“Amazing, actually.”
Well, not the examination part. But Beckett had explained it was standard operating procedure for situations such as hers, and honestly, Evie had been far too tired to argue.
Plus, the sooner you get this done and over with, the sooner you can see him again.
At least, she hoped to see Beckett again soon. He’d made her feel so safe during the trek to the chopper. But when they’d gotten to the clearing, she’d had her tearful reunion with the girls, and the next thing Evie knew, they’d landed on the ship’s helipad.
The girls had been whisked away almost immediately by some of the brave men and women on board. Again, it was nothing she hadn’t expected. Hell, she’d been the one to insist they get taken care of first. But hearing the plan and living it turned out to be two very different things.
Now all she could think of was whether she’d ever see them again.
Don’t forget the man who saved you.
It was true. Shewaslooking forward to seeing Beckett again. Just so she could tell him thank you one last time.
Sure, sure. You just keep telling yourself that, Eves.
“Your pulse is a bit fast,” Petty Officer Billings spoke up again. “But that’s to be expected, given what brought you here. You’ve been under a tremendous amount of stress, both physically and mentally. It’s going to take some time to get back to feeling like your old self again.”
Will I ever feel like my old self?
It was a valid question, and unfortunately one neither woman could immediately answer. And as Evie sat on the exam table, getting poked and prodded and thoroughly checked over, she began to wonder who her old self really was…
And who she truly wanted to be.
“Your zygomatic bones both seem to be intact, so that’s good news.” Billings carefully palpated Evie’s cheekbones. She moved to the sides of her nose, adding, “Same with your nasal bones. But I would like to get an X-ray of your face and torso, just to be on the safe side.”
“Okay.” Evie did her best not to wince. “Whatever you think is best.”
What was she supposed to say…no?
“I’ll go check with the tech and make sure everything is ready to go, and then I’ll come back here to get you.” The other woman’s brown gaze softened as she asked, “You okay sitting in here by yourself until I get back, or would you like for me to get someone to sit with you?”
Only if it’s him.
“I’m good,” she lied. “But thank you.”
Billings gave a gentle nod and smiled. “I’ll be back in few minutes. If you need anything before then, just pick up that phone there”—she pointed to a phone mounted on the wall to Evie’s left—“and someone will be in here asap.”
“Okay.” Evie nodded. “Thank you.”
“Just hang tight. I’ll be right back.”
Minutes later, the other woman returned as promised. Another hour and a half after that, Evie was showered, dressed in a pair of United States Navy sweats and matching crewneck, a brand-new bra, pair of underwear, socks, and her dust-covered boots.
She watched as the petty officer made her way across the room to the door. She swung it open but stopped short of shutting it completely behind her. Evie could hear her speaking to someone and assumed it was one of her fellow sailors.
When the door opened fully once again, it wasn’t Billings’ face she saw. It was?—
“Beckett?”
Her heart gave a hard thud as a rush of heat began a slow crawl up the back of her neck. Even to her own ears, his name had sounded all breathy and wistful. As if his presence was the one thing she’d been missing.
Is that such a bad thing?
“Hey.” He stepped further into the room. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his BDUs, he stopped a few feet from where she sat. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.”Now that you’re here.“I’m just waiting on Petty Officer Billings to come back with my paperwork. But everything came back clear, so that’s good.”