SEALs of Honor: Axel

by Dale Mayer

  She looked at him and smiled. “I’m doing better than I expected,” she said.

  He looked at the heavy cast on her leg. “We can switch that out for fiberglass in another week or so.”

  “Fiberglass would be a lot lighter,” she said.

  “And you can have a shower,” he said, “but you’ll have to bag it. I can’t have that getting wet inside.”

  “Right,” she said, “but a shower would be lovely.”

  “I’m sure,” he said, “but it’s your head that has me worried now.”

  “That had me worried earlier too when the wound opened up,” she said, “but I’m feeling much better now.”

  “Back to bed with you, and let me take a look,” he said. As she managed to get back onto the bed, he helped her hook her leg back up and then asked, “How are the headaches?”

  “When I woke up a bit ago, it was pretty bad,” she said, “but, now that I’m up and moving, it’s not too-too bad. I could really use some coffee again though.”

  “This isn’t any old caffeine headache. Good try.”

  “I know,” she said, “but the coffee is very soothing, and it’s a treat. So it’s my go-to drink.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he said. When he was finally done checking her over, he nodded and said, “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow I can leave?” She bolted upright in surprise, wincing only a little.

  “Maybe,” he said, “I’m not sure about this cast though. It’s looking sketchy, now that I study it. It got banged up pretty badly when you were kidnapped and tossed around in the back of the van.” He looked at it, squeezed a couple spots, and frowned. “We better check out your leg before we get too carried away. I need to get that cast off and see how things are inside, and we’ll go ahead and do the fiberglass cast now instead of waiting.” He made notes on his tablet and said, “I’ll see if I can work that in this afternoon.”

  “That would be great,” she said. He nodded and disappeared. She sat back and quickly snatched up her phone and sent Axel a message. Looks like I might get sprung from here tomorrow. New cast this afternoon.

  That’s wonderful news.

  His answer came back right away. She smiled because it was huge news. It would also free her up to do so much more. Sure, she’d be on crutches, but that was okay. And she could do so much more from home. Like that shower. She couldn’t wait. She quickly Googled how to have a shower with a fiberglass leg cast, then laughed at some of the comments and the images that people had posted. She could do this.

  With a smaller cast, a lighter cast, she would be so much more mobile. She knew her head was still an issue, but she was feeling okay. It hurt a lot, but what could she expect, having taken a couple blows to the head? Honestly, she was sore all over. Black and blue too. She’d busted out stitches in her good leg as well as her head. But the leg, once recasted, should be that much better again. It wasn’t too long before the nurse walked in with a tray. She looked at it and smiled. “Is that coffee?”

  “Doctor’s orders,” she said with a chuckle. “And we’ll get you to x-ray and hopefully take off this old cast too.”

  “Why the x-ray?”

  “Just as a precaution to make sure everything is still where it’s supposed to be. It should be fine. The cast itself is damaged, but I can’t imagine that your leg took too much of the damage.”

  “I hope not,” she said, “because the doctor said that I might leave tomorrow.”

  “That would be wonderful news,” the nurse said warmly.

  When she was gone, Ally sat back, sipping her coffee. She sent her dad a quick text, letting him know the update. By the time her coffee was gone, she wasn’t surprised to see an orderly come in to take her for x-rays. She smiled, happy to see him not hiding his face from hers—so she deemed him a real orderly—and he navigated her into the wheelchair, and he took her down. By the time she made it through the process, which was far easier this time, she was more than happy to get back in the wheelchair. “I can’t wait for a lighter cast,” she said.

  “As soon as we get the x-ray results,” he said, parking her in the waiting room, “we’ll know what we’re doing next. Should take about twenty minutes, maybe thirty, tops.” Before long he came back with a smile on his face. “New cast it is,” he said. “The leg’s looking good.”

  “Are you allowed to tell me that?” she said with a grin.

  “Nope,” he said, “but the doctor will see you down at the casting room.”

  She’d be surprised if it was the same doctor. When she arrived in a room that was obviously set up for a casting, the orderly helped her sit on the exam table. “Somebody will be here soon.”

  She nodded, and, as she suspected, it was another doctor, a younger one. He came in, shook her hand, and introduced himself as Dr. Perry. “Took a look at the x-rays,” he said. “The leg is healing nicely. You didn’t do any more damage,” he said, “so we’ll take off this plaster cast that took such a hit and get you a nice lighter model. Fiberglass.”

  She smiled with delight. “And I’ll be happy to have it,” she said. “This one’s pretty heavy and clunky.”

  “It did the job though,” he said. “It saved the leg.” And, with that, he proceeded to cut off the old one, gently, because it was still so sore underneath.

  By the time he got it off, she felt like her leg was a chunk of meat. “That was harder than I thought,” she exclaimed.

  “I know,” he said. “Everybody’s always afraid we’ll cut them, but these saws won’t do that.” Peeling the fabric liner off, he gently washed the area, careful to avoid the healing incisions, and then let it air-dry.

  As soon as he was done with that, she laughed at the fact that she would get a choice of her cast color. She didn’t expect it, but very quickly she chose purple. Admiring her leg thirty minutes later, she was completely surprised at how silly and yet fun-loving it made her feel. With that done, she was taken back to her room. She was cold and tired now after that whole process, and, once in her bed, she realized she’d missed lunch as well. She groaned and asked the orderly, “I missed lunch, didn’t I?”

  “Not a problem,” he said. “We’ll get one delivered.” He disappeared, and she sank back into the bed. She held her leg out, still elevated, but it was cold, so she tucked a blanket around it, and, of course, the exposed part of her foot was very cold. She wondered what she was supposed to put over her toes. And realized she would need to get a very large sock. She quickly texted Axel. Do you have any odd socks, old stretched-out ones?

  The response was a question mark.

  New cast. My toes are freezing.

  Back came a happy face and a thumbs-up. Surprised and a little delighted, she relaxed again. A lunch tray was delivered almost immediately. After Baylor confirmed it was safe.

  He was always there in the background, keeping an eye on her. But not even he could stay twenty-four hours in a day.

  She smiled at him before studying her lunch. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, and a small green salad that looked like it had seen better days. She stared at the food, wishing to God she could leave and go to a restaurant, but it wasn’t meant to be today. That would be tomorrow’s joy. She picked away at the food until she couldn’t eat anymore and set it off to the side. She should have a nap, help the head to heal, and maybe then she can see her way to getting out of here.

  With everything put off to the side, she got as comfortable she could with her leg elevated and closed her eyes. Sleep sounded like the best thing ever.

  *

  When he walked into her room midafternoon, Axel was surprised to find her sleeping. He frowned and stepped back out again. He’d stopped at the front desk, but nobody had been willing to give him any information. He laid the sock on the bed, staring at her foot that was completely covered up in a blanket. He’d also brought her a fresh latte. He wondered if he should wake her and then decided he didn’t really want to do that and quickly stepped back out again. Just then he he
ard her murmur. He poked his head around the corner. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Not a problem,” she said softly. He studied her for a moment, but she appeared to be rapidly coming to awareness. She shifted in the bed and motioned at her leg. “Can you help me take it out of that thing?” He quickly eased back the sling, and she rested her leg on a couple pillows.

  “It’s much more comfortable on the pillows,” she admitted. Just then she saw the cup. She lit up like a Christmas tree. “Is that for me?”

  “Well, I can’t drink two of them,” he said with a smile and moved the table closer for her. “Is the doc still saying maybe tomorrow?”

  She nodded, flipped the blanket back so he could see her new cast. “Look. It’s much smaller,” she said, “and I feel more mobile with it. It’s lighter too,” she said.

  He nodded, and, setting down his cup, he moved to the edge of the bed where he’d left a big boot sock. Folding the top back, he gently placed it over her toes and around the cast. “How’s that?”

  “Oh, that’s great,” she said, as she moved her leg from side to side. “I feel like I can get out of here now.”

  His gaze went to the side of her head. “That still looks sore,” he murmured. “How’s the head?”

  “It’ll be a problem for a while, I’m sure,” she said, “but I can rest at home as easily as I can here. Probably easier.”

  “How was lunch?” he asked, with a nod to the domed plates.

  “Pretty rough. That’s another reason to go home. I can get real food.”

  He cracked a smile at that. “But you can’t be on your leg very much.”

  “Ten, fifteen minutes. I don’t need long to make a stir-fry,” she said.

  “Good to know,” he said. “At least you can cook.”

  “I like to cook,” she said. “I just don’t have time for it, and it’s not much fun just cooking for myself.”

  “I agree,” he said. “I like to barbecue. Growing up, we used a smoker all the time. I’d love to get one again. I really enjoy working with that.”

  “That sounds awesome to me,” she admitted. “I don’t have much experience with either. Again, it’s just me, so it hasn’t been an issue.”

  “Well, maybe going forward, we’ll plan a few Sunday dinners together.”

  “Backyard barbecues?” she asked hopefully.

  “Sure enough,” he said. “You know Mason and Tesla’s house has a big pool in the back. We do an awful lot of get-togethers at their place.”

  “That sounds lovely,” she said warmly. “I do miss having friends to do things with. I miss having family close.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “I texted them the good news about getting out tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t think they’re planning on coming over to visit anytime soon. I tried to dissuade Dad when I was first injured, but the only reason it worked then was because he hadn’t told Mom the extent of my injuries.” She checked her phone and said, “He hasn’t answered me yet.”

  “Does that mean they could be headed this way?”

  “With Dad, it definitely could be that,” she said with a smile. “My dad and I are pretty close.”

  “And your mom?”

  “Mom has always been a little less warm,” she said. “She’s just a little more, I don’t know, independent, diffident. She’s not cold by any means, and we’re certainly close, but I connect more with my father.”

  “Understood,” he said.

  “Any update?” she asked, as she picked up her coffee cup and sipped through the little hole in the plastic lid.

  “Your attacker is out of surgery, and he’s under armed guard,” he said. “His leg is repaired as much as they can at this point in time.”

  “Is he immobile then? I’m really hoping so.”

  “Me too,” he said. “We’re not too sure yet.”

  “And what about the two Russians?”

  “Still tracking them down, trying to see where they are.”

  “Did you check the morgue?”

  He gave a bark of laughter at that. “After the first guy, yes,” he said, “we did. So far there hasn’t been anybody with that name showing up.”

  “John Does?”

  “They’re checking,” he added, “and, of course, we’re on the hunt for Hostettler connections as to how and why. And that Grant guy as well.”

  She nodded. “It just seems awfully odd that he would look so similar.”

  “We pulled his picture from his military service record,” he said, “and you’re right. They do look a lot alike.”

  “So, family?”

  “It’s possible. Although they say everybody has a double.”

  “Yeah, but, in this case, that’s just too much of a coincidence.”

  “I agree with you there,” he said. “I want you to stay here and to stay safe, while we do all the running around and check this out.”

  “I have no intention of leaving until I’m cleared, and then I just want to go home and lock myself in my apartment,” she said.

  “And we can pick up groceries on the way.”

  “We?” she asked, a little delicately.

  His smile started in his eyes and reached his mouth as he nodded. “I’m taking you home to my place,” he said. “But I want to check out your apartment, make sure it’s safe, pick up anything you need for a couple of days.”

  “Well, thank you,” she said. “I appreciate that.”

  “Not an issue,” he said. “I figured you can text me when you’re clear, and I can probably be here within about ten or fifteen minutes, depending on what’s going on at my end.”

  “Well, I plan to be right here,” she said, “so that’s not an issue.”

  He looked at the remnants of her lunch and said, “You want me to pick you up some dinner? You must be starving for something better than that.”

  She hesitated, and he studied her for a long moment. “You’re not putting me out, you know?” he said. “I’m just running around and keeping an eye on you as it is.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind then,” she said, “there’s even a little deli around the corner.”

  “Good, I know that place well,” he said. “I’ll go and get you a sandwich or something. That way you can eat it whenever.” And, with that, he turned and walked out. He was more than happy to do something because the edginess inside was eating away at him. There was something he figured he should know but wasn’t quite connecting to, and it was driving him crazy. They should have found answers. They should have found connections. They should have found something at this point in time, and they hadn’t, and that was more bothersome than anything. He wanted to stay close because he just couldn’t get rid of the feeling that her life was still in danger.

  As he moved through the hospital, he walked past the room where the kidnapper was. Two guards stood at attention on the side. He stopped to talk to them, identified who he was, and asked, “Is he awake at all?”

  They both shrugged and didn’t say anything. He looked through the door to see the guy apparently sleeping. He frowned as he looked at him, wishing he could go in and beat the shit out of him. And then, with a muffled exclamation, he turned and walked away. He needed to retreat now before his anger got the best of him. That asshole didn’t deserve to live for what he did to Ally in the back of the van. And, if the navy could prove that this asshole had anything to do with those eleven seamen dying, he should be dead already.

  Chapter 14

  It was so hard to do nothing. It was one thing when Ally was tired and exhausted and the medication was making her sleepy, but now that she was awake, aware, and knew that her time in the hospital was coming to an end, all she wanted to do was get out, and get out now. She had a laptop, but she’d already surfed sites, checked out a few YouTube videos and some TV, and she was bored stiff. She wanted to go home. She wanted to have a shower. She wanted to get her own clothes back on again. As she thought about that, she wondered.
She had picked up some clothing from the inside of the van, and she had no clue where they had ended up. Maybe they had been taken in for forensics. She hoped so. Frowning at that, she quickly sent Axel a text, asking him about them.

  “The MPs have them,” he said. “Pretty sure they’re running forensic diagnostics on it.”

  “Hope so,” she said. “Who knows who they belonged to before. Maybe other dead people.”

  “It’s possible,” he said, “but I highly doubt it.”

  “A sweatshirt and a skirt?” she asked. “Where does that come in?”

  “Maybe they were for you,” he said. “If he had to take you any distance, he needed to have you dressed. Hospital gowns outside of a hospital would raise some eyebrows.”

  She sat back and thought about that. It was a pretty disgusting reality to even consider, but it kind of made sense. She wished she could talk to her kidnapper again. And that she’d asked a million more questions when she had had the chance. Now she knew she wouldn’t have an opportunity for a private conversation again. And she also knew that, even if she asked to go down and talk to him, no way they’d let her in.

  After shooting the guy’s knee, he probably wouldn’t be so talkative. Not to mention, Axel would freak out if he even knew she wanted to. But it was almost impossible to just sit here and wait for something to happen. To wait for other people to do what they needed to do to clear her.

  Even waiting for Axel to come back with a sandwich was excruciating—so she could see him again. Just knowing he was doing this for her made her feel that much more special. She hadn’t expected to have a relationship bloom at this point in her life. She’d been open to it but hadn’t expected it. Particularly after all the nastiness that had happened. To see a light among all that dark negativity and the terrible happenings and accusations was huge. It made her feel like she wasn’t completely alone in the world after all.

  Sure, she had her parents, but that wasn’t the same. And they were so far away that it just hurt that much more. She sipped away at her coffee, hoping Axel wouldn’t be too long—for many reasons, but partly because she was bored and wanted to see him again. Nurses came and went and then finally Axel returned. He held up a large bag. She stared at him in surprise. “How many people are we feeding?”