by Margaret Kay
“The pain is akin to sciatica, makes sense. Sciatica usually emanates from between L-4 and L-5, right where the most damage was from that fragment.”
“I have so many different sensations now, numbness, pain, pins and needles. Something has definitely changed in the last six months. I’d like to think for the better,” Shepherd said. “But I’m not sure.”
“I’ll get in touch with the doctor at Walter Reed and get you an appointment. Do you want me to massage in some Biofreeze after your shower?”
“No, that shit doesn’t help at all,” Shepherd groused. Doc turned to leave. “Doc, thanks.”
Doc turned back and nodded. He knew better than to ask Shepherd if he wanted any assistance getting out of the harness. Shepherd was self-reliant with a stubborn streak of defiance. Of course, that was what he would expect from the retired Colonel, well, retired on paper only.
Colonel Samuel Shepherd, former Special Operations Commander, was a driving force. He demanded much from himself and everyone around him, setting the bar of expectations higher than anyone Doc had ever known. His determination to get the job done at any cost and through any means necessary, was enacted like a religion. Doc was proud to be a member of this team, as Shepherd hired only the best.
“I’ll see you at the briefing,” Doc called before leaving the room and Shepherd’s penthouse apartment.
Shepherd rolled back to his kitchen and downed the last half of the protein shake before retreating to his master bathroom suite. The entire penthouse had been designed for someone in a wheelchair. The vanity and sink were at wheelchair height. He rolled up to it and dispensed the shave cream from the machine that heated it to the optimal temperature. After so many years spent in primitive and grueling conditions, he rewarded himself with the finer things that he could afford, heated shave cream being one of them.
After he shaved, he transferred himself into his shower chair and he rolled into the large, tiled shower stall after the water had warmed. It boasted six shower heads, another upgrade that was a luxury and was made specifically to his needs. He enjoyed the deluge of water over his body, the heat seeping in to relax his aching muscles.
He dressed in a pair of black dockers and a short-sleeved blue polo shirt, pulling on his holster and topping it with the light-weight sports coat. He caught site of his reflection. When did he become this executive he saw in the mirror? He still thought of himself as a soldier and an Army Officer. Up until the day he got shot, he still dressed in fatigues and went on missions, dressing like this only when he was in the office and meeting with civilians. The man he saw in the reflection was not how he saw himself. This realization was disturbing.
He rolled out of his apartment at zero seven forty. His office was a short elevator ride to the fifth floor. He had twenty minutes to prepare for the pre-mission briefing with both Alpha and Delta Teams. He heard Sammy’s squeal as he crossed the short distance from the elevator to his office.
“Grandpa!”
Then he heard the stomping of Sammy’s little feet as he ran towards him. He still couldn’t figure out how such a little guy created so much noise when he ran. He opened his arms wide and couldn’t keep the big smile that curved his lips when he saw the delight on Sammy’s face. As always, he scooped Sammy up and gave him a bear hug. Then held him, standing tall in front of him.
“Hi, Sammy. No school today?”
“No,” the toddler said while shaking his head animatedly. “Working with mommy t’day.”
Shepherd chuckled. “I’m sure she appreciates your help.”
His eyes went to Angel and Jackson, who approached from up the hall. Angel’s expanding abdomen looked large in the shirt she wore. She was seven and a half months pregnant with their second child. She looked tired. She had her and Sammy’s jackets in her hand. She was just getting in. He wondered if she still had nightmares too. They hadn’t talked about it in a long time.
“Good morning,” she greeted him with a smile.
“Hi, Shep,” Jackson said. He reached to Sammy. “Come on. You need to let Grandpa get to work.”
Shepherd gave his namesake another hug. “Be good for your mom today and you can come in my office and help me later, after naptime.” Then he handed him to Jackson. “After you’re settled and before the briefing, come into my office,” he said to Angel.
“Let me just grab my notebook and I’ll be right in.” She pointed back towards her desk.
Shepherd wheeled into his office and parked his chair behind his desk. He woke his computer and brought up a few spreadsheets, his email, and the agency calendar system. It was where the employees working at HQ on any given day logged their time. He saw that Angel and Jackson had logged themselves in, as did Cooper, Madison, and Sloan. Garcia had never logged out when his shift was done in Ops. Shepherd did not log his time unless he was leaving the building, which was rarely.
He heard one loud rap of knuckles at his door. Angel walked in immediately after. She took a seat in one of the guest chairs, facing him. “Just a reminder, I have an OB appointment this afternoon. Elizabeth will be in to cover the front desk. It’s during naptime.”
Shepherd glanced up and nodded. “Brielle will be in. Elizabeth can call her if she needs to tend the kids.” He glanced over a few new emails. Angel sat patiently, quietly. “I got the quote in from that realtor to represent us with the vacant units. I’m going to go with her.” He clicked a few keys on his keyboard. “I just sent you the quote and her info. Please contact her and accept the terms. You will be the primary point of contact that she will deal with. I’m willing to make the first month free for only the large space down on two with a one-year lease agreement. It’s been vacant too long. As far as the single unit on six, tell her six months is the shortest term I’ll go.”
Angel took notes. “Got it. I’ll take care of it this morning.”
“Hopefully we’ll have the units leased before you go on maternity leave. And Angel, if you get to the point you need to reduce your schedule or go out completely, just let me know.”
Angel laughed. “I know, I look huge today. I still have six weeks. I’ll let you know, but I’m planning to work up until I go into labor again.”
“You look tired today.” He gazed over her face. He remembered when he’d first laid eyes on her. She had a nasty gash at her hairline. The plastic surgeon had done a good job. He barely made out the scar. And her eye and cheek bone had been bruised a nasty deep purple color.
“I am. I didn’t sleep very good last night, temperature issues. I won’t bore you with the hormonal changes happening to my body.” She smiled.
“You can go grab a nap in my guest room anytime you want, you know. Just make sure the front desk is covered.”
“Thank you, Shepherd,” she said with genuine gratitude.
“I also need you to take a look at the receivables spreadsheet and follow up on any late payments. I’m sorry. I know you hate playing collections agent.”
Angel chuckled. “I normally do it when I’m in a bad mood.”
The corners of Shepherd’s lips tipped up. “And also review the pending requisitions. Touch bases with Grant. I was expecting a bigger munitions order. He isn’t ordering any .9 mm rounds, and I thought we were low.” Though ‘Requisition’ Ryan Grant normally kept everything fully stocked, so he should have been confident he had it under control.
Angel wrote that down as well. “I’ll have him double check the order and I’ll mention it to him.”
“Lastly, you know that both Alpha and Delta Teams are heading out tomorrow.”
Angel nodded. He watched her with a serious focus. “Angel, they’re heading back to Somalia.” He heard the sharp exhale of air leave her lungs. “It’s not an emergency. And your mother is fine.”
Angel visibly relaxed. Her mother was a nun with the Sisters of Mercy serving at a compound at the Ethiopian-Somalian boarder. “What’s the mission?”
“We received a request through regular government channels. A
n informant in one of the warlord’s camps notified his CIA handler at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti via an email that he wants out. He doesn’t feel he’s in danger of his activities being discovered, but he no longer wants to be involved in this warlord’s business. The team will evac him and his family. He’s been granted asylum in the U.S.”
“Will Jackson have the opportunity to see my mom?”
A grin pulled at Shepherd’s lips. “That’s one of the reasons the team is leaving tomorrow, to give you and Elizabeth time to get together any items you’d like them to bring your mom and the other Sisters. The team will be wheels up at zero five hundred tomorrow, so make sure you have anything you want to send them in the team’s packed up gear this afternoon.”
An appreciative smile spread over her face. “Thank you.”
“And if you weren’t seven months pregnant, I’d have found a way for you to go see her, as well.”
“Next time,” Angel agreed. “If my mom wants to come home?”
“Yes, she can catch a ride with the team.”
“Though I’m sure she won’t, no matter how much I’d love to have her here when this baby comes.” She ran a hand over her baby bump.
Bravo
Shepherd clicked the keys on the remote keyboard, bringing the large monitor that hung at the far end of the conference table to life. All nine members of the two teams were at the table. He saw their expression shift to the mission-focused stares he was accustomed to as the monitor came to life and the map of Africa displayed. He observed Doc closely. The last time Doc had been in Somalia, he’d thought for sure he’d be killed, both him and his wife, Elizabeth.
“This is a nonurgent mission with a medium threat level,” Shepherd said.
He gave the specifics of the mission, displaying the informant’s picture. He was a thirty-two-year-old Somali native by the name of Bashiir Dahir. His family consisted of his wife and three children, who would be evacuated during the mission. Shepherd then provided what was known on the warlord, Cawil Anan.
“Interesting,” Madison remarked. “Cawil means replacement, and the name is usually given to a male whose older brother or father has passed away.”
Shepherd nodded, not surprised by Madison’s commentary as she was fluent in Arabic, amongst other languages. “Correct. Cawil Anan took the name after his brother’s death, and he filled his shoes as one of the worst pirates and warlords in the area. Cawil Anan is known to be both ruthless and violent to other clans, but the people in the nearby villages worship him. He provides food and other supplies to them.”
“Great, so, we’ll be up against all the folks in the nearby villages, too,” Brian ‘the Birdman’ Sherman remarked cynically.
“Only if you engage. The plan is to get this informant and his family out under the cover of darkness with no one being the wiser,” Shepherd said. Then his eyes focused on Madison. “Miller, you’ll run point on this from Camp Lemonnier’s Ops Center.” He watched her nod, half expecting an argument. His eyes shifted to Landon ‘Lambchop’ Johnson, Delta Team’s lead, who had been working on learning Arabic, a need identified during an Op nearly six months before. “How is your Arabic coming?”
“Slowly,” Lambchop replied. “It’s a difficult language.”
“Cooper’s is better,” Danny ‘Mother’ Trio added. He too was slowly learning to speak and read Arabic.
“A necessity with Hahna just learning English,” Cooper said. He smiled proudly. “That kid is smart. She’s learned so much in such a short amount of time.”
Madison smiled fondly at her husband. Shepherd was glad for them that it was working out well. Adopting a four-year-old kid who had been through a traumatic event who did not speak a word of English could have been a disaster. How well she was doing was a testament to Madison and Cooper’s determination to provide her a good life.
“Sorry Coop, but Lambchop will blend in better so we will need him to take point and do most of the talking with locals while on the ground,” Shepherd said.
“If you’re looking for team members to blend in, we should be bringing Handsome and Powder from Charlie Team. Let’s face it, we’re seven white guys and one black guy. We’re going to stick out like a sore thumb in the daylight,” Doc said.
“Excuse me, two Mexican guys, five white guys, and a black guy,” Garcia corrected, garnering him chuckles from the group.
Shepherd was, as always, amused by the guys’ sense of humor. “Madison, you need to work with him and get his Arabic to the highest level it can be on the trip over.”
Madison nodded. “I can also provide real-time translation through comms while they are on the ground.”
Shepherd then zoomed in on the map of the region and the compound. In a window beside the map, he brought up recent satellite images of both the compound and the nearest village. He pointed out where their insertion point would be, behind an outcropping of foothills. A chopper would set them down under the cover of darkness. It would be a three click hike to get them to the contact point.
“We’ll be flying within ten klicks of the village where Angel’s mom is. Will we have time to make contact with her?” Jackson asked hopefully.
Shepherd nodded. “I have already notified Angel the team will be in such close proximity to the village the Sisters of Mercy are set up in. I do believe that she and Elizabeth will get together a package for you to bring them.”
Jackson smiled wide. “Thanks, Shep. I know that will mean a lot to both Angel and Elizabeth.”
Doc also nodded.
“It is unlikely, but if Sister Bernice John wishes to catch a ride home with you, please transport her as well,” Shepherd said.
“Angel would love that, but I think you’re right, unlikely,” Jackson agreed.
“Okay, any other operational questions?” Shepherd asked.
“Go in under the cover of darkness, make contact with this informant, hopefully with no one seeing or suspecting, and get him and his family out,” Cooper summed up.
“And Lambchop is our public face. The rest of us will try to stay out of sight, at least in the daylight if we are still there when the sun comes up,” Gary ‘the Undertaker’ Sloan added.
“Our C-9 will be wheels up from O’Hare at zero five hundred tomorrow morning. As usual, you will wear flight suits en route to Djibouti with full military insignia but will change into regional garb atop your night-time BDUs upon arrival at Camp Lemonnier. You will be dropped after sunset,” Shepherd ordered. “M-4s and handguns approved for this mission. Requisition Ryan will have your ammo delivered to the garage for you to load this morning.”
The men and Madison all stood.
“Garcia, pack your gear up and then go home. Consider yourself dismissed for the day,” Shepherd said. “And Cooper, please stay for a moment.” After everyone had left and the door was closed, Shepherd continued. “I wanted to give you the heads up that after this mission I will need you here running things at HQ. Doc and I are going to go to Walter Reed. The pain in my leg is increasing. I think it’s time I see the specialist again.”
Cooper ran his fingers through his short-clipped blonde hair that was spiked up in the front. “I’m sorry to hear the pain is that bad. I hope they can do something.”
“Me too,” Shepherd said. “While I’m away, keep the rest of Alpha Team at the office to help you with the day-to-day. They deploy only if there is an emergency mission.”
Cooper retook a seat. “You had a meeting with Manning last night.”
“Yes, he wants us back on the DEA Partner Missions, but after what happened in Nashville, that isn’t going to happen unless we’re calling the shots.”
“Yeah, that go order should never have been given,” Cooper agreed. A crooked smile curved his lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t agree to anything in your absence.”
Shepherd chuckled. “I don’t have to worry about that. If you were to, I think Lambchop, Razor, and Doc would all mutiny on you. They were pissed by what went down.”
&n
bsp; “Rightfully so,” Cooper agreed. “What else do I need to know?”
“Nothing right now. We’ll meet after your team returns and before I head off. If they recommend more surgery, I’m going to do it, so you may be running things a bit longer this time.”
“Hopefully that won’t be the case,” Cooper said. He chuckled. “And not because I don’t want to take care of things here.”
“I know,” Shepherd agreed. The message chime from his phone sounded. He checked the display. It was his physical therapist, Vic. He would be there in twenty minutes. He replied ‘affirmative’ and then turned his attention back to Cooper. “If you and Madison want to take off after your gear is loaded, that’s okay. I imagine you want to spend some time with Hahna and get her settled over at Doc and Elizabeth’s.”
