JAG Lawyers
Chapter 15 - 'D' Day
The day of their rescue and recovery operation, the JAG team went out first. They had to position the team for the invasion of the enemy camp timed in conjunction with the attack on the delivery detail. To avoid detection, no motorized units were used. The team hiked out to the enemy camp to avoid detection. It would take most of the morning at a moderate pace to get to the enemy camp. They were fully armed with infantry backpacks to hold their needed items to include additional ammo, comm gear, and the like. Each man was carrying an additional 40 lbs of gear for the long hike. Their local national double agent, Saldin, was out in front of the team as scout and point-man. Once near the enemy camp they established a command post and spread out in accordance with the battle plan. As the various squads took their positions, Kate and her detail, lead by Saldin, would be the ones to go after his family and the missile to secure them both. The detail would split into two factions once inside the enemy compound. Saldin's faction would rescue the his family, the other faction lead by Kate, would recoup the missile.
The other squads of the recovery team served as the strike force engaging the enemy and securing the overall camp. They check their gear one more time, this to ensure vests, combat helmets, gloves, eye protection and other personal protective gear were properly worn and with no defects. All the weapons were checked and then rechecked for full operational functions. When the team was declared ready, Kate gave the order to execute. The squads move out, each with their own particular goal, as part of and in sync with the overall mission.
The missile location had minimal security personnel and was easily taken by Kate's squad. As they secured the missile however, one to the men on the terrorist security detail had escaped detection having gone to the latrine to relieve himself. Hearing the noise and commotion outside the latrine, he cautiously exited and stayed hidden in the shadows. He waited his time for the right moment to inflict as much damage as he could.
As Kate and Rick working with the EOD tech quickly deactivated the missile, they drew fire from the missing man. The EOD Tech without hesitation rolled the Missile on it's wheel carrier out of range of the shooter as Kate and Rick immediately took cover and returned fire. The two had the enemy pinned. Kate and Rick then slowly approached the man's position but were not receiving incoming fire. It appeared they had gotten the man, but as they drew nearer, he popped out from his cover. Kate fired a round that took him down, but not before he could hurl a grenade at them. That grenade landing in front of Kate.
Rick was quick to catch the action of the man and yelled out Kate's name. He was running directly for Kate as the grenade landed directly in front of her, but Rick had reacted so quickly that as the grenade landed directly in front of Kate, he was able to throw his body on it thus taking the brunt of the explosion. The blast hurled Rick some six feet away, shrapnel now embedded in his combat vest, some of which had penetrated. Kate also was blown back, and received shrapnel in her arms that were now bleeding, but the wounds relatively mild compared with that of Castle.
As Kate recovered from the blast, she went immediately for Rick. He lay face down and was groaning in pain. As Kate turned him over to look at his wounds, she noticed the blood.
"Corpsman", she calls out and then commenced to put pressure on Rick's bleeding wounds.
"Medic!", she again screams out again.
When Rick is not responsive, she tells him, "Stay with me, Rick, I can't lose you! We just now came to the reality we should be together. We are just starting out and I want to see where we can go together. Don't leave me now, I can't lose you". Kate had said those words, realizing from his wounds that Rick might not make it.
She needed him to hear her revelation, in case he is lost to her. Should Rick die this day, at least he would leave this world, knowing how much Kate really cared for him. Kate was in total shock at the thought of losing him now and she could not miss another chance with him.
"Corpsmen!", she again says loudly.
The team's assigned Hospital Corpsman upon hearing Kate, comes quickly to them and exams Castle. Immediately he works to stop Castle from bleeding out and to stabilize his vitals. Once done he turns to Kate and looks at her. He immediately starts to treat Kate, removing small pieces of shrapnel from her arms and closing the wounds the shrapnel left when removed. The medic uses a fast sealing gel and bandages on Kate's wounds and then calls on the radio for an immediate MEDEVAC.
Jim Olson upon seeing that his two team mates were hit, took control of their military detail, giving orders to secure the missile and prepare it for transport. He then orders the remaining squads to find and capture stray enemy personnel to secure the enemy camp. Saldin and his detail return having freed his family. That family on the way to the pickup point for transport out. With their objective nearly done, Jim now looks to Kate and Rick.
"You okay Major? How's the Commander?"
"I'm fine, thanks for taking over while I attended to Rick. Corpsmen says CDR needs transport to the hospital ship Mercy as they have the equipment and meds to treat him that are not even available back at our outpost. He called for am immediate medevac and they are on their way."
The medevac helo arrives quickly, but just at it starts to land, is hit with anti-aircraft fire. The shoulder launched missiles from the enemy misses the helo, the aircraft is mostly undamaged. However, the live rounds fired by their small arms penetrated the aircraft's fuselage, hitting the pilot and copilot. The craft is able to land and upon landing Rick is brought on board while the corpsmen looks to the wounded pilot and copilot. The pilot is hit bad and is brought to the back of the helo for more emergency treatment. The copilot had also been hit, but not as badly. In pain however the co-pilot still had managed to land the helo.
The corpsmen treated the wounded pilot as best he could, given the severe wounds the pilot sustained. Once done treating the pilot, the medic comes forward and immediately treats the copilot whose wounds are not life threatening. Kate in the meantime takes over the left cockpit seat, she will now assume command pilot for the helicopter.
She calls to Jim Olson, who had been with her protecting her back, "Take command of the unit Jim, I have to fly this helicopter to the Mercy!"
Jim immediately exits the aircraft and takes control of the Recovery Operations.
As the copilot is patched up, and given pain meds, he gets back in his copilot seat.
"Except for some bullet holes, and injury to the command pilot, this helo is operational. You good enough to help me fly this bird?", Kate asks the Marine 1st Lt. co-pilot.
The young marine co-pilot spots Kate's wings and asks, "You qualified in rotary aircraft Major?"
"I flew Cobra's, so this should be a piece of cake for me."
"Roger that sir!", he says and then announces over the helo speakers, "Prepare for takeoff."
Once the load master acknowledges that the passengers are ready, he calls it back to the cockpit.
With that confirmation, Kate takes off, assisted by the injured copilot. Once in the air, anti-aircraft fire ensues once again. At the risk of starting her dizziness, she does some fancy evasive aerobatics she learned as a cobra pilot. They avoid the AA fire without a hit, and quite surprisingly, without the dizziness created by Kate's evasive maneuvers. What disorientation Kate experiences, is minimal, and Kate is able to cope with it. She recovers from her dizziness, not as quickly as she had in the past, but still enough to keep control of the aircraft.
Kate calls on the frequency of the Hospital Ship Mercy, "Marine Medevac enroute, please prepare trauma teams, we have two, repeat two, with life threatening wounds."
The mercy was anchored thirteen miles out at sea from the coast and the helo had about a forty minute flight to the coastline. Once there, Kate calls 'feet wet' to Mercy's traffic control once they are over the open waters and then puts the aircraft in an intercept heading to the hospital ship. As they approach Mercy's helipad, Kate hears the call of 'clear for landing'. This is the first time since becoming a cargo pilot that Kate has been in a combat situation. The chopper's copilot is impressed by Kate's piloting skills.
"Major", he tells her,"you will have to teach me some of those combat maneuvers you executed back there, it may save my ass one day!"
"Learned them in cobra pilot school, but would be glad to teach you them."
The seas are a bit choppy as they line up for a landing and the ship is bucking up and down as they reach Mercy. It had been a while since Kate had done an onboard landing to a ship at sea, so she paid extra attention to her instruments, and the hand signals from the LSO.
Once she sees that all is good, Kate lands the medevac helo on the Mercy flight deck. They are met immediately by the trauma team as Kate begins her shutdown procedures.
"Major", let me take care of securing this aircraft, you need to get to sickbay", says the copilot.
"Roger that, Lieutenant, you have the con", she says unstrapping her seat belt and heading out.
Kate herself is also taken to sickbay to get a complete checkup. She hopes that they had arrived in time for Rick and the pilot to get life saving treatment. Kate knew Rick was in serious condition and he had gotten those wounds while shielding her from a hand grenade meant for her. Rick had given no thought to his well being but chose to protect her by laying on top to the grenade even if it was at the risk of his own life.
Kate recalls the quote she had learned in her youth, 'no man has greater love than one who sacrifices his life for that of another'.
Although it was not unusual in the military to put one's life on the line to save one's combat buddies, Rick's sacrifice for her affected Kate deeply. She realized now that she did not want to lose Rick. She needed him in her life. She had denied it for so long, but now she could no longer ignore her affections for Rick. It took this event for those feelings to surface out in the open. Josh Davidson had never come to her mind all thru this potentially life threatening mission nor had she thoughts that she may have been lost to Josh! It was Rick on her mind all thru this and Josh was not even a thought. Her focus was fully on Castle!
Kate resolved then that if Rick lived thru this, she would let him into her life completely. They had lost far too much time doing this dance, avoiding the declaration on how they truly felt about each other. It was time they made up for their lost time! This she wanted for them, despite whatever difficulties, professional or personal, that might arise by becoming romantically involved. Kate said a prayer to the Universe that Rick survive his injuries.
"You're good to go, Major. Aside from some minor bumps and bruises, you're find", the doctor attending to her says.
"What of my partner, LCDR Rodger's, where might I see him?"
"I'm going there now to assist his attending physician, just stay with me."
As the doctor leaves, Kate follows close behind.