by Angela Rush
“What are you doing up by yourself?” Hawk demands harshly. He continues before I even have a chance to respond. “You could have fallen and hurt yourself worse than you already are. What am I going to do with you? Do I need to tie you to the bed? You are going to be the death of me, woman.”
“I am fine, Hawk. I’m not an invalid. I know I am weak, but I knew I could do it and I need to get up and move around. You have responsibilities. You can’t baby sit me 24/7.” I huff. “Besides I heard you guys talking that we will need to leave soon, so I needed to see if I can travel or if you need to leave me here. I won’t be responsible for any of you getting hurt or missing your flight out of this awful jungle trying to drag my feeble ass around.”
“Hell N!” Hawk growls. “You are not being left behind, no way, no how. I will throw you over my shoulder and haul you out of here if I must. I should turn you over my knee for even suggesting such a foolish thing.”
“Hawk listen to me.” I say softly as I place my hands on each side of his face. “I was not a part of your job here. I could not live with myself if you get hurt or God forbid you died, because of me. I won’t be the reason any of you don’t make it home to your families and friends.”
“Charlotte, love, I would not survive if you were left here in this hell hole. I can’t explain why or how, but you are under my skin. You are a part of me now. I have to get you home to safety. If you want to keep me safe, you will get your ass out in that Humvee and do every fucking thing I say for you to do. Do you understand?” Hawk demands.
“Ok, Hawk. I will do whatever you say.” I whisper. I turn away from him to hide the tears that are welling in my eyes at his harsh words and tone. Slowly, I move to head out of the room.
He grabs my upper arm and spins me around to face him. I keep my head down waiting for him to finish yelling at me and to hide my tears. He places a finger under my chin and forces me to raise my eyes to look at him.
“I didn’t mean to be so harsh, but the thought of leaving you here makes me crazy. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I just need you to listen to reason. Just let us get you out of here. Then we can sit down and talk about you and me. Ok? Tell me you feel something between us too?” Hawk asks me.
“Yes, I feel it too. I will do whatever you ask, Hawk.” I say as I fall into his arms and rub my hand up and down his back. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m scared for you, for your men. I’m more afraid of losing you than the men that tortured me for months. I know that sounds insane, but you have touched me, too. I couldn’t live knowing that I was responsible for your death.”
“No one is going to die, love. I promise you that.” Hawk says. “We are getting out of here, tonight. Come on let’s get going.”
The trip through the jungle was uneventful. While the rough trail causes me some significant pain, I manage to keep it from Hawk and his men. We reach the extraction point a little early. The men set up a perimeter and wait for the choppers. I have a bad feeling about this. It is just hard for me to believe that after everything that has happened over the last few months, we will just be able to get on a helicopter and fly out of here. I sit quietly while we wait, pondering all that has occurred in the last few days since I have awakened in the care of Hawk. I still can’t believe that he plans on us being together once we are back in the States. I want it to be true, but it is too hard for me to wrap my mind around it.
The beating of the choppers as they approach alerts me it’s time to go. They are close enough I can smell the fuel from the exhaust. I always hated that smell when we would fly someone out from the hospital, but now it is the smell of salvation. It is so strong it chokes me. We move to run for the ladder, but I trip and fall hard a searing pain runs through my chest, breathing is now very difficult. Hawk sweeps me off my feet and is running for the ladder that has dropped out of the side of the chopper. I didn’t want him to send me up first, but I know better than to argue. It will only cost us precious time. I allow him to strap me in and then I am being lifted into the air.
My heart falls out of my chest in fear for Hawk and the other men when I hear gun fire. I stare down at him as he beings to fire his weapon in the direction of the enemy. The ladder sways in the down draft of the chopper blades. I can’t keep him in my line of sight. As I swing back where I can see him, he falls backward to the jungle floor. I scream as I am pulled into the side of the helicopter. It takes a sharp turn and begins to pull away from the clearing. I am screaming, fighting against the man trying to hold me back. I have to get to him. They can’t just leave him there.
“No, No, No! Go back! You can’t leave him there. He’s been shot!” I scream at the man holding on to me. He is trying desperately to secure me into a seat and put some headphones on me. I continue to fight him, sobbing and pleading with him to go back and help him. He slips headphones on my head so he can talk to me.
“Ma’am you have to calm down. I don’t want to hurt you. I was told you have several broken ribs. Settle down so I can get you strapped into a seat.” The man says calmly.
“You will not leave them! I will fucking jump back out of this damn chopper and take you with me, if you don’t go back for them right now.” I yell at the man. I still haven’t allowed him to secure me to the seat. I grip his arm firmly and move toward the open door.
“Alright, alright we will swing back around and try again. Hawk would end me if I let you jump out of the bird. We won’t leave them there under enemy fire.” The stranger reassures me. I stop struggling and let him place me in the seat belt of the seat. I close my eyes and pray with all my might, that we will be able to get him in this helicopter with me soon. I can’t survive this. I can’t lose him, now. I feel the aircraft make another sharp turn as we head back to get my saviors.
It seems to take forever after they drop the ladder for me to see his face come into the helicopter. I am out of my seat and clinging to him as soon as he is inside. I am so thankful he’s here. I just have to make sure he isn’t hurt to badly. I am trying to see where he was shot. I see blood everywhere, but I can’t find and entrance or exit wound. He is not cooperating with my efforts to find the wounds. He is saying something, but I can’t hear over the noise of the blades and with the headphones on. The stranger puts a pair of them on him and I can finally hear him.
“Love, stop, I’m ok. It’s just a flesh wound. You need get back in your seatbelt in case we have to bank. I don’t want you falling out.” Hawk says in as calm a voice as he can.
“You aren’t dying?” I plead with him to reassure me that he is being honest. My eyes search his for the truth. I just knew that it was very bad, and I would watch him die or worse would never lay eyes on him again. “Are you sure it didn’t hit a lung or your heart?”
“No, love I’m ok.” He chuckles at my medical question. “It got me in the upper right shoulder. It hurts like hell, but it’s not bad. Deadeye covered it while we were waiting for you to circle back.” I settle back into the seat like he asked. I had promised him after all that I would do whatever he said as long as we all got out of there alive. I see the other team members climbing into the chopper and another one is beside us loading up more of the team.
“Which was not supposed to happen by the way. Who the hell gave you permission to circle back?” Hawk asks the soldier that was helping everyone on board. The soldier just motions over toward me.
“She threated to jump back out and take me with her sir. I couldn’t refuse a request like that.” He says with a grin. Deadeye begins laughing and gives Hawk a look that says, ‘I told you so.’
Chapter 8
Hawk
This woman continues to amaze me. She is so physically strong. She fights against the pain of her injuries and tries to hide her emotional pain of the hell she endured. It was all I could do to restrain myself from fucking her. God, her body was so receptive and responsive to my touch. She will be a wildcat in bed when she is healed. I am looking forward to learning all about her then.
; She is brave as well. She freely discussed the gun runners plans with us. She didn’t seem to be afraid of us even though the room was full of tough, badass military men. After what she endured, she should have been terrified to be in that small room with so many powerful men. Later when I insisted, she tell me what all had been done to her in the time she was held captive, she completely opened up and reveled all. I know it wasn’t my place to question her about her torture, but I had to know if she had been raped. I don’t think I could sit here knowing that had happened. I would have to hunt those bastards down and make them wish they had never been born.
I can’t believe she thought that we would even consider leaving her behind. I appreciate that she is worried for our safety, but she needs to understand we are highly trained professionals. We will get her safely on the chopper and all of us will be going home. There is no need for her to be worried. We always get the job done.
She is the toughest woman I have ever met. I know she’s hurting as we bounce through the jungle. I can see the sweat breaking out on her forehead, yet she hasn’t made a sound. I reach over to run my fingers through her hair. She smiles at me trying to put on a brave face. I am getting edgy while awaiting the transport out of here. This has to work. I have to get her out of here. Once we get to safety, we can figure this whole thing out.
Gunfire breaks out as Charlotte is being lifted into the helicopter. What if she is hit before she can get into the chopper? I have my Mk 48 up and firing in seconds. A searing pain blasts through my right shoulder as I am thrown backwards hitting the jungle floor. Fuck! I’m hit. Before I have time to assess the damage, Deadeye is hovering over me.
“You ok man?” Deadeye questions me.
“Yeah, I’m hit but it’s not bad. Just a flesh wound,” He grabs the handle on my gear and begins to drag me into the trees for cover. Once we are secured behind cover, I relate what’s on my mind.
“They got her. She’s on the way out.” I reply as the chopper makes another approach. What the fucking hell? They were supposed to get her out of here, not come back for us. “What the hell are they doing?” I screech to Deadeye. “That’s not in the plan.”
“I have a feeling your little woman threw a fit until they agreed to come back for you. She saw you go down. I saw her face. It was utter terror.” Deadeye smirks me. “You are going to have your work cut out for you with this one. She’s trouble with a capital T. Come on let’s get you in there before she forces them to land right here.”
Once everyone is on board and we are out of danger. I check on the team.
“SITREP” I demand over the mic.
A round of “PFA” resounds in my ear. My team is all on board and no serious harm. It’s a good day.
Once the chopper lands at a secure airport, we disembark and head to a fixed wing that will take us back to the States. It’s an Army cargo plane. No comforts of home, but it has enough fuel to take us all the way back to San Diego without having to refuel in Texas. Charlotte has attached herself to me like glue and has followed my every request. I have to admit I am loving it. I didn’t want her to be frightened, but if it means she will do what I say so that she is safe. I’m ok with it. Give me a flesh wound any day if it means she is safe and secure.
The SEAL team and my men are all with us and have only suffer minor cuts and bruises. We were damn lucky we didn’t lose someone today. I fully realize it could have been me. My right shoulder reminds me with every move I make.
“Here Hawk, let me see how bad that is.” Mozart says as he comes up to my chair once we are in the air. Charlotte has already been trying to get a look.
“Let me see it!” Charlotte demands.
“We got this Charlotte. We are combat trained medics,” Straw eases her back as he moves to assess my wound.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what kind of damn training you have had. I’m a nurse practitioner with years of Emergency Room experience. I’m going to assess his wound.” Anger flares on her face and she pushes back against Straw. Deadeye again gives me the look. I know what he means. I have one feisty woman on my hands. Mozart and Straw assess my wound while I work on distracting Charlotte by stroking her hair and try to maneuver her onto my lap.
“You are an exasperating patient. You won’t do anything I say.” Charlotte huffs at me, struggling to get a decent breath. “Now stop trying to distract me from taking care of you. I don’t know how long it will be before we can get you to the hospital.”
“Charlotte, stop fussing. I’m fine. Straw and Mozart know what to do in these situations. They have taken care of more gunshot wounds than you have I’m sure.” I scold her. Hurt flashes across her face and she drops into her seat in defeat. “You need to be taking care of yourself. I can see you are in pain and I don’t like the way you are breathing.”
I motion for Mozart to assess Charlotte. He moves to her side and begins checking vitals. He places oxygen on her and my concern for her increases.
“Charlotte, I’m going to put some oxygen on you. Your O2 sat is quite low and your heart rate is too fast.” Mozart informs her. “This should help.”
Charlotte’s skin is pale, and her breathing is very labored. Her face is drawn and she’s staring off into space. Her body slumps as the adrenaline rush leaves her. I reach for her and she allows me to pull her onto my lap for the rest of the flight. Her body sags into mine and she rests her head on my shoulder. I tighten my hold on her. We can’t get to base fast enough to suit me. She needs medical attention sooner rather than later.
Chapter 9
Charlotte
We are finally in a position to fully assess Hawk’s wound. He was right in that it doesn’t appear to have hit any major organs, blood vessels, or bones, but he has lost quite a bit of blood. He is the worst patient ever. He won’t lay still and let me work. He keeps trying to distract me from caring for him. He insists on sitting up in a chair instead of lying on a stretcher in the back. When he tries to pull me into his lap, I frown down at him. Mozart is suddenly at my side, checking my vitals and placing oxygen on me. It’s harder to breathe now and I don’t have the strength to fight with them any longer. Giving in I relax on Hawk’s lap for the rest of the flight.
When we land at the military airport, there are two large black vans waiting to take us away. I am relieved that word has not leaked out about me being among the soldiers. Wolf had said that if word had leaked out, we would be swarmed by reporters and camera crews wanting a story. He assured me they would do their best to get me away from them and into an awaiting vehicle as quickly as possible. My only concern is to make sure that Hawk is taken to the hospital so he can be treated for his injuries.
The vans take us to the base hospital. Forced to leave Hawk to the care of strangers, they take me to another room and began to assess my injuries. Straw and Ace follow me into the exam room but are sent out of the room because they are not family.
“How’s Hawk? The soldier that was shot. I need to know how he’s doing.” I ask the doctor that comes in to see me.
“Ms. Williams I cannot discuss other patients with you. It’s patient confidentiality. You understand.” The doctor replies.
“Look you can tell me if he is stable or not. I’m not asking for his medical record. I need to know if he is ok. Just tell me!” I demand.
The doctor and nurses all refuse to tell me anything. It’s taking too long for him to come see about me. If it’s only a flesh wound, he should have already been released. Deciding to go see for myself what is going on, I take off the oxygen mask and move to get off the stretcher. The nurse reaches out to stop me. I jerk away from her and move toward the other side of the stretcher. The doctor moves to block me as he is calling for security. The heart monitor is alarming, but I don’t care. Irrational fear has taken over. Impending doom. Something is wrong and I need to see Hawk. Straw enters the room. He scans the room taking in the scene before him. I am struggling to get out of the grasp of the nurse so I can get off the stretcher to get t
o Hawk.
“Straw! Help me! They won’t tell me anything and they won’t let me up.” I am screaming by this time. The doctor has fled the room. Good, at least that’s one out of my way. Damn this nurse is strong. I again jerk my arm to get away from her as Deadeye enters the room.
“Calm down, Wildcat. You are getting yourself all worked up. The staff is getting concerned because your oxygen levels won’t stay up.” Deadeye explains. “You need to lay back and cooperate, before they decide to sedate your ass. Hawk is fine. He wants you to relax until he can come over here. He’s just in the next room. They are dressing his wound again. He’ll be in here in a minute.”
I glare at him, trying to decide if he is telling me the truth or just trying to get me to behave. I puff out a deep breath and lay back on the stretcher. Putting my mask back on, I let them poke and prod me, shoot x-rays, and dress my wounds. If it will speed up getting to see Hawk, see for myself that he is ok, I will be the best patient ever. After what seems like an eternity, Hawk comes to my room and sits beside me. He has a bandage on his shoulder, but otherwise appears to be ok.
“I hear you been giving the Hell, love.” Hawk chuckles. “You need to behave yourself before they throw you in the brig.” My eye widen. Surely, they wouldn’t do that would they? He laughs harder at my reaction. I’m glaring at him while he laughs even more when we get company. The other members of both Hawk’s team and the SEAL team have also come in to see how we are doing. The doctor follows them into the room and frowns at us.
“Gentlemen, I need to speak with Ms. Williams about her condition and I am sure you are aware I can’t do that with all of you in here.” The doctor admonishes.
