Dalton acknowledged the warm greeting from the guards with a wave as he waited for the gates to open. Shifting his bag with only a slight twinge in his side he entered the base with a smile.
He studied the metal structure they used as a home base. It wasn't much to look at but right now it was a sight for sore eyes right now. His view swept the front area seeing various service men out enjoying the more palatable Turkish heat at this time of the day. He gave them a friendly nod but not seeing any of his team, continued on towards the bunker entrance.
It felt like forever since he had seen them. They had checked in on him regularly but it wasn't the same as going out on multi-day missions together and hanging around shooting the shit in their down time. He vaguely remembered interacting with them through a few layers of drugs when he had first woken up. He could recall seeing their faces and being comforted that they were safe, but realistically most of the first few days had been a blur of opiates and sleep. Somewhere in there he had been transferred back stateside and it was only in the hospital in DC a few days later and a few doses lower that he had really felt awake.
It had been a long 6 weeks. Unbelievably, unbearably, unendingly ...long.
After the first week he was already going stir crazy, itching to get back to his normal activities. Unfortunately his body was not quite as ready as he was. He had detested being weak, being unable to sit up without help, absolutely exhausted after walking a few wheezing steps.
2-3 months they had said. Well, he had done it in half that, obsessively working on his rehab to the great exasperation of his team of therapists. Physio, OT, respiratory therapy he had seen them all and done it all. In fact, if he had been asked to blow into that stupid tube making that stupid ball raise one more time he might have lost it and just shot the damn thing. Maybe his therapists had gotten that sense too, finally wearing down and agreeing to release him for light duty back with the team.
He still had a few more weeks before he would be ready to go out on a mission. The wounds and broken bones had healed quick enough but the loss of strength would take awhile to rebuild. Thankfully, this was as good a place as any to do that and at least here he could help coordinate from the base, feel a part of the missions in some manner. The worst thing for him had been feeling disconnected from what the team was doing. He trusted Preach to lead the team, but it still had killed him to know they were going out without him that if they got into trouble he couldn't be there to help them. Time off was greatly overrated as far as he was concerned.
He opened the door to the bunker, expecting to see some signs of life and was not disappointed. He was nearly bowled over by a leaping black and brown ball of fur, catching the wriggling excited dog with a grunt. He wrestled with the dog for a few more seconds finally telling Patton to sit. Patton ignored him and continued practically scaling him in an effort to lick his face. Pushing the dog off he laughed. Some things never changed.
Straightening up he threw his bag on the couch. He called out, receiving no response and began to wonder if the team had been called away on a mission. The DIA hadn't mentioned it when they were preparing the logistics for his return but something could have come up last minute. Although the room didn't give the impression that people had left in a hurry. The makeshift kitchen was clear and all the dishes were drying in the rack. The gear racks seemed fully stocked with no vital pieces missing that would indicate the team had gone out. They had to be around somewhere.
Patton was whining and scratching at the door that led out to the back area. He opened the door for the dog, wondering briefly if the regs would let him put in a dog door. Probably pushing it a bit. They already turned a blind eye to the fact that the mutt had taken up permanent residence with the team Structural modifications might take it past the threshold they could pretend not to see. He followed the dog outside, squinting as his eyes re-adjusted to the bright sunlight. He surveyed the yard in front of him smiling at the familiar landscape beyond the fences.
A loud chorus distracted him….."Top!" and he turned towards the picnic area to find his entire team waiting for him with beers raised to his return. He grinned and tension he didn't know he was carrying seemed to melt away as he headed towards them. He grabbed the beer that Preach handed him and observed the set up. It looks like they were cooking up quite a feast. McG traveled back to the barbecue evidently in charge of what lay within. He groaned, "if you guys were going to cook me something to celebrate you could have at least let Amir do it" McG shot him a fake wounded look while everyone else chuckled, effectively breaking the ice and restarting the conversation. Dalton sat back in his chair happily listening to them complain and blame each other for the the different meals that had been butchered recently.
He must be a bit rusty because he was startled when McG placed a plate full of food in front of him, not having heard the man coming. "Here Top, we cooked up something special for the guest of honor."
Dalton looked in confusion at the pyramid of barbecued corn on the cob in front of him. What was he missing here? He had expected burgers, hoped for a steak...but certainly wasn't anticipating an entire plateful of corn.
Glancing around he saw faces that were working suspiciously hard to remain blank. McG continued on in a serious tone, but was unable to fully contain his amused smirk "we took a vote and decided a change in diet was in order for you to help ensure we don't ever have a repeat of the Mongolia mission"
It clicked into place suddenly and Dalton erupted in laughter. His own words from the field coming back to him now "Almost got my ass whupped, guy was a corn fed son of a bitch." The team too lost their composure and joined in, echoing his amusement. His ribs quickly reminded him that they were still not quite up to prolonged bouts of laughter but he resolutely ignored them, utterly content to be back sharing this light-hearted moment with his friends.
Damn it was good to be home.
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Thanks to everyone who went on this journey with me. It was crazy to see how many people were reading along. I have enjoyed reading fanfics for a while but this is the first time I dabbled in writing one. Just couldn't get this story out of my head and here we are a few thousand words later. Here's hoping Jan 8th comes soon!