II

"Alright, that'll do it for the arm," McG announced as he placed a clean bandage on top of Amir's forearm. "Now lift up your shirt."

"Excuse me?" Amir asked in a flat tone as Jaz laughed in the background. Yeah, McG hadn't expected that to fly, but he'd partially hoped it would. Did this man have to argue with everything he's told?

"You heard me," McG answered. "Lift up your shirt. I know you're hurt, man. Let me see how bad."

"No," Amir said, his role as willing participant over.

"What, are you scared that Jaz is gonna see your manly chest?" McG challenged with a smile. "She's a woman in the US Military. Trust me, she's seen better things than your chest."

When Amir stiffened, McG reflected that he probably could have thought of a better way to persuade his patient, but then, he wouldn't be McG if he had. With the flat stare still in place, Amir repeated, "No."

"Alright," McG said, not missing the way his new teammate relaxed at the word. Without bothering to ask when he knew what the answer would be, McG reached out and pressed against Amir's left side.

"Hey!" Amir objected, wincing when his startled movement brought on pain.

"Well nothing feels broken," McG confirmed. He hadn't really expected there to be, but still, one had to make sure. The best way to be positive was to confirm with an x-ray, but if he were to judge by the amount of pain the shorter man was exhibiting, McG would say that Amir had a deep bruise and nothing more. "But you're going to be pretty sore for a few days."

"Thank you," Amir retorted, now looking angry. "Am I free to go now?"

"After you've had something to eat, you can," Preach interjected, placing a big ol' pan of spaghetti onto the table. When McG's stomach rumbled at the sight, Preach gave him a raised eyebrow before he turned around to grab plates and place settings. With those set beside the pan, he began dishing the food out.

"Thank you, but I'm not that hungry," was Amir's all-too polite response.

"Too bad," Top said as he joined them at the table looking fresh as a daisy and still none too happy. "You're going to sit there and eat what Preach gives you, then we're going to talk."

"Uh-oh," McG whispered, partially under his breath. "Somebody's in trouble." Both he and Jaz snickered, but he stopped when he looked up and met Top's blank glare. "Sorry," he added as an afterthought with a shrug. He wasn't, but he may as well say it. Top was still on edge and was in no mood for jokes.

Moving carefully, Amir pivoted to do as he was told. Keeping a careful watch on his stubborn patient, McG did likewise. He wished he could be a fly on the wall during the "talk", but he knew that Top would want to handle this alone. McG may not have known Amir long, but even he knew that the man was more likely to talk if it was just him and Top.

Too bad, McG thought with an inward shrug. I'd like to know how much of a beatdown I need to give Doyle.

oOo

Amir did his best to make a dent in the considerable portion of pasta which Preach had piled onto his plate, but he simply wasn't hungry. Knowing that he wouldn't be left alone until he'd eaten something, Amir did what he could. From the looks he was receiving from both Preach and Top, it wasn't enough, but he didn't care.

While they ate, the others chatted, sharing stories in hopes of helping Amir get better acquainted with them and with their history together as a team. Good-natured teasing was also thrown in, of which Jaz was the main instigator, but they could each give as good as they got. For his part, Amir let them take the lead. It would be easier for him to learn how to better adapt to their dynamic if he listened so that was what he did.

When the meal was over, Amir was one of the first who started to clear away and clean up. He half expected Top to put an end to it, no doubt desirous of having that discussion with him, but instead the man continued to sit at the table and watch him. Amir did his best not to squirm under the observation, using the act of putting the food away and cleaning the dishes to distract him from his unease.

Once he was finished, Top stood up. "Let's take a walk," he said, the suggestion more a veiled command than anything else. Muffling a sigh, Amir tossed the dish towel onto the back of a chair to dry and followed his CO into the evening air.

Night had fully descended over Turkey, bringing such darkness that it was almost suffocating. Unlike many, Amir found comfort in the dark. He had been operating from it for the past three years; he was used to it. In many ways he operated there still. Beyond those working in the DIA and the members of his team, none knew what Amir did. He liked it that way; it made hiding the blood on his soul that much easier.

"You wanna explain to me what I walked in on earlier?" Top asked, barging into Amir's thoughts like a sledgehammer. His tone was curious, almost concerned, but Amir could tell that he was tense. It wouldn't take much to push him.

The small sliver of peace Amir had gained in the quiet shattered like glass at the reminder. He'd allowed himself to briefly forget his situation, to feel safe. That wasn't a mistake he could afford to make here. Amir shrugged one-shouldered, knowing that Dalton expected an answer. "Nothing."

"Nothing," Top repeated sounding doubtful and frustrated in one. "Amir, do I need to remind you that Doyle was ready to kick the shit out of you not two hours ago?"

"No, you don't," Amir said, his words clipped as anger began to surface. His side hadn't stopped throbbing since the hits had occurred. Sure the pain had quieted, but it was there, serving as a reminder of what could have been.

There was a pause as Dalton watched him. "How long has this been going on?"

Amir shrugged again, looking into the night sky. "It hasn't."

"Amir, a guy like Doyle doesn't just decide to beat the crap out of a subordinate. He works up to it. So I'm gonna ask you again, how long has this been going on?"

"Today was the first day they'd used violence," Amir answered in a reassuring tone. He inwardly winced when he realized just how bad it had sounded. To others, it may have been comforting to know that, but to a man like Dalton, that wasn't going to be good enough.

There was another pause as Top crossed his arms over his chest. "How long?"

Amir switched his gaze to his CO, staring at the man until he saw what he needed in order to gauge how he should reply. Recognizing defeat, he went back to staring at the sky, answering, "It started about three weeks after I arrived."

"Right, so when you were sent to train with him," Top rightly surmised. While Amir stood still where he was, hands in his pockets, Dalton began to pace. The movement drew Amir's gaze from the inky black above him to the man in front of him. Something about this situation was clearly bothering the blonde; Amir just couldn't narrow down what. When he stopped, it was to face Amir, a challenge in his blue eyes. "Why didn't you come to me about it? Why did I have to walk in on what looked like a schoolyard fight in order to find out?"

"Top, do you think that I haven't been bullied before?" Amir dryly asked. He shrugged, wincing when it pulled on his injured side. "It's the same wherever I go."

Which was probably why he had stayed under with ISIS for so long. Amir wouldn't have called the past three years safe to any degree as there wasn't a day when one person or another hadn't tried to kill him. At first, it was merely part of the initiation; his cover had been written to get him in with those at the top, but Amir had still had to prove himself. Even so, Amir had felt accepted. He had felt more able to be himself there than he ever had on base. It was an uncomfortable thought, and one that he didn't like having.

"Has it ever gotten physical?"

Top's question brought Amir back to the present. He placed his hands on his hips, wincing again when it awoke the pain in his side. Bringing his left arm down in a hurry, Amir held it close to his torso. "Does it matter?" he asked, refusing to answer. There had been a few incidents, but Dalton didn't need to know about them since there was nothing he could do about the past.

"Still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me," Dalton insisted. "I don't care if you're used to it, or whatever. I'myour CO; it's my job to ensure the safety of my team. You not telling me about this makes my job harder."

"It's not like I wasn't safe," Amir tried to appease.

"That bruise on your side would beg to differ," Top argued back, stubbornly refusing to give in.

That was fair, but Amir wasn't going to admit that out loud. Top was making way too much out of this situation and he needed to figure out how to calm the man down. "We can talk about this in the morning," he said, wanting to end this conversation. He needed time to think, to figure out what he was going to say and how he could get Dalton off his back. The truth wasn't likely to help so he needed to find something else that would.

He pivoted to leave, hoping that the action would help end things for the night, but was stopped when Top grabbed his arm. His grip was firm, strong, and it hurt. Since Dalton had been reacting more than thinking, he had seized Amir by his right arm. Amir hissed before he could stop himself and Top instantly let go.

"We're not done," Top said in a calmer, quieter voice. It was obvious he was still angry, but he was no longer broadcasting that fact to anyone decently able to read a person.

"Top."

McG's voice from behind Amir's right shoulder made him jump. When Dalton looked at the taller man, Amir turned and walked back into the bunker. He would hear about it from Top tomorrow, he knew, but for now he couldn't care less. Right now, he needed to rack out and process the day.

oOo

Adam ignored McG's angry stare as he watched Amir make his way to the bunks. Spots of red decorated the bandage on his arm, sending guilt to nest in his stomach. He hadn't meant to hurt the man, however slightly. But something about the way Amir was avoiding the subject made Adam think there was more to the situation than he knew and that was a thought that wasn't settling well with him.

"What was that?" McG asked, bringing Adam's attention back to him.

Adam crossed his arms over his chest, feeling more defensive by his friend's tone than he would like to admit. "What was what?"

"Since when have you ever kept forcing an issue?"

"I push all the time," Adam argued, waving aside the concern he heard in McG's voice. Moving past the taller man, Adam went to the kitchen for some water. They both knew that it was to give Adam something to do, but McG didn't comment on it.

"Not when we're not in the field, you don't," McG argued back. "Not when it isn't a matter of life or death."

"That's just it," Adam countered, putting the water bottle down onto the table and squaring off with the team's medic. "This is a matter of life or death. If I can't trust him to tell me when something's going on, then how can I trust that he's not hurt and hiding it?"

McG was quiet for a time as he thought over the implications, silently watching Adam. He looked in the direction of the bunks, pausing to blindly stare at the injured man within, then went back to staring at Adam. "Did you ever think that, just maybe, he doesn't know if he can trust us yet?"

That actually hadn't occurred to Adam. While the team hadn't given Amir a reason not to trust them, they hadn't exactly gone out of their way to do the opposite either. Jaz's attitude alone was enough to make any new teammate reluctant and Amir wasn't just any new teammate - he was an ex-spy. For the past three years he had learned to be a private man out of necessity; his life had depended on it. Breaking that habit was going to take time.

Unfortunately, with a team like Adam's, time wasn't on their side. They had to be able to knowingly throw themselves into life or death situations and trust that their teammates were going to back them up and get them out alive. If Amir couldn't do that, there was going to be a problem. Yet, he had willingly thrown himself in with Akmuti when the time had called for it. Was it possible that he trusted them when it came to missions but not when it came to him personally?

This is maddening, Adam thought as he began to pace. This was why he wanted to talk with Amir. He needed to get things cleared up before it started to affect the team.

"You should sleep," McG said when the silence had carried far longer than it should have. He paused a moment then added, "We all should."

Adam knew he was right, but he just wasn't ready yet. "You go, I'll be there in a bit," he idly said, his mind racing. The others had already gone, so it was just the two of them left.

Although it looked like he wanted to, McG didn't argue with him. He shrugged, then went to do as he was told. "Try not to let it bother you," he said just as he reached the doorway. "Amir'll come around. He doesn't know you that well yet."

Once he was gone, Adam sat down in the closest chair with a sigh. He couldn't help but wonder, if a trained spy wasn't sure he could be trusted, what did that say about him?

TBC