by Margaret Kay
She nodded her understanding of his directions.
He opened the door, looking around and listening intently. Elizabeth opened her door too. Though he knew if they were to be killed out here, a sniper could be far away on one of the hills. He’d be dead before he heard the gunshot. Then he got out of the vehicle and moved to the front of it, assuming if there was a sniper, he’d be in front of them. He may buy Elizabeth some time to get behind the rocks.
No shot came. After she was safely hidden, he moved there as well. Only then did he open the phone Halima had given him and he dialed his home Ops, the number designated for Operators on non-agency devices in trouble.
“Go,” was Yvette’s one-word answer.
“Situation zero-one, Control. Doc, requesting immediate extract for two.” He kept his voice even as he spoke even though his heart was racing. He’d never had to declare an emergency before.
“Roger that, Doc, got your location, twenty klicks northwest of Harirad. Bringing the team online now.”
There was a click, then a twenty second pause, then another click. “Doc, situation zero-one, please reconfirm,” Madison’s voice came over the line.
“Roger, Xena, zero-one, requesting immediate extract for two. I don’t know how long the window will be open, you better make it fast.”
“Roger Doc,” Madison said. “A chopper has been at the ready. ETA to your location forty minutes.”
His eyes met Elizabeth’s. “The chopper is on its way.”
“Any other instructions, Doc?” Madison asked.
“Yeah, tell the pilot to lift off as soon as we’re in. Don’t wait for us to buckle in.”
“Roger that,” Madison replied.
“Can you scan the immediate area for hostiles?”
“That’s a negative. The landscape itself is so hot, I’m not getting any heat signature difference off you versus the surrounding landscape. The area is measuring in excess of ninety degrees. I barely have you.”
“Roger that, Xena,” Doc replied. “We’ll sit tight. Forty minutes, huh?”
Even though they crouched behind the clump of rocks that were heated to at least ninety degrees, a shiver ran through Elizabeth. They’d have to wait forty minutes. What if this was a trap to shoot down the helicopter? What if they were luring a few others to their deaths as well? She still couldn’t believe they had just walked out of there and drove away in one of the General’s vehicles. He was known for being ruthless. Did the fact that they had saved his sons really mean he would let them live? She had a hard time believing that. The irony of her lack of faith was all too apparent to her.
“When the chopper lands, we are going to run to it as fast as we can,” Doc said, giving her hand a squeeze. “I’ll help you in and you’d better move quick and make room for me.”
Elizabeth nodded again.
Doc felt the sweat running down every inch of his body. It felt as though he sat crouched in a blast furnace. The sun beat down, the rocks emitted heat. He had to believe this is what hell felt like.
The forty-minute wait was excruciating. Finally, the sound of a chopper was heard faintly. It got louder and then came into sight, the sun gleaming from its hull as it approached. With a scorching whirlwind it sat down, kicking up the desert sand. Doc held Elizabeth’s hand firmly and ran full-out towards the bird. Cooper, Lambchop, and the Undertaker leaned out the door, rifles at the ready.
When they reached the door, Doc pushed Elizabeth in. Cooper assisted to haul her aboard. Then Doc climbed in, rolling across the flooring as the chopper lifted, ascending quickly, banking to its right. Through the open doorway, Doc saw the desert landscape disappear, replaced completely with a beautiful, cloudless blue sky.
Then the Undertaker closed the door. Doc rolled further in, onto his feet and then pulled himself to the seat beside Elizabeth. She was holding on tightly. He fastened her seat belt, then his own, and then grabbed a set of the headphones for himself. He pulled them on before he did the same for her.
“Welcome back,” Cooper said, a hand to Doc’s shoulder.
Doc leaned his head against the headrest, gazing into Cooper’s eyes. “I’ve never been happier to see you, Cooper.”
He heard his three teammates chuckle.
“Do either of you have any medical needs?” Sloan asked.
“No, we’re fine,” Doc replied.
Elizabeth leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She said a prayer for continued safe transport back to the U.S. base. She hadn’t even realized she was clutching Doc’s hand until he squeezed it back.
“I think you can relax now,” Doc said.
She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice and viewed the three men who stood before them in camouflage and full combat gear. They were all armed. She forced a brave smile as her eyes met Doc’s. “Sorry.” She loosened her grip.
“Sister Elizabeth, this is Cooper, Sloan, and our team reverend, Landon Johnson,” Doc introduced, pointing them each out.
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Sister,” Cooper said, smiling with recognition.
She nodded and forced a small smile. She remembered him from the cave and the evacuation of the others, though he too looked scruffier than he had with a face that hadn’t been shaved in days. She noticed that he too looked very tired. She didn’t remember the two other men.
“You two had us worried,” the Undertaker said. “By the way, Doc, all the injured we evacuated are doing fine. How are the two boys?”
“They made it,” Doc reported without elaborating.
“How in the fuck did you negotiate a release?” the Undertaker asked.
“We watched your tracker get moved to General Abdi Ishmael Halima’s fortified estate. We were planning a rescue mission when you phoned in,” Cooper said. “Shit, Doc, we were calculating casualties of a rescue mission.”
“Hell, if the two boys didn’t turn out to be the General’s sons. What were the fucking odds?” Doc replied with a head shake. “We were granted safe passage for the medical care we gave that saved their lives,” Doc added falling into old habits of swearing, forgetting Elizabeth heard the conversation. “Halima made it clear it was a onetime granting of safe passage.” Doc shook his head again, still in disbelief they had walked out of there. “I kept waiting for the gunfire that would fucking end us.”
“God was with you,” Lambchop said. “Let’s not test that too many times in the future, my friend.” He clasped Doc on the shoulder.
Elizabeth listened to the exchange between the men finding comfort in it, even though the language was vulgar. The reverend knelt in front of her. He was a big man. His biceps swelled from beneath the camouflage shirt that was rolled up as far on his arms that his muscles would allow. He took her hand gently in his.
“Sister, God delivered you both safely.” He laid a hand onto Doc’s shoulder and then bowed his head. “Heavenly Father, we thank you for Your protection of your son, Doc and your faithful servant, Sister Elizabeth. We thank you they were delivered safely to us and that we were able to retrieve them without further bloodshed. Please bless the people in this region that want to live in peace in Your name. Amen.”
“Amen,” Elizabeth repeated. Then she dropped her head down into her hands, cupped her face and cried. The realization that they’d made it, against all odds, hit her. They’d made it out alive. She felt Alexander embrace her.
“It’s okay, Elizabeth. We made it,” Doc said as he wrapped an arm around her.
He drew her in close and just held her all the way back to the base. Several times she gazed at him with questioning eyes. He knew what was on her mind. It was on his too, except, his thoughts were also painfully bombarded with memories from his past. Horrible memories he hadn’t thought about in well over a decade and a half swirled through his thoughts mixing with the commitment he’d sworn to Elizabeth in those dark moments when they thought they’d be killed.
Golf
The chopper sat down beside a hangar. Doc led Elizabeth t
he short distance, following Cooper into the building. Within, the remainder of the team were gathered. They all rushed to greet Doc, welcoming him back. Elizabeth stood back, an outsider, alone, and out of place. Madison came over to her after giving Doc a hug.
“Sister Elizabeth, I’m Madison, also known as Xena. Are you okay?” She took hold of both of Elizabeth’s hands. Gazing into the young woman’s eyes, Madison saw exhaustion and something else she couldn’t identify in the blue depths.
“It is nice to meet you. You are kind, thank you. I am unharmed.”
Madison forced a smile and nodded. “You may be unharmed, but are you okay? This had to be frightening.”
Elizabeth’s lips quivered. “Yes, very. Where are the Sisters? I’d like to say goodbye to them and arrange my transportation home, back to the United States.”
“Goodbye? You’re leaving them?”
“Yes, my time here has come to an end. I wish to go home.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Madison said. “And I’ll arrange for you to see the Sisters.”
Elizabeth watched the taller woman walk away with confidence and purpose. The loose blond bun at the back of her neck bounced with each step. She watched her stop in front of the man named Cooper, who Alexander had told her was in charge of the unit. They were too far away for her to hear what was said though.
Alexander still talked with several of the men. His back was to her. She wished he would turn and look in her direction. She needed to see the expression on his face. They needed to talk. He had to know she planned to return to the United States.
She watched as Cooper and Madison then stepped over to the group of men Alexander talked with. After a few moments, Alexander finally turned and looked at her. His eyes focused on her for a long moment, before he again turned his back to her. She wasn’t sure what that meant. She wanted, no, she needed to talk with him alone. They were married in God’s eyes and that wasn’t something she took lightly.
Cooper approached her, walking with purpose. “Sister, I understand you need transport back to the United States.”
“Yes. Madison said she’d get me reunited with the Sisters so I can say goodbye. Sister Bernice John will know how I can get home.”
“We can help you with that,” Cooper said with a smile. “The team will be heading out in about an hour. They’re refueling our plane now. There are extra seats if you want to catch a ride with us.”
“That would be very much appreciated,” Elizabeth said with a genuine smile. Perhaps, Alexander did want her to remain with him.
Across the room, Madison was on the phone. She couldn’t help but watch the young Sister. She looked like a fish out of water. Her eyes though still had that look, haunted almost. She was on the verge of tears and Madison could tell she was doing everything she could to hold it together. After she hung up the phone, she returned to the corner Sister Elizabeth had remained in.
“The Sisters are on their way here now,” Madison said. She pointed to a door on the far wall. “This room is off limits to them, but you can see them in that room.”
“Thank you. And thank you also for talking with Mr. Cooper to allow me to travel home with your group.”
“Of course, we’re going that direction anyway, so why not? There is no reason we can’t take you as far as we’re going. Where is home?”
“Seattle,” Elizabeth said. “What about you?”
“Our headquarters is near Chicago. We’ll take the C-17 into Andrews Air Force Base and transfer there to our own plane.”
Elizabeth nodded. Chicago. Alexander’s home was near Chicago. She’d never been there. She’d never been anywhere but Seattle and Africa. She almost laughed aloud at this ridiculous revelation. She followed Madison across the hangar to the door. The other men followed them through it, hearing the other Sisters would be coming to say goodbye.
The small room became crowded and loud with the fourteen other Sisters and every member of the Shepherd Security team. One Sister hadn’t made it into the cave and had been killed by Al-Shabaab when the village was attacked. Sister Maria was a faithful servant of God and she was a friend of Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth cried upon hearing the news of Sister Maria’s death. At least it had been from a gunshot. It could have been a lot worse; Elizabeth knew. That gave her some solace.
Jackson and Sister Bernice John embraced. “Goodbye, Sister,” he said. “Please be safe. Angel would really like you to come visit and hold your grandson, you know. Are you sure you don’t want to hitch a ride with us now? You could always come back later.”
“Thank you for the offer. I do long to hold Sammy, but there are so many other of God’s children here who need me more. Sammy has all of you to hold him. The children here have no one but us and I cannot turn my back on them.”
“I understand, Sister,” Jackson said. More importantly, Angel understood.
“Take good care of my daughter and grandson,” Bernice John said.
“You better believe I do,” Jackson said. He gave her another hug.
“You are a good man and I am so very pleased I got to meet you in person. Safe travels home to you and your team and thank you again for coming to our aid.”
“You’re welcome, Sister.”
Elizabeth said goodbye to each of the Sisters and embraced each one. They said their goodbyes to the team as well and then filed out of the door. Sister Bernice John was the only one left. A lump formed in Elizabeth’s throat. “I will miss you, Sister.” She and Bernice John joined hands.
“Elizabeth, are you sure about this?” Bernice John asked.
Elizabeth nodded. Tears filled her eyes. “I was sure when I gave you notice I could not take my final vows last year and I am even more sure now.” She hugged Sister Bernice John, who had been a strong source of faith in her life. She felt as though she had let Sister Bernice down, but she knew she didn’t have the unwavering belief she should have, to remain in the order. “I didn’t have faith, Sister. In the moments of darkness, my heart didn’t believe in the Lord,” she confessed.
“You will always be in my thoughts and prayers. Please stay in touch with me and let me know how you are doing.”
“I promise I will,” Elizabeth swore. That was a vow she knew she could keep.
“Where will you go? Back to Seattle?”
Elizabeth’s eyes went to Doc. “I don’t know yet.”
The women embraced again, and Bernice John left her after saying a prayer with Elizabeth for safe travel. Elizabeth watched the Sister leave, closing the door behind her. She felt Alexander behind her before turning her head to look. When she did, she wished she hadn’t. His eyes were focused on her with no warmth in them. His face was fixed in an unfriendly cast.
“We need to talk,” Doc said.
She noticed that they were alone in the room. “It appears we are alone. Please say what you have arranged this private moment to tell me.”
Doc ran his hand over his stubbled chin. Damn her, did she have to make this harder on him? He’d given this a lot of thought. It was the right thing to do, for her. “Elizabeth, we survived. Against all odds, we survived. We said things and did things, thinking we surely would be killed that we wouldn’t have under any other circumstances, things we shouldn’t have, things we cannot hold to.”
Elizabeth felt her heart shatter in her chest. “I release you from the vows you made to me, Alexander.” Tears filled her eyes. She would not beg him to stay with her. She would not beg him for anything. Pride was a sin, she knew, but her pride would not allow her to beg him to fulfill the vows they made before God. If he didn’t want to make a life with her, she didn’t want him there. She would make a life on her own.
Doc nodded. This is what he wanted, was what he was going to talk with her about. They weren’t married, didn’t have a relationship that would continue. But how could her statement make him feel even worse than he already did? “Elizabeth, you will find someone who you will love with everything you are, and I hope you will remembe
r me with fond feelings when that happens.”
Elizabeth spoke with soft, breathy words. “I will always have fond feelings when I think of you, Alexander. Can we stay in touch?” She knew the answer before Alexander spoke. His face took on a dark cast, his body stiffened.
“That is not a viable option. This is what I do, Elizabeth. This is my job. I’m not easily reachable, never know where I’m going to be.”
She nodded. “I understand,” she said. But she didn’t. In this modern age of cell phones and computers, he could stay in contact with her, but his answer showed he didn’t want to. She wouldn’t beg.
She turned away, her shattered heart aching. She bit back the disappointment and forced the tears to stay in her eyes. They had sworn their vows before God. She could release him, but she’d never release herself. They were married in God’s eyes and they made love, consummating the union. He might be able to walk away from it, but she couldn’t.