Free Justifying Jack (The Wounded Warriors Book 2) by Simone Beaudelaire, J.M. Northup

across the lobby, tightening his features to hold in his emotion. “That's true.”
Shit. This is going to be more difficult than I thought.
Much to his relief, the elevator rang, alerting them of its arrival before its doors opened. “Should we go on up then?”
    “Yeah.”
    The two men shuffled onto the elevator and Jack pressed the sixth floor button. They occasionally glanced at one another as a fluorescent bulb flickered above them, but neither made any comments. They stood side-by-side companionably as they were lifted skyward, both anxious and uncomfortable, not really wanting to face the moments ahead. Despite being glad to have the other's support, they were both lost in their own thoughts as they tried to mentally prepare to see Sam in the grasp of his personal demons.
    The elevator doors slid apart, revealing a small pale green lobby, a shade a bit lighter than the retro avocado color which had made a brief come back in popularity when Jack's parents had gotten married. An even smaller reception desk was tucked away in the back corner, manned by a petite female in her Advanced Combat Uniform, or ACUs, as Jack knew them. He made his way towards the clerk while Mike stood, transfixed by the huge double doors which would lead them onto the secured unit.
    “Good morning,” the cute young woman in ACUs smiled in greeting, her large almond-shaped brown eyes friendly and alert. “How can I help you?”
    Jack couldn't help responding to her welcome with a smile of his own.
She's a petty girl. Her flat nose and the little mole beside her eye actually work, giving her character. I wonder how long her silky hair really is…
“Uh, hi, we're here to see a friend of ours, Sam Wallace.”
    After clicking the keys on her portable computer where it was plugged in on the desktop, she glanced up and inquired, “Do you mind having a seat? I'm not sure if he's been cleared for general visitors yet, but I'll go check. It'll be just a moment.”
    “Oh,” Jack was stunned.
No visitors?
“Sure, no problem.”
    “Thank you,” the girl voiced before slipping away.
    Jack turned and slowly hobbled across the pale tan linoleum and sank into one of the brown armchairs covered in upholstery decorated in a pattern of leaves and vines. Regarding Mike, he noted his friend seemed visibly fraught.
I can't blame him for looking a bit distressed, this place is making me feel unsettled too.
    “What was that all about?” Mike asked, claiming an olive chair positioned at right angles to Jack and carefully avoiding his friend's injured leg, which he had stretched out in front of him.
    Jack shrugged. “I guess we might not be seeing Sam after all.”
    Mike sighed and began to fidget and Jack couldn't resist grinning.
Never could hold still, could you?
Watching Mike sometimes made Jack tired.
Shit, life makes you tired,
he thought to himself with a sigh of his own.
You're getting old before your time, man.
Tucking his arms behind his head, Jack leaned back in the seat, using the wall for support and studied the precise placement of square lights inside the larger squares of the ceiling tiles.
This might be a long wait.
    But that wasn't the case. It was only a few brief moments before the young soldier reappeared through the double doors, beckoning the two men to follow her. Jack rose with a groan, regretting his decision to sit as the fiery pain burned down his angry leg. He realized too late that it probably hurt worse getting up than anything and it definitely made his limp more pronounced as he followed the girl.
    The tiny clerk led the men onto the medical unit to a day room located across from the nurse's station, leaving them with the parting words, “Airman Wallace will be out shortly.”
    “Thank you,” Jack replied as Mike nodded in acknowledgment. When the girl finally left, he asked, “Have you ever been to a place like this before? I mean, is this normal?” He gestured at the open bay with its ring of chairs in the center. It