“Where is Miss Riley and Mr. Miller?” Simone asked, eyeing Paige.
“Sergeant Miller took Captain Riley back to the ER. She wasn’t feeling well,” Paige answered, deadpan. Show some respect you plastic bitch. Hurry the fuck up Kira. Please, fucking hurry.
The door opened and Curly Sue entered sheepishly and looked around the room, her eyes wide.
“Ah, Jamie Parker, R.N.?” Simone asked.
“Yes, ma’am, I was told to report down here.”
“Yes, dear, have a seat,” Simone instructed.
Curly Sue did as directed, but shot a nervous glance over at Paige.
“Well, if Captain Riley and Sergeant Miller are unable to join us, we should begin. I’m sure Your Honor would like to get home and back to bed,” Simone offered, smiling at him sweetly.
“Sounds like a plan, Miss Preston. I presume you have everything in order so we can keep this brief,” the judge responded.
“Yes, of course, Your Honor.” Simone’s voice dripped with satisfaction.
Paige blew out a long slow breath and looked around the large mahogany table. These lawyers and the judge had no idea who Stark really was. They didn’t know what he had given, or what he had suffered. Paige balled up her fist but maintained her composure.
Taylor and Reed looked like they were about to rip someone apart with their bare hands. Reed was a master marksman. He could take out a target at a thousand yards without thinking twice. Taylor was a combat medic who had seen more than fifteen tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was used to looking at carnage you couldn’t begin to imagine. They sat tall, straight, and ready, eyeing the lawyers.
Paige didn’t know if lawyers even had the capacity to understand the kind of men that sat in their midst.
A tall, lanky lawyer wearing an Armani suit stood up first. “We are here to determine the mental competence of Sergeant Owen Stark. As you know, your honor, Mr. Stark is the owner of Anderson Stark Technologies. Miss Simone Preston has been the acting CEO since Mr. Stark’s father passed last year. Mr. Stark has had multiple opportunities to come back and take the reins of his company. However, Miss Preston feels his mental state has been slipping as a result of multiple combat trips overseas. Most recently, he was severely injured and lost his right leg. He is on a slew of medications to control PTSD and pain. He has not been attending his therapy sessions, and tonight he attempted to kill himself and endangered the life of another soldier. Miss Preston seeks to find Mr. Stark mentally incompetent, so that she can place him in a facility where he can get the help he so desperately needs.”
Taylor made a fist. Reed shook his head and his nostrils flared. Paige could see they were ready to defend their brother, no matter the cost. This was going to get ugly.
Just then, the door opened and an older uniformed soldier in dress greens entered. Paige could tell he was high up by the number of barred oak leaves on his lapel. Taylor and Reed jumped up and immediately saluted.
“At ease, gentlemen,” he said. Then turning toward the judge addressed him, “Your Honor, my name is Major Stephens. I understand this is a hearing for one of the men under my current command, Sergeant Owen Stark.” The major spoke with calm authority, the kind of understated bravado that comes from years of being the highest-ranking man in the room.
“Yes sir, it is. Welcome, Major,” the judge replied.
The major turned and held the door for a woman also in dress greens, and Sergeant Miller pushing Kira in a wheelchair. They all filed in around the large table.
“Your Honor, this is Dr. Meadows. She is the psychiatrist for both Sergeant Stark and Captain Riley,” he said, as he held out a chair for Dr. Meadows. “This is Captain Riley and Sergeant Miller. They were both involved in tonight’s incident.”
Paige looked around the room. She thought this may be the first time she had ever seen a lawyer sweat, outside the club that was.
“Major, since you and your team have spent the most time with Sergeant Stark, I would like to hear from you first.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. I debriefed Sergeant Stark and I have been working with him toward prosthesis. After spending considerable time with Sergeant Stark, I believe that he will be a candidate for captain in the Special Forces. Once he completes the program, I would be confident recommending him for alpha school.”
The judge paused and turned his head toward the major. He looked profoundly confused. “This does not sound like someone you feel is mentally unstable.”
“No, sir, Sergeant Stark has displayed exemplary leadership and problem solving capabilities in the field. He is going through a difficult adjustment right now, but when he completes the program he will make an excellent captain,” the major responded steadfast.
“Dr. Meadows, has Sergeant Stark displayed any suicidal ideation?”
All eyes turned from the major to Dr. Meadows.
“Not to my knowledge,” she responded.
“The report I have from Miss Preston is that he tried to commit suicide this evening by jumping off the parking garage and injured another soldier in the process.”
“I didn't get to interview Sergeant Stark after the incident, as he was in surgery, but I have counseled Captain Riley who was also there. After talking with her it is my opinion that Sergeant Stark acted without regard to his own safety in an attempt to save Captain Riley.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Simone blurted. “That’s a load of …”
“Miss Preston, one more outburst like that, and this proceeding will be finished,” the judge interrupted. “Dr. Meadows, in your medical opinion is Sergeant Stark a danger to himself or anyone else?”
“No, Your Honor. In my medical opinion, if Sergeant Stark completes the prosthetics program, then he will meet the mental qualifications needed for alpha school,” Dr. Meadows replied.
“Captain Riley, since Sergeant Stark is still recovering from surgery and you were the only other person present, please tell me what happened tonight,” the judge instructed.
Paige looked at Kira and crossed her fingers under the table. You got this, Vanilla. Let's see some ballsy shit.
Kira swallowed. She hated being on the spot. Everyone looked at her. She suddenly felt two inches tall.
“Yes, Your Honor. May I start with how I ended up here? I was kidnapped while on a mission in Peru. Sergeant Stark’s team rescued my partner and myself.” Kira rocked back and forth in her seat. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. “I was shot and almost died. If it wasn’t for these men, and Sergeant Stark, I would have—” She paused, and took a drink of water. “When I first woke up after being in ICU for a month, I had significant amnesia. I struggle with nightmares and flashbacks. My memory is slowly returning, but the road to normal has been very difficult.”
“Ok, blah, blah. Owen Stark is a hero,” Simone interrupted. “They all are, what does it matter? He still flung himself off a building.” The judge shot her a disapproving look, then turned back to Kira, “Please continue, Captain Riley.”
“I was discharged today, but I have to tell you, I was terrified about heading back home. I went to the airport. But I just couldn’t get on the plane.” Kira paused and blew her nose. The story of her life now was so dark it was hard to face herself, let alone share with a room full of strangers. She was about to throw her career away. She looked at Simone. The snake was just going to sit there and watch her cry.
“I didn’t know where else to go. I don’t know how to go back to my life.” The tears started to fall. “I was so upset coming up the ramp, that I crashed my rental vehicle in the parking garage. I walked up to the edge and looked over. Sergeant Stark was out there taking a stroll in his chair. He saw me climbing onto the edge, and came up to me.”
She closed her eyes and she could feel the wind on her face. She was a masochist. Lying was not in her nature.
“Are you ok, Captain?” the judge asked.
Kira opened her tear-filled eyes. She had cried more in the last
twenty-four hours than she had in the last twenty years. Paige locked eyes with her. “He hoisted himself onto the ledge beside me and we talked. He wasn’t leaving without me. I just couldn’t see past my own self-hatred and fear. I tried to stand and I fell. He caught me, but came off the building in the process.”
Kira choked out the words between sobs, “I begged him to let me go. Let me fall to save himself, but he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t leave me. He kept trying to encourage me to climb, but I was too afraid to move.”
The judge was shaking his head. Simone fumed. The entire room was silent.
“Even when I tried to climb and fell, he never let go. He held on when his shoulder separated. Despite unthinkable pain, he held on and saved my life. This morning I was so lost, but now I have purpose and he gave that to me,” Kira finished. Taylor and Reed got up and put their arms around her.
Kira had just committed career suicide. The sacrifice was worth it. Whatever she had to face now was worth it.
“This is a load of crap,” Simone spouted. “Boo hoo you little guttersnipe. We all know you are lying. He left a damn note.”
“May I see the note?” the judge asked.
“Hand, it over,” Simone barked at Paige and Zoe.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Paige answered in a calm, calculated voice as she stared the plastic bitch down.
Simone turned her sights on the timid nurse, like an eagle sighting in on a field mouse. “You have been with him daily and you saw the note. You called the code Adam, did you not?”
The small curly haired nurse sat up straight in her chair. “I don’t know about any note, but I did call the code Adam because we couldn’t find Sergeant Stark,” she answered firmly.
“Have you worked with him since he arrived here six weeks ago?” the judge asked.
“Yes sir, four days a week,” she replied.
“Do you feel he is self-destructive? Does he pose a danger to himself or others?” the judge asked her.
Timidly, she stood and straightened her scrubs. She breathed out a slow steadying breath and began to speak, “Your Honor, I work every day with men and women who have given more to this country than you can imagine is possible for one human to sacrifice. They come to us broken and spent. It’s our job to love them each unconditionally for as long as it takes. Are you asking me if he seemed lost at times? Of course, You would have to be a sociopath to face what he was and not be suffering. I’m not a doctor, but I think all the medications are part of the problem. How can you work through feelings if you can’t feel anything? I think closing the book on him now is unfair. He has given too much to quit now. You must give him a chance to prove himself. You can see he has a great support group here. We won’t let him or you down. He gave everything he had, to us. Give us a chance to give a little back.”
“Gawd damn!” Reed bellowed into the quiet room. “I think I just fell in love!”
Jamie blushed deep crimson and sat back down quickly.
“In light of everyone’s testimony and lack of evidence. I am going to dismiss this request temporarily. I am giving Mr. Stark two months to get himself together. I realize that is not long, but there is the matter of a company to run and what needs to happen to it. Miss Preston, the next time you wake a judge in the middle of the night, make sure you have your facts straight. Good night!” He stood, and everyone else stood out of respect.
He stopped and shook the major’s hand in respect and left the room.
Everyone turned toward Simone and her team of lawyers.
“You are all a bunch of fucking liars, and you know it. You haven’t seen the last of me. In two months, I will have a team of real psychiatrists and doctors ready to evaluate him. You have all just prolonged the inevitable.” She stood, and her team stood with her. “When he does crash and burn, I’m going to make sure each and every one of you pay for it.”
TWO MONTHS FLEW. The bar was set, no time for self-doubt. A new fire burned inside. Stark sat on the edge of his bed. He couldn’t believe how fucking lucky he was. He looked over at the sleeping figure of Kira on the pull-out chair bed. She wouldn’t leave. Curled up on the sage vinyl with the thin hospital blanket, she had sworn there was no place she would rather be.
He thought of himself sitting on that ledge. He guessed he had to go to that place to get to this one. Whatever came next, he was ready to face it. For better or worse, he wasn’t going back to that. The fact that his team came to surround him meant more than he could ever say. He would never question their love. With his brothers by his side he felt like he could weather any storm.
He just couldn’t keep living this way. He was ready to make a change, and knew what he had to do. Quietly, he reached for the phone. Careful not to wake Kira, he took the card that had lain on his bedside table for the last few weeks, and dialed the number.
“Hello, Brian? My name is Sergeant Stark, we met in Walter Reed. I’m ready to talk, if you still have time,” Stark began. Taking that first step was harder than he thought. He wasn’t used to asking for help.
“Anytime, brother. Welcome back,” Brian answered. “Are you still in Walter Reed?’
“Yeah, I haven’t made much progress. Actually, I wasn’t ready to do anything before,” Stark said, and paused. It was hard to admit just how dark his life had become.
“I know, brother. I’ve been there. You are making the first step. That means you have what it takes to do this. You’re not alone.” Brian encouraged him, and told him he would be on a plane headed that way.
When Stark hung up, he noticed the rays of sunlight coming through the blinds in his room. He felt like he was seeing it shine for the first time since they returned from Peru.
“Wake up, sleeping fucking beauty,” Miller called from the doorway.
“Shhhh. Kira is still sleeping,” Stark whispered back.
“That's because she can't be getting any rest on that fake bed.” Miller judged looking at her contorted form.
“I tried to get her to go to a hotel. She won’t do it,” Stark said, watching his beautiful stubborn girl sleep.
“Can you blame her?” Miller asked.
“I guess not,” Stark conceded. “You ready for PT?”
“Fuck, yes. Are you ready?” Miller asked with a grin, and grabbed his chair.
Stark swung himself into his chair by holding on with his left hand and pivoting on his left leg. “Hell yeah, I’m ready to whip your ass with the two limbs I have. Where’s Reed?”
“He’s at the nurse’s station trying to woo your pretty little nurse,” Miller said raising his eyebrows.
“Oh shit. Let’s go,” Stark said laughing.
“Should we wake her?” Miller asked, pointing a finger at Kira as they rolled out into the hall.
“No, let her get some rest. She’s had a rough couple days. Let’s roll,” Stark said, pointing forward. He knew there would still be a black cloud that would follow him but he was ready to face his demons and work harder than he ever had in his life.
STEPPING INTO THE gym with his brothers felt like home. The smell of sweat, and chlorine welcomed him. The clink of weights against each other and the low drone of gym chatter fueled him. Stark attacked morning PT. He had lost muscle mass in the last several weeks, but Miller and Reed encouraged him to keep pushing.
“I would hate for Kira to come in here and do more reps than you,” Miller chided as they worked with the free weights.
“Fuck you, Miller,” Stark shot back. He pushed harder. It was damn good to have his team around him.
“All right, we have two months to get you to basic training capability. You can do this but you are going to have to man the fuck up,” Miller pushed.
“And eat something. How much weight have you lost?” Reed questioned. “We need to kill a fucking cow, stat.”
Stark knew physical performance was critical to returning to the Special Forces. Though he had no idea how he was going to recover to his previous capabilities, he was deter
mined to give it everything he had. Having his brothers here to fight alongside him made the long road seem bearable. He knew they couldn’t stay forever. Eventually, they would need to go back and he would be on his own.
They pushed through intensive strength training of his left arm, back, core, and left leg. They needed to strengthen what worked, and they would focus on the rest as soon as possible.
“Come on little girl, you ready to crush those flabby abs? We’ve got to get you bikini ready,” Reed teased in a singsong voice.
“Fuck you. I’ve still got more of a six pack than you’ll ever see,” Stark fired back, and had Miller strap on a heavy vest. He was going to show them how it was done.
“You boys playing nice?” Kira asked.
Reed let out a low whistle, “Woah.”
Stark looked up to see Kira wearing spandex Capri pants and a matching sports bra. Her chocolate hair was pulled up in a ponytail. His eyes followed her back down to that delicious curve right above her perfect ass. Sweet Jesus.
“Good morning, sexy lady! Come around here often?” he asked giving her a wink.
Kira giggled. “It’s good to see you back to your naughty self.”
“You have no idea, woman,” he said as a devilish grin spread across his face. He was going to enjoy peeling that off her later. It had been way too long.
“Why, Sergeant, I’m surprised at your tone,” she played, “more on that later. We need to get you to the MTAC to measure you for your new bionic member.”
“Oh shit!” Reed called from the balance ball and rolled off laughing.
Kira went and grabbed his chair. “Come on big boy, let’s go.”
Miller and Reed helped him into the chair and they took off for the Amputee Center. As they approached the doors, Stark got a sick feeling in his stomach. He remembered the last time he sat there. His hesitation only lasted a minute though, because before he knew it, Reed was opening the door and Miller was wheeling him inside. Kira led the way down the hall to the office.
Stark Resolution (Stark Trilogy Book 3) Page 18
