She’d been emotionally wrung out when she’d finished talking to the general. She was relieved he hadn’t treated her like a piece of glass, but she was ready to not think about her captivity for a moment.
Grover seemed to understand, and he brought her to the mess tent. It was weird being back there. And being on the opposite side of the chow line. Sierra wasn’t sure she was even supposed to be eating with Grover and his friends, but she was also relieved she didn’t have to try to figure out what to do with her time. She had no idea where she’d be sleeping or what came next, but she’d take things one day at a time.
After they’d eaten, with Sierra feeling as if she was literally going to burst—her stomach had obviously shrunk a lot in the last year—Grover took her hand again and led her outside. She didn’t even wonder where they were heading until he started toward another helicopter on the edge of the post.
“Where are we going?” she’d asked.
“Home.”
Home.
God, that sounded so good. Sierra didn’t really even know where home was for her anymore, but the thought of getting out of Afghanistan, and away from her worse nightmare, was such a relief.
So, she’d let Grover strap her into a seat and watched in bemusement as the rest of the guys climbed in. There wasn’t much room left after everyone got settled, but instead of feeling claustrophobic or uneasy sitting between Grover and Trigger, with duffle bags at their feet and rifles slung across everyone’s chests, Sierra felt comforted.
Now she was in a military airplane on her way back to the States. It was almost hard to believe. She hadn’t said much as they’d gone from the helicopter to the plane, but that was because she was so relieved, she couldn’t put into words how she felt.
She’d never really thought about what the military troops went through overseas. Since there wasn’t an “active” war going on, she’d just assumed life would be fairly routine on the military bases in Afghanistan. The contractor she’d signed with had made it seem as if it was just like any base back in the States. But the truth of the matter was, the threat was still very high for anyone who was deployed.
Studying Grover’s teammates, she saw them in a new light. They regularly put themselves in danger…for what? For the satisfaction of making the world safer? For the thanks? For the pride that came from serving their country? Sierra wasn’t sure. But she was grateful regardless.
“You okay?”
The words were quiet and gentle.
Sierra looked at Grover. He was sitting next to her and had been holding her hand since they’d taken off. They hadn’t spoken much, but holding his hand reminded her how close she’d felt to him when they were in their cells back in the caves. She nodded. “A little overwhelmed I think,” she told him honestly.
“That’s to be expected. Your world has changed pretty dramatically. Hard to believe less than forty-eight hours ago, we were lying in the dirt in the dark, huh?”
Sierra snorted. “That’s like the understatement of the century. What happens next, Grover?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just…when we land in DC, you guys are going on to Texas, right?”
“Yeah,” Grover said softly. “We’ll have a debrief on the plane, so when we get to Texas, the guys can go straight home to their families. We’ll do a more in-depth after-action review later. I’ll go to the hospital on post and get checked out. Not much anyone can do for cracked ribs, but it’ll all be documented for my record.”
Sierra squeezed his hand. “I hate that you were hurt.”
Grover shrugged. “I knew what I was getting myself into.”
She still couldn’t believe that this man, someone she didn’t know, who didn’t know her, had purposely gotten himself taken captive. It was the kind of thing that only happened in the movies, and yet here she was. Her throat closed up, but no tears formed. “What about me?”
Grover didn’t ask what she meant. He knew. It was reason number four hundred and three why she was so attracted to him. “You’ll be assigned a military escort, probably a female officer. I’m certain you’ll go to a hospital in DC for a full workup. You’ll probably spend the night there, have to talk to at least one therapist, as well as tell your story to a few more generals before you and your escort will head to Denver. Your parents have been notified of your rescue, and they’ll be waiting for you. After that…it’s up to you.”
Sierra nodded. Nothing Grover said was a surprise. She felt amazingly good, all things considered, but would welcome a full medical panel. She knew she was too thin and had lost a lot of muscle tone. She’d stopped menstruating and figured her blood work would probably be a mess. But she was alive. She couldn’t complain.
She’d thought about asking to borrow a phone to call her parents, but honestly, she wasn’t sure what she’d tell them. There was so much going round and round in her brain that she figured it would be best to just have someone else inform them she was alive, then tell them everything when she saw them in person.
Despite knowing her immediate future…she still felt kind of lost. Out of her element. And Sierra hated that. She’d always been independent and not afraid of new experiences. But now, it felt overwhelming to have to think about what to do after seeing her parents.
“For the record, I wasn’t kidding about the invite for you to come to Texas,” Grover said quietly.
Sierra bit her lip and looked at him. “I’m not sure…How would that work?”
“How would what work?”
“Where would I stay? I have some money saved up, but I’m not sure how long it would last if I lived in a hotel and ate out for all of my meals.”
Grover shook his head, looking almost amused. “You don’t have to worry about money. You have several choices as to where you could stay. I know without a doubt in the world, any one of the women would love to have you stay with them. Gillian would probably talk you into helping with the events she plans. Kinley would likely find you a job within a week of being there. Aspen will be ecstatic to know you’re all right, and both she and Riley will welcome another adult to talk to after being with kids all day. Devyn would try to convince you to adopt three dogs and four cats, and Ember would be over the moon if you came to Texas. She feels as if she knows you already. They’ve all been worried about you.”
“But…they don’t even know me.”
Grover shrugged. “That might be true, but they’ve still been worried. And they’re more than aware of my feelings for you. That’ll be enough reason for them to bring you into the fold, so to speak.”
Sierra just stared at him. She wanted to ask exactly what those feelings were…but she was too afraid he’d say something like he felt responsible for her, or still guilty because she was taken. He didn’t give her a chance to respond.
“Trust me, you wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. The other guys on the team would love to have you stay with them. Riley and Oz have the biggest house, but they also have three kids, so it would be pretty chaotic there. But if you don’t want to stay with any of my friends…you can always stay with me.