Chapter 11

 

Rebecca waved goodbye to the kids after dropping them off at their summer camp and climbed back into her car. A quick glance down at her phone showed that it had lit up with messages in the few minutes she’d been tending to the kids. She scanned through and saw texts from the girlfriends and fiancées of every man on the SEAL team, but there was still no word from Ryan.

Blowing out a sigh, she swiped through the messages, reading the string of texts from Alison first.

I just heard about Patrick! OMG, call me ASAP!

Rebecca, are you okay? Call me!!!

They’re releasing me from the hospital. Call me on my cell!

Well, there went her plan of heading back to the hospital. At least she’d checked her texts before driving back there. She’d go straight to Alison’s townhouse instead, she decided.

She drove a couple of miles to where Alison lived and pulled into Evan’s empty spot in the driveway. She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, taking in her bloodshot eyes and the dark circles beneath them.

In all honesty, she felt even worse than she looked.

Her sunglasses hid most of her exhaustion when she was dropping the kids off, but now?

Her best friend would know what a wreck she’d been.

It had been hours, and she still hadn’t heard a single word from Ryan. Not a single update on Patrick. She had no idea what type of surgery they’d rushed him into, but the not knowing anything was killing her.

Was he awake? Sedated? Unconscious? Was he asking for her or totally unaware of what had happened?

She’d never felt so helpless.

She knocked on Alison’s front door and waited as she heard someone shuffling around inside. Evan’s sneakers were sitting by the doormat, and she felt a weird twinge of sadness. What if Patrick’s sneakers and PT gear were never sitting around her house again? What if he never made it back home for them to move in together?

What if her baby never met his father?

A fresh wave of sadness washed over her, and her lower lip trembled.

“Rebecca, oh my God!” Alison said as she opened the front door. She took one look at Rebecca and immediately pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around Rebecca as best she could with her huge baby bump in the way.

Despite herself, Rebecca smiled. “Thank God your little guy decided to stay in there a bit longer. I don’t know how much more excitement I can take this week.”

“I told him he gets an eviction notice in thirty days,” Alison joked, closing the door behind Rebecca. “And I may have to forbid Evan from traveling between now and then.”

“I may have to forbid Patrick from it, too,” Rebecca said, bursting into tears.

“Oh hun,” Alison said, wrapping an arm around Rebecca’s trembling shoulders and guiding her toward the living room. “You don’t have any updates?”

“No,” Rebecca said, sinking down into an oversized chair. “Not a single one. It’s unbelievable,” she sniffed, swatting away fresh tears as they rolled down her cheeks. “It just—it doesn’t seem real. I felt like I’d dreamt it all, yet here I am.”

“Lexi just texted me a few minutes ago saying she was looking for Ryan on base. I was going to call you earlier but didn’t want to wake you in case you slept in after such a long night.”

“I could barely sleep. And I haven’t heard anything from Ryan since late last night. Or, technically, early this morning. Who knows anymore.”

Alison sat up straighter, adjusting her strawberry blonde hair into a low ponytail. She shifted on the sofa, looking cuter than any pregnant woman should in a tank top and long maxi skirt. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you came by to check on me. You should go wait at home with the kids though. Call Ryan and demand to know what’s up.”

“They’re at camp,” Rebecca said. She pulled a bottle of water from her oversized purse and took a long sip. “I figured I should send them since I still don’t know the extent of Patrick’s injuries. I mean, why upset them and have them sitting around all day with me worrying? I’d rather know exactly what’s going on. I’ll talk to them this evening and tell them what happened. Hopefully we’ll have a better picture then.”

“Evan was sent to Landstuhl after he was injured last year. What are the chances Patrick would end up there, too?”

“Pretty good I guess if you’re in the military,” Rebecca said, tears welling in her eyes. “Or if you’re injured while deployed somewhere in Europe or the Middle East.”

“One of the nurses told me Ryan showed up last night looking for you. I was already asleep so they wouldn’t let him come back to see me.”

“Yeah, I just missed him. He called me when I was driving home.”

“What? He shouldn’t have told you that kind of news over the phone,” Alison said, her eyes blazing.

“Believe me, I think Sarah is going to give him hell for that. She was furious.”

“Where is she anyway? I thought you two would be together today.”

“She was driving back to Norfolk I think. She offered to wait around, but I told her I wanted to come check on you. And she drove here last minute anyway to help me with the kids last night. I know she has clients and stuff and can’t just put her entire life on hold. I think she already had to cancel her morning physical therapy patients.”

“Well, I guess it would keep her mind off of things to go into work,” Alison mused. “It kinda sucks either way when you’re waiting for news on something like that.”

“Yep. That’s why I’m here with you. I need to have something to do, to keep me busy, otherwise I’ll completely go out of my mind with worry. But there was no way in hell I could go into court today.”

“All this waiting around is bullshit.”

Rebecca chuffed out a laugh. “So, how’d you talk the hospital into releasing you?”

“The contractions stopped,” Alison said with a grin. “I can’t say I was disappointed to leave. I think being an ER nurse made me an even worse patient.”

“I believe it. Doctors and nurses are always the worst patients.”

“I think the rest of the guys are on their way home already from what Lexi said. Maybe they can help us find out some news when they get back.”

“God, I hope so. I’ve been beside myself with worry. When Ryan first called me last night, I thought—” she cut herself off, her face stricken.

“I’d think the worst, too,” Alison said softly. “I did when Evan was injured. I found out when I was at work, and I could barely breathe. But those guys are strong. Patrick will pull through.”

“Yeah, he will. He has to.”

“I wonder if he’ll ever be able to tell you exactly what happened?”

“I doubt it,” Rebecca said. “Maybe just the basics of how he was injured, but I’m sure we’ll never know the specifics. Honestly, it’s probably better that way. If he comes home—”

“When he comes home,” Alison corrected her.

“When he comes home, I’ll never want him to leave again if I drive myself crazy with worry. And honestly? He’d never be happy with a desk job. Neither would any of the guys on the team.” She blew out a breath. “Sometimes I feel like the less that I know, the better.”

“I know what you mean,” Alison sympathized.

Rebecca’s phone buzzed in her purse, and she frantically grabbed it, her gaze narrowing at the number. “Oh God, I think it’s their CO. Ryan. Oh my God.” She fumbled with her phone a moment before she swiped at the screen to answer it. “Hello?”

“Rebecca, it’s Ryan Mitchell,” a deep voice said. “I just got off the phone with someone at Landstuhl. Patrick pulled through the surgery. He’s in recovery now and groggy, but I understand you should be able to talk to him in several hours after the sedation wears off.”

“Oh thank God!” Rebecca said, tears rolling down her face. “Oh thank you, thank you for letting me know.” She looked toward Alison and mouthed the words, “He’s okay.”

“Yay!” Alison said, clapping her hands together. “Thank God.”

“I’ve been on base nearly twenty-four hours and am heading home,” Ryan continued. “But I want you to call me if you need absolutely anything. Someone else will be in touch with you on how to contact Patrick in Landstuhl. If for some reason you don’t hear from anyone in the next hour or so, give me a call and I’ll find out the details myself.”

“Do they have any idea how long he’ll be there?”

Ryan cleared his throat. “No, I’m not sure at this point. I doubt the doctors know either. Probably at least a week while he recovers from surgery. As soon as he’s stable enough to fly home, he’ll be sent to Walter Reed for rehabilitation.”

“Okay,” Rebecca said, letting out a breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding. “Okay. I can handle that. Thank you.”

“He’s a strong man, Rebecca. One of the best men I’ve had working under me. Recovery will take some time, but he’ll get there.”

“Thank you again for the update.”

“Get some rest,” Ryan said. “I know you probably had a sleepless night as well.”

“I will. Bye.”

Ryan said goodbye, and she set her phone down, filling Alison in on the rest of the conversation. Tears filled her eyes, but this time it was from happiness. Absentmindedly, she placed her hand over her still-flat stomach. Patrick would get to meet his child. He’d come home to her and the kids. If it was possible, she might just burst from happiness.

 

***

 

Patrick groggily opened his eyes, his gaze slowly focusing on his surroundings in the hospital room. More white walls. A shade pulled tightly shut. A ton of machines.

It felt like he’d been run over by a truck.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

His gaze slid to the screen next to him monitoring his heartrate. Beneath the steady line were his vitals. An IV needle was taped to his hand, a pulse ox monitor on his finger, and a bag of fluids hanging up beside him. He could almost feel the cool liquid flowing from the IV into his vein, which was an odd sensation.

Gauze and other bandages covered his side, and he gingerly prodded at it, wincing. His ribs ached tremendously, and as he gingerly moved his hand over them, he realized his chest was wrapped with some sort of athletic tape, providing him with extra support.

He took a breath, trying to grasp the extent of his injuries.

Hell of a mission.

He tentatively moved his feet, thankful to see he still had full use of his limbs. Thankful that he had all his limbs. Plenty of men who got blown off their feet like he did ended up losing body parts. He’d been injured, sure, but at least everything was still accounted for.

His gaze slid to the door, where doctors and nurses walked by in the hallway, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was awake.

How long had he been out?

He tried sitting up in the hospital bed, grunting in pain. His blood pressure skyrocketed on the monitor, and he eased himself back down, his breath coming out in a whoosh.

That was stupid. Just because he was a Navy SEAL didn’t mean he could bust out of here right after surgery with no problems.

Hell. He’d be lucky to be back on his feet in a week. If that.

He looked down at his side again, assessing.

“You’re awake,” an older nurse said as she walked into the room, clipboard in hand.

“Affirmative,” he said, his voice cracking from not having spoken in so long. He cleared his throat and then his eyes widened. The tubes were no longer down his throat. No wonder it felt so damn raw and swollen. But he was breathing on his own. Recovering.

“Can I have some water?” he asked.

“Absolutely. I’ll have someone bring it in,” she said, typing something on the tablet computer she was holding. She scrolled through the information on the screen, reviewing his chart.

Nothing like the old days when everything was on paper.

His eyes scanned the hospital room again. He was the only patient in here, and it looked like a regular room. Which was a hell of a lot better than being hooked up to a vent in the ICU.

“The doctor will be in to see you shortly. You were medevac’d here to Landstuhl after you were injured yesterday. You were in surgery for six hours while they repaired damage to your internal organs. You also have four broken ribs, which have been bandaged. How are you feeling?”

“Like hell,” Patrick muttered.

The nurse eyed him knowingly. “It’ll be several months before you’re back to active duty. I know most of you guys want to jump right back into the action, but you’ll need time for your body to recover. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your level of pain?”

“If I lie here not moving, maybe a five or six. When I tried to sit up? Another damn story.”

“Don’t try to sit up,” she admonished. “You’ll need assistance getting out of bed for the time being with your ribs bandaged like that. Unfortunately, they take a while to heal because they’re hard to immobilize.”

“Understood,” he ground out.

“You’re on an IV drip with painkillers, but we’ll be switching to oral medication now that you’re awake. We’ll manage your pain over the next several days and get you strong enough to be put on a flight back to the States. Initially you’ll be sent to Walter Reed for recovery and rehabilitation.”

“All right, I can handle that. Can I make a phone call?”

“Yes, absolutely. Your CO was in contact with us earlier, so your family should have received an update on your status. I know you’ll want to talk to them yourself of course. Let me give you the information to make an international call.”

“Do you know the status of the rest of my team?” he asked, coughing. “Am I the only one here?”

Another nurse brought in a small pitcher and cup, setting it on the bedside table, and he greedily took a sip of the cool water.

“The doctor will advise you when you can eat next. Take small sips of the water for now. And as for any others? You came here alone,” the nurse replied. “I don’t know if your teammates sustained any injuries. It’s probably too highly classified for me to find out either. I do know that you were the only one injured severely enough to be medevac’d here.”

Patrick grunted in acknowledgement, his fists clenching. Hopefully his team had completed their mission and retrieved the hostage, but at the moment? He had no fucking clue.

He felt like he’d been out of it for months, when really he doubted even twenty-four hours had passed since they’d infiltrated the insurgents’ camp. It was amazing how so much could change in so little time. His whole world had tilted off its axis. Instead of flying home with his men, he was laid up in a hospital bed.

He clenched his jaw, his thoughts drifting to Rebecca. In all the chaos and confusion, her face had been what kept him steady. What gave him the strength to keep fighting. The will to live.

Hell.

She must have been out of her mind with worry.

Terrified.

He’d give anything to pull her into his arms right now and inhale her sweet scent. To comfort her and ease his own pain. That wasn’t exactly possible though with her on the other damn side of the ocean.

And what if she’d been watching the news again, worried sick over everything happening? She’d guessed correctly on what their mission had been. In a way, that made waiting at home a thousand times harder.

She could imagine every worst-case scenario there was.

“Hey,” he said suddenly, his voice gruff. “Can I turn on the TV?”

“Absolutely. The remote is attached to your bed. Here, let me get it for you,” the nurse said, handing it to him. “Instructions are right there. You can leave it on the bedside table so you don’t have to lean over to get it.”

“Thank you.”

He turned on the television, flipping through the channels to find CNN or BBC. Anything that would have international news. They wouldn’t have all the dirty details, but they’d been covering the story before his SEAL team even deployed. They sure as hell would have an update now.

Finally, he turned to BBC and watched for a minute as they gave the headline stories for the day. Earthquake. Monsoon. A bombing in Pakistan.

His eyes widened as they moved to the next headline.

And this just in—it is confirmed that the American woman being held hostage in Afghanistan arrived safely home in the U.S. today. Although her name has not been released by the U.S. government, we have received information that she was reunited with her family.

Patrick let out a breath, a feeling of satisfaction washing over him.

They’d done it. It may have damn near killed him, but an innocent woman was no longer being held hostage by terrorists in a foreign land. Maybe he was stuck in a hospital bed for the time being, but the fact that his men had accomplished the mission?

No damn better feeling.

He grabbed the phone at his bedside and punched in Rebecca’s number, hoping that he’d be able to reach her. He didn’t even know what time it was here right now to calculate the time difference. His heart pounded in his chest as he began to wonder if she wouldn’t be able to answer. Finally, after four rings, her sweet voice answered her cell phone. It was like balm to his soul to hear her soothing voice from thousands of miles away.

His heart caught for a beat in his chest, the reality of the situation hitting him like a punch to the gut.

“Hi sweetheart,” he finally managed to say. “It’s me.”

“Patrick!” she gasped, and he could hear her already getting choked up over the line. “Patrick, oh my God. How are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m out of surgery and recovering,” he said as she broke out into a loud sob. “Hey, sweetheart. Sweetheart, please don’t cry. I’m okay, and I’m coming home to you. I’m okay.”

“Oh my God. Patrick. I’ve been so worried. You don’t know how good it is to hear your voice. The last twenty-fours have been horrible. I thought I was going to go crazy with worry. And not knowing? It’s been a nightmare.”

“For me, too,” he said, his voice gruff. “And I don’t even remember half of it. There was an explosion, and the next thing I knew, I was on a hospital stretcher being rushed through the hallway. No memory of how I got here, no recollection of anything other than the moments before I was injured.”

Rebecca let out a sigh. “When Ryan called me last night—I just—”

She broke down again, and Patrick felt his heart clench. Rebecca’s first husband had been killed in a horrible freak accident on a bridge. What were the chances he’d be severely injured on an op? Sure, his career was dangerous, but they trained for every scenario. He’d always assured her he’d be fine, but no one could predict the future. Least of all him.

“I’m sorry you were worried. When I woke up, your face was what kept flashing through my mind. What kept me fighting. I knew no matter what that I had to fight and get back home to you.”

“Do you know when they’ll let you come home?”

“No. Not yet. I have to be stable enough to fly. I mean, hell, right now I can’t even get out of bed without help. I just woke up a little while ago. The doctor should be in soon to talk to me. Hopefully in the next week or so they’ll let me come home.”

“Will they send you to a hospital here?”

“Walter Reed. It’s several hours away from Little Creek, but a helluva lot better than having a damn ocean separating us.”

“My doctor appointment’s next week,” she said.

“For the baby?”

“Yes. It’s the first appointment.”

“Hell, I wanted to be there for you.”

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “This is just the very first one where they ask me a million questions. They’ll be plenty of appointments after that for you to come to.”

“I’ll be at every one,” he said.

“Is Evan on his way back?” she asked.

“I haven’t talked to anyone on the team, but it sounds like the rest of them are back.”

“Already?”

Patrick cleared his throat. “I’m not sure. But it sounds like the mission was a success.”

“Alison went into early labor last night,” Rebecca gushed out. “I stayed with her at the hospital for a while.”

“Wow. Was the baby born?”

“Not yet. I waited with her a few hours while they got her contractions under control.” She finished filling him in on the rest of her night. “You sound really tired. You should probably get some rest.”

“I will. I just needed to hear your voice. How’s Logan holding up? Did you tell him what happened yet or were you waiting until you knew more?”

“I was waiting for an update from Ryan. I sent the kids to camp since I didn’t have details about how bad your injuries were. I didn’t want them to sit around worrying all day about you. At least now I can tell him you’ll be coming back.”

“I love you, sweetheart. I promise to come home to you and the kids as soon as I can.”

“You better,” she said quietly, sniffling again. “I love you, too.”

Patrick said goodbye, his gaze resting on the phone after they’d hung up. He’d come so damn close to losing everything. The second he got back home he wanted to propose to Rebecca. Marry her. Never let her leave his side.

Sleeping in different beds every night, in different homes, seemed like too much after what he’d been through. He wanted every second to be with her.

“Knock, knock!” a voice said.

“Doctor,” Patrick said. “I suppose I have you to thank for saving my life.”

“That and the men on your team. They provided emergency aid that kept you stable enough to be eventually transferred here.”

Patrick nodded, thinking of Mike, the medic on their team.

He owed him a hell of a lot whenever he made it back to Little Creek.

The doctor began explaining Patrick’s surgery and the extent of his injuries. After listening to him run through all the details of his surgery, the recovery, and the physical therapy he’d likely have to go through, Patrick was struggling to stay awake.

Food and thoughts of anything else would have to wait.

He shut his eyes just as the doctor was leaving the room and fell into a deep sleep.