Chapter 44
CHAPTER 44
Twenty-three days passed. I dutifully walked Chloe twice a day. I ate the balanced and healthy meals that Beth prepared for me. I went to bed at the same time every night. I thought about Jackson constantly.
Why had our last conversation been so stupid and useless? Why hadn’t he answered his phone? Why had I read his journal?
They say that there are stages of grief. I was in the stage of bargaining. If I took care of myself, would he come back? If I agreed to leave, but he still maintained a relationship with Alien, would he survive? I was willing to bargain anything and everything if only to secure his survival.
Forbes checked in every so often. Nothing new to report. They still couldn’t get to the crash site. They didn’t know if anyone had survived the crash. They didn’t know if Jackson was in the hands of the enemy or if he was making his way out from behind enemy lines. With each day that passed, my hope faded just a tiny bit. How long would we be forced to wait until we heard news? I felt like I was in some sick limbo. Only existing. Taking care of my body and my baby but there was no joy, no laughter, no hope left in my body .
How did people survive loved ones who went missing? I started obsessing over news stories of parents whose children had been abducted. Stories about college daughters whose cars were found empty at the side of the highway, and they were nowhere to be found. I was looking for some roadmap from their families as to how to deal with coping with these terrible emotions that I seemed to be drowning in. I had no idea how to handle this, so each day became the same. One day after another. Eating, sleeping, walking and waiting. It was excruciating but at the same time, every day that I didn’t hear bad news meant that there was still hope that he was still alive.
I sat in the family room. Chloe was curled at my feet. Alien was practicing flip flops in my stomach.
Beth came in, holding the phone in front of her towards me.
“Who is it?”
She pushed it closer to me, her lips pressed tight together.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Are you Mrs. Jackson Hunter?”
“Yes.”
“You are married to Jackson Hunter?”
“Yes,” my voice was a little squeak.
“We would like to inform you that your husband has been found alive.”
For a second my entire world went dark. It felt like I was in a tunnel. I fought to get back to the light.
“He’s alive?”
“Your husband is alive.”
I sat there completely still. “Where is he?”
“He is currently being medivac’d to the Navy Seal hospital in Virginia.”
My lips parted, but no words came out.
“Do you understand?”
“My husband is alive?”
“Yes.”
I fought to grasp what they were telling me. “Is he injured? ”
“I don’t know any more details than what I have told you.”
I grabbed Beth’s hand and squeezed it hard. “When will he be arriving?”
“We estimate that he will arrive at the base in about 9 hours.”
I started to laugh and cry at the same time. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I hung up the phone and then Beth and I hugged and wept.
Eight hours later, I stood in the waiting room of the hospital with Beth next to me. Jackson hadn’t arrived yet. No, they had no news. No, they couldn’t tell me anything. I needed to take a seat, and they would come and get me when he arrived.
Fifteen minutes later, Forbes walked into the waiting room. He hugged me hard.
I was vibrating.
“Where is he? Is he okay?”
“They’re admitting him. The doctors are looking him over.”
“What happened? Is Guinness okay?”
He guided me to sit down. “Jackson’s bird went down. Both of the pilots were killed on impact. MacDog survived unscathed. Guinness was banged up pretty good. His leg was broken.”
I wordlessly shook my head.
“Before they could escape, they came under fire from multiple insurgents. MacDog took one clean shot that went through his shoulder.”
My lips parted in shock.
“They took on a group of 20 or more men and managed to fight their way out of there.”
Horrified, I shook my head.
“It took them three weeks of moving through extremely violent and rough terrain before they found their way out. Guinness’ leg was busted so bad, MacDog carried him. We estimate they traveled over 80 miles through the jungle and over a fucking mountain before finding their way to one of our outposts. Jackson carried Guinness despite having a bullet wound in his shoulder. We have no fucking clue how they survived. When they arrived Guinness was unconscious, and MacDog was delirious.”
“What about Guinness?”
“He’s suffering from severe dehydration. He was left in the field operating table overseas. They're trying to save his leg.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s going to live.”
We sat there for a few minutes.
It dawned on me that the last time Jackson saw me he had asked me to leave. He had told me that our relationship was over.
Forbes looked at my face. “What’s going on?”
Tears blinded my eyes. “He’s safe, and I don’t even know if he wants to see me.”
He stood up and walked over to his bag. He pulled something out. “The field doctor gave this to me. They found this on MacDog when he came in.”
“What is it?” Tears, relentless tears, streamed down my face.
He walked over and handed it to me. “MacDog has been carrying that around since the day you sent it to him in the mail.”
I opened the bent and cracked photo covered with streaks of dry blood. It was Alien’s ultrasound. “What?”
“Your husband has been excited about that kid since the day you got pregnant. We used to harass him. He was always looking at that picture. On the plane, lying in bed, drinking at the bar. He was constantly pulling that out and studying it. So, yeah, I call bullshit when you tell me that he is now turning his back on you and that kid. There’s no way.”
Tears, stupid tears streamed down my face.
Forbes shook his head. “I talked to Guinness. He told me how injured they both were and how MacDog helped carry him, mile after mile, day after day. He never gave up. He said your husband chanted two words over and over again. Every step he took, he said two words. Want to know what they were?”
I swallowed.
“Every fucking step he took, MacDog repeated ‘Emily Alien Emily Alien’. Over and over. Step by step.”
My heart nearly split into two. Hope, pain, fear smashed into me.
The doctor appeared in the doorway of the waiting room. “It appears that Jackson is waking up.”
“Can I see him?”
He motioned with his hand. “Come on back.”
I followed the doctor through the hallways towards Jackson’s room. The doctor paused before we entered the room. “Jackson refuses to listen to us and has ripped out his IV twice and has already fallen while trying to get out of bed. He won’t lie still. He keeps removing all of his tubes, and he is determined to leave. We have had to restrain him physically.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief.
“We are considering sedating him, but we don’t want to do that considering what he has just endured. If he becomes agitated while you are in the room, I’m going to ask you to leave immediately.”
“Please,” I begged. “I need to see him.”
I stepped into the room and rushed to the bed. Jackson looked like a pissed off bear fighting for his life. He jerked his arms against the restraints, and sweat was breaking on his brow for his effort.
“Sweetheart,” I said in a small voice. “Where are you going?”
Green eyes narrowed on my face, and then he stopped moving. “I was coming to find you.”
Tears spurted out of my eyes. “Well, I’m here.”
He lay back on his pillow, out of breath. “You’re here.”
I nodded and reached out and grabbed his big warm hand. “I’m here.”
He shut his eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
I looked at the doctor. “Take his restraints off.”
The doctor stood there for a long moment .
“Take them off. He won’t be going anywhere.”
The doctor nodded at the male nurse who undid the ties.
I was crying.
“Come up here,” Jackson said, his eyes closed.
I sniffed, wiping my nose with my hand before climbing up on the bed next to him. He shifted over, making room for me. I felt his big arm come around me. I lay snuggled up against his warmth and thought for a moment that I had died and gone to heaven. We lay there for a long moment, just absorbing each other’s warmth.
“How’s Alien?” his voice was rough.
I lifted my head to look at his beautiful face. “Well, Alien is the size of a butternut squash and weighs in at about two and a half pounds.”
His eyes were closed, but his lips curled into a smile. “What the hell is butternut squash?”
“It’s like a pumpkin. People make soup from it.”
“That sounds awful.”
I started to cry even harder. “Well, as far as vegetables go, this isn’t Alien’s best week.”
He laughed.
I lay my head back on his good shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Please. You have to forgive me. I can’t live without you.”
“Shhh,” his hand pulled me closer to him. “I wasn’t going to let you go anyways.”