Elaina ~
Lainey's ears were still ringing after the gunshots had finally subsided and she watched all of the men around her relax their posture and let out sighs of relief as they lowered their weapons.
Oh thank God.
She looked out one of the busted windows for her own peace of mind and saw Axel and Hawk walking around with their guns pointed down, weaving through the bodies that were scattered in the grass around the house and checking each one for any signs of life.
"Is it over?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"Yeah baby it's over." Caleb said as he wrapped his arms around her, letting her bury her head in his chest.
Caleb started discussing an evacuation plan with Declan, who looked like he was in a lot of pain as he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall.
Juan's threat of a second wave burned hot in Lainey's mind and it was obvious that she wasn't the only one thinking it. Every man around her was packing up, moving things into bags and readying themselves to leave.
"Tell me how to help" Lainey said, knowing that Caleb needed all the help he could get since so many members of the team had been injured.
Caleb smiled down at her, but his smile wasn't as bright as it usually was.
"Can you pack the med bag while Dec and I call Nate to get us a ride outta here?" Caleb asked as he pulled a satellite phone from one of the bags.
"Yep." Lainey said, with her feet already moving.
She crouched down next to the med bag that was sitting between Grayson and Pierce, letting her eyes focus intently on Pierce's chest, watching it rise and fall as he laid unconscious on the floor.
Lainey was trying to keep the supplies organized and in their rightful places, but her hands decided to stop cooperating with her and started to shake. Flexing and balling her fists, Lainey tried to regain control of her arms and hands, but it was no use. Her entire body was violently shaking and she couldn't get it under control, despite her efforts.
A large hand wrapped around her arm and a deep voice sounded from beside her.
"Just an adrenaline dump sweetheart. Happens to everyone." Grayson said from his seated position on the floor as he rubbed his thumb back and forth across her arm.
"Doesn't look like it's happening to everyone." Lainey countered with her voice shaking along with her entire body.
"You're just not used to it. Look at Austin, you see how he's rolling his shoulders and neck like that?
"Mmmhmm." she said, looking over at Austin, who noticed the attention he was getting and made his way over.
"Everything okay?" Austin asked with a smile.
"Lainey's strugglin' a little, comin' down off of her adrenaline high." Grayson said.
"Shit happens to everyone...I'll sit with ya so we can come down together." Austin said, lowering himself down to sit next to Lainey.
"Deep breaths...in and out." Austin coached as Lainey started to huff air.
"Too fast, too fast." Austin chuckled, understanding that Lainey was trying to speed up the process so she could help Caleb.
Lainey felt Austin take her hand and press it against his own chest, wanting her to feel his chest expand and collapse so she could mimic his breathing pattern.
"With me babe." Austin said, taking a deep overexaggerated breath as he puffed his chest out beneath her hand.
Lainey gladly accepted his help, wanting to get herself under control as quickly as possible so she could continue to help Caleb. She knew he wasn't exactly happy with her at the moment and she'd do just about anything to get in his good graces again. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him as he leaned over the table, examining a map with Declan as the two of them strategized with Nate on the best location for the medevac helicopters to pick them up.
"Caleb doesn't look like he's struggling with his adrenaline." Lainey observed.
"Yeah well that's because he hasn't relaxed yet and probably won't until you're safe at home. You're shaking because your body was flooded with adrenaline, but now that you're relaxed that adrenaline is dropping rapidly. The sudden change is what's making you shake. My bet is that Caleb's adrenaline won't drop for a while."
He's also pretty pissed at me. I bet that doesn't help either.
Caleb's body moved around the table as he pointed out different evacuation locations on the map, discussing each one with Declan and Nate in the process. He lifted his eyes briefly to check on Lainey and kept them there as he saw Austin soothing her.
"What's wrong?" Caleb asked with a concerned look in his eye as he came around the side of the table.
"Just a little adrenaline dump, Doc. We got her." Grayson answered.
Pulling Lainey's pills from his pocket, Caleb dispensed some into his hand and crouched down in front of Lainey, grabbing her other hand and dropping the pills into her palm. He knew as well as she did that adrenaline was her enemy and had the tendency to drop her potassium levels.
"You okay Lainey girl?" Caleb asked, wanting confirmation from Lainey to know whether or not it was okay for him to return to the table with Declan. She knew he'd stay with her if she asked, but as much as she wanted to, she also knew he needed to work and that every second counted.
"I'm okay." she confirmed with a warm smile.
Caleb could read her like a book and knew she wanted him to stay, but appreciated the fact that Lainey could recognize the importance of what he was doing. He gave her a knowing grin and gave her a quick peck on the top of the head before he stood.
"We got a plan?" Grayson said, grimacing as he repositioned his wounded arm.
"Got us a rally point for evac. about five klicks to the North. I don't know if Juan was bullshitting about that second wave, but I sure as fuck don't want to stick around to find out." Caleb said, informing Grayson and Austin of the developing plan.
"What are we gonna do about sleeping beauty over there?" Austin said, nodding his head toward Pierce who was still unconscious.
"I got him'" Marcus said as he passed by with Pierce's equipment that he had just collected from the room.
A loud whistle sounded from Axel outside, causing all heads to swivel in his direction. Caleb brushed past the men and stood in the door frame looking out at Axel and Hawk who were standing over one of the men taking pictures of his body.
"Quintana?" Caleb called out, receiving a thumbs up sign from his teammates.
"Why are they taking pictures of Juan?" Lainey asked Austin.
She could tell his response was calculated as if he searched for the words that he was allowed to say to her before he opened his mouth.
"There's quite a few intelligence agencies that are gonna want to know he's been taken out."
Lainey accepted his response, nodding her head without asking any of the other questions that were buzzing around in her brain at the moment, knowing he probably wouldn't answer any of them even if she had asked.
"Y'all ready to roll?" Axel asked as he and Hawk joined the group in the house.
"Born ready." Declan said as he folded the map with one hand, nursing his wounded shoulder.
Lainey gathered the rest of the medical supplies and secured Caleb's medical bag, putting it over her shoulder as the group headed outside.
Pierce had started to stir, but was nowhere near conscious enough to walk the three mile hike they had ahead of them. Caleb and Axel helped position Pierce across Marcus' shoulders, letting Marcus wrap one of his arms around Pierce's legs and the other around his arms in a fireman's hold.
"Got him Mac?" Axel asked as Marcus stood effortlessly.
"Yeah I got him."
The rest of the men divided the bags and packs based on who could carry what.
There's so much to carry.
"I can carry Pierce's pack," Lainey volunteered, causing multiple heads to whip in her direction.
"That rucksack weighs nearly fifty pounds baby." Caleb said softly from beside her.
"I mean it's got straps and I don't have any bullet holes in my arms or shoulders...You guys are already carrying so much...I could at least try." Lainey offered again.
Caleb sighed an irritated sigh that Lainey wasn't used to having directed at her, but he relented. He walked over and grabbed Pierce's bag, letting Lainey slide her arms into the straps before he adjusted their length so they were tighter against her shoulders.
"Tell us if this gets too much for you, okay?" Caleb said with very little warmth in his voice and a smile that only traveled halfway up his cheek.
He's trying hard not to show it, but I can see how mad he is.
Caleb turned on his heel, but only took one step before slumping his shoulders and turning back around to face her.
"There's somethin' I gotta say Lainey." Caleb started as he cupped her face and tilted it up toward him. Bringing his face closer to hers, he locked eyes with her before he continued.
"Once we make it safely to this rally point, I've got a lot to say to you, and you're probably not gonna like most of it." Caleb said firmly.
"But until then I need you to know...that I fucking love you Lainey. You hear me? And I'm damn proud of you. This hike is gonna suck and I need you to talk to me and ask for help when you need it. If we need to slow the pace - tell me, if that pack gets too heavy - tell me, If you feel your levels start to drop - tell me. Because despite all the shit that's going on tonight, none of it changes the fact that you're my girl. Okay?"
I love you Caleb Tanner.
"Okay." Lainey answered, nodding in his hands with an uncontrollable smile that started in the corner of her mouth, but seemed to be spreading by the second.
Lainey felt tiny butterflies flutter in her soul at Caleb's words. Despite the fact that he was angry with her, he wanted to make sure she knew that no matter how angry he was it didn't change the way he felt about her. That he would always be her safe place no matter the circumstances and that she could always turn to him. Unconditional love that's what he had for her - love that had no limits or conditions and she felt the exact same way.
He pressed his lips against her forehead and gave her wink before picking up his gear and leading her toward the rest of the group.
The first mile was mostly uphill which was less than ideal and Lainey struggled against the heavy bag, but was determined to go as far as she could possibly manage. All of the men around her were weighted down with packs, duffles, and cases of equipment that had all been brought to the house in the SUVs that Juan had destroyed. They had all positioned Lainey in the center and set their pace according to hers, which was getting slower by the minute, but she pressed on, willing her body to keep going.
She felt her calf muscle twitch slightly and recognized the early signs of a muscle cramp immediately which let her know all that adrenaline had inded messed with her levels.
Letting Caleb's words replay in her mind, Lainey looked over at Caleb and asked for help.
"Caleb? I need to take a break and get some meds." She said in a soft voice, feeling guilty that the whole team would need to stop on her behalf.
Every man stopped their steps and turned to face her looking at her with concern in their eyes as Caleb dropped on of his bags and fished her medicine from his pocket.
"Don't worry it's not an emergency, I just want to stay ahead of it." She reassured all of the protective men who surrounded her, feeding them a half truth and hoping they'd buy it.
All it took was an arched brow from Marcus to know that her feeble attempt to convince them hadn't worked.
Caleb handed her the pills and she immediately popped them in her mouth. She crunched them between her teeth, chewing the slow release pills instead of swallowing them so she'd get a huge dose right then instead of extended over the next few hours. Her face was pinched in disgust as she chewed the bitter powder, before choking it down with her eyes squeezed tightly against the terrible taste.
As soon as she opened her eyes she saw Caleb staring down at her with his brows drawn together as he studied her, knowing exactly what she had just done and why.
"We can stop if you need to rest your legs Lainey." Caleb offered, looking her up and down as he examined her.
"They are fine for now, let's keep going while I still can and I promise I'll let you know if it gets bad." she said, hoping he'd agree.
The wheels in Caleb's head were turning and he wasn't thrilled about the idea, but he reluctantly agreed, picking his bag up and slinging it back over his shoulder.
"If that changes you let me know, medevac won't be able to pick us up for a few hours, so even if we make the rally point in the next hour, we'll just be killin' time. There's no rush baby, don't hurt yourself for the sake of time."
"Okay, I'll let you know." she agreed.
Caleb gave her a skeptical look and studied her for a second or two, looking her over from head to toe once more as if he needed more convincing.
"I can do it Caleb." she said forcefully, pleading with her eyes for him to trust her to ask for help when she needed it, but to let her keep going until then.
"Hooyah Lainey." Austin cheered her on, showing his support and encouragement with a Navy battle cry.
The group pressed on and Lainey used every ounce of strength in her body to carry the heavy pack through the terrain, but the time eventually came when her legs started to give out beneath her. She stumbled a few times, losing her footing and going down to one knee when she finally decided to ask for the help she needed.
She righted herself and turned to Caleb, opening her mouth to say she'd had enough when she heard Grayson speak up instead.
"I think I need a break Ax." Austin hollered up to Axel who whipped his head around in shock.
"Me too, my arms fucking killing me." Grayson agreed, giving an overexaggerated pained expression.
"I wouldn't mind a break either, Boss, Pierce must have packed on a few pounds." Marcus grumbled.
Hawk turned over his shoulder, picking up the hints from his teammates and joined in, stretching his arms out and feigning exhaustion.
"I could use a few minutes to catch my breath too Ax." Hawk said.
The men all dropped their bags one by one, taking a seat and sprawling out, pretending to be as exhausted as Lainey was so she didn't have to be the one to admit that she couldn't go any further.
These men are ridiculous, but I adore them - each and every one of them.
Chuckling and shaking his head at his teammates, Caleb lifted the pack off of Lainey, allowing her to give her back, shoulders, and legs a break for a few minutes.
Lainey's legs were done and were starting to cramp despite the fact that she had upped her dose a few minutes prior. Due to her condition any level of physical activity was amplified in Lainey's body causing her to get dehydrated ten times as fast as the average person and she was currently playing the price for that.
Caleb pulled one of her drinks from his pack and twisted the cap for her, letting her gulp the contents as she flexed her calf muscles.
"Legs crampin' up Darlin'?" Caleb asked as he crouched down next to her.
"Not yet, but they are getting tight." she admitted.
"I don't know if I can carry that pack the rest of the way...but I can try if you need me to." she said honestly.
"Say no more sweetheart, I'll take the pack." Caleb said, giving her an appreciative smile for her honesty.
They sat long enough for Lainey to catch her breath, stretch her legs, and finish her drink before they stood and readied themselves to press on, having to go just a little bit further to reach the rally point.
Pierce was starting to rouse, but allowed Marcus to transfer him over to Axel's shoulders, still completely out of it in his heavily concussed state. Pierce was mumbling gibberish and Caleb checked his pupils and head wound before Axel stood, taking Pierce's weight as he laid limp across his broad shoulders.
Lainey stood and took a few steps before realizing her legs weren't going to tolerate much more of this hike.
Dammit come on, we've just got a little longer. Just keep going Lainey.
Her internal pep talk was no use and her leg gave out with her next step, taking her down to a knee again. She huffed out an irritated breath and felt a massive hand on her shoulder only to find Marcus standing behind her. He gave her a grin and turned around, exposing his muscular back toward her.
"Hop on Doll." he said over his shoulder, offering her a piggyback ride the rest of the way.
"You don't have to do that Marcus, really I think I can make it." Lainey said gracefully, but knowing that wasn't true.
"Come on Honey don't make me beg. You weigh less than half of what Hollywood weighs. It'll be like carrying a rucksack...that smells better." Marcus chuckled, turning around again as an invitation to climb onto his back.
Lainey rolled her eyes, but relented and climbed onto Marcus' back, wrapping her hands around his neck and shoulders and letting him loop his arms around her legs that were hooked around his torso.
He stood effortlessly and bounced her against him in a playful show of strength to prove his point that she wasn't going to weigh him down.
Marcus had his pack in his arms and Lainey on his back, but walked as if he were taking a leisurely stroll with seemingly little to no effort needed to keep up with the rest of the group until they all reached the rally point and were able to set down their equipment and rest for a few hours.
Taking a knee, Marcus let Lainey climb off of his back, but when he leaned down she noticed some blood on his ear.
"Marcus you're bleeding." she said, as she righted herself on the ground.
"I am?" he said in confusion as she touched his ear.
"Shit I guess I am." he confirmed as he touched it as well, rubbing the blood between his fingers.
Lainey went to the med bag and grabbed a small flashlight, some cleansing wipes and some gauze watching Caleb fold his arms over his chest as he carried on a low conversation with Declan.
Returning to Marcus, Lainey shined the light on his ear which wasn't nearly as bad as she thought. It was a small scratch that had mostly clotted and dried, but she gasped as the light illuminated the side of Marcus' head.
There was a perfectly straight line that had been burned into the side of his head, close enough to burn the hair and barely break the skin more than a faint scratch. A bullet had whizzed by Marcus' head so closely that it burned the hair on the side of his head and cut the top of his ear in the process.
"Oh Marcus." Lainey said as she pulled her hands to her face, covering her mouth with her hands.
If that bullet had been just a centimeter closer...Oh my God.
"Shit is my ear gone?" Marcus said, reaching up to feel the shell of his ear to make sure it was still there, trying to understand why Lainey had gasped and reacted the way she did.
Lainey ran her finger along the trail of the bullet on the side of his head before lifting his hand to feel it for himself.
"Guess I got a few angels lookin' out for me huh?" Marcus said, once his hand registered the mark left by the stray bullet.
All Lainey could think about was Marcus' fallen teammates reaching down from heaven and shifting his body just enough to let that bullet pass right by him.
Pushing out a shaky breath Lainey continued to clean up Marcus' ear, looking over at Caleb every few seconds, watching him talk to the rest of the team in what looked like a heated conversation.
"I really pissed him off." Lainey said to Marcus, who chuckled in response.
"You didn't piss him off Hon, you scared him. There's a difference." Marcus corrected her.
"I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I wasn't trying to hurt him I was...I was trying to..."
"Save him." Marcus finished for her.
"But he doesn't see it that way, you know that right?" Marcus added.
"How does he see it? How do I fix it?"
"He didn't see himself as someone who needed saving, he saw it as you leaving him and the only way to fix it is to talk to him about it. Nothing good comes from words left unsaid."
Before she could even nod her head in agreement, Caleb's voice echoed from over her shoulder.
"We need to talk, Lainey." Caleb said in a serious tone that made Lainey's stomach turn.
Marcus gave her hand a squeeze and a quick nod of his head for encouragement as she turned and followed Caleb toward the rest of the team, who seemed to be a part of the conversation as well.
They sat and faced each other, but Caleb was silent for a second or two as if he were searching for the right words, but couldn't find them.
"What the hell were you thinking tonight Lainey?" Caleb finally bit out.
Lainey swallowed hard, trying not to react to Caleb's harsh tone that was so foreign to her.
"I just wanted it to end. I didn't want any more of you getting hurt or possibly getting killed, then he threatened the girls back home and I...I just thought that I'd rather it be me than all of you..."
There was nothing but silence from every man around her as they soaked in her words and waited for Caleb's response.
"That wasn't your call to make Lainey. You should have talked to me about it. We're a team that make decisions together and that was a huge fucking decision, not just for you, but for both of us - our entire future..." Caleb's voice started to raise its volume and tone, but he quickly got it under control.
"Cut her some slack Doc she was trying to do right by us." Declan said in Lainey's defense.
"Why are you so quick to forgive for this? Do you realize what she was trying to do, what she could have actually done tonight if we hadn't stopped her?" Caleb snapped at his teammate.
"Wanna know why I'm quick to forgive? Because that brave ass woman right there offered up her own life for me - for my wife - for my children and for you brother. Did she fuck up? Yes but does she deserve instant forgiveness?...Yes." Declan shot back at Caleb, giving Lainey an appreciative nod of his head.
Caleb huffed an irritated breath and stared at Declan for a second or two before turning his gaze back toward Lainey.
"I was scared Caleb and I wanted everyone to be safe. I wanted you to be safe, I wanted to do anything I could to keep you safe because I love you." Lainey said softly.
"You love me so much that you wanted to leave me, just like that, without even discussing it with me? What if I'm not interested in life that doesn't have you in it Lainey? We could have figured something out, a way to solve the problem, but you took it on yourself to make the decision for both of us."
There was so much pain in Caleb's voice and it gutted Lainey to hear the sad words that were leaving his lips.
"I'm sorry Caleb, you're right. I should have discussed it with you to see if there were any other options, but I was scared and there was no time."
It was clear that Marcus had had enough of the conversation and interjected on Lainey's behalf.
"Answer me this Caleb, do you love Lainey?" Marcus asked getting a wildly confused look from Caleb in return.
"The fuck kind of question is that? Of course I love her." Caleb snapped.
"Would you kill for her?" Marcus asked.
"Absolutely." Caleb said confidently.
"Would you die for her?" Marcus asked.
"In a heartbeat."
"So what's the fucking difference?" Marcus asked flatly, putting Caleb on the spot.
"She'd die for you and you'd die for her...You're wasting your time being pissed when you should be thanking your lucky fucking stars, man." Grayson added.
Lainey was wringing her hands nervously as she watched Caleb wrestle with the words that were being thrown at him by his teammates, hoping he would internalize them and forgive her.
"I thought you'd understand why I did what I did, and I'm sorry that you don't. It was never to hurt you or leave you Caleb." Lainey soothed, trying to keep her voice calm and even to keep from crying.
"What on earth would make you think that I'd understand that?" Caleb bit out at her, looking at her as if she were insane.
"I just thought about what you told me, that family isn't about bloodlines or who you live with...family is about who you'd die for... And you guys - you're my family."
Caleb dropped his head at her words and left it hanging there as he stared at the ground, letting the thick silent night air surround them.
"Please forgive me Caleb." she finally asked in a small voice that barely made sound.
He pushed out a hard breath that deflated his chest, making his shoulders cave as if the last ounce of anger was being pulled from his body with that one gust of air from his lungs before he finally brought his gaze to meet hers.
"Of course I forgive you Lainey. You didn't make me angry baby, you scared the shit out of me. The thought of losing you scared me to death because you're mine - you're my whole life Lainey Flores. None of this shit matters without you."
Tears of relief pooled in Lainey's eyes as gave him a bright smile.
"I love you Lainey. I love you so fucking much." Caleb said before he leaned forward and cupped her face, pulling her in for a passionate kiss that made every man around them start smiling.
And with that kiss Lainey was his, forever and ever as long as he'd have her. It was a kiss that acted as a mutual agreement that neither was willing to live a life that didn't include the other and it was a level of love that Lainey had never felt before.
They were smiling like fools as they pulled away from one another, staring at each other with deep love and contentment even in the most stressful situation.
"I miss Nat." Pierce's groggy concussed voice slurred from where he was laying on the ground next to them, causing everyone's shoulders to bounce and shake with laughter.
"We'll take you to Nat Buddy, don't worry." Marcus chuckled, patting Pierce on the shoulder.
Lainey looked around at the men who surrounded her with smiles on their faces despite the hell they had just been through. Her new family was tough and they loved her just as fiercely as she loved them.
**************
Need your opinions readers! Would you like a chapter of Lexi and Nat getting the news that their men have been injured? I'd be happy to include their POVs but I don't want to disrupt the flow of the story. Let me know what you think!
Any other thoughts? I'd love to hear them sweet readers!