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Held at Base
Ben stared at the same report he’d been reading for the past fifteen minutes. The words blurred together. He rubbed his eyes and leaned back.
“Cap, you ready?” Wood stuck his head in. “Jackson’s staging the drill like it’s a pit crew trial run.”
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
“You know, you’ve been spending a lot of time here lately. Like… a lot.”
He already knew what Wood was seeing. The gym bag, the laundry, the towel left across the desk.
“Part of the job.”
“Sure. But most people don’t live here. Hey, while I’ve got you, how’s Matt? Heard he had that surgery. Everything go okay?”
The question caught him off guard, though it probably shouldn’t have. Everyone at the station knew where he spent most of his time off shift.
“Yeah. It ran long. Close to seven hours. They had to clear out a lot of scar tissue, stabilize the joint… it was a mess. They waited until the rest of his leg was stable. Said the knee wouldn’t have held otherwise.”
Eight months to reach the last surgery. Felt longer.
“Damn. They got it all cleaned up?”
“The surgeon said they’re happy with the outcome, but you know Matt. He hates the restrictions. They’ve slowed his progress, and you can see how much it eats at him. But he’s pushing through.”
“He’s been through worse, right? I mean, it’s Matt. If anyone can push through, it’s him.”
“Yeah. Stubborn doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“No surprise there. Anyway, don’t take too long. Jackson’s already breaking out tape marks and stopwatches.”
“What’s he doing this time?”
“Claims he’s shaved a full thirty seconds with some new strut order. Wants to ‘validate the sequence.’ You know. Peak Jackson.”
Ben let out a faint grin. “Tell him to show me it works first, then we’ll talk.”
“He’s already threatening slides.”
That sounded fun.
The vehicle stabilization drill was straightforward. Crib stacks, strut placement, frame checks. Left hand on the brace. Check the strut. Shift weight. Again.
And then the waiting room. Lucy pacing, then sitting, the same stiff chair. Hardly a word between them. The wait stretching on. Then the doors finally opening. Matt waking up. The debrief. That look he got when he’d already made peace—
“Cap?” Jackson’s voice cut in. “You good?”
Ben blinked. He’d been holding pressure on the side strut longer than necessary.
“Yeah,” he said, drawing back. “Keep going.”
“You about ready to wrap this?” Gavin asked.
“Not yet. Let’s finish the set.”
“Sure thing.” The others left it there.
Back in the office, Ben sat with his head in his hands. He hadn’t been home in days. His apartment felt like a place that belonged to someone else.
A knock broke the quiet.
“Everything’s caught up for now,” Rodney said. “You staying in here or heading back to the bay?”
“In a minute. Just finishing this.”
“Alright. Just try not to make this place your whole life. You’re doing fine.”
“Thanks, Rodney,” was all he said.
Captain Benjamin Ralston. The nameplate still felt wrong.
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the truck bay. There was always more to do.
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The Rising