Chapter 9
He was somewhat crouched down and surveying the area." Those bastards!" he said under his breath. "I don't know where to start looking for her, and I hope you can keep your promise to him, because if not- he will kill himself trying to find her." Savannah looked behind a giant boulder and said to Marcus, "Then I'll have to make sure I find her." Just then, their radios came to life. "Marcus, Savannah, you two okay?" It was Cole and he sounded stressed. Savannah hit her radio button, "We need weapons, Cole, and make sure you stay with Baird. He has to go get that shoulder treated. Do not let him back out here until Johannsen sees him." Her radio clicked when Cole answered back, "Roger that, L.T., I'm sending Carmine and Alex out with your boom booms."
Savannah watched for Carmine and Alex while Marcus got on the radio with Control. "I get that, Burrows, but Rossi needs to understand the magnitude of the situation." Savannah could hear Burrows talking to someone in the background and suddenly Rossi was in her ear. "Marcus, what the hell do you expect me do?" I need more information in order to know how to proceed here." Marcus raised his voice, "Send out a watch-bot to see if it can spot these assholes from the air." The radio was silent for a few seconds before Rossi responded, "Fine. I'll send it now." Savannah saw Alex and Carmine jogging up the path with two Lancers and two side arms.
"What do you need us to do, Boss?" asked Carmine. Alex had her Lancer at the ready and scanned the area. Savannah loaded her Lancer and put her pistol in its holster.
"I need you two to call for support and patrol these cliffs. Marcus and I are going to look for Sam." Just as she turned toward Marcus, Baird jogged back up the path. He was out of breath. "Not without me, you're not. I have to find her," he said. Savannah nodded at him and Marcus. "Let's go. Baird, I need you to be prepared for anything when and if we find her. Do you understand?" He stared at her as if he was trying to comprehend what she was trying to say. "No, no I won't expect anything but her to be hunkered down and safe. I refuse to think about anything else." Alex walked up beside Baird and said to him, "You're wasting time. Keep it together, Baird. She'll be fine."
Marcus, Savannah and Baird ran down the path toward one of the hidden caves on the backside of the cliffs. As they approached the entrance, Savannah could see Sam's radio lying in the gravel. There were large drops of blood surrounding the wires. "Oh Jesus," said Baird as he bent down to pick up her radio. "No, no, no, no no. This can't be happening." Savannah put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with raw fear in his eyes. She got down on his level. "Baird, listen to me. I want you to stay out here. I'll go in and see if I can find her. Stay here." Baird stood up and threw her hand off his shoulder. "Fuck that. I'm going with you, and I would love to see you try and stop me." She took his face in her hands. "I understand how you're feeling right now, Blue, but I need you to trust me. I've been where you are right now, and I promise I will call you the minute I find anything. I promise." His eyes looked past her to the entrance. When he focused back on her face he said, "I can't lose her, Savannah. I can't... I...need her. Please find her." His eyes filled with tears. Savannah hugged him tight and whispered in his ear, "I promise you I will find her, Damon. Trust me." She held him by the shoulders and nodded at him.
Marcus followed her into the cave. "I sure as hell hope you're prepared for his wrath if something has happened to her, because he's going to hold you responsible." She scoffed and said, "I know! I'm prepared to find anything when we get further in here. I pray he doesn't have to suffer losing her, Marcus, because he won't recover from that. He'll never be the same again." She and Marcus stepped over a small spring that ran through the floor of the cave. When Savannah looked ahead, she saw Sam's foot sticking out from behind a large rock. "Oh no," she whispered. She started for Sam, but Marcus grabbed her by the arm. "Let me go. You stay here." She shook her head at him. "No, I promised Baird I would find her. I have to do this. She's my best friend too." Marcus squeezed her arm and looked into her eyes. "Let's go together."
Before she could get around the rock, a snatcher came from over the top and screeched at her. She raised her Lancer and fired into its mouth. It slid down in front of her, still screeching. She shot it in the head and it went still. Savannah walked around it and stopped dead in her tracks. Sam was lying on her side, a large pool of blood around her. "Fuck!" Savannah yelled. She ran to Sam's side and checked for a pulse. Marcus kneeled down next to Savannah and put his arm around her. "Is she...?" he trailed off.
"She has a faint pulse, but we need to get her out of here right now, or she is not going to make it." At that moment, Baird threw himself over Sam's still body. Savannah didn't realize he'd followed them in. "Sam? Can you hear me?" he pleaded. "Come on, Sam, answer me!" He put his hand on her cheek. She was eerily pale. He bent down and kissed her on the lips. "Please, Sam, please open your eyes." Savannah put her hand on Baird's back. He threw her hand off and yelled at Savannah, "Get her out of here! Why are you just standing there?" His eyes looked wild and he was shaking. "Baird!" Savannah snapped at him. "Pull yourself together. Cole is outside right now with Johannsen. They're going to take her, okay?" He stared at her as a single tear ran down his cheek. Johannsen came around the corner with Cole. Savannah looked up at Cole and nodded toward Baird. "He needs you, Cole. Stay with him." Cole put his arm around Baird's shoulder and said to him, "Come on, Damon. I'll go to the hospital with you. She's gonna be okay, man. Let's go."
Savannah turned to Johannsen, "Please tell me you can save her, Doc." Johannsen looked up at Savannah. "I'll do my best, Lieutenant Colonel, but I can't make any promises. She's lost a lot of blood and she's been out here all morning." Johannsen and the medic carried Sam out to their big rescue truck. Marcus and Savannah followed them out and waited until they drove back the path to begin walking back to the base. They were quiet as they walked the few minutes back to Savannah's house. Inside, Marcus walked up behind Savannah and started to rub her shoulders. He realized she was crying. "What's wrong?" he asked as he turned her to face him. She threw her arms around his neck and started sobbing. "He can't lose her, Marcus. He just can't. He will not come back from this if she dies." Marcus pulled her close to him and whispered into her hair, "She's going to be okay. She has to be."
Savannah made her way to the hospital and ran into Alex as she came through the doors. "Hey, L.T., Baird is going stupid in there. You better go calm him down or I think the medics are going to have to restrain him." Savannah nodded her head at Alex and walked past her to the room where she could hear Baird yelling. "You better save her, you piece of shit, or I will kill you myself!" Savannah ran into the room and stepped in front of Baird. She put her hands on his chest, but he grabbed her by the wrists and yelled, "Don't fucking touch me! This asshole is just standing there. He's letting her die!" Savannah turned to Johannsen. He looked up at her and said, "I'm giving her blood and watching her vitals. Get him out of here now, or I will ban him until she's either ready to go home or dead."
Baird growled and tried to push past Savannah, but she grabbed him around the waist and put her foot behind his ankle, dropping him to the floor. She straddled him and pinned his arms to the floor. "Damon Samuel Baird! Look at me!" she snapped. He snapped out of his rage and looked at her. "Did you just use my middle name?" he asked, glaring up at her. "Yes I did. Now, you and I are going to go back to your house and wait for Johannsen to contact me on my radio. Stand up right now." She climbed off him and stood up, reaching out her hand to help him up. She turned to Johannsen and said, "That was completely uncalled for, and not to mention unprofessional. He'll be expecting your apology, or next time, I'll let him rip your face off." He tersely nodded his head to acknowledge he'd heard her warning.
As she walked next to Baird, she reached for his hand. He jerked his arm away from her and said, "Don't touch me. I can't believe you used my middle name. You swore you would never repeat it." She chuckled and he growled at her. "Oh come on! Johannsen and the nurse were the only two who heard it, and they're not going to say a word to anybody." Savannah would never forget the night she found out Baird's middle name. A year before the Lightmass debacle, they were working in the garage when she asked him what the 'S' stood for. He shook his head no and said, "The only person who will ever know my middle name is the woman I love." Later that night, they were in the mess hall drinking coffee and eating left over toast. After she finished her cup of coffee, Savannah stood up and told Baird she was going home. "I'll see you in a couple of hours," she said as she started for the door. Just as she pushed the door open, Baird called after her, "Hey Skinny!" She turned to face him. "Samuel" was all he said. She smiled at him, hoping he couldn't see how ecstatic she was that he just admitted he loved her. "Don't you ever repeat that, or I will never speak to you again," he said. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss. "Repeat what?" she said as she winked at him and walked out the door.
When they got back to Baird's house, she followed him into the spacious living room. He took his armor off and dropped it next to the couch. He stood in the middle of the room with his hands at his side. He hung his head and let out a long breath. Savannah walked up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He stiffened, but patted her hands. She let go of him and he turned around to face her. She smiled up at him. His eyes seemed to search hers for some sort of hope. As his eyes began to water, she threw herself into him, hugging him as tight as she could. He buried his face in her neck, her hair falling behind her. He put his arms around her and let himself cry. "God help me, Savannah. I can't live without her. I don't know what I'll do if she dies." Savannah tightened her arms around him and said, "She's going to be okay. I refuse to believe anything else."
He raised his head and looked into her eyes. Before she knew what was happening, he leaned down to kiss her. She pulled her head back, her mouth open in surprise. "Baird, please don't. You know you'll regret it the minute it happens." He stared down at her and leaned in again, pulling her to him. "No I won't. I just want to forget about this for a little while." She stepped back from him. "This is not the way to do that and you know it." He turned and went into the kitchen. He looked around as if he was in an unfamiliar place. The kitchen towel hung over the oven door handle. Their coffee cups had been washed and put into a dish drainer. Sam's tea kettle was sitting on top of the stove. He reached out and touched the handle, jerking his hand back as if it were hot.
"I can't stay here," he said, turning toward Savannah. "There's too much of her in this house. I have to get out of here." He walked past her, brushing her shoulder with his arm. "Why don't you come home with me," Savannah said as she put her hand on his arm.
"It's better than waiting here alone. Besides- Johannsen is supposed to call my radio with any news. At least you'll be with me when he touches base." Baird turned around and practically hissed at her, "Why? So I can watch you and Marcus make googly eyes at each other? No thanks." Savannah rolled her eyes at him. "First of all, Marcus isn't there. Secondly, he and I are too old for googly eyes. Thirdly, you just said you wanted to get out of here. And most importantly- you are my best friend, Damon Baird, and I refuse to leave your side. So suck it up and let's go." He scoffed at her, but followed her to the door.
