5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Luke
Today, I'm having lunch with my sister, and I'm really looking forward to it. She's been busy this week with finals, so this is the first I've seen her in a week.
I’m waiting out in the lobby when Brooke walks by on the phone. She smiles and waves at me as she goes back to where I know a few offices are. I'm watching her, so I don't notice when Gabbie walks in, but she beelines right for me.
"Luke! Oh, I’m glad to have a few hours of no books and being able to eat real food. Come on." She goes behind me and pushes my wheelchair instead of letting me do it myself, which I'm perfectly capable of doing.
That’s a big difference between her and Brooke. Actually, Brooke has stopped helping me and expects me to do more and more. She likes to see where my limits are. Gabbie would baby me forever if she could.
She picks a table towards the back of the large dining room, but next to a window that overlooks the garden.
"I will go get our food. I'll be right back," she says, setting her stuff down.
The food is served in a buffet-style line, and it's good food, even if it's on the healthier side. It beats the hospital food by a mile.
"Meatloaf today! One of your favorites," Gabbie comes back and sets the tray in front of me.
"So, tell me about school," I say as we start eating.
She tells me about her finals and her study group. One of the boys in her study group asked her out, and she agreed if he was willing to wait until after Christmas, which he was. I make a mental note to do some digging into this guy. It won't be hard as my sister is very active with her social media.
"So, what have you been doing this week?" She asks.
"Well, my nurse, Brooke, made me join the Secret Santa thing going on here. Then, the other day, she took me shopping out in town," I tell her.
My sister narrows her eyes at me and bites her lip. I wish I could tell what she was thinking.
"I was able to get your gift, and it's not in my room, so don't waste your time snooping." I try to joke.
"Why did she take you shopping?" Gabbie asks.
"What do you mean? I had to get gifts for the guy I picked and you," I tell her.
"Is she taking all her patients into town shopping?" She asks.
"Not that I know of." I set my fork down.
"So, just you. What else did you do?"
"We had lunch, and then she brought me back here," I tell her.
"It sounds like a date," Gabbie says, not missing a beat.
Of course, this is the moment Brooke walks into the dining room and catches my attention. My eyes follow her, and like she can feel them on her, she searches me out and offers a smile and a small wave.
My sister misses none of it and pinches my arm to get my attention.
"You are here to get better, not to get laid!" She hisses at me.
What the hell? She has never talked to me like this. Not to mention, I am the older one here.
"That's not what it is, and besides, my sex life is none of your business," I cringe at mentioning my sex life, or lack thereof, to my younger sister.
"It is my business. You are here to get better so you can come home to me. No distractions." Gabbie says a bit louder.
"Will you knock it off? I won't have my younger sister telling me what to do or what is right for me. I don't even know where I'm going after this, so don't start planning out my life for me." When the hurt washes over Gabbie’s face, I instantly regret my harsh words.
Before I get the chance to say anything, she stands up and walks out, leaving me at the table alone with people around us staring at me. I groan and bury my face in my hands. Someone sits down across from me, and hoping Gabbie is back, I look up, but it's not Gabbie, it's Easton.
I've often seen him around the property, and he’s head of security here at Oakside. He appears to be studying me but says nothing. When I see him around, he seems to be a man of few words, and it's one of the things I like about him.
"What's wrong?" He asks.
Needing someone to talk to, I spill everything—from going shopping with Brooke to the kiss to the fight with my sister. I want more with Brooke, and I don't want my sister babying me.
Easton listens to it all and lets me get it all out.
"When we are at war, we often forget it's just as hard on those back home having us there as it is for us to be there," he says. "You know I was a patient here, too?"
His words make me think, and then I shake my head. "No, I didn't know."
"I met Noah when we were in the hospital. They had healed all my physical wounds, but mentally, I wasn't okay. The hospital wouldn't release me, so when Noah and Lexi started Oakside, I was the first person they brought in. See, I was a POW, a prisoner of war, and was kept in a dark room with no windows. The only people who were there caused me pain and tortured me."
His Adam's apple bobs and he takes a deep breath. That’s when I notice a dog by his side. While he’s speaking, she stands and rests her head on his chest. He pets her and continues talking.
"For months, all I did was stare out of the window of my room. I didn't care what the view was, just that there was one. I couldn't stand to be touched. Then, one day in walks Paisley," he says grinning.
"More like Molly dragged me in." A woman walks up beside him and smiles. She also has a dog at her side. Easton's face lights up as he pulls her down onto his lap.
"Hi, I'm Paisley." The woman says, holding out her hand. She has dark brown, almost black hair, a nice tan, and high cheekbones. While she's pretty, in my eyes, she doesn't hold a candle to Brooke.
"Luke," I say and shake her hand.
Easton wraps his arms around her waist and continues his story.
"She gave me a reason to heal, to move on, and to be better. Sometimes, we need that push, a reason to be better than we are. Family and friends, they will accept us no matter what version of ourselves we are. But finding the love of your life? You have to prove yourself," Easton says.
"I tell you, it's not going to be easy on whoever the lucky lady is either, so just be patient," Paisley adds.
"Maybe I should go talk to my sister," I sigh.
"Nah, let her cool down. If she is anything like Paisley when she and her brother fight, she needs some time to calm down," Easton says.
"Great," I grunt. I can only imagine what plans my sister is trying to put into place.
Brooke
Luke was in a weird mood yesterday after lunch. I figure it was something to do with his sister, so I let him be. He's still in a strange mood, when I go in to check on him this morning.
"You going to tell me what's bothering you?" I ask as we work on his exercises.
"My sister is just being crabby. She has this whole life planned out for us, but it’s not exactly one that I want. We fought about it yesterday, is all," he says.
"Family always has your best intentions at heart, but sometimes, you need to put your foot down on what is right for you. She’ll come around," I tell him.
Once we finish his exercises, I drop down on the couch next to him.
"I was wondering, and you can totally say no… " I start but lose my train of thought when he grabs my hand to hold.
Starting over, I clear my throat. "Maybe you’d like to get out of here for a bit. There’s a winter festival going on in town. I have off tomorrow, so we could go get some fresh air," I suggest.
He’s quiet for a moment before meeting my eyes. "Can we invite my sister? I want you two to get to know each other, and I think she'd like the carnival."
"Of course. I can't wait to meet your sister," I smile.
Why is it that I can hear my grandma's voice in my head whispering?
Famous last words.
Luke’s sister insisted on driving Luke to the carnival and meeting me there, so I'm sitting on a bench in front of the gates, waiting for them. When I spot them, they are about ten minutes late and both look a bit irritated. Luke is still in the wheelchair, and his sister is pushing him. Knowing Luke prefers most of the time to wheel himself around, I bet this is part of the irritation.
As soon as Luke's eyes meet mine, the annoyance falls away, and a grin splits his face, making his sister scowl a bit more. Oh, my. Today is going to be fun.
"Hey, guys."
"This is my sister, Gabbie. Gabbie, this is Brooke," Luke makes the introductions.
"Nice to meet you," Gabbie says, even though she doesn't look like it is.
"So, where do you want to start? I'm thinking we scope out the food, get some now, walk it off, and then grab some more food before we leave," I say.
Luke chuckles, and Gabbie fights a small smile.
"Sounds good," Luke says.
We follow our noses to the food section, and everything looks good.
"Is that fried Oreos?" His sister says, slightly giddy.
"On a stick, apparently," he says.
"I love fried Oreos," I say, trying to find something to bond with her over, but she just scowls at me.
We buy our fried Oreos and keep walking. We end up at the gingerbread house competition and have some fun checking out the different categories and casting our votes.
"Okay, my favorite is by far the old time hotel with the horse-drawn carriage in front," I tell them.
"No way. The collapsed gingerbread house with the hand drawn tornado over it was the best," Luke laughs.
"Which one did you like the best?" I ask Gabbie.
"Yeah, which one?" Luke asks when she doesn't answer me.
"I liked the beach hut that was sitting over the blue gel water. It even had sand and palm trees," she says.
"Yeah, that one was really creative. It had starfish in the sand and Swedish Fish in the water." I say but I earn no response from Gabbie.
I sigh as Luke and I share a look. I'm sorry he mouths, and I just shrug my shoulders.
"So, what are you in school for?" I ask Gabbie.
"I'm going to be a teacher." She gives Luke a glare.
"What grade?" I ask.
"Middle school. I want to teach history."
"If you love history, you should sit down with Lexi. The history of the Oakside property is amazing. Lexi looked up a lot of it when she bought the place." I tell her.
She just nods as we end up at the petting zoo next. Gabbie walks off to feed some of the animals while Luke and I hang out by the fence.
"She's a bucket of sunshine," I say when she's out of earshot.
"I'm so sorry. I thought she’d be over this fight we had by now.”
"Oh, she isn't mad at you. It's a girl thing. I'm encroaching on her territory, so no matter what, I'm the enemy. It's okay, and it will just take time. She needs to see I have your best interests at heart." I tell him.
He reaches over and takes my hand. I sit down on the bench next to him so we are at eye level.
"You are amazing, you know that? If she wasn't here, I'd kiss you right now," he says.
"I'd let you. But for now, I'll take a rain check," I smile into his crystal-like green eyes.
He brings my hand to his lips and kisses the back of my hand. Even this small gesture sends tingles up my arm and turns my insides to mush. Of course, this is the moment Gabbie walks back up and clears her throat.
Luke sighs and shoots me an apologetic look before turning back to her.
"Why don't we do the tunnel of lights next?" Luke suggests.
I nod and stand, waiting for Luke, but his sister sighs and goes to push his wheelchair, which makes him look irritated again.
"Why don't you help him more?" Gabbie asks.
I give Luke an apologetic smile. "Well, I've learned Luke likes to do things for himself, and it's better the more they do because the faster they heal. If you baby them constantly doing everything for them, they don't heal as fast," I tell her and shrug.
I don't want to make her mad, but it's just my experience. However, the dirty look she sends me tells me she thinks it's a dig directly at her. After that, she ignores me as we walk through the lights that are synced to Christmas music, currently playing “Jungle Bell Rock.”
I try not to let Gabbie get to me, but something says that, if I can't make nice with the sister, I won't have a chance in hell with Luke.
Luke
"I think I'm ready to go home," I say, finally sick of how Gabbie is treating Brooke. I regret asking her to come with us because she has completely ruined the day.
"Okay, let's get you back," Gabbie says.
"Actually, I'd like Brooke to take me back," I say in my stern older brother voice that leaves no room for arguments.
Gabbie looks hurt and then pissed before hugging me and then heading out without a word to Brooke.
True to form, Brooke walks beside me and lets me wheel myself, which I prefer to do.
"I'm sorry about this. I had no idea she'd be like this. We fought a bit, but I thought she'd be over it and be nice to you. I shouldn't have invited her. I ruined the whole night." Finally, I stop rambling, when Brooke places her hand on my shoulder.
"Luke, it's fine. I'm glad you invited her, and I got to officially meet her. We might not be BFFs anytime soon, but it's a step." She says with a small smile.
"You are just being nice, but don't. Gabbie is a handful on her best day." I shake my head.
Once in the car, I turn to Brooke. "Take the long way back?" I ask.
"I can do that," she says.
We play music and talk about the carnival and Christmas traditions our families had growing up. She’s laughing and smiling, and this is how our day should have been.
When she pulls into Oakside, I stop her from getting out of the car.
"Even with everything and Gabbie’s behavior, I'm really glad you asked me to go. I had a good time.” I tell her.
"I did, too," she smiles.
Then, I lean in and kiss her, wrapping my hand around her neck and pulling her into me. She wraps her hands around my neck as she responds to my kiss, but by deepening it. Her soft, warm lips on mine are like a drug I can't get enough of.
When one of her hands trails over my shoulder and down my chest to rest just above my heart, I feel like this kiss gets taken to a new level. I trail kisses down her jawline.
"Luke," she whispers.
I keep kissing down her neck to her collarbone and then back up the other side of her neck to her ear. Exploring her, learning what she likes, and soaking in every little moan. I give her earlobe a light tug with my teeth, and she gasps. My lips meet hers again, and she trails her hand to my waist and then slips under my shirt. When the heat of her hand rests on my stomach, it's my turn to gasp with pleasure.
Pulling slightly away, Brooke’s luminous eyes move over my body, and then she looks into my eyes. Then, she leans in and gives me a quick kiss again, before moving away.
"Let's get you inside. You have a busy day of appointments tomorrow."
She wasn't lying. My day starts off with a visit to my physical therapist. He puts me through my paces, which kicks my butt.
"You’re looking very good!" Vince says. "If you keep up this progress, I don't see any reason we shouldn't have you walking by Christmas."
"Really?" I ask, a bit shocked.
"Yes. Now, you won't be running marathons or anything, but you should be walking around here pretty easily. Keep doing your exercises each morning and night, and I will see you tomorrow," he says.
My next meeting is with my counselor. Each person at Oakside is assigned one, and they are supposed to help with the transition from Oakside back into civilian life. According to the packet of papers I got from here, this included everything from further education to job finding to getting us set up with VA benefits to helping us line up a place to live, reaching out to family, and more. Basically, we are supposed to go to the counselor for anything we need.
"Hey, Becky." I greet her when I get to her office.
Becky is always bubbly and upbeat, the kind that makes you wonder where she gets all that energy. Then, when you leave her, you can't help but feel better no matter how you felt when you got there.
I’ve also learned that she’s Lexi’s sister-in-law and best friend.
"Luke! So today, we are looking at your plans for after Oakside. Have you thought about it since the last time we talked?"
"A little. I always help set up my unit's deployments, and was wanting to see how that could translate into a civilian job," I tell her.
"We can do that. Let's go over what you would do, and I will make some calls," she says.
She listens, as I tell her everything I would do to get ready for deployments, gear checks, itinerary setups, making sure everyone’s papers were in order, etc. After I finish, she has a few ideas for me, and we set up a time to meet next week.
My last appointment of the day is after lunch, and it's a meeting with my therapist. This is by far my least favorite appointment, but I know he has to clear me to leave Oakside, so I try.
"Luke, come in," Dr. Tate says. "I thought we'd start working on your issue of confined spaces."
It's a small thing, but the guy earns points for not saying fear of small places. I hate it when Gabbie says it like that. But for her, I grin and bear it.
We spend time talking about the accident, about how I couldn't get out of the Humvee, as it started rolling, and then being thrown from it a second before it exploded. The nightmare it's been causing and how it's led to my issue with confined spaces. How I'm okay in a car, as long as the windows are open, but in an elevator, I almost hyperventilate.
He asks questions, and I answer them. As much as I don't want to talk about all this, I have two very good reasons to push forward. Two girls depending on me to work on myself, and who will drag me kicking and screaming from this dark place, whether I like it or not.