Chapter 3
Ansley sat with her back against the wall. Link had cut off the lower portion of her left pant leg and was looking at the damage to her ankle and calf.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I might need to amputate.”
Shock pulsed through her. “What?”
His laughter warmed her. “Just kidding. I need to clean it. The second cut, the one on your arm, you might need a stitch or two. The real issue is the first wound. There might be some foreign matter in there, and I’ll need to get it out.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“I’ve got some alcohol. It’s going to hurt like a bitch.”
“That’s fine since I’m a bitch.”
He threw back his head, laughter spilling out, warming her. “I’m sure you’re not.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Truth. I don’t.”
Link handed her a small metal rod. “What do you want me to do with this?” she asked.
“Hold it. The alcohol is going to burn when I pour it on your wound. Squeeze that instead of screaming.”
She nodded and squeezed the rod with her hand. “Do it.”
He was right. Pain slid through her like lightning, sparking nerves she didn't know she had, and stealing air from her lungs. A scream wanted to escape, but she held it in by squeezing her eyes and mouth closed. Her body shook so much that her eyes rolled up in the back of her head.
“You okay?” Link asked.
She nodded as she tried to catch her breath. “Yeah. Never better.”
Again, he chuckled, and it made her feel better. Link had a flashlight shining on the wound, examining the area, his eyebrows bunched together as he concentrated.
Being in the military, most of the guys she knew were fit. But not all of those fit men were good-looking. Link was different. He ticked all the marks for her. Maybe it was her banged-up head, or the weird situation, or the pain from Link drowning her wound in alcohol that made her find him hot.
He glanced up and met her gaze. “Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Sure is. Just peachy.”
His lips tipped up, making him look even better than he had moments before. She needed to watch herself. A guy like Link wouldn't fall for her. She had too much baggage and too many hidden skeletons just waiting to pop out to get involved with anyone.
After getting close and examining the wound on Ansley's leg, Link was satisfied that there wasn't too much dirt in the cut. Maybe a doctor could find more, but he felt good about wrapping the wound.
He examined her arm next. It was a bad cut, deep, and needed to be closed up. The wound on her leg was too old for him to close, but he'd seen this cut happen.
“I’m going to stitch up your arm and then wrap it. I have antibiotics. You okay with penicillin?”
She nodded. “Sure. But do I need an antibiotic?”
“Oh yeah. You need it. The wound is deep. If there is bacteria in there, and there probably is, you’ll need something to fight off the infection.”
He gave her the antibiotic shot and then examined the area, not seeing anything obvious. There was swelling, so he took another look. He hoped he hadn’t missed anything.
Ansley closed her eyes when he started on the stitches. She didn’t wince much as he sewed her up. He finished with the last stitch and tied it off before cutting the string. His stitching wasn’t great, but it would do for now.
She still had her eyes closed, so he studied her. She was very pretty. He liked her attitude, too. Maybe she would be different if she weren't injured.
He didn’t need to ask if she had a boyfriend or maybe a husband. That would be too much invasion of her life. Besides, he wasn’t the dating type. They probably lived more than one state away from each other, and nothing would come from this other than fuel for his fantasies.
He grabbed a protein bar from his pack and was about to hand it to her when he heard soft snores coming from her.
His heart squeezed, and he pushed away the feelings, instead concentrating on counting his supplies and ammunition.
They were fine for now, but if this dragged on for more than a few days, they would be in a bind for food.
He couldn’t imagine his guys letting them hang in the wind for more than a few days. They’d be picked up soon enough. Once the guys figured out they weren’t buried in the rubble, they’d come looking. He was betting on it.
Ansley opened her eyes, realizing she must have drifted off at some point. The second she moved, Link cracked open his eyes, a slow smile curving up his lips.
“You’re awake.”
She nodded. “So are you.” She moved to stretch, but pain flared across her shoulders and down to her arms and legs, her injuries spiking with pain. “Ugh.”
“You’ll be sore for a few days.”
“Um, yeah. Thank you for taking care of me.”
“No problem. I’m glad I was here to help.”
A shiver worked its way through her. “I guess since you don’t have coms, you don’t know if anyone else got out.”
He shook his head. “No. There’s no way of knowing right now. I’m sure the team got them out.”
“There were fourteen of us on patrol. Only eight of us were in that room. I don’t know what they did with the other six.”
Link nodded. “It’s difficult when your buddies are injured. If they are there, my team will find them.”
She hated the way her mind was going, but she had to ask. “What if they’re all dead?”
Link blew out a breath. “You ask the tough questions.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just hate not knowing.”
“Here, eat a bar. It may not taste great, but it’s food.”
The thought of food sent a charge through her. She reached out and snatched the bar from his hands. His chuckle wasn’t surprising. She tore open the top and took a bite, chewing slowly as she closed her eyes.
He was right. It didn’t taste great, but it felt good going down. After she swallowed the first bite, she met his gaze.
“I know I have to slow down. It would be bad to shove the whole thing into my mouth.”
“Did you get much to eat while you were in there?”
She shook her head as her stomach tightened. It had been brutal. "Not really. We were given some water and a little food, but not enough."
She took another bite of the bar and chewed it more slowly this time. He offered her some water, and she drank a little, taking breaks after each sip so she wouldn’t end up tossing the whole thing up when her stomach rebelled because she was too full.
“Do you think you’ll be ready to move after you finish that bar?”
She rolled both ankles, wincing at the pain. “Sure. I won’t be fast, though.”
“I understand. I want to see what’s beyond the door and figure out how far we can go without running into trouble.”
If they moved, where would they go? They weren’t going to blend in here. He exuded military bearing, and she would stand out, too.
“I’m worried,” she whispered.
“Why?”
“We look like the American military, and I can’t move fast.”
He nodded. “I get that. But I promise I won’t put you through more than you can endure.“
“I fear your faith in me is misplaced.”
He shook his head. “You’re a Marine, you’re tough.”
She shrugged and pain traced through her. The blow to her head had thrown her for a loop. “I am, but the injuries are making me slow. My head still hurts. If it’s bright out there, I’m going to be screwed.”
“I’ll make sure you can keep up. Trust me, we’ll get through this.”
She held his gaze, believing him. Worry rose, but she would trust him. What other choice did she have? They had been through hell, but he seemed to be capable of getting her out of trouble. Hopefully, their luck wouldn’t fail.