“This is my probie, Danton,” the medic said, nodding toward the young man. I held my hand out and the young man shook it as well.
“Let me guess,” Martinez said, looking me up and down. “Squid?”
“Yes, sir. But my b—my best friend, James Macklin, had friends in the 119th, so we drank with them whenever we were all at liberty.”
I’d lied about my relationship with Mack almost automatically, even now. He hadn’t been out at the time of his death and the habit was still strong, even after all these years.
“Waitaminnit— Macklin?” Martinez asked, eying me with a question. “You knew Jimmy Macklin?”
I felt my smile widen, feeling a rekindling of that camaraderie that had been the main reason I’d joined the military in the first place.
“Yes, sir,” I replied, “But I hope you won’t hold it against me,” I chuckled.
“Not hardly, soldier,” he said, his own grin widening. “Mack was a good man and a damn good pilot,” Martinez’s grin faded a bit, and I watched as his eyes lost some of their shine. “It was a damn shame we lost him.”
As he spoke, I watched as Martinez’s brow furrowed quizzically a moment, then he said, “Wait a minute…‘Lee’?Ripley? Ripley Devereaux?” He asked, raising his eyebrow at me in question. I saw the kid pale next to him and Martinez’s eyes shuttered when he registered my name. Fuck, that was never good.
“…Yes sir.” I said, my own good humor fading as hesitation snuck into my voice as I unconsciously braced myself. If he was homophobic, it really didn’t matter to me anymore, but that didn’tfeelright, somehow. While I didn’t recognize Martinez, Mack and I had partied with more than a few members of the 119th and they’d been good men. They really didn’t give a shit who’s “team” you batted for, as long as you had their back when shit got real. But for the first time I found myself almost hoping that all I was about to experience was some good old-fashioned, up front, in your face homophobia and not the news I feared.
“So, the twins we brought in…” Martinez asked.
“My brothers, sir,” I answered, feeling my lips press together in a thin line. “Baby brothers.”
Martinez started to speak, then saw a movement from Danton out of the corner of his eye and stopped himself. Danton looked like a new puppy, all eagerness and energy, and not a lick of sense.
“Danton, why don’t you go take five and let Devereaux and me catch up with some old war stories for a few minutes,” he said, gesturing for the young man to take a break.
“But—” Danton began, looking at the paperwork on the table, at me, then back at Martinez. I was sure for a moment he was going to object, but a sharp look from the older man had Danton on his feet and out the door. Martinez might not be military anymore, but he still knew how to give an order.
Martinez shut the conference room door behind Danton, then gestured for me to sit. I moved to take him up on his invitation to take a seat at the conference table, but my hip chose that moment to freeze up. Apparently, sitting in ER waiting room chairs didn’t agree with it.
I swallowed hard and held up a finger, silently asking for a moment from Martinez. He eyed me curiously, but didn’t say anything, just waited for the spasm to pass. Mercifully, it passed pretty quickly and I was able to take the seat after a few seconds.
“Afghanistan?” he asked, his grey-blue eyes looking me up and down as he sat.
“Yes, sir,” I said, nodding. “Hip, most of the leg. But they were able to save it.”
He grunted and nodded. “So, you’re Mack’s man? Aren’t you a medic?” he asked.
I nodded again, solemnly bracing for whatever he was going to say. “Was, sir.”
His eyes softened as he looked at me.
“Don’t ‘sir’ me, boy. I work for a living,” he grunted at me. “Mack was a great man and a great soldier. I was holding out for an invite to your wedding, son.”
I felt my eyes tear up unexpectedly. I’d braced for a lot of things, but not this. Mack had not been ‘out’ to many people, including most of his family. To find this man knew about us, about me, was a huge surprise.
“He was a good man and a good pilot, sir, but I don’t know if he qualified as a ‘great’ soldier,” I said wryly. “More like a ‘great’ pain in the ass.”
Martinez laughed and leaned back as far as the uncomfortable chairs would allow.
“I think even Mack would agree with you on that, Devereaux,” he agreed, running his fingers through his hair. “So, your brothers, eh?”
“Yes, sir. The police aren’t telling us much, but they said they think it was an accident, a hit and run…?” I let my voice end on an up note, a hint of question in it.
Something about the cops story just didn’t seem right, but I'd been too distracted by taking care of my family and worrying about my brothers to really think it through.
“Hrmpff. I don’t know about ‘accident’,” he said, pausing for a moment, his gaze holding mine. “Are your brothers gay?” he asked, again taking me off guard.
