Friday morning, Brittany awoke to the sounds of muffled voices in her hospital room. Her head was throbbing intolerably. Trace was sitting on the foot of the bed. Moving her head slightly, through her blurred vision, she saw Karen and Richard sitting by the window.
Trace rushed to her side, noticing she was awake.
“Where am I?” Brittany mumbled.
“You’re in the hospital here in Kingston.” Trace responded. “How ya feeling?”
“I’m ok.” Brittany muttered. “Just get me outta here.”
“You’re staying till the doctors say you can go.” Trace stated. “You’ve had a bad head injury.”
Brittany was too weak to argue and the pounding in her head wasn’t letting up. A nurse came into the room, giving her some medication to ease the sickening headache. Karen approached Brittany, taking hold of her hand.
“I had to shoot her.” Brittany muttered. “She’d gone back for the gun if I hadn’t.”
“I know. I know.” Karen murmured. “It’s ok. You did what you had to do.”
Brittany’s comment alerted Karen that Brittany might not be thinking straight, evidence of a slight concussion.
After an extensive examination by the resident doctor late in the afternoon, Brittany was released from the hospital but only after promising to get plenty of rest. Karen helped her get dressed for the brief ride back to the marina. Brittany’s headache had eased but she felt strange from all the medication.
Back on the Navigator cruiser, Brittany gradually started feeling better. The fresh air and warm tropical breezes cleared her head. She was still quite unstable on her feet, her equilibrium obviously hampered by the strong medication she was taking. The team kept a close eye on her for any signs of problems.
“Where’s Evelyn?” Brittany muttered. “I thought she’d be back by now.”
“She got delayed in Miami.” Karen replied. “She’s flying to Dallas before coming back. She’ll be here in the morning.”
Brittany woke early Saturday morning after sleeping uninterrupted, cuddled safely in Trace’s arms. Her headache had dissipated and she felt steady on her feet. After taking a long, hot shower, Brittany dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Joining the others in the salon area of the luxury cruiser, she sipped on a hot cup of coffee and lit up her first cigarette in almost two days.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” Jake inquired.
“You guys are done.” Brittany replied. “I’ll have Evelyn fly you all back to Tampa as soon as she gets here. She‘ll make sure you get the final payment for your services.”
“What about all the guns and ammo?” Richard asked. “We’ve still got four Laws rockets left too.”
“I’ll make arrangements with Duke to pick them up at the airport in Houston.” Brittany responded. “He can store them for me.”
“Why don’t you sell them to him.” Trace asked. “You don’t need them anymore.”
“I’m not selling them.” Brittany retorted. “I paid for them. I’m keeping them.”
“Ok! Ok!” Trace responded. “Take it easy will ya?”
“You and Wayne can take the boat back to Tampa.” Brittany said, glaring at Trace. “Clean it up and get rid of it.”
“What about you?” Richard asked. “What are you gonna do?”
“I’ll stay here till Ramirez and his wife pick up their boat.” Brittany muttered. “I’ll catch a flight back to Dallas later on.”
Brittany’s curt behavior with everyone had them more than willing to get back stateside. The team went about packing their belongings for the trip. Brittany poured herself another cup of coffee before ascending the stairway to the upper deck of the cruiser. She preferred to be alone rather than in the company of her team.
Evelyn arrived shortly before noon accompanied by Brad Langley. Boarding the boat, Evelyn immediately joined Brittany on the bridge.
“How ya feeling?” Evelyn asked. “You looked like hell yesterday. Really scared me.”
“Can you get everyone back to Tampa right away?” Brittany replied, avoiding Evelyn’s question.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Evelyn responded. “What’s the big hurry?”
“Take Langley with you.” Brittany stated. “He and I don’t have anything further to discuss.”
Evelyn was appalled at Brittany’s strange behavior. Returning to the salon, she gathered everyone together.
“Would someone mind telling me what’s going on?” She inquired. “Why’s Britt acting so strange?”
“Might be the medication.” Richard spoke up. “Most likely, it’s post-combat syndrome. I acted the same way after I got back from Vietnam.”
“Yeah, kind of a downer after all the shooting and killing.” Jake added. “It’s not uncommon, considering what she’s been through.”
“Will she be alright?” Evelyn asked. “Maybe I should stay with her.”
“Best to leave her alone.” Richard responded. “Let her have time to herself. She’ll come out of it eventually. It just takes time.”
Evelyn was apprehensive about leaving Brittany alone but she felt Richard and Jake knew what was best.
“Just to be on the safe side, make sure we take all the guns with us.” Evelyn stated.
Boarding the private jet for the flight to Tampa, everyone’s thoughts were about Brittany. Karen and Evelyn were especially worried, having second thoughts about leaving their close friend.
Trace and Wayne readied the Navigator yacht for the long cruise back to Tampa. Brittany packed her belongings, moving them over to the Hatteras cruiser. She avoided contact with the two men as best she could, especially Trace.
It was early evening when Trace stepped aboard the Hatteras to speak with Brittany. She was sitting quietly in the salon.
“Well, I guess Wayne and I are gonna head on out.” He stated. “It’ll take us a few days to make the trip home.”
“Send the money to Evelyn when you sell the boat.” Brittany muttered. “I’ll have her get in touch with you.”
“You gonna be coming to Tampa soon?” Trace asked.
“I doubt it.” Brittany retorted.
Trace attempted to give her a good-bye kiss but Brittany abruptly pushed him away. Trace stepped off the boat, reluctantly walking back towards the other cruiser.
Teresa Ramirez, along with three of her bodyguards, showed up to claim the Hatteras cruiser Sunday morning. The Columbian beauty tried to strike up a friendly conversation with Brittany but she was still distancing herself from everyone.
It was late Sunday night before Brittany could get a flight out to Dallas. Arriving home early Monday morning, she collapsed on her bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
For almost a full month, Brittany kept to herself, rarely leaving the confines of her apartment except to go to the grocery and drugstore. Her life felt empty with no challenges and no goals to meet. Startled every time the telephone would ring, she refused to answer any calls. Brittany gradually started coming out of her depression. In the early mornings and late evenings she would jog through a nearby park.
“Jogging and smoking at the same time! Bet I look a sight!” Brittany kept thinking as she jogged by herself.
Arriving back at her apartment after a late evening jog, she was greeted by a familiar voice.
“Thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing.” Evelyn said. “Seeing how you won’t answer your telephone.”
“Guess I just haven’t felt much like talking with anyone.” Brittany responded, a slight hint of a smile forming on her face.
“Everyone’s been trying to call you.” Evelyn stated, following Brittany into her apartment. “They‘ve all been worried about you.”
“You’ve been keeping in touch with everyone?” Brittany curiously asked.
“Yeah. Yeah I have.” Evelyn replied. “We’ve all been through alot together.”
“So, how is everyone?” Brittany inquired.
“Karen’s still with her father running the gun shop.” Evelyn responded. “I just got back from Houston, visiting with Jake and Richard. We’re starting a charter boat fishing business down in the Florida Keys.”
“You’re kiddin‘!” Brittany exclaimed.
“Nope.” Evelyn replied. “They loved the islands and the boats. They’re both fishing enthusiasts. We’re forming a business partnership together.”
“That’s great!” Brittany stated. “You know, without their help, we could never have pulled off any of the rescues. We owe those two alot more than what we paid them.”
“Not to mention the great sex!” Evelyn quipped, grinning.
“Yeah. That too.” Brittany agreed, smiling.
“What about the McCullough brothers?” Brittany asked.