Page 101 of Fire and Rain
But then Sean was there. She was so relieved and happy to see him that it didn’t occur to her to wonder why he was in the water instead of the rescue swimmer.
He took hold of her life jacket, then caught her in a rescue hold, his strong arm encircling her. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. We’re going to hoist you up. The rotor wash is going to make you feel like you’re drowning, but you’ll be okay. Just do as I say.”
Another wave. Aching cold. A bright light.
A flood of rotor wash and sea spray that made her cough.
Sean slipped something around the two of them, bringing her face to face with him, holding her tight. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and held on as they were lifted out of the water and into the air.
Spinning, spinning. Cold wind. The thrum of the rotors. Sean’s arms around her.
She raised her gaze to his but couldn’t see his eyes behind his visor.
He ran a thumb over her aching cheek. “I love you, Eden.”
“I l-love you t-too.” But she was so cold and exhausted.
After that, she was aware of little. Hands pulling her into the cabin. Sean reassuring her, working to warm her. Trey pulling Charlie and Sean into the cabin. Charlie shouting for morphine. And then it all faded away.
* * *
Sean helped getEden on a gurney, made sure she was covered by blankets, and pushed it toward the waiting ambulance. She was still unconscious, and Trey had said he was certain she had a concussion in addition to hypothermia. But at least she was alive.
“We’ll take good care of her.” An EMT took his place, worked with another to lift the gurney into the ambulance.
Sean stepped back, everything in him wanting to go with her.
But his job wasn’t done.
He helped EMS get Crane onto a gurney and over to a waiting Life Flight plane headed for Anchorage. Then he went back for Trey.
“You didn’t beat his face in, man.” Trey chuckled. “I’m so proud of you—and a little disappointed.”
“I think I regret that.” It hadn’t been easy, not when his fist would have looked so good smashing into Crane’s ugly mug. He held out his hand, clasped Trey’s. “You take care, Trey. Keep us posted. And thanks for everything.”
“You did the hard work. You’d make a good AST, by the way.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. That water is fucking cold.”
He watched as the plane lifted off, James coming to stand beside him.
“Captain Walcott wants to see us before the debriefing.”
“I bet he does.” Sean was still wearing his survival suit, his hair wet, but he walked with James back toward the building. “Any word from Santee?”
“He’s checking in every half hour.”
Agent Santee had confiscated Charlie’s cell phone and had decided to sail theSea Nymphthe rest of the way to Homer to find out who was waiting—and to take that person into custody. He was coordinating with the small Coast Guard station there, and other CGIS and FBI agents would be waiting to join in the fun.
The man was a crazy bastard and one hell of a shot.
James clapped Sean on the back. “She’s going to be okay.”
Sean nodded. “Yeah.”
“How are you?”
“Seeing Crane with Eden and watching her fall overboard took a decade off my life.”
