"To Get Back" prologue
Rita Widmer
Disclaimer: JAG doesn't belong to me, but to DPB, CBS, and cast and crew.
Author's Note: This is the sequel to "To Walk Away." It probably be best to read that first before starting this one. Previously, Mac had transferred out of JAG into the CIA after coming back from an undercover investigation. This is about 3 months later.
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Somewhere in Afghanistan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She looked over at her companion, and noticed that she had passed out. She didn't know how much longer she would survive if she didn't get help. In the back of the truck lay the only other survivors of the bombing. All she knew was to get to safety, and her own injuries were slowing her abilities to drive. The nearest hospital was at the American military base. As long as she could make it there they knew they would be safe.
'Got to get to safety. Got to get to safety,' she reiterated in her mind over and over again trying to give herself the reserve to last when unconsciousness was fighting to take control of her. There was no way she was going to allow herself to die in the middle of the desert.
Her fear grew as she noticed the gas gauge was quickly lowering to empty. She knew nothing about the distance left to get to the base. Her companion would have known if she had been awake. There was nothing to do, but keep going toward her destiny. Praying that she would get close enough to be discovered by people on the base.
The truck would only make it for another half hour before it ran out of gas and sputtered to a stop there in the middle of the desert. The mountains surrounded her on each side, and the only road led forward in front of her with safety on the other end.
There was no possibility of being found so she slowly moved out of the truck. She would have to go get help on foot. There was no way that any of the others would survive a trip across the desert.
She prayed for the energy to make it, but that she would not be found by anyone but an American. She knew that if she were caught out here by an Afghani she would be in trouble with being out of an abaya and no identification to show that she was an American.
Soon she found herself barely able to stand as she fell forward to the ground, and got up several times before trying to move on. Destiny wasn't for her to make it to base, she collapsed on the ground with one last yell for help for any hope of being heard. She knew it was useless as everything went black in her world.
***********************************
Same place
30 minutes later
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Gunny, come here there's something you got to see," cried out Sergeant Wilkins.
"What is it, Sergeant? We need to get back to base," called back the Gunny.
"Its a truck down below on the road. There is no sign of anyone else. I think we need to check it out."
"Head down there and report back on your walkie-talkie."
The site in the truck was nothing like he expected. In the passenger seat lay one woman unconscious, but she was breathing very slowly. Checking in the back he found even more bodies that were severely injured. He was sure most of them had died waiting for help. There was no sign of a driver anywhere near or in the truck.
"Gunny, we got injured and casualties here. They need to get to the base hospital. We'll need to call the base for a helicopter. The truck is out of gas which would explain why it was left here."
After getting a message to the base the Gunny came down to the truck to inspect the situation himself. The lady in the front seat seemed familiar to him. Leaning over to check for a pulse he soon recognized the woman. The helicopter had finally arrived, and they took her out of the truck to be put on a stretcher. The woman looked up at the Gunny, and she tried to speak one last time before she went back unconscious.
"I'm sorry..." she tried to croak out one last word, but no sound came out of her.
TBC...
Rita Widmer
Disclaimer: JAG doesn't belong to me, but to DPB, CBS, and cast and crew.
Author's Note: This is the sequel to "To Walk Away." It probably be best to read that first before starting this one. Previously, Mac had transferred out of JAG into the CIA after coming back from an undercover investigation. This is about 3 months later.
***********************************************************************
Somewhere in Afghanistan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She looked over at her companion, and noticed that she had passed out. She didn't know how much longer she would survive if she didn't get help. In the back of the truck lay the only other survivors of the bombing. All she knew was to get to safety, and her own injuries were slowing her abilities to drive. The nearest hospital was at the American military base. As long as she could make it there they knew they would be safe.
'Got to get to safety. Got to get to safety,' she reiterated in her mind over and over again trying to give herself the reserve to last when unconsciousness was fighting to take control of her. There was no way she was going to allow herself to die in the middle of the desert.
Her fear grew as she noticed the gas gauge was quickly lowering to empty. She knew nothing about the distance left to get to the base. Her companion would have known if she had been awake. There was nothing to do, but keep going toward her destiny. Praying that she would get close enough to be discovered by people on the base.
The truck would only make it for another half hour before it ran out of gas and sputtered to a stop there in the middle of the desert. The mountains surrounded her on each side, and the only road led forward in front of her with safety on the other end.
There was no possibility of being found so she slowly moved out of the truck. She would have to go get help on foot. There was no way that any of the others would survive a trip across the desert.
She prayed for the energy to make it, but that she would not be found by anyone but an American. She knew that if she were caught out here by an Afghani she would be in trouble with being out of an abaya and no identification to show that she was an American.
Soon she found herself barely able to stand as she fell forward to the ground, and got up several times before trying to move on. Destiny wasn't for her to make it to base, she collapsed on the ground with one last yell for help for any hope of being heard. She knew it was useless as everything went black in her world.
***********************************
Same place
30 minutes later
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Gunny, come here there's something you got to see," cried out Sergeant Wilkins.
"What is it, Sergeant? We need to get back to base," called back the Gunny.
"Its a truck down below on the road. There is no sign of anyone else. I think we need to check it out."
"Head down there and report back on your walkie-talkie."
The site in the truck was nothing like he expected. In the passenger seat lay one woman unconscious, but she was breathing very slowly. Checking in the back he found even more bodies that were severely injured. He was sure most of them had died waiting for help. There was no sign of a driver anywhere near or in the truck.
"Gunny, we got injured and casualties here. They need to get to the base hospital. We'll need to call the base for a helicopter. The truck is out of gas which would explain why it was left here."
After getting a message to the base the Gunny came down to the truck to inspect the situation himself. The lady in the front seat seemed familiar to him. Leaning over to check for a pulse he soon recognized the woman. The helicopter had finally arrived, and they took her out of the truck to be put on a stretcher. The woman looked up at the Gunny, and she tried to speak one last time before she went back unconscious.
"I'm sorry..." she tried to croak out one last word, but no sound came out of her.
TBC...