by Riker, Becky
“Doesn’t appear to be?”
“There’s still some swelling,” the doctor explained. “She’ll have to be seen again in a couple days.”
The doctor did give her a walking boot and some crutches so she did not have to rely on Slater to carry her.
“Ready to go?” the lieutenant was waiting by the doors.
“Yes,” Slater followed Anna, ready to catch her if she fell.
The lieutenant directed them to their rooms. Slater walked into Anna’s and dropped her bag, then proceeded to check the windows, the closet and the bathroom.
“Is he always this suspicious?” the lieutenant questioned her quietly.
She whispered back, “He’s still alive.”
The lieutenant must have realized he wasn’t necessary or wanted.
“The general will see you at oh nine hundred hours. There is a coffee shop between here and there,” he handed Slater some cash. “I wasn’t sure if you had any since your wallet was confiscated at Andrews.”
Slater thanked the man and watched him leave.
He looked back at Anna, “Will you be able to sleep?”
“Like a baby.”
He slipped past her, “I haven’t had much experience with those, but from what I’ve heard, they tend to stay up all night.”
She laughed and reached for her knob.
He stood in the hall, “Call me if you need me.”
“Thanks, Reed,” she closed the door, knowing he was going to check it before he went into his own room.
She opened her bag and pulled out a pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt. She would have preferred a shower, but she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get the bandages wet.
She climbed into the bath, leaving her injured leg out of the tub. Thank goodness the open side of the tub coincided with her left sided injury. She dunked her hair in the warm water and then sat up to scrub the shampoo through the lengths. She heard her phone ring, but she figured it was her dad checking up on her, and she would call him back after she got out.
She lowered her head into the water to rinse the suds from her hair. The water felt so good, she lay still, occasionally turning on the hot water to keep the temperature pleasant.
She was telling herself she should sit up and get ready for bed when she heard a pounding on the door.
Not the door of her room – the door to the bathroom.
She wished she had brought the pistol into the bathroom with her. She leaned forward to grab a towel and tried to stand up, but it wasn’t easy on one leg. She slipped back into the water with a splash. She swore softly.
The door knob turned.
Her heart stopped as she pulled the towel to her chest and put her foot in the water, no longer caring about getting her bandages wet. She stood up and stepped from the tub.
“Barnes?”
Anna gave a yelp of surprise at the sound of Reed’s voice.
“You okay?”
She wrapped the towel snuggly around herself and threw the door open, “Yes,” she snapped, “I’m fine. Or I was until you broke into my room.”
“I apologize,” he seemed to be having a difficult times getting the words out. “You – you didn’t answer your phone.
Slater spun around and faced the opposite wall.
Anna would have found it amusing if she hadn’t been recovering from a near heart attack.
“How do you know I didn’t just shut it off?”
He was now looking at his feet, “I could hear it through the wall.”
She sighed, “And what was so important that you had to tell me?”
He started to turn back to answer, apparently remembered her attire and dropped his eyes to his feet again.
“I wanted to make sure you fastened the chain.”
Anna took pity on him, “Can you hold on a sec, Reed?”
He nodded. She closed the door and put her shorts and t-shirt, wishing she had brought a sweatshirt in with her. It couldn’t be helped now. She wrapped a towel around her hair and opened the door.
“So,” she came out and faced him, “you wanted to make sure nobody could break into my room, so you did it yourself, and then what?”
“You didn’t answer my knock on the door, then I heard the tub running, and I was about to leave, but then I was afraid you might have fallen asleep in the tub. I knocked on the bathroom door and then it sounded like you fell, so I was going to, um.”
“Check on me?” she started laughing, “See how I was doing?”
“Well,” he met her eyes only briefly before dropping his gaze again, “I was actually not trying to see anything. I was going to – hey. Your foot is wet.”
She sat down and began taking off the bandages, “Yes. Well, when I realized someone was breaking into my room, getting out of the tub seemed more important than keeping my foot dry.”
The old Captain Reed returned, “I’ll go get some fresh bandages from my room.”
Anna blinked at the change. She watched him leave and reached for a brush to untangle some of the snarls. She didn’t have time to get all the way through it before he was back, supplies in hand.
He grasped her ankle and put her foot on the bed, “Have you taken your antibiotics yet?”
“No, but I will.”
He dried her foot and put a new bandage on, “You know, it isn’t great to get the stitches wet either.”
“How about sweaty? Like from running?”
He frowned up at her, “You planning on running on this?”
She shook her head, “I was talking about your stitches. The ones Hall put in.”
He shrugged, “It’s not like they were getting soaked in a tub.”
“They must have gotten soaked in the shower just now. You smell too good to have just dunked your head.”
He laughed, “Did I smell that bad before?”
“Oh, yes,” she nodded, face serious.
He looked embarrassed, “Sorry about that. I don’t think the guys always . . .we’re used to it and there wasn’t time,” he stood up.
“Reed,” she grabbed his attention, “I was just kidding.”
He met her eyes, “Nice.”
She put her foot down on the floor and scooted over on the bed. He didn’t take the hint to sit next to her.
“You’re not married, are you, Reed?”
He didn’t need to answer her. It wasn’t a question.
He answered her anyway, “You’re implying that seeing one woman’s body is the same as seeing another.”
She shrugged, “We’re built pretty much the same. Ankles, legs, hips,” she stopped speaking at the look on his face.
“It’s not the same,” his voice sounded a little hoarse.
She waited for him to explain.
He pulled the chair over and straddled it, “I wasn’t really into girls in high school.”
She raised an eyebrow, “You weren’t into them or they weren’t into you?”
“I guess it was the second.”
“And since then?”
“I came in at eighteen and joined the Green Berets at twenty one. There haven’t been a lot of opportunities to mix with women.”
She was confused, “I realize there are no women in the Green Berets, but you brush elbows every day with women.”
“Female soldiers,” he corrected. “It’s not the same thing.”
“So, you’re saying you keep it separate?”
“I do.”
“As long as we keep all our clothes on.”
He rested his forehead on the back of the chair, “I think I’m too tired to have this conversation.”
Anna reached out and touched his hand, “Go to bed, Reed. I’ll lock the door after you.”
He did as he was told and she hooked the chain after him. She had just climbed into bed when she heard a thumping.
“Reed?” she spoke through the wall.
It was silent for a while, but he finally answered, “I’m okay.”
“What happen
ed?”
Quiet again.
“Reed?”
“I was just banging my head against the wall.”
She laughed, “Goodnight, Reed.”
“Night, Barnes.”
CHAPTER NINE
Anna was definitely not ready to get up when she heard a knocking at her door the following morning.
She glanced at the clock, squinting. What she saw made her eyes pop open.
She flew to the door and attempted to throw it open, but the chain stopped it. “Sorry, Reed,” she closed it and released the chain.
“Was he very angry I wasn’t there on time?”
She started talking as soon as he entered, “I can’t believe I overslept.”
She began dragging a brush through her hair.
Slater stood watching her for a while before he could manage to get a word in edgewise, “Wow, you look even better in the morning.”
She stopped and stared at him.
That was not what he meant to say.
He cleared his throat, “General Merchan moved our meeting to thirteen hundred. I considered waking you to tell you, but I thought you could use the sleep.”
She sat down heavily, “Thanks.”
Slater was trying to back out of the room, but she stopped him, “Is that for me?”
He held a bag that appeared to be from a bakery.
“Um, sure,” he extended it toward her and then turned to go.
“Reed,” she called after him, “you don’t have to give me your breakfast. I can get my own.”
Would he ever stop looking like a fool?
“No, it’s for me – no, for you. I mean, I got enough for both of us. You can choose.”
In answer to his last question – apparently not.
She opened it up, “Do you prefer bananas or apples?”
He forced himself to take a deep breath before answering, “I like either one. Would you mind putting on a . . .um, some . . .sorry.”
Barnes didn’t question him or tease. She reached behind herself and grabbed a sweatshirt, pulling it quickly over her head.
“Oh, a blueberry muffin,” she went on as if nothing had happened, “do you mind if I have that?”
“Go ahead,” he pulled a bottle of juice from each of his pockets, “Orange or apple?”
She shrugged, “I chose the first muffin.”
He tossed her the apple juice. They ate in silence.
She was cleaning up crumbs from the bedspread when he finally worked up the nerve to speak again.
“You think I’m a pervert, don’t you?”
She shook her head, “I think the fact that you find me attractive is very flattering,” she shrugged, “even if it is because, as you so eloquently pointed out, you haven’t had a lot of exposure to women. That you respect me too much to stare at my chest speaks volumes of your integrity, and being able to admit that you’re human – well, that’s refreshing.”
That wasn’t what he expected her to say at all. One part of it bothered him, and he didn’t know how to clear it up without looking stupid.
“Barnes,” he was going to have to risk looking like an idiot, “I didn’t mean that I would find any woman attractive if she came out in a towel. I’ve seen plenty of women dressed like that or less.”
Her eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead.
“I knew that was going to sound bad before it even came out.”
She remained silent.
“I found you attractive without the towel.”
She started laughing.
He cursed his tongue, “Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse.”
She pressed an index finger to each eye, and he thought she might be crying, but then he saw her shoulders shaking and heard a snort of laughter.
“I’m glad this amuses you.”
She looked up at him and pressed her lips together, “Sorry.”
“Um hm, I can tell.”
“I’m sorry, Slater,” she seemed more earnest this time. “Please continue.”
He paused a moment, reveling in her use of his first name.
She obviously thought he had been struck dumb, “If I get back in my uniform will you talk to me then?”
“Funny,” he hoped that sounded deadpan, but he was trying to resist the urge to smile.
She shot him a look he couldn’t decipher, “I should probably get ready to go.”
“Yeah,” he stood up.
She walked him to the door, hobbling on one foot and a heel, “Will you stop by here before you head over or should I meet you there?”
He turned and looked at her, knowing he needed to say this now or he never would, “Anna, I was attracted to you before I saw you come out of the bathroom – even before I saw you in that dress. I’m sorry I’m such an idiot about how to say it, but I wanted to tell you I’ve never met a woman who combines the efficiency and skill you need for your job with sexy and feminine the way you do.”
She didn’t say anything. She just stood, staring up at him, blinking her eyes.
He wasn’t sure what to say now, so he turned and left.
A knock sounded on his door less than a minute later.
She stood outside, eyes still wide, “Thank you,” then she turned and went back to her room.
He closed the door, but her soft knock sounded again. This time she looked sheepish.
“I’ve locked myself out.”
He opened it easily, and she went in without another word.
Slater watched the door close and retreated to his own room. He was going to have to spend some time in prayer about his attraction to the lady in the room next to him. He was in no position to form a relationship. Beyond that, it was evident she didn’t share his beliefs.
The general looked very serious when they came in, “You two have some very serious accusations leveled against you.”
“I did what I thought was best to safely convey Miss Hanbali, Captain Barnes, and myself to our destination.”
The general looked down at his paper, “Captain Reed, you did considerable damage to a military aircraft, discharged your weapon on an air force base, accosted a military police officer, imprisoned a colonel, impersonated a colonel, stole two firearms from military personnel, impersonated an officer of the United States Air Force, incited another officer to impersonate a colonel, stole material evidence, and stole a military transport vehicle,” he looked up. “Have I missed anything?”
“Yes, sir,” Slater felt he may as well get on with it, “I also stole two civilian vehicles, stole a wallet from a civilian, stole fuel for one of the civilian vehicles, broke into and illegally entered an elementary school, lied to a civilian police officer, forcibly drugged a woman in my care, and disobeyed a direct order from my command regarding how to transport that same woman.”
The general’s eyes widened, “You’ve been busy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I understand why you didn’t go in the helicopter, but why did you not follow the contingency plan?”
“I was unsure where the leak had occurred and didn’t know who to trust, sir.”
The general harrumphed and then turned to Barnes, “You participated in the thefts of at least one of the vehicles.”
“All three, sir.”
He scowled and looked back at the paper, “You impersonated an officer and disobeyed a direct order from your command, Barnes. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“It was not safe to proceed as planned, sir. In order to accomplish the goal, we did as we saw necessary.”
“Miss Hanbali claims you drugged her, bound her and gagged her for the trip here.”
Slater spoke up first, “We did not do so until she threatened Captain Barnes’s life and stabbed her. “
The general sighed, “Sit down. I think you’d better tell me the whole story.”
Slater forced himself to not look at Anna to be sure she was okay.
He told the story as concisely as possible while includin
g as many pertinent details as necessary.
When it was over the general looked more tired than he had the previous night, “I think you did an admirable job of accomplishing your mission – even if a little unorthodox.”
“Sir,” Barnes spoke up, “if I may?”
“Go ahead, Captain.”
“I’m still not sure who assigned Captain Reed and me, but they must have known he was trained to think outside the box.”
“Of course,” the general could see where she was going with this.
“They must have known he would accomplish the task no matter the obstacle. He accomplished the goal with no loss of life and with minimal property damage.”
“You haven’t seen the repair bill for the tail rotor,” he reminded her.
She looked at Slater, “What did you do to the tail rotor?”
He shook his head.
“At any rate, sir, if he had not gone above and beyond, using the training he was chosen for, we would have died. Furthermore, as Captain Reed mentioned, Miss Hanbali admitted to us that she had manipulated the situation so we would use the contingency plan. If he had not seen the potential for that very problem, the US government may have lost Hanbali and whatever value they see in her.”
Slater clenched his jaw to prevent his lips from smiling at her implication that there was little value to be had.
“You make a good point, Captain,” the general conceded, “but we cannot have complete anarchy.”
“Do you intend to court-martial us?” she asked.
“Of course not,” the general wasn’t going to pretend he could. “The situation is too volatile.”
“So?” she prompted.
He answered very honestly, “So, you stay here for a while, and we make a show of pretending to discipline you.”
Slater interjected, "I have to see my team laid to rest.”
“I was sorry to hear about your loss,” the general began gathering the file. “You and Captain Barnes – should she desire – will be allowed to go to the ceremonies of your men as well as her crew mates. We will expect you back here within a reasonable time after each.”
Slater knew a “reasonable time” varied according to where each funeral was, so he didn’t need to ask.
“How long will we be confined to Langley, sir?” Anna seemed frustrated by this turn in events.
