Chapter 3
“A kid?” Doc asked in disbelief the next afternoon.
Oz nodded. The day had been nonstop so far.
He’d been even more grateful for his neighbor’s generosity that morning when Logan had eagerly eaten a little bit of almost everything she’d provided.
He started out with a bowl of cereal, then he’d eaten a granola bar, and even some of the scrambled eggs Oz had made.
It was obvious the kid hadn’t eaten in a while, and Oz made a mental vow to make sure he always had enough food in the house.
Conversation had been stilted and awkward, and mostly one-sided, but Oz wasn’t daunted. It would take some time for things to get more comfortable between them, and in the meantime, he just had to provide a safe home for Logan.
They’d gone to post, and Oz had gotten Logan added to his official record, and he now had his own military ID. Oz had asked his nephew if he wanted to go to school on or off the Army base, and without hesitation, Logan had said off.
Oz had no idea if that was the right decision or not, as he knew nothing about how good the local schools were, but he was determined to give Logan as much choice as he could with how things went in his new life.
They’d gone to the post hospital so Logan could see a physician and they could get the paperwork needed in order to officially enroll Logan in the fifth grade.
They still had to go to the grocery store and then the furniture store.
At the very least, Logan needed a bed. He also needed clothes and toys and shit, but that would probably have to wait for another day.
Oz had taken Riley’s advice and washed all of Logan’s clothes that morning, and he’d gotten upset with how little the boy owned all over again.
He couldn’t understand how CPS hadn’t boxed up all his stuff from the apartment he’d lived in with his mom.
Where had all her stuff gone? His? Was it sitting in a storage unit waiting for Oz to claim it?
He needed to talk to Logan’s caseworker, but again, other things took precedence.
Oz hadn’t had time to introduce Logan to his Delta teammates before he was shuttled off on a tour of the motor pool, including all the tanks that were parked there, by one of the admins who worked in their building.
Oz felt a pang in his gut when the first smile he’d seen on his nephew’s face had been directed at the man who’d asked if he wanted to see a tank up close and in person, but he pushed that aside.
He knew it wouldn’t be an easy road gaining Logan’s trust, but he’d be patient.
The reward when it finally happened would be greater than anything Oz could imagine. He just knew it.
“I know, it’s crazy,” Oz replied to Doc.
“Out of all of us, I never would’ve thought you’d have the first kid,” Trigger quipped.
Oz snorted. “Right? I mean, you, Lefty, and Brain are the ones with women, not me.”
“You okay with this?” Grover asked. “You need anything?”
“I actually need everything,” Oz said honestly. “But I’m working on it, thanks. My neighbor came to my rescue last night.”
“Your neighbor…?” Lucky asked.
“Yeah. Riley Rogers. Last night was crazy, not only because Logan was dropped off at my doorstep so late, but Riley finally kicked out her asshole boyfriend. He went to her place and started in on her almost immediately. The walls in my complex are super thin, so I hear them a lot. He was berating her for pretty much everything. She works from home—I’m not sure what she does—but he was telling her she was lazy and a bitch for not letting him hang out at her place more. ”
“Guess he doesn’t work?” Trigger said dryly.
“Apparently not. Anyway, Riley’d finally had enough and broke up with him. He didn’t take it well. I stood by my door just in case he decided to get physical, but as I’d hoped, when he saw me there, he left without touching her.”
“You think he’s gonna stay away?” Lefty asked.
“No clue. But I’m just glad she finally got up the strength to kick him to the curb. She’s way too pretty to be treated like a piece of shit,” Oz said.
“So, you said she came to your rescue? Sounds like the opposite to me,” Brain observed.
“Right. Anyway, after the asshole left, the CPS worker showed up with Logan. She saw and heard what was said. When Logan fell asleep, I realized that I didn’t have anything for him to eat in the morning, and I couldn’t leave him to go to the store.
So I went next door and asked for Riley’s help.
She ended up giving me a bag full of breakfast stuff.
I think the only thing missing was doughnuts. ”
“That was pretty nice,” Doc said.
“You gonna pay her back?” Lucky asked.
“I would if I thought she’d let me. But I have a feeling she’s kinda prickly about that sort of thing. I did invite her over for dinner tonight. I figure maybe if Logan and I aren’t alone, things will be less awkward.”
“So you thought inviting a stranger over for dinner, a woman at that, would make things less awkward?” Trigger asked, his brow shooting up in skepticism.
“Uh…shit. Yeah?” Oz said.
“Right. Okay. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lefty said.
Oz wasn’t so sure now, but he wasn’t going to uninvite Riley.
That would be extremely rude. And he had something else he needed to talk to his friends about.
“Logan said he preferred to go to school off post, which I’m cool with, but I’m still going to need to fill out a family care plan.
The commander has given me some time to figure out all the details, but I’m not gonna be able to deploy with the team until it’s done.
I just…I don’t have anyone I can leave Logan with when we’re gone…
and I was wondering if you guys thought Gillian, Kinley, and Aspen might be willing to be listed? ”
“Absolutely,” Trigger said without hesitation.
“Of course,” Lefty agreed.
“I’m sure Aspen would be honored,” Brain said.
“And I know Devyn wouldn’t mind being a backup if needed,” Grover added, talking about his sister, who’d started hanging out with the other women.
Oz breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I was planning on calling them as soon as possible to ask in person, but I’d appreciate if you’d give them a head’s up. Let them know what would be required of them if we go on a mission.”
This next part was harder, but Oz pushed through, not one to put off awkward conversations.
“If, God forbid, something happens to me…I’m gonna want one of you guys to take him in.
I don’t want him to go into the system. He’s had enough hardship in his life, and I can’t stand the thought of him being shuffled around from foster home to foster home.
Did you know kids in the system sometimes don’t even have a suitcase to carry their shit?
They have to use a garbage bag. It’s horrible. ”
Trigger stepped forward and put a hand on Oz’s shoulder.
“First of all, nothing’s gonna happen to you.
We’ve all been together a long time, and while shit happens, we’re constantly looking out for each other.
If you die, something’s gone terribly wrong, and we’re all probably fucked.
Secondly, of course we’ll look after your nephew.
Logan will never go into the foster system.
The kid’s probably scared, worried, and unsure about his future with his uncle.
He’s your family, so he’s our family too.
Go ahead and put me and Gillian down as his guardians if something should happen to you. ”
Oz took a deep breath. He loved his friends. “You probably should talk to Gillian first,” he said.
“Nope,” Trigger said immediately. “She’ll be on the same page as I am on this one. Logan might not know it yet, but he lucked out when he was placed with you. It sucks about his mom, but he’s gonna have a good life here. He not only has you, but he’s got all of us now.”
“Um…we’re done with the tour.” The sergeant who’d taken Logan for a tour of the tanks and other large trucks on the base stood in the doorway.
Oz turned to see his nephew staring at him with a look he couldn’t interpret. “Great. Thanks for your help, sergeant.”
“Anytime. Later.” And with that, the other man turned and left the room.
Oz held out his hand. “Come here and let me introduce you to my best friends, Logan.”
The boy cautiously shuffled forward, but didn’t come close enough to be touched.
Oz wasn’t offended. It would take time for him to learn to trust him.
“These are the men I work with on a daily basis. And when I’m deployed, they’re the people who have my back, just as I have theirs.
This is Trigger, Lefty, Brain, Lucky, Doc, and Grover.
Those are their nicknames and what we usually call each other. ”
His teammates all said hello to Logan.
The boy looked at each of them, then up at Oz. “What you do is dangerous?”
Oz wasn’t sure he wanted to get into this now. It was too soon. He didn’t want to scare the hell out of the boy. But he’d obviously overheard at least part of his conversation with the team. If he ignored the question, it might make Logan even more nervous.
Crouching so he could be eye-to-eye with the boy, Oz nodded. “Sometimes, yes. We’re special forces. Do you know what that is?”
Logan’s eyes widened and he nodded.
“We get sent on highly specialized missions. To rescue people, to track down bad guys, to help other countries when they have something that needs to be done that their military can’t do. But you see these men behind me?”
Logan’s eyes skittered to his friends, then back to Oz.
“They’re the best of the best. We’ve been working together a very long time, and I trust them with my life, literally.
We’re always extremely careful. I can’t guarantee that I’ll never get hurt, but you need to have confidence that we one hundred percent will do whatever it takes to get home.
Trigger’s married, and Lefty and Brain have girlfriends.
Grover’s sister lives here too. So we all have very important reasons to come home. ”
Logan seemed to take that in before saying, “And if you die, then someone else will take me in?”
“Yes, my wife and I will,” Trigger answered.
Oz kept his eyes on his nephew, trying to read his expression, without luck. When Logan didn’t respond, Oz asked, “Are you okay with that?”
Logan met his gaze and shrugged. Then whispered, “Why?”
“Why what?” Oz asked.
“Why would he take me? I’m a stranger.”
“You’re not a stranger,” Trigger said kindly. “You’re Oz’s nephew.”
“But he didn’t even know about me until yesterday,” Logan insisted.
“That doesn’t make you any less my family,” Oz told him.
“I know we have a lot to learn about each other, and I haven’t wanted to overwhelm you, but it’s obvious we need to talk about this.
I’m upset with my sister, your mom. She didn’t tell me about you and I don’t know why.
I wish I had tried harder to repair our relationship.
She was older than me, and when I graduated from high school she was making lots of really bad decisions.
Decisions that I knew were going to get her in trouble.
I was going into the Army and didn’t want any of her bad choices to affect me.
I was selfish and only concerned about myself. ”
“That’s not fair, Oz,” Grover said. “You were young.”
Oz shrugged, but didn’t look away from Logan. “It’s been over ten years since I’ve seen or talked to Becky. And now I won’t ever get the chance. I’ll regret that forever. But you know who I’m not upset about?”
Logan shook his head.
“You. I hope you’ll eventually be comfortable enough to tell me all about your life. About your mom. The good and bad. We’re all more than the bad decisions we’ve made in our lifetime, and while your mom might’ve done some dumb stuff, I’m confident she loved you.
“These guys are my family. We might fight and get upset at each other, but we’d never turn our backs on one another.
If and when Trigger and Gillian start having kids, they’ll be like my nieces and nephews too.
I’d take their kids in without question, just as they’ll do for you.
You’ll always have a place to live, Slugger.
You’ll never have to worry about that again. Okay?”
Logan nodded.
“Right.” Oz stood and faced his team. “I’ll call Gillian, Kinley, and Aspen soon. Thanks.”
“You need anything, let us know,” Lucky said.
“Assuming you won’t be making PT at oh-six-hundred. I’ll talk to the commander about moving it to oh-eight-hundred after you get Logan off to school,” Trigger said.
Oz closed his eyes for a second, then met his friend’s gaze with gratitude. “Thanks.”
“Of course.”
Working out was mandatory for all soldiers, but for their Delta team, it was also a time to bond, to talk through shit.
And because he wouldn’t leave Logan alone in his apartment, Oz hadn’t been sure what was going to happen with that.
Moving the workout time until after he’d dropped Logan at school would be a weight off his shoulders.
It was still just settling in that his entire life was about to change. Not in a bad way, but being a single father wasn’t easy.
Oz had a newfound respect for all the single parents in the world. Work, school, shopping, everything was more difficult when you had to make sure your child was cared for and wasn’t left alone.
“You ready to hit the stores?” Oz asked Logan.
The boy merely shrugged. It seemed as if that was his favorite mode of communication.
“Great. We’ve got a lot to get done before dinner tonight. My neighbor’s coming over, she’s the one I told you about this morning, who made sure we had stuff to eat for breakfast.”
Logan’s expression didn’t change, he just shrugged again.
Oz mentally sighed. It wasn’t going to be easy to break through his nephew’s shields, but he’d do it…eventually…he hoped.