Hot Extraction: SEALs, Marines, and Infantry - A Military Romance Boxed Set

by Kathryn Thomas

  She would wait a few weeks and try to contact him again. In the meantime, she would continue to try and reach him by phone, so she could apologize for what she had done. She desperately wanted to try to make him understand that she was here for him and that she loved him. If she couldn’t do that, she had no hope for a future with him. The mere thought of a life without him made panic seize up in her chest. Things could not end this way. They just couldn’t.

  ****

  Kristina landed in Philly late that night and Janine was waiting for her when she got off the plane. Kristina had called Janine while she waited for her flight to board in Texas. She told her everything that happened between her and Danny. As soon as she saw Janine, she walked into her arms and finally let her tears fall. “I can’t find him, Janine. He won’t answer any of my calls.”

  “He’s just mad right now. He’ll come around,” her friend said. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  Janine drove Kristina back to her condo and sat with her, talking all night. They had a few drinks and Kristina told her in detail about her trip and also about the news Danny had gotten from the base psychiatrist.

  “I can’t go into detail of why, but they can’t send him back on to the battlefield. It will kill him. He tried to put up this front when we were yelling at each other, this whole, I’m a Marine, crap, but he won’t survive it if they send him back,” Kristina told Janine.

  “Maybe they will realize that before he goes. I don’t know, love. You just have to hope for the best is all.”

  “I know, but hoping for the best is killing me. I just want to read a message, hear his voice on the other end of the phone, something to tell me that he’s okay. I don’t think I’m going to be okay until I know that he is.”

  “You really love him, don’t you?” Janine asked her.

  “Yes, I do. So much. I just hope that the love I have for him is enough to get him back.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The next few weeks were a blurry haze for Kristina. She still hadn’t heard from Danny directly, but had somehow managed to find out that he had in fact reported for duty a week ago. She felt a little better knowing that he was okay, but would have much preferred the information to come from him.

  She had finished her story for Mr. Cooley and turned it in soon after she got home. She wanted to be finished with it and move on from the piece. Mr. Cooley was extremely happy with the reviews that he was receiving on the story. As promised, she received her promotion and now had a new office and title.

  She should have been on cloud nine, but it seemed like everyone around her was happier for her than she was for herself. She wanted to celebrate with only one person, but that person refused to talk to her. She had no one to blame, but herself.

  Kristina leaned back in her office chair and looked out at downtown Philadelphia. Lead Journalist came with a lot of privileges: a pay raise, a corner office, and an expense account. The one thing it didn’t come with was a way to fill the emptiness in her life. As she stared out her window, she thought, What good was success if it can’t be shared with the person she loved most?

  Kristina heard a light tap on her office door and turned toward it.

  “Come in.”

  “Ms. Lead Journalist, I was wondering if you were available for dinner?” Janine said.

  “For my dearest friend, but of course,” Kristina said, matching Janine’s enthusiasm.

  She grabbed her purse and keys and walked toward her friend. Turning off the lights, they went downstairs and caught a cab to one of their favorite Italian restaurants. They walked in and one of the waitresses waved at them and called them over. The smell of garlic bread was really thick in the restaurant, since it was served at every table while people waited for their food.

  Kristina thought the smell was a bit much, but she tried to ignore it, as she walked toward their favorite table in the back. As they sat down, Janine looked at her with concern in her eyes.

  “Are you okay, girl? You don’t look so well.”

  “Yeah, I’m…” Kristina stopped to swallow hard. “I’m fine. The smell of the garlic is a little much.”

  Janine looked at her closely. She watched as Kristina’s face broke out in a slight sweat and she swallowed over and over, as if she was trying to keep something down.

  “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” she asked.

  “Of course, I’m sure. I just had my per-” Kristina paused, as she calculated the date of her last period. Suddenly, she started to look nervous and different emotions played across her face. Kristina looked at Janine and said quietly, “My last one was a week before I went to Humble. I hadn’t even noticed that I hadn’t had one because of everything that happened. Oh my god, Janine. I can’t be pregnant, not now.”

  “Well, let’s not panic. Let’s go buy a test and make sure. We’re not going to panic if it’s really nothing.”

  Both women grabbed their purses. Suddenly, dinner was the furthest thing from their minds. They caught a cab to the drugstore. Kristina grabbed almost every test they sold, ignoring the look of the cashier who checked her out. She wanted to be sure and she didn’t care what anyone thought.

  When the young cashier looked like she was going to ask about all the tests, Janine stopped her. “Mind your own business, girl,” she said, as she grabbed the bag and followed Kristina out of the store.

  It was a fifteen minute walk to Kristina’s apartment. During the entire walk Kristina accepted water after water from Janine. By the time she reached home she had to pee so badly that she ran to the restroom. “Don’t forget one of the tests,” Janine yelled after her. Kristina stopped and turned, while Janine tossed her one. Catching it, she turned back and finished her run to the bathroom.

  They spent the next hour and a half with this same routine. Kristina would drink water, accept a test from Janine, and run to the bathroom.

  “I don’t want to look at any of the results until I’m done taking all of them,” she told Janine, who had put on the kitchen gloves to transport the tests to the bar in Kristina’s kitchen. Eventually, there was a long line of them.

  “Last one,” Janine informed her.

  “I don’t have to pee anymore. In fact, if I ever pee again, it will be too soon,” Kristina said, holding a bottle of water in her hand.

  “Well, I think we have enough to go off of. Are you ready?” Janine asked her, looking expectantly at Kristina.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Kristina got up and walked in the direction of the counter. Before she got there, she veered in the direction of the bathroom. Janine laughed and tossed her the last test.

  ****

  “I’ve heard that defective tests are sometimes shipped to a store. Maybe you got a bad batch,” Janine said.

  Kristina bent down and looked at each test with Janine’s face right next to hers. She had started at the first one, and now, she was looking at the twenty-seventh test. She sat in shocked silence. There could be no mistake. She had twenty-seven positive results, so she was definitely pregnant and was going to be a mother. Dismayed, she said to Janine, “How did I let this happen?”

  “You guys didn’t use protection?” Janine asked her.

  “No, not even once. It was always spur of the moment type of stuff. Only the last time was planned and, even then, I didn’t think about protection. He may be halfway across the world by now. Even if he wasn’t, he doesn’t want to talk to me,” Kristina said, as she put her head down and let her hair fall around her shoulders.

  “I’m pretty sure something this important he would want to know, even if he’s mad at you. He would want to know he’s going to be a father, Kris. You’ve got to tell him,” Janine said, sitting down on the couch.

  “I know, but how? I don’t know how to get in touch with him,” Kristina said.

  “First, find a doctor and make an appointment. Shit, at least find out how far along you are and figure out your due date. Once you have all that, we will find him and tell him.�
�

  “We?”

  “Yes, I said we. You’re my best friend, so I’m going to help you do this.”

  Getting up, Janine walked over to Kristina and gave her a hug. “Congratulations, Kris. I’m so happy for you. Now, since you can’t drink anymore, let’s go get some ice cream and drown it in chocolate syrup to celebrate.”

  Kristina’s mouth watered at the mention of ice cream. “Let me dispose of these tests first and then we can go.”

  “Wipe that counter, too! That’s pee up there!” Janine said. They both laughed, as Kristina brought the trash can toward the counter and dumped all the tests into it.

  ****

  “So what did he say?” Janine asked Kristina, as she came out of the doctor’s office.

  “I’m ten weeks, he said. My due date is the sixth of January.”

  “This is so exciting. I can’t wait till she gets here. I’m going to spoil this baby so much.”

  Kristina watched as her friend got more and more excited. She had to admit that she was excited, too. She would be even more excited, if she could tell Danny that he had a child on the way.

  Where are you Danny? she thought.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Danny sat in his bunk. He had been called back to active duty three weeks ago. He had a long talk with his commander and convinced him to cut him a break. As a result, he was not forced to return to the battlefield. Instead, he allowed him to enroll in military police training. It was hard work, but he wasn’t a stranger to that.

  It had also been weeks since he had spoken to Kristina. He missed her more and more every day. He picked up his phone a number of times to call her, but always ended up hanging up before the call could be completed.

  He felt like an idiot. His anger had gotten the best of him when he overheard her on the phone. Even though he heard her say that she wasn’t going to use him for the story, the hurt and the anger that coursed through prevented him from really listening.

  After he overheard her, he had returned to the hotel room and gathered his things. Then, he took a cab back to the base. He had left her the rental car, so she could back to the airport. At the time, he felt betrayed and focused only on how he opened himself up to her and trusted her with private information.

  In the weeks that passed, he began to think things through. He knew that he should have given her a chance to explain herself. He should have let her, at least, tell her side of the story. He longed to hold her in his arms one more time and make love to her again. He loved her and craved her.

  Getting up he walked to the window and watched a few men working out. He heaved a deep breath. Maybe one day he would get over himself and call her. He wanted to tell her he was sorry and that he missed her, but he just needed the courage to make the phone call.

  ****

  “Mr. Cooley, I understand, sir; but, it’s something that I think I need to do.”

  Kristina sat in her boss’s office, trying to get him to grant her vacation time. He was acting like she wanted him to cut off his left arm.

  “Kristina, you just got back,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re needed.”

  “Sir, but if you remember, I was gone on assignment. It wasn’t a vacation for me. I haven’t taken a day off since I started working here. I think I deserve some time off. You have seven other journalists that are really good at their jobs. I know that because you only hire the best.”

  She figured if she stroked his ego, he would agree. They went back and forth on the issue for another ten minutes before the door opened and Janine walked in.

  “Janine, I’m with one of my employees. May I ask why you’re in my office?” Cooley said, his lips puckering in their usual manner.

  “Cooley, it’s so nice to see you’re still being an asshole. How about not being one? Just give her the damn time off that she’s requesting.”

  It sounded as if he was choking on his own spit, as he searched for something to say. Kristina looked at her friend and fought not to smile.

  “I don’t use my position to my advantage very often. Normally, I let you handle and deal with your employees how you see fit, but don’t forget who hired you, Cooley. All she’s asking for is a month off, damn.”

  With that, Janine turned on her heels and walked out the office. When she got to the door, she winked at Kristina. Looking at Mr. Cooley, Kristina almost laughed. His face was so red that she thought it would explode at any time.

  “Well, it looks like my mind has been made up for me. One month, Kristina, and then I want you back here ready to work. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir. It is.” She stood and walked from the office, giggling under her breath as Cooley cursed Janine’s very soul.

  Janine was in her office when she got there.

  “You know you didn’t have to do that,” Kristina told her, smiling. “I was wearing him down.”

  “Hey, at least being senior partner of this god forsaken publishing firm is worth something. Besides, I can’t stand him. He’s mad because he wanted the job I have. Too bad I’m so much better than him,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

  “Oh my God. You’re so full of it,” Kristina said laughing.

  “I know, right. So when does your leave start?”

  “Right now, let’s go.”

  ****

  “I don’t even know how to find him. It’s not like I can call the military and ask. They won’t just tell me,” Kristina said to Janine.

  “Try to call him again. Only this time tell him that you’re hurt or something.” At Kristina’s look, she said, “What? It will get him to call you back, right? It serves him right for ignoring your phone calls this long.”

  “I know, but it still seems harsh,” Kristina said.

  “Well, do you have any other ideas?”

  “Well, no,” she said, as she exhaled a breath. “Alright, I’ll do it, but if he doesn’t call back I’m going to punch you for suggesting it,” Kristina said.

  Janine just hunched her shoulders and took a sip of the wine she was drinking. Kristina picked up her phone and dialed Danny’s number. As usual, it went to voicemail; but, instead of hanging up, she waited until she could leave a message.

  “Danny, it’s Kristina. I’m at the hospital and I need you to call me, please,” she said, trying to sound urgent.

  She hung up without saying another word, feeling horrible for what she had just done. She didn’t want to worry him for no reason. She looked over at Janine and raised her eyebrows.

  “Now, we wait,” Janine said.

  Kristina sat back and tried to watch the television, but her eyes kept straying to her phone. She wanted it to ring so badly. She wanted to hear his voice and to share her news with him. They had created life together and she didn’t want to be the only one that shared in that joy. He had a right to know, but his stubbornness was making that impossible.

  Fifteen minutes later, Kristina stood up in frustration. “Really, he’s not going to call. I guess he doesn’t care.”

  “Calm down, preggo. He probably hasn’t checked his voicemail. Give it some time,” Janine told her.

  “It’s just taking forever. I want this to be over already. I want him to know, just like I know.”

  She just finished her sentence when her phone rang. She had never moved as quickly as she did just then. She grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID. Letting out a sound of frustration, she answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Is Jessica there?”

  “You have the wrong number,” Kristina said.

  “Oh, sorry about that,” the caller said and hung up the phone.

  Kristina almost threw her phone across the room. She hadn’t set it down for a minute before it rang again.

  “If that’s that person looking for Jessica again, I’m going to scream.”

  Without looking at the caller ID, she answered her phone. “Hello?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Kristina
’s eyes got big. It was Danny. He actually had called her back.

  “Kristina, you said you were at the hospital. What’s wrong?”

  “Um, hey Danny. Well, actually I’m fine after all. Um, how have you been?”

  Janine rolled her eyes at Kristina, as she hunched her shoulders. She had no idea what to say or how to say it.

  “You just called me thirty minutes ago. You’re out the hospital already?” he asked skeptically.