Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
The next morning, Scott woke on his own without any nightmares and sighed in relief when he realized he wasn’t drenched in sweat. On another sigh, he tossed the covers back, sat there for a few minutes, then made his way to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, he took a sip of his first cup of coffee for the day, and looked at his watch. He grinned when he saw it was going on eight in the morning. It made him proud that he was able to sleep for more than six hours without any nightmares. Armed with his steaming cup of coffee, he brewed another one before he sat down, opened the curtains to let in the natural sun, turned off all the lights, then pulled his phone to him, along with the small pad of paper and pen provided by the hotel, and dialed.
“Erin’s Way,” came the cheery voice over the phone.
“Erin?”
“Yes, who’s this?”
“It’s Scott.”
“Oh, hey, how is everything going? How are you? We were starting to get worried about you.”
“I’m good. Still healing, but I wanted to call to let you know that I gave your number to three people.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, I was remarkably successful in locating Patrick Clemmons. I don’t know if he’s awake yet, but he told me last night that he was heading to Fool’s Gold today. We’ll be getting together before he leaves, and I’ll double check that he has your number. I told him to call you, because he should have a meet and greet with you before he goes over to Ducky’s place.”
“Does he have the address to New Double?”
“No. I only gave him the address of the main house there at Erin’s Way.”
“Thank you for that. I’ll contact Jake Cogburn with the information I have and have him run a report. I know he already did, but it’s never bad to be cautious.”
“I agree. I also gave your number to two women. They are sisters. One is former military, and is currently working as a waitress. She also has a challenge.”
“What type of challenge?”
“Prosthetic on the left leg. I haven’t seen it, but I would say below the knee. Her name is Julie. The other woman is her sister, she doesn’t have any challenge that I’m aware of, also, she doesn’t have any military experience, but you’re probably going to want to talk with her?” He thought he said it as a statement, but realized the comment had come out as a question.
“Why?”
Scott liked that Erin never minced her words.
“Because she’s going to be in Denver for the next six months taking classes to help her with her degree. She’s in the process of writing her dissertation for her PhD in psychiatry when she finishes these classes, she’ll be specializing in trauma therapy, focusing on PTSD. I believe the only thing stopping her once these courses are done would be someplace to practice. She hasn’t mentioned it yet, but once these classes are complete, she’ll be a certified therapy counselor. She will also be a doctor with a PhD. Just needs someplace to hang her shingle. Whatever that means.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I don’t know if I should have, but I told her about Broken Two, and she’s interested. I don’t have all the details, and even if I did, it’s not my story to tell, but I can tell you a little bit. Give you a feeling of what they went through.”
“Okay, is it relevant to them working for me?”
“I think so. Julie is the older sister, she was eighteen, and Sara was fifteen when a drunk driver killed their parents. Instead of leaving her sister alone, Julie put her plans of joining the military off for three years. Once Sara entered college, she joined the military. She was discharged when she lost her leg.”
“Well hell,” Erin said, but didn’t elaborate on anything after that. “Do you have their last name?”
“I don’t. What I told you is all I know. The only other thing I know is that Sara has to be in Denver in three weeks to start those classes. I don’t know if Julie will be coming with her or not.”
“When will you be coming home?”
“As of right now, if nothing comes up, then it should be next week. I’m meeting the girls at their house on Sunday, then I’ll be leaving here on Monday to head home. I’m still stiff and sore, but I’m healing. I should be able to work when I get there.”
“Not until you take a couple days rest after the drive. I’m assuming you’re going to be making it in a couple of days? Plus, and I don’t mean to harp on this, but you need to find a doctor either in Fool’s Gold or Colorado Springs in order to give you a clean bill of health. I will not be responsible for setting your healing back by taking your word for it that you are okay. Understood?” She paused, then said sternly. “I know how your SEALs operate. As long as you’re standing, you’re fine. I want documented proof from a professional, not just your word. Understood?”
“Understood, and I will. I know you have a lot on your plate, but do you know of any doctors taking new clients? I’m thinking I’ll take three days at the most to travel home, so I should be there some time on Wednesday.”
“Fair enough. I have a list here, because Ryan and Manny are looking for doctors also. They are doing a job for me that doesn’t require strenuous exercise and I believe you’ll be able to help them when you get home.” Scott heard her take a breath and let it out in a rush. “Tell Julie to call me, and have her tell me that you told her to call me. I’ll explain about the job, the information I’ll need for Jake to run a background check on her, and I’ll start the paperwork on Sara. Please explain to both of them the importance of doing the background check from Brotherhood Protectors. You can even tell them about PITA and what Erin’s Way and Broken went through because of him. Get them to understand the importance of the check. I don’t have to tell you if they don’t agree to a background check, then they won’t be able to step foot on Riceman property until it is done.”
“Okay, thanks Erin. I’ll talk with them, and I should be seeing you on Wednesday. Do I still have a place to stay?” He asked jokingly, but scowled when he heard her giggle.
“What?”
“Manny came home from Wyoming with Ann, last I heard they are shacked up together in his bedroom in the cabin you were in. The other one is empty, and Manny’s working with a crew to get other cabins built. They will be like the single ones currently occupied by the others.”
“Really? I know I have no right to say this, but can you afford all this construction? What about the people to oversee everything?”
“Yes, Manny’s overseeing that construction. Ryan’s overseeing construction over at Ducky’s, which we’ve dubbed New Double, and Clark is back to taking care of Broken Two. Yes, I can afford all this construction. Until you get cleared from the doctor, you can help oversee the construction sites.”
“Got it,” Scott said, and after they hung up, he sat there sipping his coffee contemplating on what or whom he would help when he got back. He didn’t want Erin to think he was a slacker and fire him if he didn’t pull his weight. He also knew that she wouldn’t clear him for any strenuous work until he was cleared by a doctor. As he sat there, he could picture what he would do on the ranch, and wore a smile when he envisioned Julie by his side.
Before he could wonder what he was going to do with himself for the rest of the day, he smiled when he read the text Erin had sent him. It was a list of four doctors that were taking new patients. Instead of doing everything on his phone, he went down to his truck for his laptop he had stuffed beneath the passenger seat. He went back inside and saw the complimentary breakfast and decided to eat there. As he did, he watched the people in the lobby and realized that he had gone through hell and came out the other side in order for these people to have the freedom of traveling, and sitting there eating their own breakfasts. It made him proud to have served his country the way he had.
Sunday morning, Scott found himself pacing his hotel room with plenty of time to spare before he had to go over to Julie and Sara’s home to discuss Broken with them. He’d been up for hours, showered, and took advantage of the breakfast in the lobby. Now he had to wait until it was time to go. He knew that eventually he might have to mention what he had been through, but he didn’t think he should say anything before they were even accepted to work for Erin. He would wait until they arrived in Colorado before he told them his own story. The only time he would mention his story was if they hesitated in wanting to come to Colorado. Only after he got to know Julie better would he feel he would be able to tell her everything he had gone through. As he stood looking out the window, he wondered if he and Julie got together, could he talk to her sister about his ordeal, or would it be too creepy to let her know what he went through. He jerked when an alarm sounded, and he realized that it was his watch, telling him that he needed to leave for Julie’s house within the next five minutes. As he got around, he realized that he was putting the cart before the horse about getting together with Julie, and having Sara as his therapist.
He shook the images free as he checked himself out in the bathroom mirror, then shook his head again at how stupid he felt because he was going to go see a woman. On the way out of his hotel room, a thought struck him, and he nodded to his inner dialog telling him to stop and buy not one, but two bouquets of flowers, one for each woman. With that plan in mind, he went to his truck, and smiled when the first florist shop he pulled into was open. Ten minutes later, he was back in his truck and headed to his destination.
The nerves didn’t strike until he pulled into the driveway of the two-story home, and looked out his windshield. It looked like it held happy memories. He really liked the hanging baskets of flowers on the porch at different intervals, and the flowers at the base of the porch. He looked over into the other seat and grinned when he saw the colorful bouquets sitting there. He grabbed them, got out of his truck, and drew in a deep breath before he headed to the front door. He rang the bell and didn’t have to wait long before it was opened by a laughing Sara.
Scott hoped his disappointment didn’t show on his face that the younger woman opened the door instead of Julie. He quickly lifted the flowers to cover his expression until he could get it under control.
“Oh my God, these are lovely,” Sara said, then turned to face inside the house as she yelled for her sister. “Julie! You better get here before I claim them both.” She laughed as she turned back to Scott and winked at him. “She’s fussing with her appearance.” She winked, then leaned in to whisper, “She likes you.”
“Good, because I like her too,” Scott thought he’d whispered his response, but when he heard something and looked up, he saw shock on Julie’s face as she stared at him. When Sara stepped back, he entered the house, and carried both bouquets toward her, then thrust them to her. “You get first pick.”
“They’re beautiful.” Julie smiled as she looked at them, and instead of choosing one, she gathered them both in her arms, buried her nose in them, and drew in a deep breath. She looked at Scott with a grin, then invited him further into the house by taking him to the kitchen as she dealt with the flowers. As she did that, Sara got him a cup of coffee while refilling theirs.
As she worked, Julie looked at him. “I’m going to get right to the point. I know you’re here to discuss going back to Colorado with you. However, before I do that, we have a lot of questions for you. Also, before we can do anything, I need to know what is what because I just can’t pack up and move on a whim.” She looked around, and with her fingers still wet from dealing with the flowers, she threw her arm in an arch and didn’t see Sara and Scott exchange grins as they wiped droplets of water from their faces.
“Tell me what needs to happen, then I’ll tell you what little I know about Colorado.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you know, then I can make an informed decision based on what you have to say.”
“Fair enough, first, I don’t know a whole hell of a lot about the operation there.”
“Why not?” Sara asked him with a scowl. “Don’t you work there?”
“Yes, and no.” Scott looked at them, then sighed heavily as he decided to tell them the truth. “Okay, a little background here. I don’t like to talk about it, but I think you need to know things in order to make your decision.” He had looked at Julie as he’d spoken, and then turned his gaze fully onto Sara. “This will be important for you in the long run.”
“Why do you think that?”
“You want to get into therapy, especially with former military people and deal with their shit, right? Sorry for the language, but that’s the only way I can describe it.”
“Yes, but not just former military. I want to work with all types of people.”
“Okay, I’m going to use myself as an example here. I’m not embellishing anything, what I’m about to tell you is the God’s honest truth.” He finished his coffee, scrubbed his face, took several deep breaths and let them out in a rush. He watched Julie as he spoke. With his eyes on hers, it seemed to calm him. “I was four months shy of fifteen years as a Navy SEAL before I was released.”
“Why didn’t you do the four months to make it a full fifteen?” Sara asked, and before Scott could answer, Julie reached over and laid her hand on her sister’s. She shook her head at her.
“Let him speak. If he’s anything like me, and other people that went through shit while they served their country, he’s going to say it once, then he will be done with it. I know I don’t have to remind you that you’re going to have to listen to people when you become a therapist and not interrupt them with questions. You know from talking with me that the questions come at the end.”
“Got it,” Sara said to her sister and turned back to Scott. “Sorry. Please continue.”
“First, Julie is right. I’m going to say this once and only once before I won’t discuss it again. At least not until I feel that I’m ready.” He drew in another deep breath and let it out slowly this time. Instead of talking, he rose from his chair and went to the coffee pot to refill his cup, when the ladies didn’t stop him, he filled all of them before he regained his seat. It was a good five minutes before he began talking.