“Swarm this is Beehive, report over” Tank sighs in relief.
“The Queen bee has been secured. However, caught in spider web with spiders surrounding. Request Killer bees and Snake doctor to the following location” Tank rattles off coordinates. Luckily for them, the camp had been on stand-by incase they were needed to assist the team in extracting Elise. They had been waiting to hear word from the team. An immediate reply comes.
“Affirmative Swarm, killer bees in route. ETA 10 minutes. Blow smoke in 9, confirm over.”
“Swarm confirms. Blowing smoke in 9, over” the men make ready for the in bound firepower that is on it’s way to them. As the time approaches, Tank deploys the smoke flares. Suddenly a line of Apache helicopters blast through the smoke screen and drop out over the side of the mountain. Tank and his men watch as the choppers rain a barrage of bullets at the insurgents trying to climb out of their shelter. One well-placed missile hits the alcove and a blast of rocks and dust erupts into the clear air. Another chopper peppers the insurgents on the ground that were guarding the disabled Humvee. When the dust settles, all the insurgents have been eliminated.
“Swarm, this is killer bee 1. Spiders have been eliminated. Snake doctor in bound in 5.”
“Affirmative, Killer Bee 1. Swarm out.” Tank responds back.
A few minutes later the sound of blades chopping the air as the in bound Huey approached could be heard. The chopper hovered over Tanks location and dropped rope ladders out each side. Tank and his men are up the ladders and in the chopper in under a minute. Once inside, Tank updates the crew on the location of the rest of the team. When the pilot has positioned the chopper as near the cave entrance as possible, they drop a ladder down. Tank shimmies down the ladder to report to Deadeye. Once he is on the ground the ladder is drawn back in and replaced with a stretcher. Bull and Wallace hurry out to secure the stretcher while Mercury and Straw carry Worm to it.
“Deadeye, the insurgents have been taken care of and the extraction chopper is here.” Tank relates the information as they are all moving toward the entrance to the cave. Deadeye has Elise next to him as they approach the entrance.
“It’s going to be very loud out there and hard to hear. I want you to stay next to me the whole time, okay sweetheart?” Elise nods and clings to Deadeye as they approach the spot where the stretcher has already begun its assent. Once Worm in securely inside the chopper, the ladder is again dropped. The downdraft from the chopper is very strong and makes it difficult for Elise to keep her footing. Deadeye steadies her as he pushes her toward the ladder and gestures for her to climb. Eyes wide with fear Elise turns away from Deadeye and tentatively begins to climb. Deadeye follows close behind her along with the rest of the team. The chopper banks away from the mountain as the last man enters the safety of the chopper.
Elise stares down at the burnt side of the mountain as they pull away and head towards the safety of base camp. She is surprised that she doesn’t feel any remorse for the men that died there, but after her ordeal she isn’t the same naïve woman that left home only two months ago. Some people are evil and do evil things and so they deserve to face death.
Chapter 9
Thankfully the flightacross the desert and on to the safety of base camp went relatively easy. Elise has been glued to Deadeye side the entire flight, which if he was honest made him want to howl like a wolf to a full moon. It might make him a caveman, but the way she has clung to him since realizing he was an American soldier has Deadeye feeling ten-feet tall and bullet proof. The need he as felt to keep her safe since he first saw her picture has only gotten stronger during their time in the desert. His mind briefly flashes a head to getting her back in the States. What will happen then? Will he be able to keep her close? He tries not to think about her leaving to go back to Maryland with her family. It makes his stomach feel hollow and a little sick.
When they reach the camp, the Huey drops them off at the base hospital. As the team enters the building holding the hospital and emergency services, Deadeye demands the best doctor available. The staff are ready and waiting for them. Worm is whisked away for emergency treatment and to stabilize him for the trip to Germany for removal of the bullet that was lodged deep in his left thigh. Straw and Mercury had taken great pains to keep him alive and pain free. They were reluctant to leave him in the hands of the hospital workers, but at the nod from Deadeye they hand him over.
A young woman arrives and takes Elise into an exam room. The woman begins to ask her a lot of questions. Elise just stares at her without saying a word and then looks at Deadeye with fear in her eyes. It almost breaks his heart to see her fear and anxiety. He has refused to leave her side despite the nurse’s glares.
“Perhaps if you left the room, she might be more willing to answer my questions.” The nurse quips at Deadeye. Before he can make a protest. Elise exclaims, “No!” All eyes turn to look at her. Her face flushes and she drops her gaze from his eyes.
“Elise, sweetheart look at me.” Deadeye commands her in a gentle tone. When her eyes meet his, he places his hand on her cheek. “You don’t have to do anything or say anything. Would you be more comfortable if I stepped outside the door while the nurse gets information from you? I promise to stay close encase you need me.”
“No…no, please don’t leave me.” Her voice cracks as tears begin to fall down her face. He couldn’t stop himself if his life had depended on it. He took her into his arms and held her to his chest. She gripped his gear strapped to his sides like he was a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. His left arm was around her upper back and his right hand gently stroked her hair. He was murmuring words of comfort when the door to the exam room opened. Deadeye glanced back over his left shoulder to see who was entering the room and recognized the woman immediately. He stiffened a little. She hadn’t been overly impressed with his team on the flight over here. He hoped she wouldn’t hold her hard feelings against Elise.
“Hello, Ms. Sommers. I am Dr. Robertson.” The woman from the plane says as she enters the room. The nurse jumps to her feet and begins to try to explain why she didn’t have Elise’s paperwork done.
“I’m sorry Dr. Robertson. She hasn’t been very cooperative. I am trying to get her chart done.” The woman is looking a little frantic.
“Ensign Stone, relax. I’m not going to be upset about the chart not being done before I enter the room.” Dr. Robertson assures the nurse. “I know you are new here and have probably been treated badly by some of the officers around here, but I’m not one of them. As long as you are giving your best effort to do your job, you will have my respect. I can ask my own questions if there is something not on here that I need.” She smiles then at the woman to ease the nervous woman’s mind.
“Yes, ma’am. Dr. Robertson. Thank you.” The ensign seems to relax a little as Dr Robertson comes toward Elise and Deadeye. Elise has kept her head buried into his chest as he tries to soothe her. As Dr. Robertson gets closer, Deadeye refuses to pull back from Elise. He can still feel her body trembling under his. Her breathing is rapid and fast. He fears she is going to pass out from hyperventilating.
“Ms. Sommers.” Dr. Robertson says softly near her as she leans toward Deadeye and Elise. “I need to make sure you are physically unharmed. I understand you have been through an awful ordeal and for that I am very sorry. You don’t have to talk to me, answer any questions, or even let me examine you for that matter. You have the right to refuse any treatment, but I want you to know that I only have your best interests in mind. I just want to make sure you are safe to travel back to the states and away from this place. I will give you as much time as you need to think about what you want to do.”
Dr. Robertson turns to leave the room, motioning to the ensign to follow her when Elise raises her head and looks at Deadeye. He still has his arms draped loosely around her and she has a death grip on his sides. “Dr. Robertson?” Her soft quiet quivering voice pierces Deadeye’s heart. He can hear the pain and fear she is battling in her soft plea.
“Yes, Ms. Sommers I’m still here.” Dr. Robertson replies as she turns back around to face them.
“I’ll try to answer your questions and let you examine me, but can Warren stay with me?” Elise asks as she stares into Deadeye’s eyes as if she is asking him if he will stay instead of asking the doctor permission for him to stay. He nods in answer to her unspoken question.
“Of course, Ms. Sommers. Whatever makes you more comfortable.” Dr. Robertson turns back to the couple and then takes a seat near them. She looks over the chart in front of her briefly before beginning. “How about we start with hopefully the easy stuff, ok?” Elise nods in answer to the question.
“Tell me about your past health history. Any hospitalizations or surgeries?” Dr. Robertson asks. Elise actually smiles a little at that.
“Where should I begin, um…I had ALL, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when I was 16 years old with a reoccurrence at 17. I have been cancer free over ten years now. I had an implanted port for a while during treatment, but it was removed when I was about 24 years old. I underwent some procedures during treatment: bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow transplant. Other than that, no other surgeries.”
“Thank you that was very helpful. Are you allergic to any medications?” Elise shakes her head. “Are you on any medications right now?” Another shake of the head from Elise encourages the doctor to continue.
“Now some harder questions. Can you tell me about what injuries you sustained while in captivity? Where you assaulted? Physically I mean.” Dr. Robertson looks up at Elise then. Deadeye is tense. He doesn’t want Elise to be upset at the questioning. She looks up at Dr. Robertson then at him before taking a deep breath.
