Page 42 of Beaches

“Usually. We found out the hard way he offers a ‘deal’ for those he wants to trap. I had access to something he wanted. Codes for a munitions locker. He made me watch them rape that little girl, that child, and then threatened to kill her if I didn’t give him the codes. I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let her die. She wasn’t even crying.” He wiped his own tears, and Major nodded at the young man, Hazel gripping his hand.

“We know,” said Hazel. “Major? Can you take him to the back for a shower and give him some clothes?”

“Let’s go, man. We’ll get you fixed up.” He stood and hobbled behind Major, then turned toward Hazel.

“Thank you. Thank you for not judging me.” She smiled, nodding at the man. Hazel picked up the medical supplies, slowly standing. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and turned to see her friend, Ham.

“You okay?”

“They just picked them up from anywhere and everywhere. Others he targeted for what he needed, forcing them to choose between the life of a child, a girl, and what he wanted. The Kaplans were ballsy enough to do everything out in the open, and then when caught, just decided to kidnap and kill men for no reason.”

“That was true for some of them,” said Ham. “Others were POWs from other countries that their captors wanted to get rid of. Hands clean. Even if the U.N. sent someone in to investigate, there would be no sign of them anywhere. It’s a case of men having more power than they should and using it in the worst possible ways.”

“How will these people ever have normal lives, Ham?” she whispered.

“I don’t know, honey. They might not. They might not sleep with the lights out or with them on. They might not ever want to touch sand again or eat tropical fruit or fish. They’re going to have more issues than you and I will ever understand. But they will have the freedom to work through those issues and find their way home. Wherever that might be. They will find their way, and we will be there to help them.”

She nodded, hugging Ham and walking back toward her seat. The other men were all being cared for. This would be difficult for all of them to get over, but the good news was that they would get over it. With the help of one another and their home team, they were all going to be alright.

After speaking to the medical team back home and relaying the types of medical issues they were dealing with, they all agreed that using the sonic speed and getting them to a military hospital was the best bet. For them, they knew that the Naval Hospital San Diego was going to be their best choice, although probably not the most welcoming to the team considering how they left with April.

It would also be the safest place to be allowed to land, unseen by civilian eyes. They could land the choppers on the rooftop, unload the patients, and then land at North Island Naval Air Station.

Although, that didn’t prevent the Navy aviators from gawking at their birds. They were told who was landing but didn’t dare move too close to the Ospreys.

With the stealth mechanisms and locks engaged, they were hidden in an empty hangar, and they were able to rendezvous at the home still owned by the team.

Taking turns, they showered as quickly as possible, changed their clothes, and prepared to head out after Kaplan as soon as given the location.

“Get some sleep,” said Nine. “We appreciate everyone’s help on this one. More than that, I appreciate your compassion for those men we just rescued. They were dirty, infested, broken, and yet you all treated them with dignity and respect. I would have expected that from all of you, but I just wanted to say it.”

“We were glad to be able to help. You know that, Nine,” said Noa. “I sure would like a piece of Kaplan. And I mean that literally.”

“Same,” nodded Ethan. “Just let me have a few minutes alone with him.”

“Not before me.”

“Fuck!”

“Damnit!”

“Shit! You just took ten years off my life that I can’t afford to give. Stop that shit, Trak!” said Tailor. He shrugged at his friend, crunching into an apple.

“Nine is right. We should get some sleep,” he said to the room. “We will want to be rested when the call comes.”

“He’s right,” said Gaspar. “Ian has cots in the attic. Grab one, get pillows from the hall closet, and a blanket. There are twelve beds. Let us old guys have those. The rest of you take a sofa, cot, or the floor.”

“Can we order pizza?” asked Alec with a childlike plea of innocence. His whiskey-colored eyes were big and wide, his hands clasped in prayer.

“Pizza?” frowned Ian.

“I’m hungry. So is Tailor.” Tailor nodded like a three-year-old accomplice.

“Me, too,” smiled Ethan.

“Same,” grinned Jean. “That really got my appetite going.”

“Fine. Order pizza. Island Pizza is probably the best. Order ten, maybe twenty, aww hell. Just order as many as they can make. They won’t go to waste.”

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