They set down close to the tail of the airplane, the engine shutting down almost immediately. He unhooked from the tether, then unbuckled Emme.
“Mister.” Anuli touched his arm. “Thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He didn’t have time to do more than raise his hands before she let him go and bent over Emme. “Take care,dogomuso. I will always remember you.”
He stopped her as she climbed out of the helicopter. “Will you be all right?”
“Yes. I have family here. They will help me.” She looked back at Emme. “Take care of her. She is very special.” Patting him on his arm, she lowered herself to the ground and walked away.
He picked Emme up and handed her down to a waiting Colby. “She’s passed out and shaking.”
“We’ve got medical supplies on board.” Colby led the way up the rear ramp into the crew area and laid her down on the medevac litter set up on the back wall.
Jordan grabbed the large EMT bag and began pulling out the supplies to run an I.V., setting them up on her legs so Colby had easy access to them. They worked in concert and had Emme hooked up to saline and a broad spectrum antibiotic within minutes.
“Stay with her.” Colby shoved the bag under the bed. “I’m going to help them finish loading the Little Bird.”
“No, I’ll help load. We’ll get out of here faster.”
They loaded the plane and were wheels up in less than an hour. He dropped into the chair closest to Emme and watched her steady breathing under the blanket tucked around her body, only her head and arm with the I.V. visible.
Exhaustion pressed down on him. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands. Fuck. He needed to call her parents.
A hand squeezed his shoulder and he lifted his head. Westin stood over him. “These seats recline almost horizontal. There’s a button on the side.”
Jordan shook his head. “I need to call General France.”
“I sent a message to Parker. He’s going to let them know. It’s an eight-hour flight to Abu Dhabi. Get some sleep.”
He nodded once and looked for the button as Westin strode toward the front of the plane. Reclining the seat, he turned his head to keep Emme in sight as his blinks became longer and longer.
