"I don't care," she insisted. "Walker is out there. I need to be there when they find him."
Jenna studied her for a moment, then nodded. "I can get you to the staging point. From there, you'll need to wait until the ground teams clear a path."
"Thank you," Sabrina said sincerely.
As they prepared to depart, gathering emergency supplies and suitable clothing, Henry pulled Sabrina aside.
"You need to prepare yourself," he said gently. "For whatever we might find."
Sabrina met his gaze steadily. "I know. But Walker's a survivor. He made it through war zones and missions gone wrong. He survived Ray's death. He'll survive this too."
The conviction in her voice surprised even her.
Somehow, in the midst of terror and uncertainty, she had found an unshakable faith in Walker's ability to come back to her. She bowed her head and prayed, asking God to help Walker and Reed and all of the teams looking for them. What had Walker said? Sometimes you just had to have faith.
They got to the staging point, which was a small clearing accessible by four-wheel drive, where a second search team was preparing to deploy.
Sabrina and Henry joined them, listening to the search coordinator's briefing.
"Satellite imagery shows the crash site approximately three miles northeast of our position," the coordinator explained. "First team is approaching from the south. We'll come in from the west, creating a crosshatch search pattern."
As the team prepared to move out, Sabrina's attention was drawn to the communications officer, who was suddenly alert, pressing his headset closer to his ear.
"Repeat that, Team One," he said urgently.
The entire staging area fell silent, waiting.
"Confirmed," the comms officer finally said, his face breaking into a relieved smile. "We have survivors. Multiple survivors."
A cheer went up from the search team.
Sabrina felt her knees weaken with relief as Henry's supportive arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"Walker?" she asked the comms officer. "Reed?"
He nodded. "Both alive. Reed has a leg injury. Walker is mobile, assisting with extraction of the others."
Of course he was, Sabrina thought. Even injured, even after a helicopter crash, Walker would be taking care of everyone else first. Relief filled her. “Thank God,” she muttered.
"Kraslov and Thomas?" Henry asked.
"Secured. Both survived with minor injuries."
The next hour passed in a blur as the rescue operation shifted into high gear. Medical teams were dispatched, extraction routes finalized. Sabrina refused to leave the staging area, determined to be there the moment Walker emerged from the forest.
When word came that the survivors were approaching, Sabrina moved to the edge of the clearing, her heart poundingas she scanned the treeline. The search team appeared first, followed by medics supporting Reed, whose leg was splinted.
And then Walker—his face scratched, uniform torn and dirty, moving with the stiffness of someone fighting through pain—but alive. Wonderfully, amazingly alive.
Their eyes met across the clearing.
Without hesitation, Sabrina ran toward him.
Walker dropped the pack he was carrying and opened his arms just as she reached him.
She threw herself against his chest, feeling his arms close around her with crushing strength.
"You're okay," she whispered, tears flowing freely now. "You're really okay."
