Page 17 of Issued

I turn, outraged. “Of course I do.”

“So, you’re ignoring doctor’s orders for shits and giggles?” He quirks an eyebrow and I rankle at the challenge of it.

Leaning back against the kitchen sink, I cross my arms over my chest as my teeth grind together. We’ve had this conversation more than once since my return home. Bear’s the only other person who knows about the headaches. “I don’t need them.”

Bear is the picture of calm, his fingers tapping a rhythm against the top of the island. “You want to be stuck doing NUG training for good? Or be discharged?”

My eyes narrow at his words. “What are you getting at?”

“Forget the program and Taya, you think Redding is going to let you anywhere near action again if you aren’t cleared by the doctor?”

I squeeze my eyelids close together. “Because of a few migraines?”

“You willing to bet the rest of your career on it?” Bear straightens to his full height, his expression implacable and one brow raised high in challenge. “Cause that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

I let out a breath and close my eyes, consciously releasing the tension which worked its way through every muscle in my body. It doesn’t help. If the results from my physicals don’t come back squeaky-fucking clean, I would’ve joined the program for nothing.

“Fine.” My concession isn’t graceful, but Bear grins. “I’ll fill the damn prescription.”

“Awesome. I don’t have shit to do today. I’ll go with you. Where is it?”

My eye twitches.Asshole.

“It’s... in the guest room.” Before Taya moved in, I’d used the closet in the spare room for extra storage. While I’d cleared out most of my things, the prescription remained in the closet, filed with the rest of my medical information. Out of sight is out of mind, and I didn’t want to lay eyes on it again. It’s a literal sign of weakness.

“Sweet. House tour.” Martinez sidles closer, Craiger following behind.

“You’re not wandering through my house. This isn’t a fourth-grade field trip.”

Craiger grins. “So, you’re going to leave me and Martinez here? In your messy-ass kitchen? We’re not cleaning up after your temper tantrum.”

The two are pranksters, and by the time Bear and I get back, they may have tea bagged all my dishes. They’ve done worse over the years and I don’t have the patience to deal with their bullshit. Granted, the kitchen is already a mess thanks to my outburst, but there are worse things to come back to than a few spilled utensils. I might be their superior out in the field, but when it comes to civilian life, they are all too willing to prove just how big of a pain in the ass they can be. I frown at Bear. “Can’t you babysit?”

“Sorry.” He doesn’t sound like it. “You might need help finding the thing.” He knows me well enough to keep the topic of our little disagreement to himself. I don’t plan on going back on my word, but I can’t blame Bear for being cautious since I have a reputation for being uncooperative when it comes to my health.

“What thing?” Martinez, ever the nosy bastard, tosses an arm over my shoulders, and I shrug him loose almost immediately.

“Let’s go.” I’d rather have them trail along than leave them to their own devices. Plus, Bear isn’t going to back down, and with Taya gone, this may be my only chance to get the prescription. So, I hurry and scoop up the utensils and place them back in the metal holder on the counter before we leave the kitchen.

“Now, if you’ll look to your right you’ll see the master/guest/only fucking bathroom.” Bear points to the door midway down the hall, giving an impromptu tour as we head up the stairs toward Taya’s bedroom as if he’s a guide on a shuttlebus full of tourists.

Craiger’s index finger taps his lips. “Whole lotta house for just one bathroom. Is there one hidden in the master bedroom?”

Bear turns and barks a short laugh. “A two-bedroom, two-bath house in this neighborhood is much more expensive.”

Martinez claps his palm on my shoulder. “Cheap bastard.”

My fingernails dig into my thighs and I struggle not to blow out a frustrated breath of air. Patience has left the building. Sometimes their teasing just goes too far. “Was only me and Raychel. No need for an extra bathroom. It’s impractical, especially being gone eighty percent of the year.”

Bear stops at the painting hanging on the wall a few meters from Taya’s bedroom and runs his fingers along his beard. “Here’s a shining example of the shitty representation of expressionist art Stephens likes to decorate with.”

Martinez and Craigeroohandawepolitely, and I turn just enough to glare at the lot of them. I made that ‘shitty representation’ after a mandatory psych eval when I’d first returned to the States. I liked the way it turned out and since I was the only one living here, I hung it up, something that was purely mine and not something I shared with Raychel. But if Bear’s words are any indication, my one foray into drawing something other than stick figures and geometric shapes had fallen short with the general public.

The three men look at me, their expressions matching embodiments of innocence, and I try to speak as if my teeth aren’t practically glued together. “Are you going to critique every inch of my house?”

They all look at each other and after a silent exchange, nod.

My eye twitches again. “You realize this is why you never get past the living room when you come over?”

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