Author's Note: HaHA! I have finally finished a chapter of a new story. This is based off a request from Aleiksa, so I hope I've met (and maaaaybe exceeded?) expectations.
As a reminder, I am not a medical professional, so forgive my medical mistakes. I do my best to research, but there's only so much on the interwebs.
Anyway, enjoy! And thanks for stopping by. I sure appreciate ya'll and your kind support.
Chapter One
"I like a good hike, but this is something else," Jaz joked, scaling the rocky incline. They carefully picked their way along the mountain trail, wary of the sudden drop-off only feet away from their boots.
"Can't handle it, sharpshooter?" McG snickered.
Jaz chuckled in reply. "Didn't say that. But you should probably be more worried about Amir. You know, those little legs."
"Maybe they're not as long as McG's, but they're long enough to kick your ass," Amir quipped, smirking.
Jaz's eyebrows shot up as a grin stretched across her face. "Hohoooo! The sass! Didn't know you had it in you."
Amir let out a quiet laugh. "I have my moments."
A warm chuckle rippled down the line.
"I'm all for a little team camaraderie, but now's not the time," Adam admonished, leading them over the cliffside trails. "We're in suspected hostile territory, so stay sharp."
Holding back their smiles, the team quieted down, focusing instead on the trail ahead.
Every now and then, a small rock would tumble down the mountainside, skittering across their path. But other than the wind, it was quiet up here. Empty.
It was mostly a scouting mission, usually left to a different team entirely. It didn't really require their strong set of skills. But the mission had been born from some pretty important intel, and they were the only team available for the job.
So here they were, traipsing around cliff edges just to see if high-priority hostiles had really holed themselves up in the unforgiving terrain.
Looking at the rocky earth and steep drops, most of the team doubted it. But Adam was nothing if not thorough, so if he took it seriously, they took it seriously. And all they really had to do was report if they saw anyone.
So far, there was nothing. Just rock. And more rock. And more rock. A seemingly endless expanse of barren, tough terrain.
The wind picked up further, howling in their ears and blowing dust up into their eyes. It wasn't the most pleasant mission they'd ever had, but it also wasn't the worst.
At the front, Adam strained to listen intently past the angry wind, on guard for any signs of life. They came to a fork, the right path going down across the mountainside while the left stayed level. Making a decision, Adam opted for the left, certain they'd have a better vantage point from above rather than below. He kept walking, navigating the uneven ground with special care.
And then he heard it behind the wind. Loud, fast footsteps from ahead. Around the bend.
Looking at the narrow path, he knew there was nothing the team could do.
Except fight.
So he moved to grab his rifle, hopefully alerting his team behind him.
But he didn't have time.
Before he could get a firm grip on his gun, a man came around the bend, running right into Adam.
But instead of being surprised by the encounter, the man immediately lunged at Adam, ready for a fight. Adam quickly moved to defend himself, dodging a punch and catching the next fist with his hand. With his free limb, the man pulled a knife, and Adam quickly moved to keep the blade from sinking into his flesh.
As other men squeezed from behind the stranger, Adam could only keep a firm grip on his assailant and pray his team was prepared for the sudden onslaught.
The man shifted, and Adam responded, leading to a tussle of one trying to get an advantage over the other, all while Adam kept a careful eye on the dirty blade. Arms scrabbled for the upper hand, while their legs kicked out at each other in an attempt to both attack and defend. The man managed to tear one arm free, swiping the knife downward, leaving a trail of red on Adam's leg. He growled in pain, renewing his efforts as he grappled with the man and his knife.
Adam's heart sunk as gunshots rang out behind him. He couldn't see what had become of his team, instead locked in with his opponent. And he could feel warm liquid seeping into his pant leg. How the hell had it come to this?
Another shot and a yelp from Amir.
Adam struggled against his enemy, trying to get free, another knife wound be damned. He had to help his team. He had to.
And just as he got free, the man rushed forward, tackling Adam.
Adam felt a sharp pain in his lower side as they collided.
Then the ground beneath them disappeared.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
When Jaz saw Adam reach for his weapon, she knew what was coming.
And it all went downhill so fast.
As Adam wrestled with his attacker, more men slid past them, one immediately slamming the butt of his rifle into Preach's temple.
The larger man dropped, still conscious, but clearly not all there.
Jaz watched helplessly as two men descended on Preach, kicking at the softest parts of his body. She snapped up her rifle, taking aim as their new enemies hastily positioned their own weapons.
And then they were shooting. Wildly.
With one careful shot, she took down one and immediately took aim at another, attempting to dodge their sloppy attacks.
Amir cried out ahead of her, holding onto his arm as he collapsed against the rocky wall. Alarmed, she kept her focus, releasing another shot. And another. She heard gunfire beside her as McG joined the firefight.
And then they saw it.
Adam broke free from his assailant, only to be tackled by the same man.
And the two of them went over the cliff's edge.
"No!" Jaz screamed. She wanted to run to where Adam fell, but Preach and Amir needed her just as much.
So through her distress, she raised her rifle again, aiming at Preach's now exposed attackers.
And she fired.
So did McG.
Both men fell. Dead. Leaving only silence in their wake.
"Is everyone alright?" Noah's voice buzzed in their ears, all kindness and concern. But they couldn't answer him right now. They had higher priorities.
Jaz quickly moved to Amir as McG rushed to Preach, adrenaline pumping through their veins.
"You okay?" she asked the ex-spy, one hand softly squeezing his shoulder. Blood leaked through his fingers, attempting to stem the flow of blood from his bicep.
"It's fine. Just a graze," he bit out. "Check on Top."
Jaz hesitated, eyes falling to the fresh red on his fingers.
"I said I'm fine, Jaz. Check on Top," Amir repeated hotly, gently pushing her toward the cliff.
Pursing her lips, she finally turned away, moving toward the edge and falling on her knees to look over it.
Before she saw anything, she closed her eyes, suddenly afraid of what she'd find. But she had to look. She had to see.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, staring down at where Adam had disappeared to.
And there he was. Twenty feet down. Lying on his side on the rocky earth.
Unmoving.
"Shit," she breathed, unable to see if Adam was still alive. "Looks like he fell onto another ledge."
His assailant was strewn across his legs, a pool of blood near the man's head. She saw crimson smeared on Adam's side, but she couldn't be sure if it was his or his attacker's.
What if it was his?
She used all her training to keep from panicking.
"Find a way down there."
Jaz looked back at Amir questioningly.
"I'll take care of Preach," he stated firmly, moving toward Preach as he hastily dug through his pockets for bandaging. "You two, get to Top."
McG shook his head. "Let me patch you up first." He reached for his own bag, glancing at Preach before he turned to Amir. "Jaz, get down there. Let me know how you find him, and I'll be right behind you."
Even with a bloodied arm, Amir was already reaching for Preach, inspecting the cut and bruise over the larger man's temple.
Jaz hesitated.
Then without another word, she took off running back the way they came. She remembered a fork at the road, and she hoped the other path led down to where Adam lay.
But what if hadn't survived the fall?
Her foot caught a rock, and she quickly moved to right herself. No. No, no, no. He couldn't be gone. A fall couldn't take out Adam.
The fork loomed ahead and she pushed harder, picking her way through rocks and jagged cuts in the mountain path. Without wasting time, she slid around the fork, sprinting down the sloping trail. Her heart beat wildly against her sternum, and her breath came hard and fast.
She didn't know what she'd find, and she was terrified.
Her breath caught in her chest when she saw familiar blond hair, and as she drew closer, she stopped, frozen by what might be ahead.
If he was gone . . . what would she do?
Inhaling deeply, she pushed onward, quickly closing the gap between her and Adam.
She crouched down, settling two fingers against his throat. His skin was still warm, but . . .
Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump.
Her shoulders dropped, relieved to find a pulse.
"Status report? Anyone?" Noah's voice was calm but worried, and Jaz couldn't blame him.
"Preach's taken a bad blow to the head, and Amir's got a bullet graze to the bicep," McG reported, his voice heavy and low.
Jaz shook her head, thinking about her other two teammates. She almost felt guilty coming out of the scuffle unscathed. But at least she could put her good luck to use.
"Top's got a pulse," she related, getting to work looking him over. McG would need a detailed report, and she wouldn't fail him. She took a closer look at Adam's bloody clothes, hands pulling up fabric to expose his bare belly. "Damn it."
There, just above his hip bone, was a stab wound. Blood welled up from the cut, spilling over at an alarming rate.
"What is it?" McG asked, stern and focused.
Jaz clicked in to hyperdrive, carefully putting Adam on his back, even with his enemy still laid out over his legs. She swiftly tore off her jacket and pressed it against Adam's side to staunch the blood flow. "He's got a knife wound to the lower left abdomen. I'm applying pressure now, but I could use some help soon, and maybe more supplies."
"I'm coming," McGuire replied quickly, before muttering to Amir, "You're good to go. Keep me updated on Preach."
Jaz could hear Amir conversing with Preach, but nothing from the ex-Navy SEAL's comm. She wondered if it was damaged when he was hit. And from the snippets she caught, it sounded like Preach was struggling to stay alert and present.
Hell, if only she could be with all her guys. Just to know for herself they would make it out of here alive.
Wind chapped her bare arms as she pressed her weight against Adam's wound, waiting anxiously for the medic to arrive. She looked at the dead man strewn over Adam's legs, eager to push him off. But she couldn't. This was priority.
"How's Preach?" she asked into the comms, hoping for some good news.
"Dazed and badly bruised," Amir reported stiffly, a wince in his tone. "He may need support getting off this mountain."
Shit, she didn't even think about that. They couldn't get a chopper out here, so they'd have to hoof it all the way down. Jaz closed her eyes, bowing her head as she willed her anxiety back into the darker recesses of her mind.
Adam couldn't get the help he needed right away. And they'd have to carry him down the mountain.
She looked at her team leader, unsettled by his slack face. What if he hit his head? What if there was internal bleeding?
Jaz shook her head. She couldn't think about that.
Turning her attention back to her inspection, her eyes fell on a clean slice to his pant leg, familiar crimson staining the edges of the fabric.
They just couldn't catch a break.
"Looks like Top's also got a long, deep cut to his thigh."
"Damn," McG muttered, huffing. "I'm almost there. I've got eyes on you."
Jaz looked up the path. Sure enough, the medic was trotting down the slope, trying to be fast but careful on the loose ground. And all she could think was, Be faster.
McG went right to Adam's legs, squatting down and pressing fingers against the neck of Adam's attacker. Jaz ground her teeth to hide her impatience. She knew McG was checking to make sure they weren't in for a nasty surprise. But she also suspected it was because McG was far more humane than he let on.
"He's dead," McG muttered, immediately pushing the man off Adam. Jaz was happy to see Adam freed of his attacker's weight, but it did little to lighten her fear.
She stared down at Adam's leg. The cut stretched down his thigh, dipping deeper in the center. McG was already inspecting it thoroughly while simultaneously digging through his pack.
So at least the visible bloody wounds were taken care of.
Jaz's mind immediately went to, What else?
"Have you had a chance to check him for anything else?"
Jaz shook her head, expecting McG to be frustrated by the news. But he wasn't. He just nodded and ripped open packs of gauze.
"Okay, I'm going to pack the abdominal wound, and then you're going to help me wrap it. Got it?" he instructed, catching her eyes to see if she understood.
"Got it."
"Alright, move your hands away."
Obediently, Jaz pulled her hands and jacket away, trying to ignore the surge of panic that she was abandoning Adam. She wasn't. She was just making room for McG. And as she moved, McG set to rinsing the wound, then packing it with clean gauze. Jaz couldn't look away. Even with a bloody jacket in her lap and bits of dried blood flecking her fingertips, she could only stare as McG worked.
She could only hope this would be enough.
As he was finishing up, McG pushed Adam's shirt up higher to look for other wounds.
And of course, purpling bruises mottled his one side. McG gingerly pressed against his ribs. Then he checked Adam's neck. His head. He peeled back Adam's eyelids to take a look at his pupils.
"Feels like only a few cracked ribs and a blow to the head. But nothing looks dangerous yet. We'll just have to be extra careful when we lift him up." McG quickly inspected his packing job. "You ready to wrap?"
"Ready," Jaz replied hoarsely. She wasn't really ready, but she knew she had to be. So she'd force herself. For Top. For McG.
"One, two, three."
Being mindful of his ribs, the two of them managed to get Adam upright, and between them both, they wrapped his abdomen securely enough to make it off the mountain. And while they had Adam there, McG took a moment to look at his back.
"Alright, let's lay him down."
In tandem, they lowered Adam to the ground again, and McG set to bandaging the team leader's leg hastily.
Jaz took a moment to look at Adam's face. He was already so pale. She wondered if they'd stopped the bleeding in time.
"Okay, Jaz. I need to you check for any other injuries, okay? He's got a bloody cut on the back of his head that'll need bandaging, but I also need you to check the rest of his legs and his arms for any breaks or lacerations, got it?"
"Yeah."
She felt numb. There was a buzz in her ears. Her ribs ached from the anxious heartbeats pumping wildly in her chest.
But she had a job to do.
Arming herself with more bandaging, she inspected Adam's head, finding the smear of blood. It didn't look too bad, but she couldn't be sure, and after cleaning the wound, she wrapped bandaging around his head to cover the bloody injury.
Satisfied with her work, she moved to his arm, first checking for cuts before probing for broken bones. Nothing here.
She moved to the next arm, pausing when she pulled up his sleeve. More bruising, painting swelling skin. With a deep breath, she gently pressed against the area with her fingers, grimacing when it didn't feel quite right.
"McG."
The medic looked over from his work, brow furrowed.
"I think his arm's broken."
McG let out a huff of air. "Okay." He pulled off his jacket, tossing it to her "I need you to roll that up to use as a splint."
Hesitating for a moment, she looked at the jacket, then at their surroundings. Then it clicked. There weren't any sticks out here. Nothing but rocks.
So a jacket it was.
She lined it up carefully before tightly rolling it up. "Now what?"
"Use medical tape to tape it to his arm."
Grabbing the tape, she set to work, putting the rolled up jacket against his arm and ensuring it was straight and stiff. Then she gently secured it to Adam's arm, working carefully to avoid moving the limb too much.
Completing her task, she moved to Adam's legs. McG was still working on bandaging the long slice in Adam's thigh, so she started with the other leg first. No cuts, no noticeable breaks.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she rolled up Adam's other pantleg.
Swelling. With slight bruising. Her fingers probed the area. Felt like another clean break.
Her shoulders dropped.
"McG."
"What?"
He looked over and sighed. "Hell, what a mess."
"What now?"
McG pursed his lips, glancing at Jaz's forgotten jacket in the dirt. "I guess we'll have to use your jacket. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing."
Jaz frowned. "You want me to use a bloody jacket on Top?"
McG took a deep breath. "I don't like it either. But it beats running up to the guys to grab one of theirs. And since Amir's is bloody now too, you'd have to take it from Preach, who probably isn't coherent enough to know what's going on."
She huffed, reaching for her jacket. "You've got a point."
As she worked, McG finished up bandaging Adam's thigh and moved to help her tape the makeshift splint against Adam's calf.
And for a minute, the medic looked at Adam. Actually looked at him. "I don't like his color."
Jaz didn't know what to say, so she just kept quiet.
McG kept staring. "He looks like shit."
"Will he be okay?" Jaz asked. She could see the haunted look in McG's eyes, like he knew something but he didn't want to tell her.
McG started throwing things in his pack, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Might have to give him some blood before we can get the hell out of here." He glanced again at Adam. "I don't like his color," he repeated. He reached for Adam's wrist to take his pulse, then shook his head slightly.
Jaz didn't know what that meant.
Had Adam lost too much blood? Was he fading away despite all their efforts?
What the hell did she have to prepare for?
Jaz shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms to hold in all her messy feelings and block the wind from chilling her bones.
She knew McG always did his best to remain calm and collected. At first, she thought he really didn't think it was too bad. But now his true feelings were starting to leak out, and her panic ratcheted again.
Then suddenly, there was a groan. A shift.
Adam was waking up.