Jenny wished she could sleep, but with the events of the day and the thoughts racing about what she was about to fly into, there was no way her brain would shut down long enough to allow it to happen. At least she got several small naps before getting up, putting her uniform back on, grabbing her go bag, and heading towards the hanger bay.
"Good morning, Ma'am," one of the flight crew said in greeting. "We're getting the helicopter ready right now. There's breakfast over in the corner if you want to grab something."
"Thank you, Captain," she said and walked over to the table that was set up. Breakfast was an understatement for what was provided, though the fruit looked a little less rotten than normal. Grabbing an apple with the least number of bruises and a bottle of water, she leaned against the wall and watched as Marines bustled around her, continuing to do their jobs as if nothing had happened yesterday.
Crews were already rebuilding, which looked more like a game of Tetris than a rebuild. Supplies were limited, so they were reusing what they could reuse. There was also no sign that this had been a triage center just hours before. Life in this hellhole of a place seemed to already be back to its normal schedule.
"Captain," Colonel Jones said as he approached her. She looked for a place to set her food but was stopped almost immediately. "At ease. You ready to go?"
"Yes, sir, though I'm still unclear as to what I'll be doing."
"Everything is already there. Once you get to the city, get to the Hyatt Regency and someone will be waiting for you." She watched Jones as he grabbed something from the table and leaned against the wall beside her. Jenny could count on one hand how many times the Colonel had positioned himself near anyone, let alone her.
"Good job yesterday."
"Sir?" she questioned, not understanding what he was referring to.
"I got a few reports of how your stubborn ass kept going out to find people, despite your own injuries."
Oh, that. "I wasn't injured, and I was just doing my job. Sir."
Colonel Jones looked over at her and raised a questionable brow. Then, before she could see what he was about to do, he kicked out his leg and tapped her bad ankle with his boot, causing her to scrunch her face in pain. "Not injured, huh?"
"It's nothing, sir. Old sports injury."
"Will you just take the goddamn compliment, Captain?"
Jenny snorted under her breath and nodded. "Thank you, sir."
"Good. Don't screw this up." Colonel Jones used his back to push himself off the wall, nodded once in her direction, and walked away. That may have been the first time they had had a decent conversation. Ever. Now she was even more worried about what she was flying into.
"Ready to go?" the Captain that had spoken to her earlier asked. "It's going to be a quick flight from here to where the C-130 is." He handed her a headset, which she placed over her ears and walked, bent at the waist, towards her first class ride. Once seated and set, they took off and flew quietly over the vast desert landscape.
In just a short distance, they landed at another base, this one bigger and not damaged. The Captain took her headset and pointed her towards her next ride, which she walked right up into.
"Supply run?" she asked as another Captain walked up and took her bag while showing her her jump seat.
"Yes ma'am," he said and checked her seat belt before leaving.
That was probably the only reason they were sending her. The plane was already heading in that direction for supplies and all they had to do was take her there and bring her back. Crossing her legs at the ankles and folding her arms over her chest, she closed her eyes and prepared for takeoff.
There would be no inflight meal or snacks. No beer or water to pass the time. Hell, she wasn't even allowed to have her phone out and the last book she had with her she finished in a week and had passed it along for others to read.
With nothing else to do, she opted for a nap. The plane began to taxi and with a jerk the giant metal bird lifted into the air. It would have been a terrifying feeling, had she not already done this a dozen times before. Hell, she'd even jumped out the back of a few.
The flight was uneventful. It was always a crap shoot when you flew over enemy lines on whether you'd have a smooth flight or a rough one. She guessed yesterday was a combination of all their resources, so they spared the aircraft.
It only took a few hours to feel like they were descending and another hour before they landed, and the back hatch opened wide. "Captain, great flight. The meal was excellent and the service impeccable." She unbuckled herself and stood, stretching. Her ankle was on fire though she'd ignore it for as long as possible.
The Captain laughed and shook his head while handing over her bag. "Glad to be of service and thank you for flying with the US government. We'll pick you up in a few days."
Jenny nodded and took off down the ramp where a car was waiting for her. The driver greeted her and already knew where they were headed. She looked out the window while asking for the air conditioner in the car to go as low as it could go. Was that a little selfish? You bet. Was she using her rank to be sure the AC stayed where she wanted it? Yep. Did she care at the moment? Not even a little.
It didn't take long before the hotel was in view with the promise of a hot shower, an ice pack and food that wasn't made from a carton or a bag. "Someone is inside waiting for you, ma'am."
"Thanks." Jenny grabbed her bag, put her cover on, and went inside the building. Being in uniform in such a public place meant that she would get a lot of stares and a few brave questions, all of which she didn't mind, except for today.
Her limp was becoming something she could not ignore much longer, and her heart hurt so bad it was hard to put on a brave face. She missed her husband and needed to call him to tell him she was okay. There had to be some way to make that happen.
After the meeting, or whatever it was she was attending, she would contact home. Surely they had WIFI so she could at least email out.
Standing inside the lobby, she looked around for someone in uniform, or someone to step forward and tell her where she needed to go. When nothing appeared, she signed, thinking she either missed them or she was early.
A gentle tap on her shoulder and words spoken brought her heart to a standstill. "Excuse me ma'am, you look lost." No, that can't be. She was hearing things wrong.
Turning, she faced the man that had caught her attention and froze. There, standing in front of her, wearing casual jeans and a solid green shirt, was Tristian. He had a smile that lit the entire room and a gaze that tore through all her defenses.
"How?" she muttered before her knees buckled and she went dropping to the ground. Tristan caught her before she hit the floor and brought her to his chest, bear hugging her until she was sure breathing would be an issue. She didn't care. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she let the tears she'd been hiding fall and held on as if her life depended on it.
She sobbed for the six months they had been separated. She cried for the last 24 hours of hell she had been through and cried harder knowing he had to have pulled some major strings to make this happen.
Gently, Tristian pulled his arms away from her and held a hand under her chin. He looked down at her with emotions that were too much for her to handle and she let more tears shed, the sheer overwhelmingness of the situation too much for her to process.
Her husband traced her features, brushing over the bruises she knew had bloomed on her cheek and the cuts she knew were there. He must have been terrified for her and yet here he was, looking down at her with the same look he had on their wedding day.
Around the two of them, time seemed to stand still. She reached up and cupped his cheek, enjoying the feel of his morning stubble under her touch. His lips under her thumb, as she began to trace the place she wanted her mouth to be, were soft and when he groaned deep in his throat, she knew he was real, and her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.
Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her mouth to his, her lips taking over and demanding that he make up for six months of lost time. He met her fierceness with his own and when he snaked an arm around her lower back, pulling her close, she knew she was about to break a dozen rules about what not to do when in uniform.
A round of applause roared to life and when she broke away from him, she looked to see they had attracted a crowd of smiling faces and misty eyes. Jenny blushed a vibrant red and buried her head into her husband's shoulder, embarrassed that she had forgotten they were in the middle of a hotel lobby.
"I'm sure the rules for indecent exposure are the same here as back home, but just to be safe, why don't the two of you take it to your room. I need a hard drink after watching that and I expect that passion to hold, so I get a niece or nephew out of this little vacation." Jenny knew the voice before the second word was spoken. It came as no surprise that Jay was a part of this little adventure and it would surprise her even less to know he was the mastermind behind it all.
"Did you bring him here?" she asked, turning her head to look at Tristian's best friend.
"I had to drug him twice on the plane. You owe me," Jay winked at her and gave her a quick hug.
"I don't know how to thank you, or even how you pulled this off," she muttered, her emotions still sitting at the edge of her words.
"I just made a call to some guy named Colonel Jones. He's a very grumpy man but said he'd handle it." Jay shrugged his shoulders and smiled bright enough for Jenny to realize there was a story there and when she had the time, she would dig it out.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome. Now go make babies so my wife gets off my ass about finding friends with kids so that ours can have play dates. You just don't know the pressure she's putting on me," Jay said with a groan as he walked off.
Jenny turned her head back to Tristian who still held a fire in his eyes that she knew well. "You're really here."
"So are you." His voice trembled and she could see the sheen of unshed tears in his eyes. "I was afraid this trip would turn into something else entirely."
"I am so sorry," she said as she wiped away a tear that escaped him. "Everyone is fine and I'm here."
"Yes, you are you." He hugged her again, this time more out of comfort than anything else. She returned the hug and couldn't believe that he had flown halfway around the world to see her, even if it was only for a few days.
"So," she whispered while biting at her lip. "We shouldn't disappoint Jay. After all, he came all the way over here with you and I can imagine that you were not the best traveler."
Without a second thought, he took her hand and led her through the crowd, dodging the back slaps and the thank-you-for-your-service comments before hitting the button on the elevator. Neither of them spoke as they crept to the 12th floor. Their steps were hurried, Jenny's ankle temporarily forgotten, and it was a miracle that the door to their room shut before most of their clothes were off.
They say that home is where the heart is, and that couldn't have been any truer for them. Their hearts were together, and they were home.