Page 1 of Bernadette
CHAPTER1
Commander Cromwell jerkedwhen someone gripped her forearm, but before she put them into the wall, she shook her head to clear it, and saw the doctor standing there talking with her. It took several attempts to clear her head, until she finally looked at him. In the background, she saw that she was in the exam room at the doctor’s office.
“Welcome back,” the doctor said, and took several steps back from her. Allowing her to sit up and look around. When she looked at him, he nodded and didn’t wait to tell her the bad news. “I’m sorry I had such bad news for you, but we’ve done everything in our power to get you back on your feet again.”
“It wasn’t everything if you’re telling me I only have eighty percent use of my knee. What the hell is this going to do with my military career?”
“There’s always desk duty,” the doctor said, and quickly took several steps away from the look he was given. “Um, I guess that would be a, no?”
“You guessed right, doctor. I’m a career military woman. Icommandfrom out in the field. The bullet I took on my last mission took my knee out. As you know, I’ve had several surgeries to try to repair the damage. I’ve gone to physical therapy, and they told me at my last appointment there was nothing more they could do. Now,you’retelling me that you can’t do better than eighty percent. Other than riding a fucking desk, what the fuck am I supposed to do!” Bernadette knew her voice was rising, but she felt the panic begin, and didn’t know how to control it. Her military career was her life, What would she be able to do if she weren’t in the military? There was no way she would throw twenty plus years down the drain from one bullet.
“How much longer do I need to wear this damn brace, and use the fucking crutches?” she demanded, then held up her hand to halt his answer. She took in a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. She did it three more times, then when she opened her eyes, she shook her head.
“Better?”
“Not really, but there’s no reason for me to take my anger out on you. It’s just a shock that you’re telling me that I’ll never return to full duty.” She studied the man before her and shook her head. “Be honest with me here, if I do everything told of me, what are my chances of getting back to one hundred percent?”
“None,” the doctor didn’t mince his words. “It’s been six months since the accident,” he paused when Bernadette snorted a not so pretty sound.
“Accident my ass, doctor. We were ambushed on that mission. All I can say is that the fucker that did this,” she patted the side of her knee in the brace. “Won’t ever do it to another American soldier.”
“How do you figure that?” The doctor frowned at her.
“Because I killed the motherfucker that shot me and three of the Navy SEALs I was with. Three of us made it out alive, but the fourth one didn’t. Neither did the man who fired at us. Luckily, my girls were able to come to our rescue and get us the fuck out of there.”
The doctor stood there and stared at the commander in shock and awe. He knew she was some sort of bigwig here on the military base, but he didn’t know exactly what she did. As much as he wanted to ask, he knew he didn’t have the clearance to hear the answers to his burning questions. He figured it was well above his pay grade. On a deep sigh of his own, he nodded, then shrugged. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but there’s nothing more that can be done for you knee from a medical standpoint.”
“This is it, then?” Bernadette asked, and at the doctor’s nod, she returned it and asked some more questions of her own. “How long do I still have to use this brace on my leg? And the crutches? How long do I still have to use them?”
“If you’re sitting at a desk, you can remove the brace, but if you do a lot of walking, even if you walk from your desk to the coffee pot, you need to wear the brace. Even though it’s been six months, you’re still healing. However,” the doctor held up his hand to hold off what he thought she was about to say. “You will never get better than you are right now. Maybe at one point you can walk without the brace, but don’t push your luck. As for the crutches, you can probably get rid of those, but you will definitely need a cane, especially if you aren’t using the brace.”
“How long?” Bernadette ground out between her clenched teeth.
“Life.” The doctor didn’t mince his words when he told her that. He frowned when she handed him something. “What’s this?”
“An empty flash-drive. I want all my records put on there, and I mean all of them. Then I want it in writing what you are recommending for my military career.” At his confused look, she elaborated. “Desk duty, and why.”
“Ah, I understand. Can you give me another ten minutes?”
“I can.” She nodded and watched as the doctor finished up his notes and quickly left the exam room. Bernadette, or Bernie to almost everyone who knew her, sat there on the exam table lost in her own thoughts. When she’d come to this doctor’s visit, she had been so sure that she would be released from the knee brace and given permission to return to duty with no restrictions. The only time in the last six months she’d taken off work had been when she’d been shot or gone in to have the four surgeries to repair the damage done to her knee from the bullet she’d taken in the line of duty. Because of the nature of her job, she was still able to ride the desk, but she didn’t like it one bit. She wanted to be out in the field where the action was. As she sat there, lost in her own thoughts, her biggest problem at the moment was what the hell would she do now. With twenty years in the Corps, there was no way she could continue with the desk duty if she couldn’t be out in the field. She had a lot to think about in the next couple of days. She’d come to this office visit late Friday afternoon, and had to report back to her commanding officer first thing Monday morning. Now that she knew she’d never be able to do field work again, she was leaning heavily toward retirement, but what the fuck would she do? As she sat there contemplating her life’s turn of events, her phone rang, and without paying any attention, she answered it absently.
“Cromwell.”
“Commander, when are you going to quit the Corps and come work for me?” came a strong male voice over the phone, and Bernie smiled at the statement. She decided to play with him a little bit.
“Will I be in charge of the Brotherhood, Patterson?” She grinned when she heard him sputtering in the background.
“Ummm, probably not.”
“Would I have my own team to command?”
“No.”
Bernie continued to grin, and her next statement took everything she had not to burst out laughing, as she asked it, “Will I be able to shoot any fuckers that piss me off? Employees included.”
“What the hell, Bernie?” Hank Patterson asked in concern. “Who pissed in your Wheaties today?”
Bernie let out a deep breath, then said into the phone, “Sorry, Patterson, but I just received some devastating news, and I’m not processing it well.”
