The Desperate Warrior (Jennifer’s Navy SEAL Romance #5)

Chapter 1

“Ouch!” Tears sprang to her eyes as Jules doubled over, wincing at the sharp pain that tore through her foot. It was official—time to rearrange the bedroom. This was the second time in a matter of four measly weeks that she’d stubbed her pinky toe on the same stupid chest. She’d been half asleep, wandering around in a daze. Well, not anymore. She was now fully awake. Gingerly, she rubbed her toe before attempting to wiggle it. Yikes! It hurt to move it. This one was a doozy. Boy, it hurt. Since this was her second time injuring herself in this same manner, she already knew what to expect—a slow and painful recovery, especially when walking long distances. How could something so minor hurt so badly?

Once the pain subsided, she straightened back up and hobbled into the bathroom to get ready for work.

She brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and put on her makeup, trying to ignore the persistent stabs of pain in her foot. Slipping a tennis shoe over her injured toe was agony, but she was required to wear closed-toed shoes in the OR. She took in a long breath and huffed it back out as she tied her shoe and then quickly put on the second one. Ignoring the ache, she scuttled as fast as she could to the kitchen, where she grabbed a container of yogurt out of the fridge and wolfed down her vitamins with a glass of tap water from the sink.

A glance at the clock on the microwave let her know that if she didn’t leave this instant, she’d be late for the first surgery. And that wouldn’t sit well with LouAnna, the drill sergeant who doubled as the charge nurse. She ran the OR like a boot camp, and heaven help the cadet who dared step a millimeter outside of the hard, unyielding line that the militant, older woman drew.

Okay, Jules was being overly dramatic. LouAnna wasn’t that bad … most of the time. She’d just been hard to deal with lately because her brother passed away.

Ripping off the top of the yogurt, Jules grabbed a spoon and took a couple of large bites. Then she tossed the container into the garbage, wishing she had time to eat the rest. It was vanilla bean—her favorite. She reached for her purse and was about to dart out of the kitchen to go to the garage when the doorbell rang. She let out a groan. “Not now.” Who could be at her house at this time of the morning? It was five fifteen, for goodness’ sake.

The doorbell rang again. This time, more insistent.

Letting out a long sigh, she put down her purse and limped out of the kitchen, going to the front door. She turned on the porch light and looked through the peephole, surprised to see Alyssa Roberts, a fellow nurse at the Westridge Surgical Center where Jules worked.

She opened the door with a greeting, “Hey, what’re you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry to bother you at this time of the morning. I wanted to catch you before you left for work.”

Alyssa’s eyes and mouth were tight, and she was fidgeting with her hands. Jules looked past her, halfway expecting to see Alyssa’s abusive boyfriend lurking somewhere in the darkness. For the past several weeks, they’d been having lengthy conversations about Alyssa’s tumultuous relationship with a guy who was not only verbally abusive but had lost his temper and slapped her around a few times. Once, he’d hit her.

“Would you like to come in?”

“No, that’s okay. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Good to know that Alyssa wasn’t planning to stay long. Jules really did need to get to work.

Alyssa twisted her hands. “I’m finally leaving him.”

Jules blinked, relief spritzing through her. “You are?” She couldn’t count the number of times she’d urged Alyssa to leave her boyfriend. Jules feared the advice had fallen on deaf ears. Alyssa kept insisting that she loved the guy so much that she didn’t have the strength to leave him. Jules was glad to know that something she’d said finally got through.

Jules first broached the topic when she noticed the bruises on Alyssa’s arm. At first, Alyssa claimed that she had a bad habit of bumping into furniture. However, Jules kept asking questions. Alyssa finally broke down and admitted what was happening. Jules urged Alyssa to press charges and get a restraining order against the guy, but Alyssa balked. Then she clammed up, refusing to divulge the man’s name. When Jules questioned if she knew the guy, Alyssa shook her head no and then admitted that she’d met him on a dating app.

That was Alyssa’s first mistake. Call her old-fashioned, but as far as Jules was concerned, it was never wise to date someone you met on an app.

A sad smile overtook Alyssa’s lips. “I kept hoping that he would change …” Her voice dribbled off as she touched her stomach in a protective gesture. “I no longer have the luxury of waiting around for things to be different.”

Jules’s voice shot up an octave. “You’re pregnant?”

“I am.”

“That’s fantastic! Congratulations!” A new life was always something to be celebrated, even though Alyssa was in a precarious situation.

“It is,” Alyssa agreed, a quiet glow settling over her pretty features.

Jules reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You’ll be a great mom.” Maybe some good would come out of the sordid ordeal.

“Thank you.”

“So you’re leaving your boyfriend?” She wanted to hear Alyssa say it once more so she could be reassured that her friend would follow through with her words. Jules could only imagine how vulnerable Alyssa felt right now. The prospect of being a single mom had to be daunting. She didn’t want her friend to slip back into old habits and get back with her boyfriend in a weak moment. Clearly, the guy had some sort of twisted control over Alyssa.

The dull throb in her foot drew her attention. She was reminded that precious time was ticking away. She would certainly be late for work now. Oh, well. LouAnna would just have to get over it. Alyssa obviously needed her right now, or she wouldn’t have shown up at her doorstep at this hour of the morning.

“I am leaving him. In fact, I’m leaving Fort Worth … right now.”

Jules jerked. “You are?” This was a shock. Alyssa was a fixture at the surgical center. In fact, she was the one who trained Jules when she first started working there.

“I just wanted to stop by on my way out of town to tell you thanks for all of those things you said. You’re the one who gave me the courage to leave him.” Her eyes grew misty. “I’ll never forget that.”

“I’m glad I could help. Where will you go?”

“To Glen Rose to spend some time with my parents.” She shrugged. “After that, who knows?” A rigid determination flickered in Alyssa’s blue eyes. “I just want my child to have a good life—away from any type of abuse.”

“Good for you,” Jules punched out and then thought of something else. “Does anyone at the center know that you’re leaving?” A pang went through her chest. Alyssa was her closest friend at work. She’d miss her terribly.

“No.” A shadow passed over her features. “There was no time to tell anyone. I need to leave now—before I lose my nerve.” She fidgeted with her hands as she twisted her foot. “Please don’t tell anyone about this. Not about my boyfriend or me leaving.”

“I won’t say a word.”

A pained expression overtook her face. “I’m just so embarrassed. I never thought I’d be one of those women who got into an abusive relationship.” She bit down on her lower lip as streaks of red tainted her cheeks.

Sympathy rose in Jules’s chest. Alyssa had always struck her as a strong, confident person. But when she came to work with bruises, acting cagey and withdrawn, Jules grew suspicious and started prodding to get to the root of the issue. “You’re stronger than this. Always remember that.” She offered an encouraging smile, grateful that she’d been able to play a small part in helping Alyssa. “You’re getting out, and you’re creating a better life for your child. That speaks volumes.”

Tears filled Alyssa’s eyes. “I’m certainly trying.”

She looked so fragile and vulnerable that Jules’s heart ached for her. Hopefully with time, Alyssa would be able to rebuild her strength and become the strong woman she once was. “Will you make sure to keep in touch … let me know how you’re doing?”

“Of course,” Alyssa promised as they shared a smile.

Jules barked out a short laugh. “I can’t believe you’re leaving.” It was her turn to go teary-eyed. “I’ll miss you.” Talk about something coming out of the blue. She understood the need for Alyssa to leave, but it certainly wasn’t easy to see her go in such an unexpected and abrupt manner.

“I’ll miss you too.”

The two reached for one another and hugged.

“Good luck,” Jules uttered as they disengaged.

“Thanks.” Offering a tremulous smile and wave goodbye, Alyssa turned to go back to her car.

“Safe travels,” Jules called after her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she closed the door and turned to shuffle to the garage.

As rotten luck would have it, she hit every red light on Hulen on her way to the surgical center, making her twenty minutes late. Gah! She prided herself on being punctual and hated this frantic feeling of being behind the eight ball. She went in through the side door and clipped her badge into place so that it wouldn’t swing back and forth.

No surprise, LouAnna was perched behind her desk, looking as stern as ever. She lifted an eyebrow and made a point of glancing at the clock on the wall.

Jules offered a sheepish grin. “Sorry I’m late. I did a number on my pinky toe this morning, and I’m afraid it put me a little behind.”

LouAnna looked surprised and a little quelled but didn’t respond.

Jules limped past and went to the bay, where she grabbed her prep clipboard and glanced at the information to get oriented. She was working OR three today. Her first patient was a forty-two-year-old woman getting a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The good news was that the woman was in good health. It should be routine. Easy in. Easy out.

She took in a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for the task ahead. As the circulating nurse, it was her responsibility to walk the patient to the OR, check ID bands, and go over final prep. However, she found the patient already on the gurney. Mindy, the preop nurse, was talking to the woman and her husband. Kudos to Mindy; she’d already started the IV, had the vitals logged in, and had the woman’s surgical cap in place.

“Hey, you,” Mindy began in a cheery tone. “I knew you’d eventually get here.”

Jules gave Mindy a look that silently conveyed, I owe you one .

Mindy acknowledged it with a subtle wink. A second later, her eyes widened when she realized that Jules was hobbling. “What happened?”

“I had a little disagreement with the chest in my bedroom this morning, and I’m afraid the chest won,” she joked.

Mindy winced. “Sounds painful.”

“It is,” Jules admitted, “but I’ll survive.” She turned her attention to the patient and gave her a warm smile. “I’m Jules, and I will stay with you until you get into the OR.”

The woman was twisting the edge of her gown through her fingers, her large, brown eyes brimming with anxiety. “I’m Lisa. This is my husband, Steve.” Her voice had the same feathery tremble that Jules had heard countless times before. Jules understood the trepidation. The unknown was always the worst part.

Steve was wearing blue jeans and a button-down, short-sleeve shirt with his name embroidered over the breast pocket. Seeing the grease stains around his fingernails, Jules thought he might be an auto mechanic. Steve tossed Jules a curt nod and crossed his beefy arms over his barrel chest. He was nervous too but covered it up with terseness as he regarded her with a cool stare.

Jules leafed through the pages on the clipboard as she moved through the checklist, making sure to keep her voice steady and reassuring. “We’ll take good care of you. Dr. Winslow … err, Dr. Caldwell will be performing your surgery?”

Steve bunched his bushy brows. “Why the sudden change?” He glanced at Lisa before settling his glare at Jules. “I thought Dr. Winslow was doing the surgery.”

“He’s out sick today, but you’re in excellent hands with Dr. Caldwell.” She offered another smile. “We do these procedures all the time.” She caught eyes with Lisa. “The good news is … you’ll be home by dinner, if not sooner.”

Steve grunted. “Dinner, huh?”

Jules felt her skin prickle with irritation over Steve’s adversarial attitude. Even so, she kept her tone upbeat. “Yep, it’s routine surgery. Everything in Lisa’s chart looks great.” She spoke to the patient. “You’ll be back home on the couch and watching your favorite TV shows in no time.”

Steve caught hold of Lisa’s hand. “Maybe we should reschedule. Dr. Winslow came so highly recommended.”

“Dr. Caldwell is also a great surgeon,” Jules said smoothly.

A deep frown folded his mouth as he looked at her foot. “I’m not sure you’re in any condition to be tending to my wife.”

“Luckily, I don’t need my foot to do my job.” She tapped her temple with the tip of her index finger. “I have everything I need in here, and thankfully, that part of my body is working just fine.”

Lisa clipped out a nervous laugh as she glanced at Steve. “Don’t mind him. He’s just a worrier,” she said in a manner that suggested she was used to acting as a buffer between her abrasive husband and others. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, hon.”

Steve pressed his lips together in tight lines.

“I understand your nervousness.” Jules reminded herself of the need to be understanding. Surgery was nerve-wracking for the patients, even though it was routine for her and the other staff members. “But you will be okay,” she stated firmly.

“She’s right, Steve,” Lisa added. “I’ll be just fine. Oh, I almost forgot. We promised to send a picture of us to the kids. Will you take the picture for us?” she asked Jules.

“Sure.”

Steve retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to Jules. He stepped close to Lisa. She smiled, but he remained stoic.

“There you go.” Jules handed him back his phone.

“Steve, will you get one of me and Jules?” She looked at Jules. “If that’s okay.”

Jules glanced at the clock. They still had a couple of minutes to spare. “Of course.”

“I’m a big scrapbooker,” Lisa explained. “I’d be falling down on the job if I didn’t document my first surgery.”

“Well, we can’t have that now, can we? I’m sure you’ll go through it like a champ.” Jules stepped close to Lisa and smiled brightly as Steve snapped the picture.

“Okay, time to go.” Even though it wasn’t easy, Jules smiled at Steve. “I’ll take good care of her. You have my word.”

He locked eyes with Jules. “I’m counting on it.” He leaned over and kissed Lisa on the forehead. “I love you,” he said gruffly.

Her eyes grew dewy. “I love you, back.”

Jules placed the clipboard on the blanket covering Lisa and wheeled her back to the OR, where Dr. Caldwell, the scrub tech, and anesthesiologist were waiting. She patted Lisa’s arm as she met eyes with the staff in an acknowledgment of greeting. “You’re in great hands. I’ll be here when you get out.”

Lisa nodded and then gulped in a quick breath. “Sounds good.”

Five surgeries later, and it was finally time for Jules to go home. Her left foot was the size of a watermelon and on fire. She couldn’t wait to pull off her shoe and put some ice on the injury.