The Devil Among Heroes : A SEAL Team Story

chapter four |playing house

The food settled easily in my stomach as I helped clean up the table. I didn't have all the food on my plate but it was something and the bland food wouldn't cause me further pain tonight. As I helped clear the table, the lieutenant commander helped Gracie set up an age appropriate video game for her on the xbox which ended up being Minecraft. This seemed to solidify that I would be having a conversation with the two adults in the room. Blackburn came back motioning to me to grab a seat at the now clean table as Hannah pulled up her laptop. It felt as though I was in trouble and my parents were trying to understand what happened. I slowly sip the hot tea that Hannah grabbed as she starts to talk. "There are some finer details of your agreement that we need to go over. Nothing scary just some clarifications." I nod my head scared because even if it wasn't deemed scary by Hannah anything uncertain brought aniexty to me. Hannah goes on the explain how the members of bravo technically had custody over me when I was with them which meant that they could make medical decisions as well as over ones for me. She continued on saying that when I wasn't on a mission nor with bravo my custody was with the state. That meant I'd be bouncing between foster homes but these foster homes would be with people who understood my agreement. I'd be going to a new foster home tomorrow with the Rhodes ; Jared a former SEAL now firefighter, Meredith a middle school science teacher and their two kids; an eleven year old son Tyler Carson and a four year old daughter Joey. They had previous foster kids before and were extremely vetted. Another detail of my agreement was that I'd still go to school. As I was a year ahead in school since fourth grade, I would be allowed to continue that in addition to keeping up my language skills with some advanced classes with the navy. There was also a small stipulation that I was unaware that gave me more comfort that I ever expected. "If you are ever in a situation where you feel unsafe, you are to call bravo immediately. Apart of your custody agreement is an emergency clause, which applies to anywhere, anytime. If your use the code word they will come and get you, and take over your custody until you are safe." I softly smile at hannah confirming that statement. Her effort to include that and to tell me provided me more safety than she would ever know. The two adults stand up leaving me to go to send their own daughter to be reiterating that while I was considered family, I would never be family.

I take the young girls spot on the couch and pick up her Minecraft game for her. She was on creative so it wasn't anything hard but I decided to help her with her house she was building. Eventually the two adults come back down this time blackburn sporting his camo bag.

Flashback

I open my eyes to the sound of fabric on the rug, as if someone was kneeling on it. The commander was now settled on his knees in front of me as he pulls on medical gloves from his bag. "Zoë I'm just gonna put pressure on your head." I look at him suspiciously and unsurely. He looks back reassuringly "I'm a NAVY Seal, I'm trained in advanced first aid with them. Until we get more help here will you let me help you?" The bleeding was getting more on my hands and soon it would cover the palm of one of them. He was my only option so I nodded my head softly "sure."

   Blackburn takes a seat in front of me on the table he pulled across the carpet. He pulls out the smaller bag of medical supplies that Trent gave him earlier. "I'm just gonna unwrap your arm wounds, clean them and rewrap. Everything else is fine besides the butterfly stiches that need to be changed too. I'll be really gently and fast, Zoë. Do you trust me?" With that I nodded once again, once again signaling the slow trust building inside of me. It was a painful process but the commander said my wounds weren't infected and he didn't expect them to be with Trent fixing them. Eventually he finished the work and took off the medical gloves throwing them away in the kitchen garbage "your gonna sleep in one of the bunk beds in TK rooms. It might be best for you take the lower bunk." I smile at the commander "thank you, for everything." He leans down resting his elbows on his couch "you don't have to keep thanking of because we are family, and family doesn't have to do that." With that he went back into the kitchen to help clean up. The commander was wrong though, I wasn't family and neither was he. I so longed for that sentiment to be true that, and I think back to my earlier thoughts if I keep my head down and do my job than maybe the guys can trust me. I sneak out to the commanders truck outside through a side door and try to grab my computer but no joy it's not in the truck. Blackburn most have put it in his office which just happened to be next to the bedroom I was staying in. Grateful the couple was still in the kitchen, so I sneak upstairs into the office. On the walls were graduation diplomas and pictures along with SEAL memorabilia, and of course a flag that I had seen in the bravo cage area. I didn't know what it meant but it had a  dog type logo on it. His work backpack was on his desk open, and my laptop sticking out along with my headphones still attached. I grab both and retreat back to TK room undetected. The nineteen year olds room hadn't changed since I was there last, still displaying the two bunk beds, baseball trophies everywhere and an American flag on the wall. I slide onto the lowest bunk bed and get to work on these translations for mandy. Eventually falling asleep as the sounds of Arabic fill my years.