Fallen Hunter (Jesse McDermitt Series) (32 page)

As we neared the hut, either Simpson or Grayson moved past in front of us, heading toward Santiago’s hut. Doc put a boot to the door of the hut and it splintered instantly. Both of us followed the remnants of the door inside, having switched to side arms. Fayyad was kneeling on a prayer rug, his back to us.

We took him totally by surprise. While Doc held one hand over his mouth and his Glock pointed at the man’s temple, I wrenched his arms back and used a pair of flexi-cuffs to quickly bind his hands and put a ball gag into his mouth and tightened it behind his head. Together we yanked him to his feet and went back out. Seconds later, Grayson and Simpson came out of the next hut with Santiago and his bodyguard. Through the light of the night vision goggles, I thought he looked familiar.

Doc went straight past them to the tent where Tony was being held. Deuce and Bourke were just exiting, with Tony between them, holding him up by the shoulders. Doc took Deuce’s place as Deuce disappeared into the arms tent. A second later I heard him whisper, “I’m going to set the charge for five minutes, head to the beach.”

I shoved Fayyad forward, down the path toward the pier, with the others following behind me. Once we were far enough away I asked, “How’s Tony?”

“He’ll make it,” Doc said. Then I heard Tony in the background say, “Y’all have a nice time down in Cozumel?”

It was hard not to laugh. I knew that he’d probably been beaten at least, but was still cracking jokes. I reached a cutoff and shoved Fayyad down the path that ran along the edge of the mangrove swamp to the water. Art and Hinkle were already there, as they were only a few yards away to start with. Art had his and Tony’s rebreathers and the rest of their dive gear.

“How are we going to get the prisoners across?” Art asked. I pulled an inflatable horse collar from my pocket, secured it around Fayyad’s neck and inflated it.

A minute later, Doc and Bourke arrived with Tony. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his lips were busted and bleeding. But, he didn’t seem to be in too bad a shape. “Any injuries other than the obvious?” I asked.

Tony held up his right hand and I saw that his index and middle finger were missing. They appeared to be burnt where they had been severed. “Good thing the SEAL’s teach us to shoot with both hands,” he said.

“Get him suited up, Doc,” I said. “Get started across as quick as you can. Bourke, drag this piece of shit across, I’ll wait for Deuce. All hell’s about to break loose here.”

The four men started wading out into the water when I heard gun shots coming from the camp. I turned to Doc and Bourke and said, “Get going! I’ll get Deuce.” Then I turned and started running back up the trail. Half way to the camp I found Deuce stumbling down the trail. Just as I reached him, the charge he’d set went off with a deafening roar.

I put his arm over my shoulder and half carried him back down the trail. The arms in the tent were going off like crazy and suddenly a rocket flew past us and exploded just twenty feet ahead of us. The bright explosion blinded me for a second, as I was still wearing the night vision goggles. We both dropped to our knees. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“Took a round in the lower leg,” Deuce said. “I think the bone’s broke.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I said. “I can drag you across the bay, if I have to.”

We got back to our feet and struggled down the trail, our vision slowly returning. I suddenly felt something tug at my side and then felt my wetsuit becoming warm and wet, just above my hip. We got to the water and alternated return fire while we suited up and got into the water. Deuce wasn’t going to be able to swim very well and I was losing blood. Once we were in waist deep water we went under. I took him by the collar and said, “Kick with your good leg, if you can.”

“What’s wrong?” I heard Doc say.

“We’re both hit,” I said. “But we’re underwater and moving.”

“Y’all keep going,” Deuce said. “That’s an order.”

A minute later, I saw something come at us out of the murky water. My heart skipped a beat, thinking that the blood I was leaking out had attracted a shark. Then I realized it was one of the others.

Art said, “We’re not in the Navy anymore, screw your orders.” He grabbed Deuce by the other side and we swam hard toward where we’d entered the water on the opposite side. It took us thirty-five minutes to get there. I was fading fast and could taste blood in my mouth.

I collapsed as we crawled out of the water at the mouth of the little creek. Doc came over to us and he and Art helped us to shore. Deuce and I collapsed on the ground and Doc looked over us both. In seconds he had Deuce’s wet suit slit up to his knee, put a coagulant on his wound and splinted his leg. Then he came over to me and cut open my wetsuit. The coagulant burned like all hell and he rolled me over a little. “No exit wound, Gunny. I’ll have to wait until later to get that bullet out, though. I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.”

Deuce had struggled to his feet and said, “Open the valves on the tanks,” he said. “Strap the weight belts to them and ditch everything in the deep part of the creek over there. We have to get across this spit to the Zodiac.”

“He’s not gonna be able to make it,” Doc said.

“Hinkle, cut two of those bamboo trees about eight feet long. Bourke, get out of that wetsuit and use it to make a litter.”

“Just get me to my feet,” I said.

“Stay where you are, Gunny,” Doc said. “You lost a shit load of blood. We’ll get you out of here.”

A couple of minutes later Doc and Bourke lifted me onto the makeshift litter and we started across the peninsula. I could hear Deuce struggling, while Simpson and Grayson half carried him. I started to say something, then everything went black.

I woke up, it seemed like a minute later, but we were bouncing across the ocean in the Zodiac. I could hear Chyrel asking, “How bad is he?”

Deuce said, “He took one in the back. Doc says he’s got a collapsed lung and he lost a lot of blood. We’re changing our exfiltration plan. Tony and Jesse will go back with Doc in the plane. My leg’s okay enough. Art, Julie, and Tina will go back with Bourke in the Cigarette. Rusty, I’m pressing you into service to pilot the
Revenge
and bring the rest of us home.”

I faded out again. Once more it only felt like a minute or two, but the next thing I heard was Doc saying, “Roger rescue, his pulse is weak and thready. BP is 110 over 60. Our ETA to NAS Key West is ten minutes.”

Then I heard Williams say, “NAS Key West tower, this is Beaver November one three eight five. I’m declaring a medical emergency. Requesting priority approach.”

Over the speaker I heard, “Roger, Beaver November one three eight five, this is NAS Key West. We just received a dispatch from DHS clearing you with priority. Wind’s out of the east at one zero knots. Ceiling is 15,000 and broken. You’re clear for a straight in approach to runway seven. Emergency personnel will meet you on the runway.”

I moaned and felt a strong hand on my shoulder. Tony leaned over me and said, “You’re too damn mean to give up, Devil Dog. Hang in there, we’ll be down in just a few minutes.”

I faded out again. When I woke up, I was in a hammock on my island, wearing only a faded pair of cutoff jeans. I looked out over the sparkling, clear, blue-green water at the puffy white clouds slowly drifting across a clear, azure sky. I could see Little Raccoon Key, off in the distance, the palm trees gently swaying in the soft breeze. I smelled frangipani and jasmine, mixed with the salty scent of the sea. That scent had always made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I could hear the gentle lapping of the small waves on the shoreline just a few feet away and the soft rustle of the fronds of the coconut tree my hammock was tied to. My dog was lying on the ground to my right, next to the hammock. When I raised my head, he looked at me and barked once.

“It’s not time yet, Captain Dreamy,” Alex said. I looked to my left and she was standing right beside my hammock, smiling down at me. Why hadn’t I seen her when I woke up? She looked absolutely, stunningly, beautiful. Her golden hair was highlighted by the sun behind her shoulder. She was dressed in designer jeans and a long sleeved, white blouse, with a ruffled neckline. The wind blew a strand of hair across her face and she tossed it over her shoulder, with her left hand. She was wearing the wedding band that Rusty had given us as a wedding gift.

“Go back, now,” she said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

I reached out my hand for her and moaned, “Alex,” as I drifted into darkness.

The next time I woke up, I knew that I’d been dreaming. My joints felt stiff and my mouth was dry. I could hear a gentle beeping noise. I knew what that meant. I was in a damned hospital again. It was dark when I opened my eyes, but I could see the room easily enough. A curtain hung by the door, which was partially open. I could hear voices outside the door. The beeping was coming from a heart monitor to my left. Tubes ran from two bags of clear fluid hung on a post in front of it and disappeared under the sheet on my left.

I slowly turned my head to the right. There was a window that looked out into a dark sky filled with stars. I recognized Orion immediately, his belt being one of the most recognizable features in the night sky. He was near the distant horizon, which told me that it was very early in the morning. I stared at the fallen hunter and recalled the mythological story of his great battles and ultimate demise.

I sensed a stirring further to my right and craned my neck. Deuce was asleep in a very uncomfortable looking chair next to me. I saw his eyes open and lock onto mine. He sprang from the chair.

“Welcome back, you old war horse,” he said. He quickly picked up a cup and poured water into it and held it to my mouth. I took a couple of sips, then leaned my head back on the pillows.

“How long?” I croaked.

He reached over the side of the bed and pushed the call button repeatedly before answering, “You were put into a medically induced coma two weeks ago,” he said. “That bullet you took when you came back for me ricocheted off a rib and tore a big hole in your left lung. It became lodged very close to your spine.”

“Where am I?” I asked.

“This is the Navy Hospital on Boca Chica,” he said.

A nurse came in and walked straight to the opposite side of the bed. She looked at the monitor and then reached down and gently lifted my wrist, taking my pulse. She was very pretty I noticed. Tall and slender, with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as she wrote something on a clipboard.

“Stiff,” I said.

“Everywhere?” she asked looking down at me with sparkling deep blue eyes.

“Not everywhere,” I said. “Just in my joints.”

She blushed a little and said, “I meant do you feel stiff in your arms and legs?”

“Yeah,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“Nurse Meadows,” she said. “Call me Becky. You were real touch and go, when they brought you in. A collapsed lung and a bullet lodged in your spine, just millimeters from the spinal cord. You’re very lucky, Mister McDermitt.”

“Jesse,” I said. “My friends call me Jesse.”

“I’ll get the doctor on call, Jesse. Doctor Burdick did the operation to remove the bullet and patch you up, but she won’t be in for another couple of hours. I’ll leave word for her to stop in as soon as she gets here.”

“Thanks Becky,” I said as she turned to leave.

When I turned back to Deuce, I caught him staring at the nurses retreating form. When he looked back at me, he shrugged and said, “Not my type, but nice, huh?”

Just then, Tony came into the room, followed by Julie. “Welcome back, Gunny,” Tony said. “I’m gonna hold you to that promise to learn fly fishing.”

I looked at him puzzled as Julie hurried around to where Deuce was standing and leaned over to hug me, then kissed me on the forehead.

“What the hell are you talking about, Tony?” I asked.

“On the plane, coming back,” he said. “I made you promise to show me how to fly cast left handed.” He held up his right hand, where the stumps of his fingers were still bandaged and everything flooded back.

“You okay?” I asked him, then turned to Deuce and asked, “Your leg? How is it?”

“We’re both fine,” Deuce said. “I’ll be on crutches for another couple of weeks and Tony’s milking his injuries, as usual. I think he’s got the hots for Nurse Meadows.”

“You really scared us,” Julie said. Then she leaned in, hugged me again and said, “Thanks for bringing my man back. Doctor Burdick says she can’t understand how someone who was hurt as bad as you were could do anything, let alone drag someone for a mile underwater.”

“Art did most of the dragging,” I said.

“That’s not what he said,” Tony said. “He told me you were swimming so hard he almost had to let go of Deuce to keep from slowing you down.”

“Did the mission go okay?” I asked.

“After we got you on the plane, Rusty piloted the
Revenge
to a rendezvous with a Navy chopper. They picked up our prisoners and flew them to Gitmo. Santiago was really pissed, when we came up behind the
Revenge
and he saw the name on the stern. You should have seen his eyes bug out.”

“Where’s Tina?” I asked. Deuce looked at Julie, who looked over at Tony, then back to Deuce, before she lowered her head. Slowly, she reached into her back pocket and took out an envelope.

“She said to give you this, the morning after we got back,” Julie said.

With some effort, I reached up and took the envelope from her. It was sealed and my fingers wouldn’t work right to open it. Julie took it back, shook it and ripped the end off of the envelope. Then she blew into it and pulled the paper out that was inside. It was neatly folded. She handed it to me and then the three of them retreated, to look out the window as I opened it.

Dear Jesse,

I’m writing this from the Chapel in the

Hospital. I insisted on riding back with you

in the airplane and held your hand the whole

way. I was still holding your hand when they

wheeled you over to the ambulance. For a

second you opened your eyes and looked at

me, but it wasn’t me you saw. It was Alex.

Jesse, I can’t live this kind of life. The

not knowing, the danger, always being afraid

for you, not knowing where you will be
or when

you’d be back.

Julie and I talked while we waited
, after

y
ou and Deuce went ashore with those other

men
. I’m nothing like her. The worry would

drive me nuts. I’m not that strong. I fell hard

for you and I love you, but I have to think of

myself first. There’s simply no way I could live

the kind of life I’d have to live with you. And

to deprive you of living a life that you’re suited

for would be selfish.

Please don’t try to contact me. It would

be too much for both of us to bear. I’m going

back home to watch the spring melt the snow.

I probably won’t stay there, you’ve introduced

me to some of the most wonderful things I’ve

ever experienced. I love the ocean and will

always think of you when I’m near it.

Tina

I read it again, with a single tear falling from my cheek onto the paper. Then I crumpled it up and said, “When can I get the fuck out of here?”

Julie came back and took my hand. “She handed me that when we got here,” she said. “She was standing next to an old black man, with a big black taxi. When she handed it to me, she just got in the front seat and they drove away. I saw the old man the next day, when I went into town to get Deuce some clothes. I asked about her and he said that he’d taken her to her house and waited while she went inside. He said she came back out a few minutes later with a suitcase and he took her to the airport.
When I said we were friends, he told me his name, Lawrence and to let him know when you were better and he’d come and visit and tell you more.”

Just then the door opened and the doctor came in. “Good morning, Mister McDermitt,” he said. “I’m Doctor Asan. I’m glad to see you are awake. I know Doctor Burdick will be pleased as well. How are you feeling?”

I glowered at him as he approached the bed. He stopped short and I said, “I want to go home. Now.”

“Perhaps in a few days,” he said, looking at Deuce and the others. “Doctor Burdick will have the final say.”

“Bullshit,” I said. “I have the only say.” I threw back the sheet and yanked the tube out of my arm. When I started to sit up was when I noticed that I was naked and had been catheterized. It’s also when I noticed I wasn’t feeling too well. As I slid back into blackness, I felt Tony and Deuce gently pushing me back down onto the bed.

“Hang in there, Gunny,” Deuce said. “Wait for the Doc to come and check you out.”

As I started to slip back into oblivion, I saw that all three of them were smiling and I heard Tony say, “Yeah, wait until you check out the Doc.” Then everything went black.

When I woke again, light was streaming in through the window. I had no idea how long I’d been out this time. I looked around and the room was empty. My stomach rumbled. It’d been at least two weeks since I’d eaten anything, being fed by a damn tube. I still felt stiff, but I also felt stronger. I lifted the sheet and looked down. The catheter was gone and I noticed the IV hadn’t been reconnected. Unfortunately, I was still naked. I heard laughter coming from outside the room. It was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman, but it was a strong laugh. It stopped and I heard a woman’s voice say, “Well, we’ll see who has the last say.”

Then the door opened and Deuce, Julie, Nurse Meadows and another woman walked in. The other woman was remarkable looking. Tall
and athletic, with wide shoulders like a professional swimmer. Even under the smock she wore, I could tell she was very well put together. But, it was her face and hair that drew me. She had a head full of wild, dark red hair, framing an exquisite face that looked like it’d been chiseled from fine porcelain. Her hair hung down from her shoulders like a lion’s mane, reaching nearly to her belly. Her eyes danced and sparkled, like two emeralds caught in a bright spotlight.

“So, Mister McDermitt,” she said. “You think you’re better qualified than me to say when you’re ready to leave here? I’m Commander Jackie Burdick, your doctor.”

She was intimidating and so sure of herself, that she left nothing to negotiate. She walked around to the right side of the bed and lifted the sheet. “Good,” she said. “They removed it.”

I felt myself blushing a little. She noticed and said, “Oh, now you’re feeling shy, huh? Doctor Asan said you were a
holy terror just a little while ago. Well, not those exact words, he’s Hindu.”

My three friends stood behind her, with huge grins on their faces. “What the hell are you guys grinning at?” I growled.

“They seem to find it amusing that a man like you could meet your match in a little ole Irish lass,” she said. “You think you can sit up by yourself, or should I have Becky get a couple of orderlies to lift you up.”

It was a challenge and I knew it.
This was a no nonsense woman. I grabbed the bed rails and pulled myself into a sitting position. “When can I go home?” I asked.

“That’s better,” she said. “You’ll go home when I damn well say you’re ready.” She checked the bandage on my back, which I just realized hurt like hell. “Any pain here?” she asked.

“A little,” I said.

“How about the middle of your back?
Between these huge shoulder blades?” she asked with a wicked grin.

“Don’t feel anything there. Why?” I asked.

“That’s where the bullet lodged,” she said. “It took me two hours to remove it. Your friends told me what you did. With that bullet lodged where it was, I doubted their statements. Until I saw you on my table.”

I blushed again. I’m not the kind of man that is uneasy around women and right now, I didn’t want anything to do with any woman.