Chapter 7

No one got sent home that week. Carter's epic beating was designed to get everyone's attention and it seemed to work. The division rallied around Ford and Traeger. Between them, the RPOC and yeoman managed to create an assemblence of order. Carter was secretly pleased with the division's progress and in particular with her yeoman but she'd be damned if she showed it. An RDC had to maintain a certain appearance after all. It was a good thing that the division was coming along when it did. The pain in Carter's side had gotten progressively worse since her impromptu escort down to medical. It was so bad now she had given into temptation and taken one or two of the painkillers prescribed to her. She took them sparingly for if they didn't immediately knock her out they made her tired and irritable. And her sharp tongue go away from her on occasion.

It came to a head near the end of week 3. And was directed at her increasingly nosy yeoman. The division was out marching. Point Loma's training facility had a course designed for young ships to practice their skills in formation. Right now they had a standard surface group formed. Carter was on the port flank, a standard position for an escorting submarine. But it was also a good place to observe everything that was going on in front of her. Fitzgerald was out on a tour of the base. With her were 2 lieutenants, Roberts and Ticonderoga. Carter rendered passing honors smartly which was returned with a nod from Fitz and Tico and a friendly wave from Roberts. The frigate had always been lax about formalities. Carter had expected her RPOC to render honors as well. Ford was a bit slow to do so. Independence by contrast was quick and precise in her movements as though she'd been doing them her whole life. Carter wasted no time scolding Ford for her carelessness, ripping the carrier a metamorphical new one. "Where the fuck was that salute RPOC?" She growled. "I couldn't read the rank senior chief!" Ford shouted back. "Holy fuck!" Carter lost it, reaming out her RPOC as the division continued to march. Admittedly, Ford could be forgiven her transgression. It was the first time the division had come out here to march and while Ford likely knew that the three ships approaching her were officers her nuc brain couldn't distinguish which one she could greet and promptly stalled. Over analyzing was a major problem with nucs. It was why divisions who had nucs in leadership tended to do poorly here. This was a place for common sense which all nucs profoundly lacked. Even Carter herself was guilty. That didn't stop her tirade though. If anything, it made it worse. Some mistakes should only be repeated once. "What the actual fuck RPOC? You don't know your own CO when you see her? How could you not see the giant silver spread eagle on her bridge? That thing is fucking super hard to miss! Hydrate RPOC. You better hydrate fucking hard too! Because I will fuck you up tonight! I will fuck you so hard you're gonna wish I just sent you back to wherever shithole you came from!" "Aye senior chief." A shaken Ford rasped out. Unfortunately for her, Carter wasn't done. "Don't you fucking kiss my stern now RPOC! What did I say the first day hmm? About you not being worthy? You're not even fucking close RPOC!" Carter's tirade was cut short when the division made a sharp right turn. Hopper, up front had called a column right. Carter had expected it and shifted her rudder accordingly but as she turned past, she felt more than heard something in the patch give way. Pain exploded down her side and she somehow managed to keep her cries stifled down to a low hiss. Traeger's head snapped around to her nonetheless. "Eyes forward yeoman!" Carter snarled. Pain was a good motivator for anger but she took no pleasure out of snapping at Traeger who she had really come to like. She knew what had just happened was serious. Her patch was giving way. If it failed, she'd flood her reactor compartment and the holy hot rock did not like being submerged in salt water. There was a reason there were chromium plated pipes that contained the seawater that went in there. She took a few seconds to control the pain before engaging her engine and following her division, shouting all the way. Anger was a very good distraction.

Traeger had about had enough. She didn't mind Carter's tirades despite being in a command position and thus having most of them directed at her by default. She knew that while the sub could be harsh she was also fair. Nor did she mind Carter's regimen. The division was worked hard and put away wet each night and if Carter felt that was necessary to get them working together then so be it. What Traeger could not stand was how far Carter was pushing the envelope on herself. Now far be it from her to question a senior chief. Carter likely knew her own limits better than anyone and she would stop short of that. At least that's what Traeger used to think until today. She'd seen Carter's reaction to that turn on the track this morning. And she knew what it likely meant. The medic in her was screaming to act. The fact that the sub staggered into the compartment with them, her limp as prominent as ever, proved Traeger's suspicions. To the more nefarious in the division it was somewhat satisfying to know that their 'evil stepmother' as they had taken to calling Carter behind her back, suffered just as much as they did on these runs. But they didn't have the knowledge Traeger did on Carter's condition. Nor the expertise in the field of medicine that she had to help the sub. A certified EMT, Traeger had spent her years growing up in the Gulf. Two wars had taught her much in the art of seeing the unseen. Her instincts were telling her it was time for an intervention so off she went to intervene.

Carter was debating with herself on whether or not to take another dose of painkillers when she heard a knock on her open door. Her nose told her who it was. "What?" She growled. "I'm going to cut the bullshit and get right to the point." Traeger growled as she entered, closing the door behind her. Squeezing her bulk into the small enclosed berth left Carter very little room to maneuver and the submarine had to crane her head back to look at the destroyer. Carter's constant divisional ITEs ensured Traeger had a good solid layer of muscle on her frame. She'd always been lean but now she was all buffed out. "I am going to hand you this inter station pass. You are going to sign it. Then I am going to escort you down to medical." Traeger growled, holding out her RTC Training Guide. Carter stared at her, then took out a pen and signed the pass. "What's the point of all this yeoman?" She asked. "The point is to ensure you don't collapse from your own foolishness." It was then Carter realized she had underestimated Traeger. Her yeoman knew far more than what she was letting on. Still, she refused to give in without a fight. "I'm fine." "That is a bald face lie and we both know it!" The destroyer hissed. She'd seen it too many times. Ship's hiding or down playing their injuries, sometimes even outright ignoring them. The result was always the same. And frankly, Traeger was done with it. She could not allow the submarine's pride or whatever it was, put her life at risk any longer. "You have to put your pride aside senior chief. For your sake and the sake of this division which you command." "It's not pride." Carter growled. "Then what is it? Tell me!" Traeger demanded. "NO!" Carter snarled, moving to shove her back. Traeger, aware of how fragile the patch on her flank was, tried to back away and give her more room but there was only so much she could do. Carter was a chase predator and the destroyer's maneuver only further fueled her anger. She rammed her and her weakened pressure hull paid the price. She gave a soft keening cry. That was as much as she was willing to show as the shore supports gave way, collapsing on her already fragile shaft causing it to snap like a twig at one of the joints. The sound was like a twig breaking. Traeger moved into action immediately, recognizing the significance of the sound and caught Carter before she fell, laying her against the wall while she checked on the damage. "It's a good thing I've gotten used to running my diesel around here." Carter rasped. Traeger snorted. A sense of humor was a good sign. But she didn't pause in her work. Carter took notice of her focus. "You a corpsman Traeger?" She asked the question softly, all previous traces of her anger gone. "I'm a certified EMT and have the qualifications to be one due to my experiences in the Gulf." "You're a gulf child?" Carter would never have guessed. "Mmm. Born and raised. I was the only warship born to a fleet of Kuwaiti merchantmen. I caused quite the stir." Traeger chuckled. "I'm sure." Carter winced as Traeger pulled on something. "Sorry." The destroyer quipped and resumed her work. "So why come here? Why not join Kuwait?" Carter asked. "When I was born my mother almost couldn't bear it. An injury had her laid up in Dubai. A US warship helped with the delivery. I took my first breath against her hull and the first milk I tasted was American." Carter nodded. She could understand the feeling of debt Traeger must feel. The destroyer's face hardened. "Now you didn't answer my question." She said. Carter could've pulled rank here but she didn't. After all the destroyer had spilled her secrets. She sighed. "Being the youngest in a class of 30 to survive makes me a curiosity to some. And a demon to others." She said. "That section behind my sail right there," she quivered as Traeger touched it and the destroyer felt the old welds where it had been attached. "That section's not on anyone else in the class." Traeger's eyes widened as the implications hit her. "I spent more time in hospitals growing up than I did with my own mother. And not for any excess of ill health either." Carter continued forlornly. "I am so sorry." Traeger whispered, tracing the outline just behind her sail. Carter shivered under her touch. She could never demand that Carter go to medical now. Not after what she had just heard. Her fear of corpsman was at an all time high understandably and Traeger was not willing to add more stress to her right now. Which left just one thing for her to do. "I will manage this." She said and Carter looked at her in shock. She had expected Traeger to take her to medical anyways, forcibly if necessary. She was very pleased and grateful when the destroyer didn't. "The division cannot know." She said. "I know. Can I at least bring RPOC into the loop?" Traeger asked and Carter nodded. "Do you still have your medications?" Traeger asked. "Up there." Carter pointed to the bag sitting on the table. Traeger opened it and pulled out all the bottles. There was even a bag of nighttime injections in there. It took her experienced eyes only seconds to figure out which ones to give Carter and she set down two bottles in front of her. "One of each. I'm going to grab RPOC and be back in a minute. I'm serious about taking those." Traeger growled. Carter nodded, already twisting the cap off one bottle. "I know and Traeger." She called, it was the first time she'd called her yeoman by her name and the destroyer paused in the doorway. "Thank you."