"You should tell your boyfriend to shave."
"What?" Andi asked mildly, looking over from where she was listening to a new arrival breathing.
"Shave. You should tell him to shave." Suz gestured toward her own cheeks as if the stethoscope somehow impaired
Andi's outward hearing.
"I like him scruffy." Andi answered, still using French, before she turned and inhaled dramatically to get the patient she
was working on to do the same. Concerned with what she was hearing in the young man's lungs, she shifted over to
stand behind him and listen. "Besides, how would you know?"
"It's on your face." Suz stated dryly. "I can always tell when he has been kissing you and not shaved."
"Really?" Andi shifted a hand to her cheek. Not sure how she was supposed to react to that statement. Suz waved a
hand.
"Only because I watch for it." She answered. Frowning fiercely at the bottle of vaccine she was selecting. "I expect him
to mark you." She added with a darker voice.
Andi's eyebrows went up but Suz didn't elaborate and she didn't ask. They'd barely achieved a truce over Hector and
she wasn't about to jeopardize it.
"Come listen to this." She asked instead.
"You want polite?" Sam dropped his cigarette and crushed it under the toe of his shoe, face starting to darken.
"You've got to be kidding me! You just don't get it, do you? You think shoving your way in here, jeopardizing
everything we've built, and setting the precedent for a military presence being polite? Even when you ask, its not as if
you care what the answer is. Look around you." He gestured toward the refugee camps in the distance, voice furious.
"Just because you carry guns and are American you think one soldier's life is worth the thousands of others we save
every day. You put everything we are, and all their lives, their futures, at risk just because one of you got shot while
you were out trying to kill people. No! You don't get my gratitude for that! You can't buy it with supplies and I'd rather
lose half my stock to vandals than see your kind in my camp. The sooner you're gone the better and I hope to never
see you or your like again."
"You are a bastard." Hector said, really trying hard to control and contain his temper before it went off on him. And he
was barely hanging on. "I am sick to death of your sanctimonious bullshit! You have no idea what I do all day, or even
for that matter what I was doing that day!" He gestured to the shadows of the refugee camps, just as Sam did. "How in
Sam Hell do you think half those people arrived at those camps safely? How do you think their food hasn't been
stolen, their sons taken for the militia, their women taken for only Satan truly knows what? So before you go off
categorizing me and my men by what you see on goddamn CNN or read in the London Times, you better stop and
think about THAT for just one moment." In his frustration, Hector pushed his glasses back up into his short cropped
dark hair and glared at the director.
"You're one of those son of a bitches who really believes that red cross gives you immunity from harm, that nothing
can touch you, don't you?" Hector said, shaking his head. "Well, sleep tight, doc, because me and my men, and other
men like me, keep the worst of the insurgents off your ass because you're civilians and we're not. We face down the
dragons," he said, borrowing Andi's image, "and you get to save the damsels in distress. Oh you're the big
humanitarian, and I'm a piece of crap, never mind that I pave the way for your ass to get all those nice accolades you
surround yourself with. I don't kill people all day, I don't kill people every day. I don't charge off into villages and take
out whoever I feel like because I can. And you need to shut your damned mouth until you know what the hell you're
talking about." He took a deep breath, slid his glasses back down over his angry eyes and walked away from Sam,
really afraid he might punch the man. But he would deserve it anyway.
It was a little while later before Mike found Hector. The medic had Ahmed on his shoulder, since the boy's leg was in a
cast. Technically the child was old enough to make that position difficult but thanks to his undernourished childhood
and Mike's bulk they managed to carry it off. Mike strolled over to Hector and offered a bottle of water.
"Smooth, man." He commented, glancing at the inventory tent. Voice more sympathetic than judgmental as Ahmed
leaned across his back to greet Hector. "Real smooth. Thought for a minute there I was going to find out how Suz
would react to you hurting your hand on someone's hard head."
"She'd probably whoop for joy, means I couldn't shoot the gun I seem to love so much." Hector said with a dark
chuckle, and accepted the water. He waved at Ahmed and briefly greeted the boy in his own language. "I mean, crap, I
was good yesterday. All day too. Couldn't expect me to go through my whole last day without stirring something up.
That's just not the American way."
He refrained from saying anything else, anything more personally directed toward Sam because, after all, Sam was
Mike's boss. "Nah, I'm in good with Suzette now. All because I have family from Louisiana and know how to make
gumbo. Amazing how opinions change once the right questions are asked."
Mike smirked.
"You have family in Louisiana? Well, now my opinion of you's shot." He reached up and lightly batted at Ahmed's hand
as the boy compared his height to Hector's taller frame, measuring off the top of their heads with his hand. "And I've
never heard Suzette whoop before. Might have been worth hearing." He chuckled before jerking a thumb over his
shoulder.
"Blue hats are coming in to pick up our friends. I'm taking Ahmed over because he seems to think they're going to
shoot the prisoners instead of take them away. Imagine that." He stated, voice flat. At the mention of his name the
young boy patted both hands flat against the top of Mike's head.
"Wait. Wait." He instructed urgently in his own language and proceeded to dig into the multiple pockets of his tattered
shorts while Mike held him in place. Triumphant he pulled out half a protein bar, which the patients weren't served, and
leaned across Mike again to offer it to Hector, dark eyes expressive. "For you." He offered.
Hector shook his head in dismay that the boy would think everyone would resort to capital punishment over anything
because it was what he had grown up with. The boy expected it. And it was a sad commentary on the future of the
world. But he smiled at Ahmed and took the protein bar, to do anything else would have been hurtful and insulting
after all, and lifted an eyebrow at Mike, wondering where he had gotten the protein bar from in the first place.
"Thank you." He said with a nod and a grin. "I'll most enjoy it. Will be the best protein bar I've ever had, thanks to you."
Ahmed beamed while Mike made one of those eyebrow expressions that said he didn't know where the kid had gotten
the protein bar. But wasn't surprised. In a world where starvation was the norm, food and acquiring it was more
important than anything else. Sharing it was powerful.
"I can get more." Ahmed assured Hector. In case the Delta ever got hungry again. Mike pressed his lips together and
looked in a different direction to keep from smiling. It was strange how close heartbreak and humor sometimes ran
together.
"Come on." He supplied. "Lets go stare at the blue helmets and silently think condescending thoughts about their
weapons."
"Think I'll pass." Hector said. "The UN hates me worse than Sam." He had to chuckle then at the irony of it all. "I'm
going to start spreading the news to the others." He shook Ahmed's hand and started out of the tent, running into
Swanson. "Well, you're still living."
"So far." Swanson said with a laugh. "It's all luck so far."
"So'd you hear the news?" Hector asked and the blonde Delta shook his head. "We're heading out at 0600.
Choppers."
Andi worked for the rest of the morning. Forgetting time again the way she always did when she was working. There
was a simple, steady stream of patients that ranged with everything from flu to dehydration and starvation. And a small
amount with battle wounds. The serious ones got sent to Mike. Andi and Suz took care of the rest. Ahmed, feeling
cocky after his tour with Mike, interrogated each new arrival and Suz and Andi hid their smiles and acted as if they
weren't noticing.
"I come bearing gifts!" Molly ducked into the tent with a tray in her hands and a bright grin. Andi finished tying off the
bandage she was securing in place and ran the back of her wrist across her forehead to push back hair that had
fallen out of her ponytail.
"Anything we actually want?" She asked as she stripped off her gloves and Molly laughed.
"More supplies." She announced and than grinned. "Actually it's food. I snuck into the cafeteria before the cooks were
actually ready and swiped some stuff."
"Goddess." Andi bestowed the title as Molly came over to set the tray down.
"I brought plenty for everyone." Molly stated cheerfully, glancing around the tent. "Mike and your guy and Suzette's
too."
"I do not have a 'guy.'" Suzette announced as she came over to look at the offering as well.
"Then the cute blond's up for grabs?" Molly asked innocently and Suzette snorted.
"He's a soldier." She reminded Molly. "No good. Let him bother someone else. Other than you."
"Andi's is a soldier too." Molly grinned. "I sleep better at night knowing he's around. Last night was just creepy."
"He's leaving." Andi answered. Voice mild as she sorted through the offerings and took two of everything. "Tomorrow
in the morning."
Molly reacted as if Andi had just announced the ending of a favorite soap opera. Which might not be too far off a
comparison. Suzette just arched an eyebrow and said nothing as she selected a salad.
"No." Molly protested. "That's too soon. What'll you do?"
Andi raised an eyebrow and looked her.
"Work. Sleep. Eat something from time to time. The usual I should suspect."
"That's terrible." Molly wailed.
"It is what I do regularly." Andi answered a bit amused.
"But he won't be around anymore. And he makes you so happy." Molly paused and than added. "And he's so nice to
look at."
Andi was in the process of choking on a laugh while Suzette smirked when Mike walked over.
"I am." He agreed. Running a hand through his sandy hair that was already disheveled. "Nice to look at I mean. But
why is that bothering Molly?"
"Not you." Molly hit him lightly on the arm and offered him a turkey sub that made his eyes light up. "Andi's guy. He's
leaving tomorrow."
"Now I'm just insulted." Mike stated, automatically holding his sandwich out of the way when Molly made a retribution
grab for it. "I thought having one stunningly good looking male around was enough for you women."
"If we had one, it might be." Suzette purred and Mike rolled his eyes with a chuckle.
"If I didn't have such an overblown ego, I might be hurt." He teased.