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Landon grabbed his shoulders and forced the lance corporal to focus before his panic got out of control. “It’ll be okay if they do. You won’t have to live like this anymore.”
“Will they tell my wife what happened?” He tried to slow down and breathe.
“No.” Landon guided him toward the hatch. “And we’ll get you all the help you need.”
Chief Elyse was the first to jump from her seat. Her eyes were bloodshot, shooting daggers into his soul. GySgt. Fuimaono and SSgt. Richards stood behind CDR Jenkins. Their shoulders were tense and stress radiated through the room. Landon hung his head, waiting for the storm that was coming. He’d hoped to be the first to tell them, but the rumors moved faster than they could walk.
“Take a seat.” He motioned for the lance corporal to move to the open patient bed.
“Doc?” Martinez called out in a small voice.
“Think of it like a vacation,” Landon whispered. “I promise you’ll be okay.” CDR Jenkins slid over and pulled off his stethoscope to start taking vitals.
“HM2 Ward,” Chief Elyse spit his name and turned on her heel to leave. “Come with me.”
“And when you get done here, report to my office.” GySgt. Fuimaono flexed his arms and Landon tried not to flinch. Great.
He clenched his teeth, staring straight ahead and coming to attention as Senior Chief Miller closed the door to the surgical room behind him.
Chief Elyse was seething as she paced back and forth. “Commander Jenkins gave you a direct order to check on a patient this morning and you failed to follow through. Want to tell me what you were doing instead?”
Taking care of other patients, Landon didn’t say. “I was searching for him, but I stopped for a minute to get a snack and read a letter. It was my fault I didn’t find him sooner. I should have kept looking instead.”
“To read a letter?” Her nostrils flared.
“Just a quick one, Chief.” He knew he shouldn’t have mentioned it, but he didn’t want to lie.
“I don’t care how quick it was,” she yelled. “You had a mentally unstable patient that you failed to care for and from my understanding, a minute later and the outcome would have been much different.”
“I understand the severity of this.” Landon lowered his eyes. “Like I said, this is my fault and I accept one hundred percent of the blame. I’ll take whatever punishment you want to give me.”
Her face twisted into a sneer as she kept pacing and he waited for the blow to come.
“Get out of my sight.”
He didn’t need to be told twice.
His stomach growled in protest as he walked straight to GySgt. Fuimaono’s office, but he didn’t dare stop at the mess deck. He’d been too lucky with Chief Elyse, though he expected her wrath to manifest over the coming days. She was like Tessa in that way, short and full of hellfire, and they both could hold a grudge. Thinking about his wife made the hunger worse, so he buried it deep inside as he raised his fist to knock on the hatch.
“Come in,” GySgt. Fuimaono’s heavy voice commanded loud enough to be heard through layers of metal that separated each compartment. Landon hardened his face, steeling himself for the second round of the night.
“HM2 Ward,” SSgt Richards growled as soon as Landon stepped inside. “You want to explain to me why one of my Marines almost killed himself today?”
“He has medical issues, Staff Sergeant. But they’ve intensified in light of the news about homecoming.” Landon twisted the ring on his finger behind his back, drawing strength from it.
SSgt. Richard’s square face turned bright red. If the Marine mascot was a bulldog, this man was the embodiment. “You were told to be on watch for situations like this.”
“I was and I failed.” The words tasted bitter on his tongue and the guilt weighed heavy on his shoulders. “I promise not to fail again.”
“I don’t want your promises.” SSgt. Richards kicked back his chair and thrust his pointed hand in the air. Landon lowered his face, torn between wanting to defend himself and knowing he was responsible for this.
“That’s enough, Staff Sergeant,” GySgt. Fuimaono’s voice was low and full of threat. “Leave us now.” SSgt. Richards looked over his shoulder, but a quick narrow of the gunnery sergeant’s dark brown eyes sent him marching out of the office.
The absence of SSgt. Richard made GySgt. Fuimaono seem larger, more terrifying, as he watched him with his eyebrow raised. Landon could feel the judgment coming. He did his best to stand steady with a thousand-yard stare directed at the bulkhead under the weight of it.
“Sit down.” GySgt. Fuimaono sighed.
“Gunny?” Landon’s eyes darted to the giant’s face, wondering if this was some sort of trick.
