Chapter 29 #2
“I love this weather. It’s hard to believe Christmas will be here before we know it,” Hannah said, adjusting the leash like Cole taught her.
“Leo mentioned something about our team participating in the Christmas celebration at the hospital. This year, they invited the community. Tomorrow night, they plan to light the tree in the center of town by the library. Kassie placed tags with codes on them for families in need. Since they have the room at the hospital, they’re thinking of inviting the community and passing out the gifts there.
Then, the Grans will send home food and supplies.
Hopefully, the seniors will take part in it. ”
“Did they say they didn’t want to participate?” she asked as they walked. Her eyes shifted between the barren trees, and she remained alert to any noises besides the leaves crunching under their feet.
“I picked up the Hendricks. They stopped coming after the fire. Then, I scared a few away until I offered a two-hundred-dollar cash prize at Bingo. Their fridge appeared bare and they count on the extra meals from the center to get them through the month,” he explained.
“I’m hoping they take advantage of the Winters’ generosity and take home some items to make their lives easier. ”
“Sadly, our seniors must choose between food or medication,” she said glumly, glancing behind her. Cole stopped her and Brody leaned against her leg.
“Stop, Hannah. You have three protectors by your side. No one will sneak up behind us or jump us,” he reassured her and rubbed his hands along her arms. The sensation ran through her body, waking it up.
“I don’t know why I do these things. I’ll try to stop,” she said, concentrating.
“Pause and let your body tell you what it feels. You run in flight and fight mode. Think. Do you feel safe?”
Hannah assessed herself. Yes, she did. Between Brody and Cole, no one dared to reach her. But she needed to figure out how to fight for herself.
“I want to learn self-defense. Not the kind they gave me as a supply clerk, but things to take a person down,” she blurted out.
Cole nodded. “I can teach you a few things.”
“No. I’m thinking of asking Victoria. She taught Kassie and Catherine. Maybe Scarlett will join me,” she said, plotting.
“Do you know what Victoria does?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes. It’s precisely why I want her to show me. Men give her space when she walks by. She exudes power and control,” she explained, continuing to walk the trail.
“It’s because she deflates their balls. When we work on Monday, I’m sure Leo will be happy to have us guys show you a few moves,” he offered.
“You said to listen to my body. You can’t fix me, Cole. Having big men touch me while they show me techniques doesn’t interest me at all. I feel safe with you. But if I want a life. I can’t count on you every second of the day.”
“I see your point,” he conceded.
They grew closer to the hospital, hearing the cheers of teens playing soccer. The veterans sat on the sidelines coaching them. Seeing them, Larry rose and waved them down.
“Hey, Cole. You mentioned you might be able to help us out with the bus runs. Barry caught the flu and Kassie won’t let him out of his room until his temp goes down.”
“When do you need me?” he asked.
“Tonight, if possible. I already agreed to drive the van downtown for the kids to Christmas shop and help put up decorations at the center,” Larry informed him.
“Let’s do it,” Hannah pleaded. “I want to meet these people.”
“Sure, Hannah will ride shotgun behind me and help out,” Cole told him.
“Check with Kassie. She might need to fill out some paperwork,” Larry advised.
Cole glanced at his watch. “We’ll have to leave in fifteen minutes. Let’s track down Kassie and get you signed up.”
They filled out the necessary paperwork and Hannah sat behind the driver’s seat.
Brody sat beside her while Nine sat on the floor by her feet.
Cole drove the bus on the same route as her driving lessons.
They stopped at the first house, and he jumped out, escorting two older women.
They beamed and patted his muscular arms as he helped them up the steps.
“I guess I have some competition,” she murmured as he sat down and drove down the road.
“You have nothing to worry about. Brody and I only have eyes for you,” he retorted, shaking his head as he glanced in the rear-view mirror to find Brody with his head on Hannah’s shoulder. Her hand stroked his nuzzle.
Hannah leaned over and kissed his dog on the head and Cole nearly hit the mailbox on the side of the road, feeling jealous of his partner.
“Did you not see the mailbox, Cole?” Mrs. Hayworth scolded as she banged her cane on the floor.
“Yes, ma’am. I got distracted, but I’ll be more careful,” he assured her.
“Those young kids can’t even keep their eyes on the road,” Mrs. Hayworth complained. “You’d think he’s never seen a pretty girl before.”
“What did you say?” the other woman beside her asked.
“Ethal, how many times do I have to tell you to turn your hearing aid on?” Mrs. Hayworth spoke louder.
Hannah burst into giggles as he drove up the next driveway. “I’ll get this one,” she volunteered.
Ringing the doorbell, she waited. An elderly man with a walker opened the door and grinned. “You’re a damn better sight than Bald-Head Harry or Lead Foot Larry. Who’s driving today?” he asked as he pushed his walker toward the bus, squinting to see the driver.
“It’s Cole,” Hannah replied as she held on to his arm, helping him up the steps.
“Hello, Ralph. Do you plan on winning the game this week?” Cole asked cheerfully.
“How did they talk you into driving? You know you’d have a lot more seniors coming if you let this pretty girl drive us around.”
“I’m sure you’re right there, but Hannah’s practicing to get her driver’s license. You’re stuck with me,” he replied, winking at her.
Hannah assisted him to his seat and sat down as Cole drove them to the next stop. When they finally made it to Serenity, Patch, Knight, and Saint helped them off the bus while the others served coffee to the newcomers.
Hannah passed down a few walkers and canes before getting off, followed by Brody.
“I can drive them home,” Knight volunteered. Gabby fell asleep and Bryanna offered to watch Marcus tonight.
“Way to be subtle. You’re giving her a rest before you come in and I know you won’t be sleeping. Geez, it’s worse than listening to you sing,” Patch complained.
“At least I have a plan,” Knight retorted. “You keep asking Claire about her morning sickness, if she napped, and questioning her food choices. She’s going to slap your head right off your neck.”
“How’s everything going with Hannah?” Patch asked.
Cole swiped his jaw. “It’s fine.”
“Come on, you can tell us. It’s not like we haven’t talked about our shit.”
“I like her a lot,” Cole admitted. “I’m scared to make any moves. We’ve kissed. I’m worried about doing something and it triggering her.”
Knight leaned against the bus. “When I arrived here, I didn’t know Gabby moved to Seattle.
I treated her like shit in California because I suffered from undiagnosed PTSD, and I didn’t communicate with anyone.
When I finally got my head semi-straight, I realized how badly I treated her.
It seemed every move I made ended up wrong. ”
“Thanks for the encouragement,” Cole said wryly.
“If you want something more than friendship with Hannah, go slow. Let her determine the pace and decide what’s good for her. She seems like a woman worth waiting for,” Patch advised.
“What if I trigger her?” he asked.
Knight put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Then we support her the same way we do our brothers. We help her heal and be there for you, too.”
Leo came around the corner. “Patch the toilet’s stopped up. You’re still on latrine duty.”
Patch punched Knight as he walked by him. Leo rolled his eyes.
“Can you imagine acting this insane over your wife getting pregnant? The man has lost all his scruples,” Leo said, watching the last of the group file inside.
“Do you want to stay and play a few turns of Bingo?” Cole asked.
“Why not? What do we get as prizes?” she asked.
“Edie always bakes a fresh pie and Bryanna boxes up some cookies. Kassie sent down some baskets the teens made up with some of Samantha’s salon and cleaning products.
Of course, we have gift certificates from the pizza place and Ty’s,” Leo announced.
“I have the girls for another hour, until Kassie and Catherine get off work. Derrick’s asleep in the back and Grace decided she’s the resident social butterfly. ”
Hannah glanced through the windows to see Victoria holding Grace, who wore a camouflaged tutu.
“I’ll talk to Victoria,” Hannah said, beelining for the door.
Cole watched her as she went inside and held her hands out to the almost two-year-old baby. Grace leaped into her arms, and she spoke with Victoria while she bounced her on her hip.
“It’s never a good sign when they run to Victoria. I hope you have a cup,” Knight muttered to Cole.
“She’s asking her to teach her self-defense. Hannah needs to feel she’s in control,” Cole informed them.
“And you let her go to Victoria. I’m beginning to question my hiring skills,” Leo exclaimed. “We can teach her some skills.”
“She’s not comfortable with our size,” he admitted softly.
“Then we’ll test her boundaries on Monday. We need to know her triggers. She may be working at the facility, but we never know when our training will come in handy, especially here,” Leo said before walking away. Cole locked up the bus and went inside.
Hannah sat between Cherise and Victoria, holding Grace. She waved when she saw him. “I saved you a seat. Cherise plans to take Ty and Scarlett dinner and keep it warm. Bernie says he’s winning the jackpot,” she said, excitement showing on her face.
“We’ll see about that,” Cole said as he sat down beside her and organized his cards.
Joe called out the numbers while Jake and Ivan refreshed drinks.
“B14,” Joe called.
Cole stamped his square. Grace waved Hannah’s marker in the air, preparing for battle. He leaned over and stamped her card for her. She smiled her thanks as Grace grabbed a bit of her hair.
Cole chuckled as he untangled it from her death grip.
“N32,” Joe called out.
“Why don’t I take Leo’s little heathen while you play?” Victoria offered. “Did you see Kassie or Chase before you drove down? Emma’s here, but Kassie planned for the others to come down with her and I haven’t seen them.”
“I filled out paperwork to volunteer, and she mentioned she’d see us here,” Hannah told Victoria as she passed the baby to her.
“O64,” Joe gave the following number.
Hannah stamped her card. Cole made a face as he studied his and glanced at hers.
“I24,” Joe said, sipping his coffee and scanning the room. Everyone waited with bated breath to see if anyone got Bingo. The seniors tittered among themselves, comparing their cards.
“B3, everyone, do we have a winner?” Joe asked. When no one raised their hand, he pulled out another ball. “G48,” he called.
Hannah stamped her card and grinned, checking Cole’s progress. Her gaze flashed back to hers and she jumped up. “Bingo,” she called excitedly.
Cole laughed as everyone groaned and clapped before taking out their next set of cards.
“What did I win?” she asked. Edie pulled a box from behind the counter when Leo said something to her. She smiled and handed him another box.
“It appears as if you won snickerdoodle cookies,” Leo announced.
Hannah took the box, grinning from ear to ear. “Sorry, Saint, no snickerdoodle cookies for you,” she teased. The grown man grew flustered while Leo laughed. Knight nearly fell out of his chair while Patch patted him on the back, consoling him. Bryanna held her stomach as she giggled.
Hannah didn’t understand the inside joke, but it made her more determined to carry out her and Scarlett’s prank.
She leaned down, cupped Cole’s face and kissed him in her excitement.
His hand went around her neck, pulling her closer to steal her cookies.
She laughed as she twisted away from him, making the older people laugh.
Hannah opened the box, offering cookies to her friends at her table, when her smile vanished from her face and she went pale. Cole stood, wrapping his arm around her as he followed her gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he said as Joe started the new game.
Hannah no longer focused on her cards. She stared at the entrance.
Kassie walked toward her with an older couple.
“It’s my parents,” she whispered.
Cole pulled her closer, his eyes narrowed on the man who caused her so much misery.
“Hi, Hannah. I tried calling you, but you left your phone in my office when you filled out the paperwork earlier. Your parents decide to surprise you,” she said stiffly. Kassie handed the device back to her.
Hannah’s mom stepped forward, tears filled her eyes as she embraced her daughter. “Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how I imagined you sitting in the hospital room all by yourself. It’s such a relief to see you like this,” her mom gushed.
Hannah stiffened as she stepped back into Cole’s hold. “Hello, Dad.”
“Hannah,” he greeted, appearing uncomfortable.
“Why don’t we take you to the hospital and we can talk there,” Kassie suggested.
Cherise handed her the cookie box and shooed them away.
Hannah shook like a leaf as Doc drove them separately from her parents back to the hospital.
“Claire, Catherine, and our lawyer have gathered in the conference room. Your parents arrived about an hour ago and demanded to see you. Kassie explained you no longer resided at the hospital. Your dad demanded to see you immediately, or he threatened to involve the police. We felt the quieter we handled this, the better,” Doc explained.
Hannah gripped Cole’s hand. “I’m not going home with them,” she said, sounding more like she needed to convince herself.
“You’re in control,” Cole reminded her. “I’m here to support you.”
Brody placed his head on her knee while Nine leaned against her hip. They protected her from all sides from any danger. But could they protect her from her father?