“Hey, what’s not to like?” I quip, not wanting them to know how touched I am by her simple gesture.
“All right, you lot. Last one to the helo buys the first round. Let’s move out.”
The trip back is a quiet one. Everyone’s caught up in their own thoughts. Back Stateside, Commander Hurt makes the debrief as short as possible before dismissing us for a week. We grab our gear out of the lockers, and as we turn our phones on, they light up with messages.
“Fuck.” Knight turns to Lucky. “You get a message from Agatha?”
“Yeah. I’ll drive,” Lucky replies.
“What’s going on?” Gator asks.
“Tiggs and Indie got run over. Indie’s still in the hospital,” Lucky says, already heading for the door, Knight close on his heels.
Fuck is right. “Which hospital?” I ask.
“Riverton Gen,” Knight answers.
“We’ll meet you guys there.”
Speeding through the streets in convoy, we arrive at the hospital together, and I can only imagine what it must look like as we rush through the front doors. We’re all still in camouflage, scruffy and dirty since none of us has had an opportunity to shower and clean up.
Knight rushes over to the reception desk.
“May I help you, sir?” The receptionist eyes him cautiously.
“Yeah, my fiancée’s here – Ms. Indigo Jones?”
She checks the system. “Ms. Jones is in room five twelve, sir.”
The words aren’t even out properly and Knight’s already sprinting for the elevator.
“Thank you,” Lucky shouts as we all dash after Knight.
Crowding into the small space, not a word is spoken as we ride up to the fifth floor. Spilling out of the elevator, Knight takes off for Indigo’s room.
“We’ll be in the waiting room,” I call after him. “Let us know how’s she’s doing.”
He lifts a hand in acknowledgement but doesn’t slow down nor turn around. Barely settled in the waiting room, the door opens, and Agatha and Eloise walk in. Agatha runs into Lucky’s arms, while Eloise hangs back by the door. She glances over at me, her expression uncertain.
“Hey,” I say, walking up to her.
“Hey.”
Uncomfortable, I shift my feet. I left her hanging when we were deployed and feel pretty crappy about it. I’m not sure how to fix it. It’s a whole new situation for me – I’ve never spilled my guts to anyone, let alone a woman. I’ve never wanted to before. But now that I have, I don’t know how to handle myself.
“I take it your mission was a success? Everyone’s back in one piece?”
“Yeah, we’re all good. The mission was as successful as it could have been under the circumstances. Especially since we returned with no injuries.”
“Well, that’s good, at least.”
“Yeah. So, what happened? Is Indigo okay?”
“She’s fine. They’re just holding her for a couple days observation since she was unconscious for a few hours. But other than that, nothing more serious than some cuts and abrasions. All things considered, Indigo was damn lucky.”
“Agatha seems fine,” I say, nodding in her direction.
“She is. Indigo saw what was going down and shoved her out of the way, taking the brunt of the hit.”
