Brothers Reunited
Wednesday morning, just before dawn, Bravo and Alpha sat together at a folding table inside a tent in their temporary camp. They were drinking coffee and staring at the map now marked up with the areas they had already searched. Jason and Metal had met during the night with Blackburn and Kevin from support to select the area they would focus on next.
When they headed out, more determined than ever to bring home their boys, it had been just under seventy hours, almost three full days and nights, since the original sandstorm had separated Bravo's young rookies from their senior teammates.
Metal, Derrick and Josh stood together, organizing their gear and hanging back to wait for the senior members of Bravo who were surrounding the young computer guy from their support team. Tim, the support team leader, was there as well, sticking close to his young brother who was doing his best to hold it together under the pressure from Bravos One through Four to continually analyze and reassess the information they had in order to set the next search area.
Alpha's senior guys had been friends, teammates and now lifelong brothers to Jason, Trent and Sonny since they were kids themselves. They had been to hell and back with each other more than once over the past twenty-five years - before Brock and Clay were even born. And they had never seen their brothers in this condition.
To the outside observer, and even men like Blackburn and the support guys who had come to know them well, Bravo was calm, determined, and confident that they would find their boys and bring them home alive and well. But their brothers from Alpha could clearly see the cracks forming in their armor.
When Ray, who also was keenly aware of his older brother's growing desperation, joined Alpha's three longest serving teammates to update them on the plan for the day, Metal made eye contact with the younger man.
"How are they doing?" Metal asked quietly.
Ray took a breath, clearly trying to rein in his emotions while Josh reached over to squeeze his shoulder offering support.
Shaking his head, Ray looked back at his brothers. "Maybe it was a mistake to take on kids so young. I don't know," Ray admitted solemnly. "But the attachment and total responsibility they feel for those boys is completely different from their connection to any other brothers we've served with. I've never seen Jason this close to the edge. Not even when Alana died. If we lose Brock and Clay now, it will break them. All these years, everything we've seen and done, I never believed they could be broken. But now I can see they will never recover if we can't bring them back."
Derrick and Josh were silent. Metal nodded, looking over towards the three men walking toward them carrying their gear.
"Let's roll. Sun's up," Alpha One said with renewed determination, moving forward to join his brothers.
Up in their dark, cool cavern, the passing hours with no sign of their brothers was also weighing heavily on the young rookies.
When they were first separated in the sudden sandstorm, both Brock and Clay were one hundred percent confident that the senior members of Bravo would find and bring them back home to safety. The older men were their heroes. Their family. Both boys trusted them implicitly, sure if they just did what they had been taught to do, and held it together without panicking, Bravos One through Four would hunt them down, wrap them up and carry them back home to be fussed over, scolded, held, coddled, guarded and spoiled until they were healthy and ready to operate with the big boys once again.
Brock felt the panic rising first, but he refused to show weakness or doubt to his baby brother. The older kid knew he was the boss in the cavern. Jason had never shown anything but strength and confidence to him, and there was zero chance he was going to let down either his hero or the younger boy who was looking to him for care, protection and reassurance that everything was going to be okay.
Finding the water source was a huge win, but Clay was still burning up with fever that left him dehydrated, confused, and nauseous. He was in constant pain from the infected leg wound and he desperately wanted both Jason and Trent. His belly was aching and empty, he was exhausted and increasingly unable to hold down the small sips of water Brock regularly forced him to take. And by Wednesday, Clay was clinging to Brock, terrified to let the older boy out of his sight even for a few minutes.
By mid morning on Wednesday, Brock knew that if he didn't do something soon, Clay wasn't going to make it. And there was no way he was coming out of that cave alive without their baby, even if it meant neither of them was going home.
Bravo Five wasn't leaving the kid hysterical and alone deep in the cave, and Clay could not put any weight at all on his leg. So Brock strapped their weapons to Cerb's back, combined their water, med supplies, blankets, comms and Clay's clothes in one bag he put on his own back before picking up his little brother and carrying him to the front of the cave where he could survey the surrounding area and take care of the kid at the same time.
Once Clay was situated just inside the entrance to the cave, out of the blazing desert sun with Cerb by his side, Brock kissed the kid's hot forehead and told him that he was going to just go outside the entrance to look for signs of Bravo.
"You lay down here and rest with Cerb, Squirt," Brock said gently. "Take some sips of your water. I'll just be a few feet away, so call if you need me. I know the grumpy old men are close. I'm going to keep an eye out so we can signal to let them know where we are."
"You really think they're close, Brock?" Clay asked desperately.
"I know they are, honey," Brock said with confidence. "They have your map. They have Alpha for back-up. We just need to hold on a little longer. They will never leave us here. I promise."
"Okay, Brock," Clay whispered. "But don't go far without me. Just outside right?"
"Runt, I am not going anywhere without you," Brock assured him. "I'll be close. I can hear you, and Cerb is going to stay right here with you."
Brock carried both guns and a bottle of water outside with him, along with the radio which he turned on to listen for any communications. The sun was bright and blinding, so he put on his sunglasses and used his binoculars to survey the area. Climbing up to the top of the ridge where their cavern was nestled, Brock looked out to see the other side of the ridge.
For a brief few seconds, Bravo Five held his breath, thinking maybe he was imagining movement. Grabbing his binoculars, Brock focused the lenses with shaking hands to get a clearer view of what he was seeing far ahead toward the west. For a minute he thought he might actually cry.
Far ahead in the west, Brock could now clearly see a convoy of humvees heading in his direction. They were most definitely American. He watched stunned as they eventually stopped maybe a couple miles away. Close enough that from his high vantage point, Brock could see men in gear exiting the vehicles and forming groups.
He was too far away to make out faces, even with the binoculars. But Brock knew without a doubt that they were looking for him and Clay. Taking a deep breath, the kid made a decision.
Scrambling back over to the other side of the ridge to the opening of their own cavern, Brock rushed in to find Clay sleeping with his hand buried in Cerb's thick fur. Silently motioning for the dog to disentangle from the boy, his canine partner followed him outside clearly sensing that they were now in action mode.
Brock ordered Cerb to the top of the ridge where he had just been, closely following behind. Once at the top, he sat with the dog, talking as if he was sitting with one of his brothers.
"You see that, Cerb?" Brock said, pointing down to the tiny figures off in the distance. "I think that's Bravo down there. What do you think, Buddy? You think it's the grumpy old men coming for us. I bet they have some of your boys from the kennel back home with them. We need to let them know where we are. Clay needs Trent to get his butt up this ridge and sort his baby out ASAP."
The dog looked back at him with a serious expression as if he understood everything his partner and favorite human ever was trying to tell him.
"I can't leave the kid up here alone. And Jason will beat my ass if I try to get down there during the day. Just because we can't see them doesn't mean those sneaky bad guys aren't out there lurking around. Looking for us. We need to be smart," Brock told the dog. "So what do you think, partner? If I can let them know you're coming, you think you can find Bravo?"
"Firing a shot or flare is a definite no go," Brock explained. "They're still too far away. The bad guys might get to us first, and our kid is in no condition for fighting or running. And even if Bravo made it to us first, when mean ol' Uncle Sonny got his hands on me he'd give me a reminder I'd be feeling for a week that firing a signal when we don't know who is watching is never a good idea."
Cerb whined, laying down next to his kid. "That's what I think, too," Brock said. "We don't want any part of pissed off Uncle Sonny."
"The radio is super risky," Brock said hesitantly. "And Ray would say, don't panic and do something reckless. But maybe we can somehow send a quick signal with the radio. Something the guys would understand, that wouldn't tip off the enemy. Like we did with Clay's map. Obviously that worked, because here they come."
Cerb looked up at Brock, tilting his head to the side as if to ask, "What do you have in mind?"
Down on the ground approximately two miles west of the cavern where Bravo had no idea their young dog handler was watching them, the two tier one SEAL teams along with their support guys and two dozen young Marines continued to search in three-man groups. Jason was confident that between his support kid's gift for analyzing data and the map left behind by his boys that they were definitely in the right area. He could feel it in his bones, and Metal agreed.
The problem was that the ridge of hidden and buried caverns, caves, holes, burrows and crevices was four to five levels high in some areas and more than five clicks long, with caves opening on both sides. Hundreds of caves. Jason was confident they were somewhere in that ridge, but with Clay injured to an unknown degree and no idea if the boys had been able to secure a water source, every SEAL and Marine on that ridge understood that time was not their friend. And the threat of another sandstorm that could permanently bury their youngest brothers was always an unforeseeable threat.
Jason and Metal were in their regular huddle position with Tim, Kevin and Cody, Alpha's support team leader, along with Blackburn and a young Marine lieutenant whose men had been sent to set up camp and aid in the search. They were looking at new aerial photos Blackburn had received while Metal was on the comms checking in with the three man teams.
"What the hell was that?" Metal said, looking over at Cody. "Do you hear that tapping noise? It's on the open line."
"Alpha One to all elements," Metal barked into his radio. "I need radio silence."
"Yeah, I hear it boss," Cody said, turning toward Tim and Kevin. "You guys getting that?"
"Holy fuck!," Kevin yelled, looking around wildly. "Pencil! Pencil - I need something to write with. It's morse code on the open line. Hurry -it's fading."
Jason grabbed a pencil from Blackburn who was staring at the kid with the rest of the team leaders.
"Here," he said, shoving the pencil in the kid's hands. "Write!"
There was dead silence in the huddle as the kid took down the series of lines and dots.
"Fuck!" Metal growled. "It's gone. The tapping stopped and that line went dead."
"Did you get it?" Jason asked, radioing for Bravos Two, Three and Four to return to base camp ASAP.
"I don't know boss," I only got a string of letters that repeated twice. "Damn, I need my morse code book."
"Let me see it, son," Blackburn said. "I can read it."
The men stood silent. Jason could see Trent, Sonny and Ray walking quickly toward them.
Blackburn took the paper from the kid, glanced at it quickly, and looked up with a wide grin on his face.
"It says - C - E - R - B. C E R B".
"What's going on, Boss," Ray said, rushing up to the team leaders with Trent and Sonny close behind. "Did we find something?"
"He's sending the dog," Jason said, looking over at Metal. "Brock is sending down the dog."
"What?", Sonny said, confused. "Sending the dog? Where did you get that?"
"The tapping was morse code on the open line," Metal said, shaking his head. "It was just four letters. CERB."
Metal made eye contact with Jason. "I don't know about him using the comms, Jace," he said, shaking his head. "It's broad daylight."
"Something must be wrong, Boss," Trent said seriously. "We've told him never to do that. The kid wouldn't do that unless he didn't have another choice."
Ray stepped back and looked around at the steep ridge of caves. "He sees us," Ray said. "He's got to be close. Brock isn't reckless. I agree with Trent that he must be desperate and not able to wait any longer, but desperate or not, he wouldn't use the comms if he wasn't reasonably sure we could get to them fast. They're close."
"Ray's right," Sonny said. "Brock is smart. And if you think this message means he's sending the dog down to us, he must be close enough to know we're here. They need Cerb. He'd never let him go if he didn't know the dog could get to us quickly."
"Call everyone back, Metal," Jason said. "We need to be ready to move. And we need all eyes looking for Cerb."
"I see him! He's coming our way!" A Marine shouted out from the top of a hill where his lieutenant had ordered his men to spread out to look for the dog.
A minute later, the entire group of SEALS and Marines burst into cheers as Cerb came running toward them at full speed as if the devil himself was on his tail.
The dog ran straight to Jason who fell to his knees grabbing the dog in a fierce hug and rubbing his head. "Good boy, Cerb," he said, his voice full of emotion. "You did it boy!"
The dog was agitated and jumping around as if to say, "Okay humans. I'm glad to see you too, but our boys need you. We're on a timeline here."
"Cerb!" Trent said, kneeling down next to Jason and putting his hand on the dog's head. "Settle Cerb!"
The dog immediately sat down. Alpha's dog handler came with a bowl of water and put it down in front of Bravo's loyal canine who immediately began to drink.
"Check him for messages," Jason said, standing and going full Master Chief mode. "That radio call was risky. We all know that. Cerb can lead us back, but we need to move."
Alpha's dog guy ran his hand inside the dog's vest and collar. He pulled out a folded paper and passed it up to Jason.
"Your boys are all about the secret messages," he said, shaking his head.
"What is it, Bravo One?" Blackburn asked, moving toward the team leader.
"It's from Brock," Jason said calmly, looking over toward Trent and Derrick who were standing together. "It says - We need a medic ASAP. B6 needs to be carried down. Fever. Infection. Dehydrated. Leg wound. Cerb knows where to find us. Hurry - the kid needs help. B5."
"Let's go," Metal barked. "A3 and B4, pack what you need in the humvee. Everyone else needs to start moving east in the direction from where the dog came. If anyone intercepted the radio call, there may be hostiles moving in their direction. Gear up and start moving. Alpha Five, take Cerb with you and start moving. We'll catch up in the humvees when the medics have what they need."
"Lieutenant," Blackburn said. "Take your boys over the ridge to the other side and move east. This is the enemies' playground. They know these caves and this terrain. Keep your eyes open, and everyone moves with their three man group. One man is easy to snatch. They aren't stupid enough to try to take three at once."
"Copy that, sir," The young lieutenant said, signaling his men to follow him and gear up.
"If they went high, which is likely based on what we have taught them," Trent said. "Depending how bad Clay is, it's going to be hard to get him down safely."
"We can take a stretcher and strap him in," Derrick said. "But it's risky."
"From what Brock wrote, it doesn't sound like he's got any kind of bone breaks or spine issues," Jason said. "It sounds like an infected cut on his leg of some kind, high fever and dehydration. He barely weighed 135 soaking wet, and he's probably dropped five pounds this week. It may be safer to pick him up and pass him down man to man."
"I can request a helicopter to evac him from the top of the ridge," Blackburn said. "But no way they can land. We'd have to send him up on a stretcher. And they won't take anyone but the patient, so he'd have to go alone to the closest hospital which is going to be the field hospital at Al-Tanf."
Jason looked over at Trent. "What do you think?"
"We've got everything we need to load him up with antibiotics, fever reducer, saline IV to rehydrate him," Trent said, looking to Derrick for input. "I say let's get to them ASAP, and Derrick and I will triage and evaluate once we get eyes on him. He's a minor. And he's likely scared and confused. You know him, Boss. I don't want to send him alone to a field hospital on the other side of the country."
"I agree," Derrick said. "We won't know until we see him. If he's in sepsis or organ shutdown, he needs to be flown out. But if it's a bad infection and dehydration, we can figure out how to get him down safely and back to the base infirmary. If necessary, the doctors there will transfer him, and we all know Jason will scare the shit out of whoever is needed to send someone from Bravo with him."
"Okay then," Jason said, turning toward Blackburn. "Sonny and Josh - you drive the vehicles. Bravo and Alpha load up. Let's go get our boys."
Up in the cave, Clay was restless and confused. Brock had run back into the cavern to gather any signs they had been there. He hadn't bothered to dress the kid because he knew Trent or Derrick or whatever medic came up over the ridge would need to get a good look at him before moving out. The older boy felt in his gut that it would be Bravo coming to get them, but he had no idea who else might be searching. It was possible that it was Alpha or another team he had seen moving toward them.
Brock was doing his best to focus, but he was weak and foggy himself. He sat near the entrance of the cavern, holding his little brother who was hot and dry. Still not able to sweat or piss. Bravo Five insisted the kid take sips of the cave water while he continued to pour the liquid over his chest and back, wiping down his hot skin.
"Be still, Clay," Brock told his squirming kid firmly. "Just a little bit longer. I need you to hang on for me."
"I want Trent," He whined, clutching his brother's shirt. "Why isn't Trent here?"
"He's coming, honey," Brock soothed him. "I promise. They will be here soon. Cerb went to let the grumpy old men know we're up here."
Cerb arrived first with another dog and Alpha Five.
"Thank fucking God," Brock said, holding Clay close. "Is Bravo with you?"
Alpha's dog handler knelt down next to his brothers. He took a bottle of semi-cool water from his pack and handed it to Brock who was a filthy mess, and not smelling his freshest. Reaching over to feel the younger boy's head, the kid looked like a scared middle-schooler curled up and breathing rapidly in his older brother's arms. His skin was hot to the touch and he was stripped down to just his shorts.
"Damn, he's hot," Alpha Five said. "Hayes is coming up behind me. Along with the medics and the rest of Bravo. Don't tell them I said this, but the old guys aren't as spry as they once were." He smiled at Brock, gently rubbing his young brother's head to ground him.
"They'll be here soon. We'll get you out of here," he promised. "You did great, kid."
"Boss," Brock said, tearing up at the sight of his hero and protector coming toward them. "Where's Trent? He's really hot. He had a seizure earlier. He needs Trent."
Now that Bravo was arriving, the dog handler moved out of the cave with his weapon and the dogs to cover his brothers coming up the steep ridge. He patted Brock's head gently before he nodded at Bravo One and moved out, seeing the kid was fighting hard to hold himself together.
Jason had been in full master chief mode since the sandstorm hit and he realized his youngest were missing. Alone in the dirty cave with just his boys, Jason let them know their dad was there and they were safe.
"Shh, relax, son," Jason said, calm and gentle. He reached out and gently stroked his boy's cheek. Glancing down at the younger boy, Bravo One could see he was breathing fast and half-asleep, clutching his brother and curled into his chest.
Brock was rambling, holding Clay tight in his arms and trying hard not to cry tears of relief.
"I'm here, and everything is going to be okay," Jason whispered softly, not wanting to scare him. "Trent and Derrick are right behind me. They're gonna get you boys sorted so we can get you out of here. I'm so proud of you, son."
"I used the comms," the boy continued to talk breathlessly. "I know you said never do that, but I was afraid Clay couldn't wait any longer, Jace. He's so sick and puking up the water. He hasn't pissed in over two days. I didn't know what else to do. And I could see you guys down there. Was I wrong? He had another seizure from the fever, like he did that day in the cage room. Smart. Resourceful. Calm. I tried to remember everything you taught me."
Jason turned to look back at Trent and Derrick who were coming in behind him, making eye contact and letting them know he needed back-up.
Bravo One slid behind his young dog handler and adopted foster son to make room for the medics, keeping his hand on his boy's cheek, wiping away the tears that leaked out.
"Son," Jason said, firmly. "You are alive, and you kept your brother alive. You did everything right. And we are all so proud of you."
"The boss is right once again," Trent said gently, bending to kiss his kid's filthy hair before kneeling next to Derrick who was pulling supplies from his bag. "You did great. And the pretty boy and I are here now. You're officially off babysitting duty. I need you to let go of Clay and let me take him. Everything is going to be okay, honey. Derrick and I need to get a look at him."
Jason wrapped his arms around the kid from behind, gently loosening Brock's tight hold.
"I need you to let Trent take him," Jason said, firmly. "He and Derrick are going to get Sunshine ready to move out. You and I are gonna move over here so we can chat with Sonny and let Ray get Jeff up here to look you over."
Jason made eye contact with Sonny and Ray who had just come through the entrance to the cavern. Bravo Three and his wingman Ray immediately understood and moved to follow his directions. Ray moved back toward the entrance, using the radio to inform Alpha One that they needed Bravo's support medic ASAP. Sonny nodded at his longtime brother and moved over toward the men on the ground, currently working to separate the two boys who were clutching each other tightly.
"Come on over here and let me get a look at you dog boy," Sonny said, keeping his voice light as he looked down anxiously at their baby who Trent and Derrick were carefully peeling off from the older boy's chest.
Clay had been silent since his much older brothers had entered the cave, keeping his eyes closed and his face buried in Brock's shirt. When the medics pulled him off of his sole source of care and protection for the past three days, Clay suddenly cried out, kicking wildly at Derrick and Trent. He called out pitifully for Brock, clutching at the older kid's shirt.
"Brock!," he yelled, delirious and terrified. "Please, don't leave me here!"
Derrick easily held the weak kid down while Trent pulled out his stethoscope to check his breathing.
"His lungs are clear," Trent said in calm medic mode. "Hit him with a light sedative. We need to calm him down and get a better look at him."
While Sonny took a distraught Brock who was trying hard to hold it together listening to his little brother cry for him to the other side of the open area, Jason stayed with Clay, gently rubbing his head to soothe him while Trent turned him on his side, tugging down his shorts and holding him still while Derrick jabbed his bottom with the sedative before quickly and efficiently cleaning and inserting a thermometer to get his most accurate body temperature.
"105.5" Derrick said, calmly. Taking the shot which Trent had just prepared and jabbing the kid again before patting his bottom gently and pulling up his briefs. "Sorry, honey."
"What are you giving him?" Jason asked, rubbing his boy's back. Clay was quickly settling, the sedative relaxing him. The medics had turned him on his belly to better examine the large gash on his calf.
"It's an antipyretic to help bring down the fever," Trent said, removing the second set of stitches Brock had inserted so they could thoroughly clean and disinfect the deep gash in the kid's leg.
Trent looked across the room to his other kid who was resting against Sonny, safe under The Mighty Quinn's strong arm.
"Damn kiddo," Trent smiled reassuringly at him. "You trying to steal my job from me? This is good work you did on Shorty."
"Is he gonna be okay, Trent?" Brock asked, exhausted, emotional and clutching Sonny's forearm. "He kept saying 'I want Trent to be here', but I did what you taught us to keep it clean."
"You did great, sweetheart," Trent said, gently. He flushed the open wound several times with saline before nodding to Jason to hold him still while Derrick sprayed the gash with an antibacterial that they knew would sting.
"Ow!" Clay wailed, trying unsuccessfully to push himself up off the floor. "It burns, Trent. Stop!"
"Shh, honey," Jason said, holding him still and rubbing his back. "Almost done."
Derrick stitched him up quickly and applied the antibiotic cream and clean bandage while Trent prepared the largest dose of Penicillin safe for a kid Clay's size along with a Tetanus booster which he planned to give the kid first. Trent made eye contact with Jason and then Sonny with a look that said, get ready for the howling.
Jeff had entered and was currently examining Brock while Sonny moved next to Jason, rubbing the kid's uninjured leg gently.
"I can't," Sonny said, sadly shaking his head. "This kid is killing me. If you guys don't need me, I'm going to go update Ray."
"Go ahead, brother," Jason said. "Take Alpha's dog handler and try to find the best route to carry the runt down. I'm assuming we don't need him airlifted out, Trent?"
"No, Boss," Trent said. "Brock saved our boy's little ass. He definitely needs to be seen by a doctor at the base infirmary sooner than later, but he's not showing signs of sepsis or organ failure. He's dehydrated, and both boys need to be admitted for IV fluids. The wound is infected, but the kid did as good as he possibly could have done keeping it cleaned out and the fever from frying his brain. Brock is filthy, but this one is amazingly clean, considering the conditions. He scouted a water source, kept him wiped down and resting in a dark, cool location. This could have been so much worse."
Trent lowered his voice, looking over at the kid who was being talked to gently by Jeff, the support medic, while he checked his vitals, coaxing him to finish his water.
Trent made eye contact with his longtime brother. "And in my opinion," he whispered quietly so that only Jason and Derrick could hear him. "The radio call was the right move. Another twenty-four hours, which we all know it would have taken us to get this far down the ridge, and we very likely would be looking at blood poisoning and kidney failure."
"I agree, Jason," Derrick said, solemnly. "This was so close to going downhill fast."
"And I agree with you both," Jason said. "The kid was a wreck, rambling when I first got up here about making the radio call. I told him that he kept his brother alive, himself alive, and they're both coming home thanks to him. As far as I'm concerned he did everything right. And if any upper brass want to say something different, I will not hesitate to go to the mat on this."
Jason paused before continuing.
"Brock's a decade younger than the normal starting tier one operator," Jason went on. "And he managed to keep a sixteen year old kid, himself and a fucking dog alive through a sandstorm. Evade the enemy, locate safe shelter and a water source in the desert. Clue us in on their location. Take care of a kid with an infected open wound who was dehydrated while dealing with his own dehydration. It was a tough call to make. He made it, and it likely saved Clay's life. And if you were concerned for some reason, don't be. I will not let anyone give him shit about his decisions in this situation."
"I'm never worried about you having any of our backs, Jase," Trent said. "I was just letting you know that in case you were wondering. I have Brock's back, and yours, with anyone who might have two cents to add."
"Now that we all have confirmed we have each other's six," Derrick started, squeezing and dropping Clay's skin to confirm he was in desperate need of rehydration. "We need to either get this one on IV fluids and Acetaminophen now and hang out up here for another hour to let the bag run through, or move down now, administer the Tylenol through his backdoor, and get him on the IV in the vehicle. Let it run through on the way back to the base."
Jason got on the radio. "Bravo One to Alpha One."
"Alpha One responding, Bravo One."
"I need a security assessment, Alpha One," Jason returned. "Are we clear to provide aid at our current location or do we need to move down immediately?"
"Copy that, Bravo One," Metal responded. "First and Second Marine platoons intercepted and detained multiple armed combatants approximately two clicks west of your location. Recommend moving out sooner than later. Alpha and support teams currently securing your location. Your six is covered, Bravo One."
"Copy that, Alpha One," Jason responded, making eye contact with the medics.
"Jeff," Jason called. "You two about ready to head out over there? We've got possible hostiles in the area."
"Copy that, boss," Jeff said. "Ready when you are. How's the kid doing?"
"About to howl," Trent said, nodding to get him in shot position. "Hold him over your leg Boss. Ass up. Be ready Derrick cause he's gonna try to buck and kick. Keep him still."
Jeff and Brock watched, feeling awful for the poor kid as the boss yanked down his shorts and tipped him head down butt up while he fussed and protested loudly.
"No, Jason! Please don't," Clay cried out, knowing what was coming and that it was going to hurt like a bitch going in and ache for at least the next several hours.
"Hold still, Clay," Jason said, sternly. "You're not going anywhere, so you might as well try to relax your muscles."
Trent hit him with the Tetanus booster first which wasn't too bad. He nodded at Derrick who smacked his ass hard, causing the shocked kid to yelp loudly as Trent inserted the needle. "Hold him still," Trent ordered. "Fuck. He's stronger than he looks."
"Don't spank him!" Brock protested. "It's not his fault. He can't help it."
"Calm down, Brock," Jason ordered. "He's not spanking him."
"It's for his own good, Brock," Jeff explained to the agitated kid. "Penicillin hurts worse if your muscle is tensed up. Derrick smacked his ass to startle him and make him relax his muscles while Trent injects the medicine."
When Trent removed the needle, their kid was howling as expected, squirming in Jason's lap. Derrick grabbed hold of his leg to still him and used the heel of his hand to firmly massage the kid's burning glute muscle helping to move the thick liquid faster throughout the muscle to reduce the pain.
Clay lay in his chosen father's lap face down, sobbing into his leg and holding tight to his shirt. The kid had clearly hit the wall hard. He was exhausted and confused. And the light sedative had worn off.
"You want me to hit him again with the sedative?" Derrick asked. "We can't take him down like this."
Trent looked over at Jason who looked ready to cry himself at the sight of his hysterical, sick, terrified kid who had just survived three days of hell, sobbing in his lap and begging them to take him home.
"I want to go home, Jase," Clay cried while his boss and chosen dad gently stroked his head. "Please, can we go home now?"
"I don't want to sedate him twice in less than an hour, boss," Trent said. "He's got zero food in his belly and he's already dehydrated and not holding down water consistently."
"Can you settle him?" Jason asked.
"Let me try," Trent said, reaching out for his brother to pass him the kid. "Leave him with me in the calm and quiet while you get everyone ready to move. I think he'll go down fast. He's way past exhausted. If I can't get him calmed down to move when you're ready to go, we'll knock him out with the sedative."
"Copy that," Jason said, lifting the kid who felt like a twelve-year-old in his arms and passing him over to his most loved caregiver.
"Come on, baby," Trent soothed him softly. "The hard part is over. How about we hang out here together and just chillax in this cool man cave while the boss gets everyone ready to head home. That sounds like a plan?"
"Okay Trent," Clay sniffled quietly, crawling into the older man's lap like a tired toddler and turning to rest against his hard chest.
"Good boy," Trent said, kissing his head and rocking him slowly in his arms.
"My butt hurts." the worn out kid pouted, reaching back to rub his sore backside. "When we get home, can I have the frozen peas on my bottom?"
"Sure thing, sweetheart," Trent promised his obviously confused boy. "How about you have a few sips of this tasty water? Then we're gonna just close our eyes and relax together while Bravo packs up to head home."
"Mmm," Clay sighed, curling deeper into his trusted uncle's safe embrace, closing his eyes as directed. Trent gently stroked his forehead, noting that his fever was coming down. He moved his hand down to rub his back and sore bottom, feeling his boy relax and go boneless in his arms. "Don't stop Trent. That feels so good. Don't leave me."
"Shh, baby," Trent said softly. "I'm not going anywhere without you. No more talking. I want you to go to sleep, honey."
When Jason returned to say they were ready to move back down to the vehicles, Clay was sleeping like the dead in his trusted uncle's arms.
"Sonny's going to carry him down," Jason said, quietly. "You want to dress him?"
"No," Trent said. "It's hotter than Hell out there. I don't want to wake him, and they're just going to strip him back down when we get to the infirmary. Grab a light blanket from my bag. We'll wrap him loosely to keep the sun from burning his skin."
Jason dug through the bag and pulled out a thin blanket, helping his brother get the kid wrapped up, just as Sonny and Ray came back in to check on the kid.
"Is he ready to go?" Sonny asked. "Brock is on his way down with Derrick and the support kid."
"You good to take him, Son?" Jason asked, standing and stretching out his back. "I'm getting too old for crawling around in fucking caves."
"I got him," Bravo's gentle giant said, crouching down and taking the kid from Trent. Clay turned into his trusted protector instinctively, curling close to his chest as Sonny wrapped him in his safe arms. "Let's get the fuck out of here, Trouble."
"What's the plan, Trent?" Ray asked, tucking the blanket up around the kid to keep his pale skin protected from the bright sun.
"It won't take Sonny long to get him down to the vehicles," Trent said, groaning and shaking his head ruefully at his brothers as he got to his feet slowly. "I'm going to lay him down in the back, get him dosed with the Tylenol and hooked up to the IV to start the fluids. Hopefully without waking and getting him upset. Then we can crank the air and take a long, quiet ride back to base. All the meds in his system are going to keep him knocked straight out, which is exactly what he needs."
"Copy that, brother," Jason said, patting him on the back with a relieved smile. "Sonny is right. Let's get the fuck out of Dodge."