Working The Plan

A month after Jason sat his boys down to explain the plan Bravo had come up with to provide the support needed from their extended family to get them back in fighting shape, Brock and Clay both officially returned to active duty. It had been a rocky start with Brock's confessions and Clay's meltdowns, but once Bravo's youngest fully understood what was going to happen, they trusted their brothers, bought into the plan, and did what they were told to do with limited complaints.

Brock and Clay weren't the only members of Bravo who needed to do the hard work of trusting and following the plan they had come up with together to get the entire team in a good place both physically and mentally before they were committed to the three month deployment overseas. It was the kind of long, stressful assignment that Brock and Clay had never experienced, and the senior guys had not been given since Jason had become Bravo One and the team had been anointed the first choice for special missions that were not planned far in advance.

The upper brass had decided that Bravo would not be deployed for extended periods of time to one location unless it was for an approved mission with a specific target or objective. The special missions were generally complicated, dangerous, highly classified and stressful. But the trade off was that the team could rely on the consistency of being back at home on a relatively regular basis between missions compared with active duty military who could spend a year or more halfway around the globe, unable to be with their families.

Being away from home for three months was going to be difficult for the whole team, and especially hard on Ray who had two young children and Brock who was struggling to hold his relationship with Katie together in the aftermath of his post-Syria struggles.

More difficult than the long deployment for the older guys was facing the hard truth that their time on Bravo was going to be coming to an end within the next few years. Jason, Trent and Sonny were all well into their forties, and closing in on fifty. The same was true for their longtime Alpa partners Metal, Derrick and Josh.

Obviously, they had always known their time as tier-one operators could not go on forever. But now, the plan they devised themselves required the senior guys to talk honestly and openly about the future with their boys so that Brock and especially Clay could feel more secure and less anxious about what might be happening down the road for themselves and the older men they had come to rely on as protectors, caregivers and authority figures.

The honest conversations, and answering Clay's multitude of anxiety fueled questions was very difficult for Sonny and Jason in particular who had never been big on dealing with or discussing their emotions or their futures after Bravo. But for their baby, they were willing to do most anything. And the old guys, both Bravo and Alpha, would face their own fears and do this too.

That first month was rough. It was kicked off by Brock's reckless, failed attempt to self-medicate his post-Syria stress and fear. Along with Clay's most recent anxiety fueled breakdown and revelation of yet another episode from what seemed like a never ending dark pool of childhood trauma that Bravo privately feared he may never fully overcome. If it hadn't been for Trent's unwavering resolve to keep everyone on track for the sake of their boys, and the continued loyal support of their extended Alpha family, all involved knew that the plan could not be successful in getting both Brock and Clay through this hard time with limited further drama.

With the exception of Ray, Bravo's senior men found themselves pretty much in the same place. Beyond acknowledging that they would no longer be active tier-one operators within the next three to four years, Jason, Trent and Sonny hadn't decided what they would do when the day came that they were no longer Bravo. None of them had ever been on a trajectory to be upper brass, so their options were to retire from the Navy completely, officially retire and take a job with a company that was connected or contracted with the military in some way, or stay on in the Navy as instructors.

Bravo was highly regarded throughout the Navy in general, and tier-one operators had extensive training and invaluable experience in the field that would ensure them positions as instructors if they were not yet ready to retire. Being single men with accumulated money in the bank would allow both Trent and Sonny to pretty much do whatever they wanted when they left the teams.

Sonny had extended family back in Texas, and he owned some land and the house where he grew up, so returning to the state he loved was always an option for him. Trent still had his parents, siblings and a large slew of nieces and nephews in Alabama if he ever decided to go back home. Both men took comfort in knowing they had roots they could always return to at some point if they had the desire. But the longtime brothers and friends had become deeply attached, not only to each other and their extended chosen family, but also to Virginia Beach and the surrounding area which was populated with people who were active or retired military themselves, or somehow connected to military life. Neither Sonny nor Trent had plans to leave the area when they eventually left Bravo.

Jason never seriously considered returning to western New York where he had grown up. With his service record, he could always find work in Buffalo, and his mother and younger brothers still lived there along with their extended family, but as a kid Jason had always wanted a different life. Like many of his SEAL brothers, Jason had become attached to the coastal Virginia area and the military friendly lifestyle. Despite being far from where they grew up, Jason knew that Emma and Mikey still considered Virginia Beach and Jason their home base. And Clay was still going to need him and a steady, reliable guiding parent for several more years.

Ray was the only senior member of the team who had a clear long term plan. When Ray was recruited to join Bravo, he and Naima had long serious talks about the dangers of being a tier-one operator, the sacrifice required of them both, and the long-term commitment to Ray being Bravo they both would need to make. At the time he became Bravo's first official rookie, Ray was 30, roughly a decade younger than the rest of the team. He and Naima agreed he would commit to ten years as a tier-one operator. After that, the time he had spent on the teams would help him move up the ladder to a more stable position on a base that would not involve combat missions.

Jason and Alana divorced not long after Ray joined the team. Alana had taken Naima under her wing knowing it was difficult for a young wife to adjust to the demands of marriage to a tier-one operator. At the time Alana was thinking Jason was close to moving on from the teams as they had always planned he would do at forty. Instead he chose to become Bravo One which effectively ended their marriage. When Jason and Alana split, Naima confronted Ray, and he made a promise that he would never become a tier-one team leader. And that after ten years, they both would move on from the teams.

Ray was honest from the beginning with Jason and his other brothers. They all understood that his time on Bravo was limited, and they respected that he made and never wavered on the commitment to his wife and children. He successfully walked a line that most of the tier one guys, and no other senior member of Bravo was able to walk. And when the team talked about the deal with Delta and the three month long deployment that would follow the holidays, Ray agreed to do it for the team, and for their boys. But when the deployment was up in the spring, Ray made it clear that he wanted to attend a twelve week training in Norfolk that would put him in a position to transition out of Bravo, and to keep the promise he made to his wife.

Jason kept his secret promise to Naima not to pressure or guilt Ray into staying once her husband felt his time was up. Bravo One agreed to temporarily move Tim up from support team leader to serve as his 2IC while Ray was away. Bravo's support team leader had stepped up to the challenge big time in Syria, impressing not only the senior team members, but also Alpha and Blackburn. The elephant in the room was left unmentioned because none of the old geezers were ready to say it outloud yet. But they all knew that Jason was considering Tim for Bravo Two when Ray decided he was ready to leave the team.

They had all talked honestly about that day throughout the years. Sonny was content in his position as weapons specialist and Bravo's unofficial brawn. And his intention continued to be going out as Bravo Three. Trent was fully committed to being Bravo's medic which he couldn't do while being 2IC. He was the best at what he did, everyone who knew and worked with Bravo knew he was the best - and if they hadn't gotten the message, his loyal babies and self-appointed public relations team would inform any doubters in no uncertain terms who was the best medic and superhero on the east coast. And probably the whole Navy according to Clay.

Brock was much too young and years away from being ready for a leadership role on the team, but all of the older guys recognized that somewhere down the line, it was entirely possible that Tim and Brock could end up Bravo One and Two. But that was a long way ahead, and they all knew about the 'best laid plans of mice and men'. So they never speculated about what might be once they were gone.

Clay had two recent emotional meltdowns where he revealed more past trauma that was unknown to either Jason or Trent. Shortly before the Syria mission, their kid had worked himself up after a confrontation with Ellis while Jason was out of town visiting Emma. He had ended up in Dr. Jeff's office, along with Brock, Trent and eventually Jason who were trying to calm him down. Clay had Ellis confused in his head with a former foster mother who he eventually revealed had killed her own daughter in the presence of Clay and the other kids in the house, convinced that the girl was possessed by demons.

Their boy was still in the process of working through that whole crazy situation with his unflappable therapist, when he returned from Syria an emotional wreck and decided to accuse Brock of trying to commit suicide to escape Bravo. It was a lot of crazy drama in a short period of time. Clay's multiple revelations left even Dr. Jeff shaking his head.

"I truly thought I had seen and heard it all," the doctor told Trent when he met with him after the first marathon session with Brock and Clay. "I'm sure it seems to you and Jason and the rest of your team that your boy is teetering on falling apart completely, but from my perspective as a psychologist, it's amazing he is able to function as well as he does."

"You really think the kid is doing okay, Doc?" Trent questioned. "Because I don't even know how he gets out of bed in the morning. And the fact that he is able to go into Bravo Six mode and do a job that has broken strong, experienced men in their thirties and forties just blows my mind."

"I can't explain it either," Dr. Jeff shrugged. "Kids in general are resilient, and some more than others are just built to survive. But Clay is a wonder to me. And I have worked with well over a hundred children from middle school age up to young adults in their early twenties. I have never seen a boy in his mid-teens who has suffered long term physical and emotional abuse along with repeated trauma and abandonment who was able to form such a strong emotional bond so quickly with adult men."

"I understand what you are saying, Doc," Trent said, shaking his head. "And Clay is a wonder to all of us as well. His reckless behavior and acting out to reassure himself of our resolve and commitment, and the ongoing boundary testing are in no way surprising to me. That's textbook abused boys in survival fight, flight or freeze mode."

"I agree," Dr Jeff nodded.

"But what continues to shock me," Trent went on, "Is this clearly wounded child's willingness to seek out love and emotional support after he's been betrayed and discarded by every adult who should have loved and protected him."

"Was he like that right from the beginning?" The doctor asked,

"Not immediately," Trent explained. "He started out on a regular SEAL team. He had bonded with a kid named Brian he may have mentioned to you. This kid was older than Clay, and had protected him in the boy's foster facility."

"Clay has talked some about Brian," Jeff confirmed. "He was killed in a training accident before making SEAL if I remember correctly."

"Yes," Trent said. "After that trauma, Clay was placed on Team Three until the powers that be finally convinced Jason to take him on a trial basis. At that time, we were told that he was the twenty-year-old son of a former SEAL who had tested extremely well and had been raised for several years in Africa where he learned to speak multiple languages and local dialects. He had also qualified as a sniper."

"Did you ever actually believe he was twenty?" Dr. Jeff was skeptical having gotten to know a few of Clay's teammates and caregivers.

Trent shook his head.

"Deep down, we never bought that nonsense," Trent admitted. "But we had just lost Nate, a long time brother. Ray had convinced Jason to take on Brock who was a decade younger than any other tier-one operator at the time. But he was a handler, and Ellis was insisting we needed a dog."

"Twenty-two is also really pushing it for special forces," Jeff said.

"That's what we all felt." Trent acknowledged. "We didn't want Brock at first either. No other tier-one team on the east coast has taken on an operator under thirty. And Brock had just turned twenty-two. He was actually only twenty-one when Ray spotted him."

"Really?" Jeff was interested in understanding how his newest young patients had ended up in their current positions.

"Ray had been keeping an eye out for a dog guy, and he strongly felt that despite his age, Brock was the perfect fit," Trent shrugged. "He was easy-going, smart, respectful, and a really good kid. Ray is cagey. I think he knew Jason was reeling from the unexpected loss of Nate as well as his own kids taking off to college and starting their own lives."

"Jason is a born alpha dog leading a team of alpha men," Trent explained to the doctor. "Brock is a strong kid, but he doesn't have that aggressive, kick ass and take names personality. He's the youngest in a big family who was raised to follow the rules and the leader. Jason, Sonny and I are all old enough to be his father - Brock is younger than Jason's kids. And the boss took to him as a protector and surrogate father right away."

"Oh," Jeff chuckled. "It's obvious to me that Clay isn't the only one of your kids who has your brother Jason on a pedestal. They both adore and look to him for protection and approval."

"So, Clay had been with Bravo for less than a month," Trent went on, shaking his head. "Pushing Jason's buttons. Driving Sonny to the brink of snapping and kicking his obnoxious little ass. We were pissed off that he'd been dumped on us and figured there was no way Jason was actually keeping him. So we didn't rock the boat with a lot of questions about his age or how he ended up on a plane headed to Afghanistan when he clearly should have been on a school bus headed to homeroom."

"Seeing you all with him now," Dr. Jeff said, "It's hard for me to even imagine you so disengaged from the situation. Clay is obviously so loved and well cared for - Bravo's Baby according to Brock."

"I know, Doc," Trent rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'm embarrassed to admit it to you now. And so is Jason which is part of why he's keeping a low profile. We should have spoken up and demanded answers right from the beginning. Going along and not speaking up was completely irresponsible."

"On one hand," Trent explained, "We question ourselves and the things we accepted and continue to go along with everyday. But then, we also know if we had refused to take him or made a scene once we knew he was barely sixteen, there is zero doubt he would have been transferred to another tier-one team who wouldn't rock the boat. Likely in California. As much as we all know this is a shit-show, it's not something we can change at this point. I love Clay and Brock more than anything in this world, and I think you know I would do anything for them. I know Clay. And I know it would destroy him emotionally if he were to lose us now. We aren't capable of letting him go. And the reality is that even if we staged some kind of public fit and tanked our own careers and pensions, it wouldn't miraculously make Clay a regular kid."

"You don't think there is another way to go?" Jeff asked, genuinely curious as to what Trent was thinking.

"Ash helped get him emancipated minor status when he left the foster system. Both Ash and Clay signed and agreed to his enlistment," Trent explained. "And even though they lied about his age, no one cares at this point because he is now legitimately seventeen and able to enlist with parent permission. And by the time any drama we initiated made its way up the chain of command or into family court, Clay would be eighteen and a legal adult. Bravo would be disbanded, possibly court martialed, and likely dishonorably discharged. All Clay's fear of abandonment would be realized once again. He'd be on a west coast team where I think you and I both know he would never again put himself out there emotionally to trust again."

"Don't misunderstand me, Trent," the doctor said sincerely. "I am not pointing fingers or blaming you or your team for anything. This was an untenable situation that you were forced to face. And I have zero doubt that you and Jason and the rest of Clay's big brothers and grumpy uncles are the only reason he is alive, healthy, happy and loved today."

Jeff paused to let that sink in before continuing. "So if Clay was combative and difficult when he was first placed on Bravo, how and when did that all change?"

"It was after an unexpectedly bad mission in Afghanistan," Trent explained. "Things took a crazy turn, and we were close to not all making it back to our exfil alive. It was the first really dangerous and scary situation Clay had experienced with Bravo, and he came through it and did an admirable job of holding it together and supporting Ray who had been injured."

"And you were still going along with him being twenty at this point?" Jeff asked.

"We were not openly questioning his age at that point," Trent said. "But we all suspected there was a mountain of shit no one was telling us about the kid. After the flight home, I was no longer willing to play stupid, and I started pressing Jason to get to the bottom of what was actually happening before it blew up in our faces."

"What happened on the flight to force your hand?" The good doctor wanted to know.

"At first Clay seemed okay," Trent said. "Like his usual confident, cocky self. But then I think the seriousness of his situation finally started to dawn on him, and he was suddenly overwhelmed."

Trent paused, remembering that night before continuing his story.

"Brock noticed that Clay had gone off by himself to a dark corner of the plane," Trent told the doctor. "He alerted me and Jason that something was wrong with the kid, and the boss sent me over to check him out because at the time, Brock and I were the only operators who could tolerate his attitude and inability to sit still and shut-up for more than thirty seconds. And being perceptive as shit, Clay recognized us as potential allies."

"So even at the beginning, it sounds like you had a soft spot for your boy," Jeff chuckled.

"I did," Trent admitted. "And so did Brock who was supposedly only three years older than Clay. But he knew that was bullshit as well as the rest of us."

"I"m guessing that your kid had some kind meltdown, and you were the one to get him settled and safe?" Jeff surmised.

"He was so pitiful, he broke my heart, Doc," Trent said sadly. "He was hiding in a dark corner with his knees pulled up to his chest, clutching the dog's fur, and unable to regulate his breathing. He looked like a terrified fourteen-year-old baby."

"Let me guess," Jeff surmised. "He went right to you, seeking care and protection, and you've been his go-to fixer ever since."

"Pretty much," Trent admitted. "As soon as he realized I wasn't going to hurt or punish him in any way, the kid latched onto me and wouldn't let go. And he's had me wrapped around his finger ever since that flight. And there is nothing he could do to make me or Jason or any of the other guys who love him ever turn on him or let anyone hurt him."

Dr. Jeff nodded in understanding.

"Trent," he said. "I have an idea I'd like to run by you."

"What's that, Doc?" Trent was curious. "You know we appreciate any suggestions or insight you can offer to help our boy."

"I know your team is going to be on a long deployment through the winter," Dr. Jeff said. "What do you think about setting something up so that Clay could take a class, maybe with his friend JJ, at the local high school this semester before you go overseas?"

"I don't know," Trent said, surprised. "That's not something we've ever considered. I'm guessing Clay has shared with you his recent regret about not being able to be like a normal kid."

"He has," Jeff confirmed. "Clay has told me that he's talked to both you and Jason about him wishing he could go to school with his friends. And I'm sure we can agree that is a completely reasonable feeling for a kid his age who has been allowed to make some friends for the first time ever."

"I completely agree with you, Doc," Trent said honestly. "And I know it would be a great thing for Clay socially and emotionally to spend time being a normal kid. I'm sure Jason would be onboard, but I don't know if we could logistically make it work. And I have doubts the upper brass who see Clay as a valuable future asset will agree to letting him get a taste of regular kid life and risk him deciding that maybe when he's legitimately twenty, he won't want to continue as a tier-one operator. I guarantee that is a situation the big bosses do not want to see happening."

Trent paused, and Dr. Jeff could tell Bravo's medic was mulling over the idea and thinking about how to make it happen for their boy.

"And," Trent went on chuckling lightly, "I suspect Amanda Ellis' head might explode. You may remember that Ellis is our CIA liaison. The woman Clay decided was trying to kill

him a few weeks before the Syria debacle."

"I haven't said anything about this to Clay, because I wanted to run it past you and Jason first," Jeff said. "I don't want him to get his hopes up that he could really spend some time in a regular school with his friends if it's not a possibility."

"Well, Doc," Trent said, clearly liking the idea. "It would be tricky, but I don't think it's impossible. The Navy sends kids on active duty to classes at local colleges regularly. And there are guys in the military working on getting a GED. The concept isn't that unusual."

"So what do you see as the biggest obstacles to getting something like this approved for Clay?" Jeff asked.

"Definitely getting the right upper brass to approve and support the idea will be a challenge," Trent said. "But, Jason has a lot of connections and people who owe him favors. Our immediate boss, Blackburn goes along with most of what Jason wants because he trusts his judgment. Also, the captain has grandkids Clay's age and he's another one with a huge soft spot for Mr. Trouble. But Ellis also has a lot of influence and will absolutely not be happy about having even a temporary lack of access to the kid."

"I get the impression from Clay that your Miss Ellis, as he calls her, is maybe the one person he had not been able to charm," Jeff grinned.

"I wouldn't call her my Miss Ellis," Trent laughed. "And Sonny and Brock have refused to interact with her outside of official briefings, where they are frosty at best, ever since they decided it was all Ellis' fault I punished the baby for being disrespectful to her at a briefing."

"Oh yes," Jeff agreed. "I recall Clay telling me the sad story of his inability to sit comfortably for a whole day after the very painful discussion you and he had following that fateful briefing. And I also remember your boy insisting that Uncle Sonny and Brock and even the support guys agreed that mean old Miss Ellis started the whole thing and he was the one who got punished for it."

"She's the only one we interact with regularly who hasn't warmed up to Clay," Trent shrugged. "I'm not sure why exactly, because he's definitely an asset to her, so it would make sense for her to make an effort with him, but she refuses. And she also has a long list of connections, so if she makes a stink about Clay taking a class off base, it could derail the plan."

"Okay," Jeff said, checking his watch to confirm he need to let Trent get back to his boys and himself on to his next patient. "How about we just keep this idea between us until you have a chance to talk to Jason and get his thoughts. We can talk more about it next week."

"Great," Trent said, standing to shake the doctor's hand. "I'm going to round up my boys from the waiting room and get them home for dinner. I'll talk to Jase and get back to you with his thoughts."

"Sounds like a plan," Jeff agreed. "I'll see you and the boys next week. Stay safe out there, son."

Later, while Brock was out on his regular 'date night' with Katie, another successful idea from the former Marine turned troubled kid whisperer, Trent dropped by to talk to Jason after he knew Clay would be asleep for the night. As he suspected, Jason was onboard with Dr. Jeff's back to school plan for the kid. He promised his loyal medic that he would get to work making it happen first thing in the morning.

"In completely unrelated happy news," Jason smiled, shaking his head and handing Trent a drink. "I am pleased to report that the 'terrible team torture' of the support kids overseen by Bravo Three and Alpha Four has officially come to an end, along with Sunshine's much sulked about electronics ban. All involved have strongly professed to have learned the lesson that disrespecting their grumpy, old superiors, even in good fun, will not be tolerated. Nor will sneaking, fake sleeping or eavesdropping which is also disrespectful and not in any way acceptable."

"I have no doubt there will be great rejoicing tonight down on the north beach where the young, cool kids like to gather," Trent laughed. "And I assume the runt fell asleep tonight, with his phone in one hand and his game controller in the other."

"Pretty much," Jason shook his head. "I unplugged the PlayStation at midnight and confiscated the phone to avoid Trouble staying up all night, and being a pain in our collective ass all day tomorrow."

"Good call, brother," Trent said, tapping Jason's bottle with his own.

"And once I had the little shit alone in the truck, away from the cool kids," Jason said. "I let him know that he's had his last warning about the sneaking around and minding adult business. I assured him that if it happens again, his little tail will be blazing. And you know that I am not bluffing."

"Oh," Trent chuckled. "I have no doubt you are most definitely serious. So fingers crossed, the runt does not test his luck again."

"Yeah," Jason snorted, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head. "Because we all know that Trouble never tests his luck."