If You Believe in Me Read Online Free Page A

and the OIC to come answer your questions. Don’t move.”
    Kale found himself smiling. Nurses had it all over officers as far as giving orders. But the amusement faded when no one came to brief him. What had happened during his lost hours? He didn’t remember anything after the sedative on the helicopter. He’d give Jacobus hell for that, if he didn’t know it had probably been necessary. For damned sure, if they hadn’t knocked him out, he’d have tried to get up to take over the situation. That was his job.
    Or it had been. He hoped to hell his job was over. If he remembered right, Jacobus had told him the target was killed in the firefight. They’d been ordered to capture him, so the mission wouldn’t be considered successful. But it would be marked complete, and that was all Kale needed to get out.
    Hopefully they would debrief him and wrap up the details in time for him to go home. He could still make it by Christmas Eve.
    A few months ago, after he’d bought the engagement ring that hadn’t left his body since, he and the guys had been hanging around watching one of the random DVDs people sent in care packages from the States. They’d ripped into the ridiculous surprise-reunion-at-Christmas storyline, but it had gotten Kale thinking. Women loved that shit, and public homecomings were almost bigger Internet porn than LOLcats. His go-to memory was playing Santa, with Amber as his helper, on their last Christmas Eve together. It was the perfect time to propose. Four days was cutting it close, but if he pushed—
    “Captain Riker.” A tall balding man pushed aside the dangling curtain between beds and stepped into Kale’s cubicle. He wore a silver eagle and a nametag that said “DiPaolo.” The nurse closed the curtain behind him. Her shoes squeaked softly as she left them alone.
    “Sir.”
    “This is not a secure ward.” DiPaolo glanced around then pulled a rolling stool under his ass, wheeling as close to Kale as he could. “I don’t have the authority to give you a full debriefing or report here. But I think if we keep you in the dark more than a few minutes, you’ll be tearing down the walls looking for answers.”
    “Yes, sir.” Kale curbed his frustration. “I was told some of my men were badly hurt.”
    “Stelmat has a broken leg with some torn tendons and sufficient damage to be sent home for rehabilitation. His neck injury was not as major as feared in the field. Three of your team were treated on base with minor injuries and are pending reassignment.”
    Kale nodded to acknowledge the report, but had to hide his dismay. He wanted to be done, yes, but this wasn’t how he wanted his team to break up. He had no idea what reassignment would mean in the shadows. If they stayed dark, he wouldn’t be allowed to contact them from the outside.
    “Your situation is more serious,” DiPaolo continued. “I’m told they expect to move you to a semi-private room today. Now that you’re awake, your condition will likely be upgraded from critical but stable to recovering. We’ve tried to contact your parents, but have been unable to reach anyone.”
    He should call them. He didn’t want a stranger telling them he was hurt, and they could help him with the surprise. “I’d like to call them myself, sir, when we’re done here.”
    But DiPaolo shook his head. “We’re in a communications blackout, probably until Tuesday.”
    Fuck. That meant there’d been an incident, and they were making the worst kind of notifications. He wouldn’t be allowed to log in to freaking Facebook until the blackout was lifted. No matter. He’d be home by then.
    “How soon can I leave?” he asked.
    “That’s yet to be determined. A couple of weeks, at least.”
    “No.” Kale pushed himself higher on the pillows and tried not to reveal the new wave of agony weakening his muscles. “I need to be home for Christmas. Christmas Eve. I know we can’t complete my termination that fast, but I was