I handed the phone back to Danielle, brushing furiously at my face.
“He sounds good,” I said, hoping he felt as good as he sounded.
“He does. I’m glad he’s finally well enough to be sent home. Tanner’s in contact with his friends in the hospital over there and keeping me up to date.”
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll be honest, this is the first time in weeks I don’t feel like I’m going to go stir crazy waiting for information.”
“I’m glad I could help. Tanner and Greg won’t be home for another week and a half so I’m hoping between the two of us we can keep him in good spirits until he’s allowed to do physical therapy, because sitting around all day is going to drive him nuts.”
“I can do that.”
Nate started to fuss in his seat.
“Let me give you my number, in case anything comes up.”
“Sure.”
I pulled my phone out and we traded numbers. We finished our coffees and talked about smaller things; getting to know each other. The time passed quickly and pretty soon Danielle had to leave to get Nate fed and down for a real nap.
Having children wasn’t something I had ever really thought about. When every guy you dated slowly backed away because of your job, it was easy to believe you’d never find the one to settle down and have a family with. The more I thought about Colin, the more I thought about how he could finally be that man. I knew he had a long road ahead of him. What he didn’t know was that I wouldn’t care if he was in the Army or not, as long as he was healthy. On the other hand, the Army was all he wanted to do, so I’d help him push through as much as I could before I left again.
As I stood and left the coffee shop my body felt bone tired. The sleepless nights were catching up with me. Between my arm and worrying about Colin, I found myself waking up every couple of hours. Now that I’d actually gotten to talk to him, I felt like I could sleep for a week.
All I knew was that I wanted to see Colin again.
Thursday couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter 16
Colin
The nurses bustled around my room, readying everything for transport. Apparently, even though the swelling had gone down enough to remove the tubes, there were still concerns about the healing fracture and they weren’t able to cast it with the wound from the metal, so my leg still needed to be braced. Which left me in a hospital bed for the flight, the nurses traveling with me.
My parents left earlier so they could beat my plane in. I had also texted Danielle to let her know flight times and to make sure she still planned on bringing Joey with her. When I was satisfied all of the plans were in place, I rested my head against the pillows and looked at the space around me, the plain white walls and hard plastic chairs a reminder of all that had happened so far.
The few moments I’d had alone over the last two weeks had been spent thinking about Joey. I wondered how her shoulder was healing, what she might be doing, how much I’d worried her. It was no longer that I wanted to see her—I needed to see her. Touch her. Make sure she was okay.
I knew my time with her would be cut short. She had a nine-month deployment and so by the time she finished her PT, she’d probably have about three months left to serve. I’d decided my goal would be to finish PT by the time she came home. I wouldn’t be a burden on anyone, especially her. She deserved the man she met that night in the bar, not a man confined to a wheelchair or crutches while he forced his leg to work again.
“It’s almost time to wheel you down,” a voice said from the doorway.
Glancing over, I noticed Cpl. West stepping into the room. She’d been with me more than any other nurse since I woke up.
“I’m ready whenever you are.” My hands gripped the sheets and I had to let out a low breath and force myself to relax. I’d been doing my best to not think about the flight home. For years I’d flown all over the world. I didn’t have a problem with flying. Or at least, I never used to.
“I bet you can’t wait to get home. Back to a certain sergeant.” She winked at me.
Laughter bubbled up in my chest. “Is it that obvious?”
“No one worries that much about another soldier unless they’re more than friends, or want to be more than friends.”
“You’ve figured me out. Promise not to tell?” I winked.
It didn’t matter who knew, but the game kept my mind elsewhere. It was just the distraction I needed.
“I won’t tell a soul.”
She finished disconnecting all of the equipment, except for the IV. Another nurse came through the door, followed by two men in scrubs, one of them pushing a stretcher into the room and lining it up next to my bed.
“Sergeant, we need to move you to the stretcher to wheel you down, but we don’t want you to move too much. Let us do the moving,” Cpl. West said.
One of the other nurses lifted a pole on the stretcher and detached the sling from my bed.
“I’m going to move this while Cpl. Barnes, slides you over enough for me to attach it to the stretcher. Then we’ll lift you over.”
I nodded. Being unable to do simple things wasn’t something I was used to, but if I wanted my leg to heal properly, there wasn’t much I could do about it. He moved my leg, then used the sheet to lift me from one spot to another. Cpl. West helped me to adjust myself while Cpl. Barnes brought over the bag for my IV, hanging it on the bar at the head of the stretcher.
“Cpl. Barnes is going to take you down to the ambulance,” Cpl. West said. She held them up for a moment studying me. “Good luck, sergeant. If anyone can push through this, it’s you.” She turned to walk out the door, but stopped. “Oh, and once you have her, don’t let her go.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” The other nurses gazed back and forth between the two of us but I didn’t care. If I could get Joey to commit to a relationship with me, I would do everything in my power to keep her there.
It seemed weird; passing through the hallways, watching men and women being wheeled to different places in the hospital. I couldn’t help but wonder how long they’d been there. Why were they there? The curiosity overwhelmed me, but I didn’t ask. So often I sped through life; counting time until the next deployment, the next mission. Every person I saw on the way down had their own story. Yet we now all had one thing in common: time had slowed down for all of us. Each one of us had to fight our own battles. And my battle was one I was determined to win.
As we got closer to the door where the ambulance waited to take me to the hanger, my palms began to sweat. I rubbed them off on the sheets and attributed the nerves to seeing Joey again after our time in the helicopter.
The ambulance ride went quicker than I thought it would. I’d had to stop myself from fidgeting in my seat multiple times because even though I couldn’t put my finger on the reason, something about getting on that plane was really starting to bother me. I said nothing as Cpl. Barnes helped to wheel me out of the back of the ambulance and up into the plane, one obviously designed to transport patients back to the States. There were a few seats scattered throughout, but most of the area looked to have been designed specifically to strap in stretchers.
The buckle clicked into place.
Oh, shit.
“You all right, Dunham?”
Cpl. Barnes glanced at my hands and back up. Looking down, I saw that my hands were fisted so tightly into the blanket, my knuckles had turned white. With some effort, I forced my fingers to release their grip and open.
“Yeah, sorry. I think all of the shifting made my leg ache a bit.” The lie slipped easily from my lips.
“Do you want me to give you more painkillers?”
“No, I think I need to let it rest from the movement.”
“If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll be on the flight back with you.”
“Thank you.”
Nothing in the world would get me to admit to anyone but myself that the thought of flying freaked me out. Besides, there was no poin
t telling anyone when the feeling would pass when we got into the air.
Of course it would.
The doors shut and the engines whirled to life. Sweat beaded on my forehead then ran down my temples. I blinked it away.
The plane began taxiing down the runway and my breathing sped up. My mouth went dry and I tried to pull in deep breaths but the air wouldn’t go into my lungs. It was like I was drowning above sea. Like something was stopping me from breathing.
Spots danced in front of my eyes.
Cpl. Barnes saw my distress and ran over. The image was blurry but I thought I saw him pull a syringe out of the drawer on the wall and take hold of the IV before the black spots clouding my vision took over and plunged me into darkness.
***
A soft rumbling stirred my senses. Slowly I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings.
The plane.
The panic.
I inhaled and felt my lungs expand. Relief washed through me. Rolling my head to the side, someone sat next to me.
“Hey, sergeant. Feeling better?” Cpl. Barnes asked, standing from his seat. A light flashed across my eyes.
“Yeah,” I answered, trying to sit myself up.
“Let me help.”
I wanted to tell him that I could do it, but the drugs were still in my system and my head was fuzzy. Nodding, I let him help me sit up.
He took a step back. “Sir, I wish you would have been honest me. I understand what you’ve been through and that was a natural reaction to your first flight. I could have given you something beforehand. By the time I realized what was going on, I needed to put you under to let your body reset and breathe without your mind messing with it.”
I looked down at the blanket, afraid to admit my weakness.
“Sir, I’m not going to put the reason for the sedation in your record. Only that you asked for something to help you sleep. But if anything like that happens again, you need to talk to the doctor assigned to your case.”
“I will.” The heat of the plane was kicking in. “How long until we land?”
“About twenty minutes. It should be enough time to push the last little bit of the sedative out of your system. Will you be okay for the last bit of the flight?”
My heart raced in my chest. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back in a few to check on you again.”
I focused on my breathing: deep breath in, slow exhale. Over and over I repeated the words in my head, counting each breath that passed my lips. Eventually, we landed safely and my pulse slowed. I reasoned that I didn’t need to tell anyone what had happened. After all, it was just a small panic attack. Barnes even said it was a normal reaction. By the time I finished my PT, I’d be over the ridiculous fear. No need to worry anyone any more than they already were.
The straps were released and I was wheeled into the waiting ambulance. My hospital time hadn’t ended by coming home. Until they could safely cast my leg, I would be stuck in a hospital bed. The wound was healing much quicker now that the swelling was gone. The doctors in Germany figured another week, maybe two, before I could go home.
Unfortunately, home was on the second floor. Danielle wanted me to stay with her since Tanner would be home, until I reminded her that Greg would be home, too. I’d have access to my own in home care. Although I didn’t plan on relying on them for everything, I’d accepted that I would need more help until the cast came off.
The ambulance stopped outside the hospital on base. My eyes scanned the area outside as the stretcher was unloaded. It was empty except for some of the staff but I felt her. That same tingling over my skin that I’d felt back in Afghanistan. Back when she was still the girl from the bar. Before the crash and before things got complicated. That feeling was there, so Joey was close.
She had to be.
I was pushed through the sliding door and immediately spotted my parents standing off to the side. I lifted my chin to my dad but I didn’t stop to talk. My eyes raced over the faces in front of me.
She had to be here.
She had to be.
And then I saw it: a familiar mane of brown hair. She had her back to me, talking to Danielle. Danielle saw me first and her eyes gentled. “Hi,” she mouthed and Joey froze momentarily before she whirled around, her hair flipping in front of her to fall over her shoulders like a cascading waterfall.
The sling on her shoulder made me want to jump out of the bed and take out anything that hurt her. Joey’s eyes roamed over me. Even though Mom called my name, I couldn’t drag my attention away from the beauty before me. Then slowly, like the first rays of a dawning sun, her smile lit up the room and she took off in my direction.
“Colin!”
Joey’s arm wrapped around my neck and something settled within me.
I was home.
Chapter 17
Joey
I pulled back to take him in. The scratches and scrapes had healed, yet his face was pale, his leg suspended in a brace. He watched me the way I watched him. That is when I realized none of it mattered. Colin was alive and home. We could deal with everything else later.
And I absolutely meant we.
The strength of his grip as his hands pulled me tighter to him made the tears threaten. I clenched my eyes closed trying to hold them back. A piece of me that had felt detached since I’d left him in Germany, connected again. His fingers let go and trailed up to cup my cheek.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, guiding my face down to him.
His mouth took possession of mine. All it took was the light caress of his tongue across my lips and I was transported back to the night in front of the sandbags, under the moonlight, in the arms of a man who could very well be the one I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. In that one brief moment, we didn’t have to worry about helicopter crashes or injuries. We were simply a man and woman who had come to care a lot of each other.
When our lips finally separated, I touched my forehead to his. The desire to be lost in that moment was almost overwhelming. A throat cleared. I looked up to see the one of the men pushing the stretcher waiting for us to separate so he could finish getting Colin in the door.
“Sorry.” I tried to step back but Colin took my fingers, not ready to let go.
“Stay.”
“I will, but I’m going to be in the way. They need to take you upstairs.”
He watched me for a moment, then, seemingly confident that I wasn’t going to disappear on him, he let me go. The nurses showed us to a waiting room down the hall while Colin was admitted and they could settle him into his room. The room was filled with tension with all eyes on me. Danielle’s face wreathed in a smile. The other two occupants, most likely Colin’s parents, watched me like they were trying to figure out a challenging puzzle. I tried not to fidget and draw more attention to myself. Thankfully there wasn’t enough time to do anything about it before they brought us all down to Colin’s room.
Colin was settled in bed, his leg lifted in a sling. He smiled the moment we stepped into the room, opening his mouth to speak but was cut off when a doctor came in and introduced himself to everyone. He briefly glanced at Colin’s chart, before flying back out the door, promising he’d be back later.
The nurse stepped out of the room and once again I was faced with Colin’s parents. At least this time he was in the room too. Our kiss in the lobby came rushing back and I had to wonder what was going through their minds at the moment. Did they think we were dating? Shit, I wasn’t even sure how to describe our relationship. And I really hoped if he had talked about me that he’d left out how we met.
Well, certain parts.
“Joey?” Colin’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
My eyes rose to his. I did my best to ignore the questions running through my head. The grin on his face settled me as much it could when faced with a “Meet the Parents” situation. “Yeah?”
“I want to introduce you to my parents.” He nodded towar
d the couple standing on the other side of the room. Danielle winked at me. I took a deep breath and turned to face the only other people in the room.
“Mom, Dad, this is Joey.”
I reached my hand out. “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Dunham.”
His mom offered a smile and her hand. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good,” his dad added.
It was slightly unnerving to look at his dad. The resemblance was uncanny. If it hadn’t been for the gray hair and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, people would mistake them for twins. At least I knew what Colin would look like years down the road.
Why is that the first thing my brain chooses to focus on?
“We’re going to get settled in the hotel.” His mom’s gaze wandered back and forth between Colin and myself. “Give you two a little time alone. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
I noticed Mrs. Dunham give Danielle a quick wink as they left the room. The second the door closed, Colin and Danielle burst out laughing. “That was completely embarrassing.”
I shot them both a dirty look when their laughter continued, but hearing the happy sound from Colin, I let my guard down and joined in. After some soul cleansing chuckles, Danielle pulled herself together.
“Colin, I’m so happy to see you home. I did what you asked and made sure Joey was here to greet you. I’m going to go home and wait for the call from my husband. Tanner and Greg will want to know you’re okay.”
Colin smiled at Danielle. “Thank you. Tell them to stay safe, and I’ll see them in about a week.”
She nodded and her eyes filled. Brushing at the tears, she stepped over to the side of the bed and gave Colin a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here and okay. I’m not sure what I would do without you.”
He placed a brief kiss on the side of her head. “I’m fine,” he whispered. “I love that you care though. I missed you.”
If I hadn’t gotten to know Colin as well as I had during our time overseas, I might have been a bit jealous of his interactions with Danielle. But after all our conversations, I knew that they were more like brother and sister together, so instead of feeling hurt, it made me happy to think someone else cared about Colin as much as I did.
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