by S A Monk
And he’d had enough phone conversations with Nick over the past two months to know he was feeling as lousy as Hanna. He was always edgy and short-tempered. And he was still irritated with Lance for interfering with his plans for Hanna. Even though Nick had agreed with him two months ago about leaving Hanna to her career and family, he was having a tough time coping with his decision. And Lance didn’t want his brother angry with him. It was putting an unacceptable strain on their relationship. He owed Nick more than that for rescuing him and reuniting him with his son.
The next day, he walked over to the McHenry house to talk to Christine. They had always been friends, but since Dylan’s death, Lance found himself keeping a watchful eye on her and Katie. She still hadn’t moved back into the house that he and Dylan had built. He’d advised her not to put it up for sale for a few months. They had shared a couple of long walks on the beach since he’d come home and talked about his ordeal and her loss. Talking about Dylan’s absence in their lives helped them both cope with it.
This afternoon, though, they sat on the steps of the front porch and talked about what Jessie had said to Lance. Christine confirmed everything his mother had told him about Nick and Hanna. And she told him what his mother hadn’t— that Nick and Hanna had become lovers. She also told him that, at night now, across the hall, she often heard her sister-in-law crying.
Lance confessed how he had interfered, thinking he was doing the right thing, but also hoping for a deeper relationship with Hanna. It was hard to confess to Christine how long he had wanted Hanna to understand his true feelings for her. Christine told him that she had suspected something of that nature for a long time. She understood how close they all were growing up. But she agreed with his mother— that Hanna would never feel for anyone else what she felt for Nick, and that Lance might be the only one who could fix things between the two.
His decision made, Lance picked up Hanna at the hospital after work the following day and took her to Point Hudson Marina, where they got an espresso and walked to the end of the pier. On a bench overlooking Admiralty Inlet, they sat down to drink their coffees. Since it was after Labor Day, the majority of tourists had left for the season. The old Victorian downtown section was quiet, more sedate than during the busy summer months. Locals enjoyed their town now while the weather was still beautiful.
“This is a nice idea, Lance,” Hanna said as she sipped her caramel-laced latte. “It was a long busy day.”
Lance turned toward Hanna on the bench, resting one arm over the back and bending one leg to rest his boot on his knee. Over the rim of his tall paper coffee cup, he stared at the woman beside him. Her idle gaze was focused on the white capped water beyond. She was so lovely, it sent pangs of regret through him. He liked her new haircut. The sea breeze gently ruffled her honey blonde hair, and the setting sun was shining on it, gilding it gold. Her skin was lightly tanned and all in all, she looked much better than she had after returning from their ordeal in Vancouver. But he imagined if he looked into her beautiful green eyes, he’d see that they were now filled with sadness.
His mother was correct. Despite her beauty, she looked tired and dispirited. He could see that she had lost weight, and it wasn’t all due to her injury. But most of all, he could see that her usual vibrancy was missing.
She couldn’t hide the pervasive sadness that had settled over her. Though she still grieved for her brother, Lance knew what was responsible for the majority of the transformation. He did love her enough to want her to be happy again. If his brother would make her happy, then he was determined to get Nick back for her.
“Hanna,” he began, drawing her attention to him. “I’ve got two tickets to San Diego for this weekend.”
“Who are you taking down there?”
“You.”
Hanna didn’t try to hide her shock. “Why are we going to San Diego?”
“Because Nick is there now.”
“Well, you’re certainly welcome to go see your brother.” Her gaze swung away.
“I need to fix something.” She seemed determined to look out across the water. He touched her sleeve to recapture her attention. “Hanna, you must know that I love you— that I always have.”
“Lance....” She finally swiveled to face him. “I love you, too. You’re very dear to me. I was so worried about you....”
“I know you don’t love me the way you love my brother. I’ve been hoping you’d get tired of waiting for him. But I’ve been thinking more about what I want, than what you want. I can’t do that anymore. I can’t stand to see you so miserable.”
“I’ll get over it,” she insisted stubbornly, redirecting her focus to some fishing boats coming into dock for the evening.
“No, you won’t. You miss Nick too much, and you’ve loved him too long.”
“That doesn’t matter, Lance. He left. He doesn’t want me.”
He reached over and took her hand. When she still refused to look at him, he gently grasped her stubbornly set chin and turned her head to him. “Yes, he does, Hanna. He wanted to ask you to marry him and move to San Diego with him. I talked him out of it.”
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”
He grinned. She could be so damn stubborn. “I’m telling you the truth,” he insisted. “Do you think I’d hurt you more by lying?” He saw her resistance begin to crack. “I want to repair the damage I did. I want to take you to San Diego to talk to Nick.”
She studied his expression closely, still skeptical. “Explain what happened.”
“The day you came out of your coma, I came by the hospital to see you. When the family came to visit, Nick and I went down to the cafeteria. Remember? I asked him what he intended to do about you. He said he wanted to ask you to marry him. I reminded him you had a great career here and that it would be unfair to ask you to leave that and your family to become the wife of a Special Forces soldier, never knowing where he really was or if he’d be coming home. I reminded him, too, of how much Mom had suffered when Dad died. That pretty much did it,” he admitted ruefully. “Nick has never wanted to put a woman through what Mom suffered. He was old enough to remember how torn up she was for a long time afterward. He was hoping for an assignment that meant no more dangerous field work. He’s still reluctant to retire because the Corps is all he’s ever known and he’s still pretty young. I think he has a few ambitions left.”
“Oh, Lance....”
Hanna covered her eyes with one hand as they filled with tears. She didn’t know if she dared to believe him.
“I’ll take you to San Diego to talk to Nick. You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll help you. I can’t guarantee my brother’s reaction, but I’m pretty sure he’ll want to work this out with you.”
“Have you talked to him about this?”
“No. Things have not been easy between us since he left. He’s angry with me, because I talked him out of something he really wanted. But I agree with Mom. He wouldn’t be calling us so much if he didn’t still care a lot about you.” Lance slipped an arm around her shoulders and nudged her closer. The tears in her eyes made him feel rotten. “He was so shook up when you were shot. He told Chen if you died, he’d kill him. And he deliberately waited to blow that elevator until Sheriff Thomas and the men who shot you were inside it. He never left your bedside while you were in your coma. He even slept in that chair in your room. For the first two days, Kurt’s wife, then one of the floor nurses had to bring him meals. He wouldn’t even leave you to shower or go to the cafeteria.” Lance was quiet and reflective for several moments. “I should never have said the things I did to him. I’m not proud of the pain I’ve caused both of you. I hope someday that the two of you will forgive me.”
“Oh Lance!” Hanna threw her arms around him. “I don’t blame you! How could I blame you for caring so much? I’ll always love you.”
“As a friend.”
“Yes,” she confirmed softly, kissing his cheek. “As a friend, but as a brother n
ow, too.”
He put his arms around her and held her tightly, his eyes closed as he breathed in the scent of her, committing it to memory. “That’s okay,” he decided as he released her. “As long as you and Nick get back together and keep me in your lives, I’ll be all right. You know, Christopher would hate it if his Aunt Hanna and Uncle Nick stopped coming to see him.”
“That will never ever happen.”
He covered her hand with his and winked at her. “Then we’ll go to San Diego this weekend?”
“Shouldn’t you call Nick and talk to him about this?”
Lance laughed. “Hell no! Let’s surprise him.”
“I don’t know,” she said, frowning. “What if he isn’t around?”
“We’ll track him down,” Lance declared determinedly. “But, hell, knowing my brother, he will be. His life is as dull as yours. The only fun you two seem to have is when you’re together. Otherwise, you’re both workaholics.”
“Call him anyway.”
“Okay,” he relented. “I’ll let him know I’m coming, at least. But you will go with me, won’t you?”
“Let me think about it, Lance. I’ll let you know by tomorrow. If I do go, I’ll need to see what kind of time I can get off. I’ve already taken a lot.”
“You’re the head of ER, Hanna. That ought to give you some privileges, for crying out loud. Tell them there’s a medical convention down there, or something.”
Hanna laughed. “We’ll see.”
CHAPTER 32
“ARE YOU SURE NICK SAID HE’D BE AROUND THIS WEEKEND?”
Lance opened the rear passenger door of the dark green military sedan and watched Hanna gracefully swing out of the seat. She looked gorgeous in her full skirted floral print sundress and strappy high heeled sandals.
“Yes, I’m sure, Hanna.”
She’d been nervous and edgy since they’d left Seattle this morning. She never would have come if he hadn’t reassured her over and over that everything was going to be fine and that Nick was expecting them. She’d kill him if she knew he’d never told Nick that she was also coming down for the weekend. His brother hadn’t been thrilled about him coming down for such an impromptu visit, but he’d sent a car and driver to the airport for him. Lance wanted to surprise Nick, and he knew his brother well enough to know he would not turn Hanna away once he saw her.
Lance had been surprised to discover that losing Hanna to Nick for good was not as difficult to accept as he’d anticipated. After he’d given it some thought, he had realized that she had waited all her life for his brother, and a love like that was a rare thing. The depth of feeling that withstood that kind of test of time was an inspiration. He was honestly happy for her, and confident she and his brother would work out all their problems.
“I hope you enjoyed the brief tour of San Diego.” Their driver was a young corporal by the name of Don Vincent. He was Nick’s aide. He had met them promptly at the airport and driven them around the city, then onto the Naval Amphibious Base on Coronado Island.
“We did. Thank you, Don,” Lance answered. “I’ve been to San Diego, but I don’t believe that Doctor Wallace has. I appreciate you showing her a bit of the city before coming here.”
The corporal nodded, and then glanced at his wristwatch. “Colonel Kelly is out on the bay conducting underwater training exercises. He shouldn’t be too much longer. Would you like to wait over there at one of the patio tables?”
Lance wasn’t sure who was more nervous, Hanna or the not-too-far-out-of-high-school corporal. Hanna had been as quiet as a mouse since they’d landed, and the corporal had been talking nearly non-stop since he’d picked them up. The auto tour had given him lots to talk about. Lance thought he made a good tour guide, but he wondered if Hanna had really seen anything out that backseat rear window she’d been staring through so diligently.
It was a warm, sunny, southern California day, with a fresh saltwater breeze blowing gently off San Diego’s big bay, but Hanna’s hand was cold as ice. Lance squeezed it a few times in reassurance as the three walked over to the patio situated between rows of warehouse-type buildings. Across the tarmac, at the water’s edge, there were rows of small cement docks. Several Zodiac type dinghies were anchored to the piers.
Hanna took a seat at a round metal table with a brightly colored umbrella shading it. Lance chose to remain standing, as did Corporal Vincent, who stood vigilantly beside them.
While he and Lance chatted away, Hanna stared out over the bay and the San Diego skyline on the other side. There weren’t nearly as many skyscrapers across the bay as Seattle, but like the Emerald City, they were constructed within a mile of the water.
She’d seen a fair amount of the city on Corporal Vincent’s friendly tour― Balboa Park, the Gas Light District downtown, the Embarcadero, and the Naval Hospital. It was just as beautiful as Nick had always told her it was. The magnificent arc of the Coronado Bridge rose high into the air to their left. The drive over it had been breathtaking.
Coronado Island wasn’t really an island, but a long narrow peninsula. According to Corporal Vincent, it was home to two important U.S. Naval bases― the Naval Air Station, at the far end of Coronado, and the Naval Amphibious Base, where the West Coast teams of the Navy SEALs were stationed. The charming little community was also home to the rich and famous, trendy boutiques, exclusive restaurants, and one of the most noted resorts in the country, the world famous Hotel Del Coronado, which accommodated Presidents in its lavish suites when they visited.
The bridge connecting it to the city of San Diego was hundreds of feet above the bay. Supported by mammoth girders that looked like the legs of a gigantic dinosaur, the engineering marvel allowed the huge ships that passed beneath it access to the deep waters of the bay. The Naval Amphibious Base was located at the upper end of the Silver Strand, tucked into a small cove near one end of the bridge.
The rest of San Diego’s Big Bay was home to other naval facilities, the Marine Recruitment Base, and a Coast Guard station. The San Diego International airport was located next to the bay as well. The rest of it was filled with private marinas, fancy four-star hotels, and tourist attractions like Seaport Village and the Maritime Museum. Cruise ships docked alongside big ferries that toured the bay and the Navy’s retired aircraft carrier that was now open to the public.
Private sailboats, fast motorboats, and even expensive yachts trolled the azure blue waters of the bay. But it was the Navy that dominated the harbor. It was unmistakably their bay. Their military presence was everywhere— on the water, in the air, and on this broad finger of land called Coronado Island.
Helicopters flew constant treks across the bay from one military facility to the other. Giant warships and cruisers sat at anchor at its edges. And those versatile rubber dinghies, like the one Nick had borrowed from the naval base on Whidbey Island, jetted back and forth across the bay like busy worker bees, some with uniformed men, some with black suited divers, some with military police and Coast Guard patrols. They whizzed by all sorts of privately owned boats, from the huge to the small, from yachts and sailboats to cruisers and jet skis, impeded by no one.
She’d find out soon enough, she supposed.
San Diego was Nick’s favorite duty station. He loved the city, the weather, and the diving in the bay. Other than medical conventions or lectures, Hanna had never traveled much. She had lived all her life in the Northwest, in Port George, and she loved its green mystical beauty and enchanting waterways. San Diego Bay was not as big, but it was, nevertheless, beautiful. Her Emerald Mermaid would fit right in with the numerous sailboats in the bay.
Hanna assumed Nick was on one of the Zodiacs out in the bay.
Behind her sunglasses, she slowly scanned the waters beyond them, then the area around where they were waiting, just in case his six-foot-four frame had already landed.
Corporal Vincent broke her silent assessment when he announced, “His teams should be here any time now.”
In the distance, be
yond the small marina in front of them, she thought she spotted two small black boats speeding across the water toward thebridge. San Diego had truly captured her heart, but she suddenly wanted to turn around and drive back to the airport. She rose slowly to her feet, watching the two Zodiacs approach.
The corporal turned to her and smiled. “Looks like them.” The he looked eagerly at Lance. “Got some good news to tell your brother, huh?”
“Oh yeah,” Lance confirmed. “But Hanna’s just a bit nervous about it.”
“I can see that.” The young Marine grinned. “Congratulations.”
Nervous didn’t begin to accurately define it. Hanna’s entire attention was locked on the approaching dinghies. Two inflatable reinforced hull rubber boats were racing toward them, as if everyone in them was really anxious to get back to base. It was Friday afternoon. The weekend beckoned, apparently.
Hanna could see that each Zodiac carried six men. All twelve were dressed in full body wet suits. Even at a distance, she instantly recognized the man standing a head above everyone else, in the center of the boat. Feeling as if her knees had turned to Jell-O, she rose slowly to her feet.
Lance reached out and caught her hand reassuringly. “It’ll be okay, sweetie. Relax.” The look she returned him was desperate. He slipped an arm around her bare shoulders and gave her a comforting hug.
The distance diminished way too rapidly, and the lead boat docked first. The men inside climbed out. Their laughter and jostling made it apparent they were overjoyed to be finished for the day.
The second boat pulled up to a pier parallel to the first one. One black suited diver got out and moored the boat to a cleat. The rest of the men lifted air tanks and gear out. They were more controlled and sedate than the first group. They looked older, too, more experienced. Hanna tried desperately not to look at the last man to get out of the Zodiac.
Several of the men from the first group noticed Corporal Vincent and his guests. One of the men gave a loud whistle, the kind a man makes in appreciation of a good-looking woman. Hanna glanced around, certain she was not the recipient of it.
