Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(51)
“You’re in the military hospital on base.” The nurse replied.
“How long have I been here?”
“Two days.”
“That’s impossible,” I argued. “How did I get here?”
She looked at my chart. “I wasn’t here when you were brought in. According to this you were flown in. If you give me a couple minutes I can figure out more.”
“Yeah, I’d like that. Thank you.”
I watched her walk away before sitting up and accessing the damage to the rest of my body. When I couldn’t feel my left hand I knew something was very wrong. It was casted and had pins sticking out of it.
Up until that point I’d forgotten what had happened to me. The rush of it all hit me like a ton of bricks. My head began to pound, sending me back down on my pillow.
The nurse ran back up to me. “What’s going on? Your blood pressure is rising.”
“My head. It’s killing me. Make it stop.”
Ten minutes later I was dosed with something through my IV. I closed my eyes, appreciating the ease it brought me.
Later, I was visited by my commanding officer, who informed me that I’d managed to save the little girl. He also let me know that my concussion was so severe that they feared I had bleeding in my brain. The fact that I’d woken up was a good sign. While he talked about how I was recovered and flown to the medical center, I thought about what my injuries meant for me. With no regard for interrupting I said what was on my mind. “This means I’m going back to the states doesn’t it?”
He nodded. “You’re no good to us in your current condition. A ranger needs to be able to handle a weapon.”
All I could think about was going home and seeing Kat again.
While I was waiting for all of my paperwork to go through I asked a nurse if she could write Kat for me since I had no use of my hand. I had to wait until everyone was taken care of before she could give me enough time to do it. It was obvious she’d done this sort of thing before for others who were injured.
With a pen and paper she sat there ready. “Who am I sending this to?”
“Katy, uh, address it to Kat with K.”
I watched her write down her name and add the comma. “Okay I’m ready for the message.”
I took a few deeps breaths to calm myself down. I was so damn excited to be sending this type of message that I didn’t want to leave out any details.
I took my time reciting the words, making sure she had time to keep up. Every once in a while I’d get a dirty look, but she kept going with it, so I refused to stop.
“Sorry it’s been a couple weeks since I wrote you and I know you’re probably wondering why my handwriting sucks so bad. I will first start by saying that I’m alright. You can stop worrying about me.
My left hand, the trusty one that I’ve done everything with my whole life, is out of commission.
It was a late night call and none of us had gotten much sleep. My lieutenant had us running into a building that had been attacked, retrieving any living bodies we could find. I came across this father, holding a little girl tight in his arms. As I approached, I realized that he’d shielded the impact and lost his life protecting her.
After prying her out of his rigged hold, she started to scream, as if I was there to harm her. Everything happened so fast after that. I started running, holding her in one arm and my gun with the other. I got to the corner of the building when I heard the grenade being thrown. The only problem was that it was so dark I couldn’t see the direction that it had rolled. Knowing that any second it was going to blow, I threw myself over her, blocking her with my arm and hands from injury.
The impact was insane, shoving shards of metal and debris into my arm. I could smell my flesh burning, but knew saving her was still a top priority.
Then my body gave out on me; unable to withstand the amount of pain I was under any longer. I collapsed out on the road, with the girl still in my arms.
When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I had no recollection of the day it was, or how I’d gotten there. One thing I did know was that my hand and arm was casted and I had no feeling in my fingertips. I found out that I suffered from a concussion and messed up my arm pretty bad. They think it will get better, but for now, I can’t perform my Ranger duties. So, that’s the bad news. Now for the good. Kat, I hope you’re sitting down. I’m coming home. Well, not exactly home. I’ve been re-assigned to a new base and you’re never going to guess where. Fort Jackson. I can imagine that you’re probably in tears and wondering how long you have to wait to see my handsome face again. It’s going to be soon, but I’m not exactly sure when they’ll give me the go-ahead. It’s just a bunch of ridiculous paperwork really.
At some point, I’m sure I will have to have surgery in Bethesda at Walter Reid, so that will be a joy. Seeing the family hasn’t been the highest of my priorities.
None of that matters right now. My temporary profile for now will allow me to assist with combat training and since it’s what I do best, I know I’ll enjoy it. So, I want you to know, I’m coming home for you, Katy. We’re going to start over and be together. This time there won’t be anything standing in our way. We can make our own lives now. I can’t tell you how excited I am to hold you in my arms. I feel like it’s been forever. I’ll let you know when I’m in town, by probably stopping by unannounced to surprise the hell out of you. Be on the lookout for me. I love you so much. See you soon, Brooks”