Her Loyal Seal (2 page)

Darius had gauze ready to wrap around her wrists.

“Give me your hands Lydia,” Clint requested.

She squeezed tightly as Darius quickly administered to the wounds on her wrists. Quiet tears rolled down her face.

“All done, Ms. Hidalgo.”

Clint let go of her hands and pulled socks out of his backpack and pulled them onto her small feet.

“Let’s get you settled up on my back.”

Lydia wasn’t a tall woman, maybe five feet, five inches and a little on the curvy side, in other words, a perfect armful. She wouldn’t be a hardship to carry, but it was going to be tougher when she became a dead weight, and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind she would be before sundown.

Clint turned and crouched down so Lydia could maneuver onto his back. She wiggled a bit so she could get a better grip, then she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Lydia, I need you to grip my shoulders, better yet, put one arm underneath one arm and link it with the hand coming over my other shoulder. I can’t have you blocking my airway.”

“I’m sorry. I should have thought of that myself.”

“Why? Have you ridden piggyback through the jungle before?”

“No, but it was on my bucket list,” she said through gritted teeth.

Clint chuckled as he hiked her up a little bit higher, and then Darius came around front holding some rope. He heard her swift intake of breath and wished he could spare her this.

“Remember, I’m giving you my back-up knife so you can get out of this.”

“Actually, I’m going to tie it so all she has to do is yank and it will give way.” Clint watched Darius’s swift and sure movements. He tied the cords so it was above her elbows and wouldn’t slide down to her wrists.

“Ms. Hidalgo, here is the end of the rope, if you pull this, you’ll be free in an instant.”

“Thank you.” Clint wished he could see her expression. Darius nodded.

“Okay, we need to get going.” Darius swung Clint’s backpack up with his, and they left the shack.

Clint tried to carry on a conversation with Lydia, anything to keep her awake, but she was too tired. When he had to climb over tree trunks she groaned in pain. Those were the worst moments, and he hated them. He looked ahead and saw the other members of the family at different levels of energy.

Finn was watching over the father, and Drake was helping the mother. Drake was second in command and the biggest member of the SEAL team. He probably should have been carrying Lydia, but everybody realized Clint made up his mind to take care of her. Therefore Drake had Mrs. Hidalgo in case she needed to be carried next.

The younger sister, Beth, looked like she had a lot of nervous energy, and would make it for a while. Clint could tell she had been through some shit. She was paired with Mason, their Lieutenant, and he would treat her with kid gloves.

“Clint? I think I’m going to pass out. I’m sorry.”

How did he tell her it would be a blessing? That the sounds of pain she was making were killing him? “Lydia, it doesn’t matter.”

“If I pass out, then I’m going to be harder for you to carry.”

“In training I’ve had to carry a lot more weight than you. You’re a lightweight in comparison.”

“That can’t be true.” She shifted and held on tighter.

“SEAL training is grueling. They make sure we can handle any contingency, including carrying beautiful women through jungles.” She huffed out a laugh, and warmth bathed his neck.

“So you’re a sweet talker, aren’t I lucky.” Then she sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder and she faded into unconsciousness.

Darius, who had been taking up the rear jogged up beside him.

“I can take her for a while.”

“Maybe in another mile or two.”

“It’s going to rain soon.”

“Yeah, I was tracking a monsoon heading this way.”

Drake, who had been leading, stopped at a clearing. Everyone sat down to rest.

Darius helped Clint to lay Lydia onto her side on a silver survival blanket. She didn’t even stir.

“Go ask Mason how much time we’re going to be here. I want to stitch up her left wrist, and start on her back.” Darius was already opening up his medical gear.

Clint took one last look at Lydia and then walked towards his Lieutenant. He gave a quick chin tilt so he would walk away from the younger sister.

“I told the family they need to let us take care of Lydia,” Mason said. “They want to spend time with her, and I understand. But I explained they all need to conserve their energy and our medic was the best in the Navy.”

“I’m surprised they agreed.”

“They’re dead on their feet. They would have argued, but I think making their way across camp is too much for them.” Mason looked over to where Beth was sitting against a tree. “I’ve been trying to get Beth to talk, but she’s keeping quiet. Something bad happened. Did Lydia talk to you?”

“She said the men tried to rape her sister, but she did something to make them mad, and that’s why they whipped her.” Clint gritted his teeth. His T-Shirt had been soaked through with blood.

“Whatever happened to Beth wasn’t good. I’m glad to hear she wasn’t raped, but she’s definitely been abused. She’s really scared of me. Lydia’s bravery is amazing, but that whipping she took is horrific.”

“I wonder what the parents were doing.” Mason and Clint looked over to where the older Hidalgos were huddled together. “Look, Dare wants to give Lydia some intensive first aid, can we stop for the night?”

“Yep. We’ll camp here until dawn.”

Clint went back to Darius and hunkered down beside him and Lydia. He was getting ready to stitch up Lydia’s wrist.

“These aren’t ideal circumstances.”

“I didn’t hear you bitching this much when you had to sew up Finn,” Clint joked wanly.

“Finn couldn’t give a shit about scars.” Unfortunately Clint knew the drill. He held Lydia’s forearm, and waited for Darius to numb the area. Lydia didn’t flinch. They waited, then Darius did a thorough cleaning of the wound before beginning to sew. He was almost done when she began to wake up.

“Please, no more,” she moaned in Spanish. Clint spoke to her in a soft voice, and he felt like shit as he continued to hold her down.

“How much longer, Dare?”

“Almost done.”

“Shhhh, Lydia, it’s me Clint. I promise you’re safe. Darius is putting stitches into your wrist so you don’t get an infection. Please Lydia, listen to my voice. Can you hear me? You’re safe.” Clint repeated those words over and over.

Finally she heard him. “Clint?” She stopped struggling.

“Yes Baby, it’s me.”

“Done.”

Clint let go of Lydia. “There you go. Try to keep your wrist immobile for a while, okay? We don’t want you undoing all of Darius’ hard work.”

Lydia tried to sit up and Clint helped her. She looked at her swollen and stitched up flesh and winced.

“Why doesn’t it hurt?”

“I anesthetized the area. Even with the shot I’m going to give you, when the numbness wears off, it’s going to hurt.” Darius carefully measured the amount of liquid that went into the syringe and administered it.

“Will this knock her out?”

“If I give her more it will,” Darius admitted.

“I don’t want anymore. I refuse to weigh down Clint as he has to carry me. It’s easier when I’m awake. I won’t hold still for any more shots.” The small woman in her baggy black shirt was staring down the two of them. She sounded like a hissing kitten. It would be comical except for the lines of pain on her face.

“Lydia, we’re making camp now. I can see how much pain you’re in just from your back. Let’s get you something that will help you sleep through the night, okay?”

“She giving you trouble?” Finn asked as he came over with two large tarps. Lydia looked frightened and pushed closer to Clint. Finn immediately realized his mistake and crouched down in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. I was just teasing. I love seeing you giving Darius and Clint a little bit of what for. It’s good for them.”

She pushed away from Clint, and he missed her warmth. She sat up straight and gave Finn a brave smile.

“It’s okay. I’m just jumpy.”

“I’m here to help you set up camp. Guys, hit the high ground close to the tree, it’s definitely going to rain.”

Clint picked up Lydia, mindful of her back. Darius and Finn spread out the ground tarp over the roots of the tree so it was up high and the rain wouldn’t pool around them. Then they affixed the other tarp to the tree and some spikes in the ground so they would be covered. Lydia would be wrapped in the silver survival blanket. As far as Clint was concerned they were living large, but for a woman who had never camped in a jungle and had just been tortured, this had to be hell on Earth.

“Thank you so much,” she said as she looked at what they had devised.

Both Finn and Darius gave her odd looks. Obviously their thoughts had been mirroring his own.

“It’s the best we can do for you tonight, Ms. Hidalgo.”

“I know, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my family.” Clint looked at her and saw nothing but sincerity.
Amazing, fucking amazing.

“It’s our job, Ma’am,” Finn answered.

Darius and Finn got some foliage and put it down under the spot where Lydia was going to lay. Clint put her down on her side and covered her with a blanket. Each man was going to stick with one family member so if problems arose they would be able to protect them.

Drake had first watch, so he gave over his pack for Lydia to use as her pillow. Seconds after they got settled under the tarp it was as if the heavens opened up and started pouring buckets of water. The only saving grace was it was coming down straight instead of sideways.

Despite the rain it was hot and humid. He hadn’t minded carrying Lydia. Rescuing innocents was exactly the reason he signed up to be a SEAL, but he had been getting really hot. He could have gone another couple of miles, but the other Hidalgos weren’t going to make it. Mason had done the right thing to set up camp.

Even though Darius said the shot wouldn’t cause Lydia to sleep, she was dozing. He looked her over and saw where the mosquitos had gotten to her arms. Now with the rain acting as a protective barrier they shouldn’t be a problem, but he should have thought of bug repellant. The last thing she needed was more pain. Her eyes opened.

“I can feel you staring at me. Are you worried I’m going to be a liability?”

He snorted. “I was kicking my ass for not taking better care of you.”

“What are you talking about?” She shifted and he heard the palm fronds rustle beneath the tarp.

He tugged at her hand, and brushed a spot on her upper arm. “You’re getting eaten alive with bug bites.”

“Clint, you can’t be serious. You’ve carried me for miles. You have been amazing. I sure as hell haven’t noticed anything as trivial as insect bites.”

He guessed she hadn’t. He saw where blood had seeped through the gauze at her wrists, and now he was seeing where the shirt was stuck in places from the dried blood. It was going to hurt if she moved around while she slept.

“I’ll get out the repellant before we head out tomorrow. I have an MRE for you to eat right now.” He pulled it out of his back pack.

“What’s an MRE?”

“It stands for Meal Ready to Eat. It’s not gourmet, but it beats a protein bar.” He pulled out a chicken teriyaki packet and opened it for her.

“Thank you.”

He tried not to wolf his down, but failed like usual. Lydia didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, and only finished half of hers. He looked at her and realized her eyes were glassy.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. It hurts a little.” Talk about an understatement. She had to be in a hell of a lot of pain. Clint touched her forehead. Good, no fever. But still, she needed more pain meds.

“Darius,” he yelled.

“Right here. I’m your bunk mate.” Darius was wearing the standard issue poncho. He squatted down next to Lydia.

“How you doing, Ms. Hidalgo?”

“Call me Lydia.” She looked over her shoulder at Darius and gave him a wan attempt at a smile.

“Okay Lydia, can you tell me how you’re doing? What’s your pain level on a scale of one to ten?”

“Probably a four.”

“Now how about you don’t lie to me.”

“Lying is a sin. I think I’ll keep my mouth shut.” She gave a wobbly smile.

“She’s stubborn, she would have made a good a good SEAL.” Clint was happy to see her smile even more. “Dare, she doesn’t have a fever, but her eyes are glassy and she only ate half of her dinner.” Clint took the food from her hand.

“Can’t say I blame her, you gave her the teriyaki. You should have given her the stroganoff. Lydia, you’ve got to eat to keep your strength up. We brought enough to feed us and your family.” Lydia turned to look at both of them, wincing in the process.

“I’ll try to eat more later.”

“Let’s get you a shot so you can sleep.”

“Okay.”

It took five minutes for the shot to take effect, but when it did Clint finally relaxed. He would bet his bottom dollar her pain level had been closer to ten.

“Dare, did some of the cuts on her back need to be stitched up as well?”

“I considered it, but with all the movement, they would just get ripped out and cause more damage. It was better to do butterfly bandages.”

“Dammit. What is the likelihood of infection?”

“Pretty high. Her mother told me she was sick with a cold when she was taken. We need to keep her wounds dry. We need this damn rain to stop.” Lydia shifted in her sleep and moaned, then she started to cough. Darius gave her a grim look. Clint pushed closer to her front so that they were touching, trying to give her as much warmth as possible. He watched as Darius moved closer to her back without touching her, so that he too could provide some body heat.

This time Lydia let out more of a relaxed sigh. Clint closed his eyes, maybe he would be able to get some sleep.

Chapter Two

By day three Lydia was burning up with fever. Clint was amazed she was conscious as often as she was.

“Clint?” she whispered. “How is Beth? How are my parents?”