Chapter 22

With Liz's injuries and the team's morale diminished from the past few days, Blackburn managed to get a few days off on base unless a time-sensitive op came to play as Delta was heading back home to finish their recovery at home.

Slowly Bravo started to stretch out inside their beds and groaned at the morning light that streamed into their room. Even with their days off, the teams' internal clocks do not rest, and there is no need for an alarm to scream them awake.

"Hey, where is Peter Pan?" Sonny asked as she stretched out and peeked under his bunk.

Typically, Sonny and Clay share their bunks, and Sonny gets the bottom, but this time, he gave it up to Clay as he notices he has been having difficulties sleeping and tries to sneak out for midnight walks. Being on the top bunk made his sneaking a bit louder than desired, and the bunk wobbled and woke Sonny up every night. So, for his sanity, as he cherishes every moment of sleep, he switched their bunks and managed to get his whole night's sleep in peace.

"He was with Liz last night when I went in to check on her after I heard her. He must have stayed." Trent smiled.

"Awe, the wonder twins together at last." Brock laughed under his breath as he climbed down from his bunk.

Just as everyone was getting out of their bunks and putting on their boots, the door swung open, and a grinning Jason and Ray stormed in.

"Wakey… oh, you guys are already up. Well, where is the fun in that? Must go and ruin everything for me." Jason whined as he looked around and noticed his team was up and ready to go. He loved barging in on them, waking them up, and listening to the baby whining and groaning. Ray and he were morning people and got used to things starting early with their kids, and their team was not. So, it made things interesting for them on deployment. They must get their fun in somehow.

"Where is Clay?" Ray asked as he scanned the group.

The boys stood there, looked at each other, and then hesitated to tell Jason and Ray. Everyone supported their friendship and what could be growing between them. Bravo always supported their own, which was no different; they were rooting for them and have helped by showing their support by pairing them up in ops or training, giving a little push for them to talk, and teasing them about their known feelings. Hoping one day, they would pull their blinders off and finally realize all the sparks that shoot between them and scorch the team. They were not hiding that Clay was likely in Liz's room, but more scared to tell Jason when he was in this mood as they knew he would barge in there and there could be some sights seen that their superior officer should not see. No one should see it, really.

Jason took the salience as an unspoken hint he was meant to guess.

"Liz." Ray huffed under his breath as he shook his head and chuckled.

Jason whipped his head to Ray, and his smile just grew. He was the biggest shipper of Clay and Liz. The team's children are happy, and his 'daughter' is cared for by a man who is more than worthy. In the begging, Clay had to prove himself to Jason to be on the team, but that happened way faster than he expected, and he saw he was nothing like his father. He was loyal and determined, and Jason could not ask for a better rookie. But then Liz came into the picture being their new rookie, and Jason saw sparks between them when they first met, and his worry started to come back. He knew Liz and trusted her with his life; now he does Clay, but did he trust Clay to treat her like the princess she was? She deserved the world, and Clay soon proved to Jason that he would provide that and more for her. Their friendship grew and strengthened, and Jason was at peace, realizing that Clay was the perfect person for her with her past, her insecurities that being a woman SEAL brought back, and her fear of abandonment. Clay was her saviour, even if he did not know it, but Jason knew it. He was their biggest supporter and was a bit shocked that it had been not over a year and a half, and nothing more grew between them. He saw the flirting and hidden glances, the way they gravitated towards each other, the way they talk or, better yet, don't talk, as they have grown such a bond that they communicate on another level. Jason never said something as their relationship, whatever it was, was not changing the teams' dynamics and was not dangering their ops. And then he noticed the rest of Bravo pick up on this reluctant relationship and slowly push their support. It was then that Jason knew he needed to step in, and it was time. He was not going to play matchmaker but show them his support. He saw it was time when he walked in on Clay and him trying to cope with Liz being missing. He knew Clay needed the push, and he tried, but then Liz came back injured, and he saw how much Liz needed Clay, and he was a bit more open towards her than she was. So now Jason knew it was time to talk with his 'daughter' and sort some things out. He would not be a good father if he did not meddle in her life here and there, would he?

"Ahhhh." Jason huffed as he turned and looked towards her adjoin door. And went to go knock, "Be decent, superiors coming in. I don't need to see things that will scar my eyes." Jason yelled as he turned the know and barged in.

As he entered the room, he stopped in his tracks leading to the rest of the team running into his back, looking like a cartoon as they all spilled into the doorway.

"Lookie here, the wonder twins in bed together. Someone better grab some buckets to put out this fire!" Sonny joked as he could not hide his grin as they all watched them wake up and squirm in her bed.

With the sudden noise of the team barging in, Clay and Liz bolted awake, much to Liz's dismay, as she jolted her injury riddle body and clutched Clay tighter as she tried to bury her head into his neck. With Clay's arms still around her as she was snuggled right up into his chest, he felt her wince and shot his attention from the door to her. He hushed her and wrapped his arms around her tighter as he rubbed her back, went up, grabbed her chin to bring her eyes up to meet the team, and quieted down, realizing their mistake. They were too excited to haze them for their affection; they forgot one of their own was injured and on bed rest. Startling an injured teammate was not the best idea.

"What hurts?" Trent boomed in, passing the rest of the team hovering in the doorway with guilty faces.

"I'm ok. Just moved my ribs wrong, jumping at you loud children." Liz tried to joke as she watched the guilt flush over their bodies as their heads hung.

Trent ignored her comment as usual, as he had no trust in the twins knowing they would always downplay their pain but allowed her words to act as a guide to direct him where to start his assessment.

"Sorry, Jellybean," Jason mumbled.

"Oh heck, I'm sorry, Pebbles," Sonny grumbled behind Jason, followed by Brock and Ray.

As Trent made it to the bed, he gave them both a stare down with his best assertive look, hoping they catch the hint to finally detach themselves so he could take a look at Liz and change her burn dressing. They caught his hint, and Clay groaned as he was not ready to lose her from his arms. He was not ready to go out into the world and lose his grasp and not have her breath on his neck; her steady heartbeat synced with his as she lay on his chest, lose the smell of her hair and perfume that gave him brain fog, not ready to lose the gaze that trapped him deep inside his feelings for her and held him down. But Trent won this time as Clay always will put his feelings for Liz and her safety and security over his own. He had to let her go and get up from the warmth of her arms and bed to allow her to be checked out. Her getting healthy was his top priority and always will be. So, he reluctantly let her go and wiggled out from under her as she shifted onto her back under Trent's gaze.

"Woah, this is a family deployment there. Bam Bam, get some clothes on." Sonny hazed as he pretended to be offended and covered his eyes at seeing Clay in his boxer briefs.

Jason huffed and joined in the hazing as he threw bits of Clay's clothes from the bathroom floor toward him. The team would never be phased about seeing anyone in their underwear as they all have been in the same rooms sleeping and changed on deployment. They try to give Liz her privacy and keep away or turn their eyes as much as possible if they cannot escape the room on deployment or ops when changing is required. Still, ultimately, in the end, they have all seen each other in this state, so Clay standing there was no shock and opened their door for the hazing they originally came in for.

"You are just jealous there, Sonny. It's not my fault in your old age; you're getting flabby and can't keep up with this." Clay chuckled as he motioned down his torso with a wink, and he tried to catch the clothes and boots Jason was still tossing at him. Well, not at him anymore; it was more of a game of reverse dodgeball now as the items were launched around him, making it hard to catch everything.

"Hey, who you calling old? This body ill have, you know, makes all the ladies line up for a share." Sonny huffed.

"Son, that's just you being delusional; they are trying to run around you, not line up." Ray joked as he joined in.

Clay burst out laughing as he saw Sonny's pout trying to puff out his chest and flex his chest and arms.

Soon, the team was laughing and joking around, teasing Clay and Sonny. But as Trent was still hovering over Liz while he started his assessment, he noticed her eyes wander towards Clay and linger a little longer than normal. As he moved on to her burn bandage and cleared his throat to get her attention as this was going to be more painful, he raised a suggesting eyebrow at her when her gaze snapped towards his.

"What?"

"If you are ready to continue, I can change this dressing so you can get back to your gazing," Trent smirked as Liz blushed and rolled her eyes. "This will hurt while I take the bandage off, but the cream will help numb things for the new wrap. Then I can give you a dose of morphine if you would like."

As the team stood in the doorway, still joking around and trying to distract Liz as Trent finished her dressings Clay could not help but watch her. With each grimace and wince as Trent worked, Clay found himself clenching his fists tighter and tighter as he held her gaze while trying to join in on the group talk. It hurt him to see her in pain, and he could not help. And to him, that was the worst feeling, being helpless in making her feel better and safe. He was used to being a problem solver and saving others but seeing the person in his life who means the most is in pain, and he cannot help shatters him.

"Ok, all done; make sure not to get it wet for the day, and if you need more morphine, please let me know. I know you will not stay in your bed all day as ordered, but please do not make yourself stay in pain as you move about." Trent huffed as he packed up his kit and moved back to give her room to come out from under her blanket; she was cuddled in as he worked, trying to squeeze away the pain and keep some modesty as she was still only in her sports bra and underwear.

As Trent came over, the team all looked at each other awkwardly, wondering if Liz would need help getting dressed and if they should go and get Davis from command to help. But before they genuinely gave any thought, Clay stepped over to Liz and started to help her get to the edge of the bed and unwrapped from her comfort. And with that, the team all gave grins while they gave out a small whistle and headed out of the room to wait for them around the fire to head out to the mess tent together.

"Ok, Darlin', let's take this slow. Trent will kill me if you come out of here in worse shape than he left you in." Clay grinned at her as her eyes met his, and she chewed on her lip. "What do you need first? I'm not going to lie; this is a first for me; I usually take the clothes off and not put them on."

"Ha! Well, this is not how I imagined this going either." Liz laughed as she slowly stood up, grabbing Clay's forearm with her non-cast hand and letting him scoop her up by her shoulder, avoiding the cast and ribs. "This is not how I wish things went with us, putting more clothes on." She mumbled so quietly to herself.

But just as she mumbled this, Clay reached in to steady her fully, so his ear was just under her chin as he leaned down into her. His face erupted into the biggest grin as he let out a soft, breathy chuckle, "You and me both, baby."

As Clay left her side and turned around to gather her clothes from her drawers, Liz burst into a deep shade of pink as her blushing took over her body with him hearing her words and agreeing. As she watched him rummage for her clothes, she bit her lip and watched his back muscles shift under his shirt, causing her to go into her little daze.

"…Liz, Hey? Are you with me? Are you in pain?" Clay panicked as he waved his hand in front of her face, worried. She was not responding to him and seemed to be in her little world with a blank expression.

"What? Oh, sorry, yeah, I'm ok." Liz cleared her throat and looked down as her cheeks pinked up again at the thought of getting caught.

At her response, Clay caught on that she was not in pain but in her little world for other reasons, and he grinned as he helped her put her arms into her t-shirt and shimmied it up her arms to loop over her head and caught her gazing at his chest. "Eyes up here, missy."

The morphine was not a strong dose to make her high or loopy but enough to help lower her guard, so her ambitions were coming forward. All she could think about was getting a hold of herself and out of her head. This can not happen here while on deployment. No matter how much she wanted to grab his perfectly scuffed face and join their lips together for their first kiss, they were still on duty and working. She needed to get control of herself and last a few more weeks. 'Professional' was on a loop in her mind as she helped her step into her pants and tied up her boots.

"Well, it's about time! We thought we lost you both in there." Jason called out, groaning as they both emerged from her room to join the rest of the team outside.

"Thought we would have to run away at the noise of the bunk rockin'," Sonny winked at Clay, teasing him again. It was just too easy.

"Yeah, the rest of us need some fuel, too, even if we were not as active as the lot of you." Ray hummed, grabbing his stomach, bending over, pretending to be wasting away.

"Oh, shut up." Clay groaned as he helped Liz down the stairs and hobbled toward the group.

She could walk but needed extra support for her to lean on. Her leg and hip were still stiff and ached with lots of weight, and she wanted the excuse to be close to Clay.

"You children did not have to wait for us, you know. You could have helped a girl out and grabbed me food." Liz huffed as she rolled her eyes at the boys' comments.

"Oh, don't you worry there, Pebbles. You have Bam Bam to wait on you hand and foot while you recover." Sonny smirked while he winked at her and grinned at Clay as they all headed towards the tent to the empty table in the corner they seemed to have reserved for themselves and saw Davis sitting there with her files and a coffee waiting for them.