8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Brooke
It’s been a few days since I went to look at Christmas lights with Luke, and I'm walking into work when I see Gabbie getting ready to leave. She doesn’t look happy, but I decide to chance it, anyway. Taking a deep breath, I give her a smile and walk over to her.
"Can we talk?" I ask.
She looks hesitant, and I can't say I blame her. Looking at the door, then back at me, and then back towards Luke’s room, she gives a big sigh.
"Yeah," she says.
She follows me into the dining room, and we each get some coffee and then sit in a back corner. At least, we are out of the way if this doesn't go well.
Once we are sitting down, she looks at me and purses her lips. I guess she isn't going to make this easy on me, so I’ll try to make this as friendly as possible.
"I'm just wondering why you are so against him dating," I ask her point blank.
For a moment, I think I see a ghost of a smile on her face, but it’s gone just as fast.
"He's all I have, and he left me alone to go to the military, and it’s time for him to come back and for us to be a family," she says.
"You and I both know, when he enlisted, that he had no idea what was going to happen to your parents. I don't know all the details, but from what I do know, he's bent over backward to make sure you are taken care of. That sounds a lot like family to me," I say.
She drinks her coffee, but she says nothing. She just stares me down, so I continue.
"Okay, let me ask you this, then. You put all of this energy into preventing him from dating, you find a guy, get married, and start a family, and then he's left alone. How is that fair to him?" I know she isn't going to answer me, but I had to try.
"He just needs to focus on getting better while he’s here." Is all she says.
"It’s never a bad thing to have more motivation. I want him to get better, too. Every day, I push him to make sure he’s doing his workouts, getting to his appointments, and doing what he should be. But right now? He's miserable with you two fighting. He tries to push it aside and work past it, but I see it. Even if he won’t admit it, he’s regressing."
For a brief moment, she looks guilty.
"I get the only family thing. I went through it with my brother. Then, he met his wife, and when they got married, I gained a sister, who has become one of my best friends. I now have a niece and nephew to spoil." I tell her, hoping maybe we can relate to something.
"I don't need any more friends," she says.
"Okay, I don't know if what we have is forever, but we won't get the chance to find out if you don't let him because I know he’ll always choose you. As he should, and because that's Luke. It’s one of the many things I love about him."
I decide it's best to end things here and stand up.
"Thank you for hearing me out," I say and walk away without looking back.
I head right to Lexi's office and am thankful I find Noah there, too. I close the door and collapse on the couch.
"So, I'm in love with Luke. His sister hates me, and if I keep pursuing him, I risk ripping them apart, losing my job and my heart. How's your day?" I say.
They look at each other before looking back at me.
"Well, nothing worth it is easy," Noah says.
I don't even hide my eye roll as I throw my head back on the couch and dig the heels of my palms into my eyes.
"What happened?" Lexi asks.
"I just talked to Gabbie,” I say. “She doesn't care about anything because all she wants is her brother and her only family. I get that, but nothing I said seemed to reach her. The longer the fight, the more Luke is going backward instead of healing."
"Have you talked to Luke?" Lexi says softly as she sits down next to me.
"No, he's stressed enough and doesn't need this, too. Maybe you should look at moving Luke to another nurse. At least, to save your asses," I say.
"Nope, Luke is making amazing progress, and I stand by you. You pushing him is a huge reason for his improvement. We have watched you when you don't realize it, and you are always professional on the grounds, and there's nothing to warrant it, especially when Luke contradicted what Gabbie said," Noah says.
"I'm not worth risking all this," I tell them.
"We think you are, and I bet Luke would think so, too," Lexi says and gives me a hug.
"You need to talk to him. At least tell him how you feel and see where he is. If Noah and I learned anything, it’s that communication is key. In the early days of our relationship, all we could do was talk." Lexi smiles at Noah.
Noah returns her smile with a look at Lexi filled with nothing but love, and it’s how any girl wants their guy to look at them.
I remember when I was first assigned to Noah and seeing them, and the way he looked at Lexi, I had thought they had been together for years, not weeks.
"You two just got very lucky," I mumble.
Lexi smiles back at Noah. "Yeah, we did. But you have now, too."
Luke
I’m looking over some of the paperwork my physical therapist gave me on some new exercises when Gabbie walks in. She stands at the door, unsure if I even want her there, but I don't want to fight, and I don't want to push her away, either.
"Well, you going to stand there all day, or are you going to sit down and visit?" I ask her.
She looks relieved as she takes off her coat and sits on the chair next to the couch.
"I was hoping to nail down our Christmas plans," she says.
"Well, I'm doing Christmas here. Part of my rehab is participating in the activities. I want you to join me, so we can support the other guys." I say, and her face falls.
"I was hoping we could do Christmas just the two of us, as a family," she frowns.
"I know Gabbie, and I get it. This is the first year I'm back. But this is where I am, so we can do Christmas here."
She looks at me like she knows I'm not telling the full truth. It's because I'm not. I don't want to commit to plans because I want to spend time with Brooke. I want to see what activities I can get her into. But I can't say that to Gabbie because I know it will set her off again. At this point, the last thing I want is to fight anymore.
"Okay, what are we doing here?" She seems to take the change in plans in stride.
"Well, there’s the gift exchange for members later today and then some crafts tomorrow. They are preparing a big Christmas Eve dinner, which I'd like you to come to next week."
She nods, "I will be here. Now, what do you want for Christmas this year? You know you are already hard enough to shop for."
"Just you here in a good mood is all I want," I tell her.
"You have to give me some ideas so you have gifts to open."
I bite my tongue, because I want to go off and tell her the only gift I want is for her to let up on Brooke, so we can be happy. But in the back of my mind, I can hear my mom scolding me and telling me to be patient.
"Well, I have been reading a bit more, so those thriller books you used to send in the care packages, more of those. My therapist has me doing some adult coloring books for stress and anxiety, so coloring books with intricate geometrical designs and some coloring pencils. Also, lounge clothes, t-shirts, and sweatpants."
Gabbie is making notes on her phone. “Good, this gives me some ideas." We spend the next hour talking before Brooke peeks her head in, and Gabbie's posture stiffens.
"Sorry to interrupt, but you have a PT appointment," Brooke says.
I look at the clock. "Time got away from me. I'm on my way." I say to Brooke with a smile.
"Gabbie, you are welcome to wait until he's done in here, or there are some other family members in the lobby. I can show you to the library too if you want," Brooke says.
I hold my breath, waiting for her reaction.
"I'm actually going to head out. Luke finally gave me some ideas for his Christmas gifts, so I need to go shopping. I will be back tomorrow." She gives me a hug and leaves.
Brooke watches her go and then turns back to me. "What kind of gift ideas?" She smirks.
I just smile and shake my head. The ideas I have for Brooke are much dirtier than anything I’d talk about with my sister.
"I have a PT appointment to go, too. I want to walk. Will you go with me?" I ask.
She looks uncertain, but I have been cleared to walk as long as I take breaks when it gets too much. It almost seems like Brooke is battling the nurse who wants to encourage her patient and the girlfriend who doesn't want me to overdo it. I see the moment the nurse in her wins out because she straightens her back, takes a deep breath, and nods.
"Let's go."
She wraps her arm around mine, and to anyone looking in, it appears like we are just out for a walk. What they don't realize is I'm leaning on her more than needed as we walk through the lobby.
I make it to PT and sit down. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
"Well, I can always get the wheelchair, if you are too tired to walk. Remember, after this is the gift exchange in the lobby." She reminds me.
PT flies by as I think of Brooke and our night together after the Christmas lights. Brooke is my secret weapon for pushing myself in PT and still being able to walk out to the lobby for the gift exchange. I may collapse onto the couch, but I still made it.
"How was PT?" Brooke asks as she sits down next to me.
"Kicked my butt in a good way," I say as I watch two guys in suits walk over by the Christmas Tree.
"Who are they?" I ask.
"The couple with the two little girls? That's Owen and Ellie. Lexi met Ellie at a fundraiser, and they hit it off. She volunteers here sometimes. Owen owns a company in Knoxville. He's super rich and is always donating and helping out here. The other couple is Teddy and Mia. Teddy is a former patient who inherited a company, and over the summer, Ellie’s best friend, Mia, was volunteering, and that's how Mia met Teddy. They are always here doing stuff for the guys." Brooke says just as Teddy steps up.
"Hello everyone. I'm Teddy. I was patient here just like you. My unit came under fire, and when I woke up in Germany, I was told I was the only survivor. To say I didn't deal with it is an understatement. This place and the people here saved my life and helped me heal. Because of them, I met my amazing wife Mia and am able to honor the men who didn't make it home." He turns to smile at his wife.
Pointing to the other couple, he says, "This is a good friend of mine, Owen, and his wife, Ellie. Ellie is friends with Lexi and can't seem to stay away from Oakside. So, because of that and because we know what it's like to spend Christmas alone, we decided we weren't going to let all of you do that. Under the tree are some gifts for each of you, and some for the staff, because I know how hard they work. Allie and Becca here will help pass them out. The gifts for the patients are ones we hope will help you with your next steps." Teddy nods towards the two girls standing next to Owen.
There’s a round of applause, and then Christmas music starts, and the kitchen staff brings out cookies and eggnog.
Each patient gets a brand new laptop and a high-tech one, too.
"Are they serious?" I ask.
"Yeah," Brooke laughs. "When I say these guys are rich, I'm not joking. They are billionaires."
"Hence the suits," I say. "Open your gift, I'm interested to see what they got you," I tell her and nod towards the presents in her lap.
Inside are a coffee mug, some coffee, and a card. When Brooke opens the card, her jaw drops, and her eyes tear up.
"What is it?" I ask, and she turns the card towards me. Inside is a grocery gift card with a note that they want to pay for her groceries and gas for a year. The amount on the gift card is crazy high.
"Wow. That's amazing," I say in shock.
Brooke stands and walks over to Teddy and pulls him in for a hug, and then does the same to Mia. When she turns to Ellie, Ellie is pulling her in first, and while Owen refrains from hugging her, he still places a hand on her shoulder.
I know it's all friendly, but having another man’s hands on her is irritating me. When Brooke walks back over to me, she’s just shaking her head.
"I wasn’t Teddy's nurse, but I worked with him on days his nurse was off, and the progress he's made, well, it's just night and day." She says, watching him.
We hang out for an hour, talking and enjoying the Christmas mood, before she helps me back to my room.
"Listen, I'm having dinner tomorrow at my place with my brother, his wife, their two kids, and my grandma. I'd like you and Gabbie both to come."
I turn to face her and can't imagine why she would want Gabbie at her house after the way she has acted towards her. Like she can read my mind, Brooke sighs.
"For better or worse, Gabbie is your sister. Since she’s the only family you have, I won't stop trying to reach out to her. Maybe seeing my family isn’t much different than hers will help. Or maybe my brother can get through to her, or maybe it will all blow up in my face, and five years from now, I’ll turn to my brother and say remember that dinner when? Who knows, but I have to try,” she adds.
Putting a finger under her chin, I tilt her head towards me and place a kiss on her lips. With just this small kiss, a jolt of electricity runs between us.
"We will be there, and Gabbie will drive me. Lord, help me," I smile at her shining eyes.
As Brooke heads back to check on her other patients, I sit on the couch and try to think of how I could bribe Gabbie to be on her best behavior. That’s if I can even get her to agree to go at all.