Chapter 26: Hospital

What do we do now?

Mike pulled the door handle open and followed Tom into the hospital room. Tom found a chair while Mike stood over the woman in the hospital bed. She had suffered a significant amount of trauma. Internal damage, broken bones, and a gunshot wound were the most significant of her injuries, but not her only ones. After a week in the hospital, Niki was progressing on her way to a total recovery. It had been touch and go in the helicopter and again after landing. He smiled down at her sleeping form. Cleaned up, she was quite beautiful. If he allowed himself to think about it, and he did. He had some feelings for the woman.

Tom squirmed around in the chair in the corner of the room.

Today wasn't typical. Normally, after the morning debrief, Mike went to the hospital to sit with Niki, and Tom hung out in the metro area in search of a new ex-wife or went wherever the wind blew him. But here he was. Each day, Mike planted himself in the chair Tom now occupied and waited for Niki to wake up. Most days, she would wake soon after he arrived. She knew he was going to be there. He spent every day for the last week with her. She didn't seem to mind, and he was pretty sure she enjoyed his company.

It was a good routine to be on. Debrief at the CIA in the morning. In the afternoon, he sat with her for as long as the hospital staff would allow him in her room. After what they'd gone through, a bit of relaxation was good.

They talked about her father, her brother, what life would be like now, and what life had in store for them.

Tom cleared his throat from the chair. “I’m going to go find something to eat.”

Niki blinked. “Mike?”

He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled tenderly. “I’m here.”

Tom walked over to the opposite side of the bed. “Me too.”

“It’s good to see you again.” She laid her hand on Mike’s. “What’s the occasion?”

Tom winked. “You know me, playing hard to get.”

She smiled up at him.

“Actually, Julia called and wanted to meet us here.”

“Oh, how is she?”

“She’s busy.” They hadn’t seen much of her between the debriefs and her work.”

“What does she want to talk about?”

“Not sure. Afghanistan, I guess. Speaking of which, I assume Mike told you what happened after you passed out on the bird?”

“That would be a correct assumption. But, let’s hear your version.”

“I gave her a brief overview of events,” Mike said. “It doesn’t seem important now.”

“Mike. The man of few words.”

Niki smiled and glanced up. A grin crept onto Mike’s face, a running joke passed between them.

Tom looked out the window. “Anyway. You know you’re at Bethesda Naval Hospital. You’ve got a fractured this, a broken that, a perforated something else. A couple of boo boo’s, you’ll be fine in no time.”

“Oh, believe me, I know about those things.”

“So, we landed at a military base in Tajikistan unannounced. We hauled you and the kids out of the bird and watched it take off as soon as we were clear. It seems they frown at unauthorized landings at their airfield.” Tom chuckled. “Who knew? Anyway. The MPs came at us like we were the 105th Afghan horde ready to invade their country.”

“Uh.” Mike raised his eyebrows. “That might be a bit of an exaggeration.”