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There was a lot of tense discussion about whether they should call for an air evacuation for Shiny, who was adamantly insisting that he was good for the ride back. Eventually, it was decided that he would return in the boat but head right to medical when they were back on the base.
“Fine. Fine. Just no one overreact and send me to Hawaii or something just to have my head looked at.” Limping as he took his spot in the boat, Shiny glared at everyone around him. “Some ice and a few painkillers and I’ll be good to go.”
“I bet you will. Tell me more about some scrapes you’ve gotten into.” Spencer kept him talking all the way back to the base, getting a lot of good stories in the process and a better picture of how common injuries were.
As they disembarked and Shiny was led away by Bullets to go to medical, Spencer asked the LT if they had any sort of concussion protocol and how he handled frequent injuries.
“Just part of the job,” he said, tone both exasperated and defensive as he blew off Spencer’s questions. “Petty Officer Bacon will show you back to barracks. Been a long day. Get some rest.”
He found Bacon talking to Curly over by some vehicles parked near the pier, and neither seemed to notice his approach.
“You have to muzzle Donaldson,” Bacon was saying. “He’ll listen to you. We owe it to Lowe and Strauss.”
Oh, this was interesting. Spencer stopped short behind a Jeep. Strauss was the former XO that Donaldson had accused of ogling Lowe, who Spencer had heard mentioned some too—a former SEAL explosives expert on the team.
“No one cares.” Curly shrugged. “The fraternization investigation never went anywhere and no one cares what they’re up to now. Seriously, dude. I doubt your reporter would care either.”
Huh. Spencer had heard enough the past few days to have already had his suspicions about this, but this was pretty damning.
“He would jump at it. He’s a good guy, but he’s not going to turn down a story,” Bacon insisted.
He’s not wrong about that, Spencer admitted to himself. Behind him, the radio guy, Riddles, was coming with the senior chief, so he couldn’t keep hiding here.
Moving forward like he hadn’t stopped to listen in, Spencer called out, “Bacon? The LT said to come find you.”
Bacon motioned him over with another harsh stare for Curly. “Let’s get some rest. Man, I am totally bushed.”
It was dark and still humid as they made their way back to the barracks.
“So what do you think of your new XO?” Spencer asked Bacon as they walked. “How does he compare to the old one?”
“He’s all right. Don’t really know him well, but he seems to be doing a good job heading up this mission. I worked with Strauss for a couple of years. You won’t find a better guy.” Bacon’s tone was defiant, and even in the dark, his glare was more than evident.
“He left to work in the private sector?” Spencer wasn’t quite sure why he was pursuing this line of questioning. He was usually a master at timing, and waiting until Bacon wasn’t on edge would be much more advised. Get him comfortable, sharing stories again, then ask. But Spencer was weirdly off-kilter. Guilt for having listened in warred with curiosity in his gut, making him blunter than usual.
“Yeah.”
“Think I might try to talk to him when I’m back Stateside, find out what he thought of being on the teams.” Spencer was deliberately trying to bait Bacon now, judge his reactions.
“He’s not going to be interested in talking to you.” Bacon was as curt as Spencer had expected.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“You know, I was just beginning to think you were a decent guy. Not a snake lurking in our grass.” Bacon whirled on him as they entered the barracks building, crowding him into a corner. Part of him welcomed Bacon’s anger, felt he deserved it. “But you’re just like every other reporter, aren’t you? Looking to stir up trouble? Not caring who the fuck you might hurt.”
“What did a reporter ever do to you?” Spencer demanded. “You’ve assumed the worst of me ever since I got here.”
“When Jamie died, a reporter from a conservative paper in Denver got wind of the story somehow. Wanted to fucking sensationalize their life. Made them seem...messed up. Druggie. Confused. Cautionary tale. And none of it was true, but you guys will do anything for a story, won’t you?”
“I won’t. I’ve got ethics.” Spencer stood his ground even as Bacon leaned in, anger rolling off him in harsh waves. “And I’m sorry about Jamie, I really am. But not all reporters are the enemy. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I’m not here to mess up your life or your friends’ lives. I’m not a monster.”
