The Vulnerability Collection

by Lifeshandful

A collection of vulnerabilities.

9. Lieutenant Commander, Sir!

Lieutenant Commander, Sir! – Eric Blackburn

There were many things that Eric Blackburn had come to expect during his days on base when Bravo were in the middle of a joint training operation with the remaining DEVGRU teams that were not deployed and spun up. What he expected was the occasional flaring of tempers resulting in raised voices at competing ideas, the competitiveness naturally coming out between the men, and that it was going to be a very long day of training. What he did not expect was someone running towards him and yelling 'Lieutenant Commander, Sir!' whilst frantically waving a single piece of paper in the air.

Eric raised a questioning eyebrow as he lowered his sunglasses and looked over the rim of them as a small cloud of dust flew up around him as the young man slid to a stop in front of him having to bend over to catch his breath as he practically shoved the crumpled up piece of paper into his hand. Eric took the piece of paper, unfurled it between his fingers, read over the note before he looked up just in time to see the young man straighten up. "Is this correct?" Eric asked knowing he had a decision to make.

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander, Sir." The young man answered breathlessly.

"Dismissed." Eric waved his hand that was holding the piece of paper flippantly and the young man did not hesitate to jog away as Eric looked back down at the information that the piece of paper contained.

Lisa had been watching Eric and Bravo simultaneously although neither well as her attention was split. "Everything okay?" She asked as she watched the monitor to see as Bravo and Alpha breached the centre room just in time to get contacted and engage.

"Make them run through it again, I want it flawless Lisa." Eric ordered knowing that Lisa understood what was at stake, and although it was unfair to leave Lisa to corral a bunch of testosterone filled Seals she was more than capable as she had more than enough experience. Right now Eric had a pressing matter to attend too, one that he would have to do instead of pulling his men away from the training exercise, as he folded up the piece of already crinkled paper and slipped it into his pocket.

SEAL TEAM

A minute shiver always ran through Eric's spine when he stepped foot inside any sterile environment as the smell of antiseptic filled his nose and his eyes always found the one neon light that seemed to flicker constantly as he had spent far to much time in buildings that always looked all the same in to many countries to count. Eric blew out a breath as he got to the emergency department desk and waited to be helped knowing that he had sped across town without getting pulled over but it was imperative that he got to the hospital as soon as he could given the scant information that the piece of paper he had been given contained.

"I am here for Mikey, Michael, Hayes. I got a message that he was here receiving treatment." Eric spoke immediately as the receptionist began typing away. The angst he felt was overwhelming as it was Jason's boy in the hospital and he had no idea what had happened or what condition he was in; and he knew there would be hell to pay for keeping it from Jason but he could not leave the training exercise otherwise Bravo would not be signed off although Eric had kept that snippet of information to himself.

"Let me take you through to him. The doctors are just waiting on a couple of test results but they should be in shortly." A nurse had overheard the conversation and stepped in smiling at him although it went unnoticed as his focus was on getting to Mikey.

Eric followed closely behind the nurse until she stopped at a door. "We put him in here because he is a minor. The doctor will be in shortly but you can wait with him. He is pretty banged up but I have to say he is incredibly brave." The nurse spoke softly and Eric was aghast at the lack of security especially considering that Mikey was a minor as he had not been asked for any credentials or even who he was but he was not about to bring that up given how close he was to finally seeing Mikey.

"Thank you." Eric's words sounded more dismissive than he had meant them to be but his priority was getting to Mikey so that the boy would not be alone for any longer especially with Emma out of town for a week and Jason still training. Eric barely paused a second before he was through the door.

"Uncle Eric!" Mikey was surprised to see him as he expected his Dad before he winced and pressed his arm tighter into his own body as he eased himself back down on the gurney.

"Hi Mikey. Your Dad was in the middle of training so I came instead. What to tell me what happened and how you are feeling?" Eric was already undertaking a visual assessment having noticed the way he was keeping his arm tightly against his body which indicated some sort of rib injury before he saw the black eye that was already swollen shut and the large cut that had been closed and set with butterfly bandages to his forehead, and he had his wrist wrapped tightly.

"Met the wall at hockey practise, we were having a practise match with the older kids and it got a bit out of hand." Mikey reported succinctly although he was light on the details deliberately.

Eric sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his hand down on Mikey's knee wondering when the boy had grown up but it was not hard to pinpoint the exact moment as it had been a devastating and blindsiding one however now was not the time to bring it up. "What's the damage kid? I would prefer to hear it from you instead of the doctor first." He had no doubt that Mikey was in pain as he could see how pale he was and how uncomfortable he looked.

"No concussion but still have a headache, I should probably thank my helmet for that. Sprained my wrist when I went down, think I reached out behind me to try and catch myself without succeeding. The doctor said I have a black eye but it should clear up within a week, maybe two, so it must look pretty bad, I know it is swollen shut already. They got a couple of x-rays and are waiting for them but they think I have broken a rib, maybe bruised a couple too. All I know is it hurts, now I know what Dad and all of my uncles mean when they say they hurt really badly. Everything is sore though, it was a hard hit." Mikey repeated what the doctor had already told him as he had asked questions throughout the course of his examination before he stopped and took a breath which had him grimacing as breathing was sheer agony.

Eric nodded knowing exactly what having broken ribs felt like and it was certainly not something he wished on anyone else, especially not someone young like Mikey. "You are going to need to spend a lot of time resting so you can heal properly Mikey."

Mikey nodded softly but quickly regretted it as it made his headache grow. "Dad and Emma are going to freak out when they find out and see me." That was one of his concerns, actually the one that was the most overwhelming to him at present.

Eric was amazed but not surprised at Mikey's thinking, at his concern, but it was so reminiscent of Alana that it shocked him although it should not have as he knew that Mikey was very much like her. "They will just be relieved that you are okay, that you will heal. Plus I will get you settled at home before you see them so that should help." He winked making Mikey laugh but it was quickly overtaken by a sharp wince of pain. "Have they given you anything for the pain?" He asked concerned at his pain levels.

"I refused." Mikey supplied softly as he focused on breathing through the pain that he felt.

That right there is all Jason, Eric thought recalling all of the times that he had to order Jason to take the pain medication that had been prescribed to him, and there had been a few times when Eric himself had stabbed Jason with a morphine injector. "You want to tell me why?" Eric took the same approach with Mikey that he would and had with Jason many times.

Mikey managed to get his pain under control once more before he looked back up at Eric. "I hate the way it makes me feel." Mikey paused letting his eyes wonder around the room before he looked back at Eric. "Emma is going to be coming home tonight, she wanted to make sure she was back before the team dinner that we are having. She is going to freak out, probably worse than Dad will." He was really concerned about Emma's reaction as he knew she felt like it was her responsibility to keep him safe.

Before Eric could reply the door opened and the doctor walked in. Eric stood up and turned to greet the doctor who quickly stopped and looked up at him. "Eric Blackburn, I am one of his emergency contacts." Eric knew he was after a late night conversation with Jason after Alana had died. Eric knew that he, Emma, Mandy, Lisa and Naima were all listed if they could not get a hold of Jason along with their home base as he knew they would get a message through to Eric if it was required which was what had occurred today.

"Doctor Erin Andrews." The two shook hands.

"How is Mikey doing?" Eric asked wanting to get Mikey home and settled before Jason, Emma or any of the team got to the house.

"Unfortunately it is just as we suspected. Young Mr Hayes has broken one rib and has severe bruising to all of his ribs down his left side." Doctor Andrews produced an actual film copy of the x-ray and held it up as he pointed out the distinct break. "He will need to take it easy and come back in to have it checked before he even thinks about resuming any sporting activities."

"When can I take him home?" Eric asked knowing there was nothing more that could be done for Mikey by any of the medical staff that could not be done by any of them at home.

"I am going to get his discharge papers ready now, and I will have someone run down to get a prescription filled for some pain medication as well." Doctor Andrews addressed Eric before he turned to Mikey. "Now, I want you to take it easy for the next few weeks, no heavy lifting or quick movements."

"Thank you." Mikey spoke softly already moving to push himself upright so that he could move to sit on the edge of the bed as the doctor was already leaving the room.

"Hold up right there. You may as well stay where you are until we are ready to leave." Eric knew that public hospitals were not the quickest when it came to getting discharge papers and prescriptions filled so they could have a wee wait ahead of them.

"Need to change into my clothes, I don't really want to wear this hospital gown home." Mikey knew his bag had been bought in with him and he knew he had a clean shirt and a pair of sweatpants inside of it.

Eric really could not argue with Mikey on wanting to get changed. "Alright, alright, but I will grab your clothes, you just take it nice and slow."

"Side pocket, there are fresh ones in there." Mikey gritted his teeth as he shifted to the edge of the bed so that his feet were just touching the floor before he stood up swallowing the gasp that threatened to escape from his lips at the swell of pain that shot through him before he shuffled into the attached bathroom. It seemed pointless to get dressed without showering when he needed one as he had been hot and sweaty.

Eric could already see the wheels turning in Mikey's head. "Take a quick shower if you want to Mikey but make sure you don't get that bandage wet. We can take the brace off while you shower though." He stood in the doorway to the bathroom once he had put the fresh clothes that included boxers down on the corner of the vanity. "I will be right out here so yell out if you need anything." He told him before he stepped out and pulled the door so that it was almost closed as he heard the small shower turn on as the water begun to run.

Eric tiredly scrubbed his hand over his face before he looked at his wrist watch as he tried to decide what to do as he sat down on the edge of the bed again while listening out in case Mikey called him. He knew that it was pizza and beer night at Jason's as he had been invited along and he did not want to spoil that but he did not want Jason to panic either which Mikey had made pretty clear that he would once he got a look at him nor did he want to leave him in the dark as he already had. His priority was Mikey, getting him home and settled, the rest he would deal with later, although he did pull out his phone and sent a quick but rather ambiguous text.

SEAL TEAM

Lisa smiled broadly as she watched as Bravo walked over to her having been flawless and beaten every other team that had been training alongside them, not that it was a competition or anything as that had been stressed to them multiple times before they had even started. "Well done gentlemen." Lisa praised them once they reached her, forming a loose semi-circle around her as they each grabbed a bottle of ice cold water from the cooler at her feet.

"Where's Blackburn?" Jason asked surprised that he was nowhere within sight of them or the training set up.

"Left me to corral you lot." Lisa teased before she sobered. "Not sure what is going on but he got a message and took off."

"Damn, he missed us kicking ass and taking names." Sonny was quick to respond sensing Lisa's unease and trying to distract her from it.

"Yeah, we did!" Clay smirked knowing they had executed things about as perfectly as they could be in a training simulation.

Lisa smiled and shook her head knowing she should not encourage them, god knows their egos were big enough already at times. "Go stow your gear, get cleaned up and wait in your team room. Brass will be by in thirty five minutes." She felt as Cerb nudged her hand that was hanging at her side and she immediately began scratching his ear making him tilt his head into her hand before Brock whistled for Cerb which had him moving away.

Jason could not shake the feeling that something was wrong as he had never known Eric to just leave without any explanation. He waited until his men were at least a few feet away before he looked at Lisa. "He didn't say anything?"

"No, he didn't. I am going to see what I can find out as soon as I get packed up here." Lisa was unsettled like Jason was at the abruptness of Eric's departure but she was better at hiding it. "I will meet you in the team room before the Brass moves through." It was her way of saying she would share anything that she found out with him.

Jason relented knowing that Lisa would share whatever it was that she found. "Alright, I want to know everything that you find." He stated before he moved to catch up with his men leaving Lisa to finish packing up before she went off on her own search.

SEAL TEAM

Mikey winced loudly as he shifted pulling himself away from where he was leant up against the door of Eric's car making Eric look over as he bought the car to a stop outside of Jason's house. "Take it nice and slow Mikey, no need to rush yourself." Eric cautioned as he turned off the engine and took off his seatbelt seeing that Mandy was already walking towards them.

Mikey resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at Eric childishly before he saw Mandy reach the door and open it up. "Uncle Eric, you called Mandy?" Mikey asked looking from her to him.

"Yeah, I did kiddo. Come on let us get you settled inside." Eric said as he got out of the car. There was a reason that Eric had texted Mandy to meet her at Jason's and not just because she was good with Mikey but because she was often a calming presence for Jason whether he would admit it or not.

Mandy looked at Eric as her eyes widened slightly at the state of Mikey as Eric's text telling her to meet him at Jason's house was vague, and she was going to need one of them to explain what had happened but for now her priority was getting him settled inside. "Couch or bed?" Mandy asked already mentally deliberating on which would be better for him as she had no knowledge of her injuries as she stepped back as he shifted around in the seat until he could practically slide out of the seat and onto his feet.

"I kind of want to go to bed." The pain and discomfort were taking their toll as he pulled his arm tighter to support his broken and bruised ribs.

"Probably a good idea, we can get an ice pack on your eye and those ribs." Eric had hoisted Mikey's hockey bag onto his shoulder watching as Mandy made herself comfortable at Mikey's side letting him rest against her as they slowly made it up the path with Eric rushing ahead to open the door with Mikey's house key.

Mandy sent a look Eric's way as she passed by with Mikey who was moving as though he had aged about ninety years all at once.

"I will be through in a minute with the ice packs and a bottle of water for you. Do you want to try having some pain medication?" Eric closed the door behind him before he put the heavy bag down having quickly learned just how opposed to pain medication Mikey was – it almost rivalled Clay's reluctance to have it and was most certainly on par with Jason's – which was why he knew it was not his place to force it upon him.

Mikey paused and glanced back over his shoulder at Eric but even that made him ache. "No, no pain medication. I hate how it makes me feel." He was adamant.

"Alright, alright, let's just get you into bed right now." Mandy rubbed her hand down his arm gently as he began walking again and she remained at his side still wondering what the hell had happened as she catalogued the injuries she could see and the ones that she suspected him having had enough experience to from working with the men of Bravo.

Eric sighed, scrubbed his fingers through his beard, and he rolled his shoulders trying to loosen some of the tension before he made his way into the kitchen to get the items that he said he would.

Mandy stopped when Mikey did seeing him reach out his hand to press it against his desk. "I am just going to pull back the blankets for you then I will give you a few minutes if you want to get changed." She told him as she stepped away from his side and did as she said she would.

"Not getting changed, not yet anyway." Mikey was adamant that he was not going to spend the night curled up in his bed. "Just want to lay down for a while and rest." He suddenly felt very tired.

Mandy smiled as she made her way back across to him and knelt down in front of him. "Let's get your shoes off at least." She had already figured out that he was hurting even trying to remain upright and she knew that bending over would be completely out of the question.

Mikey let Mandy undo the knots that Eric had tied his shoe laces into before he raised each foot letting her slip the sneakers off his feet. "Dad and Emma are going to worry." He said quietly still worried about their reactions.

Mandy stood up to her full height and placed her hand on Mikey's cheek letting her thumb run along the very edge of the black eye that still appeared to be darkening. "I am worried about you to Mikey and Eric still has to fill me in on what happened to you. I hate to break it to you but they are going to worry about you whether you want them to or not. Now, come on, lets get you into bed so you can rest for a little bit." She let her hand drop away from his face before she began to guide him across his room and over to his bed where she had also propped up his pillows to help ease the pressure off of his ribs.

Mikey smiled sadly as he gently eased himself down onto the bed and back into the pillows as he had already figured out that the pain would be constant for a fair while no matter how gently he moved. "You know Uncle Eric called you over here to deal with Dad." He knew as soon as he saw Mandy that Eric would have gotten her there to help her Dad.

Mandy smiled as she had figured it out as soon as she had seen Eric pull up with Mikey before she sat down on the edge of the bed being careful not to jar him at all. "Look at it this way I am just a bit earlier for pizza and beer night." She kept her tone light deliberately before she sobered a little as she could see the worry even through the pain that he was in. "Your Dad is a pretty amazing man Mikey but he is going to fret over you, probably get Trent to examine you, but just remember it is because he wants to make sure you really are okay. Let him fuss in his own Jason way." She finished seeing Mikey smile and give her a small tired nod as he somehow managed to snuggle down and find a semi comfortable position.

Eric had caught the last few sentences from Mandy as he stood outside of Mikey's bedroom, and he waited until she was finished speaking before he stepped into the room. "Here we go kiddo." Eric handed the ice packs to Mandy who took them then he put the bottle of water down on his bedside table before he went over and pulled the curtains to keep the late afternoon sun from streaming in.

Mandy cautiously placed the two ice packs down on Mikey, the first going over his eye while the second was tucked between his arms and his rib cage. "Okay?" She asked softly suspecting that he would be asleep fairly soon given the fact that he already had his eyes closed. She would hazard a guess that the pain was exhausting him especially considering how adamant he was not to have any medication to help with the pain.

"Yeah, thanks." Mikey mumbled tiredly as his exhaustion was suddenly overwhelming to him.

Mandy stood up and brushed her hand over his hair before she bent down and kissed his forehead. "We will be in the kitchen, call out if you need anything." If anyone asked she would not be able to tell them why she had done what she had but she knew Eric was the only one who had witnessed it and would not ask her. "Get some rest." She said as she pulled the blanket over top of him before she followed Eric out of the bedroom.

Mikey smiled as he felt the warmth of the blanket envelop him along with the tiredness despite the pain that was radiating everywhere. There was something comforting and familiar about Mandy's actions but he did not have time to think about that as he succumbed to his own body's need to sleep.

Eric walked back into the kitchen seeing that the coffee pot he had put on was almost done brewing as he had figured they would need it but he could feel Mandy's eyes on him as she followed him into the kitchen. "Coffee?" He asked already moving around to get two mugs out.

Mandy slid into the barstool watching as Eric moved around the kitchen. What she wanted was something stronger than coffee but it was all that was on offer so she would take it. "I want to know what happened Eric." It was not a question but a demand that she expected to be met.

Eric turned around and lent against the edge of the kitchen counter as he waited for the pot to finish knowing that Mandy had held out longer than he would have if the roles had been reversed. "I could not pull Jason from the training exercise so when the note came through I left to go and get Mikey from the hospital." He paused knowing she was waiting for him to explain how Mikey got his injuries not how he became the one to get him from the hospital. "Hockey practise got a bit rough and he met the wall, his words."

Mandy was sure that Jason would have something to say to the hockey coach once he found out and made sure that Mikey was really alright but she had a few things she would like to say of her own. "And the damage?" She prompted wanting to confirm what she was already thinking.

"One broken and a few bruised ribs. No concussion. Sprained wrist. He got lucky really." Eric was sure it would be enough to send Jason into a tailspin and then there was Emma. "He is more concerned with how Jason and Emma are going to react when they get home and find out." The coffee maker beeped and Eric quickly turned around to fill both of their mugs.

"I can't say I blame him." Mandy agreed with Mikey that the two would react badly to him being hurt but she knew it was out of love.

"Yeah." Eric agreed putting the mug of coffee in front of Mandy before he took a mouthful from his own knowing that all they could do was wait and check in on Mikey while they did.

SEAL TEAM

Lisa had never been stonewalled so much in her life in the short space of thirty minutes as no one would tell her anything. She was frustrated and the worry had only grown as every time she tried calling Eric's phone she was sent to voicemail. She was grumbling under her breath as she entered Bravo's team room seeing the guys all freshly dressed and ready to get off base for the day.

"Did you find out anything?" Jason asked immediately seeing that it was only Lisa that had entered.

Lisa shook her head, her frustration evident. "No one will tell me anything, and I can't get a hold of him either." She informed Jason knowing that the others were listening even as they got their bags together.

"What do you want to do brother?" Ray knew that Jason was worried about Eric's abrupt departure.

Jason sighed and shook his head. "Nothing, he will come to us if there is anything we need to know. As soon as we are dismissed, pizza and beer night at my place." He had to have faith that Eric would come to him if there was something wrong and until he knew different then he would continue with their evening plans.

"Em's coming home tonight isn't she Jason?" Lisa knew that Jason was still worried despite what he was saying as she changed subject to Emma's return.

Jason smiled just as he always did at the mere mention of his kids. "Yeah, she was hoping to be back by the time we were finished." He glanced at his watch having seen a text message sent earlier in the day letting him know that she was on the road.

"Do you need me to pick Mikey up?" Lisa asked knowing that Mikey had hockey practise.

"He was going to get a ride home from one of the Mom's." Jason answered although he was grateful for the offer. It amazed him how Lisa managed to keep Mikey and Emma's schedules straight as he struggled even with having it written down for him. "He should be just about home by now."

"Okay." Lisa nodded before the door opened and had them all standing at attention as various members of the Brass were led in.

SEAL TEAM

Jason frowned as he pulled into his own driveway as he saw Eric's car parked up in front of his house before he noticed that Mandy's car was parked across the road. He got out of the truck quickly, closing the door and locking it before he took a look at his guys who all seemed to realise what he had. "What the hell?" Jason muttered under his breath as he made his way across the lawn and up to the front door but before he could put his key into the lock the door opened.

Mandy closed the door behind her although she left it open a crack as she walked out of Mikey's room after checking on him seeing that he was still asleep but he still looked to be in pain. She stopped and lent back against the wall beside the door before she pulled her hair up into a messy bun tying it with the hair tie that was wrapped around her wrist before she heard the unmistakable sound of Jason's truck pulling into the driveway followed by the familiar noises of the rest of Bravo pulling up and parking on the street. She braced herself before she pushed herself off of the wall and began to walk down the hall towards the front door wanting to make sure that he and the guys were as quiet as they could be as she did not want Mikey woken.

Mandy practically had to run the last few feet to get to the door before Jason did and she opened it before he got the key into the lock seeing the concern on his face as he was frowning while the rest of the team ambled up behind him.

"Mandy?" Jason was worried as she stepped aside and let him and the others in. It was strange being let into your own house, Jason thought.

Mandy hated the worry that she could hear in Jason's voice and that she could see on his face. "Kitchen. Eric is in there." Mandy directed to all of them knowing that they all wanted to know what was going on. However instead of following everyone to the kitchen she broke off and returned to Mikey's room wanting to check on him and make sure that he had stayed asleep. She also wanted to make sure he had not somehow managed to have the ice packs fall off as he had done a few times previous.

Eric stood in the kitchen sipping on his third cup of coffee as he lent against the edge of the counter top as he tried to work out the best way to tell Jason that Mikey was hurt but all he had come up with was that it was best to be upfront.

"Eric? What is going on?" Jason asked knowing that his men and Lisa were flanking him although he was not quite sure where Mandy had ended up.

Ray reached out and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder seeing the tension that was radiating from him although he had to admit he wanted answers to as it was not like their Lieutenant Commander to desert them and then appear looking worried in Jason's kitchen.

Eric swallowed as he resisted the urge to run his fingers through his beard. "Jason."

Jason felt the pit in his stomach form and his first thought was that he was about to receive bad news, news that he could not possibly survive. "Who?" He asked hearing the fear in his own voice and felt as his brothers moved closer to him in unity and support.

The fear in Jason's voice had Eric doubting the way he had gone about things but what had been done was what had to be. "It's Mikey, I had to go and get him from the hospital." Rip off the band aid, Eric decided it was the best approach although he swore he saw Jason pale.

"Hospital? Why the hell was he at the hospital? Why didn't I know?" Jason was rambling and he was aware of it but he swore his heart was about to beat out of his chest as his panic increased monumentally.

Trent stepped in knowing that Jason was panicking despite how controlled he seemed but he had worked with him long enough to know his tells. "Jase, let's get you sitting down brother and then Eric will explain." Trent's tone meant it was not up for discussion as he wanted to know why Mikey had been taken to the hospital, what he needed treatment for, and where he was now as he had not seen him. Between him and Ray, they managed to get Jason sitting down at the dining table.

It was a role reversal and Eric did not like it one bit as answers were being demanded from him by Bravo but he knew that he had to tell Jason everything although he was smart enough to keep his distance. "Mikey got hurt at hockey practise, clashed with a couple of players and the wall from what I understand." He began knowing that Mikey would have to fill in some of the blanks once he was feeling up to it.

"How badly?" Trent asked seeing that Sonny was clutching his fists tightly and made a mental note to have Clay and Lisa corral the Texan as he was sure that he was planning on going out and finding the hockey players that were involved before he looked at Jason who looked increasingly pale. What they all needed to know was what state Mikey was in, and they needed to know immediately.

"Hospital discharged him." Eric put his mug down as the coffee and conversation was souring his stomach. "A nasty laceration to his head but no concussion, a wrist sprain, a broken rib and some bruised." He reported succinctly.

Sonny resisted the urge to beat his fists down on the table but that was only because Clay had reached out and put his hand on his forearm. "Seems like excessive force for a hockey practise." There was that deadly calm tone that freaked everyone out but Sonny did not care. Eric wanted to glare at Sonny but stopped short as it was a fair point.

"Where is he?" Jason asked already making a move to stand wanting, needing, to see his son.

"I'm here Dad." Mikey shuffled slowly into the kitchen with Mandy following closely behind him with her arms out ready to catch him if he fell as he had woken when he heard his Dad's truck pull into the driveway. It was engrained in him to listen out for his Dad coming home even whilst asleep as he always loved seeing his Dad no matter the hour that he got in whether he was getting home from working or not. He had already been easing himself out from under the blanket and out of bed when Mandy returned and she had been unable to convince him to stay put. "Eric and Mandy took good care of me Dad. It's okay. I'm okay." Mikey reassured him as he moved over until he was standing in front of him.

"Sit down before you fall down Mikey." Trent had already pulled out the chair closest to Jason and pointed at it for him to sit in.

Mikey gingerly eased himself down onto the chair holding his arm tighter against his ribs as they ached fiercely, and as soon as he was seated Cerb was sitting in front of him with his head rested down on his lap.

Jason fought the instinctual reaction to pull Mikey into his lap and cuddle him to his chest knowing that his growing son would not appreciate it. "Trent, take a look at him." Jason ordered trusting Trent's medical evaluation especially since he had not heard it from the doctor who treated Mikey himself.

Mandy could understand Jason's need to have Trent check Mikey over wishing she could have convinced him to remain in bed but Mikey could be just as stubborn as Jason, the only difference when he was being stubborn was that he was soft spoken and polite unlike Jason who was all gruff. "I put an ice pack on his ribs and his eye while he was resting. He is refusing any painkillers though." Mandy told Trent as he moved to kneel in front of Mikey without upsetting Cerb while she moved to stand behind Jason seeing how tense he was.

"It's worse than it looks." Mikey huffed as Trent began gently examining his face first checking for breaks.

"Pfft… broken and bruised ribs hurt dude." Clay responded immediately having had more than his fair share of broken and bruised ribs before, after all they were a common hazard of the job, and he knew how much they hurt.

Mikey winced and pulled away from Trent as he poked, prodded and palpated at his broken and bruised ribs which had Jason in protective Dad mode. "Don't hurt him!" Jason growled but was quickly consoled as Mandy rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I am fine Dad. Trent just hit a particularly tender spot, that's all." Mikey immediately set out to reassure Jason knowing that he was worried, and if he was this bad then Emma was going to freak out a lot worse.

Jason leaned forward, reached out and placed his hand on the back of Mikey's neck although he made sure not to apply any pressure. "It's okay not to be fine kiddo. And you can take some pain pills to help with the pain."

Mikey let his gaze from his one open eye flicker down to Cerb before he looked back up at his Dad. "Don't want to feel worse." He admitted knowing that his Dad would understand as the last few times he had been left feeling worse by a variety of pain medicines that he had tried.

Jason barely withheld the sigh that wanted to leave his lips as he knew Mikey did not react well to pain medication, that it left him feeling pretty sick whether he had eaten or not, and he was more miserable than he had been before he had taken them. "I know." It was a truly awful feeling as a parent not to be able to take your child's pain away. "Trent?" He questioned seeing as Trent had moved away from Mikey seemingly finished with his exam.

"I would suggest continuing to ice the eye and the ribs for tonight at least. You know the drill with injured ribs just as well as any of us." Trent would not give Mikey any medication against his will so the only things he could suggest were ice and rest although it did not appease himself. Trent hated these times when he could not make someone feel better instead having to let their bodies heal themselves.

Mikey shifted minutely in the chair but it was not missed by any of them. "Do you want to go back and lie down in your bed with Cerb? Or find a comfortable position of the couch?" Brock asked beating them all to it knowing that Cerb would be sticking close to Mikey until they had to leave.

Mikey hesitated as he still felt really tired and he had been comfortable lying in his bed snuggled beneath the covers with a stack of pillows beneath him. "Is it okay if I go back to bed for a while?" He asked timidly grimacing as a sharp pain emitted from his ribs as he moved the wrong way.

Jason hated that Mikey felt the need to ask if he could. "Come on." He stood up then held his hand out for Mikey helping him up carefully as he could see the pain that he was in. Jason was still not finished with Eric, and he was unsure of how Mandy had come into the equation but he would find out however his first priority was his son. Mikey shuffled slowly back towards his bedroom with Jason following after him and Cerb racing ahead of them both.

Ray waited until he was sure that Jason and Mikey were out of ear shot before he turned his attention back to Eric. "Why wasn't Jason informed?" It was the question that was on everyone's mind including Jason's but Ray wanted to hear the answer first.

"I could not pull him out of the training exercise. It was a decision I made." Eric kept his answer short.

"You didn't think to tell me?" Lisa asked shocked at the turn of events and worried at how terrible Mikey looked.

"My first priority was Mikey." Eric was not backing down or elaborating knowing that he and Jason would talk in depth about it at some point.

Mandy felt the need to calm the simmering tension that was in the room. "Mikey is worried." She stated knowing that the statement would shift everyone's attention away from Eric for the moment.

"What the hell is he worried for?" Sonny growled tightening his fists again and making no effort to hide them.

Mandy moved and took the seat that Jason had been sitting in. "He's worried about how Jason and Emma will react. He kept saying that they were going to freak out."

Ray sighed softly and leaned his head back to look up at the ceiling before he looked back at Mandy because of course that was something that Mikey would be concerned about. "I can't say I blame them. I mean look at the state he is in." Ray could easily put himself in Jason's shoes knowing that if RJ had been hospitalised and released in the same or a similar condition to Mikey that he would be worried too, after all it was a part of being a parent.

"Is Emma going to freak out more because he is hurt or because he is hurt and she was not here when it happened so she could not be the one with him?" Brock asked softly hoping for more of an insight as he knew how deeply Emma cared and felt she needed to protect Jason and Mikey, that they were her responsibility ever since Alana's tragic death.

"She worries, we all know she does. I would hazard a guess that she will feel guiltier that she was not there for him but either way she is going to be worried." Lisa was not entirely sure but she figured she was close. "The best thing we can do is stay close; make sure that they are all okay." It went without saying but she was going to reiterate it anyway.

"Who is going to tell her what happened? We should tell her before she sees him." Clay asked as he looked around the table knowing that none of them would tell her until she got home as the last thing they wanted was for her to panic and get into an accident.

"We will let Jason, and if he is not up to it, then one of us will." Ray answered hoping that Emma would take the news best from Jason but he would willingly talk to her if he was not up to it or if he was tending to Mikey. "Trent, any medication that you can think of that won't give Mikey an adverse reaction?"

Trent wished that there was something but he also knew that Mikey had tried most mild pain relievers and they all pretty much had the same result. "Wish I could but he has been through all of the generic ones and they all leave him unwell. I could try him on something stronger but I don't like the chances of it not making him feel unwell, if anything I think he would feel worse. The best I can do is monitor his pain for now and try other methods to help ease it." The sense of helplessness washed over Trent once more but he ignored it the best he could as now was not the time to wilt.

"Some food should help with that. I will order the food soon." Lisa knew that they were all hungry but she wanted the food to still be hot when Emma arrived knowing how much she wanted to eat with them.

"I would still like to know what the hell happened." Sonny's voice had not lost any of the anger that was lacing it despite how eerily calm he seemed which was scary as hell. "A practise should not leave him looking like he went ten rounds with Tyson."

Eric sighed as he decided not to withhold any more information. "No one was with him, no one went to the hospital with him. However we cannot go after a coach or a bunch of kids that play hockey." There was a clear warning in his words that was definitely directed at Sonny.

It was a fair assessment made by Sonny. "Let him rest for a bit then we will see if we can get some more details out of him." Ray tended to agree with Sonny that it appeared as though excessive force had been used as usually practises were minimal contact however it seemed as though that rule had been forgotten completely.

Mandy looked down the hall in the direction that Jason had trailed after Mikey and Cerb knowing it had been a fair few minutes since they had left, and she had this overwhelming urge to check on them. She did not fight the urge as she murmured she was going to check on them as she stood and headed down the hall leaving everyone to continue talking.

SEAL TEAM

Jason smiled although it did nothing to cover up his worry as he watched as Cerb crawled up and curled into Mikey's side once he was settled in the bed with the blanket pulled up over him, and the ice packs were back in place.

"Dad, sit down." Mikey hated the worry he could see on his Dad's face, hated that he had been the cause of it.

Jason sat down gently on the edge of the bed making sure that he did not jostle him to much as he took in his son's physical state more closely. "I'm sorry I wasn't there bud. I didn't know." He needed to apologise as he never wanted Mikey or Emma to feel that he was not there for them ever.

"I know you didn't, it's okay really Dad. We have the plan in place for that exact situation." Mikey gave Jason a small smile knowing that ultimately the plan that had been devised had worked as it had been Uncle Eric to pick him up and bring him home.

Jason wondered when his little boy had grown up, had matured, and he couldn't help but feel like he had missed it, that he was only seeing it now. "I am still sorry." There were a lot of things that Jason was sorry for with many of them being beyond his control.

"Don't be mad at Uncle Eric, please Dad." Mikey murmured hating if him getting injured and having to go to the hospital for treatment caused problems.

Jason let his eyes flicker around the room before he looked back at Mikey. "I'm… I wish he would have told me, that's all bud." It was the truth and Mikey made him realise that because the plan had worked, Mikey had not been alone for very long and he had been bought home safely.

Mikey nodded but he quickly regretted it as his headache bloomed making him rest him head back against the mountain of pillows that were propping him up before he inhaled and exhaled as softly as he could but it was not without pain. "I don't know what you were doing on base, kind of figure you cannot tell me either which is okay, but what I do know is that if Uncle Eric felt he could have spared you then he would have."

Jason chuckled lightly. "When did you get so smart?" The parallels were striking to Jason as the similarities between Mikey and Alana were absolutely incredible, sometimes it felt as if he was speaking to her.

Mikey's small smile widened before he let his good eye close as it was good to see some of the tension ease as he let Jason's question go unanswered. "Dad?" There was something in Mikey's voice that set Jason on edge and even Cerb moved with the change.

"Yeah bud?" Jason still resisted the urge to pull Mikey into his arms and cradle him in his lap as he looked at his son seeing that despite having his eyes closed he was not relaxed.

"I need you to make sure Emma is okay. She is going to be worried and mad." Mikey's concern was for everyone else but himself.

"Emma's not going to be mad bud, worried, yes, but not mad." Jason knew that his answer would not pacify Mikey at all but he knew his daughter and knew that the overriding emotion would be worry. "I will make sure she is okay Mikey, I promise. She is going to be home soon." He glanced at his watch as he had already calculated her estimated time of arrival based on the time she had messaged him and the driving time, and he had even factored in variables that could hinder her progression allowing for margins. Of course Mikey was worried about Emma and how she would react, and that made Jason both proud and a little dismayed. "For now, get some rest. I will come and check on you in a little bit." Jason stood up and leaned over Mikey as he made sure he was covered by the blanket before he pressed a kiss to the top of his head then headed for the door.

"Love you Dad." Mikey mumbled tiredly making Jason smile as he turned around and lent against the doorframe.

"I love you too Mikey." Jason could not make himself move as he watched as Mikey's breathing evened out as he fell into a light sleep even though it was clear to see the pain that he was in and the way his body remained slightly tense as his hand remained in place keeping the ice pack against his ribs.

Jason glanced over his shoulder at the sound of light footsteps making their way towards him just in time to see Mandy stop and stand just off to the side behind him as she placed his hand in the centre of his back between his shoulder blades.

Mandy looked over Jason's shoulder to see that Mikey had fallen back asleep with Cerb curled comfortably into his side. "How are you doing?" She made sure to keep her voice soft as the last thing she wanted to do was wake Mikey or make Jason go on the defensive.

Jason exhaled softly as he kept his eyes on Mikey. "Thank you for being here with him, taking care of him." He had no doubt that Mandy would have taken care of Mikey as only she could.

"That's not what I asked Jason." Mandy had felt how his muscles had tensed beneath her hand deciding to push Jason instead of letting it go.

Jason glanced back over his shoulder for a few seconds to steal a peek at Mandy before he turned his attention back to Mikey as the blanket rustled as he stretched out then stopped. "I'm… still trying to figure that out." It was as honest as he could be as a part of him still felt the residual panic that was coursing through him but most of all he was relieved that Mikey was home in front of him. "I should have been there with him at the hospital, it should have been me."

Mandy was surprised at Jason's answer as it was not hard to see the confliction of emotions that was going on inside of him but that was only because she knew him so well and knew the signs to look out for. "You're here now, that is what matters." It was the truth although she could understand that he felt he should have been at the hospital.

The sound of a car pulling into the drive interrupted their conversation and Jason knew without even seeing that it was Emma arriving home. Jason hesitated as he went to push himself off of the doorframe that he was lent against as he looked back at Mikey.

"I will stay with him, keep watch, while you go and talk to Emma." Mandy offered having seen and felt the hesitation from Jason.

Jason shook his head and let out another sigh feeling as though it was all he ever seemed to do lately. "No, I mean thanks, but he wouldn't want us watching over him. Cerb will get our attention if need be, and I will check on him. Now I just have to work out the best way to tell Em without her panicking." He knew how he had reacted so he could only imagine how Emma was going to react.

"Okay." Mandy nodded as she let her hand drop away from his back before she stepped back and began making her way back towards the kitchen knowing that Jason was a few short footsteps behind her.

Jason stopped by the front door seeing that the team were milling about between the kitchen and the lounge, and he could hear that Davis was ordering enough pizza that there would most certainly be leftovers but cold pizza never hurt anyone. And like Mandy had done Jason retched open the door before Emma could even get her key anywhere near the lock.

"Dad!" Emma dropped her duffel bag to the ground and hugged him tightly before stepping back as she could feel the tension radiating from him. "Is everything and everyone okay?" She asked immediately as she shuffled into the house doing a quick head count and visual inspection of everyone noticing the way they were all watching her closely. "Wait, where's Mikey?" She asked not seeing her little brother or Cerb anywhere as she turned back to Jason who had followed after her once he had shut the door.

"He's fine Em, a little banged up but okay." Jason kept his voice soft deliberately seeing the worry increase as he held his hands up, palms out, in an effort to keep her calm which was failing miserably.

Emma felt as though her stomach was trying to crawl up her throat as the nausea hit her so abruptly that she barely had a chance to swallow it back down but she managed it. She whirled around heading for her baby brother's bedroom wanting to see him for herself knowing that it was the only logical place he would be.

"Em!" Jason called softly already following after her seeing that his brothers were all itching to help but were unsure how too but there was no stopping his daughter, not when she had her mind set on something. "He's asleep, let him rest." He caught up with her quickly but did not try to stop her from seeing Mikey.

Emma stopped in the doorway of Mikey's room seeing that Cerb had his head raised before he rested it back down after making sure that it was okay before she looked at Mikey seeing the severely swollen black eye and the large bandaged laceration to his head however she suspected that was not the worst of it. She turned back to her Dad knowing that he was just behind her. "What happened?" Suddenly Emma was wishing that she had not gone on her trip as she asked softly with her eyes returning back to her brother.

Jason cleared his throat wishing he had time to gather more details but he did not. "It happened at hockey practise; Eric went and got him from the hospital." Emma looked at him with a look that said 'please explain' and he knew that it would raise questions. "We were in the middle of a training exercise and Eric got word, I did not know anything had happened until I got home. Look Em, he is going to be sore as he has a broken rib and more that are bruised."

Emma winced as she could vividly recall all of the times her Dad and the rest of her extended chosen family had complained or commented (because Seals never complained, yeah right) about how painful and uncomfortable broken and bruised ribs were. She brushed her hand through her hair as she began to think about the next few days and weeks, about what Mikey would need, and how to make sure he did not extend the healing process by doing something stupid. "Okay." It was half hearted but she suddenly felt overwhelmed and all the stress that had melted away during her week away suddenly returned, only heavier.

Jason reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder before he gently tugged her towards him into a hug knowing she needed one. "I love you Em." He whispered before he kissed the crown of her head knowing she would need some time to process things. "Why don't you go and have a shower before dinner arrives? You've been driving most of the day. Take a few minutes for yourself." He knew she needed a few moments alone and a shower was the perfect excuse.

Emma nodded into his shoulder as her hands clutched at the back of his shirt. "Yeah okay." She paused as she swallowed down her emotions. "I love you too Dad." She whispered holding on for a few moments longer before she let go and stepped back turning to look at Mikey again. She heard as Jason walked away but she did not look at him instead letting her eyes linger over Mikey as she stopped herself from walking into his room as she did not want to disturb him. Eventually she pulled herself away, disappearing into her own bedroom to have the shower and get changed as her Dad had suggested.

SEAL TEAM

Eric watched as Jason returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table before he ran his hands over his face tiredly.

"Pizza will be here shortly." Lisa walked over and placed a beer down in front of Jason knowing he deserved it. "Where's Em?" She asked knowing they all wanted the answer to that question as Emma had not followed after him.

Jason let his hands drop to the table and then wrap around the beer bottle. "Thanks. She is taking a shower seeing she has been in the car most of the afternoon."

"How did she take it?" Ray asked as he took his seat next to Jason as they all migrated back into the kitchen and to Jason.

Jason shrugged as Emma had reacted better than he had thought she would but then again he knew that she would not show her worry if she could hide it. "She will have more questions, want more answers but Mikey will have to provide those." He looked back down the hall before he raised the bottle to his lips and took a mouthful. "How long before the pizza arrives?" He wanted to know how long Mikey had before he would have to get him up so that he could eat.

Lisa smiled softly as she looked at her phone for the time. "Approximately thirty minutes, probably over ordered but cold pizza never hurt anyone." She had ordered a lot of pizzas and a lot of sides knowing that they did not gorge themselves often but it was the kind of night for pizza and sides with a splattering of beer. Plus the men could eat a hell of a lot especially after a day full of training which was exhausting in its own right.

"That will give Mikey more time to sleep, and let Emma relax a little bit." Clay pointed out easily knowing that sleep helped a person to feel better, and surely a hot shower and a change of clothes would be good for Emma considering she had been on the road most of the day and had come home to her little brother hurt.

Sonny shook his head and followed Jason's line of sight. "The princess going to be okay?" He asked knowing that Jason had struggled to try and get Emma to stress less and help in whatever way he could even if his best intentions did not always work out.

"She's strong Sonny, and we are all here to help." Trent was quick to point out knowing that Emma was incredibly strong in different ways to them. He knew that they were all willing to help wherever they could and that they would spend the next few days and weeks staying close when they were not required on base.

Eric had not moved from the kitchen but he was watching and listening closely knowing that Trent was right about all of it. Truth was getting that vague note that Mikey was in hospital had terrified him because he knew that Jason could not bare to lose anyone else but he also did not want Mikey to be injured. But what he did know was that they would all rally around as it was one of their strengths.

SEAL TEAM

Mikey groaned as he pushed the blanket off of him and then rubbed his fist over his eye that was not bruised and swollen before he let his hand drop down to his lap feeling as Cerb nudged at his thigh. Mikey inhaled softly withholding the wince at the pain that erupted through his ribs and stole his breath which made Cerb whine softly. "It's alright boy." He reassured Cerb before he shuffled to the edge of the bed seeing that it had only been about forty minutes since he had returned to bed.

Mikey shivered as he got out of the bed and very slowly pulled a sweater over his t-shirt which he quickly regretted as the movement jarred his aching ribs before he slowly shuffled out with Cerb keeping pace at his side. He leant against the wall as he reached the lounge needing to take a rest just before Cerb announced their presence with a soft bark.

Emma's eyes widened as she saw Mikey leant up against the wall with his hand clutched against his ribs looking incredibly pale as she scrambled off of the couch where she had been curled up against her Dad listening to everyone chat as they sipped on their drinks and made her way over to him. "Hi Mikey." She smiled softly as she approached him cautiously taking in more of his state.

"Emma!" Mikey smiled widely happy to see his sister home as he had missed her although he made no effort to move from the wall.

Emma blinked heavily a couple of times in an effort to blink away the tears that suddenly sprung up before she did her upmost to steel herself as she did not want anyone to see the sudden onset of emotion in her as she took in the state of Mikey. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she resisted reaching out to help him walk over to the couch as he had already waved her off.

Mikey resisted rolling his eyes as he was sure it would make his headache worse knowing his sister was concerned, and that they were being watched. "I'm okay Emmi." The use of the name that he called her when he was younger bought a smile to her lips. "A little sore but okay."

Trent stood up and moved closer to Mikey and Emma wanting to get him sat down as his breathing looked a little laboured but it was understandable however he still wanted to check him over again. "Let's get you sat down kiddo." Up close he could see the pain that Mikey was doing his best to hide and he could see the conflicting emotions that had surfaced within Emma although he was not going to draw attention to either things.

Mikey nodded and gritted his teeth as he pushed himself off of the wall and straightened himself up before he began shuffling once more towards the couch where Jason was sitting watching as he paid no attention to the way Emma and Trent were hovering. "When's dinner?" He asked as he eased himself down onto the couch then let himself lean against his Dad who draped his arm loosely over his shoulders as he was hungry.

"When was the last you ate Mikey?" Eric had to admit he had not even thought about getting Mikey some food when he was at the hospital or when he had first got him home as he watched as Emma sat down on the other side of Jason and curled back into him just as she was before although she now had her head on his shoulder facing Mikey who was being examined by Trent who was knelt down in front of him.

Mikey was preoccupied with what Trent was doing or rather where his fingers were palpating as well as keeping his face as neutral as possible as he did not want Emma to panic any more than she already was. "Don't know." Mikey admitted absentmindedly as he flinched as Trent hit a particularly tender spot on the side of his ribs.

"Sorry kiddo." Trent murmured softly hating that he had caused Mikey's pain to increase just as the doorbell rang.

Lisa waved Sonny down as he went to stand up as she had already gotten up to answer the door knowing that it was the food arriving.

Emma frowned at Mikey's answer wondering if he had taken extra food with him like she usually made sure he did when he had hockey practise straight after school knowing it went late but she also knew not to badger him about it now. "Is he okay Trent?" She asked instead seeing as Trent finished his exam and moved away, picking up his own beer before he reclaimed his seat.

"Nothing has shifted Emma. Food and rest is what he needs." Trent responded still concerned about Mikey's ribs especially without being able to see the x-ray of his ribs but nothing had shifted which he was pleased about.

"Well I can help with the food." Lisa carefully balanced ten jumbo pizza boxes and two large bags of sides which included fries, garlic bread, onion rings, mozzarella sticks and buffalo wings as she made her way over to the coffee table that she had already put a towel across so that the table did not get coated by the grease from the boxes.

"Jeez Lisa." Brock was smiling as he quickly took the boxes of pizza from her and set them down on the table freeing her to do the same with the sides.

"Cold pizza never hurt anyone." Lisa refused to admit she over ordered but she knew that she was starving and surmised that everyone else would be just before she smacked Sonny's hand that was already digging into one of the bags in search of one of the trays of buffalo wings. "No wait." She told him off as he rubbed the back of his hand.

"You marked me!" Sonny showed the red mark on the back of his hand as he pouted although he would never admit that he had.

"Oh, you poor thing." Lisa teased before she turned her attention to Mikey. "What do you want honey?" She asked wanting to get him a plate first as he still looked exhausted especially with the way he was resting against Jason cuddled into his side. If she did not know better then she would almost have been surprised that he had not stayed asleep.

Mikey smiled softly, tiredly. "Is there Hawaiian?" He asked as his stomach rumbled.

"Of course there is! Want some fries too?" Lisa asked already opening the box that contained one of the Hawaiian pizzas that she had ordered, grateful that the boxes had been marked, before she put two slices on the plate.

"Yes please." Mikey answered as he shifted closer to Jason having to readjust himself to ease the pressure that was on his ribs watching as Lisa pulled one of the boxes of chips out and added a handful to his plate before she handed it to him. "Thank you." He rested the plate down on the couch, and began eating slowly watching as everyone else moved to get their own pizza and sides although Mandy got a plate for Jason knowing what he favoured as he was stuck between Emma and Mikey and not moving any time soon.

SEAL TEAM

Jason walked back into the lounge after checking on Mikey for the umpteenth time to find that the only person left was Eric who had switched back to coffee.

"Mikey sleeping okay?" Eric asked as he watched Jason sit back down on the couch where he had spent most of the night with Mikey and Emma against up until Emma had convinced Mikey to go back to bed before she came back to curl up with him again. It had taken a while to convince all of the guys, Lisa and Mandy to go home for the night but they had eventually trickled out after more reassurances, and a plan to all reconvene in the morning for brunch.

Jason rolled his shoulders feeling the tension that was lingering even as he relaxed back into the cushions of the couch before he looked over at Eric. "Yeah, Emma is asleep in the chair in his room. She must have moved in there after I checked on him last." He had hesitated on whether he should make Emma go back to her own bed but he knew that she would eventually migrate back to Mikey's room if he did. The worry that was plaguing Emma would not go away, and if she took comfort in being close to Mikey then he was not going to ruin that.

Eric smiled softly knowing that the bond that Emma and Mikey had was something that was truly special and one that was unbreakable. "You have two absolutely amazing kids there Jason." He had watched the way Emma cared for Mikey while he did his upmost to allay her fears even though it was fruitless as she was going to worry about him just as she worried about Jason and the rest of the team.

Jason hummed softly feeling the tiredness set in but he also knew that he would spend the remainder of the night checking on both of his kids. "Yeah, I do. I got lucky. I have Alana to thank for that." God, he missed her, and times like these only made him miss her more.

"Don't exclude yourself from that Jason. Those kids are yours and Alana's, and believe me when I say that they are more like you then you even realise." There was a heaviness that Eric felt in the air as he had spent most of the evening trying to figure out if he could have done things differently, how he could have. Listening to Jason exclude himself made Eric blanch as those kids had his strength and he had kept them together after Alana's tragic and sudden death even when he had struggled with his own grief; for better or worse the bond between Emma and Mikey was strengthened in the wake of Alana's death because of the way Jason dealt with things.

"I should have said it earlier Eric, thank you, I know you were looking out for Mikey today." Jason was grateful that at least someone he trusted had been there for Mikey despite how much he wished it had been him given that he was home.

"I was looking out for you and the team today too. Today was not just a training exercise Jason, it was a test, for what I am still not quite sure of but I am going to figure it out. If I could have pulled you out then I would have, I want you to know that." Eric admitted quietly wishing he had all of the information but he knew it would only be a matter of time however none of that was important. What was important was that the Hayes' family were truly okay, that Mikey healed, and that Emma and Jason did not run themselves into the ground worrying about and taking care of him.

Jason did know and he nodded in agreeance. "Why did you bring Mandy here earlier? Mikey told me that she met you here." He had no idea why he asked that but it was something that was on his mind.

Eric chuckled softly as he finished his cup of coffee that was now lukewarm. "Mandy is good with Mikey, and someone needed to be here if I had to return to base." He left out that she was also good at calming Jason. "Anything you need otherwise I am going to head out so you can get some sleep yourself?" He asked relieved that Jason did not seem mad at him for not informing him straight away or for getting Mandy to come over earlier to help with Mikey.

"Nah, I'm good." Jason had no intention of sleeping but there was nothing that any of them could do.

Eric pushed himself up to his feet then walked into the kitchen to put his mug in the dishwasher before he headed for the front door intending to show himself out. "I will check in tomorrow." He told Jason who was making his way over to meet him.

"Night Eric." Jason opened the door for him commanding officer.

"Night Jason." Eric took his leave, and only turned back to look at the house once he was at his car.

Jason shut and locked the door once Eric was halfway down the path before he meandered back to the couch and laid down.

SEAL TEAM

Eric knew that a stack of paperwork would be waiting for him to do and he did not feel like going home so instead he found himself back on base sitting at his desk but he had to admit his mind was elsewhere as he lent back in his chair and scrubbed his hand over his face tiredly as his mind continuously drifted to how the decisions he made affected others. It was a burden that he bared often but usually he did not have to make decisions like the one he had to at home.

"I figured I would find you here." Mandy stood in the doorway having found herself aimlessly walking around her house with a feeling that something was off and it was something that she could exactly put her finger off which is why she found herself on base wondering the halls.

Eric startled as he looked up at Mandy and let his pen drop down onto the stack of paperwork in front of him. "I thought you would be home sleeping." He replied as she wondered into his office and sat down at the chair in front of his desk.

"I could say the same for you Eric." Mandy curled her feet up beneath her as she looked at the stack of paperwork on his desk. She had been standing for a few minutes in the doorway watching him and she was surprised that he had not noticed her after all he was Navy and it was engrained in them to notice everything. "What is going on in that head of yours?"

Eric looked past Mandy out towards the hall before he looked at her knowing that it was late and the halls were empty so no one was around to hear them converse. "Maybe I am tired of having to make decisions for everyone else Mandy."

Mandy was not surprised at Eric's admission although she wished she could say she was. "Jason put the plan in place for the exact reason that happened today. Someone he knows and trusts was with Mikey when he and Emma could not be. You went along with the plan Eric." Everyone knew of the plan that Jason had made after Alana's death, and they knew their roles in the plan if needed.

Eric pulled open his bottom desk drawer, reached in then pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey and sat them on his desk. He quickly poured two glasses of whiskey before he handed one of them to Mandy then took his own.

"The choices we make weigh heavily on us, some more than others, Eric." Mandy palmed the glass in her hand knowing it was not often Eric broke out the bottom drawer whiskey.

Eric scoffed lightly at Mandy's words despite how true they were. "All I could think about when I received that note was that Jason could not bare to lose anyone else, neither can Emma."

Mandy agreed wholeheartedly with Eric but he also knew that they could not live like that. "Eric, Mikey is safe at home, a little banged up, but safe with Jason and Emma. The family is okay." She assured him with ease.

"It doesn't always make it easier, knowing." Eric sipped his whiskey knowing that there would not be any paperwork done.

"No, it doesn't." Mandy agreed before she took a drink from her glass knowing that they would sit for a while longer while Eric tried to get right with the decision he had made today.

Eric regarded Mandy's presence silently as he continued to sip on the whiskey in his glass knowing that she would not press any more as he fought the battle that was waging within him over what was right and what was wrong but it was a battle that never seemed to be won even when everything turned out okay.