by J. L. Drake
“How long has it been?” Sue finally broke the silence.
“Three hours and fifteen minutes,” Cole and I said in unison just as the door opened and Nurse Lilly walked in.
“Hi, folks. Thanks for being so patient. I’ve got good news. Daniel is in recovery, and he did just fine through his surgery. His doctor will update you on exactly what was done in surgery later, but you can see him soon.” She stumbled while looking around at our group. “But one at a time, please. As for John Black, I’m pleased to pass along that he is now stable.”
The whole room broke out in cheers, and the relief was evident in their smiles.
Lilly held up her hand for us to listen. “He gave us concern for a while there, but he is strong and in excellent physical condition, and that helped a lot. He’ll have to spend about week in hospital on IV antibiotics and, if all goes well, he can go home. But,” she turned her pointed gaze to Cole, who I was sure she heard was the team leader, “he must rest. No work or heavy lifting. His body needs time to heal.”
“You have my word,” Cole promised as Abigail nearly plowed us over to share the news with John’s parents downstairs.
“Can we see him yet?” I was nearly weightless with the news.
“He’s still in intensive care, but once he’s brought down to his room, and as soon as he’s ready, two of you can go in.”
“His parents.” I nodded to Cole. “I’ll wait. They really need to see their son.”
He reached out and gave my arm an understanding squeeze before he tuned in to Mark.
Sue went off to visit Daniel in recovery, reassuring Cole he would be next. She returned in happy tears and hugged Cole briefly before he left to pay Daniel his own visit. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall in that room, as I’d heard about how Daniel switched places with Mike before it all happened. I imagined Cole would have a few things to say on the subject.
“I’m sure you’ll get to see John soon.” Mike leaned into me. “We all knew he was too tough to lose that easily.” He shifted before he said what I suspected he really wanted to say. “Ah, I just wanted to say how well you fit in at Blackstone. You can keep confidences, and I respect that.”
“Thanks.” I tried to sound thankful for the compliment, but my head was still stuck in a panic loop. I wasn’t prepared for all this to happen. Daniel, John, Ellie’s meltdown, and now Mike knew a secret John wouldn’t be all right with.
“Sloane?” Sue’s warm touch pulled me from my internal chaos. “I think John would really like to see you now.”
“Really? Thank you.” I forced a smile and swiped my shaky hands down my shirt. I headed out the door and down the long hallway then stood outside of room 506. My hands were cold, so I tried to warm them against my legs before I pushed the heavy door open and stopped short.
I wasn’t naïve. I knew he would look pale and tired, but I wasn’t prepared to see him hooked up to a machine, with an IV stuck in his arm and bandages wrapped around his midsection. His gown was hiked up like he had just been examined. It was a shock to see him this way. I was terrified to approach the bed but forced myself to move.
His eyes fluttered open, and he squinted to see who his third visitor was.
“Hi,” I barely whispered and fought the need to cry. Today had been an emotional roller coaster, and the fact that I knew he’d eventually return to that hell didn’t help.
He shifted and pressed his finger against the button to raise his bed. Once he got comfortable, he motioned for me to come closer. My feet betrayed me, and I couldn’t get them to move.
“Sloane,” he cleared his throat but sounded extremely groggy, “come here.”
My traitorous feet finally gave in, and I went to his side. He tried to motion for me to lie next to him, but instead I held on to his hand and pulled the chair next to him. We stayed like that for a while, and then he drifted off to sleep, and I was left with the horrible beeping sound of the heart monitor.
Chapter Thirteen
John
As the heart monitor faded from my consciousness, I slipped into a more pleasant memory from my childhood.
“John!” Ellie popped up from behind a rock covered in mud with a shit-eating grin. “Whatcha looking at?”
I rolled my eyes and jabbed her in the ribs as I moved to join her behind the rock. “Just scopin’ the Maverick boys, waiting for the perfect moment to attack them.” I showed her the homemade mud balls I’d made earlier.
“Maverick boys,” she narrowed her gaze in on me, “or Maverick sister?” She giggled, and I jabbed her side again. She yelped but continued to laugh.
“Shhh,” I warned and waited for the little shits to move closer. Tyler, Elliot, and Josh were the new kids on the block and thought they owned the woods around our property. It was time to set things straight.
“Look, there’s Bethany,” my sister whispered over my shoulder. “You have a mud ball for her too, right?”
“Yup,” I lied and shook her hand off my shoulder. “I’ll get Elliot and Josh, and you take out Tyler.”
“And Bethany?”
“She’s all yours,” I muttered.
“Yes.” She moved into place, and we both waited.
“One,” they came closer, “two,” they stopped like they always did to claim their space, “three.” I stood and biffed the mud ball with all my might at Elliot’s back.
“What the hell?” He whirled around when Ellie stood and nailed Tyler and Bethany square in the face. Both kids fell to the ground with a cry. I nailed Josh in the neck and high fived my sister, who was very pleased with herself. We hopped to our feet and bolted back to our own yard. We didn’t miss a beat as we climbed the ladder to the safety of the barn’s loft.
Ellie dropped down on the hay in a fit of laughter, and I joined her. We laughed until our stomachs hurt and we were out of tears.
“We showed them!” She giggled as she pulled pieces of hay out of her muddy hair.
“We did.” I high fived her and turned on the Christmas lights Dad had let us hang up once he discovered we used it as a clubhouse.
“John.” She rolled onto her knees, her expression serious.
“Yeah?” I moved a chicken out of my way and sat on the ledge to let my legs dangle over the open double doors.
“Will you promise me something?”
“’Kay.”
“Promise me that no matter what happens in our lives, we’ll always be a team.”
I glanced over and saw her arms were hugged around her knees and her chin rested on their bony tops.
“Of course. We made that pact years ago. Why are you bringing it up now?”
She shrugged, and her mouth drooped into a frown. “I know Bethany and a few other girls are starting to look at you differently, and that’s fine, ’cause boys are doing the same to me. But you’re my brother, and I want to make sure that we come first. You know?”
“I know.” I understood her fear. It had always been the two of us, and the idea of anyone breaking that up was scary. “We’re one person,” I laughed lightly, “until you decide to be independent.”
“Sounds like me.” She grinned.
“You can’t break up a twin bond, Ell. It’s scientifically proven,” I reassured her.
“Twins before anyone else.” She beamed.
“Twins before anyone else,” I repeated, knowing I’d take that promise to the grave.
Pain jolted me awake, and it took me a moment to clear the fog that hung heavily in the corners of my mind. I couldn’t seem to move my left arm, so I forced my eyes open and blinked away the blur. Her sweet scent found its way into my nose before it registered that she was at my side.
“Hey,” I whispered and ran my hand through the silk of her long hair. Everything hurt, but Sloane being here made up for it big time.
She moved to sit up then winced and rolled her head around for a second. The fatigue on her face vanished as she looked up at me, and concern took its place.
“Hi
.” Her tone sounded strange. “Can I get you anything?”
I shook my head and tried to take her hand, only to have her stand up as though she was unsure.
“What’s wrong?” I croaked and begged my head to keep up.
“I just…” She trailed off.
“Just what?” I shifted uncomfortably. Fuck me, everything hurts.
“I am a strong woman, John.”
“I know.” The room tilted a little as a sharp pain jolted through my center.
“Who has been up against some of the roughest men in Washington.”
“Yes, you have.”
“Not to mention being attacked in my own home,” she went on, “but there’s something about seeing the man you love fight for his life with no warning. There was no warning.”
I paused mid-wince at her words. The word “love” bounced around the room, but she didn’t seem to notice, so I didn’t point it out…yet.
“You were standing there in the hallway talking to us,” her arms moved about as she told her story, “then you were gone, whisked off for x-rays, but you didn’t come back. You didn’t come back.”
“I know it must have been scary, but—”
“Scary?” She laughed as tears trickled paths down her cheeks. My stomach twisted at how much she was hurting. “Scary is finding out your Blackhawk went down after two RPGs blew into it.” She sniffed and dried her soaked cheeks with the back of her hand. “This,” she waved her arms toward me, “is frigging terrifying.” I nodded to show I was listening. “You had some possible broken ribs.”
“Yeah.”
“You had a bad cut on your leg, and they said you went into some filthy water. You should have known better.”
“Yeah.” She was right. I knew better, but it didn’t matter at the time.
“I know Daniel was in rough shape, but what about you?”
“He has a family—”
“What are Kelly, Oliver, Ellie, and…” She stopped herself.
“And?” I questioned with a smile, which further pissed her off.
“Tripper,” she fibbed terribly. “They are your family, people you should care enough about to come home to. You’re just as important as Daniel.”
“I care about my family and my own life.” I fought the wave of nausea and the black that hovered. I would not allow myself to pass out. “But that wasn’t what was running through my mind while I hauled Daniel through that jungle.” I reached over and grabbed hold of her arm a little more roughly than I intended to. “Please stop moving for a moment.” I blinked back the black spots.
“Oh,” her face fell when she finally tuned in to my hurting state, “I’m sorry.” She sat next to me with a sigh.
“And I’m sorry I scared you. I acted on instinct. I know you understand that, being the daughter of a general.” My mouth was like sandpaper. “Just like I know you’re not mad at me. You’re worried about me.”
“Maybe,” she huffed, and more tears leaked out.
“Look,” I buzzed the nurse so I could get the hell out of here, “our mission got railroaded, and Daniel was in worse shape than me.” Her face made me try harder. “Daniel’s been like a father to me since I joined. I don’t get to share this side of my life with my dad, so to have Daniel be that for me is pretty important.” I clicked the button again, feeling worse as the seconds ticked by. “I ignored my leg and my ribs and whatever else and did what I needed to do to get us the hell out of there.”
She started to cry, and I had to believe it was out of relief more than anything else.
“Sloane,” I rubbed her leg, “you gave me a reason to come home, a reason to care and not be reckless. I came home because of you.”
“You almost died, John.”
“But I didn’t.” I kissed her hand. “I didn’t die,” I repeated to reassure her.
The door swung open, and the nurse walked in, but I glared at Mark, who stood behind her. He’d caught the door with his foot and flashed me a wicked smile.
Oh, shit, here we go.
“Good morning, Mr. Black.” The nurse started to change out my IV bag. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m good. When can I go home?”
She laughed, and Mark moved into the room, looking around like he was admiring the decor.
The room was yellow, with muted salmon-colored furniture. There was nothing to look at.
“You’re here until Sunday, Mr. Black,” the nurse informed me, “and after that, you’re on bedrest for another thirteen days.”
Mark slowly turned and joined Sloane.
“I feel fine,” I muttered.
“John,” Sloane warned, knowing that was a lie. “He’s in pain, and he looked like he might be sick a few moments ago.”
“I see.” The nurse shot me a disapproving look. “I’ll get you something for that and the pain.”
I wanted to argue, but the nurse left, and Sloane rushed to join her, I was sure to embellish more on my condition.
Mark’s shit-eating grin loomed over me.
“What?” I closed my eyes as another dizzy spell took over.
“Mm, nothing.” He started to lift the side of the blanket, and my eyes flew open. “I heard you have a hose stuck in your twig.”
“So help me God, Lopez,” I growled.
“Someone’s fussy?” He laughed. “Does it sting when you pee?”
“Die.”
“Nah, I’m good.” He sank into the chair in the corner of the room and checked the time. “Ten minutes until they serve you lunch.”
“Knock, knock.” Savannah popped her head in the door holding a bag. “Okay to come in?”
“Sure.” I shook my head, hating all the attention. I just wanted to either get the hell out of here or sleep.
“Mia pulled some strings with a friend, and we thought you might like some food from home.” She started to pull out some containers. “Soup, rolls, tea, just a few things to make your stay a little nicer.”
“Thanks, Savi.” The idea of food made my stomach roll, but the offer was very kind. “How’s Daniel?”
“He’s fine. He’ll be a while recovering, perhaps a little longer than you, but I’ll let Cole fill you in on the rest.” She reached behind her and smacked Mark, who was already into the rolls.
Sloane came in and sat on the edge of the bed, still looking a million miles away.
“Okay, Mr. Black, I have some anti-nausea and pain meds.” The nurse stopped when she took in my company. “One of you needs to go. Only two guests at a time. I’m sorry.”
“That one.” I pointed at Mark, who was stuffing his mouth with a second roll.
“You’re so cold.” Food rolled around his mouth.
“I should go too.” Savannah gave me a hug. “I’ll be back with more food.”
I waved a goodbye and waited for the nurse to inject the goods. I hoped they’d hit fast.
“This will help. Now, get some rest.” She eased the liquids into my IV then left.
Sloane moved up the bed and ran a hand through my hair. “Can I get you anything?”
“No.” Warmth spread through my body, and I felt heavy. The top of my head started to prickle, and my mind slowly let go of the room. “Say it to me again?”
“What?” she whispered as she turned off the light next to the bed.
“That you love me.” I gave in to sleep remembering my Delta days.
“My feet fucking kill,” Dimitri bitched as we finished the last leg of our twenty-mile hike through thick terrain with a forty-five-pound pack strapped to our backs.
“You’re fine,” I muttered and grabbed Tony’s arm as his legs gave out again. Delta Force training weeded the weak from the strong and the undetermined from the determined. A good part of it was mental. Harsh, but true. I knew that when faced with the challenges a Delta Force soldier would come up against, you’d better be the best of the best. Or you’d die.
“Come on, Tony.” I bent down and used what little strength I
had left and hoisted him over my shoulder. My knees shook, but I took a moment and cleared my head.
“Really?” Dimitri snickered as he hobbled along. “You’d think we were in a movie or something.”
I whirled around and glared down at the bastard who had been riding my ass since we started training.
“By all means, then,” I held out my arms and felt Tony fight for balance, “you can be the star in it. If you want to carry him, you can.”
“I’m not carrying him and his extra weight.” He indicated Tony’s pack. “We’re pushed for time as it is.”
“Then shut the hell up and get back in line.”
The rest of our unit followed in silence. We were all exhausted and had little patience for Dimitri and all he’d put us through. Multiple times we’d had to stop and help him out, but the first time someone else really needed help, he was willing to leave them in the woods just to finish on time. His type was not cut out for the Army.
“Ten minutes,” Waters chimed in, “and we have two more miles to go.”
“So, pick up the pace.” Dimitri hit my arm as he hurried by. “You can be the hero, but I’m finishing this test.”
“Whatever,” I hissed and watched more than half of the unit race after him.
“Not worth it.” Tony tried to sound coherent. “Drop me.” I shifted a bit to relieve my right shoulder.
“I wouldn’t drop you in battle, so why would I do it now?”
“You won’t make it in time.” Waters’ voice came from the side. I hadn’t noticed him because of Tony’s legs.
“I don’t care,” I nodded toward the finish line ahead, “but you should go. This was my decision.”
Waters shook his head and stayed close. “If I ever have to fight in a battle for my life, Black,” he looked over at me, “I would want you with me.”
I lifted my fist to give him a bump.
My mud-soaked boots crossed the line with thirty seconds to spare. I handed Tony to the EMT who was waiting on the sidelines and dropped my pack with a thud. I ignored the cheers from the rest of the unit, grabbed my canister, and headed to a quiet spot. I usually loved the brotherhood of the Army, when you were in the right company. Other than Waters, my unit was disappointing. Perhaps in time their mind-set would change, but if it wasn’t in them now, I highly doubted it would ever change.