The Journey Back
Title: The Journey Back
Character(s)/Pairings: Colby/OFC-Callie, OMC Hunter
Rating: PG13
Summary: Danger awaits the team as they try and get Callie back home
Author’s Notes: This fic comes after Just Another Day. Please note that Callie Walker is mustangcandi's OFC and both women were kind enough to let Callie make a guest appearance in my fic. Thanks ladies. : ) The OMC, Hunter was created by me.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Callie stepped out of the tent in the uniform that she’d purchased before coming here, minus the jacket. The tight brown t-shirt fit her perfectly and as she tipped her face up to drink in the heat of the desert, all eyes were on her and her loose fiery red hair.
She didn’t seem to notice as she stepped forward and splashed some water on her face before pulling back her hair. Colby stepped out a moment later and handed her a canteen that she easily slipped into her pocket before also accepting the hat that he offered.
Much to their disappointment, she then grabbed her BDU jacket and started buttoning it as Colby looked around at the crowd, “What the hell are you guys looking at? Don’t you have jobs to do?”
Hunter stood off to the side, barely able to contain his chuckling as he looked around at the awestricken men and women in the camp. Finally, Dunning spoke up, “Please excuse our manners. It’s just that…well, all this time we thought Granger was full of shit when he told us about you.”
Hunter shook his head, “I tried to tell you.”
Maddox scowled, “Yeah, like we’d really believe anything that you had to say, Hunter. You two grew up together, of course you’d support his story.”
Colby just laughed, “Believe me guys, if I were pathetic enough that I had to make up a woman who was waiting for me at home, there’s no way Hunter would let that slide, he’d be the first person in line to bust my balls.”
Hunter looked at Callie, “We even showed them pictures. They just couldn’t believe that Granger here would be with a woman like you. They suspected Photoshop was responsible for his amazing girlfriend.”
Callie smiled, then as she held up her left hand and corrected him, “Actually…his amazing fiancé.”
Hunter’s eyes widened and he gasped, “You son of a bitch! You proposed? You didn’t tell me you were going to do that!”
Colby chuckled, “Well, I didn’t really know I was going to do it. Besides, don’t blame me, you’re the one who organized this whole thing. I didn’t even know she was going to be here.”
Hunter knew Granger had a point there and during his brief silence, Colby thought he should take this time to address his friends. “All right, as you can all she, Callie is very much a real person, so you’ll have to find something else to bust my balls about. Oh…and whatever you might be thinking right now, I’d recommend keeping your hands to yourself because she can and will kick your asses, probably harder than I would.”
Harper walked over then and stated, “Granger, the transport is ready and getting ready to move out.”
Colby nodded, “All right. We’ll be right there.”
Colby checked once more to make sure that Callie looked like she blended in before looking into her eyes, “Are you ready for this?”
She smiled softly, “Not really, but I knew when I came over here that I wouldn’t get much time with you.”
He stated, “Well, for however brief, I know I’m glad you came.”
She nodded, “Me too. You sure you don’t want me to hang around here and kick some ass with you? I could do it.”
He chuckled, “Oh I know you could. I trust you more than I trust most of these yahoos around here, but I’d rather know that you were safe at home, waiting for me to come back to you. Some days, your letters are all that’s grounding me to who I really am. It’s easy to lose yourself here.”
She reached out and touched his face, “Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”
Hunter called out, “Come on, Lovebirds! We don’t have all day! The convoy is getting ready to head out!”
Colby smiled and took her hand as he shouldered his weapon and they headed toward the humvee. He helped her inside and Hunter climbed into the front seat before looking over at Harper, “All right man, we’re ready. Let’s rock and roll!”
When they had driven quite a few miles, Colby reached over and entwined his fingers with Callie’s, wanting to spend as much time as he could being close to her before he had to watch her get onto that plane and fly away from him - once again oceans apart.
Callie was sitting to Colby’s right and he turned her hand over so that he could once again admire the way the ring he’d so recently given her looked as thought it had been made just for her. She smiled brightly at him before sighing, “I love you.”
He grinned, “I love you too, Cal.”
In the next moment, the humvee was rocked with the jolt of an RPG round that struck the vehicle, killing Harper instantly. Smoke filled the vehicle as it caught on fire and Hunter shook his head to get his bearings. Seeing that Harper was gone, he immediately jumped out and wrenched open Callie’s door. He reached in and grabbed her, but she struggled against him. Still holding to Colby’s hand, she looked over at him and her eyes widened as she gaped, “My God, Hunter! His leg! Colby’s stuck!”
Hunter barked, “Get the hell out of the humvee, Callie before we all turn into toast! We have to go around the other side to help him and I’ll be damned if I am going to be the one Gary Walker comes after if something happens to you!”
Colby nodded for her to do as Hunter said as he grabbed his radio and stated, “Base, this is Delta Delta Niner…we’ve been hit. The convoy is under attack and we’re requesting back up. Repeat…we are under attack. Over!”
Once Callie was outside of the vehicle, she could hear rapid gunfire and without thought, tucked away the cap that Colby had given her and replaced it with the helmet that she had. She then looked at Hunter, “Give me a weapon!”
His eyes widened, “What?”
She stated, “You heard me. Give me a weapon!”
“Callie, I…”
She grabbed him by his jacket and her eyes were stormy as she stated, “Listen, Hunter, Gary Walker is going to be the last person that you’re going to need to worry about if you don’t let me help. Now, give me a weapon so that I can cover you while you help Colby get out of this burning vehicle.”
He held up his hands in surrender, “All right! All right! Gees…”
He reached for his pistol and she shook her head, “Not that one. Give me the M16.”
He looked at her skeptically, but decided not to test her. As he handed it to her, he asked her, “Do you even know…”
He didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence before she checked the magazine, looped the strap over her body and flipped off the safety, “Let’s go.”
Hunter pulled out his pistol and shook his head as he started around the back of the vehicle. He could smell the fuel leaking from the impact and he kept his eyes on the flames as he jerked open the door and found Colby pushing against the frame of the seat that had jammed back against him in the explosion. “We’re gonna get you out of here, buddy.”
Colby’s eyes suddenly widened as he asked, “Where’s Cal?”
Hunter stated, “Don’t worry about her. She’s pissed and on a rampage. She took my M16 and she’s covering my ass so that I can save yours.”
Colby chuckled, “Well, you’d better get to it. If I get toasted in here, Callie’s going to shoot you with your own gun.”
Hunter grunted, “Shit!”
He reached down and pulled out his knife and began cutting away at the seat until he could push it away from Colby just enough that he could slide his knee out from behind it. Colby winced at the pain, but moved to slide out, knowing that they didn’t have much time.
Hunter braced himself against the seat so that Colby could use him as support and just as Colby’s feet touched the ground, the wind kicked up causing the fire in the front to rapidly spread and before Hunter could get out of the way, his left arm was engulfed in flames.
He howled in pain and Colby surged them forward and dropped them both to the ground as he fought to put out the flames. Callie’s heart was racing as she heard voices and knew that any advantage that they’d previously had was gone now. She helped Hunter and Colby take refuge behind a nearby rock formation and as she looked around, she spotted at least five men raiding the vehicles from the convoy.
Her thoughts were broken when Colby rasped, “Cal…”
She glanced over at him and he gasped, “I need your help.”
Immediately she went to him and asked, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He put her hand on his knee and immediately she felt squeamish. “It’s out of place, Cal. I jammed it up pretty good. I need you to help me put it back where it belongs.”
Callie shook her head, “Colby, I think I’d do more harm than good. I’ve never really done anything like this before.”
He reached out and took her chin into his hand, causing her eyes to meet his, “Cal, I need you to do this for me. Otherwise, I’m not going to be able to walk out of here. Please, Cal…”
She groaned, “Oh, you know I can’t resist you when you look at me like that! Tell me what I need to do.”
Though she really hated to do it, she listened carefully to his instructions and when it was time for the moment of truth, he counted down, “One…two….three!”
Colby was impressed with how perfectly Callie had popped his kneecap back into place, but he also couldn’t stop himself from crying out.
The voices were closer now and Callie’s heart was pounding as she tried to contemplate her next move. She really wanted to get back to the humvee and grab the burn kit she’d seen in there, but she knew that there was very little time before it would the cause of the next explosion that they heard.
She aimed her weapon and got one of the men in her sights, surprised when Colby turned over and aimed his weapon as well. He breathed, “Are you sure you want to do this? This isn’t like shooting at targets.”
She swallowed, “I know. But I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you while I’m around.”
Colby smiled as his finger teased the trigger, “All right. Here we go then. I’ve got the one on the right.”
Callie nodded, keeping her breathing steady and in the next second, both had squeezed off a shot in unison and two men crumpled to the ground. Callie was pleased, but it only lasted a moment. When the others realized what had happened, they were more alert and focused their weapons. They were babbling to one another and hadn’t started towards them yet when Callie whispered, “I have an idea…”
She focused on her target and felt the small but satisfying kick, then watched as her round went exactly where she wanted, expediting the explosion of the humvee. She and Colby both ducked back down behind the rock formation as the men were killed by the blast and debris rained down all around them. All three sat quietly panting as they took in all that had just happened.
They all jumped when Colby’s radio sprang to life, “Delta Delta Niner, this is Jackhawk. We’re coming upon the site now and will be landing to pick you up. I need an enemy count.”
Colby replied, “All enemies have been neutralized, but we’ll need a medic standing by.”
“Roger that. Stand by for a landing.”
Within seconds, the clear sound of the chopper filled the air and sand swirled all around them as it landed a mere few feet away from them. Callie moved to help Colby up and a medic rushed out to assist Hunter. Colby hobbled, but walked on his own and as he looked at the chopper, he shook his head, “Why didn’t we think of this in the first place?”
Callie replied, “Because then we just would have been shot out of the sky and more than likely none of us would have survived. I’d say all things considered, we did ok.”
He wrapped an arm around her and smiled, “You’re right, as usual.”
They all piled into the chopper and as they were lifting off, Callie handed over the M16 and concern flashed in Colby’s eyes as he asked, “Are you sure you’re ok after all of this?”
She sighed, “I’ll feel better when you get that knee checked out and they get Hunter taken care of.”
He looked at her, “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
Callie nodded, “Yeah, I know. Honestly? I’m fine. I don’t know how normal that makes me, but I would do it again if I had to, Colby.”
He shook his head, “You know your dad’s going to kill me, don’t you?”
She shrugged, “Hey, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Colby cocked his head towards Hunter, “He’s the one I’m worried about. You’d better scare him again into not saying anything.”
The two laughed and Hunter stated, “Hey, just because my arm is messed up, that doesn’t mean I can’t hear you guys. Trust me, if anyone spills the beans, it’s going to be Callie because it certainly isn’t going to be me.”
Colby looked over at Callie and admired how beautiful she was, even covered in sand, soot, and scratches. Her hair was carefully tucked away and she wore the uniform with pride, as though she’d always been meant for it. Part of him argued that he wished she really could stay there with him and fight next to him, but the other part knew that he’d seen too many horrors already that he’d never want her to be exposed to.
He’d given her a ring and she had said that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He vowed that when he got out of this place, that he would make a life for them both, one that she truly deserved. He would surround her with everything that made her happy and would always strive to be a man that she could always depend on and would be proud of.
Before they knew it, the chopper was landing and he was holding her in his arms. He whispered, “Remember the last time we did this?”
Callie nodded, “Like it was yesterday.”
He breathed, “I’ll be home soon, Cal.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she nearly choked out the words, “That’s what you said the last time.”
He squeezed her to him, “And in typical Callie fashion, you just couldn’t be patient and wait…instead you came all the way over here to see me.”
She laughed and he pulled back to wipe at a tear that was streaking down her cheek, “I am coming home to you, Cal. You know that, right?”
She nodded, “I know. You promised.”
She held up her left hand to him and sighed, “Don’t be surprised if I have everything planned by the time you get home. I have to give myself something to do to fill up all those lonely nights.”
He stated, “Cal, as far as I’m concerned, you could have the wedding party waiting for me there when I stepped off that plane and rushed into your arms.”
She grinned at this, “Hey, be careful there, or I just might have to do that.”
He leaned in and kissed her lingeringly, and with longing. He already missed her and she was still wrapped in his arms. “I love you, Cal…more than I’ve ever loved anyone and if marrying me the moment I get home is what’s going to make you happy…then go for it.”
It was her turn to kiss him now, this one passionate and determined. “I love you too, Colby. Be careful, ok?”
He nodded, “Always.”
She sighed, “And take care of Hunter…”
He replied, “You know I will. Give your family my love.”
She embraced him once more, “I will…your family too.”
“Miss Walker! It’s time to go!”
Callie looked towards the voice before she hugged Colby tightly once more and kissed him fervently before pulling away and reluctantly said goodbye one last time. This time she didn’t try and fight her tears and as she boarded the plane, and neither did Colby. He hoped to God that he would be able to keep his promise and to make it back home to her. He knew in his heart he was even more determined now than ever to stay alive and make that happen. Nothing would keep him away from his Cal.
Character(s)/Pairings: Colby/OFC-Callie, OMC Hunter
Rating: PG13
Summary: Danger awaits the team as they try and get Callie back home
Author’s Notes: This fic comes after Just Another Day. Please note that Callie Walker is mustangcandi's OFC and both women were kind enough to let Callie make a guest appearance in my fic. Thanks ladies. : ) The OMC, Hunter was created by me.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Callie stepped out of the tent in the uniform that she’d purchased before coming here, minus the jacket. The tight brown t-shirt fit her perfectly and as she tipped her face up to drink in the heat of the desert, all eyes were on her and her loose fiery red hair.
She didn’t seem to notice as she stepped forward and splashed some water on her face before pulling back her hair. Colby stepped out a moment later and handed her a canteen that she easily slipped into her pocket before also accepting the hat that he offered.
Much to their disappointment, she then grabbed her BDU jacket and started buttoning it as Colby looked around at the crowd, “What the hell are you guys looking at? Don’t you have jobs to do?”
Hunter stood off to the side, barely able to contain his chuckling as he looked around at the awestricken men and women in the camp. Finally, Dunning spoke up, “Please excuse our manners. It’s just that…well, all this time we thought Granger was full of shit when he told us about you.”
Hunter shook his head, “I tried to tell you.”
Maddox scowled, “Yeah, like we’d really believe anything that you had to say, Hunter. You two grew up together, of course you’d support his story.”
Colby just laughed, “Believe me guys, if I were pathetic enough that I had to make up a woman who was waiting for me at home, there’s no way Hunter would let that slide, he’d be the first person in line to bust my balls.”
Hunter looked at Callie, “We even showed them pictures. They just couldn’t believe that Granger here would be with a woman like you. They suspected Photoshop was responsible for his amazing girlfriend.”
Callie smiled, then as she held up her left hand and corrected him, “Actually…his amazing fiancé.”
Hunter’s eyes widened and he gasped, “You son of a bitch! You proposed? You didn’t tell me you were going to do that!”
Colby chuckled, “Well, I didn’t really know I was going to do it. Besides, don’t blame me, you’re the one who organized this whole thing. I didn’t even know she was going to be here.”
Hunter knew Granger had a point there and during his brief silence, Colby thought he should take this time to address his friends. “All right, as you can all she, Callie is very much a real person, so you’ll have to find something else to bust my balls about. Oh…and whatever you might be thinking right now, I’d recommend keeping your hands to yourself because she can and will kick your asses, probably harder than I would.”
Harper walked over then and stated, “Granger, the transport is ready and getting ready to move out.”
Colby nodded, “All right. We’ll be right there.”
Colby checked once more to make sure that Callie looked like she blended in before looking into her eyes, “Are you ready for this?”
She smiled softly, “Not really, but I knew when I came over here that I wouldn’t get much time with you.”
He stated, “Well, for however brief, I know I’m glad you came.”
She nodded, “Me too. You sure you don’t want me to hang around here and kick some ass with you? I could do it.”
He chuckled, “Oh I know you could. I trust you more than I trust most of these yahoos around here, but I’d rather know that you were safe at home, waiting for me to come back to you. Some days, your letters are all that’s grounding me to who I really am. It’s easy to lose yourself here.”
She reached out and touched his face, “Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”
Hunter called out, “Come on, Lovebirds! We don’t have all day! The convoy is getting ready to head out!”
Colby smiled and took her hand as he shouldered his weapon and they headed toward the humvee. He helped her inside and Hunter climbed into the front seat before looking over at Harper, “All right man, we’re ready. Let’s rock and roll!”
When they had driven quite a few miles, Colby reached over and entwined his fingers with Callie’s, wanting to spend as much time as he could being close to her before he had to watch her get onto that plane and fly away from him - once again oceans apart.
Callie was sitting to Colby’s right and he turned her hand over so that he could once again admire the way the ring he’d so recently given her looked as thought it had been made just for her. She smiled brightly at him before sighing, “I love you.”
He grinned, “I love you too, Cal.”
In the next moment, the humvee was rocked with the jolt of an RPG round that struck the vehicle, killing Harper instantly. Smoke filled the vehicle as it caught on fire and Hunter shook his head to get his bearings. Seeing that Harper was gone, he immediately jumped out and wrenched open Callie’s door. He reached in and grabbed her, but she struggled against him. Still holding to Colby’s hand, she looked over at him and her eyes widened as she gaped, “My God, Hunter! His leg! Colby’s stuck!”
Hunter barked, “Get the hell out of the humvee, Callie before we all turn into toast! We have to go around the other side to help him and I’ll be damned if I am going to be the one Gary Walker comes after if something happens to you!”
Colby nodded for her to do as Hunter said as he grabbed his radio and stated, “Base, this is Delta Delta Niner…we’ve been hit. The convoy is under attack and we’re requesting back up. Repeat…we are under attack. Over!”
Once Callie was outside of the vehicle, she could hear rapid gunfire and without thought, tucked away the cap that Colby had given her and replaced it with the helmet that she had. She then looked at Hunter, “Give me a weapon!”
His eyes widened, “What?”
She stated, “You heard me. Give me a weapon!”
“Callie, I…”
She grabbed him by his jacket and her eyes were stormy as she stated, “Listen, Hunter, Gary Walker is going to be the last person that you’re going to need to worry about if you don’t let me help. Now, give me a weapon so that I can cover you while you help Colby get out of this burning vehicle.”
He held up his hands in surrender, “All right! All right! Gees…”
He reached for his pistol and she shook her head, “Not that one. Give me the M16.”
He looked at her skeptically, but decided not to test her. As he handed it to her, he asked her, “Do you even know…”
He didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence before she checked the magazine, looped the strap over her body and flipped off the safety, “Let’s go.”
Hunter pulled out his pistol and shook his head as he started around the back of the vehicle. He could smell the fuel leaking from the impact and he kept his eyes on the flames as he jerked open the door and found Colby pushing against the frame of the seat that had jammed back against him in the explosion. “We’re gonna get you out of here, buddy.”
Colby’s eyes suddenly widened as he asked, “Where’s Cal?”
Hunter stated, “Don’t worry about her. She’s pissed and on a rampage. She took my M16 and she’s covering my ass so that I can save yours.”
Colby chuckled, “Well, you’d better get to it. If I get toasted in here, Callie’s going to shoot you with your own gun.”
Hunter grunted, “Shit!”
He reached down and pulled out his knife and began cutting away at the seat until he could push it away from Colby just enough that he could slide his knee out from behind it. Colby winced at the pain, but moved to slide out, knowing that they didn’t have much time.
Hunter braced himself against the seat so that Colby could use him as support and just as Colby’s feet touched the ground, the wind kicked up causing the fire in the front to rapidly spread and before Hunter could get out of the way, his left arm was engulfed in flames.
He howled in pain and Colby surged them forward and dropped them both to the ground as he fought to put out the flames. Callie’s heart was racing as she heard voices and knew that any advantage that they’d previously had was gone now. She helped Hunter and Colby take refuge behind a nearby rock formation and as she looked around, she spotted at least five men raiding the vehicles from the convoy.
Her thoughts were broken when Colby rasped, “Cal…”
She glanced over at him and he gasped, “I need your help.”
Immediately she went to him and asked, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He put her hand on his knee and immediately she felt squeamish. “It’s out of place, Cal. I jammed it up pretty good. I need you to help me put it back where it belongs.”
Callie shook her head, “Colby, I think I’d do more harm than good. I’ve never really done anything like this before.”
He reached out and took her chin into his hand, causing her eyes to meet his, “Cal, I need you to do this for me. Otherwise, I’m not going to be able to walk out of here. Please, Cal…”
She groaned, “Oh, you know I can’t resist you when you look at me like that! Tell me what I need to do.”
Though she really hated to do it, she listened carefully to his instructions and when it was time for the moment of truth, he counted down, “One…two….three!”
Colby was impressed with how perfectly Callie had popped his kneecap back into place, but he also couldn’t stop himself from crying out.
The voices were closer now and Callie’s heart was pounding as she tried to contemplate her next move. She really wanted to get back to the humvee and grab the burn kit she’d seen in there, but she knew that there was very little time before it would the cause of the next explosion that they heard.
She aimed her weapon and got one of the men in her sights, surprised when Colby turned over and aimed his weapon as well. He breathed, “Are you sure you want to do this? This isn’t like shooting at targets.”
She swallowed, “I know. But I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you while I’m around.”
Colby smiled as his finger teased the trigger, “All right. Here we go then. I’ve got the one on the right.”
Callie nodded, keeping her breathing steady and in the next second, both had squeezed off a shot in unison and two men crumpled to the ground. Callie was pleased, but it only lasted a moment. When the others realized what had happened, they were more alert and focused their weapons. They were babbling to one another and hadn’t started towards them yet when Callie whispered, “I have an idea…”
She focused on her target and felt the small but satisfying kick, then watched as her round went exactly where she wanted, expediting the explosion of the humvee. She and Colby both ducked back down behind the rock formation as the men were killed by the blast and debris rained down all around them. All three sat quietly panting as they took in all that had just happened.
They all jumped when Colby’s radio sprang to life, “Delta Delta Niner, this is Jackhawk. We’re coming upon the site now and will be landing to pick you up. I need an enemy count.”
Colby replied, “All enemies have been neutralized, but we’ll need a medic standing by.”
“Roger that. Stand by for a landing.”
Within seconds, the clear sound of the chopper filled the air and sand swirled all around them as it landed a mere few feet away from them. Callie moved to help Colby up and a medic rushed out to assist Hunter. Colby hobbled, but walked on his own and as he looked at the chopper, he shook his head, “Why didn’t we think of this in the first place?”
Callie replied, “Because then we just would have been shot out of the sky and more than likely none of us would have survived. I’d say all things considered, we did ok.”
He wrapped an arm around her and smiled, “You’re right, as usual.”
They all piled into the chopper and as they were lifting off, Callie handed over the M16 and concern flashed in Colby’s eyes as he asked, “Are you sure you’re ok after all of this?”
She sighed, “I’ll feel better when you get that knee checked out and they get Hunter taken care of.”
He looked at her, “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
Callie nodded, “Yeah, I know. Honestly? I’m fine. I don’t know how normal that makes me, but I would do it again if I had to, Colby.”
He shook his head, “You know your dad’s going to kill me, don’t you?”
She shrugged, “Hey, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Colby cocked his head towards Hunter, “He’s the one I’m worried about. You’d better scare him again into not saying anything.”
The two laughed and Hunter stated, “Hey, just because my arm is messed up, that doesn’t mean I can’t hear you guys. Trust me, if anyone spills the beans, it’s going to be Callie because it certainly isn’t going to be me.”
Colby looked over at Callie and admired how beautiful she was, even covered in sand, soot, and scratches. Her hair was carefully tucked away and she wore the uniform with pride, as though she’d always been meant for it. Part of him argued that he wished she really could stay there with him and fight next to him, but the other part knew that he’d seen too many horrors already that he’d never want her to be exposed to.
He’d given her a ring and she had said that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He vowed that when he got out of this place, that he would make a life for them both, one that she truly deserved. He would surround her with everything that made her happy and would always strive to be a man that she could always depend on and would be proud of.
Before they knew it, the chopper was landing and he was holding her in his arms. He whispered, “Remember the last time we did this?”
Callie nodded, “Like it was yesterday.”
He breathed, “I’ll be home soon, Cal.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she nearly choked out the words, “That’s what you said the last time.”
He squeezed her to him, “And in typical Callie fashion, you just couldn’t be patient and wait…instead you came all the way over here to see me.”
She laughed and he pulled back to wipe at a tear that was streaking down her cheek, “I am coming home to you, Cal. You know that, right?”
She nodded, “I know. You promised.”
She held up her left hand to him and sighed, “Don’t be surprised if I have everything planned by the time you get home. I have to give myself something to do to fill up all those lonely nights.”
He stated, “Cal, as far as I’m concerned, you could have the wedding party waiting for me there when I stepped off that plane and rushed into your arms.”
She grinned at this, “Hey, be careful there, or I just might have to do that.”
He leaned in and kissed her lingeringly, and with longing. He already missed her and she was still wrapped in his arms. “I love you, Cal…more than I’ve ever loved anyone and if marrying me the moment I get home is what’s going to make you happy…then go for it.”
It was her turn to kiss him now, this one passionate and determined. “I love you too, Colby. Be careful, ok?”
He nodded, “Always.”
She sighed, “And take care of Hunter…”
He replied, “You know I will. Give your family my love.”
She embraced him once more, “I will…your family too.”
“Miss Walker! It’s time to go!”
Callie looked towards the voice before she hugged Colby tightly once more and kissed him fervently before pulling away and reluctantly said goodbye one last time. This time she didn’t try and fight her tears and as she boarded the plane, and neither did Colby. He hoped to God that he would be able to keep his promise and to make it back home to her. He knew in his heart he was even more determined now than ever to stay alive and make that happen. Nothing would keep him away from his Cal.