Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
Ryan drew in a deep breath, settled into the chair he’d picked to sit in, and released his breath slowly. “I’m not an only child, but you could classify that I am.”
“How?”
“My sister is twelve years older than I am. I’m not lying when I say she hated and resented me from the day I was brought home.” He shook his head at her expression. “I’m not lying, I swear.” He raised his hand like he was taking an oath. “As I said, Karen is twelve years older than me. When she left at the age of eighteen to attend college, she said she would only return if our parents got rid of me. In case you’re wondering, I wasn’t adopted. I am the biological child of our parents. I was six when she left. Before she left, all through her high school years, she was a bitch. Those are my words now, back then, she is what you would consider a mean girl. Everything had to be done her way, or she wouldn’t talk to you.”
“She acted entitled?”
“Yes, and her name really is Karen. The older she became, the more of a witch she morphed into. When I joined the Navy, her words to me the night before I left was, and I quote, ‘I hope your sub goes down and you drown.’”
“No.”
“I kid you not. She was married by then and her husband tried to tell me she didn’t mean it. She did. Oh, and at her wedding? I wasn’t allowed to attend. She tried to tell me that she didn’t want any children at her wedding. I didn’t find out until I saw the pictures that she lied to me. She just didn’t want me there, because the photos showed plenty of children there.”
“Damn, did your parents attend?”
“Yes. I spent the weekend with my best friend, and his father took us on a camping trip. I had a blast.”
“Where did you grow up?”
“Seattle, or about half an hour outside of the city. Anyway, fast forward to when I joined the Navy. The next time I saw her was when our parents passed away. Mom had a heart attack, and a month later, Dad had a stroke. I was able to get leave time to go through their personal effects. The entire two weeks leave I had, she blamed me for killing them. She also called the cops on me several times. Nothing came of it except for the local police had documentation that she was a troublemaker.” Ryan shook his head sadly as he remembered that time. “Her biggest accusation was that I murdered our parents. When the cops asked her why she thought that, she said because I wasn’t home when they needed me.”
“What happened when the wills were read? I know it’s none of my business, but you’ve made me curious as to how she reacted.”
Ryan settled further into his chair and turned a grin onto her. “My parents were smart. Kevin, Karen’s husband is a great guy. Salt of the earth and will give you the shirt off his back. Believe it or not, he’s a cop. He’s worked his way up through the ranks and he is now a homicide detective. Anyway, about a year before my parents passed, they were in their early forties when I was born, but I digress. A year before they passed, they had Kevin meet them at the bank on his lunch hour.”
“Away from Karen?”
“Yes, because I was in the Navy, and had to send a will home a few times when I went on deployment, they never changed their wills. Unlike Clark’s parents. I always left everything I had to them. Well, I don’t know how they knew, but that day at the bank, they took the money I would inherit on their deaths and put it in a separate account in Kevin’s name.”
“Smart.”
“Yeah, it was. When they passed, I ended up with six boxes of mementos. He stored them in a locked room in his basement. When Karen asked about that room, he said it was where he kept his guns. They had a little boy running around the house.”
“Ah, safety reasons.”
“Yes, she never questioned him after that. Fast forward to last week, after I left the Navy, I drove from San Diego to Seattle. I didn’t want to go directly to their house, because I didn’t know if the Navy had told them I had been abducted then rescued. I really didn’t want to deal with Karen without Kevin. I know that sounds cowardly, but I just couldn’t.” He reached up and ran his fingertips over the healing scratches. “This is a result of her seeing me.”
“Holy shit, she hit you?”
“Yes. Long story short, I hooked up with Kevin at the police station. He had been told I’d been taken, but not rescued. See, when I went on that mission, for the first time in my military career, I made my nephew my beneficiary. Anyway, while still at the station, Kev told his boss who I was and to have some patrol cars in the area. We didn’t enter his house until we saw the two cars.” He shook his head as he stared into the dead ashes of the fireplace remembering that day.
“We entered, and Karen never even looked up. She had a lot of decorating books strewn about. Kev asked what they were for, and she said that because I was dead, she was going to use the money the Navy owed her to redo their house. Well, when she saw me all hell broke loose. I won’t get into the details of it all, but at the end of that day, Karen was removed from the house in cuffs, she was arrested for assault charges against me, attacking a police officer, resisting arrest, and I forget what else.” He continued to shake his head. “Oh, and during her screaming fit, Kevin told her he had divorce papers drawn up, and she better find her own lawyer because it would be a conflict of interest if she used theirs.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, and he also told her that the house was his. See, his grandfather built it, he passed it to his father, who passed it to him. Karen’s name isn’t on anything. Not the deed, not the mortgage, though there isn’t one. The only other name is Caleb’s, and he washed his hands of his mother when he was sixteen. He was home for the weekend from college.” Ryan looked at her with a smile. “I’m so proud of him. He’s getting a degree in sports medicine with a minor, or whatever, in physical therapy.”
“Talk to Clark. Better yet, talk to Erin.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s looking for a permanent physical therapist. Did you make it over on the other side of the ranch to see what he’s doing?”
“No, I was so tired after the morning, and I have to admit that I ate half your sandwich, then Reid showed up with a hamburger for me. All the morning exercise and the full stomach made me tired, that’s why I came back here.”
“Not a problem. So, your sister was arrested?”
“Yes. Kevin and Caleb convinced me to stay the night, and the next day we went to the bank and he was able to put my inheritance in my name. When I left there, I was given a certified check, I’ll have to find a bank to deposit it in here, and my six boxes. They are still in the back of my truck.”
“Well, I’m glad you survived your ordeal, and that your sister got what she deserved. I’m sure there’s a lot more behind it, and I appreciate the shortened version. I’m happy for you. I don’t know whether the banks will be open or not, with it being a holiday weekend.”
“I keep forgetting that,” Ryan said as he shook his head. He laid it back and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, Pru was shaking his arm gently.
“You fell asleep. I’m heading to bed, it’s after eleven.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He struggled to his feet, and used his cane to head to the bathroom. When he came out, he blocked her from going in. “Can I ask you something?”
“What’s that?”
“Will you sleep in my bed like you did last night?”
He watched as she cocked her head to the side, and he shook his. “No sex, at least not until I heal more.”
“Yes, I’ll sleep in your bed.” She went into the bathroom, while he went to his room. By the time she joined him, he had changed into his sweats and was just folding the covers back.
“Do you need me to check any of your bandages?”
“As much as I want to say no, I think the one on my shoulder and the one on my side should be changed. I didn’t do a lot today to strain myself, but those are the worst ones. It will be better to err on the side of caution.” He turned to look at her, then looked around the room. He pointed to the brown bag from the day before. “The supplies are in there.” He sat in a chair, with his back to her. He sighed in relief when he barely felt her hands on him as she switched out the bandage he couldn’t see or reach, but could feel. Then he moved to the bed and lay back to show her his stomach. Again, he barely felt her as she worked and when she said she was done, he had to rouse himself from the light doze he found himself in. Ten minutes later, they were both beneath the covers, and the same thing happened as the night before. They fell asleep while holding hands.
Pru rolled over, stretched, and opened her eyes, she gave a jerk when she didn’t recognize the curtains hanging at the windows. She whipped her head to the right and saw the empty bed beside her, then whipped around and saw that her alarm was due to go off in minutes. She shut it off, tossed the covers off, and slowly rose to her feet. As she left the room, she smelled coffee and smiled.
“Morning,” Ryan mumbled to her as he handed her a steaming mug.
“How did you sleep?” she asked as she sipped the hot brew.
“Surprisingly well. I’ve only been up long enough to make the coffee.” He pointed to his body and she saw he was only wearing a pair of gray sweats with NAVY written down the outside of one leg in dark blue letters. She smiled at them, turned to go to the bathroom, then to her room to dress for the day. When she returned, she was happy to see that Ryan had dressed himself also. Back in the kitchen, Pru opened the refrigerator and stood there staring inside for several minutes before Ryan caught onto what she was doing. He stood from playing with the kittens and went over to her. He gave her a gentle nudge with his hip and spoke quietly.
“Why don’t you mix up the kitten food while I cook us some breakfast?”
“Oh, yeah, okay,” she said, flustered. He studied her for a few seconds, then reached in for the bacon he’d seen in there the day before. By the time the kittens were fed, and the table set, he had two plates of bacon and eggs cooked for the two of them, along with toast. As he worked, he made a mental note to add things to a grocery list. While they ate, he asked her again what her plans for the day were.
“After I do my chores here, you know, feed the chickens and let them out. I’m going to the barn to muck out the stalls. I want to check on Peanut, then I’ll leave around lunch time. When I get here, I’ll clean up, then drive over to Fool’s Gold to pick up some groceries.” She continued to eat. “You want to go with me?”
“Sure. Want to leave around two?”
“We can do that, or even one, that would work better. I get out around noon today, and it’s an hour drive there.”
“Ah, maybe I can see the area as we drive. I was out of it when I got here, and when we arrived and left all those years ago, it was dark out each time.”
“Yeah, it’s nice that the grass is starting to green up, and there are buds in the trees. I love this time of year. It reminds me that there’s still life to live.”
“Where did you grow up? I know you said you grew up rough, but where?”
“New York. I can’t remember if I told you this when I told you about my name, but the girls in my neighborhood wanted me to join an all-girl gang. I refused. Those were the people I would fight, along with the boys. I never returned to that city, let alone that state since I left for the Air Force. While I was in basic, Dad was transferred to Chicago, and though that was a rough area too, they lived far enough out that they were in a safe area.”
“Do you ever see them?”
“We get together every couple of years. The last time I saw them was just before I started working for Erin here at Broken.”
“Okay.” Ryan didn’t know what else to say, so they finished their breakfast in silence. After they cleaned up, he went outside to help her with the chickens, and stood there watching the sky as it began to lighten. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing that.”
“Yeah, I know. If makes you feel alive.”
“Yeah, while I was being held captive and tortured, I never saw the light of day for those twenty days. They held us underground the entire time.”
“I hate to ask this, but if you’re in this condition, what condition are the others in?” she asked as she fed the baby chicks. When he didn’t respond right away, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I know what it’s like to have your teammates die in front of you.”
“You’ll have to tell me your story sometime.”
“Sometime,” she said as she moved out of the shed, and over to the coop. Ryan breathed in relief when she didn’t ask her question again. Twenty minutes later, he stood on the porch and watched her leave for work. He said he wanted to stay there and take a shower. He sighed in relief when Denver stopped to check on him as he headed toward the barn.
“Question?”
“What’s up?”
“You have time to stick around?”
“For?”
“I don’t want to be a pussy, but I need a shower, and I can’t redress my wounds on my back.”
“Got it, go do what you have to, I’ll be at the kitchen table.”
Ryan went to his room, got a set of clothes, and went into the bathroom. When he came out, he grinned when he found Denver on the floor playing with the kittens. Seeing such a large man turned to goo over the little felines made Ryan smile.
“Did Pru change your bandages last night?” Denver asked as he went to the brown duffel he’d retrieved after Ryan had gone into the bedroom. He didn’t comment on the fact that there were two pillows on the bed, both bore signs of them being slept on. He was the last person to judge anyone and their sex life. It didn’t take long for him to replace the bandages, but he paused as he looked at them closely.
“I’d say the one here on your back can be bandage free in a couple of days. Still another week for the stomach one.”
“Thanks, Den,” Ryan said as he called him by his shortened name.
“I know it’s none of my business, and you can tell me to go to hell,” Denver said as he cleaned up the first aid supplies, but turned to look at Ryan dead in the eye. “I’m saying this with brotherly love for Pru, but has she flaked out on you yet?”
Ryan gave a small smile as he put his shirt on. “Yeah, this morning, she opened the refrigerator and just stood there. It was like she forgot what she was doing.”
“Yeah, she gets like that.”
“We’re going grocery shopping when she gets out of work at noon.”
“Take a list,” Denver laughed as he told her how Opal had told him how she was when he’d first arrived.
“I’ve started a mental one, but I can’t find any paper to write one out.” He turned in a circle and watched as Denver went over to a door and opened it. Inside there were shelves and if Ryan had set the house up, he would have made that a pantry, instead it was full of books and pads of paper.
“I asked Opal about this. She told me that because Pru is easily distracted at times, she keeps things as minimal as possible. She uses this pantry as a bookcase.”
“I did notice there wasn’t a lot of knickknacks lying around.”
“Yeah, Pru hates clutter. Why do you think that she’s always in the tack room when she gets a spare moment. I don’t know if that was her personality before she was hurt, but it is now.”
“Do you know her story?”
“I do not. All I know is that she was in the Air Force, and they discharged her because of her TBI.”
Ryan nodded as he opened the cupboards and started a grocery list with Denver’s help. By the time Denver left for work, Ryan was confident he had a complete list. When his phone rang, he quickly answered it.
“Hey, it’s Pru, I got your number from Perry.”
“That’s fine, what’s up?”
“Are you coming to the barn?”
“Not today.”
“Okay, can you take the eggs out of the green basket on the counter, give them a quick wash, then boil them? Two dozen, I’m going to make the deviled eggs from them. They are the oldest.”
“Got it.” Ryan answered and they quickly hung up. Before he started his task, he programmed her number into his phone. He whistled as he started on the task she had asked him to complete. By the time she came home from work, he had a grocery list, the eggs were boiled, and he’d even peeled them. Shortly after coming in the door, they both left again, and this time, Pru drove her own truck to town.