Alex had spent most of the day sleeping again. The pain medicine she was given from the MASH unit was very strong, and while it was keeping her relatively pain free, she wanted to sleep almost constantly.

…

It was just before dinner was served when Alex chose to get up and walk around. She groaned and stretched as best she could. Since she didn't have any work or training to do at the moment, she chose to be in just her fatigue pants and the pale green/tan uniform shirt. Her black sling stuck out among her clothes, a temporary reminder of what had happened. She could suffer through wearing it for two weeks. The last week would be the worst waiting for her ribs to catch up in their healing process. The ribs were far more annoying and painful than the bullet wound.

She ran a handful of water over her face. It was refreshing and helped to wake her up more. She combed her hair out and headed toward the mess tent.

"Danvers!" Maggie said with a smile on her face when Alex approached their usual table. "How are you doing?"

Alex grunted, "just peachy… Did I miss anything important today?"

"Nah, just some new training exercises and more debrief. We got two new soldiers too."

Alex grumbled, "that was a quick turn around."

Maggie nodded and took a sip of her water. "Yeah, it was. But you and I both know that's how it is out here. We can mourn for a day and then push it back until we get home, unfortunately…"

Alex nodded. "I know… I know, it just sucks that it is that way."

"But hey, if you need someone. You know where to find me. I'm always open to talk or listen." Maggie offered.

Alex nodded, "thanks."

The mood had taken too solemn of a turn for Maggie's liking, so she chose to add in another one of her potential job guesses.

"Chihuahua breeder."

Alex choked on her water. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Chihuahua breeder. Is that what you are going to do when you're back in civilian life?"

Alex put her head down on the table and laughed and laughed. It felt so good to laugh like that, and Maggie was extremely proud of herself for being able to get Alex to laugh wholeheartedly.

"No, but thank you, Maggie. I needed that." Alex said, smile wide and eyes shining softly.

"Anytime Danvers." Maggie smiled softly back.

…

Alex had chosen to go on her computer and check her email to see if the CNN article had been sent to her yet. It had.

...

A Loss for One is a Loss for All

Washington (CNN) - Investigative photojournalist and CNN correspondent Charlie Davis was sent to Afghanistan to give us a close-up and intimate view of the war currently going on. After spending a week at different bases and camps, he comes to report the bravery and sacrifice he has personally witnessed in his week spent there.

The images below may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

Each unit had its own specific agenda and goals, all playing a larger role in this war other than just their daily jobs. They are one part of the whole that is the United States Army. Due to the active war, in-depth details about exact locations and missions cannot be divulged.

Each photo taken depicts the true reality that our heroes face every day. These scenes are hard to stomach, even for those who are trained for field missions. From what was gathered, it never gets easier for those brave men and women out there fighting.

It was a very humbling experience to be the one allowed to photograph and share their experiences and what goes on in their day to day lives.

The clichéd expression "a picture is worth a thousand words," is the most accurate way to describe it. The exception here is that despite the images speaking volumes, they still do not quite do the moments justice.

(See More)

...

Not bad so far. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. She knew the section about their unit was going to come up based on the title. There was a chance that he wouldn't be able to feature it, but Mr. Davis had been rather enthusiastic about wanting their story to be put into the article.

And sure enough, when she scrolled farther down, that was what followed.

...

On the final day at the last base, a US Army Soldier was killed in the line of duty protecting his country during a mission in the desert of Afghanistan. To respect the soldier's privacy, his face has been blurred out of the photos taken that night.

Missions can go south, as I have witnessed. Intelligence tips only go so far and sometimes that intel isn't complete or is inaccurate. The units I were with were not expecting the number of armed hostiles that were there. The teams reacted appropriately and eliminated the cell, but it was not without casualty. A soldier gave everything he had to this country to keep our people safe. It is one thing to hear about the ultimate sacrifice, and it is another thing entirely to witness and photograph it and the effects it has.

The teams I went in with were strategic and methodical. They have the highest success rates of any other unit I had been to see. They were well trained and well-seasoned. It goes to show that things can go wrong even to the best of teams. That soldier lost his life and another was shot several times protecting him in his final moments.

Pictured below are the images taken from the final moments of that young soldier's life and the sendoff the following evening. I was given the privilege to speak to that soldier who was injured in the raid performed that night.

This is what Staff Sergeant Alexandra Danvers had to say about the incident. "A loss for one of us is a loss for all of us. Whether they knew him or not, everyone else here feels the pain of losing another brother. It never gets easier to lose someone. [The fallen soldier] was someone that I enlisted with and have personally toured with three times now. I knew his family and served with him the longest. He was a great man with a lot of potential and a future ahead of him."

Danvers has several bruised ribs and two cracked from taking three bullets to the chest, saved by her vest, and took one shot in the arm.

"I will take a bullet for any one of them out there. Here, we have to have each other's backs. That's how you survive. And when we lose a brother or sister, we have a day to mourn before we have to get back out there and continue to do our jobs. Our time to mourn is when we rotate home. It's a sobering reality when you see it out here for yourself."

The image below is of Sergeant Danvers carrying the soldier's casket with five others from the fallen soldier's original unit to a waiting helicopter.

Sergeant Danvers made a final promise to the soldier that last night while he was on the ground: she would make sure he got home. The fallen soldier landed back in the United States early this morning.

The soldier's identity is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.

...

Alex took a deep breath at the images. The one he had mentioned was a photo he had taken just after that single tear had fallen from Alex's eye while carrying Donovan's casket. Her face was hard and stoic, the tear and pain in her eyes amplifying the impact of the image.

She knew why he had chosen it. That type of photo would always be the most powerful image to the public eye. It was real and raw. It felt almost too invasive to have that image plastered all over the United States now through the article, but she knew her superior had to have approved it.

At least she wasn't the only one crying, though. Ellis had been on the other side of his casket to Alex's right and had almost an identical look on his face.

But honestly, what Mr. Davis had been going for was that she was the injured soldier in a sling carrying a casket, showing her sacrifice to protect her fallen brother. It was a full image, head to boot of all of them sending him off.

Alex took another deep breath and shook her head, closing out the article. What was done was done. It was starting to get to her again, emotions just threatening to overwhelm her. If she let that happen, she was afraid it would take her far too long to stop crying. This wasn't the first brother she had lost. She had lost too many others, Donovan just happened to be closer and slip away in her hands.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when her computer started ringing with a skype call. "Shit!" Alex said before grabbing her jacket and sticking her good arm through it and draping the other side over her shoulder. She made sure the sling wasn't easily visible before answering the call.

But it wasn't just Kara on the call. Her screen split and her mother's face showed up in the other box next to Kara's box. Alex's smile faltered before she greeted them with a simple, "hey." She was already exhausted and in pain. She knew she was busted and forwent the façade.

"Alexandra Marie Danvers!" Her mom cried out. It was a mix of anger and fear. Alex couldn't blame her for that. Alex put her head in her hand. She could add a headache to that growing list of overall pain and soreness. "Alex, are you okay?" Came the soft question from Kara.

Alex sighed, "yeah, Kar, I'm alright. Really tired, but I'm okay… I guess you guys saw the article?" They both nodded.

"Alex, why didn't you tell us sooner that you'd been shot?" Her mom asked.

"It wasn't even two days ago, Mom. I've been asleep for most of that time. We did the send off, and then I talked to the reporter right after that. I honestly didn't think he'd get it out that fast."

Her mom's expression softened at that. "I'm glad you're safe now, sweetie… How long with the sling?" Alex shrugged out of her jacket, the sling and bandage now visible.

"Two weeks with the sling, then another week for the ribs. After that, it's easing back into field duty and exercising. The ribs hurt worse than my arm honestly."

Her mom nodded. "Well, I have to get going to work. I just wanted to make sure for myself that you were alright."

Alex nodded. "Thanks, Mom. Have a good day at work. I love you."

"Love you too sweetie. Take it easy." And then her box disappeared, Kara's face filling the entire screen now.

After a paused, Kara asked softly and quietly, "who was it Alex?"

Alex took a deep breath to calm and ground herself. Major McNeil had already told her that his family had been informed. It wasn't a secret anymore. Alex shook her head, unable to say the words.

"Alex…" Kara spoke again. "Who was it…?" When Kara didn't get a response, she knew the answer. There was one person in particular that would cause Alex to react like this. Thinking back to the article, Kara put the pieces together. The three tours… The enlisting… "No…" Kara shook her head slowly. Even she'd come to know and meet him.

Alex closed her eyes as she said, equally as quiet, "it was Donovan."

"Oh Alex," Kara said sympathetically but Alex cut her off with a shake of her head, "don't. Please." Alex begged. "If you talk like that, I'll break and I don't get to break."

"Alex, you get to mourn. You deserve to be able to mourn. He was genuinely like your brother. He was your best friend."

That's all it took. The sympathy in Kara's voice was too much. Just like Alex had warned, it wasn't going to take much, and she broke down. Tears slid quickly down her cheeks as she took a shaky breath. Alex shook her head at herself and buried her face into her arm that was on the table. Silent sobs wracked her body and she felt like she'd never stop now that she got started. The pain in her ribs only made her crying more intense.

Maggie came in the tent to find Alex like that in front of her computer, Kara still on the screen with tears of her own and her hand covering her mouth.

"Danvers," Maggie said softly as she put a hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex immediately turned into Maggie's touch. Not expecting quite that response, Maggie still went with it and pulled her into a hug. She held her only as tight as she dared with Alex's current injuries.

Alex's sobs shook them both. "I've got you," Maggie whispered like a mantra quietly to her. She rubbed her back and ever so gently rocked her back and forth. There's nothing she could say or do to take that level of pain away so she just held her. She'd hold her as long as it would take, as long as Alex would need to get it out. Plus, she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon with the way Alex clung to her.

Slowly, very slowly, her sobs lessened to just shaky, hiccuping breaths and sniffles. When she eventually picked up her head to look at Kara, she made no move to leave Maggie's arms. It'd been far too long since she'd had a hug.

"Will you go? Please? For me? And tell Jeanie and little Jake Alexander I'm sorry…"

Kara swallowed thickly and nodded. She cleared her throat, "yeah, I will. I uh, I gotta get back to work now though."

"Okay. I love you Kar."

"I love you too Alex. Seeya Maggie."

"Bye Kara," Maggie replied and then the screen went black with the ended call.

Alex sighed and rested her head back against Maggie for a second. With another deep breath, Alex sat up and pulled away from her, wiping at the drying tears. "Thanks for that," Alex said to her. Maggie nodded, "better now?" Alex nodded in affirmative. "Yeah, I needed that."

Maggie patted her shoulder twice before heading to her own cot. The crying was only a step in the process of mourning. Maggie and Alex both knew that it wasn't enough, but it had to be enough for now. They had a job to do, so Alex would push down the bulk of her feelings until she had to confront them again when she rotated home. It wasn't healthy, but it needed to be that way.

It was late and they both needed to get their rest. Alex was going to go back to coordinating the intelligence and monitoring training exercises tomorrow.

That nightmare that Maggie had woken Alex out of the other day hadn't been her last. Several nights during the following week and for many weeks to come, Maggie would wake up to Alex whimpering in her sleep.

Each time, Maggie would get up and put her hands on either side of Alex's face. She'd brush away Alex's tears with her thumbs, keeping her grounded. Some nights, Alex needed a hug afterwards just to be reminded that someone was there for her.

They grew closer through this, silently understanding the burdens that each other had. And each day, they got up and carried on.

Here are the links to the visual of the article. I originally designed it to look like an article, images and all, but I can't embed it into the story.

/p/28gXzJ5

/p/28gXzF9

So clearly those links didn't work. Hop on over to my AO3 page if you want to see them: The_SuperLizard