Chapter Text
Jason Hayes laughed as he looked at the site in-front of him. the youngest member of his team Clay, along side Brock and Sonny were playing cards against humanity with Zelda Montez there just fourteen year old linguistic support team member. The young girl was surprisingly making the three blush with her answers causing Ray, Trent and Jason to laugh as Brock mouth was gapped upon. “You can’t possibly know what that means ?!” Zelda winked at Sonny whispered her understanding on the term she put down and Sonny instantly turned as he called it the shade of a sinner in church. The three younger seals dropped their cards on the crate of supplies and shook their heads causing Jason to speak up. “Alright kid, I think it’s safe to say you win.” The young girl swelled with pride and a mischieves smile, “alright I’ll take my prize now” reluctantly each of the three young seals pull out twenties from their wallets stuffed into their jeans and slide it across the table. Clay looked to Jason with pleading eyes, similar to what his pusedo siblings Emma, Mikey, Jeemelah and RJ did whenever they were in trouble. “Kid you got yourself into this mess, anyone knows when playing with “Ela” you better be ready to pay up. She doesn’t mess around.” As Zelda better known as Ela or Zellie to bravo counted her looming stash of cash from playing consecutive matches of various card games on the plane ride back to Virginia Beach she glanced at Jason “Wanna play”. Jason shook his head “little missy, absolutely not.” the master chief saw his watch reading close to eleven thirty at night and knowing they were still stuck on this plane for another eleven hours the girl needed to sleep. “it’s your bed time, so hit your hammock.” Ela folded her arms upset that she spent six hours translating Catalan on a mission in rural Spain and just 90 minutes into the field was summoned to bed. “your not my dad or family, I can stay up. it’s fine.”
Her pronouncement got all bravo members, along with Mandy Ellis,
Lisa Davis and Eric Blackburn to turn around, also considering they were the only ones on the plane besides Zelda. Ever since Zelda started riding as a member of bravo support seven months ago, she quickly became the daughter of the team worming her way into the folds of the group and their hearts. She was an incredibly smart kid, daughter of some deceased admiral and his ex wife now Senator so she didn’t have much family. her mother, Senator Morre since dropping her ex husbands last name was not the best choice or even a a choice for a mother. the women didn’t have a single warm bone in her body, hated her daughter and loved a tall glass of red wine every night. Senator Morre still technically had some legal right to her daughter but Bravo was her guardian, both legally and medically. The tiny bit of rights holding Zelda and her mother together often created a lot of turmoil and anxiety for the young girl. Every month unless on deployment she was taken into commander blackburns office were her mother and the commander were waiting. the commander was chosen to be the one to supervise these visits by the court and every time after the ended, the fourteen year old ended up having to sedated by either Derek or Trent as she worked herself up so badly she couldn’t breathe. the last time it happened left a haunting image of the women in all of bravos minds, truly engraving there hate red for her.
Flashback
Commander Blackburn attempted to fill out supplies request forms while the mother and daughter conversed. the Senator was incredibly cold and judgmental of everything her daughter brought up. Eric could tell Zellie as he called her, was trying so hard with her mother but it was like talking with a brick wall. But when her mother spoke, Zelda was responsive kind and inquisitive.
The meeting was winding down and while Eric could tell Zellie was frustrated this might be the first session he could get through without having to page Derek or Trent. With bravo doing training in Norfolk today on ocean vessel breaches and breaching military vessels he knew Derek would have to be called. Good news is Zellie loved Derek and he was an incredible medic. Bad news, she was going to have to be sedated and face a needle her biggest fear. With Zellie finishing her thoughts and wishing her mother goodbye for the month, the senator took this opportunity to speak.
Zelda Diane, I have some news to share. As you may know after your father died I realized that I identified as a lesbian. Well I have been dating a woman named Samantha on my staff and we got married last week. With that the door opened and a young blonde walked in with high heels. “Wait! Samantha, as I in your long time assistant Samantha! How long has this been going on ?! Did you have affair with her while married to dad?” The senator curtly responded “your father was away for so long. Samantha and I just became a thing. If your father wasn’t dumb enough to get himself killed in combat, a place a commander shouldn’t be with his men, then we were to be divorced. He wasn’t useful to my polticial agenda any way.” With that Eric stood up and yelled “as the court appointed supervisor of these meetings, todays is over. Senator I will have an officer escort you and your assistant to the front. Good day!” With that an officer opened the door ushering the women to follow them, and Blackburn slammed the door as they left. he turned and Zelda was sobbing, this was bad. really bad.
The commander didn’t think twice about scooping up the girl who was tiny for her age and rocking her back and forth. Her legs dangled by his, but her arms were hung tightly around his neck. he could feel her shaking, her sobs muffled by her gasps she was taking. this was bad, she couldn’t even catch her breath. he needed help but also wanted to respect her privacy. “Alright, Zelda I’m just gonna sit with you at my desk and call Lisa and Derek who are going to sit with us for a bit”. The young girl didn’t even respond as the commander sat down with her in his lap at his desk pulling out his work phone “yeah, can you get Davis and Weston in here now please.” He felt Zelda shaking speed up but her sobs remain the same. She was so out of it that her arm dropped from his neck, allowing him to check her pulse. shit. it was beating out of her chest.
Before Blackburn could try and calm her down the door open and Lisa Davis and Derek Weston walk in, their mouths clamped with frustration. “Hey there Zellie, you okay?” She didn’t respond to Lisa, a women who was essentially her older sister, as a man she thought to be an older brother walk towards her and the commander knelling down to the height of the commanders chair. “hey little lady, how about we get out of this room okay.” The young girl nodded with the commander getting up, still holding her. The young girl legs now wrapped around him and she continued to sob and gasp.
Lisa lead the way, already knowing where Derek was wanting to take the girl. The hallways were dead slient, making Lisa extremely greatful everyone besides alpha was in Norfolk for the training. The walked down a few hallways before coming upon a room in between Alpha and Bravo cage rooms, it was small but labeled well, and with a gentle push Lisa opened the door.
Inside, a whole doctors office essentially was there. enough medicine and machines to keep the men, their support and command alive. for devgru, they didn’t have doctors on staff with them, and they had to be flown directly to the naval hospital in Norfolk to protect their identities. this while critical for their identities it meant their medics were incredibly skilled while also having a huge burden on them. it also meant they got the best supplies, which in this case meant every two out the six devgru groups shared a medic room in between their cages. luckily, Derek and Trent were attached at the hip, and made the room more like funky doctors office than anything remotely scary.
The room was full of supplies sure, some pairs of scrubs for the two medics but there was also flags of both alpha and bravo. movie pictures, photos of the teams, fairy lights on the walls, cartoons, pictures from people’s kids, and in a bin on corner a small amount of pediatric supplies for Zelda. There were rolling stools in the room, a computer attached to the counter and an exam table off on one side of the room across from the counter space. “Put her on the bed, I’ll get some stuff out.” The commander obliged, and Davis pulled up one of the stools for him to sit at while she sat on the counter. Leaving the other stool for Derek once he got his supplies.
The medic turned back around and smiled softly at the young girl. She knew she was terrified of anything medical so he knew he had to take it slow. “Alright Zellie, I’m just gonna sit on the stool in front of you and check your vitals. Is that okay ?” The girl nodded and the man got to work with a smile. He gently pulled her hand into his and checked her pulse shaking his had at the speed. In that moment he knew what he had to do, and this girl was going to hate him. They believe when Zelda’s father Lieutenant Commander Montez was deployed over seas, and it was just her mother taking care of her as a baby her mother gave her drugs to keep quite so she wouldn’t be bothered. No one could ever prove it as the young girl had a few scars on her body from sporting accidents over the years but it was one of those things were everyone knew what truly happened.
As Davis sits with Zelda, trying to calm her down Derek and Eric talk in the corner of the room. “What the fuck did she say to Zelda? This is the worst, I’ve seen her. I mean February was pretty bad when the senator gaslight her for not coming to visit at Christmas but Eric, I’ve never seen her like this. I’m going to have to sedate her, and afterwords. I’m going to take her home to stay with Trish and I.” The commander fully agreed to the plan “I’m assuming standard procedure, you give her the shot and I hold her down. Eric heart pained with agony as he said that but that was the only way.
Derek gloves up and draws the sedative designed for kids that the military gave bravo for Zelda. The young girl was now shaking looking at the commander who took Davis place by the girl “Ela Derek’s just gonna have to give you something to help okay.” The girl was sobbing “please Eric, please I’m okay. I just want my dad.” Eric’s heart ached “Ela sweetie, your dad has been deceased for over 10 years. I’m here though and Lisa is here. You know Derek will be so gentle.” Ella shook her head “No I want Dad, I want Jason please, or Ray. please I want my dads” Eric had his suspicions that Jason and Ray alone with all of Bravo and Alpha adopted Zelda as a daughter, and this just confirmed it. Hell, he himself thought of the girl as a daughter. “Jason and Ray are in Norfolk right now kiddo, but your Dad Eric is here okay. Everything is going to be okay.” Eric had to fight back tears as the young girl in camo sobbed on the medical bed. He looked down and saw her grab his hand, grasping onto his ring finger with her pinky.
Derek came over and rolled the stool to where the two were. Davis had left to give bravo a call to inform them of the circumstances, as well as to dry off a few tears. “okay Zelda so on the count of three. I just want you to hold the commanders hand and look at him okay.” As he promised, Derek counted down and eventually stuck the girl with the medicine. Thankfully, the commander didn’t need to hold Zelda down as talking to her and holding her hand as well as ensuring she didn’t move from looking at Eric really helped. Within five minutes the girl was fighting sleep. “It’s okay Zelda, go to sleep. We’ll be here. you’re safe.” With that the girl drifted off to sleep still holding blackburns hand.
Zelda slowly shifts awake startling at the light streaming through the windows. She wasn’t on base by the look of the room, too homey. She’s in a bedroom with light gray walls and tons of pictures. Instantly she recognizes the couple and the kids in the photo, Trish and Derek. They couldn’t have kids of their own so after Trishs sister lost custody of her kids, they adopted the triplets Jonah, Janna and Julien. The kids were five now but still she recognized them even in the older photos. As she recognized the kids, the room became more familiar. It was the Watsons guest bedroom in their house, she must’ve been taken home. Zelda pulls off the covers to see she’s in some pajama pants and a Bravo shirt she owns not her uniform. Weird, but she chalked it up to Trish. The pediatric physicians assistant always had treated her like another daughter as she was often outnumbered with just her and Janna against the boys. She opens the door and heads down stairs to the kitchen instantly knowing where it is. “Good morning kiddo how are you feeling?” She runs a hand through her hair as she sees Derek nursing some coffee. “Fine, can I have coffee.” Derek laughs “fine, yeah I doubt that and yes I’ll grab a mug from the cabinet.” “Seriously I’m fine, I just wanna forget that conversation. Why does everyone care, you’re not my family.”
Present Day
Jason walks over to Zelda after her pronouncement. “Zelda Diane Montez, when I say it’s bed time. It’s bed time.” His voice was serious but it got slightly more toned down and more emotional as he bent down to address the girl at eye now “and before you start yes, we are your family. Don’t let whatever darkness your mother puts into your head fool you okay. we will do whatever it takes to love and protect you. hell even if it’s driving all night to help with your geometry homework, give hugs, kick around your soccer ball. whatever. now Davis has your hammock set up so please, sac out kid.” Zelda looked ashamed by her outburst as she sauntered back to her hammock. As Ray comes over to help settle her in she’s looks at Jason and him, her dads. “Im sorry.” Both men knew from their daughters that sometimes girls just need a little kick in the ass but afterwords they were sincerely apologetic, sad and very much so wanting a hug. The rest of the team had turn to their hammocks themselves so it was quiet and the lights were now dimmed on the C-130. “It’s alright. Just don’t let your head misguide your heart there okay. We love you. Now lean back in your hammock okay, we will tuck you in. Instead of protesting, Zelda looked relived and ecstatic at the idea that she would be tucked in. Her blanket was one of those hand made soft tie blankets, with one side being a white, green and pink polka dots almost camo looking and the other being an assortment of corgis wearing cowboy hats. a strange combo. hell, Jason not sure where the fabric was even found. But, Zelda made it with Emma as the two girls had a little craft hang out two months and Emma was the one who convinced her do the side. the corgi blanket was thrown across the girl as she tossed the pillow.
Alright kid, good night. Remember we will drive all night to help you.