{Troy's POV}
(Tuesday, February 28, 2023-2 pm)
[Berk Isle Hospital]
/Flashback; 12/15/2022/
"So, medical leave for a few months? I can do that. Well, just tell me when we're going home," I stated, putting my head on the pillow and relaxing.
"We're?" Donovan questioned.
"Yeah. We're as in We Are. Meaning Hayden and me," I reiterated.
"Staff Sergeant Raseri…You will be going home. Not Lieutenant Haddock-Raseri," Donovan said firmly. My eyes shot open as I looked sternly at the Commander.
"Hayden is my husband, Commander Bludvist. I'm not…going home without him and if he can't leave, then I will stay here," I informed.
Donovan sighed. "Raseri; it doesn't work like that. This hospital is not equipped to handle a full recovery, and it's an active war zone. This place is really just for emergencies and stabilizing a patient to travel home where they can receive proper care. Hayden is the leader of the Inferno Platoon, and I need him here to command his troops. It's medical leave for you because, at this time, you're unable to perform your duties as an Infantry Marine. Lieutenant Haddock-Raseri still can, so he is not authorized to leave this base until the tour is over,"
I was getting upset at the information, that I had to go home and spend months in a hospital, but Hayden wouldn't be able to be with me for a bit. "Troy…Commander Bludvist is right…" Hayden finally spoke as I looked at my husband, shocked that he agreed with Donovan about staying behind while I returned to Berk.
"Hayden? I-I can't leave you here. We're…a team; we do everything together. I can't…go back to Berk without you," I protested,
"I-I know, baby…B-But it's only for a little while. It's…December now, the tour ends next month. I'll be home with you then," Hayden tried to reason with me. Hayden and I have never been apart in the last four years!
"But Hayden…" I began.
"It's a direct order, Troy," Hayden said firmly, my eyes widen. "I have to stay here to lead Inferno…And you have to go home, where it's safe, to finish recovering. We can't disobey orders; you know that. It's grounds for disobedience and misconduct, or whatever it is. The bottom line is we can get into a lot of trouble, and I don't want that for us…The tour is almost over, and then I'll be home. I promise everything will be okay. What could go wrong in a month? That's all it is, and we'll be together again,"
I sighed heavily. "You promise to call every chance you get?" I asked.
"On my life, baby," Hayden nodded with a smile.
/End Flashback/
What could go wrong in a month? Everything. I've been back on Berk since Saturday, December 17, 2022, and stuck in Berk Hospital while my leg heals. I got to spend Christmas with my family, and everyone came to visit me too, but I wanted Hayden there. Unfortunately, all I got was a short ten-minute Skype conversation with my husband on Christmas Day. The night before, I got fifteen minutes. Hayden did do his best to contact home, but I knew from being deployed with him that it was hard between missions, guards, patrols, and overall exhaustion if it was a long shift. It's been two months officially, and for the most part, my leg is recovering well. I didn't end up needing the second surgery; I suppose I can be thankful for that much. However, my concern didn't involve me. It's the end of February…And Hayden is still in Afghanistan.
I didn't understand it; the tour was supposed to end in January, and it's now a month later. Tomorrow would start March 2023, and still no word on what the hell is going on. Hayden just tells me that even Donovan doesn't know why they are still there. Donovan apparently was informed they weren't going home yet. I hated not knowing or being there with Hayden. Everyone came to visit me at least once a day, all at different times. I was allowed in a wheelchair to get around, so on the weekends, I could see everyone in one of the bigger, day rooms. The fixator came off at seven weeks since the accident, and I've started rehab to begin walking again; I'm sure it won't take me long to get the hang of it. Maybe another month, and perhaps I could start using crutches at least. I would speak to the doctor or physiotherapist about the idea; I'm confident it shouldn't be a significant problem as long as I don't overdo it.
"Troy?" I heard my mother say. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and looked at her. "Is everything okay, son?"
"I'm just worried about Hayden, Mom. The tour was supposed to be over by now…" I looked down, closing my eyes.
"Well, you know the deployments can change depending on the situation overseas," Gabriel informed.
"That's what scares me," I sighed, becoming frustrated. My phone began vibrating in my lap; I was in the wheelchair right now with my mom, and Gabriel here to keep me company. I checked the screen to see Hayden calling on Skype. I quickly answered it. "Hi, babe. Happy Birthday,"
{Thanks. I wish it could be happy, and hi.}
Hayden looked miserable from what I could see, and that bothered me. "What's the matter?" Hayden sniffled a few times, and I saw him use the base of his palm to get a tear falling off his face. "Hayden? What's wrong? Talk to me, Love. What happened?" I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I hoped to Odin that this wasn't Hayden calling to tell me that someone else in our platoon had died. Since my leaving in December, Inferno has lost four people. Vincent and Ryan Grimborn, Chelsea Boggs, and Scott Axall. Vincent and Ryan died together in RPG strike when Vincent was trapped and his older brother, Ryan, refused to leave him behind. Their bodies were recovered two days later. Chelsea was shot in the neck and bled out. Scott stepped on an IED, and his body wasn't found. I knew these things could happen, and it was an unfortunate part of the war. However, Hayden had witnessed all the deaths excepts Vincent and Ryan's. Those two had been in a building, trying to offer cover fire when it happened. Hayden only knew they were inside when the RPG hit.
If memory serves, Chelsea was killed just after I left Afghanistan in December, which was sad because it was so close to Christmas. Scott died three weeks into the New Year. Vincent and Ryan were gone at the beginning of February.
{Another death in the platoon…}
I lowered my head, sighing sadly. "Who?"
{Andrew; he got shot in the leg, and then while down, his throat slit…Happened this morning on recon at 0735 hours.}
"Are you alright, lad?" Gabriel asked.
{If you're asking if I passed my evaluation after it occurred, the answer is yes. Anyone who witnessed it had to go through eval, and then we had the memorial…I'm crying because Andrew's death makes five in the last two months. The whole platoon is upset about it. Especially Cody, Andrew was his older brother. Also, I just got out of a meeting with Donovan, Cody, Steven, Daryl, Oliver, and Jason regarding why we're still here. I also don't have long to talk; another Special Ops mission in an hour, but I wanted to let you know what was going on.}
"I feel like I'm not going to like this update…" I said.
{You won't because I'm not coming home until August…}
My eyes widened. Now Hayden wasn't returning until August? That's still five months away! "Did they give you a reason why?" I asked, hoping for an explanation.
{Still needed until then. That's all I got.}
"Wait for just a second. Hayden; you said you're not coming home until August, don't you mean the company?" Gabriel inquired. Why would Gabriel ask that? He wasn't implying that Hayden had to stay behind while everyone else returned home, was he?
Hayden didn't say anything, he sort of looked off to the side.
"Hayden…" I questioned.
{Alpha Company will be home Monday, March 6th. Cody Kongur and I have to stay…Until August…}
"What? What do you mean you and Cody have to stay, Hayden? You and Cody are both a part of Alpha Company," I inquired instantly; this didn't make any sense.
{But we're also the two Special Ops Warriors from Alpha Company…And the Special Operations Force is running a lot of missions, and you know I lead a good portion of those, and Cody is my second in command for that team. Alpha Company will be home next week, Cody and I will return in five months…}
"Hayden, this…is not fair. They can't just expect you two to stay back! Fight it, please?!" I begged.
{You know I can't fight Special Ops orders, Troy; they come directly from HQ, not Bludvist. It's no different than when Hunters died, and I had to go back early to Syria to take over Inferno. I gotta get ready to leave for the mission tonight with Cody; I just…wanted to let you know what was going on.}
"You better be safe, kiddo," Gabriel reminded.
{I'll do my best, but these missions are a pain in the ass. It's all recon or contact right now, but they are issuing them a lot more than once a month lately. This makes my third this week alone. I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow, Troy. I love you, baby.}
I hated this. Gods, I hated it to no end. However, I could tell that Hayden was upset, mourning, and trying to get ready for the mission tonight. I wouldn't make matters worse. "I love you too," I saw Hayden smiled a little, then the call ended. I knew it was 4:45 pm in Afghanistan right now, and Hayden was leaving in an hour at 5:30. I sighed and set the phone down, looking out the window, and praying that he would be okay tonight.
. . .
{Normal POV}
(3:35 am)
[Undisclosed Location; Kandahar, Afghanistan]
The mission objective was to infiltrate the enemy headquarters base in Kandahar to locate the target leading the strikes in the Kandahar Province. Capturing with the ultimate goal, but for now, the Archipelago Military Forces have been working effortlessly to just nail down where this leader of the enemy base is hiding out. The president of the Archipelago or the Monarch/King is currently Richard Hummel the Second, with his wife, Queen Marianne. The king has ordered for this target to be taken down; it could be useful for a lot of the Kandahar Province residents, and many military personnel would get to go home while Kandahar would no longer be under threat. It would be one step closer to ending the war. This was the plan; slowly take back control of different Provinces in Afghanistan, and give it to the people who wanted the fighting to end. It's taken months of this tour to gather the correct intel and find the location of the station alone.
Hayden was leading the team of six, including himself and Cody on to enemy lines in silence, using only hand signals to communicate as the radios would undoubtedly make the mission no longer quiet. The enemy base was in sight, and so far, everything was going according to plan. Suddenly, a grenade landed in front of them. Hayden's eyes widened as everyone broke apart to take cover. However, when the blast went off, Hayden got thrown into a building and knocked out. The rest regrouped a bit farther back to where guards of the station wouldn't find them.
"Where's…Lieutenant Haddock?..." Cody asked, panting.
"We don't know. Hayden turned the opposite direction when the grenade landed…We don't know if he got caught in it or not," one reported.
"Alright, we need to get back in there and find him," Cody informed. The team nodded as they started making their way closer to the base once more.
. . .
After forty-five minutes of searching, none of the remaining five had seen anything about where they had been to signal Hayden was there. The group was together once more, hiding out.
"We got nothing, Lieutenant Kongur…" they said, or shook their heads.
"He couldn't have just vanished…Maybe we should try the radio? Have him give us some kind of signal if he's alright or where he is?" one suggested.
[Night Fury. Night Fury; this is Nightmare. Do you copy?] Cody tried. Nothing. [Night Fury. This is Nightmare. If you can hear me; press the button and tap twice.]
"What if he got caught in the blast and died, or knocked out?" another offered.
"Yeah, he might be hurt…" said the male next to him.
"Well we can't keep roaming this place; we'll get-," Cody began; he tightened his fist now, then sighed. "We have to go back to our base and report it. We've been around this place for nearly an hour and nothing. Hayden could be dead, unconscious, hurt…If we stay; we run the risk of being found. We gotta go while we can," the remaining four nodded, not happy about the decision. Cody was right, though. Staying longer could make the situation worse. The team waited for their moment, then made an escape to return to Barbarki Base.
. . .
(Hours Later; 7 am)
[Barbarki Base; Sector A]
Cody and the team reported to HQ, and had to explain everything from the mission and that they didn't know where Hayden was. Right away, nothing was decided as a course of action. HQ would give it twenty-four hours before making the call and begin a large-scale search for Hayden. By the time all this was chosen and filed away, Cody was returning to Sector A where everyone was awake and preparing to go to breakfast. Cody had his head down as he was dropped off by a Jeep in the area.
"Cody!" a few cheered, happy to see him.
Inferno was looking for Hayden as Cody had a hard time facing them. "Cody…Where's Hayden?"
"Is he still at HQ?"
"Is he hurt?"
Donovan came up now. "Lieutenant Kongur," Donovan stated sternly. "Where is Lieutenant Haddock?"
Cody closed his eyes tightly. "Hayden got separated from the team after a grenade blast that forced us to separate to avoid. Hayden didn't regroup with us," the area went silent, a few gasping. "We searched for an hour, but nothing. We tried the radio too and no response. We had to abort the mission or risk being discovered…Hayden did not return to base with us, Commander Bludvist. HQ is giving it twenty-four hours from when the blast occurred, which was at 0335 hours. If Hayden doesn't make contact or return on his own…HQ will start protocol for MIA."
Nobody knew what to say, and there was nothing they could do either. For now, all they could do was wait and pray.
. . .
(Thursday, March 2, 2023-9:00 am)
[Sector A, Barbarki Base]
Donovan made his way through the line of barracks. "Alpha Company! Front and center!" he ordered. Quickly, the company formed together outside before him, all wanting to know if there had been any update on Hayden. However, the look on Donovan's face didn't look for promising good news. "As of 0830 hours, Second Lieutenant Hayden Haddock-Raseri is official as Missing In Action,"