8. Alexis

Chapter 8

Alexis

T hose three words echoed in Alexis's mind, and she wondered if the universe would be so cruel as to let her die the same day she heard a real I love you for the first time in over fifteen years. Sure she had heard it from women who loved the idea of her. But Kate had seen beyond that. Kate loved her, Alexis was sure about it. Because she felt it too. There was something magical between them.

I love you.

Alexis had felt the words like a visceral jolt of electricity that coursed through every atom of her being.

Kate had come into her life so suddenly and unexpectedly. Alexis lived most of her adult life with no real dream of ever finding the one person to spend her life with. Never dating seriously meant never letting anyone get too close. It had never occurred to her that she could have a life with Kate beyond the one she'd known previously. The only thing now keeping them from a life together was the small matter of whether Alexis could stay alive long enough to get help.

Please. Let me live. If there is a god, please get us the hell out of here.

Despite Kate's admission, Alexis could feel all the energy draining from her body, and she wished Kate had gone ahead to extraction without her. With her injury, Alexis had only slowed Kate down. She didn't think she would make it. The injury felt too serious, and she'd already lost too much blood.

The rumbling of truck engines grew louder and closer. It brought Alexis back to reality. They were hiding in a ditch with enemy combatants roaming the hills in trucks looking for them. There was no way Kate would get out alive if they were caught in a ditch together and she refused to leave Alexis's side.

Panic, an emotion Alexis to which was a stranger, rose in her throat, nearly choking her. She had to convince Kate to leave her there or come up with a plan to get them out of there. Their hiding spot would only work for so long, and with their team headed toward them, Kate might stand a chance at survival if she moved closer to the extraction point without Alexis.

Alexis swiped at the tears on Kate's face with her good hand and whispered fervently to her.

"Kate, you can't stay here. It's only a matter of time before they find us."

Kate's glare was withering, but Alexis pressed on.

"Please don't make me watch you die. I can't watch anyone else I love die."

Her arms were crossed over her chest and silent tears ran down Kate's face.

"No. I am not leaving you. If you want me to get out of here, you better think of a plan."

Fear rolled through Alexis. There was no way she could make Kate do anything in the condition she was in. The best she could do was make a plan and be sure Kate made it to the helicopter no matter what it cost Alexis.

"You're so goddamned stubborn," Alexis said accusingly, wishing Kate would just do as she was told.

Kate surprised her by lowering her head and capturing Alexis' mouth in a swift, passionate kiss that stole her breath.

"So what's the plan?"

"Turn the volume down on the satphone and call the team. Ask them their ETA."

She did as she was told, and Alexis kept her gaze over the hill on the headlights drawing closer to them. If the team wasn't already close by, Alexis wasn't sure what she could do.

"Bulldog One, this is Medic One, come in."

"This is Bulldog One, I read you Medic One. Go ahead," the man said, and Kate looked at her in confusion. Alexis just indicated with her hand that Kate should keep talking.

"What's your ETA, Bulldog One?"

"We are less than five minutes out. I repeat, less than five minutes out."

Alexis was filled with relief. She could still get Kate out alive with their team that close. She grabbed the radio from Kate.

"Bulldog One, this is Sniper Alpha. Enemy combatants in proximity. Setting up diversion as we speak. Haul ass, boys. We don't have much time. Over."

"I read you Sniper Alpha. Over and out."

The line went dead, and Kate glanced at Alexis with wide, wild eyes.

"Diversion?"

Alexis nodded. "Dig through my pack. Front pocket, the small one. You'll find some flares."

Kate dug through the near empty pack and found four flares held together with a rubber band.

"Take one. Do you know how to light it?"

Kate nodded and answered quietly, "Strike it against a coarse surface like a match pointing it away from face."

Alexis nodded weakly "Yes, there's a striking pad on the lower handle if you can't find anything hard to light it on.".

"So what kind of diversion are you thinking?"

"How's your throwing arm, Kate?"

"Pretty good. I've played my share of football."

Another miracle, Alexis thought.

"Okay so here's the general idea. These flares have wicks that most people don't use. Works like old school ACME dynamite. Light it, throw, and in five to ten seconds, the flare will fully ignite."

She stopped speaking. Kate pressed down on the wound in her shoulder and Alexis gasped for breath. She glanced around looking for the best place to start throwing flares.

"Kate, if you can take the three extra flares, sneak through our ditch and closer to the hillcrest. Then light ‘em and toss ‘em as far as you can."

"That's a horrible idea. If they see me throw them, they'll find us right away."

Alexis nodded. "But if it works, it will distract them long enough for us to make a run for it."

All the movement was catching up to her, and Alexis felt increasingly dizzy and weak, and the pain in her shoulder felt like a rabid dog was gnawing on her abused flesh.

Kate was silent as she stared at Alexis and worked it through in her mind. Alexis was sure that Kate would come to the same conclusion she had. They didn't have any other choice unless Kate was going to leave Alexis behind.

"Fine. Talk me through the logistics of this."

She let her eyes slide closed as she talked through the plan, imagining how it would play out if it were to go exactly as planned.

"Just make sure that you throw them as hard and far as you can. And be fast. Once the helicopter gets closer, they'll be able to hear it. Then we are shit out of luck.

Kate's eyes scanned the hills in the darkness, and Alexis handed her the remaining three flares.

"Save the fourth flare to signal our team. If we don't make it out this time, I don't think we're going to make it out at all."

The statement was grim and quiet. Kate bent down and pressed a small kiss between Alexis's eyebrows.

"I'll have to stop holding pressure on your wound. Don't move until I get back. Stay out of sight and out of trouble and try not to die. Promise me you won't do anything stupid?"

Nodding her agreement, Alexis thought it was unlikely she'd be able to do much but listen anxiously for the helicopter and the sound of flares being lit.

The pressure at her shoulder went away, and Alexis sucked a breath in between her teeth. Searing hot agony engulfed Alexis' shoulder in flames, and the drowsy, blood loss stupor she'd been in dissipated.

Kate was gone, sprinting north up the ditch. Alexis watched her for a moment until she disappeared into the dark. She waited for the sound of flares or helicopter blades. The deep reverberating thumping of the helo tickled Alexis' senses, and she picked up the minute sound of their team coming for them from the south.

To the north, Alexis watched as a bright red flare hissed and emitted blinding red light in the distance. The sound of truck engines roaring into motion had Alexis's heart racing in fear. The night grew brighter still as two more flares joined the first. Their red lights illuminated the northern section of the sky that Alexis could see, and she was impressed at how far Kate had managed to throw them. It would only buy them so much time, as the men in the trucks would eventually hear the helicopter, and they'd see the last flare being lit up to flag down their team.

Relief spread through Alexis as Kate reappeared at the northern end of the ditch, sprinting toward her silently. The exertion showed on Kate's face, and she looked scared.

"We've got to go now . There's six trucks, not two."

"Fuck," Alexis swore and forced herself to her feet, the pain sending sparks of agony through her, threatening to make her pass out.

Kate came and wrapped her arm around Alexis's waist.

"We have to run, Kate," Alexis whispered, her tone hard, leaving no room for argument.

"You can't! If you lose much more blood you'll die," Kate exclaimed in a furious whisper.

"Baby, if I don't run, we are both going to die anyway."

Kate's mouth snapped shut, and in a burst of energy, pouring everything she had left into it, Alexis pushed herself into a run. It was the only way she'd get Kate out of there willingly, and Alexis had known the chances of making it out of the desert with such a severe injury wasn't likely. So running and losing what was left of her blood volume meant nothing as long as Kate got out alive.

As their feet pounded toward the south, the sound of helicopter blades thumping in the distance grew louder. They weren't trying to hide anymore, just be as fast as possible. The enemy seemed distracted by their flares, and Alexis hoped it would keep them occupied long enough for them to reach the extraction site.

The dry, dusty air choked Alexis, and her lungs burned with the effort exerted to stay upright and moving. Stars danced around the edges of her vision, and a wave of nausea rolled through her. At any moment her legs would give out.

Her gaze flitted to Kate, and she saw fear written in every crease of her beautiful face. She pushed harder, unwilling to go down before they reached the helicopter, knowing that Kate wouldn't go without her.

At once, two things became apparent. The helicopter was landing about fifty feet ahead of them, and their diversion was no longer fooling the enemy. Kate's head whipped around, and from the way her eyes widened and nearly popped out of her head, Alexis guessed the men in trucks were advancing on them from the north. The fear distracted Kate, and she stumbled slightly.

"Head forward, babe. Helo's here. Run like hell."

Kate's head snapped back around, eyes falling on the helicopter ahead of them. Alexis dipped into the last of her energy, and they ran as hard as they could. Shots rang out behind them, the popping of rounds almost deafened by the helicopter's loud rhythmic whooping.

Ten feet from the helicopter, Alexis's knees gave out, and to her surprise, one of the men in the helicopter jumped out and ran to them.

"Get into the helo!" he yelled at Kate. She hesitated, and he yelled again.

"Now, Lieutenant! I've got Cole. Get in!"

The world disappeared from beneath her as the man lifted her, and Alexis realized she knew him.

"Hey. You're not supposed to be here."

Maloy's face held concern, and Alexis knew she probably looked like a fresh corpse.

"Tough shit, Liuetenant. I wasn't leaving you out here."

Maloy lifted her into the helicopter and then was shouting at their pilot to take off. The sound of a machine gun offloading rounds near Alexis's ear told her that the trucks were coming in close, and their aerial gunner had decided to return fire. The helicopter jerked, rising into the air, and Alexis's vision swam. Kate was safe, and that's what mattered.

I love you, too.

Shouting came from both sides of her in different voices. One was Kate's, and the other she didn't recognize. The pain in her shoulder amplified, and Alexis let out a guttural scream before it finally became too much. She passed out, letting the sweet bliss of unconsciousness take over and release her from her pain.