Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight

Nine

“End of the line,” Jeremy said, pulling to a stop. They’d driven for miles, going from highway to smaller roads. Finally, the rutted lane they’d been following for the past few miles turned into a path. They’d have to travel on foot from there.

“Not too bad,” she said from next to him. She’d kept the images and maps handy, acting as navigator as he’d driven based on the information they’d received. “The SUV took us farther than I thought we’d get.”

“Let’s find a place to make camp and then explore from there. We’ve got several hours of daylight left.” Not far from the path, there was a small clearing in the jungle, enough that sunlight touched the ground. The location seemed secure enough, so Jeremy unloaded the gear they’d brought and set up a base camp.

“I’ll help,” she offered, but after his experience with the SEALs, he could do it more quickly by himself.

“You figure out our best course from here,” he suggested. “You’re the one with local knowledge.”

“Right.” She sat on a stump and went to work. “I think we should head southeast,” she said when he was done. “We’ll come across Incan ruins after a couple hours of hiking. I’ve been there before and it’s the closest target. Makes sense to start there, right?”

Percy and Mason’s intel had indicated a possible stronghold near the ruins. “Works for me.”

As they got underway, Jeremy had to admit that they made a great team. He knew about survival, and she had a feel for the terrain in the region. His task was to keep her safe…without irritating her. He grinned. She’d gotten annoyed with him in the vehicle because he’d asked multiple times if she was feeling ill. She’d let him know that he should assume she was fine unless she indicated otherwise. He’d backed off then, but that didn’t stop him from worrying and trying to make the trip easier for her.

“How about a water break?” he suggested, stopping on the narrow path. She’d been following him and slipped around him easily. “Hey!”

“We’ve been walking for less than thirty minutes,” she said. “Besides, I can drink and walk at the same time. Stop being a mother hen.”

“Cluck, cluck,” he said and heard her laugh from in front of him. Okay, he had to admit, there was no one he’d rather have with him on this mission.

When they had to scramble over logs or cross streams, he went in front of her in case she needed help, but she easily managed all of it. After another ninety minutes, they came out of the jungle at the Inca ruins. Jeremy had seen photographs of the remains of the ancient civilization, but he’d never visited them. The structure and detail work were even more impressive in person.

“Pretty amazing, huh?” she said, standing next to him. “When I was here last, we climbed to the top of the pyramid. The steps are uneven and broken in places, but it might give us a vantage point into the surrounding jungle—give us the lay of the land.”

“Not a bad idea,” he said, wishing he’d come up with it. As they walked toward the pyramid, he eyed the surrounding structures. Some seemed solid despite being thousands of years old, others less so. He gave those a wide berth.

They’d just started up the steps of the pyramid when movement off to Jeremy’s right caught his attention. He swung his head just in time to see a man in jungle fatigues disappear out of sight.

“Wait,” he said softly to Gina and held up his hand for quiet. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of someone running through the ruins. Jeremy sprinted in pursuit with Gina right behind him. He slowed twice to listen and adjusted course. Whoever it was must have realized he was being pursued and was trying to be stealthy. If Jeremy could get his hands on the man, he might be able to get some information from him.

Jeremy held up his hand to signal Gina to stop again near the entrance to one of the buildings. He heard movement directly on the other side. Even though the building looked unstable, Jeremy decided it was worth the risk to go through instead of taking the time to go around. Jeremy plunged into the dilapidated structure, following a narrow path through it with Gina on his heels. They were more than halfway through the long, low building when he heard a sharp crack from overhead. Suddenly, the roof gave way, crashing down around them.

“Gina,” he yelled and reached for her hand, but he couldn’t find it. Debris hit his shoulders and dust surrounded him, blocking his vision. “Gina.” He listened for a response from her. There was only silence.

The man he’d been chasing must be long gone, but that didn’t matter. Jeremy had to find Gina. He grabbed his flashlight from his pack and climbed over piles of debris, calling her name, until he saw her, half-buried under chunks of stone roof. He wanted to start dragging away the stones, but he had to be cautious. More roof could collapse and trap or injure her even worse if he disturbed things too much.

Forcing himself to be methodical, he began moving debris away from her. “Almost to you, sweetheart,” he said. He kept up a one-sided dialogue, telling her that he was coming for her, telling her that he’d care for her all the while hoping she’d respond, but he heard nothing in reply. When he finally reached her, he saw that her left leg was pinned under a large stone. He heaved it aside and got close enough to touch her.

She was warm. She was breathing. He could see the rise and fall of her chest, but her eyes were closed. He stroked her cheek. Nothing. “Gina.” He felt panic surge through him and pushed it away. He was trained to handle just such a situation.

Rely on your training, Quinn.

All the first aid classes he’d taken hadn’t prepared him to provide urgent care to the mother of his unborn child. But the high stakes meant he had all the more reason to get this right, no matter how hard it might be. He steadied himself and went through the ways to bring someone out of unconsciousness. He took his canteen and bathed her face with water, he rubbed her sternum, and at last her eyes fluttered open.

He dragged in a breath, swearing it was the first one he’d taken since the collapse.

* * *

“Ouch.” Gina groaned as she came to. Things hurt, and she felt fuzzy, confused.

“Thank God.” Jeremy put his arms around her to hug her. His touch brought her to full consciousness.

“Wait,” she said, and he instantly stilled. “Need to eval first before I move too much. Give me a minute.” She concentrated, sorting through the sources of pain. Her head ached. She pressed her fingers to her crown where she could feel a bump. Swelling going out, not into her cranium. That was a good sign.

She continued her assessment. Neck, torso, arms. All okay. Pelvis, hips, knees. Still good. The worst pain was radiating from her left leg, low down. Tibia? Fibula? She cocked her head to see better. A contusion was forming just above the ankle joint on the outside of her leg. Bloody scratches broke the skin, but she didn’t think those were serious.

“Sweetheart?” Jeremy whispered. He was inches from her, his face anxious.

“I’m okay, I think.” She tried to smile to reassure him. “Just banged up. What happened to the man we were chasing?”

“Got away. I couldn’t leave you,” he said.

“You should have.”

“Never, but it does tell us something.” As he talked, he held his canteen for her to drink. “We’re close. Someone has picked up on our presence, and we’re making them nervous.”

“And that’s good news?” She squinted at him.

“In a way.” He eased her backpack from her and opened it to retrieve the first aid supplies. “The bad news is that it’s going to be tougher to get the jump on our adversaries. They’ll be watching for us.”

“We’ll have to be more cautious, then,” she said as he began cleaning the abrasions on her leg and her arms. He was working as gently as he could, but doing a thorough job of it, too. Maybe he would make a good father after all. She had a brief flash of him cleaning scraps from riding bikes or roller skating.

“Scared the hell out of me when you didn’t come around right away.” He was gingerly touching her head. “No cuts. Just a goose egg.” He took an instant ice pack, activated it, and handed it to her to hold in place. “You hang onto that while I figure out what to do about your leg,” he said. “Be honest, how much does it hurt?”

“Enough,” she said, wincing when he touched the contusion. “But I don’t think it’s broken. I’ve seen enough injuries to be able to take a good guess at that. We’ll have to splint it, though, so I can walk on it. Give me the pack.” She dug around and found what she needed. Since she was unable to splint her own leg, she directed him on how to do it. “It’s going to slow me down for a day or so.”

“It’s not too late to turn back.” His hand was on her arm, and his eyes met hers. “I’m worried about you…and the baby.”

“I think we’re both fine.” She found a smile for him. “No need to worry.”

He shook his head at that. “I’m going to anyways. Can you stand?”

“With a little help.” She held out her hand to him. He took it and guided her to her feet. She kept her weight on her right side until she was steady. Tentatively, she put her left foot on the ground and attempted to stand. She couldn’t control the gasp and wince, but she pushed through it until she was fully balanced on her own two feet.

“Gina?”

“It’s a sprain. That’s all.” She could tell he was on the verge of doing something drastic like calling off the mission or sending her back to the city to wait, and she couldn’t let that happen. “I know what you’re thinking, but we’ve come this far. Taking me back to Bogota will take too much time—time that Blake might not have. We’ve got to get to him. I’ll be fine.” She smiled at him. “With a little help. I think once I get to level ground it’ll be easier to walk.” Heaps of debris still surrounded them, blocking their way to the open air.

“I’ll carry you.” He slung her pack over his shoulder before lifting her. A minute later they were outside under the shade of some trees. Slowly, he put her on her feet.

She could stand unsupported, but she lingered close to him, her arms looped around his neck. His hands were on her body, supporting her. The tenderness he’d shown her got to her, and she felt…

She brushed her fingers over his jaw and their eyes met. As she stretched upward, he lowered his head, and their lips came together. All the passion she’d felt that night at his apartment came rushing back. His tongue swept into her mouth and tangled with hers. His kiss was confident, bold, but gentle, too. And she felt herself melt against his, their bodies fused. For long minutes, nothing mattered but them as the kiss deepened.

The sharp cry of macaw in the trees nearby broke them apart, ending the moment. She looked at Jeremy, trying to read his expression. Had he felt the power of their kiss, too? She couldn’t tell, and he was already disentangling himself from her.