Chapter 13 - Hawk
“Hawk, we’ve got a situation.” The Commander’s tone jolted Hawk awake and shattered the remnants of sleep. He leaned against the bathroom sink, the cool porcelain grounding him as he processed the gravity of the situation. “Someone snuck into Flora’s hospital room. They tried to kill her.”
Panic ignited in his chest. “Is she okay? Where was Ghost?”
“It looks like they tried to inject her IV—probably Silent Dust. Labs are analyzing the sample now. Maria was at the nurses' station, delivering MRI results for another patient, when she saw him—dressed like a surgeon, took a syringe, and injected into Flora’s IV,” Michaels explained.
“I’m headed there now. I’ll get details, but… this isn’t random.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Hawk said.
Images of Flora flooded Hawk’s mind. The thought of someone trying to harm her made his blood boil. He pictured Maria, her instincts sharp, rushing through the sterile, fluorescent-lit hallways, determined to protect her friend.
As he hung up the phone and rushed back into the bedroom, Lindsey sat up in bed, “What happened?”
“Someone tried to drug Flora at the hospital. I’m meeting the Commander there to find out more,” Hawk said as he gave her a quick hug and kiss.
Lindsey gasped softly and jumped out of bed, grabbing her robe. “I’ll make a pot of coffee while you get ready. What do you need me to do?”
“Coffee sounds great, sweetheart. I’m calling the team and getting Swede to check the hospital security cameras.”
As he made his way to the kitchen, he called Red, talking softly so as not to wake the kids. “Hey, we have a problem.” He poured himself a cup of coffee while telling Red what he knew so far. “Get Swede and Hank on the hospital feeds. You and Zulu come with me to find out what’s going on.”
“What happened to Ghost?” Red asked, then muttered, “Nevermind, Zulu’s on it, went to voicemail.”
After giving Lindsey a quick kiss and promising to keep her updated, Hawk climbed into the driver’s seat. Moments later, Red and Zulu ran out of Bear’s house next door—the place they jokingly called “Hotel California”—and jumped into the car with him.
As Hawk drove to the hospital, his cell rang with a call from Hank. “Got a description from Flora’s room—five-seven, dressed in scrubs, hat, mask. Very slight build. Can’t tell gender from the footage.”
In the background, Swede’s voice crackled through. “Current feeds show a doctor and nurse working on Ghost. He’s down but alive.”
A flash of anger and helplessness shot through Hawk.
His jaw clenched so tightly he felt like his teeth would crack.
“Shit! What the hell is going on here?” His fist slammed against the steering wheel with a thunderous impact.
“We’re two minutes from the hospital,” he spat through gritted teeth. “Making it in one.”
The car rocketed forward, tires squealing slightly on the asphalt, as the world narrowed to that single goal: reach Ghost, find out what happened, and stop whoever was behind this.
Hawk’s eyes were dark pools of fury and determination, and every nerve tingled with the brutal need to see justice done, by any means necessary.
The three men took the stairs two at a time up to the ICU on the third floor, crashing unceremoniously through the door into the hallway. Seeing the Commander at the nurse’s station with Maria, Hawk strode over; ignoring everyone else, he barked out, “SitRep?”
The Commander’s face tightened, a storm brewing behind his eyes as he motioned for the team to follow him into an empty room nearby.
Once inside, he lowered his voice, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him.
“Something went down in the room across from Flora. Ghost walked in there; he got drugged. The assailant slipped out right after Ghost went in, then headed straight for Flora’s room.
That’s what Maria saw when she was at the nurse’s station. ”
“Maria was delivering MRI results to the nurse’s station,” the Commander continued. “She wanted to check on Flora while she was there. Maria and the head nurse saw a ‘doctor’ heading into Flora’s room.”
Red interjected, “At 2 a.m., no legit surgeon would be making rounds in the ICU—especially not without the nurses knowing.”
The fury in Hawk’s eyes sharpened. His fists clenched involuntarily. “And doctors don’t dispense medication; nurses do.”
The Commander nodded, his expression grim.
“Maria told the nurse to call security. She went to check on what the so-called doctor was up to. When she walked in, she saw this guy or gal dressed like a surgeon, injecting something into Flora’s IV.
” His voice dropped, heavy with the weight of the revelation.
“She yelled, but the intruder shoved her down and bolted out of the room, heading down the stairs.”
“I wanted to chase after him, but then Flora’s monitors started blaring. She began seizing, and the nurses rushed in. I had to get out of the way,” added Maria.
All the men cursed softly under their breath as the Commander continued. “They decided to put Flora into a medically induced coma to help her recover from the trauma,” he explained. “She’s been moved to an isolation unit in the ICU for her safety and to monitor her closely.”
Pacing the room, Hawk turned back to the Commander. “And Ghost? Do we know what happened?”
Maria added, “As I was coming out of Flora’s room, I saw a body on the floor across the hall. Well, I initially just saw a foot, but as I got closer, I saw Ghost and yelled for a doctor.”
Red, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, shook his head in disbelief. “This is insane. Who the hell would do something like this? We need to find that bastard.”
Zulu, always the pragmatist, chimed in. “We need to secure the area. If they got in once, they can do it again.”
The Commander shook his head, as he answered Hawk’s question about Ghost, “Not yet. The doctors are still assessing him. He was drugged, waiting on labs. He’s stable. Until we can talk to him, we don’t know what happened, but somebody got the drop on him.”
Running his hand through his hair, Hawk exclaimed, “He’s called Ghost for a reason. He gets in and out, and no one ever knows he’s been there… what the hell!” Suddenly, another thought crossed his mind. “What about the patient in that room? Did they see anything?”
“There wasn’t a patient in that room; it was vacant,” muttered the Commander.
Hawk rolled his eyes, frustrated by the lack of information, “Well, I doubt Ghost went chasing ghosts. OK, Red, you’re on guard duty now.” He looked at the Commander. “Can we have them bring Ghost to Flora’s room so Red can keep an eye on both?”
“I’m sure I can make that happen.”
“Red, you good?” At his nod, Hawk shoulder bumped Zulu. “Let’s get back to the house and work with Hank and Swede to scare up some leads.”
Back at Bear’s house, now being used as the Command Center, Swede stepped forward and let out a sharp whistle to get everyone’s attention.
“We need to find this guy. Now!” he said, his voice cutting through the tension in the room.
Swede adjusted his glasses, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he spoke.
“I’ve been parsing through Flora’s mobile device, deconstructing the text threads.
I’m utilizing a proprietary algorithm I developed, which should enhance the pixel density in the security footage.
This should facilitate a more accurate output for the facial recognition module, allowing us to extract identifiable biometric data. ”
Zulu raised an eyebrow, a smirk creeping onto his face.
“So, let me get this straight, Swede. You’re saying you’re going to make the blurry ghost in the footage look less like a pixelated blob and more like a real person?
Because if you can turn that digital mush into a face, I’m buying you a drink.
Just don’t ask me to explain it to anyone else—I barely understood what you just said! ”
Hank looked up from his phone, unfazed by Swede's techno-babble. “I just received a text from Red. Ghost had ketamine in his system. He’s awake and in the room with Flora now. Red’ll call us once he talks to Ghost and gets the full story.”
Hawk, Zulu, and Swede all nodded, relief washing over them. “Good,” Hawk said, his voice steady. “We might get some more clues as to what the hell is going on.”
Zulu chimed in, a grin on his face. “Let’s hope Ghost remembers more than just the taste of the ketamine. Otherwise, we might need to hire a psychic.”
Swede, still focused on his screen, added, “Or maybe a data recovery specialist for his memory. But I’d prefer the psychic—at least they come with a crystal ball.”
Hank chuckled, shaking his head. “Let’s just hope we get something useful out of this. We need all the intel we can get.”
After running time zones in his head, Hawk figured it was probably mid-afternoon where Bear was, assuming he was still on the carrier. Now felt like the right time to reach out. He glanced around the room, feeling a surge of appreciation for his friends, who were already deep into their work.
“Alright, you guys keep digging, I’m gonna call Bear and give him the details,” he said, a tightness in his chest at the thought of breaking the news. About thirty minutes ago, he had checked in with Commander Michaels to see if Bear was able to take calls or if he was off the grid on a mission.
As the first light of dawn bathed the sky in gentle hues, Hawk stepped outside. He paused and let the quiet morning settle over him before he dialed Bear’s secure line.
“Bear, it’s Hawk. Can you talk now?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. What’s up?” Bear’s voice came through, steady as always.
Hawk paused, the early morning calm hanging in the air. “Flora’s alive, but it’s not just a simple battle anymore. Someone got to her—drugged her again with more Silent Dust. She’s hanging in there, but it’s serious.”
“What? What the hell did she get mixed up in?”
Hawk quickly filled him in on the timeline from the night before, explaining how Maria had stepped in to save Flora.
Silence hung heavy on the line, and Hawk could feel Bear’s frustration and anger coming through.
“They put Flora in a medically induced coma to help her recover,” Hawk said, trying to keep his tone steady. “She’s in isolation in the ICU for her safety. Ghost is in the room with her, and Red and Zulu are trading shifts guarding the door. We might have Hank bring in some backup.”
“God damn it!!” Bear exploded, his voice a raw mix of anger and helplessness. Hawk could almost picture Bear’s fists clenched tight on the other end of the line.
“You promised you’d protect her! What the hell are you doing?” Bear demanded, his voice rising. “You need to catch this son of a bitch!”
Hawk could hear Bear pacing around whatever cramped space he was in on the ship.
He knew he had to rein him in before his anger spiraled out of control.
Drawing on his days as a Captain, he spoke sharply into the phone, “Lieutenant!” His authoritative tone sliced through Bear’s fury, grabbing his attention.
Hawk listened as Bear took a few deep breaths, waiting for him to regain his composure.
“Sorry, Sir! Damn it, Hawk. I… I need to be home!” The frustration in Bear’s voice was obvious, a mix of anger and helplessness that Hawk totally understood.
“Please take care of her for me and catch this guy. We’re leaving in the next hour to hopefully finish this mission. As soon as it’s done, I’m on the first plane home.”
Hawk could feel the weight of Bear’s responsibility pressing down on him from miles away. “I promise, Bear,” he said, his voice firm and reassuring. “We’ll take good care of Flora and the kids. You focus on your mission. Just keep your head on straight and stay safe out there.”
The silence on the other end was heavy, but Hawk knew Bear was processing everything. “I read you,” Bear finally replied, his voice steadier now, though still laced with concern.
“I know,” Hawk said, empathy woven into his words. “But you’re a damn good leader, and your team needs you right now. We’ll handle things here. Just get the job done and come back.”
“Thanks, Hawk. ‘preciate it,” Bear replied, a hint of gratitude breaking through the tension.
“Anytime, brother. We have your six,” Hawk assured him, feeling a renewed sense of determination. “Now, you go kick some terrorist ass.”