Page 4 of In Love with a Rogue

Keyes insisted the medic stay in the middle so they could protect her as they marched. Talbot and Peña flanked the little girl, and Morrison was in the lead with his new bomb-detection dog, Trigger. Selkirk was bringing up the back and running his mouth the entire time, making comments here and there.

“I don’t think he ever stops,” Collins uttered, laughing and shaking his head in disbelief.

“I know he doesn’t,” Muldoon grimaced.

“He’s funny,” Pendergrass agreed and elbowed Jake. “What do you think?”

“I can’t decide if he’s an idiot… or the smartest out of all of us,” and accepted his bottle of water from the medic whose embroidered name badge said ‘Beck’ on it.

“So, are you coming on the next one too, Doc?” Selkirk asked openly and had barely taken their seats as the truck started forward to take them back toward the base.

Jake was just going through the movements at this point, feeling so disheartened that he really didn’t have it in him to comment or say anything. He felt isolated.

Lonely.

“She’s not as mouthy as Minors and a lot prettier.”

“Minorsismean.”

“Because you told him that having your back meant being your ‘golf caddy’ for the afternoon when you put a ‘hole in one,’ Selkirk.”

“Hey! I put a hole in one just before he put a holein me!”

Everyone was laughing, cutting up, and talking among themselves as the truck slowed down just before Morrison’s dog yelped in alarm. The truck was launched upward into the air and Jake knew immediately it would all be over within seconds.

Jake barely met the frightened eyes of his friend Collins as everything unfolded. The other soldier was sitting closest to the end of the truck and flew bodily outward, disappearing out of the canvas flaps that were there to help protect the interior from the sun. It was all so fast that he barely had time to process that the floorboard of the truck was now above his head and still moving in a strange circular motion around him.

… Only to hit somethinghardas Jake slammed to an abrupt stop – feeling like he’d been stabbed. His ears were ringing as he was trying desperately to suck in his breath and couldn’t. Muldoon was near him, shaking his head, and had blood between his fingers due to a head injury.

Collins. Where was Collins?

Jake opened his mouth and nothing came out – and winced as a bright light was suddenly there and blinding.

Holy cannoli, there is actually a light when you die, he thought morosely, hating that this was going to be the end of him. He was going to die out here, alone, unwanted, never having held his own child or fallen in love with some woman.

Only to realize that this wasn’t heaven.

He was in hell - and the short, featherweight medic he’d mocked earlier was shining a pen light in his eyes, looking him over. He could hear gunfire in the distance, Selkirk’s mouth was still going as he was talking about surrender. Morrison was screaming out orders… or was that a jet plane?

“Muldoon, can you fire?”

The words spoken over him sounded so muffled and far away as Jake tried to take a breath again, and it sounded garbled. He had a hand resting on his side, wondering if his ribs had exited his body or not, feeling a hot burning sensation on his side.

“Doc? I don’t feel so good…” Pendergrass said hollowly, and the medic was saying something to him while moving to Jake’s side. He wanted to ask for help, to tell her he could hardly breathe, yet nothing was coming out.

Jake coughed up blood – and stared at the splatters on her in horror with a dawning awareness. Red. Was that his blood? He hadbloodin his lungs? Was the reason he was having a hard time breathing because he was going to drown in his own blood? He met her eyes and tried to speak, but there wasn’t anything coming out except bubbles. He could feel them in his mouth and popping on his lips, suddenly terrified.

“Stay put!” the medic ordered, and he wished he could have uttered a smart remark at that moment because so many popped into his mind in that single second.

Hang on, the Olympics are waiting for me.

As soon as I finish running laps.

Stay put? Should I hold my breath while I wait?

“Morrison! Do you have a radio? I need the medical team now!”

“Youaremedical!”

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