Lawfully Heroic

by Jenna Brandt

  “Remember, trainees, you want to make sure to guide your K9 partner to inspect the most hidden places. Don’t forget the lining of purses, suitcases, golf bags. You also want to look under large objects where the heavier-than-air vapors settle,” Clara reminded them.

  “You’ve only got a few minutes left. Make them count. The more bombs you find, the more lives you save,” Instructor Miller added.

  Though the words of his instructor sounded urgent, Adam willed himself not to rush. Rushing was a handler’s worst instinct. It could cause them to make a mistake that would harm both him and his partner, not to mention anyone unfortunate enough to be close to the blast radius.

  There was a wrapped pallet that caught Adam’s eye. He directed Valor over to the area, then let his K9 go to work. Single sniffs and snorts became double, then triple, and it quickly became clear Valor had found something. As his tail started to wag back and forth, Adam knew before he sat down that there was a bomb under the pallet. He raised his hand to signal to the instructors that they had found an explosive device.

  “Great work, Reynolds. Father is exceptionally proud of you. That’s your sixth bomb for this exercise,” Instructor Miller praised as he came up next to Adam. “And by my calculation, the best any handler has ever done here. You’ve set a trainee record at DCSRA. There’s still a few minutes in this round, which means you might be able to make it seven.”

  Instructor Miller moved on, leaving him to start searching again. Adam glanced over at Clara, who was busy validating one of Colby’s finds. Even though she had been closer to Adam, she had avoided coming over, which bothered Adam to no end. It was one thing to avoid him personally, but professionally was a whole other. He’d just broken a record, and she didn’t even care enough to congratulate him.

  “Good job, Reynolds,” Bernard said. “I guess all that private time with Instructor Burnette over the weekend really paid off.”

  “Why don’t you focus on searching rather than on me,” Adam suggested, giving the other man a dark look of anger. “I don’t care for your asinine comments all the time.”

  “Don’t take it personally. I mean, any one of us would hit that if given the opportunity,” Colby added, before turning around with his K9 partner and taking off.

  It took all of Adam’s energy to keep from marching over to Colby and punching him square in the jaw. He didn’t like the other man talking about Clara that way or implying that he was using her like that. He knew he couldn’t hit him though, so instead he distracted himself by searching again.

  A few minutes later, there was the recognizable popping sound of one of the traps going off. Adam turned around to see who got sprayed with paint. It was Rogers, but something was wrong. He was screaming out in pain and had fallen to the ground. The rest of the teams and Clara rushed over to his side. Instructor Miller was bent down beside him, asking, “Can you see, Rogers?”

  “It hurts, it hurts!” he cried out, as he writhed in pain on the floor. He had his hands over his eyes and Adam quickly realized he wasn’t wearing his protective goggles.

  “Did the trap explode in your eyes?” Clara asked with concern, but Rogers couldn’t answer. He only continued to cry out in pain.

  “I was nearby and watched it happen,” Bernard said. “Rogers bent down to see behind the corner of the staircase and his goggles came loose. Then the trap went off.”

  Clara shouted over her shoulder, “Colby, go get the doctor right now. Tell him there was an accident and that it’s an emergency.”

  Colby rushed off in the direction of the medical clinic. Rogers wasn’t calming down, but instead was crying out in more pain. The way the other man was reacting, took Adam right back to the time when the IED detonated in the middle of his squad. He remembered the men, who hadn’t been killed by the initial explosion, where writhing around on the ground, screaming out in pain. Rogers was behaving just like that.

  Adam’s palms started to sweat, he could feel his heart speed up so fast he thought he might pass out, and the room was starting to tilt. Valor whined, and moved closer to Adam’s side, nuzzling against his partner’s leg. He must have sensed what was going on with Adam.

  “I’ll go check on Colby,” Adam said, turning around to take off without waiting to be dismissed. He couldn’t stay there a moment longer, or he was going to melt down right in front of everyone. He couldn’t let that happen.

  Adam only got about halfway to the clinic when he saw Colby and Dr. Stine coming towards him. “Has he gotten worse?” Colby asked with worry.

  “He’s about the same,” Adam stated, then looking at the doctor, he added, “It looks bad, Doc, really bad. I’m worried he might lose his eyesight.”

  “We’ll do all we can, but you all know the risks when you sign up for this job,” Dr. Stine said. “There’s always a chance, even in training, something will go wrong.”

  Adam made his way back to the dormitory, heading straight to his room. He needed to lay down to wait until this panic attack passed. They didn’t happen often, but when they did, he could be laid up for days. He couldn’t afford for that to be the case while he was at DCSRA. They’d kick him out for sure. He needed to figure out a way to get this under control before it was too late.

  As he lay in his bed with Valor next to him, he patted his partner’s head, trying to let their bond soothe him. Adam went over the techniques the Army psychologist suggested to help calm his nerves, but they weren’t working as well as he would’ve hoped. Knowing he needed more help, he sent up a silent prayer asking God to intervene. Finally, a peace started to take hold in his heart. The symptoms started to subside, and Adam could feel the tension leaving his body. Thank goodness. The last thing he wanted to have happen was to leave DCSRA under such horrible circumstances. That would most definitely keep him from getting an assignment in a hot zone.

  Rather than think about his squad or Rogers, Adam forced himself to think about something positive. The first thing that popped into his head was Clara’s face. She was the final key to calm him. As he drifted off to sleep, her beautiful face was his last conscious thought.

  Ten

  After Rogers was loaded onto a gurney and was taken to the clinic, Clara headed back towards the instructors’ villa. She needed to take a shower and then get some sleep. Not only was it difficult watching Rogers suffer like that, but she was worried about Adam. She could justify her concern as his instructor, but it went beyond that. She cared what was going on with him as she recognized she had strong feelings for him. It was why she had pulled away after their kiss. Letting herself get romantically involved would be a big mistake—one she couldn’t afford. She needed to keep their relationship strictly professional. Even as she tried to convince herself of that fact, however, rather than returning to her own apartment, she found herself heading towards the male dormitory. Knowing Adam’s back story concerning his squad in Afghanistan, she was certain he was suffering from a panic attack due to PTSD. There was nothing about it in his file, but it wouldn’t be the first time mental medical history was kept out of a dossier about a soldier so it wouldn’t affect their career. If that were the case, it would be in both their best interests if she checked on him, wouldn’t it? After all, she was his instructor, which meant she was responsible for his well-being. Happy with her own justification for her course of action, she hurried up her cadence as she silently sent up a prayer that everything would go well with Adam when they talked.

  Clara arrived at Adam’s room and softly knocked on the door.

  “Who is it?” she heard him shout from the other side.

  “It’s Clara. May I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  She opened the door and went inside. She moved through the living area to the bedroom where he was sitting up in bed. He looked pale and disoriented, like he wasn’t even sure where he was and why.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, pulling a chair over to sit down next to him.

  “I’m fine,” he said, giving the same answ
er he always did. “You should be worried about Rogers, not me.”

  “He’s been flown via helicopter to the best hospital in Dallas. They’ll be able to help him. What I’m worried about now is you, Adam. What happened to you today?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ve got it under control now.”

  “Look, I know you might be worried that I will put this in a report or tell somebody, but that’s not the case. I’m here as your friend. not as your instructor. I want to make sure you’re all right.”

  “I am now, but I wasn’t earlier. Ever since my squad was killed in the roadside bombing, I’ve battled with PTSD. I’ve had to fight against depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Even though it’s not officially in my record, I think that’s why they haven’t given me a position in a hot zone. They’re worried I won’t be able to handle the stress of it.”

  “I think you need to cut yourself some slack,” Clara coaxed, reaching out and placing her hand on top of his. “You did pretty well today, considering all that happened. You kept your composure, and when you found a chance to leave, you did it without drawing attention. I know a lot of trainees without PTSD, that would have done far worse than that.”

  “Thank you, Clara,” he whispered, her name causing her stomach to flip-flop at the sound of it. “I needed to hear that. I want so badly to serve in a way that honors the fellow soldiers I lost, but I worry that’s never going to happen. I feel like my PTSD keeps getting in the way.”

  “You shouldn’t be ashamed of it, Adam. You have it because you survived something that most soldiers never have to go through. You’re brave, strong, and resilient. You’re exactly what the military needs for a soldier fighting on the front line.”

  The words were true, and she believed them, but it didn’t keep her from hating the idea of him being across the world from her. She was beginning to see that she didn’t like the idea of Adam leaving DCSRA. She had gotten used to him being there and didn’t look forward to a time when he wouldn’t be.

  “I’ll try not to let it get me down,” Adam promised. “I really appreciate you coming to check on me.”

  “You’re welcome. Glad to do it.”

  “I have one other matter I wish to discuss with you,” Adam said, looking her straight in the eyes. “This whole ‘friend’ thing; it’s not working for me.”

  Clara’s heart sank. With the end of his training approaching, it seemed Adam was ready to move on. He had been clear he was doing all of this to get an assignment overseas. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I really thought there was something between us. I must have been mistaken.”

  “Wait, that’s not what I meant. What I meant was that I don’t want to be just friends. I like you Clara, and if you’re interested, I’d like to explore whether or not this could be something more.” He leaned forward and placed his hand on the side of her cheek. “I want this to be something more.” His lips claimed hers for his own. This kiss was different than the first, filled with a desire and passion that made Clara’s body quiver with excitement. She’d almost objected to his declaration, but at the moment, she was ready to relent and let their relationship evolve into something more. She wasn’t sure how things were going to work out between them, but she was certain of one thing—kissing Adam Reynolds had firmly taken the position as her favorite thing to do.

  Eleven

  The third week finished with just Bernard, Colby, and Adam remaining. Though Rogers was going to heal and not lose his eyesight, the recovery was going to take months. He wasn’t going to be able to return to the academy to finish with them. The captain did, however, offer him a slot in any future class once he was cleared for full-duty again.

  As they started their fourth and final week, Adam felt pleased with the fact that he was continuing to hold his position as the top performer of not only the bomb detection class, but of the entire academy. He’d met all the benchmarks set forth by the academy and had broken multiple records. On top of his training going well, he was forming something with Clara. They hadn’t defined what it was yet, but he was hoping it would lead to something permanent once they could go public with their relationship.

  “Trainees, as we approach the end of your time here at DCSR, we’ve decided to save the best for last,” Instructor Miller said with pride. “You will be working in tandem with the other search and rescue training teams in a mock massive terrorist disaster. You will have live victims trapped in the rubble, fake bombs which can go off and do real damage if not handled properly, and simulated hurricane weather conditions to contend with. All of it on your own without Mother and Father to guide you. This will test your mettle in a way no other scenario ever has. This will be your final chance to prove yourself ready to be called a DCSRA graduate.”

  Adam wanted nothing more than to work well with the other teams and bring in the top honors from the final exercise. If he could do that in such a stressful environment, he could prove he was capable of handling a hot zone assignment.

  “Today, we are going to go over what will be expected and how to work in a multi-faceted search and rescue effort. It will be chaotic; you will feel pressure to speed up your process, but you will need to remember your training—” Clara didn’t finish her sentence as her eyes darted to the back of the classroom. “Excuse us for a moment. Sarge needs to speak with us.”

  Clara and Instructor Miller disappeared towards the back. They were taking turns talking. When Sarge was talking, they would listen and nod, then respond with a few gestures towards the trainees. Whatever was going on, it involved Adam and his fellow trainees. Had something else happened?

  Their instructors came back to the front of the classroom. Instructor Miller explained what was going on. “There has been a pipe bomb that was detonated in a mailbox in the nearby town of Woody. Luckily, no one was injured, but there is concern that more have been planted around the area. The bomber sent a note, claiming this was only the first one. We’ve been called out to search for any devices. We’ll be coordinating with the Dallas detection teams and bomb squad, who will detonate any devices we find.”

  “You have fifteen minutes to grab anything you might need, after which you are to report to the staging area outside the training center,” Clara added.

  The trainees took off with their K9 partners, making their way straight to the dormitory to gather their equipment. Once Adam had everything he needed loaded up in his work bag, he headed over to the meet-up location. The place was in a flurry with both of his instructors, as well as his fellow trainees, putting their bags and dogs into the kennel in the back of their DCSRA truck.

  Thirty minutes later, the team arrived in Woody. The staging area for the task force was filled with uniformed officers, and newspaper reporters that were roped off several yards away. The Dallas bomb squad had already arrived.

  The bomb squad captain was going over a map laid out on the hood of one of the police cars. “Good, the DCSRA team is here. We’ve assigned each of your teams to work in tandem with three officers in each grid area. If you find anything, send someone back to bring in the bomb detonation team. Do not approach or make contact with the potential device, and remember, stay off your radios. The signal could set off a nearby bomb.”

  Adam could feel the anticipation building inside him. He’d only checked cars for bombs at the base. He’d never had a chance to search for bombs in a real-world situation. If he could handle this, it would prove his PTSD wouldn’t be a problem. This was a make or break moment for him.

  Adam and Valor were assigned with one Woody and one Dallas officer. They were working the area together, making sure to spread out far enough to cover more ground, but not too far as to miss anything. Any time one of the cops found something suspicious, they would signal for Adam and Valor to investigate.

  Their training kicked in, and Adam and Valor moved together in unison. They knew exactly what to look for, unlike his counterparts that thought innocuous obje
cts such as trash cans and bird feeders might be bombs. Valor cleared object after object the other two cops continued to point out. As he deemed each time safe, Adam was beginning to wonder if they were on a wild goose chase.

  That’s when, out of the corner of his eye, Adam noticed a moving box behind a dumpster. It seemed out of place, like someone had placed it there on purpose when it could have easily fit in the dumpster. This sent up a red flag to Adam, causing him to lead Valor over to the area. It was clear within a few minutes that Valor definitely smelled something that was triggering him to examine it further. As his sniffing and snorting sped up and his tail went crazy, Adam knew they had found an explosive device. Valor sat down next to it, prompting Adam to raise his hand with a closed fist, the signal that the Woody cop needed to go inform the detonation team that they had found a bomb.

  An hour later, their explosive device had been safely detonated and the area had been cleared, finding only one other explosive device in the neighborhood. Once they were sure there weren’t anymore, the DCSRA team loaded back up into their trucks.

  “Good work, team. I know it’s in bad form to brag, but I have to commend you on your expert work today. Our team found both of the bombs, to the Dallas bomb squad’s chagrin. Just goes to prove, DCSRA really does train the best of the best. Mother and Father are proud of you.”

  “I told you not to worry; when it came down to it, you’d be able to execute a search without a problem,” Clara leaned over and whispered. “Miller’s right. I am proud of the entire team, but what he doesn’t know is how hard this was for you. You were in a high stress, possibly anxiety-triggering situation, and you didn’t flinch. Excellent job, Adam.”

  A satisfied smile formed on Adam’s face. He knew he had done well today, but Clara’s high praise made his heart fill with pride. He wasn’t sure when it became so important, but he reveled in her approval. He slowly moved his hand over on the bench, closing the few inches between them. With no one watching, his fingers grabbed the side of her hand and squeezed. She turned the palm of her hand up and squeezed back. It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to Adam.