The Marine's New Family

by Roz Dunbar

  “We need to talk.” Startled, she jumped as Luke’s voice rumbled softly near her left ear.

  *

  Luke put out a hand to steady her, but she pulled away as she turned to face him. Slowly he lowered his hand, nodding as he acknowledged her withdrawal. There was something wrong here, but he didn’t know what the problem was. He noted her pale face and guarded expression.

  “You scared the life out me!” She had a hand on her chest as she looked at him accusingly.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I didn’t want to say anything in front of the others. I just wanted to tell you that I’m glad you made it, Tess.”

  “Excuse me? What are you talking about?” Her expression had gone from accusing to politely baffled in the blink of an eye.

  He looked at her in confusion. He could have sworn she had recognized him earlier. Did she really not remember? His eyes moved to the faint scar on her temple before searching her eyes intently. The head wound. Did she have amnesia? It was possible. It had been a bad wound. And it was normal for there to be some memory loss immediately surrounding a traumatic injury. But there had been that connection in the fellowship hall, that moment of what he’d thought was recognition in her beautiful eyes. He was certain of it. So what was she playing at and why?

  He took in the puzzled look on her face. She really didn’t have a clue, he realized. He decided then that his best course would be not to force the issue with her. Instead, he gave her a genuine smile.

  “I just wanted to say that I’m glad you’re healing well.”

  Her faced cleared. “Thank you,” she said lightly. “It really was nice meeting you and your son, and I appreciate your help with the grocery shopping. It saved me from trying to do it all myself. I’m still not good at carrying things with one hand, but I’m getting there.”

  “If you need help with anything at all while you’re on the mend, I’m here. That includes grocery shopping.”

  “Random acts of kindness?” Her eyes sparkled as she laughed lightly.

  Luke held the car door open for her as she slid behind the wheel.

  She had a beautiful smile. It lit her face and he found himself wanting to see more of it as he watched it dance along the lines of her full pink mouth.

  “I’m all about them, as you know.” He spoke before thinking.

  Oh, great. Luke, you’re an idiot, he thought. For a man who prided himself on choosing his words carefully, he mentally kicked himself for being so thoughtless. Suddenly, he felt like a gawky sixteen-year-old. He hadn’t meant to remind her of anything he had done. His words just didn’t sound right. But she didn’t miss a beat as she put on a pair of black sunglasses and started the car.

  “I do know.” She looked at him, still smiling, but he couldn’t see her eyes now. He wondered what the glasses were hiding. An awkward silence stretched between them as Luke tried to think of something to say.

  “Luke!” someone called across the parking lot.

  He looked over his shoulder and saw Sarah making her way toward them as fast as her three-inch heels could carry her. There was something wrong. He could tell by the panicked expression on her face.

  “Thanks again, Luke. You’d better get back to Sarah.” Tess’s voice was soft and low as she put the car in Reverse.

  “No, Tess. Don’t go.” Sarah was out of breath as she came up to the car.

  “What’s wrong?” Luke kept his voice calm and even as Sarah grabbed his arm, so tightly that her fingernails dug into his skin.

  “It’s Joey. He’s hurt. He fell out of a tree. He hit his head and is bleeding badly.” Sarah shuddered as she said the words.

  “Where is he?” Luke asked.

  “He’s behind the fellowship hall. For some reason Miss Katie asked me to get Tess if she was still here.”

  Luke turned to Tess, who sat frozen, not moving. Her face was ashen. What was wrong with her? And why would Katie want her to respond to an accident? The thoughts clicked through his mind in rapid succession.

  “Tess?”

  “I can’t,” she whispered, her small face anguished as she turned to look up at him.

  Luke stared at her for a fraction of a second, before nodding sharply. He had no idea what was going on and honestly didn’t have time to assess Tess’s situation. She was clearly shaken, but she wasn’t physically harmed. That meant that seeing to Joey’s treatment was more important just now. Turning to Sarah, he asked, “Did anyone call 911?”

  “Daddy did, but they’re coming from Bear Creek, so it may take a while.”

  He needed to get to the hurt boy. Where was Caleb? he wondered, as he sprinted across the parking lot, leaving Tess and Sarah behind. Adrenaline had kicked in, as it always did when he was in a dangerous situation. Making his way behind the building, he spotted a group of people under an old white oak. Joey Mason was on the ground, crying loudly. That was a good sign. If he was crying he had a clear airway.

  “Luke, where’s Tess?” Linda Mason asked from her kneeling position on the ground next to her son. Joe was next to her, a concerned look on his wide face. The cloth Linda was holding against Joey’s head was soaked with blood.

  Luke’s main focus was on the boy’s condition, but in the back of his mind he wondered why everyone was asking for Tess. Still, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

  “She left.” He didn’t elaborate, but knelt on the ground next to Joey. “How’s he doing, Mom?” He smiled reassuringly at Linda as he reached to take the blood-soaked cloth away from the child’s head. “I’m combat lifesaver certified. Do you mind if I take a look?”

  “I’m not sure how far he fell.” Luke heard the distress in the woman’s voice as he examined the bleeding wound. Joey was still crying loudly, and trying to get up, but Joe held his son’s shoulder gently, refusing to allow the child to move.

  “No, Joey. Stay as still as possible,” Luke stated. “Can you tell me what you hurt your head on?”

  “I saw it, Dad. I saw the whole thing. He hit his head on a tree branch when he slipped off of that limb right there,” Caleb offered. Inching closer, he pointed out the branch, then peered down at his friend with interest and clear concern.

  “Thank you, son.” Luke was relieved to note that Joey hadn’t been dangerously high up when he’d fallen. If he hadn’t hit his head, he might have walked away from this with nothing more than bruises. “Wow, buddy, I bet it hurts like anything.” Removing the cloth again, Luke noticed that the bleeding had subsided a bit.

  “Am I okay, Mr. Luke?” Joey’s little face was blotched with streaks of red, but the tears had all but stopped.

  “I think you are okay. I’m pretty sure you need stitches, though, and might even have a jagged little scar to remind you of today.” Luke smiled at the boy.

  “Really? Wow!” Obviously, the child liked the thought of the scar, and the adults around him laughed with a mixture of relief and amusement.

  “That is so cool.” Caleb gave his friend a thumbs-up and grinned encouragingly.

  The sound of a siren sliced through the air as the rescue vehicle pulled into the church parking lot. Reverend Fulcher quickly directed the emergency medical personnel to Joey. Everyone backed away from the boy except Luke and the Masons as the paramedics took over. They positioned a neck brace on Joey and had him stabilized on a backboard in no time, before lifting him to take to the ambulance.

  When they asked if a parent wanted to go along, Joe said he would drive and that Linda should ride with Joey. She reached over and squeezed Luke’s hand before she and Joe hurried off after their son.

  “Let’s all say a prayer for Joey.” Reverend Fulcher led the fellowship in an impromptu prayer before the people trickled back into the building, talking quietly to each other. The Salter sisters paused to speak to Luke.

  “Good job, Luke!” Annie patted him on the back. “Too bad Tess had already left, though. She’s a physician assistant, you know, but you did a fine job,” the older woman offered
kindly.

  Well, that explained why the others had been asking for Tess. But what had caused her panicked reaction? “Yeah, too bad. Thank you, Miss Annie. I really didn’t do much, though.”

  And then it dawned on him. Suddenly he understood why Tess had been at the orphanage that day in Afghanistan, and also why she couldn’t go to Joey when he was hurt. The last time she’d worked in a medical capacity, it had ended in a heartbreaking disaster. After an experience like that, he was fairly certain, she must be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It was written all over her face when she’d said that she couldn’t help the boy. She was still recovering.

  If anyone knew what she had been through it was him. He had been diagnosed with PTSD after his first combat tour. How could he have been so insensitive? Sighing heavily, he took Caleb’s hand and made his way back to the fellowship hall.

  Even more than before, Luke felt drawn to Tess. He wanted to check on her, make sure she was all right. But how could he tell her he knew what she was going through? He’d have to admit that he was the marine who had found her that day. And he had the feeling that was the last thing she wanted to hear.

  Chapter Four

  Tess nursed her mug of tea as she sat in the garden and watched as the first rays of light turned the fluffy clouds hanging over the sound a brilliant pink. Sunrises seemed especially beautiful at Moon Gate Cottage, and she was enjoying the calm quiet that this morning provided.

  After the first two eventful days, the past week had been relatively peaceful. The aunts checked in on her periodically and had told her that Joey had sustained no major injuries in his fall. Her heart ached with overwhelming guilt at her inability to go to a child in need, but she had frozen at the thought of what had happened the last time she had tried to help one. She was honestly surprised she’d managed to get away from the church without succumbing to a full-blown panic attack. She shook her head as tears began to trickle slowly down her cheeks at the memory. It didn’t seem she would ever get over it.

  Think of something positive. Think of something good, she ordered herself sternly. Don’t dwell on the past.

  So she thought hard, but the only thing she could come up with was that her leg felt better. In fact, it had strengthened significantly during the past week, due in large part to daily swims in the warm, soothing waters of the sound. Rarely did she feel any substantial pain and the limp was fading slowly but surely. That was the physical part. That was good, right? Her physical therapist in Seattle had told her that swimming was one of the best low-impact therapies for her leg, and it seemed to be working. But then her thoughts tumbled back to the negative. The nightmares. They were not fading. Each time she closed her eyes she relived that awful day in vivid Technicolor.

  And now there was last week’s debacle to add to the mix. Luke. She felt horrible. What must he and Sarah be thinking of her? Not that she really cared what Sarah thought. The woman was far from nice, but still, not being able to help a child that was hurt was unconscionable. Selfishly, her only thought at the time had been to avoid intensification of the lingering pain of seeing so many children die. The incident with Joey had been a vivid reminder. Still, that was no excuse. She had never denied help to anyone in her life, until now. She was appalled at her behavior.

  She felt that she owed Luke an explanation, at the very least. Problem was, she didn’t want to see him again. Nothing against him in particular; she didn’t want to see anyone. He seemed nice enough, but then the whole town seemed nice. And there was the fact that she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she had met him before, somewhere. Perhaps seeing him again and trying to explain what had happened to her last Sunday would help him to understand what was going on, and help her to jog her memory.

  Sighing deeply, she reached for her cell phone to call Livie. Tess really needed perspective. She hadn’t found a local therapist to talk to. In all honesty, she hadn’t really begun to look for one, thinking she could cope with her feelings by herself. Now she had doubts on that front, but she knew she could count on her sister-in-law to help her sort through her jumbled emotions right now. She’d sort the therapist issue out later, maybe.

  Livie answered on the first ring.

  “Did I wake you?”

  “Not at all. I knew you’d be calling sometime soon. I just wasn’t sure when and I didn’t want to bother you.” Livie sounded so bright and cheery for seven in the morning, but then Liv always sounded that way.

  “How did you know I’d be calling?”

  “Well, it has been over a week since you got there. I knew you’d call in your own time. We were giving you space to get settled.”

  Tess bit her lip before speaking again. “I went to church.”

  “Oh, Tess, I’m so glad!”

  Tess felt an unexpected warmth bathe her soul at the approval in Livie’s voice, but shrugged the feeling away as quickly as it came.

  “Well, it just seemed to mean so much to the aunts. I went with them.”

  “A year ago it meant so much to you, as well.” Livie pointed out practically. “And truth be told, it probably still does.”

  There was nothing Tess could say to that, so she redirected. “I love your town and your cottage, Livie. They’re both like a place out of time and the people here are lovely.”

  “Changing the subject?” Livie chuckled softly before adding sincerely, “I am so glad you like it in Swansboro, Tess. That was the whole idea behind getting you to go there. I’m sure you’ve met a few people since you attended services. Have you met Luke Barrett?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve met almost everyone in the village.” Tess hesitated before adding, “How well do you know Luke, Liv?”

  “Pretty well, I’d say. Your brother and I spend a good deal of time with him and his roommate, Mike Forrester, when we visit—that is, when they’re there. The aunts semi-adopted both of them a few years ago when they started attending their church. Since then, they’re always included in family gatherings. They deploy quite a bit and have been to Afghanistan for three or four tours. I can’t remember exactly how many. Now that Luke’s a single father, that might slow down quite a bit for him.”

  “Did his wife pass away?” Tess asked curiously.

  “She did, yes, but by that time she was his ex-wife. He was married and divorced years ago. When she left him she was pregnant and never told him. He didn’t have a clue until her attorney contacted him about seven months ago, to let him know that she had died. And that she’d given him custody of their son in her will. Very sad.”

  “Oh, no. I’m so sorry,” Tess murmured softly.

  Mired in her own feelings, she had forgotten that other people faced tragedy every day and dealt with it as best they could. Her heart ached for the little boy who’d lost his mother, and a father who had never known him, until now. She paused, hesitating over her next words, then threw caution to the wind figuring that there was no other way to say it except, well, to just say it.

  “Livie, I did a horrible thing, and Luke knows.”

  There, it was out, and she felt an odd sense of relief as she watched the sun rise gently over the sound, casting sparkling tendrils of light on the water that reminded her of diamonds scattered on a blue blanket.

  “I doubt that you could ever do anything horrible,” Livie said gently.

  “Oh, but I did. And Luke was there and now I have to explain to him. He must think that I’m an awful person.”

  The words came out in a rush, and once she’d started Tess couldn’t stop. She told Livie everything that had happened last Sunday at church, from meeting everyone, to her feelings of just wanting to get away from all the people, to the incident with Joey and how she had been frozen with fear at the thought of medically treating a child. Livie wisely let her speak until the words trailed off, ending with how she had to tell Luke why she couldn’t function that day.

  “I owe him such a huge apology.”

  “I don’t think apology is the right word. Mo
re like an explanation of what you have been through to cause you to act the way you did. It’s understandable to those of us that know. I’m sure it was perplexing to Luke only because he has no idea.”

  “If that child had been hurt any worse, or had some sort of permanent damage, I would never be able to forgive myself.” Tess was close to tears again at the thought.

  “But he wasn’t, and you need to be a little kinder to yourself. Beating yourself up does no good. You’ve been through enough. You’ve got to start healing, Tess. Enough is enough.” Livie’s voice was gentle but firm as she continued. “If you feel that you owe Luke an explanation of some sort, give him one. But seriously, do it and let it go.”

  “If I ever see him again, I will,” Tess assured Livie and herself.

  “Oh, you’ll see him again. See that beautiful garden you’re sitting in? Well, he’s the one who keeps it that way. Let’s see, today is Saturday. He should be there in the next hour or so.”

  “What?” Tess squeaked. “You’re kidding.”

  “I suggest you get dressed, because I’m definitely not kidding.” Tess heard the smile in her sister-in-law’s voice.

  “How did you know I was sitting outside in my nightgown?”

  “I knew because that’s exactly what I do when I’m at Moon Gate Cottage and the sun is just coming up. How could you not want to see that glorious light begin to peek above the water? It’s a delightful place, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, it is,” Tess breathed. “On so many levels.”

  “Don’t worry about Luke. He has integrity, character and solid moral values. He’s a rugged man, Tess, with a heart of gold. He’s the kind of guy that always tries to do the right thing. I like him, a lot. So does your brother. Find the words, explain, and everything will be fine.”

  “Truth be told, he makes me a little nervous, and rugged is an apt description.” Tess found herself gnawing on her lower lip as she thought about seeing him again.

  “No need for nerves. He’s a good man. And he’s a marine, so he probably knows plenty of people who have struggled with PTSD. He won’t judge you for it. Just go get dressed. Little Katie and Annie send hugs and kisses.”