unknowingly impressed the hell out of the battle-hardened men standing around her. “Sorry guys, I’ll try to stay still, can’t promise though.”
Abe was the first one to respond, and he did so chuckling under his breath. “No worries, Fiona. We’ll take care of you. Nothing will hurt you here. Relax.”
Wolf was able to put in the IV without further incident, but all four men watched as she scrunched her eyes closed and as the sweat popped out on her forehead. Fiona finally fell into a fevered sleep without another word.
Wolf turned toward Cookie with barely leashed anger toward the mystery men who’d drugged and abused Fiona in his eyes, and said between clenched teeth, “Spill it.” They all needed to hear Fiona’s story. This obviously wasn’t a cut-and-dried case. They all needed to hear what was going on, and it’d have to be reported back to their commander.
Cookie sighed. “I’d hoped she was over the worst of it, but apparently I was wrong. They drugged her. I have no idea with what, but I’m assuming it was probably heroin, but her symptoms don’t exactly fit. Heroin withdrawal usually includes things like agitation, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. She’s experienced all of those, but they usually don’t last much longer than thirty hours. She should be over that by now.
“But if they mixed the heroin with meth, that could definitely cause some sort of substance-induced psychotic disorder. That makes this withdrawal more serious. It has its own set of symptoms, the prominent one being delusions or hallucinations. Fiona said they’d been drugging her for weeks. She’s embarrassed about it, and you can see she’s fighting as hard as she can, but it’s not enough. I’m afraid it’s going to get bad. I’m amazed she made it as long as she did.”
“She’s obviously tough,” Wolf told Cookie. “She’ll handle this. We won’t let her down.”
Wolf had apparently adopted Fiona as one of their own. He’d watched her put her life on the line for one of his best friends. There was no way one of the team could’ve safely gone down from the helicopter to help out and to get Cookie up. Fiona had literally saved both of their lives.
“We have to figure out what we’re going to do. We can’t stay here forever. Tex’s people are only allowing us to use this place for about a week and a half at most, and we have to report back to base. I’ll call the commander and let him know what’s up and that all of us won’t be returning right away. We have to figure out who’s staying to help take care of her and who’s going.”
“I’m not leaving her, Wolf,” Cookie said with steel in his voice.
“I didn’t think you were.” It was said matter-of-factly, as if Wolf hadn’t even thought of the possibility.
“I’ll stay too,” Benny told them. Before Abe could volunteer to stay as well, Benny continued. “Abe, you need to get home to Alabama. You know how much she stresses when you’re gone. Wolf, you should probably get home too, you can talk to the commander and make sure you hold the fort down, besides, Caroline will be just as anxious to see you as Alabama is to see Abe. I’ll get Dude to stay here with us.”
“What about Mozart?” Abe asked, apparently having no issues with Benny’s plan.
“I think he can probably go back home as well. If we need him though, we’ll get in touch. We can play it by ear.”
“Cookie? Does that sound all right to you?” Wolf wanted to make sure Cookie approved whatever they decided, this woman was obviously important to him, even though they’d just met. Wolf didn’t question it. He’d made a connection with his Caroline just as quickly and if Cookie was feeling half of what he’d felt when he’d found out Caroline was injured, he knew Fiona was already a part of their close-knit SEAL family, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Cookie ran his hand over Fiona’s forehead, feeling the heat and
Abe was the first one to respond, and he did so chuckling under his breath. “No worries, Fiona. We’ll take care of you. Nothing will hurt you here. Relax.”
Wolf was able to put in the IV without further incident, but all four men watched as she scrunched her eyes closed and as the sweat popped out on her forehead. Fiona finally fell into a fevered sleep without another word.
Wolf turned toward Cookie with barely leashed anger toward the mystery men who’d drugged and abused Fiona in his eyes, and said between clenched teeth, “Spill it.” They all needed to hear Fiona’s story. This obviously wasn’t a cut-and-dried case. They all needed to hear what was going on, and it’d have to be reported back to their commander.
Cookie sighed. “I’d hoped she was over the worst of it, but apparently I was wrong. They drugged her. I have no idea with what, but I’m assuming it was probably heroin, but her symptoms don’t exactly fit. Heroin withdrawal usually includes things like agitation, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. She’s experienced all of those, but they usually don’t last much longer than thirty hours. She should be over that by now.
“But if they mixed the heroin with meth, that could definitely cause some sort of substance-induced psychotic disorder. That makes this withdrawal more serious. It has its own set of symptoms, the prominent one being delusions or hallucinations. Fiona said they’d been drugging her for weeks. She’s embarrassed about it, and you can see she’s fighting as hard as she can, but it’s not enough. I’m afraid it’s going to get bad. I’m amazed she made it as long as she did.”
“She’s obviously tough,” Wolf told Cookie. “She’ll handle this. We won’t let her down.”
Wolf had apparently adopted Fiona as one of their own. He’d watched her put her life on the line for one of his best friends. There was no way one of the team could’ve safely gone down from the helicopter to help out and to get Cookie up. Fiona had literally saved both of their lives.
“We have to figure out what we’re going to do. We can’t stay here forever. Tex’s people are only allowing us to use this place for about a week and a half at most, and we have to report back to base. I’ll call the commander and let him know what’s up and that all of us won’t be returning right away. We have to figure out who’s staying to help take care of her and who’s going.”
“I’m not leaving her, Wolf,” Cookie said with steel in his voice.
“I didn’t think you were.” It was said matter-of-factly, as if Wolf hadn’t even thought of the possibility.
“I’ll stay too,” Benny told them. Before Abe could volunteer to stay as well, Benny continued. “Abe, you need to get home to Alabama. You know how much she stresses when you’re gone. Wolf, you should probably get home too, you can talk to the commander and make sure you hold the fort down, besides, Caroline will be just as anxious to see you as Alabama is to see Abe. I’ll get Dude to stay here with us.”
“What about Mozart?” Abe asked, apparently having no issues with Benny’s plan.
“I think he can probably go back home as well. If we need him though, we’ll get in touch. We can play it by ear.”
“Cookie? Does that sound all right to you?” Wolf wanted to make sure Cookie approved whatever they decided, this woman was obviously important to him, even though they’d just met. Wolf didn’t question it. He’d made a connection with his Caroline just as quickly and if Cookie was feeling half of what he’d felt when he’d found out Caroline was injured, he knew Fiona was already a part of their close-knit SEAL family, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Cookie ran his hand over Fiona’s forehead, feeling the heat and
Similar Books
Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It
Richard A. Clarke, Robert K. Knake
