"Hell of a op, 7 HVT's apprehended and in CIA custody, not a bad days work" Eric said greeting Jason and Ray after the mission, the rest of the team had already spread of to shower and change
"Well we do aim to please" Ray said with a smile
"How'd Jess go out there" Eric asked sensing a little tension from the team leader
"Jay never mentioned anything about moody Jess being here when she first gets back in the sandbox did he" Jason asked
"No, there is going to be some teething issues however, something happen" Eric asked curiously
"She took a hit in the field and looked tired and a little pale, I suggested she takes the day of when we get back to rest and she snapped, saying that I don't think she can do her job anymore and she's to fragile, was only trying to be supportive but obviously it's not welcome, just don't want to see her in a heap" Jason said frustrated
"Look Jase I agree with you, but she did say that if she had a problem she would go to Trent" Ray said
"I know she did, but what's she going to do if Trent's not here for a mission, how are we supposed to know what to do to help her" Jason said
"Fair point, has anyone asked Trent or Jess about taking you through it, I was meaning to familiarise myself with it anyway but never got around to it" Eric asked but received no response
"Jess, how's the button feel" Trent asked as he noticed Jess was getting ready to go and shower
"It's a little loose, I'll keep the pressure belt on while I shower and then check it on the plane" Jess said folding the compression belt she had been wearing so it was just a thin strap pressing over the button but she would be able to comfortably wash
"How long has it been in now" Trent asked trying to remember
"10 weeks" Jess said
"Might be better to replace it anyway, you have to in another 2 weeks regardless" Trent replied picking up his gear
"Yeah I know" Jess responded, she was more focused on having a shower first
"Hungry" Trent asked
"Starving, feel like a huge steak, jacket potato with all the trimmings, smothered in garlic sauce" Jess said with a smile, it was something there was no way she could handle eating, no way Trent would even consider allowing her to try it, maybe the jacket potato with just a little sour cream and grated cheese
"Sorry we've just run out, but I know the perfect substitute" Trent said with a smile
"Just my luck" Jess said as she headed to the shower
"Trent, Jess okay" Eric asked seeing him walk over to where the rest were standing
"She's fine, just finishing up in the shower and then I'm going to check the button, she said it feels a bit loose, it needs replacing every 3 months and this ones been in for 10 weeks so may just look at replacing it" Trent said without hesitation
"Here, on the plane" Jason asked concerned
"Ah yeah, doesn't require a sterile environment to do it" Trent said
"So you're going to take that tube thing out of her stomach and put a new one in, what if it goes in the wrong spot" Sonny asked
"What do you mean goes in the wrong spot, how can it, there's only one spot it can go in" Trent said now curious about the questions he was being asked
"Yeah but what if it misses her stomach" Clay asked
"You do realise that Jess's stomach is attached to the interior of her abdomen, you put your finger through that hole then it is straight into her stomach, didn't you watch the formation of a G tube videos I suggested" Trent asked looking at the group but received nothing but blank looks from the team
"No I guess we forgot" Brock admitted sheepishly
"So you mean these last 6 months you have had no idea how any of this works" Trent asked a little annoyed about the situation
"We know that the tube feeds this liquid stuff into her stomach" Ray said
"That's basic 101 of what a feeding tube is used for, do you know what else can it be used for, what can't it be used for, what medical supplies does she need, what the dosages are, you tell me that you haven't paid attention to anything, or thought to ask me" Trent asked now clearly annoyed, he had specifically said in Djibouti about learning this stuff while Jess was
"Sorry Trent, guess it slipped our minds" Ray said
"Figures, right crash course when Jess gets out of the shower" Trent said as he walked past them onto the plane to put his gear away and pull Jess's medical supplies out
"Sorry Jess, we've got a audience for this, turns out some people don't know how all this works" Trent said to her as she walked up the ramp of the plane
"Is that why Jason was mother henning me" Jess asked looking at him
"Maybe a little, you're not weak or fragile Jess and you are still someone I would roll with without hesitation" Jason admitted
"Its just that none of us want to see you collapse in a heap" Eric said
"Especially if its something that we could have helped prevent" Clay added
"Apology accepted, but remember as well I've had a lot of changes to deal with over the last 6 months, I've had to give up a lot if it wasn't forcibly taken, but what got me through was knowing I was coming back, last thing I need is to have you lot treating me differently because of everything I've gone through with this feeding tube" Jess said explaining her view and what she wanted from the rest of them
"Deal" Jason said
"Right Jess lay down" Trent said as he pulled out the syringe he needed to check how much fluid was holding the button in place
"What's in there" Jess asked as she noticed Trent checking the reading
"No where near what it should be, I'm going to replace it, Brock I need you to grab me 2 of those packages, hopefully only need one but always have a second one ready incase the first one is faulty" Trent said to Jess before speaking to the group, that was why the button was feeling loose
"There you go" Brock said handing him the packages he indicated to
"This ain't going to hurt Bookworm or nothing is it" Sonny asked suddenly concerned
"No, and don't worry there's not going to be any blood or nothing" Trent said assuring him as Sonny screwed up his face
"Who would have ever thought thought Sonny is afraid of blood" Jess said noticing the look on Sonny's face while still lying down in the position Trent had had her assume to check the button
"I ain't afraid of no blood" Sonny quickly protested
"Then why is the look on your face the same as when we're talking about sharks" Clay asked
"Or huge insects that bite and dissolve your insides" Ray added
"And that's exactly why he would never survive in Australia, between all the snakes and spiders, as well as the sharks" Jess said when Sonny didn't respond
"Right here we go, so I'm going to fill this with water, make sure there's no leaks and it feels sturdy, no weaknesses in any area, and as you can see its a perfect balanced balanced sphere which this one is, if there's any leaks, you feel any weak spots or it doesn't have the correct shape, you discard it and try another button, which was why I had Brock get 2 out for me, I'll show you the old one once I've finished" Trent said continuing his crash course
"He'll clean it of first" Jess said assuring everyone that Trent had no intention of showing them a button covered with her gastric juices
"So all it is is drain the water from the balloon inside of Jess which is whats responsible for holding it in place, then you slide it out, cover the site with gauze to prevent anything getting in while you get the new one ready" Trent said as he easily slid the tube out of the hole before giving Jess the gauze to sit over the now open hole
"So literally anything that goes in that hole, like a creepy crawly" Jason asked knowing that they come across some interesting ones in the field
"Would be in my stomach" Jess responded
"Eew" said Brock, Sonny and Clay in unison
"Which is why we're not going to do a replacement in the field, Jay's compression tops she wears under her kit will keep it in place until we can return to the TOC or to our barracks, as long as we're indoors, now all we do is put some water soluble lubricant on this end, remove the gauze, slide it in and fill the balloon with water through this port to hold it in place, now we're just going to use this stuff to clean around the site which has to be done at least once a day to prevent any build up of discharge, some people go gauze to help absorb it as its going to take time for the button to settle, however Jess uses these instead, they slide around the button and fasten like that, and the material Jay used to do these will absorb any moisture that forms and drag it away from around the button, also allowing the site to breathe, so less chance of infection or irritation on her skin. Now we're clean, make sure the button is easily rotated which also has to be done once a day at least to loosen any build up that may have formed, and that's it" Trent said as he promptly put the new tube into the empty hole and filled it with water and placed the pad between her skin and the cap of the button so it didn't rub against Jess's skin
"So Jess has to clean that site and change that thing everyday" Eric asked
"Yes, cleaning is simply a little bit of water on a cotton tip then this stuff wiped around it, then put one of these on, takes 30 seconds and doesn't need any gloves or nothing, as far as doing it in the field, Jess's new flask has the anti bacterial filter system so she's fine, Doctor Masterson did say that it wouldn't hurt to clean it 2-3 times a day if wanted as its to mostly stop this stuff from building up, which can cause infection" Trent said explaining the cleaning process
"What Trent forgot to mention about cleaning is that Doctor Masterson has given me not just a antibacterial cream but also a clear wash solution to use in place of water, water is only a back-up if this stuff isn't available, now if I've come in contact with water on a op, then I need to use this antibiotic cream to clean the site and I have a selection of antibiotics depending on the situation, this is a general one, an injectable one that Trent can do either through the button or IM, and this is a 48hour broad spectrum, to prevent resistance there is a couple of different varieties, anti histamine, pain relief, antiemetic, sedative, that's to slow down my digestive system but I can only use that occasionally official functions and that, all can go through the tube, thats a special multivitamin I take when I'm not in the sandbox to help with malnutrition" Jess said giving a quick run down of her medications
"Then there's electrolyte packets to go in with her tube feed when needed, electrolyte packets she can carry in the field and add to her flask, which as I previously mentioned has a antibacterial filter" Trent said opening a small tub and showing the team the packets
"What are these" Clay asked pulling what looked like juice boxes out of the larger tub Trent had taken the smaller tub with the sachets from, Eric had stashed the ones Jess had said she didn't like in with his supplies
"Calorie dense drinks that Jess can have to help substitute for meals or snacks, same with these bars and the gels she can use in the field for a extra pick me up as she's not allowed to have any caffeine" Trent said taking the lid of a second tub and pulling out some of the contents
"Tubs of pudding" Brock asked pulling out another couple of items he saw
"Again calorie dense, everything in these tubs is calorie dense, that box has the drinks, this is the snacks and then that third tub is the extra rations to compensate for the ones I can't eat" Jess said pointing to a third one
"I still don't understand why you're not allowed to have any alcohol if you can have this stuff" Sonny asked looking at her
"Because it dehydrates your body and your body focuses all its energy on getting it out of your system, ignoring the bodies need to absorb everything else it needs, remember the whole point is to not place any stress on my digestive system" Jess said to him
"Right let's talk formula, because of our job requirements Jess uses the high calorie one, this bag holds 5 of these, which is 2,500 calories, now its poured into the bag, remove the excess air so its only formula in the bag and do it up, we prime by hand because its quicker, that gets all the air out of the tube" Trent said pulling out the next lot of supplies he needed, he had covered how to care for the tube, now it was what goes in it and getting it ready, once he was done he handed it over to Jess who was getting the other part of it ready
"Then once its done it gets clipped into the pump and it's secured into the backpack, once in there I simply turn it on, it remembers my usual setting of 125, though if I've been crook in the gut I will drop it down, so that's 125ml each hour that goes through, so that will take 10 hours to go through that whole bag, thats the maximum speed I can tolerate, though if I'm crook I will drop it down to anything as low as 70, will take longer for it to go through but less chance of bringing it back up" Jess said clipping everything into place
"Only other thing is flushing, which needs to be done before each feed is started and at the completion as well as every 5 hours while feeding, now Jess and I have these pre filled syringes that we reuse, that way we just need to pause the machine, disconnect and push the syringe through, reconnect the tube and resume the feed, there is always a supply of filled ones kept on hand and are simply bottled water, no special solution stuff" Trent said as Jess demonstrated how it all went together and then turned it on so she could start the feed
"What about that venting thing" Eric asked remembering her doing it in the hospital
"AKA me passing gas" Jess said as she was given a bunch of blank looks
"So what you don't burp or anything" Ray asked
"No, not in the normal way anyway, uncap the button, use syringe that's been pulled back a bit, press around gently, once it starts moving keep pressure on that area and remove the plunger so the gas gets out of my stomach, any more questions" Jess asked quickly explaining the process, this was one thing she wasn't going to demonstrate at the moment
"Yeah can you rewind and start that all over again" Clay asked
"Sorry said it was a crash course only, will take you back through everything when we get back home" Trent said packing up the tubs
"Anyway I am going to catch some z's" Jess said realising that Trent had finished with her, she went over to her hammock, hooked the backpack up beside it before jumping in and pulling a blanket her dad had made over the top of her head and all so she was in darkness
"Okay now that part really isn't fair" Brock said realising that no matter how tired they all were Trent would not allow them to crawl into their hammocks until he was satisfied that they had eaten enough and Brock was usually the last one to crawl in because he had Cerbs to clean up as well, yet Jess could now shower and jump straight in
Bravo had been waiting on the plane ready to go home for nearly 2 hours but were still waiting for the all clear. Seeing that Jess was in her hammock reading her tablet he decided to talk with her ad make sure that she did understand that what he had said about her was true
"Jess" Jason said walking over to her
"Jason, something I can do for you" Jess asked putting her tablet down to talk to him
"I mean what I said earlier, I don't think that you're vulnerable or incapable of doing your job anymore, you're a very unique and highly skilled operator and impossible to replace in the teams, this whole situation with Al-Tabari is just one more indication of that, so here's the deal, I have no problem if you go to Trent when you've got a problem with this, but after it goes to Trent then it comes to me as well, I won't interfere with what Trent or Doctor Masterson want you to do, just keep me in the loop okay" Jason said to her
"Okay, but I'm also not a mind reader, if you're not quite certain about something then you need to come to me and ask what to do, I get the feeling that you were feeling a little shut out while I was in hospital and my recovery by Doctor Masterson and probably by my dad as well" Jess said
"It was hard, to take the step back, but from a fathers perspective I also understand why your father acts the way he did during your recovery, and why he does what he does, gives you the latest gear" Jason said
"Why" Jess asked
"Because all he wants to do is for you to be happy and healthy, and if your not then its his job to fix it, in his mind anyway, it's good that he understands and appreciates the importance of the team environment, but if it came to doing what's best for you and what's best for us as a whole, he would choose you everytime, you needed the time to adjust to everything and it made sense that Trent was the one to help you, he's got the most experience when it comes to medical treatment, hell he nearly had his arm completely blown of" Jason said
"Trent told me the story about 3 weeks after I was injured, looked at the report as he blamed himself for the injury, that there were guys out there who get injured through no fault of their own and can't return, he said he was a sniper before, held Clay's role as second sniper, when he found out that he couldn't do the sniper job anymore he retrained so he could help more of his brothers be able to return to duty after injury, the explosion wasn't his fault however, report sounded like it was a poda and history backs that assumption, that's something I haven't even been able to disarm and dad's only ever been able to successfully do 3. I think the whole point of the story however was to show that my injuries never affected my actual ability to disarm, act as a cultural liaison, translator and that, I seem to think I was annoyed about my leg and not being able to do my usual training sessions" Jess said trying to remember the story behind how the conversation came about
"And that knowledge there, is exactly what we need from you in the field, as I said this whole thing with Al-Tabari, identifying a mole, using a report to piece together a scene, I've never even heard of a poda" Jason said highlighting the importance of what Jess bring to the team
"Not surprising, they're not as common now, very hard for untrained people to identify because of how nasty they are, they're more of a deterrent than designed for mass casualties, remote detonation and multiple triggers, very few bomb makers are capable of producing them, but they've been rolled up a long time ago, however back then in that location they were very common" Jess said
"You certainly had an interesting childhood didn't you" Jason said with a smile
"What because most dad's aren't exactly the types of people who would teach their 8 year old daughters how explosive devices are made and how to make your own, how to hack a database, rewire a security camera, hand to hand combat, create fake documents, world politics and history, scuba diving, kayaking, rock climbing, orienteering, firing a weapon, playing poker, trail running, I'm pretty sure that was everything, he taught me more than most of my teachers in school combined, straight A student with a straight A attitude they used to say, not that dad ever tried to correct it" Jess said
"I thought you would have been a teachers pet" Jason asked surprised
"Some teachers yes, mostly my science teachers however, but they would give me extra class work to stop me from getting bored" Jess said
"I remember your dad saying about bored Jess and moody Jess going hand in hand at times, and then you would start looking for your own entertainment in class" Jason said
"Yep that was me, also got caught up in a few fights as well" Jess said
"My dad would have kicked my butt if he ever found out I got in a fight in school, you mean to tell me you're dad didn't care" Jason asked with a smile, these one on one talks always proved interesting with Jess, would learn more about her life and personality each and every time
"Dad would have me follow certain rules with regards to my conduct" Jess said
"He gave you his own ROE" Jason asked
"I couldn't instigate the fight, I couldn't go at anyone smaller than me, had to try and reason first, was only allowed to act in self defence or defence of a vulnerable person and was not allowed to use excessive force, once the person was down you walked away" Jess said
"Sounds like good enough reasons to me, he taught you what you needed to survive in this world, which is a lot more than what some dads teach their kids" Jason said, standing up to defend yourself or someone who can't defend themselves is one of the key traits people needed to have in life to be a decent person
"Mum and Dad tried for years to get pregnant, everyone was convinced that I was going to be a boy, someone for dad to pass his legacy and talent on to, all his mates that had kids all had boys, when I was born he copped a bit of flack from some of the others, including Samuels it turned out that it was to bad I was born a girl because I wouldn't be able to do all that stuff the others did with their sons" Jess said
"Sounds about right for Samuels, find out the result of his trial" Jason asked, Jess hadn't mentioned anything about it
"He got 5 life scentances, turns out the military isn't to fond of people who lie to them, file fake reports and all that jazz, Logan was the better outcome however, he ended up with 8 life scentances, both are expected to serve their scentances continuously I think is the word to describe it, they serve one after the other, either way they won't be getting back in the field so you can relax on that part" Jess said
"You really okay with everything you've been through, you don't regret or feel anger towards anything that happened in Djibouti" Jason asked
"It was hard to get through but honestly I wouldn't change a thing what happened, yes the feeding tube part really sucks at times, but look what came out of it as well, we never would have found out about Al-Tabari, we never would have found out we had a mole, Samuels would still be free running the clearance diver program, with nothing in place to stop what happened to me from happening to anyone else, I've gotten back in contact with some old friends of mine in the Royal Australian Navy who I haven't spoken to in over 12 months and medically on paper I'm in better shape now than what I was before we went to Djibouti, even my weight has picked up, I'm no longer classed as anorexic just underweight" Jess said highlighting the fact that it all hadn't been a bad thing in the end
"Good to hear, promise me though, you will turn to the rest of us for support and not shut us out thinking that we don't understand what you're going through and you need to do it alone if Trent isn't around, you need someone to be there, we will all be there, and if you do need a day of" Jason said
"I will let you know straight away" Jess said with a smile, there was no hard feelings between her and the rest of the team, Doctor Masterson and dad had wanted her to focus on learning to manage herself before the rest of them came in asking all these questions and confusing her, she had to learn to stand on her own and not be relying upon others to help her stand because there were going to be times that she would need to be there helping her brothers stand, this wasn't about her, it was about her developing the skills to go back into the field with her brothers and being able to watch their backs
"Jess" Eric asked walking over to where Jason and her were talking, something he was glad to see them doing, if Jason was satisfied with how things were going for Jess then the rest of Bravo would be as well
"Sir" Jess said acknowledging her CO
"How familiar are you with the Patrol boats used by the Royal Australian Navy" Eric asked
"Fairly familiar with them sir, spent a bit of time on one" Jess said remembering the posting
"We've got one in Port, they've got an explosive device on board, they need a EOD to check it out, grab your gear" Eric said giving her the order
"Yes sir" Jess said hopping out of her hammock and immediately focused her attention on getting her gear together
"You requested a EOD" Eric asked making his way over to a group of crew standing on a dock with blue camo fatigues on. The whole team had followed Jess and him to where the patrol boat was located
"That we did, Lieutenant Commander Scott Hamilton of the HMAS Mersey" said the ships CO greeting Eric
"Lieutenant Commander Eric Blackburn from DEVGRU, Petty Officer Turner is going to take a look at your little problem, best in the business" Eric said introducing Jess as well as himself, the best in the business remark was still his way at having a little dig at the Australians about the fact that Jess was originally one of their own, but had let her go
"Can you tell me where the device is located Lieutenant Commander Hamilton" Jess asked the CO
"You're Australian" he asked surprised
"Yes sir" Jess said
"Suicide bomber in the engine room, next to the fuel tanks" the CO said explaining the situation
"Everyone of the ship" Jess asked wanting to get a clear picture of what she was dealing with
"Except our Swain, he has some EOD experience but he said its beyond him, I'll get our Charge to show you" the CO said indicating to one of his crew to take her on board and show her where it was
"That won't be necessary sir, I've spent some time on the Patrol boats, I'm familiar with the layout" Jess said brushing of the offer of assistance
"You down here Luca" Jess asked making her way over to the stairs she needed to decend to get to the fuel tanks
"Sure am, you got anyone else with you" a male voice responded
"No, we're alone" Jess responded as she caught first sight of the situation
"Well all except this lady here" Luca said indicating towards a female he had secured, he was slightly taller than Jess, but possessed a similar tan and brown hair, Jess hadn't seen him since she left Australia and was one of the people she had reconnected with after Djibouti, he was part of the reason why she felt happy with where her life was at, nothing had changed, his warm smile and unmistakable sparkle in his eyes was still there, he was still exactly the same as he remembered
"She a true believer" Jess asked making her way closer
"Your Arabic is better than mine my little weirdo cuddle bug" he said using the nickname he had given her years ago as he pulled her closer
"You know this wasn't exactly what I envisioned when we talked about setting up a little rendezvous captain love bear" Jess said using his nickname she had given him when he had given her her's, she remembered their conversation from a few days ago talking about the want for the pair of them to sneak of for a few days of uninterrupted peace and quiet, no work or nothing, but of course their duty schedules were both still to unpredictable to allow it to happen, one minute Jess could be at home going about her daily business and the next minute receive a call to go and save the world as Luca had called it, and his position was what they referred to as a ship stopper, no coxswain on board meant the patrol boat couldn't sail
"You said to be creative" he said with a smile and a laugh as they embraced and kissed, he had certainly had not had the intention of having this woman in a s-vest turn up on his boat, but the fact that his weirdo cuddle bug had turned up to help had made him feel that dealing with this situation was worth it