Love Me Long (Love Me Book 4)

Chapter 9

It was another long week spent waiting. Juric was no longer around, and where he had gone was a mystery. He had left enough men behind to guard the hospital, and they still allowed the locals to attend the clinics they held. Chloe didn't believe that the men who were coming were locals, though. She found most of them to be men who had been injured in the previous battles.

Chloe felt that the reason the men were coming was that the only remaining medical personnel were the Americans, and the Americans didn't have a side in the fight, which meant that they were more likely to get the medical treatment they needed and not be turned away. The soldiers eyed the new patients but didn't give them any trouble when they arrived.

She had been tempted to ask if any of them knew how Dimitrie was doing, but she didn't dare. After the previous week's battle was over, Dimitrie was no longer there when they returned. Either he had taken his chance to escape or been rescued. Chloe would have preferred to keep him in the hospital a little longer to make sure he healed and didn't get an infection while he was recovering.

It was late one evening after Chloe had her dinner and retired to her cot with a book when Cindy came in to get her, telling her that Juric was back and he wanted to talk with them about what was next.

Chloe was wearing a pair of cut-off jeans and an old cotton t-shirt, and she looked down at herself, wondering if she had time to change into her scrubs. Her hair was a tangled mess of mahogany waves that hung around her shoulders. It could only be described as bedhead.

She picked up her brush in an attempt to tame it, but Cindy grabbed her telling her there was no time.

Feeling extremely self-conscious, Chloe followed Cindy into the tent that housed the dining room. There were long tables with chairs, and it would be an easy place away from the few patients they had for Juric to share whatever news he had.

They were the last ones to arrive, and it felt as if every eye in the room turned to look at them when they entered. Chloe's eyes quickly met Juric's, and he let his glance take in her attire before returning to the man who was standing next to him. He was someone Chloe didn't recognize, and as she looked around the room, she realized that there were about ten new people that had joined them.

The man next to Juric pulled his gaze away from Chloe and refocused on what Juric was saying.

"You two like to make an entrance, don't you?" Don teased as he slid down the bench he was sitting on so that they could join him.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked softly, noticing a lot of people were still looking at her and Cindy.

"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they sent us reinforcements," Robert said as he joined them, pushing them down further and making it a tight squeeze for the four of them on the bench. He was pressed uncomfortably close to Chloe, who had pressed herself uncomfortably close to Cindy. Don was on Cindy's other side and appeared oblivious as his eyes remained glued to Juric. Chloe was sure that Don was a little bit in awe of Juric.

Chloe turned her attention back to Juric. Since he was addressing them, she could look her fill without anyone being the wiser. He looked tired but not as tense as he had before he had left. Juric finished talking with the man and turned his attention to the crowd of twenty people gathered before him.

"Thank you all for responding so quickly. I promise I won't keep you long," he assured them. "I have brought in a new team from the best hospital in the country. They are here to relieve you. Tomorrow you will spend the day teaching them what they need to know, and then the following day, you will all be sent to work in the hospital from which they arrived."

He looked around, attempting to determine how they were taking the news. "I know this wasn't planned, but with the continued fighting in the area, I do not feel comfortable keeping aid workers on the front lines."