They’d had another ten days of training before Tasha said she would put them to the test. Fug knew she was part of an exercise but didn’t know her role. They were to slip a passport-sized card in Staff Sergeant Tucker Wade’s pocket with a phone number on it. He too knew he was part of an exercise and wore his blue dress uniform as part of it, but like Fug, he had no idea what part he was playing. All he knew was he was to wear his dress blues, go out for lunch, and expect a phone call.

They had no choice but to split into two teams. Thom and Daniel were on Wade, Derrick and Rich were on Fug. Tasha had told Dan’s team where they could pick up Wade. She’d been smiling when she told Derrick’s team they were on their own for finding Fug. Dan had to work hard to hide his smile. She was having Derrick on, and he didn’t think Derrick even knew it.

They’d followed Wade around that morning but hadn’t had the opportunity to make the pass. Dan would try at lunch. If they didn’t make the pass before the end of the day, they failed.

“Thom, you okay?” Dan asked as they sat in the car, waiting for Wade to emerge.

Thom was pale and sweating despite the car idling so they’d have air-conditioning. There was no way they could sit in the car without it.

“My fucking stomach is killing me, and I was up all night with the shits.” He smiled weakly. “Normally, I feel better after that, but it’s gotten worse. The worst part is, I had to break a date with Airman Zimtowski, dammit. She finally agreed to go out with me, and she promised me something special involving peanut butter, a rubber chicken, and a lawn gnome.”

Dan chuckled. “She’s the one you’ve been after for a couple of weeks, right?”

“Yeah. Just my luck when I finally win her over with my charms, my stomach gets fucked up again.”

“When this is over, you’re going to the infirmary. Enough of this bullshit.”

“Yeah. Something isn’t right.” He grinned crookedly at Dan, obviously trying to play the tough Army Ranger. “Who knows, maybe I can talk Zimtowski into giving me a blowjob to make me feel better.”

Dan chuckled again. “Good luck with that.”

“Hey, a guy can hope, can’t he? Have you seen the tits on her?”

“How could you miss them?”

“What I wouldn’t give to wrap those melons around my…” His voice trailed off as he grimaced. “Fuck me running,” he hissed as he pulled his arm tight against his side and doubled over a bit. After a moment he relaxed slightly. “Fuck, that hurts.”

Dan put the car in gear. Fuck the exercise. “We need to get you to the doctor.”

“No. I’ll go, but make the pass first. Another hour or so won’t make any difference.”

Dan drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Okay, but the minute I make the pass, we’re getting you to the infirmary.”

“No arguments from me.”

Forty minutes later, Wade emerged from the office where he worked and walked to the parking lot.

“This would be a lot easier if he would walk somewhere,” Dan muttered as he pulled out behind Wade’s Subaru.

“Nobody walks around here. Too damned hot.”

They followed Wade to the Burger King. “Are you shitting me?” Thom snarled.

“We’ll have to tag team him. Can you make it?”

“Yeah.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m not eating anything.”

“Probably a good idea.”

Dan parked the car and they followed Wade inside. The place was busy, so that would help them. They timed their entrance so they stepped in directly behind Tucker. As the line shuffled forward, Dan palmed the card.

“Hey, buddy,” Thom said. He was still pale and sweating slightly, but his voice sounded perfectly normal. “Is your name Tucker? Tucker Wade?”

“Yeah. Do I know you?”

“No, but I think you know a friend of mine. Britney Fug. She told me about you.”

“Britney? How do you know her?”

“She helped me out. I’m in town for a class, and she helps get me where I’m supposed to be.”

Dan tapped Wade. “Excuse me. The line’s moving.”

Wade and Gregg shuffled forward, Thom still chatting him up. He glanced at Dan, and Dan gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

“Hey, it’s been good talking to you,” Thom said when Wade’s turn came to step to the register.

“You too. I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Thomas.”

“Okay. Good talking to you, Thomas.”

When the next register opened, Thom shuffled forward, placed his order, then stepped aside. Dan placed his order, then sat at a table away from Wade. Thom stepped outside with his drink so it would appear they weren’t together.

Dan pulled his cell and called Tasha.

“It’s done. Left side coat pocket.”

“Did he notice?” Tasha asked.

“Doesn’t suspect a thing.”

Tasha twittered out a laugh. “Okay. Excellent. Let me make a phone call.”

A moment later a cell rang, and as Dan watched, Wade pulled out his phone. He couldn’t hear what he was saying, but a surprised look came over his face. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the card. He was obviously reading the number off the card, then hung up as he looked around, probably looking for Thom.

Dan didn’t want to break cover by leaving his food, so he wolfed down his Whopper and fries, then hurried out. He wanted to get Thom to the doctor. As he approached the car, Thom was leaning against it, one hand holding him up and the other wrapped around his midsection as he vomited.

“Fuck,” Thom said wiping his mouth. “Note to self, no Cokes when your stomach is upset.”

“Come on. Let’s get you some help,” Dan said, steering Thom into the car.

He didn’t notice the cup sitting on the hood until he sat down in the car, but he didn’t care as he backed away. It would wash off.

He raced across base, driving quickly but not dangerously fast. He parked the car in a space as close to the emergency entrance as he could find. Thom was moving on his own, but he was obviously in a lot of pain as he walked stooped over with his arm clasped tightly to his side.

“We need some help here!” Dan called as Thom staggered into the emergency room.

“What happened?” a nurse asked as she hurried toward them.

“Not sure. He’s been complaining of stomach pain off and on for a few weeks, along with diarrhea. Today he’s complaining the pain is much worse, and he just vomited.”

“Where are you hurting, baby?” the nurse asked.

“Along here,” Thom said, drawing his hand across the right side of his stomach.

The nurse pressed softly where he indicated. “Does this hurt?”

Thom hissed. “Fuck. Yes, goddammit.”

She took his temperature quickly. “Find out who’s available,” she ordered one of the other nurses. “We may have an acute appendicitis. We need to get this man to x-ray. Get someone ready in surgery.” She took Thom and steered him to a gurney. “We’ve got him,” she said as she looked at Dan. “Give us a few minutes then someone will let you know what’s going on.”

Dan nodded. As Thom was wheeled away, he pulled at his cell again. “Tasha, Dan. I’m at the hospital with Thom.”

“What happened?”

“He may have a burst appendix. They’re checking him out now.”

“Shit. Okay, I’ll let Derrick and Rich know, then I’ll be right over.”

“How’re you doing, Army?” Derrick asked as he and Rich strode into the room where Thom was resting.

“Better,” he said, his voice slow and thick. “They have some kick-ass drugs in this place.”

Derrick looked at Dan. “Is it his appendix?”

“Yeah. Ruptured. The stupid shit has been trying to tough it out. They’ve got a tube in him to drain off the infection, and they are feeding him some kind of antibiotic cocktail to knock the infection down. He’s going to be out of it for a couple of weeks.”

“How’s he doing?” Tasha asked as she entered the room.

“Ruptured appendix. He’s got a massive infection. I was just telling Derrick they’ve put a tube into him to drain off the…whatever, and have him on some really strong antibiotics. He’s going to be okay, but he’ll be laid up for a couple of weeks.”

“Have they taken out his appendix?” she asked.

“Not yet. They have to get the infection under control first.”

“Did this just happen?”

“No. Remember, he’s been complaining off and on about stomach problems for a while. The nurse said the appendix probably got worse over time and then ruptured shortly after being brought in.”

“Goddammit. Why didn’t he say something before?”

“Don’t know,” Dan replied, his voice soft.

“Shit.”

“Yeah. I tried to get him to the doctor a few weeks ago, but he said it was nothing. It’s my fault. I should have made him get it checked out. The nurse said if they’d gotten to it before it ruptured, he’d have been back on his feet in a couple of days.”

“But now we’re down for two weeks?” Dan nodded. Tasha nodded curtly then turned to Thom. “How are you doing?”

“Okay. Sorry, boss.”

“Next time, tell someone you’re hurting, you stupid shit.”

Thom laughed softly. “Yeah. I learned my lesson. How’d we do?”

Tasha smiled and patted him gently on the arm. “Fine. Don’t sweat it. You did your job, and I’ll talk to Fug later to see if she spotted Derrick or Rich.”

Thom smiled. “I’m kind of looking forward to the sponge baths. I hope the nurse is pretty.”

Tasha grinned. “I need to talk to the guys, but I’ll check in before I leave.” She jerked her head at the door. They stepped into the hall. “This kind of fucks stuff up,” she said softly.

“It’s not like he had a choice, you know,” Dan said.

“Not about getting sick, but he had a choice in what to do about it. Two days is a hell of a lot better than two weeks.”

Dan’s jaws clenched. He took Tasha by the arm and pulled her away from Derrick and Rich. “He didn’t know,” he growled. “He didn’t want to let the team down, so he tried to tough it out. You need to cut him a little slack.”

“This will put us behind schedule.”

“Fuck your schedule. Is there some princess somewhere who has been kidnapped that we’re supposed to rescue in the next two weeks?”

“No, but—”

“He could have died from this, so excuse me if I don’t worry too much about your arbitrary fucking schedule.” He glared at her, then softened. “The rest of us will carry on with our training, just like normal. When Thom is back on his feet, we’ll catch him up. He’s a good man. He won’t hold up your precious schedule.”

She blinked at him, clearly surprised by his tone. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But you’ve accomplished so much more than I thought possible. I’ve been pushing you to see what you can actually do.” She smiled. “Maybe I’ve been pushing too hard and that’s why Thom didn’t think he could spare the time to get looked at.”

He softened even more now that Tasha had backed off a little. “We’ll do whatever it takes to make this work. We’re going to succeed or fail as a team. You keep right on pushing, and when Thom is back on his feet, we’ll make sure he’s brought up to speed.”

She nodded. “Fair enough.”

She started to turn away but he took her by the arm and turned her back to face him. “Hey. Sorry for getting in your face.”

She smiled. “I’m a big girl. I can take it. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the job I forget what’s important.”

The four walked back into Thom’s room, but he was sleeping. “Dan suggested we continue the training on schedule, and you’ll fill Thom in when he rejoins the team. Anyone have a problem with that?” Rich and Derrick looked at each other but said nothing. “Okay. Report to our building at oh-nine-hundred in the morning. I’ll check in with Fug when I leave here, and I’ll let you know if you got spotted. Tomorrow we’ll start working on spotting a tail.”

Dan watched as the other two members of the team nodded in understanding. Thom going on the disabled list for a couple of weeks wouldn’t slow them down that much. They could cover for him until he caught up with his training. He would see to it.