OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, And Beauty (Beauty 0f Lifee Book 4)

by Laura Acton

  “Yeah, … way too long. … How you … doing?”

  “Doing better now that I see you. I looked for you for so long. Blaze and Winds told me what happened. I missed you by only five minutes when you left Kandahar. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you after Brody.” Mason’s expression showed his grief.

  Dan reached out his hand and gripped Mason’s. “Missed you … too. Heard what you … did to Blaze, … Winds, and Patch … you shouldn’t have. … Not their … fault … we all hurt. … We all miss … Brody.”

  Mason looked at his fists regretting using them against Blaze and Winds. He softly said, “Math mo bhràthair?”

  Dan translated Gaelic in his head, ‘forgive me, brother?’ “Forgiven.” To bring Mason’s good humor back, Dan said, “Thanks for … the mess tent … brawl and what … you did to … Murphy.”

  Mason perked up. “He deserved that and more. Wish I killed him that day. Wish I slaughtered him in the blanket party. Hell, I wish you would’ve let him fall to his death on that cliff.”

  Chuckling lightly, Dan said, “My … Highland heathen.”

  Lily grinned wondering what Dan meant but seeing the friends might want privacy to reconnect, she stood. “I’m gonna go stretch my legs a bit. I’ll be back soon.” Lily closed the door as she left the room.

  Mason pulled up a chair. “So how do you like TRF?”

  Dan and Mason visited and for a long time. Dan slowly speaking and sharing his experiences with the team and how he felt about his work. Mason then shared highlights from his time with his unit. They reminisced about some of their better times. Both enjoyed reconnecting after such a long period apart. However, both steered clear of what happened with Brody because it was still too painful for them.

  It was hard for Mason to listen to Blondie’s labored breathing and halting speech pattern. He hoped it was only a short setback and Blondie would recover fully. Mason stifled the burning rage building in his gut. Life behind bars was too good for Plouffe and Merrill. He wished they would try to escape and be cut down in the process.

  Dan was silent for several minutes, recovering his strength, then said, “Talked to … Blaze yesterday. … He and Winds … are on a mission.”

  Mason caught the weird look when Blondie said mission. “You look perplexed by that.”

  “A bit … odd words. … Out of … character … words … Blaze used.”

  “Like what?”

  “Missions are … always business, necessary, … but he said … this one was … kind of personal … would be glad when … it was accomplished. … Those are weird words … for Blaze to use. … Been bugging me … gut says … there’s more to it.”

  Awareness dawned in Mason. Damn, they found the animals. Mason knew Blaze and Winds made it their personal mission to find the terrorists who tortured Blondie. As the years passed, they never gave up and followed every lead no matter how obscure.

  Those two are tenacious, but the terrorists eluded them. They vowed to remain in the field until they accomplished their task—or died because Blondie deserved justice. Mason agreed wholeheartedly.

  The question was, should he tell Blondie what Blaze meant by ‘kind of personal’? He thought on that and decided he shouldn’t. Blaze would tell Blondie if he thought it necessary. So Mason said, “Probably nothing. Hey, gotta go check on my guys. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  As he stood, Mason ruffled Blondie’s hair and teased him, “Need a haircut, Sunshine. Getting too long and girly.”

  Looking at Mason’s buzz cut, Dan quipped, “At least … I have … hair, Gorgeous.”

  Mason laughed. “Need anything?”

  “Sneak me a … coffee.” His eyes begged. Dr. Larsson cut him off coffee. Maybe that is why he is sleeping all day every day lately.

  “No way! I’m not about to be reamed by Patch. He chewed my ear off for a good hour the last time I snuck you a coffee when you weren’t allowed. And since you asked me to sneak you one … I know it’s not allowed.”

  “Damn! … Shouldn’t have … said sneak,” Dan said with good humor laying back and closing his eyes as sleep tugged at him again. He drifted off in good spirits because he was getting out of the hospital today.

  Mason watched as Blondie fell asleep It always amazed him how quick Blondie could do that. He breathed in deeply—glad to have Blondie back in his life. He had missed his little brother. Mason turned to the door and strode out to check on his men.

  Ottawa – Special Forces Base – Conference Room A – 9:00 a.m.

  All the Broderick cousins arrived early and were shown to conference room A, surprised to find they were the only ones in the room as it approached nine o’clock. Surely a Joint Special Task Force would require more than only them. Odd, way beyond odd. They all had an uneasy feeling.

  At zero nine hundred exactly, they all instantly came to attention as the Chief of the Defence Staff, the general, and all their fathers entered the room. Though they were all bewildered, they wore professional masks.

  “At ease gentlemen. Take a seat, please,” the CDS ordered.

  The junior Broderick’s promptly complied. They sat in a parade rest manner as the senior Broderick’s and the CDS also took seats.

  Chief of the Defence Staff Jerrell McFergus turned to Scott and asked, “How’s that daughter of mine?”

  “Excellent, sir,” Scott replied with a small smile. The twinge of nervousness he always felt being in the presence of his father-in-law edge up.

  McFergus launched right into it. “I know you’re all wondering why you received orders to be here. Several things have come to light recently which need to be addressed.

  “After speaking with General Broderick several weeks ago, I formed a Special Investigations Unit to examine the service history of Master Corporal Daniel Broderick. The findings so far are astonishing and beyond pale. Many things terrible occurred and must never happen again.”

  The cousins gave each other quick glances.

  “As the CDS the buck stops with me, I assume full responsibility. My sincere apologies to the entire Broderick family for allowing this to happen to Daniel. In addition to Major Plouffe and Corporal Merrill, several others will be brought up on various charges in relation to the incidents. New procedures will be put in place to ensure this can never happen again to any soldier.”

  Shock showed on several of the cousin’s faces.

  Adam gruffly asked, “Sir, no disrespect intended, but how can these men be prosecuted if they are members of Special Forces. Laws prevent naming Special Forces personnel and therefore charges cannot be brought against them in a Court Martial. I remember all the hubbub about ten years ago about the lieutenant who nearly choked to death a subordinate because he mouthed off about helping to set up targets. No charges for assault could be brought against him. So how can Plouffe and Merrill be prosecuted?”

  McFergus nodded. “Good question. Since that time we’ve been working to close the legal loopholes. I spoke with the Commander-in-Chief directly, and she requested the Governor General convene a special session of Parliament to address this issue.

  “As a result of the special session, I now have the ability to assemble a Special Tribunal Board with members who possess the proper level of security to conduct General Court Martials for members of Special Forces. Using the Evidence Act, we will be able to avoid disclosure of sensitive information including names. The accused will be afforded all the same rights of defense as in a typical court-martial, but their legal counsel must be vetted with the appropriate security level.”

  “Thank you for explaining, sir,” Adam said.

  Kyle stared at the CDS. Whoa, Scott’s father-in-law spoke to the Queen. That means the Queen probably knows what happened to Dan. Another thought popped in, no wonder Scott was nervous to ask Lily to marry him. The CDS is one powerful and connected man.

  William reflected on the lengths Jerrell went to help, his friend amazed him.

  McFergus nodded and continued with the reason fo
r this meeting. “I understand that due to actions taken by Major Plouffe, Corporal Merrill, Sergeant Murphy, and previous incidents in Kandahar, Daniel is in a rather precarious state of health.”

  Blank, stoic masks were firmly applied all around the table. That was a correct assessment none of them wanted to acknowledge.

  “I have on good authority been told that it would be in Daniel’s best interest to have the support of his family to ensure his full recovery. Therefore, I formed the Joint Special Task Force Recovery to which you all have been assigned. Your sole order for the duration of JSTF Recovery will be to do whatever is necessary to assist with Daniel Broderick’s full recovery. Any questions?” McFergus concluded.

  Speechless. Completely and utterly astounded. None of the cousins spoke. They could only stare for several minutes as the CDS’ words sank in.

  Scott finally gathered himself. “On whose authority?” He knew Uncle Will and the CDS were friends, but his uncle would never in this lifetime or the next ask be audacious enough to request a favor like this.

  “My daughter’s, of course,” McFergus said and smiled broadly.

  Scott’s mouth dropped open. He gradually closed it and nodded to his father-in-law. Sweet Jesus, he loved his wife. Lily was bold and kindhearted enough to ask something like that. Scott would show her exactly how much he appreciated what she did for the entire family once they got home.

  St. Michael’s Hospital – Room 1030 – 3:00 p.m.

  Alpha Team had been pleased today was slow. They all wanted to visit Dan before he left today. At two thirty, Commander Gambrill told them they were off duty for the next few hours, and Bravo Team would cover. They promptly headed to the hospital and arrived about fifteen minutes ago to find an almost fully dressed Dan sitting on the edge of his bed.

  Dan had glanced up and grinned when they entered. He tried to put on his shoes by himself, but couldn’t. His ribs wouldn’t let him bend far enough, and it tired him out. Lexa walked directly to Dan and simply put his shoes on for him. No words were spoken about it.

  Now fully dressed, Dan said, “I’m gonna miss … seeing you … every day.”

  Bram said, “Same here, but you’re going to work hard to return. This is for the best. Call me anytime you want to talk.”

  “Keep us apprised of your progress and let us know if we can do anything to help,” Nick requested.

  Dan grinned and nodded.

  Loki piped up, “You got to be back here every three days, right?”

  “Yeah, at … least in the … beginning.”

  “Well, then you better stop by headquarters and say hi.”

  “Will if I can.”

  There was a knock at the door, and Nurse Betty peeked in. “Hey Dan, the general called. He was delayed but should be here in about five minutes.”

  “Thanks,” Dan said.

  Betty left the room a little sad her favorite patient was leaving.

  Dan studied his temporary replacement. Lexa called him this morning to let him know who they selected. The Boss and Jon had been undecided between Rob and Hank—both were decent. But then Bram overheard the two, discussing the position during a break yesterday. Hank arrogantly told Rob that Dan wouldn’t recover and it would turn into a permanent position and he was the right man for the job. That made their decision—Rob, definitely Rob.

  “Rob, … keep them … safe for me.”

  Rob inclined his head to Dan and smiled. “Will do. Only keeping your seat warm for you. You’ll make it back in no time, I’m sure of it.”

  Dan took a moment to scan each one of his chosen family and smiled. “Thanks for … everything. I’ll … be back soon.”

  Since the general would be here shortly, the team gave Dan a round of hugs and well wishes and were readying to go as the door to the room opened. Dan and Alpha Team were staggered when they saw the general and all five of the cousins enter the room in full dress uniform.

  “What are … you all … doing here?” Dan managed to get out.

  Zach bounded up to Dan. “JSTF Recovery.”

  Confused, Dan looked to the general who was smiling. The alien thought popped into Dan’s head for the umpteenth time. “Dad, what’s … going on?”

  Adam’s and Jeff’s mouths dropped open stunned beyond belief. Danny called Uncle Will Dad. Grins spread across their faces.

  Jeff stepped forward. “Well, you see, Runt, we’ve been assigned to a special task force to whip your ass back into shape and so you can return to the TRF pronto.”

  Dan chuckled. “Mudbucket, … I’m taller than … you now.”

  Jeff carefully hugged Dan as he said, “You’ll always be Runt to me.”

  Adam asked, “You ready to blow this pop stand? If so let’s get this show on the road so I can fly you home.”

  Zach shook his head. “I’m the one doing the flying. You’re not certified.”

  A strange sense of peace washed through Dan as he listened to his cousins playfully banter back and forth. He turned to Lexa and smiled. He would miss Lexa most of all, but he was now looking forward to spending time with his family and reconnecting.

  In short order, Dan was in a wheelchair and on his way to Ottawa. Lexa watched the armored limo drive away from the hospital and experienced something she never felt before—longing for a man. She shook herself and pulled on her professional mask as she started for the TRF SUV.

  Nick observed Lexa and thought he saw something in her eyes. He had the same sensation again that there was a connection between Lexa and Dan.

  A Mother’s Love

  53

  August 9

  Ottawa – General Broderick’s Home – Dan’s Room – 6:20 p.m.

  Dan sat on the edge of the bed in one of the first-floor guest rooms in his parent’s home. He hadn’t been inside this place since before he and Brody deployed to Afghanistan—and that had only been one an afternoon because he refused to stay the night, preferring a hotel to sleeping under the general’s roof.

  In the little he saw of the house, on his wheelchair trip from the car to this room, nothing much had changed. The Broderick family estate had been passed down to the eldest son for three or four generations if Dan recalled correctly. His parent’s home is huge—big enough to accommodate a Broderick invasion as Zach kept calling it.

  There are seven main rooms on the first floor plus a few bathrooms. One is a large study which the general uses as an office. A massive library and formal living room combination which his parents use to entertain. The cozy and comfortable family room is slightly smaller than the library and connected to the massive kitchen. In the kitchen, there is a large table where Dan remembered eating most meals as a child, but there is also a formal dining room. The final two rooms on the ground floor are guest rooms.

  One of the ground floor guest rooms has an attached private bathroom outfitted with handicap accessible features. On the way here, his father explained that Dan’s grandfather Arthur converted a third guest room into the bathroom for Gwyneth Broderick after she fell and broke her hip before Dan was born. Dan barely remembered his grandmother Gwen—she passed on when he was only three or four. He had a few flickering images of a kind and loving woman with soft blue eyes. The room with the connected bathroom is the one he had been assigned.

  That is a good thing because while Scott wheeled him through the entryway and into his room Dan looked up the long, wide staircase and he knew there is no way he could climb up those stairs. Moving from his wheelchair up the stairs of the plane required the assistance of Jeff and his dad. They basically carried him up and down those steps. Going up them took so much out of him he slept most of the hour flight from Toronto to Ottawa. And taking the two steps from his wheelchair to his bed and sitting down just now completely winded him again.

  Eventually, he would make it to the second floor. He wanted to go see Sara’s old room. He wondered if her room was still decorated with Sara’s things. Probably not—it had been nineteen years and his mother most likely chan
ged it. Dan also wondered if his room had been changed—probably had, he decided. Nineteen years would be a long time to keep his room the same.

  The second floor contained four bedrooms besides the master bedroom and the bedrooms which had been his, Sara’s, and Becca’s. The third story contained eight more bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a large storage area. Dan remembered the fun he and Sara had playing hide and seek up there—they did that a lot when the weather was too cold to play outside. Dan wasn’t sure exactly what was in the basement—he hadn’t been down there much as a child. Probably more storage and things like the water heater.

  On the drive in, Dan noticed a newer fairly sizeable building in the back near the tree line. The building hadn’t been here when he visited before he deployed, and he asked his dad when it was built. The general said he added about five years ago to accommodate the growing extended family for holidays. During other times of the year, Galloway and his men stayed there.

  Dan never realized how big the Broderick family home is as a child. Back then this was just home, but as an adult, he now wondered what his team would think if they saw the family estate. Probably a good thing they hadn’t known he came from money when he started—one more thing they would’ve hassled him about and then regretted.

  He was glad things changed with his team. Dan was a wealthy man not because he had a substantial trust fund, but because he had many people who he cared about him and who cared about—he had family—both by blood and beyond blood.

  Dan lay down as sleep beckoned him once again and his thoughts shifted to the exterior if the estate. Being relatively close to the base made it convenient for the general. The home sat on an oversized parcel of land with woods surrounding three sides. A few scattered houses sat on the same size or larger acreage. The front yard is landscaped with grass but has many small ornamental trees and bushes. It also contains flowerbeds full of colorful pansies—his mother’s favorite flower Dan recalled.