Chapter 10
Jax worked swiftly, rolling up Noor’s sleeve to find a suitable vein and preparing an IV line.
The pale light from his headlamp cast shifting shadows over her bruises and the dark blood soaking her gown, a stark reminder of her critical condition.
As he stabilized the IV catheter and secured it carefully, Jax glanced at Noor’s limp form, concern etched across his face.
“Link,” Jax whispered, urgency in his tone, “there’s a lot of blood here. Looks like she might be having a miscarriage on top of everything else. Two broken arms, broken ribs…she could have internal injuries.”
Sammy’s heart dropped at Jax’s words, a wave of nausea crashing over him.
The thought of losing his mother and now possibly her unborn child felt like a physical blow.
He staggered back, gripping the edge of the table for support, his breath quickening.
“No…not her too. Please,” he murmured, eyes wide with disbelief.
The reality of the situation crashed down around him like a heavy fog, suffocating and disorienting.
Link keyed his comms, his tone clipped but urgent. “Swede, update us. Noor’s alive but in critical condition, heavy blood loss, multiple fractures, and signs of significant trauma. Also, give Dog a heads up. He may need medical supplies that aren’t standard for him.”
A brief pause followed before Swede responded. “Copy that. I’ll inform Dog. I’m patching through to Commander Michaels next.”
Link listened as Swede engaged in a low, secure conversation with Michaels. After a moment, Swede returned to Link’s comms. “Warden’s team is on alert and en route to the safe house. Hank is coordinating medical evacuation for Noor. ETA approximately three hours.”
Link nodded to Jax. “Stabilize her and buy us time.”
With Jax’s steady hands having stabilized Noor’s condition as best as possible in their makeshift triage, Link cleared his throat and turned to Sammy. The boy was still kneeling beside his mother, eyes red and wide with exhaustion and fear.
Link tapped Sammy on the shoulder and gestured for him to come closer, guiding him away from Jax and Noor to give both privacy and room for Jax to work.
His voice was soft and caring. “Sammy, I need to talk to you for a minute, man to man.”
Link met Sammy’s eyes, his expression serious but gentle.
“Son, I know this is hard. Seeing your mother like this, it is tearing you up. But when we’re moving forward you have to learn to lock that away for a while.
I have been in battles where letting my feelings take over would have meant losing myself or worse. ”
He paused, letting the words sink in. “You’ll feel a lot. Fear, anger, sadness. It’s all real, all okay. But right now, you have a job to do. You have to focus on keeping us safe.”
Sammy nodded slowly, the weight of Link’s words settling inside him. “I understand, Dad.”
Link handed Sammy the rifle, his voice steady and clear. “Are you ready to handle this? I’ll need both hands to carry Noor. It’s going to be your responsibility to watch over us and keep us safe.”
Sammy nodded, gripping the rifle tighter and standing taller. “I’ll be ready.”
Link met Sammy’s gaze. “Good. Remember, lock the feelings away until we’re safe. Then you can let them out. For now, stay sharp and keep watch.”
His hand rested briefly on Sammy’s shoulder, a steadying touch. “Let’s move.”
On the third floor, Link moved carefully, cradling Noor’s fragile body against his chest. Her breaths were shallow but steady, and every step had to be precise to avoid jarring her broken frame.
Ahead of them, Jax took point, leading the way down the narrow stairwell with his medical bag over his shoulder and rifle in hand, eyes alert for any threat or sudden change in Noor’s condition.
Sammy brought up the rear, rifle at the ready, his eyes sharp and constantly scanning their surroundings. The weight of responsibility pressed down on him, but he met it with determination.
Jax, Sammy, and Link entered the kitchen with Link carefully cradling Noor in his arms. The rest of the team quickly gathered their bags.
They moved cautiously out of the kitchen into the courtyard, the open air a stark contrast to the oppressive silence inside. The others followed closely behind, bags in hand.
A few yards back, Shadow and Tariq flanked Hassan and Fatima. The older couple moved as best they could, their faces pale but determined as they clutched the few belongings they had packed. Tariq stayed low and alert, senses sharp for any sign of danger.
Link knew the van was only about a mile away, but with Noor in critical condition and Hassan and Fatima being older, that mile felt like a long and dangerous journey ahead.