Christian motioned to one of the two chairs, set up with a computer and keyboard. “We made sure to have something that might work a little better for you.”
At Christian’s gesture, Oscar looked down at the keyboard and cocked his head. He’d always thought keyboards came in one setup, but this one was radically different from any he’d ever seen before. All the keys were positioned around what looked like a black cue ball set in the center of the keyboard.
Christian leaned forward, placing his hand over the ball. “This will serve as both mouse and keyboard. You can move the mouse on the screen with the ball like so, and these are the mouse buttons. Obviously, you’ll need to adjust to the new layout and improve your typing skills, but that’ll come with time. For now, we just need you to know how to operate it and how to work with the system, which is what I’ll be covering today.”
“I didn’t know they made this kind of stuff,” Oscar admitted, looking at the radial shape of numbers and letters around the ball.
“Really? You’ve never looked into anything that would make your life easier?” Christian asked.
“Not really, no.”
Gabriel had tried to talk to Oscar, but he hadn’t wanted to hear any of it. To buy anything that might make his one hand as good as having two, felt like quitting to Oscar. He might not be able to fight beside his brothers in the field, but that didn’t mean he had to take charity or help from anyone with anything. He had more sense than to say it aloud, however, not when he was pretty sure that whatever Christian said probably came directly from General Winter, or at least would be supported by him.
Christian opened a drawer next to the chair and pulled out a tablet. “And this will work in one-handed mode, so you should be able to get full use out of it. There’s a case so you can prop it up and use it that way, which I’m pretty fond of when I’m sitting down, I won’t lie.”
Oscar nodded along. “Alright, I guess that’s handy.”
Christian tapped the chair. “Here, take a seat, and I’ll get you started on the basics of the system.”
Oscar did as he was told, unable to hide his trepidation. “Basics?”
Christian crouched down beside him, chuckling. “Don’t worry about it. I know that makes it sound like it’s complicated, but it’s really not. General Winter went out of his way to make sure the system would be as streamlined and easy to use as possible.”
The elevator dinged, the sliding doors opening to reveal a dark-haired, sour-faced man. Christian straightened, saw who it was, and muttered under his breath.
“Good morning, Staff Sergeant,” Christian called to the man.
The Staff Sergeant in question stomped up to the desk. “I need to speak to General Winter.”
Christian opened up a file on the tablet with a speed Oscar could hardly believe. “Hmm, you don’t seem to have an appointment. Would you like to schedule one?”
The man grimaced. “I know how long that could take, and I don’t want to be cooling my heels.”
Christian sighed. “Look, Sean, I know you’re going through a hard time right now, but General Winter is a busy man, as you know, and I can’t just slap you into a spot. If you’d like, I can fit you in the next available slot, and let you know when that will be.”
“I...sure, fine. Just tell him it’s important.”
Christian nodded. “You and I both know I’ll tell him.”
It looked for a moment like Sean might argue, but whatever anger and frustration the man was holding onto dropped from his face, and his shoulders sagged. It looked like he hadn’t known what sleep was for several days, and from the looks of it, there was one hell of a weight bearing down on his shoulders.
“Yeah, alright, thanks,” Sean muttered before turning to make his way back to the elevator.
Christian shook his head, waiting until he was gone before speaking again. “Welcome to your introduction to the sort of thing you’ll be dealing with in the future.”
Oscar raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
“That was Staff Sergeant Sean Harris, leader of Team Maelstrom.”
“I don’t think I’ve heard of them.”
“It’s alright. They’re one of our current...problem children.”
Oscar let out a snort. “I take it you have a few of those?”
Christian’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, we...we have a few of those.”
“Oh. Yeah, I guess they’re going to be my problem too.”
“Well, General Winter is working on getting them fixed, so maybe you’ll be spared having to deal with them. Right now, they’re having some growing pains as they adjust to a new team member. And let me say, those are some bad pains from the sounds of it. But the general has a plan he’s put in motion, I’m sure the Staff Sergeant won’t be too happy with it, but that’s his problem.”
Oscar nodded, at a loss as to what he was supposed to say. Christian thankfully saved him the trouble by bending forward again and resumed explaining the system Oscar would have to use. True to what Christian had said, the system seemed to be simple to use, though there would be a lot of information he’d have to juggle on a daily basis. It was no different than managing a team or three out in the field and needing to keep in mind every detail about the terrain, their enemy, and the men being sent in.
“I think you’ll get the hang of it in no time. It’s the people that become the biggest hassle, but for now, just leave them to me.”
A notice popped up on the screen, and Oscar frowned at it. “What’s that?”
Christian laughed. “A reminder. We get those whenever something important to General Winter comes up. They’re not often, as he does them himself most days, but there are some things we have to handle personally.”
“Like?”
Christian smirked, opening the notice. “Our dear general is a good man and takes good care of himself. But one of his flaws is he’s not the best at getting regular check-ups, so I’ve discovered that I have to take a more proactive approach.”
Oscar nodded, hoping the uncomfortable flip of his stomach didn’t show on his face. “I take it you bring someone here then?”
“Bingo. If he doesn’t remember to go to his appointment, we bring his appointment here. I’ll clear his afternoon a bit to make sure there’s time for it.”
“Do you know, uh, who it will be?” Oscar asked as nonchalantly as possible.
Christian shrugged. “No, they don’t warn me ahead of time. So long as it’s someone with the medical credentials, I don’t really care.”
“Right,” Oscar said, turning his attention back to the screen and looking at the time.
Great, right in the middle of his shift, and he knew the universe’s sense of humor all too well to have any doubt about who would be showing up.
4
Troy
The clinic was so abysmally quiet, Troy was sure he could hear himself breathing. There were only so many things he could do around the clinic before there was nothing left. He had one whole appointment waiting for him, and it would be his only escape from the tomb-like silence.
“Are you staring at the wall?”
Dean’s voice jolted Troy out of his mindless staring, and he spun around to face the other man. “What the hell, Dean?”
Dean’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Nice to see you’re still alive.”
Troy put his hand over his beating heart. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“So I see.”
Troy looked up at the clock. “What are you doing here so soon?”
Dean shrugged, stepping into the office. “I had some free time, so I came back early.”
Troy groaned, slumping forward onto the desk. “I’ve only been here for a couple of hours, and it’s been utter hell, and you go and come back before you were supposed to.”
Dean snorted. “Do you want me to take the appointment instead?”
“Hell no. Any excuse to get out of here for a little bit is good enough for me. We’re sticking
to the plan, you watch the clinic, I go and see General Winter.”
Dean flopped down in the other seat. “Alright then, glad we got that settled.”
Troy looked his friend over. “You look...better.”
“Better.”
“Yeah, you don’t look like you have the weight of the world holding you down. You and Sloane make up?”
“We’re...I’m not 100% sure where we are right now, but we’re figuring things out.”
“That doesn’t sound very good.”
“I think it is, well, pretty sure.”
Troy snorted. “You should have gone into sales, Dean, because you really know how to sell.”
Dean flicked a paperclip at him. “Don’t start.”
“You could always save us the trouble and just tell me what’s going on. I’ve been coming up with all sorts of theories, and some are just plain ridiculous.”
“Coming from you, I’m sure most of them are ridiculous,” Dean said dryly.
“Ass.”
Dean shook his head. “This is between Sloane and me, okay? Once things have been...dealt with, and I’m standing on firmer ground, then I can talk about it, okay?”
That only served to make Troy even more curious than he had been, but he knew he wasn’t going to win if Dean was being both stubborn and reasonable at the same time.
Troy sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll leave you alone.”
Dean smirked. “But while we’re being nosy…”
“I am not nosy.”
“Why don’t you tell me what was up yesterday.”
Troy blinked, his features going rigid.
“Let’s not,” he said after a long pause.
Dean’s brow rose, and he let out a low whistle. “Wow, that must be something.”
Troy cleared his throat, turning his attention back to his tablet. “It’s not really...it’s in the past.”
“Am I allowed to guess?”
Troy groaned. “Dean, c’mon.”
“Because I’m not going to lie, I was under the impression that Mr. Troy Boaz had always been ‘an independent woman who didn’t need no man’. But I’m starting to think that what walked in here yesterday was, in fact, a man you did need once upon a time.”
“Wow, thank you. That’s just going to make me feel so much better.”
Dean’s smile turned sympathetic. “So I’m right, he’s an old flame.”
“The only flame,” Troy corrected.
“Considering the way the two of you were acting yesterday, I think making it present tense was a good call,” Dean said.
Troy frowned. “I’m...no, Dean, no.”
Troy had moved past that point in his life, and become his own person who didn’t still ache because Oscar had so easily moved on without him. Troy had come out to his parents, his friends, and anyone who knew him in his junior year of high school, and he’d tried his hand at dating but never found anything to encourage further attempts. People were strange creatures, fickle and emotional, and they weren’t always the most reliable. Troy had never been burned before he graduated high school, but he had been grazed by the teeth that love possessed.
Then Oscar happened.
The noise of the party bore down around him, enveloping him in the familiar sounds of drunken voices and bad music. Troy was about as drunk as he was willing to let himself get, which admittedly, was pretty drunk. He was also enjoying the attention of the well-built, blond-haired private, who thought he was God’s gift to men and women, leaning over Troy as they talked.
Troy was more than willing to let the man think he was saying all the right things, believing he was going to score. Not that Troy had an issue with having a bit of fun with someone, no strings attached was so much more fun than the pathetic attempts at dating during his high school days. But it would just be an insult if he let the guy actually get laid when his game was as weak as a broken wrist.
He was making a good show of pretending to listen to the guy, all the while wondering when the man was just going to cut to the chase and try to get into Troy’s pants. Troy was giving serious thought to just what he would say when the probably cheesy and arrogant pick-up line came when a shout brought him out of his thoughts. Before either he and whatever the guy’s name was, could react, a huge shape barreled into them both. The man smacked against Troy, sending them both sprawling on the ground.
“Oh hell,” Troy muttered, wondering if he was both sober enough and knew enough to try putting his medical knowledge to use for what was obviously a drunken brawl.
The huge man who’d collided with them lashed out at whoever had pushed him, catching his opponent across the jaw. Troy winced as he disentangled himself, watching the unknown opponent collapse backward into his friend’s arms.
“Tell your friend to learn how to fucking fight before he starts shit over some girl he just met,” the man above him growled.
“You tell ’em,” Troy muttered.
The man whirled around at the sound of Troy’s voice, though Troy couldn’t believe he’d heard him over the blaring music. Jesus, the guy was even bigger when he was facing Troy, looking like he’d spent years doing nothing but lifting weights that probably outweighed Troy. His dark eyes blazed, falling on Troy’s face.
“What?” the man demanded.
Troy’s heart skipped a beat, amused to find himself enamored with the stranger’s burning gaze. “I said, you tell ’em. Now, do you mind helping me up since you took me out.”
“And me,” the man who’d been trying to hit on him grumbled from the ground.
“Good, stay there because you were about to get rejected hard enough that you might as well have laid down anyway,” Troy told him, holding his hand out to the standing stranger.
The man smirked, taking hold of Troy’s hand and yanking him to his feet. “You got a mouth on you.”
Troy flew forward with a surprised grunt, almost smacking into the man’s chest. “Yeah, and you can call me Troy.”
“Oscar.”
Oscar.
Well, Troy thought that might be a name he’d have no problem forgetting. Just like he would remember the heat in the man’s eyes, and though it hadn’t been intended as anything even remotely close to erotic, it had felt like it to Troy.
Oscar snorted. “C’mon, I’ll get you a drink to replace the one I spilled.”
Troy sighed, rubbing his temples. “It’s...a very long, very stupid story.”
“One you obviously don’t want to talk about.”
Troy eyed Dean. “You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”
Dean grinned. “I might.”
Troy shook his head. “Look, Oscar and I were a thing once upon a time. We dated for about a year, and it was great while it lasted, but it ended. I wasn’t expecting him to come here to Fort Dale, and it looks like he wasn’t expecting me to be here either. We were just taken a little off-guard by the moment, but that doesn’t mean a thing, okay?”
Dean held up his hands. “Alright. It just didn’t look like it meant nothing is all.”
“How about you mind your own relationships?”
“Damn, ouch, alright.”
Troy sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I slept like shit last night, and I feel like if something doesn’t happen today, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Dean patted Troy’s shoulder. “You never were very good at sitting still. But if it makes you feel better, it’s time for you to get going.”
Troy’s head snapped up toward the clock overhead, and he gave a whoop of glee. “Hell yeah, I can get out of here!”
“You’re going to be gone for like, an hour. You realize you have to come back, right?” Dean asked dryly.
Troy snatched up his tablet and the bag of medical supplies. “Doesn’t matter that I’ve got a whole double shift ahead of me. I get to stretch my legs and pretend like I’m not coming back here for an hour. That’s worth everything.”
“Not exactly a long-term planner, are you?”
; “You should know that about me. I live in the moment, for the moment, Dean, that’s how it works.”
“I bet your finances look amazing.”
“It’s really a lot of porn and beer.”
“Alright, so normal finances for the military.”
Troy laughed, bouncing out of the office and down the hall. It really didn’t matter that he would probably end up bored out of his skull again shortly after returning, at least he had a moment’s illusion of freedom.
His day was looking up.
The elevator leading to General Winter’s floor hummed, though Troy was pretty sure there was a rattle somewhere that shouldn’t have been there. He also knew if he were to say something to the General, the man would undoubtedly hop to getting it fixed, and some poor bastard would be forced to drop whatever they were doing to follow the order. General Winter was a stickler for making sure things were done in a timely manner, that was, except for his own routine checkups.
Well, at least there wasn’t any music in the elevator.
When the car came to a stop and the doors opened, Troy let himself out with a little skip. It was a pleasure to be the one to visit General Winter instead of Dean, and not just because it allowed him the freedom to wander around during the allotted time. There was the added bonus that General Winter was such an incredibly serious man most of the time, Troy delighted in being as perky and playful as he possibly could to see if he could draw a reaction from the older man. Sure, it might have been a bit like poking a sleeping tiger, but he just couldn’t help himself.
Troy all but bounced up to the front desk. “Hey, hey, I’m here for General Winter’s...you...are not Christian.”
Oscar stared back at him with an expression that could not have been more pained if he tried. Troy looked around in bewilderment as he tried to figure out what he’d done wrong. The lobby looked like the one outside General Winter’s office, but there was no sign of the normal bright-eyed receptionist.
“You’re in the right place,” Oscar grunted.
Here We Go Again Page 5
