Game Of Fetch- Brock Reynolds
The sun was high in the sky and the dirt was so dry that it had disintegrated into dust but that did not stop the ball from being tossed again and again for the hair missile to chase after it. Bravo had been deployed to Cambodia yet were able to move freely which is how Bravo found themselves enjoying a morning out as they had free time, and how they found themselves sitting at a table in the shade with the exception of Brock and Cerb who were entertaining the village children of Kampong Cham, or rather Cerb was playing fetch while Brock supervised and encouraged the children despite the language barrier between them. The children would toss the ball and try to beat Cerb to it but the Malinois was to fast although Cerb was smart enough to let them win a few rounds of racing.
"Who is going to get bored first?" Jason asked as he nodded towards Cerb and the kids who were racing for the ball once more.
"Kids will get tired before Cerb does." Trent stated knowing the endless energy that their four legged teammate had even despite the heat. "The booties are good for Cerb." Trent made a special mention knowing that the pair that Cerb was wearing was a set that Clay had picked up and added to the seemingly ever growing collection a few months back after Cerb had gotten the pads of his paws burnt on some tarmac on an unseasonally hot day when they were on a mission in Spain. There was something special about them like all of the other ones but what it was Trent could not recall exactly.
Clay looked over at Cerb who was running around freely on the hot dirt. "They have a special cooling gel pad in the bottom of them designed to keep his paws cool."
Eric had joined them and he could not keep the smile off of his face or keep himself from snapping a few secret photos of the scene taking place in front of him while he listened to the rest of the men talk. He knew that the guys mainly gave Clay crap about all of the little items that he bought for Cerb but they helped not only the hair missile but Brock as well although he did have to wonder where the hell Clay found some of the things he did, and he was sure that Cerb had more sets of booties than all of the men of Bravo had collectively of shoes. Eric watched as Brock smiled broadly as he bent down, righted one of the young children up onto her feet as she had fallen, took a second to dust her hands off before he let her run back into the fray. "He's damn good with kids." That comment had everyone turning to look at him before their eyes shifted from Brock to Cerb and back again as they were not quite sure who he was referring to.
"Brock or Cerb?" Sonny asked as he wiggled the toothpick that was in his mouth with his tongue as he adjusted his cap.
"Both of them actually but I was referring to Brock." Eric answered without pause as he turned his gaze back to Brock just in time to see him kneel down next to one of the littler children once he had instructed a heavily panting Cerb to stay still before he coached the boy on how to throw the ball. None of them missed the wide smile that tugged at his lips and made the skin around Brock's eyes crinkle as he praised the small boy's effort as Cerb bought the ball back ready for it to be thrown again as he dropped it at their feet.
"Yeah he is." Ray was in total agreement with Eric as he had watched the quietest member of their team interact with his children and Jason's many times before when he thought they were not watching, and while he did not need to talk excessively he knew that the kids loved him and he loved them.
Mandy and Lisa returned to the table that the team had taken over with cold, refreshing and freshly made smoothies for everyone although they had been very fastidious over the preparation process knowing they had to be in an effort to avoid having the smoothies loaded with extra sugar or even an egg which was sometimes a common practise for some vendors to do. The two women caught the tail of the conversation and both of them shared a look with each other as they handed out the smoothies wondering if they should ask or if it was best to leave it.
Sonny held up the pink concoction and squinted at it dubiously. "What in the hell is this? It's pink!" He eyed it wearily unsure what was in it before he looked at Clay's. "Wait, why is Clay's that colour?" It was a very bright orange but Clay was already sucking it down greedily.
Lisa sighed as the others chuckled at Sonny's theatrics as she picked up her own smoothie which was green as it had coconut water, a couple of dates, a handful of leafy greens, some banana and some berries in it making it a bright green colour. "It's strawberry Sonny, and Clay's is carrot and mango. It's just what you asked for."
Mandy shook her head as she picked up her own mango smoothie before grabbing Brock's knowing he had gotten the same as her. "Going to take this over to Brock." She said as she walked away from the table leaving Lisa to deal with Sonny who had requested the flavour after being denied the chance to sample the local alcohol by Eric and Jason as they had pointed out to him that it was the morning and that they had an afternoon of AAR's to go through ahead of them.
Mandy smiled softly as she approached Brock seeing as he turned towards her as one of the older kids threw the ball as far as he could past several buildings sending them all scattering away from them. "One mango smoothie." She held it out for him to take seeing that his cheeks were flushed from the heat and the sun that he was standing in.
"Thanks Mandy." Brock smiled as he took the smoothie from her and took a big sip of it enjoying the icy coldness of it as he was parched as he had given Cerb the last of his water before he looked back towards the kids as he heard Cerb bark but there was nothing to worry about. It was just that Cerb did not like to be endlessly teased during a game of fetch which Brock could understand as he had never found it fair to tease a dog either.
Mandy reached out and placed her hand on Brock's shoulder as she watched as Cerb jumped, twisted and caught the ball before landing back down on the ground with a dust cloud forming around him. "Think you and the fur ball should come and sit in the shade for a few minutes, cool down and have a break." She suggested softly as the sun was sweltering and making them all sweaty and that was without running around and entertaining a bunch of local village children but she could see how happy he was and she did not want him to stop being happy.
Brock turned back to Mandy after he made sure that Cerb had released the ball so that it could be thrown once again. "Give them a few more minutes then we will be over to join you." Brock did not want to ruin the children's fun knowing that it was not often that they got to play uninhibited, and it was good for Cerb to play and burn off some of the excess and unsettled energy that he seemed to have lately.
Mandy smiled and shook her head knowing that it would not be a few minutes but she was not about to call him out on it, not when they were enjoying a peaceful morning. "Alright, you know where we will be." She let her hand slip from his shoulder softly before she moved back towards the table although she spared him one more glance over her shoulder.
SEAL TEAM
Brock laughed lightly and knew that he would have to bathe Cerb once they got back to their temporary base as the dog rolled around on his back in the dust wriggling his entire body as he was surrounded by the children who were patting almost every part of him. Admittedly he was covered in dusty dirt himself as he had found himself sitting down on the ground in it as the children tired far faster than Cerb did.
It always amazed Brock at the power that animals had to breach the divide that was in place sometimes between humans, and that was partly what made his bond with Cerb so special because he sometimes felt that divide when he had nothing to say. Brock had always loved animals, had grown up with them, but he had never thought he would get to be a SEAL and a canine handler until he had been partnered up with Cerb who had been a tiny puppy the first time they had been introduced to each other, and acted like every Malinois puppy – a maligator with sharp teeth that liked to bite and chew and snap his little jaw together.
Brock shifted his attention to the children knowing that Cambodia was going through a humanitarian crisis but by looking at them it was not obvious as they looked well looked after and they were lively not anything like some of the worst sights he had seen of suffering children before them. He shook his head as he glanced back at his team, at his family, before he returned his attention to Cerb who had managed to free himself of all the petting hands so that he was stood right in front of him and able to lick him on the cheek. "Good boy." Brock said as Cerb jumped forward onto him knocking him backward then lying down on top of him as he laughed and began patting Cerb feeling as his wagging tail hit his leg repetitively until a shadow cast over him and he looked up to see that Jason was standing over him, looking down on them. "Hey boss." He smiled as he tilted his head to the side avoiding another lick to his face from Cerb.
Jason really hated to break up the fun as it was nice to see Brock enjoying himself while spreading a little joy with Cerb's help to the local children. It was one of the better but rarer parts of the job when they got to give back in small ways. "We have got to get back brother. We will have enough time to get cleaned up and grab some lunch before we have to sit and go over our reports." Jason still could not understand why the Brass had determined that they needed to go over the after action reports while they were deployed but Jason had been in the Navy long enough to know that sometimes it was better not to ask and instead simply follow through with such a request.
Brock nodded as his smile dimmed a little bit but it looked like Cerb was ready to have a cold shower as it would be easier to have him join him in the shower seeing as they would not have a lot of time before they had to report to the meeting as he was heavily panting and tiredly resting against him. "Okay boss." Brock commanded Cerb off of him and waited before he pushed himself up off the ground knowing that they had to walk back but that it was not far.
Jason did not miss the wave that Brock gave the children once he had clipped Cerb back onto his leash nor did he miss the disappointed looks and pouts that were thrown their way as Cerb picked up the ball and held it in his mouth to carry back to base. "Come on." Jason felt like he needed to get Brock moving as it looked like he was not quite ready to go while the others waited in the shade for them.
They made it a few feet away before Brock looked back over his shoulder seeing that the children were slowly beginning to disperse now that there was no dog to play with. Brock smiled wistfully and with a tinge of regret that there was nothing more that they could do. Brock twisted back around as he felt as a hand came down to rest on his shoulder seeing Trent stood in front of him with his eyes silent appraising him.
Trent had been keeping a close eye on Brock the entire time he spent out in the hot sun knowing that the heat could get to him quickly and dehydrate him if he was not careful, it could get to them all really but he and Cerb were the only ones out in the direct sun. "Drink up brother." Trent held out a bottle of water in his hand to Brock wanting him to drink it as he had seen him give two thirds of his original bottle to Cerb and the only other thing he had to drink was the mango smoothie. He made a mental note of the flushed skin and hoped that some fluids, a lukewarm shower, and some time spent sitting still in the shade would help to cool him down and get rid of most of the flush from his skin.
"Thanks." Brock answered as he took the bottle and twisted off the cap seeing that Clay was already letting Cerb drink from his own bottle and somehow Clay had ended up with the slobber and dirt covered ball in his hand but it did not seem like he minded.
Eric clapped his hands. "Let's get moving, get out of this goddamn heat." Eric had loved the peaceful and easy going morning but he was more than ready to be out of the damned humid heat.
"Wouldn't be feeling the heat if we had be allowed to sample the local alcohol." Sonny grumbled with a pout that only he could pull off.
Jason smiled and shook his head as he shared a look with Ray before he stepped forward and put his hands on Sonny's shoulders. "We get through these AAR reviews then we spend the night sampling some of the local brew from the safety of base; I'm sure that can be arranged." Jason had the good sense to spare a glance at Eric and Lisa who were both watching fascinated, and trying to withhold their own laughter at Sonny's sulking.
"Yeah?" Sonny twisted around to look over his shoulder at Jason with what could only be described as sheer delight and something akin to hope.
Lisa laughed and looked at Eric who gave her permission with a single solemn nod. "I will see what I can rustle up." She said knowing that it would not be hard as it was freely available, the only thing she had to be careful about was the process in which it was made and stored.
"Come on." Jason gave Sonny a gentle shove to get him moving knowing that between him, Lisa and Eric that they had just made the ornery Texan a little easier to deal with for the rest of the day. It was amazing what the promise of being able to sample some of the local alcohol even though it would be confined to base did to Sonny.
Clay took Cerb's leash from Brock and fell into step beside Sonny with Cerb somehow ending up in the middle of them, with Jason, Ray and Trent falling into line behind them, then it was Eric and Lisa who were discussing the afternoon's plans and what they had to get through.
Mandy stayed back with Brock seeing him turn around to see the last of the village children disappear back into the shadows which would have been alarming if not for having watched them play so carefree only minutes earlier. She glanced at the rest of the team seeing that they were gaining some distance away from her and Brock before she looked back at him. "You okay?' She asked softly making sure that her voice did not carry.
Brock turned back to Mandy seeing that she had stayed while the others had already begun to walk back, and he had not even realised. "Yeah. We better get moving." He held his arm out to Mandy comfortable to walk beside her knowing that she would often wrap her hand around his elbow if they walked together, and he found it comforting.
Mandy smiled as she wrapped her hands around his elbow not missing the heat that was radiating off of his bare skin before they began walking slowly not making an effort to hurry or catch up with everyone else. Mandy remained silent waiting for Brock to talk although she doubted if he would as he seemed to be miles away and acting purely on instinct alone until she could not take the silence anymore. "What is rattling around in that head of yours?" She asked finally.
Brock turned his face towards her seeing the genuine concern that was clouding her expression and he hated that she was worrying about him. "Just thinking about animals and humans." From anyone else it would have sounded mundane but Mandy knew Brock well enough to know that there was more to it than how simple he had put it.
"What about them?" She asked wondering how far she could push without making him shut down. She also knew they had at least another ten minutes before they reached their temporary accommodations.
Brock shrugged his shoulder and took another mouthful of water from the bottle that he had in his hand. "Just how animals are able to breach the gap that humans put in place; I mean look at Cerb with those kids."
Mandy smiled knowing that Brock would have thought a lot about it. "I think you are forgetting one thing though." She waited for the questioning look to be levelled her way before she continued. "Cerb was not the only one that was responsible for getting those kids to be free and have fun. You were a big part of that Brock, the kindness that you showed and how you interacted with each and every one of them helped bridge that gap that you are talking about." She would not let him forget about his role in it because he did have a role, a big one, because without him Cerb would not be the dog he was either nor would those younger children have learned how to safely approach a dog or throw a ball for him.
Brock turned his face away from her and bowed his head from Mandy before he looked back at her as he considered her words. "I guess but there is something special about the way that animals can read people, know when they need to be comforted, and when they need to be left alone."
Mandy understood what Brock was saying as she had seen the exact thing many times over, had seen the way Cerb picked up on the energy and reacted to it from each individual. She had watched Cerb drape himself over them at times, or stay close but not touching, or drag one of them by the pant leg out to play or join the rest of the group. Hell Cerb had even once stolen a file right out of her hands and ran off with it on a flight home, and while she was sure that Brock had taught him it she could not prove it but she had tried however it had been good at the time as she was obsessing over it. She squeezed his arm lightly as she shifted her eyes to Cerb seeing that his tail was wagging as Clay scratched the base of his ears as they continued walking before she looked back at Brock who was looking at her with an unreadable expression. "What? What is it?" She asked softly as she moved one of her hands down his arm letting her fingers dance softly over the skin until she reached his wrist where she stopped and re-wrapped her hand around his wrist letting her thumb smooth over the bone.
"Nothing." Brock whispered as he shook his head realising just how comfortable he was with her, that he did not need to speak for her to understand, and he was glad for the friendship they had. He could not help but look over his shoulder once again at the village that was behind them and fading from their view.
Mandy said nothing more knowing that whatever was going on in Brock's head would rattle around for a while before he would shake it off and go back to his usual quietness. They walked in silence the rest of the way only separating once they got back to base as she was not required to attend the AAR meeting.
SEAL TEAM
Brock stood under the cold water letting it run over his curls and down his back as he pressed his forehead against the wall with his eyes closed taking a few moments for himself as he had already rinsed and washed Cerb off before sending him out as he would dry quickly in the humidity and if not then he knew one of his brothers, or Lisa or Mandy, would find a towel and scrub him down, either way Cerb would be taken care of as he would have found his way to them. Brock let out a soft sigh that was drowned out by the sound of the water flowing down around him suddenly feeling very tired like what little energy he had left was suddenly down the drain along with the water. He turned off the water and ran his hand through his drenched curls brushing out the excess water before he grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his hips making sure it was tucked tightly to him.
Brock went through the motions of drying himself off then getting dressed before he stepped out of the bathroom and stopped as Trent was stood clearly waiting for him. Brock stopped and looked up at Trent wishing he could avoid him for a bit longer but he had already taken a long shower. "I'm okay Trent." Brock took the bottle of water that Trent held out to him pre-empting the question that he was sure he would ask.
Trent nodded slowly as he continued to look at Brock. "Cerb found his way over to TOC, everyone is there already. Clay had dried him off and was brushing him when I left." Brock nodded wearily staying silent as he knew there was something else that Trent wanted to say or ask, which one he was not sure. "You want to tell me what is going on with you?" The 'and Mandy' died on his lips as Trent had seen the way the pair had walked back together.
"Nothing Trent. I am already late, last thing I need is to delay Sonny's drinking time otherwise I will never hear the end of it." Brock misdirected although he really did not want to have to listen to Sonny complain about the delay to his evening of drinking as he avoided Trent's gaze as well as his question. With that Brock stepped around Trent, dropping his towel and shower kit on his bed before he continued over to TOC knowing he had missed lunch but not caring as he was not particularly hungry as he had taken some time before he had gotten in the shower. Trent sighed and scrubbed at his forehead as he turned to watch as he walked away before he followed after him knowing that he would be keeping an eye on him for a while.
SEAL TEAM
The hot humid air had given way to a cool night that required a fire to keep the chill off of their skin and a long sleeved layer although it was comfortable. The afternoon had dragged on with the long and arduous task of reviewing AAR's taking far longer than any of them would have liked but they had finally managed to get through them.
Jason looked around at his family as he took a sip from the beer bottle that Lisa had procured them. Ray and Lisa were sat talking quietly with each other with Ray sharing some story about the kids that Naima had told him when he had skyped home. Sonny was animatedly telling some story that Trent was half listening to although his eyes kept flickering to Brock. Clay had Cerb in his lap, the Malinois thoroughly worn out from his morning chasing the ball with all the kids, stroking him thoroughly as he watched the flames of the fire flicker. Mandy and Eric were engaged in a conversation across from him but Jason caught the glimpses that Mandy was stealing as she kept looking at Brock. And Brock, well he was sitting with a bottle of water in his hand having opted not to taste the local brew with his head tilted back as he looked up at the night sky seemingly oblivious to the world around him.
Jason narrowed his eyes and subconsciously tightened his grip on the bottle in his hand as he thought back on the afternoon. Brock had been more subdued than usual and that was saying something given how quiet he usually was but what had Jason worried was the worried glances that were being directed at him by Trent and Mandy, and the way Cerb had remained firmly with Clay. He had looked happy this morning but now he just looked morose which was not something that Jason was used to seeing on him.
Jason stayed still for a few minutes before he stood up and shifted over next to Brock taking notice of how he did not even register him sitting next to him. He waited a few moments before he let his knee knock against Brock's hating how he seemed to startle. "You looked to be deep in thought there brother." Jason stated making sure that he kept his voice quiet although he could feel everyone's eyes on them as they subtly glanced over from time to time somehow having co-ordinated themselves so that they did not look over at the same time.
"Yeah…" Brock answered quietly, his voice hoarse, before he cleared his throat as he continued to look up at the night sky seeing the few stars that were barely visible in amongst the clouds.
Jason was not expecting the softly spoken admission from Brock nor was he usually the one that Brock spoke to but lately there had been a shift in who his confidant was which had not gone unnoticed as it had shifted from Trent to Mandy, and had been bought to Jason's attention by both Ray and Eric on two separate occasions although he had not taken much notice of it until now. "Anything you want to talk about Brock?" He asked.
"Mmmm… I'm fine boss, just tired." Brock answered as he pushed himself forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he thought that maybe it was time to put himself to bed although he was sceptical about whether he would actually get to sleep or not with all that was rattling around in his head as he kept replaying the scene from this morning in his mind thinking about the little faces who looked happy despite all that they faced in the world. "Going to go and rack out for the night." With that he pushed himself up and onto his feet taking a few seconds to gain his balance before he meandered away.
Jason knew that he was not the only one watching Brock walk away from them and he was not the only one worried that Brock had not whistled for Cerb to join him as the silence settled over them with the exception of the crackling from the fire that seemed to echo around them. "Anyone got any insight into what's going on there?" He asked although he knew they would all be keeping a close eye on Brock even though they knew he hated it.
"Our mighty mouse is living up to his name right now." Sonny drawled as he waved his beer bottle loosely in the direction that Brock had headed off in drawing several smirks as the levity eased some of the tension.
Jason looked around the fire again before deciding to leave it hoping that a good night's sleep would help settle Brock, and if it did not then they would figure it out in the morning. For now they would finish their beers and stay by the fire for a little longer before they called it a night.
SEAL TEAM
Brock had laid on his side with his back to the door for hours, had heard his brothers come in to rack out for the remainder of the night knowing that they had cast their eyes over him as he had felt the looks, but sleep would still not come to him even as his brothers snored around him. Eventually around 3 o'clock Brock gave up on the idea of sleeping as he pushed back the blanket and climbed out of his bed, pulling a hoodie on over his bare chest as he slipped his feet into his boots and left their hooch. He scrubbed his hands over his burning eyes as he made his way across the camp finding himself knocking on the door softly, one that he knew better than to knock on but he could not stop himself even as he took a couple of steps back.
Brock looked up as the door opened and found himself relieved as it was opened wider allowing him to shuffle inside before it was closed again. "I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep." He offered in way of an explanation once he was inside.
"It's okay." Mandy offered as she made sure the door was locked, silently grateful that she had a room to herself, before she let her eyes look over Brock in the soft light that the desk lamp provided as he lowered himself down onto the floor with his back against her bed and his knees raised up towards his chest. "You haven't slept." It was not a question or an accusation but simply a statement as she moved towards her bed, climbing on it and lying down on her side with her hand rested on his shoulder, not caring in the slightest that she was only wearing her pyjamas which consisted of a black tank top and a pair of light purple sleep shorts that barely covered her. She was slightly surprised that Cerb was not with him but she was not going to mention it as she kind of figured that Cerb had bedded down with one of the other guys having sensed that Brock wanted to be alone from what she had seen earlier in the evening.
Brock closed his eyelids and tipped his head back until it was resting against Mandy's stomach as her fingers gently kneaded his shoulder taking comfort in the knowledge that he did not have to try and figure anything out on his own. "It got to me today Mandy." He breathed out heavily as if the weight of the world was on him.
"I know it did." Mandy softened her voice as she let his fingers move from his shoulder to his neck nimbly moving over the skin in a repetitive motion.
"I don't know why." He was quick to tell her wanting her to know that he did not know as he raised his hand up and scrubbed at his beard.
Mandy's fingers paused in their movements at his admission as she did not think she had ever heard Brock sound so unsure of himself before but the pause only lasted a few seconds before she realised she had stopped and she began the movements again knowing it relaxed him. "Kids get to every one of us Brock, every single time whether we realise it or not." It was the most truth filled statement she had ever spoken because kids always got to them. They made any job harder especially for the men who were parents but even those who did not still found it hard.
Brock pursed his lips and Mandy waited knowing that he was trying to figure out what he wanted to say or how he wanted to go about things. "Do you know how they match dogs with handlers?" He asked suddenly and he missed the frown that flashed on her face as his eyelids were still closed.
Mandy wanted to move so that Brock was facing her but she did not want to disturb him, not when he was talking. "No, no I don't." She shook her head as she truly did not know.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Brock's lips for half a second before he took a deep breath in then let it out as he focused on the way Mandy's soft and warm fingertips danced gently over his skin like they were made to be there. "They let the dogs approach the handlers, see who has the connection."
"Yeah?" Mandy asked as she could imagine how interesting that approach could get.
"Yeah." Brock agreed with a soft hum escaping from his throat. "I wasn't in a good place when the day came that I was to be matched." He paused and swallowed thickly which Mandy took note of but made no effort to interrupt him. "I had gotten some news from home the night before, and I should have postponed the matching but I didn't. I guess I wanted to pretend that it was not happening, that I could ignore it all." Mandy stayed quiet knowing he had more to say but that it sometimes took him a while to get the words out but she could feel the angst that had begun radiating off of him. "My Mom had called and she was yelling at me about how I was not the son she raised, she was asking me how I could run from my responsibilities, and I had no idea what she was talking about. I finally managed to get her to put my Dad on the phone and he explained that the girl I used to date in high school, Tara, had turned back up with a little four year old named Beth. Both Mom and Dad had automatically assumed that I was the father and that I had run; they didn't know all of the facts."
"Brock?" Mandy was shocked by what she was hearing and she felt like she was missing huge parts of the story like his parent's had.
"I don't have any secret children Mandy." Brock was firm in that statement. "For a minute though when Mom and Dad told me I kind of felt like I could be, I did the maths in my head but we broke up because she met someone else. The thought of having a little girl that I had no idea about and having missed so much of her life messed me up. I booked myself on the first flight home that afternoon after clearing it." He was skipping all over the place which did not make it easy to follow. "I went to the matching, was more distracted than I should have been, and I stepped into the large run where all of the available dogs were. Cerb walked straight over to me, sat down and nudged his head repeatedly against my leg until I sat down so he could crawl into my lap and scratch his ears. That was the first time since I had answered the phone to my Mom yelling that I found something akin to peace. Cerb was able to bridge that gap as I closed myself off from the world around me."
"What aren't you saying Brock?" Mandy pressed knowing it was the right time to do so.
Brock sometimes hated how insightful Mandy was but he also enjoyed that about her. "I took Cerb home with me so we could bond before we had to start operational training. I went in search of Tara and she was not hard to find given that she was holed up at her parent's place. By the time I landed it was late and when she opened the door I knew why she had come home. She had hand shaped bruises to her wrists and she tried to cover them up but I had seen them. She had gotten married to the guy she left me for, Beth was his but her little eyes were so full of sadness, so devoid of light, god it broke my heart. We even got a paternity test just to prove it to my parents as they were convinced that Beth was mine; they wanted so desperately to have grandchildren that they were not going to listen to me or Tara. I think it was their way of hoping that if I did not come home then at least they would have a piece of me in the form of a grandchild."
Mandy could sense the sadness that was in Brock's voice that he was trying to keep at bay despite the happiness that he had displayed several hours ago as he supervised and coached the intense game of fetch in the village. "You saw Beth in one or more of those kids today, didn't you?" She asked as she pressed herself closer to him letting her fingers continue their movements especially when she felt him tense against her.
"Thousands of miles away and I go right back to all those years ago, to that tiny little innocent girl who had never known what it was to be loved or how her and her Mama should have been treated. She smiled but the sadness always lingered, it was like it had stained and marked her so irrevocably that it would never fade away" Brock paused as he rolled his head to the side and opened his eyelids so that he was looking at Mandy. "I spent three days at home, spent a lot of time with Tara and Beth, and even more time with Cerb who would not leave my side at all. I haven't thought about that in a lot of years Mandy but now I can't stop thinking about it, can't stop seeing Beth's eyes again. You are right, I did see her in one of those kids today." His voice shook at the last sentence as he finally figured out why he felt the way he did and what had bought back all of the memories that he had pushed away from those three days at home all of those years ago.
Mandy knew that there was nothing that she could say that would make Brock feel better but at least she hoped by having him talk and share with her that he would be able to get some sleep. "Come up here, lay down." She made sure to support his head as she untangled herself from him and shuffled over until her back was up against the wall as she made as much space as she could in the single bed. It was a risk but Brock needed to sleep and he needed the comfort so it was one she was willing to take.
"I'm not sure that is a good idea." Brock desperately wanted to sleep but he did not have the energy to go back to his own bed nor did he want to be questioned as to where he had been if anyone was to wake up. He knew that nothing would happen between him and Mandy but he did not want to compromise her or himself, but he felt safe and comfortable with her which is why he had not tried to pull away
Mandy understood where he was coming from, she did but she also wanted him to be okay. "You need to sleep or at least rest. I will wake you up in a few hours so you don't have to explain anything to anyone. All you have to say is you got up to take a walk before the heat set in for the day. Now come on you can't sleep on the floor otherwise you will be sore." She patted the empty space on the bed.
Brock hummed softly for a few seconds with indecision before he made his mind up as he leaned forward just enough to pull his hoodie off before he managed to kick his boots off that were still unlaced and then he crawled up into the bed, lying down on his side so that he was facing Mandy before he closed his eyes. "Thank you." He murmured with a slight slur as he leant his forehead against hers as he felt her cover him with a light blanket.
"Sleep Brock." Mandy might not be getting any sleep the rest of the night but she wanted to make sure that Brock did. "You were amazing today, don't ever doubt your ability. You reach out each and every time Brock." She whispered earning a sleepy mumbled response that she could not quite make out but she could already see that the tension had eased and bleed out from his body. The man beside her was made up of many intricate and shadowed pieces that were revealed in some of the most beautiful yet broken ways that she could ever imagine.