Shattered Bone
Page 43
The pilots felt the Pavehawk sway. “Go! Go! Go!” the PJs screamed. The pilot pulled up on the power. The helicopter lurched upward through the trees, then quickly disappeared in the night.
EPILOGUE
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AEGEAN SEA
THE TICONDEROGA ROLLED GENTLY WITH THE WAVES AS SHE SAILED south past the port of Izmir. The helicopter landing deck was clear of any aircraft, and a half dozen sailors ran laps on the deck as the ship cut its way through the seas. It was early morning. A heavy overcast, with rolling clouds and thin shafts of virga, reduced the visibility to less than a mile.
Below deck, on the third level, was the ship’s infirmary. Richard Ammon was in room HB-12. The room was tiny, even by Navy standards, with flat, gray walls and steel pipes running the length of the ceiling. It smelled of ammonia and cleanser. A small vinyl recliner sat in the corner. The bed was wider than most. The sheets were navy blue. There wasn’t a porthole, and the lights were turned down.
Ammon was asleep, and had been for the past twenty hours. His face was peaceful in the dim light. A thin sheet covered his body. His bare shoulders lay exposed to the cool air. His arms were wrapped in thick, whitc cloth and tucked down next to his sides. He was under heavy sedation, awaiting surgery which would come the next day.
A strand of soft hair brushed the side of Ammon’s cheek and he turned his head to one side. Jesse leaned even closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her lips barcly touched his skin as she whispered in his ear. Ammon stirred once again. Jesse whispered his name. Ammon slowly opened his eyes. A tiny smile spread across his face.
“Jesse.... Jesse....” he started to say. His voiee was heavy with sedation.
Jesse pulled her face back to look into his eyes while placing her fingers over his lips. “Shhhh ... don’t talk,” she whispered. “Don’t talk. Just rest. Go back to sleep if you want to. I will be here. I am here for you now.”
Ammon lifted his head from the pillow. The room began to spin in a circle. His mind was groggy and weak. He blinked several times and then started to say, “But how did you ... ?”
Jesse cut him off as she pressed her face next to his cheek. “Shhhh ... not now. Just lay back and rest.”
“But Jesse....”
Jesse pressed her finger just a bit more firmly against his lower lip. “I will tell you about it tomorrow. Or the next day. We’ll have lots of time.”
Ammon smiled and closed his eyes. A warm feeling spread over his body. She was right. They would have tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. Time was no longer a factor. He would never leave her again. She would be the first thing he saw in the morning. She would be the last thing he touched in the night.
He lay his head back on the pillow. Within seconds, he was sleeping again.
Jesse smiled and brushed a tear from her eye, then gently lay down next to him on the bed.