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“Well,” Lauren said, standing, “I have some more reports to fill out on this mission. I’ll see you later.”
Jack rose. “Me too.”
The door shut, leaving Cal with Alex. The medic shook his head. “I am glad we are alone. I deal with shock all the time out on the battlefield. Sky has been deeply traumatized. I do not know what did it. I only know she is. She has all the signs and symptoms.”
Cal stared down the table at him. “That’s what I sensed.” He sat up rubbing his face. “What the hell should I do, Alex? Should I get her to a hospital? To a psychiatrist?”
“Lauren was right,” Alex mused, gesturing the the chair where she sat. “It is sad in a way.”
“What’s sad?”
“Lauren.” Alex’s voice softened. “You cannot see or sense trauma unless you have gone through it yourself. Lauren spoke strongly about getting Sky home because she sees you and your home as a refuge. A place to hide. A place to get well. It is her safe house.”
Snorting, Cal muttered, “Hell, I know you don’t know anything about Lauren’s past, but it’s about on par with the hellish childhood Sky barely managed to survive.”
“You mean physical abuse?”
“Yes.”
Nodding thoughtfully, Alex said, “I thought as much when I first met her. The way she acted toward me. I am a big man,” and he opened his arms. “And she fears big men. I have figured out that a big man hurt her, and that is why she is afraid of me. She may see me as the man who hurt her so badly.”
“Psychologically, it’s called a projection,” Cal offered. “If that is so, then Lauren sees her abuser, not you. Lauren is tough because she had to be to survive that sick family of hers. As far as I know, it was a foster father who did the damage to Lauren.” He saw Alex’s eyes grow angry, his mouth turning down, clearly wrestling with his feelings.
“She needs someone who will be gentle with her.” Alex rasped, “That is why she likes you so much. Even though you are an operator, you have a kindness running through you. Sky saw it. Lauren recognizes it, too. They both trust you.”
“So?” Cal challenged. “You do, too. Sky trusts you. She doesn’t cringe when you’re around her or when you touch her. Why doesn’t Lauren see it in you, then?”
He sipped his coffee. “Because I am a big man. I am a bug-a-boo to Lauren.”
Cal grinned. “A what?”
“I was using your American slang,” he said proudly. “I’m a bug-a-boo.”
Cal cocked his head. “What’s that word mean to you?”
“Someone who jumps out of the dark at you and scares you badly.”
Rolling his eyes, Cal chuckled. “Bogeyman, Alex. Not bug-a-boo.”
“Oh,” and he grinned, embarrassed, and shrugged, writing it down on his ever-present slang notebook. “I sometime mix and match things?”
Chuckling, Cal nodded and stood up. “Hey, I give you credit. At least you’re in the fight, trying.” And then added with a sly grin. “Good thing Lauren wasn’t here when you said that. She’d have hysterics over your faux pas. Driscoll would fall out of his chair, howling and rolling all around this deck. You really entertain our boss.”
Alex took it all good naturedly and rose. “Maybe Lauren should have been here. She rarely smiles. I’ve heard her laugh only once. She has a beautiful voice, but I do not think she realizes it.”
“Well,” Cal said, slapping him on the back, “maybe you’re just the guy to reach inside those walls of hers and gain her trust. Hang in there with Lauren. She’s a tough nut to crack, but I really think you’ve slid past some of her defense panels already, my friend.”
Shaking his head, Alex muttered, “I see her inner heart and beauty. I see the woman who hides behind walls that she’s constructed around herself. There is generosity and kindness in Lauren, but she is afraid to let it out, to be open with others.”
“That’s called being vulnerable,” Cal said, losing his smile. “Lauren doesn’t open up to anyone fast, Alex. I think she’s less abrasive toward you, now. And, if I don’t miss my guess, I think she kinda likes you.” Cal saw Alex’s head pop up, hope suddenly mirrored in his eyes.
“You are not kidding me, are you?”
“Not about that,” Cal said drily, opening the door. “But don’t tell Lauren I said that, or she’ll come and beat the living shit out of me. Okay?”
“Okay. It is our secret.”
Cal saw Alex grinning hugely, like a little boy given some prize he’d been longing for but never gotten. Until now. Shaking his head, he said, “Later, Bro.”
