In the Midnight Hour

by Deborah Cooke

  “I regret losing him.”

  “It’s amazing we weren’t all lost. It was because of you.”

  “No. I was the one who reminded him of R.O.E.”

  “You were the one who kicked that sucker away. If Foster hadn’t jumped in the same direction because of that enemy fire, he would have been fine.”

  Damon frowned. “I don’t remember the enemy fire.”

  “Because you took a hit to your helmet. Don’t you remember, Damon? You went down, but you kicked the grenade as you fell. I grabbed you and jumped out of the way. Foster jumped in the other direction. It was just rotten luck that the grenade went the same way he did. It could have been either of us or all three of us.”

  “But your hand. That was the grenade.”

  “No, that was the enemy fire. Foster took all of the grenade.”

  Damon rubbed his forehead, aware that his partners were watching him. “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “I know. I see that now.” Nate gave him a look and then a tight hug. “You’ve been blaming yourself, haven’t you?”

  “I thought it was my fault. I thought I let you down.”

  “Not a chance, bro. You were the rock of the platoon. I can’t believe you didn’t know it.”

  Damon shook his head, unable to accept that things had been so different from his recollection. “The therapist said I might be remembering it wrong. He said I should talk to you, but I couldn’t do it.”

  “Dumb ass,” Nate said and slugged Damon in the shoulder. Then he looked guiltily at the priest who pretended not to have heard. “That’ll teach me to let you duck my calls.”

  “Yea, it will. I’ve learned my lesson.” They grinned at each other. “I want you to meet my friends,” Damon said and turned to his partners. “This is Nate Buchanan. We served together.”

  “Ooo-rah,” Kyle said and got a laugh from Damon and Nate.

  Damon continued. “Nate, these are my partners at Flatiron Five...”

  “That fitness club?” Nate asked, then turned on Damon. “Wait a minute? Was that you on that billboard? I thought it looked like you, but you were never that big when we served.”

  “He’s been working at it,” Kyle said. He touched his own chest. “He had a really good coach.” Damon snorted.

  “He’s absurdly modest, as you can see,” Cassie said to Nate.

  Kyle offered his hand to Nate. “Kyle Stuyvesant. Good to meet you.”

  “Wow,” Nate said after the introductions had been made. “You really have accomplished something. That place is hot.”

  “Have you been to F5?” Theo asked.

  “Are you kidding me? I could never afford it.” Theo produced a day pass and handed it to Nate whose eyes lit up. “You’re kidding me.”

  “No, come on down and try it out,” Ty said.

  “Thank you!” Nate nudged Damon. “I’m thinking it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to come close to the number of push-ups you can do.”

  “Maybe not now, but you can get the jump on some training,” Damon said. “I’m going up to Boston for a month next week.”

  Understanding dawned in Nate’s eyes. “You’re on. We’ll square off when you get back.” They bumped fists, then Nate looked down at the card again. “I can’t wait to see this place inside. How long can I stay?”

  “All day,” Kyle said. “We’re open six to midnight.”

  “Awesome. You’re going to lose money on this day pass.”

  “We can do better than that,” Cassie said smoothly. “I just thought of our next promotion.” They all turned to her and she smiled. “We’re going to offer a discount on membership to service men and women, whether they’re active or not.”

  “You served: you get the discount,” Theo agreed with a nod. “I like it.”

  “Like Disneyland,” Kyle said. “That’ll totally rock.”

  “I’ll be saving my pennies,” Nate said with enthusiasm.

  Cassie explained to him that he could book into classes online or just check the schedule and the group turned to leave the church.

  Damon thanked the priest then they followed the others together. He’d arranged for a small reception in the room the church used for social functions and he could hear conversation already building as he approached. A couple of kids brought the pictures and he couldn’t believe how much better he felt.

  All that energy shared by others had really helped.

  It was just as Haley had said.

  Yet she hadn’t come. He knew why. She’d wanted him to call her, to invite her, to make the next move for once, and he hadn’t done it.

  He’d make that right ASAP.

  * * *

  Haley heard Aidan before she saw him.

  That just gave her time to have a small heart attack and compose her features before he caught up with her. She was leaving the interview and crossing the lobby of the hospital, just starting to think she might have missed seeing him, when she heard him laugh. She didn’t turn around but kept walking, letting him catch up with her.

  Her heart was thundering.

  The inevitable meeting was upon her and she felt more flustered than she had for the interview.

  The interview had gone well. Haley arrived early, thanks to her mom being off and lending her the car, and her own inclination to leave lots of time for wrong turns. She liked the doctor and the head nurse who had spearheaded the program and thought it would be easy to work within the outline of their plan. She felt at ease with them and didn’t think that she fumbled any of the interview questions.

  She’d just been wondering what she’d do the rest of the day when she heard Aidan.

  Of course, he wouldn’t leave their meeting to chance.

  Aidan was big on making his own luck.

  She figured she had her mom to thank for Aidan knowing about her interview. He’d probably timed his appearance in the lobby to coincide with her departure. He’d probably planned to see her after the interview rather than before, when she might be nervous. Aidan planned for all the variables.

  “Haley Slater! Is that you?” he called, his deep voice booming through the hospital lobby. Haley was sure that every person within half a mile turned to look.

  She pivoted to face him and tried to look surprised, as if she hadn’t been both expecting and dreading this meeting since getting out of Brad’s truck. “Aidan! What a surprise. You’re looking well.”

  That was an understatement. He looked fabulous. Aidan had always been tall and handsome, but now he was a successful man. He’d filled out a little and had a touch of silver at his temples. He still had a killer smile and the looks of a movie star. That confidence oozed from every pore. People turned to look at him, drawn by some magnetism he possessed. He managed to look handsome, glamorous and purposeful as he strode toward her, a stethoscope around his neck and a chart under his arm. Haley couldn’t keep her body from responding to the sight.

  Oh, how she had loved this man. Did she still? Her heart squeezed tightly as he bent to kiss her cheek. She remembered the feel of his whiskers against her skin in the morning, the weight of his hand on her hip as he slept, the secretive little smile he gave her when he was thinking something naughty. She closed her eyes as she caught a whiff of that cologne he wore, the one that still curled her toes, then he looked intently into her eyes just the way he always did. She’d teased him that he could read her thoughts whenever he looked at her like that. It still took her breath away.

  Blue, blue, blue. A thousand hues of blue. And that concentrated concern. It was like looking into the sun. Haley’s mouth went dry.

  Aidan could still do it. He could still make her feel like she was the only person of importance on the planet and the center of his universe. That look still turned her knees to butter and made her heart do somersaults. Her palms were damp, as if she was sixteen all over again.

  Was this kismet?

  Haley tried to remind herself that he’d dumped her for Krista and failed.

&
nbsp; She remembered instead that he was divorced.

  “Haley,” he murmured, his voice warm. His gaze swept over her and filled with admiration. “You look fantastic. How did the interview go?”

  Haley blinked. Of course, he knew why she was at the hospital. Her mom had probably told him everything. “Well enough, I think.”

  “Well enough,” he echoed, shaking his head. “You and your modesty. It’s like a breath of fresh air. Still an idealist believing the good guys have to win?”

  “Doesn’t everyone think that?”

  Aidan laughed. “Do you have time for a coffee with an old friend?” He’d already claimed her elbow and was guiding her toward the coffee shop.

  Haley felt her brows rise and she said something she would never have said before. “Old friend?” she echoed lightly. “Is that what we are?”

  “Aren’t we friends, Haley?” His sidelong gaze was piercing and very blue.

  Haley looked down, her feelings mixed. “I think most women would have less than fond memories of a fiancé who married someone else,” she said with care.

  “But we weren’t really engaged,” he protested.

  “Funny. I thought we were.”

  “But that was just between us, Haley. We hadn’t announced it. I hadn’t bought a ring.” He smiled, as if that explained everything, but Haley’s stomach twisted.

  She remembered his insistence that they choose the rings after his residency was finished.

  She sat down, her thoughts spinning, and he got them both a coffee. He charmed the woman behind the counter and Haley didn’t think he paid for the coffees. She wasn’t surprised that he remembered how she liked hers, because the man had a photographic memory.

  Was it possible that Aidan wasn’t perfect after all?

  Haley knew that Damon wouldn’t have played word games like that. He did what he said he was going to do—and refused to offer what he couldn’t do.

  “Trust you to cut to the chase,” Aidan said when he sat down opposite her. He met her gaze and she noticed that she was bracing herself for him to tell her something that wasn’t quite true. “I made a mistake marrying Krista and we both finally admitted it. The divorce will be final by the end of the month.”

  “I’m sorry,” Haley said, because she thought she should.

  “Me, too.” His brow furrowed with a concern that Haley knew made the hearts of his patients flutter. Hers did, as well, even though she knew better. “It’s hard for the kids.”

  “How many do you have?”

  “Two. Both boys. Five and one.”

  Haley sipped her coffee, thinking that things couldn’t have been so bad if he and Krista had a one-year old child.

  “What are you thinking?” Aidan asked.

  “Sounds like part of the marriage was working just fine,” she said, because she had nothing to lose.

  “Sex is the easy part.” Aidan shook his head. “The rest was always complicated. I wanted kids sooner and closer together but Krista is so amibitious...”

  Haley felt strangely protective of his ex-wife, a woman she’d barely met. “I remember you being ambitious.”

  Aidan’s smile flashed. “Point taken. But it’s hard for a marriage to work when both partners want to pursue their career their own way.”

  Haley stared into her coffee, hearing what he didn’t say. Once, she would have let the matter slide, but she couldn’t keep herself from challenging him on it. “So, it was okay for one partner to do that, like you, but not okay for her to want to do the same?”

  “That sounds like an accusation, Haley.”

  She shrugged. “You’re both doctors. You had to know that you had a lot in common. It takes a lot of work and commitment to build a practice.”

  “Maybe I wasn’t thinking straight,” Aidan admitted and Haley had the sense that he was annoyed with her. “The point is that Krista and I have parted ways because I made a mistake, and here you are, coming back to this very hospital, which gives me the chance to make things right.” He smiled at Haley and once again, she found herself explaining that her return wasn’t a done deal.

  “I don’t know that I’m coming back to this hospital,” she said. “I haven’t been offered a job yet, and even if I am, I’m not sure it will be right for me.”

  Aidan laughed. “Of course, it will be right for you. It’s tailor-made for you.”

  Haley stared at him. “What does that mean?”

  “Oh, don’t look so surprised,” Aidan said with a smile. “I told you years ago that you have to make your own luck.”

  “But how?”

  “I’m on the advisory council. Your mom has mentioned your interest over the years, so when the idea was proposed, I was behind it. It’ll be a great addition to our services. All it will take now is a quiet word or two in the right ears, because you are the ideal candidate, and you’ll be back in town.” He sipped his coffee, completely convinced that everything would fall into place as he intended. Haley stared at him in surprise. “You must want to be close to your family again. Your mom will be glad to have you nearby, especially when you have family.”

  “Family?”

  “Sure. I don’t mind having more kids.”

  Haley was suddenly very glad that she hadn’t married Aidan. He was confident that she would do what he wanted, just because he wanted it. He didn’t even realize that she might want something else.

  Or if he did, he didn’t think her opinion was relevant.

  Damon was right. She should never have held this man up as an ideal of masculinity.

  Brad didn’t like him. Haley would bet that her dad wouldn’t have liked him either. She already knew that Damon didn’t think much of him.

  Aidan smiled at her, but this time, his charm missed the mark. “Want to go for dinner tonight? We can catch up, lay some new groundwork for the future.”

  Haley put down her coffee hard. “No, but thanks for asking.”

  “You think it’s too soon.” He frowned a little then leaned closer, intent on persuading her. “People are going to talk anyway. That’s how it is.”

  “No, my answer has nothing to do with your divorce, or even, with you.”

  Aidan was startled to silence.

  “I’m going to spend tonight with my family, before I go back to New York.”

  “But...”

  “Would you do me one favor, Aidan?”

  “Sure, anything!”

  “Please save yourself the trouble of making those suggestions in the right ears.”

  He was startled. “But why?”

  “If I’m offered the job here, I want it to be because I earned it, not because someone fixed it for me and certainly not so that I owe someone something for it.”

  Aidan bristled, insulted and a little put out. He tried to cover it with a smile. “Haley! Your idealism means that you do things the hard way.”

  “It’s my way. I like it.”

  He shook his head, amused. “That’s not how the world works, Haley. That’s not how successful people achieve their goals.”

  “It’s how I achieve mine.” She let her voice drop as she insisted. “Promise me.”

  Aidan met her gaze, disappointment in his eyes. “I won’t say a word.”

  “I mean it, Aidan.”

  He looked agitated. “I promised, Haley!”

  She didn’t remind him of promises he’d broken before.

  “Thanks.” Haley got to her feet and picked up her bag. “Take care, Aidan. It was nice to see you again. Thanks for the coffee.” Haley pivoted and left the table, knowing that they were both equally disappointed in each other.

  If nothing else, their little discussion had opened Haley’s eyes and closed a chapter in her life. She’d been good enough for Aidan until Krista had offered more. She was interesting to him now, because he thought she’d be grateful—maybe even useful.

  But Haley wasn’t the same woman whose heart Aidan had broken all those years ago.

  Chapter Thirteen />
  Damon walked through the snow to Haley’s apartment, because he needed time to figure out how best to apologize to her. He wasn’t the most eloquent man on the planet and he knew it, but that had never seemed such a liability until this moment.

  It was getting dark by the time he arrived. He spared a glance up to the window of her apartment and saw the silhouette of that cat on the sill. Its tail was flicking and its one eye seemed luminous. Was it watching him? Damon figured it was.

  He rang the buzzer for Haley’s unit but there wasn’t an answer. He tried again, but already guessed that she was out.

  Was she at work?

  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, wishing he’d checked with her before the service. He’d chosen a Thursday because that was when she seemed to be off.

  What if her schedule had changed?

  He saw an older man sweeping the floor on the other side of the security door and knocked on the glass. The man approached warily and opened the door, blocking the space with his body. “If you want someone, just ring their apartment. I’m no doorman.”

  “I’m looking for Haley Slater. I thought she’d be at home, but there’s no answer.”

  “I told you, I’m no doorman and I’m sure as hell no babysitter.” The man started to close the door.

  “But I really need to talk to her. And Thursday is always one of her days off.”

  The man studied Damon. “You know that?”

  “She’s a nurse at the hospital. She works nights, five eight hour shifts then two days off. Friday to Tuesday on. Wednesday and Thursday off.” He shrugged. “Unless she fills in for someone else as a favor.”

  “Sounds like you do know her.”

  “And I know that cat.” He pointed upwards. “I don’t like it or trust it. What if she can’t answer the buzzer because she fell or something? That cat would eat her alive without remorse.”

  The older man smiled. “She’s not answering because she’s away.”

  “Away?”