Lean on Me (26 page)

“
Wasn’t your pack heavy?”
Margaret asked on her way to the jogging station.

“
Compared to training?”
Alex shook her head. “It was pretty light.”

The team laughed.

“
Anyway, at location, the
people were starving,” Alex said. “They were an indigenous tribe in
the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. They had never recognized or
participated in the government.”

“
It was kind of ‘We’ll
ignore you if you ignore us,’” Joseph said.

“
Until the government
discovered an oil reserve under the mountains,” Alex said. “The
tribe fought back and the government cut off all trade. They
blocked streams, slaughtered their sheep, and fouled their fields.
The journalists were there to document their plight, but one of
them was sent by the Mexican government to infiltrate. He got
caught, so they snatched the journalists.”

“
Tried to take us,” Joseph
said.

“
What?” Trece asked. “I
haven’t heard any of this.”

“
It was our first
assignment,” Joseph said. “Alex told Charlie that we shouldn’t just
go in there, but he didn’t listen. He and a couple of guys went
into the camp. The leader was bargaining for food with the Mexican
government. The team added to his bargaining power.”

“
They didn’t bring me
because I was a girl,” Alex smiled. “They also didn’t speak
Yucatec. The leader spoke English; they were counting on him
speaking English to them. They were captured.”

“
How did you get out of
it?” Vince asked on his way to the jump squat station.

“
The man was a notorious
womanizer,” Alex said. “That’s why Charlie didn’t want to send me.
I dolled up, like I do every time now, and went in. I used the
oranges to ease my passage through the camp. They worked like a
charm.”

“
They worked so well that
Charlie insisted on bringing them every trip,” Joseph
said.

“
Where they work like a
charm,” Alex said. “We don’t really think about it but oranges are
like gold in most of the impoverished areas of the world. They’re
great nutrition and hydration in a sealed, easy-to-carry package.
Plus kids love oranges. Now everyone expects it. They’re better
than a calling card.”

“
What happened with the
tribe?” Margaret asked.

Alex smiled.

“
I can’t tell if that’s a
good smile or you have gas or you’re in pain,” Margaret
said.

The team members laughed.

“
We traded the journalists
for food,” Alex said. “The leader was ill, dysentery…”

“
We don’t talk about Dean
very much,” Joseph said.

“
Dean was our other medic,”
Alex said. “I think we don’t talk about him because he was so
complicated.”

“
Complicated?” Raz
asked.

“
Jesse was angelic – good
through and through,” Joseph said. “But Dean… He was like a Hindu
god or an angel out of the old testament.”

“
Kind,” Zack sat up from
stretching. “Tough. He could kill someone and turn around and save
someone else’s life. He was smart as hell. Quiet. A little eerie
psychic. I was a little surprised he wasn’t the ghost from the Fey
team.”

“
I think he went to his
true home,” Alex shook her head at the tears forming in her
eyes.

“
Anyway, he could look at
someone and know what was wrong with them,” Joseph said. “We were a
new team, so no one really knew each other’s strengths. And
supernatural ability to know what’s wrong with someone isn’t really
in someone’s file.”

“
We were watching the camp
and he spotted the leader’s dysentery,” Alex said. “But, like
Joseph said, we’d known each other less than a day. Charlie looked
at Dean and took the ‘real soldiers’ like MJ’s dad into the
camp.”

“
Dean must have been
amazing,” Colin said.

“
Exactly right,” Joseph
said. “Our next mission, we sent Dean, Alex, and Jesse, of course,
to watch what was going on. After a few hours, they came back and
told us everything about the group we were going into.”

“
And they were right?”
Sergeant Dusty asked.

“
Dead on,” Joseph said. “We
used them every mission after that.”

“
Anyway, the leader knew
the General, so it wasn’t a big trick to work out the release of
the captives and the team,” Alex said. “Jax refused to leave until
he’d treated the children.”

“
Jax loved kids,” Joseph
said. “He thought they bore the brunt of the trouble wrought by
adults.”

“
He was right,” Margaret
said. “So, what happened to the tribe?”

“
Anyway, Jax treated the
children and pregnant women, like we did last week,” Alex said.
“Dean worked on the leader. He was at least eighty and tough as
nails. He’s not living now but he escorted his tribe through the
rough times. They’re doing quite well now. His eldest son’s taken
over the tribe. The UN’s worked with them and the Mexican
government. The tribe’s done a little integrating and the
government’s done a little flexing. The tribe realized the
government might help them, which they have, and the government
realized the tribe was effective at stopping the drug trade in the
region.”

“
You remember the kid who
collected all the UN documents last year?” Joseph asked. “What was
his name?”

“
Efren,” Margaret said a
little too quickly. The team laughed. “What? He’s really
cute.”

“
He seemed pretty cute on
Sunday,” MJ said. “All dressed up for dinner.”

“
I seem to remember you
going to dinner on Sunday too,” Joseph said.

“
And checking in Monday
morning,” Trece said.

“
Consenting adults, sir,”
Margaret said.

“
Yes, but we want the
details,” Trece said.

“
Don’t be such a girl,”
Margaret laughed.

“
Sir,” White Boy said.
“Don’t be such a girl, sir.”

The team members laughed. Blushing, Margaret
cleared her throat.

“
Why did you bring up
Efren, sir?” Margaret asked to get the heat off her.

“
He’s from that tribe,”
Alex said. “He’s one of the sons of the leader. He was just a kid
when we met him. I was surprised to see him again.”

“
You have to adapt to
survive,” Margaret said.

“
I think that’s true for
all of us,” Alex said.

“
Sir?” Cliff said over the
intercom. Cliff was flying co-pilot on some of the trip to gain
hours flying the Hercules C-130.

“
Yes?” Joseph
asked.

“
Sorry, Lieutenant Colonel
Hargreaves?” Cliff asked.

“
Yes?” Alex looked up at
the speaker.

“
Your mother,” Cliff said.
“I’m patching her through because she said it was urgent. But sir,
she doesn’t seem to realize you’re in the air.”

“
My being in the air is a
little different from her flying first-class on a Lear jet.”
Sitting on the floor, Alex indicated to the spartan Hercules C-130
around her.

“
Sir?” Cliff
asked.

“
Patch her through,” Alex
said. “Mom?”

“
Alexandra?” Rebecca’s
worried voice came over the intercom. “You sound funny.”

“
I’m in the air, Mom,” Alex
said.

Trece stood to act out Rebecca’s voice. Alex
shook her head at him but there was no stopping him.

“
That’s what that young man
told me,” Rebecca said. “You know they are polite, but irritated.
How can they be irritated and polite at the same time?”

Trece stood with his hand on his hip.

“
They are polite because
they don’t want to piss me off,” Alex said.

“
Alexandra! Do not use that
foul language,” Rebecca said.

“
Fuck Mom, I’m working,”
Alex asked. “What do you want me to say?”

Rebecca’s chuckle sounded like a clap over
the loud speaker. Trece put his fingertips over his mouth.

“
Is this an emergency
language intervention?” Alex asked.

“
No, honey,” Rebecca said.
“I wanted to tell you before you heard it from the
awful-media.”

To Rebecca, “awful-media” was one word that
described everything from CNN to the National Geographic.

“
What’s going on?” Alex’s
hand naturally went to her heart.

“
Your father has had a
little… incident,” Rebecca said.

“
Which one? The General or
Ben?”

“
That’s not very funny,”
Rebecca said. “Patrick collapsed on his morning run. The
awful-media is making a stink out of I,t but the doctors think it
might be some arrhythmia. They assure me it’s common for men his
age.”

“
You’re saying that Dad had
a heart-related event,” Alex said.

“
Actually, the doctors
aren’t sure what happened,” Rebecca said. “They’ve ordered him to
take a month’s leave.”

“
Alex that’s…” Sergeant
Dusty started. Alex nodded and held up her hand for silence. He
stopped speaking.

“
The awful-media is saying
he had a heart attack,” Rebecca said. “Or died! You were so angry
last year that we weren’t dead when the awful-media said we were
dead that…”

“
Where is he going to take
the month’s leave?” Alex asked.

“
John insisted that he stay
at your house,” Rebecca said. “He can keep an eye on him. And
you’re set up for injured people in your basement. Of course,
Patrick refused but your John can be so persuasive.”

“
Dad’s staying at our
house?” Alex asked. “And you?”

“
I’ll be there off and on,”
Rebecca said. “But I can’t watch your father day and night. He’d
kill me after an hour.”

“
And I can?” Alex
asked.

“
Ben,” Rebecca said. “You
remember Claire’s son Frederec?”

“
Yes, I remember Ben and
Claire’s eldest son,” Alex said.

“
Frederec is launching his
own men’s line in the US,” Rebecca said. “I guess it’s been around
for a while, but it’s new to me. Anyway, their whole family is
staying at your house…”

“
For a month,” Alex
said.

“
How did you know?” Rebecca
asked. “Claire’s mother is coming too. She’s coming to help with
the babies. Have you met her?”

“
Noémi?” Alex asked. “Yes,
I’ve met Noémi.”

“
I always forget that you
know them so well,” Rebecca said. “Anyway, Ben said he’d keep an
eye on Patrick. I’m sure they’ll play chess or whatever those boys
do when they’re together.”

“
Take over the world?” Raz
asked in a low voice.

“
The hospital is releasing
your father in an hour,” Rebecca said. “I just wanted you to
know.”

“
Are you all right?” Alex
asked.

“
Yes, yes dear,” Rebecca
said. “Next time I see you, we’ll be housemates.”

“
Sounds fun,” Alex
said.

“
Truly horrible, I know,”
Rebecca laughed.

“
You remember Colin’s
living with us now,” Alex said.

“
I knew we’d have fun,”
Rebecca said.

“
You know he can hear you,”
Alex said.

“
I always forget he’s one
of your minions,” Rebecca chuckled. “Hi Colin honey. You doing all
right?”

“
Sure Mom,” Colin said. The
team looked at Colin who flushed bright red. Trece went over to
caress his hair but Colin hit at him. Alex rolled her
eyes.

“
Okay, I should be going…
but Alex, what is that awful sound?”

Alex looked around to see their new intern
Sergeant Pete Beetle, doing his squat jumps on the seat. Even
though he was in excellent shape, Pete hadn’t worked out with Trece
and White Boy before. He was dripping with sweat, breathing hard,
and barely able to finish. His canine partner easily fulfilled each
station. The dog seemed to laugh at his efforts.

“
Our intern Pete is working
out,” Alex said.

“
Where are you?”

“
I’m not sure,” Alex said.
“Anyone know where we are?”

“
Over the continent of
Asia, sir,” the pilot said.

“
Mongolia,” Cliff
said.

“
Would you like the GPS
coordinates, sir?” a female voice asked.

“
Who are those people?” As
if scolding school children, Rebecca’s voice rose, “This is
supposed to be a private conversation.”

“
Secure, mother, not
private,” Alex said. “Thanks for calling and letting me
know.”

“
Yes, well… love you dear,”
Rebecca said. “See you at home. Bye-bye Colin; love you
too.”

“
Bye Mom; love you,” Alex
said. “Out.”

The intercom clicked.

“
What the hell is going
on?” Sergeant Dusty asked. “Captain Gordon, the Admiral, now the
General…

“
Noémi and Ben,” Joseph
said.

“
Add mysterious men moving
in next door,” Raz said.