Chapter 10

Everyone jump!

Sequoia put an extra spurt into her legs and ran dead even with Hesh. They ran towards the edge of the waterfall and pushed off from the edge. Her feet kicked to give momentum and then she straightened them as she descended while crossing her arms over her chest to absorb the impact. She hit the cold water and was enveloped in watery darkness.

Hesh felt like he might have touched the bottom as he splashed into the pool below. He flailed his arms and started moving his legs to kick to the surface. It felt like his breath had been taken away because of the height of the drop. Still he moved and swam for the surface breaking it to take a gulp of air.

Approaching extraction point now, Actual.

Hesh looked around. He could see Merrick and Keegan climbing into one boat along with Elias. Logan was climbing into the one with Riley who was looking pleased to see them. That just left… he looked around for Sequoia. "Hawk?"

She broke the surface on her own but she couldn't keep her head above the water. Her nose and eyes were above but her mouth was in the water and she looked ready to sink as she started swimming slowly towards the boat.

Hesh clicked his tongue and with a speed he didn't have before, made it over to Sequoia and put an arm around her waist. He teased since he figured it would get a response, "You quitting on me now?"

"Fuck you Hesh," she replied as she continued to swim but still allowing him to help her and he actually grinned a little.

It felt like it was slow but they managed to make it to the boat and Hesh steadied her as Logan pulled her up. He followed by heaving himself over the edge and rolled in. He felt like he had gained weight even though the gear weighed the same; it was the water soaked clothing that weighed him down a bit. He was still lying on the deck when the order was given to move and taking in gulps of air glad to be out of the water.

"You look like a fish."

Hesh turned to see Sequoia looking at him with a sort of amused look as she leaned against the edge. Logan was scratching Riley's ears and getting a lick for his trouble. Hesh moved over towards her and replied, "And you don't?"

Sequoia shrugged her shoulders and leaned back. She closed her eyes even though there was the potential to get into a gunfight. She said, "It was a compliment."

Logan was chuckling as he reached for the rifle he had commandeered and checked it. He looked at Hesh who had taken a seat next to Sequoia who was still stretched out. Her commandeered rifle was within easy reach and her tomahawk was on her belt. She looked like she was going to sleep the whole way in. Logan looked at Riley and scratched his ear, "Looks like someone is taking it easy huh boy?"

Riley made a slight whine and licked Logan. He was rewarded with a head rub and he took position near Logan. Logan adjusted his position to return fire just in case. He wasn't exactly lounging in the boat but his position did allow for him to take cover if they needed to engage.

Hesh looked at Sequoia as he sat by her on her left. The red spot on her right had him concerned and he made a note to make sure she saw the medic when they got to base. As of now she looked like she was going to sun herself on a beach; she was relaxed and comfortable. "Are you going to sleep?"

"Why not?"

"No reason just…"

Sequoia popped open an eye and noted that Hesh was looking at her. She replied, "I'm used to it since I ate, slept and did everything in the trenches. Wall sweeps were a relief." She closed her eyes and took in the sun warming her face. "You should relax yourself."

Hesh looked at her and then turned to look at the shoreline of the river. He leaned against the edge to observe while occasionally glancing back at Sequoia. He got the feeling that she was using it to make it seem like she was okay when she was not. He and his brother both looked like shit since they hit the trees and they all were a little banged up. He was concerned since she readily listened to him and stayed with him all the way to the river and even allowed him to help her get to the boats.

It was a lengthy trip and it was no surprise to Logan that Hesh let his guard down enough to let Sequoia lean against him. She actually looked like she was asleep leaning against Hesh in a way that was probably uncomfortable for his brother but he didn't seem to mind. Logan merely smirked as he relaxed with Riley and petted the dog. He was reluctant to have it end when they docked and as it turned out there was no need for an 'alarm clock'.

Hesh didn't mind having Sequoia leaning against him. While the position looked uncomfortable for either of them, it felt comfortable. She was on his hip since he was leaning against the edge and keeping an eye out. He thought it would be more uncomfortable to her but she kept her eyes closed throughout the whole trip but he did notice her forefinger tap her gun. So maybe…

They arrived and Hesh twisted and gave a tap to Sequoia's shoulder. Her eyes opened rather quickly but he was glad she didn't try to hit him. Having learned she could pack a punch where it counted. She took a look around and was sitting up and ready to go. The disappearance of the weight on his hip was felt and he was sorry that it was gone. He was able to give her a hand up since she seemed worse off than Logan and was just there to offer a hand getting off the boat and getting checked out.

"You don't have to tail me. I'm good sir," Sequoia said.

It wasn't rude but Hesh was well aware that she had gone back to being formal with him. It was effective in getting him to pause and she left him in the hall as she went to the infirmary. He ended up staring in the direction she had gone until Logan mentioned, "You should get checked out too."

"I'm good."

"Right," Logan said and then gave a playful poke at his brother's side. The sudden wincing confirmed that his brother was hiding an injury. "Come on Hesh."

"I'm fine Logan. Leave it," Hesh brushed off his brother. "If anything you're the one that needs to get checked out."

"I got stuck in a tree. Hawk fell out of a tree and I know you hit something on the way out of the plane," Logan countered. He frowned and asked, "What's the big deal? She didn't hit you for helping her and that is an improvement."

Hesh growled slightly as he walked with his brother to the infirmary. "And I'm still on her bad side according to you," he muttered.

"What do ya mean?"

Hesh looked at Logan and saw that he was being stupid on purpose. He gave a brotherly punch that was a bit harder than necessary. "You know what I mean, stupid."

"Maybe," Logan replied with a chuckle and his own punch.

They had reached the infirmary and were instructed to wait. It was fine anyway since their injuries weren't exactly life threatening. It certainly wasn't boring when they heard Sequoia telling the doc to just stitch her up and to stop poking her before she dealt him the business end of an ass kicking. It had Logan chuckling and Hesh wanted to laugh since her ire was not directed at him this time around. She emerged about ten minutes later pulling down her shirt to cover the white gauze bandage and looking annoyed that she even bothered. She saw Hesh waiting since Logan was already taken back and getting a look over and said, "You should run before they get to you."

Hesh noticed the bruises before she hid them with her shirt. It looked like she got pretty banged up on the way down and he couldn't imagine what Logan had. He shrugged his shoulders and tried not to wince, "Nothing to worry about."

Sequoia had noticed the wince and was quickly over by his side. "How bad?"

"What?"

"How bad?" Sequoia pointed at Hesh's torso. She gave a pointed look that would brook no nonsense from him if he tried to play it tough.

"Nothing serious. I was just here for Logan," Hesh countered. He looked her in the eye and he saw that she wasn't buying it.

"Logan I get since he fell out of a tree with me," Sequoia replied. She put her hands on her hips and was prepared to manhandle Hesh if it called for it. "Something happen on the way down or…?"

Hesh couldn't help but chuckle. He felt like he was getting scolded by his mother again when he was little. It didn't last since the expression was a serious one. He shrugged it off, "Maybe something on the plane. You look like you got the worst of it."

"Not talking about me," Sequoia replied with a shake of her head. "Where exactly?"

Hesh knew what she was asking. He would rather wait for the medic but the look on her face was insistent. Making a noise he lifted his left arm motioned in the general direction where it was sore. He didn't expect the touch to be gentle and it surprised him like every other thing that he hadn't heard about her at Fort Santa Monica. She didn't poke but gently pressed all around until she found the sore spot and let out a low grunt.

"Bruised ribs… I think," Sequoia allowed as she finished pressing against his ribs. She stood back and folded her hands. She felt her throat convulse slightly and she felt confused since that hadn't happened before. She was saved when the medic came to check on Hesh and she waited quietly… also a first.

A similar assessment later had Hesh in an out and Sequoia waiting where she had stayed while being examined. He raised his brow at her and asked, "How'd you know? About the ribs."

Sequoia studied Hesh as he came out rubbing his sore ribs. "Had the same problem myself about a year ago," she replied in a matter of fact tone. "I have something for the ache that will probably work better than what these guys say. Come on." She motioned for Hesh to follow and left the infirmary.

Hesh didn't follow until she poked her head through the door and asked, "You need a special invitation, sir?"

The use of 'sir' alone was enough to prompt Hesh to follow. He didn't get why she was formal and stiff with occasionally toeing the line with him. Hell she was much more open with Merrick and he was technically more senior than he was. He didn't get it and it had him thinking as he followed Sequoia to where her gear was stashed. He almost was beaned when a small container was tossed at him but he caught it. "What is this?"

Sequoia turned to look at Hesh with non-expressive look. It was almost bland but not quite. It hid her confusion at what happened in the infirmary. She explained, "An old recipe that works on bruises."

"I'd think you'd need it." Hesh examined the container and noticed that there was no label on the thing.

Sequoia raised her brow at Hesh. She knew she may have exposed how bad her torso looked with the bruises from literally falling out of the tree but she had no idea that Hesh had been looking. It actually sent a thrill down her spine. She decided to call him out on it, "And what makes you think that?"

Hesh realized that he may have let on more than he intended and tried to cover, "You said it yourself. You fell out of a tree."

"I've fallen out of trees on purpose more times than I can count. Nothing happened worse than a scratch yet." She gave him a look daring him to try again.

Hesh realized she wasn't going to buy any excuse he gave. He held the container in his hand and thought for a moment and then said, "Just a thought. Thanks though."

"Think nothing of it. Just remember to put it on twice a day: once in the morning and once at night." She gave a nod and closed her door in Hesh's face leaving him wondering why he was even bothering. It probably was rude but she didn't want to imply anything that could be taken the wrong way. She was just helping him out. She couldn't forget though that he helped her and stayed by her while trekking through the jungle and his attempts at being nice when they dealt with Rorke.

"Dude, what the hell are you wearing?" Logan wrinkled his nose at the smell he picked up as his brother came into the common area. "You stink."

Hesh couldn't smell anything but then again Logan always had a sensitive sniffer. If he said he stunk, then it was probably true. It certainly helped when Riley needed a bath. "What do you mean?"

"I smell something but I don't know what." Logan sat up on the couch that he had been occupying. Even though the smell was not one he was used to, he let Hesh sit next to him. He watched with a wary eye at the careful motions Hesh was using to sit. "Doesn't smell like the infirmary. And it is possible for a place to smell like it was sick with vomit."

"And I just had lunch," Hesh joked. He actually could smell it now and he had hoped that by walking around it would dissipate but it seemed that wasn't to be the case. He had taken a whiff of the stuff when he opened the container and had come to the conclusion that it didn't smell that bad. He put it on and it did feel good against his ribs.

Logan glanced at his brother and rubbed his hand that had a nasty abrasion that ran between his knuckled on his left. They used adhesive on the deeper parts but it was still sore. He said, "Still you stink."

"Hawk gave it to me," Hesh admitted. He put his right over where his bruised ribs were. Her touch actually lingered and it was… it was like it was supposed to stay. He hid the feeling by explaining, "She said that it would help."

"Ribs?"

"Yeah."

Logan grinned deciding to let his brother have it, "Well… smells nice."

Hesh looked at his brother and realized Logan had played him. Yeah the stuff smelled but it was a nice one. It was just unusual. He narrowed his eyes at Logan and gave him a punch, "You ass."

Logan chuckled and managed to avoid the punch. "Come on Hesh," he said as he ducked the cushion that flew at him. He saw his brother wince trying to move to grab another cushion. "Hey you better watch it."

"Shut up," Hesh replied as he managed to grab another cushion and hurl it at Logan. It hit its mark and it made the pain worth it. "That's for being a pain in the ass."

"My job big bro." Logan grinned as he picked up the cushions. It was tempting to throw them at Hesh but considering that he did have bruised ribs, he could be nice. They both had similar injuries before when they were in training but he knew his brother. When he winced, that meant they hurt a lot more and maybe there was a little more extensive injuries. "It does smell nice. She gave it to you?"

"Yep and shut the door in my face. What did I do her?" Hesh looked at Logan who had gotten back onto the couch.

Logan shrugged his shoulders. He had some ideas but the best thing to do was for Hesh to talk to her. Trouble was he wasn't going to do it without some prodding. Hesh had never been this way with the girls he used to date in high school; Hawk was different. He replied, "Can't say except the way your first conversation went."

Hesh shook his head, "One minute she ignores me and the next she pays attention and she only called me by name twice."

"Could be an improvement," Logan offered. "At least she called you by name and watched your back."

"But that was during a mission. Doesn't count."

"She could've made it miserable for you," Logan pointed out. It looked like Hesh was going to town on trying to get out of talking to her. He wasn't going to get off so easily. "She did go after the Fed aiming for you."

"More likely to remind me she could have left my ass in the breeze."

"Come on, you don't believe that do you?" Logan looked at his brother to catch his eye. When he did, he continued, "Look, bro, just talk to her."

"And how can I do that when she calls me sir ever other breath?"

"Ask her why. I don't know. It's a thing or something." Logan shrugged his shoulders like he had no clue. He didn't really and was offering anything but he was forcing the issue onto Hesh to do something about it. "Ask her. You are capable of being in the same room without killing each other and her not kicking you."

"You would have hurt her."

"She had it covered and that's beside the point." Logan stood up with a sudden urge for coffee. "You better talk to her cause I ain't doing it and I know you're not scared of a girl." He grinned the moment he caught Hesh's gaze. "Or she scares the crap out of you."

Hesh narrowed his eyes at Logan. He knew now full well that Logan had orchestrated it to get him to the point where he wouldn't let his pride suffer. He used to do the same thing when Logan said he was too scared to do something when they were doing their training. Now little brother was turning the tables on him. He stood up as quickly as his injuries would let him and he stared at his brother. "I'm not scared."

"Prove it then, Hesh. Ask her," Logan taunted. It was probably mean but he knew that his friend wouldn't hurt his brother. Maybe she might kick his ass in a sparring match but she wouldn't do anything to injure or maim him. "Go on. Prove it."

Hesh shot a nasty look at his brother, "Fine. I will." He turned to leave the room. "I'm not scared of her."

"Good luck," Logan replied with a chuckle.

Hesh knew that he was playing into his brother's game but deep down he knew that his questions wouldn't be answered unless he did talk to her. The hard part was getting her to say anything beyond short sentences. He really did want to know why she treated him differently from everyone. He knocked on her door and found that no one was there and that meant a search and come to think of it, he hadn't seen Riley since they got there.

It was a long and tedious search but Hesh finally managed to find Sequoia. He had an idea where she might be but he wanted to make sure he didn't miss her. Riley was with her and was listening to her… singing.

Her back was to him so that gave him an advantage but… that could easily backfire on him. Riley was lying down beside her and his head was in her lap. She was sitting cross legged and looking comfortable with it even though she had been stitched up not too long ago. He approached slowly so as not to startle her and was sorry when she stopped singing to acknowledge his presence. He said, "Please, don't stop."

Sequoia looked at Hesh as he sat down beside her. He motioned for her to continue. After a moment she turned to face forward and started singing again where she had left off. Her hands absently pet Riley while she finished. The last of the notes seemed to linger even though the day was starting to wither into night. She looked at Hesh and asked, "Is there something that you need?"

"No just… seeing how you were doing," Hesh replied well aware that if Logan were around, he would be laughing his head off.

Sequoia blinked and frowned at that. It had been noticed by Hesh but it was gone before he could ask about it. She replied, "I'm fine. Just… sitting." She paused a moment and then asked, "Ribs okay?"

"Yeah. Fine. That stuff works pretty good." Hesh looked at Sequoia. This was not what he was thinking of but he had to start somewhere and he would tell Logan to shut up if her were there. "That was a nice song. It sounded sad." He made a slight face since he didn't know what else to say.

Sequoia looked at Hesh. She knew he was trying to strike up a conversation and she really couldn't be rude about it. She answered softly, "Because it is. I didn't have a chance to say good bye to Carol… or observe my team's death. It's a song of farewell." She patted Riley's head and felt soothed by feeling his fur.

"I'm sorry."

"It's the way of things," Sequoia replied even though the words rang hollow. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Am I missing something?"

"No," Hesh replied. He motioned that there was nothing wrong and that she didn't need to get up. "I just want to talk."

"I don't think that is wise, sir," Sequoia replied looking down in nervousness. Her muscles tensed since she wasn't sure about what to feel or do. "Not a wise thing."

"Why?" Hesh watched as she looked like she was ready to bolt. She had started to move and he reached out and grasped her arm gently to stop her from leaving. She turned to look at him and he repeated, "Why, Hawk?"

"Just not." Sequoia looked away.

"Does it have anything to do why you are so stiff with me? Did I do anything to…" Hesh went silent hoping that she would get what he was getting at. He then asked, "Why are you more open with Logan and hell Merrick even than me?"

"Call it deference to higher ranks," Sequoia replied. "I'm a sergeant… Logan is a sergeant and you're a lieutenant. Fairly obvious I think and… you don't think I should be here. Hell even I think I shouldn't be here." She looked away and sighed. "Most thought the same when I came along."

"That's stupid," Hesh countered. He paused to take a breath. "I never thought that you shouldn't be here. You saved my brother in Santa Monica and you're good at what you do. I just don't get why you act like you want to be kicked out."

"Any thoughts of glory were beaten out my first five years in. Funny thing is I never had any. I just wanted to serve since I lost my parents to ODIN." Sequoia sighed feeling a little more relaxed. "Carol was my only friend and then there is Logan."

"You can call me one."

Sequoia looked at Hesh and their eyes locked in silence. There seemed to be a silent exchange between them. Neither knew or understood what happened then but things suddenly seemed less stiff for them as they continued to talk.

A/N: They are rescued and it looks like Hesh breaks through a barrier. More to come on There Are No Coincidences...