Chapitre 7: Sink or Swim

Nick moves quickly to the boat and makes his way to the ship. They arrive and Nick dismisses his team. Everyone goes in different directions. Nick runs through the corridors on his way to your room.

"Nick!"

He hears Helena's voice but it's not the voice he wants to hear and he realizes that he hasn't even thought about her through this entire emergency. He turns around and tries to look relieved in seeing her safe but his heart doesn't belong to her anymore. It belongs to you.

"Baby, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm so glad you're here"

She throws her hands around his neck and he slowly put his arms around her. Then he pulls her away. "Listen, babe, I have to go, I've-"

"Yes, yes, of course, go!" He kisses her forehead and then runs again towards your room. He gets to your room and stops at the door. He takes a deep breath and then slowly opens the door.

(Fuck...be okay...please)

KIM'S POINT OF VIEW

You turn around in your deep sleep when you feel a presence next to your bed. You slowly open your eyes. You don't jump at what you see but rather, you smile at this handsome man sitting next to your bed just staring at you. He smiles back at you and then he sighs loudly. You lift your head with your hand, resting your elbow on the pillow.

"Hey" you say it sleepily

"Hey"

"I'm happy you're back"

"Me too, me too"

He just keeps on staring and that safety returns that you felt that night on the deck of the ship. You still feel tired and lay your head back on the pillow, turning to look at his stunning face. He lifts his hand and slowly tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear. You turn your face so that his hand brush against your cheek. You close your eyes just taking in the roughness of his hand, while you breathe in his scent.

"I'm sorry...I....just..."

"It's okay...I wanted you to..."

He stands up and turns to open the door. He looks once more at you. You smile and nod your head. He nods back as if you're speaking in an inaudible language. You both understand that you can't do anything, even though you want to. He leaves the room and you turn around sleeping so much better now that you know he's here.

NICK'S POINT OF VIEW

He closes the door and stands against the wall breathing heavily. He's faced many enemies in his time with the Navy Seals and not even one of them made him this nervous or scared. He has been trained by the best to control every outcome and every situation but no one has prepared him for the feelings he's experiencing now. He feels flushed and he has difficulty breathing.

(Dammit woman, you'll be the death of me)

"Sir! Master Chief, Sir!" The soldier salutes

Nick. "What is it, soldier?"

"The Admiral wants to see you asap, sir"

"Let's go, soldier!"

"Yes, sir!" They walk through several corridors and finally enter the briefing room. Nick salutes the Admiral. "Sir!"

"At ease Master Chief. We have bigger problems than saluting"

"What's going on sir?"

"It's bad, Nick. We're going down. She took on too much damage to stay afloat. We're too far out in enemy territory to get help from the states. It will take them weeks to get through all the paperwork"

"How much time do we have?"

"24 hours, pushing it"

Nick tries to concentrate on the words of the Admiral but all he can think of is how he's going to keep you safe through this disaster.

"I think we should prepare to evacuate. There's an island not too far from us but it's in enemy territory. We should set up base there until we can get help"

"Yes, sir! I'll talk to the guys and see to it that we take enough supplies and all we can carry. We should move at night, it's best to move under the cover of darkness. We don't want any casualties."

"Thank you, Nick...and Nick, please let someone check out your arm"

He has completely forgotten that he has been shot. He looks at his shoulder and realizes he might need medical attention. He salutes the Admiral and walks out of the room.

KIM'S POINT OF VIEW

You turn around trying to wake up. You sit upright and reach for the tray of food. You put your feet on the ground and then feel the familiar slippery substance of blood underneath your shoes. You look down and it's blood like you thought.

(Why would there be blood in my room?... Oh god, it's Nick!!)

You just stare at the blood for a little bit, still in shock. Nick is injured and you didn't even see it. He must be in a lot of pain and he didn't give anything away. You quickly throw a bite of food down your throat and decide to go look for him. You grab your first aid kit and run out the door. You walk through the corridor and you realize you don't even know where to find him.

You walk around aimlessly and you're just about to give u when you see him standing against a wall staring out of one of the small windows. You like to put your arms around him and feel his warmth against your skin, letting his scent envelop your entire being. You exercise the little self-control that you have left and walk up to him.

"Nick?"

He turns around and the frown that was deeply creased on his face turns into gratification.

"Dr. McPherson"

You smile shyly and look down, just blushing a little. This is the first time he called you Dr. McPherson. It affects you when he calls you a doctor. You look back up and your eye catches the unmistakable bullet wound on his broad shoulder. You gently put your hand on his shoulder and move the material of the shirt aside to see the damage. You feel a slight tremor under your touch.

"Nick, you're hurt...god! Why didn't you tell me?"