Chapter Eight

“What do you mean we have no rope?” Moose demanded after they had gotten Cookie back onto the cot and covered with the tarp from the tent. “Which idiot’s pack had the damn rope?”

“Ah, that idiot would be me,” Kelly answered him. “My pack contained what I felt was the most nonessential items that could be left behind and is currently sitting on the side of the road in front of the Varga compound. Want to go back for it?”

Moose gave him a droll look. “After you, smart ass.”

“Yeah, no.”

“Then what are we going to do for rope?” Manny asked. “There is no damn way Cookie can make the walk to the medi-bird unless he is tied into place on that cot.”

“I have an idea,” Nathan interrupted them. He gave Kelly an apologetic grimace. “It does mean that you’ll have to use the bracelet I gave you though.”

Kelly held up his arm and stared at the bracelet for a moment before grabbing Nathan and kissing him senseless. “You brilliant man. This is just another reason why I love you so much.”

Nathan’s face flushed a brilliant shade of red and Maria giggled, pointing up at them.

“He kissed Papa and made him a tomato.”

The group burst out in laughter, which only made Nathan blush harder. Damn his fair skin, he felt like he was on fire and not the good kind.

Kelly pressed a kiss to Nathan’s cheek, his lips cool against Nathan’s heated skin. “You don’t mind?”

“No, of course not. It’s what that bracelet was designed for, why I got it for you, to help in the event of an emergency.”

Unsnapping the bracelet, he handed it over to Nathan who picked apart the knot as he was shown by the Boy Scout who had sold it to him. In moments, he had fifteen feet of cord in his hands. Handing it to Kelly, the men efficiently trussed Cookie up in the cot, making sure the cord didn’t come anywhere near the two wound sites. They also made sure that the bands across Cookie’s body were well-insulated so they wouldn’t chaff his skin.

“That cot’s going to be awkward to carry through the jungle,” Kelly muttered. “What if we bent the legs out a bit to make handles?”

“Might work.” Moose nodded. “Two of us will have to carry Cookie and switch off as necessary.”

“Not you. We need your reach to clear the path.”

“Everyone only wants me for my body.” Moose sighed dramatically, the back of his hand to his forehead.

“Yup.” Frodo elbowed him then quickly moved to the other side of the cot. “Moose aren’t known for their smarts.”

“Ass.” Moose reached for the giggling Frodo who smoothly sidestepped Moose’s outstretched hand.

“Not denying it.” Frodo laughed, evading Moose once more and scooting away.

“Moose, when you are quite finished,” Kelly said drolly. “Please radio the medi-bird and let them know we have one wounded. They’ll give the base a heads-up to have the medical bay ready and waiting.”

“Already done,” Moose answered him smugly.

“Then give me a hand.” Kelly held up the cot, Frodo joining him, so that Moose could get to the legs. The large man’s muscles bulged as he bent each set of legs into position.

“That should do it.” Moose surveyed his work before the two men lowered the cot to the ground. He slid his goggles into place and hefted his large machete.

Manny moved to the front of the cot, tightening his goggles. “I’ll take first shift on front. Frodo, you take back. Doc, you follow and monitor.”

The others followed suit, putting their goggles into place over their eyes. Nathan and Luis, who still had their goggles, also put them on their faces before picking up the children.

Brendan stopped Nathan. “If you are going to monitor Cookie then maybe I should carry Maria so that you’ll have your hands free if anything happens with him.”

“I think that’s a good idea, baby,” Kelly added. “Plus, I know your feet hurt and I’m so sorry. Besides the rope, I left the boots I brought for you in my pack, the one I had to leave behind when I let myself get captured. I had to have them on me so the others wouldn’t know or suspect what I was planning and now you’re paying the price.”

Nathan cupped Kelly’s cheek. “Having sore feet is a really small price to be with you again and later, you are going to explain that ‘getting captured’ statement to me.”

“Yes, dear.” Nathan looked from Kelly to Brendan to Cookie then back before reluctantly handing Maria over to Brendan. It wasn’t so much that he minded Brendan carrying his daughter; it was that he already saw Maria as his daughter and wanted to spend time with her even if it was only carrying her through the jungle. Kelly was right though, the less weight on his feet, the better.

Nathan checked Steven, correction Cookie, over one more time then stood back as Manny grasped the front legs of the cot and Frodo grabbed the rear.

“Ready?” Manny asked Frodo.

“Ready…and go.” They lifted the cot at the same time on Frodo’s word ‘go’.

The men adjusted their grips and Manny signaled their readiness. Nathan got into place behind Frodo. Kelly put Luis behind Nathan and then Brendan. The rest all lined up like ducks in a row.

“That direction.” G pointed.

“Then, let’s get this show on the road.” Moose marched up to the jungle and with a mighty swing began hacking at the vegetation.

The only difference between this trek and the first one was the lack of extreme vigilance like before. Nathan glanced back over his shoulder. The men in the rear positions had their rifles out and were scanning the jungle in every direction as they went. Okay, maybe the ‘extreme vigilance’ was still there after all.

Every so often Moose would halt and the men carrying the cot would switch out. Nathan did end up carrying Maria for a while, letting Manny monitor Cookie’s condition as they went. Even Luis took a turn at watching over Cookie.

G and Brendan walked hand in hand whenever it was possible. It was apparent that they liked to touch each other as much as Nathan and Kelly did. Something was definitely brewing between them and Nathan was glad. Brendan had been alone for a long time and as far as he could tell G seemed to be a good fit.

Nathan glanced up to check on Maria who was now in Kelly’s arms. He had lifted his goggles and was wiping his forehead on his sleeve while she stared intently at Kelly’s face. Nathan wondered what was going on when she cocked her head to one side.

“Are you really going to be my daddy?”

He looked down at her, his eyes softening. “Yes, Maria. If you let me.”

“Papa?” she called over to Nathan.

“Yes, Maria?”

“Daddy has pretty eyes. Are they real?”

Everyone snickered or giggled at the question.

Nathan smiled at her. She was just too cute for words. “Yes, sweetie. They really are that beautiful green color.”

She turned back to Kelly. “I wish I had eyes that color. They are much prettier than my eyes.”

“Baby, that’s not true,” Kelly said to her solemnly.

“No?”

“No,” he said firmly. “Your large eyes are like the darkest sky, deep and mysterious and when you smile, I can see stars twinkling in them. They are absolutely beautiful.” He tapped her on her nose. “You are beautiful.”

Someone sighed.

“Really?”

“Really. When you grow up, Papa and I will have to chase all the boys away with a stick.”

Maria frowned. “Boys are no esta bien.”

Nathan chuckled as laughter ran up and down the line.

G’s voice rang out. “One day ma petite, they won’t be.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Maria laid her head down on Kelly’s chest. “No one has ever called me beautiful before. Papa?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“I want to keep Daddy.”

“I think that’s a very good idea.”

“Good.” She patted Kelly’s chest. “Papa says I can, so I’m keeping you.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Can I keep you too?”

“Yes, please. My daddy.” She sighed into Kelly as she snuggled close to him.

The expression on Kelly’s face, his moist eyes and trembling lip, as he stared down at the little girl in his arms made Nathan’s heart feel like it was swelling, ready to burst through his ribs with the amount of emotion he was experiencing. Nathan knew he was grinning like an idiot at the two of them and he could care less.

He felt a light tug on his sleeve and glanced down to see that Cookie was awake. “How are you feeling?” Nathan asked as he leaned over the man.

“Like shit. Thanks for patching me up, Doc.” Cookie swallowed. “You did good. With the kids. You did really good.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Nathan patted Cookie’s arm. “Get some more sleep. Your body needs to heal.”

“K.” Cookie’s eyes were already closing.

The rest of the trek through the jungle seemed to take forever but likely was only an hour or two. Well, maybe a little longer because of the cot. It was hard to tell without a watch or cell phone to check the time. Then suddenly, they broke through the cloying vegetation into another clearing. Moose immediately dropped his machete and was on his radio calling for the helicopter while the cot was set down near the edge of the open area.

“Bird’s ETA ten minutes,” Moose reported.

“Bird? Don’t you mean chopper?” Brendan asked him.

“Naw, Pipsqueak. A chopper’s a motorcycle, a bird’s a helicopter. You know. The thing with the blades spinning on the top, takes people up into the air.”

“Har har har, you are just so funny.”

“That’s what they tell me, Pipsqueak.” Moose ruffled Brendan’s hair as he walked past him. “That’s what they tell me.”

“I’ll give you Pipsqueak,” Brendan grumbled, running his hands through his hair trying vainly to neaten his short curls.

Nathan snorted a laugh at them as he flopped down beside the cot and checked Cookie’s sutures again while they waited. They looked good, all things considered. Nathan was glad of the chance to take a break. His feet were aching in shoes never meant to be used in these circumstances. He was going to have to use the med-bay to deal with them. Luis would probably need treatment for his feet too.

Hearing an odd noise, he rose to his feet with a groan and glanced around, searching for the source of the sound. Jesus stood before Kelly who was sitting cross-legged on the ground. An intent expression graced both their faces as they stared fixedly at one another.

As he watched, Jesus stuck out his tongue at Kelly. Kelly repeated the action. Jesus made a face, which Kelly again repeated back at him. Then Kelly made the next move and crossed his eyes. Jesus made the most comical face as he tried to cross his eyes too. Giving Kelly a glare, he launched himself at Kelly trying vainly to tickle him. It was a good plan, however, Kelly wasn’t ticklish. Nathan knew firsthand how futile that attempt was.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” Kelly made mock growling noises at the little boy before grabbing Jesus around his chest and lifting him high in the air. Jesus squealed in joy as Kelly made airplane noises and swung him back and forth over his head.

Nathan grinned at the pair. He knew Kelly would make a wonderful father. He was amazing with his nieces, helping out whenever their father was deployed, so of course Kelly would be fantastic with his own children.

“That’s a nice sound to hear.”

Luis stepped up beside him, joining him in watching the two play for a minute. “Jesus hasn’t had much joy in his short life.”

Nathan laid an arm across the younger man’s shoulders. “That’s going to change for all of you.”

“Damn right.”

Brendan came up on Luis’s opposite side and also dropped an arm across his shoulders over Nathan’s and gently gripped the nape of Nathan’s neck. Nathan did the same to Brendan. It was a familiar affectionate gesture between them. This time it was used to hold Luis between them, showing Luis without words that he belonged with them now.

“So, Luis, how do you feel about joining the Kirkfield-MacNiel clan?”

Luis glanced first at Nathan and then at Brendan. “Seriously? But I’m too old to be adopted.”

“Nonsense.” Brendan snorted. “You can keep your last name or not, that’s up to you but you’re already family.”

The young man looked overwhelmed.

“There is one catch however.” Nathan shook a finger at him. “As soon as everything is settled back home, you, young man, are heading back to school to finish what you started.”

Nathan felt Luis shake between him and Brendan. He suspected that if they hadn’t had Luis sandwiched between them, he might have collapsed onto the ground.

“You really mean that?” Luis asked Nathan, his voice rough. “I can go back to medical school?”

“Of course.” Brendan backed him up, being the awesome brother that he was. “If that’s what you want then yes, of course. I’ll even help out with the tuition.”

“I will make you both proud of me,” Luis vowed to them.

“I have absolutely no worries about that,” Nathan said as the thump-thump sound of a rapidly approaching helicopter echoed in the clearing. “Sounds like our ride is approaching.”

Kelly came over to them with Jesus in his arms. The little boy was staring open-mouthed at the huge helicopter as it neared. His expression was one of uncertainty as if he wasn’t quite sure whether to be afraid or amazed. Amazement finally won out as the helicopter drew near, his little head swinging from Kelly to the helicopter and back again. He pointed to the aircraft, babbling almost nonstop to an indulgently nodding Kelly.

Maria had her face curled into Moose’s chest, her hands over her ears. The big man tenderly stroked her back, trying to reassure her.

Everyone else hugged the edges of the clearing to give the helicopter the room it needed to land. The moment the rungs touched the ground, two men in camouflage clothing leapt from the open doors on either side of the helicopter. They ran a few feet from the machine in opposite directions and took up aggressive and alert positions, scanning the jungle, weapons at the ready.

Manny and Frodo were already jogging toward the craft carrying the cot with Cookie between them. Luis ran with them, staying next to Cookie. Kelly tried yelling instructions to Nathan and Brendan over the loud sound of the spinning rotors but ended up using mostly hand gestures. The three of them quickly joined the others piling into the helicopter. The last to enter the aircraft were the two men who had exited the helicopter when it’d landed. Kelly handed Jesus to Nathan and directed him to a seat. Maria was quite content to remain with Moose.

Kelly buckled Nathan and then Luis in, while the rest of the men settled into their own seats. Then Kelly took the headset one of the men held out to him. They spoke for a minute before Kelly gave the headset back. The two men pulled the two open side doors of the helicopter firmly closed as Kelly made his way to the seats and strapped himself in beside Nathan. Jesus immediately climbed from Nathan’s lap onto Kelly’s. Within moments, the helicopter rose steadily and smoothly into the air.

Another man that Nathan hadn’t noticed before sat on the floor of the helicopter alongside Cookie’s makeshift stretcher. He had Red Cross patches stitched onto his sleeves. Obviously, some sort of medical personnel, Nathan said nothing as the man peered underneath the dressing on Cookie’s side. The man’s eyebrows rose in surprise and he looked over at the group. As one, they all pointed in Nathan’s direction so naturally, of course, his skin heated, turning his face crimson. He nodded as the man smiled his approval at Nathan, giving him a thumbs up before attending to Cookie. He changed out Cookie’s empty IV bag for another, which he clipped to a hook over Cookie’s head.

Leaning his head back, Nathan gave into the urge to close his eyes. He felt Kelly clasp his hand giving his fingers a firm squeeze. It felt so good to feel Kelly’s hand holding his. Slowly, Nathan let his head slide down to Kelly’s shoulder. He felt a tiny mouth press a wet kiss onto his cheek and he smiled.