"Eric can I see you in my office for a moment" Lindell said walking through the admin area of base
"Yes sir" Eric said in response following his CO to his office
"Close the door and have a seat" Lindell said as he sat down in his chair behind his desk
"Thank you sir" Eric responded taking a seat
"How's Petty Officer Turner recovering from her injuries" Lindell asked
"She's making good progress considering the extent of her injuries and the complications she developed, Doctor Masterson has just officially confirmed that he will clear her for full duty once her rehabilitation is completed despite the fact that she's still in the hospital, he has said that she will be looking at another 4-6 months of rehabilitation before she could return to operating status. I believe she's just had the surgery to repair her eardrum that was ruptured which will leave the reconstruction work on her leg as the only remaining surgery before she is discharged and can start her full rehabilitation program, she will have to have one final surgery before she does return to take down the colostomy but he said that she would be looking at a 2 month rehabilitation maximum and he can start looking at possibly doing the surgery in 2 months time, it will be completed before she is back however" Eric said updating Lindell on Jess's condition
"Good, because we need her back Eric" Lindell said firmly
"I agree sir, her skill and talent isn't easily replaced" Eric said in response
"Tell me, have you noticed any changes around here since Turner was injured" Lindell asked inquisitively
"Bravo have been focusing a lot more on Jess and her recovery than what's happening here sir" Eric replied, they were of rotation while Jess was out of action and were only spending minimal time on the base, instead they were spending most of their time at the hospital with Jess
"You said in your report that Turner straight away labelled the intell with regards to Yemen as being faulty, she believed it to be a set-up and that there was another party in play" Lindell asked continuing to question Eric over what had happened
"That's correct sir" Eric said confirming what Lindell had just asked
"And she was obviously correct about it being a set-up and you had been given faulty intell" Lindell said
"Yes sir she was" Eric said in response
"We managed to convince the Australians to allow us to review the intell and guess what we found" Lindell asked
"I don't know sir" Eric said in response, this was the first he had heard of the matter
"Absolutely nothing to indicate that the intell was faulty, if Turner hadn't been there to raise red flags we would have lost the entire team, which would have seen the other teams going of wanting revenge against the Bukhari's and Tirmizi's as payback" said Lindell providing his own assessment of the whole situation
"That would be a accurate assessment sir" Eric replied, the brotherhood took care of their own and wouldn't stop until they had dealt with the situation
"These are 3 other missions which have happened since Yemen and each target we were after we had evidence to link them to being involved, when we got there our targets were long gone if they had even been there at all" Lindell said handing Eric over the files
"You think this has all been a set-up" Eric asked curiously
"I think that there is more going on here than meets the eye and we need to work out what that is, unfortunately the best person to review this and try and get us some answers is currently receiving medical treatment in the hospital for injuries sustained in the line of duty" Lindell said
"You want Jess to look into this" Eric asked wanting to confirm the man's request
"On the down low obviously, tempers are wearing thin over the failed missions and we need answers, I have faith that Turner can find them for us, I'll arrange her access to whatever files she will need and have her report any findings to you so you can pass them on to me. This is to remain in the strictest of confidence and not to be mentioned to anyone else, this must continue to appear as Turner is working on her rehabilitation and that is all. As her CO she will be expected to maintain regular contact with you anyway and it will be a lot less obvious than her checking in with me" Lindell said explaining the reason he wanted Jess to complete the job, if they were being fed faulty intell there was no guarantee of who it could be coming from, it could even possibly be from their own department
"Yes sir" Eric said as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in
"Dismissed" Lindell said to Eric as he turned and left the room
Eric sat in his office with his phone laying on the desk in front of him, after looking at it for a few minutes he picked it up and pulled up the contact details he needed for Jay
"Jay, I was wondering how Jess was doing after her last surgery, was going to pop in for a visit" Eric asked after Jay answered the phone, this job was going to involve Jess going back over Djibouti and Yemen, and her experience with Team 4 and Samuels. She had told everyone that she didn't remember what happened, it may have been the concussion or whether she had repressed the whole memory of what had happened to her as a result of the whole situation
"Honestly Eric it might not be a good idea at the moment, she's in a leave me alone mood, she's struggled a bit with this last surgery, her pain tolerance is low and she's tired, I honestly think that she's getting overwhelmed with everything that's going on" Jay said giving Eric his own view on the whole situation
"She's had a lot happen in the last month and a lot of changes to deal with, I'll order the team to give her some space for a few days then get them to limit their time with her a bit, however I do need to speak to her about Yemen and I'm going to have to raise the issue of team 4 and Samuels being there" Eric said acknowledging that he understood that Jess was struggling a bit at the moment and she needed some space, she was still a quiet and private person in some ways and she had basically been exposed to everyone because of what had happened and was most likely feeling extremely vulnerable because of everything, he would make sure the team done exactly what he said and give her the space, however Eric was still needing to talk to her
"Urgent" Jay asked sensing that there was a particular reason for Eric's call
"Yes" Eric responded, he knew he could simply just go and talk to Jess but he also respected Jay as her father and his inherent need to protect her and this would be a easier situation for Jess if Jay was already aware of what Eric was doing
"Okay, you can speak to her about this, however I don't want this being a regular conversation with you or the boys finding out that you have been talking to her about this, I still haven't decided about her speaking to a psychologist again unless she desperately needs it, she's already been through the process once with regards to Samuels and team 4 and it was hard enough then on her, with everything else that she's going through I'm not keen on having her reliving that particular period of her life" Jay said giving Eric boundaries to work in, Eric had no problem with the boundaries
"I won't mention any particular details and I can assure you that they had zero contact with her in Yemen in a position where she was isolated from the rest of the team, I just need her to remember as much about that mission as possible" Eric said trying to comfort Jay and assure him that Jess wouldn't be forced to go over any of that particular part of her life
"Okay but I don't want anyone else there for a few days and check in with Alie or I before they start visiting, it's nothing personal against them, I'm just worried she's going to snap at them and it will affect the team as a whole" Jay said, he didn't put Jess's needs as a priority without having any consideration of how it would affect the rest of Bravo, he knew that Eric would have to clearly explain the situation to them and that neither party was at fault here
"I'll make that part quite clear to them" Eric said assuring Jay that he understood
"Thanks Eric" Jay said as he finished the call
"Where do you lot think you are going" Eric asked as he entered the team room, as soon as he had finished his conversation with Jay, he immediately set out to track them down
"Bethesda, see Jess" Ray said explaining the reason why they were getting ready to leave
"I need to speak to you all privately first before you head of" Eric said, the tone of his voice indicating that something wasn't right
"All ears" Clay said
"I've just got of the phone with Jay" Eric said before Jason interrupted him
"Has something happened" Jason asked concerned
"Nothing serious, he's just raised some concerns about Jess's current state of mind and we both agree that it would be best to give her some space for a few days" Eric said filling them in on the conversation
"Did he say what's going on exactly" Trent asked worried that Jess might be deliberately trying to downplay the whole situation
"He said that she's in a leave me alone mood and that she's really tired and her pain tolerance levels are low" Eric said responding to Trent's question
"And its our fault and she doesn't want to see us" Sonny said clearly annoyed
"No, we never discussed whether she has said she doesn't want to see you, he concerned that she will snap in front of you and that it would affect the team as a whole unit, she's had a lot happen to her and she's feeling overwhelmed with everything, she can't wrap her head around everything yet and she needs to if she's going to get past this, its just for a few days, 2-3 tops I'm sure, he said to check in with him or Alie before you visit again" Eric said reassuring not just Sonny but the whole team
"Yes sir" they responded in unison, they might not have liked the situation but as Eric said it was only for a few days and he was right about the fact that Jess did need to get her head space sorted before she could even return to operating
Eric arrived at the hospital with the files from Lindell in hand for Jess to look at, as he walked through the corridors to get to where Jess's room was he started to feel a little apprehensive about the reason he was here and what he needed Jess to do
"Hey Alie" Eric said noticing her sitting on a seat in the corridor near Jess's room, eating some sandwiches
"I'd be careful as she's in a bit of a mood at the moment, the latest surgery has knocked her a bit" Alie said as a warning as she noticed Eric go for the door handle indicating that he was intent on going into the room
"Jay said she was when I spoke to him, I'm going to keep the boys away for a few days to give her some space, then get them to limit so they're not all here at once in her room, Jay thinks she's not getting enough rest and she's getting overwhelmed with everything, she's had a lot to deal with and if they're not on the base then they've been here with her" Eric said explaining his plans to Alie and letting her know that this was not going to be a completely social call
"I know, she's been trying so hard to keep it all together, Jay's already talking about getting a psychologist to work with her" Alie said acknowledging the reason for the emotions that Jess was experiencing
"He said that to me as well, I wanted to check with him before I came to speak to her about this" Eric said making it quite clear that he had considered Jess's needs before turning up
"What do you need to speak to her about" Alie asked curious about the discussion that Eric was about to have with Jess
"Djibouti and Yemen, did Jay tell you her previous team and CO were there and on the mission with us" Eric asked unsure of how much Jay had told his second wife
"He said, and that you had to reveal the file of evidence that he had about what Samuels done to her" Alie said indicating that she was aware of that part of what had happened
"Yeah I did, but she doesn't know that I know part of what's in there and I want to keep it that way if I can, I've warned Jason and the rest to stay away from this issue with her, she doesn't need them knowing every detail" Eric said reassuring her that it won't be made public at the base
"Thanks Eric" Alie said relieved by the reassurance that it wouldn't get out
"So Jess, you counting down the days" Eric asked alerting her to the fact she had a visitor in her room
"Yes sir, ready to get out of here" Jess said as she began adjust herself from the position she had been laying in so she was facing him
"You don't have to move if your comfortable, I wanted to see how you're feeling, your dad and Alie said you've been to bit down" Eric said putting his hand up to make her stop what she was doing and made his way into a position so they would be able to comfortably talk. She had been laying on her side in a position where the ear she had just had the surgery on was laying flat against the pillow, and immediately moved back into the position that she had been laying in
"Yes sir, I'm just tired and sick of being stuck in here" Jess said admitting her true feelings about this whole situation openly
"You've only got two more rounds of surgery left don't you before discharge" Eric said trying to get her to focus on something positive, as he looked closer at her face it was obvious that she had been crying and not that long ago
"No sir, Doctor Masterson has spoken with Doctor Keeling and they're doing my leg in one go now and brought the date forward so I can finally get out of here and go home to sleep in my own bed again" Jess said however her body language didn't change when she mentioned that the final surgery had been moved forward and that it was going to all be done in one surgery now so she could be discharged earlier than was expected, she clearly wasn't wanting any visitors at the moment, but he could tell that having someone to talk to about the changes she had gone through and what things were going to be like for her once she'd been discharged from the hospital and she transitioned back to operating again would make the situation more comfortable for her, he thought for a moment about how to get her to talk without feeling like she was being pushed into it, he noticed a supply of plastic tubs that were now sitting in the corner of the room, 5 stacked one on top of each other, bingo, it was probably supplies that she would be taking home with her when she was discharged, she would be having to familiarise herself with how everything would work so she could manage her condition at home and returned to operating, get her to talk him through what was in the tubs
"It's going to be good to have you back on your feet, new supplies" he asked indicating to the tubs, keep it nice and casual
"Yes sir" she responded showing slightly more interest in him being there, that was the response he was after from her
"Mind if I have a look" he asked standing up and walking over to the tubs to show his interest in the contents
"Go right ahead, its from Doctor Masterson, the dietitian and the clinical nurse, start familiarising myself with the new pump and tube set-up I'll be using when I get back, nutrition supplies, dietary advice, medications and other bits I'm going to need once I'm out and getting ready to come back" Jess responded as she moved herself into a new position but suddenly stopped as a look of pain appeared on her face
"You okay" Eric asked noticing the look of pain and moved back towards her to help
"Just a bit of cramping sir, can you pass me that blue basket" Jess responded as she pointed towards the basket sitting on the table. He immediately grabbed the basket and handed it to her before standing back to watch what she was doing, as she quickly disconnected herself from the machine and attached a empty syringe before starting to press around different areas of her abdomen. He was surprised when the plunger part of the syringe started moving on its own, once she noticed that it was moving she removed the plunger part and relaxed as she continued to put pressure on her abdomen, he looked at her face and noticed that the look of pain had disappeared
"Better" he asked
"Much better" Jess responded looking definitely more relaxed than she had been a few minutes ago
"So what was that" Eric asked curious, but he was also pleased to see her manage the issue on her own
"Gas was trapped in my stomach, had to remove it" Jess said as she removed the empty syringe and placing it back in the basket
"Seems like you're getting the hang of it, what did Doctor Masterson call it tube maintenance, you are getting it replaced soon aren't you, didn't he say your getting a button system" Eric asked, hoping that she would continue to talk and feel more at ease with the whole situation. Jess indicated to Eric to bring the tubs over so she could show him what was inside
"Yes sir, that's what this is, will sit better under my uniform and the tubing is a click on extension so its only attached if I'm actually using it at that time" Jess said pulling a small device out of the tub and passing it over to him to look at
"And Trent is definitely going to be able to replace it if needed" Eric said looking over the device
"Its secured by a balloon filled with water, so when its to be replaced simply drain the balloon and lift the button out, put the new one in and fill it with the water and its ready to go, when Doctor Mitchell done the first surgery she attached my stomach to the inside of my abdomen before putting the tube in so it won't slip out of position, anything that goes in that hole is straight into my stomach" Jess said indicating for Eric to hand the device back, she then grabbed a syringe to demonstrate how it expanded, leaving it full for a few seconds before draining the balloon so it went back to the original size
"Amazing, so what's that you're doing now" Eric asked, she was looking more relaxed with the whole situation as she continued to talk about it
"Just got to flush the tube, make sure nothing gets stuck and cause a blockage, the button device won't need to be flushed if I'm not using it, and the dietitian is reviewing the plan so I don't actually need to use it in the field and can rely on rations and fluids like everyone else, will just have to use the moment that I return to base camp, she's put a list together of what I can safely eat from the ration packs, Trent mentioned looking for packs where I can hopefully eat majority of the contents or looking at getting the items individually and putting the packs together ourselves" Jess said passing Eric the list from the dietitian before she connected herself back to the machine, to his knowledge this was the first time she had openly done any maintenance in front of any of them, only in front of her parents and grandparents, Trent had probably seen her doing it but that would have been more because he told her to show him
"Won't be a problem, I'll pass the list on to supply and get it requisitioned for you, juices" Eric said taking the list and putting it with his gear as he looked back in the tub and noticed the tetra packs
"Meal supplements, calorie dense, one of those has the same calories as a meal with extra vitamins and all that stuff" Jess said not offering any objections as he pulled one out to examine it, noticing the different colours on the packs he put the first one back and grabbed another one, he was right, they were different flavours and were a mix of juices, and milk drinks
"Better watch out as I might end up pinching some for myself during missions where I'm stuck in the TOC" Eric said with a chuckle, it was hard to eat in the TOC when Bravo were in the field as he had to be 100% focused on what was going on and not on whether he had eaten anything
"Go right ahead, dietitian wants me to pick out which ones I like then the nurse will order them and send them to the base, extended deployments she said the new supplies will be shipped ahead and then resupplied when the planes come in with new base supplies, none of it needs refrigeration and is long life which is a bonus as well so it can be simply stored with our personal supplies" Jess said explaining the set-up, she was definitely more relaxed than when he first entered the room
"And what did your dad get for you, I didn't get to see it when he brought it in" Eric asked, he'd been called away why she was in theatre
"Those tubs there, new field bag, tac bag and two day bags, one for normal and one for low vis, Trent has already put in a request for all the field and tac bags to have the same zip and hang function so if we're walking someone out with fluids our hands are still free" Jess said pointing to the other tubs that Eric hadn't looked in yet, as he pulled out one of the backpacks he immediately saw the function that she had mentioned, however if she hadn't mentioned it Eric highly doubted he would have even seen it
"Its a good idea, what about these" Eric asked opening another tub and pulled something out
"Sit around the button and stop it rubbing on my skin and absorb any leakage that may sneak out the sides so it doesn't build up and get sore, new tops and bathers for under my gear, rest is basic travel gear and storage, new sleeping bag, cold weather jackets, beanies, headbands that can be worn with full comms, canteen with a water purification set-up" Jess said giving him the basic run-down of what was there
"Looks like he's got everything covered" Eric said replacing the lids and stacked the tubs back on top of each other
"Certainly looks like it, they're is probably more there I haven't actually gone through yet, heads just been a blur" Jess said
"Not surprising, you've been through a lot and your body is trying to adapt to what's happened, find it's new normal" Eric said trying to comfort her
"That's what everyone has been saying to me" Jess said suddenly sounding frustrated over the matter
"And trust me they are right, give yourself 6 months and I doubt you will even notice it, everything will just become automatic" Eric said trying to provide some reassurance
"If you say so sir, it's just hard to see it like that, don't get me wrong I know that it's permanent and I've to live with it, but all the restrictions to my diet and that suck along with the fact I have to now carry a bag of liquid on my back that's attached to my gut, I miss feeling healthy, getting out and running a 10click without having to even think about it, training in the gym" Jess responded she was allowing all her feelings towards this to come out
"You will get that feeling back as you start to recover, listen Jess I know you're technically on the medically in-active list but I need your help with something, or more Lindell and I need your help" Eric asked, he remembered Jay warning him about moody Jess, he hoped that this might be the distraction she needed
"Whatever you need sir" she responded looking at her CO
"Yemen, when you got injured, you said it was faulty intell" he said taking a seat on her bed
"Did I, I'm sorry but I don't remember much from Yemen" Jess replied
"That's why I'm going to talk you through it, without the rest of the team here, I talked to your dad about it and we both agree that it needs to be talked about" Eric said, judging by the tone of his voice, this was a serious issue
"Why what happened" Jess asked confused, had she done something wrong
"We were on a joint mission with your Ex CO and team, relax nothing happened, but I had to disclose your past with Samuels to the general from JSOC as he was attacking your credibility and trying to get you removed from the mission and replaced with Petty Officer Logan Edwards" Eric said, as soon as he mentioned Samuels and her previous team being there she automatically tensed up as he expected she would, but he needed her focused on what happened and not who was there
"Did they" Jess asked anxiously
"No you stuck to your guns and even broke Logan's nose when he tried to restrain you, you were in the same barracks as the boys for the whole mission so they couldn't get near you to isolate you from Jason and the others" Eric said to her, it had taken time for him to gain her trust, he didn't want to loose it now
"The file from dad" Jess asked softly
"I had to hand it over to the general who was there, he had to send it to Canberra, Samuels was stood down and will be serving time for what he done to you" Eric said squeezing her arm gently
"I didn't want to do it, I should have" Jess started to say before Eric cut her off
"Jess what Samuels done to you was not your fault you hear me, none of it" he said squeezing her arm a little tighter, not enough to cause pain, but enough to keep her focused on him
"Don't tell me you all read it" Jess asked
"I read part of it, I couldn't read the whole file because it made me feel sick, no one should ever be put through what you were whether they are military or not and I don't think any less of you because you got put through it, if anything its actually made me admire your strength and determination and I am proud to be your CO, if you ever need to talk about it with anyone then come to me and I will arrange for you to see someone discreetly of base so it won't go in your record" Eric said reassuring her that even though he knew some details he didn't think any less of her, she was a true fighter and if she could handle that then she could handle this now, she would still need emotional support for a bit, but she was going to be able to handle it and push through, even become a stronger operator than what she had been before this happened
"Thank you sir, so what happens now" Jess asked relieved that she wasn't going to have him turn his back on her
"Canberra are cleaning house with the program and they are doing a private inquiry, all parties will sign a confidentiality agreement that will forbid any of them going public, they find anyone who was connected to what happened to you they will be disciplined in accordance to the level of involvement and both team CO's were replaced, I believe that you know both of them, Rick Duncan and Chris Dwyer" Eric asked as he started filling her in on what he had been told by Lieutenant Commander Duncan
"Yes sir I do, both good men, make sure ther protect Ritter and Hoang, they done what they could to help me, despite being threatened with disciplinary action" Jess said suddenly mentioning the 2 names, she hadn't mentioned anyone from the program before and that made him assume that they obviously weren't amongst the team that had been in Djibouti
"I'll make sure it gets passed on" he said
"Hoang is pursuing a commission, this can't be allowed to derail it" Jess said sounding a little frantic, this was obviously important to her
"I'll contact Canberra and let them know, you don't have to testify or anything, Rick Duncan has already assured me and the rest of Bravo that you don't need to appear at the inquiry or anything, you're free from it now and Rick said he's glad you're with a program that appreciate you and your skill. Logan is under review and will be facing at least repeating the selection and training again and maybe jail time" he said assuring her he would see to the matter despite what he already thought about the divers
"How were they even allowed on the mission" Jess asked suddenly more calm knowing that they would be protected
"They got the intell but lacked experience so they came along to observe" Eric responded, her brain was now ready to focus on what happened with the mission
"Were we even on the right continent" Jess asked, Eric was uncertain whether it was a joke or a serious question she had asked
"I don't know, but you were picking holes in the intell from the beginning, we were going after the Bukhari's and Tirmizi's, the intell we were provided with from the Australians indicated that both families had joined forces to launch a offense against the US and our allies. They had supposedly relocated to Oman and were travelling to Yemen to hold a meeting in a villa in Mocha as they were planning on utilising the port located there, you suspected that it was a trap so you argued for a double overwatch with Ray and Clay. Just as you were about to blow the breaching charge, Clay called in that they were kneeling so you aborted the mission and a few seconds later the whole villa went up which was when you got injured" Eric said filling her in on what happened and ignoring the question about being on the right continent
"They were suicide bombers" Jess asked
"Yes, they were in Ray's blindspot, if Clay hadn't been there we wouldn't have seen it" Eric said in response
"So what is the issue" Jess asked
"You suspected that a third party was in play, do you remember why" Eric asked her, he remembered what she she had said but he needed to be sure that she remembered
"Bukhari's and Tirmizi's would never call for peace unless one of them was setting up the other, they also aren't political, they're local gang warfare, can we confirm how many were in the villa" Jess said in response
"4, confirmed by both overwatch, heat signature and IR" Eric said
"Definitely not the Bukhari's and Tirmizi's then, Mocha is to small port, its full of fishing skiffs, anyone starts doing anything else out of the ordinary, bring in boats to transport supplies then they will be spotted" Jess said finishing her analysis
"Now we also have been following up some supposed leads with regards to Yemen, intell looks good but we go to pick up a target and they're not there, it's starting to put a strain on DEVGRU as a whole, questions are being asked, are we being fed dodgy intell deliberately, do we have a leak and they know we're coming so they leave, you're instinct has always been good with this type of stuff and Lindell and I need this done on the down low, you can work from home and we'll get you the files you need and you'll be on and of the base anyway checking in with medical and the trainers, organising your gear, observing drills, no one will notice you checking in with Lindell or I about this, it would appear to be just normal preparation for your return" Eric said handing her the folders that Lindell had given him
"Okay I'm happy to have something to do, I presume that this is strictly between you, Lindell and myself" Jess asked already glancing through the files
"It is, think you can do it" he asked
"Yes sir" Jess responded without even dragging her focus away from the files she was flicking through