Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Damien
When I wake up the next morning, I realize I probably overdid all the walking the day before. “Dammit,” I growl out, pain radiating through my leg. I want to spend all the time I can with Emerie and Levinia, but today’s definitely not going to be a good day for me to be physically active.
Sighing, I reluctantly reach for my phone, and I pull up her number. I wrestle for a few minutes about whether to call or to text, then finally opt to text in case she’s not awake yet so I don’t wake her or Levinia up. I can always call later in the morning.
Me: Hey, Emerie, I’m not going to be able to do breakfast today. I’m sorry.
While we talked about everything yesterday, I never discussed my injuries that led to my own medical discharge. Foolish, I know, but it’s definitely too heavy as far as I’m concerned. Still, she deserves to know so she can make an informed decision on whether or not she wants to get involved with me.
Me: Before you worry that it’s something you said or did, it’s about me and the injuries I suffered. I know you probably didn’t miss the scars on my arm; those are from the training accident that killed Levi. But during my last mission, the vehicle we were in crashed and my left leg was pretty much pulverized.
Me: Thankfully, the surgeons who operated were believers in saving a limb whenever possible, although while I was healing, I often thought it might’ve been better to amputate. I have enough rods, pins, and plates in my leg that I will set off a metal detector. I apparently overdid it yesterday and am in a lot of pain today.I see the dots appear then disappear, then reappear once again.
Emerie: So, you’re a stubborn male just like Levi was, huh? How about this, I’ll take Levinia to Miriam and Dale’s house, run by and grab a breakfast special for both of us, and drop it off. I’m sure you have medication to take and most of the strong pills require you to eat.
“This woman’s a fucking unicorn, man,” I whisper to the ceiling after reading her response. “It’s as if she doesn’t care that she’s getting less of a man at all.”
Emerie: And for the record, in the future, if your leg is bothering you, you better tell me! Because whether Levi mentioned it or not, I DO have a temper! I mean, it’s not been that long since you were injured, correct? Stubborn, stubborn man.
Me: Are you for real right now? I don’t want to face your temper, Emerie, so I’ll be sure to tell you in the future. Yes, I’ll take a breakfast special from the diner. And maybe until I fall asleep once the meds kick in, we can talk some more and get to know each other?
Emerie: I’d like that. I’ll be there shortly. Do you need me to pick anything up for you? Stuff to drink or snack on?
Me: Yes, please. Coke is fine, maybe some chips or bugles? Oh, and a chocolate bar.
Emerie: With or without almonds.
Me: LOL. Either’s fine, Em. I eat both.
Emerie: Magazines? I’ll warn you that the convenience store won’t have the latest issue of Guns, Guns, Guns.
Me: ROFLMAO. You’re making me laugh, keep it up because the pain isn’t as bad right now and I haven’t even taken my meds yet. I’m good on reading material, I have reading apps on my phone.
Emerie: Okay. Be there soon.
* * *
“I swear to you, they won’t mind at all,” she reiterates. “I’ll even call Miriam to confirm what I’m saying is true if you want!”
“I don’t want to intrude is all,” I reply.
Apparently, Dale put in an inground pool that’s heated to help with Miriam’s arthritis. As spry and active as she is, it must work because she never stopped while I was there a few days ago. They also have a hot tub. Both would help ease the stiffness in my leg, especially being able to do a bunch of laps to loosen things up. Finally, I shrug and give in, earning a beaming smile from Emerie as she claps her hands.
“Then it’s settled. You know that Levinia will probably want to get in the pool with you,” she cautions. “She may be young, but she already swims like a fish. That was one of Miriam’s conditions when Dale told her he was putting in a pool.”
“What does she do when it’s winter?” I query, my curiosity now roused.
“Oh, she still gets in because Dale has an enclosure he puts over it, kind of like a carport I guess, and he has portable heaters he turns on. It’s sometimes a little bit chilly, but it’s definitely a good workout.”
“You swim too?” I ask.
“I learned when Levi did and was actually able to beat him until he went into the Navy.”
I whistle in appreciation. “He had the best times of all the men in our squadron and you’re saying you could beat him?”
She beams with pride while nodding. “Yep. He didn’t hold back either. Swimming came naturally to both of us, as it does with Vinnie.”
“Her nickname is cute,” I admit.
“I wanted to honor her father,” Emerie quietly says, “and while her name is a bit old fashioned, I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
“It suits her,” I reply, grabbing a pair of shorts to wear in the pool. I didn’t bring swim trunks with me since any I used to have are far too small nowadays.
The drive out to the farm is pleasant and she points out various sights, saying, “We need to go there while you’re here.” Time and time again she says this to me as we drive through the countryside. So much so, that I begin to wonder if she’s feeling what I am—that maybe my trip to Possum Creek was fate intervening.
Then guilt sets in. This is my best friend’s girl, one he loved with everything in him and I’m thinking about her in a romantic way. Am I betraying our friendship? Hell, does she even think about a future with someone else? Maybe I’m just projecting my longing to belong somewhere. I mean, I have my mom and stepdad back home, as well as my sister, but their life is in Arizona, and after the years spent in hellish places overseas, I need to be somewhere that has all four seasons, not just unrelenting heat day in and day out. Possum Creek seems to fit that requirement for me, I now need to figure out if it’s something Emerie wants as well.
We finally pull down the long driveway and I grin seeing Levinia running around with a chicken in her arms. “Is that hers?” I ask as Emerie parks in the gravel driveway.
She giggles while nodding. “Yes, it is. She’s been its caretaker since it hatched, and whenever she’s here, she carries her around like she’s a cat or something.”
“Well, she’s a cutie, that’s for sure. While my sister’s older, it reminds me of how she was when she was younger. She had a guinea pig that she treated like it was a baby.”
“What’s your sister’s name?” Emerie asks as we make our way to where Levinia is waiting. Thankfully, she senses that I’m not able to walk at my normal pace and keeps her steps slow and easygoing, which helps a little bit. Still, I see the concern cross Levinia’s face at my noticeable limp.
“Dena. Hey, Vinnie, we’ve come to go swimming,” I enthusiastically say as we reach the little girl. I grit my teeth from the pain radiating through me with each step I take. But I don’t want to frighten Vinnie, so I breathe through it and keep a friendly smile on my face.
“Can me and Bonnie swim too, Mama?” she asks, looking at Emerie. The concern she had directed toward me melts away as excitement takes hold.
“You know Memaw doesn’t like Bonnie in the pool, sweetie,” Emerie replies. “But we can fill up the little pool for her, okay?”
I grin as we move toward the pool because Levinia is jabbering a mile a minute, while I see Dale go over to what I presume is a pool house, head inside, then come out with a small kiddie pool.
“Vinnie, let’s get your chicken’s pool ready,” he calls out, eliciting excited giggles from her.
“You can change in the bathroom,” Emerie tells me as we head to the back porch. “I’ve got my own suit here, so I’ll meet you back at the pool with some towels for all of us.”
“Sounds good to me. Good afternoon, Miriam,” I say as she comes out the back door with a pitcher of lemonade and plastic cups.
“Looks like a good day for a swim,” she replies. “Levinia, let Pappy finish that so you can get changed.”
* * *
I groan in pleasure as the water soothes my aching leg. When Vinnie asked me what happened, I kept it age appropriate, but told her that I got hurt while I was working. Dale moved the kiddie pool closer so Bonnie could watch Vinnie swim, which I thought was hysterical. She would walk up and down on the deck as the little girl swam laps, then jump into her pool and cluck up a storm.
“Go on, swim some laps, I know that’ll probably help,” Emerie says, a gleam in her eye.
“Wanna race?” I ask.
“What does the winner get?” she retorts, egging me on while swimming to the deep end.
“Winner’s choice,” I tell her.
“How many laps?” she questions, stretching and making me think things I should not be with her daughter nearby.
“Ten,” I decree. That’ll help stretch my sore muscles out enough that my pain meds should work. When they’re this tight, it takes too long for any sort of relief to hit.
“I can count!” Levinia shouts, getting out of the pool. I watch her scoop up Bonnie, uncaring that the chicken is completely soaked and stand at the end of the pool. “Can I say go?” she asks.
I look at Emerie and smirk. “You ready, sweetheart?”
“Eat my dust, sailor boy,” she sasses. “Go ahead when you’re ready, Vinnie.”
“One, two, three… go!” Levinia screams, jumping up and down.