“Yep.”
“Fuck my life.”
“Yep.”
“If Madelyn needs blood, she can have mine. I’m O-negative.”
“Already considered tapping your vein.”
“And?” He made a sad attempt to roll onto his side.
Jamie thwarted his efforts with little more than a two-fingered poke. “You bleed like a busted pipe without a shut-off valve. You don’t have a whole lot to spare.”
“She saved Jay’s life, so take it if you need it.”
“She saved yours too.”
“Mine’s not nearly as important.”
Jamie snorted. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a thick-headed asshole?”
Like a battery out of juice, fatigue stole over him, and he mumbled, “All the time, Doc. All the fucking time.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Eyes locked on the sun breaking over the horizon, Cody stared out the Black Hawk’s windshield as he flew the mechanical bird due east. Hands on the cyclic stick, his knuckles white with tension, he did his best not to kill them all.
He’d been in plenty of helicopters before but hadn’t started learning to fly until recently. An in-case-of-emergency contingency plan he hadn’t expected to be activated so soon. Now his mind raced, trying to remember everything while Chase dozed beside him.
Steady pressure on the cyclic. Don’t jerk the collective. Watch the altitude. The rotors thrummed above, filling the cabin with constant vibrations and making his bones shake.
His heart hammered under the pressure, but he forced himself to focus, nudging the helicopter forward and keeping it as level as he could. The horizon bobbed slightly, but they were holding their course. A miracle.
The past forty-eight hours had been full of them.
Miracles.
And surprises.
So many surprises.
Tak…
No. He couldn’t think about him. Not yet. There were too many unknowns. Too many questions. Too much hurt. He needed to keep his mind on staying airborne, and any thoughts about their missing teammate sent his brain into a spiral.
He couldn’t afford to spiral, not with the lives of so many in his hands.
Jesus! How did Chase do this? The man could fly anything. Drive anything. Fix anything. When it came to all things mechanical, he had a freakish ability to focus his mind and energy for hours on end.
Cody had the attention span of a gnat. As eager as he’d been to leave Montana, as restless as he’d been with anticipation for the mission, he was just as eager and restless to get back home.
The adrenaline and excitement of rescuing Rebecca had fueled him. Made him feel alive after sitting dormant for too damn long. But now, the need for action had been replaced by a desire for safety and security. Something he’d never experienced before today.
His chest full of longing, he wanted to be back at the lodge. Back with his family. All of them. Together. Safe and sound. Under one roof. He wanted to return a hero. Wanted the warm embrace of Eve’s hug. The bruising ache of Gray’s punch in the arm. The sweet reward of Summer’s shy smile.
He wanted to hold the baby. Pet the dog. Talk cars with Davis. Eat Adam’s homemade macaroni and cheese. Fucking casserole should be illegal with the number of calories in a pea-sized serving. But man, it was good.
He wanted to shower in his shower. Sleep in his king-sized bed. Lift some weights in the gym. Sit by the fire in the great room with everyone around, drinks flowing, jokes flying, laughter ringing.
