AN: Hey guys, sorry again for such a long time between chapters! I'm finally settled back into college now, so I should have more time to write this story! Also, we're just days away from the Season 3 premiere! Anyways, before we get into this chapter, I just wanted to put a note that there may be certain details in this chapter that aren't 100% accurate to real life. I do my best to make the stories as accurate and believable as possible, but I don't get everything right. We'll call it taking creative liberties as the author. Also, there are descriptions of an injury that some may find graphic. Hopefully, you still enjoy the read, and leave a review with what you think! Thanks again!

Bravo Two

Ask anyone on or around Bravo Team, and they would all agree the Ray Perry is the rock of the team. He's known for being the level-headed listener of the group, adding his expertise when needed. Not to mention that he's one of the only people on the planet that can grab Jason by the shoulders and snap him back to reality when the team leader is in a tailspin without consequences. The rest of the team may not be religious, but they know that if they ever need something in that area, Ray has them covered. After his near-death experience, they finally have the real Ray back. Even so, Ray knows he won't soon forget this deployment. So maybe, just maybe, therapy could do him some good.

/

Tiny explosions popped all around him, kicking the dust-up in his eyes as he ran through the desert. He saw a rock that would give him the perfect foothold to climb the hill, but when he put his foot on it, it suddenly disappeared. The earth opened underneath him, and in the next breath, he was free-falling, spinning head over boots until the bright sky faded into the dark tan ground that he hit with a bone-snapping thud…

Ray sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes shot open. He could feel his pulse racing as he stared at the ceiling pattern and then moved his gaze around the room as his brain slowed and began to separate the dream world from reality. He let out a sigh and groggily reached for his phone to see what time it was. He heard movement from across the room and looked up to see Naima pausing her morning routine to stare at him with the look of concern and understanding all in one in her eyes.

"Another dream?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer. Her husband had had a history of night terrors since the day they were married, but she noticed they were happening more frequently in the months since his deployment.

"Yea. Wasn't as bad this time though." He answered, sitting up in bed.

"You alright?" she asked when she saw his face twist slightly as he pulled himself up against the headboard.

"Yep, just old," he said with a laugh, massaging his shoulder and arm.

"Really? Couldn't tell from the two kids we have!" Naima said with a smirk.

"Yea, well I think it's partially because of the two kids we have!" Ray said jokingly. The two shared a laugh and a kiss as they walked out into the kitchen.

"So, your first session today?" Naima said, testing the subject as she poured them both coffee.

"Mhmm. I uh, I think it'll be good," he said, grabbing a banana from the basket on the counter.

"Wow. I know the incident during deployment changed you, but this is a surprise! How do you think the other guys will take it?" Naima asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Probably not any different than normal. Jase has hated this plan from the start, and the others didn't seem too thrilled about it either." Ray said, thinking about each of his teammates' differing personalities.

"But not you? You seem ok with it." Naima asked curiously. She knew that of the group, Ray was probably the most in touch with his feelings, and that was saying something because she had to twist his arm just to get him to talk about things that happened on missions.

"I don't know. I guess getting trapped in that shed with the women and the version of myself I never want to be again... opened my eyes." Ray answered thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm glad. You guys have been through a lot this year, and it's time you let someone help you sort through it all." Naima said.

"And honestly, they can keep you guys in the sessions as long as they want. I've been getting spoiled with all these nights and mornings of having you home." She said, coming in for another kiss. The two shared breakfast and then got the kids in the car to take them to school and daycare while Naima went to work and Ray went to his meeting.

Session one…

Ray opened the door and walked in, scanning the room and taking in information without even knowing he was doing it. It had become the sixth sense since joining the Navy. Before he even said hello or sat down, he already knew that the therapist had three brothers in different branches of the military, from the picture on her wall. Each of them had a uniform with their respective branch, but what gave it away to him was the varying types of camo. He could also tell that she valued her current work, judging from the framed diplomas on her wall.

"Hello, Senior Chief Perry. Please, have a seat." Ellie said, shaking his hand. Ray returned the gesture and soon realized why he had been given to her instead of Dr. Mills. He could feel the callouses on her hand that were similar to ones on his, and ones that Clay was starting to form. She had been a sniper.

His eyes scanned across the desk in front of him as he gets himself comfortable in the shiny leather chair. Dr. Ellie Macdonald, Trauma therapist. Hmph. that's one way of putting it Ray thought as he read the nameplate in front of him. Next, his eyes connected with the framed documents on the wall next to a few medals. Finally, his gaze shifted to meet hers. That's when he noticed that the entire time he had been casing the room, she had been watching him do it, probably already forming a diagnosis in her mind. Her look wasn't one of judgment though, but one of deep respect, understanding, and what he assumed was a healthy dose of curiosity. He dropped his eyes quickly, not wanting to stare, but they stopped when he noticed a deep red line of raised skin sticking out from the collar of her blouse, and twisting up the side of her neck.

"Close quarters fighting in Sudan. The guy had an unfair advantage after my rifle jammed. Wasn't as bad as it looks though, I'm sure you know how crazy head wounds bleed!" Mac said, still following the Sailor's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Ray stuttered.

"Nah, it's fine! I've kinda come to like the ugly thing. Besides, everyone has some, right? Especially in our line of work." she answered with ease that always seemed to settle her patients. It worked, even if only slightly, as she watched the SEAL relax his posture just a little.

"Yea, that is why I'm here, I guess," Ray answered.

"Yes, it is. From my understanding, you and your team have taken quite a few hits lately," she said, trying to lead him without letting him know she was doing it.

"You could say that…" Ray replied, catching onto her tactics pretty quickly. This wasn't his first visit to a therapist, and it probably wouldn't be his last.

"Alright, I'm gonna shoot you straight. I'm a vet myself. I've sat on the other side of this desk my fair share of times, and I hated it just as much as I can tell you do. The difference here is that I've been read in on what happened to Bravo team, the good, the bad, and the worse than ugly, and I've seen other teams go through similar stuff, and fall apart. Lt. Commander Blackburn, Dr. Mills and I are here to do everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen. Does that sound good?" Mac said with just the right mix of sternness and empathy in her voice.

"It does," Ray answered, surprised by how much he could tell she did care.

"Good. Why don't we start with you telling me a little bit about your relationship with Master Chief Hayes?" She asked.

"Hmph. Jase and I? We've had our ups and downs, but we're brothers. Simple as that." Ray replied matter of factly.

"So the events in the bar in Manila didn't affect that relationship?" she asked, watching the look on the man's face changed instantly as his mind replayed the events. But she was soon surprised to see a look of understanding and forgiveness wash over his face, not contempt, which she was expecting. Davis had told her that Officer Perry was probably the most open of the group, or at the very least, the one who knew when to take responsibility for his actions.

"Maybe for a few days, yea. But that all flipped when that man marched his ass all over creation to save me. The truth of it all, he took a few blows these last few months, some really bad ones too. All that stuff building up was from a bunch of crap, but also from me knowing there wasn't much of anything I could do for him. Hayes has saved my life a few times, probably a few more I ain't even aware of, but what matters is that he was willing to do it. Even after I wanted to break his nose." Ray answered after a sigh.

"It sounds like this has happened before. If there's one thing I miss most from active duty is knowing without a doubt that your team's got you. What would you say was the most significant time Hayes showed up for you?" She asked, glancing at a framed picture on her desk.

"Well, I guess I can't give Jason all the credit. The rest of the boys have done their share of dragging me out of some crappy situations." Ray said, unconsciously flexing his right shoulder and bicep.

"I can tell you've got a specific time in mind. Tell me about it." Mac said, recognizing the far-away look on the sailor's faces. Ray sighed again and shook his head, but not in reluctance.

"We were in Africa, going after HVT in the middle of nowhere…" Ray started, and Ellie settled into her chair, ready for the movie to begin in her mind.

"One to Two, how we look from up there?" Ray heard Jason's voice in his ear as he scanned the sand-covered mountains with his scope, watching his team tear the group of huts that had once served as the rebels' headquarters to pieces. They were packing the intel into their bags while stepping around and over the bodies of the group that they had eliminated in mere minutes.

"Your laggin' a little there Spense! Too much time with your girl before we left?" Ray teased.

"Yea, well at least I'm not puking like Sonny during the last mission!" Clay shot back, causing laughter to sound over the radios.

"Hey! It ain't my fault the chef didn't know how to properly cook chicken!" Sonny said defensively, causing more laughter. Ray was about to respond after another sweep of the area but was instantly switched back into work mode when his eyes landed on a vehicle coming down the dirt road at an alarming pace.

"Bravo One this is Two, you guys better get finished up 'cause your about to get company! I see two truckloads full of fighting aged males coming towards your head on!" Ray yelled, loading a string of bullets into his gun.

"Copy two, we're headed to exfil. Havoc, this is one. We're passing Balboa, but it appears we're about to be contacted! Where's exfil?" Jason asked.

"Copy that One, exfil is ready and waiting." Blackburn replied.

"Two to One, you guys move, I'll try to cut them off before they get to you!" Ray said, Jason, replied, and was instantly met with the sound of gunfire coming from Ray's nest on the hill. The team began to move, and it seemed like all would go smoothly, until Jason heard an ever-familiar woosh sound of a missile launcher, and looked up just in time to watch the rocket flying towards Ray.

"Ray! RPG! Move!" Jason screamed. Ray heard the warning and rolled as quickly as he could, only to soon feel the ground vibrate beneath him as fire erupted around him, as well as in his veins in the form of searing pain.

By some miracle - although it sure didn't feel like one - Ray never lost consciousness. He instinctively grabbed for his weapon and cased the area surrounding him for the enemy that he was sure would be right on top of him by now. To his surprise, the area was quiet. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision and get his ears to stop ringing all at once. Reluctantly, he looked down at his body, wanting to know why it felt like his arm had been ripped off. The thought made bile rise in his throat. Oh, God. It better still be there. He thought as he turned his head to the side slowly. It was still attached, but the sigh of relief he was expecting never came. His upper arm was shredded, flesh hanging freely from his mangled limb. He could see the bone in a few different places, along with pieces of rocks, sticks, and metal from the rocket that had embedded themselves in his arm. What added to the shock was that the bone miraculously didn't seem to be broken. The same couldn't be said for his wrist and thumb, the latter of which was bent in such an unnatural way he wasn't sure if it could even be fixed. The sight of his battered arm mixed with the smell of burning fabric and blood had his stomach doing flips. He turned his head to the side as quickly as he could and heaved into the sand. When he finally caught his breath, he heard his name being called frantically over the radio, and suddenly his mind snapped out of the pain-filled haze it had fallen into. His team was still trapped down there, fighting off the enemy with one less person and no overwatch. He pulled his arm tight to his chest and crawled back to what was left of his sniper's nest. He shakily set up his rifle once again, pushing the thought out of his mind of how hard shooting would be with his newly acquired injury.

"Dammit Ray, answer me!" Jason yelled. He tried to push away the thoughts that were raging through his mind right now.

"O…...ne... This is…...t..two. How c..copy?" Ray's strained voice finally reached the team's ears, and they all suddenly felt as though they could breathe again.

"Good copy two. Damn you scared us! Are you hurt?" Jason asked, firing off a few more rounds as the team pushed further into the enemy on their slow-moving trek to exfil.

"Th...the arms… pretty messed up, but I'm ok. I'll cover you guys so you can get to exfil." Ray said, wadding up his glove and sticking it in his mouth so that his inevitable scream of pain that would come when he forced his wrist to grip the rifle wouldn't be heard by his team. Little did he know, Trent was already listening to his every raspy breath through the comms, and taking notes. That man had some of the sharpest senses of the group.

"Can you tell anything Trent?" Jason asked, taking a finger off the comms and giving the team medic a look, even though he knew the question was crazy.

"I can tell he's in bad shape, but that's obvious. He said it's his arm, but I don't like the way his breathing sounds. If it's anything like the other blast wounds I've seen, he's losing a ton of blood right now." Trent said, anxiety gripping him because he wasn't there next to his brother and instead had to listen to the poorly masked pain in his voice. Jason shook his head, trying to clear it so he could devise a plan to save his best friend. Sure, he wanted mission success, but that stopped being a top priority the second he watched that rocket hit the hill where Ray was.

"Alright Ray, you start moving to exfil. We've cut the numbers down pretty well and they think they got you, so you should be able to move without opposition. We'll finish here and be right behind you. Four and Six are coming to get you, and then the rest of us will be right behind." Jason said. The others nodded their understanding.

"No, Ja….Jase, I'm f….fine. I'll help take th… r...res… out 'n the...n m...ve.." Ray said, trying to protest, getting confused and angry when his words started to run together. His vision was getting blurry once again, and his head was starting to spin. He fought it as best as he could, telling himself they didn't have time for this.

"He's getting worse. Trent, Clay, find him now. We'll cover you. Three, Five, let's clear these guys out!" Jason yelled, and everyone did as they were told.

As Trent and Clay made their way through the desert, Trent raised Ray on comms, praying he would answer.

"Two this is Four, can you hear me?" Trent asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

"T...Trent?" came the reply. The medic looked at Clay and cursed. The voice on the other end was weak and raspy. Ray was going into shock.

"Yea. Yea it's me. Hey, listen, I need you to stay awake, ok? We're on our way. Clay's here, he's gonna help me find your nest, ok?" Trent said, trying to be reassuring as he and Spenser picked up the pace.

"Mhmm…"

"Keep talking to me, ok?" Trent begged.

"Over here! I see him!" Trent snapped his head in Clay's direction just in time to see the kid take a hard left and sprint towards a crater-sized hole in the sand just off in the distance. He followed as fast as he could, and they were soon both kneeling beside their brother. Clay repeated his call that they had found him as Trent had already begun to work. In the next minutes, Ray was lifted by Trent, and with Clay in the lead, they raced to exfil.

"So they got you outta there just in time. Sounds like your injuries were pretty serious. Serious enough to need a blood transfusion during the plane ride from one of your teammates?" Mac said finally, after giving Ray a few minutes of quiet when he paused the story. She could tell it was getting to the parts that he had trouble talking about from the way his body language had shifted, taking with it the contented look on his face from earlier. He was visibly uncomfortable.

"Yea. Ya know, I guess you could say the universe planned for Jase and me to get stuck together." Ray said with a small smile.

"How so?" She asked, slightly more confused this time when she watched him start to drift off into his thoughts once again. Luckily for her, he decided to bring her along for the ride.

"How is he?"

"Same as he was when you asked me two seconds ago," Trent replied, trying to hide his annoyance. He knew that the team leader wasn't meaning to be annoying, but was simply panicking beyond belief at the sight in front of them. They all were, and if any of them said they weren't - internally at least - they'd be lying through their teeth. The floor of the chopper was already covered with small piles of blood-soaked bandages and packaging for countless types of medical supplies. Ray had lost way too much blood, and even though he had finally stopped bleeding, he now had a new problem. Trent had sewed the wounds as best he could and bandaged them tightly, but now the lack of blood in Ray's body was threatening to send him into cardiac arrest.

"I don't like that look Trent, what is it?" Sonny asked, noticing the worry first. All eyes suddenly snapped to him, waiting for his answer.

"He needs a transfusion, but my med bag caught a few bullets for me. It popped the blood bag. I don't have anything to give him." Trent said, feeling the air leave the cabin.

"That doesn't matter. I'll donate." Jason said, without a breath of hesitation.

"What?" Trent asked, surprised by the new information. He had been told everyone's blood type at one point a long time ago, but he couldn't remember them right now.

"I'll donate! Him and I, we're the same blood type. You can do it right?" Jason asked, already producing his arm.

"Yea I can, but just hold on a second! How do you know you guys are the same? Are you positive? Because If I give already weak system blood that doesn't go with it, it could kill him!" Trent said, not needing to remind everyone of the seriousness of the situation.

"A couple of years ago our families donated blood together when the base had a shortage. Emma wanted to do it but she was terrified of needles. We wanted to help her get over it, and we found out we both had the same type. Now come on, let's go!" Jason explained as quickly with a little detail as possible. Trent nodded, and soon, Jason was watching his blood flow through the tube into his brother's lifeless body.

"His stats are coming up," Trent reported happily.

"So it's like I said. Jase and I, we get in each other's faces, right now and then, but we're brothers." Ray said, finishing his story. He shifted in his seat, silence hanging in the air. Ellie could tell by the look on his face that that wasn't the end of the story. She could hear his foot tapping nervously only the floor, and how he kept running his hands through his beard. She let the silence hang for a little while longer, allowing him to volunteer the information, even though she had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. After a few more minutes, she spoke up.

"So what happened when they got you back to the base? Did they bring you back stateside?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. She had read the file and knew exactly the kind of trauma he had been through.

"Uh… no, actually. They… there was an incident that day and all the flights out of the base were grounded right after we came back. They took me for… for surgery in the makeshift base hospital." Ray answered slowly, his gaze darting randomly around the room as he tried to focus and keep himself grounded, fighting against the memories trying to force their way back into his mind. He had shoved them down so far he almost forgot they existed. Almost.

"So they did a surgery that extensive with just a few supplies they had? How'd it go?" she asked, leading him once again, but this time he was none the wiser, due to the fear that she could tell was running through him with the subject. She again waited a few minutes for a response but got none. She said his name calmly, knowing that he was likely drifting back into his thought, and wanting to bring him out before he went too deep. But it was no use. He was already back there, laying on that cold operating table.

"Removing the last of the debris now."

"Alright, now for the hard part. Do we have the grafts ready?" Ray heard the voices around him, but couldn't figure out where they were coming from. They didn't sound like any of his teammates. Then they got louder and closer. There was an odd beeping sound accompanying them now.

"Doc, his heart rate is rising. What's going on?"

Ray felt more confusion crashing over him as he started to feel something poking him… and it hurt. Only a little at first, but it was starting to get worse.

"Did I just see his hand twitch?! Connor what the holy h…. What is going on?!" The panic in the surgeon's voice did not help the matching emotion in Ray's mind. His twitch turned to a shake when suddenly, his eyes opened. Why were his eyes open?! And what was in his throat?! Why was it so bright in there?! And why did his entire right side feel numb?!

"Dr. Connor, why is he awake!?" the surgeon asked frantically, watching the monitors spike.

"I… I guess he didn't get enough anesthesia!" the doctor answered as he scrambled to fix the problem while everyone made sure to stay out of the patient's line of sight, to not scare him any further.

"Well give him more dammit! If he moves that arm, we're gonna have some major issues!"

"It's in, it's in! He should be out again any s….."

"Chief Perry? Where are you?"

"Huh?"

"You're ok. I need you to come back, ok?" Ellie said in a low, soothing voice as she coaxed her patient slowly back to the present time. After about another minute, he sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face.

"Waking up during surgery can be incredibly traumatic, especially when coupled with the trauma of a severe injury. What makes it worse is not facing it. Did they have you speak with someone about it?" she asked.

"Uh… no. No. They finished the surgery and uh, explained what happened afterward. Apparently they got the dosage wrong." Ray answered.

"The only person I ever talked to about it was Jason. I didn't even tell my wife because, by the time they got me back stateside, I had worked so hard at pushing it out of my mind that I made myself think of anything else. I guess that's just another thing I've lied to my wife and the team about." Ray said, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Ray, listen to me. Sailors and Soldiers alike, it's in our nature to blame ourselves for everything that goes wrong. It becomes a habit. The only way to break the habit is to replace it with a new one. A productive one. Maybe it's Jason, or your wife, or your priest, or maybe even someone in my line of work, but whoever it is, you need a confidant. It's going to take work, and it won't be easy at first, believe me, but it'll help. From what I've heard from Lisa, you're the backbone of Bravo. The rock. Even a rock needs something firm to sit on. Maybe my analogy is weird, but do you understand what I'm saying?" Ellie asked, watching as he slowly made eye contact with her once again, and she could tell that he was indeed fully taking in what she was saying to him. He soon nodded.

"Good," she replied.

Hours later, back at the Perry residence…

Naima closed the door to the kids' bedroom and walked across the living room to snuggle next to her husband on the couch. She started to say something but stopped when she could see that he was formulating something. He had been mostly quiet since his appointment earlier that day, deep in thought, and she was almost dying of curiosity. But even so, she knew Ray better than anyone, and she knew that when he got like this, it was best to let him start the conversation. And so she waited. After a few more minutes, he spoke.

"The session helped me realize something today." Ray said slowly.

"Yea, what's that?" Naima asked, an edge of concern in her voice.

"That even though being a sailor has given me my share of scars, it's also given me some of the deepest relationships known to man." he said.

"The best, of course, is ours." He said, looking into her eyes.