Kombat Kids - 49. Beginnings, Again

Steve, Matt and General Stanton had talked about Jap after the Gunny had gathered him into his arms and carried him through the gate in the hedge. The Gunny had cradled the still sobbing boy to his chest and spoke to him softly as he climbed into the first HUMVEE in line. As the three men watched the large vehicle drive off, James joined them.

Speaking to Steve he suggested;"If you'll go along with us, I'd like to keep him at our place for a while. I think that Matt and I, along with the other guys at the house can look out for him better than you could by yourself. I'm not trying to interfere, but I think it would be better if he weren't alone until the medication starts working.

Being a single father, Steve had to agree with James’ assessment of the situation. While Jap would only be by himself for a couple hours a day, Steve didn't want to take a chance that Jap might have problems while being alone.

James looked around until he found Sergeant Hoffman and then motioned for him to join them. After saluting the General, he asked;"Is Jap going to be okay, is there anything I can do?"

James smiled at the big Sergeant;"As a matter of fact there is Bill. I want to borrow Jacky for a couple of weeks or so. We plan on keeping Jap at our place and I think Jacky will really be good for Jap to have around. We'll make sure he gets to school and then pick him up each day, and he can get with Jap's teachers and pick up his homework."

Bill Hoffman quickly agreed with what James had asked, after all Jap had been instrumental in getting his son back after he was kidnapped by the Princes.

The men talked about how they would care for Jap and make sure that he was never left alone. They also talked about how to thank all of the active duty personnel who had volunteered to help them get Jap back.

General Stanton started to object;"That's not necessary James . . . ."

Both James and Matt turned quickly to the General;"Bullshit!" they chorused. "These guys gave up their weekend to help us, to help Jap. They gave up time a lot of them could be spending with their families and came when we sent out the call for help. We won't ever forget that, and we've already thought of a way to thank each and every one of them."

As James, Matt, General Stanton, Bill Hoffman and Steve Peterson discussed the brother's plan, several Marine Corps MCI motor coaches started loading the men and boys for the trip back to the Bateman House. Keener Web drove the HUMVEE carrying the Gunny and Jap back to the Unit. Jap sobbed softly into the Gunny's shoulder as the grizzled veteran gently patted and rubbed his back and crooned to the desperately despondent young man. The Gunny repeated over and over shhhhhhhhh, and we love you as he continued to gently stroke his head and rub his back. It took all of the Gunny's formidable reserves to keep from breaking down and sobbing for his little protégé.

The HUMVEE transporting Jap was the first to arrive at the house; the Gunny carrying Jap climbed out of the vehicle quickly followed by Jacky Hoffman and Jesse Stevens the Unit One's Chief Corpsman. The door was opened by Doctor Davidson as they approached. Doctor Davidson led the way to the second floor and to one of the 'guest' bedrooms and had the Gunny lay the still sobbing Jap on the king-size bed. The Doctor picked up a syringe that had been sitting on the bedside table and after swabbing Jap's inner elbow; he found a vein and injected him with 3ccs midazolam. Midazolam is a fast working sedative that allows the recipient rest, without dreams or physical side effects; Jap was asleep within a matter of seconds.

The Doctor turned to the two boys and asked;"I need to have someone here with him until further notice, will you two watch him until we can set up a watch rotation?"

Jacky started to cry;"How can you even think that I'd leave him alone, he . . . ."

The doctor put his hands on Jacky's shoulders and gently shook the boy;"Jacky, Jacky, listen to me. Don't loose it on me; you won't do Jap any good by breaking down too. Now I want you to take a deep breath and calm down, deep breath now."

Jacky shuddered, took a deep breath, then another one. He then looked the Doctor in the eye: "Sorry sir, he . . . I . . . I mean I've never seen him like this and it scares the shit out of me."

Doctor Davidson looked at the boy and nodded;"Okay, I want him out of his clothes and if you would, give him a bath, there are a couple large mixing bowls in the bathroom and some washcloths. After you get him cleaned up, put him to bed and one of you stay with him."

Jacky and Jesse nodded and both boys went into the bathroom and filled one of the bowls with warm soapy water and the other with warm clean water. When they came out of the bathroom, each with a bowl, the Doctor left the room closing the door behind him.

Between the two of them, it only took them a couple seconds to strip the little redhead down to his skin. Jacky stood for a few minutes taking in the beauty of his diminutive lover, and a sob burst from his lips. Jesse took the big fourteen year old and hugged him, saying;"Hey buddy, come on now. I know you love him; I also know that he's going to be okay. Between you and me and Doc Davidson, he'll be up and around within a week and wondering what the fuck the problem was. Look at me Jacky, I promise you, he WILL be okay."

Jacky looked into the Unit Corpsman's eyes and saw that the older boy was telling him the truth. Sniffling a little he said;"Yeah, you're right, sorry about that."

Jesse smiled at his friend;"Okay big guy, let's give the redhead a bath."

Together the boys lovingly bathed the small figure, with no hesitation or sexual intent, Jacky gently washed his boyfriend's genitals and anal area while Jesse carefully washed his face and upper body. When they had finished, and the wastewater was disposed of Jesse asked;"Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

For the first time in many days Jacky smiled, albeit a small smile;"Thanks Jess, I got him, you can take off. Thank you for caring, I really appreciate it.”

Jesse smiled at the younger boy;"Hey, that's what us 'Chancre Mechanics' (a Naval term for Corpsmen) are here for."

After slapping Jacky on the shoulder Jesse left him alone with his boyfriend. Jacky stripped to his skin and after kissing Jap on the forehead went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. After drying off he climbed into bed with Jap and lay on his side, memorizing Jap's every feature. Some time later, Jacky fell asleep, his body against his lover's and his right arm draped protectively over Jap's chest. Both of the boys slept through the night, neither one waking when the bedroom door opened and closed quietly. As they slept, neither one knew of the adult or boy from the Unit who sat near the bed, insuring the safety of both the boys as they slept.

Reveille went at 07:00 Sunday morning for the Unit One Boys and the military personnel spending the weekend. Everyone had breakfast and prepared for a beautiful day at the Bateman Compound and Unit One's home. Jacky awakened at 07:45 and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand, realizing that he had slept for over twelve hours. Jap was still sound asleep, snoring softly as Jacky climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom and showered. When he re-entered the room he found Jesse with a tray for him from the EDF filled with several different items from the serving line. Smiling at Jacky he said;"Didn't know what you liked so I brought some of everything. When you're finished, just leave the tray in the passageway outside the door."

Jacky returned the Corpsman's smile;"Thanks Jess, I appreciate it. And Jess, thanks for your help yesterday."

Jess shrugged his shoulders;"That's what I'm here for." He then pulled out a medicine bottle from his pocket, opened it and shook out two tablets. Handing them to Jacky he told him;"The Doctor is upping the original dosage of Zoloft (Zoloft is an anti-depressant like Prozac and Welbutrin) to 100 mg, he thinks that the 50 mg dosage just wasn't enough to do what was needed for him." Jess thought for a minute before continuing;"The Zoloft will take three maybe four days to start taking affect, so don't worry if it doesn't seem to be working at first. When it does kick in, you'll definitely notice the change. He needs to take the Zoloft every day, and if for some reason he misses a day don't double up on the dosage, just give the 100 mg's a day, okay?"

Jacky nodded, pulled a Kleenex out of its box and placed it on the nightstand and set the two tablets on it. Jesse left after telling Jacky to call him if he needed anything. Jacky ate slowly, for the first time in a week he was able to enjoy his food. The fact that his lover was in pain still bothered him, but he knew that he was getting the help that was needed and hopefully return to his normal self. About half way through his breakfast, Jap started to stir, he wasn't awake, but he was starting to stretch and groan in his sleep. Jacky put the tray on the floor and went over and sat on the bed beside Jap. He reached out and lightly rubbed his boyfriend's chest and tenderly kissed him on the lips. When he pulled back from the kiss, he saw that Jap's eyes were open and his lover was staring at him.

Jacky bent forward and kissed him again, pulling back he said;"Hi."

Jap smiled at him;"Hi yourself."

Jap's smile disappeared and he sat up;"What . . . Where are we?"

Jacky moved closer to him and pulled him into a hug before saying;"We're in one of the guestrooms at the Bateman's house, looks like we're going to be spending some time together."

Jacky released Jap and got off the bed, he then entered the bathroom and Jap could hear the faucet running for a couple of seconds and then shut off. Jacky re-entered the room carrying a glass of water, after sitting back on the bed he reached over and picked up the two tablets Jesse had given him.

"First things first.” Jacky told him. "You need to take these right now."

Jap looked at his friend and asked;"What are they?"

Jacky replied at once, with absolutely no hesitation;"They're 100 mg's of Zoloft and you have to take them."

Jap looked at the pills and then into Jacky's eyes. All he could see was concern in them, concern and deep love for him.

Jap took the tablets and the glass of water and swallowed them, along with the entire glass of water. Jacky took the glass and asked;"You want some more water?"

Jap thought for a second and nodded his head. Jacky went back into the bathroom and refilled the glass, came back into the bedroom and handed it to him. When he finished the second glass, Jap started to climb off the bed when Jacky said;"Whoa, hold on there ’Sports Fan,' where do you think you're going?"

Jap didn't even slow down getting out of the bed;"If I don't hit the head, we're both going to be knee deep in piss." With his five inch hardon leading the way, Jap ran to the bathroom, closely followed by Jacky. Jap looked at his lover as he followed him in and said;"I know I got a big dick, but I can lift it myself ya know."

Jacky laughed at him, reached over and lightly grasped Jap's cock and pointed it down at the toilet. "I know, but it's been a long time since I been able to touch this and I want to do it."

Jap shuddered at his lover's gentle touch;"If you keep holdin’ me, I won't ever be able to piss."

Once again Jacky laughed;"Who cares, that just means I'll be able to hold it longer." Jacky then released his hold and backed up to the bathroom counter and leaned against it.

Jap stood before the toilet for a good two minutes until he finally started to urinate. When he did start, Jacky saw his whole body shiver in what could only be described as ecstasy. Jap let out a little moan;"Oh God that feels good."

After Jap finished and washed his hands, the boys reentered the bedroom. As they both got on the bed, Jap looked into the eyes of his lover and friend and said;"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry for the problems I've caused." His eyes started to become watery and he began to shake. Jacky reached out and pulled him to his body and held him close, kissing his forehead and softly rubbing his back. In a few minutes, Jacky felt the small body relax and then his tiny lover was softly snoring, sound asleep in his arms.

While Jacky was holding his lover, comforting him, others throughout the Bateman House were busy making arrangements. The arrangements for the party, a party for all the men, boys and their families who had given so freely of their off time to help out a buddy and who had asked nothing in return had been accomplished virtually overnight. The senior members of the three branches of the military had put the communication system of the Bateman House to good use. The previous evening the word went out and personnel on the west side of the state started the ball rolling. While in the desert, the Bateman Brothers called in a host of favors, provided bribes and out and out bought the necessary services they required for Sunday afternoon.

At 10:05, the first trucks and delivery vans started to arrive, followed by two vans carrying workers for the upcoming barbeque/party. Jason Tembler, the caterer the Bateman's always used for the parties they gave got out of the first van and walked up to the waiting brothers.

"Matt, James, good morning." Turning to James he looked the older brother over, noting that while he was standing on his own two feet, he didn't look comfortable.

Just as Jason was about to say how well he looked, a tall blonde teenager pushed a wheelchair up to James and said;"Okay Sir, park it, you been on your feet long enough."

James turned and looked at the kid before sighing;"Yes mother."

Matt, Jason and Jesse chuckled at James’ statement, and watched as he eased himself into the chair. James looked at Jason and shook his head;"It's not bad enough I have to put up with Matt and the Marines bossing me around, they had to go and sic a nanny on me."

Jess placed his hand on James’ shoulder and squeezed gently;"Yep, just call me 'Granny Jesse." Then, speaking to James he said;"You can complain all you want sir, just remember though, it's either put up with us or Doctor Bahari will yank your old decrepit ass back to the hospital."

James sighed again, looking up at Jason he asked;"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya talking, just remember I won't always be stuck in this chair, then I'll get your skinny ass."

Jesse laughed;"Promises, promises." Jesse turned the chair and started moving towards the front door;"For now though, you're mine and it's time for therapy."

James, sounding like a twelve year old whined;"Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaan, let me slide today, it's almost party time."

Jesse let out a maniacal laugh;"Nope, exercise now, party later. Maybe."

As Jesse pushed James inside and headed to the freight elevator, Jason turned to Matt and became very serious;"How's he doing, really?"

Matt smiled;"He's still having trouble with his leg, it'll take him awhile, but he'll be okay. Thank God he and Jesse get along so well, Jesse's been a God send."

Jason and Matt moved off in different directions to ensure the preparations for the party were on track and that when the other guests arrived everything would be ready.

Jap awoke slowly from his nap and lay quietly on the bed. Reaching out, he groped for his lover, and when he couldn't find him he switched on the bedside lamp. Looking around he found that he was alone, causing him to become worried. Getting out of bed he pulled on a set of boxers he found on the floor and moved to the bedroom door. He noticed the absence of sound, any sound. Not even the quiet rush of air from the ventilation system could be heard. Opening the door, he moved into the hallway and stopped in his tracks. On the far wall, he saw a large brownish red stain and what looked like pieces of gray hardboiled eggs. Gasping, he realized that it was blood and brain matter, someone had died here from a headshot, and recently too. He moved to the stairway as quietly as possible and quickly made his way to the third floor. He slowly opened the door and quickly checked the hallway for people. All that he saw was the arms room door open; still, no sound could be heard. On bare feet, he slipped silently down the passageway, his back to the wall constantly checking behind him for others. Now Jap was worried, he should have been able to hear if someone was in the room, but the eerie silence still prevailed. With his back still to the wall, Jap took a quick look into the room and ducked back. The room appeared to be empty, but he had seen more blood on the floor and the side of the work counter. Taking a chance, he crouched low and entered the room, when all remained quiet; he hurried to the gun racks containing the H&K MP5's. As he moved toward them he saw a body laying face down on the floor in a wide puddle of blood. Not stopping to check out the body, Jap hurriedly removed the compact sub-machinegun from its rack and pulled a magazine from its storage drawer beneath the rack. Jamming the magazine into the MP5's well he quickly chambered the first round. Then reached into the drawer and pulled out another half dozen 32 round magazines, and stuffed them into the magazine pouches of one of the LBE harnesses hanging to the side of the weapons rack. Setting the MP5 on the counter, he quickly donned the LBE and magazines, not taking time to adjust the harness and belt.

Jap was scared now; he could feel the sweat oozing from his body, at the same time he was chilled from his grisly discoveries. Keeping an eye on the door he moved to the body and saw that it had been shot fifteen or twenty times in the back. He was finally able to see the face;"Oh My God" he screamed when he saw that it was Keener. Backing away until he jammed his back painfully into the counter beneath the weapons racks, he almost vomited. Taking deep lungful's of breath, he was able to calm down and headed quickly back into the passageway. Entering the stairwell once again, he was about to head up to the first floor when he heard what sounded like people screaming and shouting coming from the Cavern Level. He quietly descended the stairs and peered through the glass of the door leading into the Cavern. What he saw frightened and repulsed him. Bodies dressed in bloody torn MarCam were scattered all over the cavern, blood seemed to cover the entire floor. A scream drew his attention to five people, standing around and holding down another person. One of them held the person on the floor by the feet, on both sides of the person’s head; another one was fucking him while the three others were pissing on him. Suddenly the person fucking the guy on the floor stiffened his whole body as he climaxed. When he pulled his dick out, he turned to the door and Jap saw that it was Larry Alcorn; his huge dick seemed to point straight at Jap. Jap threw the door open and opened fire. Jap fired at the five people surrounding the man on the floor until they were all down and his weapon was empty. Running over to the person on the floor, he screamed, a scream of pure unadulterated pain and sorrow. There was Jacky both eyes blackened and swollen shut, his lips bruised and torn and huge dark purple bruises all over his body. Throwing the MP5 to the floor he knelt by his lover and cradled him to his chest, sobbing deep, gut wrenching sobs. Jacky's eyes opened and he smiled at his lover, then a look of horror replaced his look of love just as Jap felt two sets of hands dragging him from Jacky. Jacky tried to reach out to Jap but his arm was kicked away by a booted foot. Jap tried with all his being to break free from his captors, but all to no avail. He finally stopped struggling and looked first into the face of Larry Alcorn and then to his left, Bill Jordan. Shaking in horror as he looked at the people who held him, he whispered;"You're dead, you're dead, I just killed you!" Both had an evil smirk and he heard Launy Prince yell at him;"You fucking faggots think you're the only ones who can buy body armor? Well think again cocksucker!"

Then as he watched in mind numbing horror, Del Prince held Jacky's two arms stretched over his head on the floor, while Launy Prince pulled Jacky's kegs apart and held them down to the floor. Don Prince walked into Jap's field of vision holding a long bladed knife in his right hand and looked straight into Jap's eyes. "You fucking cocksucking faggots ruined my life, now I'm going to ruin yours."

Saying that, he knelt down to the side of Jacky and grasped his cock and balls, pulling them away from Jacky's groin, causing Jacky to scream in pain and bridge his body. Don Prince started laughing maniacally as he brought the knife down below Jacky's ball sack and in one vicious slice, cut both his balls and his dick off. Jacky let out a blood curdling scream which only lasted for a second or two as Prince stuffed his severed genitilia into Jacky's wide open mouth. Jap watched in horror as Prince then took the knife and slashed Jacky's throat so deeply that he almost severed his head from his body. Jap started screaming, he screamed so loud it woke Jacky out of his sound sleep, he screamed so loud that it was heard by the people on the first floor. Jacky rolled over to him and started shaking him, then resorted to slapping Jap's face until his eyes finally opened with the fear and the horror still apparent in his eyes. Jap thrashed around trying to escape the apparitions from his dream, lashing out he smashed Jacky in the nose, breaking it with an audible crack. Jacky yelled out in pain but was able to retain his hold on his desperately terrified lover. Instead of calming down, Jap got more violent in his efforts to break free from his captor.

As the struggle continued, the bedroom door burst open and Keener Webb entered the room. Running to the side of the bed he grabbed Jap by the arm and helped Jacky restrain him, all the time talking quietly to Jap;"Jap, Jap buddy calm down, you're safe, no one's going to hurt you." As he held the struggling boy with one hand, he stroked his head with the other speaking to him in a calm quiet voice, assuring him everything was okay and that he was safe. It took Jacky and Keener ten minutes to calm the badly frightened boy down. Finally Jap stopped his struggles and looked at Jacky and then Keener;"You're alive, you're alive, both of you are really alive."

Jap’s eyes rolled up into his head until only the whites could be seen before he fainted. Doctor Davidson ran into the room and saw Keener and Jacky laying Jap on the bed. Jacky's nose was still bleeding badly, grabbing a handful of tissue from the box on the nightstand; he pushed them firmly against Jacky's nose while tilting his head backwards. As he was trying to staunch the blood flowing from Jacky's nose Jesse entered the room with his gunbag.

Looking up from Jacky he asked Jesse;"Do you have any ammonia nitrate ampoules in your gunbag?"

Jesse nodded as he opened the bag and dumped the contents on the deck at the foot of the bed. It only took him about fifteen seconds to find the ampoules;"I got ‘em Doc."

The Doctor nodded. "Use one to bring Jap around, he fainted just now. Be ready to restrain him if he flips off the line again."

The doctor turned back to Jacky and tilted his head back; Jacky had let it come forward and was staring at Jap. "Jacky, keep your head tilted back and those Kleenex held tightly against your nostrils."

Keener, who was sitting on the side of the bed pulled Jap into a sitting position while Jesse broke the ampoule and ran it under Jap's nose. Jap inhaled several good whiffs and he immediately started to try and move his face away from the ampoule. Shaking his head, he started to come around. "Gaaaak, cough, hey, get that shit away from me."

As soon as Jesse was sure that Jap was conscious, he went into the bathroom and threw the ampoule into the toilet and flushed it down. By the time Jesse returned to the bedroom, Jap was rapidly turning his head back and forth between Jacky and Keener. "It was a dream, it was a fucking nightmare." Jap cried out in anguish. Turning to Jacky he saw the blood on the front of his T-shirt;"What happened, who did that to ya, what . . . . Why . . . . . oh my God, I did that didn't I?"

Keener who still held Jap shook him strongly;"Hey, knock it off, it was an accident, calm down, he'll be okay." Jap started crying again and Keener pulled him close to his body and started rocking back and forth, gently stroking his head with one hand while pressing him close with the other. As he kept rocking Jap, Keener whispered in his ear words of encouragement and love, trying to ease the pain in the small boy's heart.

While Keener was trying to keep Jap calm, Doctor Davidson was examining Jacky's nose. Jap had really smacked him a good one, the nose was pushed to one side and slightly flattened. When he pulled the Kleenex away, blood flowed freely from each nostril. Grabbing another handful of tissue, he quickly replaced the blood soaked mass of tissue. Turning to Jesse he ordered;"Jesse, run down to Medical and get me two small and two medium size Bellocq tamponade's. Also, bring up a medium size nose splint and one of the long thin forceps.

Turning back to Jacky he spoke softly: "I need to straighten out your septum, and when Jesse gets back, we'll pack your nostrils. The packing looks a little like a feminine tampon, it'll be uncomfortable but it will stop the bleeding. It looks like your boyfriend did a really good job on your nose, so there may be a little pain when I straighten it. Try and remain still and for Jap's piece of mind, try to remain quiet also."

Jacky produced a wane smile and nodded his head minutely, tears continued to trickle down his cheeks as they waited for Jesse's return. Turning back to Jap, Doctor Davidson asked;"Jap, hey little buddy listen to me."

Jap pulled his head away from Keener's chest and stared dully at the Doctor, his eyes still brimming over with tears.

"Listen to me Jap, I need your help. I'm going to set Jacky's nose and I want you to help me by holding him still, it's going to hurt and he's going to try and thrash about."

Hearing that his boyfriend was going to have to endure more pain because of him, Jap started to shake. Doc Davidson reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him hard, causing his head to whip back and forth.

"Stop it; you hurt him, now you got to help me fix him." The Doc all but shouted in Jap's face. "Now get the fuck over here and hold your boyfriend while I fix his nose."

Jap, shocked at the Doctors' use of the word 'fuck' scrambled over to Jacky and awaited the Doctor's next orders.

When Doctor Davidson saw that he had finally gotten Jap's attention, he spoke softly. "Here's what I want you to do Jap, kneel behind Jacky." After Jap positioned himself behind Jacky the Doctor said;"Put your arms around him clasp your hands together, good that's the way. Now lay your head on his shoulder and look away from his head, press down as tightly as you can on his shoulder."

Turning to Keener he said;"Sergeant, please get behind Jap and grab Jacky's head with both hands on the sides. I want you to tilt his head back slightly and try to prevent him from moving his head while I straighten his nose."

He turned to Jacky and gave him a little smile;"This is going to hurt you a lot more than it will me, but the pain shouldn't last too long. Close your eyes, try to relax and think about how you plan on getting back at your boyfriend."

Saying that, the Doc placed the palm of his left hand over Jacky's right eye, the thumb side next to his nose and using the center three fingers of his right hand, forced Jacky's nose back to its original position.

"AAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURG!!!!!" Jacky screamed, and slumped in Jap's arms.

Jap raised his head from Jacky's shoulder and looked at Doctor Davidson in horror. "Oh God, oh God what did you do, why isn't he moving, what's wrong . . . . .?"

"Calm down Jap, he's okay." Keener following the Doctor's last orders had kept Jacky's head tilted back; the blood was still flowing freely from his nostrils. Grabbing a packaged compress from the material that Jesse had dumped on the deck the doctor opened it and pressed it against Jacky's nostrils, stemming the blood flow again. Seconds later, Jesse arrived carrying several wrapped sterile packages, holding up one he said;"This is the longest forceps we have on hand Doc, I brought the next smaller size also, just in case this one was too long."

"Jesse, give me the longest flexible swab in your bag please."

"I got these eight inch rolled paper swabs, will that work?" Asked Jesse.

The Doc nodded his head in affirmation, but before he opened the packaged swab he pulled on a set of surgical gloves. He had Jesse peel the paper so that the swab would remain sterile, as Jesse held the paper; he pulled the swab free and started bending it to make it more flexible. Looking up from what he was doing he said;"Jess, open one of the smallest tamponades for me, when I remove the tampon from the wrapper, I'm going to lay the swab on the inside of the paper so you can hold it for me while I attach the tamponades thread to it."

Jesse nodded his head while he opened the wrapper;"Okay Doc, I'm ready."

After the Doctor removed the tampon he set the swab in the middle of the wrappers and Jesse grasped it using the paper. Doctor Davidson quickly tied the tampon's threads to the end of the swab and laid it down on a sterile towel he had placed on the bed. He and Jesse quickly repeated the procedure for the second tampon, which he placed beside the first one.

After comparing the sizes of the two forceps Jesse had brought him he looked at Jesse he said;"Go ahead and open the shorter of the two." Turning to Jap and Keener he continued;"Okay guys, what I'm going to do is push these swabs through his nasal cavities and into the back of his throat. Once I get the swab where I can see it I'll pull the tamponade into his nostril and that should stop the hemorrhaging."

Pausing a few seconds he continued;"Jacky's out right now, the trouble is this procedure is at least uncomfortable. At the worst it could hurt like hell and might bring him around. Both you men need to hold him tight so that he doesn't hurt himself any further."

The Doctor hesitated and turned to Jesse;"Set the forceps on the towel and open the larger tamponades."

When Jesse had the first tamponade open, the Doctor took it and pushed it between Jacky's back teeth on the right side of his mouth, then repeated the action on the left side. "That should keep him from biting down if he wakes up. Jesse, I want you to use your Mag-Light so I can see the swab when I get into his throat."

Looking at the two boys and the man he asked;"Any questions before we start? Good, Jap put your head back on his shoulder looking away from his head."

When everyone was in place, Doctor Davidson inserted the first swab in Jacky's left nostril. Gently easing it through his nostril, the nasal cavity and then into his throat. When it became visible in the back of his throat, the Doctor used the forceps to firmly seat the tampon in the nostril, causing it to appear swollen and outsized. After removing the excess thread and swab, the Doctor immediately started to insert the second swab into Jacky's right nostril. As he was pulling the second swab out, Jacky's body started to shudder and his eyes opened.

Doctor Davidson hurriedly pulled the tamponade into place just as Jacky started to moan. Moving quickly now, the Doctor sniped the threads from the tamponade and removed the surgical scissors from his mouth. Jacky was struggling by then, trying to break free from the hold Jap and Keener had him in.

Doctor Davidson spoke firmly;"Calm down, you're okay, Jap has his arms around you and Keener's holding your head. I just put some packing in both your nostrils to stop the bleeding." Turning to Jap and Keener he said;"Okay guys release him now, he's awake.

Jacky reached up and touched his nose and winced, with tears streaming from his eyes he asked;"What the fuck happened doc?"

Chuckling a little, Doctor Davidson replied;"Jap had a nightmare, when he woke up and before he knew what he was doing he lashed out at you and broke your nose. We couldn't stop the bleeding so I had to put packing in your nostrils, it was either that or try to chemically cauterize the blood vessels with potassium permanganate. Believe me that would've been a lot more painful."

Jacky closed his eyes and thought for a minute;"Okay, now I remember."

While the Doctor had been explaining things to Jacky, Jap had moved alongside him and was quietly sobbing, head bowed, not looking at anyone. Jacky put his arm around his tiny lover and pulled him to him;"Remind me never to piss you off, if you'd do this to me when I know you love me, I'd hate to see what you'd do if you were pissed at me."

The men and boys chuckled at what Jacky had said, everyone but Jap. He raised his face to his lover and said;"I know there's nothing I can do to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you. Please. Please believe me, I was so scarred when I woke up, all I could remember was that Don Prince had just killed you." Jap shivered and tried to hug Jacky tighter before continuing;"The blood, all the bloo . . . . ."

Jacky put his hand against Jap's mouth and said; Shssssssss, it was just a dream and I'm okay. Well almost okay, and with the Doc and the rest of you, I'll be fine. Please calm down, that's the best thing you can do for me now, okay?"

Jap took a deep breath; after he exhaled he took another one. Looking first at Jacky he nodded his head, he looked over to Doctor Davidson and said;"Thanks Doc, sorry for all the shit I've caused." Shaking his head a little;"I'll try to keep the bullshit to the lowest possible level from now on, I promise you."

The doctor nodded, Jacky hugged him and attempted to kiss him on the cheek. The key words here were 'attempted to,' as he leaned in to kiss him his swollen nose bumped Jap's cheek, causing him to wince and pull away.

Jap got a stricken look on his face, and then blushed as he leaned in to Jacky and kissed him softly on the cheek before saying. "I guess I’ll have to be doing that for awhile, it's a dirty job, but I'm stuck with it."

Everyone stared to laugh including Jacky, at least until he flexed his nose.

The doctor then put a lightweight aluminum splint over Jacky's nose and tapped it in place as gently as possible. Looking at the two boys he ordered;"I want both of you to stay here for an hour or two, take it easy and no activity. Watch TV or play some video games but no moving around, especially you Jacky. Jap you just stay calm and help your boyfriend, don't let him bend over or lift anything for the rest of the day."

Jacky looked resigned to his forced inactivity while Jap looked serious. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything, I promise."

Jesse packed his gun bag with the material that hadn't been used and the Doctor, Keener and Jesse left the boys to rest. As the doctor was leaving, he turned to Jap and said;"There's some Ibuprofen in the bathroom, give Jacky two capsules now and another two in four hours."

Jap nodded and was already heading for the bathroom as the Doctor closed the bedroom door.

While Jacky's nose was being repaired, the Unit members and the caterers had been setting up the cavern for the party. As the temperature was near 100 degrees in the shade outside, the party was going to be held in the Cavern. As with the Thanksgiving and Christmas parties, tables were set up and place settings were arraigned so that no one would be crowded. With close to 450 people expected, Jason Tembler had brought along twenty-five more tables. James, unable to do much, was acting as the duty 'traffic cop,' directing arriving equipment and material to its designated locations. At 13:25, a delivery truck with the 'Sportsman's Paradise' logo on its side drove up to the front door. The two men climbed down from the cab of the vehicle and walked over to James and Jesse. "Mr. Bateman?" Asked the driver of the vehicle.

James smiled at him and said;"That's me if you got all the knives I ordered."

"Yes sir I do, my names Nat Patterson and I'm the manager of Sportsman's Paradise, and this is the first time I've delivered 500 Ka-Bar Tanto blade knives to one person. Besides having to raid all our stores in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to get them, I had to talk my in-house engraver into putting your logo on them over night. That just about doubled the price on each knife, next time you might want to give us a wee bit more warning than you did this time."

James smiled up at the man and said;"I know we gave you short notice, and both me and my brother really appreciate the effort you made on our behalf. These knives are going to mean a lot to a bunch of people who went to the wall for us, so I haven't any problem with the extra cost."

After signing for the knives James held his hand in the air and Jesse placed two envelopes in it. Handing the papers and both the envelopes to Nat;"As I said, I really appreciate your effort, those envelopes don't need to be recorded with your daily receipts. Please thank your man who did the engraving for us also and tell him to have some fun with the contents of the envelope."

Nat slipped the envelopes in his back pocket and nodded his head before asking;"Where do you want the boxes put Mr. Bateman?"

James looked to the right and seeing the garage doors open said;"If you can back your rig into the garage there's an elevator on the left. I'd like to get them down to the fourth floor to my caterer Jason Tembler; he's going to set them out with the place settings."

"No problem Mr. Bateman, we'll take care of it."

As the Sportsman's Paradise truck was backing in, two Marine Corps MCI buses pulled into the parking lot. A Marine Staff Sergeant was the first off of each, to be followed shortly by a horde of women and children. These were the dependants of the Sailors, Soldiers and Marines who had helped out by coming over from the coast. The Staff Sergeant lead the group from the first bus up to James and Jesse;"Are you Mr. Bateman?"

James smiled up at the man and replied;"That's me, how about taking these people into the garage and then use the elevator to take them down to the fourth floor. If they brought a bathing suit, they can use the pool down there or come back up and use the one out back. There are some Unit One members down there to direct traffic, if they need anything, all they have to do is ask."

The Marine smiled back at James;"Thank you sir, I appreciate you doing this for our families." Turning to the women and children: "Okay everyone, follow me and we'll get this party underway."

As the second busload of dependents moved towards them James pointed at the group heading for the garage. The Staff assigned to this group just smiled and gave James a thumbs-up as he led them towards the garage.

Jesse rested his hand on James shoulder and asked;"How you holding up sir?"

James turned his head and looked at Jesse for a few seconds before replying;"Jess, this is the best I've felt since before the accident. Thanks to you and all the guys from the Unit, I've got something to live for now." James thought for a minute or so before continuing; “And you my friend can knock off the 'Sir’ shit, anyone who’s helped me go to the bathroom and helped me to get dressed needs to call me James or Jim, got it?"

Jesse blushed and tried to tell James that he couldn't do that. James looked him in the eye and said;"Bullshit, without your help and care, I definitely wouldn't have gotten this far along with my recovery. YOU WILL call me by my first name and that is a fucking order, got it?"

Jesse, hearing the strength in James voice, decided to spin him up a little;"Yessir, I understand and will comply . . . . James"

James let out a little chuff of breath and snorted;"You know Jesse, you're almost as good as Matt is at pissing me off. But I want you to remember two things."

Jesse smiled as he replied;"What's that . . . . . James?"

James smiled up at the good looking teenager;"First off, I won't always be weak and at your mercy in this fucking wheelchair. Second, just remember the 'Old Age and Treachery' will out do 'Youth and Luck' any day, so get ready for payback time."

Jesse laughed at his friend and boss;"You got it Sir James."

James shook his head and laughed;"Great, I got a teenage doctor wannabe, who also wants to be a British comedian."

As the family members walked by they all smiled and waved at the boy and man in the wheelchair. One of the last groups to pass had a boy who looked like he was thirteen or so holding the hand of a boy who looked like he was five or six. As they went past James and Jesse, the young boy broke free from his older brother and ran over to James. Looking James in the eyes he asked;"Mister, did you have a strake, my grandpaw had one and he had to sit in a chair just like this? What happened to your arm mister, where'd it go? Do you live here, is the kid behind you your son, he don't look like you at all. Why don't ya have any grass around here, we have a yard that Timmy has to cut all the time and he's always complainin about havin to cut it? It sure must be neat not to have to cut the grass all the time? Can I have a glass of water please?"

James smiled at the boy and ruffled the kid’s hair before saying;"Nope, I was in an accident and this guy behind me isn't my son he's just a big ole meany. He won't let me walk around too much and is always bossing me around. We don't have any grass because it's too much trouble to cut and besides we live in a desert over here."

The boy looked up and was about to say something to Jesse when his older brother caught up to him;"James come on, leave the man alone." Looking at James he said;"Sorry about that sir. But James here is a little bit spun up after the trip and he has a tendency to say the first thing that pops into his head."

James chuckled;"No problem, what's your name son?"

The teenager blushed a little and smiled back at James before saying;"Timothy Allen MacCarver sir. My dad had some kind of job to do over here and then we were told that we were going to some kind of a party and they put us on the bus."

Just as James was going to reply, a short, very attractive women in blue jeans and a dark blue silk blouse walked up behind the two boys;"I hope my son's haven't been causing a problem, I know James was all excited when we got here and he's always rambunctious. Tim usually can handle him, but every now and then when he gets away we have to go and chase him down."

James smiled at her and said;"Not a problem, I was just about to get James some water, follow us and we'll get him taken care of. By the way, I'm James Bateman and this is my 'Nanny,' Jesse Stevens."

Jesse just smiled and nodded at the lady.

The woman smiled at James as she introduced herself;"It's nice to meet you Mr. Bateman, I'm Jean MacCarver. My husband is Gunnery Sergeant Jeff MacCarver, Bravo Company, Fifth Battalion, 237th Marine Recon. I was a little surprised at the call I got this morning about coming over here, at first I thought Jeff had been hurt, but then the PAO Officer told me he was okay and something about a thank you to the families of the men who were called out on Friday."

James got a sheepish look on his face before saying;"Sorry about that, that was my fault, let's get inside and I'll get James some water and I'll explain everything to you."

Jesse rolled James into the house and into the kitchen, James started to climb out of the chair, but felt Jesse's hand pressing on his shoulder;"Stay put Sir James, I'll get it." As he opened the refrigerator door he turned to Mrs. MacCarver and Tim and asked: "Would you care for something to drink?"

Before she could reply, the 1MC (general announcing system) spoke;"Will Mrs. MacCarver please pick up any available phone and dial four zero zero."

James was nearest to the phone, so he picked up the handset and punched in the number. It was answered on the first ring;"Cavern, Staff Sergeant Webb."

James smiled as he answered;"Keener, this is James . . . . Yes, she and her two boys are with me and Jesse in the kitchen . . . . No problem, the little one wanted some water . . . . Why don't you send him up . . . . . . . Okay, thanks buddy, bye."

Turning to Mrs. MacCarver he smiled and said;"Your husband was getting a little worried is all, he'll be with us in just a minute."

Less than two minutes later, Gunnery Sergeant MacCarver walked into the kitchen and took his wife into his arms and kissed her. After breaking the kiss he turned to James;"I hope my kids haven't been giving you a hard time sir."

James smiled up at the tall sergeant;"Nope, James here just had a bunch of questions and he was thirsty after the long ride across the mountains. I haven't met you before, but I guess you’re part of one of General Stanton's Recon Teams."

"Yessir, we got our heads handed to us by your boys in early July, they weren't really subtle about how they did it either." Stated the Gunnery Sergeant with a slight grimace.

James laughed;"I'm glad to see they did what we taught them to do. The question I have for you is, did you guys get anything out of the exercise?"

The Gunny nodded his head;"When we came in, we thought, no, we knew we were the baddest in the valley. Your boys proved us wrong really quick, most of our guys took the lesson to heart and started playing the game as if it were for keeps. I really think the ass kicking they gave us may save a lot of our guys from getting hurt when we deploy. And for that, I truly thank you, your brother and your men."

James saw Jesse straighten and smile at the compliment the Sergeant had given him and the other boys in the Unit. James smiled and said;"Thank you Sergeant, do you have any idea when you're going to deploy?"

Before her husband could respond, Jean spoke first;"It better not be any time soon, he just got back from Iraq in April."

Jeff laughed, James smiled and Jean gave a wane little laugh. James could see that the thought of her husband going back to Iraq really bothered her. Looking at the Sergeant, he could see the pain he felt about having to deploy, a pain he would suffer in silence.

James looked at Jean, but was really talking to her husband;"I know how you feel." James thought for a minute before continuing;"Gunny, why don't you take your family down to the Cavern and get ready to eat, we got some mighty fine food laid on."

The Sergeant thanked James for looking after his family and then ushered them down to the Cavern. James picked up the phone and punched in zero, zero, one and spoke into the handset; “Master Gunnery Sergeant Mcnaughten your presence is requested in One Kilo."

Five minutes later the Gunny entered the kitchen;"What's up James?"

"I think." Said James;"I think I've found your active duty replacement. What do you know about a Gunnery Sergeant named MacCarver?"

The Gunny looked surprised;"Jeff MacCarver? I've known him for about eight years; he's a good reliable man. Where'd you meet him?"

I ran into his wife and two boys, all of them really impressed me as good steady people. Do you think he'd come on board with us if Phil Stanton agrees?" Asked James.

The Gunny thought for a moment before replying;"If I remember correctly, he's been in for fifteen or so years, most of them right in the middle of things. I think he's got a couple of Bronze Stars and at least one Purple Heart, so he's been on the sharp end of the stick more than once. Yeah, I think he might be ready for some down time."

James smiled;"Do me a favor Stan, talk to Phil and see if he'll let him go, tell him I like him and think he'll do good out here."

The Gunny nodded;"No problem James, I like it and I think you're right about him fitting in with us."

James climbed slowly to his feet and turned to Jesse;"Jess, me and the Gunny are going to get the 'Red Headed Kamikaze and his boyfriend, I'll meet you on the Cavern level."

Jesse was about to argue when James looked him in the eyes and said;"Please Jesse, the Gunny will be with me, I'll be just fine."

Jesse sighed;"Alright Sir James, please take it easy, Matt and the Doc will kill me if I let you hurt yourself."

James chuckled;"You got it Nana, I promise to take it easy."

As Jesse pushed the wheelchair towards the elevator, the Gunny and James started their slow descent to the second floor. Reaching the bedroom Jap and Jacky were sharing, James knocked lightly on the door;"Come in." Was heard and James led the way in, finding both Jap and Jacky with their backs against the beds' headboard holding hands.

James smiled at the two, the larger of which had his nose splinted and the start of two humongous black eyes with the other looking unhappy, sheepish and sad, all at the same time.

"Well, well, well. What'd you do Jacky try to get fresh with Jap and he pasted you one?" Asked James

Jap's face turned pale, then a bright red;"Honest sir, it wasn't anything like that, I had a bad dream and he was just trying to wake me up and I kind of lashed out and . . . . ."

James nodded;"I know Jap, I've had a few of those myself, so don't worry about it. Now you to climb your asses outta that bed and get your MarCams on, we got us a party to go to."

Jap started to protest when the Gunny stepped forward and just stared at him;"Okay, you win, but I ain't got any MarCams."

Jacky got off the bed and walked over to the closet;"Sure you do, you mighta tried to leave the Unit, but we didn't leave you, so get your skinny ass out of bed and get dressed."

Jap started to mist up again. The gunny reached down and picked him up and hugged him tight to his chest;"Listen to me Jap, you fucked up, you got your ass chewed out. I know you well enough to know you won't make that mistake again. It's over so get used to the idea that you're among friends and you aren't going anywhere but to the party."

Saying that, he kissed Jap on the forehead and set him down, then pushed him towards the closet. While the boys were dressing, James and the Gunny headed down to the Cavern. When they opened stairwell door, Keener saw them and yelled "Attention on Deck."

Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel stood to attention. James stopped for a second before moving towards the front of the Cavern, waving Jesse and the wheelchair off. As he started to walk, he said;"As you were, please be seated."

As he reached the front and turned to face the assembled group he saw Jap and Jacky enter the Cavern. Keener was waiting for them and ushered them to their table where both their parents were already seated.

James waited until the two boys were seated before speaking. "General Stanton, Members of the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps and your families. I want to take just a minute to thank all of you for your help. I know that most of your families have no idea what you were involved in yesterday; one of our own was lost. Your husbands and fathers took their own valuable time to help him find himself. This party is for you, please accept our thanks for the help they gave us. For each of the active duty personnel, you'll find a box alongside your place setting; it's a small, a really small token of appreciation for your help. Family members, there's an envelope alongside your place setting, it's also a small thank you for your husbands and fathers help. Now, let's eat. Thank you all very much.

Jesse had moved up behind James;"Sit down James, and I mean now."

James looked at Jesse and nodded, as he sat down he murmured;"Yes Nana, I am kind of tired now."

Jesse moved James to the table where Matt, General Stanton, his family, Andrew Stevens and the Gunny were sitting. As covertly as possible, Jesse took James blood pressure and pulse, then using a heat sensitive strip, took his temperature by placing it against his forehead. As he started to move off after he had finished James grasped him by the arm;"Sit here alongside me Jesse, you may as well be near me for dinner too."

As Jesse was busy checking James' physical condition he hadn't noticed his father sitting at the table. "Yes son sit down with us." His dad reached out and gathered him into a hug. "Damn son, you seem to have grown an inch or two since I saw you last month."

Jesse started and then smiled at his father;"Dad, I didn't see you, when did you get back?"

"This morning, I found your note telling me where you were and what you were doing. When I called, Matt answered and invited me to the party."

Jesse found the box alongside his plate and picked it up, after looking at James, who nodded, he opened the box. Inside was a Tanto blade Ka-Bar knife and sheath. The blade had his name on one side and the Unit One shield on the other. Looking first at James and then at Matt, he smiled and nodded his head in thanks.

Wives and family members opened their envelopes and found $150 gift cards that could be used at the various malls and stores in Washington and Northern Oregon.

Jap and Jacky were sitting with their parents, Bill Tilden and Keener Webb. Jap was still subdued, but more alert than he had been for some time. Jacky smiled a lot and held tightly to Jap's hand, almost like he was afraid of loosing him.

James, Matt, the Gunny and General Stanton discussed Gunnery Sergeant MacCarver and getting him assigned to the Unit.

Jap looked around and thought;"All these people, all of them are having a party because of me. Jesus did I almost screw the pooch, what the fuck was I thinking of." Jap turned to his friend, his boyfriend and his lover, all wrapped up in one beautiful package and started to mist up again;"Oh fuck me till it hurts, I almost lost him." He thought as he stared into Jacky's bloodshot eyes that were staring to bruise and swell. "Oh Christ I love him, thank God he didn't give up on me."