Ambushed
Chapter 3 – Arrivals
By: Pink Brain
Scarlett sat at the cafeteria table, fidgeting with her coffee cup and package of crackers. Her left arm was in a full cast for two separate breaks to her arm, plus her elbow was pinned from a break to the joint. Falcon watched her idly playing with her food. "Shana, what's on your mind?" He asked softly, disturbed by her unusual quietness and restlessness.
"Nothing. Everything. Life. Death. You name it, I'm thinking of it," Scarlett replied flatly, not making eye contact with her brother-in-law.
"I would tell you that you are foolish to think what you are thinking, but I imagine this hits pretty close to home for you," Falcon said as he remembered his own memories of when his brother was injured. He was there and couldn't do a thing to stop Serpentor from nearly killing his brother. Doc and Lifeline had worked miracles that day, as they had countless times before and after. He hoped that this was a miracle-making day.
Nodding her head, Scarlett said, "I almost lost Conrad a few years ago, and now Ralph is dead, and Courtney may die, which will just destroy Ron. Not too mention that Bill may never walk again, and if Courtney does survive, how badly will she be messed up? If only I…"
Falcon interrupted her, saying, "Don't say it, Shana. Yes, Ralph is dead and nothing can be done about that, but the rest is speculation. Bill may recover just fine, and the same with Courtney. Damn it, we are Joes. That counts for something, right? The best of the best. We have seen and been through the worst of the worst."
Scarlett nodded and was about to open her mouth to speak when Hawk walked up to their table and interrupted. "Sorry, you two. Conrad just radioed. He is making his final approach and should be here within twenty minutes."
Falcon nodded. "I need to go find Jinx and tell her. Are you two going to meet them?"
Hawk glanced at Scarlett and then looked at Falcon. "Yes, we will. Will you let Doc know also?"
Nodding, Falcon got up and left as Hawk sat down across from Scarlett. "How are you doing, Shana?"
Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, "I don't know. It all is hitting really close to home right now." She sighed and then met the General's eyes. "Did Dial Tone ever come up with a conclusive reason why we were never alerted to Cobra's presence?"
Hawk nodded and began to explain what Dial Tone had found out.
--
Falcon took the stairs two and three at a time. It was his way of relieving his anger at the whole situation. His sister-in-law was being stubborn and bullheaded, blaming herself for something that was out of her control. A friend and teammate was dead. Two of his friends were lying in hospital beds with the distinct possibility of their lives being changed forever. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He jerked the door open and almost collided with Doc. "Sorry, Doc," he quickly apologized.
"Easy son. Where's the fire?" A surprised Doc asked.
"Nowhere. Hawk just told me that Conrad and Ron were about twenty minutes away. He wanted me to tell you," Falcon covered.
Relief washed across Doc's face as he heard the words that Falcon told him. Cover Girl had made no improvements. He and Lifeline had been praying for her to hang on and also praying that Duke got Dusty to the hospital STAT. His conscience was put at ease knowing that Dusty would make it to say goodbye, if that was what was going to happen. It was all in the hands of fate, and it may just be a matter of time. Time that she was quickly running out of. "Good. Jinx is in with Courtney. I'll go wake Ed and then go meet Conrad and Ron. Thank you for the information, Vince."
"You're welcome, Doc," Falcon acknowledged, watching the doctor walk away. He was gripped with an unshakeable fear, having seen Doc's odd expression. He continued to Cover Girl's room and tapped on the doorframe before he entered. "Hey, Jin. Any change?" He asked, hoping that what he read in Doc's eyes was wrong.
Jinx looked up from her deadpanned expression. Sighing heavily, she shook her head. "Nothing. Courtney hasn't moved. I even sang to her and prayed for her but still nothing. Doc's been in a couple of times checking on her, but…I have a really bad feeling about this Vin." Tears started to flow from her eyes. A ninja was supposed to be emotionless, but she could not hold her sorrow in any longer.
Concerned, Falcon quickly walked over to where Jinx sat and pulled her into an embrace, letting her sob on his chest. It was the first time that he had seen her this emotional. When her tears subsided, he softly said, "Ron and Conrad are in the area. They will be here soon. Doc went to get Lifeline."
Jinx nodded and dried her eyes and cheeks. She got up and looked at her friend, lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to tubes and monitors. She clasped Cover Girl's hand once more before she softly mumbled, "It doesn't even look like her, Vin."
Falcon had been trying to not look at Cover Girl but finally stole a glance at the woman in the bed. He kept his own shocked expression hidden from Jinx as he truthfully couldn't be sure that it was his teammate either. Instead, he calmly replied, "It's her. Ron will know it's her."
--
Doc gently shook Lifeline awake. "Ed, wake up."
Lifeline jolted awake. "Huh? What?" He looked up and saw Doc standing over him. "Oh no, Doc. Please don't tell me," the medic solemnly inquired, searching Doc's face.
"No, no," Doc said, shaking his head, realizing what Lifeline was thinking. "I'm sorry to startle you. I just wanted to let you know that Conrad and Ron are on their way. They should be here soon."
Forcing himself to begin to breathe again, Lifeline nodded. "Oh, okay. How are they?" He asked. The activities of the past day were still very real to him. The number of times that they almost lost Cover Girl in surgery scared him to death, and those memories taunted and haunted his brief sleep.
"Bill woke up but is sleeping again. There is no change on Courtney except for a tiny increase in her pulse and the bleeding is not as severe as earlier, internally or externally," Doc reported, grabbing a cup of coffee and downing it quickly. "Jinx and Vince are with her now."
"Thanks for the update. I better go meet them," Lifeline said, stretching his long legs and reaching to grab his folder.
"No Ed. I want you to stay here. Go check on Bill and then relieve Jinx and Vince. I want to speak to Ron first. I would like for you to be with Courtney when I bring Ron by."
Lifeline met Doc's concerned expression and nodded. "Okay, Doc," Lifeline agreed, grabbing his papers and heading towards Wild Bill's room.
Doc grabbed his folder and made his way to the garage to hopefully meet Duke and Dusty on their way in. He saw Scarlett and Hawk waiting by the doors. "Any sign of them yet?"
"Nope, but they are close. Within the next five minutes," Hawk informed. "Any news for me?" The General asked.
"Bill is out of his coma," Doc answered quickly but then his tone of voice lowered as he continued, "but no change on Courtney."
--
Most of the long flight to the hospital was flown in silence. Dusty only answered when Duke asked him a question, except when he asked his own question. "What exactly happened, Conrad?" The desert trooper managed to ask as a strong, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach grew. He remembered some of the facts that Flint and the others had told him but was having trouble processing the horrible news.
Duke laid all the facts on the table, concluding with, "She took a lot of shrapnel. Most of it embedded itself in her back and chest. Her head injury came from the Mobat slamming into the side of her Wolverine, tossing the tank on its side. Her forehead collided with the instrument panel and God only knows what else. I honestly doubt if she knew what hit her." Duke's mind was still remembering that horrible battle. He painfully relived the force and horror of watching the Mobat crash into the Wolverine and flipping it over, just like it was a matchbox car. The image was entrenched in his memory. He was the only one to make it out without an injury, and that terrified him, especially when he thought of everything that happened. Selfishly, he kept putting his wife in Cover Girl's place and trying to feel what Dusty must be feeling. He didn't know how the kid was keeping it together.
Dusty didn't ask anymore questions as he tried to concentrate on preparing himself for the worst. They had not received any updated reports from Doc and that worried him. After they landed, he trudged behind Duke to the waiting jeep in a daze. On the short drive to the hospital, Dusty stared at the scenery and never even noticed when Duke pulled into a parking space and shut off the motor. He suddenly felt Duke's hand on his arm, shaking him gently and repeating his name. Looking over at the First Sergeant, Dusty nodded. "Thanks," he told Duke.
The two soldiers walked up to the doors, and Duke immediately saw Scarlett, Hawk, and Doc waiting for them. His heart sank, and he quickly turned to see Dusty stop dead in his tracks. "Ron, come on," Duke urged.
Hawk witnessed what was going on and headed outside. His ears heard Ron's questions. "Is she? Are we too late?"
The General looked at Dusty. "No, son. She is still the same. Doc just wants to talk to you before you see her."
"No! I want to see her now!" Dusty angrily growled, finally showing some emotion. He clenched his hands into fists.
"Ron, you really ought to talk to Doc first," Duke argued, silently wishing Dusty to settle down. The last thing he wanted to do was forcibly make Dusty listen to Doc and Hawk.
"I promise you, Ron. I'll only talk to you for a few minutes. There are a few things that you need to know," Doc conscientiously but sternly told Dusty as he and Scarlett walked towards the trio.
Dusty looked from face to face and realized that he didn't stand a chance at getting past them and seeing Cover Girl. Running his hands through his hair, he nodded. "Okay," he sighed in a defeated voice. He knew it wasn't going to do him any good to fight with any of them. It would just delay his arrival at his fiancée's bedside.
Hawk led the way back inside the hospital as Doc and Dusty followed. Scarlett studied Duke's face before she circled her arms around his waist and buried her head against his chest, beginning to quietly sob. Duke pulled her tight, letting a few of his tears slide down his face as well.
--
Lifeline walked into Wild Bill's room. The cowboy was sleeping, so he checked over Wild Bill's vitals, happy with the drastic improvements. The X-rays that he looked at showed that a few vertebras were fractured, but the spinal cord was not injured. He hoped that was true but knew some final X-rays needed to be ran to be absolutely sure.
Leaving Wild Bill's room, he walked into Cover Girl's room, only to be met with two pairs of eyes staring at him. He offered Jinx and Falcon a smile and asked, "Any change?"
"No," Jinx whispered.
The lump in Lifeline's throat grew, and he quietly stepped up to the bed. He looked over her head dressings and noticed that they were clean. "How many times have they changed these?" He asked, glancing at the chart and noticing that it was only documented as being changed once. 'The nurse surely forgot to notate the last time', he thought.
"Only once, right after you left," Jinx answered. "Doc is pleased that the bleeding has slowed down."
A small sigh escaped the medic as he quietly said, "I am too." His hand brushed across one of Cover Girl's cheek and felt the heat of the fever that had set in. He quickly glanced at her temperature and made a note of her condition for Doc. Mixed emotions raced through him. He was relieved to see her body reacting to the infection, trying to help heal itself, but he and Doc would have to watch Cover Girl's temperature closely so that it would not get too high.
Falcon watched Lifeline and then tugged on Jinx's arm. "Ron should be here soon. Let's leave," he suggested.
"I'm ready," Jinx agreed softly. Noticing Lifeline's expression, she asked, "Is something wrong?"
Absorbed in his diagnosis, the medic answered, "She has a fever that we will need to monitor closely." Realizing what he had just said, he glanced up at the two alarmed faces and quickly continued. "Don't worry. The equipment won't let anything drastic happen, and Doc and I will be around checking on her constantly."
"I know you will," Jinx said, squeezing Falcon's hand tightly in her own from worry. "We'll see you later."
"Okay, thanks for watching over her Jinx," Lifeline said.
"Sure, anytime," Jinx replied, following Falcon out of the room. "I want to see Bill for a minute," she told Falcon. As they walked across the hall into Wild Bill's room, Jinx explained to Falcon that Wild Bill had come out of his coma.
Lifeline watched the two of them leave before he turned his attention back to Cover Girl. "Hang on, Courtney. Please hang on," he whispered to her before reciting Psalm 23, a favorite Bible passage that his father had always told him to rely on and believe in. His voice was shaky and quiet as he struggled to speak the words ingrained in his memory. A few tears fell from his eyes. After he finished, he made the sign of the cross, like he had always seen his dad do, over her forehead and then her chest. He knew he was not a minister by any means, but he hoped that God would overlook that and bless her anyway.
Lifeline was just about ready to sit down when the door opened, and Dusty and Doc walked in. He could see Dusty's red eyes, and he was glad that his dark glasses were covering his own red eyes. Giving Dusty a sad smile, Lifeline whispered, "Ron, I'm so sorry."
Dusty's eyes darted around the room, looking at all of the machines hooked up to the woman that he loved more than life itself. His ears rang as they listened to the constant beeps and hums of the machines. He felt Doc nudge him gently, and his feet moved towards Lifeline and the bed. Hearing Lifeline speak to him, Dusty answered, "It is not your fault, Ed. Thank you for…" The desert trooper was at a loss for words. Doc had just told him the extent of her injuries, and the struggle to keep her alive on the operating table.
Lifeline put a reassuring hand on Dusty's arm then stepped back from Cover Girl's bedside to allow Dusty to approach her. Doc walked over to the other side of the bed and stood across from Dusty and Lifeline. He noticed the increase in Cover Girl's temperature and gave Lifeline a quizzical look. Lifeline met Doc's gaze and slightly nodded, confirming that he was aware of the high temperature and had duly noted it.
Speechless, Dusty finally allowed his eyes to settle on Cover Girl. A few tears escaped from his eyes, but he made no motion to wipe them away. With a shaky hand, he reached out and grasped her left hand. His other hand tenderly caressed one of her bruised cheeks, letting his eyes look over all the dressings on her head and seeing the bandages protruding from her gown. He fought the overwhelming grief worming its way into his heart and soul. She looked so frail and helpless, not at all like the determined, energetic, and strong-willed woman whom he had fallen so helplessly in love with. He could still hear the monitors beeping in the background, but they seemed to be miles away.
"Would you like to be alone with her for awhile?" Doc asked hesitantly.
"Yes please," Dusty nodded, not bothering to look up. He could not tear his eyes away from her.
Lifeline patted his friend on the back soothingly and said quietly, "We'll be right outside the door. If you need anything, just say the word."
"Thanks, Ed," Dusty replied in a monotone voice. He heard the two sets of footsteps walk away from him. "Courtney, please wake up. I need you with me," Dusty begged, allowing more tears to fall from his eyes.
The machines continued to beep, and Cover Girl continued to sleep. The young trooper buried his head next to her still body, letting the hospital blankets absorb his ocean of tears.
Thank you for the continued reviews and words of encouragement. It is wonderful to see the little emails that ff net sends when I have a new review. Please continue to review. I had extensive training this week, but I hope to get the next few chapters finished and uploaded soon. By the way, don't bother telling me if you think too many tears have been shed by the Joes. I have seen more grown men cry in my lifetime, including myself, and I will never forget the images.
Next chapter: Steeler's funeral. Lady Jaye and a few others return from the desert for the funeral and to keep vigil.
