Chapter 23

As they made it to the table where Davis sat and watched them saunter over with the biggest grin. She could not take her eyes off Clay and Liz and made eye contact with Liz, and her grin deepened as she suggestively wiggled her eyebrows. Liz could only cock her head with a mirrored grin and rolled her eyes. Once the group made it to the table, Clay grabbed onto Liz a little tighter, not ready to let her go, and this did not go unnoticed by Liz as she leaned into him and let out a small sigh.

Clay slowly led her to the seat next to Davis and helped her lower herself onto the bench and shift her legs over to set herself up to lean against Davis and stabilize herself with her good side, avoiding her ribs along the table's corner. This was the first time she was up and out of bed in a few days, and she was still working on her positions and aware that each side of her body had its hindrances that she had to take into perspective. She can not move well on her own, sit without leaning and supporting her ribs, or use her broken arm to grab things or perform any basic actions. And lifting her right arm was painful with her ribs and burned shoulder. As she set up shop against Davis, she huffed in annoyance; being reliant on others did not bode well with her, and in this injury round, she was overly dependent upon help.

"Ok sweet lil lady, what is on the menu today?" Sonny asked as he leaned in and put his arm along Davis's back. He and Davis were in their weird limbo, and as much as they tried, they could not avoid contact and sort things out independently. Their bodies had a magnet, and they seemed to have a slight inkling to touch each other or have a hidden glance, no matter how much they tried to avoid it and move on.

"I can go get my food; I just need a moment and gather my breath.. and maybe a hand to get back up." Liz rolled her eyes as she looked down at her body, assessed her situation, and tried to form a plan of how she would get up. As she shifted slightly and leaned away from Davis to straighten herself, she winced and curled somewhat into herself. Closing her eyes, she took a moment and was about to protest their stretched-out arms and concerned glances. "Ok, help me up."

The team all looked at each other, knowing they were about to have a fight on their hands as Liz was not going to stay put.

"Jellybean, you are not going up there. We can get you some food. It's not like it's a big deal. It's just food." Jason told her with a slight hint of authority, hoping she would take it more as an order than a suggestion. He knew her well that if he gave her any suggestions against her mindset, it would be a bloodbath fight that he would lose. Her stubbornness was her greatest strength, and she used it well.

"No, I need to move, and I can't trust you lot to get me anything good. Knowing how you think I'm glass, I'll end up with oatmeal or something else as mushy as you would feed a baby."

"You can't go around moving; you are on bed rest, and if you pop a leg stitch or make your ribs worse, you will be back in the medical tent strapped to a bed. You are lucky your even up with us now." Trent huffed. He usually did not get annoyed with the Wonder Twins this easily as they constantly fought their injuries but always seemed to bounce back stronger than ever. But this time, he was holding firm as he bargained with the doctors to even let her out of the hospital early. No one else on the team knew that, but he knew if Liz was to recover and not be a hassle, she needed to be with her team in her temporary bed and with Clay. On deployment, the medical tent and hospital were not like the ones stateside or in other countries they have been treated in. There was no option for visitors, so things got lonely fast, and the nurse care was not the same as their staff was always stretched so thin. The medical team excelled at what they did and worked miracles, but the military cake eaters tended to take them for granted, so they always got the short stick. As much as this was a benefit to Liz to be back in the bunks, it was a benefit to the medical staff not having to deal with her, and he was capable of watching her recovery, allowing them that one less patient to worry about and lightening their load.

"No.."

"Pancakes or eggs?" Clay cut her off as she was about to protest again as they saw the fire in her eyes light up.

"Eggs, please, with bacon." Was all she mumbled as she fell back into Davis for support and laid her head down on her shoulder.

As the boys headed towards the food, Brock could not help but let out a low chuckle, "You're the Liz whisperer. I have never seen her give up that easily."

"Yeah, brother, we know the weird relationship friendship you two got going on, but I have never seen her so compliant. You ease the fire inside her, and she needs that." Ray added.

Davis sat silently with Liz at the table as the boys got food and coffee. She just stared at her waiting for Liz to crack under her gaze.

"So."

"So? If you are looking for gossip, I got nothing to tell."

"Oh really now? I have heard stories from the team about you two in bed together on multiple occasions. Care to share?"

"There is nothing to share. As you said, he is not risking my career for himself. No matter how much I am willing it with my gaze." Liz commented as she turned her head and watched Clay's arms move and scoop food onto the two plates he was holding. She watched his muscles ripple with the movements, and his forearm veins strain and bulge slightly.

"You may want to wipe that drool before they come back."

"What?"

"That line of drool coming from your huge grin as you gawk at Wonderboy."

"I am not gawking." Liz snorted.

"Who is the intel officer here? You may be trained to break down doors, but I am trained to watch and observe intel. I'm pretty sure you're at a loss here. Why are you in denial."

"I'm not in denial."

"Yes, you are; I can see it all over your face. Alongside the pain in your eyes when he leaves your side or your mind wanders back to the fact that you can not be together."

"I'm not in denial. I'm just trying to be professional. We will never be able to be together being on the same team, no matter how much I want to pull him aside and kiss him."

"And then some." Davis joked as she teased and slightly bumped her shoulder against Liz's left shoulder.

Liz groaned and threw her head back, "It's all I can think about now."

Before Liz could continue rambling, Davis cleared her throat, signalling the boy's return. As Liz lifted her head, she saw all the boys climbing onto the benches along the table, and Clay managed to prop himself directly across from her. Before he passed her plate over, he started to cut up the large pieces of fruit and other items that were larger than bite size. Yes, it was something you would do for a child, and typically Liz would have ripped their heads off for treating her like a breakable child, but because it was Clay, she had no choice as her mind and body could never be mad at him, so she sat there and watched him work. Once he was finished, he passed her a coffee and her plate.

"See, Bam Bam, at your service. You got him whipped, hey?" Sonny pipped up as she watched the scene unfold and waited for her to protest the action alongside the rest of the team.

"At least he realized she can't cut her food with her cast, unlike you lot." Davis quipped.

As the team sat and ate, small conversations started between them as they sat and relaxed at the table, knowing they had the day off and could take it one step at a time and not be ready for an op at any moment. While everyone got lost in their worlds on their phones or talking to their neighbour, Clay could not help but watch Liz as she struggled to stay present and finish her food. As she continued to try and finish her food she slowly slumped more and more into Davis. She was fading fast and needed to get back to bed for much-needed rest.

"I think it's time to head back before sleeping; beauty here passes out with a face full of eggs." Jason joked as he watched Liz slump further down. "Here, I'm done; I'll help you back; I've finished anyways and need to get my notes for drills."

As Jason and Liz hobbled their way back towards her bunk, Jason noticed with each step she was grabbing onto his arm and shoulder more and more as her body tried to pull her slowly to the ground.

"Hey, kiddo, you need a lift?" Jason laughed as he grabbed her a bit firmer around her waist to hoist her.

"Huh? No, I'm good. I'll make it. There is no way I'm letting my boss carry me back to my bunk." Liz snorted as she tried to straighten herself up and chuckled.

"You don't need to play tough girl around me, you know. I know you better than most. Well, except for lover boy, that is."

"Ha, I knew reaching out to you when I was younger would come back and bite me in the ass," Liz replied, ignoring the comment about Clay. She was unsure if this was a conversation she wanted to have with her boss, Bravo 1. But at the same time, she needed her parent figure and some fatherly advice from Jason, so she pursed her lips together, thinking of a plan for starting.

Jason looked at her out of the corner of his eye and knew she was having some internal struggle. He could read her like a book; this time, he did not need to take a shot in the dark and assume the topic. Clay.

"You know you can come to me regarding Clay," Jason said sweetly. She was the toughest girl he knew, but when it came to her heart, she was a chicken and always avoided the topic and all feelings. His joking tone softened as he knew she was having a hard time with her thoughts, and he needed to make a move towards this topic first.

"I know. I just…" Liz started as she tried to find her words. Ripping off the band-aide was the way to go with her, but she was unsure how to grab that corner and tug.

"You love him, don't you?"

Liz stayed quiet for a moment, unsure how to speak towards his bluntness. "Yes."

"Well, you know how I feel about you. No matter how much you fight me, you are my little girl, and I always want the best for you. And Clay…. Well, Clay is the best. Don't you ever tell him I said that; his head does not need to get bigger! Although, if he breaks your heart, he will never walk another step on this earth again." Jason stopped as he studied her against his body and grabbed her chin to look up at him.

"Neither of us is willing to transfer teams, or out of DEVGRU, so it's not like anything can happen. And I would never ask him even to consider it. Especially not for me; I'm not worth his loss. He loves the team, and they are his only family."

"First off, don't you dare ever say you're not worth it. Next time I hear those words from your mouth you are running hills until your feet bleed. I have five other guys who will back me up on this, alongside Davis and Blackburn. Second, don't get used to me saying this, but I know you are injured and on pain meds, so I am hoping you will forget this; that boy will do anything for you. I have seen the way he acts around you and cares for you. He had a tough time when you were gone with Delta."

"Yes, sir." Liz tried to joke as this was getting a bit too serious for her, but she knew she needed to have this talk.

"And if you are worried about being on the same team, I have lots of pull un DEVGRU. I'm sure I can push some buttons. But for now, I am willing to turn a blind eye when you are at home and not on an op or deployed. The brass does not need to know what goes on behind closed doors. And when it's work, you must be professional, or else I'm throwing your ass under the bus. We need Blackburn, but that will not be a problem."

As they made it back into Liz's bunk, he helped her slip off her shoes and slide under the covers in her clothes. Just as he was about to walk out after plugging her phone in, he heard her clear her throat, as he took her silence from his comments as a sign her mind was trying to process that things could be a possibility. He knew she always ran from relationships, but she never felt this way about someone, and this someone understood her lifestyle and the strains that being a SEAL brought home.

"Jase, thank you. For everything."

"Always Kiddo." Jason turned back and watched her eyelid close.