Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight

Ten

Jeremy made sure Gina was steady before stepping back and turning away to check his gear. He had no need to since he hadn’t gotten in his pack at all, but his hands and his mind were searching for something to occupy them. Something other than Gina’s warm curves and sweet kiss. The kiss, hot and perfect, though it was, should never have happened.

“You rest here,” he said, needing more time to shake off the kiss. “I want to take a look around.” Jeremy traipsed back to the collapsed building, looking for signs that the man he’d been chasing had caused the roof to come down intentionally. After inspecting the structure from the outside, Jeremy determined that there was no way of knowing for sure, so he resolved to be more cautious in looking out for Gina.

With the thickness of the undergrowth, he couldn’t find the path the man had taken.

“Find anything of interest?” she asked when he returned to her.

“Nothing,” he said. “We better get moving.” She pushed off the tree she’d been leaned against and grabbed her pack from the ground. “I’ll carry that,” he said, taking it from her. “You don’t need to put any extra weight on that leg.”

“I can manage,” she argued, her chin coming up. She was both beautiful and determined, and he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to do more than that, but he yanked himself back.

“No.” The single word was the best he could get out as he tried to bring his focus back to the mission. Never once in his career as a SEAL had his attention wavered. But those missions weren’t conducted with Gina at his side. Being with her was the problem and the danger. For his own self-preservation, this adventure couldn’t get over fast enough.

Seeming to accept that he wouldn’t relent, Gina silently held out the bag to him. “We should head that direction,” she said, and began hobbling to the east.

He couldn’t watch her struggle, so he put his arm around her waist to support her. Unfortunately, it also had the effect of bringing her body against his. This was going to be a long afternoon for more than one reason.

They made slow progress, searching the area where Percy and Mason thought there might be a bunker. After hours of working their way through dense jungle, Jeremy concluded that the intel was faulty. When they came to a place where Gina could rest and take the pressure off her leg, he used the satellite phone to call Percy and report in.

“Nothing at our current locale,” Jeremy said. “Any ideas?”

“Sorry, man. I thought you’d find something there. I better go back to the images and my sources,” Percy said, and there was a minute’s delay before he came back on the line. “There’s a small village just a mile from you. Why don’t you head that way and see if the inhabitants have seen anything? Mason or I’ll dig more and be in touch soon.”

“Ready to walk some more?” Jeremy asked Gina when he was off the phone. “About a mile to a village.”

“I can do that.” She gave him a tired smile, and he wished he had options to care for her better. She had plenty of gumption, but injured and pregnant as she was, this was no place for her. He should have tried harder to convince her to stay in Bogota or go home, but at the end of the day, he knew he probably wouldn’t have succeeded.

As they walked on a dirt lane on the outskirts of the village, Jeremy picked up on the trail of the man who’d been at the Inca ruins. The boot print was distinct and unmistakable. Definitely the same guy.

“He’s been through here. We need to be cautious.” If Jeremy had been alone, he’d have skirted the village altogether and attempted to pick up the prints on the other side. With her along, he couldn’t do that, so he slowed their pace, hoping for a decent place to sleep indoors tonight and to have a hot meal.

When he saw the collection of modest huts that compromised the village, he re-thought that. This wasn’t a place with an inn or restaurant. But the villagers might be amenable to taking in guests who were willing to pay. Smoke curled from the chimneys and washing hung on lines indicating the presence of people.

An elderly woman stepped from the first hut into the road in front of them and began speaking in Spanish. Jeremy was immediately lost.

“What is she saying?” he asked after a minute of listening to the exchange between her and Gina.

“She wants to know who we are and what we’re doing here,” Gina said. “I told her that were searching for my brother who we believe was kidnapped and taken into the jungle.”

“Ask her if she saw a man come through here earlier dressed in dark fatigues,” Jeremy said and waited for Gina to translate.

The woman nodded immediately but shot a nervous glance around before speaking.

“She says that many men like that come through here, and they aren’t welcome.” Gina’s brow was wrinkled and he couldn’t tell if it was from pain or worry. “What do you think that means?”

“We must be getting close to their stronghold.” Jeremy imagined that these men were hard on the villagers, and he felt sympathy for them. In his time as a SEAL, he’d seen many local populations taken advantage of. He’d also seen them work with the enemy out of fear or promises of riches.

The woman pointed downward at Gina’s splinted leg and began speaking rapidly again. She even reached out a hand to touch Gina’s arm.

“What does she want?” Jeremy asked, his protective instinct at the ready.

“She’s inviting us into her home to rest because of my leg,” Gina explained. “I’d like to.”

“Tell her that’s kind of her and we’ll take her up on it.” He’d just be on his guard while they stayed. Even if this woman was as kind and well-intentioned as she seemed, there might be others in the village who would turn them over to the smugglers if given the chance.

“Her name is Angelica,” Gina told him as they entered the small house and the woman pointed to a sofa for Gina to sit on.

While Angelica fussed over Gina’s leg, Jeremy studied the house’s layout. The front room was both living and dining area with a tiny kitchen off one side. Through an open door, he could see a neatly made single bed, suggesting that the woman lived alone. Jeremy wanted to investigate every inch of the house to make sure it was safe, but he was also a guest, so he kept his survey of the house strictly visual and sat in the chair the woman indicated for him.

Angelica went to the kitchen area and soon brought them dark, rich coffee to drink before disappearing into her bedroom. A moment later she returned with a wooden box and sat on a low stool with the open case.

“What’s she doing?” He waited for Gina to speak with the woman.

“She wants to apply a healing salve and some herbs to my leg,” Gina explained and moved so the woman could access her leg better.

“Are you sure you should let her?” he asked as the woman opened the box and a strong scent of herbs came from it.

“I can’t see the harm.” Gina was smiling at Angelica. “Besides, it’s not uncommon for elders in a community to possess healing secrets. I encountered that often when working with Doctors Without Borders. I think it may do me some good.”

Jeremy couldn’t argue with that, but he continued to be watchful, occasionally getting up to survey the street in front of Angelica’s house.

* * *

Gina woke from a nap to a delicious smell of cooking food. Angelica was working in the kitchen area and smiled when she saw that Gina was awake. The older woman had been good to her, and Gina was feeling comforted by being in her house. Her leg felt better as well, less sore and achy.

Jeremy had relaxed slightly, but he was still clearly on guard. He stood to the side of the front window, watching the now-dark street.

“Ven aca,” Angelica said to them.

“She wants us to come to the table,” Gina translated.

“I understood that much,” he said, and helped Gina walk the short distance.

Gina stood, putting weight on her injured leg and found that it felt stronger. While they were eating, she asked Angelica more questions about the men who came through the village. Angelica talked at length, and Gina waited for her to be done before translating for Jeremy.

“I caught part of it,” he said, “but not all. She’s seen big black trucks and cars. Is that right?”

“Yes, she says they come through more and more often. The villagers believe that these are bad men since they are conducting their business in secret in the jungle, not out in the open. So far, they haven’t disturbed anyone who lives here, but she thinks that is only a matter of time.”

“Does she know which way they go in the jungle?”

Gina asked the question and learned a general direction plus the dates when the last three groups of vehicles went through the village. She was pleased that her Spanish was contributing to the mission. She hated the fact that she was clearly slowing Jeremy down. If he was on his own, he’d probably be striding through the jungle having eaten a protein bar for dinner.

“That’s good intel,” Jeremy said as he stood up to help clear the table. Angelica waved him off.

“We’re guests,” Gina told him. “She doesn’t want you to do any work.”

“We should get going for the night,” he said, “so we can find somewhere to camp.”

“Angelica has already asked us to stay, and I accepted. We’ll sleep here in the living room. I hope that’s all right.” Gina wanted it to be, but she’d promised Jeremy to follow his lead. If he insisted on going, they would.

“It’ll be better for you,” he agreed and put his hand under her arm when she went to stand from the table.

“Better for both of us. You need rest, too. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

“Ah, men.” Gina shook her head, but she was smiling as she limped back to the couch.

Before retiring for the night, Angelica brought them blankets and pillows. Gina thanked her and wished her a goodnight, but Angelica caught Gina’s hands and held her gaze.

“You will have a healthy, happy baby girl,” the old woman spoke in a firm voice.

“How did you know?” Gina was shocked at her words since she hadn’t revealed her pregnancy.

“A wise old woman can always tell.” Angelica squeezed her hands and let them go before speaking to both her and Jeremy. “You are both very lucky to have each other. Buenas noches.”

After she disappeared into her room, Jeremy turned surprised eyes on Gina. “Did she say we’re going to have a girl?”

“That’s exactly what she said.” Gina didn’t know how to react to the news.

“How could she…?”

“I don’t know, but she said we were fortunate, too.”

Jeremy laughed nervously, but he didn’t seem upset. For herself, she felt revived and uplifted. The interaction with Angelica had been so positive that she felt certain everything would turn out well for them.

She settled back against the pillows. But what were the odds that the old woman was right? Could she and Jeremy really be a happy family together with their baby? Because that’s what Angelica had implied. Gina hoped so because sharing this baby with Jeremy was starting to feel so right.