Keeter, John, and Gunny sat outside in the waiting area when someone kissed Keeter on the top of the head. He turned around and, smiling, hugged Meg closely. Harm and Mac were nearby, Mac's arm in a makeshift sling, and she sat down beside John, Harm behind her, both hands on the back of her chair. "Anything?"
John shook his head. "Not a damned thing." Gunny felt some of the weight lift now that all were present and accounted for. The mission was a success and, except for Mac's arm, everyone had gotten out without a scratch. It seemed like hours since they had brought Lizzie in. She must still be alive or they would have been told. He got up and began to pace the length of the room. Remembering a prayer that his mother had taught him, he began to whisper the comforting words in Spanish.
"Lizzie Farrow?"
"Si." Meg said, bringing everyone's attention to the doctor.
"It's okay, ma'am. I speak English." Mac silently gave thanks and added an additional note that Spanish would be the next language she learned. "Ms. Farrow was very lucky. Despite her condition, she only has a slight infection. She'll have to stay until her fever drops before moving back to the States."
"What's her condition?" Mac asked.
"Numerous broken bones, some damage to her back."
"Can we see her?" John asked.
The doctor nodded. "Keep it quiet, one at a time."
He left and Harm put his hand on Mac's well arm. "We'll go get some coffee. Do you want me to bring you some?" She nodded and he, Meg, and Keeter left.
John looked at Victor. "Can I go first? That way you can talk to her while I make the arrangements." Mac tried to hide her surprise that he knew and thanks that he wasn't causing more of a fuss, refusing to let anyone near her, demanding she be sent home before she was ready...He could be a bear when he wanted something badly enough.
"Of course, sir." Gunny replied, surprised that the colonel had asked. In fact, he was surprised that John even acknowledged his presence, much less given his consent for Gunny to see Lizzie. He knew John probably resented him for failing his daughter by not backing her up at the bar. Added to that was the fact that the older man now knew that there was more than a working relationship between the Marine and Lizzie. Gunny sunk down into a chair and rested his chin in his hands. It had been a long day and he was beginning to feel it.
John went inside Lizzie's room and Mac moved over to where Gunny was sitting. "Do me a favor?" She didn't wait for a response. "Do something. I don't care what it is. For some reason, a miracle happened and you got a second chance. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Don't blow your second chance like I did, all right? You're both good people; you both deserve to be happy." She realized that as a Marine she was overstepping boundaries, but she couldn't stand for him to do what she and Harm had done.
"I would love to, Colonel, but what can I do?" He raised his head and turned toward her. "We already agreed what she'd do to me if I took an early out. And I can't ask her to resign." He sighed. "I don't see a solution other than one of us leaving the Marines."
"You'll think of something, I'm sure." She paused. "John's going to have her moved to Bethesda. What will happen then?"
Gunny groaned. "I don't know. I guess I stay away and just call her every now and then. I don't know how I can do that, though. I'll probably also hav to face her father, too. Sometimes I just wish we could just pack up and go to another country. Change our names and start all over."
"You know, I know John pretty well...I don't think he blames you. He blames himself and he blames Webb. I think the only person that blames you is you...and that's not going to help anything. Believe me, I know." She still blamed herself for Harm's crash two years before, coming back for her wedding.
"What's he going to say about us? Me and Lizzie?" He realized that John had done the same thing with mac, but he had very nearly been courtmartialed over it and Gunny was sure the Colonel didn't want to see his daughter go through the same thing. "I have a feeling he won't be too happy about me putting her career at risk."
"All he wants is for her to be happy. With what she's facing now, her career is the least of her worries."
Gunny nodded. "You're right. Let's just concentrate on helping her get back on her feet. I'll be there for her." Even if it meant blatently violating the UCMJ. "How's your arm? What happened back there?"
"A certain commander shot me."
"Hey, I was aiming at the other guy. You just got in the way." Harm teased, bringing her back her coffee.
"This will be a great one to tell little A.J. How'd Aunt Sarah get shot? Well, Uncle Harm's gotta bad aim." Meg stifled laughter as Keeter guffawed. "You, flyboy, would NEVER make it as a Marine." Mac teased him. Harm bit back a comment as John came out.
"She says hi."
Mac smiled. "Did you tell her I'd see her before we left?" John nodded and sat.
Gunny looked toward Mac, silently asking if it was okay if he went in next. She nodded and he rose and walked to the door. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Lizzie had been cleaned up and now he could see the bruises standing out in stark contrast to her pale face. Her eyes were closed, and not knowing if she was sleeping or merely resting, he approached the bed quietly. He took her hand. "Lizzie. I thought I'd lost you," he said in a choked whisper.
She opened her eyes and slightly moved over, wincing, but wanting him beside her. She squeezed his hand slightly. "It's okay." She absorbed him standing there, the tears in the corner and rims of his eyes, and couldn't bring herself to realize that he wasn't an illusion, one that had come to her so many times while she'd been hurt. As long as he had been there, it had seemed a little better. The pain had still been there, but she wasn't afraid.
"Yeah, everything's okay now. I'm not leaving your side no matter what problems we are bound to encounter." He wanted to beg her to resign and find something safe to do, like being a librarian or selling real estate. He ran a finger gently down her face, careful to avoid the bruises and scrapes. "Lizzie, do you really like this work? I worry myself sick every time you're out of my sight." He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Each time was worse. He was almost a basket case this time. If it weren't for being able to talk about it with Mac, he wasn't sure what kind of rash action he would have taken.
"I don't know. I like helping people, but...I'm not coming back to Paraguay. I'm getting the hell away from Webb before he kills us both." Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.
"There are other ways to help people. I know you'll find something you love that will be safer. Don't librarians help people?" He grinned. That took care of his number one worry: her safety. She wouldn't be working with Webb anymore. The next problem was the UCMJ regulations they were violating. Now was not the right time to mention that he was seriously considering retirement. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on her forehead. "I love you, babe. Rest now. I'll be right here or right outside your door."
"Stay." She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, he would be gone again. That was another reason why she was moving back to the states; she wanted him safe and as much with her as they could be.
Gunny pulled a chair closer to the bed. Sitting down, he took her hand again. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Mac would just have to wait. He had a feeling she would understand. "Are you comfortable? Can I do anything?"
"Just stay." It didn't make her comfortable, but it did help.
"I'm not going anywhere." He thought back to all the times he had done this. He hoped and prayed this time would be the last. "It's going to be a long trip home, so get some sleep. I'll be right here." She nodded, her eyelids already dropping as if they were too heavy for her to lift. She knew it would be hard, she would have to take time off to get better, she would have to figure out something to do when she did get better, and she would have to figure out what to do about Victor and her dad, but right now, all that mattered as the drugs finally kicked in was that he was here, beside her, and they were both going home.