Page 62 of Fire and Ice

The two men slipped through the entryway, staying to the shadows when they heard a car door slam.

"Holy shit!" they heard Brody say.

Jack spotted the familiar figure standing beside the passenger side of a beat-up pick-up truck, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Maia.

Jack felt his pulse quicken, his heart hammering painfully against his chest. His throat was clogged with suppressed emotion that threatened to bubble up.

She stood there, looking like a drowned rat. Her hair dried up in clumps, she was filthy with sand, grime and motor oil. Her clothes were ripped in places, but to Jack she was still the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"Maia, you came back," he whispered gruffly. He strode purposefully toward her and clenched her to him, burying his face in her saltwater-crusted hair. She gave a soft yelp of pain and he eased up.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," she replied in a scratchy voice.

He raised his head, looked deeply into her eyes and bent forward to kiss her gently, mindful that her lips may have been raw from exposure to the sea. Her body was seized with intermittent tremors, either from being in wet clothes for too long or from shock. She was holding up bravely, but he could tell she was on the verge of collapse. A feeling of fierce protectiveness overwhelmed Jack as he swept her up in his arms and carried her inside.

He took Maia to his room immediately and started the shower. He slowly undressed her, careful that some areas of clothing may be stuck to a wound. He was relieved to see she had only slight abrasions and was not bleeding anywhere. However, the extent of her injuries wouldn't be known until he had washed out all the grit from her. He probably should've whisked her to the hospital immediately in case she had internal injuries, but the desire to have her to himself clouded his better judgment.

"Maia, I'm going to shower the grime off of you and take you to the hospital."

"I'm fine, Jack," she croaked. "Just need to sleep."

She swayed where she stood and Jack moved to steady her.

He held her for a while, waiting for the hot water to steam up the bathroom.

He never wanted to let her go again.

Maia's eyes opened, the smell of antiseptic making her nose twitch. An IV line was attached to the back of her hand. She was in a hospital. Jack was sleeping on a chair with his head resting on his folded arm on the bed.

She must have made a sound because his head jerked up and he looked at her. He smiled as his slate-blue eyes flooded with warmth.

"Hey, babe," he whispered, his hand reached out, stroking her hair.

Maia tried to say something but all that came out was a croak. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Hey, what time is it?" she managed to ask.

"2pm on Sunday. You scared the shit out of us, Maia."

There was anguish in Jack's voice that squeezed her heart. "I'm sorry, there was no other way."

Jack smile was grim, his expression hinted that this was not the end of the discussion.

"Are you hungry, thirsty?"

"Thirsty."

Jack got his phone out and punched a button. "Grace? Tell everyone Maia's awake. They're gonna check her vitals and if everything's okay we'll be home soon."

"Your parents are still here?"

"Babe, they could hardly leave without thanking the person who saved their lives," Jack said softly as he held up a straw for her to take a sip of water.

"I feel like I've been run over by a steamroller," Maia said after quenching her thirst.

"You were lucky, you only escaped with a bruised rib, a couple of scrapes, dehydration and exposure," Jack said roughly.

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