Page 50 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“When I was a new recruit, Sergeant Jane Riley was in charge of our squad,” she began. “She was tough on us, but she took the time to tell each and every one of us what we were good at and what we needed to do better. She epitomized grace under pressure, and she showed us every day how important it was that a squad not just work together, but also believe wholeheartedly in the importance of a strong, cohesive unit.”
The question was a gift, because talking about Sergeant Riley seemed to have the effect of channeling her strength and calm,and Eva felt much more confident throughout the rest of the interview than she’d expected to.
When the interview was finally over, the panel told Eva that they would make their decision once all of the candidates had been interviewed, and that they would let her know as soon as they could.
Slightly deflated, she went to her office to tackle the mountain of paperwork that had built up over the past week. She tried not to think about who else was being interviewed or how long it would take to find out if she was successful. Eva went for a long run at lunchtime and was returning to her office when Lieutenant Marshall appeared at her door.
He stepped inside, and she couldn’t read his expression.
“Are you here with news?” she asked, hoping he was there to put her out of her misery.
“I am, and it’s good news. Congratulations, Eva. Or should I say, Sergeant Major Bailey.”
Eva clapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, sir,” she said, her voice choked.
“The panel said you blew all of the other candidates out of the water,” Lieutenant Marshall said, smiling. “Although maybe I wasn’t supposed to tell you that, so keep it to yourself.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Not that I’m surprised, you understand, but I thought you might like to hear that.”
“Thank you, sir. And thank you for encouraging me to go for the promotion.”
“You don’t need to thank me for anything. You’ve proven time and again that you’re up to it, Eva. You’re exactly where you deserve to be.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Once Lieutenant Marshall had left her office, Eva pumped her fist in the air and gave a muted scream of happiness. She’d done it. Success tasted sweet, and she allowed herself a few brief minutes to feel proud of what she’d achieved.
Determined to show the senior officers that she was, without a doubt, worthy of the promotion to sergeant major, Eva was burning the candle at both ends again. She survived on just a few hours of sleep each night and pushed herself to her physical limits every day. She wasn’t very surprised, therefore, that she was feeling more tired than usual. She had to battle against the desire to fall into her bed and have an afternoon nap every day.
She’d become prone to dizzy spells, too, and waves of nausea. She knew the answer was most likely to get more sleep and go a little easier on herself during the day, but she told herself she had to keep the pressure up at least until she believed the senior officers were satisfied that she was the best sergeant major their base had ever seen.
It all came to a head late one morning during drill practice with her squad. The sun was high in the sky and so bright that it seemed to be searing right into Eva’s brain. She ignored the piercing pain in her head and the accompanying dizziness that made the ground appear like it was swimming up to meet her.
Before she knew what was happening, she was on her back on the tarmac, shielding her eyes from the sun with the back of her hand. A huddle of faces, their features blocked out by the sun, appeared over her.
“Sergeant Bailey, are you okay?” one of the faces asked.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice so faint it was like a whisper.
“You fainted,” the voice said calmly, and Eva realized it belonged to Private O’Malley. “Someone go and get the medic!” she shouted over her shoulder.
“No, I’m fine. It was just the sun,” Eva said weakly.
“Did you hit your head?” Private O’Malley asked. “You should let the medic have a look.”
Eva protested again, but mildly. She knew Private O’Malley was right; if there was any chance she’d hit her head, she really should get it checked out. She closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face. Almost immediately, the voices of her squad died out as she fell into a state of deep relaxation.
She was hardly aware of the medic arriving and asking her some questions, then helping her to her feet and supporting her as they walked together to the medical center inside the base. Everything seemed to be happening in a dream. Eva was told to lie back on the examination bed, and she sunk into it like it was a giant feather bed. The medic’s voice murmured so gently that it didn’t puncture Eva’s rest, until—
“Eva, Eva?”
“Yes?”
“Good, you’re awake.” It was Ali, the medic. “We need to do an ultrasound, if you’re okay with that?”
Eva nodded, still groggy. “Did I fall asleep?”
