Page 4 of Fire and Rain
She drew up the quilt her mother had made for him and then walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked behind her. She needed a hot soak and a good night’s sleep.
She walked to the tub and turned on the tap, undressing and tossing her clothes into the bedroom. Then she hung a clean towel on the rack, put her phone where she could reach it in case one of her sisters called, and stepped into the tub, sinking into the hot water with a sigh.
She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift, savoring the heat and the quiet.
She’d heard the helo lift off about thirty minutes ago and knew that Justin was out there somewhere, trying to save lives. When they’d first met, she’d sat by her VHF radio any time he went out on a case, listening, needing to know he was safe. But they’d been married for three years now, and she’d adjusted to the risks of his job—mostly.
She’d fallen in love with that brave man who’d jumped out of a hovering helicopter and swum through icy water just to ask for her name and number. Danger was part of the package that was Justin. If he could cope with it, so could she.
When she’d met Justin, she’d been working full-time as a pharmacy tech at Safeway. She’d enjoyed that job more than the jobs she’d had as a teen—acting as a tour guide, waiting tables, working at the fish processing plant. When she’d found out she was pregnant, she and Justin had talked about it and decided they had enough money saved up for her to leave work until their kids were in school. Given his long hours and unpredictable schedule, it had seemed the best thing for them as a family. It wasn’t as if Eden had any great career ambitions.
She was an Alaskan through and through. What mattered to her was family and spending as much time as she could in nature, boating, fishing, hiking, watching wildlife. For her, a job was just a way to pay the bills, nothing more.
But Justin had always wanted to be in the military. He’d chosen the Coast Guard because he loved the water. Then he’d learned about Aviation Survival Technicians—rescue swimmers—and he’d known exactly what he’d wanted to do.
Her brave, crazy husband.
She found herself smiling as she remembered their conversation tonight and the sexy purr in his voice when she’d told him she wanted to try for another baby.
“Are you saying no more condoms?”
“No more condoms.”
“Man, I wish I weren’t on duty tonight.”
Oh, so did she.
She had grown up as the middle child with four sisters—Natasha, Maria, Katie, and Anya—and she wanted Maverick to have at least one sister or a brother. She also wanted her parents to meet her children before they passed. They were in their sixties, and neither of them was in very good health. Though Justin had promised he would do all he could to stay here on Kodiak Island, she knew that was beyond his control.
Eden brought her hands to rest on her belly, the silver stretch marks from her pregnancy with Maverick barely visible. Would their next baby be a girl or a boy? A part of her hoped it would be a girl so they would have one of each. She would love to watch her newborn daughter wrap Justin around her tiny finger. But boy or girl, it didn’t really matter to Eden.
In the distance, she heard the rotors of another helicopter leaving the station. Was it for the same case, or had they gotten another call?
Justin would tell her all about it when he came home in the morning.
* * *
Wrapped in a blanket,Sean sat in the troop seat of another MH-60, James strapped in beside him as the helo that had rescued them made its way back to base. He was oblivious to the searing pain from his burns and the ache of his broken arm, his mind fixed on those few seconds just before the explosion.
Abort the hoist! Abort! We need to get everyone off the boat and pick them up in the water. They’re cooking meth, and the patient was exposed.
Abort the hoist. I’m putting some distance between us. Prepare to recover our swimmer and survivors from the water.
Aborting the hoist. Get out of there, Koseki!
BOOM!
Mayday! Mayday! This is Coast Guard Rescue Six-Zero-Three-Eight! The Marjorie T exploded. We’re going down!
If only Sean had shouted to Justin to jumpnow…
If only he’d held onto that hoist line…
After the helo had hit the water, Sean had unhooked himself and helped Wade escape the sinking aircraft. That’s how he’d discovered that his right arm was broken and useless. The pain had been excruciating. Sean didn’t remember all of it, but they’d both made it out and up to the surface again.
Sean had glanced around, his right arm limp. “Where are Spurrier and Abbott? Do you see Justin?”
Wade turned in the water. “No, I… There!”
