Into the Storm, page 28
Audrey burst into tears, and Jae put an arm around her. She noticed he was wiping his eyes too.
“What about the rest of him?” Luke asked.
“Again, considering what he went through, it’s astonishing he’s not in worse condition. Four cracked ribs. Contusions all over. His left shoulder is worrisome—he’s likely to need another round of surgery to repair the new damage to the joint. His left clavicle is fractured. Like the ribs, there’s not much we can do for it beyond pain management. We’re going to wrap his ribs and immobilize his arm for two, three days max. Surgery—if he ends up needing it—can wait until he’s in better shape and the concussion is no longer an issue.”
“Can I see him?” Audrey asked.
The doctor nodded. “We’re keeping him overnight for observation. He’s being moved to his room now. He’s taken a pain medication that will help him sleep, so it may be a while before he’s up for talking, but you can make yourselves comfortable in his room.” His gaze scanned the three of them and he gave a faint smile. “I can tell the nurses it’s okay to bend the rules about only patients using the shower in the rooms.”
They all looked a wreck, but Luke might take the prize with mud caked in his hair, streaking his face, and down his arms. The former SEAL laughed. “Thank you, Doctor.”
After the doctor left the room, Audrey collapsed onto a chair and buried her face in her hands, letting out the full-body sob she hadn’t permitted herself when she saw him caught in the slide.
The only difference between then and now was these were tears of joy.
The last time Xavier had been hospitalized after a failed op, he’d woken to find his girlfriend had visited and left while he was sleeping, asking Chris to let him know that she’d been by to see him and wouldn’t be back. Now here he was again, and his shoulder—and pretty much every other part of his body—was on fire with pain. So much pain, he hadn’t even noticed the broken clavicle, but it did explain the extra misery on his left side.
His best escape from the agony was sleep, so he’d grudgingly agreed to the medication that would knock him out.
His mind swam with thoughts of yet another surgery. More rehab and recovery. But none of that worried him. Not when he’d survived the impossible.
No, the only thing that made him wary was the thought of going to sleep and waking up alone. He knew his concern was more superstitious than logical, which was why he’d taken the drugs, doing the right thing for his body. And now, regardless of his feelings on the matter, sleep won, and he slipped into blessed, pain-free oblivion.
He had no idea how long he’d been under when his mind slowly surfaced. The pain was back, but muted, a dull ache in key places.
Manageable.
His eyelids were too heavy to open right away, so he listened, letting his other senses do the heavy lifting. He wasn’t hooked up to a heart monitor or IV. There was nothing tying him down. That was a good sign.
He tried to remember why he was here. It came to him quickly, slicing through groggy barriers. The slide. Battered by logs and rocks and a deluge of mud.
Audrey’s face when she saw him afterward.
With that memory came the fear of opening his eyes and finding history repeating itself. Would she be here? Or was the thought of being with a broken former SEAL too much for her too?
Surely the world couldn’t be so cruel as to spare him twice and then punish him for his mistakes in the same way.
Punishment. He’d never realized that was how he’d viewed Lynn’s rejection. A deserved action for a man who’d been part of a disastrous op in which two SEALs died.
It was part survivor’s guilt, but there was more to it. He’d been slow to react.
Now his mistakes were the same. His training. His plan. Slow to react when things went south. And this time, Audrey had reason to want to punish him.
If she walked away from him now, he’d be getting nothing less than what he deserved.
He heard a rustling sound and realized he wasn’t alone. He dared to raise heavy eyelids. The room was dark. No light leaked around the pulled shade, so he guessed it was night.
He tilted his head to see the woman sleeping in the chair on his right side.
His heart pounded. His Audrey. Here. She hadn’t left him.
In fact, she looked like she’d done little more than wash her face since escaping the forest.
Well versed in the buttons of hospital beds, he hit the one that would raise the head to a comfortable angle.
Her eyes popped open at the sound of the hydraulic lift. “Xavier.” She said his name with excitement, but her voice remained soft and low.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
She unfolded herself from the visitor’s chair and was by his side, running a gentle hand over his jaw. “How do you feel?”
“I think the only correct answer is ‘like I surfed a mudslide,’ but thanks to the drugs, a bit better than that.”
She smiled and pressed her lips to his. “No more surfing for you.”
“I swear, I will never surf mud or water again. My body can’t take this abuse anymore.”
Even exhausted and grubby, she was achingly beautiful as she looked down at him. He needed to hold her, feel her heartbeat as she pressed against him. He moved ever so slightly to the side, his body protesting as each shift sent rivers of pain to all his extremities. But it would be worth it.
“What are you doing? You look—”
“Shh. I’m fine.” He patted the bed beside him. “Join me.”
“I can’t do that. This is a hospital, and you’re bruised from head to toe.”
“I’m not asking for sex. I just need to feel you by my side.”
“We’ll get in trouble.”
He grinned. “Maybe the hospital police will arrest us. C’mon. Live on the wild side.” He scooted again, painfully making more room.
She let out a heavy sigh. “You’re going to keep hurting yourself until I agree, aren’t you?”
He hadn’t planned to, but now that he knew it would work, he said, “Yep.”
She climbed onto the bed, hanging off the edge, barely touching him.
“Closer,” he said.
“But your ribs—”
“The fractures are all on the left side. Left clavicle. Left shoulder. The left got all the major damage.”
“How very sinister.”
He laughed and nudged her closer with his right arm. Once she was fully on the mattress, he pulled up the rail, locking her in with him.
She settled against his side as he lowered the head of the bed until it was just slightly raised. He wanted her to slide under the blanket with him, but he figured that would push her too far. At least he could feel her breath on his skin.
Somehow, miraculously, we survived.
“What’ve I missed?” he asked.
“A captain and some general came to see you a few hours ago. They’ll be back in the morning.”
“General?”
“Oh. Yeah. Maybe it was an admiral?”
“Probably. Although I’m sure the Army is involved in what’s happening in the park now. They’ve probably got Green Berets and Rangers from Fort Lewis searching the forest.”
“They wouldn’t give me an update. Said we’d both be debriefed tomorrow. After being treated, Cohen was taken to NSWC, and my understanding is George was taken there directly. Between the two of them, they’re giving the Navy all the intel they need to figure out who was in the forest with us and why.”
He nodded. First priority was finding the missing teammates, second was figuring out who the mercenaries were.
“Did Jae tell them about the unruly Russian campers who waylaid him that first night?” Jae had given him the rundown while they waited for Audrey to find them after the mudslide, and they’d all figured it was too much of a coincidence for the campers to not have a connection.
“He said he would. He and Luke were both debriefed once it was clear you were going to be out for a while.”
“Good.” It was likely the RV full of Russian campers was long gone, but if they were still in Forks, they might be able to provide information on the third priority: finding the motive behind the attack.
On one level, it was obvious—an attack on an unarmed group of SEALs on American soil was a power play among enemies and would be useful as a recruiting tool for terrorist organizations. Like the bombing of USS Cole, this story would make headlines around the world if—when—the media got wind of it.
And, like the Cole bombing, it was less important to know who the big players were in the conspiracy than who the ultimate mastermind was. USS Cole had been attacked by al Qaeda under the direction of Osama bin Laden.
This time, the mastermind was undoubtedly a Russian oligarch, but which one, and was this part of a bigger game plan?
And why had the mercenary leader—Mikhail—wanted Xavier, Chris, and Audrey specifically?
Was this about the op to extract the Russian chemist and her son? Or was this a target of convenience, knowing that SEALs were going to be isolated and essentially unarmed in the forest for a week?
“How’s your head?” she asked.
“Better, actually. I think I passed out as much from the pain of my other injuries as from the concussion.”
“Have you had a concussion before?”
He nodded. “Got too close to an explosion once and was tossed through the air. Can’t say I recommend the experience.”
“And yet you went back for more.”
He did. And even after he’d been shot and out of commission, he’d never considered quitting. It was all ingrained in who he was. His life’s calling.
What would he do now?
It wasn’t a question he needed to decide right away. He had savings and, after twenty-two years in the Navy, would be able to retire with full benefits. Between re-signing bonuses he’d never touched and living cheaply on base for more years than not, he had a lot of money in the bank.
If need be, he could put off trying to find a job until six months after the baby was born. Maybe longer.
He could use that time to figure out the best ways to use his unique skill set. Hell, he could even go to college and learn something entirely new. If there wasn’t a school that fit his needs on the peninsula, he could take online classes.
The whole world was open to him and all that mattered was he would find a way to be a full-time dad and, hopefully sooner rather than later, husband.
He had zero doubt that this was love for him. It had happened fast and under extreme circumstances, but his feelings were real, and there was no denying the chemistry that had been there from the start. Now he just needed to hope it was the same for her, or at least that it could be in the future.
Deep down, he knew that if they’d met under normal circumstances, they’d have begun dating and within weeks would have been just as serious as he felt now. But he also knew she didn’t trust his feelings—and probably didn’t trust her own—because they could be clouded by the baby and the nightmare she’d just survived.
So he’d be patient. He could be content just holding her for now.
A nurse entered the room and snickered at seeing them snuggled together on the narrow bed. “Well, it looks like someone is feeling better.”
He smiled at the woman, whom he remembered from when he’d been installed in this room hours ago.
“Sleeping drugs did the trick, just like you promised.”
“And look, Ms. Kendrick is still here.” She winked at him.
Oh Lord. He’d been loopy when the painkiller took effect before he fell asleep. He must’ve told the nurse he was concerned he’d wake up alone, just like last time.
He supposed finding Audrey sharing his hospital bed made it clear his drug-induced fears had been completely unfounded and warranted a bit of teasing. He wondered what else he’d said in his loopy state.
“I need to check your vitals now that you’re awake. I should probably ask Ms. Kendrick to get up…”
Audrey started to scoot back, but he tightened his arm around her. “No can do. She’s twelve weeks pregnant and can’t be expected to sleep in that miserable chair. She stays.”
The nurse gave a knowing smile, and he realized he’d probably shared that detail with her too.
“Yes. I am aware. And I was going to add that I’m going to look the other way for now given that you both are VIPs and all.”
“VIPs?” Audrey asked, her body relaxing against him now that it was clear the hospital police weren’t going to be called in.
“Well, no one has told us what happened to you both except for Mr. Rivera surviving a mudslide, but it’s been made pretty clear by the admiral and captain who visited and the calls that have come in from NSWC that you did something special that warrants preferential treatment. This is why you have a private room and we aren’t enforcing visiting hours.”
He smiled. “Audrey’s the hero, not me.”
“Hardly,” she objected.
He kissed the top of her head. “You absolutely are, and I have a traumatic brain injury, so you aren’t allowed to argue with me.”
The nurse unhooked the sling that held his left arm in place and slid the blood pressure cuff around his upper arm. “Not optimal to do it this way, but you wanted Ms. Kendrick to stay.”
“It’s fine,” he said. His arm itself didn’t hurt; it was the shoulder joint and clavicle.
After she was done, she read out the numbers and said, “A little high, but that’s expected under the circumstances.” To Audrey, she said, “Don’t let him play the traumatic-brain-injury card too much, but give him that one.”
She then ran a thermometer over his forehead and announced the slight fever he’d had when he’d first arrived was gone.
“You missed dinner, but I can order a meal for you or get you a yogurt smoothie if you’re hungry.”
He accepted the offer of the smoothie mostly because he could eat it without Audrey being forced to leave his side.
The nurse returned a few minutes later with the snack, and they were alone again. He ate his smoothie, offering to share it with her, but she declined. She said she’d eaten while he slept and had plenty of snacks to see her through the night should boss baby demand food.
He smiled at that and wondered when she’d taken to calling Fig boss baby, but they had time for that later. The second dose of pain meds was kicking in, and he was getting drowsy. His eyes slipped closed without permission.
“I should let you sleep.”
“Don’t you dare leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Xavier. I’ll be right in the chair.”
“No. Don’t leave my bed. Please?” It was irrational, he knew, but he needed her there. It was one way to combat the fear that he’d wake up and find himself broken and alone in a hospital bed once again.
Chapter Forty
It wasn’t the most comfortable night’s sleep, but Audrey didn’t care. Hearing Xavier’s steady heartbeat all night long was exactly what she needed.
Undine arrived early the following morning with clothes and toiletries for Audrey. Xavier insisted that she break another hospital law and use the shower in his room rather than leaving to get cleaned up. After all, she had a history of making good use of his shower.
Clean and changed at last, she left Xavier’s room while his doctor checked in on him during the morning rounds.
She and Undine went to the cafeteria, where Audrey filled a paper cup with decaf coffee for herself and bought a bran muffin for boss baby. They settled at a small table in the corner.
She let out a long breath. This was all so normal—coffee and muffins with a friend—and yet all so surreal.
“So, it appears you and Xavier have reconciled.”
She smiled. “That’s one word for it.”
“I’m glad. Luke said he’s a good guy. I mean…he rode a mudslide for you.”
“For everyone. But yeah. For me too.” She lowered her voice to the merest whisper. “I can’t tell you why he did what he did…but I get it. It’s okay.” This was her first time saying this aloud, and as she said the words, she knew they were true with her full heart. She could let all the anger and pain go. More important, she trusted him again in a way she’d never thought she’d be able to.
Undine nodded. “Yeah. Luke said that too.”
“I can’t believe he and Jae were there. They saved Xavier’s life. He’d have drowned in the mud if he was on his own.” She placed her hand over her friend’s. “They saved the life of the father of my unborn child.”
Undine’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Get out!”
Audrey laughed. “I guess Luke didn’t tell you.”
“Nope.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t guess when I got my coffee from the decaf carafe.”
Undine took a sip of her tea. “I didn’t notice. I’m sure Luke thought it would be more fun if you told me yourself. Especially since, if you’d been paying attention, you’d have seen that I skipped my usual Earl Grey and am drinking a caffeine-free beverage myself.”
Now it was Audrey’s turn to let out an excited squeal. “No way! When?”
“Mid-August. You?”
“End of July. Holy crap, we’re just two weeks apart.”
Audrey thoroughly enjoyed the conversation that followed. Not only was it not about mercenaries, explosives, or violent acts of nature, it was also the first time since she’d learned she was pregnant that she simply got to share the excitement and joy and talk about the wonders of it all, and that it was with a friend who was on the same wild, yet oh-so-common journey made it all the sweeter.
She walked Undine to the front of the hospital and hugged her tight as she thanked her again for bringing clothes and toiletries.
As she headed to Xavier’s hospital room, she felt different. More herself now that she was in her own clothes and clean and relatively rested. But also, she touched the waist of her jeans, which were now snug, and thought about the fact that soon, she and Undine would be shopping for maternity clothes together.
