Author's Note: Thanks again for your ongoing interest in this story. I have to say that the fans of The Brave are much more interactive than any other show that I've posted under. Hopefully our interest will pay off in a second season.

Jaz's POV

I woke to movement and found myself being carried in McG's arms once more. Looking up at the sky I realized night was falling. We were moving out. I glanced around and the guys were blending into the darkening landscape so well that I couldn't pick them out from our surroundings. It seemed like it was just McG and I but I knew the rest of the guys were guarding the two of us. McG smiled down at me and his white teeth flashed in the darkness. I pulled myself closer to him by fisting my hand in his vest. It was freaking cold out here and he was throwing off some nice heat. Just when I was comfortable, I was handed off to Top who was kneeling in the back of a moving truck that must be our current camoflague. He carried me to the back and placed me on a plastic wrapped mattress that really did look as if it was being moved somewhere. It took a bunch of shifting around but I found a comfortable position for myself.

I felt the rumble of the truck starting up and prepared for pain. Surprisingly enough the memory foam of the mattress seemed to be absorbing most of the movement. They rolled the door of the truck down and it was now so dark in the back that I couldn't tell if my eyes were opened or closed. I really didn't like it. It made me feel alone again. Fortunately I didn't have time to focus on the feeling for long since McG came to sit next to me.

"How's the ride?"

"Not bad. I'll have to get myself one of these mattresses."

"Believe it or not, Top suggested it because he has one at home. Personally I figured when we weren't on rotation that he slept on the ground outside."

"Who would want to sleep on the ground if this was an option?"

She knew she wouldn't.

"So, your're feeling okay?"

"A little cold but otherwise okay."

I heard him rustling around and a blanket covered me.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Try to get some sleep. This is the easiest part of our journey."

I figured as much. Most of our missions required sneaking around behind enemy lines on foot. I didn't expect this would be any different.

Dalton's POV

I finished updating Command on our plans and heard the tail end of McG's conversation with Jaz. About 30 minutes later I saw his penlight come on and carefully made my way back to them. It was clear she was sleeping so I kept my voice at a whisper.

"How's she doing?"

"The good news is she's comfortable. The bad news is that her temperature is climbing. It's only a hundred degrees right now but I don't expect it to stay that way. The only thing she said was that she was cold."

"Okay. Keep me up to date. If we have to modify the plan, we'll modify it."

"More rest won't help with this problem. Best if we continue as is and I'll treat her symptoms as they arise."

I admitted to myself that I was worried. One of the last things I wanted to do was drag Jaz across this Country injured. Injured and ill ranked even lower on my list. Unfortunately we didn't have a choice. We weren't safe here.

Fortunately, the hours passed smoothly and by the slowing of our truck I knew we had reached our exit point. It was time to take this show on the road while our contact continued driving the moving truck to its intended destination.

I heard McG waking Jaz to let her know he was about to change her dressing. He checked her vitals and removed her IV. Now that we were on the move keeping her line in place wasn't really an option. He got her to her feet and carefully walked her to the tailgate of the truck helping her sit so I could get her down. I put my hands under her armpits and lifted her, slowly lowering her to the ground in front of me. She grabbed my waist for balance and once she was sure of herself she stepped away holding onto the truck.

McG checked her again and declared her good enough to make a pit stop at some nearby bushes. The rest of the team was taking advantage of other bushes nearby. Never good to have a full bladder and find yourself in a firefight. By the time she rejoined us it was clear she had walked as far as she was going to tonight. McG wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady and I walked over to join them.

"Jaz, Preach is going to carry you. We're going to strap you to him like that rescue mission we did in Kabul."

She wrinkled her face at me but we both knew she wouldn't say anything. She was smart enough to know she couldn't make it on the harsh terrain.

I pulled a black sweater from my pack and handed it to McG. He would help her into it as the higher elevations would be too cold for her. She was shivering already. Once she was wearing the sweater, which honestly looked like a dress on her, McG and I picked her up and held her piggyback style to Preach's back. Amir proceeded with positioning the straps and quickly secured her to his back. She could either look over Preach's shoulder or rest her head between his shoulder blades. Once we were certain she was secure, Preach stood from where he'd been kneeling.

"We need to feed you more Jaz. My normal pack is heavier than you," he said as he patted her thigh.

"You okay?" McG asked her.

"Not as good as the memory foam mattress but not too terrible."

"Good. I wish I could say this won't hurt but there'll be some discomfort. In two hours you'll be due for pain medication and we'll see how you're doing," McG said.

Jaz's POV

I gave him a thumbs up and a smile. Ninety minutes later I wasn't smiling and the only finger I'd be giving anyone was the middle one. Geezus I hurt! I was also freaking cold. Cold enough that I was shivering continuously which was just fantastic for my wounds. I had my fist clenched in Preach's shirt, my forehead pressed to his back, and my teeth gritted. I just had to make it 30 more minutes.