Her lips twisted crookedly and she rested her head against his shoulder with a quiet laugh.
"She does that somehow. I should have expected it really. She always knew when I was up to something as a child too.
She used to say that 'God had told her' and so I used to try to make deals with God as a child that if He didn't tell on
me I would do something good in return." She exhaled the quiet laugh again. "Sometimes it even worked." Looking up
at him, she asked: "So what are the plans with the flight?"
"Your mom is unusual." He said with a chuckle. "Ah, the flight. Or flights." He said with a shake of his head. "I pick up
my pass at the closest regional airport, then we fly to Cairo, then to Paris, then to New York, then to New Orleans, then
to Baton Rouge." He ticked off the locations. "Just think, we'll get to sample all the food on all the major airlines."
She made a soft humming noise to show she was listening. He hadn't been joking. There were quite a bit of transfers
involved.
Andi enjoyed air travel. It was all about possibility. Airports were such places of promise with everyone going
somewhere or returning from somewhere. They had a life about them that she loved.
There were no shadows in airports.
She realized she was a bit... muffled. All she seemed to want to do was sleep. And snuggle close to Hector. She felt as
if, were she given the opportunity and he was there, she could sleep for a week or more. Everything was quiet around
her, with no sudden emergencies or need for immediate action from her. She could be a spectator for a change. And
right now, that seemed to be all she was comfortable as.
If Hector's family was going to meet them at the airport or his house when they arrived, she really needed to brace
herself up for that. Airports, with their forced interaction and natural atmosphere of movement and motion would help a
great deal. Especially if she promised herself, if she was good and did everything properly, she could sleep in a real
bed in a house with real hot running water afterward.
"Hot running water." She murmured, looking up at him. "A nice soft bed. An icebox full of food I actually like. A bit of
green outside." She gave a soft smile and rested a hand over his chest where his heart beat. "You. It sounds like
heaven." She hadn't forgotten everything she was still needed for here though. She'd damaged quite a few people by
being gone. Not just Mum and Da and Hector. But... just Hector... all to herself at least some of the time... "When do we
need to leave here?"
"Well, Suzette is packing for you." He said with a laugh. "Her idea, she came up to me and told me she was, I learned
its best not to stand in her way on things like that, so that's taken care of. Plus it keeps her away from poor Swanson.
They're taking my gear back to the base." Since he had most of his civilian clothes at his house, that wasn't an issue.
"So, whenever you're ready. Me? I'm ready." More than ready to leave all this behind for a while and pretend he was a
normal person.
She blinked, eyes going a bit wider.
"Now?" She asked in reactionary surprise but even as she asked it her brows were already starting to come down in
thought. Because - why not now? She could hear it in his voice. The 'already out the door' emotion and - strangely,
she could feel it in her own chest in response. The 'want to be somewhere else, anywhere else, somewhere different
and - and not here'. She realized she wanted to be leaving right now as well. But - Mum and Da. Suz and Mike and
Molly and Sam and the dozen or other so that were her friends and that she'd just put through a small hell... People
she'd already hurt badly once and now - wasn't it abandoning them to leave now when they needed her? And, selfishly
enough, even as she thought that, another part of her mind was already running through everything she needed to do
to tie up all the loose ends before they left. And making a very short list.
"How are we getting there?" She asked. Knowing they'd have to end up in some major city to catch the first plane to
Cairo in the first place. Since he was talking flight changes and whatnot she assumed they weren't military and that
changed how they were going to travel.
"I'm taking you." Mike answered the question as he poked his head in the tent. Looking tired but like himself again, the
blue of his eyes slightly dulled. He nodded his chin toward Hector. "Right after our friend here gives his report to SAS
and the brass that flew in to hear it. They're packing all the military out of here pretty fast after that anyway."
"How long will that take?" Andi asked, already running the mental list in her mind. It was easier the second time and
that probably made her a deeply selfish person. She was already untangling herself and standing up on one foot,
using the other for balance.
Mike shrugged.
"Depends." He answered without answering. Depended on how badly they wanted to grill Hector, how much of a point
they wanted to make, how much detail they needed and whether a dressing down was included in the whole thing or
not. It was SAS doing most of the interview anyway since it had been their mission. US military was just sitting in
because Hector was American even when he was 'off duty'.
"And we know I still count as military, and Sam doesn't like me much on top of that." Hector pointed out with a shrug.
"Okay, I 'll go do my debriefing." Should take a bit, give her a chance to say the good byes and see you laters. But he
did need to get her out of here before she changed her mind. At least her parents were on board with the idea, if
nothing else!
"So let me go do that, especially while the US military is here, to make sure the SAS doesn't beat the shit out of me..."
He said with a chuckle ,standing up. He looked at her on that ankle of hers. "You sure you're okay? Should I get you
crutches or something?"
Andi looked up at him and her heart melted in her chest. Such a little thing. But that he would take care of her... She
shifted so she was against him and lifted her face to press a kiss to his lips. She'd sprained her ankle several days
ago. And been on it quite a bit since so it hadn't had the rest it needed. But it was truly just miserably stiff for the most
part by this point. She'd have to remember to get it wrapped before they started traveling.
"I love you." She told him, drawing back enough to meet his eyes, her own soft. "I truly am fine. Just - slower.
Remember?"
"Garrett?" Swanson poked his head in the tent and rolled his eyes. "What are you doing, having a slumber party?
Head cheeses want you for debriefing."
"Go on." Mike gestured. "I'll make sure she doesn't scale any mountains while you're gone. And don't knock it. Sam's
your new best friend the way he's been standing up for you in there."
Andi gave Hector a quiet smile.
"I was actually only going to go as far as the clinic. I'll wait for you there."
Swanson waited. Knowing the two were going to have a hard time letting each other out of their sight for a while.
Maybe it was simply because he considered himself Hector's friend first, but he was more worried about how what had
happened to her was going to effect his friend than the woman his friend was in love with. And he wanted a minute
alone with him too. A little French bird had told him that Hector was leaving now. Not the couple of days from now he'd
expected.
"Okay." Hector said and kissed her. "Meet you at the clinic." Then, before he could change his mind, he left the tent,
squinting a bit at the bright African sunlight as his eyes adjusted. "What?" He asked Swanson as the blonde Delta lit a
cigarette.
"Nothing." He said with a shrug.
"Yeah, like I believe that." Hector said with a chuckle.
"So, you sure Andi's up for air travel?" Swanson asked casu
ally. Hector shot him a look.
"If she wasn't, I'd hope she'd tell me. I'm not a mind reader." Hector replied, that infamous wall coming down. But
Swanson couldn't help but notice how tired his friend was. Inside and out, more than one night's good rest was going to
cure.
"So you're leaving today?" Swanson asked as they walked.
"As soon as this little briefing is done." Hector said, not looking too forward to it, but it was protocol. Besides, they'd
want to confirm the kill of Wekesa, that he had been positively identified.
"When are you coming back?" Swanson asked.
"When I'm ready."
"Well, you're just a fountain of information." Swanson said, frustrated and irritated.
"Look, I don't know. Okay? I'll be back." He said, as much a reassurance as a promise. "But I just don't know when. Not
till I'm ready."
Andi had to bite down on the automatic response to ask Hector to stay as soon as he turned to leave. Silly. She was
being silly. He wasn't going far. She just - just didn't like not being able to see him.
"Come on." Mike stated it calmly, picking her up in his arms before she realized what he was doing. She tensed at the
unexpected touch and then again as she remembered that at six foot and all that arms and legs, she was an awkward
shape to carry and likely to be dropped but Mike just chuckled. "I won't drop you, Andi" he told her, lips twisting
upward. "But I'm not letting you hop all the way to the clinic either."
"I can walk." She protested. "I'm going to have to do it quite a bit once we're in airports."
"So maybe its just that I need to feel useful." Mike answered and Andi's stiffness softened as she looked at him. Gentle
she touched his cheek. Offered a weak smile.
"Well, all right." She agreed. "But you really can't come for the airports."
Mike chuckled again. A dry coughing sound and started walking.
"I'd follow you through every airport on the globe if I thought you needed me." He answered softly and felt her exhale.
"I know." Her voice was soft. "I've always known that, Michael."
"I'm not going to see you again, am I?" It was as much a statement as question and he didn't look at her as he said it.
She was quiet for a while.
"No." She finally answered softly. Then: "Maybe. But not here. I don't think I'll be coming back here. But yes. Just -
maybe not for a very long time."
His lips twisted.
"Andi, I don't count heaven as 'I'll see you later.'"
Her voice was soft.
"I do. That's why it's heaven."