Trusting a Warrior by Melanie Hansen

Author:Melanie Hansen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2020-09-11T16:27:11+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“We’ve given this a lot of thought, George.”

Still weak and shaky, his head pounding like a bitch, Geo stood at attention in front of Alex and the officer-in-charge, a newly minted lieutenant not long out of the Naval Academy. Like all Academy grads, the lieutenant carried himself with the sort of polish that made Geo think of a politician.

A lot of the enlisted guys distrusted him for that, but Geo saw a thoughtful, deliberate man underneath the Academy veneer. In his opinion, the dude would make an outstanding leader someday, so Geo’d done his best to ease the lieutenant’s transition into the platoon.

Would that act of support and loyalty pay off now? He couldn’t tell by the expression in the lieutenant’s eyes, which rested on Geo’s face with their now-familiar coolness. “Ensign Parnell is already pushing for a Trident review board,” he said quietly. “This incident—striking an officer—along with your arrest of a few weeks ago, makes me think it’s warranted.”

Geo kept quiet.

“Your drinking has increased exponentially. Several of your teammates have remarked on it,” the lieutenant went on. He paused. “A few have raised concerns about operating with you.”

The words hit Geo like a hammer blow, and he had to fight not to stagger. If his teammates were losing trust in him, wouldn’t operate with him, then he was finished.

“Sir—” he choked, but couldn’t go on.

The lieutenant nodded toward Alex. “Master Chief?”

After a long moment, Alex said, “Geo, if you agree to it, I think we’ve come up with a work-around to the disciplinary action.”

“Anything,” Geo burst out. “I’ll do anything—”

“We’re sending you home,” Alex cut in. “As of today.”

“What?” A fresh wave of horror weakened Geo’s knees even more. “You want me to leave the platoon?”

“Temporarily.”

“What do you mean, temporarily?” With all his might, Geo tried not to sound belligerent, especially since right now Alex was his only ally. “How long?”

Alex seemed to brace himself. “At least ninety days.”

“What? Master Chief—”

Holding up a placating hand, Alex waved him toward an empty chair. “Have a seat and hear me out.”

The last thing Geo wanted to do was sit, but he gritted his teeth and did it anyway. Alex propped his butt against the table next to him, arms crossed over his chest. “Ninety days. And during that time, you’ll seek mental health services.”

Geo dug his fingernails into his thighs. “I’ll do what now?”

“You’ll see someone for your post-traumatic stress.” The lieutenant took over, his gaze implacable. “Witnessing the suicide of a battle buddy isn’t something you’re equipped to deal with on your own. Period.”

“I didn’t witness it—”

“You were steps away when it happened. You heard it. You were first on the scene. Don’t quibble with the semantics, Petty Officer.”

Images that were burned into Geo’s brain fought to materialize. In a surge of desperation, he beat them back.

“Don’t do this,” he said hoarsely. “I’ll do better. I won’t drink as much. I’ll work harder—”

“Work harder at what?” Alex interrupted. “Forgetting? The last thing you need to do is stuff this down anymore, Geo.

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