Page 19 of Cade

CHAPTER NINE

“Yea, Cam, that’s right,” said Cade. “We’re going to head to the VA today to see if we can speak to a few patients. The cop’s name is Leo Walker. Check with Clay because Walker said he knew a friend of Clay’s in the Marines. I just want to make sure the dude is on the up-and-up.”

“Did he give any indication of what he thought was happening?” asked Luke.

“None,” said Doc. “I asked him to retell the story several times. The guy was standing on the ledge of the bridge, saying he was going to jump but kept telling them he was in pain. The cop, Leo, got close enough to almost touch his fingers, but he said that suddenly he was screaming that he was in pain, clutching his head. Then he turned and took a fucking nosedive.”

“Damn, I hate this,” said Eric. “Losing brothers and sisters to this is senseless. What about the things found in his system?”

“Yea,” said Trevor, “about that. This cop, Leo, risked a lot for me to see the initial toxicology report. He was on the usual meds for depression and PTSD, but there were trace amounts of other things that no one could explain. Even Doc was having trouble getting through it all.”

“Maybe send a copy to G.R.I.P. and see what they can come up with. We’ll get Suzette to take a look as well,” said Cam. “I know I don’t have to tell you guys this but be careful. If you can get any of the other veterans to submit to a drug test, that would be helpful in finding consistencies. Even better would be to get a few back here so the others can run a series of scans on them.”

“We’ll do our best,” said Doc. “We’re lucky that we have Bree and Ashley here. With their credentials, they might get more access than even I would.”

“Alright, everyone, be careful and let us know if you need anything.” Cade grinned at Trevor and Doc, the three smiling into the screen.

“Yes, Dad!”

“Assholes,” he muttered, ending the call.

“It seemed weird that they couldn’t find this doctor’s name,” said Luke. “I mean, if he’s practicing at the VA, someone has to know who he is.”

“They got a name, but when we tried to find a location for him, we got nothing. It’s as if he doesn’t exist. He’s either a pretender, or he’s working for an alphabet agency. Maybe see if Michael can make a few calls. See if there are any studies going on up there,” said Cam. Eric nodded at his friend, leaving the room.

“This could turn into something huge, Cam,” said Luke, shaking his head. “We need to be prepared to truly be all in or step back.”

“I’m not willing to do that, Luke. I can’t just walk away from a brother who spent six years in the service of his country, saving our lives. You cannot convince me that he couldn’t be helped. Look around you, Luke. We could all be standing on the ledge of a bridge, but we’re not. We found another way, and I’m trying like hell to figure out why others can’t do the same.”

“Cam, you know the answer to that. Now, you look around,” he said, waving his arms. “Look at what’s here. Our fathers, our uncles, our friends. We have the largest home-grown support network in the world. And let’s not forget our mothers, aunts, grandmothers, wives. We would all be seriously fucked up if it weren’t for them.”

“Hey, Luke, Cam, gonna run through some new courses with Trak. You guys want to follow?” asked Zeke. Trak was looking over his shoulder, staring at the young men. Joseph and Kiel were behind him.

“Actually, could you step in here for a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?” asked Zeke, stepping into the room.

“All of you,” said Cam cautiously. They frowned but stepped into the conference room, staring at the two men. “I’m going to ask you something highly personal and very difficult. You don’t have to answer, but it might help us to know some things and help others.”

“This is intriguing,” smirked Kiel.

“I suppose I was really thinking about Joseph, Zeke, and Trak, but I know that you experienced a little of this as well, Kiel,” said Cam. “Doc, Cade, and Trevor have stumbled into something in Seattle.”

“Seattle? I thought they were in Canada with Cass?” asked Kiel.

“They were. Things are going well so far with her, but there was a storm moving in, and they decided to head south. Two nights ago, they overheard a conversation at another table. Three state troopers recanted a story of a veteran who jumped off a bridge.”

“Fuck me,” muttered Joseph. He swallowed hard, and his father turned to stare at him. He gripped his son’s neck and touched his forehead with his own. “I’m okay, Dad.”

“He kept saying he was in pain, and the pain wouldn’t go away. There was a VA shrink there, but he claimed it was all related to PTSD. The problem is when Doc and the others looked at the toxicology report, it’s got shit in it that’s confusing. We’ll figure that out. It’s only a preliminary report.”

“What is it you need help with?” asked Zeke, getting straight to the point.

“I need to understand what stopped all of you from doing the same?” said Cam quietly. “What made it different for you?”

“Mine is easy,” said Zeke. “Noelle. I’m not sure if I would have lasted a lot longer. I hid much of it from everyone except Trak because he understood better than anyone.”

“Mine is the same,” said Joseph. “Had it not been for Julia coming to me at exactly the right moment in time, I was planning on not returning home from my last deployment.”

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