What I Fight For: A Bad Boy Military Romance (Easy Team Book 1)

by Gemma Hart

  I looked around the tent and saw my team browsing in awe around the space when I noticed someone was missing. “Where did Mr. Carew go?” I asked.

  Doc Jones looked up from the tiny autoclaves. “Oh, he said that he was going to go grab the—”

  Suddenly, Mr. Carew’s face popped back into the tent. He made a waving gesture at me. “Dr. Lyon, could you come out for a moment? I want to introduce you to the Captain of Easy Team. He’ll be your main contact and guide throughout your stay here.”

  I made a gesture to the rest of my group. Although Doc Jones was the more senior doctor, I had been the one assigned this relief mission so technically, I was team leader.

  Together, we exited the tent and stepped back out into the blinding dry heat. I squinted my eyes as I adjusted to the brilliant sunlight again.

  “Dr. Lyon,” I heard Mr. Carew say from somewhere to my right. “May I introduce Captain Cooper Hawking?”

  I blinked, waiting for my vision to clear. Slowly the black shapes blinded by the sun began to fade into colors more recognizable.

  I stuck out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Cap—”

  The words dried out on my tongue. I looked at the figure in front of me in stunned amazement.

  It was him.

  The height. The broad chest. The muscular forearms that his rolled up sleeves revealed. And the dark, penetrating gaze.

  It was my mystery man.

  Here. In Qunar.

  What the fuck?

  “Holy shit,” I breathed to myself.

  I saw the shock and surprise cross the man’s eyes as well but he was doing a much better job of keeping his composure. But I saw his lips twitch as I muttered my oath.

  “Ditto,” he said.

  Chapter Six

  Emilia

  “Can you tell her that she needs to put this cream on at least twice a day?” I asked my interpreter, holding up two fingers. The boy nodded and spoke to my patient with what I hoped were the correct instructions.

  The Pakresh woman nodded, smiling nervously at me as she gently patted the newly bandaged arm.

  I gently squeezed her shoulder. “Twice a day. Then come back in a week and I can take out the stitches,” I said. The boy translated instantly.

  The woman nodded and then slid out of her chair, quickly rushing out of the tent with the cream clutched in her hands.

  I blew out a breath as I mopped some of the sweat from my forehead. When we had arrived at the camp, people had rushed towards us as soon as they had learned we were doctors. They had formed huge lines to get attention. I was touched to see the gallantry as men pushed women and children up to the front of the line.

  But as soon as they stepped inside our little makeshift tent that we had set up in the middle of the camp, they became shy and quiet, as if a little scared of the strange medics.

  I didn’t blame them. As refugees fleeing such a violent civil war, they probably had seen very little kindness in the last few months or even years of their lives.

  We had done our best to set up our workstations. The huge and well-equipped tent at base camp, we learned, would only be used for serious cases where patients would require constant monitoring or supervision or for cases from the nearest town, which I heard was about fifty miles away.

  The town had also suffered in the influx of refugees and hidden bombers, causing many of the professionals of the town, including doctors, to leave. They were also without medical care.

  Another patient stepped in to the hot tent. This time it was a mother with a little girl. I smiled at the little girl and gestured at the folding chair, my makeshift exam table.

  Before starting, I quickly glanced behind me. The tents here were much smaller. We even had to commandeer a few refugee tents for our temporary set up. Behind me, Doc Jones and Tammy were working together. Margie and another of the nurses were working a tent down. I also had a nurse with me but I had sent him to check on the patients waiting in line. If there were very minor issues, he could deal with it there on the spot, relieving the line of some extra patients.

  “Bear, Scotty’s moving towards the west gate! Move on down the perimeter!” I heard a very familiar voice shout from outside.

  “Copy that!” a voice replied.

  Even in this heat, I felt a small cool thrill of excitement run down my spine. It had been a shock to the gut to see that man again. And of all places, here!

  But now I had a name, Captain Cooper Hawking.

  Whatever I had imagined the mystery man from the bar to be, it had not been some kind of Special Forces mercenary. But I had to say, looking over his muscular physique in his desert camo, the occupation fit him perfectly.

  He looked like he wore courage like a second skin. For some reason, I suddenly felt shy meeting his gaze.

  Instantly, my team had caught on to the odd vibe during our first meeting. I saw Doc Jones from the corner of my eye raising a brow in confusion and question towards Margie who shrugged in response.

  Tammy’s eyes had widened in shock, remembering the man as well. “Oh my god!” she had breathed. “There’s no way.”

  My heartbeat skipped a beat even now remembering the devastating lazy smile Cooper had given Tammy. “Way,” he countered.

  We were quickly introduced and given a rundown of the rules of camp.

  “Though it’s a safer camp than most,” Captain Hawking had lectured, “it’s still considered dangerous grounds. We’ve had lots of insurgents sneak across the border and hide among the refugees. We’ve also had some roving gangs infest the nearby town. With so many fleeing, it’s ripe territory for the picking. So we suggest that nobody leaves camp without an escort. We request that you only leave the boundaries of camp when in the company of a member of Easy Team. Is that understood?”

  Authority and command radiated from his tall body. It was very easy to see that the man had been born for leadership. And yet there was a playful light that glinted in his eyes that spoke of someone who knew how to not take himself too seriously.

  “Yes, sir!” Doc Jones had shouted, raising a hand to his forehead in a severe salute.

  Captain Hawking quirked a brow in amusement. The older doctor matched his sardonic gaze.

  Cooper nodded. “Dismissed then, soldiers,” he said dryly.

  It had looked like Captain Hawking was about to approach me to speak with me privately when he was waylaid by one of his men, requiring his attention. He gave me a lingering look that said, next time, before heading off.

  I swallowed. Thank god. I didn’t think I was ready to have a one on one with him just yet.

  “Doctor?” the little boy next to me asked, interrupting my train of thoughts.

  I shook my head, immediately pulling myself together. “I’m sorry, Puhar,” I said sincerely. Easy Team had managed to find three boys who all had some grasp of English to act as our translators. Cooper and some of his men seemed to have a handle on Pakreshi, the language of the refugees, but not enough to translate medical directions or consultations. Plus, they still had patrol duty.

  I smiled at the mother who clutched her daughter tightly in her lap. “Can you ask her what she wants me to look at?” I asked Puhar, keeping my thoughts as focused as possible on everything but the mysterious and devastating handsome Captain that guarded the grounds behind me.

  ***

  “Oh my god,” Doc Jones groaned, sinking into a chair. “I think my bones have literally liquefied into jelly. Is that medically possible? Marg, is that possible?”

  Margie, who was sitting in front of one of the hospital beds in our medical tent back at camp, slumped forward, her head hitting the white linens with a soft thud.

  “I don’t know,” she mumbled from the sheets in exhaustion. “You’re the one who went to medical school.”

  “I did?” Doc Jones groaned, as he stretched one leg then another. He was covered in dirt from neck to knee. It had been a long and dusty day working in unbelievably hot temperatures. We had arrived at the c
amp at 10 in the morning but hadn’t left till 8 at night. And through it all, our longest breaks were the moments we had managed to snag a drink or two of water before we were back at it with the next patient.

  “I don’t remember,” Doc Jones continued, his eyes closed in weariness. “I don’t even think I remember my name, Barbara.”

  Tammy sat next to the doctor, nearly falling asleep in her seat. “I can’t believe all the people we saw,” she mumbled. “And that wasn’t even half the camp.”

  I was slumped in a wheeling stool. My calves throbbed like there were drummers inside the muscles. My back was so stiff, it hurt just to breathe.

  But before I could doze off right there on the spot, I caught myself. “Okay, I guess I’ll go wash up first,” I said, grimacing as I rose to my feet.

  Doc Jones stared at me with stunned amazement, his head rolling back on his shoulders. “How? How can you wash up when you have no bones?” he asked.

  I managed a small laugh. “I’ll come back and roll you to the spigot on a wheelchair,” I said. “Rest for now.”

  My entire team grunted in exhaustion as I left the tent.

  I took in a deep breath as I met the cool night air. Daytime was like working on the surface of the sun. But nighttime in Qunar was almost peaceful. Pleasant. The heat dissipated and a coolness blew through the desert.

  I walked around towards the back of the medical tent. A few feet away was a small spigot and a chipped porcelain basin. This was where most of the dishes were done and where we got our potable water. It was connected to a deep well so the water was refreshing and cool.

  I should shower but washing here was such a chore. We had use a shower with a tank of water which had to be refilled before each use. And the pressure was so low it felt as if I was being dribbled with water rather than showered.

  Besides, I was too tired. I turned the spigot and let the basin fill half way. I washed my face, letting the cool water wash away the dirt and grime and heat of the day. I carefully washed my hands, making sure to scrub under my nails and between my fingers. Who knew if there were any communicable diseases running silently around here? We had to be careful.

  Finished with my ablutions, I wiped my face with a small hand towel I had thrown around my neck.

  Leaning back, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply again. It was so strange to breathe in air that wasn’t congested with smog. So used to L.A. air, I never really took deep breaths. But the air here was so clean. It was so crystal clear that I couldn’t seem to get enough of it. During the day, it was a muggy mess but at night, it felt so refreshing.

  “So are we going to talk about that weirdness of seeing that guy here or what?”

  I whirled around, surprised by the intrusion.

  Tammy was standing behind me, her own towel wrapped around her neck. Clearly none of us would be taking a shower tonight.

  “What?” I asked.

  Tammy rolled her eyes. “Don’t ‘what’ me, Em,” she said, advancing on me like a tiny panther. “That’s the same guy from Reggie’s! Did you know he would be here?”

  “Of course not!” I said, almost affronted. “How would I know something like that?”

  Tammy shrugged, eyeing me suspiciously. “Well, you were in his arms that night.”

  My eyes widened. “I was not!”

  Tammy shook her head. “Yes you were. You had passed out and you looked mighty cozy in those arms of his.” A sly look passed through her features, her lips curling up into a smile.

  Why was it suddenly getting hot out here?

  “You know I’ve been meaning to ask,” she continued. “What did he write on you?”

  “Huh?”

  “On your arm,” she said impatiently. “He had taken a marker and had written something on your arm. I didn’t get a chance to read it though because I was too busy hauling your carcass into your bed and making sure you didn’t choke on your vomit in your sleep.”

  I made an offended sound. “I’ve never vomited in my—”

  “Was it his number?” she asked slyly, her eyes practically glinting in the moonlight.

  “None of your business!” I said a touch too quickly and too loudly.

  “Oh so it was!” she said in satisfaction. “So did you call him? After that night? Did you see him again?”

  Flustered, I straightened myself up. “Nurse, you should wash up quickly so you can grab some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow as well,” I tried to say in a prim clinical voice.

  But it only made Tammy grin wider. “How busy are you going to get?” she asked with a heavy drop of innuendo in her voice.

  “Oh come on!” I huffed as I walked off to cool my heating face. Behind me, I heard Tammy laughing to herself.

  I walked quickly and without real aim. I just wanted the night air to blow against my steaming cheeks. I walked past the large main tents, a storeroom, another smaller tent. I saw a fallen tree trunk out in the dark distance nearly covered in some rocks and brush where I could sit and take a moment for myself away from prying nurses.

  I was about two steps away from the hidden space when I suddenly felt a powerful grip grab a handful of the back of my shirt, yanking me back hard.

  “Gah!” I cried out as I lost my footing and fell completely backwards. But instead of hitting the packed dirt, I hit a solid chest.

  My heart thumped hard and my breathing suddenly grew shallow.

  Gulping, I slowly raised my eyes upward to see the face of Captain Hawking looking down at me with a curious expression.

  “And just where do you think you’re going, Dr. Lyon?” he asked calmly.

  I tried to stand myself up but he kept firm hold of my shirt, keeping me pulled against him. I struggled a bit but I was held completely prisoner. And through my futile struggles, Cooper looked down at my with the same bland look of curiosity as if not at all feeling my squirming against him.

  I sighed, giving up. “I was going to sit on that tree,” I said pointing towards it. “Is that illegal?”

  Cooper pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side, as if considering my words. “Well, yes,” he said simply.

  I stared at him. Or up at him, really.

  “Really,” I said flatly. “It’s illegal to sit on a tree.”

  Cooper shifted his hold on my so that instead of holding onto the back of my shirt, his arm was now around my shoulders. I tried to step away to put some space between us but his arm held fast, keeping me pressed right up against him. It was odd to see his calm face belie the clear physical strength he had and was using against me at the moment.

  Keeping his arm around me, he pointed at the ground a foot away from the fallen tree. I noticed wooden stakes ground in a few feet apart. In the dark and in my huff, I hadn’t seen them at all.

  “That,” Cooper said, lowering his head towards my ear. My pulse increased at feeling his hot breath against my cheek, “is the perimeter of camp. And if I recall correctly from your first day here, I said no one was allowed to leave camp without the escort of an Easy Team member.”

  The tree was literally one foot behind the stakes. “Really?” I said, quirking a brow at him. “I would need an escort to take literally just one step out of this camp?”

  Cooper gave me a look of mock offense. “Doctor, we are military men. Protocol is everything to us. And protocol states, for your protection, that you are not allowed to leave camp without an escort.”

  I sighed but was cut off before the air could even fully leave my lungs.

  Cooper suddenly squeezed me closer. “Luckily though, you happened to have run right into one!” he said, grinning down at me, even though I tried to pull away from this even more intimate hold. I was getting all too hot and bothered at his touch. But he held fast.

  “And not just any member of Easy Team. The best member of Easy Team,” he said. “You hit the jackpot tonight.”

  The word ‘tonight’ snapped me awake. It was night. And I was tired. And I was still feeling so incredibly confused
about Cooper Hawking. Of course I was attracted to him. There was no way to deny that.

  But physical attraction couldn’t be enough for me now. It might’ve been in L.A., to help distract me from Edward. But now in Qunar, physical attraction alone seemed too empty. I needed something…more.

  But holy hell, I wasn’t going to try and figure that out right now.

  Alone.

  With him.

  In the dark.

  “Err…” I started. “I think I changed my mind. I should get some rest for tomorrow.”

  I tried to pull his arm off of me but although the arm rested casually on me with the hand easy and open, the arm stayed like a steel weight that would not budge.

  “Are you sure, doc?” Cooper said, already walking us towards the tree. I gulped as we crossed the stakes.

  I knew we were in too remote a location to be in any danger but regardless, after seeing those stakes, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous crossing the divide. It felt as if I was leaving some kind of force field of safety.

  Guiding me to a good spot on the trunk, he sat us down.

  “It seemed like you needed some quiet time to yourself before you went and hit the hay,” he said.

  It was a full moon and I could still see make out his face. I looked up at him sardonically. “Well, yes,” I admitted. “That had been the idea. Some time to myself would’ve been nice.”

  Cooper shrugged, letting his arm fall from my shoulders. But it rested right behind me as he leaned back a little on his hands. I suddenly felt cold without his touch.

  “You still can have that. Just think of me as part of the tree,” he said, looking out into the barren desert. The moonlight struck his profile perfectly, highlighting his straight nose, his chiseled and square chin. “I’m just here to make sure you’re not snatched up by some mountain lion.” His firm lips twitched in amusement.

  I rolled my eyes but pulled my legs a little closer to myself. “Are there mountain lions here?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

  Cooper chuckled. “No,” he admitted. “Just trying to make you feel like it’s worth keeping me around for reasons other than protocol.”