Latched (Coronado Series Book 1) (28 page)

Ace and Caid took the truck from the compound and headed out as they crashed through the gates and the team heard, “Compound clear. Enemy fire coming from the North.” Ace took the wheel and Caid covered them from the back as they made their way down the road.
 

Frisco launched a small rocket into the first group of trucks. “Gave you a little space boys - don’t forget to pick me up down the road.”
 

Mark and Travis cleared another set of rebels and ran for the extraction point. Mark called into his headset, “Boat crew, this will be a hot extraction, I repeat hot extraction point two.” They heard the screech of the truck and Travis gave them another dose of American fire power. They needed to give the guys enough time to get the package down the road.
 

Frisco jumped into the truck and helped Ace keep the rebels back. He felt a bullet graze his arm, “Now that wasn’t nice. I’m pissed now.” Taking up his bigger gun, he made his feelings known against the assholes in the truck. They heard Mark in their head sets, “Boats confirmed extraction point two, ten minutes out. Repeating…. this will be a hot extraction. Help us out guys.”
 

He heard confirmation from the SWCC captain, “On our way, Sir. We brought a little fire power of our own.”
 

“We may have more people at the party, rebels coming in from the West.” The truck skidded around the curve and Ace spotted Mark, Will and Travis next to the river laying cover for them as they slowed down. Hearing the rumble of the engines of the boat was a welcome sound. The boat crews were close enough now that they could help keep the rebels back with their added firepower. Ace and Caid secured the package and took heavy fire as they made their way into the boat. Frisco and Cody covered them as Mark and Travis came up from the other side. Mark and Travis were the last two to take up point and make sure everyone was in. As they made their way down the embankment they heard a loud explosion, someone had landed a lucky shot with a hand held rocket launcher. Both Mark and Travis were hit hard by the explosion and flew up in the air as the thing detonated.

Cursing hard Frisco was the first to get out of the boat. He picked up Travis who was hit pretty hard and handed him to Ace. Caid helped him get Mark up and threw him in the boat then scrambled behind them. They continued taking heavy fire as the Captain piloted them out of there as quickly as he could. The crew kept them covered as best they could, but somehow a bullet hit Mark as he landed in the boat.
 

The next minute they were flying through the water, and Frisco radioed in for medical support. Will worked on Mark who looked like he was hit the worst and Cody worked on Travis who didn’t look great either. Mark’s eyes opened for a moment and Frisco looked into them, “Listen you son of a bitch, you’d better hold on. I don’t want to have to explain to Birdie how I let something happen to you. She will never let me hear the end of it.” Mark squeezed his friends hand and closed his eyes again. “Shit, this was a lousy day at the office.” Fucking rebels got two lucky shots. Frisco heard on his mic they were ten minutes from pickup, he was not going to lose two brothers on this mission. These two were going to make it.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

SATURDAY

Birdie stood in the middle of the bridal salon in downtown san Diego with her mother and mother in law. She’d spoken to the owner earlier in the week and she had several dresses to show Birdie. The Moms were getting along famously and were ready to help her find the perfect gown. She went back into the dressing room and started trying on dresses. Some were better than others, but nothing was quite right. Barbara, the owner took out the dresses that she’d tried and brought in two more. “I know you like Eli Saab and I think one of these may work.”

Birdie saw the one on top and had a feeling she just found the dress she was going to marry Mark in. Her heart started to beat a little faster and she had that buzzy feeling she got when she spied the perfect pair of shoes. She started to get into the dress and Barbara helped her with the final closures. They both looked in the mirror, Birdie nodded and Barbara smiled. She walked out into the dressing room reception area and both women turned around, and her mother covered her mouth and gasped. Carol looked at her with tears in her eyes, “Well I guess we all agree, I’ve found the dress.” Both women got up and hugged her, then Birdie handed Barbara her phone and she took a couple of pictures. “I think this calls for a very decadent lunch - we did it in only one store and one visit.”

Barbara helped her get out of the dress and Birdie changed into her clothes. She came out and Joy was sitting with the assistant working on the paperwork for ordering the dress, Birdie came up and heard her mom explaining to Barbara that she was going to pay for the dress. “No way Mom, I’m not going to let you pay for the dress.”

Joy turned around and leveled her daughter with one of the looks she reserved for the courtroom. “Birdie James, you are my only child and you know very well that your father and I are paying for this wedding. You behave and use the good manners I taught you.”
 

“Thanks Mom, but I think the dress is really expensive.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I have only you to worry about.” She stood up and kissed her daughter, “I love you and I’m very happy that you’ve found such a fine man to spend your life with.” The dress was ordered and it was going to come in the next month. Birdie figured she was ahead of the game now, and all she needed was a date and the band and she was done. She drove them back to Coronado and they went to the Hotel Del for a celebratory lunch.
 

Carol heard her phone buzz and looked down at the call. This was the call she always dreaded. Birdie looked over and knew something was wrong…. something was terribly wrong, “How bad is it?”

Carol looked up with tears in her eyes, “Bad.”

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“He is on a carrier somewhere and is currently stable. They’re going to fly him out as soon as possible. They are assessing whether he can wait for surgery or if they need to do it on the ship. He is going to be flown to the Naval Medical Center in Virginia.”
 

Birdie pulled out her iPad, “I’ll get us on the next flight. Do you mind driving to LAX if it is faster?”
 

“They will take me out on a transport plane as soon as they can. But since you’re not married yet, they won’t allow you to go.”

Joy took her daughters hand, “I will take care of everything here. You go.”

“I’ll meet you at the hospital then. I will get out on a commercial flight as soon as I can and meet up with you there.”
 

Carol gave her a squeeze, “He’s going to be all right. Let’s just keep our prayers up.”
 

They finished up and Birdie had a flight booked by the time they got the check. She could be on a flight by early evening. She stood up, “He is going to be fine. I am not giving him a choice. He didn’t give me a choice when I was in the hospital, so he does not get one either.”

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

SUNDAY MORNING

Birdie sat waiting for news about Mark’s arrival, somehow her commercial flight had arrived before the navel transport. She was receiving updates because Mark had filled out forms before he was deployed and she had passed the initial screening. She remembered filling out paperwork last week for a background check. The nurse came up and told her they were bringing him in by ambulance. He had some emergency surgery on the ship, but he was going to have another one once they got him prepped and ready. The doors flew open and a patient was being wheeled in, she looked over and caught sight of Mark’s face. Running to the gurney, she took his hand and walked along as they rolled him in. He was almost unrecognizable; he was in bad shape. “Mark Frazier, I love you and you said you would come back to me and you always keep your word.”
 

The doctor came in, “Who are you?”
 

“I am Birdie James, Mark’s fiancée. His mom is coming in on the transport plane. The doctor nodded and looked at the chart and started speaking to the nurses. The Doctor explained the upcoming surgeries for Mark. He’d received several gunshot wounds and was also going to need reconstructive surgery on his knee. They had done an initial surgery on the Navel boat and they were going to do the rest here.
 

She looked down at the man she loved and knew he wouldn’t leave her. Because if he did, she wasn’t going to survive. Leaning down, she kissed his bruised and bloodied cheek. She had a very strong urge to kill the son of a bitch who did this to him. She began to understand why Mark was so mad when she was in the hospital. She was having very violent thoughts towards whoever was responsible.
 

Mark was evaluated and, the Doctor decided to let his temperature go down before they did the next surgery. He was taken into a room and Birdie followed him in and thankfully there was a chair. The nurses gave her an update and said they would be back every hour. “I love you Mark, I’m going to be right here.”
 

 
At some point during the night, Mark’s temperature spiked. Then the Doctor came in and decided to take him into surgery.
 

********

Mark had been in surgery for over six hours and she’d received only one update. She looked up when Carol walked in, she led her over to the chairs and handed her a bottle of water and gave her what little news she had. They sat together and waited to hear how the surgery went.

About an hour later, the Doctor came out and Birdie introduced him to Mark’s mom. “Mark is out of surgery and we are cautiously optimistic, we were able to repair the damage from the bullets. We now have to let his body take over and start healing. We almost lost him on the table, but we were able to repair the damage on his lung.”
 

Birdie’s face went white and her legs collapsed, she was no longer able to hear anything the Doctor was saying. Carol sat down next to her and took her hand, the Doctor told them that they could probably see him in a couple of hours.
 

Birdie’s head started to clear and she was finally able to look at Carol. “Well I knew he was stubborn. There is no way he is going to give up. Plus he promised to come home to me, so he really has no choice.” Carol smiled and nodded her head.
 

“How have you done this for eleven years?”

“I didn’t have a choice. Mark decided this is what he wanted to do and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. He’s not been seriously injured in about eight years. Most of the time, I don’t hear about it until months later when he gets home.” She drank some water, “This is only the second time that I’ve received a call. The Navy only calls you when they think the injuries might be fatal.”
 

“I didn’t realize that was the only time you get a call.” The nurse came out and told them they could go in, one at a time. Carol went in first and spent the allotted few minutes and Birdie went in next. When she walked up to his bed, her heart fell through her stomach, she took his hand and leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I love you Mark Frazier, thanks for pulling through surgery.” She held onto to him for a moment and drank in his handsome face. The nurse came up and she knew her time was up. She gave him one more kiss, then walked back to the waiting room and sat next to Carol. They held hands for a moment, and Birdie knew how lucky she was that Mark made it through surgery.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

MONDAY

She went to Mark’s room and took his hand and kissed him, “Hi handsome. You look good today. I love you and I’m looking forward to seeing those pretty eyes of yours soon.”
 

Birdie got comfortable in her chair and dug her iPad out, she had downloaded a couple of books at the hotel and figured she’d start one now. She moved her chair close to Mark, took his hand and got settled in. She spent the day like that until Carol arrived around 4:00. She looked rested and in good spirits and brought them something to eat from the hotel. They kept each other company for the rest of the evening until Carol decided to return to the hotel for the evening. Birdie was going to spend the night again with Mark so she walked Carol out around 9:00. She returned to his room and got comfortable. She dug her iPad out and started on one of the books she’d downloaded last night. Moving her chair close to Mark she took his hand and settled in.
 

After the nurse left, she went over to his bed and fixed his gown and blankets. She started talking to him just as if he was awake. Looking down, she noticed movement in his hand and wondered if she was mistaken. “Mark, I would like you to wake up now. I miss seeing your pretty eyes and I love you. So if you’re thinking about it, I would appreciate you doing it sooner as opposed to later.”
 

She bent down and her hair draped over him. She kissed his cheek then rested her head on his, “Love you.” She felt movement again, lifting her head, she looked down and swore his hand moved. She started kissing him all over his face, “I love you, please, wake up if you’re ready.” Tears ran down her face as he opened his eyes a little. He opened them again for longer and she pushed the nurse’s button and prayed that he was going to fully come back to her. The nurse came in and called for the doctor, and Birdie got pushed to the corner while they evaluated him.