Chapter Thirteen
When they made it out of the airport and into Red’s SUV, she opted to sit in the back with Thalia to catch up.
Palm trees blurred past as they took the highway out of San Diego.
Blue skies stretched overhead and even though Thalia had mentioned it was a short drive to the Coronado Bridge, she was still surprised by how quickly it came up.
The San Diego Bay stretched silver and blue beneath the curved concrete structure.
As they drove, Thalia pointed out several cruise ships out the driver’s side window, then sail boats moored in the water on the other side.
Red told her about the naval base with its eight military facilities, one of which the men trained at.
As they exited the bridge, the road flattened, and palm trees stood sentry in front of residential homes and condominiums.
“We can take the trolley downtown and do some exploring.” Sully grinned at her from the front. “Spend an afternoon at the beach or biking along the Silver Strand.”
“I’m looking forward to all of it, once your doctor clears you for physical activity.” Jane couldn’t get enough of Sully’s warm, wide grins.
His phone rang, and he broke their gaze to look down at the screen.
“Shit. Bentley’s calling me.” The carefree expression was replaced by something darker, and the pain in his eyes was a punch to the gut.
She hated the thought that Bentley might’ve been eager for someone as compassionate and honorable as Sully to die just so he could have the life insurance policy to clean up a mess he’d made.
She couldn’t imagine how Sully felt about their suspicions.
Jane couldn’t take her eyes off Sully. His muscles seemed to clench and cord beneath his shirt, the planes of his face hardened, and his jaw ticked as he froze in place, staring down at the ringing device.
Finally, he held the phone up to his ear. Red slowed the car and pulled over on the side of the road. He killed the engine and shifted in his seat.
“Hey, Bentley.” Sully’s voice was far calmer and more collected than his outward appearance. “Yeah, I’ve been discharged.”
Her scalp tingled and heat rushed through her.
She couldn’t hear a word Bentley was saying, but that didn’t stop the anger from flushing through her.
He should be back in Las Vegas with his tail tucked between his legs.
A court of law would say innocent until proven guilty, but she’d seen the gleam in his eye when he left Sully’s ICU room.
The way he demanded they all leave the hospital to get lunch.
She pressed her teeth together as the conversation continued.
“No, I’m not up for visitors. Besides, the four-hour drive from Vegas would be a total waste. I’ll be in and out of appointments for the next few weeks.”
She felt like jumping out of her seat and flinging the phone onto the sandy sidewalk. The car was silent as Sully listened to whatever Bentley was saying. It wasn’t long before something dangerous flashed over his face. “Why?” he barked.
She strained to make out what Bentley was saying, but the conversation was muffled.
“That’s funny.” The words sounded pulled from somewhere deep in Sully’s throat.
“Especially because she was at my side the entire time at the hospital. Do me and the rest of our family a favor, yeah? Get your shit straightened out.” Sully took the phone away from his ear and tapped the screen, ending the call.
“Apparently, Bentley called the hospital this morning to see how I was doing and the attending nurse told him my care had been transferred to a different medical facility closer to home.”
“Shit. So much for patient confidentiality,” Red muttered. “I’ll fill Jude in after we drop you off.” He eased the car back onto the road.
Silence settled over the SUV, but her heart was thundering so loudly she was sure the others could hear it.
Who would disclose that kind of information, especially to someone who’s not allowed to visit the patient?
She’d call the hospital to file a formal complaint.
The information shared could put Sully in danger.
She replayed the conversation in her head—what she heard of it at least. Bentley had mentioned her too, and by Sully’s reaction it was some disparaging remark.
He’d instantly jumped to her defense, but she still worried about what Bentley had unearthed about her past.
She wasn’t trying to keep secrets from Sully, but she wanted it to come from her.
Red turned on his directional, taking a left down a long drive centered between two rows of townhomes.
Vibrant red hibiscus flowers bloomed alongside stout palms that lined the drive.
The car slowed to a stop, and Red shifted the vehicle into park.
“Is there anything we can do to help you get settled?” Red had turned in his seat to face her.
She shook her head, glancing up at Sully who stared straight ahead, and her heart sank.
“We grabbed you some groceries to hold you over.” Thalia offered her a hug before they all exited the SUV.
The four of them walked up to the door, and Red insisted on checking the house before they settled in.
After thanking them for the ride and the groceries, she walked them to the door and promised to call in the morning.
She found Sully in the living room, leaning into his crutches as he stared at a family photo on the wall. Her stomach dropped as she followed his line of sight to a photograph of his mother, father, four gorgeous girls, and two sunny-haired boys.
She approached, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek into his strong, solid back, offering quiet comfort. They stood there for several moments as she tried to absorb some of the pain she could feel pumping off him in currents.
“I always wanted a brother. Especially with four sisters.” His voice was hoarse.
“And when Mom and Dad told us we were going to have a new baby in the family, it was like Christmas morning. I got such a kick out of my role as big brother. I helped Dad scrape all the wallpaper out of the spare room and paint it green. I insisted we had some kind of psychic bond and that green was his favorite color. I went shopping with Mom and the girls for onesies and rattles.” His voice was thick with emotion, and she wished she could do something to ease the emotional toll of his brother’s actions.
“When we were kids, we did everything together. Even though there’s a five-year age gap, he was my best friend.
He was always competitive. Never one to lose gracefully.
If he came in last at Chutes and Ladders, it was because I cheated.
If he got in trouble, something I did inevitably caused it.
” He shook his head, and she dropped her arms from around his waist to smooth them up and over his stiff back.
“I wish I could say it hadn’t driven a wedge between us, but by middle school I was spending more time with my football friends then Bentley.
Hell, I spent more time with Mary, Liza, Jenni, and Bree.
He began getting into more trouble, but he could never take ownership of his actions.
He’d always shift the blame, telling my parents it was their fault for loving me and the girls more, for putting me on a pedestal he could never live up to.
I hated that he felt that way. Tried to see things from his point of view, but my parents weren’t the type to play favorites.
He called me Golden Boy. Still does when he wants to make a point or piss me off.
My dad was an Army Ranger, but he was a fair man who expected his children to have good values.
Mom has a big heart and was always taking in stray animals.
When Dad retired from serving, he wanted Mom to have her dream of owning an animal sanctuary, so we spent the other half of our childhood growing up with donkeys, horses, llamas.
You name it, and chances were, it was in our backyard.
” He chuckled, but the sound held none of its typical mirth.
She hugged him again, squeezing him a bit harder, and he leaned into her touch, letting her take a bit of his weight.
She loved that about him. He would hesitate to share whatever burden he was carrying, whether it was emotional or physical.
It made her feel like part of a team. Let her know that Sully trusted her to have his back, just as he would have hers.
“Sorry, I’m rambling now. I’m trying to make sense of everything.
I don’t know if it’s jealously, spite, vying for my parents’ undivided attention, or what, but I never thought he hated me.
What kind of brother must I have been for my baby brother to hate me?
” He used the crutches to help him turn so he was facing her.
The devastation on his face made the breath catch in her throat.
She reached up, burying her fingers in the coarse blond beard that had grown during his time in the hospital. “You can’t take responsibility for his actions or his feelings. I can’t pretend to know what that feels like, because I was an only child, but I can imagine it hurts.”
“Yeah.” The breath he seemed to be holding rushed from his lungs. “I keep hoping everything was a big misunderstanding, but I know it’s not. I heard it in his voice on the phone today. The hate. The bitter disappointment that I was discharged.”
“Then we made the right decision coming here. Your focus needs to be on you right now. Healing. Getting back to doing the things you love.” She removed her hands from his face, instantly missing the contact. “Why don’t we sit on the couch so you can get off your leg?”
“I haven’t shown you around.” Sully smiled and the relief that stemmed through her was palpable. He was resilient. His brother wasn’t going to break his spirit.