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“T-they can’t b-break us, King.” Jenkins let Brian go like he did every time, having to separate before their captors came in and saw them together. Saw them taking comfort in each other. Brian missed the body heat immediately, his raw-beaten skin protesting at the coolness now able to seep through to the fresh wounds and the old ones. He hissed and groaned inside at the ache, holding on to the fact that Jenkins would be there to take the chill away when he returned. And Brian would be there to tend to Jenkins the best he could when he returned. Brian always thought when… not if they returned. He and Jenkins were in this together and they were coming out of it together. Brian still believed the only reason they hadn’t been separated was because this was the only area within the hideout that had a makeshift stone door and chains to secure them. Outside their confinement, there was only enough room to shove and push them down a narrow stone path to a ten-by-twelve clearing. Brian had seen no other paths, doors, or spaces. He’d looked at every inch of what he had access to and there was no easy escape unless he was the damn Hulk. The ground was dust and hard dirt that ate into the soles of Brian’s feet when he walked. This was where the daily “interrogation” happened. After one was done, he was dragged back to the room and then it was the other’s turn. Every damn day… or night.
“The only easy day was yesterday, sailor,” Jenkins whispered roughly before sealing his mouth closed. The door opened, and at least eight or nine men draped in dark dresses and darker shaals with automatic assault rifles motioned for Brian to come first this time.
He ceased all communication.
“His watch says he’s in here!”
Brian’s eyes fluttered open as the sound of his brother’s worried gruffness reached him.
“Check the break room, Dana. I’ll check the bathroom.”
Brian felt like he’d been drugged. Goddamn flashbacks. He hadn’t had one in months… why now? He tried to get up off the floor only to stumble right back onto his ass. Shaking his head in disgust at his weak limbs, he reached for the edge of the counter and managed to get to one knee before Dana busted through the break room door.
“Oh God. He’s in here, Ford!” Dana yelled, then dropped down to Brian’s side, his brown eyes roaming all over his face. “Brian, what happened?”
“Flashback,” Ford said solemnly, looking at the shards of glass from the bulb on the floor, then to Brian’s hot face.
He wasn’t embarrassed. His brother knew exactly what he was going through, having suffered his own triggers after he’d rescued Brian and they’d returned stateside. Instead he felt like he’d been pushed ten steps backwards. He’d been doing so well. Making real progress.
“Shit, man. Are you okay, B? Do you need… do you…?”
Brian waved Dana off after he helped him get to one of the chairs. He sat down heavily, feeling the weight of what had just happened. The front door opened again, making Brian flinch at the sound of Duke and Quick’s voices.
Did he have to call everyone? He’d only been there for…Brian looked down at his watch. Fuck! Five hours had gone by. It was almost six in the morning. Brian’s mind must have put him to sleep after. No wonder Ford had been terrified. If Brian checked his cell he could only imagine how many missed messages he’d had before Ford sent in the cavalry.
“Brian, you should come to our place. We can have some breakfast and then talk a bit. I think that would be best,” Ford suggested. His brother didn’t mince words and he wasn’t coy. He spoke with authority and sureness. When he was younger he’d word things in a way that made Brian feel as if it wasn’t a suggestion but an order.
This time, he wasn’t obeying.
Brian shook his head, gesturing for Ford to keep driving him to his house. It’d taken him long enough to convince his bosses that he didn’t need an immediate psych evaluation, he wasn’t in the mood to go over his breathing techniques with his brother. He needed to get home and clear his mind. He almost rolled his eyes when he thought of some of the exercises his therapist wanted him to do when he had a flashback. A way to tamp down the anxiety and depression that came with those visions.
Ford sighed loudly but at least he bypassed the turn into their neighborhood and continued towards his home. He didn’t wait for Ford to make any additional suggestions, Brian knew what he needed to do. Starting with a message to his doctor.
Sway knocked on his boss’s door and walked in at the same time he heard her sharp voice bark an abrupt, ‘it’s open’. He shook his head in dismay, looking down at her cluttered desk in the tight space that had once been a storage closet.
