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"You called, darling?" A young girl in her early twenties walks over to join us.
"My heart always calls to you." JJ wraps his arm about the girl’s waist.
"I’m Lena." She beams at us. "Congratulations on the upcoming movie and the successful recovery. You two look so cute together."
"So do you," Solene replies.
"It’s good to finally meet you, Lena. My condolences" —I point at JJ—“for this guy.”
She laughs and snuggles in closer to him as he rolls his eyes at me.
I rub tiny circles over Solene’s upper arm. Goosebumps flare over her skin. My heart swells with an emotion I now identify as love, my cock with lust, and the rest of me— Well, the rest of me is filled with a sense of calmness, tranquility, a sensation I know people call contentment. I didn’t think I’d ever be lucky enough to have her in my life. And I have my friends to thank for helping me win her back.
JJ, Michael and Sinclair, with Rick’s help, ensured the hospital canteen was fixed in the shortest possible time. They sponsored free food for the day for everyone to make up for any disruption. They also donated to the hospital to fund staff facilities. It alleviated any worry I might have had about the damage we inflicted on the hospital premises.
Cade walks in. He’s unshaven, his hair mussed. His fingers are threaded through Abby’s, and she looks just as tired. She spots Solene, and her eyes light up. Solene pulls away from me, and both women embrace.
"Abby, I’m so happy you're here!"
"Me, too." Tears pour down Abby’s cheeks.
"Abby, are you okay? Is everything okay?"
Cade closes the distance to her and pulls her into his arms. "She’s overwhelmed," he murmurs.
Unable to stay away, I walk over to Solene and circle her shoulders.
"What’s wrong, Abby?" Solene scrutinizes her friend’s face.
"Nothing’s wrong." Abby’s lips curve a little. "Everything is going to be fine." She and Cade exchange looks. And something in their faces, the hope and the relief, and the slight dread, alerts me. The hair on the back of my neck rises. "Are you talking about—"
"Yes." Abby looks over her shoulder. "Yes." Her eyes shine. She opens and shuts her mouth. Cade glances in the direction of her gaze; so do the rest of us. Silence descends upon the room, broken only by Abby’s exclamation, "Knight!"
Cade releases her, and she darts past us and throws herself at the man who’s entered the room and is standing uncertainly inside the doorway.
"You’re home!" Abby throws her arms around Knight, who stands stiffly.
His hair is overgrown. He’s bearded, with a few gray hairs peeking through the strands. It’s a visible sign of how much he’s aged in the months he’s been held by the enemy. There are hollows under his cheekbones, and he sports a bandage over his left cheek. He’s wearing a crisp, white button-down and slacks, which is markedly different from the military fatigues or jeans and T-shirts I've seen him in.
Abby buries his face in his chest and weeps, but Knight doesn’t make any moves to console her. He stands there with no change of expression on his face. Cade and I exchange a glance. Cade gives a subtle shake of his head, then approaches the brother and sister. "Shh, babe, your brother needs time to acclimatize." He places his hands on Abby’s shoulders and coaxes her back.
"I’m sorry I broke down like that—" She wipes her face. "I’m happy to see you, big brother."
Knight’s expression softens a little. He clears his throat. "It’s good to see you, too, Abby."
Abby makes a choked sound. "I was so worried about you. I thought I’d lost you, I—" She begins to weep again, and Cade pulls her into his arms. She wraps her arms about his waist and begins to sob. Her husband pats her hair. He glances up at Knight, who’s watching the proceedings with a slightly confused look on his face. Finally, Knight shakes his head, then reaches over and pats Abby’s shoulder.
"Cade is right. I need a little time to adjust back to civilian life." He winces, then adds in a soft voice, "Permanently."
"Permanently?" Penny cries out. All of us turn in her direction, and she flushes.
"I mean, uh… Of course you want to leave the force after what happened. I mean, it’s not easy being a prisoner of war." She cringes. "Did I just say prisoner of war? That is the official term for what you were, eh? Oh gawd, now I’m putting my foot in my mouth. I mean, I have verbal diarrhea. Ugh, those two scenarios don’t go that well together."
Knight’s entire body goes on alert. Tension thrums off of him. He narrows his gaze on her.
Penny shakes her head, then squares her shoulders. "Okay, let me try again. What I was trying to say was, you must have loved the military, surely, and thought of it as your calling to join it, so to leave it? That must be agonizing, no matter the circumstances."
Ouch, that’s not something I’d have chosen to say at this juncture.
