In less than ten minutes, she and Lyons had the anesthesia and ventilator support prepped. They worked nearly on top of each other, moving in a well-choreographed dance. Warren cleared his area and had his surgical tray prepared. The docs examined their two patients while the unit’s combat medic rattled off the injuries and what he’d done to stabilize the wounded thus far. A needle had been placed in the chest of one man, and the medic had applied a pressure bandage to the abdomen of the other. Marks took the one with a chest wound while Collins and Drummond paired up to operate on the belly wound.
Tia sedated the first man, giving him a dose of morphine, while Marks inserted a chest tube. She then started an IV in the second patient while Lyons placed a breathing tube and hooked their patient up to the portable ventilator. Once the patient was sedated, Collins and Drummond performed quick field surgery on theirpatient’s abdomen while she handled anesthesia. It didn’t take long before they had the wounded stabilized.
“Nice work,” she said to the team.
“Thanks.” Collins glanced up as he tied off the last suture.
Except for the hike, the mission had been easy compared to some of the trauma they’d seen. Another call to Command, and two helicopters were dispatched from forward ops, arriving a few short minutes later. The men from the special operations unit piled into one of the helicopters while she and her team loaded the wounded into the other. The special ops unit returned to their base of operations while her team transported the wounded to Bagram Airfield.
Designated a Level III facility, the theater hospital accepted all transfers from lower-level facilities and directly from the field. Their patients would undergo further stabilization before transport back to the United States via Germany.
“How long are we staying at Bagram?” Lyons asked Collins.
Collins checked his patient and then glanced up. “A couple of days. There’s a transport scheduled. We’ll hitch a ride rather than waste an air resource.”
Warren’s face split into a grin. “That’s awesome! Lily is going to be so excited.”
“How’s she doing?” Tia asked.
“Good, but I think she’s getting tired and worried I won’t be home in time.”
“Well,” Collins said, “you’ll have two days of downtime to talk to your wife.”
“Talk,” Warren snorted. “Bagram’s got Internet. I’m Skyping.” He turned to her. “You’ll have a chance to talk to your man, too, T.”
Now, that would be a welcome treat. Access to Internet was restricted in the places they frequented.
“I might just do that,” she said.
Bagram would be a well-needed respite. For the past seven weeks, they’d been stationed in far-forward locations, specifically in support of the unit they assisted. That meant field showers, cold and tasteless food, and communications blackout from the rest of the world. In Bagram, they would have access to heated water, something more palatable than MREs, probably chow prepped by eighteen-year-old wannabe cooks who couldn’t figure out the right end of an egg, but they’d have Internet.
She looked forward to three things. First, she’d have a chance to hook up to the Internet, check her mail, and if she were exceptionally lucky, Skype with Scott. Second, she’d be able to visit the base exchange and restock her supply of deodorant and toothpaste. Sometimes, the simple things really did matter. And, third, she intended to get a little distance from her team.
They lived and breathed as a unit. Fortunately, they worked well together, but sometimes, she needed space from the five overly masculine men.
The helicopter landed, and they offloaded their patients, transferred care to the local medical team, and then took inventory of their packs. Resupply would happen in the morning.
After her patient care responsibilities were concluded, T headed to the front of the hospital where she’d been told to wait for further instructions.
“Where you headed, T?” Lyons called as she headed out the main hospital doors.
“Showers first and then a hot meal. Real food.”
“Sounds perfect. I think I’ll join you.” The glint in his eye said he was thinking exactly what he’d said. The man was full of innuendo.
Collins arrived, saving her from answering, although images of Lyons soaped up in a shower already flooded her mind. Collins handed out lodging assignments, and for the first time in nearly seven weeks, Tia wouldn’t be sleeping next to the gentle snores of the men.
The docs excused themselves and departed. Warren grabbed his ruck and said he was going to catch a few Zs. She knew he was headed to the Internet lounge. Warren’s wife, Lily, was taking care of their two boys and had two more on the way. She was six months pregnant with twins, and Warren would be lucky to finish his deployment in time to be home for their births.
She understood the need to connect with loved ones. She was dying to speak with Scott, but the time zones meant it was in the middle of the night for him. She’d wait and try to catch him first thing in the morning before he left for work.
She paused, curious as to why Lyons hadn’t taken off to get into whatever mischief he could find. Despite his over-the-top protectiveness, he really was a great guy.
A young airman approached the medical center, and he hopped up to hold the door. The girl gave him a long once-over before blushing three shades of scarlet. Lyons grinned back, his eyes saying exactly what he’d like to do with her later on.
Fraternization rules were strict, but that didn’t mean people weren’t getting it on. At Bagram, where there were more opportunities to find private places than the field, she was surprised the rate of STDs wasn’t higher than reported. The clinics handed out condoms like water, and the base exchange barely kept up with their paid stock.
After watching the exchange, she shook her head. “Someday, you’re going to get into trouble.”
