Author's Note: Thanks for your ongoing interest in this story. Your reviews make me smile and I do read them all. Here is the next chapter in this tale.

The nurse took a few minutes to assess Adam and McG was pleased by what he heard. According to Karen, Adam would be leaving the ICU later in the day. If all went well, plans would be made for him to return Stateside by the end of the week. In fact, all of them would be returning Stateside to wait to see what the future would hold.

Once the nurse had finished her examination, McG had left with Adam's encouragement to see the sights before they left Germany. From his spot in the bed, he spent his day watching over Jaz. She slept well into the mid-afternoon before finally opening her eyes.

"Jaz, before you sit up, McG said to eat a few saltines and take a couple sips of ginger ale. The food is on a tray on the floor next to you."

She turned her head to look at him, "I feel okay now."

"Good. I'd like it to stay that way so let's follow his advice, okay?"

She reached blindly down for the can of soda and a couple packs of saltines before slowly propping her head up on the pillow. Adam tried not to stare at her but sometimes her beauty caught him off guard. Tendrils of her dark, silky hair had come loose from her braid and framed her face. It reminded him of the morning after their one night together. He knew the memory had put a goofy smile on his face. Fortunately Jaz was so focused on her snack that she didn't notice.

McG walked back in as she was finishing her saltines, "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, how are you feeling?"

"Good enough to come over there and knock you out," she replied testily.

"Top, are you going to let her threaten me?"

"With a comment like that you had to know what kind of response you were going to get."

"So this is what it's going to be like going forward? The two of you against the rest of us?"

"Oh, please. Like I need Top to help me handle you," she said dismissively.

McG and Adam shared a smile. She was obviously feeling well enough to give them sass.

The next four days settled into a routine. The team members took turns staying with Adam and Jaz during the day and then everyone but Adam left shortly before dinner to return to the hotel to eat and relax until the next morning. While Jaz kept sneaking over to the hospital early, she was certainly getting more rest than she had been.

After much consideration, Preach had indeed decided to retire. He loved his job but he loved his family more. Deputy Director Campbell was already aware that he was going to muster out in six months. Since the team would be in a holding pattern for about that long anyway, she'd arranged for him and the rest of the uninjured team members to provide training for those months in DC. Amir was going to be teaching foreign language classes, McG would be teaching ways to provide medical care by improvising with available supplies, and Preach would be teaching breaching techniques. Adam and Jaz were on medical leave until further notice so they didn't need assignments. However, everyone on the team was well aware that the Deputy Director likely already had something in mind for them.

Finally the day of Adam's transfer arrived and everyone could tell that Jaz was a nervous wreck. Adam was traveling by medical transport while they rest of them were traveling via standard transport plane. The team checked in with Adam in the morning and then left Jaz behind for some private with him. When McG went back to get her, he thought she looked less stressed. It amazed him how good Adam was at reading her and being able to provide what she needed in any given situation.

Since McG knew Adam was in excellent hands, he spent his time focusing on Jaz. Their flight was no frills. Bench seats on each side of the plan and hammocks in the middle. Once they were at altitude Preach and Amir settled into the hammocks. McG popped in his ear buds to listen to music while Jaz pulled out a tablet to watch a couple of movies. The first half of the flight was fine but the second half was less so. McG could see that Jaz was getting restless. He watched as she started shifting around in her seat moments before she suddenly dropped her head between her knees. McG pulled out his ear buds and placed a hand on her back. He noticed her T-shirt was wet with perspiration.

"What's happening, Jaz?"

"I'm so dizzy. I want to get off the plane."

He couldn't prevent the smile that appeared on his face but he was careful to keep it out of his voice, "There's only one way off and I don't think jumping out of the plane is going to help. Keep your eyes closed for a minute and we'll try something different."

He reached over and grabbed his fleece jacket from the floor and quickly folded it in his lap. Using his hands on her shoulders, he directed her onto her side stretched out with her head in his lap. He gently unbraided her hair and brushed his hand soothingly through the silky length. After a while he exhaled in relief when he felt her breathing even out into sleep. It sucked that she wasn't feeling well again. In recent days she'd seemed much better. The constant jostling of the flight wasn't helping her any. Fortunately she slept through the rest of the flight, and by the time they joined Adam in his new room, she assured him she was feeling much better.

"How was your flight, Top?" McG asked.

"Best military flight I've ever had," he said with a smile," I had a comfortable bed and everything."

"Rub it in," Jaz said.

"While I was waiting for you to arrive, the staff already had me up and scooting around with that cart over there in the corner. I was wondering how I was going to get around when I can't use crutches."

Amir looked at the cart and then back to him, "And they didn't take it out of the room when they were done? Clearly they don't know you well enough to know that you'll be out of that bed more than in it now that you have the means to do so."

"Not true. I plan to follow the doctor's advice to the letter."

"Yes, you will," said a voice that was very familiar to them.

They all turned to see Deputy Director Campbell in the doorway.

"Yes, ma'am. It's good to see you," Adam said.

"It's good to see you all too though I certainly wish the circumstances were different."

"I think it's safe to say we'd all agree with you."

"How were your flights? Any issues?," she asked.

They filled her in on those details and then the conversational topics varied for another half hour before she was called away. Before she left, they made rough plans to meet up for dinner at one of Adam's favorite restaurants once he was out of the hospital. A day that couldn't come soon enough for Adam. He hadn't been so sedentary in over a decade and he was ready to do just about anything that would get him out of bed.