Sam Baker stepped into the room and jerked his chin to the door. One of the health clinic’s new nurses stepped inside. “He’s lucky. No obvious internal bleed. Six broken ribs. Chest is otherwise clear. But I expect his condition to worsen as the inflammation kicks in. And the burns are critical.
“I’ll give you a detailed report on the other injured, but six are serious. We can double-up in the rooms. Gwen North is conscious; she needs to be watched but is otherwise okay.”
“She can stay in one of my guest rooms, and I can assign someone to watch her.”
“Good. Let me drop that central line.” Sam went into Tobey’s room.
* * *
Wes sat at the nurse’s station, trying to write his note documenting Tobey O’Mara’s treatment. His mind swirled. How did this happen under his watch? He should’ve followed his first instincts and demolished the cabins. What happened?
And then Eleanor. He hurt her. Things remained unsettled. How did he not see it coming? He knew the FBI was hounding her. He was afraid to even ask about her. The FBI, the injured, Eleanor were all his fault.
He looked up, contemplating what to write, when he saw TJ enter the area with two Chase pilots. After settling them in two chairs, he walked over to his boss. “Everyone appears okay. The pilots did an amazing job. Something took out the tail. NTSB was notified.”
“Find out,” Wes managed the two words. “Where is she?”
“Josh Stone and Adina Ganz are with her. Ken will look the three over. I ordered them to report here for clearance.”
“Thank you.” Wes put his head down, attempting to focus on finishing his note. His senses prickled, and he looked up. Eleanor was leaning against the counter watching him.
“Curly,” he choked out the word. Stopping and reacting on instinct, he ran around the counter, then pulled her into his arms and seized her mouth in an explosive kiss filled with need, adrenaline and worry.
Eleanor melted into his body, her need meeting his. Her fingers ran through his damp hair before they broke the kiss, their chests heaving. “I heard. I’m sorry. Who needs help the most? I’ll assign my staff.” She focused on her job.
Wes placed his hand against her cheek. “I promise we will talk soon. Everyone injured and Zulu Team need the most support. Two died tonight.”
“Oh, Wes. Where should I start?” She grasped his hands.
“Tobey O’Mara is their team leader. He is severely injured. He also feels responsible,” Wes said.
“He’s not, and neither are you responsible. The evil people who did this are. Where is he?” Her palm rested against his cheek, and he turned to kiss it.
“He’s in Room 2.” Wes swallowed hard.
Eleanor turned to see Gwen North being wheeled from Room 1. “Gwen, are you alright?”
She chuckled. “Falling off a roof won’t put me down. I’m so sorry, I wanted to stop them.”
One Tango Team member pushed her forward. “C’mon, Witch. You need to rest.”
“See you later,” Gwen said.
“Witch, rest,” Wes said. “Ellie…”
“Wes, don’t.” She squared her shoulders. “Tell me later.” She knocked and went into Room 2.
Wes pinched his brow. “Damn.”I’m batting a thousand.
* * *
Eleanor helped Tobey call his wife and parents. She empathized with him when he confessed his guilt about losing his two men. “I know the stuff we do was dangerous, but this…I thought I left it back in Afghanistan,” he said.
Eleanor wanted to alleviate his pain. She waited for him to complete the call, then placed a soft hand on his. “Tobey, process the scene. Tell me how it laid out.” Why did it come so easily for her to work with Tobey, but she couldn’t help herself?
He told Eleanor how the night transpired from the laser attack, through the explosion. “All of a sudden, I was on my back. My hearing dimmed. I couldn’t fill my lungs. The smell of dirt in the air. The rain was pouring down on me.
“One of the guys made it to me. I don’t remember what I said. I felt the sting of an injection…had to be morphine. The shakes started, and Mr. Crockett was there. He wrapped me in a blanket and started an IV. But it was his calm… Then we were in a Navigator. He was there again. But it was here… Sorry, ma’am, it’s…”
