by Taylor Lee
The doctors were more guarded about Peter’s chances for recovery. They didn’t hide their concern. Peter had been hit three times, one bullet was wedged in his chest scant inches from his heart. Another caught his thigh, missing the femoral vein by centimeters. The final and most dangerous bullet was lodged in his brain. They’d called in a world renowned brain surgeon, Dr. Jhang, from Walter Reed Medical Center to perform the challenging surgery.
Tom Roberts had been frantic for news about Lexie. In halting words, he described what happened. His horror about his wife’s role was apparent but his greatest concern was for Peter and Lexie. Roberts described how Peter had hurled himself across the room when he saw Ji-Hun point his gun at Lexie. Roberts recounted in broken phrases how desperately he wanted Lexie to live, praying that if Peter died that he would not have died in vain. Jake, Master Wan, Tiffany and Brady all agreed that no one would tell Lexie of Peter’s heroic action unless and until he survived the surgery.
While Jake and Brady paced and Tiffany handled the calls that were backed up on Brady’s phone, Master Wan sat quietly in his chair. His hands rested palms up in his lap, his eyes were at half-mast. Only the occasional tear leaking down his face revealed his pain. When Master Wan first arrived at the hospital, Jake met him at the entrance to the emergency room. The two men embraced for several long moments without speaking. Everyone, including some of the hospital personnel, had moist eyes seeing the heartrending pain in the elderly man’s eyes. Jake noted that none of the four of them mentioned Anthony’s death, but then they didn’t have to. It was a hideous, ever present bond they all shared.
Just when Jake had reached his limit and was heading to the surgery suite to assert his role as commander, Dr. Matheson met him in the hallway.
“They’re taking her to her room now, Jake. We’re going to keep her overnight as a precaution, but she can go home in the morning. She’s pretty beat up and is going to be sore as hell for days to come but…”
The doctor’s words trailed off, and he grinned watching the commander and the rest of their team literally run down the corridor to Lexie’s room.
Jake was grateful that the others waited at the door giving him and Lexie some private moments.
“I’m okay Jake, honest I am. I hurt all over but that’s to be expected. I’m just so relieved that—” She stopped and shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them Jake wasn’t surprised to see her tears.
“You can tell the others to come in, Jake. Is Master Wan here?” At his affirming nod, she groaned. “Oh God, he must be so upset.”
“He is, Lexie, but he is strong and you are fine. Just keep that smile on your face whether you feel it or not.”
Lexie nodded and gave him a watery grin and turned to face the others.
After tearful reunions with Master Wan, Brady and Tiffany, Lexie insisted on an update.
“Please. Tell me how Peter is.”
When Jake hesitated, the color drained from her face.
“Oh God. Please, Jake. Please tell me he’s alive.”
Jake held her hand and looked her in the eye.
“He’s alive, Lexie. But he is in grave danger. Three bullets hit him, any one of which could have been instantly fatal. They have a crack team of surgeons working on him now. They even flew in a specialist from Walter Reed. Seems our spook has friends in high places in the U. S. as well as Korea. Darlin’, you need to prepare yourself. It may be as long as twelve hours before we have definitive news.”
Tears swam in Lexie’s eyes. She breathed out a long sigh and looked from one to the other.
“Peter saved my life. No two ways about it. You know that, don’t you? He yelled at me to get down. Then he hurtled across the room and covered me with his body. At least two of the bullets that hit him were meant for me.”
Silence greeted her broken statement. After a moment, Jake spoke.
“Lexie. Peter did what any one of us would have done, including you. He put his life in danger to save yours. Master Wan, Brady, Tiffany and I all would have done the same thing. And, Lexie, so would you if the situation was reversed. Please understand that and then do what the rest of us are doing. Pray to every God you know, that the courageous son of a bitch will pull through.”
For the next hour they ran through the extraordinary events. Gallows humor helped by Brady’s outrageous sense of humor carried the day. Tiffany got as much praise as anyone for her fortuitous entry and stunning kill shot.
Jake grimaced. “I guess I should thank you for shooting a bullet over my woman’s head to hit Ji-Hun square in the forehead. But uh, next time, Major? Could you leave more than a couple of inches between the kill shot and Lexie?”
Tiffany tossed her head. “Listen, Commander. My father taught me that shot when I was nine years old. I don’t have to tell you that I had some strange-looking Barbie dolls. Come to think of it, that may be one of the reasons the neighborhood moms wouldn’t let their daughters play with me.”
In the hoots of laughter that followed, Dr. Matheson entered the room.
The grinning doctor shook his head. “I guess I don’t have to ask how my stoic patient is. Or how the rest of you are holding up.” He glared at Lexie in mock disapproval. “As for you. I want to tell you, in front of witnesses, that is the last surgical procedure I will ever do without anesthesia. I don’t care how damn heroic or persuasive my patient is.”
Jake jumped to his feet looking from Lexie to the doctor. He frowned seeing the heated flush on Lexie’s cheeks.
Dr. Matheson continued, “At least she let me give her Advil. But I had to promise that it would in no way hurt the—”
He stopped in mid-sentence at Lexie’s sudden coughing attack. Tiffany and Jake both lunged for the water carafe. After a minute of sipping on the water, Lexie was able to control her cough.
Jake glared at the doctor and then back at Lexie. He didn’t miss the pleading look that Lexie sent Matheson’s way. Jakes’ stomach did a three hundred and sixty degree flip, only to be outdone by the ferocious shockwaves streaking up the back of his neck. If he’d plugged himself into a high voltage outlet, the result couldn’t have been more shocking. Seeing the appeal in Lexie’s eyes, part of him didn’t want to ask the next question, and for a long moment he couldn’t. After all, speech required at least the semblance of moisture in one’s mouth. Long seconds and several hard dry swallows later, he collected enough spit in his mouth to inquire.
“Lexie. Why didn’t you let the doctor give you anesthesia when he removed bullet fragments from your body?”
When she just stared at him forlornly without answering, he repeated softly: “Why, Lexie? Why didn’t you, Darlin’?”
Lexie flushed a dark rosy pink. She bit down on her plump lower lip, then heaved a deep sigh.
“Hmm. Uh, Jake.” She visibly swallowed. “Um, Jake. Remember the disguise I wore the other night at the warehouse?”
Jake felt the muscles in his legs turn to jelly. He managed to nod.
“Well… well it’s like this, Jake. About seven months from now I won’t need to pad my stomach with pillows.”
Jake’s world rocketed from side to side before settling into more tolerable dizzying circles.
“You… you’re pregnant?”
Lexie smiled a hopeful smile. “Yes, Jake. I’m… we’re pregnant.”
Chapter 27
Jake woke with a start. Taking one deep breath after another, he tried to quiet his racing pulse. It was no use. His heart was hammering so hard against his chest, he was afraid it would wake Lexie. He carefully slid out of bed, grabbed his shirt off the floor, and mopped his brow. Damn, who would know a guy could sweat this much from nightmares alone. He headed to the dojo deciding that like every other damn night since they’d left the hospital he’d look for relief by hitting the bag. Hit the bag. Then hit it again.
Seeing a light under Master Wan’s door he peered inside.
The Master was sitting behind his desk, a knowing smile on his face
.
“Unable to sleep, Jake?” As he spoke the Chinese man took out another glass and motioned to the chair in front of his desk. He raised the bottle of Makers Mark in a silent inquiry.
Jake sunk down in the chair and ran his fingers through his tousled hair.
“Hell, yes. And don’t skimp on the booze. I gotta get some sleep tonight and I’m not sure I’m up for another several hours on the heavy bag. Although it does help. Some.”
Taking a long pull on the whisky, Jake peered up at Master Wan.
“Jesus, how can I expect to sleep? Every time I think I’m about to nod off I get another image of those bastards attacking her. And then, Christ, I think about the fact that she’s pregnant, carrying our child. Then I think about how I let her be the front person at the warehouse. Damn, man. How stupid can a guy get? I shoulda figured it out. Should’ve realized Lexie was trying to tell me something, at least subconsciously, with that disguise.”
Jake buried his head in his hands. When he looked up he appealed to Master Wan.
“How could I have been so blind? And dammit, how could she have done something so foolish?”
Master Wan raised an eyebrow.
“Because Jake, she is who she is. She is your Lexie, my Jai Li. Like you, Jake, she was determined to bring down those evil creatures. What frustrates you about her, also makes you love her all the more.”
Master Wan chuckled, his grin visible in the darkened room.
“You think she is headstrong now, my friend? You should have seen her as a teenager.”
Jake groaned. “Jesus, man. You’re a saint!”
“Perhaps.”
They both laughed.
Master Wan continued. “But Jake, she is also the most loving, most formidable woman I’ve known. Nothing she could do could make me love her less or admire her more.”
Jake nodded and held up his glass for a refill.
“Promise me you’ll never die? I can’t do this alone. Damn, wait until we have a couple little ‘Lexies’ running around. I don’t know how I’ll stay sane.”
“I presume, Jake, like Lexie, you will be spending many hours pounding the bag. The rest of the time you’ll be thanking your gods for the outrageous woman they’ve blessed you with.”
Jake nodded and settled back in his chair. Soon the wonder of the fact that they were going to have a baby began to crowd out his fears. At the thought a soft smile snaked across his face.
~~~
“Please, Peter, wake up. I need to thank you for saving my life.”
Lexie sat by the hospital bed, leaning close to the pale man stretched out beside her. Only the clanking sounds of the machines hooked to his body answered her plea.
Jake stood in the back of the room with Dr. Jhang, who had turned out to be a striking Korean woman. Every day they both stood at a respectful distance, listening to Lexie’s anguished pleas.
“Please, Peter, please wake up. You saved my life, yes. But it is more than that. So much more than that, Peter. You also saved my son. Jake’s and my son. I know you didn’t know that I was pregnant, Peter. Like Jake, you would have tied me to a tree rather than let me go after those vile people.”
From across the room, Jake didn’t squelch his confirming grunt.
“Do you understand, Peter? You can’t die. You have more work to do. Our son needs to know the man who saved his life. Do you hear me? I want you to wake up, Peter. Now.”
Dr. Jhang moved across the room next to Lexie. She pulled up a chair and sat beside her. Grasping Lexie’s hand, with her other hand she reached for Peter’s hand.
“He can hear you, Lexie. He really can. I am convinced Peter will wake up.”
For a moment they listened to the hiss and click/clanking of the machines.
“I have a confession, Lexie.”
Lexie looked up questioningly at the lovely woman beside her.
“At night, before I go home, after I’m finished in the O.R.? I come in here and talk to him. I tell him about my day. It’s just… I find it relaxing. Somehow I know that he hears me.”
Lexie squeezed her hand.
“He does, Mia. I know he does. Please don’t stop doing that. Peter needs you as much as he needs all of us.”
~~~
A week later, Lexie woke, surprised to see Jake leaning up on his elbow staring at her body. He’d unbuttoned her nightgown and spread it open. He was gazing at her naked body, his eyes were dark, intent.
“Wh… what are you doing, Jake Gardner?”
“I wanted to look at you. To see if your body has changed.”
“Since this morning you mean? When you spent at least ten minutes looking for changes? Studying me like a scientific experiment?”
Jake laughed.
Then his smile died. He ran his fingers gently around her nipples, stopping to tweak each one. A smile tugged at his lips.
“You know, that book, Lexie? The one about what to expect?”
“Maybe. The one that you’ve read aloud to me six times now?”
He chortled. “Yeah, that one. Damn, Darlin’. They say your nipples might be sore. What they don’t say is all you need to prevent that is a guy with great hands and a facile tongue.”
Lexie giggled and squirmed under his erotic touch.
Jake’s voice tightened. “Your body has always seemed like a work of art to me, Lexie. I never tire of looking at you, touching you. But now, Darlin’, it’s a miracle. A miraculous miracle machine making our child.”
Lexie touched his lips. “I didn’t do it by myself, Jake.”
“No Darlin’, you sure as hell didn’t.” He guffawed, “Someday we’ll have to figure out why that birth control didn’t work.”
She shrugged. “People don’t realize it’s not 100 % sure.”
Jake chortled. “Well you can kinda understand why we might be the exception that proves the rule.”
Lexie’s eyes danced with mischief. “Um, yes we are a little frequent, and—energetic.”
“As in two or three times a day?”
Jake winked at her. “Let’s face it, honey. If those squiggly little fellows of mine get as turned on when they see you as I do? Damn, there’ll be no stopping ‘em. We better start preparing for a dozen rugrats, Lexie.”
He tipped up her chin and stared deep into her eyes.
“I guess this means we should think about getting married, Darlin’.”
She stroked his cheek and nodded. “I thought you’d never ask, Big Guy.”
They lay quietly in each other’s arms, then Jake roused up to sit next to her.
“Uh, Lexie, there is one thing I’ve been wondering.”
He slipped his hand between her legs and grinned when he felt the moisture. He touched his fingers to her lips. “Mmm, taste that, Darlin’. Have you ever tasted anything sweeter? “
At her soft moan, he put his fingers in his mouth and sucked on them.
He shot her a wicked grin.
“Tell me, baby. Are we going to be able to keep up our lovin’, our kind of lovin’? Or are we gonna have to get a book and figure out how to do that missionary position?”
Lexie laughed, a joyous tinkling sound. “Absolutely not! No, Jake, our little guy needs to know who his parents are. What we’re like even if we do jostle his fish tank at least once a day for the next seven months.”
“What about after he’s born?”
Lexie frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well Darlin’, one of the things I like best is the way you scream…”
“Hey! How about the way you roar?”
Jake winked at her. “That, too…”
“No, Jake, like I said, it’s best our son knows now what outrageous parents he has.”
“That’s good to hear you say that, Darlin’. How about you put your legs up here? That’s right. Wrap them around my neck. Mmm hmm. Yeah that’s the way, baby. I think it’s time to shake up our little guy’s fish tank.”
~~~
The next mornin
g, Brady and Tiffany came into their sitting room. Jake couldn’t decide who looked more excited.
Brady’s eyes were gleaming. “You ready for this, Big Guy? You too, hotshot?”
Jake held up his hands.
“Hell, yeah. Whatever it is, bring it on.”
Brady dropped a cell phone on the table.
“Guess who’s this is.”
Jake shook his head.
“It’s Ji-Hun’s.”
Jake’s eye widened and the corners of his mouth quirked up.
Brady pointed at the screen. “Take a look at the recent calls, Jake.”
Tiffany moved forward. “All of the calls are from the same number, Jake. From… Korea.”
Jake’s grin broadened. He looked at each of them and drawled, “How about we return one of those calls? I imagine the guy who made them is eager for news.”
Jake hit a key, putting the phone on speaker. After multiple rings, a voice answered.
“I knew it. I knew you weren’t dead, son. I knew you’d never let those bastards kill you.”
“You’re wrong, Young-soo. Ji-Hun is dead. Very dead. At this point he is in a pile of ashes with the rest of your evil men.”
Jake waited, letting the silence drag.
“Your son is dead. But we’re not.”
“Who… who is this speaking?”
Jake drawled. “Let me see. I’ll do a quick roll call for you. We have Col. Brady Schaefer here, and Major Tiffany Anderson. You know Alexis Beloi, and I’m Col. Jake Gardner.”
There was another long silence.
Jake chuckled. “We wanted to see how you’re doing, Young-soo. We haven’t heard from you since we decimated your filthy operation here and butchered your son.”
He waited for a moment, then added, “You’re not talking much. Not to worry. We’ll catch up when we see you in person.
“Oh, and by the way, Young-soo? You will be seeing us all of us. Soon.”
**********
Afterword
Thank you for reading Every Breath You Take, the final book in The Blonde Barracuda’s Sizzling Suspense Series. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. The collection includes Big Girls Don’t Cry and In the Still of the Night along with three—soon to be four—short stories.
