Forever Lovers (12 page)

Quinn wasted no time getting Lily’s attention
again by teasing her nipples with light kisses before he began
lavishing each one with a loving wet tongue that had Lily arching
her back off the mattress with breathless passion --- mission
accomplished -- almost. Quinn didn’t stop there. He continued
kissing down her smooth porcelain torso as moaning Lily clutched
his hair with both hands. It went on to be a lesson in restraint
for Quinn – if the SEALs had taught him nothing else, it was
patience in all endeavors. This first time was for Lily. So, when
he finally made her his, he was more than rewarded for his patience
with a pleasant surprise that she had waited just for him. It
brought him complete happiness. At last, she was his forever and
always.

CHAPTER 22

Lily knew Quinn was awake and watching her
before she opened her eyes to connect with his, just as she did
physically last night. She smiled, “I know you're watching me.”
Opening her baby blues, she met his baby blues. They continued
staring at each other and found that it was just about as erotic as
the touching had been last night.

Quinn smiled back and couldn’t help his
finger from circling around the naked nipple that winked up at him.
“I've been trying to contain myself for the last thirty minutes
waiting for any sign that you might be awake.”

“Actually, I've been awake and playing possum
since you rolled out of bed to go to the bathroom giving me a
fabulous view of your naked muscular buns.”

“You'd better be joking?” he threatened.

“You'll never know,” she grinned and
stretched giving him a view of both breasts and her belly
button.

Ah, Lily, you will always make my life
interesting,
he thought as he instigated another round of
lovemaking for which he had been so patiently waiting.

The next few days Lily and Quinn spent the
time savoring the islands recreation in “The Reef Atlantis” when
they weren't making their own recreation in the privacy of their
suite. They swam, snorkeled, sailed, and enjoyed the beautiful
fountain of pools that surrounded the hotel. The only hitch Quinn
had was all the attention that Lily got from male admirers when she
appeared in her turquoise`` string bikini. It plain annoyed him,
but was pacified only because
he
was the one that got to
make love to her in his bed every morning, noon, and night, which
mellowed him out considerably. Unfortunately, like all good things,
the week passed much too quickly and the mock honeymoon was soon
over.

Quinn and Lily each left the hotel with a
souvenir from that special night together. Lily left with the
elegant nightie and a gold belly button ring with diamond stars
pierced in her naval as a promise ring to be engaged. Quinn left
with the rose colored panties in his left pocket over his
heart.

Quinn drove them to the airport dropping Lily
at one airline while he checked in his JAG and boarded another
flight. He left her with a passionate kiss and only said, “I'll be
in touch.”

Lily didn't see him again for almost two
years.

CHAPTER 23

Quinn flew back to Coronado Island to join
his unit at the Naval Special Warfare Center. He had very little
time to reflect on his relationship with Lily as he snored on the
plane all the way home. That reflection would come later – much
later.

Quinn was at peace with himself -- more so
than he had been since he was ten. He had finally made Lily his. He
began to make plans for their future. He was sure she would be on
board as he mapped things out. It was time he retired from the
SEALS. He was twenty-nine and beginning to be the oldest on his
specialty team. He would put in his resignation after this last
assignment and settle into civilian life. It would be a good life
with Lily – one that would make them happy.

The next morning the Navy had Team Five on a
military jet headed to Yemen in the Middle East. Six of them were
on assignment, which included Quinn as their commanding officer.
After jetting nearly eight hours, they landed in Aden, a seaport
near the Red Sea. It was a busy place as it was a major refueling
port for freight and oil transit ships from many countries. It is
actually the busiest in the world. Lately, it had had a swarm of
earthquakes. There had been a lot of speculation as to what was
causing them. Two theories existed – it was a precursor to an
undersea tear in the Gulf of Aden Ridge or a volcanic eruption
under the sea that was about to explode. Not only were underwater
earthquakes a concern, but it was also an unstable area known as a
haven for AL-Qaeda. Either way, it was not a healthy place for
Americans to be hanging out any longer than necessary.

The USS Cole, one of our large Navel
carriers, was supposed to briefly dock at the port in Yemen, but
after fueling up, their radar equipment detected an unknown object
attached to the side of their vessel under the water. They
immediately alerted their situation to their superiors. They
promptly sent the SEALS Unit Team Five to check out the operation
and to diffuse a bomb if necessary. They were the best. It should
be somewhat routine – it should have been.

Everyone was getting a little nervous by the
time the SEALS arrived. They were greeted with respect and
enthusiasm from their fellow comrades on board the carrier. They
were given only a small amount of time to change into their
underwater gear before taking a dip in the Aden Gulf to inspect the
situation. It was just as the commanders suspected – a bomb large
enough to blow a hole in the side of the ship was attached in the
middle of the carrier like an oversized lethal barnacle right where
it would do the most damage.

Climbing aboard the ship again, the SEALS
prepared to dismantle the bomb by suiting up with bomb vests and
other gear for protection, just as if they were dismantling a bomb
on land. A small plan was formed within minutes. It would be
routine.

While Quinn waited for all members of his
Team Five to regroup and ready themselves to defuse the bomb, he
transported himself back to two nights ago in the Caribbean and
thinking about the time he spent with Lily. Lily was finally his.
She had belonged to no one else. He was surprised, but not
disappointed. Being a possessive male, he just wanted to make sure
it stayed that way. He was amazed that he was so dominant in his
thinking, but there it was. He had never felt that way before after
making love. He should have known, he'd always had a special bond
with Lily, even though it was a tad turbulent. It had always been
like she was his soul mate even as they had resisted each other as
children. Now, that they had made love, he just needed to make sure
that she understood that as well. He would call her as soon as he
got back. They were going to plan a future. He touched his hand
above his heart where he had carefully folded her rose panties in
his breast pocket. It made him feel like she was with him. It was
comforting. He was forced back to the present letting the memory of
Lily fade to a special place until he was ready to pull it out
again. Right now, he needed to focus on the present.

All appeared in order for the dive. As leader
of the SEAL team Quinn asked, “Everyone ready?”

“Yes, Sir!!” was said in unison.

Quinn gave the signal to jump. They all
followed.

The carrier was not evacuated, but as a
precaution, all military split in half and was moved to opposite
ends aboard deck. It was silent and respectful as the Navy crew
stood at attention while they watched their fellow SEALS disappear
underwater to the murky depths below.

The gulf was dense and dark. It was difficult
to see even though the hot sun was shining brightly. It felt
strange to Quinn and not just because they were in a foreign sea.
He had an ominous feeling about their surrounding like it was
waiting for something to happen. It could best be described as
eerie and still – very still. Quinn tried to shake the dreadful
feeling off. He needed to be concentrating on the task at hand. He
would not be the one dismantling the bomb, but he would be there to
help carry it to the surface. It would be dumped at sea.

Two men held flashlights that penetrated
through the murky sea water. One worked on the mechanics and hot
wires of the explosive. They were all as still as possible. No one
made any unnecessary movement to stir the water. Hand signals were
made in slow motion when needed.

Just as the last wire to the bomb was about
to be cut, Quinn felt a subtle vibration. He looked around and
noticed that they were completely void of marine life, which was
very unusual as no matter where they were in the world they were
always surrounded by curious fish, seals, turtles, dolphins, and
hungry sharks looking at them as potential food. Quinn suddenly
began to feel a dreadful rattle and rumble in the distance. There
was not enough time to alert his team. It happened too fast. There
was an eruption on the bottom of the gulf floor near them, a quake
had begun that disturbed the serenity and created lethal conditions
for the SEALS. His heart sank. The next scene unfolded almost
simultaneously. Suddenly, they were all thrown against the side of
the hull as the bomb imploded. Quinn saw flames shoot through the
water in yellow, gold, and orange as it extended its flaming
fingers of death to destroy anything in its path, which would
include the Navy carrier and the men under it if at all
possible.

Quinn felt the impact of the bomb as his body
was thrust against the side of the carrier as though he were
nothing more than a very small insignificant gnat that was suddenly
plastered against a windshield. He felt like he was being hurled
through space without the stars guiding him. In the same instance,
he felt a searing raw stabbing pain that was so excruciating he
couldn't even identify the region it originated. After that, he was
surrounded by an unidentified dark inky substance. It was like a
dark red curtain had just come down to signal the end of a play. He
could see no one. He felt nothing, only a numb coldness and then
blackness that mated with oblivion pulling him into a deep dark
abyss as his soul vanished and the light went out.

Above deck, the carrier vibrated and swayed.
It held its own as sailors in the middle of the chaos summed up the
situation and began diving overboard to help the injured SEALS
underneath as they fought for their lives. All six bodies from Team
Five were pulled aboard. Some were pulled from the deep depths only
to have a hero’s burial when they were brought home. Blood was
everywhere. Sharks began to circle. By that time, all members of
the Navy were accounted for and on deck. The scene, however,
remained in semi-devastation as medics took over and medical
helicopters were called for assistance.

The Navy took two SEALS home in body bags
that day. Quinn was not among them. Evil had lurked in the Aden
waters and surrounded them during the small sliver of time that
they were there, taking as much life as possible while it gave
nothing back but death and destruction in return. It was like most
life altering dangerous situations that suddenly happen in an
instance of time. No one is ever prepared to anticipate the
x-factor, the unforeseen, unanticipated, or the unfortunate twist
of fate that changes things forever.

CHAPTER 24

Lilly was three months pregnant. She had not
heard from Quinn since the time that they had shared during the
fabulous week in the Caribbean together. Quinn told her not to be
concerned if she did not hear from him months at a time, but
nevertheless, she was. She couldn't help herself. She chewed on her
bottom lip thinking about the child she carried and if it were a
boy or a girl.
Would it look like her?
Would it look like
him?
She smiled at the thought. Then, her eyebrows puckered
together in a small frown.
How would Quinn react when she told
him? Did he even want to be a father? Did it matter whether he did
or not? Of course it did, but
s
he would and could manage
just fine on her own. It's just not how she imagined her life might
be or ought to be. She only wished with all her heart that he would
return her phone calls soon and take away her anxiety.
Her wish
was not acknowledged nor was it even heard.

Across the Atlantic in a German hospital,
Quinn was fighting for his life. He just didn't know it yet. He had
lost most of his upper thigh in the blast that shook The USS Cole,
but he didn't know that either. His shattered thighbone had been
replaced with a portion of titanium in his upper right leg. He was
fortunate that they were able to save and attach the bottom half of
his leg with tissue and muscle that was also body friendly. His own
skin was being grown into skin stem cells that would be sprayed on
his body with a medical device that appeared to be right out of a
science fiction dialog. The skin would regrow and eventually cover
the top portion of his leg closing the wound and making it look
somewhat normal. The same procedure was being used on burn victims
in the service. It would still be a long time in healing, but it
was as close to a medical miracle as was possible in this modern
day of science.

Quinn lay in a sterile white hospital bed.
Tubes were running out of his nose, arms, leg and chest, which also
had several broken ribs. A lung had collapsed on impact and it was
one of his many body parts struggling to heal and become normal
again. A ventilator was helping keep him alive for the present. He
had not yet awoken from the ordeal that had left two of his
comrades dead. He was in unconscious agony on a daily basis since
he had been brought into the facility. He could feel himself fading
in and out of gray limbo as he would morph back and forth to an
unknown place of divine serene and comfort. Most of the time, he
heard nothing, felt nothing. It mattered not. Occasionally, he
heard voices and tortured blood curdling unrecognizable screams.
Everyone nearby could hear his shrieks of agony throughout the unit
when the pain medicine would begin to wear off. It almost was his
mom and dad's undoing.