Chapter 15 #2
And there was no doubt that being in the water was dangerous. There were submerged cars, road signs, and large chunks of debris that the people steering the boats had to avoid. Not to mention the downed power lines and even the occasional alligator.
“How’re you holding up?” Brain asked Aspen when they were on their way back to the staging area for what seemed like the thousandth time.
“I’m good,” she said.
There were three people sitting in the bottom of the boat, huddled together and crying with relief that they’d been plucked out of their car, which the driver had stupidly driven into a flooded street.
The current had swept the car about a hundred feet downstream until it had gotten stuck against a bunch of trees.
The trio had managed to climb onto the roof and hang onto the trees, but with the water moving as fast as it was, they couldn’t swim to safety.
They’d yelled and gotten the attention of someone nearby, who had relayed their position to the Army.
“You are, aren’t you?” Brain asked Aspen.
She gave him a small, tired smile. It was dark outside by now, and he couldn’t see her face very well. But every now and then they’d pass a streetlight that was still on, and he saw her eyes were on his. She looked…radiant. She was in her element, and it showed.
“I love this,” she said. “Not people being hurt or scared, but being able to help them. Somehow finding the right words to make them relax and trust that I’m going to get them out of whatever situation they’re in.
I love having the ability to bandage up their hurts and reassure them that they’re all right, that we’re going to get them to safety. ”
“It’s addicting,” Brain said with a nod. This was the first time in hours they’d had a moment to talk. Really talk. “You’re going to be an amazing addition to a rescue squad,” he told her.
She tilted her head, looking slightly skeptical.
“You are,” he insisted. “You know how to take instruction from someone else, but at the same time, you can think on your feet. Look at us, we’ve worked together flawlessly.
I swear several times today you read my mind.
I know whoever hires you is gonna think they hit the jackpot once you get on staff. ”
“Thanks,” Aspen said. “You haven’t been so bad yourself out here.
I’m not sure what I would’ve done without you.
That one couple that only spoke Spanish was so freaked out, I couldn’t have gotten them out of their house if you hadn’t been there to explain what was going on.
And how lucky was it that we were sent to rescue that Japanese guy?
He thought we were leaving him behind, and was desperate enough to leap into the water when we had to back up and come at him from a different angle.
He would’ve been electrocuted if you hadn’t told him what we were doing before he tried to swim out to us. ”
Brain shrugged. “As I said, we’re a good team.”
“We are, aren’t we?” Aspen said.
Not able to stop himself, Brain lifted a gloved hand and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. They were both soaking wet, as the rain still hadn’t let up, and she had a streak of dirt across her cheek. But he’d never seen anyone as beautiful as Aspen in all his life.
Shouts sounded ahead of them, and Brain dropped his hand and took a deep breath.
It was time to get back to work. He wasn’t sure how many more trips they’d be allowed to take, but he knew Aspen wouldn’t ask to take a break.
She was stubborn, like he was, and the urgency to keep going, to rescue more people, was pressing on them all.
When they neared the edge of the water, both Brain and Aspen jumped off and held out their hands to help the trio off the boat.
They walked them the few blocks to the staging area and showed them where to check in.
Aspen reassured them once again that someone would help them get in touch with their families.
She turned to head back to the boats, but Brain caught her arm. “Time for a break, chérie.”
“You’re slipping,” she said with a tired grin. “You’ve already used that one a few times before.”
Brain shook his head. “Hey, I know a lot of languages, but eventually I’m gonna run out. Besides, I thought all women loved French?”
Aspen shrugged. “I have to say that while I love hearing you call me darling in all the languages you know, I’m pretty partial to the English version…simply because of when you use it.”
And just like that, Brain felt himself getting turned on. He mock frowned at her. “You can’t say that sort of shit here, where I can’t do anything about it.”
“Oh…sorry,” she trilled, not looking or sounding sorry in the least.
“Come on,” he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward a large tent that was filled with donated food and drinks from local businesses. “Time to refuel, then we can head back out.”
He saw her frown.
Brain stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. “You have to take care of yourself first. You won’t be any good to anyone else if you fall over from exhaustion or because you haven’t kept yourself hydrated or fueled.”
Aspen took a deep breath. “I know. I just…I keep hearing their cries for help in my head, and it makes me want to get right back out there.”
“We won’t take a long break. Just enough to get some calories and water into you. Okay?”
“Okay. Kane?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad I came.”
He smiled at her. “Me too.”
“You don’t miss working with your team?” she asked.
He took her hand again and headed for the food tent once more.
“Not like you’re thinking. I mean, yeah, we work really well together, but this isn’t exactly a war zone.
During the rescues, we have to worry more about inanimate hazards, like being electrocuted or debris in the water, rather than the two-legged variety.
Believe it or not, we can operate without being joined at the hip,” he teased, happy to see Aspen return his smile.
“True. Besides, you have me,” she sassed.
“I have you,” Brain agreed solemnly.
Aspen glanced over at him, and he knew she heard the sincerity and admiration in his tone.
The food tent was surprisingly busy. There were military personnel as well as local civilians sitting and standing around, eating donated pizza, subs, and other snacks.
Brain pulled Aspen into a line and they both filled plates with food.
They stood off to the side of the tent, eating while standing up.
Their clothes were soaked and, now that they weren’t in the middle of a high-stakes rescue, Brain could feel the stress of the night pressing down on him.
He wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot shower, change into dry clothes, and sleep for a day.
But rest would come after the job was done. The rain was supposed to continue through the night and then taper off…finally. The city needed the break, and the drains needed time to do their thing.
“You ready to go catch another boat?” Aspen asked after they’d both eaten most of the items on their plates.
“Ready as ever,” Brain said. He caught Aspen’s hand in his before she could head out of the tent. “Aspen?”
“Yeah?” she asked after turning toward him.
“If I forget to say it later, you’re amazing.”
She smiled. “Back at’cha, Kane.”
Then, hand in hand, they headed into the rainy night to rescue some more stranded citizens.
Aspen was beyond tired. She felt like she did when she’d gone through the training to be attached to a Ranger unit.
Every muscle in her body hurt and her wet clothes seemed to suck the energy right out of her.
The darkness made everything look sinister and scary, and she wanted nothing more than to lie down on the ground and tell Kane to go on without her.
But she wasn’t a quitter. And there were people out there who needed help.
If she didn’t go, who would? They’d have to wait that much longer for someone to get to them.
There might be someone hurt, bleeding, or having a heart attack, who needed medical attention.
She hated to think that someone could die just because she was a little tired. That was unacceptable.
So as exhausted as she was, she’d keep going for as long as her body would allow. And hearing Kane say he thought she was amazing did wonders for her energy levels. She could probably go on until she dropped over dead, as long as he was proud of her.
Working with him had been a pleasant surprise.
She’d been nervous, because they’d never had to work side by side before.
And it was nothing like working with some of the macho Rangers.
He listened to her, didn’t try to tell her how to do everything as if she were a child, and he deferred to her in almost all of the medical situations they’d encountered.
He treated her as if she was a true member of their team, and it felt so good.
This was what she’d wanted when she’d signed up to be a combat medic. To work with others who didn’t care about anything other than accomplishing their mission. Instead, she’d had to fight to be seen as competent by the very people she should’ve been able to trust implicitly.
“Fuck,” Kane said under his breath as they approached the landing area for the boats.
Surprised at the venom in his tone, Aspen looked up. She’d been lost in her head and hadn’t realized there was only one boat waiting at the moment. It was an aluminum fishing boat, probably donated to the rescue efforts by a local civilian.
And Derek was at the controls.
Kane’s steps slowed, but Aspen clenched her teeth in determination. Yes, she hated Derek, but she could put aside their differences for the greater good. She just hoped he could too.
“Thank God!” Derek shouted, frantically waving at them to hurry. “During my last run, I heard about a pregnant woman who was in active labor. We need to get back there ASAP. Get in and let’s go!”