The halls of the hospital looked completely different when my eyes weren’t fogged by fear. “Didn’t take you for a churchgoer,” he said as we took the elevator to recovery.
“I’m not, usually.” Ever.
“Well, there are no atheists in a foxhole, right?” The elevator came to a stop.
“Something like that, sir.”
“‘Any reason is a good reason,’ that’s what Mom used to say.”
“Mine, too, though for completely different circumstances,” I finished awkwardly.
He shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Jagger, I know she seems pretty…put together, but if you ever need to talk to someone about your family, your mother or your sister, well, Magnolia might know a thing or two about growing up like that.”
What? “Um. Thank you, sir.”
“Well, you’re family now.”
“Sir, you’re not going to hug me, are you?”
“Hell, no.”
“Good. That could get awkward really quickly.” He shot a sideways look at me and walked away.
It was another two hours before Paisley was awake enough for us to see her. They’d removed all her tubes except the IV and oxygen. She was pale and tiny, and had never looked more beautiful to me. I kissed her forehead and walked behind her bed as they wheeled her to her room.
“Hey,” I whispered as I sat next to her and reached for her hand as they locked the wheels. “I love you,” I said, just because I could.
A faint smile ghosted across her lips. “I love you,” she whispered, her green eyes barely visible as her eyelids drooped drunkenly.
“Glad we agree. You can sleep, Little Bird. I’ll be here.” Forever.
She slipped into sleep, and I watched her breathe, feeling utterly content for the first time in my life.
“Hey.” Josh shook me gently. “Everyone’s awake but you, hot stuff,” he joked, and I blinked myself awake.
“Whoa,” I mumbled, sitting up straight in the chair. My eyes darted to Paisley, who smiled sleepily at me.
Morgan sat on the very edge of Paisley’s bed. Will leaned against the wall behind her, with Grayson on the opposite wall. Josh stole the other chair and pulled it next to mine. “Are we having a party?” I asked.
“A celebration of sorts.” He smiled.
I wrapped my fingers around Paisley’s, the need to touch her more overpowering than anything I’d ever felt. “We have a lot to be thankful for,” she said.
“Okay, enough, will you please tell him?” Morgan asked Will.
Selection. Right. “Let’s hear it.” I slid closer to Paisley.
“Grayson was top of the OML,” Will announced.
“No shit!”
All eyes moved to him, but he just shrugged. “You two were too busy screwing each other up. I just studied.”
“What did you get?” I asked.
“Apache.”
“Congrats!” I knew he wanted it and couldn’t have been happier for him. Then there were five.
“I pulled second,” Will admitted, no malice in his features. And then there were four. “Two warrants selected Apaches next.” Two. “Then one of the Chinooks, then another Apache.”
One. It didn’t matter, I had Paisley. But damn if my heart didn’t seize up anyway.
“Fuck, how far down did I finish?” That stupid test. I hadn’t even marked an answer, just turned the thing in blank, like my mind at the time.
“Ninth,” Will answered, and my stomach dropped.
“Well, Blackhawks aren’t all that bad.”
“Are you going to let me finish?” Will asked.
“Please, continue. The sound of your voice is so soothing.” Paisley shot me a look but rubbed her thumb over my hand to take the sting out of it.
“Josh was next.” And then there were none.
I smiled over at my best friend, who had a shit-eating grin on his face. “Congratulations, man.”
“Thanks, I think I’ll like flying Blackhawks.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“Well, I can’t fly medevac with an Apache, can I? I owe a little something, so I gotta pay it back. Besides, it’s not like I can’t transition easily over to Special Operations or anything.”
I shook my head. “I had no idea you were thinking…”
“It snuck up on me, but it’s where I want to be.”
“And number eight?” The room went silent, and I knew. “Apache, huh?” They all nodded. And then there were none.
“Lee-Lee? I’ll…uh…let you do the honors.” Will guided Morgan out of the room, and the rest followed suit, finally leaving me alone with Paisley.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, perching lightly on her bed.
“Like I just had my chest cracked open,” she joked. “But the pain meds are lovely. Do you want to hear the rest of the story?”
“About selection?”
She nodded. “I know how it ends.”
“I won’t mind flying a Blackhawk. I’ll get to be with Josh, and hey, I’m still flying.” I tucked a strand of pale blond behind her ear, rubbing the silk between my fingers. “And I get to come home to you, so what does it matter what I fly?”
“You selected the Apache.”
My hand froze at her cheek. “What?”
Her smile could have lit the world. “You heard me.”