It had taken days, but the man had finally worked his way to the border. He stayed hunched down, watching the line of trees that marked the change from one nation to another. As soon as his contact appeared, he would leave this hated country behind and take his place with Haafiz al-Bashir, the Left Hand of Allah once again. The money that had exchanged hands would ensure a smooth crossing.

Movement alerted him to another's presence. He smiled and gave the signal. It wouldn't be much longer. Stepping out, he lifted his hand to hail the handler who would escort him across.

- 2 days

Bing Bong... Bing Bong...

What was that irritating noise?

Annabeth tried to open her eyes, but they were glued shut. She frowned as the annoying dings continued to invade her mind. Couldn't someone turn that off? She raised her hand, or at least she thought she raised her hand to wipe her eyes and try to force them open, but the darn thing just jiggled a bit then lay still. She tried to lick her lips, but her mouth was dry. None of this made sense. Why couldn't she move and what was wrong with her eyes and mouth?

Anger surged up in her as that damned noise continued to her left then suddenly it ended. Mustering all her strength, she concentrated on her eyes and forced them to open a sliver finally then slammed them shut again. The room was blindingly bright with a light shining right above her, stabbing her as if the particles of light were tiny blades. She groaned and wished she had kept them firmly shut.

"Georgia?"

She knew that voice. Golden brown eyes, the color of warm caramel appeared in her mind followed by dirty blond hair and a pair of beautiful dimples. A thousand memories crowded into her mind of a sexy, well-built man cuddling her tightly against him. It felt right. It felt like home. It felt like...

"Hick?" she croaked.

"Oh thank God. Yeah, baby. I'm here." He took her hand in his and gripped it tightly. "Can you open your eyes?"

"Bright," she whispered and barely shook her head. "Too much."

She heard the sound of a switch. "Try it now."

Slowly she cracked her eyelids just a bit and sighed in relief when the horrid light was gone. The comfort of darkness engulfed her. "Water," she croaked. Her eyes followed him as he turned to the right and picked up a cup sitting on the rolling table. Holding the straw to her lips, he told her to take small sips. At this point, that was all she could do.

"Honey, you scared me to death. Please don't ever do that again."

"'k," she agreed then closed her heavy eyelids. "Tired."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Sleep now. I'll see you when you wake."

The nothing claimed her.

The next time she woke, the room was dark except for a glow coming from the television mounted on the wall. A re-run of Criminal Minds played on the screen with the volume down low. A soft snort sounded from her right. She looked over to see Hick laying back in a recliner sound asleep. Annabeth studied his face, noticing dark circles under his eyes and worry lines etched on his forehead. The blue scrubs he wore were wrinkled as if he had had been wearing them for days. As she watched, his chin dropped, and a half snore/half gasp shot out. It was so funny she giggled then groaned when her chest hurt.

"Annabeth?"

She looked at the foot of her bed to where Grace was curled up in a chair. Her sister stood quickly and hurried to the bedside. Gently she swept Annabeth's hair out of her face and behind her ear. Worry engulfed her.

"Gracie," Annabeth whispered the childhood name. "What are you doing here? Where are Kenseth and Elliot?"

"They are at the hotel. God, Beth, we've been so worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"Drugged," she replied. "Where am I? How long have I been out?"

"Banner University Hospital in Phoenix and you've been unconscious for two days." Hick stood on the other side of the bed. He looked relieved, and the smile that brightened his face lit up the room. "Hey there, Georgia." He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

It was tender and sweet, and it made her belly clench appreciatively. Love flooded her as she looked up at him. "Is everyone okay? Toad, Railroad and the others?"

"One of the many reasons I love you. You're always worried about others. None of the team got hurt. Everyone is fine. They have to report in the morning, so they left for Cali this afternoon."

"And you?"

Hick shrugged. "I have some time off. They can handle things without me for a few days."

"Hick?"

His thumb made circles on her knuckles. It was both soothing and relaxing. She felt her muscles melt. "What happened?"

He frowned. "We can talk about it later. Right now you need to rest."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "I've been resting for two days. I want to know what happened. I remember the convention and some terrorists. You and I were arguing, and then it just goes blank."

He sighed heavily then pulled the recliner over until it was beside her bed. Taking her hand, he carefully maneuvered the IV line until it was out of the way.

On the other side, Grace tucked the covers up and smoothed them gently. "I've heard this story, so I think I'll go get some coffee and call Kenseth." She leaned down and kissed Annabeth's forehead. When the door had closed, Annabeth looked to Hick quizzically.

He drew in a breath and sat on the edge of the chair so that his face was even with hers. Guilt radiated off him in thick, cloying waves. Reaching over, he traced the side of her face with his finger. "The fight? That was a fake. We were trying to distract the leader of the terrorists to get him away from the bomb. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, that feels right."

He let out a breath of relief. "Good. God, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gotten you involved. How can you ever forgive me?"

"Already forgiven, love, I helped you because I wanted to. There's no guilt involved." She wrinkled her brow. "Did Andrew...?"

"Yeah. That part was true too. I'm sorry."

Annabeth felt tightness behind her eyes. "He was a jerk, but he didn't deserve that. None of us did." She took a cleansing breath. "So, what else happened?"

"I can give you the short version. The leader was a homegrown terrorist named Roger Hartman. He dropped out of college and spent three years in the Middle East, learning from Haafiz al-Bashir. When he returned home, he set to work recruiting a sleeper cell. The convention was exactly the stage they needed to air their hatred and cultural purity agenda. Toad was able to sneak the rest of the team in. We started the argument which pulled all the guards from the edges and into the middle of the room where snipers could get a bead on them. The team took action and dropped the guards. Hartman saw what was happening and grabbed you before they could get him. He hid behind you, not giving the snipers a good shot. You were so brave, ready to die to keep the others safe. You stood there and told me to shoot you. Jesus, woman, there's no way I could have done that."

"If you didn't shoot me, then who did?"

"Hartman. Railroad caught him peeking out from behind you and shot him. Hartman pulled the trigger as he fell, shooting you through the back and out your shoulder. You were so lucky, baby. So damned lucky. The bullet nicked the pericardium which filled with blood and squeezed your heart. Ah, God, how could you ever forgive me for putting you into that situation?"

Annabeth could see the terror on his face at the thought of how close she had been to death. She shivered in reaction. It had been close, too close. She swallowed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing to forgive."

"Yes, there is. I got you involved. You almost..."

"But I didn't, and they were able to get the others without anyone else getting hurt."

"You have to understand, I...I thought you were gone. You were pale, your lips turned blue, and I couldn't find a pulse. I thought you were dead, Georgia. Your blood was everywhere, pouring out on the floor and I couldn't stop it. So much blood and it was all my fault." He shuddered and closed his eyes, swallowing harshly. After a moment he continued. "I've seen brothers die, women and children slaughtered for no good reason. The ravages of war visited down on an unsuspecting populace. Never, have I ever felt as completely hopelessly lost as I did then." His hands shook as they continued to stroke her palm. "I couldn't live through that again. Losing you would be losing my soul."

His words fell upon her with the weight of an elephant. She could hear the desperate plea in his voice, the unspoken request to never leave him. She knew the pain he felt was real for she felt it too. Losing him would be the same as finding a vital part of her existence suddenly gone.

"You didn't lose me, Levi. I'm right here."

"And I want you to stay here forever, in my life and my arms. I need you, Annabeth Switcher, and when you are feeling better, we're going to discuss this in more detail. I'm done with the long distance thing. After all that happened, I can't go back to how it was before. I love my SEAL brothers, but I'm going to ask for a transfer. Virginia Beach is still too far away, but at least it's not 2000 miles. We'll be able to see each other more often, and then, when it's time for me to re-enlist, I'm taking the option out. If we can hold it together for another sixteen months, I'll be yours full time."

The tears that filled Annabeth's eyes burned and caused his handsome face to blur. She squeezed his hand in hers. "No. You're not going to do that."

"Yes I am," he reiterated emphatically.

"No, you aren't because I'm moving to California. Just as soon as I can get out of this hospital and make the arrangements."

The choking sound coming from him frightened her until she saw the look of awe on his face. "Honey, you have your career and your family on the east coast. I couldn't ask you..."

"You're not asking, I'm telling you. Besides, my job can be done anywhere. It's eighty percent electronic and telephone. Grace has her own life in Chattanooga. It's time for me to take my life by the horns and do what makes me happiest. That's you, Levi. You make me happiest. Everything else is just window dressing."

Hick stood so fast the recliner squealed on the linoleum floor. Leaning over the bed, he cupped her face in his hand and kissed her. He was warm and soft, gently brushing her plump lips with his. Instead of the passionate inferno that his kisses usually brought, this one was a slow smolder, full of promises and dreams of a lifetime together.

She slid her hand up, wrapping his hair around her fingers, holding on as he tenderly explored her mouth. He demanded nothing, but she yielded gratefully. She let his head go and looked up at him to see his eyes shiny and full of tears. Her big, beautiful, alpha SEAL was crying for her and the promise she had made to them both. Immediately, her cheeks dampened as tears rolled down them to disappear into her gown.

"Get some rest," he murmured to her then sat down in the chair. "We need you to get well so we can get this whole new life on the road."

"Sure thing, Hick," she whispered then closed her eyes. She was tired but so happy because now she knew she had made the right decision. When it came to her future, she knew Hick would always be the right decision.