Hi everyone, thanks for reviewing, reading, following, and favoring. I appreciate the support. I just graduated so hopefully I will be able to update more often.
This chapter focuses more on Clay and Mia's relationship as they battle coparenting.
Please continue to review and let me know what you are thinking!
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Chapter 12- In Sickness and in Health
"I forgot I had the underwear on when I changed out of my dress. The remote fell out of my purse and Otis had it on full intensity the whole time. Clay found me and so we got each other off" she explained.
"Holy Shit Mia" Grace vented, "what does that mean? What are you going to do?" she asked.
"That is what I am calling you for. I need advice, Grace. What am I supposed to do? Nothing is going to change" she complained.
"Things better change. He needs to drop that bitch and see the fucking light" she exclaimed.
Mia couldn't help but laugh. "I hope so. Okay I'll let you go, I just needed to vent" she replied.
"Happy Valentine's Day Bitchy" Grace stated.
"Happy Valentine's Day Bitchy" Mia wiped her tears as she opened the gift bag and saw that it was a charm of a little girl holding a heart that matched her infinity necklace and bracelet.
She pulled out the card and cried even more,
"Happy Valentine's Day to one of the most important women in my life. I love you Mia and I love the family that we have built. I hope to spend infinity loving you and our daughter.
Happy Valentine's Day!
XOXO,
Clay"
Mia didn't know what to do after what happened on Valentine's Day with Clay. She tried to avoid him as much as possible.
It wasn't hard because she had work and was on call this week.
She practically lived at the hospital, only taking a break to see Ally when it was time to eat and before Jason picked her up.
Mia was working so hard; she was working herself thin.
She was making herself sick.
Mia really was not feeling good when she got home.
She picked up Ally from Jason's house and cuddled with her in bed.
She had no energy for anything.
After a practice run through in a mockup terrorist house, the guys debriefed with Command and Mandy.
"Derek, have you talked to Mia today?" Clay asked.
Derek shook his head, "no, Nikki saw her a little bit when she dropped Ally off this morning after work, but she just told me she was tired" he replied.
After school, Mikey stopped by his aunt's house to check on her and Ally. He also had to drop off her Tupperware.
His dad told him to check up on her while he was away at a conference with Mandy.
"Aunt Mia?" he called.
The house was in disarray when he walked in, concerning him.
His Aunt Mia was a control freak who always cleaned on her day's off.
He dropped the bag off in the kitchen before going through the house to find his aunt in her bedroom, covered under the blankets.
"Aunt Mia are you okay?" he asked.
She was sweating, flushed, just looked pale and clammy.
He picked up his phone and called his Aunt Clay.
"Hey Mikey, what's up?" Clay answered the phone.
"Uncle Clay, something is wrong with Aunt Mia. She is really pale and clammy and buried under 3 blankets. You need to come here" Mikey was panicking.
Clay looked at the guys concerned. He didn't know what to do.
"We'll be right there Mikey. Make sure you give her some Gatorade before you leave for hockey practice" Clay instructed.
"I will Uncle Clay. Are you coming over?" he asked.
Clay nodded as he grabbed his stuff and booked it to the parking lot so they could get to Mia's.
"We are on our way Mikey" he answered his nephew.
"Uncle Clay I am freaking out. Get here fast" Mikey said.
Clay made his way out and to Mia's house. She didn't live very far from the base and Jason's house.
It only took them 20 minutes to get to Mia's house.
Mikey had left for hockey practice but kept texting his Uncle Clay the whole time.
He was really worried about his Aunt Mia.
"Mia" Clay called out as he walked into the house.
The house was a complete mess. That was Clay's first clue that something was wrong.
Mia always used her first day off to clean her house, prep meals, and catch up on everything she missed while she was on call.
He could hear Ally crying upstairs, quickly made his way up to her room.
Clay went to check on Ally first, seeing her standing up in her playpen, bouncing her legs squealing when she saw her dad.
He leant down kissing her cheeks, "hi Angel, I will come back to you after I check on your mama" he said, giving her another kiss to the top of her head before leaving.
Clay moved down the hallway to Mia's room, knocking on the door. He didn't hear a response, so he let himself in to see Mia resting in bed.
She was pale, clammy, and bundled under a pile of blankets.
He walked over to the bed and rested his hand over her forehead. She felt really hot.
Clay took off his shoes and got into bed with Mia, sitting next to her, sifting his fingers through her hair.
After about half an hour, Mia was starting to get restless, jumping off the bed, launching to the bathroom, hugging the toilet.
Clay followed behind her, holding her hair back, rubbing her back in comfort.
"It's okay Mia, you're okay" he comforted as she retched and gagged.
She hadn't eaten in a couple days, there was nothing more in her stomach to vomit.
When she finally calmed down, panted to catch her breath, sagging against Clay.
He kept rubbing her back in comfort, pushing her hair off her face.
"Clay, when did you get here?" she asked as she leant forward to brush her teeth and wash her face.
"About an hour ago" he replied, "Mikey called me because Jase is away in Washington with Mandy. He was worried about you" he added.
"Ugh, I feel horrible. I am sorry you had to see this, Clay. You don't have to be here" she said.
"Mia, be real right now. You are the mother of my child, and you are sick. We have been over this. I am always going to be there for you" he waved her off.
She wiped her tears and nodded, "thank you" she whispered, sagging against him, completely drained.
Clay helped her change her clothes and get settled in bed.
"I am going down to grab you some Pedialyte, so you don't get dehydrated" he informed her.
Clay grabbed his phone and made his way downstairs to grab her a cup of Pedialyte and called Trent.
"Hey Clay, what's going on?" Trent answered the phone.
"Trent, Mia has been vomiting, has a fever, and pale. She hasn't been able to keep anything down for a couple days. What do I do?" Clay asked.
"She needs fluids Clay. If she can't keep any fluids down, call me back, and I'll be there to give her an IV" Trent explained.
"Thanks Trent, I'll call you if I need you" Clay stated as he made his way back upstairs to give Mia the Pedialyte.
Mia was sleeping when he got back into the room.
"Mia, Mims, I need you to wake up and take a sip of this babe" he helped her move so she was resting back against him, so she could take some sips of Pedialyte.
Clay settled back in bed, wrapping his arm around Mia, keeping her nestled against him.
The next morning, Mikey and Emma came over to check on their aunt.
Clay was sitting at the kitchen table with Ally in her highchair having breakfast when the kids walked in.
"Hey Uncle Clay" Mikey greeted as they walked in and joined him in the kitchen at the table.
"What's up guys? You guys doing okay with you dad being in Washington" he asked them.
"Yeah, we are good Uncle Clay. How's Aunt Mia? Mikey said she looked really bad yesterday. We brought soup and Gatorade" Emma replied putting the groceries on the counter.
"She is still sleeping. She had a rough night. I want to let her rest for today. I am just going to hang out here" he replied.
"Do you want me to take Ally to the park? I can call Cole and we can pick up Lainey to meet us there" she suggested.
"That would be great Emma" Clay said, taking the plates to the kitchen before dishing out breakfast for Emma and Mikey.
While they were eating and Ally was taking a nap, Clay packed them her backpack with some snacks for them to take to the park.
"You guys be careful" he said after packing everything up, "I am going to rest with your Aunt Mia" he added.
Clay walked quietly into the room and saw Mia was still sleeping.
Quietly he got into bed and cuddled behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Clay wasn't lying when he said they had a rough night. Mia had vomited multiple times throughout the night, barely getting any sleep.
When Ally got up from her nap, Emma and Mikey grabbed the bag and took her to the park.
Emma called Cole and told him to pick up Lainey and they were all going to play in the park and give Mia some time to rest.
The next time Mia woke up, she felt a weight against her stomach. Laying there for a minute, taking a deep breath, she realized that she was still feeling nauseas but there wasn't any urgency.
Looking down at the weight across her stomach, she saw it was an arm and followed it to see Clay fast asleep, his face buried in her hair.
She turned so they were face to face, causing Clay to shift and stretch.
"Mia, you okay?" he asked.
She nodded, "yeah, I actually feel a little better today. Still nauseas but not as bad" she explained.
"Mikey and Emma came over to check on you. They brought you some soup and Gatorade. I need you to try and have some Gatorade" he said as he turned to the nightstand and poured her a cup.
He helped her sit up against the headrest so she could sip her Gatorade.
She took the cup and finished the little bit that he poured for her, taking it slow so she could digest.
Clay sat up next to her, "how you feeling?" he asked.
"I am good" she replied.
Clay nodded and pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.
"Ugh, Clay don't do that. I probably smell awful, and I feel gross" she complained.
"I don't care Mia" he replied pulling her closer.
"No, I care. I want to shower" she stated.
"Do you think you will be able to?" he asked.
"I think so, just stay close" she said blushing bright red.
Clay got out of bed first and helped her sit up on the side of the bed, "just sit there for a minute" he instructed.
Mia took a minute to get her barring's. When she was feeling well enough, she grabbed his hand and got out of bed.
Clay helped her into the bathroom and sat her on the toilet while he got her shower ready.
He laid out a couple towels for her and started the water, waiting for it to get hot before he turned to Mia.
"Are you ready? Do you think you'll be okay alone?" he asked sincerely concerned.
She nodded, "yeah, but please stay outside the bathroom just in case" she said.
He nodded, "yeah, don't worry. I'll be in the bedroom, just yell out if you need anything" he left her to shower.
Mia took off her clothes and slowly got out of the shower, holding the wall to stable herself.
She still felt dizzy and dehydrated.
She tilted her head up towards the water. It felt so good to stand under the warm water.
When she went to straighten her head, the room started to spin, and she felt like she was going to pass out.
Mia reached out and held the wall for stability, "CLAY!" she yelled out.
Next thing she heard was the door bursting open, banging on the wall inside the bathroom, looking at her in concern.
"I can't turn my head, or I am going to pass out" she said.
He nodded and reached in to turn off the water, "okay, let me help you back to bed" he replied.
"No, please, I really feel gross. I need to shower" she protested.
He nodded, "okay, just give me a minute. I'll get in behind you and help you" he said.
Pulling away, he stripped down to his boxers and got in behind her.
"Lean against me" he said, grabbing her shoulders, and resting her back against his chest.
Clay reached over and grabbed the shampoo bottle, pouring an amount in his hand before massaging her scalp and lathering her hair.
She groaned and leant against him as he massaged her scalp.
He helped her turn and move forward to wash the soap from her hair.
Mia could feel that he was starting to respond to her body. She could feel him getting hard behind her.
Mia pulled away, "I'm sorry Clay, you don't have to be here with me, I can finish up" she said.
He held her shoulders to keep her in place.
"Don't worry about me Mia. This is about you. I don't want you to pass out and get sick. That's not important right now" he reassured her.
Clay continued helping her shower, helping her wash her body by rinsing the soap from her body.
Once he was finished, he grabbed her a fluffy towel and wrapped it over her body and helped her out of the shower to sit on the toilet seat.
"Feel better?" he asked as he grabbed a towel for himself wrapped around his waist.
"Yeah, so much better, but I am exhausted. I need to call Grace and check in with her tomorrow when I get back to work" she said.
He gave her a knowing look, "Mia, how the hell are you going to go to work? You can barely stand in the shower" he replied.
"I just have clinicals and office visits tomorrow" she stated.
He nodded, "you call me if you need me. We are just going to do drills tomorrow" he explained.
She nodded as he helped her up and walked her towards the bedroom. He helped her change into a nightgown before settling into bed.
Clay changed into some sweats, grabbed his phone, and took the tray of soup and cup of Gatorade to the kitchen.
He called Grace to update her on the situation.
"Hey Playboy, what's going on?" Grace asked.
"Hey Grace, listen, I need to talk to you about something" he replied leaning against the counter.
"Okay, you are worrying me, what's going on?" she stated.
"Mia has been feeling really sick for the last couple days. She is getting dizzy, throwing up, not able to keep anything in her stomach. She just looks bad. She told me that she is going to work tomorrow but she needs to be checked out" he informed Grace.
"Don't worry about Mia Playboy. I got her together. She is too stubborn to know any better. Don't worry" she replied.
He sighed in relief. "Good, please watch out for her tomorrow" he asked before hanging up.
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Mia was exhausted by midday. She saw over 30 patients already between office visits and virtual visits.
By the time lunch came around, she was completely done with the day. She had no energy for anything.
Grace found Mia with her head in her arms as she walked in.
"Mia, what the hell is going on with you?" she asked as she made herself comfortable on the chair in front of her desk.
"I don't know. I have been feeling like crap for a few days. I haven't eaten anything, been throwing up, nauseas, vomiting, it has been horrible. I couldn't even shower last night. It was awful" she complained.
Grace nodded as she thought everything over.
"We need to get a checkup for you Mia. That is not normal. We need to make sure everything is okay" she reasoned.
"Grace, it is probably just the stomach flu. I am sure I am fine" Mia complained.
She didn't want to make a big deal out of the situation.
"Mia be real, this does not sound like the stomach flu. You need to get this checked out. Let me do some labs and get a CT" Grace argued.
Mia sighed, "fine" she defeatedly followed her friend out of the office, calling Connor to finish her clinic for the day.
Grace ordered every single blood test she could think of while she ordered imaging for Mia. She wanted to check off all her bases, not wanting to miss anything.
When Clay got to the bunkroom to change, Jason and the guys were waiting to grill him.
Jason had filled them in on what was going on with Mia and that Clay stayed the night with her last night.
"So, how's my sister?" he asked.
Clay shrugged, "well, being the stubborn ass she is, she went to work today" he explained, shaking his head, "I called Grace and told her that Mia needed to get checked out" he added.
Jason nodded, "good, she can't say no to Grace or Connor" he replied.
"I just hope it isn't anything serious" Clay said.
Trent shook his head, "don't worry about it. From what you told me last night, everything was pointing to dehydration" he explained.
"I hope so" he replied.
At the hospital, Mia was done with her CT and was sitting in the lab with Grace as the tech drew her blood.
"Put a rush on those Michelle" Grace stated.
Michelle nodded, "you got it" she replied.
Mia fixed the sleeve of her shirt and put her jacket back on as she walked with Grace up to the surgery offices.
"This is all too much you know that. All of you are overreacting" she said.
Grace shook her head, "no way Mia, it's better to be safe than sorry" her friend replied.
Mia gave her a knowing look. Clay had egged Grace on with paranoia. She was freaking out about what was going on with Mia.
The rest of the day was hard for Mia, but she took it easy.
She had barely finished walking out her last patient when Grace flew through the door.
"What's going on?" she asked concerned.
"Mia, I got your test results" Grace said walking in, closing the door to the office.
They sat down on the couch in the office, "okay, what did they say. What's going on?" she asked.
"Mia, your WBC were high, your estrogen was high, and the CA protein was increased" Grace explained concerned.
Mia sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears and nodded as she processed the information.
"Okay, let's not panic, the first thing we need to do is get a pelvic exam. And then I am going to schedule you for a laparoscopy" Grace said.
Mia nodded, "don't say anything about this to anyone in my family Grace. I only want you and Connor to know. I don't want Jason or Clay to know" she replied.
"Mia, you are going to need your family to support you with this" Grace argued.
"No, deployment is coming up. I don't want anyone to know. I will tell Naimah, but I am not telling anyone else. Just you guys. If I need something, I will talk to you" she replied.
"Mia, come on" Grace pushed her.
She shook her head, "no, they need to worry about deployment and not me. Let's just hope this is not serious and we don't have to burden them with this" Mia stated.
She was completely serious that she didn't want to worry them for no reason.
Once she was done with her shift, she went to daycare to pick up Ally and take her home.
Mia put Ally in her walker and let her walk around the kitchen while she made dinner.
"Okay babe, what do you think about some chicken and asparagus? I think that sounds good" she asked, looking back at Ally.
She squealed and threw her arms up at her mom with her toys.
Mia laughed, "good deal" she replied as she started on their dinner.
While Mia started on dinner, she heard a knock and then the door opened, and she saw Clay walk in.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked.
He left his stuff by the door, taking off his shoes and making his way inside, towards the kitchen.
"I wanted to check on you and make sure that everything was okay. Did you get checked out today at work?" he asked as he leant over and picked up his daughter, kissing her cheek.
She nodded, "yeah, Grace did some blood work and a CT scan and there was nothing to worry about. Everything is fine. All you need to worry about is deployment and coming back to us in one piece" she stated.
He let out a deep breath in relief, swaying with his daughter in his arms.
"Thank God, I really don't know what I would do without you Mia. There is no way I could raise our daughter without you" he replied.
She smiled sincerely. "That's really nice Clay" she said.
"It's the truth" he replied.
He really didn't know what he would do without Mia.
The rest of the night was really peaceful.
Clay stayed over with Mia and Ally for dinner and just to hang out with Ally. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.
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Over the next couple weeks, Mia was going for tests and procedures with Connor and Grace at the hospital while the boys were getting ready for deployment.
Mia wanted to keep the boys in the dark so all they had to worry about was deployment.
She wanted them to be safe and come back to her safe.
Mia had Jason watch Ally while she was getting the laparoscopy, just telling him that she was on-call and needed to stay at the hospital.
Grace was with her the whole time while Tessa did the procedure after conducting another pelvic exam.
The labs were increased, abnormal, so Tessa pulled some samples for biopsy, putting a rush on them.
The girls didn't want Mia to wait for the results.
They knew that the boys were deploying soon, and that Mia would want the results before they left.
From the procedure, Mia knew that there was a tumor, but they didn't know if it was benign or cancerous and they wouldn't until the pathology came back.
She wasn't telling anyone.
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The night before deployment was tense and filled with tension.
Clay started off at Stella's apartment first.
He stood with her in the kitchen, her arms wrapped around him.
"I am going to miss you so much Clay" she mumbled against his chest.
"I know honey, but it is only three months. I am sure they are going to go by fast. If you need anything, you know to go to Mia or Naimah. That's what the families are there for, to support each other" he replied.
"I know honey" Stella replied, pulling away, running her hands up and down his chest.
"Please try to keep in contact. I will be missing you so much. Please be careful" she warned.
He nodded, "I will. I will try to call and email as much as I can. I'll video call as soon as we can and get settled at camp" he informed her.
Clay tried to keep her as updated and informed as possible.
He knew she wasn't used to this.
"Are you going to stay the night?" Stella asked.
"No, I am going to head to Ray's for the barbeque and see Ally before I leave. Do you want to come with me?" he replied.
She shook her head, "no, that's okay. I am glad we were able to say goodbye alone and keep this to ourselves" she stated.
He nodded and finished their goodbye, giving Stella one last hug and kiss. Promising her to call and keep in contact when he could.
Mia took off work so she could be there to see Clay and Jason off to the plane and be there for her niece and nephew.
Clay was tense and somber.
As soon as Mia got to Ray's for the farewell barbeque, Clay took Ally and kept her in his arms.
He didn't want to let her go for anything. He wanted as much time with her as possible.
"Do you have everything packed and ready to go?" Mia asked as she sat next to Clay on the chair.
He nodded, "yeah, we should be gone for about three months" he replied.
"Clay" she tried.
Clay wanted to give her the rundown on what was going to happen.
"I know this is not your first deployment, but it shouldn't be dangerous. We are going to get the asshole who went after Charlie and Charlie Team" he stated.
"Clay" Mia started.
"While Bravo and Alpha are deployed, you lean on Rob and Charlie Team if you need anything. They are staying back the first three months" he added.
"CLAY!" she raised her voice.
He looked at her surprised, "what?" he asked, rubbing his hand absently up and down Ally's back.
"Clay" Mia reached over and ran her hand through the hair at the nape of his neck, trying to calm him down.
"You are talking to me, Mia Hayes, remember. I have been dealing with deployments since I was in high school. I know the drill. Everything is going to be fine. We are going to be fine" she reassured him.
He nodded and cuddled Ally, kissing the top of her head, "I know, it's just that Stella has been giving me such a hard time and I feel like I constantly need to explain myself" he explained.
Mia smiled sadly. She didn't want to step over the line, but she also wanted to reassure him.
"Well, not to be disrespectful or judgmental to Stella, but I am not like other women, especially not like her. I have lived through this process many times and while I have worried about my brother and the guys on the TEAM, I can handle it. I am going to worry about you, Jason, and the guys more than I probably should, but that is my job for the next three months. Your only job is to come home safely to me" she stated.
He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her to his side, kissing the top of her head, hugging her to him.
"I am worried about you Mia. What if you have another episode and can't get out of bed for days. Who is going to help you?" he expressed.
Mia smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder, whispering in the crook of his neck, "please don't worry about us. We are going to be fine. I have Grace, Tessa, Naimah, Connor, and a lot of people to help me. Don't worry about that."
"I need you to know that I love you, Mia. I love you and our daughter more than I could ever express in words" he replied.
She smiled, still running her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck, "don't start with the goodbyes Clay" she said, pulling away to wipe her tears.
The rest of the guys were standing by the bar, watching the interaction between Clay and Mia.
"We need to get him back in one piece" Derek said.
"We are all getting back in one piece" Jason replied.
"Who do you think he is going to be thinking about when he is deployed?" Jeremy asked.
"Our Sunshine of course. Dark Vader has no chance" Sonny stated.
"Are you calling Stella Dark Vader?" Trent asked Sonny with a smirk.
"She has been turning our boy against our family" he replied.
"Speaking of, here she comes" Jason mumbled under his breath, nodding in the direction of the patio doors.
They all watched her freeze at the patio door, looking at what was happening with Mia and Clay.
They were still sitting there, holding each other, Ally between them.
She steeled herself, glaring at him as she walked over.
"What is going on over here?" she asked as she stepped in front of them.
Clay looked up as Mia pulled away from him.
She wiped her tears as she looked up at Stella, waiting for Clay to reply to her.
Mia was not talking to Stella, because she didn't want to cause a problem.
"We were just saying goodbye, and I was keeping Mia updated on deployment, like I told you earlier. I thought you weren't coming" he informed her.
She nodded, "Well, I wanted one more final goodbye" she said to Clay before turning to Mia, "yeah I am sure it is going to be hard for you since you have to take care of the kids alone and all" Stella tried to through a dig at her.
Mia smirked, "yeah, it is going to be hard, but I won't be doing things alone. I have my friends at the hospital and the Charlie Team to help me if I need them. Being part of the Teams family, you are never alone. Maybe you should try being part of the Teams family and you can experience that too" she said, getting up, taking Ally and walking away.
Stella looked after her, her mouth wide open.
"What the hell did she just say?" she gasped, looking at Clay.
Clay sighed, wiping a hand over his face, "why did you have to start with things Stella? We are deploying tomorrow. I don't need to deal with this bullshit. If you are coming to the plane tomorrow, you need to keep your mouth shut so I can say goodbye to my family in peace" he argued, taking a chug of his beer.
Clay stayed with Mia that night, so he could spend as much time with Ally as he possibly could.
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The next day, Mia drove Clay to the airstrip where all the team was waiting with their families and significant others.
When Mia pulled up, she saw Emma standing with Mikey and Jason by his truck, so she grabbed Clay's hand and walked over to them.
Since Clay had Ally in his arms, she hugged all the guys and told them that she would miss them.
Kissing her brother on the cheek, she turned to the rest of Bravo Team, "you guys better be safe over there and please watch out for each other. You all better come back in one piece" she said to each of them.
"Don't worry Sunshine, we'll look out for little Bam Bam for you" Sonny replied.
She smiled and wiped her tears, "you better" she said.
Clay wrapped his arm around Mia's shoulder with his free hand and pulled her to his side.
"We'll be okay Mia. Don't worry about us" he said.
She nodded, wiping her tears, trying to smile at him.
"We'll try to call and video call when we can. You keep emailing and sending us updates of the Gumdrop" Jason said reaching over to take Ally into his arms, kissing the top of her head.
Mia nodded, "we will, don't worry. And don't worry about Emma or Mikey either. You know I got them" she said wrapping her arms around her niece and nephew's shoulders.
He nodded, "thanks Sis" Jason pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.
"Where's Stella?" Trent asked.
"We said our goodbyes last night. She didn't want to deal with this today and besides, I told her that I would talk to her when I got there" Clay replied.
"Teams, time to round up!" Blackburn called out from the plane.
Jason watched as Mia walked into Clay's arms with Ally, pressing into him, giving him a big hug, trying to hide her tears.
Clay pulled back, cupping her cheeks, pressing a kiss to her forehead, dipping his head to kiss Ally's cheek.
"I love you, Angel. Daddy will be back as soon as he can and will see you soon. You be good for Mama" he said, kissing her cheek trying to take this moment with him.
"Bye Dada" Ally waved as he pulled away to say goodbye to Mia.
"Come back to us in one piece please" she called out as she stood with Emma and Mikey as they watched the teams walk to the plane and get on.
Emma wrapped her arm around her Aunt Mia.
"It's going to be okay Aunt Mia. We'll be here for you" she said.
On the plane, Clay sat next to Jason, his head bent over a picture of Mia, Ally, and him on Christmas with Santa.
Jason patted his back, squeezing his teammate's shoulder.
"They are going to be fine Clay. Don't worry. Charlie Team will be there for them. You know that" he reassured him.
Clay sighed and put the picture back in his heart pocket.
"It's not the same Jase. You know Mia hasn't been feeling well and even though she told me that everything was okay, I still feel like there is something wrong. What if it is something serious and I am not there for her" he replied.
Jason sighed, "we'll it's too late to do anything about it now. We just have to trust and believe that everything will be okay" he stated.
Clay nodded, "I know. Don't worry, I'll be mission ready. I just…I am worried about them" he vented.
Jason nodded in understanding, "I get it Clay, but we need to let that go and worry about doing the mission and coming back home to them" he tried to reassure Clay.
"I get it Jase. I promise I'll be straight by the time we land" he replied.
Jason squeezed his shoulder, "take the time and keep positive. If something was really wrong, Mia would have told you" he reassured him.
Clay nodded, leant his head back, and closed his eyes.
He just prayed and hoped that everything was going to be okay, especially with Mia.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
When they landed in Afghanistan, they were immediately escorted to J-Bad to Camp Echo.
It was somber because the guys were taking over Charlie Team's bunks.
Their markings, countdowns, and initials were still etched in the wood of the bunks.
The guys stood in the middle of the bunkroom and just looked around, stopping in front of Charlie's bunk.
He had a picture of Kara and Lainey pinned to the post of the bunk.
"We are going to get that asshole" Sonny said what everyone was thinking.
Jason sighed and nodded, "let's get settled and then meet up with Command" he ordered all of them.
After the guys got settled, they made their way to the briefing room.
Mandy, Blackburn, and Davis stood in front of the table going over their mission for the day.
"Rakim Saddik is the brother-in-law of Muhammad Abdul Karim, who we believe is the one who ordered the attack on Charlie and Charlie Team" Mandy started.
"So that's our target. What's the situation?" Jason asked.
"We are doing a takedown of Saddik's house. We have intel to indicate that Abdul Karim is going to be there, and they have information on the hit on Charlie Team and future attacks. They are considered high value targets" Blackburn added.
Jason looked at his team, noting the expressions on each of their faces. They knew the severity of the mission.
They wanted to get the people responsible for Charlie's murder.
He looked back to Command and nodded, "we got this" he said looking to Ray to start strategizing.
Once they had their mission plan set, they all got mission ready.
"Okay, we have about 10 minutes to get settled, get yourselves together, and get your phone calls off" Jason ordered looking at Clay, giving him a pointed look.
At that, the guys dispersed. They each went their own ways, some to get their packs ready, some back to the bunk room, and Clay to the Comms tent so he could call Mia.
The guys were able to get their emails, phone calls, and letters to their family members before they got ready to go.
Clay sat at the desk in the Comms tent and opened the skype application on the laptop to skype Mia.
Mia was at her desk going over charting when her phone starting ringing with a video call from skype.
She could see that it was Clay calling from his Afghanistan number.
Mia put the chart down and immediately grabbed her phone to accept the call.
She knew that the guys didn't always have time to call or get in contact with them, so she wanted to take advantage of the time they did have together.
"Hey Mia" he greeted.
"Hi, are you okay? Are you guys settled? Did you get there okay? What's going on?" she asked.
Clay laughed, "Mia, relax, yeah, we are all good. Everyone is fine, don't worry about it. How's Ally? Are you at work?" he questioned.
He could see that she was at her desk at work because he saw the charts behind her and the pictures of her degrees on the wall behind her.
Mia smiled and set the phone on the stand on her desk, so she had her hands free.
She leant against her desk and leant into the phone.
"She is doing good. She already misses you. All last night she was going around the house carrying the phone calling for you. It was really cute. I took a video of it and sent it to you, so you should get it in your email" she informed him.
Clay nodded, "I miss her too. I miss her more than anything. How are you feeling Mia?" he asked.
Mia froze for a second. She hoped it didn't show on her face because Mia didn't really want to tell him about the test results.
"I am doing okay. Feeling better. Don't worry about me Clay. You guys just worry about doing your job and coming back in one piece, all of you" she stressed.
He smiled and squeezed the back of his neck, "I am still worried about you and Ally" he stated.
"Yeah, I get it. I am going to worry about you guys too" she replied.
"Are you sure you are feeling okay Mia? Did you get the test results back?" he asked.
Clay could tell that something was wrong. He could see it in her face.
Mia nodded, "yeah, I promise I am good. We got the results back, but they were inconclusive, so I just have to get some more testing" she said.
"Tess and Grace have it under control. They are making sure that I am okay. Don't worry" added.
Before Clay could reply, Jason knocked on the bunk door.
"It's time for the briefing" he announced, walking further into the room.
"Hey Mia, everyone okay at home?" Jason asked.
"Hi Jase, yes, we are all good. Mikey and Emma are coming to the house tonight so they can stay with me. Don't worry about us. We are doing good. You all just worry about yourselves and coming back to us in one piece" she replied.
"Call or email when you can" she added.
"Wait, Mia, before you hang up, there is something I need to say," he said, "I have been thinking about this a lot since you got sick and we got the deployment date and stuff, but you need to understand that if anything were to happen, I know we would be there for each other. If something really is wrong, then I want you to know that it's okay to tell me" he informed her.
"Mia, I am going to be there with you for anything. In sickness and in health, doesn't matter we aren't married or anything. I am always going to be there for you. I want you to know that. When you get the results back of the tests and stuff, I want you to tell me. I'll see you okay" Clay added before he hung up the phone.
Mia hung up and sighed, wiping a hand down her face. That was a really hard conversation, but she was glad she had their support.
Now she just hoped she really didn't need it, and everything was going to be okay with the biopsy.
As she hung up with Clay, Grace walked in, her head buried in a chart, "hey Mia, so I need you to take a look at this patient for me…why are you crying?" she stopped when she saw her holding her head in her hands.
"I just got off the phone with Clay and he told me that if anything happened to me, he would help me and be there for me in sickness and in health no matter what" she explained with tears rolling down her face, "I think he knows something is up Grace" she added.
Grace put the chart on the desk and wrapped her arms around her friend in a hug.
"It is going to be okay. We just have to think positively. The biopsy results should be back by next week and then we will know for sure. In the meantime, just be positive" she reassured her.
"I really hope so Gracie. I hope you are right" Mia said as she wiped her tears and took comfort in her friend.