Nate nodded then groaned when the movement sent a sharp shaft of pain streaking through his head. Before he could respond a man in a white coat accompanied by a young nurse walked into the room.
“I’m Dr. Stephens. How are you feeling, Mr. Grant?”
Nate hurt from the right side of his face down to his waist. He touched his chest and felt a thick bandage. Pressing on it made it hurt worse. He grimaced and dropped his arm. “Like shit,” he mumbled. “What happened?”
“Near as we can figure you were in an explosion of some kind. You were brought in as a John Doe after a trucker found you in the back of his truck. That was eleven weeks ago.”
As Dr. Stephens spoke, he listened to Nate’s heart. “You have lacerations and burns on your right side as well as a skull fracture.” He held up a penlight and flicked it on. “Follow this light.”
Nate glanced at the light. It was harsh and glaring. He squinted his eyes to shut it out. “Headache.”
Dr. Stephens snapped off the light and pocketed it before he waved his hand in front of Nate’s face. “How many fingers do you see?”
“Four.”
“How many now?”
“Too blurry.” Nate closed his eyes. The buzzing and beeping of the machines hurt his ears and made his head ache even more. He knew he still had his right arm because it hurt like a son of a bitch. He tried to move his legs and couldn’t. Did that mean they were gone? He tried again. Nothing.
“Mr. Grant, do you remember where the explosion occurred?”
Nate closed his eyes for a moment as images flashed through his mind. He remembered arguing with his wife, Joan, and telling her he was taking the boys and leaving. Then a picture of Earle Baume threatening him and his sons. A late night stop at a gas station and a call to his sister. He met Jake’s eyes as a wave of dread flashed through him. “My boys? Joan?” Immediately, he cursed himself for asking about them in front of the doctor and nurse.
Jake grinned. “The boys are giving Katherine fits.”
Nate nodded, even though a sharp pain slammed into his temple. His sons were alive and safe, and that was all that mattered at the moment. As far as Joan was concerned he didn’t give a damn where she was or who she was with now. “I can’t feel my legs. Give it to me straight, doc.”
Dr. Stephens slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket and shrugged. “You’ve had several surgeries. The first one was to repair a deep slash to your throat.” Dr. Stephens lifted a brow. “It might have been caused by debris in the explosion."
Nate could tell by the sound of his voice he didn’t believe that for a moment. He didn’t bother to enlighten him.
“Two surgeries were done to repair some of the damage to your face, chest, and right arm. There will be some scarring but the surgeons managed to save your right eye. The skull fracture is healing. That’s what’s causing your headache and confusion. The bad news is your right leg is shattered. We’ve immobilized you to give you time to heal. How the hell you survived whatever happened to you and ended up in the back of that semi, I’ll never know.”
Nate ignored the doctor’s enquiring look as more images flashed through his mind. Darkness, the sound of Joan screaming and a man shouting. The smell of gasoline and struggling to get his seatbelt undone. Then a sharp pain as something stabbed into the side of his neck and cut across his throat. He fisted the sheets with his good hand as he remembered the blood-covered knife in Baume’s hand. “How long till I’m out of here?”
“We’ll know more in the coming months. You’re going to need several more surgeries and a few months of physical therapy. Eighteen months, maybe more.”
“I’ll do it in less than a year.”
The doctor chuckled. “I knew you’d make it when I heard you tell the emergency room doctor to fuck off.” He grinned. “Do you have any other questions?”
“No.”
“I’ll check in on you later then.”
Nate watched him leave then closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them Jake was watching him. “Joan?”
“Haven’t seen her,” Jake said, his voice emotionless.
“She’s dead then. My sons know I’m alive?”
“No,” Jake said. “I just tracked you to this hospital four days ago. Katherine and I decided we’d wait to see if you made it before we told them.”
“You get guardianship of the boys?”
“Adopted them. We thought you were dead,” Jake said. “Judge Webber said there was no sense in putting it off. Couldn’t find your sister and I had the guardianship papers you’d signed.”
“Good. They’re safe then.”
“When you get out of here Katherine expects you to come home to the ranch.”
Nate licked his cracked lips. “My boys ask about me, Jake?”
The silence in the room was telling.
“They’re kids. You’ve been gone most of their lives and Joan was a bitch. You’ve got time to be a good father now.”
“Cade talking?”
“No.”
“Eating?”
“Sometimes.”
“He likes pie. Apple is his favorite. Your mom’s recipe,” Nate said then cleared his throat. It hurt and he blamed the pain for the tears in his eyes. “You know what happened to him?”
“I have a pretty good idea,” Jake said. “What about the other boys?”
“Cade protected them.” Nate had a lot of regrets, but his failure to protect his sons topped them all. “You and Katherine love my boys, Jake?”
“Hell, yes, but that’s not the po—”
“Tell me they wouldn’t be better off with you and Katherine.”
“You’re their father.”
“That’s not what I asked you. I still remember the times when my dad and stepmother abandoned me and my sister and your folks always showed up to get us. It fucked me up. I don’t want to do that to my sons.”
“Nate, you love those boys. I know you do.”
“I love them enough to do what’s best for them. Enough to give them up.” Nate stared at the light fixture on the ceiling. The other light he’d seen haunted him, and he wished more than anything it would return. “How’d you find out I was alive?”
“Sheila Miller. She’s the clerk at the Long Valley police department. Earl Baume sent her out to the sight of your wreck to take pictures. She was out there a long time and went into the bushes to use the facilities and found some bloody tracks. She snapped shots of them but didn’t show them to me until a few weeks ago. She also had pictures of skid marks and broken glass on the road. She’s a smart girl. She gave me the broken glass she’d gathered. I had Dirk McCabe check it out. It was from your taillights and Baume’s headlights.”
“Hold onto that evidence. We might need it someday.” Nate tried to smile, but the attempt made the stitches in his cheek sting. “Thanks for looking for me, Jake.”
“Katherine nagged me,” Jake said with a chuckle. “It’s hard to play with my wife when she’s pissed off at me. Not to mention having a houseful of boys.”
“Hire a sitter and go to Club Elysium. Dirk and Sabre McCabe asked about you last time I was there.”
“I wouldn’t normally say this but I’m glad to hear you weren’t faithful to that faithless bitch.”
“Didn’t fuck. I’d just go by, spank a few bottoms, and have a drink with Dirk and Sabre.” He paused. “I didn’t love Joan when she died. I told her I was taking the boys and leaving.”
“You think Joan died when you were run off the road?”
“She was having an affair with Baume. I caught them together and left her behind with him after I told her I was taking the boys and leaving.”
“Fuck,” Jake said.
“When Baume ran me off the road I hit a tree and was pinned in the car. While he cut me up he told me he’d been ordered to kidnap my sons but killing me would be better.”
“Who do you think he’s working for?”
“Hell, it could be anyone but my gu
ess is Rolando Mendez. I killed his brother, Hugo, in a drug raid a year ago. Mendez is known for taking revenge on his enemies’ family.” Nate paused for a moment. “Joan was screaming. She wouldn’t shut up so Baume started hitting her. I think he killed her then put her body in the car.”
“The fire was so intense they couldn’t find any remains in the wreckage.”
“That works in my favor.”
“That son of a bitch Baume stopped by the ranch to check on the boys.”
“He’s just doing what he thinks is expected of him.”
“That’s what Katherine said after he left. Everyone knows he hated you.”
Nate nodded. “Whoever’s controlling Baume won’t go after my boys as long as they believe I’m dead.”
“We can handle Baume.”
“You want to risk Katherine?”
“Hell, no.” Jake tapped his hat against his jean-clad leg. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Mendez has sent his men after me before. I moved the boys to Long Valley because everybody knows everybody there. Any strangers in town are noticed right away and the rumor mill starts yapping. I don’t think Baume is the only one involved. Be careful who you hire from now on.”
“Hell, Nate, I’m sorry.”
“It’s the life I chose. The important thing is the boys are safe now and they’re going to stay that way. It will be okay. Trust me, Jake, but watch out for Baume.” Nate held out his left hand and Jake shook it. He watched Jake put on his hat then adjust it. They’d both learned to do that from Jake’s father. “Do me a favor. Make sure Jackson gets my Stetson. He’s always wanted it.”
“You can give it to him yourself. We’ll work this out somehow, starting with a call to some friends of mine.”
Nate ignored him. “Don’t do that. How do you think they found me?”
“You think they have people on the inside of the federal agencies?”
“Only one person knew I was moving to Long Valley. I’ll deal with him when I’m ready.”
Jake nodded. “Katherine and I will take care of the boys until you’re ready to come get them.”
“Katherine’s the best woman I know other than your mom. This is the right decision. Mendez is running this show and he thinks I’m dead. That gives me the advantage but you know how long this kind of operation can take.”
“You’re going after him?”
“Baume may not be in charge but whoever he’s working for is probably working for Mendez. It’s the only way to be sure he won’t go after the boys in the future. The McCabes will help me.”
Jake shrugged into his jacket. “I’ll be back in a few weeks to see you.”
“Don’t do that. They might be watching you. Besides, it’s the busy season on the ranch. You can stay in touch with me through Dirk. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jake nodded. “I was careful this time but you’re right.”
“Kiss Katherine for me.” Nate chuckled when Jake growled.
“Stop trying to steal my wife from me.”
Nate laughed then as soon as the door swung shut behind Jake, he closed his eyes and began to make plans to deal with Mendez.
* * * *
Six months later, Dr. Stephens glared at him and Nate wondered what the fuck he’d done this time.
“Mr. Grant, the nurses tell me you’re not eating again.” Dr. Stephens set a brown paper sack on Nate’s rolling bed table.
Nate didn’t have an answer for him. The hospital food wasn’t bad but most of the time he didn’t feel like eating. “Tell the nurses to bring me more juice.”
“You need food,” Dr. Stephens said as he raised the head of Nate’s bed, then pulled out two containers of food and removed the lids.
Nate’s mouth watered when the aroma of chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy filled the air. When he saw the corn on the cob floating in a sea of butter he groaned, but it was the hot apple pie that broke him. “You’re a diabolical bastard, doc.”
“My wife is the best cook in Austin, Nate,” Dr. Stephens said. “You mind if I call you Nate?”
“Might as well since you seem to own my ass,” Nate said as he reached for a hot roll and bit into it. Damn, that was good. He’d forgotten how good a home-cooked meal could taste.
Dr. Stephens laughed then pulled up a chair and propped his boot on his knee. He balanced the divided container on his leg and took a bite of meat. “I’ve got ice cream at the nurses’ station for the pie.”
“You don’t look like a man who eats like this all the time, doc.”
“I usually don’t, but my wife and I have an agreement. She gives me two dinners a week like this and I work out every morning before I start my rounds. It’s the only way I can keep the weight off.”
Nate picked up the fork and stabbed a piece of meat that had already been cut into bite-sized pieces. He held it up.
Dr. Stephens laughed. “My wife watches her sister’s one year old every day. She’s so used to cutting up his food that she sometimes cuts mine up before I can stop her.”
“She packs your meals every day?”
“Most days.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes then Nate put down his fork. “When are you moving me out of here?”
“I’m moving you to the rehab unit soon. You’re going to share a room with another one of my patients.”
“I thought everyone got a private room.”
“I think you need the company.”
“Why?”
“How many tours did you do, Nate?”
“What’s this about?”
“You don’t eat. You don’t sleep. You don’t talk. All you do is work your ass off so you can get out of here.”
“I’ve got things to do.”
“I want you to talk to a colleague of mine.”
“A shrink?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“You’ve given up your sons and it didn’t take me long to figure out that Joan was your wife or at least the mother of your sons. Add in your military experience, and I think you might have PTSD. Besides, you’re a Marine, and I’m a Marine. No man left behind.”
“No shrinks. I was leaving my wife. She cheated on me and our marriage was over. I feel bad she’s dead but I’m not grieving.”
“What about your sons?”
Nate hesitated. He knew Dirk McCabe had done a thorough background check on the doc but past experience had taught him caution was the best choice.
Dr. Stephens laughed. “I’ve noticed the big scary guys guarding your room, Nate. So have the nurses.”
“I keep telling them they’re no damn good at covert ops but they think they blend in.” He grinned then sobered. “If you betray me I’ll kill you. Understand?”
“I’d expect no less.”
“I made the right decision about my boys.” Nate reached to the bedside table and picked up an envelope. He handed a stack of pictures to Dr. Stephens. “The younger ones are happier now. You can see it in their eyes. My oldest son, Cade, will get there. Jake’s wife Katherine will see to that.”
Dr. Stephens held up a picture. “Who’s this?”
“My youngest son. Zane. He’s almost eight. He’s smart and reads all the time. He’s like this guy I had in my unit. Quiet, but he always knew what was going on and had a plan.”
Dr. Stephens held up a picture of two boys. “Twins?”
“Luc and Logan. You never see one without the other, ever. They don’t talk much and when they do it’s Logan who does the talking but Luc who tells him what to say.”
“They have their own language? Most twins do.”
“Facial gestures. Eye squints and brow flicks. Things like that. Luc is a hell of a shot. Great vision and steady hands. Nothing unnerves him. Logan on the other hand feels everything.”
Dr. Stephens held up another picture of a boy wearing a huge black cowboy hat tipped down over his eyes and a big grin.
Nate nodded. “That’s Jackson
. He loves that hat. Had it on every time I turned around. Another great shot. Cool and calm under pressure.”
Dr. Stephens held up a picture of a boy with longish black hair hanging in somber green eyes.
Nate held out his hand and Dr. Stephens handed him the picture. “My oldest, Cade. He was born while I was deployed. When I got the message I sat in my tent and cried like a baby.”
“Because you’d missed his birth?”
“That and because I had a son and it hit me that I didn’t know anything about being a dad. It was easier to stay gone than it was to come home and be his dad. I told myself I was doing my duty, protecting my country and my family. The truth was I was terrified I’d screw up my kids the way my parents screwed me up. I thought Joan was a good mother until she beat Luc with a belt and left cuts on him. The neighbors called the police.”
“That’s when you found out the truth?”
Nate nodded. “I was notified and came home. That’s when I found out part of what had been going on. She cried and said she loved me and the boys but couldn’t take care of them on her own.”
“Is that when you left the Marines?”
“I decided it was my fault for leaving them alone so I decided to stay home. The only job I could find was at night working for cash. While I was at work Joan left the boys alone and went out drinking and looking for company. That’s when I found out the entire truth.”
“You blame yourself for what she did to them?”
“I am responsible. I was their dad and I didn’t protect them.”
“It’s not too late, Nate.”
“Yes, it is. Look at the rest of the pictures. You can already see that they’re happier now. In another six months they’ll forget all about me and that’s a good thing for them.”
“Is it a good thing for you, Nate?”
“I’ll live.” Nate put his fork down. “I think I’ll pass on that pie, Doc.”
“No can do. My wife sent pie for you and she’ll ask me if you liked it. I can’t lie to her, and I’m not sleeping on the couch because you didn’t taste it.” Dr. Stephens stood up. “I’m getting the ice cream, then we’re eating pie, and then I’m having you moved to your new room.”
Nate's Naughty Nymph [The Doms of Club Mystique 5] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2
