Chapter Fifty-Four
"Well that was the worst five hours of my life," Sonny groaned as he kicked the cage room door open and headed straight to his cage. He so needed a drink and wished that he hadn't already gone through his little supply that he had hidden in his cage. Maybe he could break into Clay's and steal his beer but that would mean he had to remember to replace it before the kid came back. And his memory wasn't very good when he had a skin full.
"Really, it can't have been that bad?" Brock said as he looked up from his phone. Thankfully his vet visit had gone really well. No one got bit and Cerberus had parted with his blood very easily. It had only been a routine blood test to make sure that his four-legged brother's kidneys and liver were working correctly but getting the blood out of him was a whole nother story. Cerberus was fine with the vet as long as they didn't muck about with him too much but trying to get three tubes full of blood was pushing it a lot.
But thanks to the amazing vet who did it, they had gotten the vein strange away and collected everything within seconds. It had only taken thirty minutes before he had been told the results and Cerberus had been given a clean bit of health. He couldn't help but thank the lords that Cerberus was cleared another year. After his partners little upset and behaviour changes, he had been worried that maybe he wasn't all to do with Clay and that something was happening inside his brother. But it hadn't been. From the vet's point of view, Cerberus was completely healthy and ready to work.
Now that he could relax and after returning to base he had found himself texting Clay to let him know that Cerb had been given the all-clear. He had found it a little odd that Clay hadn't messaged him straight as he had told Clay that Cerb had a vet appointment and Clay had immediately asked him to let him know how it went. But he wasn't fully worried as he knew that Clay was going to be out of phone range for most of the day and would message him back when he was back in range. But there was something in the pit of his stomach that told him something wasn't right. He had no way of describing it to anyone and wasn't going to until he knew more.
Cerb had settled in his bed inside of Brock's cage with Clay's t-shirt underneath his head. Brock had tried to give it back to Clay but Clay had told him that he didn't need it. Also, it had taken him over an hour to get it off Cerb which was pretty entertaining for those watching it unfold. Clay had told him in confidence that he didn't mind Cerb keeping the t-shirt as it clearly kept their pup calm.
"Yes, it was…" Sonny snarled, almost which caused Cerberus to lift his head at the noise. "...and I hate the lot of you for making me do it," He said, turning around pointing at each of them before moving into his cage. He hated dealing with Green Team recruits and more so when he was forced to work with them.
"Bet the Green Team boys thought the same thing," Trent said as he flicked through the medical pack he had been given. There was a lot to go through but he didn't mind. If it meant that he would be able to save one of his brothers out in the field then it was worth getting.
He had grinned when Sonny had entered the room kicking off. Everyone knew that Sonny hated working or doing anything with Green Team. Hell, he hated when they had to work with a strap as he always saw them as a threat for his brothers which sometimes, they were. So making Sonny do something he didn't like was always fun but sadly they still had to listen to him complain about it afterwards.
"Want me to show you what I taught the kids?" Sonny snarled, throwing down his hat and then stormed towards Trent. He was pissed that he had been forced to babysit a bunch of kids who weren't ready to go full throttle yet but thought that they were. It was why he knew that he would never be a team leader, as to become one they had to get their hours in training new guys. Which was pretty much hell for him and everyone involved.
Trent quickly got to his feet, he knew that Sonny would never hurt him as he saw them all as family but that didn't mean he wouldn't hit him once or twice. And to be honest, Sonny's punch always came with a lot of force behind it. But at the same time, his punch also packed a punch. And he wouldn't just stand there and take it.
"Ok, children, that's enough," Ray said, stopping them in their tracks. His head was still reeling from everything that had happened at the school. Jameelah had only just fallen behind in a few subjects but it was still a concern. Jameelah normally excelled at most subjects, she was so smart that he could see her mother in her nearly every day. They also had brought up the concern that they had found Jameelah on a few occasions either on the edge of tears or with puffy eyes.
When they had spoken to Jameelah about it when she was called into the room with her parents. She finally broke down and hugged him so tightly like she was using him as an anchor. In the end, she finally told them that she had overheard them talking one night about Clay and she had heard when he had told Naima that he had been worried about Clay's mental health and this trip to Africa. He had said that he had been worried that maybe this trip was to get away from them and that he hoped it wasn't so they couldn't stop him.
It broke his heart that Jameelah had understood that comment. Suicide was still one of the biggest killers of soldiers. It had killed more soldiers than the battlefield. And he was really worried about his youngest brother. Clay had been through a lot and with this sudden trip, he couldn't stop his mind from going to the worst possible thing. Clay had been through a lot of hurt recently. And it had crossed his mind once or twice that Clay's mind might turn dark.
They had missed the signs with Swanny and they weren't about to miss it with Clay. Had this been the reason why he had run to Africa? So that they couldn't watch him?
Ray had to shake his head when the thought came back to him in the cages. No, Clay wouldn't do that to them. He was stronger than any of them. And he had told Jameelah that. That her Uncle Clay was stronger than all of them and would come home when he was ready. And that he had promised to bring her back a present. That seemed to settle her, but on the way back to drop Naima off at the hospital for her shift they had spoken about keeping their conversations out of the house or when the kids were out. They couldn't have this happening again.
He needed to talk to Jason about his worries, he had hoped that it was just him overthinking things but at the same, he couldn't help it. He had sent him a quick text as he had dropped Naima off at the hospital. Clay was his little brother and seeing how much pain he had gone through broke him. But he wasn't about to sit back and let his brother fade. They were a family and that meant they fought for each other, even when one of them had even given up on himself.
"He started it," Sonny muttered as he moved back inside his cage and picked up his hat from his truck and started to run his fingers against the rim. He knew that he shouldn't have gone for Trent, he was his brother after all but he hated being made to do something he wasn't happy about. But he wasn't about to apologize unless he was ordered too. He would just buy him a beer later.
"Really?" Ray said, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the rest of Bravo. "You are all acting like children." The comment he had said earlier about feeling like one of the only parents in this team had come back to his mind. He felt like a parent half of the time. It was his job after all to keep his brothers safe. But they never made it easy.
Before any of them could come back with a witty comment, the door to their cage room opened and Davis walked in. Immediately she felt the tension in the room. She had just gone through another target package with the other officers and was about to sit down to go through another when she thought it best to take a break. But she hadn't expected to walk in to see how her boys were doing and find that she had just walked into the middle of something.
"Ok, what did I miss?" She asked as she rested against the table in the middle of the room. She loved her boys, they were her family after all but at the same time, they drove her crazy. She now knew why Blackburn had gotten so many ulcers. The boys were like overgrown teenagers with access to military-grade weapons and explosives.
"Sonny had to help with Green Team," Trent said smiling as he nodded a hello to Davis. He knew that he shouldn't be messing with Sonny but he couldn't help it. It was too much fun.
"Ouch," Davis said with a grin. Now she knew why Sonny looked like he wanted to kill someone. He hated Green Team. And more so when he had to deal with them. "Why did you do that to them?" She asked Trent, Brock and Ray. There was no way Sonny would have agreed to work with Green Team without a fight or been ordered too. Hell, she wouldn't put it past him going against orders with it came to teaching the new kids.
"He lost a bet," Trent said, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't going to go into details about the bet with Davis as she already knew that if someone made a bet Sonny would get involved even if the bet was against him. That was why it had been so easy to get out of it.
Davis grinned and smiled at the comment. She knew that Sonny loved a bet no matter what the odds. But that was what she loved about him. He was funny, kind, stupid and downright stubborn all at the same time. She thought for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders with a grin, "Fair enough."
Sonny slapped his hand to his heart and scoffed a little, "Thought you would be on my side Davis," He made sure that he showed that her words had hurt him without losing his dignity. Normally he could count on Davis backing him up with most things but he knew that she was only messing with him. Right?
"Sorry Sonny, not this time," Davis said with a smile on her face. God, did she miss them when she was off training to become an Officer. She had been with them for years, knew them inside and out. She had packed their kits often enough and knew who liked what. She kind of missed that about her old job. She got to spend a lot of time with them and got to know the boys really well. They became her family.
She knew that they had her back, no matter what. They had done everything possible for her to make her be the best. She had worked with the best so she had to be the best. And she had taken that mindset to her officer training. She had to be the best. But she knew that she had Clay to thank for that. When she had visited him at the hospital and had hated herself for complaining about her troubles when Clay had been facing the end of his career. He had set her straight. She was the only thing holding her back. And she had taken that personally. She was the officer she was today because of him.
Sonny groaned, he had thought that Davis would have backed him. "Where's Clay when you need him?" He muttered as he placed his hat back on his head. Clay would have stood up for him. Well, more likely he would have gotten Clay to go with him. He didn't know how he would have done it but he wouldn't have gone alone.
"Enjoying the peace away from you," Brock said with a laugh as he patted Cerberus head and rubbed his ear. Cerberus was watching the exchange that was happening. He knew that Cerb understood every word that had been said. And it broke his heart to hear his partner whimper as Sonny said Clay's name.
Cerberus and Clay had a strong bond, more so than anyone else. Sometimes he worried that maybe Cerb liked Clay more than him. He knew that it was stupid and that he had nothing to worry about. But seeing the friendship between his brother and his partner put his mind at ease that Cerberus would have a good home if everything were to happen to him. He had even changed the paperwork making Clay Cerbeus' next owner if anything were to happen to him. He hadn't told anyone that he had done it but he hoped that he never had to activate it.
Sonny closed his eyes, why did his brothers hate him? It was just unfair. Then he sighed loudly and muttered, "Please go back to not talking Brock," When did Brock get so talkative? He blamed Clay for sure, ever since Clay had joined Bravo Brock and even Trent had become more talkative. And they were always mean to him. But he gave as good as they did.
"Hey," Davis turned to look at them all and then asked, "Have you guys heard from him lately?" She had meant to message him today but hadn't had a chance with all the reports she had to go through.
"Yer," Ray nodded as he moved out of his cage and stood at the table. He needed to get his head off Jameelah and the school and dealing with his annoying brothers was one way of forgetting. "...he said something about going finishing with his friends," Ray said, shrugging his shoulders.
He knew that Jason wasn't happy about the trip as it meant Clay was going to be on a boat again. He knew that his oldest friend was still having nightmares over finding Clay on that ship. But for Clay to want to go fishing hopefully meant that Clay was healing. And that was a good thing. Clay needed to heal in order to come back whole. Also, he was so thankful that Clay wouldn't start to get phobias like Sonny. Because he didn't think anyone's list could be as long as Sonny's and hoped Clay wouldn't take that as a challenge.
"Must be nice to be able to relax and not worry about all of this," Davis said. She couldn't remember when was the last time she just took some time off for herself. Ever since she joined the Navy, all her life had been the Navy. Thinking about it, she didn't have much of a life outside of the service. Some might think that as a little sad, but she liked it.
Her real family had abandoned her. Maybe at one point, she wanted to try to rebuild her friendship with them but now she didn't care. The Navy was her family, Bravo was her family. The boys had been there for her without ever being asked. They were her brothers.
And even though she hadn't known Clay very long compared to the others, he was still a real brother to her. He had been there for her whenever she needed him. When she had been worried about Danny's physio Tiffany, Clay had gone out of his way to help ease her mind over being cheated on. She had wished that she had been a little more honest with him with Gorden but in the end, Stella hadn't been right for Clay. She had seen what she had gone to her brother and she wasn't going to forgive Stella for what she had done to Clay.
Breaking up with him on the tarmac had nearly gotten Clay killed. And she didn't want to lose another brother. She knew that most of the time the guys classed her as like a little sister but with Clay, she was the older of the two. He would joke around with her but also come to her if he was having problems. Like Sonny, she had been drawn to the kid. She could see that like so many others that Clay had been given a rough hand in the start of his life. Being Ash Spenser's son was no gift. If anything, being related to that man was like a metal ball and chain. She knew that even now, there were some Seals who still didn't like Clay because of who he was related to.
Clay was nothing like his father, the only thing they shared was their DNA. She had never met Ash Spenser but from the stories, Clay wasn't anything like his father. Clay was loyal, naturally gifted in everything he did and had such a big heart that it was a little odd that he chose this line of work. Clay cared, a lot. And sometimes that was what scared her the most as he went out on missions with the others. Clay took lose personally and often or not, he blamed himself for those loses. Brain, Adam, Swanny, they were all names that she knew played repeatedly inside his head. She could only just watch and hope that Clay didn't follow them, she didn't know how she would cope with losing her little brother. But she wasn't naive, in their line of work she knew that it could happen.
Sonny snorted at the comment, two weeks away from the action and he would be climbing the walls not enjoying the peace. He was a man of action, they all were. Peace and quiet was his own version of hell. He didn't know how some of the guys could go from dodging bullets to relaxing on the beach at home. He just couldn't do it. It was why he hated when they were stood down or took off rotation. He would literally climb the walls if he was stuck at home for too long. It was why he normally hit the town and the bars to keep busy. He knew that it wasn't healthy but it was the only thing that helped. "Or he is climbing the walls wanting back into the action," He pointed out as he leant against the table looking directly at Davis. Still, a little hurt that she hadn't backed him and gave her the kicked puppy look he loved giving her.
"That's only you Sonny," Trent pointed out. He knew that after Clay's break up with Stella and Mexico, he had put all his energy into being the best Seal possible. But after he got hurt and Swanny's death, he had seen a change in his younger brother. Clay's focus wasn't about kicking indoors anymore. It was about trying to balance life outside the Navy and his brothers. He was happy that Clay had grown the way he had and knew what the kid had gone through. When he had been hurt, it had nearly spelt out the end of his career. And it had nearly destroyed him.
When the doctors kept telling him that he was going to lose his arm, he thought that his whole life was over. He had been career-focused as well. He had been told by every single doctor that he was going to lose his arm and end his career. But he had fought back. Like Clay had. They had fought to come back to the job that they loved. Back to their family.
But in doing so they had to understand their new self. Clay had matured so much lately and that was a good thing. He had seen the change in Clay but also had seen something that he knew would also come. He had seen Clay's hand shake more than once. He knew that every operator that came back from injury had the worry that they weren't ready and they just had to power through it.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that there was something else going on with Clay. He didn't want to say anything in front of the others until he spoke to his little brother alone. He knew about the fear, the worry that the injury that had sidelined them would cause them to be a weak link of the team. All the emotions that came with becoming injured was obviously still present with Clay and until he could deal with them, he wasn't ready to come back. No matter how good he did on the drills.
Sonny turned to say something to Trent about that comment when a sound that made him smile played repeatedly on all of their phones. The sound of a job. Thank god for that. Whoever had sent that text had impeccable timing.
"Looks like we are up boys," Ray said as he moved towards the door, feeling his back pocket to make sure that he had pocketed his phone. He had started to wonder where Jason had gotten too but guessed that he would find his brother already in the war room waiting for them to get there.
"Thank god," Sonny muttered as they all followed Ray out of the cage room and towards the briefing room.
As they got closer to the briefing room, Ray could hear little comments from Trent, Brock and Sonny as they seemed to want to continue their argument as they walked. Davis came with them but she wasn't really paying any attention to what they were doing. Ray could tell that there was something on Davis' face that told him that she had no idea why they had been called in. And if Davis didn't know about it then it could only mean that something bad has happened. He just hoped that they weren't about to be told that they had another Echo similar situation. He didn't know if they could deal with losing six brothers at once again. DEVGRU were still healing from the loss of their brothers and having to deal with another situation like that could possibly destroy them.
They all placed their phones into the holders outside the briefing room and quickly entered. Strangely the room was empty. Which was odd. Normally when they were called in, if Blackburn or Mandy weren't there, then their support team would already be there. Normally getting the coffee on. Bravo basically ran on coffee and if it wasn't available, heads would roll. And since they wouldn't allow Brock to make it any more after the whole death brew. The last one basically broke the damn coffee maker.
Sonny whistled as he looked around the room. "Looks like mom and dad's arent home," He said with a smile as he took his normal seat. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what the briefing was going to be about but he guessed that he would have to sit and wait to hear it. As long as it wasn't working with Green Team again, he was all for it.
"Really Sonny?" Davis asked, shaking her head. Sometimes she had no idea how Sonny wasn't in the brigg more than he had been with that attitude but maybe that was why he loved him.
"What? It's true." Sonny said arguing his case, even though he could take a guess that Blackburn wouldn't be happy about him calling him dad but to Bravo he kind of was. He spoilt all their fun anyway.
Davis smiled and shook her head, even though she knew it was somewhat true, she wasn't about to admit it out loud. Mainly because she liked her job and hated admitting that Sonny was right. She pulled out the seat where normally Clay would sit as she knew that it would be empty for the full meeting and as she had no idea what was happening she would have to sit this one out.
Trent and Brock both took their seats as well as Cerberus settled himself underneath Brock's seat. He had brought along Clay's t-shirt with him from his bed for some reason. Which only caused Brock to worry more. Cerb only took the thing with him when something was wrong but Brock had no clue what that was.
Ray looked around at his brother as he took his seat and could sense that there was something in the air. He had hoped to find Jason in the briefing room with Blackburn so he could pull them aside and ask them first what was going on. But it looked like he was would have to find out what was happening with the rest of them.
After a few minutes of silence, Ray's worry only started to grow more. Mainly for the fact that Jason wasn't there yet which was odd. He knew that his brother wasn't planning on leaving base today so why wasn't he here with them? Then the worry that something had happened creeped into his mind. Had something happened to Mikey or Emma or his mom that caused him to run off without a word to any of them? But then again Jason normally told him if something was going on. Their relationship hadn't been the best before but they had mended that bridge and were closer than ever before. So why wouldn't he tell him?
"Good, you're all here," A voice broke Ray out of his head and as he looked up he saw a tired-looking and stressed Blackburn. It was then that he knew that something horrible had happened. And they hadn't been called in for a mission. No, something had happened. And he had a feeling that none of them were going to like what they were about to be told.
"Jason's not here yet," Ray said as Eric took his usual spot in front of the large table. Everything about Blackburn's body language told him that something was seriously wrong.
Eric viewed the group in front of him and sighed before speaking. The reason why he had waited this long to call Bravo in was mainly so he could control his own emotions so he could deal with the emotional turmoil that was about to hit his team. "He's not coming, he's on his flight…"
"What? What happened? Is everything ok with Emma?" Ray asked cutting Blackburn off. The only reason Jason would get on a flight without a word was if someone in his family was in need. He knew Emma was only in New York but she was his little girl and he knew that Jason would move heaven and earth to get to her if she needed him. It would take Jason over six hours to get to New York but just under an hour to fly.
"It's not Emma," Blackburn said shaking his head. He understood Ray's jump that something had happened to Emma. But he also knew that Ray's thought of something had happened to one of Jason's families because it had. He knew that Jason saw Clay as his son, that the kid had gone far beyond just being one of the team. However, Blackburn knew that he couldn't think too closely about the odd relationship between his 1IC and their youngest member. Because if he did, then he would have to do something about it. And the only thing he could do was split up his best team. Something he didn't want to do. Bravo had shown him so many times that they could leave their own problems at home and get to work without been ordered too.
"Then…?" Ray asked confused. But then it hit him. It hit him like a ton of bricks. The only other person that Jason would fly to was their missing brother. Clay.
Blackburn saw the look in Ray's face when he worked out what he had been trying to say but could still see the confusion and worry in the eyes of the others. This was one of the hardest things he had to do since they had lost Adam and Echo team. Telling the men that he saw as family that one of their family members, one of their brothers was hurt once again. And it was going to kill him to tell them that they couldn't go to him.
He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck before speaking not just to Ray but to the group in front of him. "It's Clay."
Silence rang out at first, shock was visible in all of their faces. He knew and understood it. Clay was meant to be safe, he was on vacation for god's sake and now he had to tell them that he was currently in hospital fighting for his life all over again.
"We were contacted by the South African Government, Clay was involved in a rescue of the crew of a sinking fishing vessel and was injured." He added trying to inform them all of what little information he had given from Command. New information was coming in one how severe Clay was and more about what had actually happened.
At the minute, all he knew was that Clay had drowned after been caught up in some fishing netting and dragged under. He had been saved but the damage had been done. Now it was just a waiting game on how badly this drowning would affect their young Seal.
"How bad?" Ray whispered. He didn't want to know the answer as knowing would mean accepting that Clay had been hurt again and was once again fighting for his life.
"Bad," Eric said sadly.
"How bad is bad?" Trent asked. His mind was already running over everything that could have gone wrong on the rescue that would cause Clay to become hurt. Drowning, sharp objects, head injuries were only naming a few of the most common injuries that could happen on a fishing vessel. But to think that his little brother had fallen to one or more of those injuries when they were safely at home cutting him deeper. Why did this keep happening to Clay? Why their brother?
Blackburn knew that he had to tell them, they did have the right to know but explaining to them how badly hurt Clay was meant also telling them that they couldn't be there at his bedside this time. And that was going to hit them deeper than telling them that he had been hurt. Bravo team was a family and that meant all the emotions that came when one of their own was hurt. "He is currently on a ventilator and they aren't sure when or if…" He stopped. He couldn't say the words 'he will wake up' because if he finished that sentence he was very much given up on Clay.
"They are also concerned about brain damage…" He then added.
Trent felt his stomach turn. He hated when doctors said brain damage. Mainly because there was no way of knowing how bad Clay was until he woke up. If he ever did. He also hated dealing with head injuries as he could never do anything in the field to help his brothers. A broken bone, he could set. A wound, he could clean and stitch. A blast wound, he would clean and wrap.
But for head injuries, he had no way of treating it in the field. All he could do was find a way to get his injured brother to a hospital before it killed them.
"What the hell happened?" Sonny growled, having trouble keeping his anger out of his voice. Why did Clay have to be a damn hero? Couldn't he let someone else risk their life-saving someone?
Blackburn sighed once again trying to work out how to tell them the report that he had been given. "There was a fishing vessel which got in distress as they had started to take on water, Clay was on a fishing trip that went to assist them. During the rescue, he was caught up in some of the vessel's netting and was dragged under." In the back of his mind, he just hoped that this wasn't the end of Clay's story.
"Why the fuck did the kid had to go play a damn hero?" Sonny snarled. He couldn't control his anger.
"Sonny…" Ray warned. He knew that Sonny was spitting out this anger to cover his panic of hearing that one of their own was hurt again. And more so when it was Clay. Sonny loved Clay like a little brother, even if he would never admit it publicly. And their hot-headed brother was no good when it came down to emotions. He often replaced them with anger.
"No…" Sonny snapped back pointing at Ray, "...don't Sonny me Ray, we all thought it."
Trent looked shocked at Sonny's outburst, they all could see that Sonny was downright terrified that they could lose Clay. But to say that Clay shouldn't have helped someone was like saying that a fish couldn't swim. Clay would help anyone if they asked for it. Sometimes he would do it even if the other person didn't want it.
"None of us would stand by and watch someone in trouble Sonny and you can't expect Clay to do the same," Trent said, shaking his head. Even though he understood where Sonny was coming from, however, he couldn't let it stand. He had to defend Clay, even if he agreed with Sonny a little.
Sonny huffed and muttered something that none of them heard clearly but they weren't about to piss Sonny off more than asking him to repeat it.
"Jason is on his way over to be with him and when the doctors clear him will bring him home," Blackburn reported. He knew that they would understand why they weren't about to transport him home just yet, but at the same time, it left them in limbo. When Clay had been hurt in Manila, they had flown him home even in his condition to make sure that he got the best care. But this time, Clay wasn't in a normal hospital. He had been told that he was under the care of the best doctors that the South African Navy had. And there wasn't anything different that their doctors could do for him than what his doctors were doing now.
"Do we know when that will be?" Davis asked, still in shock at the news.
"No," Blackburn said, shaking his head. He wished he had an answer for them but he didn't.
"They will have to be sure that he is stable enough to make the trip," Trent said, answering Davis' question. Anything could happen in the air and without having the equipment that they needed on hand, could cost Clay his life.
"So then why are we sitting here on our asses and not on the flight with Jason?" Sonny snapped. If needed to get to Clay, if only to punch the kid the second he woke up for doing this to them again.
Brock nodded but didn't add anything else. As soon as Blackburn had told them the news he started to stroke Cerberus head and couldn't stop. His pup had moved to sit between his legs with his muzzle resting against his knee looking up at him. He knew what Cerberus was doing. He was comforting him. But he heard the soft quiet whimper from his pup. Clay was his brother as well and Cerb was taking the news of Clay's injury well. None of them were.
Blackburn closed his eyes before speaking. This was the part that he was dreading. They weren't going to take the news well. Not at all, hell he wasn't happy about it. "Sadly with everything that has been happening lately, Command can not afford to lose a full team. They had allowed Jason to fly out there but they need Bravo ready, in case we are needed."
"Like hell they can't," Sonny shouted slamming his fist onto the table. It caused a few of them to jump and Cerberus to bark and whimper at the noise.
Ray sighed and turned to face Sonny and away from Blackburn. He didn't like it either but understood where the order had come from. Clay would be the first to tell them not to worry about him and more on those who needed them. He would be the first to yell at them for sitting at his bedside instead of helping those who couldn't help themselves.
"Sonny, what would Clay want us to do? Sit on our arses at his bedside or kick in doors to save those people who needed saving?" Ray asked, but he knew the answer to both questions.
Sonny snarled but then hung his head. He knew Ray was right. But it felt wrong. Their brother needed them, and all they could do was sit on the other side of the world waiting for news. He didn't like it but he had no choice. "Doesn't feel right," Sonny said, shaking his head.
They all could agree with that comment but it was only Ray who spoke again. "I know brother but we got to do our jobs. For Clay," He said nodding his head as he looked at each of them. This was going to be hard, keeping his brothers in line and dealing with his own pain.
"I'll keep you all updated the minute I get a call. Ok," Blackburn said softly. He knew that he would have to keep that promise if he wanted to keep his team together. He just hoped for a good outcome and Clay would come back to them whole. But he knew better than to give his men uncertain hope.
They all nodded but no one else said a word.
Blackburn looked at each of his men. If they lost Clay, he knew that he would also lose the Bravo he knew and respected. He just hoped that Clay's strength would show itself again and he would fight back to them.
All they could do was hope and pray.
