Author's Note: Thanks again for all of your reviews. I've really enjoyed writing this story and sharing it with you. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
McG's POV
I could tell Jaz was upset and I hadn't meant to make things harder on her than they already were. Clearly the whole bed pan thing was a non-negotiable point for her. Maybe if we had another woman with us she would have been more amenable but that wasn't our reality. I quickly decided that I would let her win this battle. I was sure there would be more coming during this trip.
"Top, if you'll open the doors I'll carry her up to the house."
"I can walk," she tried to assure me.
I turned back to look at her and almost burst into laughter at the irritated look on her face. Thank goodness I restrained myself. She wouldn't have forgotten.
"I know you can but I don't want you to make the effort. Being upright is going to put a strain on your incision and other injuries. You have to realize that you would normally be prone in the hospital for several days after a procedure like the one I did. We've already had to move you around more than I'd like. Either you use the bed pan or you let me carry you. Your choice."
"I don't like either choice, but if I have to choose, you can carry me."
"Good choice."
I unhooked her bag of fluids and placed it on her chest.
"You're job is to keep ahold of that, okay?"
She nodded her understanding. I slid my hands under her and picked her up as slowly and carefully as I could. Even being extremely gentle I could tell I was hurting her but she didn't ask me to put her back down. Fortunately the cement stairs to the surface were easy to navigate and I got us over to the house with a minimum of fuss. I carried her just inside the bathroom doors and slowly lowered her to sit on the edge of the tub.
"Okay?" I asked before removing my hands from around her back.
"Yes, I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Thanks for carrying me."
I lowered myself to my knees in front of her and took her hands in mine.
"I wanted to have a private moment to talk to you anyway."
She locked her eyes to mine, "Is there something you haven't told me?"
"No. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm worried that you may have been hurt in ways that you don't want to talk about. I want to know if you need additional medical attention that you might not want the others to know about."
When her eyes filled with tears, that she quickly blinked away, it was all I could do to keep my expression calm and supportive. Inside I was terrified of what might have happened to her. I had worked with both male and female soldiers who had been sexually assaulted and I knew how brutal captivity could be. It was the one fear I had been carrying since the moment I saw her being escorted away from us in the hotel.
"No, you know about all of my injuries. They enjoyed beating on me and cutting me but it never progressed to that kind of an assault. I think that might have been in the cards when I got wherever I was going."
Just knowing that she had to experience that kind of fear broke my heart. I wanted to go back and shoot everyone again. Or give her a gun and let her shoot everyone. Yes, that would be much more therapeutic for me and probably her. Her next words pulled me away from my dark thoughts by bringing my attention to more urgent matters.
"I really have to go to the bathroom, McG."
I got to my feet and walked back to the door pulling it shut behind me as I told her, "Take your time. Call me when you're ready to head back."
