The doctor in her wanted details, but when it became obvious that she was not going to get them, she settled for rejoicing in the fact that Simon was alive. He was alive and he was coming home. For now, that was all that mattered.
SIMON AWOKE IN AN AMBULANCE. He was strapped in, an IV in one arm and a blood-pressure cuff on the other. “Where am I?” he asked in halting Dari, wondering where in Afghanistan he was being taken. He tried to lift his head to look around, but it took more strength than he had. Sinking onto the pillow, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain ripping through his chest.
“Simon?” Strangely, that sounded like Amanda’s voice. It couldn’t be, but he opened his eyes at the feel of a soft, cool hand on his cheek. She was leaning over him, eyes wide and concerned. “Are you in pain? Do you need more morphine?”
He wanted to say yes, considering it felt as if an elephant was doing the rumba on his chest, but at the same time he wanted to know why Amanda was with him. “Where are we?” he asked, shocked at how hard it was to get those three words out.
“In Atlanta. We’re on the way to the hospital. You were injured in Afghanistan—do you remember?”
“Yes.” It wasn’t something he was likely to forget, watching Mark die. Scrambling for cover himself. Hearing the bomb go off. He shuddered, then regretted the involuntary movement as it set off pain in new places in his body.
“Army doctors saved your life on base, and as soon as you were out of immediate danger, the network had you flown back here for treatment. You’re going to be in the hospital for a while.” She stroked his hair back from his face, and it felt so good to have her touch him again.
“You okay?” he asked, sure that the last—however the hell long it had been—had been terrible for her.
She laughed, and it sounded a little watery, but she was dry-eyed when she leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I’m going to be fine. And so are you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I love you, too, and I’m sorry I was an idiot. I won’t be that stupid again.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “Now?”
“What do you mean? Yes, I love you now. I’ve always loved you.”
“No. I mean, you’re telling me this now? In an ambulance? When I can’t do anything about it?” He winced at the pain caused by talking.
“You don’t have to do anything about it.” She brushed a kiss over his forehead, then leaned down and pressed the button on his morphine drip. “You just lie there and sleep. I promise I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
“For how long?” he asked. It was a challenge and both of them knew it.
“Forever, if you’ll have me.”
He smiled, a little. “I think I can pencil you in.”
She laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of indelible ink.”
The morphine started kicking in, and he struggled not to float away. Not quite yet. “Be sure,” he told her, though it didn’t come out quite as strongly as he wanted it to. “Because this is it. I’m not letting you go this time. No matter how hard you try to push me away. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.”
“Twelve years and you haven’t figured that out yet? Jeez, you’re even slower than I am.”
“I mean it, Mandy—” He was slurring his words, damn it. Hard to be taken seriously when he couldn’t even form a sentence.
“Hush, and go to sleep. You can threaten me some more when you wake up.”
“Not a threat.”
“I know. A promise.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Now hurry up and get well. I am more than ready to get started on our happily ever after.”
He closed his eyes and did as the doctor ordered.
* * * * *
ISBN: 9781459221109
Copyright © 2012 by Tracy L. Deebs-Elkenaney
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Tracy Wolff, From the Beginning
(Series: # )
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