Mercer looked at my shoulder.
“Tell me about that.”
I touched the scar.
“Which part?”
“The explosion.”
I exhaled.
“Six years ago.”
“Operation?”
“Classified.”
“Of course.”
I almost smiled.
“We were moving through a compound when the first blast hit.”
“What happened?”
“I went down.”
“Concussion?”
“Yes.”
“Fractures?”
“Yes.”
“Shrapnel?”
“Yes.”
He looked at the scar again.
“And you kept working.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
I shrugged.
“People were still bleeding.”
Mercer stared at me.
“You were injured.”
“So were they.”
“You should have been evacuated.”
“There wasn’t an aircraft.”
He closed his eyes.
“How long did you continue?”
“Four hours.”
He looked horrified.
“Four hours?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I looked directly at him.
“Because I was the medic.”
That answer seemed to bother him more than anything else.
He stood and walked toward the window.
“You understand what happens if this information becomes public?”
“Yes.”
“You understand that people will ask questions?”
“Yes.”
“You understand that some people will say the Navy hid your service?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t ask whether you understood.”
He turned.
“I asked whether you’re prepared for what comes next.”
I nodded.
“I’ve been prepared for six years.”
Part 4 — The Operator in Room 3C
Mercer wasn’t the only person who had been listening.
A voice came from the hallway.
“Admiral?”
Mercer turned.
A massive man stood in the doorway.
Gray hair.
Broad shoulders.
Old scars across his jaw.
He looked at me.
Then his expression changed.
“Riley?”
I froze.
I knew that voice.
“Chief?”
He stepped inside.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he smiled.
“Damn.”
I laughed quietly.
“You’re alive.”
“Barely.”
He looked at Mercer.
“You know who she is?”
Mercer nodded.
“I do now.”
The chief looked back at me.
“You saved my life.”
I shook my head.
“You would’ve survived.”
“No.”
His voice became serious.
“You know that’s not true.”
I looked away.
He stepped closer.
“You remember the river?”
“Yes.”
“You remember what happened after?”
“Yes.”
“You were bleeding.”
“So were you.”
“I couldn’t stand.”
“You did.”
“Because you dragged me.”
I smiled faintly.
“You weighed too much.”
He laughed.
Then his eyes became wet.
“You carried me almost half a mile.”
“I had help.”
“You had nobody.”
I didn’t answer.
Mercer looked between us.
“Why was this never documented?”
The chief answered.
“It was.”
He pointed toward the tablet.
“Buried under everything else.”
Mercer stared at the file.
“Who authorized that?”
The chief looked at me.
I shook my head.
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
Mercer understood.
“This goes deeper than I thought.”
I nodded.
“It always did.”
Part 5 — The Evaluation Changes
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