"Zah, slow down, we aren't going to miss our flights" Luca said laughing as Zalie started to walk towards the international departure terminal at Dulles before the adults had even begun to organise the luggage that was being unloaded from the bus they'd rented to bring them in from Virginia Beach
"But I wanna show Meelah and RJ the icecream buffet and everything else daddy" Zalie said eagerly
"Hope you brought lots of extra antiemetic Trent" Jess said looking at him, he was on the same flight with Jess, Luca, Ray, Naima, Eric, Jay and the 3 kids, that had left Jason, Sonny, Brock, Metal, Clay, Stella, Laura, Lisa, Mikey and Emma on the second flight, Alie was already in Italy as she'd flown over to help get the final touches ready for the wedding
"Fully stocked up on the kids one, and extra for Laura to pack in her bag as well" Trent said with a smile
"Yeah cause we all know what Brockoli is like when it comes to ice desserts" Sonny said making reference to the fact Brock had a well known sweet tooth
"So you're sure we don't have to pay for any food or drink in the lounge or on the flight" Naima asked seeing how excited her two were at the prospect of an all you could eat icecream buffet, she knew the cost of food and drink in an airport could get very expensive with 2 little ones
"Positive, it's all included in the flights, now you 3, don't go silly on the ice cream, there will be another buffet when we get to our next stop in Dubai as well as on the plane, Zah are you listening to me, your body can't handle you gutsing it like you use to, moderation okay" Jay said warning his granddaughter in particular to take it easy, when she'd been on the flight from Sydney she wasn't eating a lot yet, now her appetite was the healthiest he'd ever seen it, and it was showing, she'd grown nearly 3 inches since she had arrived 5 and a half months ago and gone up 4 sizes in clothing, she actually started to look the same size as other kids her age, not like she was 2 or 3 years younger than them
"Yes Boompa" Zalie responded to her grandfather as she firmly clutched Cerbs lead
"And you need to be able to look after Cerbs as well for the flight, he'll be sitting with you after all, daddy and I will be in our own seats and aunty Laura and uncle Brock are on the other plane so it's on you, and Cerbs hasn't flown in anything other than military transport, he's going to need you to show him what to do" Jess said hoping that the extra responsibility of having to look after Cerbs would make the nearly 9 year old think twice before going overboard with food that would upset her tummy to much. Jess and Luca weren't telling her she couldn't have icecream with the others, they just wanted her to learn to be independent, speak up and make her own choices now where she could, so when she grew older she could be independent and not rely on them to hold her hand and make decisions like what she was allowed to eat if she was out with her friends, or flush her tube when she was using it, as the more comfortable Zah was with the whole thing and who she was, the less likely she would react if anyone made fun of her once because of her health issues making her different when she returned to school or got older as some kids and even adults could be unusually cruel when it came to kids being different
"Yes mummy I know, we gonna snuggle up and watch movies for the flight huh buddy" Zalie said talking to Cerbs and giving him a good scratch around the ears
"Think that's a yes from him" Brock noticed as the Belgian Malinois sunk into Zalie's legs as his body relaxed, it was times like this that reinforced that the decision to retire Cerbs and give him to Zalie to become her service dog was the best decision Brock ever could have made for his old friend
"Mummy did you bring my jammies so I could wear them on the flight" RJ asked pulling on his mums sleeve
"No RJ" Naima said looking at him
"Why not aunty Jess said we get to wear them" RJ pouted and looked to be on the verge of tears not understanding the situation
"You do RJ, but on this flight, we're going to be given extra special brand new pairs of pyjamas to wear before we hop on, we'll change into them on the plane" Ray said explaining that he will still get to wear pyjamas on the plane
"Yeah and we'll be given lots of colouring in and that, and you'll get your own TV to watch and new toys to play with and keep, it's really fun on uncle Kahleed's planes" Zalie said to him
"Do I really get to keep the toys" RJ asked looking at the adults, normally when he went to places that had toys he could play with he had to give them back when they left
"Yep, you'll be given a special bag RJ and everything that's in it is yours to keep just for you" Jess said to him
"Will Meelah get a bag of her own, and mummy and daddy" RJ asked Jess curious as to whether it would just him who would get a bag
"We sure will little man, all of us will get our own special bag" Ray said giving his son a cuddle
"So I won't have to share or get in trouble for taking it" RJ asked looking to his parents
"No, how about we make a new rule for you RJ, if you aren't sure if you're allowed to have something, then ask Zah, she's flown on these planes lots of times and knows everything kids are allowed to have and do, if that's okay with your mummy and daddy" Luca said bending down to RJ's level before looking at Ray and Naima, they were new or relatively new to flying first class, and Zalie had multiple flights under her belt and didn't even bother asking if she could have something if she already knew she could have it in the lounges or on the planes and RJ would probably try and copy her behaviour and he didn't want Ray and Naima worried that he might have taken something he wasn't supposed to
"Sounds okay to me, Meelah same rule applies to you, if you're not sure about whether you can have something ask Zah" Naima said seeing what Luca was thinking
"And Zah, you need to share if the staff give you any treats so Meelah and RJ get some too, no keeping everything for yourself, you're not the only kid on the plane this trip" Jess said to Zalie, the Nova staff knew her well as there weren't many kids her age who flew first class on a regular basis and that her mum was one of the owners of the airline, the flight attendants would regularly give her extra bits and pieces on the plane if they had spares of things like chocolates, lollies and activity packs
"Yes mummy, now can we please go and check in so we can head through security and go sit in the lounge, I wanna check out what games are in the kids room and get something to eat please" Zalie said impatiently
"Okay, we'll try and get to the lounge as quickly as possible, but we need to still be polite to the staff who are doing their job as well, it's not their fault if they're busy with something or we have to wait" Jess said cautiously reminding Zalie that she would not tolerate any whining to the staff if they got held up from her, not that Zalie would normally even consider displaying that type of behaviour, but Jess could never guarantee that Zalie would never witness other people displaying that type of entitled behaviour, so Jess drilled it into Zalie repeatedly that if she displayed even the slightest hint of that behaviour in public it would not be accepted
"Yes mummy" Zalie said looking at her mum
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"Wow, pictures of this place hardly do it justice" Jason said taking in the sight of the huge building and grounds in front of him
"It's straight out of a fairytale that's for sure" Lisa said amazed, she'd been incredibly busy and spent very little time with Bravo when they had returned from Syria as she'd been temporarily reassigned to help team India the moment they arrived back as there intelligence officer had been injured, now their officer was back on duty she was back with Bravo in time to join them for this trip
"Jessica, oh my nipotne, come in Nonna has your bed all ready for you, you must be exhausted after travelling, you all must be tired" Nonna said opening the door to greet them all, Jess didn't say anything she just stood there leaning against Luca, she knew there was no point trying to argue with her Nonna as Nonna would have already decided that she needed to go to bed and rest and it was nearly 1900
"Just a little bit Mrs Bernalli, thanks for having us, this place looks amazing" Stella said greeting the woman that she'd heard so much about
"Drop the Mrs, it's either Simona or Nonna Bernalli, whatever you're more comfortable with, as Alessandra says we're family, now come on inside so you can see your rooms and get settled for the night, I hope you're hungry" Nonna said correcting Stella before leading them into the big entryway of the house
"For your cooking Nonna Bernalli, we can make the room" Brock said with a boyish grin, he'd fallen in love with Jess's Nonna the first time they'd met. He'd never really had a family of his own growing up, or got home cooked meals on a regular basis, so when she started making extra gelato and that so Brock could have some to he sort off felt like she was his grandmother as well
"Oh you're such a good bambino Brock, know just how to make Nonna happy" Nonna said pinching his cheek with affection
"He just wants gelato" Trent said smiling at the scene
"Then gelato he'll have, but not tonight, it's to late and you all need rest, I'll make an extra big batch tomorrow to have after supper" Nonna announced proudly
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"This food is so good, but why prepare so much" Emma asked as everyone gathered in the kitchen to eat minus Jess, Luca and Jay and the 3 little ones who had already been sent to bed with cheese sandwiches, warm milk and a big plate of fresh cookies
"Ah Laura, do you understand the whole thing, Jess mentioned something about pride I think but I can't remember exactly what it was" Jason asked her
"All I know is it's something about the culture, they see it as a sign of respect, and Nonna will expect us to eat everything, she'll see it as an insult if we don't" Laura said helping herself to some of the lasagne
"Well we can't be having that can we, right dad" Mikey said helping himself to a second bowl of stew from the pot
"Wow, don't they feed you at that school" Jason said laughingly at his younger sons appetite
"Not food like this, can you pass the bread please uncle Sonny" Mikey informed his dad before tucking into his second helping
"So it makes her happy to see us eating and enjoying the food she's prepared" Clay asked looking at Laura
"Jess said you never tell an Italian grandmother you're full, or someone else's cooking is better than there's, and don't go asking what brand sauce they buy from the supermarket, something about the taste, a real Italian grandmother would apparently never feed there grandkids anything artificial and full of preservatives and to even suggest that they would" Laura said, she had things come to a head a few times with Alie when she'd question her about what exactly she was feeding Zalie and would constantly make jars and jars of home-made sauces when she visited and tons of pizza bases, fresh breads, biscuits, cakes and pasta to go in the freezer, it wasn't until she called Jess that she understood it was because Alie wanted to make sure they were eating right as she worried about the unpredictable hours of Laura's job affecting her ability to prepare proper meals, and Alie was only trying to help take some extra pressure of her
"That's why Alie was picky about the food at the competition, and Jess said the reason why is she's Italian, and why you said her Nonna wouldn't let her eat hospital food, they're concerned about their own image as being the caregivers of the family if there family is eating that stuff" Stella said realising the impact social expectations played on the women here, like it did all over the world, mothers felt the need to be perfect, that if they fed their child this or that it made them a bad mother and she would be shamed by her peers
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"All settled in up here" Trent asked popping in to check on Jess and Luca as they hadn't gone to the kitchen today eat with the rest of them, the rest of the boys and Eric wanted to make sure everything was okay
"Yep" Luca said as he finished adjusting something on Jess's pump that she used with her feeding tube
"Was wondering if you were getting fed" Ray asked noticing a tray with some covered dishes sitting on a table off to the side off the room
"Can't avoid it here, all done" Luca asked Jess as she walked out of the ensuite, Jess was back in her pyjamas and had just finished her toilet routine for the evening
"Yep" Jess said as she walked over to the tray and picked up something to eat
"We didn't get any of them" Sonny said noticing that she was eating something different
"Cheese fritters, Nonna knows finger food is better for my body to handle than a casserole or soup at times, think she gave my first dietitian nightmares with all her questioning" Jess said as she walked over and say on the bed, this was the same room she'd been staying in since the first time she ever visited, and every night her Nonna would bring her warm milk and almond cookies to have before she went to sleep, after she'd been injured in Yemen and her Nonna had been told by her dad that she wouldn't be able to eat like she use to, Nonna had demanded to speak to the dietitian that Doctor Masterson would be assigning to help Jess recover, she wanted to know the dieticians qualifications, have daily meetings with her to discuss progress, what foods would be given and when, how they were prepared
"Though she did modify all those recipes for you before you were even discharged" Luca said reminding Jess that why the behaviour had seemed overbearing, it had paid off and Jess had been getting dishes from her childhood made for her and weren't causing any discomfort brought in for her to enjoy before she was even discharged
"That's true" Jess said, those first few days she doubted whether she would ever be able to have meals like that again, the dietitian told her she wouldn't, but Nonna hadn't taken no for the answer
"And has overseen all the catering for our wedding, making sure none of it will upset your stomach, cakes and all" Luca said to her as he went and hopped onto the other side of the bed pulling her in for a cuddle
"Might have to part with some recipes for Naima, Meelah still misses cake time with you, and is wanting to cook all the time now, even with the sitter" Ray said grinning knowing that Meelah would love to cook a cake or something that she could share with Jess and Zalie if she could
"Talk to Alie, she's been teaching Zah how to cook, I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving Meelah some lessons as well" Jess said
"When are your parents going back to Australia" Eric asked curious
"There not, they'll keep a base there and Jay's appointing a manager to look after his facility in Sydney, then they're moving in with us" Luca said
"Won't that be weird" Jason asked
"It's not unheard of in the Italian culture if that's what you mean, with dad and Luca both working and going on business trips and Laura being on call with her job, it makes sense to have someone at home looking after Zah and running the house" Jess said explaining the practicality, the stay at home mum was an unusual concept in Italy, normally both parents worked and it was the grandparents responsibility to look after the grandchildren. Which was also why a lot of grandparents would live in the same house with their children and grandchildren
"And you can't be there to look after Zah because" Trent asked curiously
"I don't know when I'm going to be there" Jess said softly
"What do you mean, thought you were beating this" Clay said surprised thinking something was wrong
"Think you better tell them the truth Jess" Eric said sensing the concern about the comment Jess had made
"What truth" Brock asked confused
"Jess what haven't you told us" Jason asked looking straight at her
"Cuddle bug here officially got remission last week, and the decision was handed down by the MEB 5 weeks ago about whether she was going to be cleared to return to operating again" Luca said, they hadn't planned on saying anything before the wedding in case it accidentally took any focus away from the event at hand
"Why didn't you say anything about a decision coming through" Trent asked surprised he hadn't been made aware of the situation at the very least, something else was obviously going on he thought
"Because I didn't want to think about it yet until after I had gotten remission and the ceremony was done, that's why" Jess said to her brothers
"So, what was the decision" Ray asked
"Once I can pass my fitness tests I'm back to duty for a 2 year evaluation period, if at the end of the 2 year period it's determined that I'm not capable of maintaining operational standards then I'll be permanently reclassified and reassigned to a non operational role" Jess said looking at Ray
"Sir, did you know about this" Sonny asked annoyed, what gave some board of doctors the right to say if Jess was still capable of operating
"I delivered the letter to Jess myself when it came through, she simply needs to show that her ability to do her job hasn't been affected by what's happened and her condition will not affect how the team functions as a whole and she's compliant with her ongoing treatment and management plan that medical have laid out, nothing she can't do, there's no reason she can't get her old classification back at the end of the 2 years" Eric said to the group reassuring them it would be okay, he was extremely confident that the whole process was just a formality, nothing more
"So until then" Ray asked knowing that a change in classification meant restrictions when deploying, and that could affect where Bravo was sent
"Jess has been provided a medical waiver by the MEB to continue operating, it won't stop her from deploying wherever we're sent, it just means she's needing to take extra precautions because of a medical condition" Eric said explaining the situation
"Okay so it's back to normal then, Trent will familiarise himself with the new treatment and management plan as soon as we get back, he'll work with Aubree and Chelsea to work out what you're going to need equipment and nutrition wise, Sonny, you Brock and Clay are in charge of making sure she's ready to ace her fitness test, Ray, make sure she's briefed on what the squadrons been up too these last few months. You're dad will come through with getting everything done equipment wise like he always does, maybe we can use this to pressure him to get some of Alie and your Nonna's recipes turned into rations we can carry as you definitely eat more when it's food like this and the better we can keep your diet the easier it will be to keep healthier, and the more oral intake you can tolerate then the better that would look to any evaluation board, right Blackburn" Jason said laying out the plan of action when they got back for how the team would get through this
"It wouldn't hurt, as the tube and TPN are only supposed to be back up sources of nutrition, I know you've been pretty reliant on them while you've been having chemotherapy and recovering from surgery but you need to be able to go without them for extended periods without having any serious problems, so the more food we can carry that you can tolerate to tie you over will definitely help show you're still capable of doing your job" Eric said admitting that the food intake would be looked at, and now they knew the chemotherapy was going to be continuing Jess would need to be able to deal with the side effects while on duty, she could probably take the day off after she was given it to rest, but she'd need to still be ready to deploy if the call came
"Did your dad get that watch done" Trent asked her, he knew it was in testing and production before the team left for Syria but was uncertain if work had continued after Jess got sick as at the moment it was a custom project for her
"Critter has it, he'll bring it with him when he arrives" Jess said
"Good, did they get everything done I asked for" Trent asked knowing that the watch would make things a lot easier for Jess during the assessment period and she'd be able to physically produce evidence for the MEB showing how she was handling things from a health perspective and it would require less direct involvement from him which would give support to her ability to not allow her condition to be impacting the teams ability to function in case some over zealous person tried to claim he was to focused on her therefore eliminating his ability to help the other operators
"And a bit more" Jess said
"Surprised you're not going to be making all of them wear one" Eric said knowing partly what the watch was designed to be capable of
"Oh they will be eventually sir" Trent said knowing that as soon as he was certain that the watch could do everything he needed it to do without problem, he was volunteering the rest of Bravo as guineapigs for its official trial
"What, why, we have watches" Jason protested at the prospect of getting another one he would have to learn too wear
"Not like this one you don't" Trent said not giving anything else away about the new watches
