Page 14 of Charlotte
The kids only stay for a couple of hours since they had a long flight out and came straight to the hospital. Captain Mark Olson, the man in charge of Hawk’s team, comes by to meet me and make arrangements for my family to be put up in a hotel while they are visiting. He informs Hawk, he will need to come in for debriefing tomorrow. By the time everyone has cleared out I am exhausted and just want to sleep.
Hawk takes up guard duty at my bedside. The nightshift nurse was kind enough to let him sleep with me, but before the dayshift arrived, she brought in a recliner chair, pillow, and blanket. She informed us that not all the staff would be understanding. She didn’t want Hawk to get kicked out, because she knew he was helping to keep me sane. I had awoken several times in the night with nightmares despite the pain medication. The nurse, Beth, had come running into the room several times to check on me. She told us that my vital signs at spiked suddenly and she was concerned something was wrong internally. I assured her I had only had a bad dream.
“You need anything, love.” Hawk asks as I snuggle down to sleep.
“No. I’m fine.” I reply. I’m so tired. I am praying that I can sleep well tonight. I watch as Hawk settles into the recliner and closes his eyes. I know he must be worn out as well. I was able to get the day nurse to change the dressing on his shoulder today. She assured me that it was healing fine without signs of infection. I close my eyes and sleep over comes me.
Chapter 12
Hawk
I closemy eyes to sleep. It has been a long day. It was nice to meet Charlotte’s children. A smile crosses my face when I think about how fiercely her son questioned me about my intentions. I am glad to see he is protective of his mother, but even happier that her children were not upset that Charlotte and I seem to have something between us. When they first arrived, I was concerned they would give her a hard time. Some kids never want their parents to find love after divorce or the death of a spouse. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction they would have, so I am pleased that while they are skeptical of me, they don’t seem to be angry about it. It would devastate Charlotte if she thought it was causing her children discomfort. Without a doubt she would put them first and there would be no chance for us. It’s time to put these thoughts out of my head and sleep before the nightmares begin.
Charlotte screaming, NO! over and over, startles me from sleep. She is thrashing violently in the bed and I am afraid she is going to hurt herself. I jump into action as the nurse bursts through the door. The bright light of the hallway floods the room and it blinds me. Charlotte screams louder trying to climb up the head of the bed. As I reach for her, I try talking her down from whatever horrors she is seeing in her mind’s eye.
“Charlotte! Charlotte! Look at me, love.” I admonish her with a firm, but gentle tone. “You are safe, in the hospital on base. It’s me Hawk. I am here with you. No one is going to hurt you.” I have gotten her attention, but she still looks disoriented. She is frowning at me, but at least she is not pulling away from my hand on her arm.
“They have me tied down and they are going to hurt me.” She whispers as tears begin to fall. Her eyes dart around the room wildly as if she is looking for her captors.
“No, love. I am here. I won’t let them hurt you. Remember, I promised.” I reply in the calmest of tones. It infuriates me that she is having to relive this shit over and over every night. “Come, let me hold you so you can go back to sleep.”
“You’re really here?” She whispers again. “I’m not dreaming about you?”
“No, love, you are not dreaming. I am right here. See, feel my hand on your arm?” I attempt to pull her back down into the bed. This time she lets me. I sit on the bed with her and pull her to me like we slept in the safe house. Slowly, she relaxes into my chest and runs her hand over it. She whispers to herself.
“He’s really here. I am ok now. He’s real. I can feel him.” She continues to assure herself for several minutes while the nurse checks everything out. It’s a miracle she hasn’t dislodged some of the tubes they have attached to her, but the nurse says everything is ok. She doesn’t seem to mind that I am in the hospital bed with her, so I remain there while she drifts back to sleep.
A couple of hours later I am awoken again to her cries. She calms a little quicker this time. Thankfully, I am able to help her calm down. A couple of times, I am sure she is having a flash back, because even once she seems to be awake, she still looks confused and shaken. By 5 am, we have been up and down several times. She is reluctant to even try to sleep now. So, at her insistence I head downstairs to get her some coffee with her favorite creamer.
When I return with our coffee, the nurse is in the room again. She explains that she came to check the heart monitor because it was not picking up a signal. She had found Charlotte in the floor beside the bed. The nurse assured me that nothing was broken or dislodged when she had fallen out the of bed. The nurse asks if it is ok to put the bedrail up on that side of the bed, so it doesn’t happen again. Charlotte’s eyes are darting around, not really focusing on anything.
“Charlotte, are you alright?” I ask lifting her chin up so she has to look at me. She frowns at first, but then relaxes and says, “I just got too close to the edge, I guess. I’m just clumsy.” She reaches for the coffee and begins to sip it. She won’t look me in the eye. An uneasy feeling comes over me. I will need to speak with the doctor this morning and ask for Charlotte to see the psych doctor again today. She is going to need more intense treatment than we originally thought. She has tried to hide how badly this has affected her. She is a strong woman, but no one can endure all that she has and not come out of it a little scarred. She needs to open up about what is happening so we can help her move on from this nightmare.
Charlotte is sleeping finally. The nurse gave her something to help her rest. She looks so peaceful, like an angel. When Dr. Jacobson comes by, I ask him not to wake her. I tell him about the nightmares and that I think she might be having flash backs as at times she doesn’t seem to be in the moment. Dr. Jacobson assures me that he will have the psychiatrist, Dr. Hancock come by again today. He gives me some good news, though. The chest tube can come out today. It’s progress toward getting her out of here and moving forward. I am thankful she is improving physically, but I am very concerned about her mental health.
* * *
A week later…
Charlotte is being discharged today. She has improved every day. She continues to amaze me. She pushes through the pain without complaint. I know she wants out of here so badly. Her children left to go back home yesterday. They were reluctant to leave, but Charlotte assured them she didn’t want them to put their lives on hold. It also helped that we promised to come out, once she is able to fly.
The relationship between mother and children is so similar to the relationship I have had with my own parents. It is comforting to me and lets me see a future with her. I know that my son, Brian is going to love her. She is a wonderful mother to her children. They may be grown, but she is still their mother. She commands respect from them but gives it in return. She doesn’t belittle them or scoff at their youth when they made some rather immature comments about the budding relationship between us. She is patient, kind, and loving, but firm when she needs to be. It is my sincere desire to head back to the East coast sooner rather than later so I can introduce her to my family. My parents, son, and siblings have been pestering me to send them pictures or Facetime with them so they can meet her. I don’t want to rush her. Even though I have met her children, that’s a little different. She was hurt and needed her children to know that she is alive and well. And there was absolutely no way I was going to stay away from her for a week.
Some asshole has leaked her rescue to the press and that she is at this Naval hospital. It has been difficult to keep the reporters away. Some high-ranking Navy officer has decided that Charlotte’s rescue would make a great story and improve the public’s perception of the military. So, she is being required to make a statement to the press which has really pissed me off. I made it clear to Captain Olson and Commander Hurt that she will read a prepared statement but will not answer any questions. They assured me that we will get her away from the cameras as quickly as possible. Some of those asshole reporters have no manors whatsoever. It’s shameful the questions they will shout out. Do they seriously think she is going to confess to being raped at a press conference in front of a room full of strangers?
In addition to the press, we also have to worry about Hugo Lopez. Intel indicates that he knows Charlotte may have sensitive information. He has gang members all over the US. Word is out for them to be on the lookout for the American woman, short with brown curly hair, that was rescued by US military. The news has now made her a target of every street thug in the US. All looking to catch some fame and glory by being the one that brings her to Lopez. It will be harder than ever to keep her safe now that her name and face are a national news story.
Commander Hurt and Captain Olson have arranged for me to keep Charlotte with me on base. They convinced the upper brass that her safety was of National Security importance. The intel she has on the Lopez brothers has helped to secure her protection. We had a meeting with both leaders, my team, and the SEALs we were partnered with. Wolf’s offer to allow us to stay with him and his wife was considered, but I don’t want to risk their safety. As a group we decided that staying on base would be the most secure. It would keep the press away while we recover. Dr. Hancock the psychiatrist will be close also. And while I hate to admit it, I think we will be needing her more than we could ever have imagined. Charlotte’s nightmares have continued, and she seems to be worsening each day. I know the lack of good sleep isn’t helping. I’m at a loss as to how to help her. I will do everything in my power to get her though this. She is tough as anyone I’ve ever met and I know if anyone can get past what she has endured, it’s Charlotte.
Chapter 13
Charlotte
After a week in the hospital,I am finally allowed to leave with a semi clean bill of health. I have follow-up appointments with a pulmonologist and a psychiatrist to ensure that I am handling all of this okay. I give a short statement to the press the morning of my release and then I am whisked away from the hospital out a back door and into an SUV belonging to one of the SEAL team members. The press has been hounding me for interviews since news of my return to the States was leaked to the press, by an unknown source.
I had thought we were going to Wolf and Caroline’s house to stay a few days. However, Hawk, Commander Hurt, and Captain Olson have decided it is too risky to stay there or check into a hotel, even temporarily. They are concerned the press might find out and camp outside to get pictures of us or secure an interview. So, we are going to stay in a house on base. I was sure the military would not let me stay on base as I am not one of them and we aren’t married. Hawk assured me that my safety while I recover is a priority to his Captain and Commander Hurt.
After arriving on base, we pull up onto a street with houses on both sides of the street. They are all the same, tan siding, a small window to the left of a plain brown door, with a larger picture window on the right side of the door. We stop in front of one of the units. There are a couple of cars in the driveway and a few more on the street. The others file out and I notice they are surveying the neighborhood just as they had done while we were in the jungle. I suppose it so ingrained in them they don’t realize they are doing it. Hawk takes my hand and squeezes gently.
