21. Loose Ends
Chapter 21
Loose Ends
Rebel
T he hospital is busier tonight than it was last night. Sadie is waiting for us inside the main entrance, wearing her teal scrubs and her hair in a high ponytail that swishes back and forth as she walks. She’s busy attending to an elderly patient having trouble with her wheelchair and hasn’t noticed us yet.
When she’s finally done, she sees us and rushes toward us. When she reaches me, she comes up on her tiptoes, holds my shoulders, and kisses me sweetly, then turns to the guys and says, “Thank you for coming. I was just on my way up to see Kane when I got distracted.”
“Hey, Sadie, good to see you again,” Falcon greets her. Phoenix and Bull give her a “Hey,” and Wire does one better and gives her a kiss on the cheek.
“How’re you doing, Sadie-girl?” Wire asks with a smile.
“I haven’t seen you in a while, Wire. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” Sadie teases.
“No way. I was refining my plan on how to lure you away from this big guy”—he jerks his head in my direction—“and convince you to run away with me,” he jokes.
“I’m sorry, you’re wasting your time. I’m smitten with Rebel. But I can introduce you to lots of single nurses,” she says.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Wire replies, and I roll my eyes at the two of them.
“Maybe you can lead the way to Kane while Wire thinks it over,” Falcon kids.
“Follow me,” Sadie says, keeping her hand in mine and leading us to the elevators to the third floor, then down the corridor. We stop at Kane’s door. She gives a little knock and then opens the door. Kane is sitting in the chair next to the window. “Hi, Kane. How’re you feeling this morning?”
Kane turns his head, and I get a good look at him. The man needs some meat on his bones. But it’s the look in his eyes that gets my attention. Sadie described him as lost, but he’s not lost; he’s empty. He doesn’t know where he belongs or where he fits in.
“Better. My head stopped pounding,” Kane answers, looking at each of us.
“This is my boyfriend, Rebel,” Sadie begins the introductions, “and these are Wire, Phoenix, Bull, and this guy is Falcon. These are the men I was telling you about.”
“Please to meet you all,” Kane says.
Falcon is the first to extend his hand. “Pleasure is ours, Kane. Thought we’d talk for a while. You up for that?”
I walk Sadie to the door. “Give us some time with him alone. Some shit that he has to say may not be what you want to hear. I’ll come find you when we’re done.”
Sadie gives me a smile. “Okay, handsome. Fingers crossed that it goes well.”
When I turn back, the guys have already huddled around Kane. Let the healing begin.
Kane’s story is much like many I’ve heard. Kane joined the military to find purpose for his life after being the kid who was always a screwup in high school. He was a fun-loving teenager who didn’t take school as seriously as he should. He wanted to leave his small town, and his way out was the army. He left his girl behind too.
After completing his tour of duty, he had every intention of coming home to his sweetheart, getting married, and having a few kids of his own. Only, his father passed away from a heart attack while Kane was serving, his mother a year later from a broken heart from losing the only man she ever loved, and his girl decided she couldn’t wait any longer to have a ring on her finger and married another man.
Kane came back to nothing. His older brother tried, but didn’t understand what Kane had gone through overseas. In the end, Kane left his town so that he wasn’t a burden to his brother and his family.
“If you want a family, we’ve got one for you, but you have to put in the work,” Falcon tells him.
“What are you talking about?” Kane asks, confused.
“We’re all veterans. We’ve been where you’re at. The road to civilian life is difficult with a support team, damn near impossible without,” Phoenix says.
“Jacob tried—” Kane starts.
“I’m sure he did, but he wasn’t equipped to handle what you had to unload. You need professional help,” Bull interjects.
“A psychiatrist?” Kane snorts. “I’m not crazy.”
“A counselor,” I say. “One who deals in trauma. Every one of us has seen a counselor, and we’re better off for it. There’s no shame in getting help.”
“It’s part of the process for joining Storm,” Falcon confirms. We’ve already explained to Kane what we do for a living, and his eyes lit up when we told him about searching for more men to expand our business.
“For how long?” Kane asks.
“Until you’re cleared. This is about getting you physically and mentally healthy. Once we know you’re ready, we bring you in to train with us. You’ll have brothers who will work with you and will have your back,” Falcon tells him.
“We’ll also call you on your bullshit and keep your head straight,” I finish.
“Your choice, Kane. We hope you make the right one,” Wire says.
Falcon hands Kane a card with his number. As we’re heading for the door, Kane calls out, “I want in.”
We stop, and Falcon says, “I’ll be here to pick you up when you’re released tomorrow to take you to the veteran’s hospital. This will work, if you want it.”
Kane nods, and we leave.
“Do you think he’ll make it?” I ask.
“We’ve extended the invitation. The rest is up to Kane,” Falcon answers.
“I’m going to go find Sadie,” I tell the guys.
“We’ll hitch a ride back with Phoenix and Bull,” Wire says.
“I’ll meet you back at Storm.” I give them a two-finger salute and head down the hall.
Sadie
I keep scanning the halls for Rebel, wanting to know how it went with Kane. Kane seems like a good man who went off track. I know I shouldn’t harbor such high hopes, but I do. I didn’t expect them all to show up today, but I’m glad they did. I was happy to see Wire. It’s been a while, and he seems much calmer than the last time we spoke.
An arm sneaks around my waist, making me jump. “Rebel, how did I not see you?” I blurt, catching my breath. “You nearly scared the life out of me.” I place my hand on my heart.
He chuckles and whispers in my ear, “Do you have a few minutes to get caught up?”
I glance up at the wall clock over the nurses’ station. “I’ve got fifteen minutes before shift,” I tell him. We move to a quiet space, and Rebel tells me the plan for Kane.
“Don’t get too excited, babe. Kane has the best intentions, but he has his work cut out for him. Counseling is necessary, but he’s going to fight it. We all do. We’ve been trained not to show emotion because it’s a sign of weakness. It’s ingrained in us, and Kane is going to have a hard time of it at first. But if he follows through and gets the help he needs, we’ll be waiting on the other side. Falcon will be his contact, but he’ll have all our numbers so that if he needs to talk, one of us will pick up,” he says and goes on to add, “This can take weeks or months. We’re taking one day at a time. In the end, he may not want to work in Storm, and that’s cool, as long as he finds the path that works for him.”
“Thanks for doing this. I’m not sure why, but I know Kane is a good man, and I knew you guys would get through to him.” I give him a light kiss on the lips.
He deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring, and I melt into him. Rebel breaks our kiss, “Jesus, babe, when does your shift start again?” he asks. I’m about to respond when his phone rings. He looks at the screen and sees that Jessica is calling. “Shit! My sister.”
Instantly, he picks up, but before he can get a word in, Jessica goes off on a rampage. “Jasper Rebel Hanes, it’s been over a month since you last called. Now, I know you’re all badass and shit, but that does not mean you don’t check in with your family every now and again. That’s just wrong. And furthermore, Janie is just as worried, only more patient. I have none left; therefore, you need to talk to me.”
“Hey, sis, been a little busy, but you’re right. I should have called,” Rebel replies quietly.
“Sure! Agree with me! That knocks the wind out of my sails,” she huffs.
“I’m seeing a good woman, Jessica. Sadie makes me happy,” he tells her, and as crazy as it sounds, I can almost feel Jessica relax.
“Really?” she breathes hopefully.
Rebel looks at me but speaks into the phone. “Sweet as sugar and as beautiful as the sunrise.”
I get a lump in my throat and rest my head on his shoulder.
“Oh, Rebel. I think I’m going to cry,” his sister says.
“I’ve only got a couple more minutes with Sadie before she goes on duty. She’s a nurse. How about I call you on my way back to the office?”
“Don’t forget!” Jessica says sternly, then quietly adds, “I love you, baby brother.”
“Back at you.” Rebel hangs up and looks at me. “I’ll be back with dinner.”
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I say, framing his face with my hands and kissing him. “And don’t forget your promise when I come home tonight,” I remind him with a wink. I walk away with a little extra skip in my step.
Rebel
“Jessica, you’ve got stop crying if you want to talk to me,” I say. As promised, I call my sister back, only this time, Jessica’s included Janie.
“Let her be,” Janie says, “She’s happy for you. We both are. You have no idea how thrilled we are for you. Oh, Jasper, we all had it hard with the dysfunctional parents we had. Then, when you joined the army, Jess and I were terrified that one day, someone would appear at our door and tell us you weren’t coming home. We knew you needed to find your place in your own time, but what you don’t realize is that we miss you.” Janie chokes up and begins to sob quietly.
“God, I’m so sorry you went through that. It was never my intention to cause you pain. I love you both. And you’re going to adore Sadie,” I tell them as their sobs subside.
“Tell us everything,” Jess says.
I go into detail about how Sadie and I met, leaving out the gunshot wound and merely telling them I was injured. I do mention Sadie’s attack, and how, from that moment on, I wasn’t about to let her out of my sight. My sisters know what the team means to me, and of course, they want updates on everyone.
Calls to my sisters have always lifted my spirits, but this time is different. This time, it feels like I’m giving more to them than I’m taking. We end the call with the promise to plan a visit where they can meet Sadie and her family.
“You’re going to marry her, aren’t you?” Janie asks hopefully.
Without hesitation, I answer, “Damn straight.” They both give a squeal on the other end of the phone that makes me chuckle. “Okay, I’ll be in touch, but I’ve got to get back to work.
“Jasper, we’re so proud of the man you’ve become,” Jessica says before hanging up.
Looks like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be. The hardest part was accepting that I am worthy of Sadie’s love. But Sadie gives me her love totally and wholly. It’s what my brothers have been telling me for years, and yet it took one beautiful redheaded angel to make me believe it.