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We’re quiet a while, just lying beside each other. My head rests on his shoulder, and he turns his face into my hair.
“They shouldn’t have brought you here,” he says. “I wouldn’t have made that call.”
I nod. I know he wouldn’t have. “Well, now that we have you back, you can start making the calls again.”
His head rocks from side to side. “Nah. I’m not that guy, anymore.”
I lean over him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean—I don’t know what I mean.” He sounds bone tired, and he has every right to be. I recognize that now isn’t the time to push him to get better at any pace other than his own. He wasn’t just wounded at the hands of the enemy. He was tortured. Raptor broke his spirit.
But Jud got the last word.
“You don’t have to know,” I say, resting on his shoulder again. “You just have to survive the next moment. And then the next.”
“I can do that,” he says with a resigned sigh.
Doc announces his return. “Hey, buddy. Time for some chow. Got some awesome chicken broth for you, fresh from the can.”
Doc manipulates the bed to sit Jud up and hands him a foam cup three-quarters full with room-temperature soup.
“So, you made some friends while I was away,” Jud says, facing me. “Doc filled me in on the soldiers while he worked.”
“They’ve been super helpful,” I say. “Their ranch is really beautiful. I can’t wait for you to see it.” As soon as I say it, I clap my hand over my mouth. “I mean—I’m sorry.”
Jud shakes his head. “No. You’re not going to tiptoe around me. I’m blind, now, and that’s how it’s going to be. You don’t have to change the words you use. You don’t change who you are. Ever.” I don’t need to look into his eyes to see his intensity. I feel it, and I love it.
“Okay,” I agree. “Well, anyway, the ranch is really nice. I’ll give you a tour when we get there.”
“Sounds nice,” Jud says, sipping at the cup.
“They have steak,” Doc says.
The bandages move as Jud raises his eyebrows. “Even nicer.” His smile is my sunshine.
Stealth comes in with a spring in his step. “They’re back,” he says.
“All of them?” I ask, sitting up tall.
“All of them,” he says with a brilliant smile. I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I can’t wait to see them! I’m going to hug and kiss each one. Multiple times. But Stealth isn’t done. “Plus two,” he says.
“The survivor and the woman?” I ask. Up in the chopper, X-Ray mentioned a survivor who helped the soldiers with intel, and he mentioned a woman.
Doc and Jud are laser focused on Stealth, waiting for his answer.
Stealth nods. “Ghost and Hope. Looks like the woman was hiding in plain sight, pretending to be one of those things they called ‘mombies.’ And Ghost was looking out for her, keeping those assholes from picking her as a plaything.”
“Oh, my gosh,” I say. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for her. “Is she okay?”
“Traumatized, skinny,” Stealth says. “But she’ll be okay. We’re pretty sure this Ghost guy is a good dude, but we’re hoping we can bring him in so Jud can work his magic on him and tell us for sure if we can trust him.”
“Not sure my Gift is up to par,” Jud says.
“I beg to differ,” Stealth says. “It sure as hell worked with Raptor.”
“Your Gift’s just fine,” Doc says. “It’s mine that could use a boost.” From his grimace, I can tell he feels bad about not being able to fix Jud’s eyes.
I reach out to him and take his hand. He squeezes my fingers gently, but he won’t meet my gaze.
