Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Hope (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Midnight Delta Book 7)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “Yes, I’ll call you if there is any change.”

  “Thank you, Beth,” Griff said. She smiled at him.

  “Let’s go,” Jack said. They went down the hall towards the elevator. Soon they were out in the warm night air. When they got to Jack’s SUV, he immediately rolled down the windows. Griff grimaced. Shelly had been right, he did stink.

  “I think I remember where you live. Lincoln Park, right?”

  “Yeah, I rent a duplex there.” Griff rested his head against the plush leather of the SUV. It wasn’t until he was confronted with Jack’s home, or his vehicle, that he remembered that the man was rich, because he never flaunted it. He behaved like every other SEAL he worked with, he was just a man who never flinched and got the job done.

  “Griff, give me the address, and then you can sleep.”

  Griff mumbled the street and house number, then shut his eyes for just a moment. It wasn’t until Jack nudged him awake that he realized he had napped.

  “We’re here.”

  He blinked, and saw they were parked outside his home. They went inside, and Griff offered Jack something to drink.

  “Why don’t I just help myself to a glass of water, and you go get cleaned up?” Jack suggested.

  Griff nodded, and headed down the hall to his bedroom. “I’ll be out in a few.” He damn near fell into the shower. God, it felt good.

  He leaned his head against the shower stall and pictured Miranda in the bed, and replayed what the doctor’s had said. She was going to need her family when she first left the hospital. She’d need round-the-clock care for almost a month, most likely.

  When Griff had explained that Miranda didn’t have family, they immediately started talking about hospice care, and his blood ran cold. It went against everything he believed in. And it sure as hell wasn’t where his Miranda belonged! But convincing her was going to be an uphill battle.

  He gave a tired grin. After seeing her bloodied and in a coma, the idea of her spitting fire at him was welcome.

  As he dried himself off after the shower, he surveyed the bathroom with a critical eye. He did the same with his bedroom as he got dressed. When he walked out to the living room, he took note of the hallway and determined it was kind of narrow, and while it should be able to handle a walker, it would be tough for a wheelchair.

  “Do you want a sandwich?” he asked Jack as he opened the fridge.

  “I already placed a to-go order for steak sandwiches and carnitas tacos and all the sides at the Snack Shack, we’re picking them up on the way back to the hospital.” Griff’s stomach growled at the thought.

  Jack leaned against the kitchen island and gave Griff a hard look. “So tell me about Miranda.”

  “I waited too fucking long.”

  “What do you mean?” Jack asked.

  “I should have asked her out the first time I saw her. I just knew that she was special. I’ve been jonesing for her for almost two damn months. I’ve been taking public transportation instead of driving my truck to and from Mom and Dad’s, just so I could see her.”

  “You mean you’ve given up the opportunity to sing along to Jason Aldean?”

  “I know, right?” Griff agreed. “Anyway, my truck was out of the shop, but I’d met her and I knew she was taking the train and I had to take it with her.”

  “Why didn’t you just ask her out?”

  “Because Dad’s been so sick with the chemotherapy. I’ve been a morose piece of shit to be around, and Mom’s called me almost every night of the week. Dating just wasn’t an option. He finally started taking a turn for the better last week.” Griff smiled just remembering him sitting up and eating his favorite spam wontons that his mom made for him.

  “So what were you thinking so hard about just now when you were coming out of the bedroom?”

  “You kind of suck, you know that?” Griff asked his friend.

  “That’s what happens when you spend five years together on a SEAL team. You end up being able to read each other a little too well.”

  Griff wished that Jack hadn’t switched to Mason’s team. It hadn’t been the same on their old team without him. Of course there were rumors that Midnight Delta was looking to recruit more members of Black Dawn.

  “So, what were you thinking?” Jack prompted again.

  “I was wondering whether or not Miranda could recuperate here.”

  “Hmmm.” Jack took a sip out of his water glass. “That’s a pretty big step from just having known someone on a train. What about her family?”

  “She’s alone. It was just her and her mother. Her mother died three years ago.”

  “And her friends?” Jack asked.

  “She has some good ones, they’re just not in the place to take her in. They’re workaholics like she is.”

  “You don’t know, they might drop everything and take her in.”

  “I really don’t think so, she wasn’t even sure if they would go on a vacation with her. I think it’s up to me.”

  “See, you just used the phrase ‘up to me.’ Griff, you’re making it sound like it’s your responsibility. It’s not. You don’t know the woman. You’re not in love with her. You haven’t been on a date with her, have you?”

  “I know her. My heart knows her. God, Jack, by that second train ride, I knew she was someone special. As Dex would say, she’s wicked smart, and she makes me laugh, and I thought about her all the time.”

  Jack nodded for him to continue.

  “I know this is going to sound strange, but I got to watch her do her job on the train, and she is super-competent. It was a huge turn-on.”

  “Did she wear a business suit?” Jack asked. “You were always a sucker for a business suit.”

  “Hell, she sometimes wore pearls.”

  Jack laughed. “Yeah, you were doomed. What else?”

  “I think I really did fall in love with her during the wreck. When she went after Hope.”

  “Hope?”

  “The baby girl who Miranda saved. Miranda risked her life to save that baby. She got in my face and demanded that she be the one to go out the train window and pluck the kid off the cliff. That’s how Miranda ended up falling on the rock,” Griff’s voice broke.

  “Mason didn’t tell me how she got injured.”

  “She’s a crazy woman. She’s my crazy woman. I want to take care of her.”

  “What makes you think she would ever, in a million years, agree to this?”

  “I’m not sure she has a choice.”

  Jack laughed. “You have lost the race before it ever began, my friend. You’re not seriously going to ever say that to her, are you?”

  Griff realized his mistake. “I think role-playing this out might be in order.”

  “Ya think?” Jack’s Texas accent was thicker than ever. “But I’ve got to ask you a few questions for your own good, and for Miranda’s own good.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Are you doing this because you need to fill the void left now that your Daddy’s getting well?”

  Griff didn’t just immediately answer in the affirmative. He really thought about the question.

  “Jack, I didn’t like it when my dad was sick. I mean, I hated that he was not the person he once was. He was weak, and he was so mad and felt so impotent. I wanted to fix it for him. The fact that he needed help and I could provide it… Yeah, that made me feel good, but I would have preferred that neither of us were in that situation. We just don’t know what to expect when Miranda wakes up. This is a traumatic brain injury. To tell you the truth, depending on the level of care she needs…” Griff’s voice broke.

  “Don’t think that way, she’s going to make it.”

  Griff shook off his melancholy thoughts. “Let’s go get the food. The doctors said that there was no damage to the brain. They just had to repair a couple of blood vessels. That there was no reason not to expect a full recovery.” Griff headed towards the front door.

  “There you go. That’s the right attitud
e,” Jack smiled.

  “Exactly,” Griff said, as he locked the door behind them.

  They got in the SUV, and Griff decided to change the subject. “So, when are you and Beth getting married?”

  “You have been out of it.”

  “That goes without saying. But why do you say that?”

  “Check your mail, there’s a wedding invitation in it,” Jack said as he pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

  “I’m paying,” Griff said, as he got out his wallet.

  “I’m rich,” Jack said with a self-deprecating grin. “Put your money away.” He slammed the door shut.

  Griff pulled out his phone and looked up Jack and Beth and found the date of their coming nuptials.

  “You’re thinking pretty hard again,” Jack said, as he put three bags of food in the backseat.

  “Shit, you’re getting married in two months in San Antonio.”

  “Yep.” Jack pulled onto the freeway. “Mom’s actually chartered a plane for folks.”

  “What? Isn’t that excessive?”

  “That’s my Mom, she wanted to make sure everyone would be able to make it to the wedding.” Jack had an indulgent grin on his face. “So what does your Miranda do for a living?”

  “She’s a bigshot consultant. She’s does contract analysis.”

  “And you think you’ll be able to convince her to just move in with you? Good luck with that,” Jack laughed. He started the car and got them back on the road to the hospital. Griff considered his friend’s words. He was probably right, he might be in for an uphill battle. But he was used to battles. He was good at them.

  “Are you going into sniper mode?”

  “What do you mean by that?” Griff asked his friend.

  “I’ve seen you wait out the enemy for thirty-four hours. You can be a patient son-of-a-bitch when you get a target in your site.”

  “I guess I am going into sniper mode,” Griff admitted ruefully. “But in a nice way.”

  They were soon at the hospital. When they got to the waiting room, they found Mason and his wife Sophia, along with his brother Billy. Griff also recognized a member of Wolf’s team, Abe Powers, who had a woman with him.

  “Shit, we should have bought more,” Griff said as they walked towards everybody.

  “What are you talking about?” Jack asked. “I bought enough to feed two entire SEAL teams, trust me, we’re covered.”

  Billy rushed up to Griff, clearly distraught. “They said Miranda is in a coma. Mason said you would know the most. How is she doing? How did the surgery go? Is she going to wake up?” Griff put his hands on the young man’s shoulders.

  “Breathe, Billy. The surgeon said the operation went perfectly. They were able to alleviate a lot of the swelling. As it goes down further, she should wake up. They think she will in a couple of days.”

  “Days?” The kid was clearly choked up. He was emoting what Griff was feeling.

  “Her brain just needs time to rest and heal. We got her here in time, they don’t think there was any brain damage.”

  “Griff, let us know what we can do to help,” Mason said.

  “You can tell us where a vending machine is, I didn’t get drinks,” Jack said holding up the sacks of food.

  “Billy’s all over that,” Sophia said with a smile. She opened her purse and took out a coin purse, and handed it to Billy. Griff watched as the woman with Abe did the same thing.

  “This is my wife, Alabama Powers.” Abe introduced a woman who clearly wasn’t comfortable with the spotlight. She shyly took Griff’s hand.

  “I’m sorry about Miranda. Abe told me what she did to rescue the little girl. She’s a hero.”

  “Yes she is,” Griff agreed. “I need to go back in and see her.”

  “Nope, first you’re going to eat something.” Jack gave him a slight push towards one of the seats. Sophia sat down, and waved him to sit beside her. Griff reluctantly sat down, and Jack handed him a steak sandwich. Billy was back with a soft drink. As soon as he bit into the sandwich, he realized just how hungry he was.

  “This is great,” he said between bites. “Thanks, Jack.”

  Jack ate standing up. As soon as Griff was done, he handed him another, which he gratefully took. When he finished that, he took the wrappers and put them in the trash. Then he turned to Abe and Alabama. “How’s Caroline doing?”

  “She’s comfortable. They’re saying she can go home the day after tomorrow.”

  “That’s good. Without her, we wouldn’t have known that Hope was outside of the train.”

  He watched as Alabama’s eyes filled with tears. “Caroline loves children. She is everyone’s mother. Of course she would risk her life for a child.” Abe put his arm around his wife, and Alabama burrowed her face into his chest.

  “Wolf is in with her right now. They put a cot in her room so he can stay the night after they realized he wasn’t going anywhere.”

  “That sounds like him,” Mason laughed.

  “Well, that’s good news about Caroline,” Griff said. “I appreciate the food and the ride, Jack.” He headed towards the hallway. “Oh yeah, can I have my keys back?”

  “No.”

  Griff lifted his eyebrows.

  “Tell us where it is, and we’ll arrange to have it up here.”

  “I’ll just Uber it.”

  Jack just stood there with a placid look on his face. Griff knew that he wasn’t going to win the argument, so he explained where his truck was.

  “It’ll be here in two hours, I’ll bring you your keys.”

  Damn, he had great friends. “Thanks, man.”

  He headed for Miranda’s room.

  Chapter Seven

  Miranda didn’t know where she was. She smelled flowers and antiseptic, and her throat hurt. She tried to talk, and she couldn’t. She opened her eyes, then jammed them shut. The light felt like knives going into her head.

  “Miranda!” It was a man’s voice. She turned her head. She wanted to see him, but she was afraid to open her eyes again. A warm hand held hers.

  “Can you open your eyes?” She did, the tiniest bit. This time there wasn’t as much pain.

  “Nurse! She’s awake. She opened her eyes.”

  Suddenly the lights were dimmed. “Is that better honey?” a woman’s voice said. Miranda tried to say ‘yes’, but there was something in her throat. Her eyes widened in panic. The nurse must have known, because she immediately said soothingly. “You have a breathing tube inserted in your throat. I’ll get the doctor so it can be removed.”

  Miranda calmed down enough to look back at the penetrating black eyes that she had first noted. It took her a moment to place the face. Griffin. Griffin Porter. A memory flashed of his hand reaching out to her, his expression terrified. She frowned. She couldn’t remember anything more. It didn’t make sense, because he was the man she flirted with on the train.

  “Ms. Slade, it’s good to see you awake. You took three days longer than we anticipated, that wasn’t nice of you.” It wasn’t until the woman was standing over her that she could see her. She’d be happy when the tube was out of her throat and she could turn her head.

  “I need you to hold still. This is going to be uncomfortable.” The woman gripped the intubation tube and efficiently pulled it out.

  The nurse was there with ice chips. “Try these.”

  Miranda thankfully sucked on the ice. Finally she moved her head. “What happened?”

  “You were in a train crash.” Griff said.

  “We had to operate on you,” the doctor explained. “There was swelling on your brain. We needed to relieve it.”

  “I had brain surgery? Am I all right?” She saw all of the grinning faces.

  “I would say you are doing remarkably well,” the doctor said. She whipped up the bottom blanket. “Lift up your right foot.” Miranda did. “Now your left.” It was a struggle, but eventually she did.

  “That makes sense,
you injured your leg in the crash, the doctor said. It isn’t broken, but it was severely bruised. Your hip was dislocated in the fall, so we had to pop that back in.”

  The doctor nodded to the nurse, who touched the fingers of her right hand. “Honey, can you wiggle your fingers?” Miranda looked down and realized her wrist was in a cast. Miranda wiggled her fingers.

  “She’s already squeezed mine,” Griff said.

  The doctor smiled. “Like I said, I would say you’re doing great.”

  “I’m really tired. And I just woke up,” Miranda yawned.

  “That’s to be expected.” Miranda pulled her hand out of the nurse’s grip and reached up to feel her head. Her hair all seemed to be intact.

  “Your wound was in the back of your head, near the base of your skull. Your hair will cover where we had to shave your head.”

  “I know that’s stupid that I should care,” Miranda blushed.

  Griff’s thumb stroked the back of her hand. “Nothing you’re feeling is stupid Miranda. It’s all good.”

  “How long have I been in the hospital?” she asked him.

  “Eight days.”

  “I don’t remember the crash. It must have been really bad. That train never goes very fast, how did it happen?”

  “There was a power surge on the engine car that caused an explosion. The car we were on tipped over.” She frowned. She had a vague recollection of a train seat being on top of her, but then it was gone.

  “I don’t remember,” she said in a frustrated voice.

  “That’s to be expected,” the doctor assured her. “What’s your last memory?”

  “I remember getting on the train. At least I think it was that day.” She glanced over at Griff. “I saved you a seat, and I fired Doug. Was that the day?”

  Griff reached out and stroked her shoulder. “Yeah, you gave Doug hell, but he sent you flowers anyway.” He nodded his head at the flowers all around the room. No wonder she had smelled them.

  “Griff, what are you doing here? I don’t understand.”

  “Well, your friend Wendy came. She spent the night before she had to leave. I’m supposed to call her when you wake up. There are a lot of people I’m supposed to call.”