by Holden, Abby
Still, he hoped that he had put enough distance between them. He glanced down at Megan again.
"Chief, if they find us… I won't let them hurt you again." He leaned over, gave her a kiss on the lips, then stood up.
Once more he got her settled into the crook of his arms and started walking. His eyes riveted on the other side of the valley, the trees, and his destination.
***
After getting Megan settled under a small tree near the edge of the small grove, Jake checked the area. There was no movement anywhere. He let out a soft sigh of relief. He could rest for a while.
He'd wait the night. If no one comes by morning, and they probably won't, I'll start the walk out of the mountains. He didn't have a hope in hell that either of them would make it, particularly Megan, but he would try.
Jake wiped the sweat off his forehead and realized that he had a fever too. Not surprising. He probably had internal injuries as well. He glanced down at Megan then settled his butt into the dirt near the base of the small tree and leaned back.
***
Jake woke with a start. Something wasn't right. His gut screamed at him. He always trusted his gut. His eyes panned the meadow area. Nothing. The sun was lower in the sky.
He berated himself for falling asleep then looked back at Megan. She had a sheen of sweat on her face, it was draining of color and whiter than ever. He cursed softly to himself as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
Slowly, he swiveled his head back to look at the meadow. He swept the far hillside again and this time found the movement on the hillside. Narrowing his eyes, he finally figured out what it was. A deer had just darted over the ridge.
A deer running scared.
Jake became more alert. Something had pushed the deer over the ridge. He waited but nothing showed itself. Slowly, he relaxed. Probably it was a natural predator.
He flexed his muscles to get them ready for the pain that would hit as soon as he moved. Then he painfully leaned over Megan's side. He felt for a pulse.
It was racing. And her skin was hot and clammy.
Damn.
He squatted down by her and sighed. He was fighting a losing battle. As much as he hated to admit that Megan had been right, she was dying. And there was nothing he could do for her. That tore at him the worst. He'd have to leave her body somewhere so when he came back he could find it. His heart was breaking.
With tears in his eyes, he went into survival mode, stripping her of the outer coat. Then he searched her pockets for anything of value that he could use. There was nothing.
He felt around the collar of the coat again but decided to leave it in tact in case something happened. The beeper was still well concealed. He put his face into the coat in desperation, hiding his grief.
He didn't want her to die. He had finally found someone he truly loved and loved him back, and now he had lost her. With a plop, he sat down on the ground and looked at Megan, tears streaming from his swollen eyes.
Jake grabbed her hand then leaned over and kissed her. "I'm sorry, Chief. I failed."
With a burst of anger, he tossed the coat away, grabbed Megan and pulled her onto his lap. He held her tightly to his chest, rocking and whispering to her. He poured out his soul sitting there, telling her things he could never otherwise admit.
A gunshot snapped his head up.
Jake quickly laid her down and moved cautiously past the tree. His eyes immediately moved to the ridge.
Two men were firing at another deer from the ridge. They were pointing at the carcass that had fallen farther down the mountainside. They were too far away to recognize, but he had a strong suspicion that they were with the group that had captured them. He watched them as they slowly topped the ridge, then after checking the area, headed to the fallen deer.
Jake cursed again and glanced back at Megan. There was no way, unless the guys left, that he was getting out of here carrying her. He might be able to scoot away by himself. He hurried to Megan's side, looking down at her. He started crying again.
"Guess it's time," his voice broke, "…to follow your orders… one last time, Chief." Jake squatted down by Megan and grabbed her head. He held it. I can do this. It's for the best. She wants this. I can do it. I can do it. But in his heart he knew this moment would haunt him the rest of his days.
Tears streamed out of his eyes. I have to do this. It's the only way. Anger suddenly burned in him. I'll kill the leak, just like this Meg. I’ll kill him too. His training started to kick in. Survival. Live. Anyway you can. He adjusted his grip. Survive for Megan. Do it for her. I love you.
Jake took a deep breath, hardening his heart to what he had to do. He took another deep breath and tensed his muscles. He squeezed his eyes shut as he took his third deep breath.
A whirling noise sounded in the distance.
Jake opened his eyes, his ears straining to hear what had to be his imagination.
Whirling.
Jake released her head and sprang to the edge of the woods. He cocked his head again. Yes, there was the distinctive sound of a helicopter. His eyes panned the far hillside, but the al Qaeda guys apparently couldn't hear it yet. Jake turned back to look at Megan.
The coat. The transmitter.
He sprinted to the coat and literally tore the collar open. His eyes swung back to the meadow and the other guys on the side. Even as his hands worked the material away from the small device, he kept an eye on the al Qaeda guys. If I can just get the helicopter's attention before the other guys see or hear…
He saw their heads snap up and look at the ridge near him.
Jake looked down at his hands. Concentrate on what you're doing. He quickly had the small transmitter out of the collar and gave it a quick look; he started to assemble it. He'd seen an article on one of these in an instruction book during training. He barely remembered it, but his training came back instantly. Even if he hadn't seen the article, he could probably guess how to assemble it. As he got the pieces in order, he glanced at Megan.
Pale. No sweat.
"Stay with me, Chief. Help's on the way."
Jake tapped out an SOS on the small device, then the word 'Ghost.' He did it again even as the whirling sound of a Black Hawk became distinct.
He moved to the edge of the trees and watched as the helicopter topped the ridge and hovered. His eyes panned the opposite hill and saw the al Qaeda guys running toward his side of the valley.
Famine hovered.
Jake looked at it again as he tapped out the message again. He didn't want to run out and flag the chopper down because if he missed, the guys would be sure to see him. And it had been drilled into him in training; never expose yourself to the enemy unless rescue is waiting.
Still, Famine hovered.
Jake tossed the transmitter aside and grabbed Megan. Screw normal procedure. He was taking the chance of letting the enemy see him. As he reached the edge of the woods, the helicopter did a bob, then turned and headed away from the ridge top.
"No!" Jake yelled. He stopped at the edge of the woods, not quite clearing it. He put Megan down and grabbed the transmitter.
In that glance, he had seen that Cowboy was flying Famine. He tapped out the same message. "Come on Cowboy. Pick it up."
S-O-S G-H-O-S-T
S-O-S G-H-O-S-T
The helicopter disappeared from view and the whirling of the helicopter faded from hearing.
Jake sat down with a plop in the mud. He tried one more time.
S-O-S G-H-O-S-T
All of the fight went out of Jake. There was nothing left to do but put Megan out of her misery and high tail it out of here. He clenched his fists in anger.
With a broken heart, Jake bent over Megan again. This time he gripped her head and kissed her lips.
"I'm sorry, Chief."
He kissed her again and began tensing his muscles.
The whirling noise sounded again.
Jake’s eyes sprung upward.
Famine was back.
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Jake shoved the transmitter into his pocket, picked her up and stepped out from the woods. He heard shouts behind him from the other side of the small valley, but his eyes were on Famine.
The helicopter hovered on the ridge top as though waiting for some sign.
Jake began running toward the chopper.
Famine lifted up briefly then swung down and swooped toward them as Jake cleared the trees.
Jake smiled his first genuine smile in a long time.
A bullet hit near him, but he ignored it. He continued to run toward the quickly approaching chopper, his eyes taking in the fact that Cowboy was flying, alone.
Famine landed and Cowboy jumped out and opened the back door.
Jake could see him watching the fast approaching al Qaeda. Bullets hit around him and the chopper, but they were wild as the guys firing were running too.
Cowboy hopped back into the cockpit. The blades began to rotate faster, preparing for take off.
Jake expended one last burst of speed as he neared the aircraft. He reached it just as his energy ran out.
Literally tossing Megan inside, he jumped in and pounded on the wall separating him from the cockpit. He lay down next to Megan, breathing harder than he had ever done. His breath came in gasps as he tried to suck air into his mouth. The helicopter went airborne, without a second to lose.
Several bullets hit the helicopter. One passed so close to Jake's head that he heard the whiz. He stayed on the floor of the Black Hawk. Once the flight leveled out after erratic maneuvers to escape the bullets, he sat up and looked at Megan.
Somewhere in the running or jumping onto the chopper, he had moved her leg. It was once again at an odd angle. He straightened it out then got her comfortable. He reached into the first aid kit and pulled out the emergency blanket. Not that it would do any good but it felt right. He could do no more for her, so he sat back, taking a deep breath of relief.
A blinking light caught his eye. He reached up with a groan and grabbed the handset. "Yeah?"
"Hey. Uh… How uh… Meg looks bad."
Jake nodded, even though Cowboy couldn't see him. "Yeah."
"You okay, Cupcake?"
"No. We need a hospital. Like yesterday."
"Yeah, I gathered that pardner. Hold on. I'm goin' as fast as I can," Cowboy said.
"Thanks," Jake said as he slumped back down.
"For?"
"The pick up."
"That's my job."
Jake grimaced. Megan's suspicions were still running around his mind. Half of him thought that Cowboy was the leak and the other half was pleading to him that he wasn't. Just his presence here spoke of the fact that he wasn't. But. "Flying alone?"
"Had to. You guys were written off the other day. I hope you can give me a good reference, 'cause I was already fired. I kinda stole Famine from White Pine," Cowboy said with a smile in his voice. "When Meg wakes up, I'll need her okey-dokey too."
Jake swung his eyes to her. Her color was tinged with gray. "If," he said, not keying the handset. Jake laid his head back and relaxed. Relief washed over him. His job was done. Now, if they got to the hospital in time, Megan might live.
"Hey Cupcake. Cupcake? Ya'all still with me?"
"Yeah." Jake blew out his breath.
"What tree did you hit?"
"Huh?"
"Your face. Man, someone did a number on you. What the hell happened pardner?"
"al Qaeda happened."
"Shit."
"Yeah." Jake grimaced. He wanted so much to confront Cowboy, but he knew he had to wait until they reached the hospital for Megan. His anger was like a volcano, so near the surface just waiting for a chance to explode.
Jake laid his head back and closed his eyes. He started to relax, which caused him to get drowsy; he felt the helicopter swivel to the side then float back the other way. Jake's eyes snapped open. He raised the hand set to his head. "What's up?"
There was no answer.
"Cowboy?"
"Minute." Came the answer. Then several muffled curse words. "We got a problem, Cupcake."
"Damn," Jake said keying the handset. "What?"
"Those al Qaeda boys shoot damn good."
"What?" Jake turned to look into the cockpit.
"One of them there bullets musta hit something vital. I'm getting' a rattle in the tail rotor. It's makin' the pedals spongy."
"And?" The aircraft slowed considerable and dropped lower to the ground. "Why are you slowing?"
"Can't push the steed."
Jake glanced at Megan. "Look Cowboy, you push this son of a bitch. Megan's dying. I don't care if you burn out the whole damn helicopter, just get us to the hospital."
"I'll try but…"
"But what?"
"If I lose the tail rotor, well, there ain't gonna be help for Megan then, 'cause pardner no one cares 'bout us," Cowboy said even as he increased speed a bit.
Jake cursed loudly. "Do your best."
"That I am."
They flew in silence for a few more minutes then the helicopter began to get unstable. Jake crawled over to Megan and strapped her in as best he could. He grabbed one of the helmets and pushed it on her head to protect her. Then he crawled back to where he had been and buckled himself in. He grabbed another helmet and put it on.
Jake heard cursing from Cowboy as he plugged in the helmet. "Anything I can do?"
"Pray."
Jake looked out the open door to the area where they were quickly descending. He noticed several houses a short distance away. His face scrunched up in puzzlement. These looked familiar. "Cowboy, where are we?"
Cowboy didn't answer as he fought the helicopter for control.
Suddenly, Jake recognized the valley. This was near where they had stopped the kidnapping of that Warlord's son. What was his name? The village owed White Pine. Megan had said that. "Cowboy, can you control it enough to land without crashing?"
"That's what I'm fuckin' trying to do."
Jake smiled. "Land as near to the village as possible. It's near the valley where we stopped the kidnapping."
"Can't guarantee that, but I'll give it…" Cowboy's voice drifted off as he again fought the almost spinning helicopter. "Just lost the tail rotor. Hold on. We goin' down."
The helicopter spun down.
Jake held on.
The ground rushed up at them, even as he heard Cowboy doing some creative swearing. The aircraft thudded into the wet field which used to contain poppies, then tilted to the side, blades digging into wet dirt, but it stopped moving.
Seconds seemed to stretch as Jake waited.
"Cupcake?"
"Still here. You okay?" he said, already unbuckling himself. He'd received a tremendous knock but the helmet had saved his head. Over all, he was unhurt by the crash.
"Yeah, sort of. Meg?"
Jake crawled over to her. He immediately felt for a pulse. "Still with us." He tore off her helmet and then his. As he slid out of the helicopter, he saw Cowboy trying to exit too. It looked like he was in pain as he shoved something into his pocket. He unbuckled Megan and hefted her once more in his sore, aching arms.
By the time Jake got completely out of the chopper, Cowboy was standing next to him. Cowboy had a stream of blood running down his head and he was holding his arm with his other one. He shook his head as he looked at Megan.
"Can you walk?" Jake asked even as he began moving toward the village.
"Yeah. I think." Cowboy pulled out a thermite grenade and after pulling the pin, tossed it into the cockpit. He hurried up to be near Jake. After a minute, there was an explosion. Neither of them flinched.
"Good. Do you know the language?"
Cowboy shook his head. "Megan did. Not me."
"Shit," Jake said. His eyes moved ahead to see that there were several men running toward them, each had a rifle. "Let's hope they still like us."
Cowboy walked beside the ex-military man. Soon the Afghans were within shouting distance. Two raised their rifles
and pointed at the Americans. They yelled. The two groups stopped only feet apart.
Jake shook his head. "We helped you. We're from White Pine, we need help." He glanced down at Megan then back up. "Cowboy, put your arms up in surrender."
"Can't."
"Why?"
"I re-injured my shoulder in the crash."
"Re-injured?" Jake asked still eyeing the rifles and the yelling men.
"Long story."
Jake turned his attention back to the natives. He tried a smile. "Help us. Please. Help."
One of the slower running men stopped next to the older man obviously in charge of this group. Jake looked him in the eyes. It was the guy they had saved from being kidnapped, Abdul Jameel Daud. His mind jumped back to the moment that he was staring into the injured man's eyes. He tried the words that Megan had told him to tell Daud in the helicopter. They came out wrong even to his ears.
Abdul squinted at Jake with a cocked head. He stepped forward past the guns. "You. You help me."
Jake nodded. "Yes. We need help. Help us."
The Afghan turned and rattled off something to the other men. The rifles slowly lowered. Duad turned back to Jake. He held out his arms as though he didn't know what could be done.
"Do you have a car? To drive us back to Kabul."
"Kabul?" Abdul asked.
"Cowboy act as though you are driving." He adjusted Megan in his arms again, groaning softly in pain.
Cowboy complied with only one arm.
Abdul frowned and turned to the older gentlemen. They seemed to have similar facial features. Jake bet that they were father and son, or at least relatives. They argued for several minutes. Finally, the guy in charge said something to Jake.
Jake looked at the son for a translation.
The father nodded yes and motioned to one of the other guys who moved closer to Jake, suspiciously and slowly. He held out his arms for Megan.
Abdul pointed at Megan. "He help you. You hurt…" He motioned to his face. He then pointed at the guy, made a carrying motion and pointed back toward the village. Abdul made the sign for driving a car, then pointed at himself, then at the mountain separating them from the city.
