Battlefield of the Heart

by E. A. West

  John tilted his head with a quizzical expression, and Josh laughed as Corbin returned to the room. “She needs to do research on veterans in college for a sociology paper, so we kind of adopted her.”

  “She’s become a good friend, too,” Corbin added. “She stayed up at the hospital with us all night.”

  Myra’s smile took on new warmth. “That was very kind of you, Cindy.”

  Why did everyone think it so praiseworthy that she was kind to people she’d only known a couple of days? She’d been raised to be kind to everyone, whether family members or complete strangers. “It’s not a big deal.”

  Corbin stunned her by slinging an arm around her shoulders. “It’s a big deal to me, and I’m sure Monique will think it’s a big deal, too, just as soon as I tell her about it.”

  Cindy was at a loss for words and glanced at Danny.

  He laughed as he turned to Corbin. “I think you embarrassed her, man.”

  Corbin chuckled and removed his arm from Cindy’s shoulders. “I think you’re right.” He turned to his in-laws. “Lacey assured me she has a driver. She and Delario will be here soon.”

  The conversation moved on to Myra and John’s two-hour trip to get there. Cindy was glad for the chance to figure out what had happened between Tuesday evening and that morning. It seemed as though she’d been accepted unconditionally into the group she’d worried about intruding upon, and she wasn’t quite sure how it had happened. Whatever the reason, it felt good to know they trusted her and counted her as a friend.

  The front door opened, and the sound of small running feet approached. Delario launched himself at his father, wrapping his skinny little arms around Corbin’s waist. Corbin returned the hug as Lacey walked into the kitchen. She smiled at Monique’s parents. “Hi, John, Myra. How was the drive?”

  “Uneventful,” John said. “How did my grandson behave?”

  “Like the angel he is.” Lacey’s gaze followed Delario as ran over to hug his grandparents. “He’s worried about his mom.”

  “That’s perfectly understandable,” Myra said, drying her hands on a dishtowel before giving Delario a hug. “I saw your mama this morning.”

  The little boy looked up at her with wide eyes. “Is she okay?”

  Myra smiled and smoothed his short hair. “She’s pretty sick, but the doctors are taking good care of her.”

  Delario nodded and turned to Cindy. “Hi, Cindy. My mommy’s sick and has to stay in the hospital so the doctors can make her better.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be a lot better in just a few days,” she said, aware that everyone in the room watched.

  “Yeah, Daddy says Mommy should be well enough to come home soon.” Delario walked over to Corbin and leaned on him. “Can we go see Mommy?”

  “Sure.” He laid a hand on his son’s shoulder. “She’s pretty sleepy, though, so you’ll have to be super quiet. I bet Grandma and Grandpa will take you out to lunch after you see Mommy.”

  John smiled and nodded. “We sure will.”

  “Okay.” Although much more subdued than he’d been the night before, Delario obviously loved the idea of going out with his grandparents.

  Back in the living room, Cindy noticed the blankets and pillows folded and stacked on one end of the sectional. She sat down near them and pulled on her sneakers, while Danny and Lacey talked quietly near the front door and Corbin took Delario upstairs to change.

  Josh sat down beside Cindy before she could stand. “Hey, I keep forgetting to ask. How’s your wrist?”

  She held out the wrist she’d unwrapped the day after he bandaged it. “Just fine.”

  “Mind if I take a look at it?”

  She’d almost forgotten about the mild sprain because it had given her so little trouble. “There’s not much to see, but you can look at it if you really want to.”

  She watched him give her wrist a brief examination. He released her hand and nodded. “It’s not so much what I can see as what I can feel. There was a little swelling in your wrist when I wrapped it, but that’s gone now. I’m glad to know it’s healing just fine.”

  “Was there ever any doubt about that?”

  “No, not really, but things happen sometimes.” He looked across the room, his gaze distant. “And I’ve been wrong before.”

  Cindy felt the change in his mood and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you were right about my wrist.”

  Josh glanced at her, his mouth quirked in a smile. “You try to make everyone feel better, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” She grinned as she lowered her hand. “I’m one of those infernal optimists.”

  He chuckled, his mood obviously improved. “I think you mean eternal optimist.”

  “No, Matt always tells me I’m an infernal optimist,” she said as Lacey and Danny walked over. “I think finding a bright spot in every situation gets on his nerves sometimes.”

  Lacey laughed and nodded. “That sounds like Matt. By the way, Cindy, you’ll be happy to know I got to hear last night how much he hates ‘that lion movie which shall not be named.’ After Delario was asleep, of course.”

  Myra joined them, her eyes speculating as she studied Lacey. “And who is Matt?”

  A faint blush crept into Lacey’s cheeks. “My boyfriend and Cindy’s cousin. Of course, I didn’t know he was her cousin until yesterday.”

  Myra put an arm around her with a smile. “Do I get to meet this boyfriend while we’re in town?”

  “Naturally. He’d be here now, but he cut his lunch break short to give Delario and me a ride over here.”

  “He sounds like a sweetie. I look forward to meeting him,” Myra said, giving her a hug.

  Corbin came downstairs with Delario, and everyone headed outside. Cindy followed Danny to his truck, and as they drove away from Corbin’s house, she gave him a curious look. “Myra knows all of you pretty well, doesn’t she?”

  “Yeah, she’s one of those women who is everyone’s mother. If you hang around with us long enough, she’ll probably become a mother to you, too. John is kind like a dad to all of us.”

  “That’s cool.” Myra sounded like Cindy’s grandmother. Neither woman had ever met a stranger, and they treated everyone like family.

  He remained quiet for a couple of minutes then he glanced at her. “I’ve been wondering something. Why were you willing to stay at the hospital so late? I figured you’d want to leave around midnight or so.”

  “You needed me, Corbin needed you, and Josh… I don’t know what Josh needed, but I couldn’t leave until you were ready to go. I went up there to provide moral support, and I couldn’t provide it if I left early.”

  Danny stopped at a traffic light and glanced at her again. “Are you sure this is only about a paper?”

  “Not anymore. It started out as just that, but I like you guys.”

  He nodded, his eyes on the road before the light turned green. When he remained silent, Cindy hoped like crazy she hadn’t said the wrong thing. She’d been honest; hopefully, that would turn out to be a good choice.

  Just before they reached campus, Danny finally spoke. “You know, we like you, too. Some of us have problems, but it’s a welcome change to have you not even appear to notice that. Your cousin Matt seems to be the same way. According to Lacey, he slows his pace if she can’t keep up, but he doesn’t make a big deal out of it. He just acts like it’s natural.”

  “It probably is for him. Matt and I have always rooted for the underdog, so to speak. Making life a little easier for others isn’t a big deal.”

  Danny nodded but didn’t say anything, and Cindy left him to his thoughts. She was learning he’d talk to her when he was ready.

  He didn’t speak until they’d left his truck in the freshman lot and were on their way to the dorm. “So, did you ever come up with a new topic for your sociology paper due next week?”

  “No, I’m still thinking. It’s a tie between health care and poverty.”

  “Those are both big issues in this co
untry. Which one has more of an impact on society?”

  He looked interested — an encouraging sign, since she bored most people with her sociology talk. “I’m thinking poverty. That one affects so many people. Besides, it kind of ties in with health care. I mean, if you live in poverty you obviously can’t afford good health care.”

  “There are government programs for low-income families.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not necessarily good health care.”

  Danny chuckled. “You have a point.”

  They continued to discuss her paper until they reached the dorm. She left him at the door to the second floor and continued up to the fourth floor. As soon as Cindy walked into her room, Leann rose from her desk, questions in her eyes.

  “Where have you been? I thought you were just going out with Danny for a while.”

  “Well, it took a lot longer than anyone expected, and we ended up at Corbin’s house for the night.” Cindy sighed at her roommate’s shocked expression. “We went up to the hospital to give Corbin moral support while his wife was in surgery.”

  Leann’s gaze darkened with suspicion. “Why did you end up at Corbin’s house instead of coming back here?”

  “He lives closer to the hospital. We got to his house after four and crashed in his living room. I called you as soon as I woke up.”

  “I can’t believe you spent the night alone with two former soldiers.”

  “Actually, it was two former soldiers and a former marine. Corbin would be insulted if you called him a soldier.”

  “I still can’t believe you did that.” Leann shook her head, her expression clearing.

  Cindy shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Like I said, we crashed in Corbin’s living room.”

  Leann shook her head again then grabbed her student ID and key chain off her desk. “I have to go eat something and go to class.”

  She slung her backpack over her shoulder and left. Cindy collected a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Over twenty-four hours in the same clothes left her desperate for a shower.

  Chapter Nine

  A sound like an alarm clock with an amplifier shattered the silence of the dorm during quiet hours. Cindy groaned as the fire alarm continued to blare. It was already after midnight, and she’d barely started her paper. She closed her laptop and unplugged it then slipped on her sneakers.

  Leann stood by the door, her expression worried. “Hurry up, Cindy!”

  “It’s a cement block building,” she said as she gathered her computer and the notes she’d been working from. “I seriously doubt it’ll burn down in the next thirty seconds. If there’s even a fire.”

  She grabbed the lanyard holding her student ID and room key on her way to the door. Leann complained when she took time to lock the door, but there wasn’t even a hint of smoke and Cindy had lost some things to thieves during a false fire alarm the previous year.

  They joined the flow of students down the stairs, and Cindy hoped she could find a seat under a light so she could continue working on her paper while they waited for permission to go back to their rooms.

  Once outside, she spotted an empty place under a lamppost. As she headed toward it, her gaze fell on Danny and his roommate sitting on a cement retaining wall lining part of the walk. Something about Danny’s expression concerned her, and she walked over to them. Leann stayed by her side and spoke quietly. “Are you planning to sit with those guys?”

  “Yeah, that’s Danny and his roommate, Greg.” Cindy smiled as she dropped onto the wall beside Danny. “Hey, guys.”

  Greg gave her a friendly greeting then introduced himself to Leann, who sat down beside him. Cindy turned her attention to Danny. He still hadn’t said anything or even acknowledged her presence, but she resisted the urge to touch him to get his attention. She had a feeling it would cause a reaction she didn’t want to see.

  “Hey, Danny, you okay?”

  “Huh?” He finally looked at her and gave her a brief smile. “Oh, hey, Cindy. Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Greg caught her eye and gave a slight shake of his head before returning his attention to Leann. Cindy shifted her attention back to Danny and found him scanning the students who were milling around. His actions reminded her of the way he’d looked at the hospital before he walked off.

  “Let’s take a walk,” she said, praying it would prevent as many bad memories for him as possible.

  He glanced at her and nodded. She handed her computer and notes to Leann. “Keep an eye on these. If you get bored, feel free to finish my paper for me.”

  Leann rolled her eyes. “So not going to happen. You can finish your own paper.”

  Cindy laughed then walked beside Danny to the street. He remained silent as they headed in the direction of the quad, and she left him to his thoughts.

  He stopped near the fountain in the center of the quad and glanced at her before focusing on the glass wave sculpture. “You saw it coming, didn’t you?”

  She assumed he meant an anxiety attack and flood of memories like he’d had at the hospital. “Yeah. You looked like you were getting ready to walk off anyway. I figured if I suggested a change of scenery, it might keep you from dealing with so much.”

  “I’m still dealing with as much stuff; it’s just not quite as strong as it was at the hospital.” Danny sat on the edge of the fountain. He spoke quietly as Cindy took a seat beside him. “That fire alarm left me waiting for incoming rockets. Waking up to that was not good for me. Then being stuck out in the open with a lot of people moving about — let’s just say you suggesting a walk when you did was excellent timing.”

  “Your roommate’s worried about you.”

  Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “He is?”

  “Yeah.” Hopefully, she wasn’t causing trouble between the two of them with her honesty. “When you told me you were fine, he let me know he didn’t believe you.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me.” He sighed, his gaze on the empty quad. “I figured out why they stuck me in with Greg. He’s a psychology major with a focus on counseling. I guess they figured someone like that would be the only one who could stand to live with me.”

  “Are you that hard to get along with?”

  “No, it’s just because of the PTSD. Not everyone can handle it.” He sent her a faint smile. “You’re one of the few who handles it well and doesn’t treat me like a freak.”

  Cindy laid her hand on his shoulder. “I know how weird people can be. I mean, look at me. I’m twenty-one years old and sleep with a stuffed duck.”

  “You do?” Danny looked skeptical.

  She grinned and nodded. “If you ever come up to my room, you’ll see it. It’s all floppy and fluffy and yellow. Leann threatens to steal it from me on a regular basis.”

  “Leann’s your roommate?”

  “Right. She was the girl sitting next to Greg.” She’d had a feeling he hadn’t heard the introductions.

  “I wondered where she came from. She’s kind of cute.”

  A pang of jealousy surprised Cindy, and she lowered her hand. “Yeah, I guess she is. I’ve never really thought about it.”

  Danny laughed. “You wouldn’t, would you? Though for all I know, you might go for that kind of thing.”

  “Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “Girls are so not my type. You and Greg are much more my speed.”

  A twinkle lit his eyes. “Oh, really? I’ll keep that in mind.”

  If he wanted to play that way, she could give as good as she got. “What about my cute roommate? She’ll be so disappointed that you keep boring me in mind.”

  He slung an arm around her and leaned close. “Trust me, you are far from boring. And you’re much cuter than your roommate.”

  She looked into his eyes, feeling sparks fly between them. Danny’s joking grin faded as his gaze dropped to her lips, and he leaned even closer. Cindy’s heart skipped a beat, and then it skipped another when he straightened and removed his arm from her shoulders.

  He cleared his throat and lo
oked out across the quad. “We probably ought to go back to the dorm. Maybe they’ll let us back in now.”

  Disappointment washed through her. “Yeah, it usually doesn’t take long for them to declare everything safe.”

  They stood and Danny glanced at her as they walked toward the dorm. “Does the fire alarm go off a lot?”

  “It depends. This is the first time it’s gone off this year, but last year we had to deal with it about once a month or so. I have yet to deal with an alarm that’s an actual fire instead of popcorn or a prank.”

  “Popcorn?”

  Cindy laughed. “Some people should not be allowed to make microwave popcorn. Five minutes fills the hall with smoke and sets off the fire alarm. Ten minutes gets the smoke on two floors and makes the popcorn bag an unidentifiable black lump.”

  “Wow, that’s… dumb.” Danny hesitated then said, “I have to ask. Why did you bring your computer out with you?”

  “I have a paper due in the morning. I was going to work on it while we waited to go back in, but I decided to talk to you instead.”

  “I didn’t mean to keep you from working on your paper.”

  His subdued tone tugged at her heart, and she reached over to give his hand a squeeze. “I’ll get it done tonight. I may come back to my room and take a nap after my class, but I’ll get the paper turned in on time.”

  He lifted her hand a little to look at it, and then lowered their hands as he spoke. “You’re a very touchy-feely type, aren’t you?”

  “I come from a hugging family.” She suddenly had the horrible thought he might not like that much physical contact. “If it bothers you to have me touch you, I’ll try to avoid it.”

  Danny stopped and turned to face her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Cindy, I don’t want you to change who you are. It’s nice to know you’re comfortable enough with me to touch me.” He stunned her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. “Besides, I come from a family of huggers, too.”

  She returned the embrace, relishing the strength and warmth in his arms. She’d been hugged a lot in her life, but it had never felt this electrified.

  He spoke in an undertone, his breath tickling her ear. “I could get used to this.”