As soon as they get to the hospital, Cadence is whisked away into the
operating room and into surgery. James is left in the waiting room
where he begins to pace, back and forth, back and forth, filling out
the paperwork with as much information as he could, listing himself as
her next of kin, which was partially true. Mostly true, really. He
was the closest thing to a friend or family member that she had at the
moment. He tells himself that as soon as he feels she is able to
handle the shock, he was going to propose to her.
After about half an hour, his family bursts into the room. They find him slumped into a chair, head in his hands. He is praying as hard as he can.
When they burst into the room, James looks up in surprise. He suddenly remembers to call the base and let Hawk and the rest of the Joes know what had happened. When he calls, Stunner answers the phone. He relays what has happened to Spitfyre and lets her know that he was going to take whatever leave time that he had built up after this vacation time and stay with Cadence if she survived.
Taffy told him that she would talk to Hawk and find out what he wanted to do, and that she would call him back.
"And, James, keep her safe for us. Don't do anything stupid and get yourself hurt. Cadie would never let us hear the end of it, if we were to let you get injured, too."
"I know, Taffy, I won't do anything until we've had sufficient time to map out a decent plan of attack."
Just as he hangs up from talking to Taffy, the lead surgeon of the team working on Cadence comes in. "Lieutenant Barney?"
"Here. I'm right here," says James as he stands up.
"Your little girlfriend's got quite a will to live. I've never seen anyone survive as long as she has with a wound like that."
James's face clouds over. "So now what?"
"Now, it's a case of wait and see. She'll be in the hospital for at least two weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her heal faster, though. The miraculous part about it is that even doing as much damage as it did, the bullet missed any vital organs. It also missed her collarbone by centimeters, so all she has to heal are the muscles and tendons. I don't know, though, if she'll ever have the same amount of power or total use of that arm again. You did an excellent job stopping the bleeding and keeping her breathing."
"Can I see her?"
"We're sending her up to the ICU, but you can see her for a few minutes. I think it would be good for her to hear your voice, to know that someone is there for her, even though she won't be able to acknowledge that you're there."
James turns to his family. "Mom, Dad, I'll be back when they kick me out of there. I want to spend as much time with her as possible."
His mother takes his hand. "We understand. Go to her, son. She needs you more than we do. I'll run to the house and get your things so that you can stay here as long as you need."
He hugs her hard. "Thanks."
The doctor leads him to where they have Cadence in recovery. James takes her small, pale, fragile hand in his and strokes it as he strides along beside the gurney as they transfer her.
"I'm here, Spitfyre. I'll not let you get hurt again. I hate to tell you, but you're going to have some help dealing with this problem, whether you want it or not. Nobody messes with Grand Slam's woman and gets away with it." He silently squeezes her hand slightly, and is extremely surprised when she actually squeezes back. She wouldn't be able to acknowledge that he was there, huh? That was a load of bull. She knew. Somehow, she knew.
When they get her into the ICU and to the place that they have designated for her, he slumps down in a chair next to the bed and keeps a hold of her hand, talking to her. He stays like that until a nurse comes in and tells him that he must go because visiting hours are over. He vows that tomorrow he'll be right back doing the same thing, and just before he leaves the room, he bends over and places a tender, chaste kiss to Cadence's temple.
The next morning, and the next, and the day after that, for the next week, he is at her bedside, teasing her, imploring her, telling her the latest gossip from the base- who was with who, which couples had broken up, and who was cheating on who; and confessing some of his darkest secrets to her, hoping that he can keep her from ending her life, leaving him. He'd just found the woman that he wanted to spend his life with, and now it looked like he might never get to tell her how he felt; he might never get the chance to spend any time with her.
"Don't leave me, little one. I can't bear to lose another friend to a gunshot wound from an enemy. And I definitely can't bear to lose you. You are my heart, my life, and my love. I lied to you the other day. I don't think I'm in love with you, I know I am. I've known it for a while, but I wanted to give you a chance to get used to me being around, to learn to love me. Come back to me, Widget. Don't break my heart. Please."
He shuffles out of the room, shoulders slumped and a general look of defeat on his face. He was surprised to see the man waiting for him in the lobby.
"General Abernathy," he saluted.
"At ease, Captain," Hawk replied. "How is she?"
"She's resting as comfortably as she can right now, I guess, Sir. The bullet did a lot of damage, but missed any vital organs. How'd you get here so fast?"
"Let's go get a cup of coffee and we can trade what information we have and work out a plan," Hawk offers. James nods, and they head over to the cafeteria, grab a cup of coffee and find a table away from prying eyes and ears.
"As soon as Stunner told me what had happened, just hours after you called, I rearranged my schedule as much as I could, got Wild Bill and asked him to fly me out here when I finally finished with all the meetings and such. What the hell happened?"
"I took her out to my favorite spot in the park just above the lake for a picnic, and while we were there someone ambushed us. They called Cadie on her cell phone, and when she answered, she got so pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. She started looking around, and I got a semblance of an idea of the identity of the person who was on the other end of that phone call, so I took the phone out of her hand and I started speaking with the person. Whoever it was told me that she would die in a few minutes, and then someone took a shot at her, hitting her in the arm. I can't believe that I was so naïve. I thought we would be safe because she doesn't have any family around here that we know about, and I didn't bother watching for a tail. I am such an idiot," he berates himself, recounting the incident for his CO.
"The chest wound is all my fault," he stated, bowing his head in shame. "I started taunting the other person and they took a second shot and hit her in the chest. That's when I disconnected from that person and called nine one one. After that, I called my family, and when we got here to the hospital, I called Taffy. What did you mean by the word Captain?"
"Your promotion just came across my desk a few days ago. You're now a Captain, and Cadie is now officially a first Louie. There's no way that the chest wound could be your fault unless it was you that pulled the trigger. We all know that she had a long list of enemies who hated her enough to try and kill her. Thank you for calling us, James. The whole base is worried about what happens to her, and more than one person has told me to pass a message on to you."
"What is it?"
"They all said 'don't let her go'. Taffy was the one that summed it up best when she said that if she didn't hear of something happening when the two of you got back on the base, she'd kick your butt herself."
"That sounds like her. She always was protective of Cadie when it came to her emotional and mental health."
"The 'happening' she was referring to was the beginning of a relationship, is it not? She thinks you two are perfect for each other."
"Apparently, half the damn base thinks we make a cute couple, and that since we have so much in common and the fact that we love to be around each other that we ought to get married. Right now, that decision is out of my hands. If she survives, I want to propose to her eventually, but I also want to give her some time to get used to the idea of being part of a couple. I want her to have the room to grow if that's what she needs." He reaches in his pocket and pulls out the silver chain and charm that he had given to Cadie. The doctor had given it back to him when they had taken her into the operating room. "I finally got the courage to claim her as my intended mate. I accidentally let it slip that I wanted her to be my exclusive girlfriend, and she revealed that was what she would like to be if that's what I really wanted." He idly plays with the charm and lets the chain slither between his fingers.
"James, I've seen both of you together, and believe me, you do make the perfect couple. You make her happy, son. That's more than anyone else on the base can do. If you want to get married someday, you have my blessings. Now, what are we going to do about this particular problem?"
"Cadie told me that morning that her mother had somehow gotten access to her bank accounts and was draining them. And I'm pretty sure that it was her mother who called her on the phone earlier. The only question is, is how did she get the number? Very few of us have that number, and it's not even listed under her name."
"That's a good question. Maybe Chuckles can find out for us."
James suddenly jumps as his cell phone begins to vibrate. He answers and finds out that it's the nurses' station in the ICU, letting him know that Cadie had awakened. He is so excited he almost spills his coffee; he jumps up so fast that he knocks his chair over backwards and back a couple of feet into the wall.
"She's awake. Oh thank God, she's awake. Come on. I think there can be two visitors at a time in the ICU ward where she is." He swings away from the table with Hawk hot on his heels.
No one challenges the two men as they hurry to the ICU. The doctor is also there and looks at the men as the come in the door.
"Which one of you is James? She's been asking about you." James hurries over to the side of her bed and smiles when she looks at him, awake and semi-aware.
"Hey, Widget. Don't give up on us now. I have some things that we need to talk about, but they can wait. Don't worry about anything. Right now you need to concentrate on getting better and healing from this wound. Hawk's here, and between the two of us, we'll get anything done that you need, okay?"
She faintly nods and whispers something. He has to bend over her to find out what it was she said.
"I said... I love you, James." Surprised, he looks down at her, and can see the truth shining in her eyes. He smiles.
"I love you too, Widget." He tenderly kisses her forehead and runs his hand gently down her cheek. Hawk coughs in the doorway to get their attention.
"Excuse me for breaking in like this, but there are some things that we need to turn our attention to. I hate to barge in on you two lovebirds, but we are working on a case."
Hawk comes over to the side of the bed, and looks down at Cadence. "Cadie, as of three days ago, you are now a First Lieutenant. It's been in the works for some time and it just crossed my desk the other day. This is the first chance that I've gotten to tell you about it. Short Fuze and the rest of your 'Heavy Artillery Wildasses' are already changing your nameplates and everything else in your office and taking care of the paperwork. Keep getting better, honey. The rest of the unit is worried about you, and they all told me to tell you to get well soon. Some of them are looking at taking leave so they can come out here and help you with this problem."
"They...would...do...that? For me?" she asks, laboring to breathe for a moment. Hawk and James both nod.
"I know Taffy, Eric, Tony, and most likely Edwin are already on there way here, now. There may be a couple more coming, but those are the ones I'm most sure of," Hawk tells her.
Cadence yawns, and both men look down at her. The doctor comes in and steps to her bedside. "If she keeps doing as good as she is, we'll move her to a private room tomorrow."
"That's excellent news!" James exclaimed.
"Yes, it is," said Hawk.
"Whatever. I just want to sleep," Cadie yawns.
"Go ahead and do just that, Widget. We'll keep an eye out for you," James promised, bending down and lightly kissing her cheek.
The last thing she remembers before sleep claims her is the look of love on James's face, and the feel of his lips soft on her cheek. As she closes her eyes, her breathing becoming deep and even, the men leave the ward, only to wind up staying in the lobby. Which is, of course, where the new arrivals of the team find them, asleep.
After about half an hour, his family bursts into the room. They find him slumped into a chair, head in his hands. He is praying as hard as he can.
When they burst into the room, James looks up in surprise. He suddenly remembers to call the base and let Hawk and the rest of the Joes know what had happened. When he calls, Stunner answers the phone. He relays what has happened to Spitfyre and lets her know that he was going to take whatever leave time that he had built up after this vacation time and stay with Cadence if she survived.
Taffy told him that she would talk to Hawk and find out what he wanted to do, and that she would call him back.
"And, James, keep her safe for us. Don't do anything stupid and get yourself hurt. Cadie would never let us hear the end of it, if we were to let you get injured, too."
"I know, Taffy, I won't do anything until we've had sufficient time to map out a decent plan of attack."
Just as he hangs up from talking to Taffy, the lead surgeon of the team working on Cadence comes in. "Lieutenant Barney?"
"Here. I'm right here," says James as he stands up.
"Your little girlfriend's got quite a will to live. I've never seen anyone survive as long as she has with a wound like that."
James's face clouds over. "So now what?"
"Now, it's a case of wait and see. She'll be in the hospital for at least two weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her heal faster, though. The miraculous part about it is that even doing as much damage as it did, the bullet missed any vital organs. It also missed her collarbone by centimeters, so all she has to heal are the muscles and tendons. I don't know, though, if she'll ever have the same amount of power or total use of that arm again. You did an excellent job stopping the bleeding and keeping her breathing."
"Can I see her?"
"We're sending her up to the ICU, but you can see her for a few minutes. I think it would be good for her to hear your voice, to know that someone is there for her, even though she won't be able to acknowledge that you're there."
James turns to his family. "Mom, Dad, I'll be back when they kick me out of there. I want to spend as much time with her as possible."
His mother takes his hand. "We understand. Go to her, son. She needs you more than we do. I'll run to the house and get your things so that you can stay here as long as you need."
He hugs her hard. "Thanks."
The doctor leads him to where they have Cadence in recovery. James takes her small, pale, fragile hand in his and strokes it as he strides along beside the gurney as they transfer her.
"I'm here, Spitfyre. I'll not let you get hurt again. I hate to tell you, but you're going to have some help dealing with this problem, whether you want it or not. Nobody messes with Grand Slam's woman and gets away with it." He silently squeezes her hand slightly, and is extremely surprised when she actually squeezes back. She wouldn't be able to acknowledge that he was there, huh? That was a load of bull. She knew. Somehow, she knew.
When they get her into the ICU and to the place that they have designated for her, he slumps down in a chair next to the bed and keeps a hold of her hand, talking to her. He stays like that until a nurse comes in and tells him that he must go because visiting hours are over. He vows that tomorrow he'll be right back doing the same thing, and just before he leaves the room, he bends over and places a tender, chaste kiss to Cadence's temple.
The next morning, and the next, and the day after that, for the next week, he is at her bedside, teasing her, imploring her, telling her the latest gossip from the base- who was with who, which couples had broken up, and who was cheating on who; and confessing some of his darkest secrets to her, hoping that he can keep her from ending her life, leaving him. He'd just found the woman that he wanted to spend his life with, and now it looked like he might never get to tell her how he felt; he might never get the chance to spend any time with her.
"Don't leave me, little one. I can't bear to lose another friend to a gunshot wound from an enemy. And I definitely can't bear to lose you. You are my heart, my life, and my love. I lied to you the other day. I don't think I'm in love with you, I know I am. I've known it for a while, but I wanted to give you a chance to get used to me being around, to learn to love me. Come back to me, Widget. Don't break my heart. Please."
He shuffles out of the room, shoulders slumped and a general look of defeat on his face. He was surprised to see the man waiting for him in the lobby.
"General Abernathy," he saluted.
"At ease, Captain," Hawk replied. "How is she?"
"She's resting as comfortably as she can right now, I guess, Sir. The bullet did a lot of damage, but missed any vital organs. How'd you get here so fast?"
"Let's go get a cup of coffee and we can trade what information we have and work out a plan," Hawk offers. James nods, and they head over to the cafeteria, grab a cup of coffee and find a table away from prying eyes and ears.
"As soon as Stunner told me what had happened, just hours after you called, I rearranged my schedule as much as I could, got Wild Bill and asked him to fly me out here when I finally finished with all the meetings and such. What the hell happened?"
"I took her out to my favorite spot in the park just above the lake for a picnic, and while we were there someone ambushed us. They called Cadie on her cell phone, and when she answered, she got so pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. She started looking around, and I got a semblance of an idea of the identity of the person who was on the other end of that phone call, so I took the phone out of her hand and I started speaking with the person. Whoever it was told me that she would die in a few minutes, and then someone took a shot at her, hitting her in the arm. I can't believe that I was so naïve. I thought we would be safe because she doesn't have any family around here that we know about, and I didn't bother watching for a tail. I am such an idiot," he berates himself, recounting the incident for his CO.
"The chest wound is all my fault," he stated, bowing his head in shame. "I started taunting the other person and they took a second shot and hit her in the chest. That's when I disconnected from that person and called nine one one. After that, I called my family, and when we got here to the hospital, I called Taffy. What did you mean by the word Captain?"
"Your promotion just came across my desk a few days ago. You're now a Captain, and Cadie is now officially a first Louie. There's no way that the chest wound could be your fault unless it was you that pulled the trigger. We all know that she had a long list of enemies who hated her enough to try and kill her. Thank you for calling us, James. The whole base is worried about what happens to her, and more than one person has told me to pass a message on to you."
"What is it?"
"They all said 'don't let her go'. Taffy was the one that summed it up best when she said that if she didn't hear of something happening when the two of you got back on the base, she'd kick your butt herself."
"That sounds like her. She always was protective of Cadie when it came to her emotional and mental health."
"The 'happening' she was referring to was the beginning of a relationship, is it not? She thinks you two are perfect for each other."
"Apparently, half the damn base thinks we make a cute couple, and that since we have so much in common and the fact that we love to be around each other that we ought to get married. Right now, that decision is out of my hands. If she survives, I want to propose to her eventually, but I also want to give her some time to get used to the idea of being part of a couple. I want her to have the room to grow if that's what she needs." He reaches in his pocket and pulls out the silver chain and charm that he had given to Cadie. The doctor had given it back to him when they had taken her into the operating room. "I finally got the courage to claim her as my intended mate. I accidentally let it slip that I wanted her to be my exclusive girlfriend, and she revealed that was what she would like to be if that's what I really wanted." He idly plays with the charm and lets the chain slither between his fingers.
"James, I've seen both of you together, and believe me, you do make the perfect couple. You make her happy, son. That's more than anyone else on the base can do. If you want to get married someday, you have my blessings. Now, what are we going to do about this particular problem?"
"Cadie told me that morning that her mother had somehow gotten access to her bank accounts and was draining them. And I'm pretty sure that it was her mother who called her on the phone earlier. The only question is, is how did she get the number? Very few of us have that number, and it's not even listed under her name."
"That's a good question. Maybe Chuckles can find out for us."
James suddenly jumps as his cell phone begins to vibrate. He answers and finds out that it's the nurses' station in the ICU, letting him know that Cadie had awakened. He is so excited he almost spills his coffee; he jumps up so fast that he knocks his chair over backwards and back a couple of feet into the wall.
"She's awake. Oh thank God, she's awake. Come on. I think there can be two visitors at a time in the ICU ward where she is." He swings away from the table with Hawk hot on his heels.
No one challenges the two men as they hurry to the ICU. The doctor is also there and looks at the men as the come in the door.
"Which one of you is James? She's been asking about you." James hurries over to the side of her bed and smiles when she looks at him, awake and semi-aware.
"Hey, Widget. Don't give up on us now. I have some things that we need to talk about, but they can wait. Don't worry about anything. Right now you need to concentrate on getting better and healing from this wound. Hawk's here, and between the two of us, we'll get anything done that you need, okay?"
She faintly nods and whispers something. He has to bend over her to find out what it was she said.
"I said... I love you, James." Surprised, he looks down at her, and can see the truth shining in her eyes. He smiles.
"I love you too, Widget." He tenderly kisses her forehead and runs his hand gently down her cheek. Hawk coughs in the doorway to get their attention.
"Excuse me for breaking in like this, but there are some things that we need to turn our attention to. I hate to barge in on you two lovebirds, but we are working on a case."
Hawk comes over to the side of the bed, and looks down at Cadence. "Cadie, as of three days ago, you are now a First Lieutenant. It's been in the works for some time and it just crossed my desk the other day. This is the first chance that I've gotten to tell you about it. Short Fuze and the rest of your 'Heavy Artillery Wildasses' are already changing your nameplates and everything else in your office and taking care of the paperwork. Keep getting better, honey. The rest of the unit is worried about you, and they all told me to tell you to get well soon. Some of them are looking at taking leave so they can come out here and help you with this problem."
"They...would...do...that? For me?" she asks, laboring to breathe for a moment. Hawk and James both nod.
"I know Taffy, Eric, Tony, and most likely Edwin are already on there way here, now. There may be a couple more coming, but those are the ones I'm most sure of," Hawk tells her.
Cadence yawns, and both men look down at her. The doctor comes in and steps to her bedside. "If she keeps doing as good as she is, we'll move her to a private room tomorrow."
"That's excellent news!" James exclaimed.
"Yes, it is," said Hawk.
"Whatever. I just want to sleep," Cadie yawns.
"Go ahead and do just that, Widget. We'll keep an eye out for you," James promised, bending down and lightly kissing her cheek.
The last thing she remembers before sleep claims her is the look of love on James's face, and the feel of his lips soft on her cheek. As she closes her eyes, her breathing becoming deep and even, the men leave the ward, only to wind up staying in the lobby. Which is, of course, where the new arrivals of the team find them, asleep.