Free The Siren, the General's Daughter Book One by Breanna Hayse

the discovery, then reprimanded the man for treating him like a little kid.
    Dr. Quimby quietly held his daughter to his chest, unconcerned about getting damp. “I hear you had a pretty tough go with your uncle today. Was it worth it?”
    “No Sir, I promise, I will not ever swear again. Or throw things,” she said, feeling him squeeze her.
    “I hope not. So tell us details about your dive. I want to get notes.”
    “I also want a hook up with the EEG,” Michael said, tugging Sam’s ponytail, “especially when she sits down. The response was significant. We also discovered some cultural issues,” he went into detail, not leaving out anything. His sister blushed, standing uncomfortably and watching notes being taken on her physical condition and the orca’s response.
    After removing the neuroband, Dr. Quimby placed electrodes around her temple and neck base, plugging her into the electroencephalogram designed to monitor her brain patterns and register unusual variables. Once the machine began the process, Scott ordered her to sit quickly. Biting her lip, she plopped in the chair, sending searing pain over her body. The machine registered high frequency waves countering with her vital signs. The pain brought her close to tears and she begged to be allowed to stand.
    “Go on, get up,” Scott said unsympathetically, looking over the tape, “Stop whining, you’re a Marine.”
    “No I’m not. I’m a kid with a really sore bottom,” she began to cry, reaching for her brother. Michael held her, saying nothing.
    Dr. Quimby raised his eyebrow towards Scott. “I think she’s had enough for today, don’t you? “
    “It seems. Go to your quarters and get cleaned up. I’ll send chow to you.”
    Without a word, the girl left escorted by her brother. Dr. Quimby turned to look at his friend. “Normally, I wouldn’t say anything about being hard on them, but do you think you might have gone overboard?” he asked, sitting down.
    Scott flipped his pen. “If you heard what I did, no. Joe, she’s gonna kill herself or someone else if she doesn’t get her act together. We agreed to this.”
    “I know I’m too soft. I guess I still look at her as being a little girl.”
    “No, you’re her father. And she is still a little girl. Don’t think for a minute I like any of this. I’m just not afraid of damaging her, you still are. She’s not that fragile.”
    “I’m sorry, you are right. Since I was a kid, I’ve always viewed you as my older, wiser brother. You always knew what was best for us, especially for Alyson. I trusted you then and I need to trust you now. You do realize you scared the living hell out of Mike, too.”
    “Yup. I think I got close to scaring you a bit as well,“ Scott chuckled. “We are in for wild ride with this new assignment and can’t take the risk of being anything but on the same page. The kids will be in charge of their own units, plus Mike will be overseeing Sammi’s as well. She needs to learn responsibility if she’s going to do this. And they need to be in sync to grow as a team. This is Special Forces, buddy, not kindergarten. If I have to be the bad guy to keep this family strong and together, I’ll do it.”
    “You’re never the bad guy and I do appreciate it. Regarding scaring me, I got a flashback of that fist fight we got into when I was 12. Do you remember?”
    “Fist fight? Is that what you called it? I remember you swinging your arms at me and getting knocked flat on your butt. I also promised you a good thrashing if you ever raised a hand to me again,” Scott laughed, joined by his friend.
    “You are 8 years older than me and were a lot bigger back then. You know, I think it’s time we replay that incident. Go get your sweats on and meet me in the gym,” Dr. Quimby said, standing.
    Scott joined him and gave a rough hug. “I can still kick your butt. Want to put a wager on it?”
    After a good hour of wrestling, both men were happily spent and caught their