SEAL Forever

by Anne Elizabeth

  “Have the ambulance take him to Balboa emergency. I’ll let Dr. Ekkert and his unit know.” She paused, and the seconds seemed like forever. “Will you be at this number if there are any questions?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” Nerves had Maura on edge as she hung up Declan’s phone and placed it in her pocket. She ran next door for her purse and keys, pulling her balcony door closed behind her and doing the same with Declan’s.

  Maura sat down next to him on the bed.

  “Hello.” The attendants came in the door with their kits. She sprang up again, giving them room to work.

  “He’s breathing. Good sign.” The taller male put a pulse ox on Declan’s finger and placed a thermometer in his mouth. Maura watched the numbers climb to 103 degrees. “Fever. Rapid pulse. Shallow breathing.”

  The short paramedic was writing on a digital pad. “Was he on any drugs? Alcohol? Is he allergic to anything?”

  “He’s allergic to codeine.” Maura cleared her throat. “He’s had an amputation. I spoke with his doctor. They want you to take him to Balboa.”

  “Are you family?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. She wouldn’t allow anyone to leave her behind, whatever the cost, especially when it came to Declan. “I’m his wife.” Good Lord, I hope the lie doesn’t catch up with me.

  The taller one put an IV in Declan’s arm and hooked up clear fluids.

  The other left the room and came back with a stretcher. “Going to be a challenge. He’s a big one.”

  Maura slung her purse over her shoulder and lent a hand in lifting Declan. That’s my man, she thought, all muscle.

  Please, God. Please let him be okay.

  * * *

  “Maura,” moaned Declan as they wheeled them into the emergency room.

  “I’m here,” she said, scooting past the paramedics and coming up alongside him. “I called Dr. Ekkert. He’s going to meet us here.” She took his hand and squeezed it. The skin was clammy.

  His mouth split into a halfhearted grin. “That’s my lady.” Then he passed out again.

  The phone in her pocket started to buzz. Who on earth was calling at four thirty in the morning?

  A nurse passing close to her whispered, “You need to take that outside.” She watched Maura to make sure she went out the door.

  Maura nodded, still in a stupor, as she walked past the ambulance and into the parking lot. Then she answered the phone. “Hello?”

  “Who’s this?”

  Seriously! Who’s calling Declan this early? Must be someone he knows well.

  Her voice was a short, clipped sound as she responded, “Maura.” She was clenching Declan’s cell phone tightly with both hands. The stress of waiting, though it had been less than a half hour, was getting to her. Should I hang up or should I talk?

  A voice was shouting at her. “Maura, this is Leaper. Can I speak to Declan?”

  “No,” said Maura. “Sorry… He can’t speak. I…I mean he’s not available.”

  “What?! Wait. Talk to me.”

  The same nurse was running toward her and gesturing for Maura to come back inside.

  As Maura caught up to the nurse, walking quickly back to the entrance, she added, “He can’t talk right now. I have to go. I’m at the hospital with him.” She hung up. She’d call back after she had more details. She hadn’t meant to be rude, but Declan came first.

  “Ma’am, the doctor would like to speak with you. Your husband needs to go in for immediate surgery. It’s urgent.” The nurse put her arm around Maura, escorting her back inside. “I didn’t realize Dr. Ekkert was already in the building.”

  Inside, she met a thin, athletic man with a white coat and thick worry lines around his eyes. “I’m Dr. Ekkert. Didn’t realize the Master Chief was married. His records must need to be updated.” He escorted her into a small room and closed the door. Perching on the edge of a table, he gestured to a chair.

  “Thanks, but I’d rather stand.” Worry gnawed at her gut, and sitting would only make the stomach cramps worsen.

  He nodded. “As you know, I saw Declan earlier today. He has an HO that needs to be removed, and we talked about me shortening his femur slightly so he could use a running prosthetic more easily. But the problem appears to be that the blood supply to his shorter leg is compromised. I don’t want him to lose the whole femur region, so my first priority is to make sure the flow is oxygenating his leg. If that’s successful, then we can do all of that while we’re in there. If for some reason, we feel he’s been under too long or any complications arise, we’ll need to stop and do this in two operations.”

  “What do you need from me?” Maura squared her shoulders, ready to take on whatever burden was necessary: money, blood, or support.

  “A prayer never hurts.” He extended his hand, and they shook. “I just want to keep you in the loop. The waiting room is through those doors. We’re going to prep your husband for surgery, and then we’ll let you know when it’s over.”

  “I’ll be waiting,” she replied, feeling like a mechanical robot as she headed out of the room. “Wait. Doctor. Can I see him one more time?”

  “Sure. This way.”

  She followed him to a small curtained area. The scrape of the curtain as it was pulled back made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

  Declan lay on the gurney. He looked so vulnerable. A small antibiotic IV bottle was hanging next to a larger IV bag.

  She studied the monitor he was hooked up to and then she said, “Can I have a minute?”

  The doctor left without hesitation. Outside the room, he was speaking with a nurse, though she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  She turned her attention to Declan. He looked so fragile. She pulled over a stool, sat down, and laid her head next to his arm. She listened to his labored breathing and could feel the thump of blood through his veins against her cheek.

  Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down onto his skin. “Please be okay. I love you, Declan,” she whispered as she wept silently against him.

  His massive hand moved to cover her small one. He could hear her.

  She looked up. She could see him fighting against the fever.

  “Love you,” he said. His eyes fluttered and then closed again.

  Her heartbeat double-timed as she pushed herself up and laid her lips on his. As she kissed him, she tasted her own tears.

  Pulling away was the hardest thing she’d ever done. She wanted to stay right here.

  “Excuse me, Mrs. Swifton, we need to prep him for surgery,” said a different nurse in green scrubs. Her manner was kind but firm as she urged Maura to wrap up her visit. Standing by the door, she looked very imposing. “The anesthesiologist is waiting.”

  Not wanting anyone to know the truth, that she wasn’t really married to Declan, Maura nodded. She left the curtained area without a fuss, only looking over her shoulder once, then headed for the waiting area. It was the longest walk of her life. Every instinct in her body told her to go back.

  Entering the large empty room painted a variety of beige and mustard colors did nothing for her mood. The television in the corner was muted, and one of those reality shows where people yell at each other was on.

  She dropped her gaze. The lines on the carpet showed it was freshly vacuumed. What an odd thought to have, but the OCD part of her personality got it and appreciated something familiar to latch onto. Cleaning. Order. Decisive action. All of these actions made her mind feel calmer.

  Her body was another matter. It wanted to keep moving. She circled the room twice, finally sitting down in a chair that gave her an optimal vantage point for the door. She closed her eyes and gave in to the tears that had been threatening from the get-go. Maura cried until there was no more emotion inside. Then she dried her eyes and took several deep breaths. This is as good as I’m going to get until I
hear Declan is safe.

  Her pocket vibrated. She reached into her pocket and withdrew Declan’s phone. Right! She needed to call his friend back. Pushing a button, she got his most recent text messages, including an invitation to participate in the SuperFROG Triathlon from someone named Moki Martin. She scanned through the other texts, but they didn’t seem that interesting. So she pushed another button, hoping to get the keypad.

  Instead something went into security mode and the phone locked her out. Now she couldn’t let Declan’s friend know what was happening. She wanted to scream her frustration; she shook the phone and tried pushing more buttons to get it to reboot.

  At the top right corner of the screen, a little dot moving closer to another dot caught her attention. Pretty soon there was a convergence of dots. The phone gave off a heavy vibration that made her hands shake.

  “Here she is,” said a male voice from the door.

  It sounded like the man she had spoken to on the phone. His build was almost as imposing as Declan’s, and the look on his face was not friendly.

  Chapter 19

  “Go in, you nimrod,” said someone from behind.

  There was nothing more shocking than having a group of men burst into the room and set their sights on her. Maura knew she must look like hell from all the tears, from getting up in the middle of the night, from being at the hospital and not even looking at a mirror, but she didn’t care.

  “Hi, I’m Maura.” She stood up and held out her hand. She had brothers. Big men or not, she wasn’t going to be intimated. Nothing was going to get her out of this room until she had word about Declan’s safety.

  “Use your indoor manners,” said a rather buttoned-up looking guy.

  “Right.” Leaper cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m Leaper, Declan’s swim buddy. I spoke to you on the phone.” Leaper shook hands with her. He then took the phone that was lying on the floor and pushed a few buttons. “You turned on the locator beacon. That’s how we found you.”

  “Truth is…we were tracking you even before that. The call with Leaper set off a few alarms for us. I’m Sobbit Dahl.” The tallish man nodded at her.

  “Right. Sorry about that.” She rushed on. “I couldn’t talk when you called as Declan was about to go into surgery. I was speaking with the doctor and then the nurse. I had to put him first…”

  “She’s got the balls to be Swifton’s wife. Excuse our manners. I’m Miller Roth, and this is Harvey Wilson, Tyler Kidding, Bunks Fox, and that’s Hayes Johnson. We’re…”

  “Teammates,” Maura finished. “Yeah, I know. I figured it out.” She cleared her throat. “You’ve been gone a long time. He talks fondly about you guys.”

  “He better,” smirked Sobbit. “Though he obviously didn’t invite us to a wedding or a celebration party. That bastard!”

  “Blah, blah, blah! It’s always about you!” teased Wilson.

  Bunks frowned. “Cool it, guys. The lady isn’t used to us yet.”

  Maura liked the banter. It eased the knot in her gut. “I have brothers. Just be yourselves, okay?”

  “Sure,” said Leaper, throwing both his Teammates a stern look and then escorting Maura back to a chair and sitting down next to her. “Just tell us, in your own time, what’s going on?”

  “When I woke up this morning, Declan had a fever. The doctor had told him yesterday that surgery might be imminent, but when I couldn’t wake him up, I called the ambulance. Now, here we are.” She flexed her fingers, trying not to get stressed while she waited. She just loved him so much, she wished she could take his pain away.

  “We just got back in town. We were going to give Dec some crap over being MIA, when this news sort of changed our plans,” said Hayes. “What can we do to help?”

  “Nothing.” Maura explained the surgery the same way the doctor had explained it. “I don’t know how long it’s going to be. It could be two hours. Could be ten.”

  Miller nodded. “What do you need from us?”

  “I’m sure Declan would be happy to know that you’re here,” said Maura. Picking up the water she’d gotten from the cooler in the corner of the room, she took a sip. It was cold on her throat going down.

  “Would you like some tea or coffee? I see vending machines,” said Bunks.

  “You and your stomach,” commented Sobbit.

  “I’m hungry.”

  “It’s like you have a tapeworm. You’re always hungry.”

  Maura found herself smiling. Sure enough, they reminded her of Declan. The way they teased each other, the way their strength was their massive energy dominating any space they were in, and this underlining kindness. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m…I’m glad you’re here.” Having people to share the experience with lightened the emotion considerably.

  Leaper reached over and punched Bunks and Sobbit in the arms. “See what you did? You made her cry.”

  Miller shook his head. “No way. They made her smile.”

  * * *

  Being in the air-conditioned room for four hours had lowered Maura’s core temperature to near freezing. She couldn’t drink another cup of tea or she’d be going to the bathroom every five minutes instead of every twenty.

  Miller had mumbled something about his car and slipped out a half hour ago.

  She wished she could step outside for ten minutes to warm up, but she didn’t dare. Walking to the door, she waited for a nurse to come by and then called her. “Nurse. Is there any word?”

  The woman, who had been asked the very same question at least a dozen times, shook her head and continued down the hall.

  “The least she could have done was answer me with words,” Maura said softly to herself.

  “They do that. Don’t give out information in case it’s taken wrong. Declan is strong. He’s the ornery type.” Miller was standing behind her, holding a Team FIVE sweatshirt and a large bag of food. He grinned. “Only so many candy bars and snack packs a human being can eat.”

  “Thanks,” she said, grateful for the sweatshirt and the reassuring words. Pulling it over her head, she relished the thick warmth. The hem landed at just above her knees. She didn’t care; nothing was going to make her take it off.

  Miller handed her a Styrofoam box full of hot eggs, toast, and bacon, and a bottle of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Even though it was almost lunchtime, she’d skipped breakfast, and eggs were welcome 24/7 in her book.

  Maura practically inhaled the food. Her body was delighted with the fuel and she felt almost human again. Flexing her fingers, she noted even they were warming up. “I appreciate it. What do I owe you?”

  “Nothing,” said Miller as he tossed his container in the garbage and reached for hers.

  She handed it over and stretched. Spending all this time with these guys had taught her a lot about them. They cared about Declan as if he were not just a brother, but also an extension of them. And they cross-referenced their questions to her, waiting for her to slip up.

  Telling them the truth—that she lived next door, that she’d become closer to him after he rescued her from a paddleboard accident, and that he might have an upcoming duty assignment at BUD/S—had loosened some of the tongues about Declan’s life before her. She enjoyed the stories; it made her feel like he was right here.

  * * *

  The staff shifts rotated, and a new nurse came out to speak to Maura. “I can take you back to see him. He’s going in and out of consciousness, but he should be waking up shortly. He was in recovery for over an hour and a half.” To the rest of the men waiting, she said, “We’ll let you know when he’s ready for visitors.”

  Maura followed the nurse through another corridor and was escorted through double doors into the ICU. Walking down a glass-lined hallway, it was hard not to peer into the rooms where people were lying in their most vulnerable state. It didn’t alleviate any of her anxiety to see all of the nu
rses and doctors hovering around the patients and their families.

  “In here,” said the nurse, gesturing to an end room. The shades over the window were drawn and the room was dark, except for a block of lights behind his bed. It smelled strongly of bleach in there. Maura’s nose wrinkled as the nurse brought her alongside Declan’s bed. “The doctor will be coming in shortly, if you’d like to take a seat.”

  Maura couldn’t take her eyes from Declan. Drinking in the sight of him, she willed her racing heart to slow down. Taking long, slow breaths, she kept herself from passing out and finally pulled a chair over to the bed and tentatively wrapped her fingers around his.

  His lips were dry and cracked in places, and he looked younger and very vulnerable.

  “I miss you,” she whispered softly, stroking his hand. The room was so silent, her words felt like they echoed.

  Dr. Ekkert came in the door. “Mrs. Swifton? Sorry for the delay in speaking with you. I had a second emergency to handle.”

  She nodded.

  The doctor looked worn-out and at the same time relaxed. Grabbing another chair from the corner, he pulled it alongside hers and sat down. “He did great.”

  “Thank you,” said Maura, letting out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

  “There was a clot in his upper thigh. We got there in time to remove it, and the other surgeries went well. We did a few scans and didn’t see any other problems, but to be on the safe side he’ll be on blood thinners for a few months. Other than that, he should be waking up anytime now.” Dr. Ekkert squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I’ll stick around for another hour, if Declan would like to…”

  “Maura…” Declan’s voice was rough. He coughed.

  The doctor stood and picked up a glass of water with a straw, putting it to Declan’s mouth. “How are you feeling, Master Chief?”

  Declan drank several sips before spitting out the straw. “Hungry.”