Chapter 1
The fucking screech of the heart monitor is constant, piercing my skull like a missile flying through the air the ringing is deafening. I can’t lose Lily, Alexa definitely can’t go through losing another Mommy, FUCCKKKK!
I’m going to rip that fucking pricks heart out, and I’ll enjoy every bloody minute of it. He thought it was his God given right to put his filthy fucking hands on my girl, he has stolen the life of my angel and Alexa’s chance of having a Mommy, and I vow that I will reign down hell on his black soul then burn him into hell where he belongs.
My heart is thumping, trying to claw its way out of my chest to be one with Lily’s, and all I hear is the squeal of the monitor proclaiming her heart has stopped beating. I have tears streaming down my face like a little bitch, this woman, my angel, has given me a happiness I never knew possible, she gave me life.
My beautiful broken girl doesn’t deserve what life has thrown at her over the past eight years, I will kill that son-of-a-bitch, Trickle is going to hurt in ways he could never imagine, trust me when I say we have all seen and learned a thing or two from our years of SEAL life and Tier 1 missions. Torture techniques are something we’ve all partaken in throughout the years and we are damn good at it.
My angel was protective right up till the end, baby, she said, ‘Baby, Doc, baby.’ what if she is carrying our baby, fuckno, she has to live, Lily is my life... hers cannot end here.
:Alpha 1, Alpha 1, snap out of it, Chief! Doc blasts through the Comms and I turn to look at him and he’s signaling for me to flip my mic down.
:Alpha 7, this is Alpha 1, what can we do Doc? Lily can’t die, she’s our life, and her life has only just begun, she has to live!!
I below, my voice hoarse with emotion.
:Alpha 1, you need to take control of the Hawk, I need Alpha 4 back here with me.
:Alpha 7, what the fuck man? I need to be here with Lily.
:Alpha 1, get your shit together NOW!! Blake has the same blood type as Lily, now move your ass.
My eyes widen in understanding, and hope blooms in my chest. I lean in and kiss Lily on her forehead, and then move swiftly to the cockpit and take over the controls.
:Alpha 4, go do what you can to help save our girl.
:Copy that, Alpha 1, I’m on it, see man, I’m not just a pretty face, you just concentrate on keeping us steady and getting us to LHH as quickly as you can. We have clear skies ahead with no restrictions, Lennox Hill Hospital and Air Traffic Control know we’re coming in hot and are clearing our flight path.
:Roger that, Alpha 4, do everything you can and thanks man.
I give Blake a nod and he moves to the back to help Doc try to bring Lily back to life.
My mind now laser focused on getting this bird and my girl to LHH as fast and as smoothly as I can, I flick my gaze back over my shoulder and see Doc’s inserted a cannula into Blake’s neck, shit that was quick he’s definitely not fucking around, going straight for the jugular for rapid artery transfusion of blood, he is determined to save our girl. We’ve all had to do a few of these in our time on hectic missions, as a donor you experience the feeling of death which is not fucking pleasant.
I hope to all that’s holy it’s not too late. Lily’s been down for too long, it feels like hours, but in reality, I know it’s been less than two minutes, Doc has kept oxygenation flowing through her system so I’m hoping there’ll be no long term affects if Doc can get her to come back to us. We’re seven mikes out but if I push a little harder, we can make it in five.
:Alpha 7, this is Alpha 1, how we looking Doc, can I increase speed?
:Alpha 1, this is Alpha 7, yes, all cannulas in place and fixed, get us there as fast as this bird will take us.
:Roger that, good copy, Alpha 7.
As soon as I push forward on the throttle my heart shudders in my chest. I hear a beep… then another… my own heart rate quickens at the sound.
:Alpha 7, this is Alpha 1, is that Lily’s beat? or is Blake in trouble.
:Alphaa 1, thiss is Alphaa 4, I’m gooood, Chieffff.
Blake says sounding a little drunk from such rapid loss of blood, which means it’s Lily’s heartbeat, YES! Fuck yes, she’s alive!
“Hooyahhhhh,” I give a long battle cry and feel tears spring to my eyes once again, “fuck yeah, Doc, you’re a legend!”
My own heartbeat is now thumping in my chest encouraging Lily’s to increase, and the biggest shit eating grin spreads across my face, my girl is such a little warrior.
:Alpha 1, this is Alpha 7, not so loud man, I need to concentrate here, our girls critical, how far out?
:Alpha 7, this is Alpha 1, five mikes, I can push it to full speed and get us there in three but she’s gonna be shaky.
:Alpha 1, this is Alpha 7, do it!! Radio ahead that we will need blood for both Lily and Blake, he is almost at limit. B-, I repeat B- for both, and if they can B- RhD- for Lily, if she’s pregnant she’ll need it, inform them that you have positive blood.
:Copy that, Alpha 7.
I radio Doc’s orders into the Critical Care Team at LHH and tell them we’re two mikes out but to stay behind doors till I give the all clear it’s safe, because I’m going to do a tailwheel first landing due to our speed and rapid decent. We usually do this a lot in combat not in civilian situations, but it’s the quickest way to descend and I need to get Lily on the roof as fast as possible.
:Alpha 7, this is Alpha 1, prepare to land tailwheel.
:Copy that, Alpha 1.
I see the helipad and almost upon it so I spin the Hawk’s ass around and thrust forward aligning with the horizon, and the Hawk goes into hover mode and starts descending.
:Alpha 1, to LHH, 1 mike to touchdown, be ready.
:Alpha 1, this is LHH we’re standing by.
Landing the bird smoothly, I start auto shutdown and move to the back to help Doc, we both remove our helmets and Doc removes Blake’s. I look at my strong girl as we prepare to lift her, my angel looks like a ghost she’s so pale, which means she’s lost a lot of blood, there has to be internal bleeding somewhere.
“Doc, do you have an idea of what is going on?” I ask above the rotor noise.
“Yeah, she’s got a pneumothorax and each lung has collapsed, but I managed to intubate before the right lung went. I’d say her liver or spleen has ruptured with the force of all the blows that prick inflicted.”
I growl and bare my teeth with the mention of Trickle beating on my girl. We all know the lingo we’ve worked together as a team for twelve years, ever since BUDs all of us in the team at one point or another should have died a hundred times over with all the injuries we’ve racked up.
“What if she’s pregnant Doc?” I say with panic evident in my voice as we raise Lily and transfer her off the bird.
“I’ve alerted the team, and we’ll take all the necessary precautions, I won’t be leaving Lily, I’ve requested, no demanded to be her surgeon and will do my best, brother.”
I nod and breathe a heavy exhale, “Save Lily, no matter what, she is your main priority but if you can save them both.”
“That’s my aim, Lily first and I’ll do my best at protecting a possible pregnancy. I got her man; you know I’ll do everything in my power to save her.”
If Doc can’t save her then no one can, my brother is a freakin’ genius surgeon, in all fields and I know my angel is in the best hands possible.
:Alpha 1, to LHH, all clear, I repeat, all clear.
The doors to the roof fly open and the critical care team rush toward us and grab the medevac stretcher and transfer Lily onto the gurney. As soon as she’s secured, we start running.
The second team passes us as we approach the elevator to retrieve Blake from the Blackhawk, he is now in critical need of blood, being bled rapidly does a number on your body, and he needs and immediate transfusion himself. This technique is only ever done in dire circumstances, but he helped save our girl and I will be eternally grateful. Just as I step forward to enter the elevator and a male nurse puts his hand on my arm.
“Sir, there’s not enough room, you can catch the next one up–”
I grab his arm and spin him around so he’s outside the elevator and lean into his face, “Get your fucking hands off me, you can catch the next elevator with my brother, you will not keep me from my girl!” I boom.
“But I nee–”
“I’ve helped keep many people alive and seen more trauma cases in my life than you will ever see!!” I grind out.
I let him go just before the elevator doors close and then notice the deafening silence, there’s only the beat of Lily’s heart coming from the machine and the ventilator breathing oxygen into her lungs. I turn and face everyone and every single person is staring at me.
“The only place you will keep me from is the operating room, do you hear me?” Immediately I see people start to nod.
“But be warned, the only reason why, is because my brother, Doc, here, is performing Lily’s surgery, and he’s the best damn surgeon I know. I will not be held from my girl; you get me?” They start mumbling and nodding, then a brave woman speaks up.
“Yes, Sir, but please be patient with our staff we’re here to assist and help in any way we can to save your girl.”
Doc looks over at her and gives a slight quirk of his lip, I catch it and see that Doc likes the red head standing up to me, I grin at her and go to speak when Lily’s alarms start screaming again.
“Chief, as soon as those doors open you need to haul ass and get out of our way, you get me?” Doc says in a deathly calm, focused voice which I’ve heard all too often, “go be with Alexa, I will send word when I can, but we need to hustle, got it?”
“Save her, Doc,” I manage to express.
No sooner have the words left my mouth, the doors open and I move my ass out of their way and can only watch Doc giving his commands as the team rush Lily to surgery. Fuck! I bend over resting my hands to my knees and stare at the grey linoleum floor and just take a moment to breathe, my mind is spinning with thoughts of Lily and our family.
I hear the ding and look up as the elevator opens again, and I see Blake on a gurney arguing with the medics.
“I don’t neeed to be on thisss fucking thinggg, I can walk let me the fuckkk up!!”
I step to the side and into step with their movements and look at Blake, he’s as white as the sheet and the only thing moving is his mouth.
“Blake, you need to shut your hole and listen, you need to replenish brother.”
Blake’s head lolls to my side to look at me and he gives a goofy grin.
“Chiieeefffff, did we savvve our girlll?”
I need to keep my head on straight when Blake is in this condition, “Doc’s just wheeled her into surgery Blake, but you, brother, need to do as you’re told by the medical staff, you hear me? Doc is in there saving Lily’s life, and you need to recover, what if Lily needs more blood!”
At that his eyes close and just as he’s about to nod a young woman decides to pipe in, lady, not now, I know how to handle my boys to keep them focused on the mission.
“Sir we have the blo–”
Blake’s head rolls to look at her.
“No,” I say giving her a stern look, warning her to stop. “Blake here is the only one giving my girl blood.”
She nods when I raise my finger to my lips in quiet.
“I’ll be good, for Lily.”
Blake says looking back toward me and I nod and clap him on the shoulder as we turn into a room. “I’m just going to speak with the doctor you stay put, brother, get treated and join me when you’re good.”
“Roger that, Chieeefff.”
I turn and stop outside the room and the woman stops beside me, “I am Ethan Blake’s, boss and Chief, trust me when I say; that to get him to comply with your needs what I said to him was the best approach and you need to use it to keep him in bed. My men are all trained to fight till the end, and he will fight you on it, you say whatever you need to, to get him back in condition but also know he will do what’s best for our team and family, we look after our own.”
The woman smiles, “Understood, I’m Doctor Kapor, now is there any allergies or conditions we should know about with Mr. Blake?”
“Apart from a multitude of rods and pins throughout his body, Blake has no other issues. Doc, our team medic and surgeon is in surgery working on my fiancée Lily, and has all our history, If I’m unavailable you call Mike Reid, do you have a pen and paper?”
“Yes,” Doctor Kapor says handing me her notepad and pen, I write down Reid’s cell number, and hand it back.
“If you need any further medical information please contact Reid, he has access to our files.”
“Will do, thank you, Sir.” She says nodding while putting the pad and pen back in her pocket.
“Call me Chief or Mr. Harrington.” As soon as I say my last name her eyes widen.
I look around for a sign and decide it’s easier to ask, “Do you happen to know where I can find my daughter, Alexa Harrington, she is here and so is Commander John Davies.”
“Your daughter, and Commander Davies are in a shared suite on level seven, room one. When you exit the elevator turn right.”
“Thank you, when Blake has leveled out after his transfusion direct him to the suite, and don’t take any of his shit.” I say stern nod and turn away to go find my princess and Commander.