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Curtis scowled darkly. “That’s not that feisty little gal, is it?”
“Yes,” Alex snapped, moving the oxygen tank off her litter. “She’s critical.”
“Damn, sorry to hear that,” Curtis drawled. “Firefight?”
“Yes,” Killmer grated. “Look, Captain, we need your experience here. She’s critical. We need to get her to the best hospital in the area. Pronto! What do you suggest?”
Curtis nodded. “My advice is let me fly her directly into Lima. They have a Level-One Trauma hospital and it’s the best in the country. She’s lookin’ pretty peaked to me. It would only be forty more minutes. I can redline this bird and we can lay contrails in the sky between here and there.”
“Cusco is closer,” Alex argued. Lima was forty more minutes away, and God only knew through how much rough air. “She cannot take turbulence, Captain. She’s got broken ribs on both sides of her chest. Her breathing is not good. I cannot afford her to be beaten up by getting thrown around in this cabin. It WILL kill her,” and Alex held the pilot’s narrowing eyes. Curtis scratched his strong chin.
“Okay, here’s a plan, pardner,” he told Alex. “We’re at that in-between point where the winds are shifting from the Andes to the ocean. If you’ll agree to let me fly her into Lima, it’s going to be a helluva lot smoother flight than the other route of trying to get her into Cusco, which is near twelve thousand feet. The LAST place that shift of winds takes place is in the Cusco area because of the high altitude. The shift’s already well underway in Lima’s direction. Lima sits at sea level. I promise you, it’s a lot smoother ride for her. What do you say?”
“Forty minutes more?” Alex demanded, feeling raw and terrified.
“Yes, sir, forty minutes more but,” Curtis drawled, “if you want your lady to have a quiet ride to the hospital, this is the only game in town for her. At least she’ll arrive alive. What’ll it be?”
Mace looked at Kazak. “Take it,” he ordered.
Nik, who was also hearing all this through his helmet’s audio, said, “Alex, it’s the safest route for Lauren. Do it.”
Alex nodded. “Yes,” he told the captain, “let us get to Lima. As fast as you can…”
Curtis smiled a little, pulling down the dark visor over the upper half of his face. “We’re gonna set a new air-speed record with my Hawk, here. Get ready to go Mach-three with your hair on fire, boys and girls… yeeeehhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaa…”
Lauren felt adull ache all over her chest as she climbed slowly out of the darkness. She became aware of monitors beeping, of being comfortable instead of chilled to the bone. Where was she? As she tried to lift her hand, pain instantly plowed into her left side and she groaned.
Someone’s warm, large hand captured hers. She relaxed, feeling its strength and gentleness.
“Malen ‘kaya, try not to move too much.”
Alex’s low, deep voice vibrated through her like a fresh breath of life. Lauren forced her eyelids open, every slight effort feeling like she was running a marathon. His face was blurred at first but, after a few seconds, she saw him with clarity. Alex was standing by her bed, holding her hand, his hazel eyes dark with worry, exhaustion deepening all the lines across his grim-looking face. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes. His beard made him look lethal to her. His mouth was pursed, corners drawn deeply inward. He was worried about her. She tried to speak; her voice hoarse.
“Shhhh,” he told her, leaning over, moving his fingers across her brow, brushing the clean strands of her red, recently-washed hair aside. “You are going to be all right, Lauren. You are safe. You will recover.” And then he cupped her cheek, holding her drowsy gaze. “I love you, Lauren. I should have told you that sooner. I am sorry. You hold my heart forever. Hold onto that and I will hold onto you…”
Lauren closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his mouth slide across hers. She absorbed his strength, his tenderness, as he moved his lips across hers, cherishing her. Loving her. Alex’s mere presence reassured her. As he eased his mouth from hers, she tried to take a deep breath. Again, pain squeezed her chest and she frowned, riding it out, compressing her lips.
“If you take deep breaths right now, it will hurt,” Alex told her quietly. He caressed her hair, watching her brow begin to smooth out from his touch.
“W-what… happened?” she croaked.
Alex squeezed her left hand. “You were hit by two bullets in the upper chest. Your Dragon Skin vest saved your life, Lauren. We got you out of the jungle. Right now, you are in a Lima, Peru, hospital. You are going to live.” He watched as she barely nodded, licking her lips, trying to process what he’d said. Shock made the brain go offline. Alex didn’t want to give Lauren too much information too fast. He checked the monitors, feeling a little more relief. Her oxygen absorption was up to eighty-five. It had been at seventy when they’d wheeled her into the ER on a gurney. She had been here for three hours. And she was continuing to improve. Her cheeks were flushed pink with life and her eyes, although dulled, still showed even greater life in their depths.
“…Nik…”
He smiled and caressed her cheek. How like Lauren to always think of others, not herself. She hadn’t asked any more about her condition. Rather, more concerned about her team mate.
“He is going to be fine. He is up and walking around.”
“Good,” Lauren whispered. “And the Army guys?”
“Not a scratch on them,malen ‘kaya. You were the most injured.”
“And you look fine, Alex… really fine… We were trying to locate you… Petrov… he used me as bait. Nik… if it wasn’t for Nik, we could never have found you…”
“Hush,” he rasped. “You need to rest. We will talk more when you feel better.”
Her red eyebrows dipped. “I-I’m so tired, Alex.”
