Breaking Point

by Lindsey McKenna

  Starting, Bay blinked the heavy, drugging sleep from her drowsy eyes, her heart leaping into a pound, adrenaline pouring through her. But then she recognized the low, coaxing tone. They weren’t in danger, but they needed to move.

  “The Night Stalker helo is coming in. They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes. We need to get out of this lay up and head south for about five hundred feet,” he said.

  “Okay,” she mumbled, sitting up. Bay rubbed her eyes, trying to orient herself. She noticed a hint of grayness on the eastern horizon. “What time is it?” she whispered, looking around. The winds seem to be lower, but it was incredibly cold, her breath white vapor as she spoke.

  Gabe eased up to one knee, gathering the blankets from around her. “O four hundred, four a.m.”

  Shoving the severe tiredness away from her, Bay got stiffly to her knees, helping him gather up the blankets. “And the Taliban?”

  “All of them went south. Even the ones that came over the mountain earlier. The BUFFs, B-52s are on racetrack station above us. The Taliban are now far enough away from the village and the bombing’s going to start just before the Night Stalkers pick us up. LT and Chief wanted a diversion so the helo could come in and not take fire.”

  Relief fled through Bay. “That’s good news.” She handed him one of the rolled-up blankets. “Thanks for keeping me warm.”

  “You kept me warm, too.” He smiled a little. Bay didn’t realize just how much real pleasure he’d gotten out of those four hours of holding her. “You feel warmer?”

  “Much,” she said, getting her M-4 and putting it over her left shoulder. “I don’t remember anything. I was dead to the world.”

  “That you were,” Gabe murmured, easing the ruck back over his shoulders. Looking in both directions, he said, “Let’s get going. Follow me.”

  Positioning the NVGs over her eyes and turning them on, Bay watched him silently rise into a crouch and move without a sound out of their layup. She tried to be equally quiet.

  Gabe took the goat trail the Taliban had taken earlier. Looking around, her rifle in her hands and ready to use, Bay realized why they were going lower. Chances were, a Black Hawk helicopter would be picking them up. The blades were long, and if it had tried to land in the hide area, they would have struck the rocks above them, splintering the blades and causing the bird to crash.

  Gabe mentally counted off the elevation and halted on the trail. He knelt down and signaled Bay to come and crouch beside him. She wasn’t as quiet as he was, but she hadn’t been taught how to walk soundlessly, either. When she knelt down beside him, inches between them, he said into his mic, “The bombs have been dropped.”

  Bay heard nothing. She knew the B-52s were probably at thirty thousand feet, undetected. As she focused into the darkness south of them, she listened as the Night Stalker pilot contacted Gabe. In five minutes, they would arrive. Shivering again, she was glad to be getting off this icy coffin of a mountain.

  The first bombs splashed into the earth, erupting in arcing red, orange and yellow tentacles of fire. The booming sounds rolled and reverberated throughout the valley, the thunderous sounds careening off the slopes of the mountains where they crouched. Bay could literally feel the invisible concussions of the bombs ripple through her body. She heard a helicopter nearing them.

  “Exfil,” Gabe told her, turning on his heel and standing up.

  The Black Hawk helo rose slowly up and over the ridge above them. Gabe threw out three green chem lights to show the pilots where they could safely touch down. Then he pulled Bay down next to him and waited. The rotor wash was powerful, nearly knocking her backward if not for Gabe’s hand gripping her shoulder.

  Behind her, the booming sound of bombs hitting the hills continued in a rhythmic dance. The vibrations rocked through her. She watched as the Black Hawk lowered its wheels and barely grazed the rocky earth close to where they were crouched. The door opened and a crewman gave them the signal to come aboard.

  Relief was sharp through Bay as the crewman grabbed her hand and hauled her upward. Gabe leaped into the doorway, rolling into the helicopter. Instantly, the crewman slid the door shut, telling the pilots to lift off.

  Bay scooted to the other side of the helicopter, her rifle in her right hand. Gabe slid next to her. She pushed up her NVGs, incredible relief tunneling through her. They were safe! Through the window of the climbing, shaking, shuddering Black Hawk, she saw the bombing continue.

  Closing her eyes, resting her helmeted head against the skin of the chopper, Bay felt such deep weariness beginning to sap her of the energy. Safe. They were safe. How she looked forward to getting back to Camp Bravo.

  * * *

  CHIEF HAMPTON MET with them after they’d landed, gotten out of their gear and gone to the chow hall for an early breakfast. He wanted to make sure they were all right. Bay felt as if her bones were breaking, the night spent in that rocky depression making her stiff and sore. Gabe had his usual grace, as if completely unfazed by their brutal night. It served to tell Bay how much suffering the SEALs took in stride, expecting to be in pain or discomfort when out on patrol.

  Entering into the HQ near 0600, Gabe went directly to the coffee machine and poured them each a mug of coffee. Bay thanked him and they walked into Hampton’s small office. The dawn was barely breaking, and she felt almost normal after nearly freezing last night. In no small part, she’d survived, thanks to Gabe. She saw his eyes were bloodshot, exhaustion lining his strong face.

  “Nice job,” Hampton congratulated them as they ambled into his office. He gestured to the two chairs. “We’re going to send out a patrol at 0800, and you two aren’t going. The drone is reporting the bombs did their work. We’re going to do a sensitive site exploitation. We need to get men in there to look for identification, maps and anything else they can find on those bodies.”

  Bay was silently glad she didn’t have to go. She gratefully sipped the hot coffee, both her hands warmed around the mug. Hampton looked absolutely elated over the developments.

  “The call for a medevac,” Gabe said, “was a trick to get us to fly in.”

  Hampton scowled and leaned back in his chair. “Yes, it was. No one could have known. It’s a damn shame that medevac crew died.”

  “Was there any way we could have known?” Bay asked, her voice husky with emotion. “Five of us were put at risk. Three guys died. Could it have been prevented?”

  “We’re looking into it,” Hampton said, his voice sad over the turn of events. “The LT and I are going into the village in a couple of hours to talk with the leader. He’s the one that made the call.”

  “Don’t you think the Taliban told him that if he didn’t make the call, they’d kill his pregnant wife? Maybe kill a lot of the people in his village? He had no choice.”

  “Probably,” Hampton agreed, frowning. “We’ll get the details.” He looked over at Bay. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m good,” she said, lying. She wasn’t sure she should tell the chief about their night in the layup. Understanding that team integrity and no fraternization was demanded of all of them, she wasn’t sure Hampton would understand what Gabe had done to keep her from going hypothermic.

  Bay noticed that Hampton gave Gabe a glance, but she couldn’t exactly read it.

  “Well, you two get back to your tents and get some well-earned sleep. When you wake up, come over and write up your reports.”

  Bay stood along with Gabe. “Yes, Chief.”

  On the way back to their area, Bay saw the light in the east becoming stronger. It was still cold at eight thousand, but nothing like the night on that mountain slope. Gabe walked at her side, his hands in his cammie pockets

  “Thanks for what you did last night, Gabe. I was afraid to tell Chief Hampton we were pinned into that hide next to each other.”

  “Don’t worry
about it. He knew.”

  “How?” Bay frowned.

  “He knows how cold it is up there. He knew we were going on a medevac call and didn’t have cold-weather gear on us.” Gabe saw her eyes widen with worry. “When you write up your report, avoid the details of me holding you.”

  “Would that get you in trouble?”

  Shrugging, Gabe smiled a little. “No, but it’s assumed by command we slept together because in cold-country missions, that’s what SEALs do. It’s not out of the ordinary, Bay. It just happens that this time, it was a man and a woman together. Not two men.”

  Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “Okay.”

  Gabe slowed as they made the turn that would take them down to their avenue of tents. “How are your hands and toes?”

  “Good to go, thanks to you.” She met and held his dark gaze for a moment. “There’s so much I want to say to you, Gabe....” Her heart opened with powerful emotions toward him, but at that same moment his mouth compressed.

  “Same here, Bay.” He moved his shoulders and looked around. “Soon, we can lead normal lives....”

  Understanding, she nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.” Bay tucked her lower lip between her teeth for a moment. She wanted time to get to know him, kiss him and yes, make love with him. She saw all that in his eyes as he gazed at her. The hardness normally on his face had vanished. Now she just felt his desire.

  “Last night, when I held you in my arms, I felt like the luckiest man in the world, Bay. I watched the stars silently turn above us, felt you breathing, your warm breath flowing across my neck. I realized that anything worth having was worth waiting for.” He halted in front of his tent, a gritty warmth in his voice for her alone. “Just hold the dream of you coming to my condo. We’ll talk. We’ll explore each other. We’ll have the time, place and space to do it. We won’t be breaking any rules that way.” His mouth curved faintly as he held her tender gaze. “You’re worth waiting for....”

  * * *

  BAY WAS SAYING goodbye to all the SEALs in the platoon who were going home to Coronado. Their last month had sped by. In the cold early dawn air, the team was scheduled to leave for Bagram and then home to San Diego, California. She’d already shaken the LT’s hand and saw how happy he was to be going home. Both other officers had to stay behind to brief the new platoon that was coming in this afternoon. Chief Hampton remained behind to make sure everyone got out of here on time to meet the CH-47 waiting on the apron at Ops for them.

  Some of the SEALs were married. The excitement in their faces was evident. They were going home. Some of her joy for them was dampened by the fact she wasn’t going home with them. Orders had come down from General Stevenson that she was to hook up with a Special Forces A team at Camp Bravo for the next two months. That was part of her commitment to Operation Shadow Warriors. Every female volunteer had to spend six months in a black ops team, depending on circumstances. And then they would rotate for six months back in the States, getting more education in their skill set area.

  Her heart was heavy because as she hugged each of the SEAL shooters, telling them goodbye, they were like extended family to her. Bay considered them brothers she’d never had. Gabe had been the first to say goodbye to her and it was so hard to treat him like the other SEALs, but she did.

  They exited the large planning room, heading toward Operations where a Chinook helicopter was going to carry the platoon on to Bagram. From there, an Air Force C-5, the largest transport plane in the U.S., would take them to Rota, Spain. They would land at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., on the final leg of the trip. Another hop on a C-130 transport would land them at NAS North Island and they’d disembark and be home.

  Swallowing her sadness, Bay finally walked over to Hammer, who was the last SEAL shooter to leave the place. Chief Hampton was in his office, finishing up last minute details before he left.

  “Hey, Hammer,” she said, throwing her arms around his meaty shoulders, “you be good when you get back to Coronado.”

  He grinned and hugged her hard. “Don’t worry, Doc, I’ll never be good. You know that.” Hammer lifted her off the ground and then set her back down, releasing her. “You know what? I thought a woman coming in here would be a bitch, but I was wrong.” He lifted his ruck and threw it over his left shoulder. “You’re a professional, Doc. In every way.” Hammer lowered his voice and whispered, “After I got over my hissy fit of you being assigned here, you’ve actually been a nice addition to our platoon. Take care of yourself out there, okay?” He shook his head. “SF guys just aren’t as good as we are, so you gotta watch your six.”

  Bay chuckled and took a step back. “I hear you, Hammer. Bye...” She lifted her hand, her heart breaking with sadness. She’d come to love these SEALs. Every man was a hero. They’d eventually accepted her, making it far less stressful on her. For that, Bay was more than grateful.

  The door closed after Hammer left. She stood in the silence, looking around, remembering the many good times here in this room. Good memories. Some of them funny. Some serious.

  “Doc?”

  She turned toward Hampton’s office. He had his briefcase in hand, his M-4 slung over his left shoulder, ready to leave. “Yes, Chief?”

  “Just wanted to say thank you,” he said, walking over to her. “You’ve been an asset to our platoon in every way.” He smiled down at her, searching her upturned face. “Frankly, I was worried about fraternization.”

  Nodding, Bay said, “I know you were.”

  “You acquitted yourself well, Doc. I can speak for the officers and myself in saying we appreciated the way you conducted yourself here among us.”

  He didn’t know the heartbreak she felt. Gabe was gone and it would be a minimum of two months before they could see each other. In a way, Bay felt tortured emotionally by all of it, but the chief didn’t want to hear about her personal pain.

  “It wouldn’t have worked any other way,” she agreed in a quiet tone. “I wanted to fit in and become a member of your platoon. I know I’ll never be a SEAL, but I didn’t want to cause more upset by working among you. I would never be a distraction. That can get people killed, and frankly, my conscience couldn’t stand it if that happened.”

  He smiled. “You fit in well, Doc.” Hampton gestured toward his office. “Do me a favor?”

  “Of course.” She saw a glint in Hampton’s eyes she couldn’t decipher. A slow grin came to his face.

  “There’s one more person you need to say goodbye to. He’s waiting for you in my office.” Hampton became serious and reached out and touched her upper arm. “Stay safe out there with those SF boys.”

  Confused by his request, Bay felt him squeeze her arm and release it. What was going on? She’d said goodbye to everyone in the team. Hadn’t she? “Okay, Chief. I will. Thanks...” She watched him turn and leave the building. Bay frowned and moved toward the empty office.

  Her breath caught as she saw Gabe leaning lazily against the desk, smiling over at her. “Gabe! What are you doing back here?”

  Rising to his full height, he walked over and shut the door behind her. “Chief suggested I go into stealth mode in order to give you a real goodbye.”

  Stunned by the turn of events, Bay couldn’t help the rush of excitement as he pulled her into his arms. This time, there was no Kevlar between them. This time they were alone. And then she realized what the chief had done for them, joy tunneled through her.

  “Oh, Gabe!” She threw her arms around his broad shoulders, feeling his arms slide around her waist, hauling her hard against him. Gabe’s mouth curved hotly against hers. It was the first time they’d ever kissed, and Bay absorbed the scent of him as a man, the strength of his mouth against her own. Bay tasted him, tasted the coffee he’d recently drunk, and moved her mouth in celebration against his. Gabe skimmed his hand down the length of her spine, hi
s long, strong fingers memorizing every inch of her. Breasts pressed tightly against the span of his chest, her whole body tingled wildly in the unexpected moment.

  Gabe couldn’t get enough of her soft, pliant mouth sliding wetly against his own. Touching her tongue, he felt her tremble violently in his arms. His breathing turned ragged as she moved her hands around his neck, celebrating their union. She smelled of jasmine soap, her hair loose and free around her shoulders.

  Settling his hands on her shoulders, Gabe reluctantly eased his mouth from hers. Bay’s blue eyes were drowsy with desire. It made him feel powerful as a man, keen, hot hunger flowing through him. The golden highlights in her eyes sparkled with happiness. Bay smiled tremulously as he slid his fingers through her thick curly brown hair. It was silky feeling, strong, like her. Gabe ached to do more than kiss Bay right now. But time was against them and he knew it.

  “Listen,” he told her roughly, kissing her brow, nose and cheek, “I’ve got to make that helo.” Gabe pulled her away just enough to hold her gaze. “Christmas, Bay. You’ll be home in time for Christmas. I want you to spend it with me. You get a hop to NAS North Island and I’ll be there waiting for you.” He dug into her dazed eyes. “Is this what you want? Thirty days of leave with me?”

  His heart bounded hard in his chest. Gabe knew she could be planning on going home for Christmas to visit her mother and sister instead. Gabe wouldn’t stand in the way of that, either. He’d figure out something else because he was driven to create a space where they could have quality time to get to know one another. Without any damn rules and regulations or interruptions.

  “Y-yes, I want to be with you. I’ll let my mama know. She’ll understand....” Raising her hand, Bay felt his recently shaven cheek beneath her fingertips. His beard was gone and Gabe looked even more handsome to her than before. “I’ll be there. I promise,” she whispered, an ache in her voice.

  “Good.” Gabe quickly dug into his cammie pocket, producing a rabbit’s foot. “Here, my mother gave this to me when I joined the SEALs a long time ago. I wear it in my Kevlar vest and it’s my good luck charm. It’s saved me from a lot of bad situations.” He gripped her hand, opened it and placed the rabbit’s foot in it. “Wear it in the pocket on your Kevlar vest. For me.”