Once a SEAL (14 page)

She didn’t like the look of that. Turning off the light, she lay down next to him and placed her hand on his back. He was shivering. Spooning her body against his, she held him tight until she fell asleep, too.

***

Waking up to the sound of someone retching had her on her feet and running toward the noise.

Aria stood in the bathroom doorway, staring at Dan as he huddled over the toilet, throwing up that wonderful dinner she had made him. She knew it wasn’t the cooking and was concerned it was the fever. She searched her mind… What kind of infection could he have?

She wet a washcloth with cool water and waited until he was done. “Dan.”

He looked up at her and his face reminded her of a boy’s…so young and so hurt. “I’m okay.” Then he leaned back over the bowl and threw up. It took a few minutes before he stopped, but this time it was evident his stomach was empty.

She handed him the washcloth and he wiped his face. She took it back and tossed it into the dirty-clothes hamper and then opened the medicine cabinet and took out a small bottle. Breaking the seal, she poured a small amount into a cup. “Drink it.”

“Smells sweet. I don’t want anything sweet.”

Raising her eyebrows, she gave him a stern look. “Do it before you start dry-heaving again.”

He did and the grimace that followed made her laugh. “I will never drink Coke again.”

“Yes, you will. Cola syrup is magic. Not only will it stop the heaving, but it will also give you a little energy. Now into the bath with you.” She stepped over him, put in the stopper, and turned on the water. As she helped him off the floor, she noticed his thumb was swollen and there was a small red line leading up his wrist. After settling him in the tub, she picked up the injured digit and examined it. “Why didn’t I notice this before?”

“It’s nothing.” He waved her off.

She went to the kitchen and got a small knife, matches, a metal pan, some bottled water, Palmolive green soap, and salt. Going back into the bathroom, she unpacked her collection and said, “Don’t give me that crap. Now give me your thumb and tell me what happened.”

Dan let out a long breath. “Can’t we add some heat to this water?”

“No. Man, you’re fussy when you’re sick.”

“My grandfather would read to me. Will you read to me?” Dan’s eyes beseeched her.

She laughed. “Yes, but only if you answer my question.”

“Good.” He splashed water on his face and then stuck his hand out for her to look at. “I cut it on the cage. So much crap in there. I wasn’t thinking, and look what happened. Hammer fixed it, so it’s okay.”

She lit a match and heated the end of the knife. Then she put the spent match aside and laid the sharp point of the knife over the wound. Pushing it deeply, she kept going until blood welled out. “Does that hurt?”

“I guess,” he said as he used his feet to turn on the water.

“Stop messing around,” she said, and he immediately turned it off. “Now watch this.”

He leaned his head over the side of the tub, doing as she asked.

Aria filled the small pan with water, salt, and a few drops of soap. Then she put his finger into it. The blood seeped into the pan, turning the water a color.

“Pretty color…like roses.”

“Shush. Watch.” The wound oozed thick pus.

“What’s that?” asked Dan, whose interest seemed much more sober.

“Infection. Whatever was lingering in that cage! You guys need to clean them. Get some bleach and really scrub ’em down.” Aria waited until the puss had completely oozed out, and then she dumped the contaminated water, rinsed the bowl with hot soap and water, and performed the whole process over again.

“I have Cipro. I’m going to give you 1000 mg now, and tomorrow you’re going to the doctor.” Aria worked, making sure the septic line was gone before she stopped.

“Where did you learn to do this?”

Aria helped Dan out of the tub, rubbed a towel briskly over his body, and brought him his robe. “I want to change the sheets.” She pulled off the wet linens, wiped the mattress with a spray cleaner, and put on another set, grabbing a clean blanket from the closet. “Two good friends of mine from high school, Liz Palmer and Augusta Shaw, were first responders. They dragged me to wilderness training school, a place called SOLO—Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities—where I ended up earning my emergency medical technician’s wilderness certification. They teach you stuff to do using what you have…and how to manage when you’re far away from home or medical professionals.”

“I didn’t know that about you.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Aria smoothed out the wrinkles and then pointed at the bed. “At one point, I thought about being a doctor.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Too many other things took precedence.” Aria peeled off her T-shirt and took another one out of the drawer. She put it on and took the other one to the bathroom.

When she got back, Dan had sunk to his knees and was crawling onto the bed. “I feel better. Thanks.”

“Yeah, I bet you do. Sepsis can knock the shit out of you. Dan, for future reference, you should have checked the wound again.”

“I had other stuff on my mind.” Dan rolled away from her, pulling the blanket under his chin. “Shit like that happens all the time. I can’t always stop and take a time-out for a boo-boo.”

“Understood. I’m just saying people die from sepsis. Your body is so primed that the infection spread fast and you need to keep an eye on…” She stopped speaking. The man was breathing like a train, and he had definitely fallen asleep on her again.

So rare was the circumstance of waking up with the sun already in the sky that it often disoriented Dan. The voices raised in high emotion woke him from his heavy sleep and forced him into alert mode. Unfortunately his head, his body—everything—felt as if he’d been hit with a ton of bricks, and there was a throbbing in his finger, too.
Probably
for
the
best
if
I
get
moving.

He stood and stretched, and his joints popped and resettled. He could hear Aria and Jimmy arguing. Nothing that seemed dire or urgent…she just sounded very frustrated.

He checked his thumb. The septic line had completely disappeared. Pulling back the bandage, he saw the cut was still deep and angry. When he pushed on it, blood welled up slowly. It looked clean otherwise.

Grabbing the rubbing alcohol off the floor, he ignored the cotton balls, peroxide, and bandages and poured it straight on the wound. It burned! “Mother—” He didn’t finish the statement as the door opened and Aria walked in.

“Oh, good, you’re up. How are you feeling?”

She came around to his side of the bed, picked up a cotton ball, added some peroxide to it, and held it to the wound. Then she put a butterfly bandage over it to close the gaping hole, added antibiotic ointment, and wrapped a dressing around it. His wife looked at him and then placed her hand on his forehead. “No fever, and the wound’s clean. I think you’re going to survive it.”

“Good, I have today off and I’d hate to spend it in bed.”

“Really? Off.” Her face brightened. “Then after a trip to the doctor’s…”

“Aria, I don’t need the doctor. I’m good.” He took her hands in his. “What I need…is to spend the day with my family, Jimmy and you.” Bringing her fingers to his lips, he kissed each one tenderly.

“Fine,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “At least let me see if they’ll call in a prescription for your own antibiotics, though.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her nose. “What? You don’t think I had food poisoning?”

“Daniel Gregg McCullum, don’t you dare say that or I’ll never make another home-cooked meal.” Aria’s eyes were wide and her chin jutted out defiantly.

“Just kidding,” he said, hugging her.

“Ahem,” came a voice from the door.

He looked up to see Jimmy.

“Dan has the day off and wants to spend it…with you. So go get ready.”

Dan looked over at the sullen teen. Oh, yes, this is precisely how he wanted to spend the day off…with a pissed-off teenager. He’d prefer that Aria were with them, but he was up to a challenge. Besides, whether Jimmy liked it or not, they were all family now. Perhaps the teen would be better off getting that fact through his head sooner rather than later, and without the attitude. “What did you want to do today?”

Jimmy shrugged and went down the hall to his room. When he disappeared inside, Dan looked at Aria. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

“Hell, no. I’m staying home. I’m at the end of my coping scale. He’s
all
yours.”

***

Dan put the Mustang into high gear and passed the slow-moving camper van. He wasn’t quite sure what activity he should do with Jimmy, and getting him to talk was like pulling quills out of a pup that had surprised a porcupine—unpleasant. The fact was, Jimmy was more likely to talk to another guy when they were alone than with his “mom” close by. It was hard to admit that Aria was right to suggest that they make an outing without her. The problem was…this was one cranky kid.

“Since none of my suggestions seem to suit you, is there somewhere you’d like me to drop you off?”

Jimmy said the words quickly. “I want to go back to Mark’s house.”

Works
for
me
, Dan thought as he turned the car in the direction of San Diego.

“You were just there last night, but I can have you there in less than five minutes. Ten, if there’s traffic.” Dan pulled onto Orange Avenue and headed for the bridge.

“You better not.” Jimmy looked at his feet. “Aria will get mad.”

“Is that what you two were arguing about this morning?”

“We weren’t arguing…just disagreeing strongly,” said Jimmy.

“Hate to break it you, dawg, but that
was
arguing. Dressing it up and making it sound pretty doesn’t change the fact.” Dan was comfortable calling anyone on his shit, because in the Teams that’s what they did every day—owned emotions and reactions—and worked their asses off to be better.

Jimmy turned in his seat. “Why aren’t you more like Mark? He loves her! You ruined everything.”

Dan drove over the bridge and took the first exit off. The street was clear of traffic, and he pulled the car over next to a small park. “Get out.”

“W-what?” Jimmy held his gaze, and despite the fact that it was a rather sketchy area, he got out of the car. Holding the door open, he said, “If I get killed, my sister is never going to forgive you.”

“That, my young ward-to-be, is
not
going to happen.” Dan got out of his car and beeped the alarm on. “Come on. We’re going to have a talk.”

The boy hesitated and then followed him. When they got to a picnic table, Dan sat down. Jimmy was reluctant but eventually sat in front of him.

The birds were chirping and someone was yelling at a house close by. The smell of grilled meat permeated the air, and the rush of traffic on I-5 and the bridge gave off sporadic waves of air movement. None of it was pleasant.

“Okay, I get it…I was wrong…I apologize.” Jimmy shoved his hands into his pockets, refusing to meet Dan’s stare.

“Jimmy, look at me. I married your sister. I’m family. Mark isn’t. You can trust me.” Dan’s jaw clenched. He forced himself to relax, but the muscle throbbed with unexpressed emotion.

The teen’s gaze lifted slowly.

“I want you to tell me why Mark is supposed to be with Aria.” Dan used his softest tone so that Jimmy would lean forward to hear him.

“You’re not going to punch me?”

“No,” said Dan, startled by the question.

Withdrawing his hand long enough to rub his sleeve over his nose, Jimmy looked at him with a dubious expression, a cross between shock and awe. “Mark came to our house in Vermont a couple of times. He told me how he was going to marry Aria someday and that we’d all live together in a castle. He has a lot of money and this whole wall of pictures from the time my sister was little through this month. Mark told me how he watches her and knows what she needs and wants. I asked him questions, and he really knows her, too.”

“Did he take the photographs?”

“Some of them…” Jimmy squirmed in his seat and then stilled.

“Where did he get the pictures?” Dan didn’t move. He kept his outside very calm and relaxed, but inside he was contemplating the various ways he could get rid of Mark and bury the evidence. The man was becoming a major hassle.

“I gave them to him. It was a secret between him and me. I thought because he would be her husband…it was okay.”

“What did you get in return?

Jimmy’s fingers twisted the string on his hoodie, making a giant knot out of the end. “None of your business.”

“Tell me,” said Dan, leaning forward. He didn’t succeed in keeping the hardness out of his eyes this time.

Looking at the table, Jimmy’s fingers laid flat—spread wide. When he looked up, there was something dark there. “He gave me money. Nothing you do is going to make me tell you how much.”

“Really?”

Tears welled in the corners of Jimmy’s eyes as Dan stared at him. “A hundred dollars a picture.” The kid looked away and then wiped his eyes. He laid his head on the table. With his face covered, he asked, “My uncle and I needed the money. Did I…did I do a bad thing?”

Dan resisted the urge to tell the kid it would be okay, because he wasn’t sure yet. He’d never say something unless it was true.

Patting Jimmy’s back and comforting him wasn’t going to get the lesson across, and this was going to be a major issue. Dan didn’t know where to begin. Mark had not been honest with Aria, who was operating on a completely different understanding of what their friendship was about. Christ, he needed help on this one! “What do you think, Jimmy?”

The teenager shook his head and wouldn’t lift it up to meet Dan’s eye.

“Time to get moving.”

Jimmy pulled away instantly as if he’d been struck. He scrambled away from the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “Where are you taking me?” asked the kid, on the verge of crying.

“To meet a friend of mine who owns a climbing gym and is one helluva good guy.” Dan beeped the car open and watched Jimmy climb in and secure his seat belt. Then he walked around the car and got inside. As he started the engine, he wondered what Aria would do when she learned the truth about Mark. For now, his job was clear…to work with the kid and help him find his footing. What better way to get the process moving then to climb—reaching for increasingly higher handholds and footholds—even if it was in a gym?

***

“That’s it, Jimmy, keep going.” Dan explained the issue to his friend and mentor Pete Anson, whom he’d met years ago when he was a lowly tadpole going through BUD/S training and assisting at one of the West Coast Navy SEAL reunions. The man had a bevy of girlfriends vying for his attention, but the retired frogman seemed happiest when he was working.

Pete had imparted an excellent piece of wisdom: “Anything can taste like honey if you think it is.” The phrase had stuck with him through survival training and some rather awful Ops where he had to eat dirt and bark just to stay alive. The basic premise was sound. He had changed the way he looked at things and made the experiences more pleasant. Now he was a master at turning stuff around and making it into something better than it actually was.

He hoped Pete could give him some advice about what to do with Jimmy. As the teenager climbed, Dan filled him in.

“Son, that’s why I’m a bachelor…I never could stomach handling complications with relatives.” Pete scratched his ear. “But if he were mine, I guess I’d tackle the honesty thing first…about him coming clean to his sister. Next I’d get him to understand that no one has a right to mess with his personal space.”

Dan nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m hoping there isn’t an issue. Regardless of the answer, I have to help him move forward in a way that can be peaceful to his heart and soul. No one needs to move through life with the weights of regret attached to his every step.” His eyes tracked Jimmy’s movements on the wall.

“Help!” Jimmy yelled as he lost his footing and was hanging by his hands.

“Don’t panic,” said Dan. “There’s a foothold to your right at four o’clock and one to your left at seven. Remember, you have a safety line. Be fearless.”

The teen nodded and then found the spots Dan had directed him to. There was a huge grin on the kid’s face.

“I got it! I did it!” Jimmy yelled and then was moving up the wall again. Even fourteen-year-olds could lose their cool and get centered again. The best part was watching the achievement happen.

Pete came up behind Dan and put a hand on his shoulder. “Take some friendly advice. Don’t bury that Mark dude. Let the police in on it. Handle what’s on your plate.”

A woman came up and asked Pete to come answer a call. His friend nodded to him and then left.

Dan’s eyes went back to the kid clinging to the wall, whose fingers were white-knuckled and whose face was an expression of pure concentration. The posture was tense and his body was almost contorted as he made his way forward. Muscles would be screaming in protest at this point, shaking with the strain and beginning to ache with the sheer pain of holding.

Under his breath Dan said, “The police can’t put him away long enough. Someday everyone gets free.”

***

“I never knew I was good at climbing. Thanks for taking me, Dan. Can we do it again…soon?” Jimmy had eaten his way through two bacon cheeseburgers and was opening his third. If he kept eating this way, a growth spurt was going to occur—either up or out.

“Slow down,” said Dan. “We have food at home.”

“Yeah, but there are vegetables involved.”

Oh
man, that will be a whole other thing to tackle—good eating habits.
Dan finished his salad and drew a large gulp out of his fruit smoothie. “Listen, I know we talked about it in the car and you agreed to tell your sister the truth, but this can’t be a one-time thing. Anyone who asks you to do anything who isn’t either your sister or me—you have to tell us. I don’t care if your teacher asks you to jump up and down while you hum the alphabet song, you have to tell us. Keeping secrets screws with your brain, and it ultimately hurts you and your family. Do you understand?”

“You keep secrets all the time.” Jimmy challenged.

“If I reveal information that needs to stay secret, people die. Anything having to do with my job that I can share, I do. But I won’t intentionally put people in harm’s way—that’s my rule.” He scratched his chin. “If information is vital for someone’s safety, then I figure out a way to talk. Do you have any rules you live by?”

“Like what?” Jimmy stuffed the rest of the burger into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed, and went after the last of his French fries. Drowning it all down with a chocolate shake, this skinny kid was looking around for more.

Dan pushed his apple slices toward him. The kid ripped into the bag and scarfed them down.
Mental
note…buy more food.

“If people don’t communicate with each other—share the stuff that hurts, scares, or brings pain—how can life get better? I’m not saying you have to do it with everybody, just the people who are closest to you,” said Dan.

“Like Aria…and you.” Jimmy wiped his mouth on the sleeve of sweatshirt. “I guess I never thought of stuff that way before.”

“Did you have a girlfriend, or was there someone you liked?” asked Dan. He was curious—was fourteen old enough to be interested in dating? Thinking back to his own experience, he decided it was probably right on track.

Jimmy’s cheeks pinked. He rolled his eyes and then dropped his hands to his lap. “Maybe.”