Page 1 of Trusting the Team

1

YOUNG DARI

Rocco’s team was stuck in a cave. They heard a girl crying being dragged into a stall next to Gumby. “Leave her alone!” the men tried to take their attention off the newly arrived victim. The insurgents were occupied in the stall for what seemed like forever. The team was sickened, Gumby had heard her struggling at first and then besides the men’s grunting and banter it was quiet.

Two days the team was beaten while the girl was raped. Gumby got the team freed and they approached the last stall. Rocco and Gumby stepped in “Wadrega! Wadrega! Yawazi mee pregda!” As she skittered away from the men, the rope holding her wrists pulled taunt snapping her back toward them. She started crying, shaking her head. Her tombaan was stained and torn. She could not have been over 10Yrs old. Gumby’s hand went up, “We're not gonna hurt you. I think I was telling you, ‘Sorry.'" He cut the rope, her wrists still tied, she threw herself back against the wall, repeating more quietly in Pashto to be left alone. Gumby inched closer having put down the knife, “I want to loosen the rope, free your hands.”

Phantom grabbed the girl's pants near the door. The parahaan were wearable to get her out of there but, his jawticked as he passed them to Rocco. Rocco passed them to Gumby, grabbed the KBar, passing it back to Bubba. Everyone's attention fell on the girl when she whispered with no accent to Gumby, “please, don’t touch me.”

“You understand? I'm just trying to untie you so we can get out of here,” he inched forward.

She held out her hands, they were shaking so badly Gumby got closer than he would have liked so he could hold them on a knee while he untied them. Her wrists were as bad as any of theirs. He handed her pants over as she loosened her hands. Without turning her back on the men, she moved into a corner and started sliding her legs in. Seething, the team saw the bruises, blood, and dirt as she snaked the parahaan up before the tombaan fell back down.

“We need to go,” Phantom said. “We aren’t in shape if they come back in mass.”

Gumby held out his hand for the girl, “We aren’t going to leave you here. We won't hurt you but, you need to come with us.” Tears fell as she stepped toward the men, she looked at Gumby's hand avoiding it as she continued forward. The team tried to put her in the middle, she was slow, obviously pained. Phantom shook his head at Rocco.

Rocco looked down at the girl, “we need to move faster to get away, honey. Is it ok if I carry you for a bit?” She was terrified but nodded. She was stiff in his arms, but the team was able to pick up the pace.

They stopped to rest and to figure out extraction after another 20mins of moving. Rex and Ace were both shot, all of them were beaten, hungry, thirsty, and they had a small, abused girl; they were not going to get back without assistance.

The group goton the aircraft they were able to get. The flight medic worked with Rex and Ace. Everyone put headsets on so they could communicate. Bubba, Phantom, Rocco, and Gumby all worked on each other taking care of their wrists. “What are we going to do with her?” Bubba asked as they all looked at the girl sitting deathly still, knees pulled up under her chin, trying to disappear in the small compartment.

Gumby caught her eyes, held up the neomycin ointment, pointing at her wrists, “We got to get more information. She can’t be left out here and I’m not sure she's supposed to be here.”

“She speaks American English,” Phantom agreed.

Rocco took a notepad and pen from the crew chief. He wrote some questions down and passed the notepad to the girl. They watched her focus on the paper, while trying to keep her eyes on everything going on, she started answering. They would need to be able to tell CMDR North something shortly upon landing. “Dari is 9. Her dad was American, a Soldier. Her mom was Afghani. Her Uncle did this.”

“Dari? Is that a fucking joke,” Phantom muttered. The guys smothered their smiles and chuckles. “I thought my family hated me,” Phantom continued. Phantom ventured a look at the girl, her light gray eyes met his dark ones, “her uncle sold her.” They both broke contact, Phantom turned back to the window and Dari’s eyes dropped to her knees.

Rocco passed the notepad back to Dari.We are Sailors.Dari looked quizzically at the paper, she looked at Rocco pointed at his beard. Rocco took the notepad back.We are SEALs. I am Rocco, Gumby, Rex, Bubba, Phantom, and Ace.He handed it back watching her, she looked up he mouthed Rocco and continued to point out the remaining team members in order.

The aircraft startedto drop altitude; Dari jumped. Her eyes jumped up to Gumby's across from her. He smiled, gave her an ok gesture. The aircraft got hectic when it touched ground. Folks pulling Rex and Ace off and crew moving. Gumby snatched up Dari and got off the aircraft, following the litters, hoping she would calm back down out of the hustle. She was shaking in his arms, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. He followed Rex and Ace into the hospital, the rest of the team behind him. Third up a nurse motioned for Gumby to sit down. He started to set Dari down, but she would not release him. Bubba and Phantom followed Rex and Ace; Rocco followed Gumby. “Just sit down with her,” the nurse said. He sat down with her on his lap.

“She’s a local-"

“She was with us,” Gumby let that sink in and added, “and she's American. Now what do you need?”

The nurse relented, “How about we start with those wrists...”

“Dari,” Rocco answered quietly.

“That’s a cute name,” the nurse looked at Dari.

Dari looked at Gumby and Rocco, both nodded, she unwrapped her arms from Gumby’s neck. Gumby tried to rearrange Dari, so she was facing the nurse, instead she pushed off his lap, settling down next to him. He started to slide off the cot when he felt her fingers pressing into his thigh. He covered her hand with his arm, leaning down, “don't worry, I’m not gonna leave ya, darlin'.”

“I'm gonna need to take a look at her,” the nurse looked at the SEALs protecting Dari.

“Dari, the nurse wants us to leave so she can see all of you, make sure you’re ok everywhere. It's not gonna be easy or comfortable. She’s gonna need to look everywhere those men touched you,” Gumby tried to explain.

Dari’s eyes shot up to the men, she shook her head, “No.”

The nurse interjected, “Dari, I just need to make sure you're ok. That you'll be ok. We normally do this in private, so you don't get embarrassed."

“I don’t want them to leave me,” Dari answered her hand on Gumby’s arm now.

Rocco diverted, “I'll get some clean clothes. You gonna be ok with Gumby, Dari?” Dari barely nodded. Rocco went to their packs, got a pair of shorts and shirt from Ace's bag. He got back and the nurse was finishing cleaning Dari's wrists. She was sitting stoically, it had to sting, he could not believe how quiet she was.

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