She paused and he hoped she’d continue talking, but when he heard boots padding across the boat, he knew their privacy was being interrupted. “Silver said it’s bad.” Ransom’s voice was tight with concern.
“He needs immediate critical care,” she said gripping his hand more tightly.
“Silver initiated the MEDEVAC request with our unit.” Ransom had lowered his voice, and Sully could barely hear himover the sounds of the rainforest. Layers upon layers of sound. The hum of insects was a constant vibration in his ears. Then there was the chorus of birds and the occasional shriek that echoed through the trees. “The helo will take us to Manaus, Brazil, where flight paramedics will take Sully back to the U.S. The rest of us will take a separate flight back to the base in Virginia.”
Jane’s hold on his hand was tight, but not painful. Like she thought tethering him to her would keep him safe. Typically, people looked to him for safety. It was a novel experience to have someone aside from his teammates wanting to protect him. While it was sweet, he had no doubt Jane would be feral in defense of someone she cared for.
“Where will they take him?” Her voice was tinged with worry and while he hated that she was scared on his behalf, he was in awe of her compassion for him—a man she’d just met.
“The nearest medical facility that can coordinate the level of care he needs. With intensive care equipment already available on the flight, most likely back to the United States.”
“I want to stay with him.” The finality in her tone pleased him immensely. He wanted that too. Wanted a chance to get to know her better or at least reach out and see how she was doing after all of this.
“Even if there’s room—typically only the patient’s family would be allowed to travel,” Ransom said. That prickle of panic he’d felt earlier when Jane stopped talking returned. He was so damn tired, but he had to protest being separated from this woman. He had no idea why he was acting this way or feeling this swell of emotion. Maybe it was his injury or feeling a sense of responsibility for her, but he quickly dismissed it.
“She stays,” he bit out, gripping her hand. Maybe they’d end up going their separate ways in the end or being friends,but the connection he’d felt the moment she breathed his air underwater had intensified by the minute.
Ransom’s heavy hand rested on his shoulder. “Let me see what we can do.”
Sully tried to thank the other SEAL but all that left his lips was a grunt of sorts.
“And the children?” Jane asked. “Where will they go?”
“The authorities in Brazil will be waiting to reunite the children with their families.”
“That’s good to hear. Thank you,” she said.
“You need to keep up your strength.” Ransom’s voice was closer now, as though he was leaning in toward Jane. “Take these. Please make sure you’re eating and drinking.”
His throat constricted. While he was glad Jane was being taken care of, he wanted to be the one making sure she stayed hydrated and got all the nutrients she could. The one who treated her sunburn and was strong enough to have her lean into him for comfort. Weakness was a new sensation. Of course, he had periods of failure and loss growing up, but he’d never been challenged by an injury like this. He’d been grazed, even hit, by a bullet a time or two, but these physical limitations were lingering. His father was an Army Ranger who’d been hard but fair. He’d praised mental and physical toughness in both his sons and all four of his daughters. Right now, Sully knew he was falling short.
“Okay,” she said softly. He knew Ransom had walked away because Jane fully relaxed at his side. She had no reason to fear the men on this boat. Well, maybe Wyatt with his nonstop pissing and moaning. That was enough to give each of them a migraine. He wanted to tell her as much, but he smoothed his thumb over her hand. “You’re safe.”
“I know.” He liked the conviction in her voice. “I felt that the moment you grabbed hold of me in the water. It was theweirdest experience. Silver was right. I was out of air, and even though you were pulling me down farther into the river, I had this sensation of safety. Knew you were there to help me. I want to be with you when you’re transported to the hospital. If that feels strange, I get it, but I want to be there to advocate for you until your family and friends arrive. Is there anyone I can call for you? Anyone I should contact?”
“Navy will notify my parents. I want you to write down Red’s number. Call him when we get to the hospital. He and Thalia will take care of you.”
He heard her small snort of disapproval. “I’ll be there to take care of you, Sully. I don’t need anyone to be worrying about me. Especially you. I owe you my life. You’ll get through this, and then I’ll shower you with all the ice cream you can eat.”
There was so much he wanted to tell her. How brave he thought she was. That she was important and deserved to have someone taking care of her after this horrific ordeal. He wished he could call Red or Thalia and let them know about Jane. Tell them to look out for her. Even as he had the thought, he knew it wasn’t something he needed to worry about. Red would immediately take Jane under his wing once he found out what had happened, and Thalia would know better than anyone how to support her after surviving her own nightmare. He was vaguely aware of Silver and Jane talking. Of Wyatt and the ambassador’s granddaughter complaining and Addy entertaining the children. He tried to open his eyes but no longer felt in control of his body.
There were points when he slipped into unconsciousness and didn’t know where he was until he heard Jane murmur his name. Sometimes, when he became aware of his surroundings, he’d hear Jane speaking to him. Felt her mopping the sweat off his face or simply holding his hand. At one point, there was a flurry of activity around him. The familiar whir of helicopterblades. His shirt being cut away from his body. He opened his eyes. Just a few half-lucid blinks. Silver was standing over him, hanging a bag of fluids.
There was light pressure on his shoulder, and he glanced down. Jane was sitting on the floor of the helo, as close as she could get to the gurney, with her hand moving back and forth over his arm and shoulder in a soothing motion. Her lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. He wanted to berate Silver for letting her sit on the floor next to him. She should be in a seat, buckled in tightly. At least they’d made it to the extraction point though, and the wild thing was, he didn’t remember anything. The team must’ve hauled his ass out of the boat, then through the Amazon to get to the pickup point. The mission had been a success with all the hostages rescued. Yes, he’d been injured, but he’d also met a woman who made him sit up and take notice. He respected the hell out of her bravery and something about her simply called to him.
His former teammate and friend Iron had recently fallen for a woman he’d rescued from a forced marriage and then there was his best friend Red and the woman who’d saved him as a kid, Thalia. They’d instantly reconnected and he’d watched Red fall hard and fast. Had they felt the same way, this sudden connection, with their women? He could feel himself going under again and prayed Jane would still be there when he came to.
Chapter Five
Jane had lostall sense of time since arriving at the hospital in Maryland. The MEDEVAC flight had her crawling out of her skin. The machinery monitoring Sully’s vitals was setting off alarms almost continuously. Maybe if she hadn’t had medical training, she could be blissfully ignorant of her guardian’s dire situation. She wasn’t though, and his condition continued to decline on the flight. His blood oxygen level kept dipping so low, the paramedics put him on a canula to help him breathe.
When they arrived at the hospital, he’d immediately gone into surgery, and despite her protests, the doctor had insisted on performing an evaluation on her, too. She knew it needed to be done, but she was worried she’d miss an update from the medical professionals treating Sully, and to be honest, it brought her back to a dark place. A lonely place in her childhood where she was so full of shame and fear. She’d sat numbly in the busy hospital bathroom. Metal stall doors swung open and closed. Toilets flushed. Water dripped from the sink. She stared at a chip of peeling tan paint on the door, detached, until thoughts of Sully roused her up.
She took the elevator to the sixth floor and stopped at the nurses’ station for an update. “Hi. Just checking back in on the status of Sullivan Carter. He went into surgery four hours ago.”
The older nurse gave her a gentle smile. “The surgical assistant checked in a few minutes ago. The wound debridement is taking longer than usual between the bullet fragments and dead tissue from the infection. The surgeon will check in oncemore information is available. Honey, do you have someone I can call?”
The warmth in the woman’s eyes drove a wedge into her throat. What was it about kindness that made her feel like breaking? She shook her head, and the nurse stood. “Wait here.”
