by Bella Juarez
US Naval Special Warfare Group Five
Office of the Commander
August 22, 2008/1417 Zulu
Jack sat patiently as he listened to Colonel Jackson explain his concerns upon receiving the call from base ops. Jack was tired and becoming more and more frustrated. This was shaping up to be the longest twenty-four hours he’d endured in quite some time.
“Naturally you can understand why I’m so concerned,” Jackson concluded.
“Absolutely, Colonel, I’m concerned myself. But I’m surprised you feel like you need to intercede on Anna’s behalf,” Jack said.
“I beg your pardon, Captain? She’s a civilian employee of mine. Who’s working on a classified project with you. Wouldn’t you be concerned? Who am I supposed to talk to?”
“No, sir, she’s not an employee of yours. She’s a civilian employee for Headquarters, Special Operations Command out of MacDill Air Force Base.”
“What!” Jackson exclaimed.
“Yes, sir. A week after she was put on loan here, the project she was working on became more complicated and much more urgent. Because of her knowledge of the situation and the aid she was able to give, Naval Special Warfare Command, Admiral Campbell made a request to SOCOM’s cyber-warfare branch for a civilian position, they picked her up and she was transferred to SOCOM. Admiral Campbell further requested the position be placed on loan to Headquarters Navy Special Warfare Command. SOCOM had a position available. Ms. Santiago was asked if she would consider the offer. Ms. Santiago was interviewed and accepted the reassignment. She’s still on loan but not from you. I am sorry that your personnel people did not notify you,” Jack stated matter-of-factly.
“What the hell is going on here? Why couldn’t you tell me?” Colonel Jackson demanded.
“Actually, sir, everything I’m telling you now is classified. At the time you didn’t have a need to know. She wasn’t moved from Randolph because we had reason to be concerned for her safety. Admiral Campbell felt it was in her best interest that things seemed to remain as they always had been. Now you can see our concern was justified.”
“This goes beyond the computer virus?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What’s going on O’Malley, and why in the hell are civilian employees being used for target practice in this hangar? This is crap that I wasn’t notified that my civilian employee was moving. It sounds like you guys are covering your asses right now!” Jackson almost shouted.
Jack took a deep breath. This was clearly the third-worst day of his life.
“Colonel Jackson, I’ll be glad to contact my admiral and let you talk to him. I can’t tell you a lot right now, mainly because it’s a highly classified operation involving terrorists. And because of the current situation involving Ms. Santiago, I’m not telling you anything until I feel that no one else is in danger and she’s safe,” Jack explained.
“I don’t believe this crap. If I would’ve known she was in danger I would’ve never allowed her to be put on loan here. You guys aren’t concerned with anything but the mission. And whoever gets in the way, it’s too bad for them,” Jackson snapped.
“Jackson!” Jack barked. “I warned you about this when I went to you. That’s why I asked you to keep this quiet. I’m trying to be as nice as I can right now, because if I were in your position, I’d be pissed off, too. But here’s the deal. I don’t have to talk to you. I’m doing it because you were very cooperative when I went to you. Now, if you’re coming in here and to insult me, you can go to hell and take your fucking answers with you.”
Jackson said nothing, he simply glared at Jack. All of the frustration of the last twenty-four hours finally culminated as Jack lost control and unleashed on Colonel Jackson.
“I’m worried about her, too! Now get off my back! I’m doing everything I can right now! If you want to talk to Admiral Campbell, I’ll make that happen while you’re sitting here,” Jack barked.
“Are you going to find the people that did this?” Jackson asked.
Jack looked him directly in the eye. “You’re damn right I am.” Jack wanted to tell Jackson that not only would he find the motherfuckers, they would remember him every time they took a breath. God help them when I do. No one does this to my baby.
Chapter 30
Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
Trauma Intensive Care Unit
August 22, 2008/1422 Zulu
Anna slept fitfully. When she was awake she was in more pain than she’d ever known. Alex kept administering drugs as often as he could but even with that effort, there was only so much he could do. He was frustrated and getting angry, and for a combat medic, that was a bad thing. She was dying and there was nothing he could do but watch. There was no way he was calling Rock with this news, at least not until he had better information. She awoke briefly with a look that broke Alex’s jaded heart. Those big doe eyes mirrored the pain and fear that gripped her.
Help me! Anna cried silently.
“Hang on, angel. I’m doing everything I can. You’ll be okay. This is the worst of it,” Alex said gently as he stroked her forehead.
Anna acknowledged his efforts with a slight smile as she closed her eyes and slept once more. Her temperature was rising and so was her blood pressure. This was a bad combination in anyone’s diagnoses. She was developing an infection and so far he’d been unable to identify what it was. Not knowing meant he couldn’t figure out how to fight it and give her some relief. Alex put in a couple of calls to some of his contacts at the CDC. If they couldn’t help him, no one could and Anna would die.
Shit! Alex had to do something. He couldn’t just sit here and watch this happen. He walked outside to the nurse’s station and looked through the box that contained the stat lab work and reports.
“Have we heard anything yet from the lab?” Alex asked as politely as he could.
“No, Senior Chief, not yet,” the Army nurse said quietly.
Alex wanted to scream at the staff sitting around. This has to be the slowest hospital on the face of the planet! Jesus! What about stat is not understood here? Instead he logged into a computer and reviewed Anna’s chart. Nothing had come back from the lab.
“Can you please check on the status?” Alex requested. Right fucking now!
Alex was about to go and find the lab and run the tests himself, at least he would be doing something productive instead of a death watch. Alex walked into Anna’s room and paced back and forth. If she weren’t almost in a coma, all his shuffling around would’ve awakened him for sure. He was sure annoying the hell out of the staff outside. He looked at her again and rubbed the back of his neck.
Ever since his little fantasy this morning, he’d been unable to take his eyes off of her. He had to get some control over himself. Alex, like Jack, held no romantic illusions about love and marriage. Also like Jack, he’d learned to use women for his own needs and then leave soon after without a second thought. Alex’s past had left him hard and jaded. But unlike Jack, he’d been married before. He came home after being gone for several months to an empty house. It was at that moment he decided the SEALs and marriage were not compatible. And there was no way he was giving up the SEALs. Being the one left behind would never happen again. Alex looked at Anna. She’s different. She would understand what this life means to me.
Alex shook his head. He just needed to get laid and he would be over it. He sat down in the chair that Jack usually occupied next to Anna’s bed. He closed his eyes and started to breathe deeply, trying to find his center and relax. He concentrated on his breathing and began to calm himself as he started to think things through.
A SEAL medic, or “Doc” as they were often called, knew better than anyone there were things you could control and things you couldn’t control. Anna’s condition was in the no-control category for the time being, at least until he had more information. He needed lab reports to find out if he needed to send tissue and blood samples to the CDC. Alex made a mental list of supplies and labs. He mapped out his plan a
nd was starting to actually feel like he was accomplishing something when all hell broke loose.
Alarms started going off all around him. Anna was starting to shake violently and cry out. Alex jumped to his feet and calmly let the battle-hardened medic in him take over. He was blind to everything around him, including her pain. She’d spiked a fever over one hundred three and was now convulsing. The infection in her shoulder as well as the fever were sending her into shock. He called outside for an ice blanket as well as bags of ice to try and cool her down. It was then that Jack decided to finally show again.
“What the hell?” Alex heard Jack say.
“Get out, Rock. I’ll come for you as soon as I can,” Alex snapped.
Alex and the nursing staff were busy placing ice packs on Anna and trying to get her under control. He turned around in time to see a nurse start to administer some medication.
“What the hell are you doing? You have orders!” Alex said harshly.
“It’s medication to control her dropping pressure, Chief. It’s too high, she’ll stroke out,” the nurse snapped defensively.
“Don’t you do a damn thing.” Alex placed an ice bag under Anna’s injured arm much to her protest.
“Senior Chief—”
“Not a fucking thing! I’ll do that in a minute. Get these ice packs on her and then get that chill mat up here! You want something to do? Get those fucking lab results!” Alex demanded.
The nurse left the room in a huff. Alex didn’t care if her thong was in a wedge. He needed to make sure there were no other complications. He would have a hell of a time explaining all this to Rock.
* * * *
Jack didn’t hesitate. As he turned and walked away he could hear Doc shouting orders. He tried desperately not to look back. It seemed like forever as he paced back and forth in the waiting area. He felt like a caged animal and wished Doc would get his ass out here. He didn’t dare go back into Anna’s room until he had the all clear. He looked at his watch. It had been almost an hour since he left Anna’s room and there was still no news.
This had been one hell of a day and it just seemed to be going from bad to worse. He recalled Mac’s favorite saying. The more screwed up a mission is at the onset, the better it turns out at the end. This thing must’ve one hell of a happy ending because it had been one screwed-up deal from the get-go.
Jack had his back turned to the doorway of the waiting area when he felt something change in the room. He turned and saw Doc. Alex cocked his head silently, saying follow me. Jack almost leapt out the door.
Jack followed Alex down the hallway and outside to a courtyard not far from the ICU. When they stopped Alex looked at Jack. He didn’t have to say a word. Jack already knew. More bad news was coming his way.
“Please tell me she’s not dead,” Jack said.
“Yet.”
Jack sent up a silent prayer and started breathing again.
“She’s dying, Rock. And I can’t tell you why,” Alex said, frustrated.
“What the hell, Doc? She was shot in the damn shoulder for crying out loud. That’s not a critical wound! What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know…” Alex trailed off.
“So what’s happening? Explain this to me.”
“She doesn’t have staph or any of the usual shit that happens in a hospital. I think that bullet that got her not only had her name on it, it might have had a little extra insurance, too.”
Jack’s blood ran cold. Lacing projectiles was an ancient trick. Everything from feces to rotting animals could be used. Lately enemies were kicking it up a notch, using pathogens like smallpox and anthrax as well as Ebola. Jack closed his eyes and walked away and suddenly remembered all the medication and medical supplies that had gone missing from BAMC. The auditor’s computer Anna had been working on while in Coronado. Could it be? He recalled the laptop they had recovered in Victoria with plans of a biological attack on the US military.
“What does she have? And how long does she have left? And what about everyone around her, people who’ve treated her?” Jack questioned.
“That’s just it. We can’t isolate the source of the infection. I don’t think it’s contagious. If it were, you and I would already be feeling it. You for sure. You were soaked in her blood yesterday. I should’ve known something wasn’t right because there was way too much blood for that type of wound.”
“What the hell do you mean you can’t isolate it?” Jack demanded.
“I’m doing everything I can, boss. I just don’t know. I’ve already called some of my contacts at the CDC. I’ve faxed the labs to them and I’m overnighting some tissue samples and blood.”
“What about exposure? Does she need to be contained?”
Alex shook his head. “I guess we could isolate her. No…I think this was meant solely for her. But I’ll limit contact, and you and I need to be careful right now.”
“Have you told anyone else?”
“Not yet. If I’m right, and I usually am, it’s not contagious. I’m treating this like it’s a really bad bacterial infection, and I’m getting really aggressive, Rock. I just talked to her doctor and he agrees. We’re trying an experimental drug.”
“Alex—”
“Rock, we’re fucked right now. If I don’t do this she won’t survive the night.”
Jack appraised his chief medic. Alex Richards was the best medic he’d ever worked with. Jack would have argued Alex was the best in the Navy. It was one of the reasons Jack had hand-picked Alex for this group. He knew that Alex wouldn’t do this unless he was absolutely sure there was no other option.
“Okay, limit her contact with anyone until we know for sure it’s not contagious. And do whatever you need to bring her out of this. Don’t let anyone else give her anything unless you know about it, understood?” Jack ordered.
“Aye, Captain,” Alex said as he turned.
Jack followed closely behind and waited outside until everything seemed to be under control. He walked in and sat next to Anna’s bed and tried to think. He found he was having a hard time focusing. He kept watching Anna. She wasn’t pale anymore. She was gray. Jack had seen enough dying people to understand what he was seeing now. Alex was right. She was dying. Oh God, please. Jack knew he had to quit blaming himself because he wouldn’t be able to help her if he let his emotions get in the way.
Grabbing the remote control, he switched on the TV and started watching Fox News. He found himself able to concentrate on his tasks. He began to think things through. Even though he didn’t want to, he would have to leave the hospital and check on progress at the base. He needed to call Rafe and Mac and get their story straight. The next task would be more difficult. He also needed to notify Anna’s family. Even though he knew he was taking a huge risk, that call would have to wait a day longer. He watched as Alex switched the medication that Anna was currently using.
“If this doesn’t work, Rock, we’re fucked and so is she,” Alex said.
“Well then, it needs to work, doesn’t it?”
Chapter 31
Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
Trauma Intensive Care Unit
August 23, 2008/0416 Zulu
Jack watched Alex change the medication for the second time. Anna’s fever wasn’t getting any better and would suddenly spike without warning. All her tests were coming back inconclusive or negative. He got up and walked around the corner. He paced for a moment back and forth until Alex stopped him.
“That’s about all we can safely pump into her.” Alex looked down at the empty IV bag. He pulled the tag off and threw it in the trash. “I need to update her chart.” Alex walked back into Anna’s room and Jack followed closely behind.
Jack switched on the TV once more. He really needed to rest. Jack settled in and just let his mind go blank. He stared at the TV without seeing what was going on. Alex took the seat next to him. They said nothing for a long time as they stared at the flickering screen. Both men were worn physically and me
ntally. This is where the combat-hardened SEAL kicked in.
During their training, they were pushed beyond human limits. Exhaustion and mental numbness became a standard day. For many of their missions discomfort and even pain was a rule. Waiting patiently was also a trait good SEALs needed to possess, but that didn’t mean they liked waiting. They had to wait for Anna to either snap out of whatever had a hold of her or die. Jack looked at Alex. He hadn’t had much sleep, but his medic hadn’t had any. It was evident that exhaustion was setting in. The last thing Jack needed was for Alex to make a mistake.
“Go. There’s nothing more you can do. Get some rest and come back in the morning. If anything changes, I’ll call you,” Jack said.
“I don’t mind staying. It’s not like I’ve got plans,” Alex said as he looked at Anna.
Alex put his head back and closed his eyes.
“That would be an order, Senior Chief. Go. I don’t need you making a mistake because you can’t think straight. Go and get some sleep.”
Alex looked at Anna, and Jack could tell that he was contemplating the scenarios that could happen. There was nothing more they could do. Everything had been used up or was on an auto drip that didn’t need to be changed for another eight hours. Alex stood and sighed.
“They have staff sleep rooms not far from here that I can use. I’ll be in there. Just call my cell,” Alex said.
“Go.”
Jack closed his eyes in frustration. Someone was calling him and he tried to answer but couldn’t because his body wouldn’t obey. His eyes flew open and he realized that he’d dozed off. Jack looked at Anna and saw she was awake, looking at him. Her eyes were open and she was trying to call out.
“Jack…” Anna whispered again.
He sat up in his chair and leaned closer to the bed. Anna had somehow managed to turn onto her side.
“What is it, Anna? Can I get you something?”
Anna weakly shook her head.
