The Navy's Ghost (Bad Boys of Beta Squad) Read Free Page A

her leg overrode her defenses. Whittleton had to leave soon before she disgraced herself in front of him.
    Dr. Meecham cleared her throat and nodded to the nurse. “Now, then, Ensign, I’m sure you’re feeling plenty of pain so we’ll take your vitals and give you a dose of Dilaudid.”
    Chris frowned. “I’m not familiar with that one, Doc. What is it?”
    “It’s hydromorphine, sort of like morphine on steroids,” the doctor said with an endearing smile. “It might burn going in, but you’ll be glad of its effects in a couple of minutes. It will also make you sleepy, but rest is really the best thing for you at this point, anyway.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Let’s talk about your injury a little so you know what you’ll be facing.”
    That didn’t sound good, but Chris nodded and tried to focus through the pain. “You were very lucky, Ensign. Somehow your medic managed to grab your femoral artery and clamp it shut before you bled out. You have him to thank for your heartbeat. The bullet slashed through the arterial wall and lodged in the bone, cracking it. Fortunately, the artery wasn’t completely severed.” She paused and glanced at the chart as if choosing her words carefully.
    “However, the bone is another matter. We got the bullet out and the fracture is clean, but as I said, it will take at least two weeks of bed rest before you can even think of walking on it. It could take up to four. The good news is you’ll be able to walk and even run in a few months with a careful exercise regimen and physical therapy.”
    “ But I’ll always have a limp.”
    Meecham ’s eyes narrowed. “It’s a possibility, Ensign. It all depends on how much you’re willing to put into recuperation and restrengthening.”
    “I’ll put my all into it, ma’am. ” Hell yeah, she would. She’d be damned before she let the naysayers ever win. Hooyah.
    “Yes, I think you will, but it also means really resting. No pushing yourself before your leg’s ready. If you do, you could destroy any progress you’ve made.” Meecham shot Chris her own firm look. “I know SEALs, Ensign Brickman. I know how they think. Bed rest and a lot of it is the only way you get out of this injury even close to your original condition. Trust me.”
    Chris let her expression slide into the patented SEAL stoicism. “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Good. Now, let’s take a look at your leg.”
    The energy in the room shifted into sparkling tension and Chris swallowed back her dread.
    The nurse lifted the blankets on the left side of the bed, exposing her stabilized leg. A blue nylon leg brace encased her from hip to ankle with metal stabilizing rods bent at the knee. The nurse expertly tore the Velcro straps apart and the sound made Chris wince.
    They carefully pulled the brace away and slowly cut through the bandages along the outside of her leg. Chris cringed at the scissors sliding along her skin. She had the irrational fear they’d slip and gouge her. Breathe, Brickman . The nurse easily maneuvered the snips down the length and soon they peeled back the bandage.
    Whittleton raised his chin and swallowed hard in horrifi ed silence.
    Chris’ s leg wounds resembled those from a shark attack. Jagged tears in her skin and muscle showed angry red around the central wound where the bullet had entered. Blue and purple bruises stretched all over her thigh, some in the form of handprints where someone had grabbed her. The edges of the tears blushed pink with healing and the doctor grunted with apparent satisfaction. No stranger to ragged wounds or torn skin, Chris still held back tears and repeated her own personal mantra to keep from crying out in despair.
    Fear is the mind ki ller. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the mind killer.
    “ Spectacular, isn’t it?” the doctor remarked and Chris almost laughed at the outraged expression on Whittleton’s face despite her own dismay.
    “The reason it looks so bad is your medic had to cut you open to get to