Work Text:
There Are Things You Will Have To Be Patient With
Green Team was over and done with, picks had been made, and those men that Adam had trained were now on their way out to be Tier One Operators. It was a strange feeling this time around for Adam as this intake had certainly been unlike any other that he had led, and he was not sure what to make of that feeling but he figured it had to do with the loss of Brian Armstrong and then there was Clay Spenser. Adam was relieved that Clay had been selected by Bravo, not just because of the team that they were but because of the family they were, and it was something that he yearned for, for Clay.
“Happy to be through another round of Green teamers?” Jason asked as he handed Adam a beer which was readily accepted as he stepped out into the backyard of Jason and Alana’s house. One last night before the family grew.
Adam paused as he looked at Jason and then around at the rest of Bravo who were all sitting around the large outdoor table enjoying beer and pizza. “Those who made it will make damn fine Operators.” He settled on or rather the words left his lips before he could think about them.
“Is this about Spenser or is there something more to that comment?” Jason asked on edge immediately.
“You picked him Jason because he was the best. The only other person who really came close was his best friend Brian. I can assure you of that fact.” Adam shook his head knowing there was no need to be as defensive as he had become and blew out a breath. “Sorry, don’t mind me, but I did want to talk to you as a team about Clay, give you a heads up on some things.” He waved his hand around not wanting to start an argument when they were all supposed to be relaxing.
Ray had been keeping a close eye on the conversation that Jason and Adam were having as it seemed to become rather intense all of a sudden but before he could move to intervene it seemed that the tension diminished and he was able to catch the last sentence that Adam said. “Hey brother, what do you have for us?” They had spoken about Clay’s talent in the field during Green team but Ray knew Adam well enough to know that he would not arrive to talk to Jason and the team about their newest rookie unless he truly felt it was important.
Adam was grateful for Ray’s reprieve as he spared a second to look at Jason who was still watching closely but had retreated back to his seat at the table looking far from relaxed. He took the open seat next to Ray as the team quietened down and looked towards him.
“So what do we need to know about the new rookie we just selected?” Jason asked bluntly looking unimpressed and displeased all at once which for him was somehow an easy face to pull.
Adam sighed softly as this certainly was not how he wanted the conversation to start. “Well I figured you all have some questions that you would like answered so why don’t we start with those and then we can move on from there.” He decided a tactical change was needed and hopefully would lull the simmering tension within Bravo at his arrival and his proclamation.
“What’s with the kid and his Daddy?” Sonny sneered immediately tipping his beer bottle in Adam’s direction as they all knew about Ash Spenser and his betrayal of the brotherhood by sharing their secrets in his book and all of the interviews he had given in the aftermath of it that left the Navy scrambling and defending their actions.
Adam was not surprised that the question was asked and he was unsurprised by the tone the Texan had taken but he had hoped that Clay’s short mission as a strap would have been enough to prove that he was not his father. “He’s not his father. He’s a better man.” He answered immediately because Clay was a far better man but a lot of people did not bother to see or learn it about him instead treating him with their predetermined prejudices. “And with the right training, with the right people guiding him, he will surpass Ash. I am sure of that.” It was pointed by that is exactly what Adam wanted his words to be.
Sonny scoffed as he had a hatred for rookies until they proved themselves, and sometimes even after depending on how they went. “He still talk to Daddy?” The question was loaded and he knew it but another reason to dislike a rookie was not a bad thing.
“It’s good to know he won’t face more prejudice just because his last name is Spenser.” Adam huffed out sarcastically despite knowing the burly Texan’s gruffness however this felt like hatred.
Brock leaned forward, dropping his feet off of the table and onto the ground, as he turned to look at Adam. “What prejudices?” He asked ignoring the sarcastic nature of the comment that Adam had thrown back at Sonny as he truly wanted to know given it might go towards explaining what made their newest brother the person he was.
The genuine question from Brock made Adam pause and pull his eyes away from Sonny. It was one of the reasons why he liked Brock so much because of that genuine and caring nature that he had. “Think it would be easier to ask which he hasn’t faced or dealt with, and even if you did ask that then I wouldn’t be able to give you any because I think he has faced all of them.” It was the truth, a sad and bitter one.
“He ever been attacked?” Trent asked mirroring Brock’s positioning as he went from relaxed to uneasy within seconds of Adam’s words. And by attacked he meant physically.
“Kid knows how to keep quiet but I highly suspect it, yeah.” Adam knew that very early on in Green Team Clay had turned up with a fairly decent black eye and that Brian had been all over him about it but he had stubbornly remained quiet although Adam knew how much worse it could have been had he said anything.
Sonny was not going to let his question go by unanswered. “You still haven’t answered. Does the kid still talk to Daddy?” He reiterated the question again figuring the kid got what he deserved if Adam’s suspicions were correct after all there was a saying about the ‘apple not falling far from the tree’ or something similar.
Adam shook his head thinking that maybe he had pushed Clay towards the wrong team, maybe he had made a mistake. “It’s a complicated relationship but I will tell you what I know and that is that being related to Ash Spenser has done Clay no favours. If anything, it has only made things harder for him.” The truth was Adam had heard some rumblings but how much of it was fact and how much of it was fiction was anyone’s guess. And even if Clay did still see or talk to Ash then it was his business, no one else’s.
Ray was not surprised at the reactions of Sonny, Brock and Trent but he was not watching them instead he was watching Jason closely seeing the uncertainty play across his face as he listened closely even though he was trying to appear indifferent. “Jase, just hear Adam out. If he thinks we need to know then we need to listen.” He kept his voice low but his words were pointed. As far as Ray was concerned there was nothing that could change his opinion as he had spent a lot of time watching and studying Spenser when he was training with the rest of Green Team, and he certainly was not going to change it on the basis of anything that Adam told them.
Jason only glared at Ray but said nothing as he focused his attention back on Adam. He had known the man for a long time, had served alongside him numerous times, and he knew he would not take time away from his family unless he felt it was important so by him turning up it meant something. “What is it that you think it is important for us to know about the rookie?” He asked once he had taken a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.
Adam relaxed just a hint knowing Jason’s prickly demeanour was not directed at him for the moment, it was just who he was sometimes. He ran his thumb through the sweat that had collected on the glass of the beer bottle in his hand before he looked around at the guys seeing they were all listening intently with varying emotions on their face even though if a stranger looked at them would think they looked impassive. “You are going to have to be patient with him, and I mean patient.” That was the first thing that Adam had learned in the first few days of training him, and he had to admit he had ended up watching the way Brian interacted with Clay particularly closely which was a huge help in learning some of the sizable nuances that appeared little at first.
“Why? Is he stupid or something?” Sonny groused, unable to help himself, as in all of his time on the teams he could not recall being forewarned about a rookie after they drafted him.
“Sonny!” Trent growled reaching out and slapping him hard on his arm. Sometimes he wondered just how insensitive his brother could be, and every time somehow Sonny managed to find a new low.
“Oi!” Sonny growled glaring Trent’s way but a quick look at Jason stopping him from retaliating with a punch of his own.
“Enough!” Jason growled suddenly annoyed at Sonny’s disrespect and feeling that growing discomfort at his choice because somehow he knew there would be fireworks between the two that would be anything but pretty. He turned his attention back to Adam and could see the confliction in his eyes and mixed in was a hint of doubt, and he immediately wondered what that meant. “What do we need to know? We are here and we are listening.” He sent a pointed look Sonny’s way the second he finished his sentence and the order was clear which was to keep his mouth shut.
Adam bought his hand up to his chin and ran his fingers over his jaw before he looked around at the table of men, men that he had operated with, men that he socialised with, and for the first time in a long time he wondered if he had made a mistake – a mistake pushing Clay Spenser towards Bravo, and a mistake of coming here to talk to his new team. But it was too late to change it, too late to erase the beginning of the conversation, and the only thing he could do was press forward and hope like hell that the men of Bravo understood and respected his words and they took what he was about to tell them on board. “Remember his friend Brian?” It was the only way he knew to continue the conversation and he had to ignore the shudder that went through him as Brian’s name left his lips as he still was not over that horrific day of training.
“We saw Spenser the day after when you were talking to the rest of Green Team.” Ray supplied knowing that Adam knew that they had been sitting close by as he remembered Jason’s harsh comment that was aimed at Spenser
“That’s not what I am talking about.” Adam shook his head and swept his thumb through the sweat on his beer bottle once more. “Brian and Clay, Clay and Brian, they came up together. Deployed together, trained together, they were best friends.” He supplied having read both of their files, and he had tucked the personal notes he had made on Brian along with his death certificate inside of Clay’s file the moment that Green Team was over and done with.
Jason was confused at why Adam was seemingly taking them around the long way instead of getting straight to the point and telling them what he wanted them to know.
“Brian was the only person Clay has had for a very long time in his life that had not betrayed him or who saw him as more than his last name, as his father. Who treated him as an equal, respected him, and it was mutual. Brian was really Clay’s only real friend.” Adam paused and shifted in his chair leaning forward to set the barely touched bottle of beer down on the table in front of him. “All of that cocky arrogance that he exudes, and there is a lot of it… it’s all just a front, a way of protecting himself from letting anyone get close. I believe he learnt a long time ago that if he lets people get close then he only gets hurt. That is something you are going to have to work on with him. He is going to test you without even realising he is doing it, I mean god he tested me, still does at times, but when I realised why I suddenly felt angry with myself for all of the extra physical punishments I handed out – another run around the course, another five miles here or there, another fifteen minutes holding a position until he was a sweating and shaking mess.” He shook his head and swiped a hand over his face before he revealed his face again letting his eyes meet Jason’s. “He is damn good at what he does, and you should not doubt that, you really shouldn’t, but he will hold himself back from you, from all of you, because he has no idea how to be a part of a family, at least not one that doesn’t hurt him. He will always have your backs even if he doesn’t feel like you have his.” He blew out a breath.
Adam leaned back in the chair trying to relax but failing miserably as he knew the men were waiting for him to continue as they knew he had more to say, and for that he was grateful as he took a few minutes to gather his thoughts. “You know if Brian was still alive I would have dragged him over here with me tonight, ordered him to give you the entire damn playbook that I am sure he had on Spenser.” He huffed wishing that there was a copy to be found somewhere but it did not seem like it had been something that would have been written down, and he doubted that Brian would have told them anything more than what he deemed pertinent information. “You are going to have to take your time with the kid, let him ease into the whole Bravo family thing, the whole overbearing thing that you all have going on, because I truly believe that he has never known anything like this, never known what it is like to have people that care and to have a family.”
It was a lot to take in and there were several glances exchanged around the table as each of them took in what Adam has said, what he believed to be the truth.
Ray knew that Adam was taking a risk, knew that he was having doubts but what about well he was not quite sure. “What do you suggest?” He asked seemingly the first to find his voice.
Adam chuckled shortly before he cut himself off as it truly was a valid question that Ray had levelled his way. “Set boundaries. Be patient. And work your way up to meeting the rest of the family, let him get used to you as a team first before you start throwing the family at him.” It was the best answer he had because he was sure there would be more nuances to be learned the longer they worked together and the more comfortable Clay became around them.
“That’s it?” Jason asked gruffly as he swallowed convulsively without a second thought while he began to process everything they had been told.
“It’s the only things I have. You will figure out more as you go, I can assure you of that.” Adam answered realistically pausing as something popped up in his mind like a bright electric neon sign.
“What is it?” Trent asked having noticed the split second change in demeanour.
“If you decide you made the wrong choice, if he’s not the right fit… just don’t discard him, don’t throw him away. Come to me, tell me, and I will figure something out, another team to take him and I will work with him if needed. Let me be the one to tell him.” Adam had pushed Clay towards Bravo, had thought that it was the right fit for him and that he was what Bravo needed as well but if it did not work out then he would take Clay back, make sure he was not relegated to something below him, and ensure that his skills were still utilised because it would be a damn shame if they weren’t.
“Jesus! Adam!” Jason scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck feeling like he had just been kicked in the stomach. “We aren’t just going to dump the kid like some bag of trash on the side of a highway!” He sounded offended as he felt as they were not going to throw the kid away like a bit of used trash especially not when they had chosen him.
“I didn’t say you would Jason.” Adam replied sternly but calmly not wanting to increase his ire. “But you have to let me know Jason, that is all I am asking for.”
“We can do that.” Ray cut in before anything else could be said, before tensions could rise again. They owed Adam a lot, they respected him and Adam did not ask for anything so it was obvious that this meant something to him.
“Is there anything in his file that will give us anything else?” Brock asked after sharing a look with Trent.
Adam cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in the chair again. “You should take a look at his medical file, might give you some answers, some clues. Just tread cautiously on whatever you learn.”
“I will.” Trent nodded his head having already intended on pulling Clay’s medical file just as he did with any member of his team as he had access because of his position as medic on the team, and he would sit with Clay at some point within the first few days and go over all things medical. “If I have to drag him to the doc’s then I will.”
Adam winced at Trent’s statement as he recalled when he was called to the infirmary to deal with Clay who claimed he did not need to be treated. “Yeah good luck with that, kid does not like doctors being anywhere near him.”
“Kind of impossible to avoid in our line of work.” Sonny grumbled knowing if he mumbled something about ‘being a pansy ass’ then he would be reprimanded severely but then again that was something he could understand and agree on as he certainly was not fond of medical professionals as it was he barely tolerated Trent when he was in medic mode.
“It’s workable.” Adam shrugged his shoulder figuring it would be another one of those things that they would have to figure out when the time came. “You’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
“What do you say we let Cerb approach the kid first and see how that introduction goes?” Brock asked already thinking on how best to integrate Clay into the team without overwhelming him as he looked from Adam to Jason knowing Cerb was a great icebreaker so to speak as he looked over at the dog who was lying out in the middle of the lawn chewing on his red Kong toy.
“I think that would be a very good idea.” Jason answered knowing how Cerb’s behaviour would indicate to them on how best to proceed. “Anything else you can tell us?” He asked as he turned back at Adam while feeling like the immediate future was going to be rough, very rough.
Adam thought about it, considered what he knew, but decided he had said enough. “No, as I said you will figure out anything else along the way.” He took a few mouthfuls from his beer bottle hiding the small smirk that tugged at his lips because he was sure Jason and the rest of Bravo still had absolutely no idea what they were going to be dealing with.
Jason groaned and tipped his head back as he closed his eyelids feeling like he had been set up before he scrubbed his hand over his face. He dropped his head forward and sent a scathing look Ray’s way.
“What?!” Ray looked affronted at the glare that was being directed his way.
“I blame you for this!” Jason pointed a finger at him knowing it had been Ray that had pushed for Clay Spenser and he was going to blame him wholeheartedly for all the troubles that he could feel coming his way.
“For what?” Ray asked not following the conversation even as Adam chuckled understanding exactly what Jason was saying as he had cursed whoever it was that had accepted Clay Spenser into Green Team a time or two before.
“You’ll figure that out soon enough, and I will be reminding you of this.” It was all Jason said before he finished off his own bottle of beer wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into.
Adam pushed himself up and out of the chair once he had finished his beer wanting to get home to his wife and daughter now that he had spoken to Bravo. “I will leave to digest things.”
“Yeah, come and drop a bomb on us then leave.” Jason teased as he stood up to walk Adam out.
Adam chuckled and shook his head. “No bomb Jason, just a warning.” He corrected as he nodded to the rest of the guys who remained where they were. “But seriously I meant what I said Jason.” He said once they were out of earshot of the other guys.
“I know. I know Adam.” Jason nodded his head sensing there was more to it than just a warning but he was going to leave it for the moment.
“Good.” Adam was relieved that Jason seemed to have taken what he had said on board but only time would tell for the moment. “I’ve got to go home to my girls but I’ll be around if you have any questions or anything.” He did not wait for a reply instead he let himself out knowing that Bravo would have more to discuss and he did not need to be privy to it.