by S A Monk
It wasn’t an impersonal team. They were her friends, co-workers, and colleagues, people who admired and liked her, people who would do their best to help her survive her life-threatening injuries. Nick kept reminding himself of that as he sat waiting for news.
Lance had gone to x-ray, where they had determined he had several cracked ribs, compliments of the beatings Chen’s guards had given him during his captivity. Now he was in with another doctor, getting his ribs treated and wrapped. Hopefully, he was getting a shot for the pain, too.
Nick had already had his shoulder wound treated. A round had torn a piece off of him, nothing he hadn’t suffered before. Under the blood-stained combat vest he wore, a thick bandage covered the wound. The blood and paint had been washed from his face, and the lacerations there butterfly-bandaged. After finger combing his hair, he hoped he wouldn’t scare the daylights out of the family when they arrived.
Exhausted, consumed with guilt and worry, he waited on the hospital sofa, his forearms braced on his knees, his head dropped nearly to his chest. Though his eyes were focused on it, he couldn’t have told anyone what color the carpet was beneath his boots. He didn’t know how he was going to look Colleen McHenry in the eyes. He’d promised to keep her baby safe, and he’d failed— miserably. Hanna wouldn’t be in the operating room now, fighting for her life, if he hadn’t taken her with him to rescue Lance. He’d been a fool to think he could keep her out of harm’s way in such a dangerous environment— a goddamned, addle-headed, love-blinded fool! And what was worse, he knew better, trained as he was.
Knowing that his brother was in the last guesthouse, he’d sent her with Kurt, figuring she’d be safe headed in that direction. He knew Kurt would protect her; that he’d stash her in the closed elevator car until it was clear to get on board one of the speedboats. What he hadn’t figured on was the damn security monitors, or that she’d see him getting the shit beat out of him!
He’d been able to take down the guard posted at the cottage door, silently and swiftly, without any problem. The right pressure spot earned the man a long sleep. The cottage had been strangely accessible, though. Once inside, he had known instantly that something wasn’t right. It had been too easy. It had felt like a trap waiting for him. He’d felt that gut warning before, in the Pakistan, right before his team had been ambushed.
Retreat hadn’t been an option, though. He had promised himself and his mother, he would bring his younger brother home. It didn’t matter that Chen knew he was coming. He was going to get his brother out. He’d been in tough situations before. He’d always found a way to complete the mission and get out alive. Hell, in the world of Special Forces’ operations, there was no such thing as an easy mission!
In spite of whatever awaited him, he’d been confident of eventual success. What he hadn’t expected, was Hanna showing up to rescue him. He’d never been so goddamned scared in his whole dangerous life. Seeing her holding that M-4 assault rifle that he knew she’d never fired in her safe and sheltered life, had damn near given him a heart attack.
But part of him had been incredibly proud of her, too. The courage it took to do what she had done was no small thing. Few civilians would have been that brave. She’d really had those guards believing she’d shoot them, too, if they didn’t do as she’d said. Frankly, it probably had just been a matter of time before Chen would have had both he and Lance shot. Hanna had been a timely intervention, probably a life-saving one.
He had admired the way she had stood up to Chen in the tunnel, too. Her nerve and quick-wit had probably saved their bacon a second time as well. Keeping her head in the midst of an extremely lethal situation had given him the opportunity he’d needed to free them all from Chen and his guards.
If only she’d run like he’d told her afterwards. She’d waited for him, for Heaven’s sake! For as long as he lived, he’d never forget the anxiety on her face for him, or the utter panic in her eyes, seconds later, when she’d realized she’d been shot twice. If she died because of his stupidity in risking her life, he’d never forgive himself. Damn it! If she died, his life would be worthless!
A tap on his shoulder brought his head up. Lance was standing beside him with two steaming cups of coffee in his hands. Nick took one gratefully. It looked strong and black, just what he needed. “How are your ribs? Did they give you a pain shot?”
“Still sore as hell, but yeah, they gave me a shot. They wrapped me up good and tight, too. How about you? How’s your shoulder?”
“I’ll live,” Nick responded in self-disgust after a not so careful sip of his coffee. “It was just a flesh wound— another one to add to the collection. The rest were only cuts and bruises. Nothing that won’t heal quickly.”
Lance sat down on the sofa next to his brother. “I haven’t had a chance yet to thank you for rescuing me, bro.” Nick swiveled to look at him, and Lance grinned. “I was beginning to think no one would ever find me. Until we got out of there, I didn’t even really know where I was. When they brought me in, I was drugged and unconscious.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “Did they shoot you up with their damn heroin?”
“No, thank God— just a heavy sedative after they pulled me out of Discovery Bay. As soon as I surfaced from my dive, I was yanked out of the water by two of Chen’s guards. A couple of Yancy’s men were in the boat with them. They recognized me. Yancy had heard what Hanna and I were up to. I found out later, he had men following both of us to make sure we didn’t discover that they’d killed Dylan.
“I learned all this in bits in places. Once I was onboard their speedboat that day, one of Chen’s men called someone on his cell phone. Afterwards, he rammed a needle in my arm. When I came to, I was in that tiny basement room you found me in. Li Chen was beside my cot. He told me how you had killed his brother in Thailand a few years ago. Karma had finally smiled on him and delivered his revenge, he said. A brother for a brother. I thought he’d kill me right then. But he wanted to wait for you. He figured you’d find me sooner or later. So, the guesthouse basement was home for a month. The guards got bored after a week. That’s when they started the beatings.”
“Shit! I’m sorry, bro.” Nick looked stricken with renewed guilt. “I wish I could have found you sooner. Thomas and Douglas kept telling me and the family that you ran off with your ex-wife.”
“As if any of you would believe that! I had faith in you. And I knew Hanna and Mom wouldn’t rest until they found out what had happened to me. I figured Mom would haul your butt home from Afghanistan. I just wasn’t sure you’d be able to get leave anytime soon.”
Nick put his arm around his brother and gave him an affectionate hug. “Mom and Christopher were pretty damn worried about you. Hanna, too. Well, hell, so was I! I couldn’t seem to get a decent lead on what happened to you. Hanna and I snatched a couple of containers of China White from Yancy. When I got desperate, I traded them back to him for your location.” Lance frowned, and Nick quickly eased his concern. “He won’t be selling it on the streets. Thomas had him killed. They arrested me for it, but Colleen got me out on bail.”
“Is that why Thomas said you had violated your bail?”
Nick nodded. “But the judge who set the bail knew what Hanna and I were up to. The charges will be officially dropped as soon as the FBI and DEA give him a copy of their case files.”
“Speaking of Hanna....” Lance looked toward the double doors of the operating room. “Has anyone come out to tell you how it’s going in there?”
“Not since they took her in. The wait is killing me.”
“I’m sorry I jumped all over you back at Chen’s compound about bringing her along.”
Nick sent him a quick look. “Hanna felt really guilty about letting you dive alone that day in Discovery Bay.”
“If she had been with me, Chen would have gotten us both.”
“That’s what I told her, but you know Hanna.”
Lance grinned. “Yeah, I do. She’s as stubborn now as she was when we were
kids.”
Nick gave his brother a long, assessing look. “Are you two....”
“Romantically involved?”
“Yeah.”
Lance studied his brother closely for a long moment. “No, though not for lack of trying on my part. I guess you know how I’ve always felt about Hanna.”
“Yeah.” Nick glanced away.
Lance continued to study his profile. “So how about you and Hanna? You two looked like you’ve gotten pretty close.”
“We’ve been working together for three weeks to find you and discover the truth about Dylan’s death.”
“And?”
“And we’ve spent a lot of time together. Hanna took two weeks off from the hospital, and I haven’t been home this much since I was injured three years ago.”
“So, have the two of you....”
Nick had his elbows braced on his widely spaced knees again. Avoiding his brother’s inquiring stare, he dropped his head and pushed both hands through his hair. “I can’t talk about this right now, bro.” Noises down the hallway caught his attention. He lifted his bent head. “Here comes the family.”
A grim smile flickered at the corners of his bruised, swollen mouth as he watched his mother, Christopher, Colleen, and Christine, carrying Katie, walk towards them. The second Christopher spotted his father, he broke into a run and shouted, “Daddy!”
Lance rose and met him halfway, catching his son in mid-air to whirl him round and round in a big bear hug. A few seconds slower than her grandson, Jessie hastened to her younger son’s side and threw her arms around him, hugging him nearly as fiercely as Christopher.
Profoundly moved by the scene, Nick felt his smile widen and his eyes glisten. This was the ending he had hoped for.
Finally, Jessie turned to her oldest son. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she sat down beside him on the vinyl sofa. “Thank you, Nick!” Leaning forward, she kissed his beard-roughened cheek. “I brought you some clean clothes.” She scanned what was left of his and handed him the bundle of folded garments. “Why don’t you use the Doctor’s lounge to shower and change? It might make you feel better.”
“I don’t want to leave, in case....”
Jessie smiled tenderly. “They’ll be in there a while yet with her. You have time. I’ll come and get you if they come out before you do.” She patted his cheek. “She’ll be okay, honey. I know she will.”
Nick saw Colleen and Christine coming toward them. “I should talk to Colleen.”
“Go shower and change. You can talk to her later.”
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, dressed in clean jeans, shirt, and tennis shoes, Nick returned to the waiting room. The family had moved to a seating area with more chairs. Colleen sat in a corner, looking older than Nick had ever seen her.
He walked up to her and took a seat in the chair next to her. Guilt made his greeting grim and subdued. He’d promised to keep Hanna safe, and he’d failed, miserably. Colleen had already lost her grandson. She had to be in absolute dread of losing her granddaughter now, too. She looked so tired and frail. He put a hand over hers.
“I’m so very, very sorry, Colleen. I promised to keep her safe, and.... I never should have taken her along.”
Colleen turned her palm up and grasped his big rough hand, weaving her gnarled fingers through his strong tanned ones. “I don’t blame you, Nicholas. Hanna was probably trying to defend you or Lance.” She met his eyes and saw the confirmation in them. “She’d die for you, you know?”
“She nearly has.”
“She’ll make it. She’s not about to leave you now.”
“God, I hope so, Colleen! I hope so.”
Across the hallway, Christine was sitting next to Lance and Christopher, who had his head on his dad’s lap and his sneakered feet on hers. The little boy’s eyes were closing with drowsiness. Katie was asleep, snuggled in her downy blanket, in the infant carrier beside Christine. She turned to Lance, then looked across the room to Nick and Colleen.
“I’m sorry you had to go through what you did these past four weeks,” she said to Lance. “Was it really awful?”
Lance looked at her, the baby beside her, then down at his son. “The worst part was being away from Christopher, knowing how upset he’d be that I had disappeared.”
“Nick kept his spirits up. And Christopher has been his shadow most of the time.”
Lance glanced at his brother and smiled. “Well, we finally caught the men responsible for Dylan’s death. Now his name will be cleared, and he can rest in peace.” He looked over and saw the tears rise in Christine’s blue eyes. “How are you managing?”
Pulling a hankie out of her jean pocket, she wiped her eyes. “I’m still staying with Colleen and Hanna. Your family and Dylan’s have been a wonderful blessing. I wouldn’t have made it without them. Your brother is pretty amazing, too.”
“Yeah, he is.” Lance looked across the room to his brother again. “No one else could have done what he did. Knowing he’d find me and get me out of there sooner or later was really what kept me going.” Lance returned his attention to Christine, then nodded toward Katie. “And how’s your little angel?”
“She’s fine. She said her first good-bye recently.” That made the young widow smile.
“Really?” Lance smiled broadly and without thinking, slipped an arm around the back of Christine’s chair.
Across from them, Jessie smiled inwardly, vastly relieved to have her youngest son home again. She’d been so worried for weeks. It felt as if a huge stone had been lifted from her heart. She thought he looked good, even better sitting next to Christine. The baby and Christopher made them look like a family. She knew Lance would be helping Christine cope with the loss of his best friend. It would take a while for the young widow to move on. She had loved Dylan deeply, but maybe someday, she and Lance would find a connection. It was long past time for Lance to move on from his ex-wife and Hanna. And Jessie dearly wanted Christine to remain in Port George. She’d have to start on a new set of prayers.
TWO MORE HOURS PASSED before Hanna’s doctor finally came out to talk to the group in the waiting room. As he rose to greet the surgeon, Nick searched his face for a sign of what he intended to tell them.
“Doctor Wallace made it through surgery okay,” he stated to everyone’s visible relief. “She’s still in critical condition, but I think the worst is over. She lost a lot of blood— and a kidney. The bullet that hit her in the shoulder chipped her collar bone, but that should heal fairly quickly. She may be unconscious for a few days, but she should recover completely if she takes it slow and easy for a while.”
“When can we see her?” Lance asked.
“They should have her in an intensive care room now. You can look in on her, one or two at a time. She won’t know you’re there yet, though.”
Nick let the rest of the family go ahead of him, only because he knew he wouldn’t be going home with them. He was holding Katie over one shoulder, gently rubbing her back, while he read a story to Christopher, who was leaning against him on the sofa, half-listening, half- asleep, when Jessie returned.
“Lance and Christine are waiting outside Hanna’s room for Colleen. She’s in with Hanna now.”
Nick put the book down that he’d been reading. Christopher hardly noticed. “How does she look?” he asked his mother anxiously.
“She’s still unconscious. But she looks like she’s resting well. Her color is getting better. They have her hooked up to all kinds of monitors. Your FBI friend’s wife, Trisha, is going to stay on duty through the night with Hanna. She said Kurt told her he wouldn’t be here until tomorrow afternoon. He’s bringing the floatplane back, and he’s going to take care of getting all the gear back where it belongs. Mr. Chen is being transported to Victoria by the Canadian authorities. I guess there’s some argument over which country will detain and prosecute him.”
“Doesn’t matter as long as the bastard gets put behind bars for life.”
“Did he shoot Hann
a?”
“No. Either one of his men did— or Sheriff Thomas.”
“Oh my God! What a mess that man has brought to this community.”
“He’s dead,” Nick said coldly, his face devoid of emotion.
“I guess they’ll arrest Chief Douglas next.”
“He deserves it. He was warned to get out.”
“I feel sorry for his family— his wife and kids.”
“Yeah.” Nick raked his fingers through his hair, and impatiently looked down the hall toward the intensive care entrance.
“We’re going to go home and put the kids to bed. Do you want to go in and see her before we leave?”
“I’m spending the night here, Mom. In her room, if they’ll let me.”
“Oh, honey, you should come home and get some rest yourself. You look exhausted. When was the last time you slept?” His mother frowned worriedly. “You’ve lost a bit of blood yourself.”
The last time he had slept had been more than twenty-four hours ago, in Hanna’s arms, in their joined sleeping bags. If he closed his eyes, he could feel her nestled against him, tucked close, safe, and whole. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Go home. Take care of Lance. His cracked ribs have got to be killing him. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“She’ll be asleep all night, maybe longer.”
“I need to be with her.”
Jessie nodded. “I understand.” Throwing an arm around him, she hugged him and patted his back. “I love you, son.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
A few minutes later, the rest of the family came through the double doors that led to the Intensive Care Unit. Christine took her sleeping daughter from Nick, and Lance picked up his son. Colleen walked slowly and stiffly a few paces behind. She looked a hundred years old, and Nick ached for her.
When she joined the others, she smiled tiredly at him. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I expect we all will. Get some rest, Colonel.” She didn’t bother to ask where he would be spending the night.
After they left, Nick stood alone for a long moment, then turned and walked toward the intensive care doors.
