Chapter 31
Claire Meyers sat in her office on Sunday, debating how to handle the situation with Hannah and her parents. Her patient needed support, and Claire didn’t want to see her backslide. Picking up her phone, she dialed Brenda Bailey’s number.
“Hello, Dr. Meyers. How’s Hannah?” Brenda answered, her worried voice coming over the line.
“As you know, I can’t discuss her medical since you’re no longer her medical power of attorney. I’m calling because I wanted to check on you.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Mrs. Bailey confessed. “It’s such a lovely miracle to see Hannah socializing and working. Things got out of hand, and I’m afraid she won’t ever speak to us again.”
“I think Hannah wants you to understand she’s healing here and it’s important to her,” Claire said gently. “I know you must feel disappointed Hannah’s not returning home, but as you can see, she’s making progress.”
“Yes, I’m extremely relieved to see it,” Hannah’s mom agreed.
“I don’t want to return home with her thinking we don’t want the best for her. Hannah’s our only daughter and our world.”
“May I make a suggestion?” Claire asked.
“Yes, please do,” Brenda said, sounding almost like she pleaded for someone to help them.
“Why don’t you extend your stay a bit longer? Kassie can arrange for you to stay at the bed and breakfast. Let things calm down and give all of you time to cope with the changes she’s gone through.”
“I don’t know, Hannah seemed extremely upset with us. It’s not how we envisioned greeting her after all this time,” Brenda said, almost in tears.
“I know things got heated, but it might give you a few days to smooth things over for all of you,” Claire encouraged.
“I’ll convince Conrad to change our flights. He’s upset about this whole mess, too. Can you please get a message to Hannah, letting her know we’d love to meet her for dinner and talk this out?”
“I’ll call her as soon as we get off the phone,” Claire assured her.
“Thank you, Dr. Meyers. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but we appreciate all the care you and Kassie have given our daughter,” Brenda said gratefully.
“I’m here to assist you and Hannah. Have a good day, Mrs. Bailey,” Claire said, feeling a bit relieved they didn’t plan to fly home immediately.
Hanging up the call, she then dialed Hannah’s phone.
“Hello, Claire,” Hannah greeted her.
“Hi, Hannah. I’m calling to let you know your parents plan to stay a few more days in town. They asked me to pass along an invitation for you to have dinner with them to talk things over.”
Hannah paused. “Can I think about it?”
“It’s your choice,” Claire reminded her.
“Can you hold on?” Hannah asked.
“Sure.”
Hannah placed her hand over the phone and turned to Cole, who sat beside her. “My parents invited me to dinner. I don’t want to see them after last night, but I miss my mom. What do you think?”
“It’s entirely up to you. As you saw last night, you have people here who will support you, including me,” Cole said, brushing his hand against her cheek. “This must be your decision.”
Hannah frowned, but nodded, understanding what Cole meant.
“Can I let you know in the morning? I’m still trying to process how things escalated last night. I need more time to consider it,” Hannah said honestly.
“Good for you,” Claire commended her. “You’re using your coping skills and not letting your emotions take over.”
Hannah grinned as Cole played with her fingers, offering her silent support. “Thanks.”
“I’ll let them know in the morning what you’ve decided,” Claire assured her. “Have a good day.”
“You too,” Hannah said before hanging up the phone.
On Monday, Hannah entered the facility and placed her belongings on her desk.
Bear left her a present of a jar of honey with a note saying, ‘Welcome to the team.’ She set it aside as she placed the vase of flowers Cole presented her with when she woke up.
They made a habit of sleeping out on the back porch and watching the stars.
Cole added the glass panes to maintain the heat.
Between the heavy-duty sleeping bags, Cole’s warmth, and the added blankets, she slept comfortably.
Scarlett entered her office. “Hello, sister in arms. Will you have any problem purchasing our items?”
“I need to borrow Cole’s truck. I’m hoping to get my license in the morning,” she said, while she grabbed her computer to attend the meeting.
“I thought Leo said you must attend on Friday?” Scarlett asked as she walked beside her.
“I wanted to thank them for supporting me when I needed it the most. It meant a lot for all of you to show up. I’m new to the team,” she faltered.
Scarlett stopped and reached for her hand. “Listen, you belong here whether you know it or not. We know your worth. It’s time you found it.”
Hannah nodded, agreeing with what Scarlett said as they joined the team in the kitchen.
“Where’s the bacon?” Knight asked.
“Geez, don’t start this again. If I have to clean toilets because of your nonsense for another month, I’ll beat you to a pulp on the mat. Gabby will be happy she got pregnant when she did. By the time I’m done with you, you won’t have any more kids.”
“Dude. This ain’t funny. The bacon’s not here,” Knight complained.
“Who else came into the kitchen since you got here?” Patch demanded.
“Only Cole and Brody, but he took him out to the play area. He wants him to get some energy out before he trains the dogs,” Knight explained.
“Don’t you find it funny Cole always ends up in the room where the food disappears?” Patch grumbled as he checked the microwave.
Hannah reached for the plates as Scarlett situated Ice. “Cole helped me bring my office supplies in. You’re out of luck, Patch.”
“Sure, stick up for your boyfriend. I know I cooked the bacon because I can’t make any at home. It makes Claire sick,” Patch argued.
“So doesn’t your cologne, your body wash, and shampoo,” Knight cackled. “I’m beginning to think it’s the person and not the products.”
“You don’t think I haven’t heard Gabby telling you not to make the mud you call coffee?” Patch snapped. “Whoever called it morning sickness needs a swift kick in the ass. It happens all the time. Claire barely gets to sleep before she’s jumping up to run to the bathroom.”
Leo shook his head as he sat down with a handful of folders. “You two act as if they’re the first two women ever to give birth.”
Shadow laughed. “Coming from the man who made us practice every route to the hospital carrying dummy dolls through town.”
“Let’s not forget the man bra,” Taco reminded them.
“No, the city playground for one kid cinches it for me,” Saint called out, laughing.
“Sit down and shut up,” Leo grumbled. “Patch, maybe you can think about ways to help Claire through morning sickness with another week of latrine duty.”
“But I didn’t say anything,” Patch protested. “I made the bacon.”
“Do we see any meat? The proofs in the pudding,” Leo retorted. “I’m tired of you trying to get out of cooking duty.”
Patch scowled and punched Knight in the arm.
Leo didn’t glance up from his paperwork as he called, “Make it two weeks and Knight gets to join you. He can scrub the bathroom with a toothbrush for bellyaching.”
Hannah bit her lip as she sat beside Scarlett, recalling she needed to call her Sparky at work.
“It’s a nice surprise to see you here, Stormy,” Leo continued.
“How’s the office coming? If you need anything for it, charge it to my account.
Bear sent you a list by email of where we have them set up.
We prefer to support our small businesses here in Serenity, but if you can’t find it here, we can get it in Seattle. ”
“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind,” she said as Shadow sat beside her.
The other men joined the group as they grabbed their breakfast.
“I’ve sent over the proposal for the contractor job to take down Cole’s boss.
We’ll know later this week if we got the job.
Bear will return next week full-time. Congratulations to Patch and Knight on their new additions.
Can we do anything to help with Claire’s morning sickness, or does Gabby need anything? ”
Both men shook their heads and grinned from ear to ear.
“Cole will be at the training facility and the hospital this week. He’s helping Kassie include the seniors in the hospital’s annual Christmas party.
It’s our goal to send them home with enough provisions to get them through the winter months.
Cole made a list of things he’s noticed, but feel free to chime in if you know something.
We’re covering any heating issues they may encounter in the next couple of months.
Kassie’s hoping this will cut down on the emergency room visits if they stay warm at home. ”
“What did you volunteer us for this year?” Shadow asked.
“You and Ragu will bring the trees to the hospital. Saint and I will deliver the holiday meals Randy made to the community center. Knight and Patch will supervise the teens while they decorate the hospital. No rearranging the stocking holders to say ‘Boobs’ or ‘Poop,’” Leo ordered.
“Why do we get the kids?” Patch said. “You didn’t assign Sparky and Stormy anything.”
“They’ll be helping with secret Santa families and delivering gifts,” Leo explained. “Let’s get into the Christmas Spirit, people. You know how much this means to the kids and veterans. We can’t expect our wives to do all the shopping and wrapping after adding the seniors to the list.”
“I’m happy to do it, boss. The economy has hurt many families here. More families come to the community center for food than in the past years,” Taco spoke up.
“I’ve noticed the seniors dressing in layers because of their heating bill or they don’t have coats,” Cole volunteered.
“All the more reason to get started. We’ll aid as many as we can.
Things will slow over the holiday unless we hear from Julio Hernandez on Rebecca’s whereabouts.
We’ll finish up our remaining contracts locally and see what we hear from the Middle East regarding the contract.
Spend as much time as you can with your family.
Team Hawk will spin up first. Alpha Team will follow,” Leo informed them.
With the meeting over, Hannah returned to her office. Cole stepped inside and closed the door. “Did you decide to meet your parents for dinner?”
She frowned. “Yeah. I’m still dreading it. When I did something in my teens, I got a lecture.”
“Why don’t I go with you?” he asked.
She started to say no, but changed her mind. “It’s a great idea,” she said. “I don’t want any outbursts in public. Can we invite them to our cabin?”
“No. Ty’s will work as neutral territory. It’s quiet and relaxing. If you invite them to the cabin, you can’t walk away.”
“Good thinking. Can we take Brody to Ty’s?” she asked.
“Ty gave me permission. Because we’ll be training, the businesses in town don’t mind me bringing the dogs. Kassie and Leo asked for their approval before I arrived,” he explained.
Hannah sighed, relieved to have her other protector there. “I’ll text them in a few minutes.”
Cole walked around her desk and sat on the edge.
Brody moved to her other side. “Brody and I want to ask you on a date.
He says pizza. I say an intimate evening at home with a bowl of mac and cheese, with sides of bacon, lobster, chicken, peas, and broccoli.
Then a movie with buttered popcorn. To finish it off, a night under the stars.
“Tell Brody mac and cheese will always win,” she said as she played with his fingers. “Skip the lobster for me, I’m a simple girl. All the rest sounds incredible.”
Cole leaned down and he kissed her slowly.
His tongue ran along her lip and he sucked on it lightly, teasing her.
Butterflies fluttered low in her belly as he pressed his way inside her mouth with his tongue.
She moaned, leaning into him. Her hand pressed against his chest as he deepened his exploration.
Brody pawed at her leg, making her pull back and glance down. He whined as he covered his snout, appearing cute.
“What a traitor,” Cole muttered. “I have to start training. Set the meeting with your parents for tonight and tomorrow, we’ll spend the evening at home.”
Home. She liked the sound of the word. Hannah took out her phone, determined not to let her parents get her down. The team showed up for her, which surprised her since Leo only recently hired her. It meant more than they knew.
We can have dinner at Ty’s this evening at six. She texted.
We can’t wait to see you, my sweet girl. I’m happy you have such a great job, but I wish you didn’t have to work. I’d love to see you more. Her mother responded.
Guilt plagued her for a minute before she realized her whole life centered on pleasing them.
When her father deployed, she and her mother got along wonderfully.
When he returned, Hannah spent most of her time in her room or at the gym, unless he ordered a family night out.
As long as she reported for the family dinner and did her chores, she stayed off his radar.
With every day that passed, she didn’t feel like the old Hannah.
It’s as if she woke up from a dream and found a different version of herself, one she liked.
After two years of processing her trauma in her mind, she felt ready for a new beginning.