Two Days Of A Dream (22 page)

He groaned to himself as he saw Privates Coleman, Ritchey, and Gering dashing their way. Then he saw Larsen standing behind Kelly, smiling. The women stopped a few feet from Cap.

"I'm sorry, sir, I had her gown locked away but someone ..." Coleman could have killed Ritchey with the look she gave her, and it was hard not to laugh. "... jimmied my locker and gave it to her."

"The gown?" What was it about the gown? He fought hard not to ogle the girl or the material that whipped in the wind. "What-?"

Ritchey cut him off as she leaned around Coleman. "I thought for sure nothing would happen, sir." The young soldier fidgeted and pulled back; only her pale face shone around Coleman's arm.

"What happened, Ritchey?" Duran tried to release Kelly. He had to set a good example, and he needed to put some distance between Kelly and him so he could think.

Ritchey struggled to speak as she pointed. "Shh, she disappeared ..." Throwing her hands around, her mouth moved like a fish deprived of air. "Poof, she just ... disappeared!"

"Disappeared?"
Not again.

Studying her blue eyes that peeked out from under long, blond lashes, Duran found he was totally hooked on her. She was beautiful, strong, and certainly she was mysterious even without the controversy over her gown and how she got here.

He sighed. "I'm tempted to take you back to my tent. I could post guards at each end so you couldn't escape while I'm sleeping."

She clutched him closer. "Who said you would get to sleep?" Her eyes shot wide and her lips parted. She looked as though she had stopped breathing.

Was she offering him what she hadn't offered to anyone else? A tremor ripped through Duran's stomach and once again she almost sent him to his knees. Pulling her back to him, he held tighter and groaned.

She sighed. "I sure wish you weren't a dream."

"I'm not a dream." How was he going to convince her he was real and not a mere dream?

Her creamy brow crumpled and her eyes watered. "Oh, you have to be a dream, I'm not lucky enough to meet a guy like you." Her next sigh wrenched his heart. "I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone and I'll never see you again." She threw her face into his chest and shook with the emotion that flooded them both.

Duran had to convince her he wasn't leaving. Gently, he lifted her face to his. A kiss would prove that he was real.

"
Cough
!"

The sound jarred Duran back to reality. Larsen, who stood next to Coleman, jerked his head. That was when Duran noticed a whole crowd of people, and his example was deplorable.
This isn’t the right time or place for such shows of emotion
, his officer side boomed. Even though every fiber of his being resisted, he put a few inches of space between them, unable to completely let go. Without her warm body so close, his sleepy head cleared a little. He relaxed his grip, but she gasped a breath as she burrowed back into his arms.

"Don't make me go away," she pleaded with the biggest eyes Duran had ever seen. It was like she had let down her guard completely to let him peer into her beautiful soul. He viewed that soul through facets of blue that rippled with love. Boy, had he become mushy. Crazy or not, this strong, gentle woman was for him. God help them.

Her eyes were unfocused. He cried her name as he climbed on top to protect her. "Kelly, just hold still, I’ll protect you!"

He was surprised she didn't fight him. Matter-a-fact she didn’t move at all. He felt warm moisture and he pulled his hand out out. Blood dripped down his arm. He clutched her tightly. With his handback in place and the pressure of their two bodies he could only hope it would stop the flow of blood.

"What?" she whispered, her eyes rolling up.

"You've been shot!" He shook her. "You stay with me!" Duran saw Talbit, his med bag in hand, scrambling from cover to cover. "Talbit! Thank God you're here! Kelly's been shot!" Her eyes were closing and he slapped her cheeks with his free hand.

Talbit dropped beside them, yanking his bag open. He pushed Duran to the side to get his stethoscope in place. "In the back?"

Coleman, who had been crouched beside them with Larsen, popped her head up. "She did it again!" Larsen pulled her back down.

Duran leapt to his feet and was running before fully upright.
Talbit had better follow me! Kelly
! He had to get to Kelly! She could be bleeding out right now! All alone in his tent! He had to save her! He couldn't lose her now!

Almost knocking his tent over, he bulldozed through the flaps. Skidding to a halt next to his rumpled bed he pulled the covers off. Not there! He threw the cot across the tent to see if she had fallen to the floor. Not there, either!

He passed Ritchey and Gering just as they reached checkpoint Charlie. Pendle stood outside her tent with a dozen soldiers, guns at the ready. She scowled down the row of tents. Duran saw Coleman and Larsen disappear around a corner. He rushed by. Pendle put her hands on her hips and complained about something. He didn't listen. If Pendle got in his way, he’d toss her, too.

"She's not here?" They shook their heads. "I've got to find her!" Duran turned, not knowing where he would look next.

Before his mind could catch up he felt a prick in his back. Duran stumbled out the rear of the tent, landing on his knees. He looked back to see Talbit putting a syringe in his medical bag.

"What did you do!" Duran demanded.

"She's not here. You need to calm down."

"Calm down! Are you frickin' crazy!" Duran's head felt light. "I've got to save her!" He climbed to his feet. His legs wobbled like rubber. "Gotta find her!"

Duran headed for checkpoint Charlie. He would have made it too if a tent hadn't jumped out and tackled him. He rolled over with a moan. Talbit stood over him, panting.

The doctor shook his head. "What are you, half African Bull Elephant? Chasing you is like going on a safari. And to think I was worried that I gave you enough to take down two men."

Duran's tongue felt swollen. "If she dies I will personally kill you with my bare hands!" He cranked his lids open, straining to focus.

I will remember!

"Why, Major?" It was Coleman.

"Because Duran never bluffs."

Damn straight!

Chapter Thirty-one

In a spark of light, everything changed. Kelly dropped to the ground. No. The floor. She opened her eyes. She lay in the lush, tan carpet of her bedroom. Alone.

"NO!!! CAP!! I don't want to wake up!"

The sobs erupted and the pain exploded. She panicked
, the pain is still here
? She rolled to her stomach. Slowly she got to her knees as she fought against the agony and dizziness. Looking back where she had laid she gasped. There was a deep, red stain. Blood? Her blood?

Warm moisture spread across her back and rolled across her right side. With a glance she saw her beautiful white gown had a large, deep red stain.

She had been shot in her dream, not in real life. How could she be bleeding?

There was no time to think about it. She was getting light headed and needed help. She had to get to the intercom, across the living room that connected to the doorman. She pushed herself forward with determination drawn from her great stores and crawled out of her bedroom. The searing pain intensified as she across the living room. At the wall she swayed and her vision tunneled. I have to reach the button. That little piece of plastic that she had all but ignored, until this moment. On her knees she climbed hand over hand up the wall.
Must reach the button
. She could only hope the slow doorman was at his post.

"Help! I'm hurt, call 911." That was it, there was nothing left inside. Her vision went black and all she could see was her memory of Captain Duran.

Chapter Thirty-two

Flashes of light and everything moved in slow motion.

Ffssst, ffssst!

Kelly
! She was there, smiling at Duran.

Ffssst!

Kelly
! She was gone!

"Kelly!" He flung himself up in bed, his head spinning.

"Ah, you're back with the living, good!" Talbit stood at the foot of the hospital bed with that ever-present grin of his.

"Not enough sleep and the shock of a lifetime ... you, my friend, were out of control." Talbit came around to stand before Duran.

A memory floated into his clearing brain, and Duran fixed his stare on his onetime friend. "I'm going to kill you, Talbit." When Talbit grinned even bigger, Duran wanted to rip the doctor's face off but he would have to wait until the throbbing in his head abated.

Talbit caught him and helped him back on the bed. "The drugs aren’t completely out of your system yet, Duran. You're going to have to stay put."

Duran shook the doctor. "You found her!"

"Yes." Talbit pulled Duran's fingers from his sore arms.

Duran looked around the ward but all the other beds were empty. "Where is she? And if you say your tent I will strangle you!"