"How'd she sleep Trent, any news from Australia" Eric asked walking into Jess's kitchen the next morning, he was surprised to find Sonny there already cooking breakfast for him and Trent. Glancing over at the couch Eric noticed 2 lots of bedding were out, as well as Jess's gaming console and had 2 controllers hooked up, Sonny had obviously crashed the night as well to keep Trent company. Eric had decided to give Bravo the day of, figuring that the teams attentions were better focused elsewhere for the moment
"Not yet and restless, but she seems to be handling it okay, her nausea is thankfully under control which is the biggest concern for her, she can potentially become dehydrated that quick, there'd be a good chance I could struggle to get a cannula in, and with deployment coming up it may become a issue, know where we're going" Trent said briefing Eric on the current situation and where it stood, the dehydration issue was something that he had pushed to the back of his mind until last night. Jess stayed up until the migraine started then Trent helped her up to bed, as he was helping her hook up he suddenly noticed that her veins were already partially shut down, and she wasn't even showing any signs of dehydration, he could have gotten a cannula in if he had to in this state, but it wouldn't have been easy and doubted the others would succeed, and could potentially cause further injury
"So far its Syria, but that could easily change, anything we can do to minimise the cannula issue" Eric asked concerned, they needed to be able to minimise Jess's need to rely on adequate medical facilities for treatment, they needed to be able to provide everything she needed themselves, if they couldn't then it could see her permanently removed from DEVGRU
"Been thinking about that, spoke to the nurse who overseas her outpatient care this morning, Doctor Masterson has just assigned her a new one who's just finished the appropriate training, he feels that she's better qualified" Trent said remembering the conversation with Aubree, he had been quite surprised when Doctor Masterson had called him into meet her, he was confused at why Doctor Masterson would replace the nurse she was previously dealing with, particularly someone who was inexperienced with outpatient care, but half hour into their conversation it had become a different story
"What's your opinion on that regard" Eric asked, unaware that there had been a change in her treatment team, Jess was not a normal patient by any means, they had to tread carefully as DEVGRU, SOCOM, JSOC and the DOD didn't want the true details of her job getting out for security reasons, she could be brought in straight from the field and wouldn't always be able to discuss the truth about where she had been or what she had been doing, they decided to keep her treatment team as small as possible to avoid and security leaks
"She may not be experienced in the outpatient care, but she had a older brother who served in delta force before he passed away, she's seen active combat, and has a higher level of security clearance than most nurses so I think between the two of us, we should make a good team, she wants to review Jess's medical deployment supplies as soon as possible, see if she might have another trick or two up her sleeve, she's already found a better dietitian that she's teamed up with, she specialises in sports nutrition for long distance runners, and consults with the DOD on what goes into our ration packs, no idea how Aubree found her but she did" Trent said, advising the CO of what progress had been achieved in such a short period of time
"She's outside the military network" Eric asked curious as to why they would choose to use someone who was from outside the main military network
"Blackburn, breakfast" Sonny asked him, indicating the cooked contents in the pan
"Thanks Sonny" Eric responded before turning his attention back to Trent
"Consultant, nutrition requirements for both are very similar, we have constant sustained energy requirements, not quick bursts, and the real long distance runners are prone to stomach upsets both during and post race, so there nutrition needs to be adjusted" Trent said explaining Chelsea's experience she brought to the table
"Sounds exactly what someone needs, she's the one who done the take away list for us" Sonny asked grabbing three plates to serve the breakfast he had prepared for them
"Yep, apparently takeout is quite a common occurrence when travelling for sporting events, however often the meals need to be modified to suit the individual athlete, that list is places she knows do what they call bland meals, they don't use raw veggies, fry foods, avoid spices, onion and garlic, I didn't even realise that it had become listed as a special diet option" Trent said, Chelsea had done more for Jess in those 3 weeks since she came on board than what the previous one had done
"You mean like the low fat, gluten free, lactose free stuff" Eric asked, it was no secret Jess wasn't the only one to struggle with digestive issues at times on Bravo, he'd had to reach for the antacids a few times himself, more often than what the rest of them realised at times, he'd learnt a few new tricks himself over the last few months from Jess and how to minimise the discomfort
"Yeah, if its listed as BLML its safe for Jess to eat" Trent said, a lot of menus listed what type of diets their meals were appropriate for
"Going to make things easier for us, anything else she suggested" Eric asked continuing to prod Trent for information, even if it was to help him
"Self-serve buffets over menus where possible, more variety and more likely to find something she can eat and can adjust her portion size, just have what she wants on the plate" Trent said, that was the tip he'd found most useful himself, even if it was something simple like some steamed vegetables and grilled chicken, Chelsea had been just as focused on reintroducing the social aspect of eating for Jess as the amount of nutrition she was receiving
"Well that's easy done, least she has options in that area that we didn't know about before" Sonny said pleased with what news he was hearing
"Still doesn't mean she's going to be allowed any alcohol Sonny" Eric said reminding the texan that even though they were finding more options for Jess, she still wouldn't be able to replace every aspect of that area
"No, but we may be able to find her a mocktail creation or something similar, alcohol is just to dehydrating on the body and Jess can't tolerate it. Once Chelsea has a better idea of what she is going to be able to stomach, there'll be more options. Doctor Masterson did say to Jess it would take about 18 months for her body to fully recover and adapt to the situation, and then we'll have a full picture on what she can stomach and what she can't. It won't be able to just be a spontaneous decision however to have one and it will probably only be one, she'll need to plan it and adjust everything else accordingly" Trent said, yes it had been 6 months already but there was still a long period to wait
"Hey that's cool by me, I just don't want her to go through another episode like Denpasar" Sonny said remembering the guilt he had felt when Jess was confronted and then walked out and returned to the plane, while they stayed to enjoy their drinks, not that any of them did
"That wasn't the alcohol problem, that was the fact she had the backpack on with her pump in it, they thought she was a suicide bomber" Eric said, he had the same feelings watching it unfold, in that one moment what was supposed to have been an enjoyable social night out, first one they'd had in months and in that one moment it had changed the whole atmosphere
"What, you're joking right, they really thought Bookworm was a suicide bomber, just because she had a backpack on" Sonny said slightly shocked, he'd not thought of the situation like that
"Afraid so, thats unfortunately the way the world is Sonny, some people have become simply to afraid of a person in a crowded space wearing a backpack" Eric responded as all 3 of them exchanged looks at each other, they'd seen more than their fair share of what the world was like and how it had changed people's attitude towards certain things, but you never even considered the true impact until you saw it affect someone you know personally
"Hey Alie, hows the little one going" Trent asked her as soon as her face popped up on the phone screen. He'd been waiting impatiently for the call to come through, Jess had handed her phone over to Trent last night before she went to bed for safe keeping, if an update came through he would come and wake her up, she'd also been able to take some stronger pain medication with someone else there to answer the video call when it came
"She'll be okay hopefully, her small bowel had completely twisted and cut of the circulation to a large portion of her small bowel" Alie said softly, the last 24 hours had been absolute hell for her, she was wrecked mentally and emotionally
"So she's ended up with a tube like her mum" Trent asked
"Yeah, hows Jess's migraine going" Alie enquired, her granddaughter was still sedated pretty heavily from the whole ordeal, Alie just hoped that Jess was currently in a similar situation
"Still in bed with it, her nausea is under control however which is a big plus at the moment" Trent said, he was relieved about the fact it hadn't become a problem for her
"Just keep a closer eye on her with them Trent, I know she grew out of them, but her dad had the same problem, then he started getting them again as he got older, he's even had to be hospitalised to receive IV fluids some have been that bad" Alie told the medic, her husband and his daughter were near mirror images of each other at times
"Think you can send me a list of his triggers, symptoms and medications he takes, I know each person is different, but it sounds like it could be hereditary" Trent asked, he knew that migraines could be hereditary, knowing that Jay had them as well knowing how he managed them and what his triggers were, it would help give him an idea of where to start with Jess
"Will do, you know if Jess has got a medical clearance form done yet" Alie asked hopefully
"Can't even get her out of bed Alie" Trent said, he had tried to get her up twice so she could go to the toilet but was unsuccessful, she'd become that weak from fatigue and pain she couldn't even stand up to walk, looking through her wardrobe to find an alternative he had quickly noticed the commode she had used when she had first come home, it could be positioned next to her bed so she could slide across to use it instead of actually physically getting up and walking to the toilet when she was unsteady on her feet. Realising how bad this was affecting her strength, Trent quickly pulled it out and set it up so Jess could use it again
"Would she need to see Doctor Shah to get it filled in, she's Jess's treating physician, it doesn't have to go to Doctor Masterson or anything, especially if she's already agreed to go with a chaperone" Alie asked curiously, for all she knew Trent was under the impression that Doctor Masterson had been the one who needed to sign the form, meaning it had to go to Bethesda which was nearly a 3 hour drive from where she lived
"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem that way, but that's a lot more money as its 2 tickets she's going to need to pay" Trent asked concerned, he had checked out some of the prices himself and were quite shocked at what he'd read, two return trips to Australia would cost 2/3 of his yearly wage, he'd never seen himself as being short on money, he lived comfortably, but seeing those price tags, exactly how much did Jess have he wondered
"Don't worry about the tickets Trent, I'll cover them, I was wanting you and Eric to come out anyway, need both of you to sign of on some new gear and go over what Jess may need for deployment, I spoke to my accountant and I can claim it back as a business expense by using the company account to pay for it" came Jay's voice over the video, he moved and sat next to his wife so they could both talk to Trent together, with his different behind the scenes deals, he would be getting a solid discount on things like flights and accommodation, simply for promoting there brand like they did for him, however he couldn't let everyone else know that or they would want the same deals and that wasn't how this game worked, he also knew that Bravo would feel a lot more comfortable accepting this type of offer if they knew that it wasnt all coming out of his pocket completely, or they'd insist on covering part of it themselves when he didn't want them to
"That's an extremely generous offer Jay, I'll let the boss know" Trent said feeling slightly excited about the prospect of a luxury first class trip, sure the reasoning sucked, but this was something he never thought he would get to experience
"Also, do you think you could get someone else signed of as a chaperone for Jess other than yourself, she shouldn't need anyone with official training if Doctor Shah knows you're already going to be on the flight should she" Alie asked hopefully
"I'll do it" Sonny shouted eagerly, he was sitting on the couch opposite Trent and had been listening to the whole conversation
"That you Sonny" Jay asked recognising the familiar voice
"Sure is Jay" Sonny said moving himself to the other couch next to Trent so he could be seen in screen
"Look Sonny, Jay and Alie are already covering our flights, why did you want someone else anyway" Trent started to say to Sonny before he realised what Alie had actually just asked
"Zalie is deadset on coming back with Jess, and now her second parent adoption has come through meaning Zalie is eligible for TRICARE, however she will need someone who has certified official training to fly, if you get listed as Jess's then we can't get you listed for Zalie" Alie said explaining the situation, they had tried to explain to Zalie that she was only going to have to wait 4 more weeks before her dad was going to be there and they could fly together, as soon as Zalie had been told that she was free to live with her mum now and not confined to having to stay purely with her dad as he was her legal guardian, she latched onto the idea of no matter what happened she wouldn't have to be left behind by her mum anymore because her dad was having to stay behind, or would have to move away with him because he was being stationed at another base
"What if we get a spin before Luca gets here, she's going to need a guardian" Trent asked concerned, chances of the spin were remote but were always a possibility
"Looked at that already and spoke to my contacts, Jess has a friend there who has already volunteered to tutor Zalie, help her adapt to the US education system, Zalie was going to need to have a FRP already put in place in case of an emergency situation and Luca was out of town, so this friend agreed to go as Zalie's short term emergency contact, lady called Stella, apparently Naima introduced them" Jay said
"Clay's ex-girlfriend, didn't realise she was even back in town" Sonny said a little confused
"Apparently she's a TA or something like that, anyway she's already agreed to it, forms just need to be filed, but Jess can file them from here" Alie said
"Look Sonny, I'm sure Jay and Alie appreciate your eager offer to help, but they're already paying for two extra first class tickets" Trent said satisfied that he now understood why the request of not to go as Jess's chaperone, but if he and Eric had already been invited to go, was it right to ask for a third ticket, Sonny just sat there and looked at Trent with the puppy dog eyes he'd mastered from Cerbs
"Actually it might pay for it to be someone else from bravo, its potentially going to need to be documented officially for the military, and seeing as Eric is your CO it may come back to bite both of them later" Jay said giving his view on the situation, even if they were travelling as a group on the same plane, they clearly had two different reasons for going
"See, and if that kids already feeling down in the dumps then who better than her uncle Sonny to cheer her up, I can be at the hospital with Jess why you can be with Jay and Blackburn, I just got one question though Jay" Sonny asked excited by the prospect of going along with them, he knew that if he asked Jess then she would make sure he picked up every single complimentary item he could
"Yes" Jay asked curious about what question he was about to be asked
"Whats the go with accommodation arrangements" Sonny asked, Sydney was Jess's home town, there would be a chance that they would be staying with her parents, not that Sonny really minded, he just wanted to know what to expect
"Hotel, Alie and I recently moved to a new apartment closer to my office, we don't have the room to have you stay here, not to mention that Jess would most likely want to be as close to the hospital as possible for the time she's here" Jay said
"Can you make it one of those fancy hotels where they give you lots of freebies, the airline as well, Jess showed me some of the perks of first class" Sonny said excitedly
"When Sonny travels, if its complimentary items then he clears them out" Trent said filling Jay in on the reason for Sonny's request
"My type of man, have the perfect hotel and airline in mind" Jay said with a laugh, he had one preferred airline and one preferred hotel he always used, why, because they were both very focused on promotion and would provide an amazing array of complimentary items for people to take. People like Sonny, who take everything they can, were walking billboards for companies without them even realising it
"They know how long Zalie's going to need to remain in hospital for, and gets cleared to fly" Trent asked curiously, he hadn't had to bring a patient home commercially, military transport was easy to navigate for patient transport, but commercial was an entirely different ballgame
"All going well, she'll be cleared in 2 weeks from today if she's flying with a chaperone that has official medical training, your combat training we've already confirmed with the airline and hospital will be satisfactory, especially considering that you are already familiar with the operating process of the feeding tubes. We spoke with Doctor Masterson as well last night and considering how new she's going to be to the whole process, he's suggested an earlier relocation as well, so in his words she doesn't develop any 'bad habits' he'll need to correct, and is already conferring with a paediatrician at Bethesda he knows, they're already familiarising themselves with Zalie's case and setting up a treatment team for her. He said he plans on using the same team Jess does where possible, hoping it will make Zalie more comfortable if she's seeing people her mums already comfortable and familiar with" Alie said, they weren't a family that would just sit back and wait, they would actively look at the whole picture, not just say oh we'll sort that out when we get there
"Its a good idea actually, means that I'm familiar as well as the rest of the team with them, in case we need to pitch in and help, we already know who we're dealing with" Trent said before he finished of the call and headed into the kitchen to talk to Eric with Sonny
"Blackburn, how soon do you think you could get the 4 of us cleared for leave" Sonny asked as soon as he saw the CO standing there
"The 3 of us Sonny, Jess will already qualify for emergency compassionate and parental leave" Trent said correcting him
"5 maybe 6 days, seeing as we're already on operational stand down, why's that" Eric asked
"Jay and Alie just called, Zalie's small bowel twisted pretty badly last night" Trent said briefing Eric on the contents of the video call
"That was the turn Jay mentioned, what freaked Jess out" Eric asked
"Yeah, she had the surgery but she's had to loose a fair chunk of it, she's been left with a feeding tube like her mum" Trent said
"Jess definitely needs to fly out then, and as soon as possible" Eric said, there was no way Jess could be expected to stay put in the states now
"Yeah that's why we're going to see if Doctor Shah will clear Jess without actually physically having examine her, I mean she ain't moving from that bed and if she starts moving before she's recovered properly it will reoccur, but she'll need to have a chaperone. Sonny has already volunteered to go along as Jess's as she'll need one listed on the form that goes to the airline" Trent said providing further details on the current state of affairs
"Why can't you do it" Eric asked curiously
"Alie said Zalie's official second parent adoption has come through, meaning she is now legally Jess's dependent and is such entitled to all the benefits and services provided, including TRICARE, they've spoken with Doctor Masterson and he's already suggested that Zalie relocate as soon as possible so she can be placed under his care from the beginning, he's already putting together a treatment team and has a paediatrician he's consulting with. All going well she can fly in 2 weeks from today, providing she travels with a chaperone who has official medical training, I can't be officially approved to be Zalie's if Doctor Shah has listed me as Jess's" Trent said
"Okay fair enough, but you said all 3 of us" Eric said
"Jay has some new gear he needs signed off on, he also wants to review Jess's gear and identify anything that she may need for deployment and obviously make a start, he spoken to his accountant and can get yours and mines trips written up as business expenses so he'll get the money back, the reason for Sonny coming along however is that whoever goes as Jess's will need to be recorded in military records, Jay's concerned that if its you who's listed, considering that this is a commercial flight, it might come back to bite both of you in the future as you're her commanding officer" said Trent
"Fair point, I'll make the call, you want to wake Jess and tell her about the situation with Zalie yet" Eric said pausing to think for a moment before switching into CO mode
"I'm going to contact Doctor Shah first, make sure she can do that form today get it sent of, I think Jess will be calmer about the situation if she already knows that she's gotten okay for him to fly out and that its already on its way to the airline for approval, its still going to take a few days for it to come through officially, however at least the process is started. I'll also get Aubree to review her gear as well before we leave, that way we know what we're looking at. Turns out that Jess's migraines may be hereditary as well as Jay gets them, so Alie is sending me the triggers, symptoms and medications he uses for his. Everyone is different obviously, but being hereditary then there may be similar traits between the two" Trent said explaining his plans
"Good work Trent, get started, Sonny, I want you to alert Jason and the others about what's happening with Zalie, I don't even know if Jess has a bedroom set up for her yet, also find out if there is an emergency contact listed, I know Luca is due in 4 weeks, however we may get the Al-Tabari spin before then so we need to know who's going to be looking after her as Jess will need to be focused 100%" Eric said giving Sonny his own list of tasks to do
"Its Stella, she's back in town, don't know if Clay knows though" Sonny said
"Regardless if she's Clay's ex, if she's looking after Zalie then I want to speak to her, see how they're going to manage this until Luca arrives. Clay may need to pull double shifts on these translations to, I don't know if the pair of them have a system or not when it comes to doing them but find out for me" Eric said before pulling out his phone to call the base and let Lindell know what the current situation was for Bravo
"Yes sir" Sonny and Trent said in unison