No Regrets, No Surrender(9)

The idea of forgetting Logan and Zach terrified her. How damaged was she? Seeing them come into focus as she wheeled down the concourse choked her. She knew them. She knew Logan. She knew every inch of his gorgeous body with its patchwork of scars. She knew Zach from his smile to the way she tickled his feet if she ran a toe against the bottom of them. She knew them.

The thought repeated itself in her mind as she drifted off and waited for her when she woke up. The blistering Texas heat smothered her as Zach eased her out of the van and into the god-be-damned chair. She cooperated, because the chair was the only way she’d obtained clearance to travel stateside.

Her admittance to the medical wing of Mike’s Place sped past efficiently. Too many new faces came and went. The Corpsman and the lieutenant stayed with her through the process, reminding her constantly of where she was, repeating key phrases and information.

“Hey.” Zach leaned against the doorway, all gorgeous polish in his T-shirt and jeans. His skin was a deep shade of golden brown. He belonged on the cover of a men’s fashion magazine except his dazzling smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

She was so tired. “Hey.”

“I should probably let you get some sleep.” He walked into the room and dragged a chair over next to the bed. With one twist, he turned it around to straddle it and lay his arms on the back.

“Why?” Her thoughts seemed muddy.

“Because you’re exhausted and you need to heal.” His forehead furrowed into a frown.

“I mean, why are you in Afghanistan?” Why was she in the hospital? An iron spike of pain pounded behind her temple.

His swift inhale added to the strain on his face, but not the smile he pasted on. “You were injured in an explosion in Bamyan. You were airlifted to Bagram, and from Bagram to Ramstein. You’re in Dallas, now.”

“Oh.” We were at the university…. They were at the university doing what? She could see the room with the women, the younger girls with their bright garb and eager postures, their mothers dressed more sedately and maintaining a higher level of reserve. The light behind Zach’s head began to kaleidoscope. A dozen different colors stretched out from the center until they filled her vision.

“How often does this happen?” Urgent frustration peppered Zach’s words.

“Intermittent. It’s increasing right now from the stress, give her a couple of days to sleep and recover from the trip….”

She didn’t know that voice.

“If it wasn’t safe for her to travel, why did they put her on the plane?” Cold. Logan never sounded so cold when he spoke to her. The alien tone rang warning bells in her mind.

“Mr. Cavanaugh, Mr. Evans, I understand that you’re upset, but this is normal. She’s experienced microseizures since she woke up from her coma. We’ve been monitoring them, and it’s most likely part of the healing process.” The third voice offered nothing but patience.

“Most likely?” Zach’s question dripped with skepticism.

“Marines.” But that patience seemed to wear thin. “You’re worried. I understand, but bullying the medical staff will not help. Let us do our jobs. She remembers you, which is more than she can do for most of us. We have to keep reminding her. You may have to remind her for a while. Until then, get the hell out of the way so we can work.”

“Don’t go.” She blinked the soft lens focus away from the edges of her vision. A hand squeezed hers, and she realized Logan held it. Medical personnel moved around her, and something cold pushed into her arm. The distraction pulled her attention, and she looked at it.

Her mottled-with-bruises-and-scrapes arm.

“What happened?”

Logan squatted down bringing his head level with hers. She didn’t quite sigh with relief. Looking up hurt.

“You were in accident. You’re back in the States. Zach and I are both here. We’re not going anywhere. You need to sleep.”

“What about the mission?” They were due in Bamyan. No, they were in Bamyan. She had to finish talking to the girls. Why were Zach and Logan in Afghanistan?

“You finished your mission. You’re going to be okay. You’re in Dallas with us. We’ve got this” Zach leaned in, his head nearly parallel with Logan’s. “You need to sleep.”

They were here.

Zach’s hand covered Logan’s on hers. Worried encouragement filled his dark blue eyes, flickering to doubt and concern and then back again. Logan’s darker eyes remained steady and burned through her, just as it had when she’d first met him. If eyes were windows to the soul, his soul was boundless with determination and faith.