Slade’s team had never been particularly interested in visiting the infirmary.
Usually, it meant someone was injured.
Nobody enjoyed that.
But then the head nurse had a baby.
And suddenly?
Everyone had medical concerns.
“Boss, I think my shoulder’s acting up again.”
Slade looked at the recruit.
“Your shoulder was fine yesterday.”
“Yeah, but… I should probably get it checked.”
Slade stared at him.
“You want to see the baby.”
The man paused.
“…Maybe.”
“Just say that.”
The excuses got worse.
One recruit claimed he’d developed a headache.
Another suddenly needed his blood pressure checked.
Someone else walked into the infirmary carrying absolutely nothing and announced,
“I was just checking in.”
Slade didn’t even bother looking up from his paperwork.
“You’re checking in because you want to see the baby.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thought so.”
The head nurse had become the most popular person on base without doing anything differently.
Her schedule was suddenly filled with unexpected visitors.
The team would appear at the infirmary one at a time, pretending they had perfectly legitimate medical reasons for being there.
Then they’d disappear ten minutes later looking suspiciously happy.
Eventually, Slade walked in and caught three of them gathered around the doorway.
“What’s going on?”
One man immediately straightened.
“Medical business.”
Slade looked at him.
“Your medical business is standing outside her room?”
“Yes, sir.”
Slade sighed.
“Move.”
They immediately stepped aside.
Inside, the head nurse was resting with her newborn, finally getting some peace after months of pregnancy and work.
Slade glanced at the baby.
Then at the nurse.
“Congratulations.”
She smiled.
Slade stepped back out.
The three men were still waiting.
“You got thirty seconds.”
They nearly sprinted inside.
Slade shook his head.
They had fought criminals together.
They’d been shot at together.
They’d spent countless nights sleeping on concrete and eating terrible field rations.
Yet somehow, a tiny newborn had turned the entire team into a collection of sentimental idiots.
The funniest part?
Nobody was fooling Slade.
Not with the fake headaches.
Not with the mysterious shoulder pain.
Not with the sudden need for routine checkups.
They weren’t visiting the infirmary.
They were visiting their favorite nurse.
And her baby.
Slade wasn’t going to admit it, but he understood.
After all—
even hardened mercenaries had a weakness.
Apparently, theirs was a newborn.