by Jewel Allen
As I was about to open my mouth, my phone rang. I wanted to ignore the call, but out of habit, I knew I had to peek. I apologized as I fished the phone out of my pocket.
Checking Caller ID, I frowned. “It’s a call from the hospital.”
Kennedy’s forehead creased with worry. “Go ahead.”
I listened to the person on the other end, my body tensing. When I hung up, Kennedy gazed at me expectantly.
“My dad’s in the hospital,” I said. “He’s in massive organ failure.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kennedy
As we entered the front revolving doors of the hospital, Stratton squeezed my hand. “Sorry we didn’t get to cook pancakes.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” I assured him.
We were admitted into ER, a nurse directing us to a room at the end of the hall. Another nurse already inside motioned for us to enter.
Jem, Stratton’s younger brother, was sitting bedside on a chair. The two men embraced and spoke quietly to each other. Jem hugged me too, with a whispered, “Thanks for being here for Strat.”
Stratton’s dad was on a ventilator, hooked up to all sorts of tubes. After the doctor came in to explain the poor prognosis, Jem stepped out to grab a quick bite to eat.
It was hard to read Stratton’s expression. I knew he’d always had a difficult relationship with his dad. Was he saddened to see his dad so helpless and clinging to life?
Stratton let go of my hand as he approached the bed. Past Stratton, I gazed at the motionless body of the man who had been my father-in-law though we didn’t have much of a relationship. Stratton was always protective of me and limited our interaction, especially when the kids came along. Though I wish I could have had a better relationship with Mr. Mulder, I knew we needed boundaries too.
Later, with Jem taking another break, Stratton and I sat on the couch, holding hands. I didn’t want to deny him of kindness in his need. Any awkwardness between us fell away, replaced by the easy companionship we’d had in the good ol’ days. I lay my cheek against his shirt which molded his chest muscles, as he ran his fingers lightly through my hair. He picked up my hand and pressed a kiss on my knuckle.
“Thanks for being here,” he whispered.
“Of course.”
He glanced at the hospital bed. “I’ve been seeing Dad lately.”
“You have?” I asked in surprise.
He nodded. “Doing yard chores. I’d been mowing this summer, and doing some odd jobs here and there. Once in a while, he’d catch me and I would feel obligated to talk. Later, it no longer felt like an obligation. He really tried to do better.”
“That’s great.”
“It wasn’t always pleasant. Dad has a mean sarcastic streak. But it was a blessing. I was never sure I wanted a relationship, but in the end, it was the right thing for me to allow in my life.”
I reached up and caressed his stubble, grateful that he was learning how to open his heart up. To me. To his dad. “I know how hard that must have been.”
He kissed my palm and set my hand back on his chest. “I wish…” He sighed. “I wish we’d had a better relationship years before.”
“But you didn’t. Be grateful you got a chance to mend fences with him.”
“I never thought I ever would say this, but I’m glad.”
“Stratton…”
“Yes?”
“What were you going to tell me at Alstrom Point before you got the call?”
He looked deep into my eyes, his expression solemn. “I’ve decided to not do battalion chief.”
I pushed away, shocked. “You did?”
Nodding, he stroked my cheek in a hypnotic caress. “I had a good talk with the chief yesterday. I told him that I had weighed everything in my life and decided that my family was more important to me than that job. At first, he tried to assure me I could handle it, but I stayed firm.”
“You’d…you’d do that? For us?”
“Sorry it took me so long to realize this.” Stratton kissed my temple. “Anything for you, Kennedy. And for the kids. This way, we can have more time together. I can be there for you when you need me.”
“I know how much that position would have meant to you.” I kissed his cheek, gratitude washing over me. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure in my life. Besides, it would have had me advancing to a position that would take me away from the direct frontlines, which is my first love.” He chuckled. “I think the crew was secretly hoping I wouldn’t leave 1A Platoon.”
I smiled, thinking of his men and their big hearts.
We left for a bit after the doctor shift change. I hired a young girl recommended by Emma to watch the kids at the cabin and we returned to the hospital.
With Stratton’s dad unconscious and the prognosis having him potentially passing anywhere from mere hours to one or two days, Stratton and Jem said their goodbyes. My heart melted at the sight of my husband standing at his dad’s bedside, a strong man bowed by sadness. We all walked to the parking lot where we parted ways with Jem,
“Happy to see you together, you guys,” he said.
Afterwards, it felt surreal, me riding in Stratton’s truck, our hands linked together on the bench. His thumb made lazy circles on my skin as we neared the cabin.
“I know it’s not been five months,” Stratton said, his voice husky, “but are you sure you don’t want to just come home tonight?”
After our emotionally intimate connection that day, I’d already been thinking about coming home early. The five month deadline seemed moot. But I’d hesitated bringing it up perhaps due to pride. I had a goal and I was going to stick to it, if I could.
“A thought,” he continued, “in case—holy moly!”
I followed his worried gaze. The Andersons’ yard was on fire. Brush glowed with flames…right up to my little cabin rental .
“The kids !” I gasped, as the truck screeched to a halt at the curb. I jumped out and would have ran across the flames had Stratton not slid after me and pulled me back. “Let me go, I need to—”
“Mommy, Daddy!”
A fire engine pulled up as Ben ran to us. He had been standing with the Andersons at the edge of the fire. The sitter was carrying little Evie and deposited her into my arms. They were safe. I kissed my children all over their faces in relief. I could breathe again.
“I’m sorry,” George said, his mouth trembling. “I was just trying to get rid of those pesky gophers.”
“They’re really cute, Mr. Anderson,” Ben said.
Selina shook her head. “He filled the tunnels with gasoline and whoosh, did he get the gophers, but so boy did he get everything else!”
He looked broken, and I felt sorry for him. I was glad that my children were safe. That was all that mattered. The C platoon guys put out the flames and checked in with Stratton as they finished fighting the fire then rolled up their hose.
Miraculously, only one wall of the cabin was singed. The inside was a watery mess.
“I don’t think we’ll be sleeping here tonight,” I said, checking out the damage through the charred door.
“Definitely not,” Stratton said.
Ben tugged at my shirt. “Where will we sleep, Mommy?”
I bent so that I could look him in the eye. “We’re going home, sweetheart.”
Ben’s eyes widened. “Home to Daddy?”
I nodded, my gaze meeting Stratton’s shining eyes over our children’s heads. “Home to Daddy.”
“Yay!” Ben shouted.
Stratton caught me at my waist and tipped my face into a long, sweet kiss. With Evie in his other arm and me at the other side, our little precious family walked together to the truck.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Stratton
The next morning, I flipped the pancake on the griddle and smiled with satisfaction. The flapjack was the right golden shade. Hunter must have been rubbing off on me.
I heard the master bedroo
m door open and turned.
Kennedy’s face glowed as she surveyed the scene—me, bare-chested, making breakfast. Her long, long legs were tantalizingly bare. She looked fantastic in my shirt.
She came over and I welcomed her in my arms. “Good morning, handsome,” she nuzzled my neck. “What’s this?”
I smoothed the hair away from her lovely face. “I’m cooking your favorite.”
She practically squealed. “Banana pancakes?”
“Yup.” I turned off the stove and pulled her into an unhurried kiss until I heard sounds of the kids streaming out of their bedrooms. Kennedy’s eyes held a promise as we came apart.
“Wait.” Her eyes turned round. “Aren’t you on overtime shift today?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “I already took my name off the list.”
She gave me a tight hug.
Soon, our little family was eating our way through two piles of pancakes and washing it all down with chocolate milk.
Later in the day, we dropped off the kids at Kennedy’s parents to visit my dad at the hospital. He hadn’t regained consciousness. Despite all the meds they had given him to maintain his vitals, he wasn’t showing signs of improvement. Jem came up too.
When our dad passed, I leaned against Kennedy.
“I bet your dad was proud of you,” she whispered.
I nodded and clung to her.
There would be much to do in the coming days for Dad.
The fabric of our marriage would need to be strengthened again.
But this time, we would be doing it together.
Epilogue
Stratton
Six months later
Lake Powell Station 1, A platoon and their families congregated on the deck of the houseboat that Maya was able to wrangle for a really good deal from her employer, a houseboat rental company. It was April, so some houseboats sat idle.
I hoped this could be a yearly event, a campout at Wahweap Bay for our crew, but we would take what we could get. Hunter was flipping his gourmet dogs and burgers while Ransom was playing his guitar.
My kids were digging in the sand with Maya and Gage. The engaged couple were like kids themselves. So excited about life. Nearby, Weston was digging a moat all the way to China and crowing about it.
A pair of arms circled my chest from behind. I smiled and kissed Kennedy’s hand before turning.
“Happy, Captain Mulder?” she asked as I enveloped her in my arms.
I planted a light kiss on her soft lips. “Very.”
“Me, too.”
In the months that followed Dad’s death, I learned to open up even more to Kennedy, which drew us even closer. She continued to work at the motel but scaled back her hours to part-time. Although I didn’t go on to test for battalion chief, my work continued to be fun and meaningful. The crew seemed to want to give even more to their jobs with me sticking around as their Cap.
Kennedy and I traded places so that we both faced the rail overlooking the fun beach scene and she was in my arms.
“I want to show you something,” she said.
I thought she was going to pull me by the hand and lead me down the hall. Instead, she guided my hand to her belly.
My heart thudded. “Are we…you and I…?”
She nodded, her lips curving up in an angelic smile. “I’m hoping for twins. Kidding.”
I squeezed her gently in my arms. “Wow,” I said, letting a happy tear or two escape from my eyes. “Those onions Hunter puts in the burgers are pretty potent.”
She laughed, kissing my cheek.
As I held her in my arms, I was sure I sported a huge grin on my face.
I looked around at the beautiful place that Lake Powell was. At the canyon walls that have been shaped by weather and water despite which they had withstood the test of time.
That’s what I hoped for mine and Kennedy’s future together—that we, too, could stand the test of time.
So far, so good.
In the company of this special brotherhood and with my family—including this new baby—I couldn’t be happier.
THE END
Thanks so much for reading! Did you enjoy Stratton and Kennedy’s story? If so, do you mind taking a minute to leave a review?
Oh, and if you want to be the first to hear about the next book in this series, His to Rescue (Weston and Lacey’s story), be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. Thank you! - Jewel
