"Jess, you're on translations duty, you don't even need to be on base to do them, we're on operational stand down, we're not going to get spun up, our focus is Yemen, and that needs the translations done before we can even look at being given the green light, take advantage of the down time and go and see your daughter. Grab your phone now and book a flight" Jason said looking straight at Jess, not to intimidate her, but to make her understand that he was talking from a parent perspective
"Look, let me ring back Laura and Alie, then I'll decide what I'm doing, its not as if I can simply just go to the airport and jump on a plane like I used to" Jess said getting up from her couch and walking up to the top floor where the master bedroom was located, she didn't want to make the call around prying ears
"Why not" Eric asked curiously as there would be times where Jess would have to fly commercial as part of her job, she's to good of a EOD to not be loaned out to run training courses, they wouldn't always be able to have military transport for just one person
"Chronic medical condition, her feeding tube, she'll need medical clearance forms signed and sent to the airline for approval before she can book a flight as she's going to need to carry medication and extra luggage as carry-on, she's looking at having to wait at least 3 days, and that's assuming that Doctor Masterson will even clear her for a international flight to Australia unaccompanied, she's probably going to need to have someone travel with her, and that person would have to also fly first class" Trent said giving the medical run-down of what the go was
"Which rules out any of us going, no way we could pay that type of money" Ray said
"What if her dad flew over to collect her" Clay asked looking at Trent
"Possibly, will just have to wait and see what is happening" Trent said as he looked subconsciously at the stairs"
"Hi Alie" Jess said as her step mum answered her video call
"Jess, hi darling, how are you" Alie said looking at her step daughter and analysing her facial expressions, she may not have been the one who had given birth to her, but she had raised Jess since she was 7, she used to get people ask her why Jess never called her mum, she'd always replied that it was just a title in her eyes and she didn't want Jess feeling pressured into thinking that her biological mother was being replaced, they still had the normal mother daughter relationship, what did it matter to Alie what Jess called her. What was more important to Alie was the fact Jess called her parents by their Italian grandparent titles and that she had embraced the Italian heritage while still maintaining her other roots"
"I'm okay, listen, hows Zalie really doing" Jess asked softly, Alie knew by the tone that Jess wanted a straight answer
"She's not to great at the moment, doctors are concerned about this vomiting all the time and she's just feeling so tired and weak" Alie responded
"I can understand what that feels like" Jess said, she'd been stricken a few times with the continued vomiting, it made her body feel like a dead weight and there was nothing she could do to give herself any more energy, all she could do was lay there curled up under her duvet and have her feeding tube running at the lowest possible level with oral rehydration fluids going as well. Alie had gone through Jess's bedroom before she had been discharged and redesigned the layout to make it more comfortable and practical, especially for sick days. Jess had loved the layout so much that she hadn't even bothered to change one bit of it. It was no secret that she had a favourite sleeping position, and once she was in it she would sleep for hours, everytime Jess came out of a surgery, the doctors would be a little nervous that she was coming around to early, she only came to enough to move into that position then would sleep for a few hours. Alie had positioned Jess's bed just right so she could be laying in that position and look straight out over the ocean.
"They're talking about the possibility of putting in a tube like yours" Alie said
"Help get some condition back, its not as silly as it sounds" Jess responded, knowing that it would scare a lot of parents, but Jess already knew the practical side of what the benefits were
"But she's scared about it" Alie explained
"Yeah well I don't blame her, I wasn't exactly all sunshine and rainbows waking up with mine in" Jess responded to her step mother, she had had so many questions running through her head straight up it had spun her out, it had helped having someone to talk to who could understand the feelings and explain what was going on. That's the one thing she enjoyed about being in hospital now when she had to go, unless she was required to be in the ICU, she was on the gastrointestinal ward, regardless of whatever reason she was there for, and they understood her there and how she was feeling
"You got a migraine starting" Alie asked curiously, she could tell as soon as she had seen Jess's face that something was off about her, but she hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly what that was until now
"Maybe a little one, I do have a couple of weeks downtime at the moment, however I'm going to need to get a medical clearance form signed and emailed of to the airline before I can book, its still probably going to be at least 5 days before I can get there" Jess said acknowledging her step mums concerns and explaining her current situation with work, Jason had been right, this was something that Zalie did need her mum for, and a lot more than what Bravo needed her currently, but she wanted to make it clear that she couldn't just snap her fingers and be there straight away like she used to, Zalie would still have to be patient
"Trust me, I think just the simple fact of knowing that you're coming will make her day" Alie said trying to provide some comfort to her step daughter but suddenly that moment had been interrupted by the sounds of medical alarms going of and a look had changed on Alie's face, those alarms were indicating that it was Zalie in trouble
"Whats that, whats happened" Jess asked frantically at the commotion that was going on over the video link
"Jess relax honey, I'll let you know as soon as I know anything okay, have you got anyone else there with you" Alie asked, she knew that Jess would benefit from having someone else there with her
"Yeah, whole team and the boss" Jess said still worried
"Okay, you need to take care of that migraine, I know how bad your dads get, plenty of fluids and pain relief and I'll call Eric as soon as I have any updates okay, relaxing and taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for Zalie at the moment you hear me" Alie said really trying to enforce that last bit, she would be no good for Zalie if she fell into a heap before she even got there
"Okay" Jess said softly as she finished the call, suddenly she felt some vary familiar pains start in her stomach, and Jess knew exactly what they were, she sat there still on her bed for a few seconds steadying herself before she went into her bathroom and jumped into a nice warm relaxing shower to allow her body to process everything
"Jess has been on the phone for a while, think this could be serious" Brock asked, noticing that it was just over 30 minutes since Jess had left the room to make the call
"Possibly" Ray said, saying a silent prayer hoping that everything was okay
"Who's that" Sonny asked hearing Eric's phone beep, beeping phones weren't a good sign when there was a situation like this the team was facing
"Jay, said to keep close to Jess, Zalie has had a turn and Alie noticed that Jess has a migraine starting" Eric said reading the message
"You know where her medications are" Jason asked Trent
"Should all be in her room, never known her to get migraines, she's got no reliever or nothing" Trent said concerned
"Maybe she doesn't need one, she doesn't get them very often" Clay said
"You got one in your med kit" Eric asked, not wanting Jess out of action with everything else that was going on
"Think so, but I'm not cleared to use it on her, its in my truck" Trent said, he was trying to think back to the side effects of the medication, anything that chance of causing vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation as a main side effect Jess had to avoid unless absolutely necessary and under the strictest of guidance from Doctor Masterson
"I'll go grab it" Brock said as he grabbed Cerbs by his lead and went out to the truck and look for it
"Jess you okay in there" Trent asked knocking on the door separating the wet room from the rest of the ensuite that was attached of the master bedroom. The others had stayed downstairs out of the way for the moment, turned out that it was the pair of them that had the best chance of managing Jess if she was in one of her little moods which had surprised the team, Trent they understood where his role was in these situations, Sonny however was a different story, maybe it was that they both understood each others need for space in certain situations, neither had been to comfortable with displaying emotions and feelings around others, so they found it a relaxing change of pace, no one knew what it was, but something just seemed to click between them in certain situations
"Just give me a minute" came Jess's muffled voice from behind the door, the shower was still running and they heard her start coughing
"She throwing up" Sonny asked hearing the way Jess was coughing
"Sounds like it" Trent said as he heard the shower being slowly turned of
"Want a change of clothes Bookworm" Sonny called out, he noticed that she had nothing out ready
"Cupboard there, should have some grey pyjamas" Jess replied poking her head around the door and indicating to the appropriate location. Trent stood there silently trying to work out exactly how Jess was feeling, he knew the warm shower and pyjamas were the first stage of her relaxation process, whatever was going to happen with this migraine Jess was already settling herself in to ride it out which was good sign, it meant that she had zero intention of trying to fight what was going to happen, she was just going to let it happen, like reinforcing your position when you know an enemy is going to attack, you get everything ready and just hold tight
"Got them, how many pairs of these do you need Bookworm" Sonny asked opening the cupboard and noticing that Jess had a reasonable pile stacked in there
"Give" Jess replied not wanting to answer the question, she wanted her pyjamas on now
"How many pairs of pyjamas does she need" Sonny asked looking at Trent in surprise
"Check it out" Trent said indicating to the name printed on them
"She gets these from the airline" Sonny asked recognising the name
"Yes I get them from the airline, now you know about me flying first class I'm going to be able to start wearing them more often, what are you doing up here" Jess asked finally emerging from the room fully dressed and her damp hair unbrushed, she quickly made her way to her vanity to retrieve her brush and tackle her hair and pull it into a single loose braid before sliding a soft cotton headband on, not wanting her hair feeling heavy or getting in her face once the migraine was to fully hit
"Your dad messaged, said Zalie's had a turn and you've got a migraine starting, exactly how much of this stuff is from the airlines" Trent said as he glanced around her bathroom
"Those cupboards there, well airlines and hotels, some in my wardrobe as well" Jess said indicating to the cupboards next to where she had Sonny retrieve her pyjamas from
"And they literally just give you all this stuff" Sonny asked surprised opening the cupboards to check it out
"Ah yeah, its called perks of first class" Jess said, some people never realised exactly how much you would receive in complimentary items by travelling first class at times, as her dad had explained to her however, it is seen as free advertising by the companies, they wanted you to take the items and use them after you had stayed at that accommodation or flown with that airline, any chance for them to get their name seen they'll take it. It was the exact same reason he would send Jess and Bravo free gear, especially his new stuff, got his name out there and hopefully the forces from other countries would see it and the quality standards and purchase the same items, and considering he also done individual sales and direct to public now with his range, it had become even more important to get his products out there and seen in person, not just through a photo or catalogue
"Next time you go on holiday Bookworm I am squeezing into your suitcases" Sonny said still looking through her stash
"Won't get far, she'll smell your boots" Trent said with a grin
"Hey now check this stuff out" Sonny said moving onto another cupboard
"He wouldn't stay put anyway, not once the free booze comes out, Sonny, where are you taking my stuff" Jess said noticing that Sonny had filled his arms with a variety of different items
"Just to show the fellas, free booze you say" Sonny asked turning his head back to look at her
"Yeah, 35 year old single malt worth $300 a bottle, and that's in the middle east" Jess said emphasising the location, the middle east was not exactly known for being the texans favourite area of the world to visit
"$300 bottle of scotch" Sonny asked surprised, he had to admit, it sounded like it would taste pretty fine by now
"First time he wouldn't be complaining about going there" Trent chimed in seeing his brothers expression on his face
"And that's not even the best part" Jess said trying to make her voice sound enticing to grab Sonny's full attention
"Its not" Sonny asked his attention fully focused on her
"Nope" Jess said using the same tone of voice, Sonny was now becoming more drawn to what Jess was saying
"What is it" he asked really eager to know what it was
"See they have these seats that are set up in just the perfect way that I wouldn't need to be spending the flight listening to you snoring or complaining about your newest phobia" Jess said, still keeping the tone she had used to gain his undivided attention, but quickly changed it into another tone indicating that she was having a laugh at him as well patting him on the shoulder
"Or smell your boots" Trent added with a grin
"I don't snore" Sonny said in protest
"Ah yeah you do" Trent and Jess both replied in unison, there had been many a flight you could hear Sonny's unmistakable snoring from the part of the plane Bravo would string their hammocks up in. Sonny stood there looking annoyed at the pair of them for the moment, noticing the size of the pile Sonny had accumulated in his arms and not wanting him to trip, she walked over to her wardrobe and quickly pulled out a couple of reusable tote bags she had stashed in there with different companies names on them highlighting where she had picked them up from and handing them over to Sonny to put the items in to take down stairs. Sonny quickly filled the bags and with a smile on his face headed back to where the others were waiting. This was giving Trent the perfect chance to enquire about her migraines
"How long you been getting migraines for" Trent asked curiously as he watched Jess get some of her electrolyte drinks from the bar fridge she kept in her room, when she first got discharged Alie had made it a point of keeping a supply of her drinks and snacks on hand in her bedroom so Jess had been able to help herself to what she had felt like whenever she was hungry, she had noticed it happening on the gastrointestinal ward as the patients were encouraged to graze over eating a proper meal all the time. The process had seemed to work well for Jess so they just continued it, particularly if she was feeling tired or under the weather
"Long as I can remember, thought I grew out of them, haven't had one in 5 years probably" Jess said sitting the supply on the table next to her bed so they remained in arms reach
"And you definitely got one starting" Trent asked moving to help her shut the blinds and draw the curtains, it may have been night time at the moment, however it was clear that Jess had every intention of keeping her bedroom as dark as she could for as long as possible, photosensitivity was obviously a problem when she got them
"Mmhhm, not something you forget when you used to get them like I did when I was younger" Jess said trying to adjust the mood lighting just enough that it wasnt directly going to be in her eyes, but just enough to provide a limited amount of illumination to the room, normally unnecessary, however considering the current circumstances, she highly doubted that she would be left alone tonight and it would be either Trent or Jason wanting to sleep here to keep an eye on her
"How long before it fully kicks in" Trent asked causing Jess to pause and think for the moment, they always usually followed a set time line of 4 stages, Alie would always seem to notice when she hit stage 2
"Hour maybe 2, just gonna have to ride it out" Jess said guessing she was still early stage 2 as Alie hadn't mentioned it first up when she answered the call, she could always predict hers and her dads in early early stage 2, stage 3 was the actual migraine and stage 4 was the recovery period, Jess would most likely hit stage 4 mid afternoon tomorrow she predicted trying to remember her usual pattern, they were usually 18 hours she seemed to think from when they'd start
"You okay" Trent asked noticing that Jess was hesitating slightly, like she didn't know what to do next
"Yeah, just trying to remember what my usual cycle was, work out roughly how long I'll be down for and when I should hit stage 4" Jess said as she moved on to adjust the temperature in the room to have it slightly colder than she would normally have it and switched it to silent before moving on to her feeding tube supplies
"And how long are they usually" Trent asked concerned, some lasted a few hours and some would last a few days, and then there was the chance that if she done to much before her recovery period was finished, she would slide back into stage 3 and need to repeat the process
"Usually 18 hours from when they first hit" Jess said not breaking her focus on the task at hand
"You mind if I stick around" Trent asked, good chance to keep an eye on her and see how this panned out, as well as seeing how Jess handled herself during the situation in case it happened in the future, and he'd be on hand if something happened to Zalie or she became dehydrated, even though it was immediately apparent that she was taking all appropriate steps in attempt to stop it from happening, yet another display on why he always referred to Jess as his easiest patient to manage on the team when his fellow medics questioned him, despite her having the chronic medical condition, she played a active roll in her treatment, didn't just leave it to medical, or wait until she was to sick then complain about it getting that bad, when she hadn't made an active attempt to prevent it from happening, and was compliant with any orders he gave her
"Go right ahead, you know know were everything is, house rules, I'll be down in a sec" Jess said as she started pouring the formula in her feeding bag ready to go, house rules were help yourself, clean up after yourself, don't expect her to be social if she's tired and lock the door when you left
"Going to set up a second feed ready" Trent asked, it was slightly early as she usually would wait till she was ready to crawl into bed before getting it ready
"Just on 50 with hydration fluid and stick it in a coolie bag" Jess said letting him know her plan, it would just be very slowly going into her stomach, her body wouldn't even register that she was having it even with her electrolyte drinks, it would give her a double dose of energy, especially if her plan was remaining in bed tomorrow, which was a good chance it would be, the coolie bag would keep it at the right temperature combined with the decreased room temperature
"Sounds like a good idea, I'll make sure Sonny doesn't go stealing anything, need anything else done while I'm here" Trent asked looking around while Jess was priming the machine, all her flush supplies were there she'd need for the next 24 hours, electrolyte drinks should last the duration as well but could easily grab an extra one out for her if she needed it, she couldn't handle them overly cold so if he noticed she was getting low, he could just grab another from the fridge and sit beside her bed, emesis bags out ready, Alie had found these ones that after you used them they had a solid bottom so you could sit them on a hard surface and not topple over and had a metal snap top to seal them and stop from leaking everywhere and smell going through the room, a lot easier to dispose of, and she was now heading to where her medications were located and saw her quickly take some, pills meant it wasn't anything to strong yet, but he knew it was in there if she needed it
"Nah I'll finish setting everything up, think I remember how I used to ride these out" Jess said with a small smile, glancing around her room to see if she'd forgotten anything, as Trent made his way back down stairs, glancing around she noticed the last items she needed which was her nose plug and anti nausea lollies to suck, people would ask why the nose plug, simple answer was when you vomit particles of it could go up there and you would be stuck smelling it for hours, best way to fix it was to stop it from happening of course
"Heya, check this stuff out" Sonny said walking back i to the living area where the others were sitting and waiting patiently
"Now where exactly did you manage to pinch all that from Sonny" Brock asked as the others laughed, Sonny was one of those people who always left a hotel room with more than he entered
"Bookworm's room, she's got cupboards full of it, all from paying to keep her butt pampered while she travels" Sonny said explaining proudly as he started emptying out to show the others
"And you just happened to find this stuff because" Ray asked picking one of the packages up to examine it, mini bootshine kit, right size to go in your bag in case of emergency inspections he thought to himself
"She's got a huge pile of jimjams in her bathroom amongst it" Sonny said still looking through what he'd found
"She's had a shower and chucked a pair on so she's ready to crash completely once this migraine hits, said now we know about her travel preferences she can wear them without us asking questions, grubby texan paws of" Trent said sliding into the spot next to him and slapping his hands as he noticed something had really caught his eye, that would walk out of Jess's house quite easily if Sonny didn't think anyone was looking at him
"Sonny can't help it, if its a complimentary item he has to help himself" Eric said remembering the amount of times they would find some free items stashed on the plane Sonny had helped himself to if he'd found them
"Looks like Jess might be similar" Jason said with a smile looking through it all
"If I'm paying that amount of money, of course I'm going to take it, besides its expected by companies" Jess said sliding into another vacant seat on the couch, long sleeve top and bottoms in one of those moisture wicking fabrics, designed to keep your body at a comfortable temperature and draw excess sweat and moisture from the skin
"Snazzy jammies" Ray joked
"Don't knock the jammies, airlines give you the best ones, these retail at $70 a pair thank you very much" Jess said trying to sound defensive but having a laugh as well, these weren't just some cheap freebie, they were the real deal, airlines often worked with top level fashion designers when it come to the pyjamas they would give their first class passengers
"And exactly how many pairs do you get each flight" Clay asked
"Return to Sydney I end up with 6 pairs from this airline, they only end up chucking them at the end of the flight, same with the slippers" Jess said, she knew they weren't generally offered by airlines on flights less than 2 hours duration which her last connection to and first one out of Sydney were, however this particular airline they would provide them if you asked, and this airline was the one of the select few who ditched their used blankets and travel pillow each flight as well due to health reasons, some might see it as them being wasteful, but it was only the first class passengers who got all the complimentary items, business and coach didn't get anywhere near that amount, if they wanted some of the first class items then they had to pay for them before the airline would provide them
"And the free booze" Sonny asked inquisitively, would be a shame to waste that
"If its unopened they keep it, opened it gets thrown usually" Jess said
"Wouldn't be any of that scotch left by time the flight was over anyway Sonny, not with you on board" Trent joked, the others were unaware of the details of that particular conversation that had taken place upstairs
"Not if I'm not paying for it, and at $300 a bottle, I'd be savouring every single last drop of it" Sonny said with a laugh and huge grin across his face