Chapter 11: October - Tricks and Treats

The first time Tory and Trent saw Jayson in the hospital it was a shock. His broken leg wasn't as much of an issue as the burns that travelled along a portion of his left side. The doctors were confident that the leg would heal and Jayson should regain most of the use of his left side after some physical therapy and grafting.

After their first visit, Tory had Trent call his father with the information. Tory continued to visit almost every weekend; Trent went as often as his studies and work allowed.

This was going to be a special visit, however. On this brisk October weekend, Jayson was finally being released from the hospital. His cast had come off the week before, but he still needed to use a cane due to the scarring. The doctors said it would still be at least a month before Jayson was allowed on full duty.

When Tory and Trent entered Jayson's hospital room, Mitch was sitting in a chair reading.

"You beat us! I didn't see your car in the parking lot."

Mitch put down the paper and crossed the room quickly. "Hey, baby." Mitch paused to give Tory a quick kiss. "Chuck took me in to work this morning and then brought me here this afternoon. No sense having two of us driving," Mitch reasoned.

"Where's Jayson? He hasn't left yet, has he?"

"No, he just went for physical therapy. How are you doing, Trent?"

"Okay, Commander." Trent reflexively shook Mitch's hand. "How's Jayson really doing?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, little brother?" Jayson said from behind him.

"Hey, Jayse! Didn't hear you come in!"

"I'm walking a little quieter these days, now that my cast is off. Hi, Mom." Jayson hobbled over to his mother and placed a kiss on her cheek before settling on the bed. "God! I'll be glad to finally leave this place!"

"I heard that!" a melodic voice warned from the hallway. Once the young woman entered the room and realized Jayson wasn't alone, she was startled into silence.

"Everybody, this is Cami Sullivan. She's an assistant to my physical therapist; and she's a slave driver!" Noticing her slight embarrassment, Jayson continued quickly. "Cami, this is my mom and kid brother; and you've already met Commander Ross."

"Nice to meet you," she greeted shyly, extending her hand to Tory and then Trent. "I've heard a great deal about you, both. Hello, Commander." Cami also extended her hand toward the commander.

"Hello, Cami."

"So, you're a physical therapist?" Tory asked, trying to fully process who this young woman was.

"I'm only assisting right now. After I finish school, I'll still need to get my certification. But, if all goes well, I should be done and certified by next fall."

"Well, good for you!"

"Mom, if you guys can wait outside, I'll get changed so we can leave. I've already signed my discharge papers."

Tory, Trent and Mitch waited outside while Cami assisted Jayson.

"Okay, spill it," demanded Tory.

"What?" Mitch tried to look as innocent as he could. Trent just looked on in silence.

"Who is she?"

"You heard Jayson."

"Oh, I know what Jayson said. And, I believe you might have more information. So, spill!"

Mitch sighed; Tory was starting to know him too well. "Okay. Cami is the youngest of three kids. Due to financial circumstances, school's taking her a little longer to get through. But," Mitch quickly added, "she's a very determined young lady. She's working hard and, from what I can tell, making high marks in the process."

"And," Tory finished, "she has designs on my son."

"She's not a gold-digger, Tory. I believe her feelings are genuine."

"I never said they weren't." Tory flashed Mitch a smile just as Jayson's door was opened.

"But, I can walk!" Jayson whined as Tory and the others watched Cami push Jayson out of the room in a wheelchair.

"Hospital policy," Cami reminded him, smiling and stopping in front of his family.

"It's just that you spent all that time helping me to walk again; it seems a shame to waste that progress."

"Nice try, sailor, but I'm not buying it!"

"Hey, Mom, Commander, do you mind if Cami joins us for lunch after I get home and take a shower?"

"I don't have a problem," Mitch responded.

"Neither do I; but don't you think it's up to Cami?"

"What do you say, Cami? The Café at 1300?"

"Sure. As long as you stay in the wheelchair until I get you to the car!" Cami led the group out the front doors of the hospital. Once they were at Tory's car, Jayson got out of the wheelchair, now free from the medical policies.

Trent and Jayson were dropped off at Jayson's place while Mitch and Tory went back to Mitch's to drop off the luggage and pick up Mitch's car. They were back at Jayson's in enough time to pick them up and get to the Café just as Cami was walking in.

After lunch, Jayson wanted to walk around the park. He was tired of being cooped up and wanted to stretch his legs.

"Hey, Jayse; what's that?" Trent was pointing to a ship with a gaping hole in its hull.

"Oh, man! That was my ship." Jayson suddenly felt weak in the knees. Mitch was quick to catch him and help sit him on a nearby bench.

"Is this the first time you've seen her, son?" Mitch asked, watching Jayson's reaction closely.

"Yes, sir. I didn't realize there'd been that much damage." Jayson couldn't tear his eyes away from his ship.

"Have you seen Doc Patterson, yet?"

"Not yet, but I think I'll be making an appointment soon."

The five sat in reverent silence and stared at the wreckage before them.

"Markus! There you are!" Chuck Warren broke them all out of their silence as he approached.

"Yes, sir." Jayson tried to stand as quickly as he could.

"Sit, sit. I understand you can't stand too well, yet." Looking out at the ship, Chuck paused for a moment. "What a tragedy. But, that's why I was looking for you. I need you to be in the Briefing Room at 0930 tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

"And," he continued, "your family should come, as well. See you then." With that, Commander Warren walked away.

Later on that night, Mitch held Tory tight against his chest.

"Are you okay, baby?"

"Did you see the side of that ship?"

"Yeah, I did. It's a miracle only two died."

"Do they know what happened, yet?"

"Not sure; haven't heard either way."

"Who is Doc Patterson?"

"He's one of the shrinks on base — handles Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He's one of the best." Mitch leaned down and gave Tory a kiss.

"Would you mind just holding me tonight?"

"Not at all, baby." And, he held her tight against his chest until they both were asleep.

They all woke up early and ate breakfast in relative silence. After getting dressed, Mitch took Tory and Trent to the Briefing Room.

Tory was a bit surprised when she walked in. She had expected to see a table placed in the center of the room with chairs all around it, with more around the perimeter. Instead, there was a podium positioned in the center-front of a dais located at the far end of the room. There was a row of chairs placed behind the podium, and chairs placed in rows on the floor facing the podium. It looked to Tory like the press was already set up with their video and still cameras. Tory, Trent and Mitch were immediately escorted to the front row seats. As the room continued to fill up, Tory looked around for Jayson and wondered if they should save him a seat.

Just then, a side door opened and a number of uniformed men entered — Jayson among them. Quietly, the men took their places on the dais. As the rest, including Jayson, began to sit, one officer approached the podium.

"Thank you all for coming," the officer began. Tory listened as the officer introduced himself and then recounted what had happened on the ship. The preliminary findings were that faulty wiring in the radio room resulted in an explosion. A moment of silence was offered for the officers who died trying to get their men to safety and get word out. And, then there was mention made of the enlisted men who took charge of evacuating and triaging the injured, despite their own injuries. As the officer continued with the details, Tory sat there numbed by the realization of what her son had lived through as memories of the broken hull ran through her mind.

Tory was jerked from her thoughts when she saw Jayson stand and approach the podium with two other enlisted men flanking him. She heard phrases like "meritorious conduct" and "duty above and beyond". And, then she saw the speaker remove three small boxes from under the podium and award each of the three young seamen medals for their bravery and conduct. Tory was shocked, proud and amazed all in one wave of emotion.

As the room broke out in thunderous applause, Tory looked behind her and saw seamen and officers standing on their feet, some with visible scars on their faces and hands, while others still had their legs or arms bandaged. These were the men and women her son helped save.

The officer at the podium held up his hands to quiet the cheering.

"I want to remind everyone that these are just the preliminary findings. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. However, the conduct of these three seamen is not refuted. That is all. Thank you." The officer immediately left the podium and then exited through the same door he had entered through, followed by the others including Jayson. As everyone clamored to see if they could get more questions answered, Mitch, Tory and Trent were quietly escorted out a different doorway. If Mitch understood what was going on, he wasn't talking. He just stayed by Tory's side.

Once they left the Briefing Room, the trio was escorted down a quiet hallway and through another door. The room they entered appeared to be more like a small reception room. Tory spotted Jayson through the group that was present but made no attempt to go to him as he was talking with officers. It was a bit unsettling to not know how to behave in these surroundings. Mitch needed to talk with one of the officers for a couple of minutes, which left Tory and Trent milling around waiting for Jayson to be released by the officers surrounding him.

"Ms. Markus. I'm Commander Marsden. You must be very proud of your son."

"Yes, sir," Tory replied politely, shaking the offered hand. "I'm very proud of BOTH my sons."

"Of course." Commander Marsden smiled and nodded toward Trent.

"What do you want, Marsden?" Mitch had walked up behind Tory and placed a protective arm around her shoulders.