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LIAM
Margaret went into the bathroom over an hour ago to take her first shower in days. I sympathize because I haven’t showered in as long as she’s been gone, but as long as I’m around, her care will always come first.
The second her eyes opened up, it was like a weight was lifted off of my chest. Everything I’d been worried about exited my brain. She was okay.
It was the only thought that kept repeating itself over and over again. She’s okay, she’s okay, she is okay.
It was enough that she was awake—at least it meant we could move forward—but she has exceeded all expectations. She is up, walking around, showering. I’ve never met someone as resilient as her since I left the military.
I sit on the edge of the bed closest to the bathroom and wait for her, listening to make sure she doesn’t fall and hurt herself. I tell myself it’s not creepy. It’s for safety.
A soft knock on the door has my head shooting up, and I grab my gun off a nightstand. I walk to the door, peeping through the hole quickly, and I see Ford standing on the other side, hands already in the air. Smartass.
“Hey.” I open the door and he closes it behind himself, stalking in after me. His injuries were pretty rough, but he’s had much worse than that and bounced back fast. It also helped that he hadn’t fallen into any sort of coma.
“Hey.” He looks around the room and sees the empty bed. “She’s awake?”
“Yeah.” I gesture toward the bathroom door. “Cleanin’ up.”
He nods his head, a soft exhalation leaving his lungs. “Good, good.” He mumbles the words and looks away from me, not making eye contact and giving me reason to believe he needs to get something off of his chest.
“What’s on your mind?” I prod.
“I just…I want to make sure she’s okay.” He finally looks up at me. “I have to make sure, for myself.” Ford looks toward the door again and leans against the wall. I’ve seen that look; it’s the same one he had on a mission we were on a few years ago, before I went dark. We had to rescue a hostage who was being held by some thugs who thought they were something.
It wasn’t easy, but it was one of those missions that sticks with you. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned, and before we could complete a safe rescue, one of the men we’d been tailing detonated a bomb. The woman was in the explosion and didn’t make it out of the rubble alive.
That one haunts us, and anything that resembles that situation always brings those feelings up. Ford took it harder than anyone. I’ve known him a long time, and I can see the war he’s fighting with himself right now.
“Ford,” I say, my voice hard.
“What?”
“Are you feeling guilty?”
He doesn’t answer right away. They were in a place that many people will thankfully never have to experience, and it was one that brought on a bond you can’t compare to anything else. They were alone in that basement for a long time.
Being alone with someone that long can lead to a sort of camaraderie; my time in the Army taught me that. Those guys do become like brothers, some more than others, but you would lay down your life for any one of them.
“No,” Ford says after some thought. “Yes,” he corrects. Heaving a deep sigh, he looks at me, and worry seeps into his face. “I don’t know. It just brought up some stuff for me.”
Before I can press, the door to the bathroom finally opens and Margaret walks out, freshly dressed in the clothes I got her. James was the one to actually pick them out, but she did so at my insistence. Margaret looks fresh and clean with no makeup on her face, as beautiful as the first time I saw her, but what really catches me is how relieved she looks to see Ford standing outside the door.
He’s pushed off the wall and heads for her, pulling her into a hug with no resistance on her end. They embrace tightly like they don’t want to let go, and I see the immense compassion Margaret has for others. She had it for Mike and Jenny, she has it for Ford, and she has it for me. Anyone who’s around her feels immediately comfortable in her presence.
When they pull away, they take a minute to take the other in, and Margaret says, “I’m so glad you’re okay.” There’s a happiness in her voice that nearly matches the tone that was there when she saw me sitting on the bed beside her.
I stand, knowing Ford needs a moment. He’s one of my closest friends, a guy who would do anything for you and never ask for a favor in return. “I’ll be outside.”
I don’t wait for them to say anything; Margaret looks hurt by it, but I just briefly squeeze her shoulder when I walk around them. Ford doesn’t know what to say; it’s clear in his expression, so I give him a nod and let him sort through what he needs to in order to assure himself everything is okay.
