As much as we tried to be organized, things were chaotic last night. Everyone is still being accounted for.”
“But if she was okay, she would’ve already been looking for me,” Hailey said. Goodness, hadn’t Grayson, a man she barely knew, come rushing to her rescue? Of course her friend would’ve looked for her if she wasn’t injured herself. She would’ve come to the hospital. Hailey had been cognizant enough to provide her name.
She knew Kim had to be hurt somewhere.
“Can I have a piece of paper?” she asked. “I need to leave a note for someone.”
The nurse nodded, handing her a pencil and small slip of paper. Hastily, Hailey scribbled a note to Grayson. She needed to thank him, of course, but she also needed a favor. He’d know how to track down Kim. He’d do it, too, because he was a decent guy, and he wouldn’t want her to worry. She had no idea how much longer Grayson and his friends would even be at Bagram, but she didn’t doubt he’d have the connections to find out what had happened to her friend.
Folding the note in half, she wrote his name on the top. She didn’t even know his last name, she realized. Nor did he know hers. He could probably check with someone in her office if need be. Clearly, he was someone important if he’d been meeting with the general. It sounded like she’d be gone by the time Grayson came by today, but hopefully they could give him her note.
Blowing out a sigh, she handed it to the nurse, giving her brief directions. She felt like a kid in school, passing a note to the boy she liked. A boy who was actually an alpha military man.
He never had answered when she asked if he was Special Forces, but she wasn’t an idiot. Grayson and his friends had come into her office to meet directly with the general. She knew he was supposed to go on his mission or whatnot this morning, and she hoped like hell that he was okay. If the incidents yesterday had shown anything, it was how dangerous the enemy was. No one was truly safe here. And it sounded like Grayson and his team would purposefully be going right into harm’s way.
She wished she had a phone number or email address for him. If he came by later and never got her note, would she ever hear from him again?
She hoped like hell he’d track her down, but she was being flown out of the country. He’d finish whatever job he was here for and go back to the States. Although she wanted to see him again, she didn’t hold out a lot of hope. He’d probably come to check on her at some point, but she’d already be gone.
Two hours later, Hailey was being pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Her ribs hurt like hell, her head still ached, and she had absolutely none of her belongings with her. She knew she was lucky to be alive though.
“Here we are,” the nurse said. “These guys will drive you over to the plane. Some of the other critical patients are going by ambulance, but you’ll be okay to sit like this, even though you may be uncomfortable.”
“Okay.”
“Do you need help, ma’am?” the young soldier asked her.
“I can stand,” she said. She struggled to get up out of the wheelchair and then collapsed back down, pain shooting through her side.
“I’ll lift you into the truck,” he assured her.
Other patients were being moved out as well. Some were on stretchers, being taken by ambulance over to the waiting plane. The less injured like her were in wheelchairs or on crutches. She’d never seen such a mass exodus from base before. People flew in and out all the time, of course, but this was unbelievable. She recognized a couple of women, but her eyes watered as she realized there was still no sign of her friend.
“I promise to make this quick and hopefully painless,” the soldier said.
She nodded and then felt him lift her into his arms. She held herself stiffly, wincing slightly in pain. It was nothing like when Grayson had held her—then she’d felt safe and protected. This was just…clinical. A soldier doing his job.
And now that the adrenaline from yesterday had worn off and she was fully aware of what was happening, her ribs hurt like crazy.
He got her settled in the passenger seat and then turned to help