Another small smile. "I’ll open it later."
"Do it now."
"Yes, sir."
She ripped off the paper the box was wrapped in, opened the lid and stilled. He saw her bite her lip. Saw a tear trickle down her cheek.
"Hey, this was supposed to make you happy."
"I—it does.
"Yeah, I can see."
With the most beautiful watery eyes he’d ever seen, she looked at him with such approval, such gratitude, it made him speechless.
"How’d you do this?"
"I’m a detective. It wasn’t hard."
"Tell me."
"Ruth named the store in Pittsfield, and it happens to be mother’s favorite. My brothers and I buy her presents there. After work, I stopped over and talked to the saleslady. She wasn’t the same one who was there earlier, but when I described the outfit, we found this. I guessed you to be a size eight. So," he said playfully. "I got you the outfit you were trying on. For me, I might add."
She picked up the tag. "Th-the eight was tight across the chest."
He kissed her nose. "Well, this must be my lucky day."
"Joe…"
He just watched her, but he could tell she was pleased. Thank the good Lord. He didn’t think he could stand seeing her so deflated all night long.
Dana gazed down at the really pretty outfit. "I don’t know what to say."
"Just put the thing on and come out and have dinner with me on the patio."
She hesitated.
"Dana, we’re just normal people. We have bad days. Sharing them makes the burden lighter."
"Okay," she said softly, "I’ll be right out."
Joe left the bedroom, but as soon as he got to the kitchen, he was assaulted by a memory, an image, that he’d totally forgotten about. His father had experienced something similar to what had happened to Dana. His mother had darted off to the store to pick up milk and nine-year-old Joey had been left alone with his father. When Joe Sr. had tried to reach something in the cabinet and couldn’t, he’d fallen out of his chair, knocking his head on the toilet. His father had been embarrassed and frustrated; Joe had tried to help, but he was terrified. That image superimposed over the one of Dana lying helpless on the dressing room floor.
He brought himself up short when he realized what he was doing. Hell, he wasn’t nine anymore, and he could handle rough times with Dana as a mature adult.
Dana, we’re just normal people. We have bad days. Sharing them makes the burden lighter.
He guessed he’d lied to her again. Because he knew very well they weren’t normal people, and one thing he couldn’t share with her was these associations with his dad.
***
DANA AWOKE WITH a start. She didn’t know where she was at first, but then she realized why. A man slept next to her. Oh, dear! Something else took precedence, not allowing her to panic or enjoy his presence. "Joey?"
Joe rolled over. "What’s wrong, honey?"
"Damn it, I didn’t go to the bathroom all night. I have to pee, bad."
He eyed the chair, never far away. She tracked his gaze. "I’ll never make it into that, Joe."
"You said you’d let me help when you needed it."
"I need it. Now!"
He bounded out of bed, circled around to her side and scooped her up. The pants of the lovely outfit had ridden up during the night. "I’m not looking at your legs, honest."
"Never mind that."
With her cradled in his arms, he strode to the bathroom, set her gently on the toilet. She said, "Scoot."
"I’ll wait for you."
"Could you get the chair?" she called out when he closed the door.
He gave her time, then on her signal, opened the door and wheeled the chair inside. Quickly, he deposited it within her reach, said, "I’ll go make coffee," and left her to her privacy.
Despite the situation—an embarrassing one—Dana had to smile. She’d been overwrought yesterday by the shopping trip, her subsequent fall and helplessness. The fear had still been with her until Joey had arrived. Stormed in, really, brooked no arguments, and well, took charge. Ruth always followed her wishes when something like that happened, but Joe wouldn’t be ostracized. He’d been so solid, so pragmatic, so absolutely there for her. Not wanting to let the evening end, they’d gone into her room to watch TV, stretched out on the bed and both had fallen asleep. Despite the embarrassing situation this morning, she didn’t regret his balking her wishes.
As she left the bathroom, she could hear him out in the kitchen, whistling, "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from one of her favorite musicals. She was hit with stunning clarity how nice it was to have a man around again. And how she wanted him around more. Pulling a pink sweat suit out of the drawer, she caught sight of the bed and stared at it for a moment. They could have been doing more than sleeping in there last night. And, she realized, she wanted to. She’d have to think about that.
Dressed comfortably, Dana wheeled out to the dinette just as Joe entered with two mugs.
Setting them on the table, he crossed to her, said, "Now give me a proper greeting," leaned over and kissed her hard.
"Good morning." He’d removed his shirt and shoes sometime during the night and she took in the dusty skin of his torso, the whorls of hair on his chest, the defined muscles. "See something you like?" he asked, sitting down.
"Very much. And it makes me think about touching—" Her statement drifted off when the front door opened and closed. Jeremy grabbed Ruth for a full-mouthed, passionate kiss. She finally came up for air and realized she had an audience. "Oh, hi, Dana. Joe, I didn’t know you’d still be here."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"I just didn’t expect…you know, given Dana…that you’d be here all…"
"Honey, stop." The man took her hand and drew her into the dinette. "Hi, both of you, I’m Jeremy Johnson."
"Hello Jeremy," Dana said. "Nice to meet you."
Joe stood. "Joe Moretti." The two men shook hands.
Ruth was still blushing and said nothing more.
"The hero cop," Jeremy quipped easily. "I read about you. And thanks for the job you do for the city."
"You’re welcome."
Ruth said, "Jeremy was a cancer researcher at the University of Rockland until he retired. He still lectures all around the country."
Joe smiled. "There are all kinds of heroes, Dr. Johnson."
"Jeremy, please."
Turning to Ruth, Joe crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his legs spread apart. "As for you, young lady, are you trying to sneak into this house without waking anybody?"
Ruth blushed to the roots of her pretty, mussed gray hair.
Jeremy kept a straight face and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Sorry, Mom and Dad. If I’d known she had a curfew, I would have gotten her back before dawn."
Finally, Ruth composed herself. Lifted her chin. She had to be tough to live with Dana all these years. "Don’t tell me that no hanky-panky was going on here last night."
"Oh-h-h," Joe said, stringing out the syllable, "there was some."
But not enough for Dana.
Joe served the couple coffee, then glanced at his watch. "I have to get to work. Seriously, it was nice to meet you."
He dressed quickly, then Dana wheeled to the door with him. "I’ll call you today."
She smiled. "Lean down here."
He did. She gripped his neck and whispered in his ear. "I’ve decided there wasn’t enough hanky-panky here last night." She angled her head. "At least not the kind our elders were obviously involved in."
His eyes glowed like polished onyx. "Are you saying what I think you are?"
"Uh-huh. Next time you come over, be prepared."
"Oh, my God, you betcha." He kissed her and left whistling the same song as earlier.
He was right. It was shaping up to be a beautiful morning.
Chapter 12
* * *
ON THE FIRST day of public scho
ol, which was late this year, Dana wasn’t sure she wanted to be at the hospital party given by Joey and the members of his department. She didn’t know if he’d told his colleagues at work about her disability. So as they headed to the second floor—since some of the kids were so sick, they couldn’t have the picnic outside—she asked, "Do your friends know, um, about this?" She patted her hand on the arm of the chair.
His brow knit. "Why would I make a point of telling them?"
"I don’t know. I guess there’s no reason to."
"Shelly knows." He sounded defensive. "I talked to her about you."
"Oh."
"Don’t you want to know why?"
Dana stared at the numbers on the wall. "I don’t know. Do I?"
Since they were alone in the elevator, Joe grasped on to her shoulders. "I was miserable when you wouldn’t see me. Partners confide in each other. It’s sort of like you and Ruth."
"Then I’m glad you have her."
Pressing the stop button, he squatted down so they were eye level. She loved that he thought to do that. "I was a wreck about what happened between us, honey. And I didn’t want to tell Spence.…" He trailed off.
"Joe, what?"
"Nothing."
"Didn’t Spence want you to date me?"
"He had reservations. Cole was all for it."
That disturbed her. And was new information. Something he hadn’t told her. But she guessed he was entitled to some privacy with what went on between him and his brothers. She didn’t tell him everything she discussed with Ruth, either.
When they reached their destination, Dana rolled out of the cab before he exited. A nurse at the desk glanced over. "There he is." She smiled genuinely at Dana. "Hello."
Introductions were made between her and the five nurses and two doctors who gathered at the desk. Most of the women flirted with Joe, which appeared innocent but also made Dana realize how attractive he was to the opposite sex. Hmm, he could have all these beautiful women. Able-bodied women…
Don’t go there, she told herself.
His hand settling loosely on her shoulder, he accompanied her to the large room, which was decorated with a picnic theme. Tables with checkered cloths covering them dotted the area. A fake sun, a few trees with birds in them had been cut out and hung all over the area. There were games of all kinds—video games, darts, a little croquet set on a grassy area were among them.
"Oh, Joe, this is terrific."
"The party gets a little bit bigger each year. We have a budget from the department, but my people still chip in fifty bucks each."
"You’re a nice guy."
In a fake whisper, he said, "I told you not to say things like that around my buddies. They think I’m a real hard-ass."
Dana lost herself in the arrival of the other cops and then the kids. She noticed that Joe didn’t go out of his way to introduce her to them; he was across the way with a boy in a wheelchair—there were several kids confined to them. That must be Yancy, his favorite of the group. He’d spent time with the boy after work and often visited on his lunch hours.
From first glance, she could tell the kids were in various stages of illness. One girl came up to her. Both arms were in a cast. "Hi, I’m Julie. Wanna sign my cast?" She held out her arm and marker.
"I’d be honored." Dana scrawled her name. For a minute, she remembered giving autographs to celebrities and politicians. She let go of the images, though, to enjoy her new little friend.
Julie nodded to the chair. "How long do you have to be in that?"
"Forever, I’m afraid." Dana smiled. "But I have two working arms."
"I got the casts for a couple of months." She scrunched her nose. "I couldn’t go to school. Something happened to my head when I fell and I have to stay in the hospital awhile."
"I’m sorry. I hope you get to go back soon."
When the girl left, Dana’s gaze transferred back to Joe and Yancy. They were playing a pinball machine and slapping high fives every few turns. Somebody came up to her from behind.
"Hi, Dana, I’m Shelly." The tall, slender woman with curly blond hair was Joe’s partner.
"Hi, there. Joe talks a lot about you."
"We’ve been together five years."
"Yeah, he must be really tough to take."
Dana knew the opposite was true and so did Shelly, but the woman quipped, "He has his moments."
"Thanks for giving me his cell-phone number when he got hurt. I always wondered why you did that."
"Let’s just say he was quite enthralled with you online. I loved that you left him dangling for a while—that never happens with the women he dates—and I ragged on him all the time." Dana caught a glimpse of Yancy motioning Shelly over.
"Joe wants you, Shelly."
"No, honey," Shelly said. "He wants you." Now she gave Dana a determined stare. "If you get my drift."
"Oh."
Shelly leaned over and whispered, "Don’t hurt him, Dana. He’s terrific."
Instead of waiting, Joe and Yancy made their way to her. "I’ve got somebody I’d like you to meet."
Up close, the boy was alarmingly pale and with dark circles under his eyes. "Hello, Dana."
"Dana, this is Yancy, my best bud."
"Hi, Yancy."
He nodded to the wheelchair. "You got one, too."
"Yes, I do."
The boy gave a frown. "I don’t like it much."
"Me, either. But you know, you get used to it." Joe had told Dana Yancy was in treatment for leukemia. Dana knew not to assume that he’d get better, get out of the chair.
"You’re Officer Joe’s friend?"
Joe socked him in the arm. "Have I taught you nothing?" In a fake whisper, he finished, "She’s my girlfriend." He winked at her. "Right, Dana?"
She fitted her hand into his, her heart expanding with pride in him, with a huge swell of feeling for the man. "Right, Officer Joe. I’m your girlfriend."
During the day, Joe played with some of the other kids, talked to a few of the cops and had coffee with Shelly. Dana moved to a table with no chairs on one side and asked the little girl sitting there if she could draw with her. The activity distracted Dana, but she kept taking surreptitious glances at Joe. He didn’t come to check on her much—not that she expected him to. She was seeing a different side to him, she guessed.
Toward the end of the party, she watched him give piggyback rides to kids who’d lined up. Any worry or discomfort she’d experienced in the last three hours melted at the sound of the childish giggles and glee of the children.
When he finally approached her again, he said, "Sorry about ignoring you, but I get involved and kind of lose myself in all this."
"That’s the way it should be." He said nothing about not introducing her to his guys. "You can make it up to me tonight."
He arched a sexy brow. "Yeah? How?"
"By coming over after work. The fall semester doesn’t start till next Monday. I’m free." She motioned him to bend down. "And Ruth and Jeremy went away for an overnight."
His eyes burned with intensity. "Oh, man, you serious?"
"Yep. Come prepared, like a good Boy Scout."
"I’ll be prepared, but don’t expect any freaking Boy Scout tonight, darlin’."
***
"YOU HAVE TO be the most sacrilegious person I know."
Joe smiled over at Dana, who was next to him on the couch. She made his mouth water, just sitting there in brown linen pants and a simply smocked, tan blouse. The anticipation of what would happen tonight buzzed in the air, though she did seem a bit nervous. He was doing his part to relax her.
"Why, thank you sweetheart. That’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me."
Playfully, she socked him in the arm. He’d read this situation right, thank God. His paramedic friend Jimmy had a wife with a disability. He’d recommended the book, Sex with a Disability, and Joe’s instinct told him the contents might allay any fears Dana had about tonight.
Th
ough most of the information was serious, Joe had bookmarked parts that he thought would amuse her. Make her more comfortable with the lovemaking itself. It still blew his mind that she hadn’t done it with anyone since the accident.
He held up the book. "So, you ready for some education?"
She shook her head. "Joe, I’ve read books like this before."
"Not with me. Even if you know everything, I don’t. Think how you’ll benefit from my newly acquired knowledge."
Again, genuine mirth. God, he loved making her laugh.
"All right." She held out her hand. "Let me see it."
"Nope, we’re reading it aloud together." He picked up the remote and set the TV on an easy-listening station. He winked at her. "Just setting the mood."
"Hey, it’s your ball game."
His face blanked, then he realized she’d made the pun on purpose. Now, he laughed heartily. Man, this was going to be fun as well as helpful. He opened the book. "I circled things we should talk about."
"Of course you did."
"Hey, have more respect. Sex is serious."
She bit back a smile.
"Okay, on page twenty-two, it asks, ‘How long should I wait after my injury to have sex with a partner?’"
"I think that’s different—"
"Would you be quiet, woman? We’re going to read the answers from the professionals. It says, ‘Don’t wait any longer than you have to. Especially if you find a hot, sexy cop you’re interested in.’"
"Oh, sure, it says that."
"Are you doubting my veracity?"
"I think men will do anything to have sex."
"Well, there is that. Now, here’s one on page fifty-seven. ‘How important is sex in a relationship?’" She kept quiet. "Answer: Vital. Do it as often as you can."
The chuckles came from deeper inside her this time.
He pretended to leaf through the pages, though he knew exactly what he was looking for. "There are two here we don’t need to ponder. Page fifty-nine, ‘Will my partner be turned on despite my disability?’"
She stiffened a bit and he’d suspected she might feel this way. So Joe purposely snorted and gave her a long, searing look. "I don’t think that even deserves an answer. If I got any more turned on when I’m around you, I’d explode."
Wounded Heroes Boxed Set Page 36
