“Can I see her?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. They barely let me in.”
I cursed as my cell phone rang. I’d forgotten I even had it in my back pocket. “Hello?” I asked.
“Lieutenant Masters?”
Fuck. A two a.m. phone call that started like that couldn’t be good.
“I am,” I answered.
“This is Major Davidson. I’m sorry to call you so late, but we have an emergency.” His voice was clipped.
“Yes, sir?” If one of the guys in our class had gotten a DUI, I would kick his ass.
“We have another weather front pushing in, calling for tornadoes. We were lucky to suffer no damage to the aircraft during this tragedy, but we need to evac them all.”
“Yes, sir.” My stomach clenched.
“We’ve exhausted most of our experienced pilots today and don’t have enough instructor pilots to move out all the aircraft. I asked the instructors for their best pilots, and your name came up.”
“Yes, sir,” I repeated.
“You’re leaving at first light, which is in about five hours, so I suggest you get some sleep. You’ll be front-seating Mr. Stewmon, your usual instructor. Risk assessment has been completed, and we’re good to go. We need to move these aircraft out. Oh, and I’ll need Bateman, too.”
I couldn’t leave. Not now. Not with Sam in the ICU.
“Sir, I’m at the hospital right now. My girlfriend”—ex-girlfriend, my brain clarified—“was injured today, and they’re monitoring her. I more than respect and appreciate the offer, but maybe there’s another pilot better qualified?”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Lieutenant Masters. She’s not your wife?” he asked.
“No, sir.” Not yet.
“Then I’m sorry to say that that wasn’t an offer, that was an order. We need you. I expect you at Cairns by seven a.m. Get some rest.” He hung up before I could even argue.
“What’s up?” Jagger asked.
“We’ve been ordered to report to Cairns by seven a.m. They need the 64s moved out to the evacuation zone for the new storms coming in.”
“Damn, they’re letting you two fly long-distance? I’m impressed,” Josh added.
This was one instance where I was anything but thrilled to be at the top of my class, or hell, in the army. I turned to Sam’s mom. “I tried to get out of it. I don’t want to leave her, but we have to go.”
Sam wasn’t my wife. She had no legal standing or claim to me in the eyes of the army, which meant I didn’t qualify for any special consideration to stay by her side. And I’d signed a goddamned contract where I’d basically traded my autonomy for a commission in the United States Army. It was go, or be charged absent without leave.
She threw her hands up. “Not my chain of command. I can’t do anything to help you with that. Orders are orders. But maybe I can help you here. Follow me.”
The door swished open and we walked into the ICU. The nurse at the desk cocked her head to the side. “Can I help you?”
“This young man has just been called away on military duty. He needs to see his fiancée before he goes.” She saw my wide eyes and whispered, “You do intend to marry my daughter, do you not?”
Hell yes, I do. “Absolutely.”
“He didn’t mention that they were engaged before.” The nurse looked up at me skeptically.
“It’s so new that they both haven’t really had time to process it.” Colonel Fitzgerald smiled, and I stood stock-still, knowing better than to try to lie.
I sucked at lying.
The nurse looked up at the clock and then sighed. “Fine, but you have to be quick.”
I didn’t need to be told twice, I’d already memorized her room number from the white board behind the nurse’s station.
“I’ll be outside,” Colonel Fitzgerald said as I opened the door.
“Thank you, ma’am. For everything.”