The men laughed.
Daniel blushed. “Not just… that. You have to understand that life under those circumstances takes on a whole new meaning. Every moment can be your last. You get to learn about people—who they really are—very fast. When the shit hits the fan, the ones who stay back, who lend a hand to the weaker and smaller ones, who stay calm while bullets are flying… they are the real brave ones. And Reed… he saved my life more times than I can count.”
“And Doc saved mine and everyone else in our unit,” I interrupted.
I needed his friends to understand just what kind of man he was.
Everyone looked a bit stunned.
I was right. They didn’t really know who their friend was. I didn’t blame them. They were scientists and researchers. They understood adventure, but not the extremes that came with being a veteran.
I leaned back, one hand draped across Daniel’s chair.
“I’ve been part of many deployments. Special forces are small units. We are meant to be efficient and quick. One of us usually has medic training, but an actual physician is rare. The mission we were assigned…” I paused. “I can’t explain the details, butit required a full doctor. Finding one was so challenging that it took us months. Finally, it was the Americans who let us borrow Daniel.”
“Damn. You’re some special shit, huh?” Viktor whistled.
My modest husband was turning pinker by the second. He rubbed his forehead. “Don’t believe him. He—”
I cut him off. My chest swelled with pride.
“Daniel here has the rare combination of being a soldier and a surgeon and… did you know the man can fly planes too?”
“No, I can’t.”
I bumped his shoulder. “So modest.”
There was a moment of silence as each of them seemed to absorb all this.
“Okay, now I feel like a complete ass,” Viktor mumbled.
Sam said with a chuckle, “What’s new?”
“Hey!” Viktor glared back.
Laughing, Sam ruffled Viktor’s hair. They were adorable. Sam’s gesture was so intimate that it made my heart clench. I wanted to touch Daniel too. The ache intensified to the point of pain.
“How did you get married?” Grant asked.
Daniel turned to me. “Did you want to take that?”
“You bet!” I leaned forward. “Picture this… a dark, stormy night… wind howling, the cries of the fallen—”
“Oh my God,” Daniel groaned.
“Yes! Story time!” Viktor clapped his hands. “Sorry, Doc, you suck at narration. It’s okay because you make up for it by being the best doc ever.”
I continued. “We are hunkered down in an old building, half of it standing, and our platoon commander gets the message on the radio that the government has fallen. The one supposed to be our friendly ally.”
“Oh shit!”
I nodded. “And we have a few hours, at most, before the rebels surround us.”
“Surround you?”
“But our ammunition is almost gone.”
“No! I can’t take it!” Viktor flailed his arms dramatically. “Sam, hold me.”
