Page 22 of Call Sign: Thunder
"You're welcome. I'm glad you made them stop the caravan of SUVs in the woods where you did or I wouldn't have known you were in trouble."
"So that's how you knew I was there. I couldn't figure it out."
"I'm a helicopter pilot. I'm rarely on foot on the ground during missions. It was a miracle I was in the right place at the right time."
A shiver shot through Allie at how close she'd come to disappearing forever. Those assholes that kidnapped her had had no intention of letting her go. Convoluted memories, clouded by the drugs, threatened to overwhelm her again. It was so easy to work herself into a panic attack thinking about all of the horrendous things that could have happened.
Zach must have sensed the return of her dark thoughts because he leaned in to pull her upper body into his arms for a bear hug.
The second his arms closed around her, she felt truly safe for the first time since waking up in the base hospital. With her relief came tears. Tears brought on by pent up fear, anger, relief and confusion.
Zach held her tighter, pulling her to sit in his lap exactly how he'd held her on the helicopter flying back to base. He whispered encouragement against the shell of her ear as he let her sob; the emotional dam she'd been holding together by a thread dissolving into a full-out breakdown.
Through it all he comforted her. Promised her it was going to be okay and by the time she'd spent her tears, she was finally starting to believe him.
I'm safe now. Zach won't let anyone hurt me.
The room was bright in the afternoon sun, made brighter by the proximity of her hero. He was even more handsome than she'd remembered. For the first time since the drugs had been flushed from her blood stream, she felt the stirring of sexual desire, relieved this urge had been from her own natural attraction to Zachary Garrett.
The sound of the door closing and footsteps approaching the bed broke their private connection. Allie didn't need to open her eyes to know it was her father in the room with them. He'd been pacing nervously in his Kenneth Cole dress shoes since he'd arrived; his mood swings fluctuating like an erratic kite in the wind.
"Excuse me, Captain Garrett, but I believe visiting hours are over."
Allie held onto Zach tighter, afraid he would disappear and she'd never see him again, then sad because she knew it was inevitable. Renewed tears streamed down her face. Zach leaned over so he could grab several tissues from the nightstand next to the hospital bed.
"Hey there. No more tears now. Everything is going to be fine." They'd separated enough that she could see the smile on his face, but the same sadness she felt radiated from his eyes. She took comfort that he didn't want to leave either.
After wiping the tears from her face, he held the tissue to her nose and said, "Blow for me." It was ridiculous after all they'd been through together that something so simple could melt her heart, but she melted into the gentle comfort he wrapped her in with her presence. True panic of being without him had her holding onto him with all her might.
Her dad was close enough that she felt him stroking her back. The presence of her two protectors helped her push her fear back down until she calmed.
Allie knew they couldn't stay like this, so it wasn't unexpected when Zach stood, scooping her into his arms and then leaning down to lay her head against the stack of pillows. He tucked her in carefully, refusing to meet her eyes.
She felt him pulling away. He was going to leave.
Allie latched onto his arm, holding his hand in her own as hard as she could, hating the desperation she heard in her voice when she finally spoke. "Don't go. Not yet."
The men in the room exchanged a guarded glare before Zach smiled down on her. "Your dad is right. What you need the most right now is your rest. I haven't slept or showered yet. I'm going to go home, but…" he stopped, looking up at her dad before he finished his sentence. "I'll be back first thing in the morning."
She refused to let his hand go. She didn't want to waste any of the precious time she had with him. "Don't go. Not yet. I can't get to sleep anyway."
His eyes were back on her. "Well, we can't have that. You need to rest." Allie let out the breath she'd been holding when he sat down next to her again. "How about I stay here next to you until you fall asleep?"
Her head was pounding from all of the movement, but she didn't care. She sat up to hug him again until he gently laid her back, tucking her covers up around her.
"Go to sleep, Allie, and when you wake up tomorrow morning, I'll be back to see you."
True to his word, Zach held her hand, keeping watch until she finally succumbed to the exhaustion.
Chapter Ten
ZACH
The jeep Zach was driving needed a brake job, squealing as he pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the hospital the next morning. He'd collapsed hard the night before. He'd only taken the time for a fast shower and a bite to eat before he fell into his bed, so exhausted he'd forgotten to set an alarm. He'd planned to arrive at the base hospital thirty minutes ago. Senator Benson had assured him that he wouldn't leave until after he'd said good-bye to Allison, but Zach didn't trust her father.
There was a different receptionist at the desk today. He knew where he was going, breezing past the desk on the way to critical care.
"Excuse me, Captain! You can't go back there!" The alarmed woman who'd been reading a magazine as he'd arrived chased after him. Not wanting to cause a scene, he stopped, turning to address her.
