Page 12 of Weston

Wes caught Ellie before she could hit the ground. He hadn’t experienced this level of shock and disorientation since three rounds from a PKM shattered his lower leg. His heart was racing so damn hard he thought it might rip out of his chest. Thankfully his instincts weren’t tied too closely to his racing mind.

Ellie was alive! Holy fucking shit! And the tangible evidence was out cold in his fucking arms.

He didn’t understand it, couldn’t explain it, but he’d never been more relieved. His emotions bounced all over the place. He’d been knocked off his game and wasn’t even a little upset about it.

So many questions swirled through his head. There’d been zero recognition in her pretty, sea-colored eyes when they’d met his. And when he’d called her, she’d run away. Why?

Corey skidded to halt in front of him, Lex and Xander right on his heels.

“Holy shit, Murph,” Corey exclaimed, ice-blue eyes going wide.

“She’s alive,” Wes murmured, cradling her against his chest, not wanting to ever let go.

“Good to know. Who is she?” Xander asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

“His wife,” Corey answered, voice laced in awe.

“His wife who was murdered by pirates over a year ago,” Lex clarified.

“Never a dull moment with you guys,” Xander murmured.

“C’mon,” Lex said. “We’ll help you carry her back to the Zodiac.”

Corey and Lex each grabbed one of Wes’ arms and hauled him to his feet. Once Wes was up, he tucked Ellie closer, tightening his arms around her, unwilling to loosen his grip.

“I’ve got her,” he murmured. They knew better than to argue, so Corey and Lex led the rest of the way through the jungle, making sure to point out tripping hazards, while Xander brought up the rear.

“I feel like we should let the other guys know,” Corey said. “Mind if I call in the good news, Murph?”

“Not at all,” Wes answered, unable to tear his eyes off Ellie. She looked a little blurry through the tears filling his eyes, but she was still the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his wife was once again in his arms. Sending up a thank you to the Universe and every god, angel and being who’d brought them back together, he pressed a reverent kiss to her head. Her hair was darker again, like it used to be when they were younger, but everything else about her was exactly as he remembered. God, he’d missed her sweet honeysuckle scent.

The rest of the team was just as shocked and overjoyed as he was, throwing questions and encouragement at him as they helped Wes get Ellie onto the Zodiac. But he didn’t have any answers.

Once they reached the fishing boat, everyone climbed aboard. With no beds, Wes laid Ellie down on the built-in bench and sat beside her, keeping a close eye on her and checking her vitals. The others grew quiet and contemplative, exchanging looks with each other.

Xander broke the silence. “Maybe we should wait until she wakes up before abducting her.”

Wes’ attention snapped up and, as much as he wanted to tell the other man to piss off, he knew the former agent had a point. “Let’s give her a minute.” The last thing Wes wanted was for Ellie to wake up and be scared.

The other guys backed away, giving them space. After a few minutes, Corey came over and crouched down in front of him. “How’s she doing?” he asked quietly.

“Still passed out.” Wes checked her pulse again and was relieved to discover it was still strong. He kept picturing the blankness in her eyes when she’d looked at him. It gnawed at his insides. “She didn’t recognize me, Cor.”

It hurt him to say the words. His Ellie never would’ve looked at him with fear or tried to run away from him.

“What do you mean?”

“She looked at me like I was a stranger. Someone she’d never seen before.”

Corey squinted his ice-blue eyes, mulling over that piece of information. “You think she has amnesia?”

“I don’t know why else she wouldn’t know her own husband or would’ve stayed here instead of returning home.” When Ellie began to stir, Wes leaned in and grabbed her hand. “You’re okay, Ellie. You’re safe.”

Her beautiful blue-green eyes fluttered open and she appeared confused. The confusion quickly gave way to terror and she popped up into a sitting position, yanking her hand away. Curling up into the corner, she looked on the verge of running or screaming as her gaze left Wes and swept the other men standing on the deck.

“Ellie, honey, it’s me,” Wes murmured, doing his best to sound soothing and not panicked. “You’re safe now. I want to take you home. Do you want to go home?”

Her gaze landed back on Wes. “Who are you?” she finally whispered, and he felt like someone just ripped his heart out of his chest.

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