Injuries & Secrets
The first time Mandy noticed it, it was almost imperceptible. A tiny grimace, a slight crease of pain near his eyes. Not enough to draw the attention of his brothers, but she could tell that it was concerning to his partner, sitting near him on the bench. This wouldn't be the first time that he tried to hide an injury, to pretend it was ok. And he usually got away with it. His brothers tended to focus more on the other problem child of the group, Clay liked to push his limits and almost always paid a price for it. Even now, Mandy could see Trent with him at the back of the plane, stitching a deep cut on his forearm. Not life threatening, obviously, but Clay always warranted the extra attention of their team Medic. Squeaky wheel and all that.
The next grimace was a little more noticeable and that worried Mandy a bit. Of all the Bravo men, this one liked to remain in the shadows, out of the spotlight. He would do almost anything to avoid extra attention. So if he was allowing pain to show on his face, the pain would have to be significant.
Cerb must have agreed because he looked up at his human and let out a small whine. That cemented it for Mandy, it was time to intervene.
She didn't miss the look of exhausted resignation that filled his gray eyes at her approach.
"It's nothing."
Mandy sat down quietly next to him. "Brock, it's clearly not nothing. What did you do?"
Brock sighed, shifted his weight a little on the bench, trying to get more comfortable. "Listen, Mandy, a few more hours is all I need. I have somewhere I need to be when we land and I can't be stuck in the infirmary. As soon as I'm done, I will get it taken care of."
"Get what taken care of, exactly?"
Brock didn't answer. He simply closed his eyes and absently ran his fingers through Cerb's fur. Mandy knew him well enough to know that action was a coping mechanism for when he wasn't feeling well. Whether they liked it or not, she knew all their tells and mannerisms. It was her job, after all, to observe. Cerb raised his head to look at her, his expression seemingly coaxing her to continue with her prodding. Even he knew his human was being stupid. She took a second to look him over, searching for any obvious signs of injury. She didn't see any blood, wasn't noticing him favoring a limb. He hadn't been limping when he'd followed the others onto the plane, but thinking back she did remember that he'd been hanging back a bit from the group. Not far enough to look suspicious, but far enough that the others hadn't paid him any undo attention. And while they had all been laughing and joking around, he'd been somber and subdued.
"Brock."
He sighed again. "Mandy."
Damn, this man was stubborn. "You can tell me what's wrong or I can call Trent and Jason over here. Your choice."
His eyes popped open at that and he gave her a look of panic. "No! Mandy, please. Just leave it be."
She raised an eyebrow, her worry increasing. "Leave what be, exactly? Brock, I'm not letting this go. What's hurting you?"
Mandy noticed his Adams Apple bobbing as he swallowed hard a few times. His face was pale and he looked to be actively trying not to throw up. A sheen of sweat was forming on his brow. Looking at him, she couldn't help but wonder why she was the only one noticing his distress.
"It's not life threatening." He muttered finally, after winning the small battle not to vomit. "When I'm done, I will get it checked out. You have my word."
"And what do you think Trent will say if he finds out you waited to seek medical attention for whatever is wrong with you? Hmmm? What will Jason say. Brock, you know he has rules against hiding injuries."
"I'll get treatment away from base. Not the first time."
Mandy raised an eyebrow. Oh, really? That was definitely frowned upon and Jason would be livid if this information ever reached his ears.
"You need to stop being stubborn and tell me what's wrong."
"Or, you could let it go, pretend you never saw anything, and let me handle this on my own."
Brock's head turned to look at her and his eyes widened. "Shit, Davis is coming. Mandy, please. Help me out." She watched in amazement as he schooled his expression into an almost believable smile and all signs of pain vanished. "Sup, Davis."
"Hey guys." Lisa smiled back, though her expression seemed suspicious. "What are you two up to?"
"I was just telling Mandy about Cerb's new training program." Brock lied easily and Mandy was impressed. "I'm going to work with him on the detection of biohazards. After that mission in Ukraine, it would be helpful to know if bioagents are in the vicinity."
Lisa stared down at him. Looked at Mandy, who shrugged. Looked back at Brock. Her eyes narrowed.
"Brock, cut the shit." Lisa said abruptly, making Mandy almost laugh. "Where did you injure yourself and don't give me any crap about not being hurt. You think I don't know you guys by now?"
"Keep your voice down!" Brock hushed her.
"I will not keep my voice down. You are obviously in pain from something, you obviously haven't told Jason or Trent, and I want to know what it is."
Brock ran a frustrated hand over his face, his other hand wrapped up in Cerberus's fur. "Ugh, this day! Can't you both just walk away and leave me alone? Respectfully and all that?"
"Brock Reynolds! Stop being a child and tell us what's going on." Lisa had her hands on her hips as she glared down at him, making him shrink back into the bench.
Brock took another deep breath as a wave of nausea rolled over him again. He wasn't sure how much longer he could ignore the desire to vomit. "Listen, if I tell you guys, will you leave me alone and let me handle this on my own."
"No." Mandy shook her head.
"Absolutely not." Lisa added.
"Can't you both go fuss over Clay or something?"
"Nope, he's fine."
"He cut his arm."
Lisa shook her head. "Trent fixed him up. Because, unlike you, he told Trent about his injury."
"People are going to notice you sitting here and wonder what's up." Brock was getting anxious, his foot tapping restlessly on the floor. Another tell that he was in pain and one that his brothers would pick up on. A pained Brock was a fidgety Brock.
Right on cue, Sonny's voice boomed across the plane. "Hey, how come Broccoli gets all the female attention on this plane?
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit." Brock groaned under his breath.
"Stop your fidgeting." Lisa whispered.
"And get your hand out of Cerb's fur." Mandy added.
Brock realized what they were saying and quickly stopped both actions. He smiled brightly again as Sonny walked over, beers in hand. "Hey, Son."
"Brocktastic, brought ya a beer." Brock reached up to grab the beer and Lisa couldn't help but notice the pained expression cross his face at the movement.
"Yup, just what I was thinking. Broccoli, what'd you do to yourself?" Sonny demanded, looking down at him in concern.
The sigh that escaped Brock was almost comical, if not for the concern it raised. "Dammit. Sonny, I just pulled a muscle. It's no big deal."
Sonny raised an eyebrow. "A muscle? That's what you're gonna go with?"
All three were studying him hard. Brock swallowed heavily, the urge to throw up becoming more and more prevalent.
"That pulled muscle gonna make you puke?"
"It might." Brock swallowed again.
LIsa sighed. "That's enough. I'm getting Trent."
Brock reached out for her, barely suppressing a groan at the pain the movement caused. "No, LIsa, just wait a minute. Please." The emotion in that last word made her pause.
"I'm waiting." Hands on her hips.
"Listen, ok…it's not bad…and I just need an hour after we land and then I will go to medical. That's all I need, one lousy little hour. If you tell Trent now, he will freak the hell out and make me go to medical as soon as we land and I really have somewhere I need to be. Guys, please." He finished his argument with another grimace and let his breath out, waiting to see what they would say.
"What, you got like a hot date or something? If you're hurt, course you should go ta medical."
Brock shook his head. "No…well, yeah but not really what you'd call a date…"
"ReBrock, I think ya need to tell us what this injury is before we continue this debate."
"I agree with Sonny." Lisa nodded.
"Like we need to know right now." Mandy added.
"Ok, fine. But don't freak out. It's seriously not that bad." Closed his eyes to keep his head from spinning…nausea was definitely getting worse. Took a deep breath, swallowed down the bile. Pain was getting a little worse, if he wanted to admit to it. He opened his eyes and took a quick glance around the plane, making sure no one else was looking their way. Everyone else appeared to be in varying states of napping/relaxing and were far enough away that he felt safe to reach down and untuck his shirt from his pants. He took another steadying breath…he hadn't dared to look at it in a while himself…and lifted his shirt. Looked down. Yeah, it definitely looked worse.
"What the actual fuck is that?" Sonny inhaled sharply, making a face and backing away from him.
"You're being a bit dramatic, I think it's just a hernia." Brock admitted, though he wasn't 100% sure. "Right?" The large, bulging knot in his lower abdomen was turning a weird purple color and had definitely grown in size over the past 24 hours.
Mandy looked at Lisa, who shrugged. "How would I know, I've never seen one before? But really, Brock, that looks pretty serious."
"That looks nasty, Broctober Fest. Like seriously disgusting." Sonny's voice was getting a little too loud and Brock quickly hushed him. "Yah need to tell Trent."
"It's kinda your fault anyway, you need to back me up on this, Son!" He said sharply. "Keep your voice down!"
"My fault? How is your gross stomach bump my fault?"
"I felt it pop when I had to boost you up over that wall. Blinding pain, then that lump appeared. Felt like crap ever since."
"Since you helped me over a wall? You mean two fucking days ago? Brock! We've been in fire fights since then! We ran from hostiles! We grabbed an HVT! You tackled him! Brock, what the hell?" Oh shit, Sonny seemed pissed. Maybe it was a mistake to show him the injury.
"Sonny…"
"TRENT!"
"Ah, fuck." Brock hung his head, miserable. Sonny had gone and yelled for Trent.
"Nah, you've had that for two fucking days and you went ahead and operated like that. You," he pointed an accusing finger at Brock, "Can you ahead and explain that to Trent."
"Fine, next time you get stranded in New Jersey by a stripper, don't call me to come get you."
"I have never been to New Jersey, the kid is lying." Sonny said quickly to Lisa and Mandy. "His herniated condition is making him say crazy things that could get him punched in the face. If he gets my meaning."
Brock put his head back against the wall, running his hand through Cerb's fur again. THe pain in his stomach had grown pretty significantly since the tackle of the HVT, his head was starting to spin and he still badly wanted to throw up. Trent was going to murder him. Jason was gonna be pissed. Mandy put her hand on his leg and gave it a comforting pat.
"Sorry, Brock." She whispered, standing up as Trent approached, a confused and tired look on his face. She went to stand by Lisa, not wanting to completely miss out on the entertainment. Trent could be brutal when angered.
"Sonny, Brock…what's up?"
"Yeah, what's going on?" Jason was walking over and Brock had never wanted to sink into the floor more than he did right this moment. All he'd needed was a fucking hour, he'd planned to go to medical right after. Just one…fucking…hour. And now he was in deep shit, his abodmen was killing him and this fucking sucked.
"Listen…it's not as bad as you think…." Brock began, biting back a groan when Sonny kicked him in the foot.
'Show em. Now."
"Sonny…"
"Show em. Now." Sonny repeated, his voice harder.
"Show us what? Brock, you hurt?" Trent was leaning forward, his eyes glancing over his friend, searching for injury. "What's going on?"
Jason's lips were pursed as he fixed Brock with a glare. "Whatever is going on, Bravo 5, I suggest you tell us now."
Dammit.
Ray and Clay walked over to see what was happening. They joined the crowd currently staring down at Brock.
Double dammit.
With a loud sigh, Brock raised his shirt up a bit, exposing his abdomen to the others. The sharp inhale from Trent and the "what the fuck" from Jason was all he needed to know he was fucked.
"Brock! What the hell!" Trent went into immediate Medic mode and knelt down in front of Brock to examine his stomach. "When the fuck did you do this? Why the fuck didn't you say anything? This is a pretty fucking serious hernia. Its fucking turning purple!"
Mandy looked at Lisa. "Guess it is a hernia." She whispered.
LIsa smiled. "Now we know."
"Seriously, Brock, how long ago did this happen?" Trent poked around the protrusion, frowning up at him.
"Yeah, Brock," Sonny growled, "Tell em when you did it."
Jason's face grew more angry. "What's that about, Sonny? Brock?"
Brock lowered his head in defeat and shame. "It happened when I gave Sonny a boost over the wall."
"The wall? What wall are you talking about?" Jason was thinking back to when they'd scaled a wall. Then it dawned on him and he saw red. Actual, literal red. "THE WALL FROM TWO FUCKING DAYS AGO!"
Sonny nodded. "The same fucking wall."
"Brock." Ray frowned, disapprovingly. Even Clay looked disappointed. When Cerb looked up at him, Brock knew he had zero fucking allies on that plane. He seriously contemplated jumping the hell off it.
Trent didn't say anything. Just gave Brock a look that was a little terrifying, if Brock was being honest. He went back to examining his abdomen.
Jason swore under his breath. "Trent, how bad is it?"
"Kid definitely has a hernia. And a pretty bad one. He's gonna need surgery to fix it. The color is concerning but I don't know, Jace, I'm not too familiar with hernias."
"It wasn't this bad two days ago." Brock bit back another groan when Trent poked the injury. "Ow, Trent, cut it out. What's poking it gonna do?"
"So when, exactly, did it become this bad, Brock?" Jason looked like he was getting madder by the minute. Lisa and Mandy exchanged a look, simultaneously enjoying the entertainment and feeling bad for Brock.
Brock paused, clearly trying to decide how to answer the question without getting himself in more trouble.
"Think faster, Brock." Jason ordered.
Another resigned sigh. "It got worse when we captured the HVT." Maybe if he was vague enough, Jason would let it be.
"You mean when you fucking TACKLED the HVT!"
Ok, nope. Didn't work.
"Goddammit Brock!" Yup, Jason was mad. "You know my rule about hiding injuries!"
"Jason, I can explain." This was going worse than Brock could have imagined. Maybe it hadn't been a great decision to hide the hernia. But he just needed one fucking hour! And because the universe hated him, his nausea chose that moment to get the better of him and Brock shot off the bench, past his pissed off boss, and ran into the bathroom, barely making it before he threw up everything he'd eaten in the past 48 hours. The movement made his abdomen explode with renewed pain and his head spun. Threw up a little more. Dry heaved for another minute or so. And felt like absolute crap on the floor next to the toilet. Knowing full well he had half a dozen pairs of eyes watching him.
Brock wasn't sure how long he sat on the floor. He'd zoned out a little until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, let's get you settled." Trent's calm voice belied the anger that Brock knew was simmering below the surface.
Brock looked up at him miserably. "Trent, I really didn't think it was that bad."
"Says the guy puking in the plane bathroom. Come on, you'll feel better if you lie down. And maybe a shot of morphine."
"No morphine." Brock shook his head. "Can I just have tylenol?"
"Brock."
"Trent, no morphine."
Trent looked at him closely, clearly trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. He knew the pain had to be pretty bad, judging by the look on Brock's face. "Why not?"
"Just….never mind." Brock said tiredly. This couldn't have gone any worse if he'd tried. And he couldn't blame Mandy, Lisa or Sonny for outing him. He shouldn't have kept it secret and Brock knew that. He'd just really wanted to keep his promise and, at the time, he couldn't see another way to accomplish that. Now the promise would be broken and the guilt he was feeling about that was outweighing the pain and the guilt of not telling anyone about the hernia. Shit. He'd screwed up and bad.
Jason watched him lie down on the bench, still scowling. "We will talk about this later, Brock."
"Copy that. Jace, I'm sorry."
"I know. And I know you'll be even sorrier after you're healed. Believe me."
Dammit.
Trent walked over with a pillow, blanket and a bucket. "Here, try to get comfortable. We won't be landing for about 10 more hours, try to get some sleep. I really wish you'd let me dose you up with some morphine."
"Nah, it's fine." Brock yawned, grimaced and closed his eyes. The nausea had passed since he'd thrown up, so at least he had that going for him. He took the bucket anyway. Just in case.
Trent just shook his head. "Get some sleep."
Brock listened to the retreating footsteps of those around him, glad to finally be alone again. He couldn't believe he'd screwed up this badly. A soft sound of someone sitting down got his attention and he cracked open an eye. Mandy was looking down at him.
"Brock, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble." Her hand brushed through his curls, smoothing them out of his face. Brock shook his head.
"I know. I shouldn't have put you in that position." He closed his eyes again.
"You keep saying you just needed an hour. What did you need the hour for?"
"It's nothing."
"No, I'm curious." Mandy pressed. "I really want to know."
Brock opened his eyes again, and saw her earnest expression. Let out a sigh. "There is a retirement home next to the dog park where Cerb and I go. A few months ago, one of the residents was outside and we chatted a bit. Her name is Josephine. Her husband of 70 years had just passed away and she was going through a hard time. She took an instant liking to Cerb and he really likes her too. I bring her flowers every Tuesday when I'm not on a mission and we visit while Cerb plays."
He took a deep breath, willed the returning nausea to go away, and continued. "She turns 92 years old tomorrow and she's having a small party at the home. Brunch, a cake. That sorta thing. She invited me and Cerb. I promised her that we would be there even though I knew it might not happen. But she seemed so excited about it and I didn't want to tell her no. She doesn't have any family left and most of the other residents are too sick or bedridden to attend a party. I just wanted someone to be there for her, to celebrate her. We land about an hour before her party starts. I'd planned to go to her party, then get the hernia looked at when it was over. I really didn't want to miss it and cause her any disappointment. She's such a sweet person and she really loves Cerb."
"Oh my God, Brock, that's so amazing." Mandy wasn't surprised, Brock was such a kind person, of course he would befriend an old lady and promise to attend her birthday party.
"Yeah, woulda been. But I'm gonna miss it and I really never wanted to hurt Jo. She's been so sweet to us. Even made me cookies once. Tasted like cardboard, but it was sweet just the same." He closed his eyes and yawned again. Now that he was lying down, the pain in his abdomen was reseeding a bit and the urge to puke was staying somewhat at bay.
"Get some sleep." Mandy said quietly, covering him with the blanket. She watched him for a few minutes, until his breathing evened out and he started to snore a little. Man, he was something. Yeah, its been stupid to hide an injury from the team, but she could understand why he would do it. And it wasn't like the hernia was life threatening. The thought of some sweet old lady celebrating her birthday alone was enough to make even Mandy depressed. His actions had been idiotic…but his intentions had been the best. And Mandy couldn't help but think that, without her meddling, he would have pulled it off.
With resolve, she stood up and marched through the plane to where Jason and Trent were bent over their phones, checking out WebMD.
"I'm definitely thinking surgery." Trent was saying. "Probably a few weeks recovery before he's cleared to operate. Depends on how bad the hernia is."
"Doesn't look great." Jason grumbled. "That color of purple doesn't seem normal."
Mandy cleared her throat to get their attention.
"What, Mandy?"
"Jason, hear me out." Mandy sat down next to him. "Brock needs an hour when we land before you make him go to Medical."
Jason growled. "He send you over here?"
Mandy shook her head quickly. "No, he's out cold. But he did tell me why he hid his injury and it's a valid reason."
LIsa was nearby and walked over. "What was his reason?"
"Doesn't matter what reason he thinks he had, he hid an injury from the team." Jason wasn't willing to concede anything yet. Who cared what reason the kid had, he'd broken one of Jason's most sacred rules. Reasons be damned.
"He and Cerb befriended an elderly woman who is turning 92 tomorrow. She's having a birthday party and she asked them to come. She has no family and most of the residents in the retirement hall are immobile and can't attend. Brock promised they would be there. He was just trying to keep a promise to an old woman on her birthday. So she wouldn't be alone."
"That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard." LIsa could feel tears gathering in her eyes. Brock really could be the sweetest.
"Someone's Grandninny is gonna be alone on her birthday?" Sonny couldn't believe his ears. That was simply not acceptable.
Jason sighed. "Ok, it's not cool that an old woman is alone on her birthday, but he still lied. Sonny, you know how dangerous that is."
"And we can take care of that later, Jace. But right now, we need to talk about what we can do for that grandma lady. No one should be alone on their birthday."
"He can probably wait an hour before he goes to Medical." Trent added. "I can dose him up with painkillers and meds so he doesn't vomit."
"He lied!"
"But he had a good reason!" Lisa pleaded. "Come on, Jason, it's her birthday! Imagine how sad and disappointed she's going to be when no one shows up."
Jason ran a hand over his face. He could feel a headache forming behind his eyes. "Fuck."
"I'll go to a birthday party." Clay was walking over with Ray, both of them having overheard the conversation.
"Me too." Ray agreed.
Mandy was nodding. "That's a great idea. We can all go with him. Trent can keep an eye on him too."
"It could be fine, Jace. I'll watch him and take him directly to medical afterwards."
Five pairs of eyes stared at him intently, waiting for his answer. Jason sighed loudly. "Fine. As long as Trent takes Brock to medical immediately after the party, he can go. We can all go. After this shit, I deserve some cake."
Ten hours later, Brock came awake to the jolt of the plane touching down on the runway. He stifled a groan and rubbed the crust from his eyes. He was feeling pretty good after the long nap and he was glad the nausea was seemingly gone. The pain was still there, throbbing in his abdomen, but it was bearable. Guilt crashed over him as he remembered that Josephine would be disappointed, but he knew there was nothing he could do.
"Get up, we have a party to get to."
Brock startled, looking up to see Jason staring down at him.
"What?"
"Get the hell up so we can get to that old woman's party. You have a promise to keep and I deserve some fucking cake. We have 30 minutes to get there."
"Wait, we?"
"Mandy told us about Josephine. Everyone else is ready to go. Trent will take you to medical as soon as the party is over. Agreed?"
Brock couldn't believe his ears. Sure, he was still obviously in deep shit, but was Jason actually giving him the ok to delay medical and go to the party? Hell yeah.
Jason reached down and grabbed Brock's hand to help him up. "We're still gonna talk about this shit and you'll be running hills until you drop, once you're healed."
Brock nodded. "Understood."
"Let's get going. Don't wanna be late."
Cerberus next to him, Brock walked down the ramp to the waiting car. His teammates were waiting. "You guys all coming?"
"Heck ya! I love parties." Clay grinned.
Brock smiled. Running hills would be worth it, just to see Jopsehine's face when she had so many guests show up to her party. Everything else he'd take care of later, for now, he was just glad he had his family with him.
"Sonny," Jason said suddenly. "You're running hills with Brock when he's healed."
Sonny looked at him, sputtered, "What the hell did I do?"
"If your big ass is gonna give guys hernias, you need to run." Jason laughed.
"Hey, Sonny, how's it feel knowing your fat ass caused this whole thing?" Clay teased, chuckling loudly.
Brock smiled and closed his eyes, listening to Sonny sputter about big bones and muscle mass and Brock's weak ass abdominal muscles. Josephine was gonna love these guys.
The End
A/N: I haven't given up on my other story about Brock (Never Out of the Fight). I have so many parts of it written, but can't seem to form a complete chapter to post. These one shots help me clear my mind and try to get a handle on the characters. Hope to post something soon.