The Soldier and The Spy: Jay Halstead- Episode 7

Chapter 2

"You gotta take a breath."

"I'm fine."

"You're not and while I don't mind you snipping at me I'm pretty sure is gonna take issue with it."

That got him to suck down some air and sure enough the noise in his head lessened, but not by much. All he could see were those big blue eyes, silently pleading for him not to leave her. He didn't understand why but nothing in his life had been as hard as walking away from her.

Tess.

"She's going to be okay now." Mouse said quietly but even though he knew his friend was right it did nothing to soothe the fear or rage running rampant through his veins. Especially when a quick look showed the other man was also still worried. "They'll get her taken care of and we can check on her as soon as we're done with debrief."

That was true.

It'd only be an hour, unless her injuries were worse than what he'd catalogued in which case there wasn't anything he could do but still...

"Katherine is a bitch."

Mouse opened his mouth, then made a face and nodded in agreement. Katherine was Head Nurse and was as dry and brutal as the desert around them.

Crotchety old bitty.

Those blue eyes flashed through his mind again and just like that the path to their commanders office was gone.

She didn't want him to let her go.

Even after she'd cried herself to sleep she'd kept a tight grip, to unconsciousness because she had none of the security or peace that came with real sleep. Nothing but him. When she'd woken just a few short hours later, panicked until she realized where she was, even after, her eyes darting around like she expected her captors to pop up at any moment and drag her back, which they'd have to do over his dead body when she'd realized she was with him she'd relaxed. She still hadn't returned any of his smiles but Jay didn't think it was personal. He didn't think she could. That part of her was turned off right now.

And he was just supposed to give her away to a group of strangers?

The fact that they weren't strangers to him didn't matter, nor did the fact that their sole purpose was to help her. He could see in her eyes that she didn't want him to let her go. So he didn't.

"We got her from here Sergeant."

"I got her."

"It's okay, we have a gurney-"

"I said I got her."

"I'd give 'em some room boys. She don't need to be crowded." Knox said as he and Mouse hopped out of the chopper. It had finally come a little over an hour ago after the fighting had died down, though with who knew how many of those javelins in play it had been a tense ride, even after they'd cleared the valley.

But there was no death today.

Not for them.

He accepted his friends help to get down, Tess was still held tight in his arms so it made maneuvering awkward and with the way she was nervously peeking her head in and out of his jacket he didn't want to put her down for even a second. And with all his team backing him up the med team slowly backed away.

"Head to debrief and then get yourselves cleaned up." He told Knox, the other man nodding before he shot Tess a wink and headed off, only Mouse sticking with him as he made for the Med Bay.