Chapter 11 #2
Everything was happening so fast. Amanda’s head was spinning. Was it just that morning she’d woken up in the jungle? “Oh, but…I haven’t had a chance to make sure Rain is taken care of! To talk to a vet, to get the paperwork I need to bring him back to the States.”
Obi-Wan nodded, lifting a reassuring hand.
“I hope it’s okay, but I’ve taken the liberty of getting a few balls rolling.
As soon as I heard that Blair wanted you out—ungrateful bitch—I had a feeling your first concern would be for the dog…
and also the kids. Colonel Khan has agreed to have some of his soldiers guard the school for the foreseeable future, in addition to Blair’s increased security.
To make sure the rebels don’t try to take the kids a second time. ”
Amanda’s eyes teared up. She wasn’t sure why she was so emotional about everything. Maybe because it was so much change, so quickly. Or the fact that she thought she’d had another couple of months to figure out her life before heading back to the States.
Up until now, Nash hadn’t said much, but his hand rested on her knee under the table, giving her support without saying a word. It felt good to have him next to her, silently giving her strength as her life spun out of control.
“Can you give us a few minutes?” Nash asked his friend.
“Of course. If you’re done, I’ll take your trays up,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll meet you later outside the colonel’s office. I want to see what I can do to speed up the process of getting Rain vetted and the necessary paperwork completed.”
“Can you even do that?” Amanda couldn’t help but ask.
“Watch me,” Obi-Wan said with a cocky grin, before heading away from the table with their empty trays in his hands.
“Can you pack up a to-go box for us to take to Rain?” Nash called out.
Without turning, Obi-Wan lifted his chin in the affirmative, making his head tilt back, giving his copilot the answer he needed.
Nash turned in his chair and took Amanda’s hands in his. “Talk to me, Rebel. Are you freaking out? What do you need from me?”
“I just…this morning we were in the jungle,” she said, repeating the thought she’d had a moment before.
“Right? It feels a little surreal for sure. I’m guessing I’ll have a belly ache later from all the food I just shoved down my gullet.
How are you feeling about your time here being cut short?
Should we fight this? Because you’re a volunteer, you don’t have a contract, nothing that’s legally binding…
but I’m sure there’s something we can do to make Blair reconsider. ”
Amanda was taken aback by Nash’s use of the “we” pronoun, and not “you.” She’d always been independent, didn’t have a choice, and it felt amazing to not be alone right now.
“Um, honestly? I think I’m ready to go. I’m going to miss the kids horribly though.
I had thoughts of maybe adopting one or two.
Which probably sounds crazy, considering I’ll have no job when I get back to the States and I’m single.
But hopefully by the time the paperwork is pushed through I’ll have found a job. ”
“It’s not crazy. It’s something I have no trouble imagining.”
“I really bonded with Bibi. She’s only four, and she’s had such a hard life already.
I wanted to bring her home and show her that the world isn’t the horrible place she probably thinks it is after losing her parents and being brought to the orphanage.
And maybe Michael. He’s older, and the chances of anyone adopting him are slim. But he’s extremely smart and sweet.”
“Just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean you can’t adopt them, or any other kid,” Nash said gently.
He was right. For some reason, Amanda was thinking her ability to adopt any of her students was being taken away, along with her volunteering position.
But just because she was leaving, essentially being fired, didn’t mean she couldn’t still adopt.
It might be more difficult from afar, logistically, but surely Blair and Desmond would feel more comfortable with a long-distance adoption when they personally knew the person who wanted to take in the children.
“Yeah. I’ll need to think about it, but you’re right.”
“What about Rain, if Obi-Wan can’t get the approvals necessary to bring him back right now? Will you be okay leaving him here? We’ll find someone trustworthy to foster him.”
“I don’t have a choice, do I? I mean, it’s not as if we can smuggle him across the border.”
Nash raised a brow at that.
“Can we?”
He chuckled. “I’m not saying it would be smart, but if you’re going to be crushed, go into a mental decline, hole up in your apartment and become a depressed hermit, I’ll make it happen.”
It was hard to believe she was chuckling after she’d just been ready to sob, but this man had a way of making her see the brighter side of things.
“I really, really, really want to take him with us. I think he’d be confused and scared if he was left behind.
But I understand that might not happen, so as long as we can leave him with someone who’ll take care of him, not abuse him, I’ll be okay with that. ”
“All right. And last…are you okay with coming back with us? It’ll be a long trip, and flying in a chopper isn’t exactly the most comfortable mode of transportation. We have an expanded fuel tank and, if needed, can refuel in flight. But again…it’s not the most pleasant way to fly.”
“I’m more than all right with that,” Amanda reassured him. She wanted to admit that she felt more comfortable being with him and Obi-Wan than being left on her own, but decided just reassuring him that she didn’t mind flying in the helicopter was enough.
“Okay. Let’s go feed Rain, then meet with Colonel Khan. You can tell him your story, then we’ll go back to the school so you can talk to Blair and say goodbye to the kids.”
“I guess there was more to my stuff being packed up than her just not wanting the children to suffer bad memories, huh?” Amanda asked.
“Looks like it.”
“I can’t believe this. I really thought Blair was becoming a friend. I know she’s in her seventies, and I’m not even thirty, but I still thought we clicked. Guess I was wrong. I’m ready. Let’s get this done.”
“If at any time you need a break, don’t be afraid to speak up. The colonel can seem gruff, but he’s fair and a good leader,” Nash told her.
“I will.”
Then Nash leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m proud of you, Mandy. None of this has been easy, and you’ve held up extremely well. Just a little longer and you’ll be home safe and sound, and all this will be a memory.”
“All of it?” she blurted, then blushed with how desperate she sounded.
Nash eased back and put a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Not all of it. In case you’re wondering, my mind hasn’t changed about wanting to date you when we get back to Virginia.”
Relief made Amanda almost dizzy. “Mine either,” she said shyly.
He smiled at her. “Good. I was afraid you might change your mind, now that we’re out of the jungle and you aren’t so reliant on me anymore.”
He was worried that she would change her mind? Hardly. But she felt a little smidge of relief that he wasn’t as sure of what was happening between them as he sometimes seemed. “Not a chance,” she reassured him.
In response, he leaned forward and kissed her briefly.
A mere brushing of his lips against hers, but that small touch made most of her doubts disappear.
He wasn’t regretting telling her he wanted to date her.
Wasn’t backing off to put space between them.
If anything, he seemed to be doing his best to get even closer.
Which Amanda was completely on board with.
“Come on, let’s do this. Hopefully after your meeting with the colonel, Obi-Wan will have more info on Rain’s situation.”
“Will you stay with me while I’m talking to him?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll stay.”
“Thank you.” Amanda didn’t like how needy she felt. How off-kilter. But for some reason, instead of feeling completely safe, as she had when they’d first arrived at the base, it now felt as if a black cloud was hanging over her head.
As she walked out of the cafeteria with Nash at her side, her hand in his, at least she felt as if she wasn’t alone.
Like if the sky fell in, Nash would be there to help her get out from under it.
Maybe that was premature, but he’d shown himself to be someone she could not only rely on, but lean on when things went awry.
She could only hope it continued, because she had the sudden idea that life wasn’t done kicking her in the teeth.