3 Months Later. 2:30 PM San Antonio
Rick was turning into a regular gym rat. He'd always been physically fit but he preferred running, hiking, and the great outdoors. The gym was always Drew's preferred work out spot. He liked running and hiking fine, but he liked MMA and the atmosphere of the training ring more, at least when it came to exercise. The great outdoors was where he went to relax. Rick understood it, but he still preferred the quiet of wide-open spaces. Unfortunately, the kind of training he needed required the gym. He was working hard, pushing himself to get back to his pre-amputation level of fitness. Kenny had been helping him the last few months, but now there was a sense of urgency.
He had been given the opportunity to re-enlist in a non-combatant role a couple months back but only if he could pass the physical agility course. He had about three weeks left to prep for that. Walking into the gym, Rick was greeted instantly by Kenny who appeared to be just finishing setting up for him. "Well, look who's bright eye and so early," Kenny called.
"Early? It's 1430," Rick answered walking over.
"Man, I work nights, anything before five pm is early. Five pm is early," Kenny quipped, all smiles. "Someone's in a good mood though," he added.
"Spoke to Drew before coming," Rick answered and looked down, almost blushing.
"Uh-huh... and how is GI Joe?" Kenny asked, tone teasing. Since he and Rick had had their heart to heart in the break room so many months back, they'd made great strides in repairing their friendship. So much so, that Kenny had offered to help Rick prepare for the agility test without being asked.
"He says he's good. He's been keeping busy, even more than normal. Everything's fine right now," Rick shrugged. His smile faded some however, and that didn't go unnoticed.
"What's wrong? You look like you don't believe him," Kenny said, brow frowning.
Rick shrugged, "I don't know. It's probably nothing; he just seemed tired. There's been a lot of need for him lately and his Major is on the count down to get home so he's going to be temporarily in charge of the hospital... I'm just worried."
Kenny nodded, "should I be worried?"
"Nah. He'll be fine," Rick said, "it's just me being concerned."
"You mean overprotective, right?" Kenny joked.
"Hey, just because you're right doesn't mean you're right..." Rick replied.
Kenny laughed. "Man, that made no sense," he said. "Hey, what he say about you training?"
"He was excited. Thought it sounded like a good idea. He was also worried, didn't want me to get hurt. I told him you were my trainer, not sure that helped," Rick answered.
"Nah, that wouldn't have. But hey, you ready? Got the right leg on and everything?" Kenny asked, teasing.
"Yeah, brand new one too. Supposed to help make me faster."
"Then let's go Ranger boy," Kenny said a little too excited, clapping his head together. "I got the course all laid out for you!"
Looking past the other at the equipment set up, Rick groaned. "Ever heard of easing into things? I just got this leg… remember?"
"Oh no, uh-ah, we're running outta time to get you back to pre-leg days. Let's go!"
"Pre-leg days?" Rick asked with an eyebrow raised.
"You know exactly what I mean and that back talk earned you an extra round of burpees.
Rick groaned again, this was gonna hurt.
-line-
1 week later. 7:00 PM, Bagram Air Force Base
The base was quiet. It shouldn't have been, not at this hour. It also seemed like it should have been later in the evening, somewhere around 2200 or even O-dark-thirty. He wanted it to be, he wanted the sky to be black and the world to be asleep. After the chaos of the day, it would have been a much-needed reprieve. No such luck. Not for him. Not today. Despite everything on base seeming still and eerily calm, his mind was left reeling. Recent events replaying in his memory as if they were his punishment for his piss poor leadership. This day was on him, no matter what anyone said, it was all on him.
His unit had been out in a nearby village doing standard community outreach; vaccines, check ups, that sort of things. Everything had been situation normal, and they were finished for the day when a child with a gun walked towards them. Drew placed his age at twelve or thirteen. He had walked straight towards them as they packed up for home. There was no fear, no hesitation; the kid knew exactly what he was supposed to do. Marsh had noticed him first, alerting the others. He'd given the child an order to stop. He gave him several orders to stop… they all did. More than they technically should have. The village was watching them, watching the boy, but none of them moved to intervene. Drew could feel the tension forming around them; he could sense what was going to happen. But there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Everything moved in slow motion. The child raised the gun, Marsh shouted at him to drop it, the village men where all shouting too. Jim-Jo was moving out to flank the kid, weapon ready with Ugh and Drew moving to back Marsh. Marsh fired a warning shot in the dirt. The crowd moved back momentarily, but the child never did. The child kept coming and he pulled the trigger. The shots went wide, he was too untrained and the rifle was too big for him. They hit the Humvee. Gary shouted something from the driver's seat. Drew didn't hear him, or maybe he just couldn't process what was being said, because in that moment he was too fixated on the horror playing out. The child had fired again. Marsh had been left with no choice. He fired three shots, all hitting the child in the chest. Just like he was trained to. The child fell, hitting the dirt. For a moment everyone was too stunned to move, except for Drew.
The world around him disappeared. He lost all sense of place and surroundings, his mind tunneling in on the child lying in the dirt. Drew rushed to him, first securing the rifle to his person, and then turning the child onto his back. The boy was still alive, but Drew knew he didn't have a chance. His chest was drenched in blood and he had bloody foam coming out his mouth. His eyes were dim and unfocused and Drew couldn't find radial pulses. He had no doubt that one of the bullets hit the child's heart. There was nothing that he could do. He still tried to put pressure on the wounds, and when he lost the carotid pulse, he started CPR. But the shock was wearing off for everybody and the village had turned against them.
"Cap!" Ugh called, snapping Drew back to the rest of the scene. Looking up around him he saw the gathering crowd and was finally aware of the angry shouting.
Drew had no choice. The boy was dead, there was nothing he could do, and his men were in danger. He backed away from the body, his weapon down but ready. He knew the others had his back, but his eyes were still trained to the angry crowd that was quickly becoming a mob. Someone shouted venomously at them and threw a rock. It hit Drew in the head and he staggered down to his knees stunned. Ugh was at his side in an instant, weapon aimed down, but still ready, and latched his free hand onto Drew's vest pulling him up. Marsh and Jim-Jo we're moving in closer to them, closing up. Gary had the Humvee running. The crowd was too upset to be deterred.
More objects were thrown. Jim-Jo was struck in the shoulder with a bottle. Marsh took several blows to the torso from rocks. Drew got hit again in the head; he could feel blood this time. Gary blared the horn several times startling the mob, making a few dive for cover and others pause. It gave them enough time to reach their Humvee. They loaded up as quickly as they could and were out of there, the villagers pelting the vehicle as it drove off. Drew had radioed the incident in while Jim-Jo secured Marsh's weapon and checked him over. The kid looked like he was going to vomit or faint, and nobody could blame him. He didn't even acknowledged Jim as the other took off his vest to look at his chest.
"When you're done with Marsh, check your face Jim-Jo. Got some lacerations. Cap, let me look at your head," Ugh said as he leaned over the seat, his voice soft but still too loud in the cabin. Ugh had assumed command the moment Drew was hit in the head.
Drew nodded, trying hard not to look at his hands that were still coated in the child's blood. He didn't flinch as Ugh examined the gash on the side of his head, just answered the usual concussion questions. "You're gonna need some stitches, Cap," Ugh said, sitting back down after putting a pressure bandage on the gash.
Drew nodded; he didn't care about himself though. "Jim-Jo?"
"All good here Doc. Marsh only had bruises. I only got the cut," he said, holding pressure to his chin. Normally the medic would make a joke, try to lighten the mood. Not now though. Not with what happened. He still had a protective hold on Marsh.
Drew nodded, "Ugh, Gary, you both good?"
"Yeah Cap," Ugh said, always one to be straight to the point.
"Fuck this fucking shit," was Gary's response, which meant he was fine.
Looking over to Marsh, Drew took a deep breath and in a soft voice called. "Marsh." It took a moment, but his youngest soldier looked at him, eyes wide. "Marsh, it was a clean shoot," Drew said. He knew exactly what was going on inside the other's head. He had been there too. "I know it doesn't feel right," Drew continued, "but you made the correct call."
"Yes sir…" Marsh had said, voice a whispered.
When they had gotten back to base, the MP's had been waiting. Apparently there was already backlash from the village and the Afghan officials saying it was an unnecessary use of force. Drew and his unit were stood down pending investigation. First they were all given medical checks, including a drug screening. Next came the debriefing and interrogation. Drew had had to meet with both the Major and General to go over the events of the shooting. He knew he was going to have a psych eval coming up. Marsh was getting the worst of it, being the shooter, but the investigation wasn't that bad. The unit's stories were all supportive of each other. Even accounts from the village backed what Drew and his unit were saying, despite the attempt to make them the aggressors. The General had assured him the next forty-eight hours were just a formality and Drew didn't really doubt it. It was a clean shoot; it just really sucked.
"From here on out, you boys aren't doing anymore community details," the Major had said while she stitched him up. She wouldn't let anyone else do it. "I don't give a damn about winning hearts and minds, I'm not risking you. I got less than a month left. You better believe that I'm not gonna let anything mess that up."
She had been teasing, pulling the same mom routine she always did with Drew, but he knew she had been scared. He had been scared. Jim-Jo had had his chin stitched closed. Marsh had some minor bruises but he was scheduled for several psych appointments. But everything could have been so much worse. He was still in a little bit of shock. Hell, they all were. If they had been slower... If Marsh had hesitated... If there had been more weapons or more villagers... they could have very easily died this day.
Drew and his men were on administrative details until their forty-eight hours were up. Even if that hadn't been, the Major would have put them out medical. Drew especially with the ten stitches to close the gash and the bruising spreading all down the left side of face from the rocks. She had been amazed he didn't have a concussion.
He was supposed to be resting but he couldn't sleep. His mind would not let him stop the constant replay of the day's nightmare. He had run through everything so many times, trying to see another solution. The problem was, every time he did he'd always come back to the memory of a dying twelve-year-old boy looking up at him with empty brown eyes and bloody foam from his mouth. He didn't want to see that in his sleep so he was looking for a distraction. It was a relief to see that Rick was online.
The Skype call connected almost right away, Rick's smiling face filling the screen. "Hey there…" Rick paused mid sentence, the smile turning to a frown, "your face."
Drew laughed, but it was a miserable sound, "yeah... I know. It's the newest look over here, all the docs are getting it."
"What happened," Rick pressed with that no nonsense tone he used to give orders in, the one that demanded answers. He was not going to allow Drew to play off that he clearly had a head injury and a black eye. His protective instincts were very much screaming inside his head, and it was worse given that he couldn't be there.
"I can't tell you. The investigation is still open," Drew said. "But I'm alright. It's not as serious as it looks. Just some stitches and the bruises. No concussion. I promise," his voice was quiet, pacifying. Rick wasn't fooled.
"It was something bad, wasn't it?" Rick said, still worried and upset.
Drew was still for a long moment, eyes down casted. He took a deep breath to steady himself, "it's going to be a souvenir."
Rick sighed, upset. Souvenir was their code for the memories that they brought home, a new nightmare to the list of all too many. "And you can't talk about it or won't?" He tried again.
"Believe me, I don't want to keep this... there's an official inquest. It's a formality but…" Drew said, and his voice had that choke in it, the one he got when he was trying not to be emotional.
"Rules," Rick sighed, feeling helpless and frustrated. He just wanted to do something to help, to be able to help. He just didn't know what he could do. Drew was over in Afghanistan beaten all to hell, exhausted, and he was safe and sound in Drew's apartment doing homework. It pissed him off.
"Yeah," Drew said, "I just need to hear… I just need you to talk…"
"Talk? About what?" Rick asked, sighing.
"Anything? I don't care. I just want to hear your voice…" Drew answered, resting his chin on his arms. He would have looked adorable if he weren't so sad.
Rick shook his head, "You call on the one day that there is nothing happening… I'm just working on yet another pointless paper for class. I don't understand why I need to write a paper on how the treatment by police affects the psyche of a criminal. They're the bad guys; just lock them up. If you really wanted to fall asleep, I could read you this article. I mean it's doing a hell of a job making me nod off…"
"I love you," Drew whispered, a small smile on his face and a faraway look in his eyes.
The simple statement made Rick stop in his tracks; he looked at the other, eyes wide. It was like the first time he had heard that statement all over again. Sure he had been the one to ask Drew out, and he had instigated their first kiss, but Drew had said it first. The very first time he had said it, it was after they had celebrated his return from Ranger School and Drew had gotten them a hotel room. He had been stunned then too, his heart speeding up faster than was healthy.
"See, now I know you have a head injury or something…" Rick said, trying to hide the fact he was blushing.
"Probably, but still true," Drew came back and to add insult to injury he said, "you're cute when you blush."
Rick looked down, his blush deepening and he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He shifted the computer as he adjusted his position, trying to think of something to say back. But Drew was already ahead of him.
"Are you on my bed?" He asked, and his voice had a hint of jealousy. Rick laughed because he understood exactly what it was for.
"I mean, it is a comfortable bed," he replied, taunting.
"I know… I miss that bed... I really do…" Drew sighed, longingly.
"One of the best parts is that it's memory foam," Rick continued.
"Yeah, Yeah...rub it in ya jerk…"
"The best part though," Rick added, laughing at the glare he received, "the best part is that it smells like you, and that happens to be very reassuring." It was Drew's turn to blush and he looked away, attempting to hide his face. Rick laughed yet again, proud of himself, "Now who's cute when they blush?"
"Don't know what you're talking about," Drew said, clearing his throat. He raised his head back up.
"I love you too Drew. I really do," Rick said, sincerely but still smiling.
"I know," he said and looked down at his hands taking a deep breath and letting it out. "You're really back, aren't you? You're not running away?" He asked.
Rick felt a peg of guilt at the question. It was clear from the tone in Drew's voice this was something the other had been thinking all along. He could hear the relief in the other, but also the fear. He wished, not for the 100th time, that he could have taken back that damn night in the ER.
"What you thinking?" Rick asked, voice soft.
Drew sighed and bowed his head, "When I got deployed... when I got here... I don't think I'd ever been so alone in my life. I didn't… I couldn't think of one person who was going to be waiting for me. Then I got your message and I didn't know what to think. I didn't know if you were just being nice or if I was seeing too much…" he sighed again, this time a harsh sound, and rubbed a hand over his face. He was clearly exhausted and the recent events were catching up to him. "My guys almost died today. I almost died… When I got here, I thought that would be all right. If I died it would be fine because there wasn't… I don't even know if I'm making sense…"
"You are. You didn't think you mattered anymore, right? No one to miss you? So you told yourself you weren't important and part of that was thinking it would be all right if you didn't make it home. I'm guessing you volunteered for your assignment?" Rick replied, his voice even and neutral.
"That was part of it... yeah." Drew confirmed. Head bowed, he took a shuddering breath and wiped at his eyes.
"Drew, you were wrong. You have a lot of people over here that miss you. Krista, Kenny, Jordan, Topher, T.C., Mollie… just to name a few. Hell, your parents miss you too, even if they don't admit it," Rick stated hoping he didn't hit a nerve. Drew and his family was never really a comfortable subject.
Drew shook his head, "They don't miss me… not even Liz. They don't care that I'm here."
Rick felt a familiar frustration return, he and Drew had, had this conversation before. The idea that his family hated him, didn't want him, Rick got it. He understood, and he knew that Drew's father wasn't accepting of Drew's sexuality. But it was so hard for him to accept that they hated him. How could they? How could anyone who knew Drew hate him? Besides, the whole, 'my family hates me' pity party normally came when he was feeling lonely or depressed, just like now. "Drew, we go over this every time you're upset. Liz sends you weekly emails with pictures of the girls; you talk to them regularly. Your mom and dad –"
"He disowned me," Drew snapped, angry. "When I told him you were moving in, he disowned me." Rick was shocked. His jaw dropped, he had known that there was tension, but he never imagined that it would ever go so far. "And Liz doesn't send me pictures anymore because she doesn't know how to 'explain to the girls how their uncle is choosing to live his life.' I haven't even spoken to my mother sense… I mean, besides telling her that I'm deployed. So no… no, they don't miss me."
Rick swallowed back the anger and the rage that suddenly flooded his system. None of it was directed at Drew, none of it was because of him, in fact it was all for Drew. It was that protective side of him, the part that wanted to help and take care of the other man because while everyone else only saw the MMA fighter, doctor, and Army Officer, he had seen the broken parts. He knew the fragile pieces, and how deep the cuts were. "Well, I miss you. I'd give just about anything to have you here now. We all want you home. And when you get home, we're all going to be here. I'm going to be here. And I'm gonna spend every day making things right. And you know why? Because you're worth it. You're worth missing and you're worth waiting for," Rick said solemnly.
Drew nodded, letting his head fall onto his arms. Rick watched him for a moment, watched as the weight of everything broke him down before he gathered himself to carry it again. Because that was what he did, he carried the weight of the world for everyone he could even when he didn't have to. That was when a thought occurred to him, and Rick took a long moment to reexamine those months when he was recovering from the accident. "Drew," he asked, a little hesitant, because this was a very raw time for the other and he didn't want to take advantage of it, but he also needed an answer.
The other sat up, inhaling sharply and shoving aside his own emotions to focus on what Rick needed. It was always a little exasperating to watch, how quickly he would brush his own wants and needs aside, like he didn't care about self-preservation. Rick was trying to change that, had been since they were just friends. Right now though, the focus was beneficial, he needed Drew to keep talking to him. "When I first moved in, right after rehab, you were always taking extra shifts and at the gym a lot longer than normal… was that me, or was that your dad?"
Drew hung his head, and even in the poor light of the screen, Rick could see a few tears. "Both," came the whispered answer, "you weren't the only one who felt helpless… and all I could think was that you blamed me because…. I couldn't fix it and you lost so much," Drew took a shuddering breath and exhaled sharply, rebuilding his composure. "But it was mostly my dad," Drew continued, voice now steady, "It was finally final. No more hope, and between his disappointment and my failure I couldn't –"
"You didn't fail," Rick said, and he was forcing back his own tears, his own emotions. "You didn't do this. It wasn't your fault. God… why didn't you just tell me that you're father… I thought you were avoiding me. I thought you were angry with me, or couldn't look at me. I thought you didn't want me."
"I know. I'm sorry. You were going through so much and I just didn't want you to worry about me. You needed to recover and it wasn't like anything had really changed. I mean, he just finally said it. That was all."
"Or that's what you just told yourself. Damn it Drew," Rick said, exhaling harshly. He was angry. "Why do you so that? Why do you think you can just keep it all in your head and we won't notice? I won't notice? Do you think we don't care? That we don't want to help?"
"No. I know that you would, but I just can't be the cause of somebody's worries," he said, voice soft.
"But I want you to be. I want you to let me in, completely. Tell me when something's wrong. Let me help fix it or at least let me help carry the weight. I told you you're worth that, right? You're not just worth waiting for, you're worth the worry too."
It took a moment; Drew had to let the words sink in. When they finally did he rubbed a hand over his face and had to clear his throat. "You're not the only one of us who has to make things right," he finally came back.
Rick shrugged, letting his emotions settle down, "so we're both screw ups. I mean, what you expect, we joined the Army?"
Drew laughed-sobbed and shook his head. "Yeah... best worst decision ever."
Rick was about to respond when the feed froze. "Drew?" He called now on edge, the light moment lost.
"Still have audio but there's something wrong with the uplink. Keep talking though, until they kick me off," Drew said managing to sound both exasperated and amused.
Rick laughed softly, "Yeah, okay…"
-line-
9:00 AM. San Antonio.
Rick let out a partial growl and sigh, slamming his fists down into the pillows. He loved hearing from Drew. Loved seeing him, even just over Skype. Loved that the other was telling him what was going on, but he hated this. He hated this helplessness and frustration of not being there. He hated seeing the other exhausted, upset, hurt, or all of the above and not being able to hold him. He hated the panic every time the call dropped or froze. Hated the fear that washed over him when the alarms sounded or when Drew had to pause to put on a helmet. The worst was when the calls would suddenly drop and he wouldn't hear from Drew for days or weeks. That had last happened about two months ago and it had been one of the most anxious weeks of his life.
He had spent the last thirty minutes talking with Drew, trying to ease the angst inside his head while the uplink on Drew's side cut in and out of sync. It had been frustrating to say the least and eventually they had just given up. Drew had sounded better, a little more at peace, but Rick didn't know if that was true or just wishful thinking. He wouldn't know how anything was really affecting the other man until he was home, and that was still months away. He wasn't good at this waiting.
How Drew could have done this for him, how the hundreds of spouses, partners, and families of the other service men and women could… it wasn't even just the constant worry and fear of losing him, it was the loneliness. The times when he was having his own issues and wanted someone to comfort him… the nights he woke up in a cold sweat alone or the days the phantom pains in his leg were bad… he wanted someone there; someone who understood and cared, someone who would try to help. Also the times when he craved sex or affection or wanted to share something exciting… he hated this whole 'you can look but can't touch' bull shit.
Aggravated, Rick pushed himself to the side of the bed and grabbed his crutch. He made his way to get his leg and change into gym clothes. Focusing on school wasn't going to do any good right now, but a work out would at least be a distraction.
-line-
2 Weeks Later, 8:00 AM. Bagram Air Force Base.
"There he is, there's my man," Drew said proudly as he watched the footage of Rick running the agility course. He was in the day room with Ugh and Syd. The last couple weeks had been rough, but he and his unit had made it through. The investigation had backed up their actions in the village. They all had cleared their medical and psych checks. Marsh was still a little quiet, but he was coming back; they all knew it was going to take some time. They were all back on normal duty now, and already had another rescue.
Then today, in his email, Drew had found the video Rick sent him. He had started watching it, almost as excited as a kid on Christmas. That was how Ugh and Syd had found him, walking in halfway through. They had both immediately begun to tease him and made him start the video again so they could watch. They too got caught up in the excitement, and this moment was just a nice break from everything else that was around them.
Ugh laughed and pushed Drew's head forward, "Man… get yourself a room."
Drew laughed and shoved Ugh back. "Look at him though! That's on one leg," he continued.
Syd shook her head. "I don't think I could run that on two legs anymore."
"Sure you could, Ma'am, you'd get the best score too. Just tell the drill Sergeant to go to their room if they say you didn't," Ugh said with mock seriousness.
Syd narrowed her eyes at him, "if I tell you to go to your room, does that mean I'll finally get some peace and quiet?"
"No Ma'am, You still got the Cap here. Sorry," Ugh came back making Syd laugh.
"Hey!" Drew called, looking away from the video, "I'm not bothering anyone!"
"No, Captain, you're too busy watching your boyfriend's ass," Ugh replied.
"Yeah, well, he's got a nice one…." Drew shrugged, completely unashamed, that made Syd laugh harder than before.
"Oh man… I might actually miss you two," she said.
"What's the count now Major?" Drew asked, referring to her time left at Bagram.
"Nine days until home. Fourteen days until Riley's thirteen, and I can not wait."
"Nine days… man, I'll trade you. Want three months?" Drew asked.
"Haha... no thanks. It's hard enough waiting the nine days. I promised my little girl I would be home and I am going to keep that promise," she said.
"Oh… look at you two with your nine days and three months left… boohoo boohoo…" Ugh quipped, stretching out on a couch. "It's be a shame if you suddenly had five months."
Drew shook his head still smiling, "awe man, I forgot. I'm sorry."
"No you're not. Don't you lie to me," Ugh replied. "But hey, thirteen huh? That's a big birthday isn't it?"
Syd nodded, "I have a teenager. I am not ready…"
"Nobody is. My sister, when she hit thirteen… man I thought I was gonna lose it. Hell, I was still a kid myself and had no idea what to do," Ugh shook his head, but he was laughing. The young man had been eighteen when his parents had been killed in a car accident. His sister had been sent to live with his grandparents while he was in basic and nursing school. A few years later, at twenty-three, his grandfather had a stroke and his grandma could no longer take care of her. Now married, and with an established career, he took custody of his then ten year old sister. She was now fourteen, and he was very much a father figure in her life.
"Care to give me some advice?" Syd asked.
"Prepare to always be wrong and have very high cell phone bills," he said and shook his head.
Drew laughed again and grabbed a set of headphones, plugging them in.
"What are you doing?" Syd asked, eyebrow raised, "You have rounds in twenty minutes."
Drew nodded, "yes Ma'am. I'll be quick. He's probably tired anyway, it's almost eleven stateside…"
Syd shook her head and looked back over to Ugh, "he's hopeless."
"Lost another to love struck," Ugh agreed solemnly, "such a terrible disease. Terminal, I hear."
"It's supposed to be, but I know a few people who've beaten the odds," Syd came back, "not him though."
"Haha… very funny," Drew said, already calling Rick. "Do you mind?"
"Do I mind what?" Rick said, amused as the call connected.
"Oh hey! There he is!" Ugh called, seeing Rick on the screen, "Hey, Captain Lincoln! Your biggest fan has been singing your praises over here!"
"Ugh…" Drew called in a warning voice as Rick and Syd laughed.
"I wasn't talking about you, Sir, I was talking about me!" he came back and dodged the mouse pad that Drew threw at him.
"Alright Lieutenant, that's enough. Come on, let's give the two some privacy," Syd came to Drew's defense, taking Ugh's arm and pushing him towards the door. "Oh, but Captain Lincoln, please try to get him home by curfew!" There was another round of laughter and Drew was beat red as the two other retreated. It took about a minute for Rick to get his laughter back under control.
"You done?" Drew asked with mock annoyance.
"Oh man… I love them… who were they?" he asked, still laughing some, "part of your unit?"
"Ugh was the comedian and he's my Lieutenant. Syd is my Major," Drew sighed, "and they're both pains in the ass."
"Yeah. I can tell," Rick said, shaking his head. "You have a curfew, huh? Do you have a bedtime too?" he teased.
"Rounds in twenty minutes. Don't get cute," Drew said, glaring but then his face quickly turned into a smile. "I'm so proud of you."
Rick laughed and shook his head. "I'm so tired…and sore…" he said, "And I broke my new leg… Krista had to fix it for me."
"You broke your leg?" Drew asked, head titled to the side. He couldn't remember seeing that in the footage.
"Oh yeah, I literally left my leg out there on the field. But I did it!" was Rick's cheerful answer.
"You know, that's not what they mean when they say give it your all, right? You're supposed to keep it together."
"Cute… real cute… but yeah. I got to the end of the course, and it was the mud crawl, so when I reached the finish line and the Sergeant is helping me up, it just fell right off. I think he almost fainted, and I probably shouldn't have laughed but…" Rick shrugged, smiling.
"That's funny… and I'm so proud of you," Drew said, returning the smile.
"I did good too. I did a lot better than I thought I would, like I never even left."
"I'm glad, I really am, but Rick, please… they only take the top ten percent…" Drew started, he didn't want Rick to get his hopes up and suddenly have them crushed.
Rick shook his head. "I know, I know. And I don't even care because I did it. I beat the course. Fastest time too."
"That's awesome..." he paused as Rick's words caught up with him, "wait, how do you know it's the fastest time?"
Rick laughed, "I already got the call. Top one percent. They want me to train the trainers."
Drew laughed, "That's… haha! That's fantastic! I can't say it enough, I'm so proud of you."
Rick laughed but then he grew serious. "Drew there's a problem," he said and Drew felt a sudden sense of dread take hold.
"What's wrong?" Drew asked and his face paled slightly.
"They offered me that position but if I took it, I would have to go to Fort Bragg," Rick said, all too serious.
Drew was stunned. He felt like his world was on the verge of shattering. He had just gotten Rick back and now he was going to lose him again. He didn't know if he'd survive that but he also knew he'd never be able to forgive himself if he didn't let Rick go. Rick, like he, had wanted to make a career out of the Army, and this was his chance to do that. Nothing should stop him from it, especially not a sort of boyfriend who wasn't even in the same time zone. No, he loved Rick too much to ask him to stay. He knew that.
"Uh… that's… it's a promotion right? And ah… that's… you earned it. And Fort Bragg is…"
"Not for me," Rick said cutting him off and he laughed at the look Drew gave him. He had gone from stunned, to heart broken, to royally confused all in a matter of seconds. It was both funny and kind of sweet for Rick to watch, but only because he knew what was happening.
"Rick… wait… did you… are you not taking the job?" Drew asked.
"Oh, no, I took the job," Rick said and laughed at the face Drew was making. "So, San Antonio PD is partnering with the Army to better prepare for mass causality incidents and this trial was a joint exercise between the police and Army. Lot of brass from both were there watching. I got offered a position on San Antonio SWAT team, both as a trainer and team leader. I'm staying."
"Rick… that's… I thought you wanted… you're not giving up on Fort Bragg because of me? I don't want you to…" Drew was grasping for words and Rick couldn't stop laughing. It was adorable.
"It's going to be much less paperwork, better pay, and more action. It'll be like I'm back in a unit. I think it's much more my pace," he then grew serious, "besides, I made you a promise that I would stay. I'm not staying because of you. I'm staying because I want to and because I love you. I'm staying for us."
Drew hung his head laughing. "Oh man… you planned this, didn't you? Exactly like this…"
"Yes, yes I did. And you need to go before you're past curfew," Rick teased. "And I need to go to bed."
"I'm so proud of you, and I love you," Drew said, and then the feed was gone.