The helicopter ride felt shorter than it should have.
Don sat with his head resting against the cabin wall, eyes closed, feeling the steady vibration of the aircraft travel through the metal frame and into his bones.
The booster Webb had injected into his neck still did its job, keeping the worst of the pain buried beneath a layer of chemical numbness, but exhaustion lingered around the edges of his awareness.
It waited patiently, like something heavy hanging above him, ready to drop the moment he stopped moving.
The interior of the helicopter faded into background noise.
Rotors thundered overhead. Radio chatter crackled through headsets.
Soldiers shifted equipment and exchanged brief words that Don barely registered.
None of it required anything from him, so he let the noise wash over him.
At some point he must have drifted.
He only realized his eyes had been closed when he opened them again.
The helicopter had begun its descent.
