Saving Luke (Oakside Military Heroes #4)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Brooke

"Is there such a thing as too many Christmas lights?" Lexi asks as I string up some lights over the large, two-story stone fireplace mantle.

"No, there isn't. Not when this is Oakside's first Christmas! Come on, help me and hand over some tinsel," I say.

Even though this is the first Christmas at Oakside, we are filled with injured military men and women who have no desire to celebrate it. They want to focus on healing, well, most of them anyway, and then get the hell out of here.

I can't blame them, but if they are going to be stuck here over the holiday, then they should at least be able to celebrate it in style, right?

Well, how do you make a group of people celebrate the holidays when they have no intention of doing so? This is what Lexi and Noah have tasked me with this year.

"Whoa, it looks like a fairy threw up in here." Lexi's husband, Noah, says.

"You," I point at him. "Are not helping."

"See, I told you. Too many twinkle lights," Lexi says.

"No such thing," I tell her.

I step back and admire the large fireplace in the lobby. This is one of my favorite rooms, with big windows overlooking the courtyard. I imagine the fireplace on a cold winter day, and I can't help wishing for snow, which would be the perfect decoration with the fireplace lit. Unfortunately, in southern Georgia, we hardly ever get snow.

"I still think the Christmas tree is too small," Noah says as he comes up and wraps his arms around Lexi.

"That tree is twelve feet tall, and it took eight people to get it in here. It's plenty big, trust me." I reassure him.

"Well, in this room, it looks small," he retorts.

"Because this room is massive," I tell him.

"But it’s cozy, and it's still one of my favorites in the whole building," Lexi says.

Lexi owned this large, southern plantation home and was waiting for the house to show her its purpose.

Lexi is Noah's wife, and they started Oakside together earlier this year. They met while Lexi was visiting her brother in the hospital when he was injured on deployment. Noah was in the bed next to him. Long story short, it ended with Lexi never leaving his side.

Noah was severely burned in a fire, so he has a lot of scars on one side of his body and face. It took a lot of time to heal. Once he recovered and was cleared for PT, there was no place for him to transition to out of the hospital.

That's how Oakside was born. When the hospital completes what they can do, then Oakside gets involved. Once the men and women are fully healed of anything that could cause an infection, then they’re referred to us. We provide physical therapy and doctors, as well as having them work with therapists. If needed, we’ll bring in specialists like plastic surgeons or someone to fit prosthetics. Currently, we are putting the finishing touches on the barn and will be adding equine therapy, too. Also, we’re starting on an aquatics center with an Olympic sized pool.

There are all sorts of programs at Oakside that help the soldiers transition to civilian life before they leave. That means making sure they have a job, or if they’re going back to school, then they have a place to live and a means to support themselves.

Since I was Noah's nurse, I got to know them both really well. When they asked me to come to Oakside, it was a no-brainer. Though I might have thought twice if I had known I'd be in charge of Christmas festivities this year.

Noah leans over and kisses Lexi on the top of the head, and I can't help but want that kind of relationship. Lexi pulled Noah through the worst time in his life, and now, there’s no one more devoted than Noah is to Lexi.

"I like your hair like that," I tell Lexi.

She has her light blonde hair done up in a braid across the front of her head and down over the shoulder.

"Thanks. I've been trying some new styles. Well, more like Paisley has been trying them, and I just wear them," she smiles.

Paisley is Easton's wife. Easton was a patient here earlier this year and is now part of the security team. He was a prisoner of war, and Paisley was bringing her therapy dog in to help the soldiers. Her dog, Molly, took off right to Easton. Turns out, Easton was her brother's best friend growing up. They both had crushes on each other, and Paisley was determined to help Easton, which pushed them together.

When everyone around you is falling in love, you can't help but wonder when it will be your turn.

I move to get some more decorations for the fireplace mantle and see a man in a wheelchair with a woman, neither of whom I've seen here before.

Like Lexi can read my mind, she’s answering my question, before I even ask it. "That's Luke. He's the new patient I told you about."

Ahhh, yes. I get briefed on all the patients since I run the nursing staff here. Luke was in an accident and thrown from a Humvee. He has swelling around his spine that’s preventing him from walking. His doctors think he’ll make a full recovery, but it's a waiting game for the inflammation to go down. Because he needs PT, the hospital sent him here.

We encourage family and friends to spend as much time with their soldier as they want because it really helps with their rehab. Lexi even went as far as turning some old buildings on the property into cabins for families to use when visiting from out of the area.

This woman looks like Luke's girlfriend, and I'm glad she’s sticking by him through all this. Most don't, and it actually slows their progress down.

It’s as if Luke can feel my eyes on him because he turns my way, and his piercing, green eyes focus on me. He has several days of stubble on his face, and his dark brown hair has grown out of its military cut. And I have to say, he’s one of the most handsome men I've ever seen.

Crap, he's with his girlfriend, and here I am, crushing on him. I offer him a smile and nod my head before turning back to my task of decorating.

Thank goodness I'm not his nurse.

Luke

As I look around the Oakside lobby, I admit it looks much better than the hospital. Though I didn't want to leave the hospital, my sister insisted on me transferring to Oakside because she's heard really great things about their success with recoveries. She's determined to get me better, even if it's against my will.

I would do anything for her since it's just the two of us. Our parents died months after I joined the military, and she was still a few months away from graduating high school. Thankfully, her best friend's parents took her in, let her stay with them, and finish school. She already had a full-ride to Tennessee University lined up. So, I sent her money to give them for rent or buy what she needed each month. I have always ensured she was cared for, and I will find a way to do so now.

Right now, I hate that it's just a waiting game for the swelling to go down, but that's where I’m at. At least, it gives me time to figure out my next steps because moving home and having her wait on me hand and foot isn't an option.

"Okay, I got you all checked in. Your nurse is on her way down, and she’ll take us to your room, and we will get you all set up. You get your own room, so you will have some privacy. I was reading online the rooms are more like staying at a bed-and-breakfast than at a hospital, so I really think you’ll like it better here."

That isn't what captures my attention, though. The woman decorating the lobby area, which looks more like a large living room, holds my attention. She's beautiful with her dark brown hair that falls down in waves.

Her smile is huge, and you can tell she’s enjoying decorating the room for Christmas. Like she can feel my eyes on her, she turns to me, and our eyes lock. I always thought when people say the world stopped spinning, they were full of crap, but I need to make some phone calls and apologize because, holy hell, it's true.

Everything stops, and I don't hear or see anything but this beautiful woman. When she smiles at me, I'm a goner. I need to find out who she is, but preferably without my sister in tow. The beautiful woman gives me a nod and then turns back to her decorating.

Just then, a nurse walks in wearing scrubs, and she starts talking to my sister, but I don't hear anything, until the nurse places her hand on my arm.

"Okay, let's get you to your room and settled in. Today is a free day for you, but your appointments start tomorrow." She starts wheeling me down the hall and stops at the elevator.

Crap.

"Is my room on the second floor?" I ask.

"Yes, and in my opinion, it has the best view right out the front and down that long tree-lined driveway. It's my favorite part of the property." The nurse keeps talking, but I ignore her and close my eyes.

Gabbie grabs my hand. She had to deal with me in the elevator leaving the hospital earlier and knows this is a problem for me. I squeeze her hand, and she just runs her thumb over the back of my hand.

Ever since the accident, I can't be in small, confined spaces that move, like elevators or the transport plane back stateside. Cars aren't so bad, as long as all the windows are down. Gabbie knows this, even if she doesn't know exactly why. I also don't plan on telling her.

Even thinking of the appointments Gabbie set up for me tomorrow doesn’t help because as soon as I feel the elevator starts moving, my heart races, and I gasp for air.

“Stay with me, Luke. I'm right here. You are at Oakside, and you’re safe. You are with me, and I'm not going anywhere." Gabbie says, and I focus on her voice.

Before I know it, the doors are dinging, and we are off the elevator, but my heart is still racing, and I feel like I just ran two miles with my rucksack on.

When we enter my room, I have to admit it's really nice. It's almost like a small apartment. On one side is a bed against a reclaimed wood wall. The queen-sized bed is set with extra pillows and blankets and then a nightstand on each side. In front of the bed is a seating area with a couch, coffee table, and two chairs. They’re all done up in brown leather with throw pillows, a TV on the wall across the couch, and windows behind the couch.

Opposite the bed is an exposed brick wall and a desk with drawers, perfect for working on or setting up a laptop.

I have my own bathroom. It's done in black and white tiles with a large walk-in shower, and a mock claw-foot bathtub that has a door for those who need easier access. The mirror looks like it was made from an old wood dresser and done in dark wood to match the rest of the room.

This place is twice as big as my hospital room, and I shared that with another guy.

"This is all mine?" I ask, almost in shock.

"Yep, you will be here in recovery, so it might as well feel like home. Lexi refused to let you guys feel like you were stuck in the hospital again. That was Noah's big complaint, and I can't say I blame him. Now, there’s a packet on your desk with a map of the place. Also, there’s a calendar with all of your appointments, a schedule of events, a list of TV channels, menus, and more. You are free to move about the grounds, but please just write on the whiteboard by your door where you’ll be. You can't leave the grounds without a doctor’s approval and checking out at the front desk. I will be in with your medications. Morning rounds are at eight a.m., and nighttime rounds are at ten p.m."

She goes on to show me the buzzers in the room by the bed and in the bathroom, if I need her, and then explains mealtimes, and a few other things.

Gabbie stays with me for a while, getting me all set up and organized, unpacking my clothes, and having dinner with me in my room.

We talk, and before she leaves, she turns to me.

"You focus on getting better. Nothing else matters, okay?"

I agree, as she doesn't need to know that all I can focus on is finding the girl from the lobby.