Page 5 of Her Steadfast Hero

Sarah Marie Kyle.

Captain Sarah Marie Kyle. Only she wasn’t in the Army anymore. She wasn’t a lot of things anymore. Cut it out, Sloane.

“David?” The group was arranged in front of him in a semi-circle, and Sarah walked toward him.

Move you idiot! Say something! Don’t stand there with your figurative dick in your hand, looking stupid!

“Hi, Sarah.” He gave her a faint smile, then turned to the others. “Hello, everyone. Welcome to Las Flores. Lieutenant Governor Bernardo Oliveras offers his sincere appreciation for your help. He’ll be meeting you at the hotel. In the meantime, he sent me. I’m Captain David Sloane, United States Army. I’m going to take you to the hotel where you will be staying. It is a five-star resort built last year on the beach, and it sustained little damage. It has its own sewer system and electrical generators. As a matter of fact, some injured were brought to the hotel because it was in better shape than the hospital.”

“I’m Doctor Carys Adams.” A petite woman with strawberry blonde hair stepped forward. “Me and most of the others have just come from Nigeria. We got a little bit of sleep on the plane, but I think it would be best if everyone could get about four hours of rest before heading to the hospital. I don’t want mistakes made while we’re providing care.”

“I got plenty of rest,” a man with a nasal voice said. His eyes were bloodshot, and if David had to guess, he had also been drinking on the plane. More than one set of eyes rolled.

“Arnie, everyone will go to the hotel and rest. Then we will all go to the hospital as a unit and go over the information and protocols at the same time. Have I made myself clear?” Dr. Adams seemed to grow inches, as her voice turned to ice.

“Carys, they need us,” he wheedled. “I don’t think people should needlessly suffer because some people need sleep.” Carys opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Sarah stepped forward.

“Doctor,” she said addressing the belligerent man. “I believe I saw you downing quite a few vodka tonics on the flight over. I think you, more than anyone, require extra rest,” Sarah said as she stepped into the doctor’s personal space. He flushed a deep red.

“Now that everything is settled, if you will all get on the bus, we can head over to the hotel,” David said.

They filed onto the bus, but Sarah held back so that she could get onto the bus last.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story, Sarah.”

“Are you staying at the same place we are?”

Did she finally want to see him?

“Yes. I’m staying at the same hotel that they’re putting all of you.”

“Can I see you?” Solemn gray eyes. They still had the power to take his breath away.

David nodded. She got on the bus, and he followed. He sat up front next to Carlos and watched as she sat on the seat next to Dr. Adams.

* * *

Bernardo was waiting for them at the hotel. He welcomed the men and women from Doctors Without Borders.

“Let me explain the situation,” Bernardo began. “The hotel you are staying in has sustained the least amount of damage. It has its own generators and water supply because it was built last year. The city of San Marcos is a disaster. We never had a good land line system, so we depend on cellular phones. We already have our cell towers back up. The city doesn’t have electricity, and water is at a premium.”

David looked around and saw the aid workers nod. This didn’t seem to come as a surprise. Bernardo continued. “On the bright side, our hospital and certain government buildings have generators. The rural areas are in better shape because they never depended on electricity or sewer systems, but many houses have collapsed, and we have a lot of people injured in our countryside. We are burying people as quickly as we’re able, but we have over five hundred bodies that still need to be buried.”

David watched Sarah take in that last piece of information, even though her face remained impassive, her fists clenched, a sure sign she was upset.

Carys stepped forward.

“Governor, we’ve dealt with situations like this in the past. We should be able to help you with your crisis. If there are specific things you want us to focus on first, please let us know. Otherwise, we will focus on the injured in the hospital.”

“There are two clinics as well. Those will need coverage.”

“I will ensure that my personnel provides coverage there as well,” she assured him.

Bernardo nodded his head to David, indicating they needed to leave. David took one last look at Sarah, wishing they had a chance to talk, but knowing he had to go.

They went to the prison together for the first time. It was a mess. He’d bet his bottom dollar, his savings account, and his newly restored 1974 Cougar that the warden was corrupt. Only seven prisoners had been caught, and they had nothing to do with the drug trade. Since David was at the prison, he demanded to meet with Riggs and Harrison.