And Then They Were In Love And Lost

Chapter 24

*3 weeks and a whole lot of grumpy SEALS later*

The team started to get antsy as they all waited on the plane hovering near the ramp to be released from their deployment and step foot home finally.

"The Bulkhead?" Sonny asked as he looked around, assessing everyone's faces.

"Sorry, man, I am heading home to hug my babies and see Naima." Ray smiles as he claps his hands together and starts rubbing them back and forth in anticipation.

"I'm in; the kids are still out of town." Jason nodded with a grin.

"Sorry, I have to pick up Cerb and get him his shots." Brock huffed.

"I'll try and stop by after I fill up my medical bags; I told Davis I'd to have her order in by the end of the week," Trent grumbled as he looked at Liz and Clay, who sat along the bench together but had an abnormally large gap between them. Normally there was some body part of theirs touching or gravitating toward each other. "Some people used most of my supplies the past few months."

"Wonder twins?" Sonny shot his glance toward the two guilty faces.

They have been on edge the last few weeks. Liz was just now cleared to come off bed rest to return home, or at least her version of modified bed rest as she fought Trent along the way daily. After her injuries, she and Clay went into an awakrd phase and the team was not sure what happened. Davis was helping her more, and Clay seemed to lurk in the shadows and not step up when Davis was not around. Something happened to them, and they were determined to find out what. The last proper interaction they had was at breakfast, and then when Jason returned from helping Liz get back to bed, she started to give him the cold shoulder. Her best friend was left out in the cold; right after, it seemed they were warming up past comfortable and landing on hot. Jason had a pin of guilt in his chest; he was the cause of this and may have scared Liz with his conversation. He knew she was like a scared animal; once freaked out or backed into a corner, she bared her teeth and shut out everyone, shut off all personal emotion and only showed her fight or flight reflexes.

Unfortunately, every time he tried to talk to her, the team would be in training or out on an op, leaving her behind to stew in her misery and grow all negative thoughts. With this, Clay tried to shake off his feelings and known misery of being shunned by Liz. He emerged himself into all the op details and tried to help out more in Command, staying away. He would not show it, but his heart shattered a little when he witnessed her ice for the first time when they came back from breakfast and the gym, and he tried to check on her before he slipped into her shower before the rest of the team.

"I'm in; I need to blow off some steam," Clay murmured and got up to high-five Sonny.

"Yeah, I could use a drink." Liz smiled as she followed the boys and Davis towards the ramp, slowly lowering.

As the team slowly made their way down the ramp, Davis pulled Liz aside and held her back from the rest of the group.

"Ok, I'm saying this as your friend; you have broken that poor boy. I don't know what got into your head, and you keep shutting me. But You have to fix this. Fix him; he is lost without you." Davis egged her on as she tried to look into her eyes and get a glimpse of what was rattling her brain so much that she shit down.

"Lisa, I don't know what to do. I did not do anything but realize the truth. We are on the same team, and what will happen if things don't work out? I can't do that to him or the team."

"Liz, don't you dare say you did nothing; you got scared and are trying to run."

"I am not; I'm being a realist and seeing what is right. No matter what you and Jason say, this cant happen. And even if I tried, as Jason put it, we have permission, I am not worth it. Some people are not meant to love and to be loved, and I am one of those people. I mean, look at me. I have not had it easy, and I do not need any of this drama or any people in my life holding me down, or rather me holding them down. Once something is damaged from their past, there is no coming back from it. Friend or not, this is one time I can not, so no, I won't listen to you." Liz snarled, going defensive again. Tired of feeling guilty for the past three weeks as she pushed everyone aside and would not open up to her or Jason about what was running in her overworked brain no matter how much they nagged. She screwed up and knew there was no going back every time she saw Clay's face sink or his baby blue eyes dull. She had to go forward in her made path and live with the regrets; Clay will move on, he needed to move on, and he deserved better. "My friend would understand this."