CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Monday, October 2nd
Brooke drove up to a nondescript commercial building in Otay Mesa, parked her car, and wondered why Titan had decided to locate their offices so close to the Mexican border. As she got out of her car, she heard the roar of a jet engine and saw a plane taking off from the Tijuana Airport.
Interesting place to locate a private military contracting firm, she thought as she entered the building. Walking up to the receptionist desk, she smiled at the man handling the phones and waited for him to finish his call. She looked at the large black-and-white photographs that adorned the walls and figured whoever had decorated the place wanted to convey a sense of calm, because most of them were of the desert.
“May I help you?” the young man asked.
“Yes, thank you. I’m Brooke Foster, and I’m here to see the rear admiral.”
“Certainly,” he replied.
Stepping away from the desk, she wandered over to the chairs that were set up in the corner and was about to sit down when she saw her father walk through the doors. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, honey, thanks for coming down to see your old man.”
They exchanged an awkward hug, and Brooke hoped they could get through the next hour without pushing one another’s buttons. “No problem.”
“Next time we get together, let me take you out to dinner.”
“Let’s just get through the next hour without irritating one another and then decide when and if we want to torture one another again.”
As they walked through the doors and down the long corridor, Clint Foster slung his arm over her shoulder and let out a laugh. “I think you’ve been telling it like it is since you could form sentences. You are your mother’s daughter.”
“That is the highest compliment you can give me.”
“I know, Brooke. Believe me, I know.”
Her father stopped in front of an area that was filled with chairs and had a small coffee bar along one wall. “Anything to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
A large man walked toward them and called out a greeting. “Clint, who is that beautiful woman you’re harassing?”
Sucking in a breath, Brooke waited for her dad to lose his cool. Why in the world was the man calling her dad by his first name? Nobody except her mom had ever done that.
“Locke, this is my daughter, Brooke.”
“My bad,” Locke said, and he cringed. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Not quite a ma’am yet,” Brooke replied with a laugh.
“How was Chad? Your dad told us you and your friend have been there working with the UN.”
“As you’d expect, lots of people in need of care and not enough people to provide it.” She looked up at her father and wondered when he’d started keeping track of her and what she was doing. He’d never really done that in the past, and she couldn’t figure out why he’d want to start now.
“I spent some time in the region years ago when I was with Team Two, and, I have to say, the country is beautiful.”
“I didn’t really understand that until Piper and I spent our last two weeks down in the area surrounding Zakouma. We had the chance to spend a night in the bush with a local safari company, and the experience was life-changing.”
“Brendan said the same thing when he and Carrick got back.”
Stepping away, he gave them both a salute. “I’ll leave you to your visit.”
“Check in with me later so we can go over the details for the assignment in India.”
“Roger that.”
“Dad, when did people start calling you by your first name?”
“When I took the job, I instructed everyone not to address me with my rank, because I think it puts an unnecessary distance between me and the people I work with.”
“Interesting,” she replied as she followed her father into a large office that had windows on two sides. Taking a seat that faced the desk, she settled herself and then waited for her father to do the same. Looking at the bookshelf that lined one wall, she was surprised to see several family pictures. “Where did you get the photos?”
“From the house.” He looked over at the photographs and sighed. “I always carried one with me, but when I came here, I decided that I’d like to look at my family’s faces so I could remember what the sacrifice was for.”
Brooke stared at the hem of her shirt and wondered what the hell was going on, because her father had never been a sentimental man. Hell, he barely ever showed emotion of any kind. The new attitude was weird, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it, so she decided to ignore it. “Do you like your new job?”
“Yes, it’s a lot different than commanding the Teams, but I’m finding that I enjoy the new responsibilities.” He moved a folder over. “Your brother told me you’re not planning to return to MSF right away. Have you decided what your next move is going to be?”
Fiddling with the strap of her purse, she shook her head. “No, not yet. I’ll probably start making some decisions after I see the doctors this week.” Taking a calming breath, she decided to tell him what was going on so she could set his level of expectation at a reasonable level.
“Which doctors are you going to see?”
“I have an appointment with my hematologist-oncologist on Wednesday. It’s just a precautionary visit because I’ve been tired since I got back from Chad. I’m guessing I just have malaria again, but he wants to see me and do a full set of tests to be sure.” Seeing her father visibly shrink before her eyes made her regret saying anything.
“When and where?” he asked with a choked voice.
“What?”
“When and where are the tests, Brooke?”
“I don’t expect you to be there. I’ll call you when I get the results, and I’m guessing it’s going to be nothing more than a parasite I brought home from Africa.”
“I will absolutely be there, Brooke.”
Sitting back, she felt the old anger rise and prayed they were not going to end up in a yelling match. “Not necessary.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
Feeling her stomach clench and her face grow hot, she pressed her hands together and responded quietly. “I’m a big girl, Dad, and I can handle this without you.” Looking him directly in the eye, she went on, “You were not there when I was twelve and fighting leukemia, so don’t think I want you there if I end up fighting it again.”
“Brooke…”
“No!” She stood and then quickly sat back down and cleared her throat. “Maybe we should try this visit another time, because I don’t have the energy to fight with you.”
“It doesn’t have to be a fight, because I want to be there.”
Sitting forward, he gave her a look that had probably intimidated hundreds of SEALs, and for her, it did nothing. She had been to hell and back twice, and he hadn’t been there for either of the visits. So, as far as she was concerned, he could take his look and shove it. “I don’t want you there.”
“Why?”
“Because, even though you’re my parent, you’ve never really been more than a distant family relative. I have very few memories of you being around when Chance and I were growing up, and I don’t know that we ever really bonded.” She shrugged and looked at the picture of her mother that sat in the center of the shelves. “I thought that’s just what dads were for a long time, until I was around my friends’ families and understood that wasn’t always the case.”
“You know that not being around wasn’t my choice.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know you were out hunting evil, keeping the world safe…blah, blah, blah.”
“I regret missing out on our family.”
“I’m sure you do, but please understand that I don’t have any desire to play catch-up and try to have a father-daughter relationship this late in the game. I’m good with how things are and the semiannual visits are more than enough.”
“You never want to try to get to know one another?”
“Dad, you came to the hospital once during the two years that I fought leukemia and were maybe home three or four times. You also were absent for a good portion of Mom’s fight with cancer as well. Why in the world would I want to get to know a man who was capable of that?”
Scrubbing his hand over his face, he let out a frustrated sigh. “I understand, Brooke. I made a choice that the events after 9/11 were more important than anything, and my family paid the price for that decision.”
“What’s done is done and nothing is going to change the past. I never had a relationship with you, so it’s not like I miss it. Polite chitchat and a cordial relationship is the best we can hope for.”
Tenting his hands in front of his face, he nodded. “I’m never going to give up asking for more, Brooke.”
“Some of my friends’ dads who were SEALs seemed to make it home a lot more often than you did, and I’ve always wondered why.”
He dropped his hands and placed them on the desk. “I hated being out of control and not being able to do anything when you were diagnosed with ALL. It was a debilitating feeling that I didn’t know how to handle, and so I suppose I didn’t. When your mom called me in August and told me what was going on, I almost fell apart, and then the towers were hit a month later. Looking back, I realized it was easier for me to go into combat than see my baby girl fight cancer. I was the worst type of coward and used the excuse of work so that I wouldn’t have to see you battling for your life.”
“I figured as much.” Taking the bottle of water out of her purse, she took a long drink. “I always thought of Mom as the true warrior of the family because she faced everything that came our way with unflinching courage and grace.”
“You are absolutely correct about that. Your mother was the finest, most courageous person that I have ever known. All those medals that I’ve been given during my career are really hers. She was always braver and stronger than me.”
“She should have been holding your hand in the end, because she really loved you, and I believe it was your face she would’ve like to have seen last.”
Tears slipped down her father’s face, and he looked over at the picture of the four of them in front of the base in Coronado. “If I had been there when she passed, I probably would’ve crawled into the ground with her. I think she understood that, and that’s why she insisted I take the assignment that kept me away.”
“Like I said, the bravest, strongest person there ever was. She made sure everyone was taken care of to the very end.”
“You are just like her, Brooke.”
“Not even close, Dad. Not even close.” Sitting forward, she cleared her throat and willed the tears that were threatening to fall to stop. “Well, this was fun. We’ll have to do it again next year.”
“Smart-ass,” her father muttered. Standing, he came around the desk and sat in the chair next to hers. “I’m going to come to the hospital for the tests.”
“No, you’re not. Respect my wishes, please.”
“Who is going to be there?”
“Chance and Piper.”
“What about Frisco Jones? Your brother said you two were seeing one another.”
Sitting back, she slapped her hand on her leg. “Jeez, when did Chance become such a gossip?”
“Frisco’s a good man, Brooke. He was under my command for a number of years, and I think he’ll do right by you.”
“We’re dating, and that’s it.”
“Have you told him about what’s going on?”
“No, not sure if I’m going to.”
“Tell him and give him a chance to be there for you.”
“Maybe.”
Standing, she shoved the strap of her purse over her shoulder and gave her father a small smile. “I should be going.”
Her father stood and opened his arms and embraced her tightly. It wasn’t the usual weird hug he gave her. It was a genuine bear hug, and it took everything she had not to let the tears fall. Giving him a squeeze back, she then stepped away. “Okay, leaving now, because that was more sappiness than I can take.”
“I’ll see you at the hospital.”
“Why are you being so stubborn about this?”
“Because I’m not making the same damn mistake twice.”
“Whatever.” Stepping around him, she walked out of his office and called over her shoulder, “See ya.” As she was about to enter the reception area, she saw Carrick standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, glaring at a woman’s retreating figure. Stopping next to him, she looked up at his face. “Meeting go well?”
He glanced down and smirked. “Miss Audrey Barnes is going to soon learn the meaning of chain of command.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. Just because she’s the client doesn’t mean she’s the one running the show.”
Brooke watched the woman get into her car, and let out a whistle. “Damn, Carrick, she’s beautiful. Is she some kind of supermodel?”
“That would be too easy.” He snorted and then kicked his foot against the ground. “She’s an attorney and a writer that’s putting together a book about the Kurd female fighters in Syria.”
Hitting his arm, she grinned. “Your Amal just showed up.”
“Absolutely not,” he replied with firmness.
“Beautiful, smart, and altruistic.” Letting out a laugh, she elbowed him. “Poor you, how will you handle it?”
“Like the professional that I am. I’m her watchdog for the next couple of weeks, and she’ll soon understand that if she doesn’t want to end up dead, then she’s going to follow directions.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Why are you here?”
“Semiannual chat with Dad.”
“How did it go?”
“As well as can be expected.”
“Sometimes life is a lazy Susan of shit sandwiches, and the best thing you can do is get up from the table as soon as you can.”
“Don’t I know it.” Looking up, she gave him a small smile. “Good luck in Syria.”
“Thanks, Brooke. I think I’m going to need it.”
Walking through the lobby, she waved to the man behind the desk and then made it to her car. Once inside, she rested her head against the steering wheel and thought about whether she wanted to tell Frisco what was going on. When no immediate answer came to mind, she decided to go by the market and grab a cake. Maybe after she had a couple of pieces, she’d have some clarity about what the next step should be.