Page 15 of Stay with Me
Chapter Eight
Two more weeks. Brody just had to keep it together for two more weeks. He’d be done with his rotation through all the departments and could put in his bid. He needed to keep it together in the NICU. Christ, he couldn’t stand seeing the preemies struggling to breathe… to live. Give him a trauma. Give him the blood. People shouting over each other. He could handle all that without a sweat. But watching a tiny human with wires and tubes all over them? Yeah, nope. He was not cut out for this.
“Lieutenant Walker, you with us?” Kayla, the NICU charge nurse, asked.
Brody snapped his head around and met Kayla’s eyes. She gave him a nod, encouraging Brody. “Yes, ma’am. We need to run the bilirubin levels for each of the patients once a shift, minimum. Those on phototherapy, every four hours,” he repeated back.
“Exactly. A quick stick on their foot. It sucks but they honestly shouldn’t feel it. Now, if…” Kayla continued to lecture the group of seven precept nurses.
Brody looked beyond Kayla’s shoulder and could just see the radiant warmer holding Oliver. The tiny, two-week-old captured Brody’s heart in his little fist during his first shift in the NICU and hadn’t let go. Oliver’s mother had been in a car accident causing premature labor at thirty weeks. She was in her own bed in the ICU. From the information shared with the NICU staff, and what Brody had overheard from Oliver’s family, she was in a medically-induced coma while they waited for the swelling to come down in her brain and spine.
With no conscious thought, Brody stepped away from the group and strode over to Oliver’s warmer. Something wasn’tright. Brody reached for a pair of gloves and began checking Oliver’s little body. It hit Brody quickly. The little boy was blue. He put a hand on Oliver’s chest and began rubbing as he looked up to check the board for the doctor on duty.
“Kayla,” Brody called out softly. While this was urgent, the environment in the NICU didn’t foster yelling. The babies and families were going through enough to not having staff causing scenes. Before he could say another word, the experienced nurse was on the other side of the warmer, grabbing gloves.
“Nice catch, Lieutenant. Someone call Blake. Get his ass here now,” Kayla commanded as she began her own assessment. Brody stood there, holding Oliver’s little hand in his. A silent prayer went through his mind.Please, whomever is up there. Help this little soul. He hasn’t had a chance to do anything. Please don’t let me have to watch him die.
§ § § §
“Lieutenants, are you ready for this?” First Sergeant Miller asked from the front of the cohort. Drew was so done with being at Leonard Wood. Could it be over? Get him to his first post. His brain was overloaded.
“Yes, First Sergeant,” the group responded. They were about to march to the battalion field for graduation. They’d be given their orders. Drew had put in his top three as Drum, JBSA and Eisenhower. Nowhere they could push him out of a plane or helicopter. No wings for this soldier. He’d avoided jump and air assault schools during ROTC summers and he would do his damnedest to continue to. Somehow, his family didn’t know that he was terrified of heights and he was going to keep that a secret as long as he could. Tris could have all the wings he wanted. Keep up the tradition for the family. Drew was doing all he could.
“Lieutenants, attention. Right face. Forward march,” Top called out and they all began to move. It wasn’t a long march to the field, and soon they were standing in front of bleachers. Family members were fanning with their programs from the unexpected heat they were experiencing. Drew knew the longer they stood on the field, the more likely it was someone would drop from the heat. In no instance should the temperature in Missouri be hovering around ninety in October.
Drew and his fellow students relaxed into ‘at ease’ and he proceeded to tune out the ceremony. He didn’t need to hear another speech about taking care of soldiers. He’d learned that from the womb. It was programmed in his DNA. Drew didn’t know how long they’d been standing there when those around him started clapping. Shit, he really hadn’t heard a word from the guest speaker.
Major Hadley stepped to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, cohort seventy-two. Thank you all for being here today. The lieutenants who stand before you have risen above the standards that were set for them. Twenty of them received gold German Armed Forces Badges for Military Proficiency and all have certified in level one combatives. Our honor graduate has exceeded all the standards and has even set a record or two for future students to reach for. Please help us in recognizing Second Lieutenant Andrew Nolan.”
Drew just stood there. Stunned. He was sure he hadn’t heard the major correctly. There was no way he was the honor graduate. He struggled each week. When his fellow classmates began slapping him on his back, he realized that it wasn’t a dream. Shit. His parents were going to kill him. He’d told them not to bother coming for graduation. Told all the uncles not to bother. They’d all just made the trip to North Carolina for his graduation and pinning. This was just officer basic.
He double-timed to the front and shook hands with the colonel and sergeant major. He was positive that he responded respectfully to whatever they said to him but it was a blur to him. Drew was definitely hallucinating because he could’ve sworn he heard “Way to go, Nibbles” as he was walking back to his place in formation.
The ceremony went fast after that. Major Hadley directed the students where to line up to get their assignments before they were dismissed to see their families. Drew hung back because he knew there wasn’t anyone there for his graduation. A sense of melancholy came over him. It was the first ‘big’ event for him with no one there — not even his mother, and she had been at everything, from building gingerbread houses out of graham crackers in kindergarten to basketball games and graduation.
Drew reached the front of the line, and took his folder from the sergeant who said, “Congratulations, Lieutenant.” Before he could open it to see where he was moving, he heard a voice that he shouldn’t be hearing.
“Seriously, Drew? You’re not going to say hi to your uncles?” Uncle Scott asked from off to Drew’s right. Spinning on a dime, Drew looked and saw Uncle Mackey and Uncle Scott standing there. He really thought he was seeing things as he stood there, shocked. He told everyone that it was fine for them to skip this. Something must have shown on his face because Uncle Mackey walked over and pulled him into a hug.
“There was no way someone wasn’t going to be here. We’re surprised your mother even let you finish your lame excuse for none of us needing to be here,” Uncle Mackey told him quietly.
“But Unc—” Drew didn’t even get the remainder of his argument out before his uncle cut him off.
“The heptad talked it over. It was only a six-hour or so drive for me and Scott. Mooney was going to be here since you’re graduating as an MP officer, but he ended up in a big meeting for something.” Uncle Mackey stepped back and let Scott pull Drew into his arms.
“Now, open that folder and see where you’re going,” Uncle Scott instructed. “Then we’re taking you out for lunch.”
Drew briefly dropped his head to Scott’s shoulder and bit back the tears. He took a deep breath and moved back. Flipping the folder open, Drew skimmed the orders. Holy shit. San Antonio?
“Looks like I need a cowboy hat,” Drew told his uncles.
“You’re going to a cav unit?” Uncle Mackey asked. “Shit, Danny wins the bet.” He pulled out his phone.
“Wait! No cav.” Drew stopped his uncle from doing anything. “I’ve been assigned to the MP detachment at Joint Base San Antonio.”
“Oooh, you can stay with Mike and Trish,” Scott offered. “Your parents will be happy that you’re going to be near family.”
Of course, they would be. Can’t have the baby of the family by himself. Shit, why did he list anywhere with one of his uncles? At least he wasn’t going to freeze in upstate New York.
