I Hope You Dance

Chapter 34

It wasn't fucking fair! I stood from the stupid plastic chair, slamming it into the desk before storming out. Once again, I bumped into a hard chest, I groaned, looking up and hoping it wasn't Buck. "Magnolia? Hey, what happened?" Jake asked, grabbing my arms. "He got orders." His face fell at my words. "Oh, I-I'm sorry, Caila. When does he leave?" I sighed, wiping my tears away. "Two days after Thanksgiving and he won't be back until April." Hangman sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Magnolia, I'm so sorry." I shook my head. "It's not your fault. He's still doing Thanksgiving with our families, and I'm sure mama and daddy will see him off at the airport. It just sucks because this would've been our first Christmas together and I was so looking forward to it." I said as tears fell down my face. "I hate to be that guy. But you know what this job means, it's time away from family. But you're both in so that could mean an entire year apart, or more." I nodded, taking in a shaky breath. "Can I have a hug?" He chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "You know you don't have to ask." He said as his chin rested on my head. He squeezed my shoulders, and it calmed me slightly.

I pulled away, feeling a little better. "You'll get to talk to him and your parents on Thanksgiving, that probably makes it a little better." I nodded. "Yeah." He chuckled. "Well, I'm going to talk to my own mother and then I'll meet you on the docks. We have to meet with the Admiral on base here in an hour." I nodded and we went our separate ways. I went into my room, changing into my tans seeing as we wouldn't be in the air today. I put my phone in my pocket and grabbed the keys to my room before heading out. Once I got on deck, I spotted the rest of the team. "Magnolia!" Flame said as he waved at me. "Hey guys." I said as I walked up. It was a whopping eighty degrees in Manama, which felt like heaven to me, especially with the light breeze blowing across the deck. "How was your call with the boyfriend?" Storm asked as he nudged my shoulder. The other guys laughed as Buck rolled his eyes. "Sucked." I muttered, not wanting to think about it as I slid my sunglasses over my eyes to shield them from the bright sun. "He got orders. He leaves before I get home and he won't be back until April."

They all gave me sad smiles, except Buck. "Damn, I had money on him dumping you." I glared at him, tired of his antics. "Look, I get that you feel like you're second best, which you are. But your problem isn't with me, it's with Bradley, who you should actually be thanking. If he hadn't gotten sent back to North Island, then you would still be playing spare on deck." He glared at me, stepping up, toe to toe with me. The rest of the team put their arms out, attempting to keep us apart. "I told you to either stay out of my way or watch your back. I suggested you sleep with one eye open." I scoffed, taking a step back. "Been doing it for years now. Let me tell you somethin', there is nothing that you can do to scare me, that hasn't already happened." I said before turning and making my way to get off this godforsaken ship. I made my way towards the car that was picking us up, taking the front seat as I waited on everyone else. The ensign driving just looked over at me before turning back to look out the windshield. Eventually the rest of the team joined us, and I looked back, seeing Jake took the seat behind the driver's seat.

He just simply gave me a look that said he knew what happened. I kept my head forward for the ride as the guys talked amongst themselves, leaving Buck out. Once we arrived, we were led down the hall to the Admirals office, stopping at the door as his assistant let him know we had arrived. "Come in." A deep voice said. Storm opened the door and the six of us went in. Sitting behind the desk was a tall bald man, bent over doing paperwork. He stood as we entered, coming around to greet us. "Lieutenants, welcome to NSA Bahrain Navy Base. I am Admiral Bogan." He said, a stern look on his face. "Follow me to the ready room and we will brief you." We did as he asked, piling into seats as we walked into the room. Once we were settled the screen turned on. "We are still running surveillance, but we have reason to believe that there is a warehouse full of illegal munitions. They are selling them off slowly." I raised a brow. "Wouldn't that be a problem for the UN? Why would they be sending us in? Wouldn't they organize a team themselves?" He nodded, turning back to the screen. "Typically. But we have evidence that shows they have seized large amounts of TNT, C4, HMX, and Azidoazide Azide."