.” Naima placed her hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t remember?” Jason spoke up. He’d moved up to the other side of the bed.

Ray frowned at Jason’s words and he slowly shook his head.

“I’ll tell you what happened, that son of a bitch shot you!” Sonny bellowed from the side.

“Sonny!” Brock yelled.

“It’s the fucking truth and you know it.” Sonny came to his feet and pushed past Trent to get to Brock.

Brock didn’t stand still, but moved forward as well. Both men met in the middle of the room and shoved at one another. Trent and Jason got into the fray to separate them.

Ray appeared shocked. “What’s going on?” he asked and cringed as Sonny’s fist connected with Brock’s chin. He wanted to get up and stop the fight, but even the slightest movement made him moan with pain. Finally, Jason got hold of Sonny and dragged him from Brock, while Trent held on to the other man. By that time, both Brock and Sonny sported bloodied lips.

“Get your head out of your fucking ass, Sonny. Clay didn’t shoot Ray!” Brock jerked his arm out of Trent’s grip. “You’re supposed to have the kid’s back, but instead you’ve already played judge, jury and executioner.”

“What?” Ray shook his head and whimpered as different images popped up in his head. He closed his eyes. “No!” He sat up straight. “Stop!” Ray screamed as the two men went for one another again. The room once again came to a standstill. At the same time two burly orderlies also skidded into the room. On their heels followed the head nurse and Ray’s doctor.

“What the devil is going on here?” The doctor glared at the men.

Wisely, they all remained silent.

“Visiting hours are over. Please leave.” It was the nurse’s turn to stare at them.

Before any one of them could speak up, Ray’s voice broke the silence. “Wait.”

He shook his head when it looked like everyone wanted to interrupt. “Give us a minute, please.” He stared at Naima. “Please.”

Naima nodded. Squeezed his shoulder and headed out of the room. She managed to herd the orderlies, doctor and head nurse out, closing the door behind her.

Ray leaned his head back on the pillow. Things were confusing, and he had to make sense of what he saw in his head and what Brock said before he could respond. When a hand landed on his shoulder, he gazed up.

“Drink.” Trent held out a cup with a bendy straw.

The cool water soothed his throat and Ray sighed. “Thanks.” He searched for the remote to raise the head of his bed. He took in the appearance of the team, while at the same time, he was aware that Sonny and Brock looked as if they wanted to kill one another. What bothered him more was the fact that it seemed that even Trent and Jason were against their K9 handler. He couldn’t understand why.

“You’re back.”

Brock nodded but didn’t reply.

“You still don’t remember anything?” Jason asked.

“Different images, but nothing is making any sense.” Ray closed his eyes again. Images flashed before him. “Training house.” He opened his eyes and watched Jason.

“Yeah.”

“I was teamed up with Clay.” Ray cocked his head when Sonny growled again and then he shook it. “No, that’s not right. I was with Junior.”

It was Jason’s turn to shake his head. “No. I was with Junior. You were with Spenser.”

“No.” Ray rubbed his hand across his face. “No. That’s not right.” He looked at the team. “Where’s Clay? Is he all right?”

“He shot you and you’re asking if he’s all right!” Sonny yelled, turned and hit the wall with his fist.

Ray gasped for air. His hand grabbed his side as the last pieces of the puzzle slipped into place. He shook his head vigorously. “No. No.” He gazed pleadingly at Jason and then continued. “Junior showed up. He said you ordered Clay to go high on the western side of the building for over watch.”

Jason shook his head. “I would’ve used comms for that.”

“I know. Clay took him on. Told him he was sick and tired of his games. He wanted to slam Junior into the wall, but I stepped between them. I had to reign Clay in, and I sent him up. I tried to get you on comms, but it was once again, acting up. I paired up with Junior, and we worked through the building. I was in front, Junior at my back. But then something happened.” Ray shook his head. “I’m not sure, but then Clay was back, and I remember he rushed towards me and pushed me hard. It was at that same time I heard a shot going off. I felt this burning sensation from the back of my side.” He swallowed. “I remember falling and then nothing.”

The room was dead quiet.

“Shit.” Sonny slid down the wall and sat down on the floor. He covered his face with his hands. “Shit, shit, shit,” he continued with the litany of words.

“What did you do?” Dread settled over Ray. He watched as Jason moved away with his phone in his hand. He had no idea who Jason was phoning.

“What did you do?” he asked again. Ray looked at Brock. Never before had he seen his brother with such a look of anguish on his face.

His question was greeted with silence yet again.

“Guys?” Ray became annoyed. He tried to push himself up onto his elbows.

“They abandoned their brother,” Brock finally spoke up. “When you get your heads out of your behinds, you’ll find me and Davis at Bethesda Naval Hospital.” Without looking at any of them, Brock left the room.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Notes:

AN 1: To the ever present, RoboFoxtrot, thank you again for helping out!

AN 2: All remaining mistakes, medical and otherwise remains mine.

AN 3: There’s a lot of comments worrying that I will abandon this story. Fear not, I have never abandoned a story in my life before, I will not start doing it now! It might take some time between chapters, but they will be posted. I ask you to be patient, please.

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 2 weeks after the accident

Eric stared at the group of men that stood before him in the waiting room. It had been a while since he last saw them look this haggard. His gaze landed on Ray. “You should still be in hospital.”

“I’m fine,” Ray mumbled. He was still pissed at all of them, including his wife. He wouldn’t have minded leaving them all behind and coming on his own, but even though he’d managed to get the doctor to discharge him from hospital, he still wasn’t clear to drive. He therefore had no choice but to get a lift from the team to come to the hospital. It had been a grueling four-hour drive.

Eric remained silent. There wasn’t much he could say. His own behavior towards Spenser was as appalling as the rest of the team’s. Jason had informed him that after Ray’s revelation on what had really happened, he’d phoned Special Agent Carville and the man had been at Ray’s hospital bed not even an hour later. He’d taken down Ray’s statement, and had applied for an arrest warrant for Meddings. It seemed that the man was in the wind. Something that none of them had realized. They couldn’t even say when was the last time that they’d seen him.

“Can we see him?” Ray glanced at Brock and then at Blackburn.

“You can. Not the rest.”

The group of men turned when Lisa spoke up at the door.

“Davis.” Sonny stepped forward.

Lisa shook her head. “Don’t you dare, Davis me, Sonny. You will not step into his room. I won’t hesitate one second to call security and let them throw you out by your ear.”

“You can’t do that.”

She tilted her head. “Try me.” Lisa folded her arms over her chest. She ignored the group and focused on Ray. “You look like crap.”

Ray shrugged. “I’ll survive.”

“Good to hear that. I was worried about you.” Lisa stepped into the waiting room. She smiled at Bravo’s second in command. “You should’ve stayed in bed.”

“I needed to know how Clay’s doing.”

She glared at the team. “I’ll tell all of you, because I know even if I only tell Ray, he would repeat everything to you. But understand one thing, I’ve not forgiven you. I don’t think I’ll be able to.” She touched Ray’s arm. “You’re also still in the dog box with me on how you’ve treated Clay, but you didn’t accuse him of trying to kill you, so I’m not too livid with you.”

“We didn’t know.” Jason stepped closer.

Lisa growled. She stepped past Ray and came to a halt in front of Jason. She looked up and glared at the team leader. “You didn’t know?” She balled her fists. “Did you care to ask? Did you for one second listen to Spenser? No. You went on the attack, accusing him of trying to kill Ray. Went so far as to want to kill him yourself when you saw him again. And now you want to tell me, you didn’t know. Bull shit, Jason, I call bull shit.”

Lisa stepped away. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. “You were supposed to have his back like he had yours, but you tossed him aside because an old buddy joined the team and suddenly Clay wasn’t good enough. Meddings manipulated you, and because of him, but more importantly, because of your own behavior, you broke the perfect team, and I, for one, will stand behind Clay, should he, for whatever reason decide that he can’t be part of Bravo team anymore. Because you, Jason Hayes, you, and the rest of Bravo team, do not deserve Clay as a team mate. The saddest thing of all, is that he might never be in a position to return to the teams and although none of you drove that truck that slammed into Clay’s car, I blame you for this.” Lisa wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

The team stood stunned; heads bowed. They all knew that she’d spoken the truth. They were to blame.

“What do you mean he might never be in a position to return to the teams?” Trent found his voice first.

Lisa lowered her eyes. “Brain damage.” She saw the impact her words had on the group of men in front of her. She was still furious with them, but she didn’t want to cause them the anguish so clearly visible on their faces.

“Definitive?”

“More than likely.” She pushed her hands into her jeans’ pockets. “The scans they took directly after he was admitted, and the latest ones show almost no improvement.”

“What damage are they looking at?”

Lisa lowered herself into the nearest chair. “Balance, memory, speech.” She tiredly closed her eyes. “They will only be able to do a final assessment once he wakes up. If he wakes up.”

“What the bloody hell does that mean?” Sonny exploded.

“It means he’s still in a coma, Sonny, and the longer he stays in a coma the more unlikely it will be for him to wake up.” Lisa didn’t even bother to open her eyes to look at any of the men.

“Fuck,” Sonny mumbled as he sank to his knees. The reality of what they’d done, what he’d done, finally hit home.

--SEAL TEAM--

Perry residence: Following day

Ray lowered his head in his hands and wished his headache away, unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. A knock at the door had him on his feet with a groan. Naima wasn’t at home; she and the kids went to her mom for a couple of days. Ray already missed them, but with things completely in disarray, it would be better for them not to be around. More especially, with Meddings still in the wind. He made it to his front door and opened the door. He stood to the side when he saw who it was.

“You look like shit,” Jason remarked as he entered the house.

“You don’t look much better.” Ray closed the door and made his way back into the living room. He watched as his best friend paced the room like a wild animal caught in a cage.

“I fucked up.” Jason dragged his hand through his beard.

“We fucked up,” Ray responded.

Jason opened his mouth, but then closed it again. As team lead, and 2IC, they both held the responsibility for their team, and they did drop the ball. More than that, they fucking lost the ball. He still can’t believe what they’d done. They should’ve known better, hell, he should’ve done better. What made things worse was that he and Ray had spoken about Junior’s attitude towards Clay. Ray had told him that Meddings had taken it too far. He’d told Jason to take a step back and take a closer look at how the Master Chief was treating Clay.

At first Jason had brushed Ray’s concerns to the side, but then he thought hard about things. Ray always had good instincts, especially when it came to the dynamics of the team. Prior to the training house incident, Jason had noticed what Ray had seen. He didn't like it one bit. Initially he wanted to pair Clay with Meddings, but then decided against it. Then Ray got shot and the anger and the fear he fucked everything up and he’d taken it out on Clay. Not once did he think that Clay didn’t do it. Meddings had really managed to throw a wrench into works. He’d managed to rip the best SEAL team apart in less than three months. Jason also knew he couldn’t lay all the blame at Junior’s feet. He shouldn’t have allowed something like that to happen within his team. He was just as responsible for this cluster fuck as what Meddings was.

Finally, Jason managed to speak up. “What are we going to do to fix this?”

Ray had been thinking about that same question since the moment he realized what they’d done. “Call the team together, accept responsibility for our own actions.”

Jason closed his eyes for a second. “You heard about the investigation.”

“Trent told me,” Ray answered with a nod.

“They want to break us up.”

Ray shrugged. “You know as well as I do, Jace, that we’re the best Tier One team out there, but not now. We’re broken, and we’re broken from the inside. Maybe it’s time we operate apart.” He held up his hand when Jason wanted to object. “Let me finish, please.” Ray waited patiently for Jason to nod before he continued. “Not forever, because that would be stupid, but for a period of time until we sort ourselves out. It will do all of us good to train and work on missions with the other teams. We need to prove to ourselves that we can be trusted by our brothers. That we can trust one another.”

Ray’s words were spoken out of logic, but it didn’t mean that he had to like what his best friend had to say. Shouldn’t he be kicking and screaming, for them to stay together? Jason shook his head.

“Do you trust me?” Ray asked the hard question.

“Of course, you know that,” Jason huffed.

Ray sighed. “I don’t trust you.”

“What the fuck!” Jason jumped to his feet. Fury etched on his face.

“Jase, please, listen.” Ray held his hands out. “I don’t even trust myself at this stage. I don’t trust myself to do the right thing, to make the right call. Brother, we’ve, you’ve, built up an amazing team. We really are brothers, but what we did – there’s no magical fix for that. In just under three months we’d managed to destroy any trust we had with our youngest team member. The same guy we drafted because of his amazing talent. The same guy that despite his cocky attitude was so insecure, and we taught him that he can trust us. That we’ll have his six each and every day of the week, until we didn’t. A relationship we worked on for more than a year, ripped to shreds in three months. By us. Do you think for one moment that Clay would be comfortable working with us again? Do you think that he will walk in and be able to trust us from that first second?” Ray shook his head. “No, Jace, we’ve done too much damage. The word sorry, will not be enough. It can’t be enough.”

“For how long?”

“I want to say to you for as long as it takes, but I know you, and that’s not the answer you’re looking for. We both know that Clay will not be back with us in three months’ time.” Ray didn’t add that there might be a possibility that Clay would never return to them.

“Let’s give it three months. Let’s work with the other teams, let’s get the faith that our brothers had in us, back. And at the same time, we show Clay that we still have his back, that we’ve fucked up, but that we’re willing and trying to repair the damage we’ve done.”

Ray looked up at Jason. “What about the cake eaters?”

“With Blackburn and Harrington in our corner, we’ll be able to convince them.” Jason lowered his head and took his seat next to Ray again. “What if…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Ray sighed. “What if Clay has brain damage and can’t return?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we support him in whatever way we can, and we make sure that we never forget him,” Ray responded with conviction.

“We can do that, but he’s going to be all right. He has to be,” Jason whispered the last words.

“There another what if that you need to ask?” Ray pushed. It wasn’t often that Jason sat down and talked things out. They all know that he was the take action guy now and ask questions later guy.

“You really want me to ask it?”

Ray just stared at his friend.

Jason rolled his eyes. “What if he doesn’t want to be part of Bravo anymore?”

For a long time, Ray remained quiet. It was the question he struggled with the most when he asked it himself. He closed his eyes. “Then we accept it, and hope that we can still remain friends, hopefully even brothers.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“We won’t have a choice, Jason. Forcing him to stay with us, is not going to fix the problem, and you know that.”

“I know.” Jason stood up. “What I don’t understand is why? Why would Meddings do something like this? Not only did he managed to fuck up our team, but he tried to kill you, twice, and I have a feeling he set it up for Clay to take the fall. But why? I don’t understand it.” He paced and dragged his hands over his face.

“I don’t know. I try not to think about it. I can only hope that NCIS will find him and maybe they’ll get some answers for us.”

“I don’t want you to go out of this house alone.”

Ray frowned. “You think he might try again?”

“Just don’t want to take any chances.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Jason took out his phone and tossed it from hand to hand.

Ray could see Jason was worried. “What are you thinking about?”

“Who I need to phone first?”

“Davis,” Ray responded without any hesitation.

“Why?” Jason sounded surprised.

“Because if you call the team together and none of us are there at the hospital, she’s going to make the assumption that we once again don’t care about Clay. And we don’t want that.”

Jason smiled. “You’re right.”

“I know,” Ray responded with a grin. He picked up his own phone. “Phone Brock after Davis, and then Sonny. I’ll talk to Trent and then you need to phone Blackburn and Harrington.”

“Fuck,” Jason sighed but pressed his finger on Brock’s name and brought the phone to his ear. It was going to be a difficult situation, but Ray was right, they didn’t have a choice. Not if they want to save Bravo, and definitely not if they wanted Clay back on their team.

--SEAL TEAM--

Team Briefing Room: Following morning

Eric sat down heavily on his chair and tiredly rubbed the back of his neck. It has been a tough couple of days, and by the expressions on the faces before him, he had a feeling, things were about to become even more so.

None of the guys talked to him, they didn’t even talk to one another, the silence deafening in the room. He looked up when Harrington walked in and gave a tired nod in his direction. The captain had asked him after Jason said he wanted to talk to them, if he’d known what it was about, but he had no idea. He still had no idea.

“Master Chief,” Captain Harrington spoke up the moment he reached his chair. “You wanted to discuss something?” He sat down and stared at the group of men.

“Yes, Sir.” Jason got to his feet. He placed his hands behind his head, paced the floor and tried to find the words he’d needed to say.

“Jason?” Eric asked in concern.

Jason held up a hand and shook his head.

“You’re wasting our time, Hayes.” Harrington got to his feet. Since SECNAV started with the internal investigation into the DEVGRU teams, the heat had been coming down on them without any sign of letting up.

“We want Bravo team to be disbanded. We know that’s the recommendation from the cake… higher ups as well.” Ray stared straight ahead as he spoke up.

Ray's words made Harrington sit down again. “What?”

“We’re not going to repeat it again.” Jason sounded broken.

“You sure about this?” Eric pressed his hands together in an attempt to hide the tremble he felt in them. Never in his life did he expect to hear the words Ray had spoken. It was no wonder Jason couldn’t get them out.

“It’s a team decision.” Jason cleared his throat. He took his seat next to Ray and looked at their two superior officers. “There are a couple of conditions to this.”

Harrington shook his head. “You can’t have the team dismantled and at the same time set conditions, Hayes. That’s not how it works.”

“We’re the best there is, I know we can,” Jason fired back.

“What conditions?” Eric asked quickly. He was surprised when it was Brock who supplied the answers. Their K9-handler had continued to be standoffish towards all of them, and that was something he understood. He continued to listen attentively and he was surprised at the detailed plan they set out.

When Brock fell silent Eric looked at his immediate supervisor. Harrington seemed to be lost in thought. “Every one of you in agreement?” He immediately received five loud confirmations. Once again, he was surprised at that. He’d thought that Sonny might’ve objected to the idea. It seemed he was mistaken.

“I’ll take it up with Command.” Harrington rose to his feet and headed for the door. Then he turned around and came back. “I’m proud of all of you for taking responsibility for this mess, and I think it is appropriate at this stage to tell you that I’ve been reassigned. Captain Wellington will replace me by the end of the week.”

“Fuck,” Sonny cursed under his breath. The rest of Bravo team had similar reactions.

“What about you, Eric?” Jason asked.

“I’m going to San Diego.”

“They’re sacrificing two of the best officers here because we dropped the ball.” Trent shook his head. “That’s unfair.”

Both officers shook their heads.

“We also dropped the ball, Sawyer,” Harrington replied. “This inquiry had shown us all just how bad things had become here at the base. We might not like what they did, but it had to be done. We can all be grateful for still being in the Navy. And, I really think that what you’ve suggested here will work. In the end, you all may still have a chance to return to Bravo team.”

Jason nodded. He looked over his team and then returned his gaze to their two superior officers. “We will get back together, and I will do everything in my power to get both of you back here as well.”

Eric smiled and Harrington shook his head. Both men remained silent. They knew Jason Hayes very well. If he’d set his mind to something, he would get it done, come hell or high water.

The team rose to their feet and they all exited the briefing room. Their stint as Bravo Team has entered its last days.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 1 month after the accident

Lisa sat hunched over in the visitor’s chair as tears ran down her cheeks. The dam wall inside of her had finally burst and she no longer could contain the grief inside of her. She was seated in the waiting room while Doctor Paddington examined Clay. There’d been a buzz in his room when she got there about an hour before, but they didn’t even give her a chance to sit down, just ushered her out and told her to have a seat in the waiting room.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder. “Shit!” She looked up and blushed. “Sorry.” She wiped the tears away with her hand and rose to her feet.

Doctor Paddington smiled. “I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“I shouldn’t have been bawling my eyes out like this.” Lisa shrugged.

“Everyone needs a good cry.” He indicated to the chair she vacated, and sat down on the chair next to her. “Are you ready for some good news?”

Lisa’s eyes grew large. “Clay?”

The doctor nodded. “He’s out of a coma. He’s responding to painful stimuli, his pupils respond to light and he’s moving his hands and feet. We’ve started to wean him of his pain medication just to get him to wake up so that we can get a proper read on his pain level. I believe he’ll be awake by this time tomorrow.”

Lisa sighed in relief. “What about brain damage?”

“There’s still a possibility, and I won’t be able to tell you more until we’ve run a number of tests.”

She nodded. It was understandable. Since Clay first triggered the ventilator three weeks ago, and they finally removed it two weeks back, his progress was slow. The various injuries he’d sustained during the crash gradually healed and even the second skin grafts he received healed well. His fever on the other hand stayed persistent, but she knew the medical personnel weren’t too worried as it didn’t rise, but stayed elevated at 100.6.

“May I go and sit with him?”

Doctor Paddington nodded. “You’re more than welcome. I think the nurses are waiting for you as well. They all want to hear what happened next in the book you’re reading to Clay.”

The doctor’s words had Lisa laughing out loud. “Well, then let me not keep them waiting.” She grinned and made her way out of the waiting room and back into Clay’s room. The sight that greeted her made her smile again. Without even hesitating she took out her phone and took a single photo before she placed it back. She didn’t use her phone in the ICU and would send it off when she took a break. For now, she wanted to sit and spend some time with Clay. She took out the book and flipped it open. She tried not to grin when she saw Clay’s two nurses moving a bit closer. She cleared her throat and started to read.

--SEAL TEAM--

Brock sat down tiredly on the edge of his bed, and stroked Cerberus’ head as his phone chimed and he retrieved it from the side table. When he opened it up, he sat up straight, and he even managed to smile. He showed the phone to Cerberus. “Look, Cerb, Clay’s doing better.” Brock chuckled when Cerberus licked the screen. He read the text again. Clay was out of a coma, and that was the best news he’d heard in a long time. The photo was of Clay, still in his hospital bed, clearly sleeping, but there was only one IV line in his left arm, what appeared to be a pulse oximeter and a nasal cannula supplying him with some oxygen. He was free of all the other medical equipment he’d sported before. Seeing Clay like this gave Brock hope.

He fired off a quick text to Lisa and then waited for her reply. Only when she gave him the go-ahead did he send the photo of Clay to the rest of the guys. They’d not seen one another for the better half of a week. Ray had gone back to the Green team as an instructor. Trent had gone to Alpha, while he and Cerb were training the new K9 handlers. Jason and Sonny ended up at the newly formed Echo team, with Jason being the 2IC and Sonny third in command.

All of them were being watched constantly. The attitudes in the teams were in most instances bearable, but there were still some snide comments made. They were all taking it on the chin and giving it their best.

He was not surprised to see that it was Trent that phoned him first. Unfortunately for their medic, he had no other information to share. But he promised to keep Trent in the loop. Brock made that same promise another three times. Knowing that he’d have an off day tomorrow, Brock sent Davis another text and arranged with her to meet her at the hospital to be there when Clay woke up. Thinking of his youngest brother waking up made him want to smile, but it also filled him with dread. They still had no idea if Clay had suffered any brain damage. He silently said a prayer as he got himself ready for bed. There was nothing more that he could do right at that moment, except to hope for the best.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Notes:

AN 1: Thank you again to, RoboFoxtrot, for helping out.
AN 2: All remaining mistakes, medical and otherwise remains mine.

It was the constant beeping in his ears that finally brought him back. There was something under his nose that irritated him, and he tried to swipe it away, but his coordination was off and he only managed to slap himself in the face. He grunted out of frustration.

Clay tried again but with no success. He kept on missing the spot and he couldn’t understand why. He also couldn’t understand why it was dark. He knew that he had to switch on the light, but he had no idea where to find it. Something pinched him in the crook of his arm and he reached for it, but found nothing. The texture under his fingers felt grainy. He frowned. It couldn’t be grainy, because that would mean he’s on a beach or some place with sand. And if that was the case, then what the fuck was that beeping sound and why the hell was it so dark? There wasn’t even a single star in the sky.

He had to get up, he had to find out what the hell was going on, more importantly, where he was. Clay tried that, but his body shook, it trembled. It was as if he could hear his own teeth rattle. Something was wrong, he had to get help. Then the trembling stopped and Clay tried to get up, but his limbs felt heavy. He was only able to move his arms; he could barely move his legs; he couldn’t wiggle his toes. He started to panic. He could feel the way his airway closed up. The muscles in his throat tightened up and he gulped for air. He couldn’t breathe; he was going to die and then his body stilled.

--SEAL TEAM--

“Clay!” Davis jumped to her feet as Clay started to thrash on the bed. His movements were wild and his breath erratic.

“Clay!” Lisa called out again as she reached for the call button to alert the nurse on duty, but with the way the machines above Clay’s head screamed, she knew that they would come running. Something was terribly wrong. The young man was as stiff as a board on the bed, then his body started to shake and he flayed around on the bed. The noises he made sounded as if he couldn’t get any air into his lungs. The blood drained from her face as Clay’s body shuddered one last time, and then fell limp on the bed.

“Clay!” She reached out and at the same moment the door to the room burst open. She looked over her shoulder with her hand still on his chest. “I don’t think he’s breathing.”

--SEAL TEAM--

“Davis?”

Lisa looked up, her face red with all the tears she’d shed the last couple of hours.

“Brock.” She hiccupped and came to her feet.

“What happened?” Brock had closed the distance between them and hugged the smaller woman to his chest. They’d grown close to one another, strengthening their bond of friendship.

She shook her head and shrugged. “I’m not sure. It happened so fast. One moment he was still and the next his body became stiff and he started to tremble, like he was having a seizure, and then he stopped breathing.” Her shoulders shook as she cried against his chest.

Brock closed his eyes. He knew that Clay was still alive, when he spoke to Lisa over the phone, she told him very briefly what had transpired, but hearing it again, made him realize just how bad it had to be for her to witness.

“Have you spoken to his doctor?”

“No, he was still assessing Clay. The nursing staff told me he would come and see the moment they’ve stabilized Clay.”

“He’s going to be okay.” Brock sat down on the hard chair and pulled Lisa down next to him.

“Did you let the team now?” she asked.

Brock shook his head. “No, I wanted to get more info before I did that.”

Lisa looked at him. “Have you guys started mending fences?”

“It’s going slowly.” He sighed. “When Ray and Jason first called the team together and told us what we needed to do, I was conflicted about it. Don’t get me wrong, I was furious with them, but I really didn’t think it would be a good idea that we split up.”

“And now?”

“Now I think it’s the best thing Bravo team has done since accepting Clay as our rookie.”

Lisa was shocked at Brock’s words. “Really?”

Brock nodded. “We’re spending time with the other teams. We’re getting more exposure on how other teams work. I get a chance to share my experience with the new K9 handlers and I’m getting to know myself again.”

Lisa managed a small smile. “That’s good to hear.”

“What about you?” Brock tapped her with his fist on her upper arm.

“What about me?”

Brock sighed and shook his head. “You started mending fences? I know everyone on the team has reached out to you.”

“They have, I’m still not ready to forgive them.” They had told her that they’d dropped the ball. That Meddings had managed to tear the team up from the inside. But they’d also taken responsibility for their own actions and they vowed to make it up to Clay in whichever way possible. It was hard to hear, and it took her a long time before she finally had to face the fact that they were all human, even if they were an elite group of men.

“I understand.” Brock leaned back in his chair. They fell silent as they waited for an update on Clay.

Brock must’ve fallen asleep as he jerked awake when Lisa placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry,” she said as she rose to her feet.

Brock looked up and saw Clay’s doctor before them. “How’s he doing?” he asked as he stood up.

Doctor Paddington looked at the two persons before him and indicated to them to sit down again. “Clay is stable for now. We’re still running some tests to determine what had happened.”

“What did happen? Did he stop breathing? Did he have a seizure?” Lisa wrung her hands.

“Let me start of by saying he didn’t stop breathing. However, he did have a seizure.” He watched both of them intensely. “Some of the tests we are still running is to find out what caused the seizure. We’re also concerned about the fact that it seems that Clay is experiencing some paralysis on the one side of his body. We’re keeping an eye on that.”

“Paralysis?” Brock blanched. “Did he suffer a stroke?”

“We’re unsure at this stage.”

“Fuck.” Brock scrubbed his hand over his face. If Clay had suffered a stroke, the chances of him getting back to the team was zero.

“If it wasn’t a stroke, what could’ve caused the paralysis?” Lisa swallowed back the tears that threatened to escape.

“I can’t speculate. Let us run the tests, get the results and then we can see what we’re dealing with and what our way forward will be.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Lisa looked over his shoulder to where Clay’s room was visible at the end of the hallway. “Can we go and see him?”

Doctor Paddington shook his head. “I’ve scheduled him for different scans, he’ll be out of his room for the next couple of hours. Go home and get some rest. You can see him again tomorrow. Hopefully by then I’ll have some more answers for you as well.”

Lisa wanted to object, but Brock placed his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Doctor.” Both friends watched as Clay’s doctor left the waiting room and disappeared down the passage.

Lisa turned and stared at Brock. “Clay has been through so much, suffering from a stroke on top of everything else, that’s just not fair.”

“Let’s not give up hope just yet. It is Clay that we’re talking about, and you know he’s like a cat with nine lives.”

Brock’s words brought a smile to Lisa’s face. “You’re right.” She grabbed his arm. “We need to stay positive.”

“That’s the spirit.” The two teammates left the waiting room, both hoping that they were right and that Clay would indeed make a full recovery.

--SEAL TEAM--

Doctor Paddington closed the door behind him and looked at his patient and shook his head. The young man was asleep and he was grateful for that.

“Doctor?” Clay’s nurse frowned. “Anything wrong?” She looked at the readouts on the monitors behind her patient, worried that she might have missed something.

Not one to tell stories, he merely shook his head. “I was only thinking. There’s nothing wrong.” He picked up the chart and made some notes. He waited for her to leave the room and sighed again. He didn’t tell Clay’s friends that his patient had actually woken up, but not for long. He was confused, struggled to focus, but the moment he heard that his friends were at the hospital, he’d experienced a panic attack. It was then that they’d realized he couldn’t move his right arm or leg. They’d struggled to get the young man to calm down but it had depleted him of the little energy he had. Before he’d drifted off to sleep, he made it clear that he didn’t want to see any of them.

Doctor Paddington had made the decision to let him rest before he sent him for the different tests and scans they still needed to run. Not wanting Clay to wake up with his friends in the room, he decided to send them home – at least for the remainder of this night. He’d have to wait and see what the new day brought.

--SEAL TEAM--

Following morning

Clay blinked a few times as he woke up before the room came into focus – sort of. Things remained blurred on his right and he had to turn his head to get a clear view of the whole room. He had no idea where he was. In an attempt to see if he could get his right eye to focus, Clay tried to wipe his eye. He really did, but his hand didn’t reach his face. Clay frowned when he realized he couldn’t move his hand and he gazed down at it. It was blurry, but it was next to him. He concentrated on his hand and tried to move it – nothing happened. He felt the panic setting in. He felt his chest constrict as his breathing hitched. Not being able to see properly made things worse.

He was aware of the fact that something above his head screamed out a warning, it made him irritated and he screamed out of frustration. He wanted to see, he wanted to move his hand and he wanted the noise to stop.

The door to the room burst open and people entered. Clay had no idea who they were, or where he was, and when one reached out to touch him, he latched out. He caught the woman on her chest with his left arm. She gasped for air, and tumbled backwards. Clay tried to get up, but a burly man had replaced the woman and he was pushed down. He heard himself screaming, was aware of the fact that although the man pushed him down, he wasn’t hurting him. It didn’t matter. He had to get away. Clay wondered where his team was, where was Bravo? Why were they not coming to his aid? Memories assaulted him and he gasped for air as he remembered. They’d abandoned him.

The pressure in his head became too much. He screamed out in pain again. “Stop! Make it stop!” He fought against the different hands, but found it difficult as he became lethargic. His movements became more uncontrollable, his eyelids heavy. Clay fought against it, he didn’t want to fade away, but it didn’t help. His eyelids closed, his breathing evened out and he fell into an induced sleep. Only when his breathing evened out did the medical personnel move away.

--SEAL TEAM--

Doctor Paddington looked up from the medical journal he’d been reading, when a knock sounded at his office door.

“Come in.” He got to his feet. He wasn’t expecting anyone, especially not at this time of the morning.

The door opened and Special Agent Carville stepped inside.

“Agent Carville, come on in.” Doctor Paddington reached out and shook the man’s hand before he showed him to one of the visitor’s chairs. He took the other as the agent sat down.

“I’m sorry to bother you so early in the morning, Doctor.”

“I have to admit, it is still early. What can I help you with?”

“I understand from the nursing personnel that Clay Spenser has regained consciousness?”

Doctor Paddington sighed. It seemed that someone on the nursing staff had a big mouth. He nodded. “He might be awake, but he’s in no condition to talk to you.”

Richard nodded. “I understand that. And, although I would like to talk to him ASAP, I will wait until you indicate that he’s in stable condition to talk to me. May I ask how he is doing?”

“Stable. He suffered a seizure last night just as he regained consciousness. There’s also some paralysis on the right side of his body. We’re still running tests. That’s the main reason he’s in no condition to talk to you. He’s got a long road of rehab in front of him.”

Richard’s shoulders sagged. “He really can’t catch a break, can he?” He knew the doctor would not share any information with him, and he went on to the second reason for his visit. “I do, however, have something else I need to talk to you about.”

“What would that be?” The doctor frowned again.

“Do not allow members of Bravo team to talk to him before I get the opportunity to do so myself.”

The doctor nodded. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

It was Richard’s turn to frown. “I was under the impression that since they found out that Clay wasn’t the one that tried to kill Senior Chief Perry, that they’ve come around often?”

“They’ve been coming around regularly. Petty Officer Davis made it clear that they would not have any direct contact with Clay. The only members of Bravo team who've seen him is, Reynolds and Perry. No one else.”

“I also need all three of them not to have any contact with Clay.”

“I will carry out your instructions.” The doctor sighed. “Since you already know that my patient woke up, I can share this with you.” He took a deep breath. “When he became aware last night that Petty Officer Davis was here, and that the rest of the team was a phone call away, he became extremely agitated. He made it clear he didn’t want to see them. Any of them, including Petty Officer Davis.”

Richard sighed. “Does she know? I’ve come to realize she cares a lot about Clay.”

“Not yet. I sent her and Reynolds home last night and told them to come back later today. I will then convey your instruction and Clay’s to her.”

Richard nodded and rose to his feet. “Thank you for your time, Doctor. If you can please let me know when Petty Officer Spenser is stable enough, I will appreciate it.”

“I will do so.” Doctor Paddington rose to his own feet. Shook the NCIS agent’s hand and took his seat behind his desk. He still had to figure out from what condition Clay suffered. He was almost a hundred percent sure it wasn’t a stroke, but that wasn’t an answer, it was just one condition less to be worried about.

--SEAL TEAM--

Lisa nodded her head at doctor Paddington’s words, but her heart ached. “I understand.” Her voice failed at the end and she cleared her throat. She looked up at the doctor before her. “Will you give him a message from me, please?”

“I will.”

“Please tell him, I’m only a phone call away. I have not abandoned him.” Lisa took a deep breath and continued. “His team will be there for him.” She wanted to add more, but then shook her head. “That’s all.”

The doctor reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. I will give him the message, I promise.” He smiled at her.

Lisa nodded her thanks. “I know he’s awake, and that means you can’t tell me about his condition, unless he gives his consent, but are you able to tell me, the paralysis, any possible brain damage?”

“We’re still awaiting the latest results of the tests we’ve conducted, but we’ve ruled out that Clay suffered a stroke. I’ve consulted with a few of my colleagues and we all agree that Clay is experiencing a condition called Todd’s paralysis.”

“Todd’s paralysis?”

“Yes, it’s also known as TP. It’s a neurological condition that involves paralysis after the patient suffered a seizure. It can be partial, like in Clay’s case, or complete. It normally lasts for a few seconds, but can go on for several hours. Once again, like in Clay’s case.”

“TP is also most often associated with epilepsy, but it can also be caused by a TBI. There’s also no prescribed treatment for TP as the symptoms resolve itself within forty-eight hours after it first occurred.”

“Clay’s suffering from epilepsy?”

“Due to the brain injury he’d suffered, that’s something that we’ll have to keep an eye on, and can’t be ruled out at this stage.”

Lisa’s shoulders sagged. She wasn’t prepared for such news, but she nodded. “Any sign of brain damage?” She repeated the question.

This time the doctor sighed. “There are indeed signs of damage to the parietal lobe. We’re still running some tests to establish exactly the extent of the damage.”

Lisa blanched at the words and her knees gave way. She sat down heavily on the chair at her back. Her hands shook and she could feel her body tremble. “Will he be able to operate again?”

“It’s too early to tell.”

Lisa dragged her hand over her face, took a deep breath and came to her feet. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, Doctor, for everything.” She reached out and shook the man’s hand. “Please tell Clay, I’m there for him. We all are.”

Paddington nodded and looked on in silence as the woman who cared for her friend walked off. Her shoulders were slumped forward and his heart ached for her. He wished he had better news for her, but what he’d told her was the reality.

--SEAL TEAM--

Lisa placed her phone and keys in the bowl by the door, slipped off her shoes and made her way over to the couch. Her body ached and she was emotionally drained. It had taken her an hour longer to get to her apartment as she had a meltdown in her car after she left the hospital. She’d finally managed to pull herself together and made her way home. Tonight, she wanted to do some research on the possible problems Clay might experience due to his TBI and tomorrow she would let Brock know what was going on. But first, she needed to get some food into her and a glass of wine.

She had only reached for the wine when there was a knock at her door. At first Lisa thought to ignore it but that wouldn’t help. Her car was parked right where everyone could see it. Tiredly she made her way over to the door.

“What?” Lisa snapped as she opened it up.

“Hi.” Sonny leaned against the wall.

“Hi,” she replied and looked at the Texan up and down. He’d lost some weight, had some extra muscles on him with his hair and beard nicely trimmed. Sonny looked good.

“May I come in?”

Lisa cocked her head. She was still angry with him, but found that the raging fury she felt towards him and the rest of Bravo team had simmered down. “Why?”

Sonny sighed. “I miss you.” He stared at his shoes.

Lisa smiled when she realized he couldn’t see her. Sonny was her best friend. She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss him either, but her heart ached just thinking what they’d done. She sighed. “Come on in, you big oaf.” She pushed the door wider for him to enter.

Sonny tipped his hat and squeezed by her. He took off the Stetson and placed it on the table.

“You want a beer?” Lisa asked as she made her way to the kitchen to collect her wine. For a moment she thought of changing her drink for a beer as well. She knew Sonny would have something to say about her drinking wine.

“Thanks,” Sonny answered as he flopped down on the couch.

Lisa grabbed her wine and the beer and made her way back to her living room. She smiled when she found the Texan stretched out on her couch. “Move up,” She pressed the cold bottle against his arm. She watched as he pulled himself up in a seated position before he swung his legs from the seat and sat up.

Sonny took the beer from her hand and cocked his head.

Lisa shook her finger at him. “Not a word, mister.”

Sonny wisely remained silent and took a swig of his beer. He waited until she sat down next to him before he placed his beer on the coffee table and turned to her. “You’ve been crying.”

“I have.”

“Clay?” Sonny looked down at his beer.

Lisa nodded. She was about to speak up, when Sonny beat her to it.

“We’ve been ordered to have no contact with Clay. Not until NCIS has spoken to him.”

“It’s going to be longer than that,” Lisa found herself whispering the words.

“What do you mean?”

“Clay.” She took a deep breath. “Clay doesn’t want to see any of us.”

“Not even you?” Sonny sounded devastated.

Lisa shook her head.

“Did he tell you that himself?”

“No, Doctor Paddington informed me. I’ve not seen Clay for the past two days.”

“What happened?”

Lisa sighed and told Sonny what happened with Clay.

Sonny turned ashen at Lisa’s words. “But the doctor is sure he didn’t suffer from a stroke?”

“Yeah, as far as he could tell me this morning. They still had to do more tests.”

“This damage that you referred to?”

“The damage to the parietal lobe?”

“Yeah.”

Lisa sighed. “I’m not sure, I was going to do some research on it.”

Sonny nodded. He rubbed his hands nervously on his thighs. “Can I help?”

Lisa lowered her head. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to help, why do you care? Why now? Any one of them, all of them?” Lisa rose to her feet. “You hurt Clay, Sonny. You hurt him so bad. You totally disregarded him. Hell, you wanted to kill him and not once, not one time did you give him a chance, or listened to him. Not once, Sonny. Did you notice how many times he limped, how many times he braced his arms around his body? Did you see the way he shivered even when it wasn’t cold; the dark rings under his eyes, or his pasty color?” She paced the small space.

“The only time he was sort of okay was when you got spun up. For one or another reason he was relaxed when you went on a mission. I’m not sure if it was because he wanted to die and maybe looked forward to not returning, or what the reason might be.”

“I know, Lisa.”

Lisa latched out and kicked him on the shin. “You did nothing!” She screamed out of frustration.

Sonny got to his feet and pulled her to his chest. He held her tight as she started to sob in his arms. He didn’t say a word but merely held her even closer. Sonny closed his own eyes and made a silent promise to himself. One that he would later make to Lisa as well. He would make things right with Clay and he would make sure he was next to Clay for every step of the way during his rehab. This time he would not let Clay down.

Chapter 7

Notes:

AN 1: I'm not a medical practitioner and although I did some research I'm not saying that what is mentioned in this chapter is a hundred percent medically correct.

AN 2: PLEASE NOTE This chapter will be the last one of this year. I will only update this story again in the year 2021.

Clay continued to stare at the doctor in front of him. He’d heard every word the man had told him, he understood everything fine, but nothing, not a single word the man said, made sense. He didn’t understand why it was impossible for his brain not to recognize simple items placed in front of him. He had no idea on why he had to hold it, feel it between his fingers, hell, even smell it, before his brain finally made the connection and supplied him with a name for the object and what you did with it. Clay closed his eyes for a second.

He’d never even heard of the parietal lobe before, but now he seems to suffer from something called associative agnosia. And all because there was damage done in one or other pathway in his brain that connected the occipital lobe with the parietal lobe. As a result, he could be kicked out of the Navy.

And of course, the seizures. The doctor wasn’t calling it epileptic seizures as yet, but he had another seizure earlier this morning. They added medication to see if they could put a stop to it, but Clay knew it wasn’t going to help. Maybe he should be more positive, but he’d been low on positivity for some time now. This was just what he needed. Clay ignored the man in front of him as he snorted. He didn’t even know why he was worried about not being in the Navy anymore. With all that had happened he was going to be kicked out in any case.

“Petty Officer Spenser?”

The doctor’s voice drew Clay out of his own thoughts. He looked up. “Clay, my name is Clay.” He needed to get used to the fact that he won’t be a petty officer for much longer. That he won’t be in the Navy for long. He stared at the doctor and then nodded. “I understand.” At least it appeared that his speech was not impaired and he had retained most of his memories. The only ones missing were from the training house incident, and there, he still had a general idea of what had happened.

Doctor Paddington looked at the young man in front of him. He couldn’t decipher what the man was thinking. His face remained stoic throughout his whole explanation.

“Do you have any questions?”

“When can I get out of here?”

Paddington shook his head. “Not for quite a while yet, I’m afraid. The pelvic fracture alone will keep you with us for a few more weeks. We have to make sure that the burns on your leg don’t get infected as well.”

Clay merely nodded.

“We will however start with in-patient physical therapy. Including occupational therapy and exercises to retrain your brain.”

“Why?” Clay asked with a frown.

Paddington returned the frown with one of his own. “I don’t understand?”

Clay shook his head. “Nothing.” He decided that he didn’t want to hear the answer, even if he didn’t pose the question. Clay leaned back against his pillow and closed his eyes. “I’m tired.” He didn’t say anything about the pain he was experiencing. He’d deal with that on his own.

The doctor rose to his feet and gently squeezed the young man’s shoulder. “I know it’s a lot to take in and to process, but we’re here for you. We’ll get you through this.” He sighed when he received no response. He made his way over to the door before he turned back again.

“NCIS agent Carville will come and see you tomorrow morning. He still needs to ask you some questions. However, if you’re not up to talking to him, I can tell him that he must come back another time.”

Clay didn’t respond and kept his eyes closed. He sighed when the door to his room was closed and he was left alone.

--SEAL TEAM--

Following morning

Richard Carville looked at his notebook and scribbled down some notes. He’d already gone over the events of the training house incident with Petty Officer Spenser, and although the young man couldn’t remember much, what he did remember, was consistent with what Senior Chief Perry told them. He’d also explained to Spenser, that he was no longer a suspect in the attempted murder of Perry. For a moment Spenser looked relieved, but then he became stoic again and merely nodded.

“Describe your relationship with Master Chief Meddings.” Richard took note of the way Spenser’s whole body tensed up for a second before he relaxed again. He’d also noticed the pain lines around the Spenser’s mouth and decided to keep the interview as short as possible. Doctor Paddington had warned him to take it easy with the young man.

For a moment Clay remained silent. He was still reeling inside on the fact that Ray had vouched for him. At least now his teammates couldn’t accuse him any longer of trying to kill Ray. But on the other hand, it didn’t matter anymore. He was no longer part of Bravo team. He was no longer a SEAL. The pain he experienced kept him awake most of the night and since he had nothing else to do, he’d reached the decision to make sure he got a medical discharge. He knew it was the coward’s way out, but he couldn’t get himself to care anymore.

He ignored the agent’s question as he asked one of his own. “Will Ray…” He bowed his head. “Will Senior Chief Perry be okay?”

Richard frowned upon hearing the question. He was under the impression that Spenser knew his teammate was doing much better, that he was even discharged. But then he remembered the conversation he had with Doctor Paddington. Spenser had panicked the last time his teammates were mentioned and he had no contact with any of his team members since he regained consciousness. He made a mental note to talk to the doctor about this.

“Perry is doing well. He has been discharged, and as far as I know, he’s back in the field.”

Clay nodded at the information. It seemed that their lives continued. He pushed down at the pity he wanted to feel for himself. They made sure he knew he wasn’t one of them and now this accident made sure he never will be part of them again.

“Spenser?” Richard asked as he realized that his question remained unanswered. When the man in the bed looked up at him, he repeated his question. “Can you describe your relationship with Master Chief Meddings?”

Clay cleared his throat. “To describe our relationship would be impossible, because there was no relationship. He busted my ass from the beginning. The harder he could do it, the better,” Clay responded bitterly.

“Busting your ass, as in trying to get you to do better, toughening you up?”

“As in trying to maim, or kill me.”

Richard became still. He looked up and stared at Clay. He found no indication that Clay was talking figuratively. “Did you report him?”

Clay cocked his head. “After the first month of trying to tell my brothers, that Meddings was taking it too far, and being told to suck it up, I stopped.”

“Injuries?”

Clay focused his attention on the far wall. “It doesn’t matter, it’s all healed.”

“Did you receive medical treatment?”

Knowing that NCIS had the ability to pull his records, Clay nodded. “Dislocated shoulders, cracked ribs, fractured nose, concussions.”

“What reason did you give for the injuries?”

“Training accidents.”

Richard locked gazes with Clay. “This happened during training every time?”

“Master Chief Meddings loves one on one training sessions. ‘It hones your skills to near perfection’.”

Something in the way Clay said the last sentence made Carville believe he was quoting the Master Chief.

“Why did you not take your concerns higher up?” He had to ask, but he knew what the answer was going to be even before the petty officer answered.

Clay looked at him with disbelief. “Do I look like a blue falcon to you?” Clay shook his head.

Richard nodded and let it go. “You indicated that you felt like he tried to kill you or maim you?” He received a nod as an answer.

“Any idea on why?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t take it personally.”

“That’s a weird thing to say.”

Clay cocked his head. “You do know who my father is?”

“You think because of your father, Meddings is targeting you?”

“I don’t know,” Clay said despondent.

Richard made a note. He would have to check out a possible connection between Meddings and Ashland Spenser. However, if that was the reason why Meddings targeted Clay, that man had more than a few screws loose.

“Do you have any idea on why Meddings would’ve tried to kill Senior Chief Perry?”

“I’ve been asking myself that same question and I’ve got no idea. They had a good relationship as far as I could tell.”

Richard closed his note book and pushed his pen into his shirt pocket. “There’s something else that I need to talk to you about. I am aware of the fact that your commanding officer also wanted to talk to you, but I am unsure when that will be. However, I think I should tell you what I know.” Richard cleared his throat when the petty officer remained quiet.

“SecNav called for an investigation into all DEVGRU units.”

“Why?” Clay’s eyes had grown large at the agent’s statement.

“The first doctor who treated you, Doctor Alex Goodwin, had spoken to a friend who works in the JAG offices; the lawyer took things up, and it ended with up SecNav.”

Clay bowed his head. Now it didn’t really matter that he might get medically discharged, the investigation called by SecNav just sunk his career on its own. No one would ever believe that he had nothing to do with it.

“It opened a whole lot of cans with worms. Several changes within DEVGRU already happened and a lot more are planned.”

“Fuck.” Clay closed his eyes. His hand shook as he brought it up towards his face.

“Bravo team has also been disbanded.”

Clay gasped and shook his head. His ears started ringing and his chest tightened up. When he tried to breathe, he found himself unable to. Clay clutched at his chest, his eyes large, his body trembled as he wheezed for air. An alarm above his head started to scream out in warning as dark spots danced around his vision. Clay was dimly aware that someone spoke to him, but the words sounded muted as if they were spoken underwater. A blurred face appeared in front of him, and Clay tried to blink, but it was as if his eyes didn’t want to comprehend the simple command. Something wet ran down his cheeks. His vision blurred, his breath hitched once again before his body went limp and he slumped back against the pillow as the arms of darkness enfolded around him.

--SEAL TEAM--

Having had the opportunity to yell at the NCIS agent, even though he understood that the man only tried to help, Doctor Paddington had finally managed to calm himself down as he took his seat behind the desk. Spenser had suffered from a severe panic attack that caused him to lose consciousness. He was right outside the petty officer’s room when the alarm at the nurses’ station started crying and it took him less than five seconds to get into the room.

He'd tried to get his patient to calm down, but the petty officer was too far down the rabbit’s hole to turn back. If looks could kill, Agent Carville would’ve been a mere mound of ash. The agent had no right to talk to his patient about such complex issues. It was bad enough that the higher ups were breathing down his neck to gain access to Spenser, he had blocked them for as long as possible, then having a fool of an agent create chaos.

He was worried about his patient. He didn’t need any formal diagnoses of depression, but it was clear that Spenser was depressed. Knowing that he’s a SEAL meant having a psychologist talking to him, wasn’t going to work, unless Spenser wanted it to work.

The phone next to him brought him out of his musings as it rang. “Doctor Paddington,” he answered.

“Good morning, Doctor Paddington. It’s Petty Officer Davis, speaking.”

“Morning, Petty Officer,” Paddington returned the greeting. He missed the young woman around Spenser’s room. She was a good friend and would do anything to help his patient.

“What can I do for you?”

“I know Clay said he didn’t want to see anyone of us, and I know you can’t tell me anything about his condition, but may I still ask how is he doing?”

Paddington sighed. He wanted nothing more than to tell her what had transpired, but as she’d mentioned, he had no right to share anymore information with her. He had to keep the information he gave to her as general as possible. “He’s steadily getting better. It’s going to take some time for him to be up on his feet again, but he looks very stubborn, I’m sure that won’t be a problem for him.” He smiled when he heard Davis laughing.

“That is one of his many attributes.” Davis sighed.

“You sound troubled.”

“I, we, want to help Clay in any way that we can. We’ve done some research, but I wondered if you’d be willing to explain to me exactly what problems Clay might experience with damage to the parietal lobe, perhaps refer me to any medical journals, research which I can look up to understand and maybe help?”

He smiled as an idea formed in his head. “Let me explain to you what type of problems Clay might likely experience, and I can also email you a list of references that you can have a look at.” He would make sure he included everything he had on associative agnosia and seizures. He had a feeling Davis would pick up on that and do her own research on how to be of assistance to Spenser.

“That is much appreciated. I’ve got a pen in hand, fire away.”

Paddington leaned back in his chair and using understandable terms and, little as possible medical jargon, he explained what problems might be experienced. He also made a mental note to talk to Spenser again. The young man needed someone in his corner and he had a feeling that Petty Officer Davis, as well as Reynolds might be the right fit.

--SEAL TEAM--

Lisa grinned as she ended the call. She booted up her laptop and opened a document and started documenting everything she and Doctor Paddington spoke about. She’d asked so many questions and had been grateful for the doctor’s patience.

When her email notification pinged, she opened it up immediately. She was surprised about the number or references doctor Paddington sent her way. It was much more than what she’d expected.

One thing she noticed was that there were a lot more references made and material to read on agnosia, especially associative agnosia than anything else. What was bothersome was the number of articles that also dealt with seizures. She had a feeling Clay hadn’t dodged that specific bullet. Lisa closed her eyes. It seemed like doctor Paddington was steering her in a specific direction. She saved and closed all the attachments and started a search on agnosia. She would find out whatever she could, then contact Brock, Sonny and maybe even the rest of the team so that they could all work on a plan of action in helping Clay. But first, she needed to understand what associative agnosia was, and how that, together with seizures would impact Clay’s life.

--SEAL TEAM--

Sonny stared at the page he held between his fingers. His mind was going at a hundred miles an hour as he tried to comprehend what Davis told them, but more importantly showed them in an attempt to let them understand what Clay was facing.

“This sucks.” He tossed the paper onto the table.

“Agreed.” Brock looked at his drawings again and sighed.

“You sure this is what’s wrong with Clay?” Jason enquired.

Lisa nodded. “I’m as sure as what I can be without Doctor Paddington telling me directly what is wrong with Clay. But the fact that most of the references he referred me to deals with agnosia and seizures, makes me believe this is it.”

“In other words, Clay can copy this picture, like we can, but he’s unable to identify the object, unless he can touch it, or even smell it?” Ray picked up the orange Lisa had brought with her to demonstrate to them what agnosia was. Unfortunately, all of them understood seizures.

“Yes.”

“And there’s no cure for this, but with the help of exercises and occupational therapy, his condition might improve,” Trent informed the group. He had a bit more knowledge on the topic than the rest of them, but it still bothered him that Clay now had to struggle with something like this.

“I hate repeating myself, but this really sucks.” Sonny rose to his feet. “I mean, some things in life are not made to pick up, to have a look at it before you can recognize it. That’s dangerous.”

“What about surgery?” Lisa turned to Trent.

“It all depends on the lesions and the damage done to the pathways in his brain. If there’s a possibility that surgery might help, I suspect that they would take it up with Clay.”

“What about surgery for the seizures?” Sonny asked, his voice subdued.

“Same answer as before, Sonny.” Trent didn’t look optimistic.

“This will bench him for life.” Brock looked up.

Trent nodded and the team bowed their heads.

“Fuck!” Jason pushed to his feet and dragged his hand over his face. “And if we don’t make things right with him, he’s going to go through this alone.” He paced the room.

“We need to get to Clay.” Jason looked at his team.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Ray arched his brow at his best friend.

“We’re an assault team, Ray. We come up with a plan, and we execute the plan.”

“I like that.” Sonny grinned, while Trent and Brock nodded their heads.

“You in, Ray?” Jason asked.

Ray sat with his head bowed but then he rose to his feet. “We need a plan.”

Jason clapped his hands together. “You heard the man, we need a plan. Let’s get working.”

Lisa couldn’t help to grin. She had no idea what plan the guys would come up with, but she had no doubt in her mind that they would come up with something. The only question that remained was that when they succeeded in gaining access to Clay, if he’d allowed them the opportunity to talk to him, and also to apologize. She could only hope.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Notes:

AN 1: Thank you for all the comments you’ve left on this story. I am behind in answering them, but I hope to get it done one of these good days.

AN 2: Medical terms and conditions are not my strong point. I’ve taken liberties and although I’ve tried to Google what I can, not everything is going to be correct.

AN 3: As always, the beta side of things was handled by RoboFoxtrot. Thank you!

Naval Base: 4 Days later

Trent smiled from ear to ear as he jogged towards Jason and Sonny. Both of them had returned with Echo team from a mission and were still on their way to the cages when he stopped in front of them. He gave them a quick look over and was satisfied that neither of them appeared to be injured.

“What’s got you grinning like a Cheshire cat?” Jason inquired.

“Lucas is in.”

“What?” Sonny grinned. “That’s fantastic. Now we can finally see Tinkerbell.”

“Easy, Sonny. You’re going to fast, brother.” Trent held up his hand to calm his teammate down.

“How did you convince him?” Jason knew that when they first approached Lucas with the idea, he didn’t want anything to do with it.

“I didn’t. Seems that Davis did.”

“That’s our Davis.” Sonny grinned. Since that night at her apartment, he’d managed to spend more time with her. Their friendship was still not on par, but it was getting there fast.

“How did she do it?”

“I’m not sure. I know that Lucas grumbled a lot about Clay’s present therapist, and how he’s not what Clay needs. I was there when he phoned Bethesda and told them he worked on Clay before and he’ll be taking over Clay’s rehab.”

“And they just let him?” Sonny asked in awe.

Trent nodded. “Lucas can be as intimidating as Davis on a good day.”

“Do you know when he’ll be able to see Clay?”

“Not entirely sure, but he did say he wanted to go as soon as possible. Maybe even this afternoon. He’ll let me know when he’s had his first session with Clay,” Trent informed his friends.

“Have you told Ray and Brock yet?”

Trent nodded. “Found them together at the O-course.”

Sonny yawned. “I need to get some sleep.” He fist-bumped both of his brothers, hitched up his gear, and sauntered off.

Jason remained with Trent. “You look tired.”

Trent shrugged. “We’re running simulations for a mission at odd hours of the night, and I’m trying to find out everything possible on Clay’s condition. I’m spread a little thin.”

“Then let us help you, Trent. Tell us what we can do.”

“I will.” Trent slapped Jason on the shoulder. “Go and take a shower, Boss. You reek.” He scrunched up his nose.

Jason laughed, shook his head and walked away.

Trent bowed his head and let his shoulders sag. With Lucas on their side, he hoped that they would get more regular updates on Clay’s condition, and get a way in seeing Clay for themselves.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Navy Hospital

Clay closed his eyes and let the world fade away around him. He had completed his first session of physical therapy and it left him exhausted. What made it worse, was the fact that he didn’t like the therapist. Everything started off fine, and he seemed friendly, until he realized that Clay was a SEAL. Then his whole demeanor changed. When Clay indicated that he was hurting him, the man smiled and said Clay should suck it up, it was only going to get worse.

Instead of getting the man to stop, Clay kept quiet as the memories of how he got treated the last three months returned. He’d bitten hard into his bottom lip, tasted the blood against his tongue, but not once did he make a sound. It seemed to spur the therapist on, but Clay stubbornly refused to give in. He was forever grateful when the head nurse came in and frowned at the sight. They were looking for the therapist as it seemed he was running behind. It was only then that Clay realized that their time had expired. Clay was happy to see the back of him.

Now his body ached and his muscles trembled. It felt like he’d completed a marathon. Clay must’ve drifted off to sleep because when he opened his eyes again, it was almost dark outside. The nap did him good as his muscles no longer trembled, but his body still ached. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep again, not without some pain relief.

The door to his room opened and the nurse walked in. “Carlos really put you through the ringer today, didn’t he? You even slept through lunch. You must be hungry. Can I get you a snack perhaps, dinner isn’t for another hour and a half.”

The thought of food made him nauseous and Clay shook his head.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you,” Clay responded.

The nurse nodded and headed to the door.

“Sorry,” Clay called her back.

“Yes?”

“I’m not hungry. I don’t want to eat tonight. Would it be possible for me to get my pain relief medicine now and go to sleep?”

The nurse cocked her head. “I don’t see that being a problem. If you get hungry later on, I’ll make sure there’s a snack for you available. I’ll go and fetch the medication for you quickly.”

“Thank you.” Clay leaned back and closed his eyes. He wanted to get out of here. He would do what he had to, even if it meant more pain.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Hospital: 2 Weeks later

Lucas worked through the file he received on Clay. He was in a bad mood. There had been a mix up with his papers, which meant he could only officially start to work at Bethesda today. A whole two weeks later than what he’d expected. And he didn’t like what he’d read.

According to the therapist, Clay was making no progress. He didn’t participate actively in any of the exercises, and continued to be a hindrance in his own recovery.

But it didn't add up to what he knew about Clay. He knew Clay had the tendency to do too much and set himself back in his recovery by overextending himself. Clay would never fail to do his best. The report also didn’t correspond with the report drawn up by the occupational therapist. There the therapist couldn’t stop praising Clay for his dedication and hard work. He’d made a lot of progress in the last two weeks. With the help of the nursing staff, they’d started placing items Clay needed on the exact same spot, and through repetition, he’d now started to recognize the items even before he’d picked it up. For example, his water glass, or an apple, or orange.

Lucas picked up his phone. He needed more info, but not on Clay, he needed to know more about this therapist. Something was going on.

--SEAL TEAM--

Reynolds Household

Brock gingerly leaned back and tried not to groan out loud as the muscles in his shoulder protested at the slightest movement. The sling was hot and bothersome but he didn’t dare to take it off. Trent would skin him alive.

Cerberus came and sat down in front of him and the pup placed his paw on Brock’s knee.

“I’m all right, boy. It’s nothing serious.” Brock cringed at his own words. It was serious enough to sideline him for at least the next four to six weeks, but he took solace in the fact that it could’ve been so much worse. Yes, he needed surgery to repair the shoulder separation, but if he landed on his back, or his head, he would’ve been paralyzed, or even dead.

He looked up when Trent entered his living room. Brock looked longingly at the beer in Trent’s hand, but knew that alcohol was not on the menu. Not with the heavy-duty painkillers he was on.

“Our plan in getting Lucas to treat Clay just backfired.”

“What?” Brock sat forward with a grimace on his face. “Why, what happened?”

Trent glared at him. “You happened.”

Brock bowed his head. “Sorry.” He looked up. “Maybe it didn’t.” A small grin appeared on his face. “With the base hospital still closed, it means I’ll have to go to another hospital for physical therapy. Let’s get me slotted in with Lucas. Maybe between myself and Cerberus we can start to engage with Clay. If he then tells me to back off, I’ll do so, but he can’t stop me from getting treated at the same time when he’s with Lucas.”

Trent grinned. “That might actually work.”

Brock returned the smile. “What do you say, buddy, time to get Clay back into our lives?”

Cerberus barked once in agreement and the two men laughed.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 1 week later

Brock had to take a deep breath to calm himself before he entered the room. Cerberus had picked up on his nervousness and the pup appeared unsettled. Today would be the first time he would talk to Clay face to face in four months. Clay’s accident happened over a month and a half ago.

Lucas had prepared him for what he could expect when he saw Clay today. Their top therapist had three sessions with Clay, and according to Lucas, Clay had been very standoffish towards him each time. He also said that it could be because of something else, but when Brock had tried to talk to him about it, Lucas told him that he would sort it out, that it had nothing to do with Bravo. Brock didn’t like it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Taking care not to jar his shoulder, Brock hunkered down next to Cerberus. “What do you say, boy, ready to see Clay?” He scratched the pup’s ears and grinned when Cerb gave him kisses all over his face.

“Yeah, I’m excited too.” Brock leaned back. “Remember what we talked about, okay? Clay was injured and he’s not feeling well. Don’t hurt him.”

It looked to Brock as if Cerb rolled his eyes at him. “Sorry, I know you’ll be careful.” He undid Cerb’s lease. “Go to Clay, Cerberus. Go.” The pup gave an excited yap and then darted off. Brock stayed where he was. He wanted Clay and Cerberus to have a proper reunion before he joined them.

--SEAL TEAM--

Clay leaned back against the wheelchair and closed his eyes. He hated being in the hospital, he wanted to get out of here. He had started to contemplate the possibility to sign out AMA, but as the days went by, he realized that it wouldn’t solve his problem, or the other fucking problem, that he’s been trying (very unsuccessfully) to ignore. He had no place to go, and even if he hated to admit it, he needed help doing simple everyday things. He was truly stuck here until he could at least walk by himself.

There was one light point in his life. His physical therapy was going well, since Lucas took over… Clay sighed softly. It seemed that he was still on God’s shitless as his previous therapist flunked out of BUDs twice and held a grudge against all SEALs. According to Lucas, he could’ve hampered Clay’s recovery severely if he continued with what he’d done.

Now things were better. He already had more range of movement and experienced less pain in the three times Lucas had worked on him than in the two weeks prior to that.

“Fuck,” he jerked his hand away and his eyes snapped open when something wet and cold touched his hand. He looked down and for a moment he was speechless. “Cerb?” Clay smiled and reached out and placed his hand on top of the dog’s head. His hand trembled and he gently tightened his fist around Cerb’s coat. The K9 stood perfectly still, his tail wagging while he had a big grin on his face.

“How are you, boy?” Clay finally managed to ask as he leaned forward and pressed his face against the top of Cerberus’ head. He breathed the dog’s scent in deeply and felt something inside of him uncoil. “I’ve missed you so much.” He sat there with Cerberus next to him for a long time before Clay took a deep breath and sat up straight. Clay kept his hand on Cerb’s coat.

“He has missed you too.” Brock leaned against the doorway, not coming in any closer. He had watched both man and pup for the past fifteen minutes. Brock held his breath as Clay looked up and stared at him.

“Brock,” Clay whispered the name and immediately looked down at his feet. He let go of Cerb’s coat and folded his hands in his lap.

“May I come in?” Brock inquired as he remained where he was.

Clay nodded but didn’t look up. Cerberus nudged his snout into Clay’s hand and looked up at him. It made him smile and he scratched the dog’s ears again.

Brock slowly made his way into the room and stopped a few paces from Clay’s chair. He watched as Clay continued to scratch Cerb’s ears while the dog looked like he was in heaven.

“What happened to your arm?” Clay asked without looking up.

“Repelling exercise gone wrong.”

“I’m sorry.”

Brock cocked his head. “Why are you sorry, Clay? It wasn’t your fault.”

Clay didn’t respond.

“And I’m the one who should apologize. Not you.” Brock took a step closer.

Clay tightened his hold on Cerb’s coat.

Block silently cursed himself and took a step back. It seemed to have worked as Clay relaxed again.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t you?” Brock moved back, dragged a chair closer and sat down. “I could see something was bothering you, Clay, and I should’ve pushed more. Every time we chatted; you became more distant. Your chats became shorter. I should’ve made sure you realized that you could talk to me – about anything. I failed you, brother. For that I am truly sorry.”

“It wouldn’t have changed things.” Clay still didn’t look up.

“I would’ve tried.”

Clay’s head snapped up. His blue eyes were filled with tears. “And you think, I didn’t? I tried each and every day, Brock. I tried talking to them, I tried showing them, I tried explaining, I even fucking begged them to listen to me. They brushed aside my fears. Told me that I’m imagining things, that I should not take it seriously, that I should walk it off. That I should stop complaining, that I should listen to what Master Chief Meddings has to say, as I could learn a lot from him.”

His shoulders sagged. “You would’ve told me the same, Brock. And where I didn’t get it at first, I do get it now. I wasn’t good enough; I will never be good enough. I’ve got only one goal left and that is to get out of here. The day I do that, I will disappear and none of you will ever have to see me again.” Clay let go of Cerberus’ coat and returned his hands to his lap.

Clay took a deep breath. His voice sounded brittle when he spoke again. “I don’t want to see any of you. I don’t want to talk to you again, please leave me alone.”

“Clay,” Brock had to try again.

“No.” Clay sounded broken. He reached for his left hand with his right, as a slight tingle developed in his fingers. “Just go!” he shouted. He knew what was coming from previous experiences, and he didn’t want Brock to see when it happened. He started feeling weird, he wanted to panic, but had no idea if it was because of what was to come, or because of Brock being there. Clay had to blink rapidly as his vision blurred. His hand started to jerk, and it quickly spread to his arm.

Cerberus appeared next to him and the pup pressed himself as close as possible to Clay. He wanted to push the dog away, but Cerberus stayed where he was.

“Clay?”

Brock’s voice sounded far away and Clay was dimly aware of Brock coming closer and calling out for help just as his whole body stiffened up. After that things rapidly faded away.

--SEAL TEAM--

The first thing that returned was his hearing. The sounds surrounding him were at a distance but came closer by the second. He could differentiate between different voices, but had no idea to who they belonged.

Someone touched his hair and Clay managed to raise his head just that fraction.

“Easy, you had a seizure, but you’re all right.”

Clay tried to talk, but couldn’t form the correct words. He tried again and grunted out of frustration. When he tried to push himself up, strong arms held him down, but without restricting him.

“You’re going to be dizzy for a while, just lay back and take it easy.” The voice was male.

Something wet pressed against his chin and Clay frowned. The movement was repeated and then a pair of soulful eyes appeared in front of him. Clay reached out and managed to touch the snout next to him. Both him and the dog sighed before Clay’s eyes closed again and he drifted off to sleep.

“You’ve seen this before with Clay.” Brock made it a statement as he stared at Clay’s sleeping form. Cerberus had settled down at Clay’s feet and it didn’t look like the pup would be moving soon.

“My third time,” Lucas responded. “The first time was when he realized I was here as his new physical therapist, and the second time after his last therapy session.”

Brock bowed his head. “Do you have any idea on the number of seizures he’s experiencing on a daily basis?” He found himself holding his breath.

Lucas moved away from where he stood at the foot end of Clay’s bed and took a seat on one of the visitor’s chairs. “They’re still trying to get the correct combination of drugs.”

Brock read between the lines. “His days as a SEAL are over.”

Lucas didn’t respond but the look on his face as he glanced at Clay said it all.

“Does he know?”

“That his career is over, or that he suffers from epilepsy?” Lucas came to his feet. “I’ve been told to submit a detailed report on his physical rehabilitation prognoses by the end of the week to the Medical Evaluation Board. I was informed to make sure to indicate what his chances are to operate on the level of a Tier One Operator again. I can promise you, Brock, reports were requested from every medical practitioner and health care worker that deals with Clay on a daily basis. Once MEB asks for reports, the Physical Evaluation Board is not far behind and when the PEB gets involved, you know they’re serious about things.”

“It hasn’t even been two months.”

Lucas merely shrugged. “Clay has been monitored the whole time. He’s suffering from what is called Focal to Bilateral Tonic-clonic seizures.”

At the look on Brock’s face, Lucas continued. “The terminology for seizures has changed. It was previously known as secondary generalized seizures. The seizures last between one to three minutes and, as in Clay’s situation, the person takes a bit longer to recover with symptoms of being confused, drowsy, sometimes even agitated.”

“Fuck.” Brock covered his face with his hands.

“Don’t give up hope, Brock. The moment you, or any of Bravo team gives up hope on Clay, he’s going to stop fighting. Don’t let that happen. He’s got a long and hard road ahead of him, make sure you’re there every step of the way.”

Brock nodded. He lifted his eyes and stared at his sleeping brother. “We won’t abandon him, not again. I only hope that later on he will let us be there for him.” He pushed down the reminder of the words Clay had uttered to him earlier.

“I’ve known Bravo for a number of years now, Brock. You’ve never given up on a teammate. You will not let him give up on you. Yes, there’s an enormous gorge between him and Bravo that you need to overcome, but give him time. More importantly, make sure he sees you giving him the support that he needs, and in the end, things might come right again. Just don’t make the mistake thinking that it will be the same as before, because that will never happen.”

Brock let his gaze linger for a while longer on Clay. Cerberus was still sleeping next to the young man and Brock made a silent vow. He will not fail Clay again.

Brock got pulled from his thoughts as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and frowned. “Jason?” He blanched at his brother’s words. “Roger that.” The call ended and Brock looked over at his sleeping brother.

“What’s going on?”

Brock focused on Lucas’ voice. He swallowed hard. “NCIS got in contact with Jason. Seems that Meddings went to the Base.”

“What, did they catch him?” Lucas rose to his feet. He’d moved away from Clay’s bed so as to not disturb the sleeping man.

“No.” Brock shook his head. “He disappeared.”

“What aren’t you telling me, Brock?”

Brock dragged his hand across his face. “Seems that he broke into the HR’s office. He’d ransacked the place.”

“What did he take?” Lucas frowned.

“Clay’s file is missing.”

Lucas blanched at Brock’s words. “There would be information on where Clay is at the moment.”

Brock nodded as he moved to the door and shut it. It couldn’t lock, but it was one extra obstacle that Meddings had to overcome before he could get close to Clay. But that wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let that happen. “NCIS is sending someone over to protect Clay.”

“And Bravo?”

Brock locked eyes with Lucas. “They’re on their way. Meddings will not get close to Clay. We will not let him. Clay is our brother and we protect our own.”

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Notes:

AN 1: Thank you to the amazing, IceBoxBee for helping out with the beta side of things. You are the best!

Agent Richard Carville cursed as he pulled into traffic to make his way to Bethesda Hospital. It was going to be a long drive from the base, but at least he’d made arrangements with the office to send someone to Spenser’s room. The kid didn’t need any more trouble, but unfortunately, with Meddings back on the scene, it seems that trouble was once again following Spenser.

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, angry at himself for not thinking that Meddings might return to base. But in all honesty, no one thought that the man would be cocky enough to show his face here again. And, no one, thought that he would break into an HR office and steal Clay Spenser’s file. He had no idea what Meddings wanted with the file.

Even after almost two months, they still had little idea on why Meddings targeted Spenser. They’d searched his cage on base and his apartment. They didn’t find much. The only weird thing they found was Spenser’s key card to their briefing room. Spenser had stated that he’d lost his and the card was deactivated and he was issued with a replacement card. Richard had inquired when this was and it seemed that this all happened on the first day Meddings joined the team. It still bothered him, and he’d have to talk to Spenser himself to see if the young man could shed more light on the topic.

The one other thing they did discover was that Meddings’ dad, Dean (Tiger) Meddings served at the same time as Clay’s dad in the teams. Tiger was in SEAL Team 3, while Ashland Spenser was in SEAL Team 6. They had little to no contact, as Team 3 operated more in the Middle East, while the old Team 6 operated worldwide.

The few missions they did work on together were deemed classified, and since Richard could not find any plausible connection between the two fathers and his current case no one wanted to read him into those missions. He also couldn’t get hold of Ash Spenser, and it seemed that Dean Meddings had disappeared from the face of the earth. He’d left several messages for Spenser to contact him ASAP, and had started a worldwide search for Dean Meddings. So far, nothing has turned up.

Richard’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he reached for it while at the same time he kept his eyes on the road. “Agent Carville.”

“Richard, it’s McGee.”

Richard smiled. He liked Gibbs’ second in command. The man had grown up a lot since he joined NCIS all those years ago. Most of his sculpting that made him a good agent was at the hands of DiNozzo. Richard shook his head. He would phone the man later. Tony might have a few ideas on what’s going on in this case of his. “What can I do for you McGee?”

“I think this time around it’s more about what I can do for you.”

“What do you mean?” Richard frowned.

“During an investigation into one of our cases we came across a training firearm.”

“Spenser’s?” Richard sat up straight in his seat.

“It appears to be. I’ve sent it down to Abby’s. She’ll get down to you when she’s got more info.”

“Thanks, McGee.” Richard sighed. “What’s the connection with your case? Do you think it’s linked to mine?”

“Group of armed men tried to rob a branch of the Navy Federal in Baltimore. One of the weapons seized was the training weapon. I don’t think attempted robbery is related to your case, not yet.”

“Any idea on where they got it from?”

“Still working on that. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

“Thank you again, McGee.” Richard ended the call with a frown etched on his face. “How the hell did Spenser’s training weapon end up at an armed robbery?” He made a mental note to follow up on this again and to get in touch with Abby. Thinking about Abby made him grin. He’d finally managed to ask Abby on a date and the two of them went to a very weird, but interesting, art exhibition. It wasn’t something he would’ve gone to on his own, but with Abby by his side, he actually enjoyed it. They already made plans for a second date. He was looking forward to that.

On a hunch, Richard took his phone, went through his call history and pressed the call button. When his call got answered he got straight to the point.

“Captain Harrington, did Ash Spenser and Meddings’ father work together, or go into business together after their time in the teams?”

“I have no idea.”

“Anybody that might know the answer to that?” Richard held his breath.

“Big Chief might know.”

“Who’s that?” He frowned.

“He runs the show at Green team. Do you want his number?”

“Yeah, please, Captain.”

“I’ll text it to you.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Captain Harrington huffed on the other side of the line. “It’s time you get that SOB, Agent Carville.”

“I’m planning on that, Sir.” He ended the call and held his phone in his hand. When the text came through, he hit call and hoped that he would find at least one answer to his question.

--SEAL TEAM--

By the time Jason, together with the rest of Bravo arrived at the hospital, they could see that security had been beefed up. They had to produce their IDs three times before they were allowed onto Clay’s floor. As they exited the elevator, Sonny came to a halt.

“Sonny?” Jason frowned.

“We hurt our brother.” Sonny looked down at his boots.

“We did.” Trent placed his hand on Sonny’s shoulder.

“What if he doesn’t want to see us?” Sonny looked frightened.

“Then we respect his wishes, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to let Meddings get to him. We will still protect Clay,” Jason assured them all.

The other three men nodded in agreement as they started down the long passage. The first one they saw was Brock. He came out of a room, his hands laced above his head.

“Brock?” Sonny’s voice trembled.

Brock looked up. “You made it.”

“What’s going on? Is Clay okay?” Sonny tugged on Brock’s arm.

“Easy, Sonny.” Brock nodded. “He’s better now.”

“What happened?” Ray inquired. He tried to look into the room, but Brock shielded the opening with his body. He went as far as to reach back and shut the door.

“Brock,” Sonny growled. “What the fuck?”

“He’s sleeping.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t go in.” Sonny reached for the door.

“Back off, Sonny.” Brock pushed the bigger man to the side.

“Hey!” Trent came between his brothers and pushed them apart. “Take it easy.”

“What’s your fucking problem, Reynolds?” Sonny seethed.

Brock’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry.” He looked up at Sonny and then let his eyes drift over all of his brothers. They all appeared haggard. He had a feeling he didn’t look much better. “We need to talk.” Without waiting for any of them, he moved away from the door, but didn’t go far. He looked up and found that they were still standing at the closed door.

“He’s safe. There’s a security guard and two NCIS agents in the room, together with Cerberus. Lucas is also still there and Doctor Paddington.”

They nodded and gathered around him.

“What’s going on?” Trent asked with concern.

Brock took a deep breath and quickly informed them on what had transpired when he first saw Clay. “He made it very clear that he didn’t want to see any of us.”

“What else happened?” Trent could see that Brock was leaving something out.

Brock lowered his eyes and repeated what Lucas told him.

“Fuck.” Jason lowered himself against the wall and sat down with his legs stretched out. The rest of the team followed his example and soon all five men sat against a white wall. They all appeared devastated.

“We’re not going to let him push us away.”

Sonny looked up at Brock’s words. “Damn right.”

“Guys, we have to tread carefully here.”

“No, Ray. I’m not leaving Clay alone. I’ll keep my distance, but I will make sure he knows I’m there for him. I will not make the same mistake again,” Sonny responded.

“I agree with you, Sonny, but until we know that our presence doesn’t cause him stress and trigger a seizure, we need to back down. Barging in, ignoring his wishes will not work this time around. We already messed up by not listening to him the first time. We don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

Sonny nodded. He knew Ray was right. He just didn’t like it.

“Any sign of Meddings?” Trent asked his best friend.

Brock shook his head. “Security arrived soon after Jason called. NCIS not long after that. No one else attempted to enter Clay’s room.”

“We had our heads so far up our behinds and blindly believed Meddings in whatever he said. But do we know why he hates Clay so much? Clay didn’t even know who he was.” Ray stared at the floor as he asked the question.

“I bet it has to do with Ashland,” Jason spoke up. He turned his head to Brock. “Have you heard anything from him?”

“Nothing. I know Davis tried to contact him again, but he didn’t return her calls.”

“If he’s behind this, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.” Sonny balled his fists.

“No, Sonny. We’re not going to do anything to him,” Ray reprimanded.

“And why the fuck not?”

“Because we don’t know if he is indeed behind this but more importantly, because our hands are not clean.”

Ray’s last remark made them bow their heads.

“How are we going to find out if Ash had anything to do with this?” Trent asked the team.

“As Ray said, we need to make sure he’s involved. Just because we think he might be, doesn’t make it true,” Brock responded.

“The more I think about the possibility, the more my gut says it’s Ash’s fault.” Jason stared at the wall opposite him.

“How are we going to prove it?”

The team had no answer to Ray’s question.

“Davis can snoop around.”

“And where would she start, Sonny?” Ray asked, patiently.

“I don’t know, but she would.”

“No, you’ll leave it to me to investigate.”

The team turned their heads and glared at the NCIS agent that stood next to them.

“You think we’ve got a point.” Jason pushed himself up from the floor.

“Something similar might have crossed my mind,” Richard responded as he watched Bravo team all come to their feet.

“Why?” Brock inquired from his friend. He never told the team that he knew Richard a long time ago.

“I couldn’t find any connection between Meddings and Spenser. But for him to go off the rail on Spenser means there has to be something. If not between him and Spenser directly, then it must be a case of Meddings hating Spenser’s father, or something of that nature,” Richard answered.

“I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t hate Ash Spenser. Except the man himself.”

Richard nodded at Jason’s remark. He got hold of Big Chief and learned some interesting facts. He needed to follow it up with Clay. It might explain why the one son got it in for the other. Richard stared at each man that stood before him. “Don’t meddle in this investigation. Let me do my job.” He had to warn them. When he received several nods, he turned back and made his way to Clay’s room.

“Where are you going?”

Richard turned around. He looked at the large Texan. “Going to talk to Spenser.”

“He’s sleeping.”

Richard cocked his head. “I’m doing my job.”

“Don’t go and upset him. He needs his rest.”

“It’s heartening to see how much you care, Senior Petty Officer Quinn. It just saddens me that it took you so long to realize that Spenser is important enough to care about.” He didn’t wait for a reply, merely turned back and entered the room.

Sonny growled and took a step forward. Trent appeared in front of him and placed his hand against this chest. He looked at Trent’s face and sighed. “He’s right.” His shoulders sagged.

Trent placed his hand on Sonny’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll work this out.”

“We have to.” Sonny looked around at his brothers. “We’re not giving up on Clay. I won’t give up on him.”

--SEAL TEAM--

Richard closed the door behind him and looked at the man sleeping on the bed. He looked better since he last had an opportunity to talk to him, but at the same time he also looked worse. He had dark circles beneath his eyes, his skin a pasty color and he’d seem to have lost some weight.

He nodded at the two agents, and made his way over to the bed. Clay’s physical therapist stood up when he came closer. Richard looked down when the dog moved in between him and the bed. He placed his hand on the dog’s head. “I won’t hurt him, Cerberus. I promise.” He stood still until the dog turned and jumped onto the bed. Richard watched as he made himself comfortable at Clay’s feet.

“Meddings will make a grave mistake if he thinks of coming after Clay here.” Lucas spoke up.

“I agree.” Richard stared at Clay. “He okay?”

“He’s getting there,” Doctor Paddington answered.

“Do you know for how long he will sleep?” He really had to talk to Spenser, but he knew the young man needed all the rest he could get. “I need to ask him a few questions.”

“He should start to wake up soon.” Doctor Paddington glared at the NCIS agent. “You will stop asking questions if I tell you my patient has had enough.”

“I’ll do that.” Richard pulled a chair closer and sat down. He regarded the physical therapist next to him. “Have you ever worked with Meddings before?”

Lucas shook his head. “No, he left the teams just before I started working on the base.”

“You worked with Ash Spenser?”

“No.”

Richard was about to ask another question, when Clay stirred on the bed. Cerberus crawled upwards and placed his large head on Clay’s chest while Doctor Paddington stepped up to the bed and squeezed Clay’s shoulder.

“You’re okay, you’re in your room. Do you remember what happened?” Doctor Paddington inquired as Clay opened his eyes.

“Seizure?” Clay responded softly.

Paddington nodded. “Yes, but as I said, you’re okay now. You want some water?”

Richard watched as Clay shook his head and he rose to his feet. He stepped up next to the bed. “Petty Officer Spenser?”

Clay looked up. “Agent Carville.”

“I would like to ask you a few questions, if you’re up for it?”

Clay looked unsure.

“It’s not going to take long. I promise.”

Clay nodded.

“Thank you.” Richard pulled out his notebook. “Do you know if your father had any contact or dealings with either Dean or Junior?”

Clay frowned at the question. He finally shook his head.

“Except for starting the tactical firearms training business and the security and tactical solutions company, do you know if he had any other businesses?”

Clay snorted. “I didn’t even know he started up those companies. I first heard of it when he relaunched his first book.”

“Do you know if he had any business interest with other members of his old team, or any other SEAL team?”

“No.” Clay shook his head. “I don’t know a lot about my father and he certainly never discussed his business interests with me.” He frowned again. “Why are you asking all these questions?” He swallowed. “Did Ash do something to Meddings? Am I being punished for my father’s actions?” His hand on top of the blanket trembled slightly.

“That’s enough, Agent Carville. My patient needs to rest.” Doctor Paddington brought an end to the questions as he saw the tremble in Clay’s hand. When the large dog wined and tried to move even closer to Clay’s side, he knew Clay was going to seize within a few seconds.

“Doc?” Clay frowned. He looked down at his hands. He didn’t even hear the doctor respond as the seizure took over and within seconds his body shook uncontrollably.

Richard looked on as Clay’s body thrashed around on the bed, while the doctor and the physical therapist made sure he didn’t injure himself. Only when Clay’s body sunk back down on the mattress and became motionless did he release his breath. It was not an easy sight to observe.

Without a word, he left the room. Meddings might not be the reason why Clay Spenser is suffering from epilepsy, but he will make sure that when this case gets heard in front of a jury, they hear about the consequences of his actions. If he didn’t bully Spenser, if he didn’t shoot Perry, Clay wouldn’t have been in his car on that road. He wouldn’t have been involved in an accident that robbed him of his livelihood. He will make sure Junior Meddings gets punished for what he has done.

--SEAL TEAM--

Junior Meddings stood in the shadows and looked at the motel across the road. He’d booked in there two days ago, and as far as he knew, it was still safe. He stood and watched his room for another couple of minutes before he stepped out of the shadows and made his way over to the room.

He locked the door securely and placed the bag on the small table beside the door. He took out the bottle of bourbon and unscrew the top before taking a large swallow. It burned his throat as it travelled downwards and he shivered as the strong alcohol reached his stomach. He held the bottle by the neck as he made his way over to the king-size bed. Meddings placed it on the night table and flopped down on the bed.

Tiger used to tell him that everything happened for a specific reason. His old man was as hardass as any SEAL could be, had a larger than life personality, had the ego to go with it, but at the same time had a heart of gold. He always believed the best in his fellow man until he was proven wrong.

His dad gave a hundred-and-fifty percent to the SEALs. He lived for the teams and his country. The day he retired from the teams was a sad day for him, but it was also according to Tiger the first day of his new life. He was looking forward to that.

For the first few years, his father took it easy. He kept himself busy with the odd bodyguard job, but tried to catch up with stuff that he couldn’t do while he was a SEAL. He went on a cruise, even went on a second one and enjoyed it even more than the first.

Then Ashland Spenser arrived on the scene. He knew there were few people, SEALs included, that liked the man, but his father once again had no problem. He’d welcomed the man with open arms, went out drinking with him, laughed at the good old days and then he went into business with the man. It was the beginning of the end of his father. Ashland Spenser took his father’s savings, conned him into one or other brainless scheme and then disappeared.

Of course, his dad never told him about it and he only realized it when he saw the final notice of payment that he realized there was something wrong. He’d confronted his dad and learned the truth. He wanted to confront the man, but his dad talked him out of it, told him that he was handling it and he believed him.

Now he wished he had not, but it was too late. He went to inform his dad that he was going back to the teams. That he was approached to instruct the Green team and he was looking forward to it. It was he who found his dad’s body. Bullet hole through his skull with a single note addressed to him and splattered with blood. His dad was set to lose everything he owned and he couldn’t handle it.

Dean was filled with rage; he buried his father without letting anyone know that his dad was dead. He made a promise to himself that he would avenge his dad. He had no idea what he was going to do, but going to Virginia Beach meant he would be closer to Ashland Spenser and there’s where he wanted to be.

He was shocked when he got introduced to Clay Spenser. Ash Spenser’s kid, and instantly he knew what he had to do. He would destroy Clay’s life, like Ash destroyed his dad’s. Each and every day he put Clay in his place and saw how Bravo team started to distance themselves from the rookie, he smiled. He saw how easy it was to alienate the youngster from his brothers and he knew it wasn’t long before he could drive the final nail in Ash’s coffin by ruining Clay’s life. But then things went to hell and he had to flee. He’d tried to kill Ray and blame it on Clay, but he was nearly caught and he went into hiding.

He didn’t really want to kill Ray, but killing Bravo’s 2IC served two purposes. One, he would then be Bravo’s 2IC which suited him better than being a mere instructor and two, he would finally get rid of Clay Spenser. The kid would get a dishonorable discharge and would spend the rest of his life in the brig. It would’ve been perfect.

While in hiding, he realized that staying there wasn’t going to solve his problem and since he wasn’t about to give up, he had come back. He would make sure Clay suffered for what his father did. He knew that by now, everyone would’ve realized what he had done, but he couldn’t care anymore. He wanted Ash Spenser to suffer even if it was the last thing he did.

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Notes:

AN 1: Again (as always) to, IceBoxBee thank you for helping out with the beta side of things. You are better than the best!

AN 2: I know updates are far and few in between, but I promise this story will be finished. I do not abandon stories. Real life has me down on the ropes, please just give me time.

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 2 Months after the accident

Sonny made sure that Clay wouldn’t see him as he kept an eye over his friend. It has been a week since they realized that Junior might still have it in for Clay. Without Clay’s knowledge they’d drawn up a roster in an attempt to keep him safe. NCIS made sure that there was an agent on duty 24/7 and the hospital still had its security measures in place, but none of them felt comfortable enough to leave Clay’s safety in the hands of strangers.

But since they all knew that Clay didn’t want them around and they didn’t want to stress him out, but still needed to keep him safe, they had decided to take care of the perimeter security. Most of the time they stayed outside, keeping watch on who entered and exited the hospital. They did rounds in the hospital once every four hours.

It cost a lot of juggling, especially between spin ups, training and running drills, but all of them made sure that they were there for their shift. What amazed Sonny most, was when the teams found out what they wanted to do, they also pitched in and it meant that there were always at least three SEALs on duty.

Sonny silently moved an inch forward and peeked into the room. It was one of the larger therapy rooms at the hospital and was currently in use by Clay and a woman Sonny knew to be Clay’s occupational therapist, Cassidy. She placed items in front of Clay and with a lot of patience she helped Clay recognize them. Cassidy praised him without sounding condescending when he got it right, and when he didn’t, she encouraged him to try again.

It broke Sonny's heart on the one hand and it filled him with joy on the other. How a Tier One operator like Clay Spenser lost the ability to recognize a simple object like a bunch of keys, but it made him beyond proud when Clay’s brain finally made the connection and he was able to give the correct word. Sonny silently cheered Clay on every single time he got something right.

He could see how frustrated Clay became when he failed to correctly recognize an object. He had a scowl on his face and Sonny knew if it was an enemy target, Clay would’ve sniped it’s head off. Sonny turned when someone walked up behind him. He moved away from the door.

“Agent Carville,” Sonny greeted the man in hushed tones. “Everything all right?”

Richard nodded. “Just checking in on Spenser.”

“Any news on Meddings?”

“Still in the wind.”

Sonny growled. “How long do you think till you’ll be able to catch that son of a bitch?”

“We’ll get him, he won’t be able to hide forever.”

“It can’t be soon enough, if you ask me.” Sonny wiped his hands on his jeans. “I need to get outside.”

Richard wanted to respond when a commotion from the therapy room drew their attention. Neither one hesitated as they ran into the room.

Sonny didn’t even think of Claying seeing him as he stormed through the door. The first thing he noticed was the tray of items used laying on the floor. Cassidy was on her knees and Clay was down on his side. There was a soft pillow under his head. For a moment Sonny froze. Clay wasn’t merely lying on the floor. His whole body was shaking and he was making a noise that didn’t sound human. “Clay,” Sonny found himself whispering as he stood and watched. Only when the NCIS agent brushed past him, did Sonny move again. “What can we do?” He asked as he kneeled on Clay’s right. He balled his fists and kept them on his thighs, unwilling to touch Clay, scared that he might hurt him in one way or another.

The therapist quickly had them helping her, without pinning Clay down, but still making sure that he couldn’t injure himself. Other than that, there was nothing more they could do. The seizure had to run its course.

To Sonny it felt like a lifetime had passed before Clay’s body suddenly stilled and went slack. A hand on his shoulder made him look up and at the same time he realized that he was clutching Clay’s hand in his. He had no idea when he’d grabbed hold of it, but he found himself reluctant to let go.

“You can help us get him settled in his room,” Cassidy spoke up.

Sonny nodded. With the help of two orderlies, they got Clay back to his room and settled in his bed. “Is he all right?”

Cassidy nodded. “He didn’t injure himself during the seizure which is a good thing. He’ll be out of it for a while, but he will bounce back again.”

“Clay doesn’t need to go for an MRI or an EEG, or anything like that?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not necessary.”

“You sure? I mean, that was…” Sonny shook his head. He had no words to describe what he’d seen.

“Scary?” She rested her hand on his bicep. “This the first time you saw Clay having a seizure?”

“Terrifying.” He nodded.

“It looks very scary, I know. But we kept him from injuring himself, and that is the most important thing we could’ve done for him. The seizure didn’t last long, which is also a good thing. Clay tends to sleep for a few hours before he wakes up. When he does wake up, he will most likely be disorientated and still tired. We will explain to him what happened, and make sure he keeps calm and let him rest some more.”

When Cassidy made her way to the door, Sonny spoke up. “What caused it?”

“You mean this particular seizure?” She halted at the door. She’d seen the different men around. They all knew they were SEALS and that Clay was their brother. There were lots of stories going around, but she didn’t listen to those.

“Yes.”

“It’s difficult to say. I know his doctor is still trying to find the correct dosage of medication which will definitely help. Clay also has the tendency to push himself too hard. Today he got frustrated, even though he did really well. That might have contributed to this seizure.”

“Thank you.” Sonny looked down at his sleeping friend. He still couldn’t get the images out of his head of Clay on the ground, his body shaking hard. Without thinking about it, Sonny grabbed a chair and pulled it close. There was no way he would be leaving Clay alone. Not after what he had witnessed just now. He would stay until Clay woke up. Only then would he leave.

Sonny leaned with his elbows on his knees and stared at Clay. “I know you’re sleeping now and most likely can’t hear me, but I need to say this to you now. I will repeat it when you’re ready. I am sorry, Clay. I am sorry for not having your back when you needed me. I am sorry for laughing at you when I thought Meddings was just yanking your chain. I should’ve listened to you when you said Meddings was taking things too far. I shouldn’t have told you to toughen up and stop being a wimp. I should’ve noticed that he bullied you. I shouldn’t have followed his lead. I am sorry, Clay. I am truly sorry for my actions. I hope one day you'll be able to forgive me.” Sonny bowed his head. He sat like that until Clay started getting restless. Not wanting to cause his kid brother any more stress, Sonny quickly made his way out of the room and alerted the nursing staff that it seemed that Clay was waking up. He stayed out of sight as the nurse went in to check on Clay. He could hear her talking to Clay. He couldn’t hear if Clay responded. Not long after the nurse first went in, she came back out. She smiled at him.

“How’s he doing?” Sonny managed not to wring his hands.

“He’s resting again. But he will be all right.”

“Thank you.” Sonny would’ve loved to look into the room again, to sit next to Clay’s bed and guard him, but he knew he couldn’t take that chance. He balled his fists. NCIS had to pray that they found Meddings and that he didn’t find him here at the hospital. He would rip the man apart with his bare hands. With that thought in his head, Sonny made his way back to his post. From there he would make sure Clay stayed safe.

--SEAL TEAM--

His brain felt muddled. It always did after... Clay swallowed. He couldn’t even complete his own thoughts. He didn’t want to think about what was wrong with him. Clay knew he was playing ostrich. If he buried his head in the sand, he didn’t have to face his new reality. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.

Clay took a deep breath and frowned. He opened his eyes and looked around. He took another breath. He wasn’t sure, but the room smelt like Sonny. Smelt of gun oil, mixed with sweat, leather and the Saddle wood from Sonny’s favorite cologne. For a moment it made him smile, but then he remembered what had happened. What his so-called brothers did to him, and his smile disappeared. His chest ached and he gently rubbed at the spot with the palm of his hand. He missed them so much. Wished he could see them only one more time, even if it was from afar. Before Bravo, he didn’t really know what it meant to have a family. Brian and Adam had tried to explain it to him. But it was only when he became Bravo six, that what Brian and Adam told him finally made sense, and he got the family he always longed for. And now he’d lost it all.

Clay closed his eyes again. Sonny wasn’t in his room. It was just his imagination playing a trick on him. Or maybe it was another symptom he’s experiencing that related to what was wrong with him. Whatever it was, he hated it. His face scrunched up as he tried to stop the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He didn’t win the battle as gut-wrenching sobs tore through his body. The hurt he felt for so long burst free from within as he continued to sob. Clay pressed his head against the flimsy pillow as he gave in to the rawness of his pain. He could no longer hide the grief, the emptiness he felt within himself as he continued to cry.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 3 Months after the accident

Doctor Paddington closed his eyes for a few seconds. It had been a demanding day so far and it wasn’t even lunch time yet. He opened his eyes and reached for the next file on his desk. A small smile appeared on his face as he realized whose file he held. Clay Spenser had been in his care for almost three months and he’d come to admire and respect the young SEAL more and more as the days had gone by.

Clay had come so far and not once did he even hint of giving up. Every obstacle that crossed his path he’d taken on and had overcome. He was finally ready to be discharged from hospital and complete his remaining physical therapy, including his occupational therapy in an outpatient capacity.

They had finally managed to get Clay on the right cocktail of anti-seizure medication and Clay hadn’t suffered from a single seizure in the last seven days. Just another reason to release him. He had scheduled Clay for a final round of tests tomorrow morning, and if the results are positive, he would release him in the afternoon. His only remaining concern was that he didn’t want to discharge Clay if he was going to live on his own. Clay had been very vague on that aspect, and he could only hope that there would be someone Clay could rely on to help him. He would ask Clay again tomorrow about who would help him until he was ready to live alone.

--SEAL TEAM--

Naval Base: Mess hall

Lisa’s leg bounced up and down as she waited impatiently for the rest of the group. She had some news to share with them and it felt as if they were taking their sweet time to get here. She knew it wasn’t fair to them. Although they were all on base, being in different teams means they couldn’t just drop things and leave.

A grin appeared on her face as Cerberus came racing in with Brock short on his heels. She greeted the K9 handler with a smile and looked on as he took his seat next to her. Cerberus had jumped up on the bench on the other side of her and placed his big head on her leg. She reached out and scratched the pup’s ears.

“Everything all right?” Brock asked, concerned.

Lisa nodded. “It’s good news, nothing to stress about.”

“Clay?” Brock inquired.

“Yes, but I’m not saying anything else. I don’t want to repeat this five times over.”

“Okay, good. I’ll be patient.” Brock reached into the backpack he had with him and removed a book. He opened it up and started reading.

“That's one of Clay’s books?” Lisa asked. The title of the book read The Art of War.

“Yes. Clay said I could read it after I saw him reading it. I took the book, but never got around to it.”

“It doesn’t look like light reading.”

“It’s not. As the title indicates, it’s about military strategies, but the strategies can be used in business practices, and in our everyday lives.”

Lisa wanted to respond, but then Cerberus jumped up and trotted over to the two men who entered together. Jason and Sonny both looked haggard and she wondered when was the last time any of them had gotten a good night’s sleep. She looked on as they made their way over to where she and Brock were seated.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked as he sank down on the bench across from her and Brock.

“Just waiting for Trent and Ray then I’ll tell you.” Lisa stood up and gathered several bottles of water for her friends. When she handed a bottle to Sonny, he gave her a tired smile.

“If it’s bad news, then I don’t want to hear it,” Sonny drawled as he twisted the cap open.

“It’s not bad news, I promise.” She took her seat again.

“What’s not bad news?” Ray’s voice sounded behind her.

Lisa turned and grinned. “The news I want to share with you.” She handed him a bottle of water as well and held another ready when Trent came jogging in.

“Okay, we’re all here, what news do you have?” Sonny inquired.

“I spoke to Cassidy this morning,” Lisa started.

“Clay’s occupational therapist?”

Lisa nodded at Trent’s question.

“What did she say?” Sonny asked. “The Kid all right?” None of them had been on duty for the past week and had no firsthand knowledge on how their youngster was doing.

“Sonny,” Lisa groaned. “Give me a chance to explain, please.”

Sonny lifted his hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry, my bad.”

She smiled. “I understand. Clay is all right, in fact, if all goes well, Cassidy indicated that he’ll be discharged tomorrow.” Her statement got swept up in cheers and fist bumps and even a few barks from Cerb, as the men celebrated the good news.

“You sure about this?” Ray was the first to calm down and get serious again.

“As sure as Cassidy can be,” Lisa responded.

“Is Clay ready for this?” Sonny addressed Trent.

“Without having access to his medical files, I can only go on what we’ve seen for ourselves and what was reported to us. The fact that he can walk with only the assistance of a cane, is great. We know he can climb stairs by himself and that he’s at about eighty-five percent mobility. His physical therapy can be done as an outpatient as well as any of his occupational therapy.”

“What about his seizures?” Jason spoke up.

“The last time I heard he hasn’t had a seizure in the last five days? That’s good news. We all have to understand, he’s always going to have seizures. But that can’t keep him in hospital for the rest of his life. He needs to get back into society, be part of the living population.”

“And do what with himself?” Sonny grumbled. They knew it was only a matter of time before Clay got medically discharged.

“We will cross that bridge when we get there, Sonny.” Jason squeezed the bigger man’s shoulder. “We will not let him go through that alone.”

“How will he come back here?” Brock frowned.

A blanket of silence settled over the group of men until Lisa spoke up. “I spoke to Agent Carville.”

“You and him getting sweet on each other, Davis?” Sonny managed not to growl.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business, Sonny, but no, we are friends.”

“I’m sorry,” Sonny apologized.

“What did he say?” Ray brought the conversation back on track.

“Since Meddings is in the wind, Clay still needs protection. I know Richard indicated that they will have eyes on Clay the whole time. He indicated that he would bring Clay back.”

“To Clay’s apartment?” Trent looked up.

“Yeah.”

Trent pushed to his feet. “We need to get going.”

“What for?” Brock asked with a frown, even as he got to his feet.

“None of us has set a foot in Clay’s apartment since that day. Can you imagine what it looks like?”

“Trent Sawyer, do you think for one moment, I wouldn’t have thought about that?” Lisa stood with her hands on her hips.

Trent’s eyes grew large and Sonny snickered. “You did?”

Lisa looked at Brock. “Myself and Brock have been making sure Clay’s place stayed clean and that the rent and utilities got paid on time.”

Jason groaned. “Fuck.” Not for one moment that he thought about something like that. “We screwed up again.”

“No, you didn’t.” Brock pulled out a single sheet of paper that he used as a bookmark. “We kept a record of who paid what.”

“And the rest of us will repay you.” Ray took the paper.

“The only thing that needs to be done is to get some fresh produce and stock his kitchen cupboards. I will go and open up the apartment to air it out, if you guys can go and buy the groceries?”

“No problem,” Jason stood up. “We’ll go and do that and meet you at his apartment.”

“I need to phone Cassidy and hear from her what Clay will need at home.” Trent pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Already got that. Here’s the list.” Lisa pulled it out of her pocket and handed it over to their medic.

“Thanks.” Trent read through the list, took out a pen and made a few scrabbles on it. “I’ll take Sonny so that we can use his truck to pick it all up.”

“Good. We’ll meet at Clay’s place later on.” Jason grinned from ear to ear. “Our kid is coming home.”

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Notes:

AN 1: Once again, thank you to, IceBoxBee for helping out!

Bethesda Naval Hospital: Following morning

Doctor Paddington watched silently as Clay completed the last set of exercises his occupational therapist made him do. The young man grinned from ear to ear as he managed to complete the exercise without making any mistakes.

“I wish I could find a reason for keeping you here, Clay, but I can’t. You’ve achieved every goal we set for you. I’m satisfied to send you out into the world,” Cassidy said with a smile.

Clay returned the smile. He loved working with the young woman. They had become good friends and he was going to miss her. “Finally.”

“You need to sign up for your outpatient therapy on the base so that you don’t lose the progress you’ve made,” she said, giving him a strong warning.

Clay didn’t bother to tell her that it wouldn’t happen. He merely nodded in agreement. Clay had no intention of going to the base hospital for any further help, or to any other hospital for that reason.

Cassidy rose to her feet. “May I give you a hug?”

Clay got up as well and nodded. When she embraced him, he hugged her tight. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“You are welcome, Clay Spenser.” Cassidy gave him another hug and then pulled away. She nodded at Doctor Paddington and then left the room.

“I see you are really ready to leave this place, Clay?” The doctor walked in.

“Finally, Doc!” Clay grinned.

“Okay. Well, let’s give you one final checkup and then I’ll sign your release papers. I’ll make sure you can collect your medication at the pharmacy downstairs when you get released. Can you tell me, who will pick you up from here?”

“My dad,” Clay stated.

“Oh?” Doctor Paddington frowned.

“Yeah. He made contact with me last night. He’s here in D.C. and will collect me whenever I’m ready.”

Doctor Paddington nodded. “That’s good news. Will you be staying with him?”

“He’s staying with me,” Clay kept his lies simple.

“Even better. The sooner you get used to being in your own space again the better.” The doctor continued to chat as he went through the physical examination with Clay. When he was done, he stepped away.

“Just like Cassidy, I’m satisfied in signing you out of here. You will have to come and see me again in a month's time so that we can draw some blood and make sure we stay on top of your seizures.”

“I will. Thank you, Doctor Paddington for everything you’ve done for me these past months,” Clay responded sincerely.

Doctor Paddington nodded once and then left, leaving Clay alone in his room. He looked around and sighed. He didn’t have much to pack up. Cassidy brought him a few jeans, a t-shirt, a pair of trainers and a few sets of boxer-briefs. She was kind enough to get him a hoodie. It was soft and warm. Some evenings after he had a seizure, he would cuddle up with it and it made him feel safe.

He’d managed to obtain a plastic bag and he carefully folded his clothes before he packed it into the bag with the few toiletries he had. Now there was only one thing left, he had to sign his release papers and then get out of here unseen. He couldn’t let anyone realize that no one was picking him up. For a moment his chest ached. A few months back the team would’ve been here already, waiting for him to be set free so that they could take him home. Now, there was no team. He knew it in his head, but his heart struggled to accept it.

--SEAL TEAM--

Richard Carville came to a halt in front of the hospital room and took a deep breath. He had no idea if Lisa’s plan was going to work, or how Clay was going to feel about it. He knocked and waited for a response before he entered the room.

“Hey, Clay,” he greeted as he entered the room and found Clay seated on the bed.

“Agent Carville?” Clay said, confused.

“How are you? Ready to get out of here?” Richard asked.

“Feeling better, thanks.” Clay lowered his gaze and felt his cheeks heat up when he noticed the plastic bag on the bed with his meager belongings.

“Great.” Richard moved to the side when the door opened and a nurse pushed in a wheelchair. “Seems that your chariot has arrived,” he said with a grin.

Clay looked confused. He shook his head. “I don’t understand?”

“I’m your ride home.”

Clay rolled his eyes but remained quiet. He didn’t want to speak up while the nurse was in the room. It seemed that the special agent knew something was up because with a simple nod of the head he had the nurse out of the room.

“My ride home you say? And why would you do that, Agent Carville? I know for a fact it’s not in your job description.”

“There’s still an active threat against you, Clay. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe,” Richard stated.

“Well, then I will sign any indemnity form you’ve got and I’ll dissolve you of any duty you might have towards me.”

Richard shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Clay.”

Clay huffed. “Not that simple?” He took a deep breath and tried to keep his emotions intact. He couldn’t afford to have another seizure right now. “You said you’re my ride home, correct?”

Richard nodded.

“And where would that be, Agent Carville, because I don’t have a home. I’ve not paid my rent or any of my utility bills in the last three months. So, I can promise you, I don’t have an apartment to go back to.” Clay snorted. “Hell, I don’t even have a dollar to my name to catch an Uber, or a taxi from here to wherever.”

“You do.” Richard sighed. He wished Davis or even Brock was here but none of them wanted to place too much stress on Clay.

Clay frowned. “I do what?”

“You do have a home, and you do have a dollar to your name. More than one, I suspect.” Richard dragged the plastic chair close to the bed and sat down.

Clay took a deep breath. “And how would you know that?”

“Because I know for a fact that Ensign Davis and Petty Officer Reynolds made sure of it. You’ve got no rent or utility bills outstanding. You are also on medical leave with full pay and benefits,” he explained.

“Why?” Clay whispered.

“Because NCIS’ investigation as well as the internal investigation conducted by the Navy cleared you of any wrongdoing and your suspension was lifted and your benefits and pay restored.”

“No. Why would they pay my bills?” Clay nearly whispered the question.

“Because we care.”

Clay looked over his shoulder and gasped when he saw Lisa standing in the door. “Davis?” He asked, shocked.

Lisa gave a small smile. “May I come in?”

Clay nodded. He continued to watch her as she slowly made her way into the hospital room and came to a halt at the foot end of the bed.

“Hi,” she greeted him with a smile.

“Hey.” Clay looked down at his feet

Lisa groaned and then moved forward. Before Clay could utter a word, she hugged him hard. She kept her arms around him and didn’t let go as she felt his shoulders shake and she gave in to her own tears.

Richard looked at the two friends and smiled. It seemed that there had been a change of plans and that Lisa would take Clay home. He would make sure that the agent that would be stationed at Clay’s apartment knew of the new development. Silently he got up and walked out of the room.

--SEAL TEAM--

Lisa placed the hot cup of coffee in front of Clay as she took her seat across from him.

“Thanks.” Clay curled his hands around the cup and sighed as the heat warmed his hands.

“You sure you don’t want something to eat?” Lisa asked.

Clay nodded. He wasn’t hungry. In fact, he was nervous. He can’t even remember the last time he had been this unsettled.

“We don’t have to talk now, Clay. It can wait.” Lisa tried again.

He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, Davis, I don’t want to talk, but it’s necessary.”

“Okay.” Lisa took a sip of her own coffee and waited. She was not going to place any pressure on Clay. He could take all the time in the world to talk, she would be patient.

Clay took a sip of his coffee. “I need to apologize.”

Clay’s admission made Lisa frown. “I don’t understand?”

“A few weeks back, one of the ICU nurses found me where I was busy with my rehab. She wanted to know who the author was of the book you read to me, while I was in a coma.” Clay looked up. “I had no idea what she was talking about.” He cleared his throat. “She told me how you would read to me every day while I was in the ICU. How she and her best friend made sure to be in the room to check my vitals just so that they could hear what happened next.”

“Clay…”

He shook his head. “Let me finish, please.”

“Okay.”

“She told me how you’d sat with me day in and day out. How you would look up everything you could on how to dress burn wounds, what the risks are if a skin graft doesn’t take. How you studied up on what it meant to be in a coma. She explained to me that you insisted on helping clean my burn wounds so that when I’m released, you’d be able to help me.” Clay reached out and placed his hand over Lisa’s.

“When I woke up and Doctor Paddington told me you were there and I panicked. I couldn’t understand what you were doing there? You should’ve hated me, like everyone else. I couldn’t stand the thought of you seeing me like that - all broken up and then tell me, I got what I deserved.”

“Clay.” Lisa grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed it hard. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for. You didn’t deserve what happened to you. None of it was your fault. Your team was at fault. They are the ones who should apologize to you.” She looked down at their hands. “I should apologize.”

“No.”

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “I shouldn’t have given up so easily. I should’ve stayed by your side, even if you didn’t want me there. I am sorry.”

Clay nodded wordlessly. “Is Ray okay?” He finally asked after sipping more of his coffee.

Lisa reached out and with her forefinger she lifted Clay’s chin. When he looked at her, she smiled. “He’s okay. He’s more than okay. He’s been back on active duty for a while now. In fact, he’s a trainer with Green team and he enjoys every moment of it.”

“What’s he doing on Green team?” Clay frowned.

Lisa flinched. Clay didn’t know about Bravo, or what had happened over at the base. “There’s a lot of things that have happened since your accident. It’s going to take me a while to tell you everything.”

“Is it bad?” Clay got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Lisa immediately shook her head. “In the beginning it sounded bad, but it’s the best thing that could’ve happened.”

“Are they okay?” Clay worried. They had hurt him so much but he still cared for them. They were his brothers.

“Yes, they are,” Lisa answered with a smile. She looked at her watch. They still had a four-hour drive ahead of them. She wanted to get Clay home before dark. “Can we go?” She pointed to Clay’s empty cup. “Or, did you want another?”

“No, thank you.” Clay pushed the cup to the side. “We can go.” He slowly pushed himself to his feet.

“And where do you think you’re going, mister?” Lisa mock-glared at him. “Sit your backside back down in that wheelchair.”

Clay’s eyes grew large. “You too?” He sounded shocked.

“Yes, me too. I will push you out of this cafeteria to my car and only then will you be allowed to get out of that chair.”

“Yes, Ma'am.” Clay saluted her as he sat back down. He had a smile on his face.

Lisa returned the smile. She walked around the table, took hold of the wheelchair and pushed Clay out of the hospital.

--SEAL TEAM--

Following morning: Clay’s apartment

Clay stared out of the window and watched the scene below. Lisa brought him to his apartment building and even went as far as to escort him into his apartment. It was clear that the place was aired out. It didn’t smell stuffy at all. By the time they arrived, his body ached and he was tired.

He couldn't believe that just sitting in a car could make him so tired. He couldn’t even suppress the yawns that continued to overcome him every few seconds. Lisa had pushed him to his bedroom. The bed was recently changed. She made him sit down after she pulled down the sheets, made her way over to his dresser, and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She told him to get changed and while he did that, he could hear her in his kitchen.

He had just changed when she came back. She had a small plate with different cuts of fruit on it, and in her other hand, a glass of milk. He’d grinned at her and Lisa had merely rolled her eyes. She sat next to him as he cleaned the plate and drank his milk. She helped him with his medications and fetched him some water. He appreciated it when she told him she’d see him in the morning. And then she left. Clay wasn’t even sure that he heard her exit the apartment before he gave in to his tiredness and drifted off to sleep.

He slept through the night. He still felt drained but at the same time he felt rested. Clay moved from the kitchen window with the two cups of coffee in his hands and placed it on the coffee table. Lisa was on her way up. He’d seen her stop her car and watched as she spoke over her phone for almost ten minutes. He had a feeling she was talking to Sonny. There was just something in her demeanor that gave it away. Thinking of Sonny made his chest ache. More than once the past couple of weeks he could’ve sworn he smelled Sonny’s aftershave in his room. It was especially strong after he had a seizure.

Clay pushed the thoughts of Sonny back when Lisa knocked at his door. “It’s open,” he called out. He watched as she entered the apartment and smiled when she greeted him. Clay pointed at the cup of coffee. “I’m paying off my debt in coffee.”

Lisa sat down next to Clay and took a big swallow of her coffee. She sighed in content. “I’ve forgotten how good you can make coffee.” She smiled. She leaned back against the coach and continued sipping her coffee.

Clay watched her out of the corner of his eye. She looked tired. He felt guilty because he knew that tiredness was caused by him. “You need to take some leave.” He spoke up as she placed her empty mug on the table.

“Planning on taking a few days at the end of the month. There’s a few ops planned for the next couple of weeks that I need to get through first.”

“Terrorism keeping you busy?”

Lisa nodded. “Global chatter has gone up the last month or so. Something big is brewing and we’re trying to figure out what, before we get caught with our pants at our knees.”

Clay nodded. He wanted to ask more but knew she wouldn’t be able to provide him with more info. He also knew it was time she told him why Ray worked as a Green team instructor. “Why is Ray at Green team?”

Lisa grimaced. She knew the question was coming but she wasn’t prepared to answer it. Not that Clay didn’t deserve an answer but she didn’t want him to feel guilty of what had happened. And knowing Clay, she knew he was going to do just that.

“Is it that bad?” Clay asked as he saw Lisa’s facial expression.

“No.” Lisa shook her head. “I don’t want you to blame yourself. It was not your fault.”

“You’re scaring me, Davis.” Clay’s hands trembled.

Lisa reached out and covered his hands with hers. “It’s all okay. I promise you.” Not wanting to drag things out any more, Lisa told him what had happened after he was admitted to the hospital but before he was transferred to Bethesda. “They are all doing great. In a sense, they’ve found themselves again.” Lisa squeezed Clay’s hands. “They wanted to show you that they are willing to change. They wanted to show the brass that they could change.”

“There’s no Bravo?” Clay’s throat pulled closed. The tremble in his hands became more prominent and he knew what was about to happen. Clay pushed himself to his feet. “You need to leave.” He pulled Lisa to her feet and pushed her towards the door. He didn’t want her to see what was going to happen. He felt too ashamed of himself for her to be part of this broken part of him.

“Clay?” Lisa frowned. Clay behaved erratically. She pulled her hand from Clay’s and stopped at the door. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”

“I’m tired. Just leave. I’ll talk to you later.” His arms tingled, and he knew within the next few seconds they would start to twitch uncontrollably. It will spread to his legs and then his whole body. Clay tried to get Lisa out of his apartment again.

“No, I’m not leaving. What’s wrong?” Lisa stood firm.

“Just leave, okay! I don’t want you here!” Clay yelled. “Go! Go!” He pushed Lisa once again towards the door.

Lisa took a closer look at Clay and finally things became clear. Clay was on the brink of having a seizure. “You’re going to have a seizure.” She made it a statement.

“Get out.” Clay’s voice sounded strained. The tingling in his arms have changed into jerking movements. He couldn’t stop blinking and then things faded away. He could feel himself falling. Someone stopped his downward movement towards the hard floor. From there he knew nothing.

“Clay!” Lisa called out as Clay suddenly fell towards the floor. By pure luck, Lisa managed to grab him and gently lowered him to the floor. Clay’s eyes seemed to be bulging. His body continued to jerk and the strangest noises came from deep in his throat.

Lisa managed to turn him on his side, as his legs shook, his muscles contracting and spasming the whole time. She noticed that Clay’s eyes were still open but they are staring out in front of him and she’s sure that he’s not noticing anything in front of him.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Clay’s body arched upwards. It seemed to be going on for ages before he slumped back to the floor. Lisa gasped as the door behind her burst open. She looked up and a sob escaped from her lips when she saw Brock standing right before her.

“He had a seizure,” she managed to get the words out.

Brock moved past her and knelt next to Clay. Lisa was surprised to see that Cerberus was already next to Clay. He was lying close to him as if he was making sure Clay couldn’t roll over and injure himself. Lisa looked on in a daze as Brock checked on their young friend.

“He’s all right. It seems to have passed. Do you have any idea on how long the seizure lasted?” Brock asked.

Lisa shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t check. I should’ve timed it. I didn’t.”

“It’s okay,” Brock calmed her down. “I think it would be better to phone 911 and get them to check Clay out. We should also phone Doctor Paddington and inform him of what had happened.”

Lisa nodded. “I can do that.” She looked down at Clay. His eyes were no longer open. In fact, it appeared that he was sleeping. A thin line of saliva ran down the side of his mouth and dripped onto the carpet. She wanted to reach out to clean it up but Brock beat her to it as he expertly cleaned Clay’s face with a tissue paper. She became aware of the fact that Brock was also talking softly to Clay. Making sure that the young man knew he was okay. Cerberus has not moved from his spot either.

Lisa had no idea what she told the 911 operator and her call to Doctor Paddington passed in a blur. She stayed to the side as the EMTs entered the apartment. She was grateful when Brock could give them Clay’s history. Within seconds they had him loaded on a gurney and out of the door.

“Lisa?” Brock asked, concerned. Their normally unfazed ensign was clearly rattled by what had happened in Clay’s apartment. “You okay?” He asked softly as she looked up.

Lisa nodded and then stopped, shaking her head. “No,” she whispered.

Brock opened his arms and pulled her to his chest. “I felt the same when I saw him having a seizure for the first time. It’s beyond scary.”

“It was my fault,” she mumbled against his chest.

Brock shook his head. “No. Don’t put that on yourself. It’s not worth it.”

“You don’t understand.” Lisa tried again.

“I do. More than what you would know. But like I was told, I’m telling it to you now. It’s not your fault.” He gave her another hug. “Let’s go. I don’t want Clay to wake up in the hospital with no familiar face around him.”

Lisa nodded. Took up her handbag, made sure to grab the apartment’s keys and headed out with Brock. Neither of them saw Junior standing across the street hidden in the shadows with a smirk on his face.

Notes:

End Note 1:

The previous chapter was posted on 21 August 2021. My mother passed away on the 29th. And with that my whole life fell apart. It is a daily struggle which I am not going to get into here, but to say that I am taking it day by day. I will finish this story but I do ask you to be patient, please.

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Notes:

AN 1: To, IceBoxBee, thank you for giving up your game time to help me out! You are the best.

AN 2: Thank you for all the support shown to me after the last update. It means the world to me.

Junior couldn’t believe his luck. He’d spotted Davis’ car the night before as it drove from the parking area. He’d also spotted the dark sedan parked across the street with the single male seated inside. To him it meant only one thing - Clay Spenser was back.

He couldn’t do anything at that time, but now he’d looked on as an ambulance sped away with the sedan on its heels. The fact that Reynolds and Davis left in a hurry meant that Spenser’s apartment would be empty. He could’ve hoped that Spenser died, but he knew his luck was never that good. But it meant he had more than enough time to go and check out the younger man’s apartment and finally put his plans into operation.

Taking care that the coast was still clear, Junior made his way over to the building and took the stairs two at a time to reach Clay’s apartment. His luck held when he reached the door and it opened up silently beneath his hand. Junior slid in and closed the door behind him. He took a quick look around. Two coffee mugs stood on a low coffee table. The rest of the small living space was clear. He made his way deeper into the apartment and first checked out the kitchenette. He picked up several of the pill bottles and frowned at the different names. He had no idea what the medication was for. Junior lifted his phone from his pocket and opened up Google. A sneer appeared on his face.

“Perfect.”

He used his phone to take several photos of the pills before he placed the medication back where he found it and made his way to Clay’s bedroom. There wasn’t much to see and the bathroom held nothing of interest. Taking care not to leave any sign behind that he was in the apartment he made his way back out. As he reached the corner, he had his phone against his ear and another smirk on his face.

--SEAL TEAM--

It was the smell of antiseptics and an irritating beeping noise above his head that finally made him open his eyes. Clay looked around the unfamiliar room. It was clearly a hospital room, but not the one he’d occupied for months before. A familiar smell reached his nose. “Sonny,” Clay whispered.

“I’m right here, but if you want me to leave, I will.” Sonny's voice sounded next to him.

Clay turned his aching body and for the first time in months he got a look at his best friend. Sonny had lost a lot of weight, but at the same time he’d buffed up even more. He really was a door kicker. “You were at Bethesda. In my room.”

Sonny nodded and cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He got to his feet. “Listen, Clay, we - I, fucked up. I am sorry.” He lowered his head.

Clay swallowed hard. “Why were you in my room?”

For a moment Sonny frowned over the question. It was not what he thought Clay would ask. “I didn’t want you to be alone,” he answered truthfully.

“And yet you were never there.”

Sonny sighed. “You wouldn’t have wanted me there, Clay.”

Clay remained silent. He knew Sonny was right. He took another look around in the room. For the first time he spotted Jason’s cap on a chair next to Sonny. One of his books that Brock read was at the foot end of the bed.

Sonny watched Clay. “We are all here. The hospital isn’t impressed.”

For a long time Clay stared at Sonny. “Why?”

“They say we’re disturbing you from getting rest.”

Clay shook his head. “Why didn’t you believe me?”

Sonny’s knees buckled and he sat down hard on the plastic chair. It groaned ominously beneath him. “Because I was an asshole.” He looked down at his feet.

“Because you didn’t trust me?”

“What! No!” Sonny jumped to his feet. “I trust you with my life. I always will.”

Clay nodded. The fact that even after Junior joined the team and things became nearly unbearable, their missions were always a success. That wouldn’t have been the position if they didn’t trust him. “Then why?”

“I don’t want you to think I’m making up excuses, because I’m not doing that,” Sonny started talking. “Being Ash’s kid made you seem like SEAL royalty, but Junior, Junior was the real thing. When I attended BUDs the only thing we all talked about was Dean Meddings. By that time, he’d already lost his fingers, but he was huge. Junior had passed BUDs four classes in front of me and he was even more badass than his old man. Then I got drafted into Bravo and we did a lot of work with Charlie. Junior was Charlie One. There was just something about that man that made me want to worship the ground he walked on. Now I know he’s a bully and filled with hot air, but then - then he was for me, short of Jesus walking on water. He had his faults and I see them now clearly but then it was who he was, how he operated. So what if he ignored a rookie? So what if he didn’t acknowledge the support team for their efforts and hard work? He really could get away with being an asshole.”

“Until he made all of you assholes.”

“Yes.” Sonny rose to his feet again and closed the distance between his chair and the bed. “Davis said that if I placed any pressure on you, she would personally skin me alive, and I know she will. I know you can’t forget about what happened. I don’t want you to just erase everything from your memory, but I’m asking you to give me another chance, please.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you.”

Sonny nodded. “Then I will earn your trust again. We’re going at your pace here.”

“As long as Davis doesn’t skin you.”

“Yes, what? No.” Sonny shook his head. “I want you to trust me because you are my friend. I don’t want to earn your trust because Lisa might have my hide.”

Clay regarded the man across from him. He’d missed Sonny. Many days he’d wanted to call the big Texan up. He didn’t because he had no idea what Sonny would do. Now his best friend was right there with him in the room and he still had no idea what to do. In the end he nodded. It seemed to be the right thing to do as Sonny’s shoulders sagged in what appeared to be in relief. Now if he could only learn how to trust the man across from him again. Slowly his eyes closed and Clay drifted off to sleep.

--SEAL TEAM--

They’d kept Clay overnight as Doctor Paddington consulted with the attending doctor and on his instructions, they’d run more tests before the doctors were satisfied that he could go back to his apartment.

And that was how he ended up with Cerberus spread over his body with his head resting on Clay’s chest two weeks later. The large dog had refused to let Clay out of his sight. Going so far as to follow him into the bathroom. When Clay had tried to close the door on him, he’d shown the SEAL just why he is the best K9 dog in the Navy by opening the closed door even before Clay could turn away. Knowing when he’d lost a battle, Clay gave in and in the process, he gained a tail. And a furry one as well.

Brock had no problem with the arrangement. When Clay complained the first few times he’d merely shrugged. Now he was sprawled out on Clay’s second couch with his phone in his hand. He grunted when a hard slap landed in the middle of his back.

“What are you looking at, Brock? Doggie porn?” Sonny laughed at his own joke. He’d seen an image of what appeared to be a Labrador when he walked past Brock and couldn’t help but tease their quiet K9 handler. “And I have to ask, does Cerb know what you’re doing?”

Brock scowled at him. “I’m looking at a service dog for Clay.”

“I thought there’s a waiting list for about three years?” Sonny frowned. Brock and Lisa had talked about getting a service dog for Clay since they’d all seen how well Clay responded to Cerberus. Their four-legged teammate kept Clay calm and he’d alerted them all when Clay was on the brink of having a seizure.

“I know some people,” Brock responded as he scrolled through his phone.

“Are there any dogs available?” Sonny asked.

“Here.” Brock passed his phone. “The first pup’s name is Brooklyn, she’s three and a half years old. She’s a black Labrador.

Then there’s Blue. He just turned three. He’s a chocolate brown Labrador.”

Sonny’s heart melted at the sight. He always had a soft spot for animals, more especially for dogs. “Both of them available?”

Brock hummed. He had noted that Cerberus had become restless. “Cerb?” He asked quietly. The large dog lifted his head and whined softly. The sound made both men jump to their feet.

“Again?” Sonny frowned. Clay’s seizures were becoming more frequent and even more intense. In the last three days Clay had suffered from multiple seizures each day. They had alerted Doctor Paddington and Clay had an appointment with him the following day.

Brock made his way to Clay’s side. Clay’s body had seized up as Brock came to a halt next to him. Being careful, Brock made sure that Clay couldn’t hurt himself. He was aware that Sonny had already dialed 911. Things couldn’t go on the way it was. Something was seriously wrong.

--SEAL TEAM--

Junior stepped out from his hiding spot as the ambulance sped past him. He couldn’t help grinning as he saw Quinn’s truck trailing behind the emergency vehicle. His plan was working to perfection. Knowing that it wouldn’t be safe to approach Spenser’s apartment while it was still daytime, Junior made his way back to his motel room a few blocks away. He’d booked into this motel only yesterday and he would be moving on again tomorrow. He never stayed in one place for more than three days at a time. Luckily, there was no shortage of low-cost motels in the area.

After locking the room door behind him, Junior took out the burner phone from where he hid it in the air conditioning unit and dialed a number from memory. There were no numbers stored on the phone. After each call he erased the call history. When he moved on tomorrow night, the phone would end up in one or another dumpster around town.

“Did you get it arranged?” He asked as the call was answered. A smile appeared on his face.

“Brilliant.” He made further arrangements and then ended the call. Junior dropped the phone on the bed and picked up the bottle of bourbon that stood on the small table. Not bothering to use a glass, he took a healthy swallow of the amber color liquid. He grimaced at the taste, but then smiled. He knew the chances of him coming out alive on the other side was between zero and nothing, but he didn’t care. Ash Spenser will feel what it is to lose the person most precious to him. He would make sure Ash knew he was responsible for taking Clay’s life.

--SEAL TEAM--

Base Hospital

Jason paced the passage as the rest of the team all sat down on the hard plastic chairs, or even on the ground. None of them were content to stay put in the waiting area and now they found themselves waiting in front of a set of closed doors where they were not allowed in while their youngest teammate was undergoing a battery of tests.

Even Doctor Paddington looked haggard when they saw him a few moments ago. The specialist was clearly not impressed with something, but didn’t have the time to waste talking to them. None of them tried to stop him to get answers to their questions. Clay came first. They were willing to wait.

Half an hour became an hour. An hour became two and two hours became three. By that time all of them were pacing the floor. Finally, the doors behind them opened. Jason turned and made his way over to where Doctor Paddington was coming their way. He frowned at the expression on the doctor’s face. Something was clearly wrong.

“Doc?” Jason asked. He looked up when he saw movement behind the doctor. Jason frowned again. Four burly MPs were making their way over to them as well. “What’s going on?”

“How dare you?” Doctor Paddington seethed with anger. “I’m not even going to talk to you. You are all to leave the hospital immediately. None of you will have contact with Petty Officer Spenser.”

Jason grabbed Sonny by the shirt collar as the large man stormed the Doctor. “What the hell are you talking about, why not?” He managed to hold on to Sonny.

“You had one task, Master Chief Hayes. One task. It’s clear that none of you care about Clay. I, for one, will not let you place his life in danger anymore.”

“Doctor?” Lisa asked as she managed to push her way through the group of Tier One operators to get to Clay’s primary physician. “What’s going on, please, I don’t understand?”

Doctor Paddington frowned at her. “I thought you were different.”

Lisa looked confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. What is going on? Why are we not allowed to see Clay? Is he okay? What is wrong?”

The doctor stared at her for a long time before he responded. “Clay’s in a critical condition. We are trying to stabilize him before we transfer him to the ICU until he's recovered sufficiently.”

“Did he have another seizure?” Sonny pushed Jason off. He came to a halt before the medical practitioner.

Doctor Paddington frowned. He didn’t expect this reaction from any of them. Maybe he was overreacting, but then how else could he explain the test results. He couldn’t see Clay doing it himself. They had to be responsible.

“Why haven’t you seen that Clay took his medication?” He blurted the question out.

The group frowned. “Clay takes all of his medication on time as prescribed.” Trent pushed forward. “What are you saying?”

“Then explain to me how all of his lab tests came back with no chemical traces of any of the medications in his bloodstream?”

“None?” Trent shook his head. “That’s not possible.” He frowned. “That’s why he’s been having seizures the whole time.” Trent blanched at the thought.

“What does that mean?” Sonny pressed for an answer.

Trent answered before the doctor could. “It means that where Clay’s condition was supposed to stabilize with the medication he’s on, his body isn’t getting the necessary chemicals it needs and now his condition is deteriorating.”

“And you think we’re responsible?” Sonny saw red.

“Are you saying that Clay is doing this to himself?” Doctor Paddington responded.

“NO!” Six voices shouted the answer.

“Here.” Brock reached into the bag he had over his shoulder. He passed one of those pill holders marked with breakfast, lunch and dinner to the doctor. “All of us carry one of these holders with us. In that way we make sure that Clay has access to his medication wherever he is. I filled mine up this morning. You can check, it’s all the medication prescribed.”

Doctor Paddington took the offered holder. It seemed like he was wrong about the group of people, but there was still something terribly wrong. He opened up the small capsule marked breakfast and shook the pills into his hand. He stared at the different types of medication. His normally steady hands shook when he picked up Clay’s anti-convulsing tablet. It was the right size and color, but the mark on the back was missing. He took a look at the other tablets as well. None of them possessed their respective identification marks on the back. He looked up. “Does anyone else have theirs here?”

Lisa reached into her bag and pulled hers out. She handed it over.

The doctor took it with a nod of his head. He examined the medication. The color drained from his face. “It’s impossible.”

“What is impossible?” Jason demanded.

Doctor Paddington looked up. “These are all placebo tablets. None of these are real.”

“The wrong medication got issued?” Sonny inquired.

The doctor shook his head. Before he could answer, Trent did so first.

“Placebo tablets have no therapeutic effect. It contains no active substance for any medical purposes.” When he saw the confused look on Sonny’s face, he tried again. “It’s like the blanks we use in training.”

“They’re useless?” Sonny growled.

Doctor Paddington nodded.

“How the fuck is that even possible!” Jason roared.

“That’s what I intend on finding out.” Doctor Paddington stormed away.

“Doctor!” Lisa called after him. When he turned, she continued, “can we see Clay?”

He nodded. “I’ll make sure you’re cleared.”

“Thank you.”

When he disappeared behind the closed doors the group turned to each other.

“What’s the chance of this being a mere error?” Ray inquired.

Trent shook his head. “Placebo tablets are not stored with regular medications. And let’s say someone slipped up and stored placebo tablets with regular tablets, that doesn’t explain how all five of Clay’s medications got swapped for placebo tablets.”

“This was done deliberately.” Lisa looked at the group of men. “Each of the placebo tablets corresponded with Clay’s medication so that no one would know the difference, unless you specifically looked for it.”

“Who the hell would do this?” Sonny balled his fists.

“I can think of one person,” Brock answered.

“Meddings?” Jason frowned. “How the hell did he know what medication Clay’s using?” He shook his head. “No, I can’t see him being responsible for this. Not directly in any case. I mean, how the hell did he exchange Clay’s medication? It must’ve happened at the hospital.”

The group nodded. Jason’s reasoning made more sense. But it didn’t solve their problem. Who the fuck changed Clay’s medication and why?

--SEAL TEAM--

2 Days later

Agent Richard Carville stood with his hands in his hair. NCIS has been on Meddings’ tail for the past couple of weeks. He knew they were closing in on the fugitive, but the man stayed one step ahead of them. And now once again, he’d missed the man by one day. One lousy fucking day. His superiors, as well as the higher ups in the Navy were getting anxious. They wanted Meddings caught and off the street. He wanted the same. He was also getting desperate.

A cleaning lady exited from the room next door and Richard called her closer. With a quick question or two he had the information he was looking for. With a grimace on his face, Richard made his way to where the large dumpster stood that was used by the motel. He hated dumpster diving, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed that one thing that would put him ahead of Meddings.

Richard was quickly reminded of why no one volunteered for dumpster duty and why the newest probies got saddled with this filthy job. He found a lot of things he never wanted to think about again, but he found one scrap of paper that made him frown.He placed it into an evidence bag and took it with him. His gut said it was something he had to follow up on.

When he got back to the NCIS office, he got rid of his smelly clothes, took a shower and settled behind his desk. He took the plastic evidence bag and turned it around as he took an even closer look at the piece of paper.

It appeared to be an invoice for placebo tablets. But not only for five, or ten, this was for a quantity of five-hundred tablets. Although it bore no name, it was found in the trash out of the room Meddings’ occupied. He knew this as he found a slip stuck to the back of this one which Meddings signed under the name he used to book the motel. Circumstantial at the most but he didn’t feel it was a waste of time.

Richard frowned when his desk phone rang. He picked it up as he continued with the search he had going on the desktop. “Agent Carville,” he answered, distracted. He listened to the SEAL and frowned. “What? Are you sure?” He rose to his feet. “Stay there, I’m on my way.” His mind raced as he grabbed his cell phone, credentials and headed to the door.

“Just what the hell are you up to Meddings?” He asked himself as he headed into the elevator. He still couldn’t believe what he heard. How the hell did explosives end up in Clay’s Spenser’s apartment?

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Notes:

AN 1: To, IceBoxBee, one again thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping out!

AN 2: This is more of a filler chapter as things start coming to an end. I hope you will enjoy this short chapter.

AN 3: Lastly, thank you for your continued support. 💙 💙 💙

Clay’s apartment

It was as if he stepped into a scene of some weird TV show. Different S.W.A.T. vehicles stood around. There was no sign of any bomb disposal units, so that was at least good news. Police cruisers had cordoned off the whole block, and Richard had to show his credentials no less than three times before he was granted access to the apartment block. There he’d gotten into a shouting match with a police officer before he finally could make his way into Clay’s apartment.

Chaos greeted him at the door. Quinn was face down on the floor with his hands cuffed at his back. Brock was next to him, seated on the couch, his hands cuffed with Cerberus between his legs. The dog looked like it wanted to bite anyone that came close.

“Guess I didn’t need to tell you to stay put?” He asked as he came to a halt next to Brock. The man glared at him.

“Fucking prick! I will fucking smash your face in!” Sonny bellowed as he flailed around.

Sonny’s explosion drew the attention of a couple of men. Richard ignored them and frowned. “Why are you angry with me?”

“You didn’t call the cops and the FBI?” Brock inquired.

Richard shook his head. “I thought you did?” He took another look around. “What happened?” He asked. He was grateful that Sonny had calmed down again.

“Not even five minutes after I’d called you, S.W.A.T. and the bomb unit squad stormed in,” Brock explained. “We tried to explain that we’d called you, but they weren’t in a mood to listen. Hence the shiny decorations.” He indicated the cuffs.

Richard retrieved his handcuff keys to unlock Brock. He turned around when a voice spoke up next to him.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you have no right to release my suspects.”

Brock rolled his eyes, Sonny cursed, and Cerberus snarled.

Richard took out his credentials and showed it to the man. By his suit, he pegged him as FBI. He had a feeling this scene was about to become part of a pissing contest between the FBI and NCIS. One that he wasn’t going to lose.

The FBI agent took a close look at his credentials before he nodded. “So they are telling the truth.” He huffed. “Then I assume they are indeed Navy.”

“They are indeed,” Richard confirmed. He leaned back over Brock, uncuffed him, and then did the same for Sonny. He pinned Sonny with a glare before he turned back to the other agent. “What’s going on here?”

“We received an anonymous tip of explosives on scene. When we arrived, we found these two and the explosives.”

“What type of explosives?”

“Several frags. There were also chemical grenades and stun grenades. The bomb unit also recovered two bars of C4 and blasting caps. Everything was packed into a backpack and stashed inside that cupboard.” He indicated the built-in cupboard in the small hallway off to the kitchen.

Richard groaned. There was no way that the C4 and blasting caps belonged to Clay. The frags and grenades may be his, but the team would’ve removed it when they cleaned Clay’s apartment. The other thing that made him unsure it belonged to Clay was that he couldn’t see the young man breaking the rules and taking frags off the base. None of these operators would do that. Just another indication that all of it was planted. “Where did your bomb unit take it?”

“Back to HQ.”

Richard nodded. “NCIS’ tactical team will collect it.”

“Now listen, here.”

“No, I am not getting into a pissing contest with you.” Richard pointed to the two SEALs. “They are Navy. The owner of this apartment is Navy. NCIS has jurisdiction here, not the FBI.”

The other man glared at him before he nodded. “One less headache for me.” He made his way to the door. “I’ll make sure that the forensic evidence is sent to you.”

“Thank you,” Richard responded.

“Call back your hound dogs!” Sonny yelled.

“What do you mean?” Richard frowned.

“When he learned that Clay was in the hospital, he sent some of his colleagues to arrest Clay there. He didn’t believe us when we told him about Clay’s condition,” Sonny glared at the agent as he talked.

Richard seethed. “Is that true?” When the agent nodded, Richard had to remind himself of inter-agency relationships instead of strangling the man before him. “Call them off.” He turned his back on the agent.

He made his way over to the kitchen counter. “Are these Clay’s medication?” He looked at the different bottles as he pulled a pair of latex gloves from his pocket.

“Yeah,” Sonny answered.

Richard picked up the one bottle and opened it up. They looked all alike. “These are the bottles you used to make sure all of you got Clay’s medication on hand?”

“Yes. Why?” Sonny frowned.

“And Clay brought this from the hospital?” He looked at the label. The pharmacy issued it at Bethesda hospital.

“Correct. What are you getting at?”

Richard took out an evidence bag and proceeded to seal the different medicine bottles in it. “Whoever planted those explosives might also be responsible for changing Clay’s medication.”

“They were in his apartment? Before?” Sonny growled.

Richard nodded.

“How is that possible? Don’t you have a pair of agents sitting on this place?” Brock asked.

“They’re not here to guard the apartment; they are here to guard Clay.”

“So every time we or an ambulance took Clay away, the apartment wasn’t watched.” Brock lowered his head.

“Son of a bitch! Anyone could’ve waltzed in here and changed it out.” Sonny paced the room.

“And hopefully, we’ll find something on these bottles to lead us to a suspect.” Richard shook the evidence bag. He looked around the apartment. “I’ll send out our forensic unit to go through here. If there’s anything here that can be of assistance, they will find it.” He had a feeling that today was going to be a very long day.

--SEAL TEAM--

Base Hospital

Trent looked at his sleeping brother. Guilt formed deep in the pit of his stomach, and he lowered his eyes. He had failed their youngest team member. Clay may forgive the others, but he couldn’t see how Clay would ever forgive him.

He remembered every time Clay came to him with a sprained ankle or wrist, bruised ribs, or a banged-up shoulder. How he told Clay to toughen up - that it wasn’t that bad. And then Clay stopped coming to him. He didn’t question it. Just like the others, he ignored Clay.

And now this - he should’ve noticed that the medication was swapped out with placebo tablets. It was his duty to see stuff like that. Once again, he’d failed Clay. It was on his shoulders that Clay was again hospitalized, and the kid had suffered a major setback on his road to recovery.

“It’s not your fault.”

Trent lifted his head. “How can you say that?” He asked as he got to his feet and made his way over to where Clay stared at him with bleary eyes. He cringed at the look of Clay. The young man looked gray; his eyes sunken deep into his head. Prominent deep blue smudges decorated the underside of his eyes. He took the glass on the night table and held it for Clay to take a few sips of the cold water.

“Thank you.” Clay sighed. “I can say that because I am still here.”

“Not because of my actions.”

“No?” Clay shook his head. “If it weren’t for you, Trent, I would’ve died many times in the field. You saved my ass more than once. I will be forever grateful.”

Trent was at a loss for words. “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. I didn’t have your back.”

Clay nodded. “On that, we can agree. I tried to get you to see I was hurting, that I wasn’t faking it, but you, and the rest of Bravo, all had blinders on. You only saw what you wanted to see. But it’s separate from what’s happening now, Trent, and that’s something you need to understand. You carry no blame for any mix-up with my meds. That is not on you.” Clay closed his eyes. He was still so tired.

“I am sorry for what I’ve done,” Trent responded sincerely.

Clay opened his eyes and gave a small smile. “Apology accepted.” He swallowed. “I’m just not sure if I can trust you again. You, or any of the others.”

“I will do everything I can to regain your trust, Clay. I promise.”

Clay stared at him before he nodded again. “Want to free me from this prison?”

Trent snorted. “And have Davis kill me single-handedly?” He shook his head. “No, you’re staying right where you are.” He pulled his chair closer and sat down.

“Traitor,” Clay responded. He shrugged. “At least I tried.” He gave a huge yawn.

“Get some sleep, Clay. I’ve got your back.” Trent meant every word he said. He will not let Clay down again. Once was one time too many. It will not happen again. Not on his watch.

--SEAL TEAM--

NCIS: Abby’s Lab

Abby looked at the different pill bottles lined up in front of her. All had been dusted for fingerprints. She was busy using her babies to conduct chemical comparisons on the different tablets from each bottle to those taken into evidence from the rest of Bravo. She had to analyze and determine if all the pills were from the same batch.

She was also awaiting fingerprints lifted from different grenades and some explosives. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous around them. As she waited, her mind drifted to agent Carville. She really liked the man. She’d even taken him to Gibbs for cowboy steaks one evening, and her surrogate father actually smiled. If Gibbs approved, then she knew she was on the right track.

At that moment, Major Mass Spec indicated that her results were ready. She made her way over to the machine and printed the results. It was as she’d suspected. All of the samples were from the same batch.

Richard had also sent her a sample of placebo tablets used by Bethesda Hospital, which she had already analyzed. With a glance (she would write a full report on her findings later), she established that the placebo tablets found in Spenser’s apartment did not come from the placebo tablets used by the hospital.

Next, she focused on the stained invoice Richard brought her that was found in the dumpster at the motel Meddings stayed in. She was currently trying to find a matching watermark embedded in the invoice. It was a slow-moving process as hundreds of thousands of watermarks were used. She’d run a search on all pharmaceutical companies, but the watermark didn’t belong to any of them. She was now busy with private distributors, but she still had to let a search run through those countries that exported the medication to the States.

Footsteps behind her made Abby turn around, and she smiled. “I have some results for you.” She indicated the folder she placed on the side.

“Is it in English?” Richard joked. He continued to grin as Abby stuck out her tongue.

“Keep it up, and I will do it for you in Italian.” She turned back to the screen. “But since I like you, I’ll tell you what I have.” Abby gave him a quick rundown.

Richard hummed. It was what he’d expected. Unfortunately, it didn’t bring him any closer to who was responsible. Meddings was high on the list of suspects, or should he say, Meddings was his only suspect, but unless he got the necessary proof, Meddings stayed a suspect and nothing more.

He looked up from the report. “Are you still working on the watermark?” He moved closer to where Abby stood.

Abby nodded in agreement. “It’s proving more problematic than what I thought it would be. But I always love a challenge,” she added with a smile.

“And no luck with fingerprints on that piece of paper?”

“No, sorry. It was just too dirty for me to have been able to pull any viable prints from it.”

Richard shrugged. “It was worth the shot.”

Abby’s computer screen started to flash. “We’ve got something.” Abby began typing away, and a mug shot appeared on the screen. “Interesting.”

“What?” Richard asked as he studied the information on the screen.

Abby typed away, and the screen split into two. “Meet Petty Officer third class James Stone. It’s his prints on the flash grenades. But what makes him interesting is that he’s one of the men McGee arrested for the botched robbery where Spenser’s training weapon was found.” Abby brought up the arrest report McGee filed.

Richard quickly read through it. He knew McGee couldn’t get more info on how the training weapon ended up with the group of men. It was either that they didn’t know, or they didn’t care. He smiled at Abby, leaned forward, and kissed her on the cheek. “I think we’ve just got the lead I was looking for.”

Abby smiled at him. “Doing what I can.” She watched as he exited her lab before she turned back to her work.

--SEAL TEAM--

Naval Consolidated Brig - Chesapeake: 2 Days later

Richard watched as the guard led Stone into the consultation room. He nodded at the man and waited for him to exit the room before he spoke up. “I’m Special Agent Richard Carville, NCIS.”

“Whatever you thought I did, you’re wrong. I’ve got a solid alibi.” Stone grinned as he stretched out his legs.

It seemed like McGee was correct when he told him how cocky Stone was. Richard hoped that he’d be able to get some helpful information from the guy. He had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“You sure about that?” Richard leaned back in his chair.

Stone looked around and shrugged. “Well, unless you’re blind, you can see where I am. It wasn’t me.”

Richard grinned. “You’ve been here for over a month, and I have to agree that is a strong alibi, but where were you on the night of March fifteen?”

“How the hell should I know that! It’s almost four months ago.” Stone frowned.

“You no longer have a solid alibi, now do you?” Richard opened the folder and pulled out a single photo. “What do you know about this?”

“Nothing.” Stone pushed the photo away.

“You sure?” Richard tapped with his finger on the photo. “You see, unless you come clean and tell me what you know, I will not only charge you with theft of explosives but also with attempted murder of a SEAL. You getting twenty-four months for the robbery will be nothing compared to the twenty years you’ll face when convicted.”

“WHAT!” Stone slammed his fist on the steel table top. “This is bullshit! I know nothing!”

Richard raised his hand when the guard peeked through the little glass window to show him everything was in order. He glared at Stone. “No bullshit, but you’re talking bullshit, and that, I can prove.” Not giving Stone a chance to respond, Richard continued.

“Your fingerprints were found on several pieces of explosives, and since you worked in the motor pool and had no access to any ammunition or explosives, you've got problems.” Richard looked on as the blood drained from Stone’s face. He tapped on the image again. “You were found in possession of this training weapon. This weapon and the explosives are connected. You are connected. JAG will be very interested in talking to you. It might be circumstantial, but I know they will get their conviction.”

Stone stared at the photo. His shoulders sagged. “What do I get if I tell you what I know?”

“If you tell me everything you know and don’t bullshit me, I will put in a good word on your behalf.”

“I want immunity.”

Richard snorted and rose to his feet. He placed the photo back into the folder and went to the door. He ignored the other man.

“Wait!”

Richard came to a halt but didn’t turn back.

“I’ll tell you what I know.”

Richard made his way back to his seat and sat down. He took out his small notebook and pen. “Talk.” And with every sentence, Stone tied the noose around Meddings’ neck. Finally, Stone sat back and fell silent.

Richard tapped with his pen against the cover of the little book. “For a bonus point, Stone, tell me, who would I go and see for counterfeit drugs?” He held his breath.

“I’m not involved in that.”

“You’re not?” Richard rolled his eyes. “The reason why you and your buddies tried to rob that bank was because you needed to sustain your drug habit. Don’t bullshit me now. Give me a name.”

Stone lowered his head. “They will kill me.”

“I got my intel from an anonymous source. I will even go as far as to put it in a separate report. I will keep you anonymous in this.”

“Will you tell JAG I cooperated fully?”

“I will,” Richard promised.

“Fuck.” Stone dragged his hand through his short-cropped hair. He took a deep breath. “His name is Charles Radcliff. He’s a medical rep for a pharmaceutical company and runs his own business on the side.”

“Does he use a specific watermark in his business?”

Stone laughed. “Yeah, he thinks it makes it look more legit.”

“Thank you.” Richard rose to his feet for the second time. “You’ve helped a great deal. I will put in a good word on your behalf.” He knocked on the door and exited the room. He had to get back to the office. They had a raid to plan, and hopefully, in the end, he would net not only Meddings but also a drug pusher.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Notes:

AN 1: To my kight in shining armour, IceBoxBee, thank you!

Trent’s home: 1 Week later

“You okay?” Trent asked Clay as he walked into his living room where their youngster lay sprawled out on the couch.

Clay hummed in agreement. He had a good book and was comfortable right where he was. It felt good to be out of the hospital, and although Clay was a bit pissed about not returning to his apartment, he also understood the reason behind the move. Clay still couldn’t believe that Meddings had been in his apartment on what appeared to be different occasions; that he’d gone so far as to swap out his medication and then plant explosives at his place. He still didn’t understand what the man had against him.

“I’m going for a jog, but I have my phone. Call me if you need me,” Trent instructed.

Clay nodded. He would’ve liked to go with Trent, but it was made clear that he was on couch duty for at least another week before he could start thinking of attempting any exercise. Doctor Paddington had him on new anti-seizure medication and wanted to ensure it worked properly before he could start being active again. That, and the fact that he’d been highly nauseous for the last two days because of the new medication. The doctor said the nausea would disappear within a couple of days.

Trent made his way to the front door but then stopped. “Brock is also on his way. He wants to show you something and says Cerberus misses you.” Trent grinned when Clay rolled his eyes. “You missed him just as much.” He ducked when Clay launched a cushion toward him.

“Just telling it the way it is!” Trent laughed as he exited the door and locked it securely behind him. Clay’s got a key, as well as the rest of the guys. He warmed up in front of his house as he looked around the area to ensure everything was okay. He jogged away when he was sure no unwanted figures were lurking around.

--SEAL TEAM--

Brock closed the door behind him as he stepped into Trent’s home. Cerberus had already disappeared, but he could hear the pup and Clay deeper from inside the house. He went and placed the stuff he brought in the kitchen, grabbed himself a beer and a bottle of water for Clay, and then went to look for Clay. He found the young man and Cerberus roughhousing it on the carpet in the living room. Brock grinned from ear to ear as he watched how they played.

“Settle,” he ordered the large dog when Cerberus became too rough. Brock couldn’t help smiling when both man and dog looked at him. “I just don’t want you to hit your head,” Brock explained and pointed at the coffee table.

“I won’t,” Clay responded as he grabbed hold of the large dog and hugged him hard.

Brock made himself comfortable and took out his phone. He waited until Clay and Cerberus settled on the carpet before handing Clay the water bottle.

“Thanks,” Clay said as he took the offered water.

“We have to talk,” Brock stated as he pulled his phone from his back pocket.

Clay stilled, and the blood drained from his face.

Brock saw how stiff Clay became. He quickly rose to his feet and crouched next to Clay. “Breathe.” He placed his hand on Clay’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. I should’ve picked my words more carefully. I’m sorry.”

Clay’s breathing hitched as he managed to take a deep breath. He took another breath and let it out slowly. His hands shook, and he balled them into fists.

Brock kept his hand on Clay’s shoulder while he kept an eye on Cerberus. The pup hadn’t moved from where he’d sprawled out next to Clay which was a good sign. “You okay?” Brock asked as Clay’s breathing evened out.

Clay nodded. “Sorry.”

“No. I’m the one that should apologize, not you.” He rose to his feet and held his hand for Clay to grab hold. He pulled the young man to his feet, and without letting go, he pulled Clay to his chest. “Love you, brother.”

Clay rested his head against Brock’s shoulder. His own shoulders sagged with relief. “Seems I’m still a bit on edge.”

“And it’s going to take time for you to find your balance with us again.” Brock pulled Clay down onto the couch next to him. “You ready to hear what I want to share with you?”

Clay slowly nodded. He reached out and smiled when Cerberus climbed on top of him. “Now I’m ready.”

Brock returned the smile. “You do realize that you’re mine?” He addressed Cerberus.

Both men laughed when the dog merely sighed and pushed himself closer to Clay.

“I guess that answers my question.” Brock removed his phone, opened it, and handed it to Clay.

Clay’s heart melted when he saw the photos. “Are you planning on making Cerb a daddy?” he asked as he kept staring at the images.

Brock laughed. “No, I’ll wait until he’s retired. No, those are working dogs. Service dogs for people suffering from seizures.”

“I can’t afford one. They're too expensive.” Clay handed the phone back.

Brock pressed the phone back to Clay. “Not the one you choose.”

Clay frowned. “I don’t understand?”

“I have a lot of contacts here and all over the world due to my involvement in the service dog industry. When I first noticed how Cerb reacted when you were about to have a seizure, I asked around for a suitable dog for you. When I mentioned that you are in the armed forces, everyone made sure I knew you would not be paying for a dog. It took me a couple of weeks, but these are the two best candidates. Brooklyn,” Brock touched on the photo of the black Labrador, “is three years old, and she’s from Colorado. She’s at the top of her class, and I met her a few days back; she’s loveable.”

Cerberus barked in agreement.

Clay looked at the dog. “You also met her?”

Brock nodded. “I had to make sure that he’s comfortable with her. They immediately started playing with one another. He really liked her.”

“And this gorgeous blue-eyed pup?” Clay referred to the chocolate brown Labrador.

“His name is Bleu, and he’s from Paris, France. He is two and a half years old. He responds to commands in French as well as in English.”

Clay grinned. “He’s bilingual.”

Brock shared Clay’s grin. “I haven’t met him yet, but I’ve seen videos of him, and he is well-behaved and responds to commands immediately. He’s also top of his class.”

“This is huge.” Clay stared at the pictures.

Brock placed his hand on Clay’s shoulder. “I know it won’t make you able to rejoin the teams, but a dog like this would give you more freedom and more confidence.”

Clay lowered his head. Two days ago, there had been a meeting with the Brass, Doctor Paddington, representatives from the medical board, and himself. Jason was also allowed to sit in. It was made clear that he would no longer be operating as a SEAL, but due to new legislation passed only a few months ago, his disability didn’t exclude him from still being in the Navy. They were looking at several options on where to utilize his unique set of skills. To Clay, it meant he would become a pencil pusher. He had one of two choices. He could ask for a medical separation or remain in the Navy for the remainder of his reenlistment, which was another two years.

“What are you thinking?”

“I don’t want to be stuck behind a desk.” Clay leaped to his feet and paced the room. “I can’t see myself being stuck in an office from nine to five, five days a week. I can’t do that. I will climb the walls within a week.” He continued to pace.

Brock kept an eye on Cerb as Clay paced the room. They’d all been waiting for this moment when Clay erupted in anger at what was happening to him. Since it was made official two days ago that his frogman days were officially over, Clay had shown little to no emotion on the matter. It had bothered them all.

“I’ve done everything in my power to get to the top. Despite my fucking father, despite people fixating on my last name, I made it. I became my own man. I became a SEAL on merits, not because I’m regarded as SEAL royalty. Hell, I’m a pauper; there’s nothing royal about my life. I grew up in Liberia. I shared a one-bedroom house with my grandparents. I lived on hand-me-down clothes from older kids. The first time I wore something new was when I reported for BUDs and got my uniform issued to me.” Clay snorted. “I didn’t ask for any of this!” he yelled as he spun around, grabbed a miniature statue from the coffee table, and flung it hard against the wall. As it shattered on impact, Clay fell forward on his knees. He screamed and pounded his fists against the floor. “IT’S NOT FUCKING FAIR!” Clay lowered his head and sobbed.

Brock looked on as Clay collapsed. His heart broke for his younger brother. He knew nothing he could say would make things any better. Clay was right, he didn’t deserve this, and it was definitely not fair. He had no idea how to make it right. The thing was, no one could make it right.

Both Brock and Cerberus made their way closer to Clay simultaneously. For a moment, Brock feared that Clay would have a seizure, but when Cerberus started licking Clay’s face, he knew their K9 friend was merely trying to comfort the young man. Brock waited patiently for Clay’s sobs to die down before he spoke up.

“Part of our creed says we’re never out of the fight. Just because you can no longer be on the battlefield next to us doesn’t take you out of the fight, Clay. You’ve got one hell of a mind, and I know we'll be unstoppable with you in the Ops room, planning our missions. You will still have our backs, Clay. You will still be in the fight. And no one will ever be able to regard you as a pencil pusher.”

“I couldn’t have said it better.”

Both men looked up when they heard Jason’s voice.

Brock rose to his feet and held out his hand. When Clay took it, he pulled him up and held him to his chest. “We will not let you down. We have your six.”

Clay nodded. He pulled away and sank down on the couch. He smiled as Cerb immediately jumped up and made himself comfortable across his legs. Clay scratched the dog’s ears and smiled as Cerb moaned in pleasure.

When the couch dipped next to him, Clay turned and frowned when he realized that Brock had left and he was alone with Jason. He swallowed hard. It was the first time since the shit hit the fan that he was alone in Jason’s company. When Cerb’s wet nose pressed against his neck, Clay jerked. Instinctively he reached out, grabbed the dog’s thick fur, and held on tight.

“Can I talk to you?” Jason asked.

Clay nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to give a verbal response.

Jason leaned back against the couch and tried to appear less intimidating. He felt that with the way Clay looked ready to bolt at any second, he wasn’t succeeding in his attempt. He cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology.”

By the way Clay’s body jerked at his words, Jason felt it wasn’t what Clay expected him to say. It made him cringe. He had his head so deep up his own ass that it was strange that he could still walk upright. Jason cleared his throat.

“As Bravo one, I was responsible for looking out for you and listening to you. I failed on both. I failed you as a team leader, and more importantly, I failed you as a friend and a brother. I am sorry.” Jason bowed his head.

The silence stretched between them as Clay contemplated Jason’s words. Jason was more like a father figure to him than Ash had ever been. Jason’s actions gutted him. “Was it all a smoke screen?”

Jason frowned at Clay’s question. “I don’t understand.”

“You liking me, caring for me, was it all a smoke screen?”

Jason swallowed hard and shook his head. “No, kid, I really did - I really do care for you. You are only eight years older than Emma, old enough to be my kid.” Jason cleared his throat. “I do see you as my kid.”

“Until I wasn’t good enough.”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “You will always be good enough. I made a mistake, a mistake I will regret for the rest of my life. I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me. Hell, if I were you, I wouldn't even consider forgiving myself, but please, Clay, give me a chance to show you I’ve got your back. To show you that you are important to me.”

“It hurts, Jase,” Clay’s voice broke as he grabbed his t-shirt and bundled it up in his fist across his chest. “I tried so many times to talk to you, to tell you what Master…, what he did, but you either laughed or shrugged it off as if it was nothing. In fact, you urged me to be more like him, to learn from the example he set.” Clay rose to his feet and went to the large window.

“That day of Ray’s shooting.” Clay swallowed. Things were still hazy, and doc Paddington said the chance of him remembering everything was very slim. One thing he remembered vividly. His hand traveled to the back of his head. He remembered Jason slamming him into the cage, but more importantly, he heard Jason’s voice in his head. The voice that told him that he wasn’t worth being on bravo.

“You took away the one thing that meant the most to me.” Clay turned around and looked at the older man. “You told me I wasn’t worthy enough to be on Bravo. You took away my life even before I ended up in that accident.” Clay swallowed hard.

Jason closed his eyes. Clay’s words stung, but they were true. He had replayed that scene in the team’s room repeatedly in his head, first out of anger. He wanted to do nothing more than destroy the younger man. What scared him was that he had wanted to tear Clay apart physically. But then, when he learned the truth, he realized what he had done and realized what he and the rest of the team had done for almost three months. Shame had filled him up. He had nearly gone on a drinking binge that would’ve put one of Sonny’s drinking sprees to shame. But it was Blackburn that stopped him in his tracks. Their old commander had shown up on his doorstep out of the blue and took one look at him before Jason told him what he’d done.

Blackburn said binge drinking and blaming himself would not fix things. If he wanted to make things right, he’d have to do it the hard way. This was one of the reasons he and Ray had that meeting and why they’d decided to split up the team. Yes, he was shocked and angered for Ray to suggest it, but he’d heard Eric’s voice in his head, telling him that the only way to fix things was to do it the hard way - the correct way.

“I am aware of that,” Jason admitted. “Looking back at those two and a half months, I can see clearly how we destroyed you. You became an empty shell, and yet, at the same time, you always had our six. You never complained. You were always in the fight, never giving up on any of us in a hostile situation. But we gave up on you. I will always carry the blame on my shoulders, Clay, for letting you down. I can promise it will never happen again. All I can ask from you is to give me a second chance, give Bravo a second chance.”

“Will Bravo be reformed?” Clay spoke up after a long stretch of silence.

“There are talks of doing that. With Bravo dismantled, it left DEVGRU with one team short; Bravo’s absence placed extra strain on the remaining teams.”

Clay wanted to ask if he’ll be Bravo six, but he didn’t want to hear the answer. He wouldn’t be able to hide his emotions when Jason told him no. Clay turned away from the window. “When will you know?”

“About the team?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got no idea,” Jason responded truthfully. He cleared his throat. “Clay.” Jason leveled his gaze with Clay’s. “You will always be Bravo six.”

Although the tension in Clay’s body gave way, and his shoulders sagged in relief, he couldn’t help but speak up. “I will never be a SEAL again.”

Jason sighed, rose to his feet, and walked over to where Clay stood. He pulled Clay to his side. He tapped the younger man lightly on the head. “It’s not what’s here that makes you a SEAL. It’s what’s in here that makes you one of us.” He placed his hand over Clay’s heart.

Clay lowered his head and sighed softly. “What do I do, Jase?”

Jason closed his eyes. He had no idea how to answer that question. Hell, he had no idea what he would’ve done if he had been in Clay’s shoes. Jason also knew Clay deserved at least some sort of answer. It had to be one that wasn’t filled with bullshit.

“You’ve got one of the best technical minds I’ve ever seen. You not only execute a plan perfectly, but you can plan it even better. You’d be one hell of an asset in the Ops center, Clay. We’ll need you there. I know it’s not the same as being in the field, but you will still have an active role to play in helping us as the tip of the spear, to fulfill our duty. To protect our country.”

When Clay remained silent, Jason pushed on. “You’re young enough for State 21.”

Clay shook his head. “They will never accept me.” He couldn’t help the venom that laced his words.

Jason nodded. “And I know you’ve got Doctor Paddington and most of the Brass behind you. None of them want you to get a medical separation. They are willing to do whatever they can to keep you, Clay. Don’t give up on your dream just because it took a turn you were unprepared for.”

“And the first time I get a seizure? Do you think they will then still be behind me, Jase?” Clay snorted. “Get real.” He moved away from his team leader and brother. “The sooner I accept my fate, the better.” Clay lowered his head. “I’m tired. I’m going to lie down.” He didn’t wait for Jason to respond and made his way to the guest room, leaving a despondent Jason behind.

--SEAL TEAM--

Alpha Pharmaceuticals: Virginia

Richard opened the massive glass door to the company and entered the lobby. Behind him, several NCIS agents filed in. He smiled as he approached the receptionist. Richard took out his credentials and showed them to her.

“I’m special agent Carville of NCIS. I have a warrant for the arrest of Charles Radcliff. I have a second warrant for the search and seizure of all documentation and equipment in our ongoing investigation.” He handed her the warrants. He knew she would have to phone their legal department. He didn’t have the time to wait for any lawyer.

“Oh,” the receptionist frowned. “I don’t think he’s in today. I can check for you?”

Richard shook his head. “No, just point me in the direction of his office, and we’ll go and have a look ourselves.”

“Let me just get our in-house lawyer down here first.” She tried to stall.

Richard shook his head again. “The warrants are in order. Tell me where Radcliff’s office is.”

She fumbled about but then pointed to the elevators on the left-hand side of the lobby. “Third floor, second office on the right.”

“Thank you.” Richard made his way over to the elevators. He instructed one of the junior agents to secure the stairs in case Radcliff decided to run. He and another senior agent made their way up to the third floor.

As the elevator doors opened up, Richard looked up and grinned. Right in front of him stood Radcliff.

“Mr. Radcliff?” Richard asked as he stepped out of the elevator and held out his credentials. He saw the look in the man’s eyes, and even before he could react, Radcliff turned around and ran off.

“NCIS, stop!” Richard yelled as he followed in pursuit. He was just not fast enough as Radcliff reached what appeared to be his office and slammed the door shut. Not hesitating for a second, Richard kicked out, and the door crashed inwards.

Radcliff stood on the other side of his desk. His eyes looked wild, and he breathed hard.

“NCIS,” Richard identified himself again. “Charles Radcliff. You are under arrest. Raise your hands and slowly move out from behind the desk,” he ordered.

Radcliff snorted. “Not on your life.” His eyes darted around, looking for a way out.

Richard tightened the hold on his service pistol. “Give it up, Radcliff.”

“Never!” Radcliff bellowed and then turned.

Before Richard or the agent with him could comprehend what Radcliff was doing, the man hurled something at the glass window behind him, and even as the window shattered Radcliff jumped.

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Notes:

AN: To the amazing, IceBoxBee, thank you again. :-)

Seattle, Washington - Earlier in the day

“Senior Chief Spenser?”

“Yeah, who is this?” Ash asked with a frown. He was late for a book signing, and he cursed under his breath as he struggled to keep his mug upright while at the same time closing the hotel room door and lugging his overstuffed briefcase around.

“This is Lieutenant Commander Helsing, Sir. I am calling you from the Joint Naval Base, Virginia.”

“Yes, Commander, what can I do for you?” Ash moved along the carpeted passage as he made his way down the hall towards the stairs to go down to the lobby.

“I’ve been struggling to get hold of you, Sir. May I enquire where you are currently ?”

“Look, with all due respect, Commander, what is this about? I am running late as it is,” Ash grumbled.

“It’s a matter of a sensitive nature, Senior Chief, one that I don’t want to discuss over the phone.”

“Unless you tell me that I’ve been drafted back into the Navy, into Devgru, then whatever you want to tell me can’t be of a sensitive nature, Commander. Spit it out, what is this about?”

“I really would like to talk to you in person, if you could just confirm your whereabouts, I can make arrangements to meet up with you ASAP.”

The Commander’s tone of voice brought Ash to a halt. “Is this about Clay?” Ash found himself holding his breath.

“I would rather talk to you in person, Sir.”

“The hell with this! Tell me, is this about my son, is this about Clay?” Ash trembled. The silence on the other side of the line told him what he needed to know. “I’ll be on the first flight I can get to Virginia.”

“If you text me the flight details, Sir, I will have a car waiting for you at the airport.”

“Thank you.” Ash ended the call. He looked down at his hand as he realized it burned. He’d managed to crush the travel mug with his one hand. The hot coffee had spilled out and over the ruined mug and had left an angry red mark on his skin. He tossed the mug aside and headed outside. Since he got the call from Ensign Davis months ago, he’d regretted his decision not to get down to DC and be with his son. It was the biggest mistake he’d made in his life, and now it seemed that it was too late to make any amends. His son was dead. For once in a very long time, Ashland Spenser thought of someone else instead of himself.

--SEAL TEAM--

Norfolk International Airport

Ash had been lucky. He had gotten a flight within a couple of hours of reaching the airport. The nearly eight-hour flight had felt like eighty hours, but he was finally here.

He spotted a sign with his name on it as he exited the arrival area and headed toward the male. Ash frowned as he took in the appearance of the male who waited for him. He’d expected someone from the military, but the individual didn’t look like he’d even served a day in the military forces. But he also knew not to judge a book by its cover.

Ash pushed the thoughts to the side. It didn’t matter now. “I’m Ash Spenser,” he said as he stopped before the large man with the sign.

“Finally, I’ve been waiting hours,” the man rumbled as he tossed the sign into a nearby trash can and made his way out of the building.

Ash stared at his back for a moment before he followed him. “Where is Commander Hellsing?” He asked.

“Who?” The guy shrugged. “I was paid to pick you up, and that’s what I’m doing.” He didn’t slow down as he made his way to the PayPoint.

“And where are you taking me?” Ash balled his fists. Something was going on.

“Wherever I tell him to.”

Ash turned and blanched at the appearance of the man behind him. He didn’t miss the bulge that formed on the right side jacket pocket. He didn’t need to see the weapon to know there was one. “Junior?” Ash managed to stay calm.

“Shut up,” Junior hissed. He pushed the older man towards the non-descriptive sedan. “Get in.”

“And if I don’t?” Ash wasn’t in the mood for any stories.

“Then I’ll make you.” With lighting reflexes, Junior reached out and slammed Ash against the body of the vehicle and punched Ash in the face, rendering him unconscious. Quickly, before anyone saw him, Junior tossed him into the backseat as his friend held the door open. Without a word, Junior got into the front passenger seat.

“I thought you wanted to do this quietly.”

“I changed my mind when I saw his face,” Junior growled.

“You still want me to drop you off at the same place?”

“Yeah, I need to meet with Radcliff first. I’ll meet up with you later.” Junior looked back at the still unconscious man, stretched out in the back seat. “Remember, he might be old, but he’s still a SEAL. Make sure you secure him properly. He will snap your neck at the first opportunity he gets.”

“I was a Ranger; we’re not scared of SEALs.”

Junior merely shook his head. He’d known Bruce for more than a decade. The ex-ranger could take care of himself, but he knew men like Ash. In the end, he knew Bruce would get the job done. The rest of the trip was done in silence.

When they’d really reached their destination, Junior broke the silence. “If I don’t contact you within the next two hours, get rid of Spenser and get yourself out of town.”

“You expecting trouble?” Bruce asked with a frown.

“Not really, but you know me, I’m always paranoid.”

“I’ll do as you ask, but if you need me to bail you out, don’t hesitate to get in contact. I know very well you SEALs know how to get yourself into sticky situations, but you need the Rangers to bail you out.”

Junior laughed. “In your dreams, soldier, in your dreams.” He fist-bumped the large man before he got out of the sedan. He would walk to the meeting point with Radcliff to make sure everything was secure. He hoped the medical rep had what he needed. It was time he got this mess sorted out. He was bone tired and just wanted everything to come to an end.

--SEAL TEAM--

Richard had to refrain from checking his weapon for the umpteenth time. It had taken Abby more than two hours to find a possible meeting place. In the end, she had narrowed it down to two possible locations. He had personally looked into both of the options. He couldn’t take the chance of picking one and ignoring one. He had called up McGee, and the senior agent with his team had taken the possible second location while he and his team had set up here. And then the waiting game started.

The comms in his ear came to life, and Richard took one step forward. A male fitting Junior’s description was spotted a block from their location. Richard took his position and kept watching in the direction from where the figure would approach the building. He didn’t have to wait long for the male to come into sight. He’d stared at Junior’s photo for far too long not to recognize him immediately.

“All agents hold positions,” he whispered. He didn’t want Junior to be spooked. They needed the man to enter the building before they could even think of apprehending him. But then something went wrong. Everything was quiet, but Junior came to a halt. Richard watched as the man dragged his hand across his cleanly shaved head, turned on his heels, and ran. Even as he gave the order to pursue their suspect, he knew they wouldn’t apprehend the SEAL. There was nothing he could do but hope that they would catch the man.

--SEAL TEAM--

Undisclosed location

Ash turned his head and spit the blood out. He watched as it splattered on the cold concrete floor. “Is that all you got?” He gave Junior a bloodied grin.

“Fucking prick!” Junior yelled as he took another swing at the bound man hanging from a hook fastened to a beam. He felt the older man’s nose break beneath his fist, but he didn’t care as the fury he held for such a long time inside of him finally burst free. Junior landed punch after punch on any part of Ash’s body. He felt his powerful hits make contact with flesh. He heard when rib bones gave way under his assault, and that didn’t make him stop.

Junior found himself screaming as someone held him down. “Get off me, get off me!!” He kept on screaming as he fought the person holding him down.

“Junior!” Bruce tried again but without success. “You fucking bastard, pull yourself together, Master Chief Meddings!” Bruce bellowed and sagged down in relief when it had the required effect as Junior stilled beneath his hands.

“Get off me.” Junior pushed his friend off him and came to his feet. He wiped at the wetness running from his nose. It was blood, but it didn’t matter. He smeared the blood down the side of his pants and took his position in front of Ash again. The man looked like he was barely breathing.

“Fuck.”

“You can say that again. You nearly killed the fucker,” Bruce said from the side.

“I am planning on killing him but not so soon. First, he will see me take his son’s life, and then I will end him.” There was no emotion in Junior’s voice as he made the statement.

“Okay, I’ve got no problem with that, but then I do suggest that you lay off him for a while. He had enough for now.”

Junior nodded.

“Want to tell me what got you so riled up?”

Junior shook his head. “Just the thing with Radcliff.”

“Listen, man. You trusted your gut, and you got out of there. It’s a shame that Radcliff is dead, but at least the Feds don’t have you.”

Bruce was right, and Junior knew that. He still had no idea how NCIS had realized he had a connection to Radcliff or how they knew where they normally met up. He was just grateful for the fact that when he didn’t see Charles’ car, he knew something was wrong, and he got out of there. But that was something he couldn’t dwell on. He already had another plan in his head. All would be set in motion after one phone call, and then he would get the justice that his dad deserved. He nodded at the other man. “Can you keep an eye on him? I’ve got some things to put into motion. I’ll text you later.”

“Sure, no problem. I’ve got nothing better to do.” Bruce gripped Junior’s shoulder. “This will end well, I know it.”

“Thanks.” Junior took out his phone as he walked towards the large warehouse doors. It was time to bring things to an end.

--SEAL TEAM--

Darkness gave way to light as Ash blinked, and the shady objects came into focus. He no longer hung from a hook but was seated on a chair. His hands and feet were tied. He could feel an extra length of rope that bound his feet to his wrists. Essentially he was hogtied in a seated position. It would not be something he’d be able to escape from with ease. Also not in the physical state he found himself in. He hurt, and he wasn’t talking about mere aches and pain. Junior had pummeled him properly. Ash could feel how difficult it was to breathe. His stomach felt tight, and it had nothing to do with the way he was bound. He knew he wasn’t going to make it out alive. But it also meant that there was a possibility that Clay was still alive. He pushed the thought of his only son away. Now was not a good time to think about him.

Ash looked around as he tested his bonds. He stilled his movements when he heard movement behind him.

“I’ve always wanted to bag myself a real live SEAL, so please, do me a favor and try to escape.”

It was the guy from the airport. Ash remained silent. He listened as the man made his way over to where he was. Ash looked straight ahead as the man came to a halt in front of him.

“You’re one of those, I see.”

Ash didn’t respond.

Bruce shrugged. “And I really don’t care. But what I do care about is how you single-handedly destroyed the lives of two honorable men.”

Ash snorted.

“You think that’s funny?” Bruce shook his head. “I can promise you it’s not funny at all. It’s a fucking tragedy. One that’s going to end up in one hell of a bloodbath all because of you.” Bruce paced the room. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, but I have to. Junior won’t. He’s got too much rage inside of him. He’ll kill you even before he tells you exactly why. And I want you to know why you will die.”

Bruce came to a halt in front of the thrust-up man. “When your actions led to the death of Dean Meddings, you unleashed a ticking time bomb onto the world. Junior had been a good man, an excellent SEAL, but he’d sustained one too many TBIs, and it made him unstable. Dean knew that. Dean did everything in his power to keep Junior in line until he died, and now Junior is out there in the world, unhinged, and he’s not going to stop with your death. Once he's killed your son, he will not die quietly. Junior is planning on taking out as many SOBs as possible all because of you.”

“I did nothing wrong.”

Bruce grinned. “And by that statement, you just showed how much of a narcissistic fucking prick you really are.” He turned away. “I hope Junior takes his time to kill you, but I also hope he kills your son quickly.” He walked away, leaving Ash alone.

--SEAL TEAM--

Trent’s home

“If you come near me with that thing, I will break your wrist,” Clay growled.

Several snickers sounded around the room, but the moment Trent turned his gaze, it got quiet. He shrugged. “In that case, you’re not leaving this house.”

Clay slowly rose to his feet. “I was cleared by Doctor Paddington, and I am a grown man. You can’t make me stay here.”

“You want to bet?” Trent crossed his arms.

“Where’s the popcorn?” Sonny whispered loudly as he jabbed Ray in his ribs.

“Shhh, I don’t want to miss this.” Ray slapped his hand away.

Jason rolled his eyes and leaned back in the lazy chair. This was going to be interesting. Trent was still in full medic mode with Clay, while their youngster started to rebel against them for coddling him to near death. They’d been taking side bets on just how long Clay would remain patient with them before he blew his top. It seemed that the day had finally arrived.

Clay moved towards the door. He stopped when Trent stepped in front of him. “No,” he hissed.

Trent didn’t reply but merely raised his eyebrow.

Clay feinted to the left but moved right. He didn’t get past Trent before the medic had him pinned to the floor. “Let me go!” Clay grunted and struggled; he pivoted and managed to get Trent in a headlock.

“Nice move,” Brock piped up from the side, and Cerberus barked in agreement.

Trent grunted as Clay restricted his airflow. The young man wasn’t near his physical peak, but Clay had still enough strength in him to make breathing difficult. Trent brought his right arm down, wriggled his hand in behind Clay’s back, and found the pressure point he looked for next to the spine and pressed it hard. He felt Clay squirm beneath him, and the pressure around his neck decreased. Trent twisted out of Clay’s grip and flipped them over. He had Clay beneath him and pinned him to the floor. With ease, he fastened the medical alert bracelet around Clay’s wrist. “Don’t you dare take it off.”

“Or what?” Clay strained to throw Trent off him.

“Or I will glue it to your forehead,” Trent promised.

“Not sure glue would work.” Sonny grinned.

“You got a better solution?” Jason asked.

“Tattoo it on.”

“On his forehead?” Ray frowned.

“No, on his wrist. Then he can’t lose it, he can’t forget it, and it’s there for everyone to see.”

“I like that idea, Sonny.” Trent let go of Clay’s wrist and ducked sideways as Clay sent a fist flying toward his head. He patted Clay on the head. “Now you can go out and play.” Trent grinned.

“No one is tattooing anything on me,” Clay grumbled as he pushed Trent off him and got to his feet. He reached for the bracelet.

“That stays on.” Jason’s voice filled the room.

“No.” Clay reached for it again.

Jason rose to his feet and closed the distance between them. “Until you are medically separated from the Navy or dead, you are a member of Bravo team, and therefore I am your commanding officer. I am ordering you to keep that bracelet on. Do I make myself clear, Bravo six?”

Clay looked at the bracelet and then at Jason. So many things raced through his head. But he realized one thing. The team did care about him, and they still saw him as one of them. “Crystal clear, Master Chief.”

“Good, then that’s settled.” Jason pulled Clay closer and gave him a hug. “It doesn’t make you anything less than awesome.”

Clay sighed. He turned to face Trent. “Can I really go out and play?”

Trent burst out laughing. “You do know I’m still responsible for keeping you alive?”

Clay shrugged. “I know.”

Trent shook his head. “Don’t overdo it. You know what Paddington said.”

“Yes, Trent, I won’t, Trent.” Clay moved out of reach as the medic made a grab for him. “I’ll even take Cerb with me.”

Trent snorted. “As if you think there was a chance he wasn’t going with you.”

Cerberus barked in agreement.

Clay shook his head. “Not you too.” He hunched down and scratched the K9 behind the ears. “Want to go for a run?” He smiled as the large dog licked him in the face. “I will take that as a yes.” Clay stood up and smiled at his brothers. “Thank you.”

They all nodded and gave way as their youngest brother and K9 partner made their way to the front door. They watched as Clay started a slow jog, and Cerberus stayed right by his side. Only when he disappeared from their sight did they turn to face Trent.

“Now you all look at me, you bunch of hippocrates.” Trent rolled his eyes. “He’ll be okay. He knows to take it easy. He's got his phone with him, and Cerb is there.”

Sonny tilted his head. “I’m not buying this. You are way too calm. What are you not telling us? What did you do?”

Trent shrugged. “Nothing.” He took a step away from his brothers.

“Halt.” Jason placed his hand on Trent’s bicep. “I’m with Sonny on this one. You’re too calm. What do you know that we don’t?” Jason glared at the medic. “And don’t even think of denying it.”

“Fine,” Trent huffed. “I put a health tracking app on his phone and linked it to mine.”

“He’s gonna kill you.” Brock grinned.

Ray laughed. “He played us all.” Ray rolled his eyes at his stunned brothers. “Think about it, guys. This is Clay that we are talking about. The chance of him not knowing what Trent did is zero. It’s the same with the bracelet. If he really wanted to fight, all of us would have sported bruises or even worse.”

Trent scoffed. “That little shit.” He grinned and looked at the group of men that surrounded him. “He’s going to be okay.”

--SEAL TEAM--

Clay grinned as he slowly started to jog away from Trent’s house. He still can’t believe that the guys let him go for a run on his own. He chuckled, but then he wasn’t on his own. Clay looked down at Cerberus. The malinois trotted in pace with him, his large mouth open with his tongue out.

It had taken him almost three days to convince the guys that he could go out jogging by himself. Yes, he was aware of Meddings being out there, but it seemed that after Agent Carville and NCIS almost caught him, he had disappeared. Clay wasn’t going to stay behind locked doors. He had a life to get back to. If Junior wanted him dead, he’d have to do it out in the open where Clay could take him on. He was a highly trained SEAL, and he knew how to take care of himself.

When his watch beeped, Clay dripped with sweat. He’d taken it easy, but he was so unfit that even this two-and-a-half-klick run had him sweating. His right leg ached where the burns were healing, but to him, the pain meant he was still alive. Clay looked down at Cerberus and grinned. The dog was having the time of his life. He knew that Brock had their K9 partner on guard duty almost twenty-four-seven, so even he didn’t get out much.

“Let’s turn back, boy before those oldies get their panties in a twist.” Clay laughed as Cerb barked twice. A clear indication that the dog agreed with him. Clay turned the corner and started the second part of his run.

When Cerberus pushed him off the street and onto the sidewalk, Clay rolled his eyes. “Seriously. I’m not a child,” he huffed but didn’t return to the street as he knew the large dog might decide that he needed to be nipped in the butt if he didn’t do what he was instructed to do.

Clay looked on as the large SUV came closer. The vehicle was the reason Cerb made him get out of the road. He noticed the SUV indicated that it was going to turn left, so he slowed down a bit as it was possible that the vehicle was going to turn into one of the properties in front of him. Clay frowned when the vehicle didn’t turn, and the indicator stayed on. He increased his pace again, and Cerb ran next to him.

Between blinking, things changed, and Clay cursed. The SUV turned sharply right in front of him, and as he tried to swerve out, the backdoor to the vehicle opened up, and a pair of hands grabbed him.

Time slowed down and sped up at the same time. Clay took in the features of the male who made a grab for him. He heard Cerberus’ growl, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the large dog leap, teeth bared. The driver’s window opened. Clay heard the muffled shot and Cerb’s yowl in pain. He knew he screamed as he turned, but it was too late. A second shot sounded, and he couldn’t even duck. The momentum of the shot made him stumble, and the man in the back yanked him forward and into the back of the SUV.

Clay fought. He felt the man’s nose break under his fist. His kick connected with flesh, and the man grunted.

“Shoot him again!”

Clay turned in an attempt to get out of the vehicle, but something hard collided with the back of his head, and his world exploded into sharp pain and faded into blackness. He got pulled deeper into the vehicle, and the door slammed shut behind him. The SUV sped off. The whole incident lasted eight seconds. Cerberus remained unmoved on the side of the road.

--SEAL TEAM--

Brock handed beers to the guys and took a deep swallow of his own before he sighed contently and settled next to Trent. Things were finally starting to get better. The higher-ups were talking of bringing Bravo back into the fold, and he knew that all of his brothers had gone out of their way not only to make sure that Clay knew they had his back but also to better themselves.

“When’s Bleu arriving in the States?” Ray asked.

“Listen,” Sonny interrupted. “Before you go on. Why the hell are you calling the dog bleu. It sounds like you want to vomit in your mouth.”

Trent snickered and ducked when Brock glared at him.

“Because his name is Bleu. It’s French for blue, but it’s pronounced bleu.” Brock glared at Trent again. “Any other questions, Sonny?”

“No. Yes.” Sonny gave Brock a grin. “We can still call him Blue, right? Not this funny bleu stuff?”

Brock counted to ten, made it twenty, and nodded. “Yes, Sonny, you can call him Blue.” He then turned his attention back to Ray. “As for your question, Ray, within the next week. All of his shots are up to date, including his rabies. He must see the vet one last time, and then he’ll be on his way. They will let me know on what flight he will be and when we can go and pick him up.”

“Does Clay know?” Sonny handed the game control to Jason.

“I’ve decided not to tell him when Bleu will be coming, I want to surprise him.”

“Clay had a tough time choosing between Brooklyn and Bleu,” Trent spoke up.

Brock nodded. “We both did. But in the end, Clay had fallen more in love with those blue eyes than anything else.”

“Will Bleu be okay here in the US?”

“He will be. He already knows Clay’s scent and his voice.”

Sonny frowned. “How is that possible?”

“We’ve sent over some of Clay’s worn t-shirts, and I’ve made recordings of Clay reading out loud. They gave the clothing to Bleu to sleep on, and they played Clay’s voice to him. We’ve also faced time with them, and Bleu recognized Clay’s voice, and he followed his instructions perfectly. They’re going to make an awesome team.”

“What do you think Cerberus’ reaction will be?” Trent grinned.

Brock shrugged. “We’ll have to see when Bleu gets here. Both dogs are trained to work with other dogs, but it won’t surprise me if Cerb gets jealous. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Brock reached into his pocket as his phone started to ring. He frowned at the unknown number. “Reynolds,” he answered.

“Where? What happened?” He jumped to his feet. “What about Clay?”

Brock’s words had the group of men on their feet the moment they heard him inquire about Clay.

“What do you mean, who’s Clay? He’s the six-foot, blue-eyes, blond guy that will be stuck to Cerberus’ side.” Brock reached the side table at the front door and grabbed his truck keys. “I’ll be there in ten.” He ended the call and reached for the door.

“What happened?” Trent placed his hand on Brock’s shoulder.

“Someone found Cerberus injured on the side of the road and took him to the Vet in Swann Street.” Brock was aware that the rest of the guys were behind him, but he didn’t stop. There wasn’t time to stop.

“Do they know what happened? What about Clay?” Jason and Sonny spoke at the same time.

“I didn’t ask, and Cerberus was alone,” Brock replied. He actually growled when Sonny opened his mouth to ask another question.

“Let’s just get there, and then we can see what the fuck is going on.” Brock got into his truck and started it.

“Move over,” Trent nudged him from the side.

Brock did as instructed. He was aware of the fact that Sonny, Ray, and Jason all got into the back of his truck before Trent pulled away. His hand tightened around his phone.

“Here, check my phone.” Trent handed his phone over to Brock.

“For what?” He asked, confused.

“Check the health app.”

Brock nodded. His fingers trembled as he navigated Trent’s phone. He found the app and tapped the screen. “It’s not collecting data.”

“What does that mean?” Sonny asked from behind.

Trent took a deep breath. “Either it means his phone is off, or…” He couldn’t say the words out loud.

“No fucking way,” Sonny growled.

“Check the last captured data.” Trent didn’t respond to Sonny’s words, but he agreed with it one hundred percent.

“Uhm,” Brock tapped the screen again and called up the captured data. “The last data was captured half an hour ago.” He scrolled down. “He held a steady pace, breathing, and pulse, okay, and then it spiked.” Brock swallowed. “Pulse went through the roof. The spike lasted roughly ten seconds, and then it evened out a bit and then nothing.”

“Can you track his phone?” Ray asked. The info Brock gave them made him believe that Clay was still alive. He had a feeling that Clay was snatched and his phone was destroyed. He could think of only one person who would do something like that.

“It’s not pinging,”

Brock responded softly.

The truck filled with swear words. Sonny rammed his fist against the back of the front seat.

“Junior?” Ray looked at Jason.

“Phone Agent Carville,” Jason ordered.

“On it.” Ray grabbed his own phone.

“We’re here.” Trent put the truck in park. Even before anyone could reply, Brock jumped out and ran towards the building.

“Go with him; keep him calm,” Jason ordered.

“Roger that, Boss.” Trent exited the truck and followed his friend inside.

“I’m going to kill Junior with my bare hands.” Sonny clenched his fists.

“Get in line.” Ray and Jason stated at the same time.

Ray sighed as his call went unanswered. He left a message.

“What the FUCK is Meddings’ beef with Clay!” Sonny roared.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Notes:

This chapter was edited on 20 December 2024 to plug a plot hole. Sorry!

Undisclosed location

“Clay, Clay. Come on, boy, it’s time to wake up. Clayton!” Ash yelled. It was only because he could see the shallow rising of Clay’s chest that he knew his son was still alive. By the look of things, it appeared to be a miracle.

Clay had what appeared to be a GSW to the right shoulder. He had some sort of head injury, as he could see the blood pooling beneath Clay’s head. Since Junior and his goons had dragged Clay into the room almost an hour ago, Clay still hasn’t regained consciousness. Ash would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him.

“Clay, wake up, damn it!” Ash tried again. If he could get Clay to get up he would be able to undo Ash’s bindings and they could get out of here. He was certain that they were alone, as he’d heard a vehicle pull away after they'd dropped Clay to the floor, leaving the vast room without saying a word.

Movement from Clay gave Ash hope. “That’s it, son, wake up. Come on, wake up, Clay.” Ash looked on as Clay’s head lulled turned from side to side and the younger man bent his right leg before he straightened it out again.

“Come on, sailor, up you get.” Ash kept on talking to Clay as the younger man started vocalizing and moving around more.

“Clay, move your ass and wake up already, we don’t have the time for you to be lounging around doing nothing. So wake up for fuck sake!”

“Ash?” Clay groaned. He moaned in pain as his injuries made themselves known to him. He curled onto his side and clutched his right shoulder in pain. “Fuck,” he mumbled and swallowed hard. His head throbbed in tandem with the injury to his arm.

“Clay, are you with me?” Ash asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m awake.” Clay coughed and whined as the simple action sent waves of pain through his body. “What the fuck happened?” He slowly managed to sit up while still clutching his arm.

“I don’t know how they got you, but I was taken from the airport.” Ash kept it vague. It seemed that old habits did indeed die hard.

“Who took you?” Clay asked as he looked around. He had no idea where he was. He ignored the fact that he couldn’t remember what had happened before waking up on this cold floor. Now was not the time to panic.

“Not sure. They had their faces covered.” Ash lied smoothly. “We need to get out of here, before they return.”

Clay hummed in agreement. “Yeah, let me just get to my feet.” He gingerly managed to get himself upright. Clay had to close his eyes for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He swallowed hard as the bile rose up in his throat. He had no idea on how long he would be able to hold out until he puked.

Finally he managed to stay upright and made his way over to where Ash was tied to a chair. “You look like crap,” Clay stated as he moved around the chair to get to the knots. Clay reached down to his pocket and frowned. It was then that he noticed for the first time how he was dressed.

“Running shorts?” Clay mumbled to himself. Something wasn’t adding up. He tried to recall where he was.

“Hurry up, Clay. You can space out later,” Ash hissed.

Clay ignored his father and his eye caught the bracelet around his wrist. His memories slammed into him. “Cerberus.” His knees gave way and he grabbed onto the chair to stay up right.

“Clay!” Ash turned his head to see what was going on behind him.

“They shot Cerberus.” Clay’s eyes grew large at the image of Cerberus hitting the pavement with a dull thud. He remembered the guy that grabbed him and how he managed to break the man’s nose.

“It was Meddings.” Clay’s hands trembled as he started undoing the knots. “We need to get out of here, Dad.” Clay’s hands were coated in his blood and it made it difficult to untie the rope.

“Meddings? Dean Meddings? I thought he was dead.” Ash’s voice trembled. He wondered how much Clay knew about Dean and Junior.

“What?” Clay shook his head. “No, no, his son. Junior,” Clay explained.

“What did you do, Clay? What did you drag me into.” Ash heard himself talk and knew he was in the wrong, but it was hard to correct years of blaming Clay for whatever reason. He also needed the time to get his thoughts in order.

“What? Nothing? I’ve got no fucking clue why Master Chief Meddings is out to get me, Dad. This is not on me.” Clay grunted as he managed to undone the first knot and flung the rope that bound Ash’s hands to his feet to the side. He refrained from asking why Ash would think he’s the bad guy in this situation. He didn’t even want to hear what Ash thought. He only wanted to get out of here and contact his team. He had to find out if Cerberus was okay. God, he hoped he was.

Ash grimaced as Clay managed to undo the knots to his hands and he brought his arms forward. “I can’t even remember the last time I laid eyes on Junior. Hell, I think he was still in the teams’ then.” He didn’t add that he was most likely the last person to see Dean Meddings alive.

“You can reminisce about the good old days later. Let’s get out of here.” Clay wobbled on his feet as he became dizzy but managed to stay upright. “You need help?” He asked as he saw how pale his father had become. “Here, lean on me.”

“I’m fine. Just strapped to that fucking chair for far too long.” Ash hid his grimace as he took up Clay’s help and they made their way across the concrete floor to the door on the far side of the room.

It felt to Clay as if everything around him happened under water. His vision remained blurry, and his ears rang out at the same beat as his head. Ash continued to lean against him until it felt as if he carried the older man’s entire weight. He could feel the blood run down his arm and Clay knew without looking back that he was leaving a messy bloodtrail behind.

“Ash!” Clay hissed as his dad’s legs gave way, but he managed to keep the older man from falling to the floor completely. When Ash didn’t respond, Clay looked down and frowned. Ash had gone completely limp. He had a gray appearance, and a fine sheen of sweat covered his skin. He was also unconscious.

Clay knew he had no choice, if they wanted to get out alive, he would have to carry Ash out of here. After he’d checked for a pulse, Clay maneuvered Ash’s prone body and lifted him into a fireman’s carry across his shoulder. His knees buckled and his burned right leg screamed in agony before he straightened out. Clay grunted under the dead weight as he made his way to the side of the building where he’d spotted a door. He could only hope it led to the outside.

Luck seemed to be on his side as he reached the door and it opened up with ease. Clay was surprised to see that it was dark outside. With the fluorescent lights inside, he had no idea how much time had passed since he had been grabbed from the street. He took the time to scan the area before he made his move. It appeared that the building they were kept in was a warehouse. A large empty plot of land sat to the left and towards the right he spotted some streetlights in the distance. “Some sort of industrial area,” Clay mumbled to himself as he took his first step away from the building they were kept in.

Clay’s head continued to throb in tandem with his shoulder. He could feel the blood as it trickled down his shoulder and collected in the crook of his elbow as he kept his right hand across Ash’s thighs. He had to focus on where he stepped as his vision blurred and his head buzzed. Clay knew he couldn’t carry Ash more than a few klicks. Not with the way his body screamed at him. It bothered him that Ash still remained unconscious. For a moment he thought that Ash might be dead, before he dismissed the negative thought and continued his trek towards the streetlights and possible rescue.

He made it to the first streetlight and wanted nothing more than to pull Ash off his shoulder and take a breather, but not knowing where Meddings and his men were meant they were still in danger. Clay clenched down on his teeth and staggered on. After what seemed to be ages he reached the next streetlight. The road itself remained deserted.

Clay managed to pick up his pace as he noticed a building not too far in the distance. There were also some kind of vehicle parked in front. As his legs threatened to give way, Clay finally reached the car. It was an older model Camry. He lowered Ash to the ground and nearly toppled over as his vision turned to black for a second. Clay managed to keep himself upright as he waited for the dizziness to subside. When he could stand up straight without face-planting, he reached out and checked on Ash. He found a pulse, it was still thready to his touch and he knew it was because Ash had gone into shock; most likely due to the loss of blood or even internal bleeding.

Clay tested the doors to the car and cursed as he found them all locked. He had one of two choices. He could enter the building and ask for help or break open the car, hotwire it, and get the hell out of this place. The problem was Clay knew that there was a very high chance of him blacking out and doing that while driving, might lead to their deaths, and the possible deaths of other innocent people, and that’s not a chance he could take.

But if he went in and asked for help, and it turned out that they were in some way connected with Medding and whoever else took them, they were screwed. A weak moan from Ash took the decision out of Clay’s hands. He pressed his hand against the bleeding shoulder and made his way towards the door. It was better to take the chance to get help than to crash and die somewhere on a stretch of road. It would also mean if he got help, he could let Jason know where he was.

Clay leaned with his uninjured shoulder against the glass door and tried to push it open. It was locked. “Fuck,” Clay hissed. His whole body screamed at him, and even the simple action of lifting his left hand to knock on the glass felt like something he couldn’t accomplish. He rapped his knuckles hard against the window pane.

Nothing happened, and Clay balled his fist and hit the glass harder. “Help!” he called out. He slammed his fist against the door, and his bloody fist print made different patterns on the glass as he continued to call out for help. Finally, Clay had enough, and he stumbled away from the door. There had to be a second door into the building.

Unsteady on his feet Clay made his way around the building. There was definitely someone in the building as he heard the whining of some sort of saw. Clay spotted the second door and sighed in relief. He stumbled over his own feet and in an attempt to keep himself upright he slammed his injured shoulder against the brick wall. A scream of pure agony filled the night and Clay gasped for breath. The door in front of him slammed open.

“Get the hell away from my building!” The man bellowed.

“Please, I need help.” Clay managed to lift both his hands in a nonthreatening manner. He took a step back as the man pointed at him with a shotgun. The smell of sawdust filled his nose. For some reason, it made him think of his grandfather.

“Jesus, son, what the hell happened to you? Were you in an accident?” The man lowered the weapon and closed the distance between them.

Clay shook his head. “No, I, we, my father and I, we were kidnapped. I got shot, please, we need help,” he begged.

“What?” The man looked around nervously.

“Please, help,” Clay begged again. He could feel the blood running down his arm as it dripped down onto the concrete pavement beneath his feet.

“Yes, yes, of course. Just let me get my phone. It’s inside, and I can call 911,” the man responded and turned back to go inside.

A voice spoke up behind Clay and he nearly fell to the ground when he recognized the voice.

“That won’t be necessary, Sir.”

When Clay turned, Junior Meddings stood behind him. His nose was still bloodied and clearly broken. He had a Norinco 9mm pistol in his hand, and pointed it directly at Clay’s head. Just behind him stood two other men. Clay recognized one from the SUV when he was shot. Both of them were also armed.

“What!” Clay’s would-be savior shouted, and lifted the shotgun. “Who the hell are you?”

“I am Master Chief Junior Meddings, Sir. And these are my colleagues.” Junior did not introduce the two men.

“Master Chief?” The man questioned. “Navy?”

“Navy SEAL to be exact, Sir,” Meddings answered.

“SEAL?” The man frowned. “What do you want with this man? Are you the cause of his injuries?”

“Yes!” Clay hissed. “These are the men who kidnapped me and my father. Who assaulted my father, who shot me.” He took a quick look at the man behind him. “Please, don’t lower that gun, I’m begging you. They will shoot you the moment you do.”

Meddings laughed out loud. “Good to see that active imagination of yours is still intact, Spenser.” His eyes grew cold as he looked straight at Clay as he continued. “First of all, we will not shoot you. We don’t shoot innocent civilians. As for Spenser’s first comment. Yes, Sir, that’s correct. My colleagues and I kidnapped this man and his father. Spenser got shot when he tried to escape. He and his father are homegrown terrorists, Sir. We held them to ascertain vital information from them.”

“No!” Clay shouted and took a step forward.

Meddings pressed the barrel of the pistol against his forehead. “Nothing would give me more joy than shooting you now, Spenser, but justice needs to be seen to be done. You will stand trial for your crimes before you die.”

“Then shoot me now, because I am NOT a terrorist. You are a fucking psychopath. You don’t deserve to wear the trident,” Clay shouted. Without taking his eyes off Meddings, he continued. “My name is Clay Spenser. I am a Navy SEAL. I am part of DEVGRU, Bravo Team. My Master Chief is Jason Heyes. Our Commander is Eric Blackburn. I am not a terrorist.”

Meddings grinned and shrugged. “What he says is true, Sir, but what he’s leaving out is that he had infiltrated Bravo Team and after his real purpose was revealed he was dishonorably discharged and handed over to me and my team to find out all possible intel.”

“No, no, that’s not true.” Clay swallowed hard. “My father, my father, is Ashland Spenser. A retired SEAL. You must have heard of him, he wrote several books. The latest one came out only a few months ago. And he’s just in front. You can go and look for yourself. He is gravely injured. He needs urgent medical attention.”

“What?” Clay’s potential savior lowered his weapon and took a step forward. Two shots rang out simultaneously, even before Clay could shout out a warning. “NO!” Clay turned to rush towards the fallen man, but Meddings grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him back.

“Let’s get out of here,” Meddings ordered as he shoved Clay past him.

Clay had no option but to move, as Meddings continued to push him from behind. When they rounded the building Clay looked at the spot where he’d left his dad. Ash hung limp between another two men. Clay had no idea if his dad was still alive.

“Move!” Meddings barked as he shoved hard at Clay. “It’s time that your father pay for what he has done.”

--SEAL TEAM--

NCIS OFFICES: 3 Days later

Richard lifted his head from where it rested on his arms and looked with bleary eyes at the man before him. “McGee?” He asked with a frown.

“I’ve got something that you might want to check out,” McGee said as he held out a piece of paper to his fellow agent. “A GSW victim was admitted to Anacosta General Hospital three days ago. He was unconscious at the time, and the medical personnel didn’t think he would make it. Turns out Mr. Turner proved them wrong. And when he opened his eyes, the first thing he talked about was homegrown terrorists and a disgraced Navy SEAL by the name of Clay Spenser.”

“What?” Richard jumped to his feet.

“A Doctor Killian contacted NCIS and the call was transferred to me. He’s expecting you,” McGee said. “I hope this man might give you some answers.”

Richard didn’t even respond as he grabbed his jacket and headed to the elevators. He wanted nothing more than to reach into his pocket and call Master Chief Heyes, but he didn’t want to get Bravo team’s hopes up. It would be better to first find out what the man knew before he called anyone.

--SEAL TEAM--

NCIS Autopsy: 12 Hours later

“That’s him, that’s Senior Chief Ashland Spenser,” Blackburn identified the body before the medical examiner, Doctor Mallard, covered the body with a sheet once more.

“I am sorry for your loss, Commander Blackburn,” Ducky said as he pushed the shelf back into the refrigerated drawer.

“Thank you, Doctor Mallard,” Eric responded. He turned to where Agent Carville stood next to him. “What happened, where did you find the body? How did he die? Does this have anything to do with Clay?”

“Let’s go up to the conference room, we can discuss things there,” Richard responded. He turned towards Ducky. “I will see you later, Doctor Millard.”

“Yes, Agent Carville. The moment I have something for you, I will let you know.”

“Thank you, Ducky.” Richard nodded and made his way to the automatic sliding doors with the commander on his heels. Both men remained silent as they took the elevator up to the mezzanine floor and made their way to the conference room.

“Have a seat, Commander,” Richard stated as he pulled out a chair for himself and sat down. “I’m happy to see that you’re back with Bravo, or am I misinterpreting your presence here?”

Eric sat down and stared at the agent across the table from him. “I assumed command of Bravo again last night, Agent Carville, although I have to add, it’s still unoffically at this stage. Bravo team have not been reinstated as yet.” Eric sighed. “Care to enlighten me on what’s going on here, Agent?”

Richard nodded and opened his note book. “Three nights ago a carpenter working late in his workshop was shot. He was discovered the following morning by one of his apprentices and rushed to the hospital. The one shot went through his right upper chest and the other was a headshot. By some miracle Mr. Turner survived. But an even greater miracle is the fact that Mr. Turner suffered no brain damage.”

“When he was coherent he shared information with the attending doctor who contacted NCIS.” Richard took a deep breath. “I personally spoke to Mr. Turner earlier. Clay had shown up at his workshop.” Richard held up his hand when Blackburn wanted to interrupt. “Let me tell you everything, and then I’ll answer your questions.”

When the commander nodded, Richard continued. “Clay had informed him that he and his father had been kidnapped and that he had been shot. Mr. Turner also told us that Meddings and two other men showed up at his workshop. They claimed that Clay was a homegrown terrorist. They also shot Mr. Turner and left him for dead.”

Richard stood up from his chair and made his way to the large window. “I visited the crime scene and we found blood missed by the initial police canvas of the area. It led to a warehouse about two klicks away from Mr. Turner’s workshop. A lot of blood was spilled there. Our forensic analyst is working on DNA as we speak. Because we have both Clay’s and Ash’s DNA, the results will not take long. However, I don’t doubt that the blood we found belongs to Ash and Clay.”

Eric lowered his head. “Meddings has Clay.”

Richard remained silent.

“Where did you find Ash’s body? How did he die? When did he die?”

“A patrol car found his body on the side of the road where it was dumped two nights ago. Whoever dumped him, didn’t care that he’d be found. The body was taken to the local morgue. Due to one or other mixup fingerprints were only compared in the early hours of this morning. It was then that his identity became known and NCIS was called in. Ducky signed for the body four hours ago. Ash’s spleen and kidneys were ruptured. His liver was damaged. He had several broken ribs. Over fifty percent of his lungs were bruised.”

“He was beaten to death,” Blackburn stated.

Richard nodded. “However, he wasn’t beaten only once. The contusions, the lacerations, all of the injuries Ducky found indicates that this beating took place over a couple of days. Ducky found marks on him that indicated that he was beaten and kicked by at least three different men if you take into account the shoe-shaped marks on the body.”

“There is something else,” Erick stated.

“We found a flight ticket from Seattle in Ash’s name three days ago. Our forensic analyst found security footage of Ash being pushed into a dark SUV. Unfortunately no registration number. By the build of the two men with him, we dare to say that one of them was Meddings. We didn’t get a facial image of the second guy.”

“Meddings took Ash before he took Clay?” Eric frowned.

“Hours before. I’ve instructed one of my agents to go through Ash’s history with Junior and Dean Meddings again. There must be a connection that we’ve missed.”

“You believe Meddings took Clay because of Ash? Eric’s chest tightened. If all of this was Ash’s fault he would personally find a way to bring Ash back to life and kill him himself.

“Junior had a problem with Clay the moment he got here. Why? He has never laid eyes on Clay. I don’t like talking ill of the dead, but my gut is telling me, all of this is Ashland Spenser’s doing.” Richard sighed. He had tried to find a link between Ash and Dean Meddings through Ash’s businesses, but he couldn’t find it. In the papers he could find online, Dean’s name was never mentioned. Maybe now that Ash was deceased he would find out more.

“Do you have any idea on where Meddings might be now? Where he may have Clay?”

Richard leaned with his shoulder against the window pane. “Ducky had found several foreign fibers on Ash’s body. Our forensic team is busy with the analysis. As for Meddings himself, he’s disappeared into thin air, but I can promise you, Commander, I will find him and Clay.”

Eric remained silent for a while. “Do you think we’ll find Clay alive?”

“I am doing everything in my power to see that we do.”

Eric stared at the NCIS agent and then nodded. “I’ll inform the team.” He reached out and shook Richard’s hand. “Keep me up to date, please.”

“Will do.” Richard looked on as Eric exited the conference room. He squared his shoulders and left the room. Standing around doing nothing won’t make Clay appear out of the blue.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bravo’s Team room

Eric glared at the group of special operators in front of him. He received more than one glare back but at least they all kept calm and didn’t explode in the way he thought they would. He had to admit it was one hell of a way to get back in charge of Bravo team and realized what they had done.

“I know you’re not happy with the fact that you were not cleared to go and look for Clay, but you all know Agent Carville. You know he will do his best in finding our lost brother,” Eric stated.

He was still pissed at them that they went behind their command, more specifically Captain Wellington’s back, to the Brass to pitch the idea that they should be the ones looking for Clay. But he also knew why they did it. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he was impressed that they went and asked for permission first, instead of running off and doing things on their own.

“He doesn’t even know where to start looking for Clay,” Sonny piped up.

“And you do, Sonny?” Eric fired back. He took a deep breath. “I know you are frustrated, but running around like headless chickens will not help.”

“What about contacting some of Junior’s old teammates? Maybe they know where he might be,” Trent suggested.

“Agent Carville had made contact with everyone. No one knows where Junior might be.”

Sonny snorted. “And do you think they will talk to an NCIS agent? They don’t know Carville like we do. We need to talk to them.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sonny is right,” Ray responded. He looked at Eric. “Carville is not part of the teams’. No one will open up to him, not in the way they’ll open up to us.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let Jason and I go and talk to them.” Ray nodded in Jason’s direction. “The worst thing that can happen is that they really don’t know anything.”

“Okay, but on one condition. The moment you find something out you let Agent Carville know. You do not go and follow up on anything yourself. Is that clear?” Eric stared down the two senior men of the team.

“Yes, Commander,” Ray responded.

“And what about us? You can’t expect me and Trent to sit around and do nothing,” Sonny remarked.

“Go and keep Brock company,” Eric ordered.

Trent hummed. “Maybe that hot veterinary nurse from yesterday is there.” He grinned at Sonny.

Sonny shrugged. “Not really interested.”

Eric didn’t have to ask what was wrong with Sonny. Since Clay had been taken, Sonny had become a mere shell of himself. They were all worried about him and keeping a close eye on him.

“Then I’ll chat her up, and you can help keep Cerberus entertained.” Trent slapped Sonny on the shoulder and dragged him to his feet. He turned to face Jason and Ray. “You will keep us in the loop as well.”

“Will do.” They looked on as Trent almost dragged Sonny out of the room.

“Will Sonny be okay?” Eric asked.

“None of us will be until we find Clay, Eric.” Jason brushed past the commander and also exited the room.

“It’s on you to keep Jason in line, Ray.”

Ray nodded. He didn’t ask who would keep him in line. He didn’t think Eric would like the question.

--SEAL TEAM--

Unknown location

“Damn it, Junior, he had enough!” Bruce Kane yelled as he pulled his friend back from Clay again.

“HE MUST SUFFER!”

“Yeah? For what? Listen, I had no problems with you taking revenge on Ash, but on Clay? You saw how his own father treated him. How Ash denied having any knowledge on what happened with your dad. He tried to talk himself out of the documents you showed to him with his signature on it. And what did he say to you? Every investment has its risks. That Dean should have done more research before he invested. That the markets are volatile. That he couldn’t be blamed for your dad’s poor choices in life. Ash had an answer for each of your allegations. He felt no remorse for what he had done. But Clay, Clay had nothing to do with that.”

“You told me how cocky Clay was. But you also told me that he followed each and every order, that he saved Bravo’s ass - your ass on more than one occasion in the field. Clay did not cause Dean’s death, Junior. Ash is dead. He is in hell and he’s not having a good time right now, but if you continue on with this - killing Clay, you will end up next to Ashland Spenser and you won’t be having a good time either.” Bruce clutched onto Junior’s shoulders. “Stop this. Let him go.”

“And let them throw me in the brig,” Junior scoffed. “I would rather die.”

Bruce bowed his head. “Then find a way to go out guns blazing, but leave Clay out of this. You don’t want his death on your conscience.”

“Since when have you become so soft?”

“Soft?” Bruce shook his head. “No, but I’ve always believed in justice. Just like you did. And this - this what you are doing to Clay, that isn’t justice.” He took a step back from his friend. “I’m calling Hayes. I’m telling him where he can find Clay, and then I’m getting out of here. You’re more than welcome to come with me. We can get on my boat, be in international waters within a couple of hours and on the beaches of Jamaica in a couple of days. From there we get on a plane and go to Qatar. It’s a country with loads of opportunities for us to do security work. You know with our background we’ll be welcomed with open arms in being the bodyguard to one or another sheik. And the best part of it all - there is no extradition treaty between the US and Qatar.”

Junior stared at his oldest friend. “Do what you want.” He turned around and left.

--SEAL TEAM--

The Bulkhead

“What do you mean Dean Meddings is dead?” Jason leaned forward in his chair. “When?”

“Yeah, I was just as surprised when I heard it. From what I understood more than a year back already. Junior kept it quiet. The only reason I know is because I went down to Dean’s place on the water and found out from one of his neighbors. He’d killed himself.”

“Are you sure about this, Bones?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, that’s not something I would lie about.”

“That’s not what I meant, sorry,” Ray apologized.

“But didn’t Junior run with Bravo? Are you telling me he didn’t tell you? Nothing at all?” Bones frowned.

“No, nothing.” Jason sighed. “We’ve been looking for Junior. He’s been in the wind for a while now, do you perhaps know where we could find him?”

Bones took a sip of his bourbon and shook his head. “Junior was never one to share much of himself. Don’t get me wrong, he was one hell of a team player.” He took another swallow. “I would say check out Dean’s place.” Bones shrugged. “But he won’t be there.”

“What about a girlfriend?” Ray inquired.

Bones shook his head. “Didn’t believe in settling down. Would hop from girl to girl. Never dated anyone, unless you count his one night stands as dates.”

“Who was he close to on his team?”

Bones huffed and swallowed the last of his drink. He indicated to the bartender for another one. “Loner, that was who he was. A loner.” He nodded his head in thanks as the new shot appeared in front of him. “But he did speak of a guy, a Ranger. Brice.” Bones shook his head. “No, Bruce. Not Brice. They would hang out sometime. The team would rag on him about it, but he never cared.”

Jason tapped with his fist against the table. That was good intel. They could work with it. “Thank you, Bones.” He reached out and shook the man’s hand.

“You know he’s gone off the deep end.”

Ray frowned. “Who? Junior?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you say that?”

Bones scoffed and looked down into his glass. “One too many TBI’s.” He looked up. “He’s got a brain tumor.” He looked at the two men. “Once again, he told you nothing? The Brass didn’t know about this?”

“How did you know?” Jason ignored the comment about the Brass. If they knew and let Junior back on the teams, he would make their lives hell, even if it meant the end of his career.

“Told me.” Bones shrugged. “Don’t think he meant to. I was drunk, nearly passed out, but my ears still worked. I heard it all.”

Ray shot a look at Jason and got to his feet. This information changed a lot of things. They need to get going.

Jason nodded, squeezed Bones’ shoulder one last time and headed to the bar. He settled Bones’ tab and left another twenty for a couple more, and then they left. In the parking lot he pulled out his phone. “Call Trent and put him on speaker. Tell him to stay quiet and listen,” Jason said as he scrolled through his contacts until he found the number he was looking for.

“Agent Carville,” Jason greeted as the man answered his phone. “I’ve got intel for you on Junior.” Jason shared what they had learned, inclduing the fact that Dean Meddings has died.

“Thanks for the info, I’ll follow it up.”

“No problem.”

“You will not go and look for this Bruce yourself. You will let me and my team handle it.”

“No, Agent Carville. Ray and I were ordered not to.” Jason ended the call.

“Trent, did you get that?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, I got that.”

“Find out what you can on the guy and pick us up when you’ve got a location.”

“On it, Boss.”

Ray grinned and shook his head. “You know Eric will kick your ass for this.”

Jason shrugged. “Only you and I were ordered not to follow up on any intel we might find. Eric never ordered Trent or Sonny not to.”

Ray looked at his best friend and team leader and didn’t say a word. He was not going to argue Jason on this. It was the right thing to do. They started moving towards Jason’s truck when Jason’s phone rang.

Jason looked at the unknown number. “Hayes,” he answered abruptly.

Go to 138A Jorissen Street, Norfolk. You’ll find your missing sailor there. I would hurry up if I were you, he’s not doing well.”

The call ended.

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Notes:

AN 1: This story is done! There will be 19 chapters. I will post the rest when I get it from my super-amazing beta reader.
AN 2: As I was busy with Chapter 18, I realized there was a plot hole in Chapter 16. I have fixed that. You can go and re-read chapter 16 if you want to. Otherwise, just go with the flow...
AN 3: Speaking of super-amazing beta readers. Thank you IceBoxBee again for everything you do for me!!

138A Jorissen Street, Norfolk: Hours earlier

Bruce stared down at the unconscious man. He had to admit Clay had gained his respect. It wasn’t something he would say out loud, but he wished Junior would just let the young SEAL go. He snorted at himself. That would never happen. Not from Junior’s earlier attitude.

He couldn’t help but replay the past few days' events in his head. It had been bad on Clay. And not only from what Junior did to him, or what the rest of them did to him, but also from his own old man. Bruce shook his head. He still couldn’t believe that even when Junior pummeled Clay’s body, Ash maintained that he was innocent. That Clay should tell them that he was innocent. That he had done nothing wrong. That they were running things together.

It was the only time Clay had shown real emotion. The young SEAL had barked out a laugh and told him that over his dead body, would he work with Ash. He had seen the shock on Ash’s face for just a second before he recovered. It could’ve been his training, but Bruce suspected more. He was sure that Clay had no idea what Ash was going on about, but that expression on Ash’s face, no one is that good of an actor. But it wasn’t his problem. Ash was dead. And the man wanted to save his own skin. He cared for no one, not even his own blood. Bruce snorted. Ash was seen as a true American hero, but he was nothing but a piece of shit. He couldn’t help but wonder if Ash could sell out his son so easily if he could ever sell out his own country. Bruce squared his shoulders. That wasn’t something he should be thinking about.

They had brought Ash and Clay to one of the buildings Radcliff and Junior used in their dealings. The fact that NCIS had already cleared it and was no longer interested in the building made it even easier to use.

When they brought Ash and Clay here, Bruce did not think Ash would make it through the night, but he did. Of course, during that time, Junior took his anger and frustration out on Clay. When he deemed Ash conscious enough, he made him watch how he continued to torture Clay. Ash had been unfazed. Just thinking of the dead man made Bruce clenched his fists.

Ash’s behavior angered Junior even more, and Bruce had to step in again. During all this, Clay remained stoic, or as stoic as someone could be when beaten to a near pulp. Clay made some interesting remarks when he found out what Ash had done. Bruce didn’t think Ash or Junior enjoyed the remarks, but he had a feeling that they were true. Unfortunately, the other two men didn’t see it that way.

And now, now, he was sure Clay was dying. He had another seizure about five minutes ago, the third one in the past half an hour. They were getting more brutal every time. It was hard to watch. Bruce reached for the pistol at his back. Maybe he should just put the kid out of his misery. Junior was right on one thing. They will spend the rest of their lives in prison for this. His hand touched something else, and he pulled it out. It was the medic-alert bracelet they took from Clay when they’d plucked him off the street. Ashland Spenser did not care for his kid, but someone else did. With a final look at the bracelet, Bruce placed it next to Clay on the floor and stomped off. It was time that he got out of town.

--SEAL TEAM--

Present time: Jorissen Street

“Why the fucking hell are we standing around doing nothing if we know where Clay is!” Sonny yelled as he slammed his fist down onto the table. They were gathered in a sign printing store about six buildings away from the address given to them.

“Because it might be a trap, and we can’t go in blind,” Richard hissed. He was just as frustrated and wanted nothing more than to storm the place, but they had to check things out first.

“Clay doesn’t have the time for us to wait!” Sonny bellowed. He stormed towards the door but was stopped by Trent and Jason, who blocked his path.

“Let me go. I’m not going to sit around and do nothing.” Sonny tried to pass but found himself pressed against the wall.

“You will not leave this room until we’ve got the all-clear. Is that understood, Petty Officer First Class Quinn?” Jason hissed as he pinned Sonny to the wall.

Sonny tried to push back and grunted as Jason used more force to keep him pinned. “He is out there; he is dying. We need to go and get him!” Sonny yelled.

“What part of it might be a trap, don’t you understand!” Jason argued back.

“Since when do you or any of us give a damn about a trap? We are the best in what we do. This includes running into traps. What’s so different about this one!”

“Because Junior is unstable, or have you forgotten about the explosives at Clay’s apartment? We have no idea what he has planned,” Jason insisted. His shoulders slumped. He looked over to where Agent Carville stood with Eric. “We learned that Junior has a brain tumor.”

Richard hung his head at the news. Now Junior’s behavior made more sense. “He’s got nothing to lose.”

“Then let’s give him what he wants,” Sonny growled.

“Drone is up and running,” Lisa interrupted the argument.

“Great,” Richard remarked as he walked around the table and stared at the large screen. The images were grainy at first, but as the seconds passed, they cleared up. Soon, they had a perfect view of the building in question. From what they could see, no one was on the outside, and there were no parked vehicles either. The place looked abandoned.

“Heat imagery will be available in five seconds,” Lisa stated.

The image on screen changed, and then they stared at the blue, green, and light yellow screen. There seemed to be no heat signatures on site. Sonny groaned. The drone moved on, and Sonny gasped. “There!” He pointed to a red blop that became visible on screen. The blop remained unmoving, but Sonny didn’t care. The fact that it was still red meant it was still alive. And it had to be Clay. “Can we go now?” He moved toward the door.

Eric glanced at Richard. It was still an NCIS case; technically, their response team should lead the entry.

Richard nodded.

Before anyone could respond, Lisa’s voice sounded up. “Helo will be here in ten. Already got landing clearance. Doctor Paddington will be on standby.”

“Thanks, Davis!” Sonny shouted over his shoulder as he ran towards the door. The rest of the team right on his heels.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Naval Hospital: 9 Hours later

Doctor Paddington halted in the doorway and watched the haggard team spread out in the waiting room. He couldn’t believe they were here again, and Clay had just started getting better. He stepped into the room when Master Chief Hayes noticed him.

“Doc?” Jason asked as he rose to his feet.

Before the rest of the team could get to their feet, the doctor motioned to them to stay seated. He took a seat across from Hayes.

“Doc?” Jason repeated his question.

“He’s stable for now.” Paddington knew it was essential to put this group of men at ease. “Clay sustained several serious injuries, and it was touch and go for a while. But as I’ve stated, he is stable for now. He does, however, have another uphill battle in front of him.”

“What’s the damage?” Trent asked.

“GSW to the right shoulder. As you know, it was a through and through. Clay sustained damage to the shoulder, but with some intense therapy, he can regain full mobility and function in the shoulder,” Paddington explained and took a deep breath.

“As you are all aware, he was beaten to a pulp. The liver, kidneys, pancreas, and lungs all sustained damage. I am especially concerned about his liver and kidneys. His lungs are severely bruised, and that will take a while to recover. The fact that he has fractured ribs on both sides will make this recovery painful.”

“His leg?” Trent asked.

The doctor gave a small smile. “We’ve managed to save it. Unfortunately, the chances of him ever walking without a severe limp is slim to zero.”

“It wasn’t amputated?” Sonny sounded surprised. When they rescued Clay, he barely recognized his best friend. There wasn’t a place on Clay’s body that wasn’t bruised or bleeding. His right leg, which sustained the burn wounds, looked like a piece of raw meat. It was clearly broken, and whatever they used to beat Clay had caused severe damage to the leg.

“No. He now has some titanium rods and screws in his leg, but baring his body rejecting the hardware, he will keep the leg,” Paddington explained.

“His head, the seizures?” Ray inquired.

Paddington sighed. “The good news is that he’s been seizure-free for the past hour. Unfortunately, the scans and MRI we took showed new damage to the previously affected areas of his brain.”

“What are you saying, Doc?” Sonny gulped.

“You should all prepare yourself for the possibility that the new damage sustained might be so severe that he will not recover from it.”

“NO!” Sonny bellowed as he jumped to his feet. “No, there’s no way in hell that Clay will not recover. You’ve got it wrong, Doc.” Sonny struggled to breathe as he pulled his t-shirt away from his chest.

“Do you know how far he’s come with his agnosia and all? Did you know he’s now able to identify most household items? He can identify different fruits and vegetables and has little difficulty with some items. Eight and a half times out of ten, it’s no longer necessary for him to touch something before he can recognize it. Yes, it takes him a few seconds, but he doesn’t forget that object again once he's got it. He’s been seizure-free since you’ve placed him on the new meds. Blue is coming, and everything is okay now,” Sonny’s breath hitched. His ears rang, and he shook his head to get rid of the annoying sound. He still clutched at his chest as his vision turned blurry.

Sonny stumbled back as Trent suddenly appeared before him. He jerked away as Trent placed his hands on his shoulders. Sonny could see Trent’s lips moving, but his ears refused to hear his brother's words. Sonny shook his head. His vision blurred, and his throat tightened up more. He tried to take a breath and, this time, realized that he couldn’t breathe.

Since the submarine incident, Sonny did not handle the idea of being unable to breathe well; this time was no exception. But instead of sitting down, his instinct to flee kicked in. Never before did Sonny run away from something, but this time around - he ran. Luckily, he didn’t get far before Jason and Trent brought him down. Sonny tried to fight and get them off him, and at the same time, he tried to breathe, but it felt as if his lungs had locked up, and he didn’t have the key to unlock them.

His vision blurred, and dark spots appeared before him. Sonny weakly tried to push Trent away, but his arms refused to work. Sonny frowned as a bee stung him on his arm. He turned his head to ask the bee why he did that, but he couldn’t form the words as the dark spots grew larger, and then everything turned black. Instead of being scared, Sonny welcomed the darkness as his eyes closed. He managed to take a deep breath and faintly wondered where Clay was before he knew nothing more.

--SEAL TEAM--

“Fuck,” Sommy mumbled as he opened his eyes and nearly fell off the bed when a pair of dark brown eyes stared at him. He blinked a few times and then smiled. “Cerberus.” Sonny reached out and scratched the large dog’s head. “You okay?” He asked as he took a look around him. “Where the fuck am I?”

“Cerberus is okay, and you’re in hospital,” Brock’s voice sounded from the side.

For the second time in so many minutes, Sonny nearly jumped out of his skin. He didn’t even notice Brock when he saw Cerb. “Are the two of you planning on killing me?” Sonny had a slight tremble in his hand as he rubbed his face in an attempt to clear his head.

Brock shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of.” Brock rose to his feet as Cerb whined at him. With careful movements, he lowered the dog from Sonny’s bed and placed him on the floor.

“How is he?” Sonny asked. He watched as the dog limped away from the bed. His midsection was shaved clean, and he had a large bandage wrapped around his middle.

“He’s getting there. He had his first physical therapy session this morning. The therapist and the vet are both confident that he’ll recover fully,” Brock explained. Cerberus had been shot twice. The first shot had gone through his right shoulder and had caused some muscle damage, but nothing bad. The second shot caused more problems as it entered his upper thigh, and with a downward trajectory, it entered his belly, where it caused injury to the small intestine, spleen, and liver. But the veterinarian team had pulled him through, and now he was on the mend.

“How long have I been out of it?” Sonny asked. He had vague images in his head of what happened, and he didn’t need anyone to tell him that he’d suffered a panic attack.

“Roughly five hours.”

“Fuck!” Sunny cussed. He didn’t think he’d lost so much time. Just fucking great. Sunny looked around the room.

“What are you looking for?” Brock asked.

“My clothes, I must get to Clay.” Sonny sat up straight and swung his legs from the bed.

“I’ve texted Trent that you’re awake. He’ll be here within a minute,” Brock stated.

“And Clay? Do you have any information on Clay?

Brock sighed. “Nothing much. He’s still fighting. He suffered another seizure, and Doc increased his sedation.”

Sonny groaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He dragged his hand across his face again.

“He’s going to be okay, Sonny.”

Sonny snorted. “You were not there when Doctor Paddington told us about Clay’s condition. He’s not very optimistic that Clay will survive.”

“Are you giving up on Clay?”

“What? Never. What kind of a question is that?” Sonny huffed.

“A fair one, I would say. Paddington may know Clay’s medical history, but he doesn’t know Clay. Not in the way we do. And our kid will never stop fighting. Therefore, we are not allowed to stop either. Yes, he might not be the same Clay that we got to know, but he will still be our Clay.”

Sonny lowered his head. Brock nailed it on the head. Clay would never stop fighting, and they wouldn’t stop fighting either. He will have Clay’s back every step of the way. “I need to see him.”

Brock nodded. “I know.”

Both men turned their heads as the door to Sonny’s room opened, and Trent entered.

Trent held out a bag to Sonny. “Brought you some clean clothes.”

“Thanks,” Sonny accepted the bag and opened it up. “The fact that you’re bringing me clothes means I can leave?” Sonny asked as he pulled a fresh pair of jeans and t-shirt from the bag.

“Only if you’re planning on taking it easy. And before you ask, yes, you can see Clay, but not for long.”

“I don’t know how to take it easy,” Sonny mumbled as he exited the bed and started putting on clothes. He glared at his brothers when he heard two snorts.

“We are well aware of that. That is also why you collapsed the way you did. Your body needs rest, Sonny. Running on fumes alone won’t cut it. And since you won’t take it easy, I will make sure you do. You’ll have ten minutes with Clay, and then you need to rest,” Trent stated.

“Ten minutes? No, at least twenty.” Sonny ignored Trent’s comment about getting rest. He would rest when Clay was awake and Junior dead, not before then.

“Sorry, I meant to say five.” Trent crossed his arms.

Sonny opened his mouth and then closed it again. He nodded. “Ten minutes is good.”

Trent nodded. “Good. After that, you will go with Brock and Cerberus.”

“What? Are you sending me home? If you think for one moment that I’m leaving this hospital while Clay is in here, you’re making a huge mistake,” Sonny growled.

“You’re coming with me and Cerberus to collect Bleu at the airport,” Brock responded before Trent could.

Sonny turned to face Brock. “The pup is here?” He cracked a smile.

“He will land in about two hours,” Brock confirmed.

“Good, Clay will be excited,” Sonny said as he tossed the scrubs he was dressed in on the bed. “Can I go and see him now?” He looked at Trent.

The medic nodded. He didn’t say it out loud, but he would arrange with the nursing staff for Sonny to get an extra few minutes. He knew Brock wouldn’t mind waiting. He shook his head as Sonny rushed past him and disappeared from the room. Trent turned his attention to Brock. “You okay?”

Brock nodded. “I’m okay. The fact that Cerberus is on his feet makes me more than okay. Going to collect Bleu will keep us busy.” Brock swallowed. “Do you think you’d be able to persuade the nursing staff that Cerb can see Clay for a few seconds as well?”

Trent smiled. “Doctor Paddington already arranged it. The nursing staff all know Cerberus from the previous time. He has free access to Clay.”

“Thank you.” Brock made his way over to where Cerberus lay on the floor and attached the leash to his collar. “Let’s go and see Clay, buddy.”

Both men smiled as Cerberus woofed and wagged his tail at Clay’s name. They exited the room together, letting Cerberus set the pace.

--SEAL TEAM--

Although Sonny mentally prepared himself, he was still shocked to see how fragile Clay looked. There wasn’t a place on Clay’s body that was not covered in one or another type of bruise or laceration. He balled his fists at the realization of what Junior had done. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill Junior with his bare hands. It didn’t matter to him that the man might have one or other brain tumor. Sonny also wished he could bring Ash back from the dead and kill him as well.

“I know he looks bad, but he’s been fighting the whole time, not giving up.”

Sonny turned and looked at the woman next to him. It took him a few seconds to recognize her. “Cassidy, right? You were Clay’s therapist the first time he was here?”

Cassidy nodded. “When I heard Clay’s back, I just had to see it myself. I’ve been checking in on him every opportunity I get.”

“Thank you. I know Clay would appreciate you being here. You helped him so much. I don’t think any of us had thanked you before. So from me and the team, thank you.” Sonny cleared his throat in an attempt to hide the emotions he felt.

Cassidy smiled. “It was an honor to work with Clay.” She squeezed Clay’s bicep and stepped away from the bed. “I need to go; I’ve got other patients to see.” She brushed a stray hair from Clay’s forehead. “Get better soon, Clay. We’re all rooting for you.” With a final nod in Sonny’s direction, she left the room.

Sonny grinned. “Well, well, well, Blondie, it seems you made an impression on someone. Now you’ve got another reason to open your eyes.” He squeezed the same bicep Cassidy squeezed earlier. He cleared his throat as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him again and lowered his head.

“Please, Clay, fight. Don’t give up. Not now. Not after everything you’ve achieved. Don’t let Junior win. I’m unsure what Ash’s role in this fuckup is, but don’t let him win either.” Sonny turned his head and smiled when Cerberus slowly walked into the room.

“Look who came to say hello.” Sonny reached down and gently picked Cerberus up and placed him next to Clay on the bed. The large dog whined softly before he made himself comfortable next to Clay.

The room fell into silence; the only noises were from the machines, which indicated that their brother was still alive.

--SEAL TEAM--

Norfolk International Airport

Bruce checked all the cubicles before he hurried back to the mirror and pulled out the small makeup kit he’d stashed inside his jacket pocket. With an unsteady hand, he managed to dab the concealer on his left cheekbone, around his left eye and the left side of his face, and over the bridge of his nose. It looked better, but anyone taking a closer look would notice that he had some sort of injury to his face. But it was the best that he could do with what he had.

His initial plan of getting out on his boat had sunk when he went to the marina and saw several police cruisers parked at the entrance. Bruce had no idea if they were there for him, but he couldn’t take that chance. He would draw unnecessary attention to himself with his messed up face, which wasn’t an option. He’d slunk back to the car and drove away. For a moment, he panicked, but then he took a deep breath and calmed himself. He’d tried to call Junior, to tell the other man to be careful, but of course, the stubborn fool didn’t answer his phone. Bruce had no choice but to leave him a message. He just hoped Junior would listen to it and not ignore it since their altercation.

Bruce snorted as he tossed the small makeup kit in the trash and washed his hands. Calling what happened between him and Junior an altercation is like calling a tornado a fresh breeze. Before getting Junior in a chokehold, Bruce did not know if he would make it out alive. The SEAL had gone ballistic when he realized that Bruce had tipped Hayes off where to find their rookie, and Spenser had been saved.

Both men had fought dirty, using hands, feet, teeth, and nails to get the upper hand in a bloody fight. Junior had lost his balance when Bruce tripped him, and the ex-Ranger had taken the chance to end things by choking his friend into submission before he left. He could only hope Junior would one day forgive him for what he’d done.

Bruce squared his shoulders. He couldn’t think of what he’d done. Not if he wanted to get out of the city. He looked at his reflection in the mirror one last time before he turned around and headed to the door. Unfortunately, he didn’t get far. The moment he opened the door, he stared down the barrel of what appeared to be a SIG Sauer P226.

Bruce slowly raised his hands as he stared at the man behind the pistol. Although he’d never met any of the men on Bravo, Junior had told him enough to know he stood face to face with Sonny Quinn - pipe hitter extraordinaire. Quinn’s eyes held no emotion as he pressed the weapon against Bruce’s forehead. At that moment, Bruce knew that if he blinked, Quinn wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“Look what we found, Brock,” Sonny said over his shoulder as he took in the man before him. “You’re not gonna try to fight your way out?” he asked, forcing Bruce back into the restroom.

Bruce remained quiet. He looked on as another male stepped into the bathroom with a dog on a leash. “He survived.”

“Did you shoot him?” Brock asked.

Without taking his eyes off Quinn, Bruce replied. “No. But I didn’t stop it either.” He looked over at Reynolds and looked him square in the eyes.

“On your knees, interlock your hands behind your head and cross your ankles,” Sonny ordered.

Bruce weighed up his options. He was outmanned and wouldn't get out alive in the space he found himself in. But on the other hand, did he want to spend the rest of his life behind bars? Because that was his future. He would never be allowed to see the sky again. But he also wasn’t a coward. He wouldn’t take the cowardly way out. He did as ordered and lowered himself to his knees. He grunted as Reynolds grabbed his hands and tied them with zip-ties. He wasn’t surprised when he felt another zip-tie enclose around his ankles. He didn’t even know where Reynolds got them from, as both men were dressed in civvies.

“Where’s Meddings?” Sonny growled

Bruce remained silent.

“Where is he?” Sonny pressed the pistol against Bruce’s forehead.

“Did you get to Spenser in time?”

“Why do you care?” Sonny sneered. The barrel made a ring on the other man’s forehead.

Bruce slowly shook his head. It didn’t matter what answer he gave; Quinn wouldn’t interpret it correctly. He was surprised when the dog handler spoke up behind him.

“We got him.”

Bruce nodded once.

“What the fuck? Why are you telling him that?” Sonny growled.

“Because he’s the one who called us,” Brock answered.

“How the fuck do you know that?”

Brock sighed. “If it wasn’t him, why would he ask?”

Sonny grunted. He looked down at Cerberus, who sat quietly next to Brock. The dog eyed the man with an unmistakable sneer on his face, but he didn’t growl. It was strange how quiet the large dog was. “Cerberus, okay?” He asked Brock.

Brock nodded.

“He’s the reason why you found me,” Bruce stated as he watched the dog.

“Carville is on his way,” Brock said as he pocketed his phone. He made his way from behind their captive and took his place next to Sonny. “Yes, Cerb is the reason why we found you.” He scratched the dog between the ears. Brock still couldn’t believe their luck, or lack of luck if you wanted to look at it technically.

Bleu was supposed to travel via a passenger flight, and he would’ve disembarked with the passengers. However, when they got to the gate where the plane had landed, they were informed that the dog was not on that flight but ended up on a cargo flight together with a bunch of other animals. That meant they were on the wrong side of the airport. Neither man was impressed, and Sonny had grumbled a lot, but they could do nothing as they made their way to the other side of the airport.

They had walked past a restroom with an out-of-order sign when Cerb had come to a complete standstill. He’d started to growl deep in his chest, but at the same time, he trembled. His ears were flat against his head, and his tail was tucked between his legs. All of his hair stood up straight. Brock had no idea what it meant, but he knew Cerberus was trying to tell them something. He wasn’t going to ignore it. It didn’t take much to convince Sonny to check it out. Neither of them suspected of ending up face to face with Bruce Kane - Meddings’ Ranger buddy and one of the main people responsible for hurting - and nearly killing Clay.

“Where is Meddings?” Sonny growled again. He had a tight grip on the pistol to steady his trembling hand.

Bruce shook his head.

“If you tell us, NCIS can still bring him in alive,” Brock bargained.

Bruce snorted.

“I didn’t think bringing in your best bud alive is funny,” Sonny drawled.

Bruce looked up at the pipe hitter. “Meddings will not be taken alive.” He snorted again. “Trust me, I tried.”

“That's why your face is all busted up like that,” Brock noted as he tilted his head. “He didn’t know you told us where to find Clay.” Brock looked over at Sonny.

“What?” The Texan frowned. “Want me to pet him on the head and tell him what a good boy he is?” Sonny shook his head. “Ain’t happening, dog boy.”

Bruce sighed. “No, but he thinks that if I went against Junior’s wishes, you can use that to your advantage and maybe get me to see that it would be in Meddings’ best interest to give himself up. And you need me to call Junior to get him to turn himself in,” Bruce adduced.

“That is the best ending to this, don’t you think?” Brock inquired.

“I’m sporting several bruised ribs, a few interesting contusions over the rest of my body, and I have a feeling I’m going to piss blood for the next couple of days. My face is covered up with gunk in an attempt for people not to see how my best friend went to town on it, and you think Junior would just hand himself over? No, if he gets cornered, he intends to go out guns blazing. He’s got nothing left in life. He’s done with being alive. Nothing I could say could change that.” Bruce looked at the two men before him. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“Then tell us where he is so we can fulfill his final wish!” Sonny yelled.

“When Junior pummeled Spenser within an inch of his life while Ash looked on, Spenser managed to lift his head, and even though both of his eyes were swollen shut, he managed to glare at both Junior and Ash, and he said something very strange. He said those who think they are righteous don’t bear the burden of being human.” Bruce lowered himself so that the back of his thighs rested on his calves and heels.

“Junior and Ash didn’t get it. Hell, I didn’t get it until later when Ash took his last breath and Junior stood over his body without a single emotion on his face. Both Ash and Junior were in the wrong, but neither cared because, according to them, they did nothing wrong, while Spenser and Dean suffered the consequences of Ash and Junior’s actions.”

“So all of this, it’s Ash’s fucking fault?” Sonny grumbled.

Bruce looked at the two SEALS. “You didn’t know.”

“Would I be asking if I had the fucking answer?” Sonny sneered.

“I guess not.” Bruce shrugged. “I don’t know every single detail, but Dean, on advice from Ash, took his life savings and invested them in one or another offshore investment. An investment that went belly up, and Dean lost everything. He contacted Ash and was told that if you’re stupid enough to invest in some scheme without proper research, you deserve to lose your money. Dean couldn’t live with the fact that he had lost everything in life, so he ended it.” He cleared his throat.

“Junior found his body. Found all the documents, figured out what happened, and confronted Ash. Ash told him that he didn’t force Dean into signing anything and he bears no responsibility for Dean taking his own life. Junior went to a lawyer. He was told they couldn’t do anything, and while he still contemplated what to do next, he received an offer to return to the teams. He found out Ash’s kid was on Bravo and decided to make the kid’s life hell until he either quit or got killed.” Bruce looked down at his feet. “And the rest, you know.”

Sonny struggled to get his temper rained in. He wanted to smash every single thing in front of him into smithereens. Starting with the man before him. But that would make him just as bad as Meddings and Ash. Sonny turned back, leaned over the sink before him, grabbed it with his two hands, and bellowed. His voice echoed through the space, bouncing off the walls as he got rid of his anger that threatened to overtake him. He had no idea how long he continued to scream. When he stopped, his throat burned, and it was difficult to swallow. “You better hope that someone else takes Junior down because I will show him no mercy,” Sonny vowed.

A knock on the door stopped Bruce from responding. The three men watched as the door opened, and NCIS agent Carville stepped inside.

Without a word, Sonny yanked Bruce to his feet, keeping him from tumbling over as he leaned down, cut the zip-tie around his ankles, and shoved him towards Richard. “Get him out of here.” Without a further word, he exited the bathroom with Brock and Cerberus on his heels as they continued to go and find Bleu to take him home.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Notes:

AN 1: Second last chapter! Enjoy.

AN 2: To, IceBoxBee, thank you once again!

NCIS Interrogation Room 1

Richard looked on as Kane pushed back the yellow notepad he wrote on and leaned back in his chair. “Would you now let our ME have a look at you, please?” Richard asked. Kane refused medical treatment and asked for only a glass of water and a notepad to write his statement. He’d also forfeited his right to a legal representative.

I’m not dead,” Bruce grumbled.

Richard managed not to sigh or roll his eyes. “Doctor Mallard is still a medical practitioner and more than capable of looking you over, even if you’re still breathing.”

Bruce shrugged and gave a slight groan. He’d stiffened up a lot from sitting still in one place. He nodded.

“Good. I’ll get him to come and look you over here then; you don’t need to go down to autopsy.” Richard took Kane's notepad and pen and exited the room.

He was surprised to see Commander Blackburn and Master Chief Hayes waiting for him outside the room. “I assume you want to know what Kane had to say for himself?” When the two men nodded, he continued. “He made a full confession to his involvement; however, on the topic of Meddings, he hasn’t said anything, and no, you will not be allowed to interview him yourself.” He pointedly looked at Jason.

“We’ll get answers sooner,” Jason grumbled and shrugged as Eric glared at him.

“How is Clay?” Richard asked as he walked away from the room with the two men at his heels.

“Doctor Paddington has decided to decrease his sedation, but Clay is still listed as critical but stable,” Eric responded.

“That’s some good news.” Richard looked over his shoulder. “ What can I do for you two gentlemen, Commander?”

“I want to talk to Kane,” Jason stated.

Richard stopped and turned to face the other man. “And why would I allow you to do that, Master Chief?”

“Because we’re running out of time. Meddings is getting away.” Jason crossed his arms.

“No.” Richard went toe to toe with Jason. “You might want to go and play the hero in this case, Master Chief Hayes, but I will not let you go and fuck up my case. I know you want justice for Clay, and you don’t care how you get that, but I, we here at NCIS, believe that the only way to get justice is by doing it the right way.” He glared at Jason. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to come here and ask this from me.”

Jason snorted. “It wasn’t my idea to come and ask.”

“So instead of asking, what would you’ve done?” Richard asked.

Eric groaned. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.” He held up his hand when the NCIS agent glared at him. “Jason has a good argument. Listen to him. And I can promise you, we want justice done correctly.”

Richard looked at his watch. “You’ve got five minutes to convince me.”

“We need to find out from Kane how Meddings would contact him, or vice versa, in an emergency, which we then can use to get Kane to come to us and catch him like that,” Jason argued.

“How do you know they have such a way to communicate?”

Jason grinned. “Because in one way or another, we are all paranoid.”

Richard frowned. “You’ve got something similar?”

Jason merely cocked his head.

“They all do,” Eric answered. “And in their line of work, something like that is worth having.”

“And you think Kane would willingly share it with us?” Richard asked.

“With the right motivation, he will,” Jason stated.

“And just what does that mean?” Richard looked at the two men.

“Talk to JAG, see if you can get a deal on the table. One that will make sure Kane stays locked away for a long time, but one that will give him the hope to see the light of day again,” Eric responded.

“You’re serious?” Richard frowned.

Jason nodded. “We can’t afford Meddings to get away. Clay will never be able to walk around without looking over his shoulder. And with Meddings’ brain tumor, we don’t know what he might do.”

“And what happens when he decides to come in only to go out guns blazing?”

“Then that’s his choice.” Jason refrained from adding that they all wished he would take that option.

Richard mulled things over before he nodded. “I’ll talk to JAG and see what they say.”

“Thank you.” Eric reached out and shook Richard’s hand. “Let us know what you’ve arranged.”

Richard shook the offered hand. “You realize that Brock and Sonny tried to get Kane to tell them where Meddings was, but he refused.”

“We know, but this is different. We only want a way to contact him; Kane doesn’t need to do anything else.” Eric looked at Jason; he could see that the team leader was angsty about getting out.

“Okay, I’ll keep in touch.” Richard watched as the two men walked towards the stairs and disappeared around the corner. He managed not to jump out of his skin when a voice sounded at his back.

“They are correct, you know, Agent Carville. It is a chance you will have to take. Otherwise, I fear what the outcome might be.”

Richard turned and nodded at their medical examiner. “I know you are right, Ducky, and I know that Hayes is also right, but I still can’t shake this bad feeling in my gut.”

Ducky nodded. “You will do whatever you can to keep all parties safe, Richard. That I am sure of.”

“Thanks, Ducky. Do you mind having a look at Mr. Kane? He appears to be in some pain,” Richard asked as he led the doctor back to the interrogation room, where Kane was still seated.

“Let’s go and have a look.” Ducky followed Richard down the passage.

--SEAL TEAM--

Junior looked down at his busted knuckles. He didn’t need a doctor to tell him that he had at least two broken fingers on his dominant hand. He smirked. Kane always did have a hard head. Thinking of his friend made him ball his fists; not even the pain in his fingers took away the anger in his veins.

He’d never thought Bruce would go and blurt out to NCIS where they could find Spenser. Spenser had to pay for what happened to his dad. Isn’t it the bible that says the sins of the father will be visited upon their children? An eye for an eye and all that shit.

Junior shook his head. He ignored the shards of pain that shot through his head at the simple motion. Now was not the time to think about how Bruce betrayed him. He had better things to do. He looked at the small arsenal of weapons he had next to him. He’d already decided that things would end on his terms. But first, first, he had to make sure Clay Spenser died.

--SEAL TEAM--

Ducky packed away his medical bag and gently closed the lid. He watched as Mister Kane gently touched the light-weight brace Ducky had placed over the bridge of his nose. “I know the pressure feels weird, but within an hour or so, you will not even feel it anymore. The rest of your injuries will heal with time.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

Ducky hummed. “If you do not mind me asking, how long have you known Master Chief Meddings?”

Bruce smirked. “We grew up together. As you know, his dad was also Navy. Mine was a Marine.”

“Ah, and you became a Ranger?” Ducky asked as he took the seat across the table.

“I did.”

“How long have you served?”

“I did my twenty and then got out.”

Ducky nodded. “Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task, whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.”

Bruce grimaced as he tried to snort. “You quoting the Ranger’s Creed to me?”

“Not the whole thing, but maybe just the important part. You see, that paragraph holds two essential points. One - you will never fail your comrades, and two - you will always be morally straight.” Ducky held up his hand when he saw that the other man wanted to interject.

“I humbly believe you are failing your creed. You are failing your comrade, and you might argue that Master Chief Meddings is not your comrade, but I would beg to differ. He is more than that. He is your friend and a friend in desperate need of help. And two, you are not being morally straight, and that you know. But you have tried in the end to do what was right. That is why you called Master Chief Hayes and told him where he could find young Spenser. But do not let your friend die because that is going to happen. Help our agents get him into custody safely. Help stop the flow of innocent blood that will be spent if we do not get him to hand himself over and come in peacefully.”

Bruce lowered his head. “You make it sound so simple.”

Ducky gave him a small smile. “Nothing in life is simple, but you are right; this will not be simple. But in the end, it will be the right thing to do, the only thing you can do.” Ducky reached out and placed his hand on Bruce’s wrist. “Do not let your service to this country be for nothing.” He stood up and walked out without looking back. Ducky met up with Agent Carville as he stepped out of the observation room.

“Do you think it will work, Ducky?” Richard inquired.

“You will just have to try and see. Give him a few minutes to think things over,” Ducky answered.

“Thank you, Ducky.”

--SEAL TEAM--

In the end, Richard waited half an hour while he sorted things out with JAG before entering the room again. As he entered, Bruce spoke up.

“Promise me you’ll do everything possible to bring him in safely.”

“You’re willing to tell us where we can find him?” Richard posed his own question.

“I don’t know where you can find him; he’s got too many places he might go.” Bruce took a deep breath. “But I do have a way of contacting him to get him close.”

“Close enough to take him in?” Richard asked.

Bruce nodded.

“And in return, what do you want?”

“Me?” Bruce lowered his head. “Not to be kept in the same correctional center as Junior. He will kill me for this.”

“Is that all?”

“What else can I possibly want? My life is over. I helped kill a man; hell, I was there when Bruce shot the carpenter. I have a feeling that Spenser might also die; there is no hope left for me.”

“Prison in a federal prison as far away from Dean Meddings as possible and parole after twenty years,” Richard mentioned JAG’s offer.

Bruce looked up. “You serious?”

“I am.”

A grin appeared on Bruce’s face. “You spoke to Hayes. You know Junior and I have a way to communicate so he can come in. That’s why your medical examiner softened me up.”

“Yes,” Richard responded.

“And what if Junior doesn’t come in? What then?”

“Then, depending on whether we catch him alive, I will still ensure you don’t end up in the same facility as him.”

Bruce stared at the wall. “I can live with that.”

“You realize that if you don’t give us the way to contact him or supply us with the wrong information, the twenty years is off the table.”

Bruce shrugged. “I don’t really give a damn about the twenty. I need my friend to get the help I failed to get him.”

Richard nodded as he sat down. “Okay, what do we need? How do we get into contact with Meddings? How can we end this peacefully?”

--SEAL TEAM--

A cheap motel - somewhere

Junior stared at the silver cell phone scattered in pieces across the floor of his room. He had smashed it when he returned from Bethesda Hospital, where he failed to enter the building. He’d seen several Devgru team members around the parking area. He spotted a few of Alpha's team in the lobby, and he also spotted what appeared to be NCIS agents. It had left him furious as he’d wanted to get rid of Clay Spenser once and for all.

But then he returned to the room, took the burner phone out of habit, and nearly dropped it when he saw he’d received a message. Never in all the years he and Bruce had set up the plan did a message appear. They would toss the old phones every six months and get new ones. No one else knew the numbers connected to the cheap phones except them.

The message was coded; you wouldn't know what it meant unless you knew how to decipher it. They developed the code when they were still snot-nose school boys playing together. Each one wanted to be just like their old man.

He knew it was a trap. He knew it as he knew that Ash Spenser was responsible for the death of his father. Although Dean pulled the trigger, Ash drove him to it. It was as if Ash handed his dad the loaded weapon and told him to do it. To end his life. He was still boiling with anger as he hurled the phone against the wall. His head continued to throb. It felt as if his brain wanted to escape from his skull.

But maybe this was his chance to end things on his terms. He always thought that he would go out guns blazing, which was still entirely possible, but right at this moment, he felt empty. Bone tired. A husked-up shell of something he didn’t even recognize.

The three months he’d spent with Bravo showed him what it was to have brothers who cared around him. The teams were always family, but Bravo took it to the next level - they were a real family. A family that he helped destroy. Thinking of them made him lower his head. And at that moment, he knew he had done wrong. Spenser had his back on more than one occasion. It didn’t matter how much crap he dealt out to him when they were in the field Spenser looked out for all of them. He knew Spenser saved his life on one of their earlier ops and didn’t even thank the man. If he remembered correctly, he’d chew him out on something totally irrelevant.

Junior knew it was wrong, but when he looked at Spenser, he only saw his father’s dead face before him, cold blood congealed on the floor beneath his head. It still made his blood boil. His dad was the only constant thing he had in his life. His mom had died when he was still a toddler, and despite being a SEAL, Dean Meddings managed to raise his son mainly on his own. His maternal grandparents helped until they passed away in an accident caused by a drunk driver when he was fifteen.

From what he’d seen when he had Ash and Clay, Ash didn’t care about anyone else except himself. Not once did Ash even think of Clay’s life as he beat the shit out of the young man. But then, on the other hand, it’s not as if he thought about Clay’s life. He just wanted revenge. And now, with Ash dead and hopefully in the deepest pit of hell, he doesn’t feel satisfied. He thought that by taking Ash’s life, he would be at peace. It seems he was wrong.

But the idea of spending the rest of his days in a cell, or even maybe waiting on death row for his day to come, makes him not want to give in. It makes him want to return to his original thought - to go out guns blazing. But did he really want that extra blood on his hands? Maybe it was time he rethought his options and handed himself over. Or maybe not.

With the last thought, Junior rose to his feet, grabbed the pistol he’d placed on the bed's side table, and made his way to the door. One thing he did know was he wanted to get drunk. One last time before he made his final decision. It was time to hit the closest bar he could find.

--SEAL TEAM--

Agent Carville’s apartment

Richard fumbled for the phone he’d placed in its usual space on his nightstand as it blared out the ringtone he’d set up for the NCIS switchboard. He didn’t need to look at the time to know that it was too early in the morning to even think of opening his eyes and getting out of bed.

Finally, his fingers found the phone, and he brought it to his ear. “Agent Carville,” he answered, still with his eyes closed. Richard flipped the covers from his body and rose to his feet as the voice on the other side filled him in.

“I’ll be there in fifteen. Tell everyone on the scene to hold position and not to do anything until I’ve arrived,” Richard ordered as he grabbed a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt and got dressed while still clutching the phone. He retrieved his primary weapon and backup from the strong box and grabbed his credentials and keys from the bowl as he walked past the dining room table before leaving home.

Only when he started the car did he notice the time. It was 03:04 in the morning. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

--SEAL TEAM--

Blackburn Residence

Eric cursed as his phone rang out loud next to his ear. He had just managed to drift off to sleep. “Blackburn,” he answered abruptly.

“Commander, I’m on my way to Bethesda Hospital. It seems Meddings decided to show up.” Agent Carville explained.

“Fuck,” Eric cursed. He was back in Virginia Beach, and it would take hours for him to get back. “Have you contacted Hayes? He and the team are there.”

“It was the hospital that contacted NCIS, Commander. There seems to be a standoff between Bravo and Meddings, which is why I called you. You need to contact Hayes. Tell him to back off.”

Eric couldn’t help but snort even as he reached for clothes to make the trip back to D.C. “You might think I’m in charge of Bravo, Agent Carville, but I can promise you, I’m not.”

“I don’t want extra blood spilled, Commander. There has been too much of that.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Agent. Keep me in the loop; I’m on my way.” Eric ended the call. He pulled on a shirt and reached for his phone when he caught his wife’s eye. He turned and faced her.

“Is it Junior?” Melissa asked as she watched her husband get dressed.

Eric nodded. “He is at Bethesda.”

Melissa gasped. “Is Clay all right?”

“The fact that Meddings is still alive tells me he hasn’t gotten near Clay,” Eric answered.

Melissa reached out and squeezed his hand. “Be careful.”

Eric kissed her softly on the lips before he headed out.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Hospital: 03:56 AM

Jason stood in the middle of the hospital lobby. At his side stood Ray and Trent. All three of them had their service pistols pointed at Junior. They had decided to head back home just before 03:00 as they had different meetings to attend. He was with the Echo team, while Trent had to report to Alpha and Ray to the Green team. None of them expected to face Junior Meddings as they made their way through the hospital lobby.

Ray saw the man first, and Jason was grateful for that because he would’ve shot him if he had spotted him first. When Ray gave him the heads-up, he and Trent moved further apart to cover the man from three directions.

Junior had spotted them mere seconds after Ray did, and he’d pulled his own weapon. It didn’t matter how often he, Ray, or even Trent demanded him to lower his weapon; Junior did not.

Although Meddings had his weapon drawn, he held it steady under his chin instead of pointing it at any of them.

“Lower your weapon, Junior,” Jason ordered again. They had been staring at one another for almost an hour, none willing to blink first. As before, the man across from him ignored him as if he wasn’t even there.

“If you think for one moment I will let you get past me to harm Clay, you are making the biggest mistake of your life,” Jason added. He blinked when Junior’s eyes shifted, and the other man looked at him straight.

“Has he forgiven you? Does he trust you?”

Junior’s voice sounded dead to Jason. He couldn’t help but shiver at the sound. Jason nodded. “He has forgiven me, us, but that is the kind of person Clay is. He always sees the best in everyone else.” Jason swallowed. From behind Junior, he could see Ray’s mouth spelling out that he should keep Junior talking. Fuck, he hated this. He had become a SEAL, not a fucking hostage negotiator. But he also knew his second in command was right. The longer he could make Juior talk, the better their chance of finding another solution. He found it strange; the longer he stood facing Junior, the longer he wished for a peaceful resolution. And yet, at the same time, he wanted Junior to make the first move so that he could blow his brains out.

“But to your second question about trust.” Jason shrugged. “I’ve not earned his trust back as of yet, so I do not believe he trusts me. But I will do everything in my power for him to regain his trust in me.”

Junior cocked his head. “On the one side of things, I envy you, Jason. You and the rest of Bravo. You’ve created the perfect family. One that every member of every other DEVGRU team is envious of. But on the other hand, it was all a delusion, wasn’t it? Something that an outsider like me destroyed in less than three months.” Junior snorted. “Your perfect family wasn’t so perfect after all, now was it?”

“It’s because we’re human,” Trent spoke from the side. “It’s something else that Clay has taught us. We are not heroes who are meant to be worshiped. We are mere men who struggle every day.”

“It’s as easy as that?” Junior shook his head. “We are the best of the best.”

“It’s not easy. It’s the hardest thing in the world. And yes, you’re right, we are the best of the best, but that’s our downfall. It’s because we are the best of the best that when we fail, we fail so spectacularly. And we, unfortunately, are the last ones who will admit we failed. But this time around, even a blind man could see that is what we’ve done. But the best thing about failing? It gives you a chance to do it over again. And that is what we’re doing,” Trent continued.

“Do you think that it will be enough?” Junior asked.

Trent shook his head. “I don’t know. But If I, we, don’t try, we won’t know. Not knowing is worse than not trying.”

“We know what Ash did, Junior. And we know about Dean’s death,” Ray spoke up. “We are sorry for your loss.”

Junior growled. “Don’t you dare speak about my father and that piece of shit in the same sentence, man! He fucking killed my dad!” Junior bellowed out of anger. He turned and took several steps in Ray’s direction. His weapon was still aimed at the bottom of his chin. “Do you hear me? He fucking killed my dad! The one fucking person that kept me alive, that kept me sane is dead! And he’s dead because of Ashland fucking Spenser!”

With a single motion, Junior swung his weapon away from his chin and pointed it directly at Ray’s head, his index finger steady on the trigger. “He killed my fucking dad!” As he yelled, he closed the distance between them. “He killed him!”

Ray slowly shook his head. He had his firearm pointed at Junior. “I am sorry, Junior. I am truly sorry.” He could only watch as Junior’s finger curled around the trigger. Ray knew he had nowhere to go; at that moment, he hoped his family knew he loved them. Time stood still as he watched Junior squeeze the trigger. The man across from him left him no choice as he pulled the trigger on his weapon.

Ray’s body twitched as the sound of gunshots echoed through the room. Something wet and hot splattered against his face. He stared straight ahead as Junior’s body floated towards the floor in slow motion. He lowered his weapon and watched Jason and Trent run towards him. Neither man even took notice of Junior’s fallen body.

“Ray! Ray!” Jason shouted as he yanked Ray by his shoulders and frantically searched his body for any wounds. “Ray!” He shouted again. “Are you okay? Have you been shot? Answer me, damnit, Ray!”

“Ouch,” Ray hissed.

“Where, where are you hit? I don’t see any blood, Ray; talk to me!” Jason screamed as he continued to run his hands up and down his best friend’s body.

“Jason! Jason!” Trent dragged his team lead back. “Ray is okay; he’s not shot. Just give him a moment to catch his breath.”

Ray looked up at Trent. “Is he dead?”

Trent didn’t even look back as he nodded in agreement.

“Did he miss me?” Ray looked down at his body. His fingers touched the mess on his face, and he grimaced. It was not blood that covered his cheek.

Trent frowned. “Yeah, he did.”

“He was right in front of me. How did he miss?” Ray asked, confused as he looked around. There was a floor-to-ceiling glass panel behind him, and it was still intact. He could see his shell casing and a second one nearer to where Junior’s body was. He was still looking around when he heard Agent Carville’s voice.

“His weapon was loaded with blanks.” He had something in his hand and held it up.

“Is that wadding?” Ray asked, confused.

Richard nodded. He picked up Junior’s fallen weapon and, after he made it safe, removed one of the cartridges from the magazine. The cap twisted off easily, and they could all see that the round had some wadding but no projectile.

“Fuck,” Ray’s legs would’ve given away if it wasn’t for the fact that Jason still held him by the arm.

Jason shook Ray and turned his best friend so that he faced him. “Don’t go there, Ray. This is not on you.” He pushed down the anger he felt for Meddings for choosing this way to end things. He had no courage in killing himself, so he instead did it by loading his weapon with blanks and letting someone else take him out.

“I…,” Ray stammered. He looked at Jason and then at the body. “Shit.” He got out of Jason’s grip and lowered himself to the floor, where he sat on his haunches. He lowered his head.

“Master Chief Hayes is correct, Senior Chief, this is not on you. Master Chief Meddings was not only armed, but he had pointed you with a firearm, and he had pulled the trigger on his weapon. You acted in self-defense. This is an open and shut case,” Richard stated. “You will not be prosecuted.”

“Why?” Ray asked no one in particular.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever get an answer to that question, but now, finally, Clay is safe,” Trent responded. “And I think that is what we need to concentrate on, not the whys.”

Jason placed his hand on Ray’s shoulder and squeezed it hard. Junior’s death by his hand will lay heavily on Ray’s mind, but he will make sure that his friend knows that he was not at fault. None of them could’ve predicted this. But Trent was right about one thing. Clay was finally safe.

--SEAL TEAM--

Bethesda Hospital: Waiting room outside of Clay’s room

The somber group of men looked at each other, each wanting to break the silence but lacking the courage to do so.

Brock sighed. “Are we just going to ignore it?” He looked at the unsealed evidence bag Agent Carville handed to them less than an hour ago.

“I don’t want to read it,” Sonny said as he crossed his arms.

“You’re not the only one,” Trent agreed.

“Why not?” Brock asked.

“Because I don’t want to hear whatever excuse he made up for his actions.” Sonny huffed.

“Who says it’s an excuse?”

“Isn’t that what suicide letters normally are, Brock? Excuses?” Sonny rose to his feet. “And why the hell did he address it to us? And don’t even get me started on the second one. Why did he write to Clay? He has got nothing to say to Clay. I mean, are we even going to give that to Clay?”

“We will give that letter to Clay; it will be his choice to read it or not,” Jason said for the first time. “As for the letter addressed to us, those who don’t want to know what it contains don’t have to read it.” He reached for the evidence bag and removed the single sheet of paper. It was folded in half. On the outside, in Meddings' bold handwriting, the name Bravo Team was written and underlined.

Jason took the page and flipped it open. He read it silently and then passed it to Brock. Usually, he would’ve handed it to Ray, but his brother had gone home after Agent Carville released them from the scene. He was clearly rattled by what had happened, and Jason hoped that Naima could calm him down.

“Thanks,” Brock said. He accepted the letter and read it in silence. Then, he folded it up and passed it back to Jason.

“You two sure you don’t want to read it?” Jason asked.

“No,” both Trent and Sonny replied simultaneously.

“Okay,” Jason said, putting the letter back into the evidence bag and into his jacket pocket. When he saw Ray later, he would ask him if he wanted to read it.

“And?” Sonny inquired.

“And what?” Jason frowned.

“What did it say?”

“I thought you didn’t want to know what it said?” Jason inquired.

“That’s not what I said. I said I don’t want to read it,” Sonny argued.

“Just read the damn thing, Sonny.” Jason pulled it out of his pocket and shoved it towards Sonny.

With a mumble, Sonny took the bag and pulled the sheet of paper out. He read it in silence and then looked at Brock and Jason. “Is that it?”

“Well, you didn’t see us reading anything else, so yes, that is it.” Jason rolled his eyes.

Sonny huffed as he placed the sheet of paper back inside the bag. “It is not what I expected it to be.”

Brock shook his head. He looked at his best friend. “As Sonny said, it’s not what he expected. It’s not what I expected. You can read it if you want.”

“Not interested, thanks.” Trent shook his head as Sonny offered him the bag.

“It’s not a suicide note,” Sonny blurted.

“I still don’t care,” Trent responded.

Sonny opened his mouth but closed it when Jason glared at him.

“Are we going to do it?” Brock asked.

“Are you crazy? There’s no way we’re doing that!” Sonny exclaimed.

“Reasonable request my ass. We’re not doing that. Not after what he’s done to Clay,” Sonny hissed.

“And what about what you’ve done?” Brock inquired with balled fists.

“And what is that supposed to mean, dogboy? We made our amends. It’s not the same as what Meddings did.”

“No? You might not have kidnapped him, but you still caused him tremendous pain,” Brock argued. He had been holding his anger towards his brothers bottled up the whole time. It seemed like he couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“We didn’t mean to!” Sonny shouted.

“And how the fuck did you not mean to, Sonny! You were there. You and the rest of Bravo saw what was happening and encouraged Meddings's behavior. You supplemented it with your own doings by not only telling him to suck it up but alienating him from all of you. To go so far as to assault him yourself physically!” Brock had jumped to his feet as he yelled out the accusations.

“Easy, Brock,” Trent said as he rose to his feet. It wasn’t often that his best friend got angry, but when he did, he did it spectacularly.

“No!” Brock turned to face the other man. “You do not get to try and calm me down, Trent. Not on this.”

“I know you’re upset, but I don’t think this is the right place to take out your anger and frustration on us.” Trent tried to reason.

“No, this is the perfect place,” Brock hissed. “I’ve stayed quiet for too long. I know Clay has forgiven you guys, and he’s more than willing to mend fences with you, and on some level, I am too, but this, this is on your shoulders, even if you don’t want to believe it or see it. You could have stopped this. Clay wouldn’t be in this situation fighting for his life again if you just had his back.”

Brock's words stung them all. Sonny fell back into his chair, and Trent stumbled back. Jason, who’d remained seated, lowered his head.

Brock dragged his hand through his curls and sighed. “I just think that if one of you had spoken to Junior and got a way to get him to talk, all of this could’ve been avoided. I know he took the coward's way out, but he must’ve hurt so much, and this request is not much he is asking for. And it’s not even for himself. So, maybe, just maybe, this time around, instead of doing something to spite the other person, we do it because it’s the decent thing to do.”

Jason nodded. “You’re right, Brock. On all of the things you’ve just said. And we’ll talk to Clay again. And to you. And we’ll honor Junior’s wish. It is the one thing we can do.”

“Okay,” Brock answered.

“We really did this,” Sonny sounded lost as he lifted his head and looked at his brothers before him. He fisted his hands as they trembled. Sonny lowered his head, and before he could even consider suppressing his emotions, he started to sob. His shoulders shook as he sank to his knees, and the weight of what they had done crashed over him. He tried to steady his breath, but he could only gasp. He tried to apologize, but the tears continued to stream down his face.

Sonny was dimly aware that his brothers were moving around him. More than one hand landed on his shoulders and back, keeping him grounded as he finally let his emotions out. It took a while before he finally got himself under control and sat up straight.

“Thanks,” he whispered gruffly.

Jason squeezed his shoulder as Brock passed him a tissue. Sonny isn’t surprised to see Trent pulling out a bottle of water. He accepts it without a word and nearly empties it before he closed the bottle. “I know you don’t want to read the note, but since we’re going to do it, you need to know what it said.”

“I gathered that much,” Trent responded. “What did it say?”

“It seems he hadn’t had a chance to scatter Dean’s ashes. He wants us to do it for him,” Sonny explained.

Trent frowned. “Is that it?”

Brock rolled his eyes, and Jason sighed. Both remained quiet as they glared at their teammate.

Trent shrugged. “Does he at least say where the ash is?”

“In his cage on base,” Jason answered.

“It hasn’t been cleaned out?” Trent asked.

“I know Agent Carville went through it, but they didn’t remove anything,” Brock answered.

“What about Junior’s body?” Sonny looked up from where he sat.

“What do you mean?” Jason frowned.

“Junior only had his dad. Dean is dead. We will scatter his ashes as Junior requested, but what about his body?”

“I’ll check his cage. Maybe there’s a letter to deal with that.” Jason looked at his men. “Enough about Junior. He’s dead. We need to concentrate on Clay. He’s our main priority.” He looked at Trent. “We need to get back to base. Will you be okay?” He asked Sonny.

Sonny nodded.

“I’ll make sure he takes it easy, Boss,” Brock stated.

At first, Sonny wanted to object, but the looks he received from Jason and Trent made him close his mouth.

“Good,” Jason squeezed Sonny’s shoulder and slapped Brock on the back. “Keep us updated. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Roger that, Boss,” Sonny and Brock answered together.

When their two brothers left, Sonny took a hard look at Brock. His friend had lost weight, his clothes looked baggy on his thin frame, and he had dark rings under his eyes. “We, and I don’t include you, really fucked up.”

Brock nodded.

Sonny sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, Brock, but talk to me, brother.”

Brock shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Sonny, but I’ve talked to all of you before. Lisa spoke to all of you. Clay, you, and the rest of the team have talked things through, but reading Junior’s request just made me realize again how close we came to losing Clay - forever. And I can’t wrap my head around the fact that you guys changed within three months. It makes me wonder if I really know you. Can I really trust you? Will this happen again?” Brock raised his hand when it looked like Sonny wanted to interrupt him.

“You cannot promise me it won’t happen again, Sonny. You cannot say I can trust you because you and the rest of the team have already broken that trust. I am frustrated and angry at Junior, you, and the rest of the team, including the Brass. They should’ve seen something was wrong and acted on it as well. It’s as if everyone had forgotten who Clay was, and I can’t understand that.” He lowered his head.

“I am sorry, Brock,” Sonny spoke softly.

“I know you are, Sonny. I think I just need more time to get things sorted out within myself,” Brock stated.

“I will do anything within my power to prove to you and Clay that both of you can trust me, Brock. I promise.”

Brock nodded. Both men leaned back in their chairs and waited patiently for news on their youngest brother. They were both relieved that the threat against Clay had finally been neutralized.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Notes:

We have reached the end of a journey. This journey was one that I had not imagined would take five years, as I posted Chapter 1 on the 10th of January 2020.

This story started before COVID-19 changed us. This story started with my mom still alive. And now, so many things have changed. Some for the better, others not.

I have to thank the one person who has been by my side through every word and chapter. The amazing IceBoxBee has been my rock, and I can’t thank her enough. Working with her on this story was a pleasure and an honor. Thank you!!

I have to thank everyone who read this story and who took the time to comment and leave kudos. Thank you to all of you!

Although this story has come to an end, I am not done with the SEAL Team fandom. There will be another story for a special person who requested it on Tumblr. All that I ask is for you all to be patient. I have a few other stories I first need to complete. But I can tell you, I am excited about it!

Bethesda Hospital - Rehabilitation center: 7 Weeks later

“And where do you think you’re going?” Jason asked as he opened Clay’s room and found their rookie ready to heave himself out of bed. He waited patiently as Clay thought about what he had to say.

“Bathroom,” Clay finally answered. “Need to pee.” He sighed.

Jason nodded. “I thought you had a bottle for that.” He teased and grinned when Clay glared at him.

“Can do it myself,” Clay pronounced his words carefully.

“Okay.” Jason didn’t offer his help. Clay had thrown a major tantrum a week ago when he finally got fed up with them hovering over him twenty-four-seven. On advice from Doctor Paddington, they’d backed down.

To say they were proud of Clay would be an understatement. It had taken his medical team four days to stabilize him. He had woken up on day six. At first, Clay had difficulty remembering what had happened, but then he laid eyes on Cerberus, and everything came rushing back to a certain point. He can remember being shot and loaded into the van. After that, things were scrambled. He had no idea that Ash was with him until they informed him and told him about Ash’s death. Unfortunately, that led to a major panic attack, which resulted in a seizure. One big enough that had them all worried even more. After that though, Clay slowly started to get better. His kidneys worked fine. His lungs are slowly improving, and the hardware in his leg has caused no blood clots or nasty stuff like that.

Clay was released from the main hospital and now had a room in the rehab center. Medical personnel were still around, but he had more freedom on this side. His shoulder was also healing. He had started therapy on it and had been sling-free for the past four days; hence, he was issued a pair of crutches and could go to the bathroom on his own. Doctor Paddington wanted to release him from the center the following day if everything went well.

Jason made himself home in one of the many visitor chairs while waiting for Clay to return. He would be lying if he said he didn’t listen closely just to make sure Clay didn’t need any help.

When Clay returned, Jason could see how the young man’s hands trembled as he gripped the crutches. He had a fine sheen of sweat that covered his brow. Jason wanted to reach out to help, but Clay's glare made him stay seated. Only when Clay was back on the bed did he reach out and place Clay’s crutches within reach.

“You want some water?” Jason asked.

Clay nodded. “Please.”

Jason filled the plastic tumbler and handed it to Clay. He had to shape his hands into fists so as not to hold the glass for Clay. Their youngest had to do simple tasks like that on his own. Jason sighed softly as Clay managed to empty the glass without spilling, and he grinned as Clay slowly placed the tumbler on the roll-away tray before he leaned back against his pillows.

“Where is the rest of the team?” Clay asked slowly.

“Getting ready for you to get out of here,” Jason responded.

“I’m going home?” Clay asked.

Jason nodded. He didn’t remind Clay that he knew it already. Clay had some difficulty in forming new long-term memories, and it was nothing new for any of them to repeat something to Clay that he knew from a day or two before.

Clay frowned. “You told me before.” He made it a statement and not a question.

“We did. Doc told you yesterday.” Jason kept his voice level.

Clay groaned and dragged his hands across his face. “Fuck!” He shouted into his cupped hands.

“Hey,” Jason reached out and squeezed his foot. “Don’t go down that path. You are doing so good. More importantly, you are improving daily.”

“Yeah?” Clay swallowed. “And how many times did you tell me that already?” He sounded pissed.

“Not nearly enough,” Jason said with a smile. “Seven weeks ago, Kid, we didn’t know if you’d survive the first hour when we found you. But as always, you proved us wrong. I know you feel that you’re not making enough progress or not progressing quickly enough, but, Clay, you truly are doing amazing.”

When Clay rolled his eyes, Jason slapped his foot. “You know I don’t blow smoke up people’s asses, so you know I’m telling you the truth. The fact that you are talking again and only have to think a few seconds before responding is testimony to how far you’ve come. Doc had prepared us for the worst, Clay. And now, seeing you up on your feet, able to communicate in full sentences, and being seizure-free for two weeks is the best any of us could have hoped for.”

Clay nodded. “You sure I can go home?”

Jason squeezed his rookie’s knee. “I’m sure. Tomorrow morning, we’re springing you from this place.”

“I’m going to Trent’s place.”

“Are you asking or stating?”

“Stating it.”

“Yeah, you are. And I’m not sure who’s more excited about it. Bleu, Cerb, or Sonny.”

Clay frowned and then grinned. “Bleu is my dog.”

Jason punched his fist into the air. “Yes!” He grinned from ear to ear. “Well done, kid, well done.” It was the first time that Clay remembered what Bleu was to him. “You see, progress. Loads and loads of progress.”

“I dreamt of him last night.” Clay’s voice dipped.

Jason lowered his head. Clay was no longer talking about Bleu. He had this recurring dream - hell, more of a nightmare, about Meddings. “You are not responsible for Junior’s death, Clay,” Jason growled softly.

“So he is dead?” Clay asked softly.

Jason wanted to kick himself. He should’ve waited for Clay to say more before he responded. Fuck, he hated Clay’s memory problems. Jason nodded. “Yes, he is.”

“He suffered?”

Jason frowned. “Why do you ask that?” This was something new.

“He was struggling to breathe. He was covered in blood, half naked.” Clay shook his head and looked at Jason.

Jason frowned. “It is the first time you dreamt that he struggled with breathing and being covered in blood?”

Clay shrugged. “I think so.”

Jason grimaced. He had a feeling that Clay might have also dreamt about Ash, maybe manifesting into Junior. Hell, he had no idea. “Junior didn’t suffer, Clay. It was a clean shot.”

“Ash? Did Ash suffer?” Clay turned pale. His hands trembled.

Jason reached out and grabbed Clay’s hand. “Stay with me, Clay. Don’t go down that hole. It’s okay, you’re safe.” Jason knew he was babbling, but he didn’t want Clay to even think about Ash, or Junior for that matter. And he definitely didn’t want Clay to work himself up into a seizure. Not now.

“Tell me, Jason. Tell me,” Clay demanded.

Jason nodded. “Junior and his goons had beaten Ash to death. From what the autopsy showed, Ash had a difficult time before he died.” That was the extent of what they told Clay whenever he asked. Nothing more and nothing less.

Clay grabbed his pillow, pressed it against his face, and screamed. He continued to scream as he thought about his dreams, about the fact that he could remember what Junior had done to him. But he screamed more about what he couldn’t remember. He wanted to know if he tried to save Ash if Ash tried to save him. Was that the reason he was alive and Ash dead? He had so many questions, and he had a feeling that his brothers had told him everything before he just wished his fucking brain would get itself sorted out. He hated not knowing. He hated not being able to deal with things.

Jason had moved from his chair and stood by Clay’s side. Even though the young man had placed the pillow over his face, his muffled screams could still be heard. Jason had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before one of the nursing staff burst in to find out what had their patient so distraught.

Jason reached for his sidearm, which he still carried openly, when Clay’s door swung open. Even before he could yell for the nurse to get out, Bleu barreled through the door and leaped onto the bed. Jason looked as the young dog managed to wiggle himself between Clay’s face and the pillow he held in front of him.

Bleu licked at Clay’s face, whimpered softly, and pushed his weight against Clay’s chest until Clay had no choice but to lean back. Bleu managed to get himself fully onto Clay’s lap. Clay had let go of the pillow and had a tight hold on Bleu’s fur. He was no longer screaming, but sobs rocked his body as he cried.

Jason met Brock’s eyes from where his other brother stood at the door. With a final look at Clay, Jason made his way over to where Brock was, and the two exited the room. Jason closed the door behind him but didn’t move away.

“The moment we exited the elevator, Bleu knew something was wrong. He ran straight to the room,” Brock explained.

Before Jason could reply, one of the nurses approached them. “Is everything okay?” She asked, concerned.

“Everything is fine, thank you,” Jason replied. When she nodded and turned away, he spoke up again. “Clay asked about Ash.”

Brock grimaced. “Fuck.” They all hated that Clay couldn’t remember, but they hated it even more than when he was told he relived that anguish repeatedly. Not telling him wasn’t an option. Doctor Paddington hoped that by repeating stuff, they would finally get stuck. Brock could only hope.

“You can say that again.” Jason sighed, but then he smiled. “But he did remember Bleu was his dog.”

“Yes!” Brock grinned. “That's the sort of news I wanted to hear.”

“We need more good news like that,” Jason stated.

Brock nodded. “Agent Carville reached out to me.”

“Yeah?” Jason frowned. Typically, the NCIS agent contacted him directly. “About what?” He asked, even as he took out his phone to check if he’d missed a call or a text message.

“I think he contacted me because he thought I’d be the one who would stay the most level-headed,” Brock explained.

Jason sighed. “Let me guess, this is about Ash?”

Brock nodded. “It seems like Ash defrauded more than just Dean Meddings out of his retirement.”

“What does it have to do with Clay?” Jason had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

Brock pressed his fingers over his nose's bridge before responding. “Several people came forward after the news of Ash’s death, with claims against his estate.”

Jason snorted. “They want money?”

Brock nodded. “They’re demanding that the losses they’d suffered at Ash’s hands be paid to them.”

“What does this have to do with Clay?” Jason repeated his earlier question.

“Some of them produced paperwork where Clay endorsed some of the schemes. They say that because of Clay’s endorsement, they signed up. They started a civil action, not only against Ash’s estate, but Clay has been cited as the second defendant.”

“Are you fucking kidding me!” Jason hissed. “Jesus, fuck! You’ve got to be kidding me.” He dragged his hand over his head. “What is NCIS doing about this?”

Brock shrugged. “Not much they can do. It’s a civil action. Richard did suggest that we get a lawyer for Clay. What he did do was to get copies of the signatures they claim to belong to Clay and get that analyzed.”

“Do we know if any of these fucknuts are saying that they met personally with Clay?” Jason asked.

Brock shook his head. “It doesn’t seem like that. Richard gathered that Ash would make up excuses on why Clay didn’t meet with the prospective investors by saying that he was on deployment or got spun up for a time-sensitive mission.”

Jason nodded. “Good, that’s good.”

“Our problem is that they plan on serving Clay tomorrow.”

“Of course they are.” Jason balled his fists. “Can our fucking kid not get a break!” He interlinked his hands behind his head. “Okay, we need to talk to Doc Paddington about this. Maybe we can find a way to keep the vultures off Clay's back until we can sort things out.”

“That’s why I thought Bleu and I could stay with Clay a bit, and you could contact the doctor. Agent Carville said he would come through if that would also help.”

“Thanks, Brock.” Jason reached for his phone again. He scrolled down his contact list. “The rest of Bravo, do they know?” Jason asked as he placed the phone against his ear.

I told them the basics.” Brock grimaced. “Sonny put a hole in Trent’s spare room wall.”

“Of course he did.” He held up his hand when Brock wanted to respond.

“Doc, it’s Jason Heyes. I’m sorry to bother you, but we need your help. Any chance that you’re in our office or at the hospital?” Jason listened to the doctor’s response.

“Clay is physically good, Doc. But we’ve got other problems. Can I meet you in your office and discuss it with you?” Jason nodded. “Great, I’ll be there in ten minutes. Thank you.” He ended the call.

“Keep Clay entertained. I’ll be back.” Jason squeezed Brock’s shoulder before he quickly walked away.

Brock lowered his head momentarily, gathering his thoughts, and then pushed Clay’s door open. He couldn’t help but smile when he found Bleu sprawled out over Clay and the young man fast asleep. Brock softly closed the door behind him, quietly walked over to the deep leather chair Clay sometimes used, and sat down. He had a clear view of the door and his youngest brother from his position. “Sleep, Clay. We’ve got you. This time, you will not be alone. Bravo will fight for you. We will keep you safe.”

--SEAL TEAM--

Offices of Cornwell & Robb incorporated: 2 Weeks later

“You ready for this?” Jason asked as he stood next to Clay.

Clay nodded. His face was void of any emotion. “Let’s get this over with.” He adjusted his grip on his crutches before he entered the lawyer’s offices with Jason on his heels. Clay approached the reception area and smiled at the young man behind the large desk.

“Good morning, I’m Clay Spenser. I’ve got an appointment with Jocelyn Robb.”

“Yes, Mr. Spenser. Our senior partner is ready for you. If you would follow me, please?”

Clay nodded as Jason followed him as they walked deeper into the office. He waited as the young man knocked on the door and opened it when a response came from inside. Clay stepped into the room and frowned. “Agent Carville?” he asked, confused. He noticed another male in the room, whom he didn’t know—or maybe he did know. His soddy memory was still not firing on all cylinders.

“Come in, gentlemen, have a seat,” Jocelyn Robb said softly. “Make sure we’re not disturbed, Vincent.” She waited for the young man to close the door behind him before she spoke up again.

“Mr.Spenser, it’s good to see you again. You’re looking better.” She smiled.

“You are Jocelyn Robb?” Clay asked.

Jocelyn nodded. “Sorry, yes. I am. We have met twice before. I am your lawyer in this matter.” She indicated to the large oval table that took up a fair amount of space in her spacious office.

Clay nodded but didn’t respond. His eyes landed on the other unknown man. “Do I know you?” Clay looked over his shoulder when Jason snorted. “Jay?” He asked, concerned.

“It’s okay, Clay. This is Andrew Mastiff. He is Ash’s lawyer.”

Jason’s tone made it clear that the Master Chief did not think much of the man. Clay nodded.

“I thought this meeting was only between you, me, and Spenser, Robb? What are they doing here?” Mastiff asked.

Clay shivered. Something in Mastiff’s voice placed him on edge. He reached down to scratch Bleu’s head but sighed as his hand merely touched air. He had left Bleu at home. A decision he regretted now.

“You okay, Kid?” Jason frowned. He’d seen the way Clay had shivered. He ignored Mastiff’s question.

“It’s nothing. Can we start?” Clay slowly made his way over to the large table and took one of the chairs so that his back was against the wall.

“Do you remember why you’re here?” Jocelyn asked.

Clay nodded. “Jason informed me this morning about the facts I’m still struggling with.”

“That’s good.” Jocelyn took her seat. She nodded to another young man who sat at the end of the table with what appeared to be a transcriptor. With a sureness, she placed all the parties on record. “As for why Master Chief Heyes and NCIS Special Agent Carville are present, let the record show that Master Chief Heyes is here in his capacity as conservator to Mr. Spenser until such time Mr. Spenser’s memory problems have been sorted out. Agent Carville is here as he obtained some important information that will significantly impact the civil action Mr. Spenser is part of now.”

“Agent Carville?” Jocelyn nodded. “You want to start things off?”

“Thank you.” Richard pulled out some documents and distributed it around the table. “We finally got the results from the handwriting analysis done on the signatures that appeared on the proposals Ash used to lure his investors.” He didn’t miss Mastiff’s hands shaking as he took the paper.

“Jason?” Clay asked. One more aspect that crept up after the last assault was that Clay had difficulty in reading. Words and sentences were all jumbled up, and he explained that it was as if the words swam. It made him physically ill to look at something that was written down.

Jason rested his hand on Clay’s wrist. “The signatures do not match.” Jason looked at Carville who sat across from him. He grinned. “The signatures are fake.” He squeezed Clay’s wrist.

“They are sure?” Clay stated from the beginning that he had not gone into any business dealings with Ash and had not signed any proposals or endorsed any investments Ash sold to innocent people.

Jason glared at Mastiff. Then, the man argued that Clay might have been involved, and because of his memory problems, he just couldn’t remember. He had gone so hard at Clay that Bleu had started to growl even harder than Jason. Luckily, Doctor Paddington was present, and he had stopped the proceedings.

“They are sure. But there’s something else that came to light. Something that made me contact the DA’s office,” Richard stated as he pulled out another set of documents that he passed to Robb and Jason. He ignored Mastiff’s outstretched hand.

“What is it?” Clay asked.

“In short. Your dad really thought you were on board, Clay.” Richard spoke softly.

“What?” Clay said, confused.

“You see, he had some shady dealings going on, but with this specific scheme, he got involved on the advice of his lawyer. The same lawyer who contacted Ash one day and told him he’d gotten you on board. He even played a voice note of you telling him how excited you were about working with him. According to the note, you had asked to stay in the background and work through the attorney where possible. Apparently, you were scared of what the Brass would do if they found out you supported Ash openly.”

Clay shook his head. “No, I didn’t. Jace, I swear I didn’t.”

“Easy Clay,” Richard continued. “In short, the note was created with AI software. It was a close match, but not quite right. What is of more importance is where we found it.”

He turned his chair and looked at Ash’s attorney. “In a cloud storage that we traced back to you.” Richard rose to his feet and reached for his cuffs. “Andrew Mastiff, I am arresting you for fraudulent misrepresentation, contravening the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, and forgery. I think the DA will be able to add a few more.”

“No!” Mastiff bellowed as he leaped across the table in an effort to attack Clay. He found himself on his back in the middle of the table with a SIG pistol pressed against the middle of his forehead.

“Please make a move so that I can blow your fucking brains out,” Jason threatened as he pressed the barrel of the pistol harder against the lawyer’s forehead. Unfortunately for Jason, Mastiff remained motionless. Jason yanked Mastiff to his feet and shoved him towards Richard. “Get him out of here,” Jason growled. He turned and blanched. Jason stepped forward and caught Clay as the young man collapsed to the floor.

“Call 911,” he barked as the first tremors played across Clay’s body.

--SEAL TEAM--

Trent’s home: Hours later

“Are you sure you’ll be up for this?” Trent asked as he handed Clay a bottle of water. “You do know it can wait until you’re feeling better.”

“I know, but I need to do this, Trent,” Clay responded softly before he took a few sips of the cold water and lowered the bottle.

“Okay, but the moment Bleu looks at you funny, I’m stopping things, okay?”

Clay snorted as he nodded. “Bleu always looks at me funny.”

“No, he looks at you with pure devotion. Trust me; it’s the same look Cerb gives you. But he also has a second look, and it’s that one I’m talking about.”

Clay wanted to argue, but he only managed to hum before he let out a huge yawn. The seizure was terrible, but there was no reason to keep him in the hospital. The doctor who attended to him in the ER contacted Doctor Paddington and then sent him home with strict instructions to get some rest. Clay had no problem with that. It felt as if he could sleep for days.

“Get some rest. I will wake you up when everyone is here,” Trent took the bottle from Clay’s hand and placed it on the side table. He looked over to where Bleu lay next to Clay’s bed. “You come and get me if there are any problems.” Trent grinned when Bleu sighed and lowered his head onto his front paws. With one final look back, Trent exited Clay’s room and headed back to his living room, where the rest of the team sat waiting.

“How is he?” Sonny asked the moment Trent stepped into the room.

“He’s okay, Sonny. Exhausted, but that’s to be expected. I have a feeling he will sleep for a few hours. Bleu is at his side.” Trent grabbed a beer from the coffee table and sat down.

“I still don’t understand how Carville made the connection between Ash and his scumbag lawyer,” Ray stated as he clinked his bottle with Trent’s.

“Hopefully, he and Clay’s attorney will be able to explain everything when they arrive,” Jason said with his eyes closed.

“And you don’t have any idea, Jase?” Sonny asked.

“Nope, only that they wanted to talk to Clay as soon as possible and even suggested to meet here to do that,” Jason said.

“We’re not supposed to entertain them, are we?” Sonny frowned.

“Entertain them? WTF, Sonny?” Trent threw his hands in the air.

“Yeah, you know that little dainty finger things and horse shit, things like that.” Sonny shrugged.

“Are you talking about hors d’oeuvres, Sonny?” Brock managed not to laugh.

“Yeah, those things,” Sonny indicated with his hands.

Jason couldn’t look at Ray, but then he looked at Trent and burst out laughing. That meant the whole group of men laughed, even Sonny. Finally, when he got himself under control, Jason managed to respond. “Jocelyn might be a lawyer, Sonny, but she’s more comfortable with beer than hors d’oeuvres. No need to stress about that.”

“Good to know.” Sonny emptied his beer and rose to his feet to get himself another. He gathered the other empties and handed the new beers out. “The doc at the hospital, is he sure Clay is okay?” He looked back towards the bedrooms.

“He’s fine, Sonny. I checked him out myself, and Bleu is totally relaxed. He is good. He’s just exhausted,” Trent replied patiently. He looked around and frowned. “Where’s Cerb, Brock?”

Brock grinned. “He’s visiting a very special lady friend this week.”

“What? You’re making him a daddy?” Sonny laughed. “I thought you said you’ll do that when he retires?” Sonny frowned. “He is okay, isn’t he?”

“He’s okay. He was cleared for duty by the vet and his rehab team. But he met a young female Malinois there who made him giddy whenever he saw her. She’s a service dog like Bleu and just retired. Her owner wanted to breed with her, and since they really got along, we decided to give it a go,” Brock explained.

“You’re gonna be a doggy grandpa,” Sonny chuckled.

The group laughed. It’s been the first time in a very long time that they had a chance to relax. Clay needs to overcome this hurdle, and things will be good again.

--SEAL TEAM--

Trent took his position on Clay’s right. Jason sat on Clay’s left, and Bleu curled up in front of Clay’s feet. Introductions were made, and everyone had a beer, well, everyone except Clay, who had some iced tea.

“Thank you for agreeing to see us, Clay,” Jocelyn stated. “I have a feeling you and your team are wondering what is going on.”

“We might have fielded that question once or twice,” Sonny replied and grunted when Brock poked him in his side.

Jocelyn smiled. She looked at Richard. “I think you should start, Agent Carville.”

Richard nodded. “When we got the info on the possible lawsuit against Ash’s estate and them dragging Clay in, something that Bruce said came back to me.”

“Bruce Kane?” Ray asked. He exchanged looks with the rest of Bravo.

“Yes, the one and only. I pulled out his confession, and he mentioned that Ash had stated that Clay knew what he was doing. Kane said that Clay denied involvement but made me take the drive to go and talk to him. He’d told me that while they were beating up Ash, Ash kept saying that everything was above board, that even Clay was involved as his lawyer had set it up.”

“WTF?” Sonny growled. He looked over at where Clay had become pale. He looked at Bleu and relaxed when the dog continued to lay at Clay’s feet.

“We know Clay had nothing to do with that, but that made me wonder about the lawyer. That is why I started the investigation into the novice note. On this same topic, Mastiff’s brother-in-law is part of the legal team who instituted the claim against Ash’s estate and dragged Clay in as the second defendant.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Ray asked.

Jocelyn nodded. “Big time.”

“Long story short,” Richard continued. “Mastiff and his brother-in-law were the main men behind the scheme, and when some of their more prominent clients started to demand their money back, they decided to pin it all on Ash, and just to make sure, they added Clay’s name so that Clay would lose his inheritance and they would get some of their investors off their backs.”

“So Ash was innocent?” Clay asked.

Richard looked at Jocelyn before he answered. “In the scheme where your name was added, and AI used to add you as an endorsement, he was innocent. But in the scheme where Dean took his own life, unfortunately, Ash knew it was a bad investment from the beginning.”

Clay slowly nodded. “Meddings had the right to want me dead,” he stated despondently.

“What!” The group of men spoke as one.

“Ash cost an honest man his life. A man who served his country without fear or favor,” Clay continued as if no one spoke up. “Ash took advantage of a man who believed a fellow frogman, and all that it got him was death. Master Chief Meddings had the right to take my life for what Ash had done.”

Before Clay could continue, Ray knelt before him. “Look at me, Clay,” he spoke softly and waited patiently for Clay to meet his gaze before he continued. “What Ash did was wrong. What Junior did was wrong. And two wrongs do not make a right. You and Dean, you both suffered for their actions. You and Dean did nothing wrong. Dean took his own life, and that is on him. You had no hand in that. You deserve to live, Clay. Don’t let the actions of other people change who you are. You are one of the best frogmen out there and a man of honor and integrity. A man who is a natural-born leader and a man I’m honored to know will always have my back, but most importantly, a man I’m honored to call my brother and my friend.”

Clay nodded. He looked down again. “I’m tired. I need to lie down.” He slowly moved forward and nudged Bleu with his hand when the dog stayed at his feet.

“Clay?” Sonny asked. “Are you okay?”

“Tired,” Clay mumbled as he tried to take hold of his crutch to get to his feet but grunted as Bleu leaped to his feet and pushed Clay back into his seat.

Bleu’s action was enough for the rest of Bravo to know what was coming. Trent immediately lowered Clay onto his side even as the first tremor appeared.

“Why don’t we give them some space,” Brock suggested as he guided Richard and the attorney to the side. They all knew Clay hated people witnessing his seizures.

“Will he be okay?” Jocelyn asked, concerned as she moved away.

“He will be,” Brock responded, even as he looked over his shoulder to where Trent and Bleu watched Clay as the tremors wrecked Clay’s body. He sighed quietly when he noticed they’d stopped quickly, and Bleu became more relaxed.

“I think it’s time we got going,” Richard noted. Clay was slowly gaining his bearings but still looked dazed and confused. He knew Clay would sleep things off, but trying to talk to him further would be useless.

“Yes, sure,” Jocelyn agreed. “I’m available whenever Clay wants to talk to me. But you can assure him that his name was removed as the second defendant, but there is still a claim against his dad’s estate.”

“I will tell him,” Brock answered. He didn’t add that Clay wouldn’t give a damn about Ash’s estate. That was for Clay himself to tell the lawyers that. Brock showed them out, and by the time he returned, Clay and Bleu were gone, and Trent just took his seat.

“Our boy, okay?” Jason asked as Brock grabbed his beer.

Trent nodded. “Just groggy, but he’s okay,” he assured them.

“I’m sorry to raise this, but I must. Do we think Clay is suicidal?” Ray asked.

Sonny groaned and lowered his head. “You really have to go there.” He looked up at Trent.

Jason had noticed how Brock had stiffened at Ray’s question. “Trent?” While neither Sonny nor Brock had said anything, he felt they were asking the same question Ray did.

“No, he’s not,” Trent answered confidently. “He is tired, he is still hurting, and he is struggling with the new set of limitations placed on him by his body, so he is down, but he is nowhere near being suicidal.” When he saw the others still looking unsure, he pressed on. “Guys, you know the kid, he never gives up. A lot has happened to him these last few months, and now, with Ash’s death and his memory not working properly, he is down, but he is still committed to life. Just keep being there for him, and he’ll get through this.”

“Okay, then it’s time we all head out.” Jason rose to his feet. He grinned when he saw Sonny staying put. He should’ve known the big Texan wasn’t going to leave soon. “Don’t drink up all Trent’s beer; he might kill you,” Jason warned as he tossed his empty into the trash and gathered his keys.

Sonny snorted, but he eyed Trent sideways. Trent promised severe pain in the future if he drank all of his beer, so he was a bit weary. “I’ll try, Boss.”

Jason shook his head and hugged Trent from the side. “I’ll get you guys tomorrow at around 10:00 for Clay’s therapy.”

“We’ll be ready,” Trent answered. He fist-bumped Brock and Ray and then closed the door behind them.

“You okay, Sonny?” He asked as he grabbed two beers from the fridge.

“Just thinking on what an absolute fucking piece of shit Ashland Spenser was. Still can’t believe that he was a tier one SEAL.” Sonny accepted the beer and took a sip after he tossed the bottle cap toward the coffee table.

“You and me both, brother. But Clay is nothing like his old man.”

“And for that, I’m forever grateful.” Sonny raised his beer in salute. “Clay is one hell of a frogman.”

Trent nodded.

“Has Clay told you what he’s going to do?” Sonny inquired. With the way Clay’s leg was smashed, any outside chance he had to attend State 21 flew out of the window. If he stayed in the Navy, he would become a pencil pusher as he’d labeled it before.

“He refuses to talk about it,” Trent admitted.

“Do you think he will pack up and leave us?”

Trent frowned at Sonny’s question. “Why would he do that?”

“Just thinking.”

Trent nodded. “Because that is what you would do. Should it happen that you can’t operate anymore, you won’t stay here. You’d rather leave in order not to see us. It would be too painful for you.”

“You don’t think Clay would do the same?” Sonny sounded hopeful.

“I don’t think he will, but if he does, it doesn’t mean we’ll let him go without a fight, Sonny. Just like we won’t let you go without a fight.”

Sonny remained quiet. He emptied his beer. “Can I crash out here?” He patted the couch he sat on.

“You know you can. The blankets and pillows are where they always are,” Trent rose to his feet. He collected Sonny’s bottles and placed them in the trash. “Good night, Sonny.”

“Night,” Sonny answered as he made his way to the hall closet to collect a thin blanket and a pillow. On his way back, he peeked into Clay’s room. His best friend was curled up on his side, with Bleu curled up at his feet. The young Labrador lifted his head, wagged his tail, and then closed his eyes again.

“Sleep tight, buddy,” Sonny whispered before he made his way back to the couch to get some sleep.

--SEAL TEAM--

The Bulkhead: 2 Months later

The table quieted down as Richard neared the group of men.

“What? Since when do you look so glum when I approach?” He asked as he took his seat between Brock and Lisa.

“Since we’ve come to realize that we get bad news every time we see you, every time we see you,” Sonny stated.

“Well, this time around, I’ve got good news.” Richard nodded his thanks as a beer was placed in front of him. “Where’s Clay?” He frowned. Richard noticed that Trent was missing as well.

“On base with the Brass,” Jason growled.

“Oh?” He looked at Brock and nodded when his friend shook his head.

“So what’s the good news?” Sonny asked.

“Will they join us?” Richard asked.

“Yeah, they will head over here as soon as they are done,” Ray said.

“Okay, then I will wait on them.” Richard leaned back. He then noticed that they all sported interesting bruises and scrapes on their faces and arms. “Had some time in the field, I see.”

Jason growled again, and Richard grinned. “I know you know Gibbs, so you know I’m not scared off by a growl or two.”

Jason huffed and rolled his eyes. “We had some time in the field, and our HTV didn’t share our view of getting out of there as soon as possible, or for that matter, as quietly as possible.”

Knowing it would be useless to ask, Richard nodded. He took a sip of his beer and turned his attention to Brock. “I hear you’ll become a doggy grandpa in a few days?” Richard laughed as Brock rolled his eyes at him.

The group started bantering and sharing jokes until Jason spoke up. “Finally,” he indicated, pointing towards the door.

Richard turned and saw Clay entering the bar with Bleu beside him and Trent at his back. He couldn’t help but notice that Bleu got plenty of pats and scratches as they made their way to where Bravo was seated. He stood up and shook both Clay and Trent’s hands.

“And?” Jason asked as Clay sat down between him and Sonny. Trent took a seat between Ray and Lisa.

Clay shrugged.

“Trent?” Jason glared at the medic.

Trent shook his head.

“I’m going to lose my fucking shit if either one of you doesn’t tell me what the hell is going on,” Jason growled.

“It’s classified,” Eric’s voice sounded from the side as he dragged an extra chair closer.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Jason hissed. He wanted to say something else when Clay spoke up.“Leave it, Jase.” Clay reached out to the glass of ice water Lisa placed before him. He was still not allowed alcohol.

Jason opened his mouth.

“Leave it, Master Chief.” Eric used his commander's voice to ensure that Jason knew now was not the time or place.

Jason glared at Eric and then nodded at Clay. “You will tell me as soon as you can, you understand, Kid?” He squeezed Clay’s shoulder.

Clay nodded. He looked around the table. “Agent Carville, what brings you to our side of the beach?” He slapped Sonny’s hand away as the Texan tried to stick his wet finger into Clay’s ear. Clay grinned when Bleu wiggled in between him and Sonny. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Labrador giving Sonny a look.

“I’ve got some news regarding Bruce Kane.” Richard leaned back in his chair. “As you all know, he pleaded guilty to all the charges leveled against him. He was sentenced today as agreed with JAG and will be eligible for parole after twenty years.”

“You okay with that, Clay?” Jason asked. They all knew the prosecution wanted Clay to deliver a victim impact statement, but he’d refused.

Clay nodded.

“Ken doll?” Sonny inquired.

Clay shook his head. “It’s done. I’ve got nothing else to say.” He placed his hand on Bleu’s head as the dog nudged him.

“Understood,” Richard answered. He took the last sip of his beer. He took out his wallet and placed a few notes on the table. “I’ve got to get going, but the next round is on me.” He rose to his feet.

“Agent Carville.” Clay slowly got to his feet and stretched out his hand. “Thank you.”

Richard smiled and shook Clay’s hand. “Keep safe, Clay.” He greeted the others and headed out. Justice had been done. Clay still had a way to go, but he did not doubt that he would be okay with Bravo by his side.

--SEAL TEAM--

Offices of Cornwell & Robb incorporated: 3 Months later

Jocelyn smiled as she got to her feet to greet Clay and Jason. She smiled at Bleu and indicated to them to take seats around the large table as she grabbed the folder from her desk and brought it over.

“You’re looking good, Clay,” she chatted as she opened the folder and took out several pages.

“Thanks. Physical therapy is paying off,” Clay responded with a smile.

“That is great. Well, I’ve met with the circuit judge this morning, and she had no problem terminating Master Chief Heyes's role as your conservator. It is clear that you are more than capable of handling your own affairs.”

Clay grinned. “Thank you, Jocelyn.”

Jason slapped Clay on the shoulder. Although they all knew it was just a formality, Clay was still concerned that the judge might say he could not act without a conservator.

Jocelyn looked at Jason. “Well, since your services are no longer needed here, Master Chief, I will ask you to step outside as I have some other business to discuss with my client.”

Jason rose to his feet. “No problem, I’ll wait outside.”

“No, Jason can stay,” Clay said.

“You sure?” Jason asked.

“I’m sure,” Clay responded.

“Okay.” Jason sat back down.

Jocelyn smiled and nodded. “Well, let's get to it then. Since the court threw out the claim against Ash’s estate and the plaintiffs voluntarily stepped back in the claim against you in your name, Ash’s whole estate became yours. That includes royalties from his books. I know you don’t want anything to do with it except that you want it to be used in the care of Veterans, especially those diagnosed with TBI.”

Jocelyn grabbed one of the leaflets she pulled from the folder and handed it to Clay. “I found this charity group that a Veteran and his family are running. It is right in Virginia Beach; they solely help Veterans with TBI-related problems. They’ve been doing incredible work for the past two years, but like any other charity group, they desperately need funds. I have a copy of their business plan and a set of financials for you to review. They are more than willing to meet with you, and I know you want the donation to be anonymous, and that can be arranged, but I think it will still be a good idea for you to go and look at the place in person.”

“Clay?” Jason asked, surprised.

Clay scratched Bleu’s ear before he responded. “I finally read Master Chief Meddings note.” Clay squared his shoulders and cleared his throat. “I’m not going to tell you what it said, but it gave me a glimpse of what he was going through. And I understand now that I’m not to blame for what happened to him, but it doesn’t mean I can’t ignore his pain and suffering. Ash had been involved in so many schemes that I don’t want to know where that money came from, but if I can put the money to good use, why not.”

“It is the perfect plan, Kid,” Jason said with emotion. Clay’s generosity just didn’t stop to amaze him. Their kid was the one who told them that Junior’s unclaimed ashes couldn’t be left at the funeral home. Junior was still one of them and had done good in the world. That Junior had the right to be honored for that.

In the end, not many SEALS attended the small ceremony for Junior at the Bulkhead, but Junior’s photo was placed on the wall with his dad’s. And then they did what Junior asked of them, and they had taken Dean’s ashes, and on Clay’s instance, Junior’s ashes, and scattered it out at sea. Jason really hoped that Dean and Junior were at peace.

Ash was buried at Arlington Cemetery, as he requested. Jason knew Sonny hoped Ash wouldn’t qualify, but he had received a Purple Heart and, therefore, had the right to be buried there. Only Bravo Team attended the service. Clay has not visited Ash’s grave once.

Jason got pulled from his musings when Bleu pushed his cold nose against his wrist. He looked down at the Labrador and smiled. Bleu had been Clay’s saving grace. Clay and Bleu had become inseparable. When Clay was in the bathroom, he heard Clay yelling more than once for the dog to get out of the shower. He scratched Bleu’s head and looked at Clay. His rookie was no longer a mere rookie. He was a seasoned SEAL; hell, he was one of the best. He was going to miss him in the field. Jason sighed. They were picking a new Bravo rookie in the coming few weeks. They no longer could put it off. But they already made one thing clear to the Brass, there will be no Bravo Six. Clay’s callsign remains his. No other SEAL will be called six.

Seeing that Jocelyn and Clay were wrapping things up, Jason got to his feet. He reached out and shook the lawyer’s hand. He waited patiently for Clay to grab his cane before they all left the office, with Bleu leading at the front.

--SEAL TEAM--

Naval Base: Team’s briefing room - 18 Months after Clay’s car crush

Sonny slapped Blaze lightly on the back of the head and chuckled as the redhead turned and swung at him. “Still not fast enough, rookie,” Sonny joked as he moved to the side.

“Don’t need to be faster than you, Sonny, just cleverer,” Blaze - Jarred Wilkins replied. “And I have asked before, how am I still the rookie after almost a year on the team?” Blaze inquired.

Trent looked up from where he was seated, playing with Cerberus. “Being smarter than Sonny is not much of an achievement, Blaze. As for your second question, you remain the rookie until you’re no longer the new guy on the team. The cases of beer continue until there are no more firsts for you with the team or Sonny not being able to think up a reason for you to bring a case of beer.”

“Yeah, a case of beer for the rookie who thinks he's clever!” Sonny yelled.

Blaze shook his head and added the case to his tally. He was now at four cases for the month, and with only two days left, it was a massive improvement from previous months. He still couldn’t believe he was running with Bravo Team. It had been a steep learning curve after they’d drafted him. More than once, he’d thought they’d made a mistake in picking him, but in the end, he settled in, and he finally could call Bravo Team his family.

Sonny is the first to speak up when the door opens behind them. “Can we fine the rookie a case when he’s here before Bravo One and Two?”

Ray sighed, and Jason rolled his eyes. “Do you know how many cases he will then be in arrears if he had to give one every time he got here before you or every time he and Trent had to collect your ass from your favorite stripper club of the week?”

“Hey, that was once,” Sonny argued. He didn’t see Blaze raising six fingers in the air and ignored the sniggers from Brock and Trent.

“I would say the rookie owes the team one for correcting a Senior Petty Officer behind his back,” a voice sounded at the door. Silence fell over the room, and Blaze turned slowly. He made sure that his mouth was shut and did not hang open when he saw who stood before them. Clay Spenser. The Clay Spenser. Then, he noticed Clay’s insignia and jumped to attention. “Attention.” The rest of the team came to attention and watched as Clay entered the room.

Blaze looked on as Lieutenant Spenser entered the room. He came to a halt in front of Sonny and smiled. “At ease.”

Sonny growled, grabbed Clay around the waist, and hefted him into the air. “You’re here. You’re fucking finally here!” None of their superior officers wanted to lose Clay, and although they all knew that his days as an operator was over, Clay still had a lot of skills he could use to help the fight against terrorism.

At first, as he continued rehab and became mentally and physically stronger, he started as an instructor with Green Team. Under his supervision, their DEVGRU and Green Team snipers improved. Then, the Navy won all the accolades during the annual shooting competition between the different military branches.

One of the admirals who attended the competition inquired about Clay, and he got Clay entry into NMITC, where he graduated at the top of his class. From there on, they’d seen little of Clay as he was stationed in Maryland until now.

Clay laughed as he held on for dear life, and Sonny did his utmost best to twirl him in a circle. He laughed as Bleu saved him by jumping on Sonny’s back and nipping at his ears. Sonny dropped him like a sack of potatoes, but he managed to keep to his feet with Trent's help.

“Easy, Sonny, that can be seen as an assault on an officer,” Jason chastised Sonny as he moved towards Clay to hug him hard.

“What? Oh shit, are you okay, Clay?” Sonny asked as he managed to get Bleu to back down.

Clay could only nod as Trent had taken over from Jason, and then Brock shoved his best friend out of the way to engulf Clay in a bone-crunching hug before Ray finally got his chance and hugged him as well.

After another round of back-slaps, the group of men settled down. By then, Cerberus had all but pushed Clay into a chair to get on top of him and kept on licking him all over. Bleu sat casually beside Clay, waiting for his dog brother to calm down.

When Clay finally got to breathe, he saw the man standing to the side. He looked in his early thirties with green eyes and flaming red hair. He was clean-shaven and had a triquetra knot tattoo on his left bicep with an inscription surrounding it.

“Tada Gan Iarracht. It means nothing without effort, correct?” Clay asked. “You’re Irish?” He continued without waiting for an answer.

“On my mother’s side, Lieutenant,” Jared answered.

“And, of course, Blond-Q can read it fluently,” Sonny grumbled from the side with pride. Clay had worked his ass off in learning to read again.

Clay showed him the middle finger as he managed to push Cerberus from his lap and made his way over to the SEAL. He reached out with his hand. “Clay Spenser. It’s good to meet you.”

“Jared Wilkons, Sir. And it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Another case of beer for our rookie being starstruck by our own Bravo Six.” Sonny laughed.

“Another case it is,” Blaze sighed.

Clay grinned. “Please, stop calling me sir. Call me Clay. What’s your tally for the month?”

“With this one, six, Sir, I mean, Clay,” Jared answered quickly.

“What? Why do I have you at five? Not that I mind if you say it’s six,” Sonny stated.

Clay rolled his eyes so that only Jared could see. “Because he added the one I shouted out, Sonny.”

“Clever, Blaze. That’s why you’re part of this team,” Jason clapped hands and smiled as his teammates joined in. He stopped when the door opened again. This time, Harrington and Eric entered. They both had serious looks on their faces.

Jason turned to Clay. “And that’s why you’re here.”

Clay nodded as he made his way to where Bravo’s superior officers stood. He took his place next to them.

“Correct, Master Chief,” Captain Harrington responded. “I know no formal introductions are necessary, but let me welcome Lieutenant Spenser as Bravo’s official intelligence officer. He is and will solely be responsible for gathering and analyzing intel for us before he sits in with Bravo to come up with the best possible plan, implement that plan of action, and get us the optimal results we are looking for.”

“You're not staying stateside?” Sonny asked.

“I’m not staying stateside. I will be in HAVOC at all times. I will be your eyes and ears whenever I can.”

“Fuck yeah!” Sonny yelled.

“This is a pilot program that Lieutenant Spenser, together with Petty Officer Sawyer and Lieutenant Commander Blackburn, pitched to the higher-ups and made such a good impression that they decided to give it a chance,” Captain Harrington explained.

“You knew,” Brock turned to his best friend.

“I did. And just seeing all of you now made it worthwhile,” Trent stated proudly.

“We all have to agree on that,” Jason said. But then he turned serious. “Well, if Clay is here, we’ve got something big. What is it?” He leaned back in his chair as Clay stepped forward and, with ease, told them about their target package, what the HVT had done, and with the intel Clay had gathered, how they would take him down.

Bravo Team was whole again for the first time in eighteen months, and Jason couldn’t ask for more.

THE END