Thanks once again for all the kind words. I haven't expected such positive feedback, but I'm glad you guys still enjoy reading my story.
Special thanks to SteveFan81 for medical input.
I know, another cliffhanger in the last chapter. So here comes another chapter. Enjoy!
Instinctively, Danny ducked when a bullet whizzed by his ear. His heart thudded in his chest like crazy as the fear Steve might be hit gripped him. There was no way his friend could survive a bullet hole in his weakened state.
He followed Joe's lead and rushed to his right to get a cover behind the nearby corner. As soon as they put Steve on the ground, Danny scanned through his battered body thoroughly, breathing out a sigh of relief when he didn't see any new injury.
Just a second later, Chin and Kono joined them, breathing heavily, gripping their weapons. Martinez dropped Richardson's unconscious body behind one of the two SUVs nearby. Danny was certain the vehicles hadn't been there before. Gutch, Davis, Lou, and Lynch were crammed behind the other car. All Danny could think of was that all it'd take to wipe them out was one RPG hitting those cars. Or it could hit the chopper out in the open and make Steve's only chance of getting help on time disappear into the dust, so he prayed those men inside wouldn't use any this time.
The bullets were ripping into the earth and shale across a wide range, most of them well away from them.
"Where the hell did all these guys come from?" Martinez shouted out after firing several bullets back at their attackers.
Danny wasn't an expert in this field, but he could count. They've spent a long time clearing the building, and it took even more time to break Richardson and Lynch free, find Steve and provide him some much needed life-saving medical attention and get all three prisoners to the extraction point. It's been over half an hour since the first bullet had been fired and attracted the attention of the men inside the building. Plenty of time for the reinforcements to arrive from the nearby town. Too late to help their buddies, but still on time to complicate the team's mission.
Joe fired a few rounds at the building, where the fire was coming from. "Doesn't matter. Just take them out," he yelled through the noise.
It was easier said than done, thanks to their position in the open and their attackers hidden behind the windows of the building. There was no way they could move without being shot. They were pinned down and running out of time.
Danny once again glanced over Steve as Joe and others fought back, wanting to scream in frustration. His best friend desperately needed them to end this and get that chopper up in the air.
"How is he?" Kono asked, throwing Danny a worried glance.
Danny shook his head, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "Not good. We have to get him to a hospital. Fast."
With their faces stoic as ever, the SEALs were returning the fire at the building. Someone inside was engaging them with automatic guns, and the bullets filled the air around.
Davis's muffled yell rose over the yard. "Frag out!"
Danny watched the grenade tumble through the air and land near the wall, where it exploded with a distinctive thump. The sound of gunfire coming from the building didn't cease completely, but it eased a little. There was no doubt the grenade took some of their attackers out.
Rounds buzzed angrily over their heads, hitting the dirt and ricochetting off with a whine. Without even realizing it he leaned over his best friend's still body to shield him from the heavy fire even though there was a wall between them and those men.
The noise didn't wake Steve up, and Danny knew they had to end this soon. "Hang on, Steve," he pleaded, staring at the unconscious man as though he would answer him.
"Danny!" Joe called out. "I'll count to three, then you and Chin take Steve and run straight to the chopper. We'll cover you. Don't stop no matter what."
Danny didn't like the idea of rushing Steve out in the open, so vulnerable and unable to defend himself. But he trusted Joe. If he said that's what they had to do, then there was no other option. If they stayed where they were, they would be picked and shot one by one sooner or later. "All right," he said.
"Kono, you'll help me up here. Get ready." Joe turned to Lou. "Lou, the same goes for you. When I say, you and Lynch run to that chopper as fast as you can. Martinez, you get Richardson in there," Joe yelled the orders.
"Yes Sir," Martinez shouted back.
"Gutch, Davis, smoke!"
Almost in unison, Gutch and Davis threw their smoke grenades as Joe and Kono laid a suppression fire. "Smoke out!" both of them called out.
"One, two…" Joe counted them down, his weapon up as Danny readied himself to run, gripping the handle of the stretcher, constantly reminding himself he needed to get Steve into safety. "Three. Go, go go!"
A heavy fire cascaded upon the building from the three men and a fierce young woman, as the rest of the team sprinted toward the chopper with their injured friends. Bullets danced along the sand as they ran, some of them missing them by mere inches. Martinez got there first, even with Richardson on his back. He loaded his friend inside, then climbed in himself, firing at someone Danny couldn't see. Danny and Chin got there next, and Martinez paused to help them get the stretcher with Steve in.
"Get in!" Martinez shouted and began firing off his gun again when Steve was loaded.
Danny and Chin obeyed, ready to help Lou and Lynch, who were just steps away from the chopper now.
Arms stretched out in front of them, they waited for the men to reach them as the bullets dug into the metal surrounding them. They were within reach when they both went down, crashing onto the ground.
"Lou!" Chin called out with a terrified look across his face.
Lou scrambled back on his feet, dragging barely conscious Lynch up with him. A bloody stain on Lynch's thigh grew fast, seeping into his ragged pants. There was no doubt he'd been hit.
"Come on, I've got you," Lou said, pushing Lynch toward Danny's arms, ignoring his painful groans. "Almost there."
Danny didn't miss Martinez's terrified expression as Lou, Danny, and Chin dragged the bleeding man into the chopper. The fear he'd lose another one of his friends was written all over his face. His eyes hardened after a few moments, partially masking the worry. "You good?"Martinez asked without looking at Lynch, readjusting his aim to take down another man.
"Fucking fantastic," Lynch growled between pained breaths as he sat on the floor, his gaze on jumping between Richardson and Steve. The deep pain that had nothing to do with his injuries was etched in his red-rimmed eyes as he glanced them up and down.
Danny's gut twisted. He was torn inside, wanting to do all the things at once - be by Steve's side, do something for unconscious Richardson, stop Lynch's bleeding, return fire at their attackers. It was overwhelming and incredibly stressful to be under attack like this, with part of the team still out there, fighting, and three men down, Steve included. He was frozen. Stuck. In a trance-like state, wondering if he was just stuck in a terrible nightmare, because it certainly couldn't be real, could it?
"Danny? Danny!" A rough shake of his shoulders and Chin's terrified voice brought him back to reality. "Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."
He nodded, although not really sure, and sucked in a deep breath as he took in the scene again.
Steve's still and battered body secured to the stretcher on the floor of the chopper. Richarson not looking much better splayed on the floor right next to him. Lou with both of his hands on Lynch's newest wound, blood soaking through his fingers. Lynch's eyelids fluttering as he fought to remain conscious. Chin's worried eyes fixed on him while checking for Richardson's pulse. Martinez with his rifle up, cascading heavy fire upon the enemy. Joe, Gutch, Kono, and Davis still pinned down behind their covers, doing everything possible to reduce the enemy's numbers. The heavy smell of cordite, blood, and sweat in the air.
A sickly feeling washed over him once again.
"Hey, Williams," Martinez called out, preventing his mind from locking down. "Move your ass over here. We're gonna cover the guys so they can get here."
An instruction. A clear purpose. Doing something useful. That's exactly what he needed.
He let Lou and Chin with wounded SEALs, slung his rifle from his shoulder, and joined Martinez by the side of the helicopter, looking for the targets in the scope.
"Joe, we'll cover you. Move!" Martinez called out through comms, then turned to Danny for a second. "You ready, Williams?"
He wasn't. But lives depended on him, including Steve's, and there was no time to waste. He nodded, burying the fear under the thick layer of anger and adrenaline.
"Moving!" Joe's call came.
It was Martinez's and Danny's turn to provide suppression fire as the rest of the team rushed toward the chopper. They kept the enemies at bay for several seconds only, but it was long enough for Joe and others to get to them safely.
Joe was the last one to climb in, and by the time Gutch helped him up, the chopper was a few inches up from the ground. The deafening sound of the helicopter mixed with the bullets ricochetting of it. A few seconds later, although still under fire, they were up in the air and less and less bullets reached them, until the sounds of gunfire died down completely.
They've made it. Danny couldn't believe it for a second, and he kept looking around frantically, counting the heads in his terrified mind. As soon as they were in a safe distance from that hell on the ground, he realized Joe had been shouting orders since he'd hopped on the helicopter.
"Lou, keep the pressure on that wound. Martinez, stop the bleeding. Chin, check on Steve, make sure the catheter in his chest isn't clogged. Keep bagging him with oxygen. Lynch, don't you dare to close your eyes, you've gotta stay with us." And more. All while keeping his voice more or less calm and professional and once again, Danny was in awe from the older man's ability to keep his head cool even after a dangerous shootout, trying to save three lives at once in a crammed helicopter.
"Hey, man, stay with me," Martinez pleaded as Lynch's eyelids fluttered.
With a great effort, Lynch opened the eyes again, his gaze fixed on Steve and Richardson for a moment before turning back to Martinez and Davis. "You gotta save them," he mumbled, his voice a faint whisper. "Don't let them die."
"No one is dying here. Not anymore," Davis assured him.
A sad smile stretched over Lynch's face. "Can you… can you do something for me?"
"No." Davis and Martinez said almost in unison and Danny sensed what was going through Lynch's head.
"Tell Amy that-"
"I said no, damn it!" Davis yelled. "Whatever you want to tell her, you tell her yourself!"
Danny wondered who was Amy. His wife? His daughter? Goosebumps appeared on his skin with the thought. He hoped Davis had been right and no one else would die out here. He stopped listening to Lynch's heartbreaking pleas and focused on what could he help with. Thankfully, Joe's instructions followed fast.
Joe knelt next to Richardson, opened up his airways and listened to his breathing while checking his pulse. "He's in shock," he announced after a moment, turning to Danny. "Danny, pass me the medical kit."
Danny obliged and watch Joe fitting an oxygen mask over Richardson's face.
"Can I help somehow?" Kono asked.
"He needs fluids. There's IV in my backpack," Joe said, lifting his head to check on Lynch, who was drifting away from consciousness, and Steve, so pale and still. "Get one for all of them. Do you know how to change the bag?"
"I guess," Kono replied.
"Good. Steve needs another one," Joe said. "Chin will help you. Set it wide open."
Danny helped Joe to set up the IV for Richardson, while Davis did the same for Lynch. It felt surreal. Slow-motioned. Joe kept instructing, and Danny did as told without much thinking. By the time he was done with Richardson, Lynch wasn't responding to Martinez's attempts to get a reaction from him, and the floor underneath him was stained crimson.
The situation seemed desperate, and frustration amongst the team was growing. Danny certainly wasn't the only one fearing for the life of his friend, and watching the desperate SEALs' attempts to deliver fluids and oxygen to their unconscious comrades didn't help with his anxiety. Martinez injected a dose of morphine into each of theirs IVs to at least ease some of the pain they must've been in. There wasn't much more they could do, except keeping an eye on them and praying they'd make it to the hospital on time.
Gutch called it in meanwhile, announcing they were coming, but there was no doubt they wouldn't avoid a lot of explaining and possible trouble. But Danny didn't care. None of them did. Not if it meant giving Steve, Lynch, and Richardson a chance to live.
Danny's focus narrowed down to his best friend, who was too weak to even breathe on his own. Fear Steve might not make it threatened to strangle him, and it was increasingly hard to stay focused.
After the call, Gutch joined Chin and Kono, whose main task was to watch Steve. "That shoulder doesn't look good," Gutch said after a quick assessment of Steve's injuries. "I'm gonna fix it.
Danny cringed at the sight of Steve's shoulder being relocated and once again he was glad Steve was out of it. It must've hurt like hell. Gutch placed his arm in a sling after that, huffing out an angry growl. "They've worked the poor kid over really good," he said.
"He can handle it," Joe replied. There was no sign of pity nor anger in his voice, but Danny knew it was all hidden underneath the thick skin.
Danny was about to take Steve's bloodied hand into his to let him know he was there, to encourage him to fight, but Joe didn't let him.
"We're ten minutes out," Joe said. "Help me take his pants off. We can clean some of the wounds."
Reluctant to strip Steve in front of everyone, but knowing Joe wanted to do that for Steve's sake, Danny did as told. The filthy, blood-soaked bandages on Steve's legs took his breath away for a moment.
"What the-?"
"Damn, we need to cut these off," Joe said.
Joe cut through the dirty dressing carefully, and revealed two terribly-looking, inflamed wounds that nearly made Danny scream in rage. He could recognize a gunshot wound, and the holes in Steve's ankle and a calf could only mean he's been locked up in that filthy place with his legs shot up like this. He couldn't imagine the pain Steve must've been in this whole time. Even just sitting around with such wounds would be torture, let alone all the extra violence.
By the time they managed to get the worst of the wounds cleaned up, the pilot was announcing they were about to land. It was about time.
All three men were still alive, but all could change in a matter of seconds.
Danny peeked outside and saw the huge operational base underneath them. The memories of a similar one in Afghanistan lit up, consuming Danny from the inside when he remembered Steve's lifeless body back then. The resemblance was terrifying.
Soon, a cloud of dust whirred around them as the helicopter descended.
Instead of feeling any relief, though, his gut twisted with worry. Getting his friend here was just the first step. But too many things could still go wrong. And the first sign of trouble was the anger in the faces of two uniformed men marching toward the chopper as soon as it touched the floor.
*to be continued*
This chapter was a bit difficult to write the way I imagined it, and I'm not 100% satisfied with it even after a couple of days trying to fix it, but I hope you liked it anyway.
As always, I'd be really grateful for your opinions.
