Chapter Twelve

Sky hugged the nurses that followed Kadey's gurney down to the ambulance bay. Her sincere, exhausted 'thank yous' weren't nearly enough for the loving care they provided. She watched as her daughter was carefully loaded into a waiting vehicle. Kaeden helped her into the back with him as Doctor Cassidy joined the driver in the front of the ambulance. It was still dark when they parked a short time later.

"Where is the plane?" Sky yawned and leaned her head back against the hard, interior wall of the vehicle.

"It isn't due for about ten minutes." Kaeden put his arm around her and tugged her into his warmth.

She nodded and gazed at her daughter. They were through the worst of it now, or at least that what the doctors were saying. She closed her tired, burning eyes.

Sky's head lolled to the right and rolled, waking her with a jerk. She blinked rapidly and whipped her head up checking on Kadey. How could she have fallen asleep? Rolling her shoulders, she yawned and shifted in her seat.

"You could have slept. You haven't had more than a couple hours sleep in days." Kaeden's arm dropped around her.

"Neither have you." Sky shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs out of her brain.

"I'm used to it." Kaeden glanced at the watch on his wrist. "The plane should be here shortly."

Sky sighed and dropped her head on his shoulder. She glanced at the pirate doctor's profile. The man was attentive and kind. He'd showed her pictures of his daughter. She liked the man even though the eye patch made him look sinister. The biggest thing was Kaeden trusted him and knowing that made this transport a little easier.

"I'm going to miss you." She whispered the words. They'd been with Kadey almost non-stop since her surgery without any privacy. Sky wanted Kaeden to know before she and Kadey flew away.

He pulled her tighter against his side. The comfort and warmth of his big frame filled her tired body. A loud roar drew her eyes out the window towards the flight line. A shiny black jet taxied toward where they waited. Gold lettering and insignia adorned the nose and tail of the aircraft. She'd seen private aircraft on television, but this one made the ones the movies depicted look like children's toys.

"That would be our ride." Doctor Cassidy and the medical technician who was driving the Air Force Ambulance exited the vehicle.

Kaeden turned her toward him. "I need you to take care of yourself and Kadey. Stay at the compound while I take care of the situation here."

"You are going after the people who killed the doctor and the other person, aren't you?" Kaeden had told her that he was a mercenary. Mercenaries killed people… or at least they did in the movies.

"I'm going to make sure you and Kadey are safe." The non-answer didn't escape her attention. Kaeden's lips dropped to hers. "Don't worry about me. You focus on Kadey's recovery. I'll take care of things here."

Sky lifted her hand to his jaw and stared into his eyes. She still felt the same insane attraction to him even though she knew that this could be their final goodbye. "Promise me you'll stay safe."

"I promise I'll be careful."

"Not the same."

"Best I can do."

Sky smiled and rose up on her toes to reach him. He lowered his lips and brushed a soft, sweet kiss on them. The back door opened up pulling them apart. "Okay, let's get this angel onto the plane." Doctor Cassidy helped the medical technician… airman… sergeant… whoever, with the gurney. Sky and Kaeden followed them out of the ambulance. She walked close beside her daughter as they approached the aircraft. Two identical men in black flight suits walked around the outside of the plane. Sky glanced from one to the other. No, she wasn't seeing double.

"Ma'am, I'm Dixon, this is Drake. We'll be taking you and the little one back home." The man smiled at her and extended his hand.

"I'm Sky, and that is Kadey." She shook his hand before she motioned toward where Doctor Cassidy, the attendant, and Kaeden worked to get Kadey moved into the aircraft.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. We want to get you back in time to get you settled in and comfortable before dinner. Why don't you go ahead and follow them onboard? We're going to finish our flight inspection and get going." The man extended his arm toward the open doorway. While he was polite, Sky knew the request was more of an order, not a suggestion. She nodded and headed up the stairs after her daughter.

Kadey was awake and smiling when Sky walked through the door. Doctor Cassidy had quickly become Kadey's favorite, especially after telling her all about the dogs, cats, horses, and cows that awaited her in South Dakota.

Kaeden lowered and gave Kadey a kiss. He whispered something in her ear. Kadey smiled wide and nodded her head. She carefully lifted her arms and hugged her daddy. Sky's eyes pricked with tears again. She never thought she'd see the day where Kadey knew her father, let alone hug him and share whispered words with him. Kaeden kissed her cheek one more time before he stood and moved away.

Doctor Cassidy slid in where Kaeden had been standing. He showed Kadey the safety belt he was going to use and was answering the first of hundreds of questions the little girl would undoubtedly have for him. Kaeden grabbed Sky's hand and moved her toward the door. He waited until the medical technician deplaned before he spoke. "There are so many things I can't tell you, but I want you to know the things that I can share. I will always regret leaving you when you were pregnant-"

"You-"

Kaeden slid a finger over her lips with a gentle touch.

"I didn't know I was going to be called back, but it is a regret that I have, and it will always live with me. I also regret that you didn't think you could tell me about Kadey." He shook his head as she started to speak again. "I understand why you didn't. You are a wonderful mother to her. I'm sorry you've been touched by the danger that surrounds my job, but I'm not sorry for the time I spent with you, and I'm not sorry about Kadey"

The emotion in his eyes told her that the words he spoke were true. A certainty settled in her heart that knitted together a few of the fractured pieces of her soul. The scattered remains of their past were held together with a precarious bond and absolutely no promise of a future. His kiss lingered light upon her lips.

"Kaeden," His name left her lips on a sigh as he pulled away.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Take care of my little princess." A breath of a kiss touched her cheek before he turned and walked out of the aircraft.

One of the pilots entered and announced they were ready to start the engines. The other followed him in within minutes and closed the cabin door. Sky moved to a seat near Kadey and buckled in. She smiled nervously at the Doctor Cassidy who sat next to her and the stand-offish nurse that had been working with him.

The doctor returned her smile. "I know telling you not to worry would be pointless, but that man is one of the best at what he does." Sky's head whipped toward the doctor. "And what exactly does he do, Doctor Cassidy?"

The man turned and leveled a one-eyed gaze at her. "He makes the world a safer place. Most of the world's population is ignorant of the horrendous evil that exists. He is a weapon against that evil."

Sky opened her mouth and then closed it before she finally asked, "What does that mean? How is he a weapon?"

Doctor Cassidy glanced over at Kadey who was once again napping thanks to the mild sedative he had given her at the hospital before they loaded her into the ambulance for the ride to the flight line.

"Weapons can be defensive or offensive. You can use a weapon, in this case a person, to remove the threat before it becomes a danger to the innocent-or you don't and the countries of the world play janitor and are stuck mopping up the mayhem and destruction left behind. He and a few others are tasked with ensuring the evil in this world stays in the shadows." The doctor turned in his seat, leaned back and closed his eye.

Sky glanced from him to her daughter. Kaeden was a mercenary, he'd told her that. He'd never told her what the job entailed. She rolled her head and looked out the window sightlessly. The last days were a blur of emotion and adrenaline. She'd prayed for salvation for Kadey, and it was dropped into her lap when Kaeden appeared in her kitchen.

Sky glanced back at her daughter, then took in the rich appointments of the private aircraft rocketing her to some complex where free healthcare and safety awaited. Her reality had morphed into something she didn't recognize, all because of Kaeden.

"You don't have to solve the problem today. Relax and grab some sleep while you can." The doctor didn't move or open his eyes when he spoke.

"Will I ever know the answers to the questions?" Sky spoke to herself.

Doctor Cassidy rolled his head toward her and opened his eye. "I believe the question you should be asking yourself is: in the grand scheme of things does it really matter he can't discuss the specifics of his job?"