SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (81 page)

Sixty-two hours after…

Y
sabeau was dying.

The Vicodin was gone. Her food was gone. Strangely, the pain was gone too. She knew this was a terrible sign. Her trapped leg had gone numb. She’d seen patients with rotting, gangrenous limbs. Amputation was the only way to save their lives. She wished she had that option here. It was going to be a slow horrible death. In the end, the beautiful four-star Montana would be her coffin.

“Ysabeau. Don’t give up hope!” a voice said.

Marisol? No, she’d stopped talking hours ago. Marisol was dead, or she never existed. In lucid moments, Ysabeau suspected she invented Marisol to keep from dying alone. Ysabeau closed her eyes and wished she’d taken the Vicodin in one lethal dose. It would have been easier to go to sleep and never wake up than the scary future that faced her.

“Can you hear me? You must fight. For Luke, for Sunny!” Marisol cried, whether it was in her own head or for real, Ysabeau gave up wondering. Nothing mattered any more. Wait…

“Sunny?” Ysabeau whispered. Had she told Marisol about Sunny? Her thoughts were as splintered as shattered glass.

“That little girl needs you. Hang on.”

“Marisol?” she coughed. Her mouth was so dry. “Where…did…you go?”

“God gave me a little longer to stay with you.”

Ysabeau forced her mouth to form the words. “Don’t. You shouldn’t…say things like that. We’re going to be rescued.”

“
You
. They’ll rescue you. Do not give up.”

“You’re badly injured.” Ysabeau choked out.

Marisol sighed. “You already know, don’t you?”

“How…bad?” Ysabeau steeled herself for the answer.

“I’m already dead, my friend,” Marisol said softly. “Give up any hope of saving me. Concentrate on living. You have to make it out of here.”

“No! The doctors…”

“Cannot help me.”

Ysabeau cried softly. They were both going to die if help didn’t arrive soon.

*

The sun had
come up and the air was already steamy. Sweat ran down Luke’s face as he crushed concrete beneath his sledgehammer. He moved closer to where the dogs were sniffing around. The canines would be allowed to search for about ten minutes and then the handlers would let them play tug-of-war, or fetch the ripped up Frisbee for ten minutes, followed by water, food and rest. This was going to take forever.

The handlers had just brought the dogs back to the marked spot. As he did his job, Luke watched and whispered encouragement to the dogs. “You can do it! Find her!”

All four of the canines were cruising around trying to pick up a scent trail. None of them found it.

“Damn it!!” Luke slammed his sledgehammer into the concrete. The hole he’d been working on opened up to about three feet in diameter.

The beagle started yipping, wildly, excited.

“That a girl,” Luke whispered to the beagle. “Keep it up.”

A black German Shepherd followed his nose to the same area. His deep bark joined the beagle’s.

“We’ve got something here!” The handler yelled.

Like a man possessed, or mounted as Grann would say, Luke hacked away at the concrete. He did his best to open up a tunnel for Ant, praying they weren’t too late.

*

“Do you know
why I came to the hotel?” Marisol’s voice was soft. Ysabeau strained to hear her.

“No.”

“To say goodbye,” Marisol said.

“I don’t…understand.” Ysabeau frowned. It was hard to focus on Marisol’s words. She was losing consciousness.

“The man I married has moved on. Found a new life, a new love. I came to tell him goodbye.”

“Oh…so…sad.”

“No. It is as it should be. He is happy and safe. I can move on as well.”

“I’m…” Ysabeau’s eyes closed. “…sorry.”

“You are a good woman, Ysabeau. You will make your Luke very happy. I wish you well. Take care of our little sunshine.”

Ysabeau blinked.
Sunny?

“Kiss her for me. Tell her…tell her that her mother loves her forever and she is never alone. She does not have to be afraid. Sing to her that rainbow song she loves so much. Hold her when she is sick. Let her put her head on your chest so she can hear the beat of your heart. Rub her hair and rock her to sleep, gently.”

How could Marisol know that Sunny was sick? Had she told her that? Ysabeau’s thoughts were jumbled. Not much made sense anymore.

“Will you do one more thing for me?” Marisol asked.

It took all of her strength to utter the one word. “Yes.”

“Love them, Ysabeau, with all your soul.”

That was the last time Ysabeau heard Marisol’s voice.

Darkness closed in and she gave up hope she’d ever see light again. She was dying.

*

For two hours,
they widened the hole and shored it up.

Ant patted Luke on the back. “Going in, buddy. I’ll keep my ears and eyes open for her.”

With his heart in his throat, Luke waited.

S. Mitchell came over. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m dying here.”

“It’s hard work, right?”

“The waiting and worry are killing me. How do you handle this?”

“We do our best. Sometimes it’s not enough, but when we get it right?” S. Mitchell smiled. “Pulling a living, breathing person out of the hole is the best thing in the world. It reminds you that there is a God. Life is precious.”

Luke exhaled deeply.

S. Mitchell started threading the stethoscope-like tool into the hole. “You want to listen?”

He nearly yanked the thing out of S. Mitchell’s hands.
Please, God, let me hear her precious voice…

*

Ysabeau was breathing
in shallow, fast breaths. Her heart rate was through the roof. She was sweating profusely and shivering uncontrollably. Her body was shutting down and there was nothing she could do about it.

She wanted Luke. Needed Luke.

Suddenly, there was a scraping sound next to her. Someone was dragging a shovel through concrete? She was hearing things and couldn’t trust her own ears. Her cave started to shake, giving her the sensation that the walls were falling away.

Another quake?
She didn’t care anymore.
Please, crush me to death this time. Make it quick.

A bright light shone into her eyes. She blinked, not comprehending.

“I’m here to save you,” a man’s voice said.

She couldn’t see. “Luke?”

“Holy mackerel! Are you Ysabeau?” the voice asked.

She felt her head nodding up and down.

“Wow. I know someone out there who is going to be thrilled to see you!”

*

On the other
end of the hearing device, Luke’s mouth fell open.

“What do you hear?” S. Mitchell asked.

Luke sunk to his knees. There was a God.

“Luke?” S. Mitchell shook his shoulder. “Are you okay?

With tears streaming down his face he looked up at S. Mitchell and sobbed. “She’s alive.”

‡

Sixty-four hours after…

A
nt had been
inside for way too long.

“What’s he doing in there?” Luke yelled. He was pacing his legs off.

“Calm down. He’s the best there is at extracting people. Try to relax,” S. Mitchell said.

Shooting him a murderous look, he asked, “Are you shitting me? Relax?”

“Stupid advice? Okay, do some jumping jacks, run in place, anything to get some of that pent up energy out. We’re going to need you to calm down before they bring her out. We don’t know what kind of condition she’s in. If she needs immediate medical care, you’ve got to stay out of the way. Understand?”

Luke nodded.

His cell rang. “Sunny! We’ve found Ysabeau! The rescue workers are bringing her out now.”

She hollered her delight in his ear. “I can’t wait to see her.”

“One day, you will. Hopefully, soon.” He smiled, longing for that reunion.

“Sooner than you think. We’re here!” Sunny squealed.

“Here? Where?”

“Danny and I are in Haiti,” she said quietly.

His heart hit his toes. “Don’t joke, sweetie, your old man can’t take it right now.”

“Hey, Luke, it’s me. Try not to be mad,” Danny’s voice came on the line.