The Good Kid
When Jason arrived at Brock and Katie's place, it was immediately clear that all was not well.
Bravo One pulled into the driveway, and the first thing he noticed was that the lawn hadn't been mowed for several days. The yard was filled with dandelions that had spread from the edge of Brock's driveway, across the front lawn to what was obviously the neatly mowed property of the neighbor to the right of Brock and Katie's house. Jason knew that Brock had a twice weekly mowing routine established by his young wife who was known for keeping her house clean and neat; Katie did not want anyone in the neighborhood to think that she and Brock, who were at least a decade younger than any of the neighbors, could not keep up their property.
The Colonel may have been an intimidating, straight arrow with both Corey and Brock, but he doted on his daughters: especially Katie and her younger sister Jenny who had always been his secret favorites. After the young couple had moved into the little two bedroom on a quiet, residential street, The Colonel began showing up when Brock was away with Bravo to mow the lawn himself, or to drop off Corey to be the lawn boy for his big sister.
The Colonel and his wife had retired to the area several years earlier, and the well known senior military couple had a wide array of friends and acquaintances throughout not only Norfolk, but Virginia Beach and Chesapeake as well. The respected colonel and his wife understood military culture well, and they were not going to have anyone suggesting that their daughter and the young SEAL she had married were anything other than an asset to the neighborhood.
The condition of the lawn told Jason that no one in Katie's family had visited in at least a few days. Bravo One had zero doubt that if either The Colonel or his wife had seen or been told about the overgrown lawn, he would be currently pushing a mower himself or monitoring Corey or one of his other son-in-laws who would be doing the honors.
Katie's Kia was nowhere in sight, but Brock's truck was in the driveway, so when no one answered his repeated knocking, Jason used the spare key his boy had given him for emergencies to enter the house.
Once inside the house, Jason's concern continued to rise. He had spent time with Katie and Brock a few weeks earlier, shortly after Bravo had returned from the traumatic mission to Syria. Jason had never seen the house in its current condition, not even when Katie was away and Brock was on his own.
There were dirty dishes in the sink and on the counters, clothes tossed over the backs of chairs, a basket of overflowing dirty laundry sitting on a chair in the kitchen, a recycle bin filled with crusty pizza boxes, unopened mail on the table, and Brock passed out on the couch across from the coffee table covered with empty bottles of Bud Light, and most concerning, a bottle of some kind of prescription meds Jason had no clue his boy was taking.
Bravo One did not completely lose his shit because he could see that Brock was breathing, but he came close.
For a brief minute, Jason had a flashback to him and Sonny tracking down Trent at some no-tell motel twenty years back when his solid, responsible, highly respected medic was a loose cannon bordering on sketchy. Trent had long ago conquered his demons and left that guy behind, and their young kids had no knowledge of that guy who some days barely kept himself from going off the rails. And if anyone tried to tell them about Trent in his twenties, neither Brock or Clay would believe it - not their Uncle Trent. Not ever.
There was no sign of Katie anywhere, and Jason took a minute to calm himself down before deciding how to proceed.
His immediate instinct was to speed dial Trent and get him over here ASAP to make sure the kid was not in any immediate medical danger and to prevent him from losing his temper and beating his boy's ass once he was awake and semi-coherent. But Clay was spending the day doing lawn work with his go to fixer, and he was not having his just turned seventeen-year-old kid on this scene in full panic mode when he got a look at the big brother he worshiped passed out like he thought he was Kurt Cobain.
Derrick was his next thought, but Clay had told them that he and Catherine were going to be tied up all day in Norfolk visiting Granny at the old folk's home. Trent would be livid if he didn't call right away, but he needed to have a plan for Clay first. And he needed to find out what the hell happened to Katie, and how neither she nor Brock had let on to any of the grown-ups who were always there to support them that there was any kind of major problem brewing with the young newlyweds.
Jason called Ray knowing that he could count on his 2IC and longtime wingman to have his back and keep a level head. He also wanted to know what the hell these pills were his kid was taking, and Naima being a nurse would definitely be able to help him out with that information.
"What's up?" Ray asked, surprised to hear from Jason on a Sunday. His team leader and brother rarely bothered Bravo Two on the weekends because he knew Ray cherished that time with his wife and kids when they were at home.
Jason took a breath and explained the current situation to his loyal and dependable friend.
"Okay," Ray said, calm and all business as expected. "Text me a picture of the pill bottle and I'll see what Naima thinks. I'm gonna head over there now to help you get the kid and the house sorted, hopefully before Katie shows up."
Ray was quiet for a minute, shaking his head at his wife who he had called over, waiting for the pic to come through. He had the phone on speaker so that Naima could listen in. She was holding a recently bathed and ready for a nap RJ and looking concerned for both Brock and Katie.
"Do you think it's possible that Katie left him?" Ray asked, not beating around the bush.
"I haven't got a clue, brother," Jason sighed, sending the picture of the prescription label and crouching down next to his currently falling apart kid while gently stroking his sweaty head to reassure himself that the boy he loved like his own was still breathing.
"If she did, she's keeping it on the down low. If Catherine or Melinda had any clue they wouldn't keep that quiet. And we both know The Colonel is old school. He most definitely would have showed up at my door, likely after kicking Brock's ass, if Katie had come home to report this shit show to her daddy."
"You're probably right about that," Ray said. "If this was my baby girl's young husband, I'd most definitely have kicked some ass, and moved her immediately back home until he got his shit together. And if this was Emma, you'd likely be on your way to lock up right about now."
"Jason," Naima said, in full nurse mode. "These are sleeping pills he got from a nurse practitioner at a walk-in urgent care downtown. I just googled the name of the woman who prescribed them. It's a light dose, and it's likely he went off base to avoid raising red flags after just being cleared for active duty from what happened in Syria. He clearly didn't want Trent to know."
"I'm going to thrash his ass when he's lucid enough to feel it," Jason was pissed. "And it's going to take both me and your husband to keep Trent off of him once he's done fussing and nursing him back to coherent."
"Ray is on his way, Jase," Naima said, pointing her husband toward the door. "And I understand you are justifiably upset, but you need to calm down and listen to me."
"What do you need me to do?" Jason said, all business recognizing the seriousness.
"Either the pills or the alcohol on their own likely wouldn't be a big problem," Naima said, calmly. "But depending on how many pills he took, and how drunk he got himself, this could have ended horribly. I'm assuming he's breathing regularly and has a steady pulse or you would have called an ambulance."
"Yes," Jason confirmed. "He's breathing and his pulse is steady."
"That's good," Naima said. "You need to get him on his feet and force him to vomit until his stomach is empty. You're probably going to need to put a finger down his throat if you want to avoid a trip to the ER to have his stomach pumped. Once his system is empty, get him in a cool shower. If you can't get him mobile or completely conscious, you need to either call an ambulance or drive him into the ER."
"I'm on it," Jason said. "How do I know when he's puked enough?"
"I would get Trent over there," Naima said firmly. "We both know he's going to lose his mind if you don't call him immediately. He loves Brock like a son. He's going to be pissed, but he's mostly going to be worried. And Brock clearly needs some Uncle Trent right now. Trent will know if he needs more care than he can give, and he can put him on an IV if necessary. And he'll know when his stomach is empty."
"You're right, Naima," Jason said, calming down now that he knew what to do. "I absolutely know that I need to call Trent. I just also need to avoid Clay off the rails which he will be if he thinks there is something bad happening with Brock."
"Do you want me to go pick up Clay from Trent's place and bring him back here?" Naima asked.
"No," Jason said. "You've got two babies over there, and the last thing you need is my wild thing in meltdown mode on your hands. I'm going to call Josh to take him until this current situation is under control. I need Sonny here on clean up duty because this house is a disaster."
Naima chuckled, letting Bravo One know that the experienced nurse who loved and knew him well was confident his currently wrecked kid was going to be okay. "All hands on deck," she quipped.
"For sure," Jason sighed. "Can you reach out to Catherine and organize some lady detective work for me? I'm really worried about Katie and what might have gone down here that my second youngest handful has been hiding from the adults. I don't want to snitch on the poor girl to her parents if she's been trying to handle this on her own. But I think as parents ourselves, we know both Katie and Brock need some serious intervention, care and guidance right now."
"I hear you Jason," Ray's queen assured him. "And you can believe that Mama Naima is all over this situation. So don't worry about Katie, I've got her covered. You just take care of my sweet baby Brock."
"You know I love you, girl," Jason said, clearly relieved. "And your sweet baby is at the tip-top of the boss-daddy deep trouble list, but you surely know I always take care of my boys. And Brock is going to get sorted out, no matter what it takes."
"Your babies don't know how lucky they are. And you should love me," Naima scoffed. "Now you go call Trent, and then suck it up and get the puke party started."
"I'm on it," Jason said.
A few minutes later as he was calling in the SOS to Josh, Bravo Two arrived on the scene.
"Holy shit," Ray said, shaking his head as he approached the couch where Brock was oblivious to the fuss he had caused and smelling like a brewery.
"You think?" Jason deadpanned. "Naima says we need to get him up and a finger down his throat. You want to do the honors or would you rather call Trent?"
"You already know the answer to that one, boss," Ray scoffed, taking Brock firmly by the arm and hauling him none too gently into sitting positions. "I'll take the puking kid for a thousand. Reporting to Trent that his first adopted baby decided to mix himself up a cocktail of Bud Light, tequila and sleeping meds sounds like a job for the Master Chief."
"I'll flip you for it," Jason said, tapping Josh's name on his phone.
"No chance," Ray said, pulling Brock to his feet, and slapping his face lightly and his ass hard to get his attention.
"Ow!" Bravo's confused and stumbling dog handler cried out, falling into Ray who caught his weight before he hit the ground. "Ray? What're you doin' Why are you smacking me?"
"Boy," Ray said, pulling out his best dad voice. "You think you're getting smacked now? Just wait until Uncle Trent arrives."
Bravo's second in command dragged the kid into the bathroom, and shortly after some confused protesting by Brock, who was not interested in having Ray's finger shoved halfway down his throat, the loud puking started full force.
Jason grimaced, before turning his attention back to Josh who had just answered his call.
"Hey Buddy," Jason said, getting right to the point. "I'm sorry to bother you on Sunday. I know you do church with the family, but unfortunately, Bravo is in need of some Christian charity yet again. I know this is becoming a habit, but I need you."
"What do you need, brother?" Josh asked calmly, looking over at Melinda who was currently sitting next to him on the porch and had picked up on the seriousness of the situation from her husband's tone.
"Can you take Clay off my hands for the afternoon?" Jason asked. "He's at Trent's place now, and neither of them know there's an issue yet, but I came over to check on Brock because I've been worried about how he's doing since Syria. I found the house a wreck, no Katie in sight, and my boy passed out on the couch surrounded by his own little mini-bar and a bottle of prescription sleeping meds."
"Holy Fuck, Jason," his longtime friend said, standing and walking into the house to get his keys, followed by a confused Melinda. "Are you on the way to the hospital? Is he breathing?"
The color drained from his normally unshakeable wife's face. Knowing where her mind was going, Josh wrapped his arm around her shoulders giving her a reassuring squeeze and making eye contact.
"Hold on a second, Jase," Josh said. "Melinda's here and going into full mama-mode."
"It's not your baby," Josh told his wife gently. "Jason and Trent need to handle an issue with Brock, and he needs us to take Clay off the scene."
"Go get him," Melinda said, simply.
"You need me to get him from Trent's place?" Josh said, kissing his wife's head and walking quickly to his truck in the driveway.
"Thank you so much for this, Josh," Bravo One sighed. "Ray is here with me at Brock's house. He's got the kid in the bathroom puking up the liquor store, and I need to get Trent over here ASAP to make the call on whether or not we need to involve the ER or if this is something he can handle."
"I'm on my way to get your kid," Josh said. "What do you want me to tell him?"
"I'm going to call Trent now," Jason said. "For now we're going to go with Brock is sick and needs both me and Trent, so I need him to hang out at your place for the afternoon. Once Trent has assessed this shit show and we have a plan, I'll explain what's happening to Sunshine."
"Got it," Josh said. "Why don't I plan on keeping Clay here overnight. It sounds like Brock is going to need you. The kids have school tomorrow, but I will bring him into work with me in the morning. Once you have a handle on your situation, update me and I'll either deliver him to Bravo or he can spend the day with Alpha."
"You're a good man, brother," Jason said, clearly relieved. "I feel like I'm going to need to take your kids for the summer to make up for the time you and Melinda have stepped up and dealt with Clay. I appreciate this so much."
"You don't need to make up for anything, Jason," Josh said sincerely. "Call Trent and update him. Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes to pick up Clay. We'll stop over at your place to get his things for the night. And we'll feed Rocky."
"Okay," Jason said. "I'll call Trent ASAP. Also, Sunshine will probably tell you he's grounded from all electronics for a whole other issue I'll fill you in on later. Don't worry about enforcing that. You can tell him he won the lottery because I'm busy with Brock and just let him get his phone from the kitchen drawer when you stop to get his clothes."
"Actually brother," Josh chuckled. "Unruly behavior must be catching because as luck would have it, all three of my naughty brats are currently on lockdown. So your runt's phone can just stay right in the drawer. This is going to leave JJ fit to be tied. His eyes lit up when Melinda told him Clay was coming to spend the night, and I could see his sneaky wheels turning thinking he'd be coming with a phone and possible tablet he could commandeer."
"Fun foiled by the grouchy dads again," Jason laughed.
"Seriously though, Jase," Josh said. "Clay is fine with me for as long as you need me to keep him. And once the dust settles over there, let me know how Brock is doing. You know everyone on Alpha loves your boys."
"You know I love you brother," Jason said tiredly. "And your superhero wife too."
"Talk to you later," Josh said, disconnecting the call and hauling ass towards Trent's neighborhood across town.
Trent was calm, cool and collected as always when Jason called to fill him in on the Brock situation. It was clear to Bravo One by the light, unfazed tone his loyal medic was using with him that as usual, Clay was attached to his side, and despite his current grounding for minding adult business, listening to every word his favorite uncle was saying.
"Brother," Jason said calmly. "I know you're heart is probably racing and you want to get eyes on your kid and make sure he's breathing because when I walked in and found him passed out soaked in booze with a bottle of pills I didn't even know he was taking open on the table, I thought I was going to hit the floor. And this little bastard likely took ten years off my life. But I also know Sunshine is hanging on your every word as usual."
"Exactly," sighed Trent, looking over at Clay whose attention was clearly peaked.
"Shorty, it's your lucky day," Trent announced, smiling and tousling the nosey kid's curls. "You are officially off the landscaping crew. Brock has a fever and is puking all over his bathroom, so the boss needs me to get over there ASAP and do some clean up and belly sorting out on your big brother who isn't feeling so good. Uncle Josh is on his way to pick you up to spend the night at his place with your posse of troublemakers."
"Jase is letting me have a sleepover at JJ's house when I'm grounded?" Clay looked skeptical. "Is Brock super sick? I want to see him."
"No way, Shorty," Trent said, firmly. "I just told you that Brock has a bad case of the pukes. The last thing I need is you catching what he has and giving me two sick, miserable kids to wrangle. You really want to spend the next few days hanging over the toilet and drinking pedialyte? I guarantee Brock will be turning over and dropping his drawers for shots when I arrive with my med bag. And he's likely got a trip to the infirmary in his near future. Does that sound like something you want any part of?"
"No thanks," Clay pulled out his appalled face. "You're gonna give Brock shots and take him to the infirmary? Why can't you just fix it at home?"
Trent chuckled lightly, kissing his boy's head.
"Your confidence in my ability to just 'fix it' is noted and appreciated, honey," Trent said. "I'm giving your big brother shots because it's what he needs to get him feeling better, even though he's going to pout and fuss just like another brat I know. And Brock's going to the infirmary if I think he needs a doctor, because believe it or not, runt, Uncle Trent is not a qualified doctor."
"I think you are more qualified and better at making me feel better than any of those rotten doctors at the infirmary," Clay doubled down on the hero worship. "And I know Brock only wants you when he's sick too."
"Well if you are sure Brock only wants me when he's sick," Trent said, turning the kid and swatting his butt to get him moving toward the door. "Then you had better get your tail out to the driveway because Josh will be here any minute. I need to get my bag ready so I can get across town and work some of my fixing magic on poor, sad Brock."
Trent handed the phone to his kid. "But before you get going," he said. "Jason heard your expert opinions, and he has a few of his own thoughts for his youngest baby."
"Great," Clay mumbled, rolling his eyes and taking the phone.
"Sunshine," Jason said in his 'I'm in no mood for nonsense' voice. "I'm knee deep in puke over here. Brock needs to get sorted, and he wants Uncle Trent to come make everything better, just like you do when you don't feel good. So, you Trouble need to stop arguing with Trent before he sends you off to Casa Josh with a red face and matching red, sore tail. Keeping in mind that you are already grounded, does losing the ability to sit straight sound like something you would enjoy explaining to your friends when you arrive?"
"No sir," Clay said respectfully, hearing the frustration in the voice of his chosen father and knowing he was on thin ice. "I understand Brock needs Trent to get over there. And I promise I'll be good for Josh, and I won't even try to use JJ's phone."
"Thank you, honey," Jason said, softening his voice and reminding himself that none of their current situation was in any way Clay's fault or his responsibility to fix. I appreciate you not giving Josh a hard time. And as far as the phone sneaking goes, according to Alpha Four, that's not going to be a temptation for you. Apparently, all three of Josh's little darlings are also on lockdown. So it sounds like you all will be enjoying a well earned electronics cleanse. Sorry for your bad luck."
"Ouch," Clay grimaced, sympathizing with his adopted cousins. "Did Uncle Josh hand out spankings? Do I need to mentally prepare for a car ride with grouchy dad?"
"I can't help you with that information, Sunshine," Jason said, relieved to have successfully distracted his nosey kid's attention from the Brock fiasco to his impending stay in the punishment zone. "You'll need to commiserate with your fellow inmates and discuss the sentences earned when you arrive. Put Trent back on, and get outside so Josh doesn't have to come looking for you. He's going to stop at the apartment so you can get your things to spend the night and feed Rocky. You're going into base tomorrow with Josh, so bring your work clothes."
"Will you be there tomorrow?" Clay asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Jason said honestly. "Depends what Trent thinks about Brock being on his own. I'll call and let you know what's happening later. Either way, if I'm not there or Trent needs to stay with Brock, Sonny and Ray will be there with you. And Josh is going to keep you with Alpha until someone from Bravo arrives, so I don't want you to fret about anything. Understood?"
"Understood," Clay answered, looking up at Trent for direction. "I love you, Jase. And tell Brock I love him, and Uncle Trent is on the way to administer one of his top-shelf tummy rubs."
"I'll pass that information on when the puke show is finished, sweetheart," Jason chuckled.
"Get moving, Clay," Trent said, taking the phone and letting Jason know he was leaving soon, before hanging up and turning back to his kid. "I know you heard the boss. Best behavior for Josh and Melinda."
"I'll be good," Clay promised. "Can I take Scrabble and Monopoly with me? Apparently we are going old school at Uncle Josh's Juvenile Detention Camp."
Trent shook his head, smiling. "Go ahead," he said. "You know where I keep the retro games for naughty brats. And for the record, honey, you are always good. And I love you. So get moving because I hear Josh's truck pulling in the driveway."
"Bye," Clay said, wrapping his arms around his most loved uncle. "Don't worry. I'll come back and help with the yard once Brock is feeling better."
Trent kissed his boy's head, waving at Josh, who was approaching the front door, to enter. "That is a great relief to me," Trent told his boy. "With my other lawn boy Brock down for the count, I'll be getting complaints from the neighbors without my youngest and most energetic kid to help me and my old bones get this yard in shape."
"You ready, squirt?" Josh said, making eye contact and nodding at Trent. Knowing his brother was anxious to get to his hurting boy, while his other kid was digging through the closet in search of the non-battery operated board games.
"Ready," Clay said, coming out carrying the worn out, retro game boxes. "Is it okay if I bring these for us to play? Jason says we are all on punishment, and no fun allowed."
That got a laugh from both of the currently very worried older men.
"Damn straight," Josh said, wrapping his arm around the kid he had grown to love as one of his own. "And yes, boss daddy is correct that there are four little butts on lockdown, banned from any and all electronics. But, since sentences and punishments have already been dished out, and as long as Mama Melinda is in agreement, I think a family retro-game night at Casa de Josh, with pizza and some boys vs. girls Scrabble and Monopoly will make us all feel a lot better."
"You didn't need to take out the spoon I hope," Clay said hesitantly, feeling sympathy pains for his much-loved new cousins and loyal friends.
"Well, son," Josh said seriously. "The good news for your fellow mayhem makers is that Mr. Spoon did not join the unpleasant group discussion. However, the bad news is that when our family business was concluded, your poor ol' Uncle Josh came back downstairs with a very sad heart and a very sore hand."
"Even Lori got a spanking?" Clay was openly shocked and dismayed. "She is always good, and never gets punished."
"Buddy," Josh said, shaking his head. "All kids make bad choices and act up sometimes. Even my rule following good girl Lori. And I'm not going to embarrass my oldest baby-girl, who had mistakenly convinced herself that she was too grown for a daddy bottom blazer, by confirming or denying your assumption. But kiddo, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told JJ and Lezlie, your fellow frequent flyers in the spanking section. There will be no teasing tolerated. Lori is in self-imposed, solitary confinement, in her room and feeling bad enough without heckling from the peanut gallery."
"Oh, you better believe there will be not a peep of commentary out of this one," Trent said sternly, making full on 'don't even think about it' eye-contact with his own troublemaker.
"Clay knows that you and Melinda have done nothing but treat him like one of your own, taking care of him and spoiling him without giving it a second thought," Trent continued. "And although Clay knows he surely dodged a bullet today when his daddy let him off the hook with a grounding for his own unruly behavior, he also knows that at Casa de Josh, Uncle Josh is the daddy in charge of ALL rugrats under his roof. And Clay knows from painful past experience that if Uncle Josh or Aunt Melinda decide he needs to have his bottom warmed for any reason, there will most definitely be a fourth musketeer feeling sorry for himself and needing a pillow of his own to sit comfortably for family game night."
"I'm not teasing anyone," Clay promised solemnly. "This is like one of the very few times any dads or uncles have served up spankings that I haven't been on the receiving end. And I feel really bad for Lori because the rest of us know we're lucky to make it more than a month without getting our backsides torn up by somebody. And Lezlie thinks she's some kind of golden child if she makes it a week without getting spanked, grounded or both. But Lori is the good one. She's like poor Corey when The Colonel whups his butt, he's a wreck for a week. And it's always me or JJ who gets him in trouble. It was probably Lezlie's fault Lori got punished."
"I wholeheartedly agree that you and my own naughty namesake are at the root of every punishment Corey has had to endure due to his questionable choice of friends," Josh scoffed. "But despite what you and your wingman JJ seem to think, my girl Lezlie is not the sole cause of all trouble at Casa de Josh."
Clay raised his eyes at his giant, soft-hearted Uncle and gave him his patented 'Are you serious?' look. Josh shook his head smiling and turned the kid, giving his wise-ass favorite nephew a solid swat to the seat of his pants in order to get him moving toward the door.
Josh knew Trent was a nervous wreck and anxious to get eyes on Brock. And Jason and Ray were no doubt eagerly awaiting his arrival. Alpha Four wanted to get Clay out the door and in his truck so that Trent could get over to Brock's place without raising suspicions and alerting his perceptive kid that something bad was happening.
"Ow!" Clay yelped surprised. Quickly handing the games off to Josh, he reached back to rub the sudden sting out of his bottom. "What was that for? I didn't even do anything!"
"You had that smart mouth look in your eye," Josh teased. "And you can let that be a little reminder of the consequences for any and all unacceptable behavior for naughty brats who are already on lockdown. Capice?"
"Yes, sir," Clay said. "I get the message loud and clear."
"Good," Josh said, leading him out. "We need to get your things and feed Rocky. And Trent needs to get to tending Brock."
Once Clay was out the door, he handed him back the games and pointed to the truck, indicating he should move in that direction.
Turning back to face his longtime friend and brother, Josh spoke calmly with confidence.
"I know you want to haul ass to your baby," he said. "But I want you to do your best to summon some of that super-medic composure we all depend on every day. Jason says he's breathing and emptying his stomach, and he's going to be fine."
Reaching out, Josh squeezed his brother's neck before going on.
"As the parent we all know you are to both those boys, I absolutely understand that you are scared right now," Josh acknowledged gently. "Nothing is as terrifying as getting a call saying that your kid did something stupid and reckless putting his life in danger. And nothing is worse than having to see your kids hurting and feeling helpless to stop their pain. But your boys both know that you are the absolute best. And as fucked up as this whole situation has been, starting with that shit show in the desert, I have zero doubt that Bravo will get both your boys healthy, sorted, and as close to their old selves that any of us who have committed to this life can be."
Trent took a deep breath, reaching down to pick up his bag before making eye-contact with his loyal brother.
"That means a lot to me coming from you, one of the best fathers I have ever had the privilege to call my lifelong friend," Trent said, trying hard to reel in his emotions. "And as Jason has said more than once to you and our Alpha brothers, you have always had our backs. Never doubt that I have yours. Anyplace and anytime that you or your babies need me."
Josh nodded, patting his friend's back and walking toward the truck.
Looking over his shoulder, he called back, "And let Jason know that Bravo does not need to worry about this one in any way. Melinda and I have him absolutely covered for as long as necessary. So no fretting about the baby allowed."
Trent waved from the open doorway. He waited for Josh to pull away before taking out his phone to call Jason, rushing to his truck, bag in hand. Anxious to get eyes and hands on his kid. Completely confident that Clay was being well cared for, Trent was now solely focused on his second youngest.
Bravo's well loved, go-to fixer of all things overwhelming and health related knew that Brock was his current number one priority. And his inherently dependable, good kid would remain in that position until Trent was confident that he could loosen the tight leash he was officially attaching to his temporarily wayward son.