Sincerely Yours

Chapter 17: The Great Escape (Correction)

Summary:

Nhu is bleeding out, and the team knows they are running out of time. Tony has a plan, but it's a risk. What will the enemy do, and will they finally get Nhu out of danger?

Time was running out... Tony knew he would be in deep trouble if Nhu didn't get a doctor soon. All the blood Tony saw was making him sick to his stomach.

"How can people stand the pain of being in love," Tony murmured. He looked at Mark and saw the same pain. He ached in his gut as he watched Nhu's blood flow.

Mark was frantic. He had thought he had done well. The wound had been stitched and cleaned, but there must be something inside he could not see. Maybe a fragment of the bullet? They had to make a decision. They could either hold down Nhu, reopen the wound, dig it out, or wait for the doctors.

After careful consideration, Tony decided they would continue to apply pressure to the wound and hope the chopper would be here soon. Tony needed a break from all this emotional turmoil, but he realized something.

"There is no escape from these feelings. Nu has made that impossible for us all. There is no turning back," Tony thought.

Tony would die for him. They all would. The team would take care of Nhu until Zee could and even after that. Nhu will get all their love until they find the one made for them. Hell, probably even after that.

Tony, a leader of men, precise in his thoughts, stable, grounded, and a man of action, knew that he was repeating himself about his feelings. His men understood being the same way he was: shut off, never loving, always searching to find the one that would accept him all for himself.

Every time he thought someone could, they left him. Nhu was a blessing, not a curse. He was theirs. Nhu had accepted Zee with all his blinding faults. Zee was overbearing, dominating, demanding, and even crazy, needing to control everything around him.

Tony saw the instant change in Zee. The man who was never content and could never sit still was perfectly content with Nhu in his lap at the meeting. His stillness surprised everyone. That was until...

Well, today. This. Was this Nhu's retribution for loving a man so profoundly flawed, or was he sent as a shining light to show the way for others just like Zee? Tony hoped it was the latter. Nhu was their shining hope for a brighter future filled with love.

They would care for him with love that never crossed boundaries, but they would also protect and cherish the gift that Nhu had given them all. Hope.

If Zee screwed up again, friend or not, he would whisk Nhu away from the pain and the man himself. Zee be damned. Tony's phone rang, jarring him out of his thoughts. The call he had been waiting for was finally here.

The voice filled Tony's ears with hope, "The chopper with the two doctors you requested is loading."

Tony knew this was it. He had thought it over, and he had a plan. It was time to share it. Tony knew this was their best chance, and using the old radio channel would benefit them.

"First, we use the radio and say we will head west to meet the chopper. The best choice is to have the chopper hover over the west, and the teams are heading towards the chopper to capture us. We head to the beach and have the barge ready."

As the men closest to Tony listened, they relayed the plan to the others. They could not afford to use any radios or a secure phone line. They could leave nothing to chance. This was already risky enough.

"The water teams will assist the elderly in the nearby house and wait for the chopper. Once they are secure and out of sight, we signal the chopper to move to their location. We, unfortunately, will have to help. We must let all those teams spot us, turn, and run to the east. The is risky, but we already have bulletproof vests and even protected the tires," Tony continued.