Chapter Seventeen
T
here was a brief knock at the door before Sandra entered. She’d changed her clothes since Emily had last seen her. The doctor sent a smile at Commander Sykes that made Emily think there was something between them. That made Sykes seem somehow more human to her.
“Sam’s being moved to a normal room. It’ll be private and secure. He’s been through decon and woke up for a bit, though he’s still pretty groggy. I expect he’ll sleep until morning but he was asking for Emily. If you’re done with her, I thought I’d take her to him.”
“We’re finished here,” Sykes said, putting his papers into a folder. “Ms. Parkington, I’d like to thank you for your part in tonight’s events and the investigation leading up to it.” Sykes held out his hand and she took it. She liked this gentle giant of a man and could see why he inspired such confidence and loyalty in his troops.
Emily left, but the commander asked her brother to stay behind. He promised to catch up with her later. Emily followed Sandra, sad to leave Henry behind but eager to see Sam again.
Sandra led her to a much cozier room that had a window and two beds. Only one was occupied. Emily was amazed by how good Sam looked as he sat propped up in the hospital bed. He smiled when he saw her and there was only one healing wound left on his face that she could see. She rushed to his side, reaching for him, even as he opened his arms to her.
“Are you a sight for sore eyes,” Sam said as she kissed his cheek and stroked his hair lightly. She was afraid to touch him too hard in case she hit a sore spot.
“How are you feeling?”
“A lot better. So . . . are you okay with this? The super fast healing thing? I know it’s a little weird.” He seemed so nervous about her answer, she rushed to put him at ease.
“How could I not be grateful for something that keeps you safe and healthy? Thank God for this miracle, Sam. You were so badly injured. I doubted you’d ever be the same and now here you are, almost back to normal only a few hours later. It’s like a miracle.”
He looked so relieved by her answer she had to kiss him. Just a quick brush of her lips on his that turned into something longer and more lingering. But he was still hurt, no matter what he said, so she kept it light and backed off before anything truly interesting could get started.
“God, Em,” he whispered when she snuggled lightly into him. It was an awkward position but she didn’t care. She wanted to be near him. To smell his clean, masculine scent. To touch his strong, muscular body. “I love you so much.”
She drew back to look into his eyes. “And I love you, Sam.”
He reached up to stroke her cheek with one calloused hand. “Can you live with this—with me—now that you know what I am?”
“Are you asking me to?”
He swallowed, clearly nervous, which endeared him all the more to her.
“I’m asking. Will you marry me, Em? I never thought I could love somebody as much as I love you. I tried to keep it light and easy but it was impossible from the first. I love you, Emily, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, however long that may be.”
She smiled. “I’m glad. Because I feel the same about you, Sam.”
“Is that a yes?” Hope lit his gaze.
“Definitely a yes,” she whispered before meeting his lips with hers one more time. This kiss was deeper and even more joyous.
His hands cradled her head and guided her, demanding more pressure and deeper access. She gave him everything he asked for and got all she could ever want in return. He’d just given her his love and his commitment to a future together. She never knew she could be this happy or this blessed.
When she drew back this time, his gaze sought hers.
“You make my life complete, Em.”
Her heart overflowed with happiness at the look in his eyes.
“You do the same for me, Sam.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Henry cut in from the doorway, “but I’m heading for the barracks for the night and wanted to say goodnight.”
Emily turned toward the door, but Sam caught her hand and held it tight. Henry moved into the room, clearly bristling.
“You can be the first to congratulate us,” Emily broke the news to her twin. “Sam and I are engaged.”
Henry’s brows drew together as he studied the scene. His gaze went from her to Sam to their joined hands and back again.
“Is he what you really want, Em?” he asked finally.
“More than anything or anyone. I love him.” She shrugged her shoulders at the simplicity of those words. It felt so good to be able to say it out loud and proclaim it to any who would listen. She felt like shouting it from the rooftops, but this would have to do for now.
“How about you, lieutenant? Will you take care of her better than you did tonight?”
“Henry, that’s not fair.” She jumped to Sam’s defense.
Sam squeezed her hand, stilling her words. “Hold on there, Em. He’s right. I should never have left you vulnerable to Southerland. I messed up and you almost paid the ultimate price.”
She turned to face him. “I don’t believe that, and I refuse to see it that way.”
“But I do. And so does your brother.” Sam’s gaze went to Henry’s and he nodded just once. “I’d die for her,” he said simply, making her heart flutter at the surety in his tone.
“You love her? You won’t hurt her?” Henry pressed.
“I’ll never deliberately hurt her. And I do love her. It’ll be my honor to take care of her for the rest of our lives.” Sam squeezed her hand again and caught her gaze. His heart was there in his eyes for all to read.
Henry nodded. “See that you do. Or you’ll answer to me.”
He walked up to Emily and bent to kiss her forehead in something like a benediction. The moment was tender and moving. Then he moved back toward the door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, sis. And congratulations to you both.”
Henry left them and Emily pulled up a chair to the side of Sam’s bed. They spent almost half an hour talking and just being with each other in safety for the first time in what seemed like ages. Sleep overtook Sam again and Emily just watched him sleep for a while, glad he was getting better almost before her eyes. The gash on his head looked like it was healing really fast and she watched it scab over and shrink in wonder.
Sandra came in about an hour later to check on him. He was still asleep and slept through the examination of his cuts and bruises.
“Why don’t you get some sleep,” Sandra whispered to Emily. “You can use this bed.” She pointed to the other bed that was neatly made up. It looked really inviting and Emily sought it out gratefully.
When she woke, sun was streaming in the window. It was well into the next morning and Sam was gone. She sat up in the bed and looked around. Sam’s bed was empty. For just a moment, she panicked.
Then she heard the toilet flush. The door to the small bathroom was closed. Maybe he was in there. She held her breath until the door opened. Out stepped Sam, fully dressed in fatigues, looking as if he’d never been burned or scratched nearly to death last night.
“Amazing,” she breathed.
He grinned, walking over to her. He leaned forward, pinning her to the bed.
“You look pretty amazing yourself.” His mouth dipped to capture hers for a brief good morning kiss. He nuzzled her neck before straightening away much too soon. “I’d love to take this further but we’ve both got places to go and people to see this morning. Your clothes are over there. Get dressed, captain. The clock’s ticking.”
His playfulness made her want to cry. He’d been so badly injured. She’d thought he was dead. Then, when she knew he’d lived through the bombing, she had mentally prepared herself to nurse him for as long as it took and accept whatever limitations he’d have from then on. Instead, here he was, laughing and joking with her, whole and healthy, as if nothing had ever happened to him. It truly was a miracle.
He must’ve seen the way she was looking at him. His expression grew more solemn and he sat on the edge of the bed, next to her.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” he said in a gentle voice.
“I’m just so glad . . .” Her voice broke and he turned to gather her in his arms as she hugged him tight. It was so good to feel his strength against her. So good to know he was real and strong and hers.
“I am too, sweetheart.” He held her, rubbing calming circles on her back for a long moment before finally pulling away. “I wasn’t kidding. There are people waiting for us. Are you up to it?”
“Yeah.” She stood wearily and pushed back her messy hair. “Give me a minute to freshen up and change.”
He patted her ass as she passed him on the way to where her luggage sat and she jumped. His grin made her want to giggle when she looked back over her shoulder at him. That set the tone. The danger was past for now, and it was time to be happy they were both still alive and together.
“Your comrades got our luggage from the bed-and-breakfast?” She noted that her pilot’s case was fully packed and all her toiletries had been gathered from the B&B’s bathroom.
“The team can be quite efficient when put in motion. They checked us out and returned the rental car too.”
She was impressed. “I’ll just be a minute,” she told him, disappearing into the bathroom with a few things. She emerged a couple of minutes later, coiffed, perfumed, and dressed in fresh clothing. She would’ve liked a shower but there wasn’t time and she was clean enough, she supposed. She’d showered last night after the battle.
Sam was waiting for her by the door, talking to someone she couldn’t see outside the room. She went over and waited for him to finish but he turned, including her in the conversation. He was talking to her brother about his ride.
Emily loved hearing the details Shotgun hadn’t been able to share with her before. He was one of the select few top pilots who’d been chosen to test the newest generation of strike fighters. Before, she’d just been a civilian who wasn’t cleared to hear the nitty gritty of his ride. Now, apparently, things had changed. He was telling Sam about range and ammunition specs that he never would have disclosed before.
No doubt Henry had been given the go ahead by whoever commanded them all now. She supposed there couldn’t be much more top secret than what she already knew about the zombie contagion. Letting her in on some information that a lot of people in the Air Force already knew probably wasn’t such a big deal after that.
Henry greeted her with a grin and went right on talking about his favorite subject—his jet. She didn’t mind. She loved talking airplanes too. They’d both grown up in the airline industry and had jet fuel running through their veins. They talked all the way down the corridor and down the elevator, and right out the door. She was able to ask questions about things he’d only hinted at before and listened avidly, as did Sam. It was so great to share her passion about aircraft with him.
They walked out into the sunshine, Henry leading them to a little corner of what had to be his home base. She saw uniformed Air Force personnel everywhere. Several saluted Henry and Sam in passing. Now that was cool. Nobody ever saluted her, even though she owned a good percentage of Praxis Air.
The men took it in stride. Emily felt a little out of place being the only civilian in sight. Of course, her only clean clothes had been her pilot’s uniform, so she was in dark pants with a white shirt. Praxis Air’s uniform was casual but neat. Still, she definitely didn’t look military and that was easy to spot. She got a few questioning glances as they walked through the heart of the highly restricted base but nobody dared question her with her two high-ranking bodyguards.
They entered a small building on the edges of the airfield that looked like it had seen better days. Looks were deceiving, she realized, as she went farther inside. The outer rooms were as shabby as the façade but inside a state of the art conference area hummed with electronic gizmos, computers, and audio/ video equipment. Many of the people she saw looked somewhat familiar to her from the night before.
There was a giant conference table at the center of the room and lots of people milling around, some going over papers, some just chatting. They arrived only moments before Commander Sykes. When he walked in, the room drew to order, everyone taking their seats and quieting down. The meeting had begun.
Emily sat between Sam and Henry. Her brother had procured coffee for them all and sat back down before the meeting got going. Sam’s leg brushed deliberately against hers under the table. Cozy.
“First off, I want to thank Ms. Emily Parkington of Praxis Air for her cooperation and assistance. Last night’s action—while not ideal—accomplished a major goal. Forensic investigation this morning confirmed that Dr. Jennings and his buyers Bin Zhao and Aleksander Krychek are all dead. No further creatures have been found in the area and we’ve locked down the entire mountaintop with military personnel until further notice. We’ve put out a story about an illegal weapons factory operating at that ranch with national security implications and the possibility that they were working with bioweapons, which allowed us to evacuate the surrounding homes and communities on both sides of the mountain.”