Chapter 8 #2
“Easier said than done,” she muttered. Then she took a deep breath. “How is everyone there? How’s Ember doing? I know Doc wasn’t that thrilled he had to leave her so soon after she got shot.”
“She’s good. The other women basically sat on her to make her behave and follow the doctor’s orders to take it easy.”
Sierra chuckled, and Grover’s muscles slowly relaxed. He didn’t like that she was struggling with getting back to her life, but he wasn’t surprised.
“I looked up her Instagram account. She really did post my picture!” Sierra said, the surprise easy to hear in her tone.
“Yup.”
“It’s pretty amazing that some people actually said they remembered me. The soldiers who’d been stationed at the base, I mean. I wasn’t there that long before I was taken.”
“You’re memorable, Bean.”
“I know you aren’t making fun of my size, are you?” she threatened.
“Me? Would I do that?”
“Well, since you’re a giant, you might.”
He loved this. The teasing. “Fee-fi-fo-fum,” he joked.
She giggled. “But seriously, her gym sounds amazing. I love that she wants to give back to the kids in the area. That’s why I accepted the job in Afghanistan in the first place. Because I wanted to give back to my country.”
An idea formed in Grover’s head. He probably should talk to Ember first, but he was fairly certain she wouldn’t have any issue with what he was about to propose. “You know, Ember could use some help.”
“Help? With what?” Sierra asked.
“The gym. The kids.”
Sierra laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m no Olympian. Not even close.”
“You don’t have to be. The kids aren’t either. She really does need help. Obviously, you don’t have to make a decision right now but…it’s another reason for you to come to Texas.”
“I thought maybe you’d regret inviting me by now.”
Grover didn’t hear any teasing in her voice this time. “No way. If it wouldn’t have made me look like a douchecanoe, I’d have insisted you come to Killeen with us, instead of going back to Colorado.”
“I needed to see my parents.”
“I know.” And he did.
“But I have a feeling two weeks will be more than enough time for me to spend here. If you can do it, I’d love to meet you in New Mexico.”
“Done,” Grover said, his heart lightening.
“But you probably won’t recognize me,” Sierra said with a little laugh.
“I think my dad has taken it upon himself to personally see that I gain back all the weight I lost. I swear, there’s more doughnuts and cookies in this house than I’ve ever seen before.
And my mom wants to buy me a whole closet full of clothes.
But of course, I don’t want to buy anything right now because I’ll grow out of them if I gain the weight my dad has planned for me. ”
“I’ll recognize you,” Grover said without a trace of doubt in his tone. “Just be sure to gain weight the right way. Eating fatty foods isn’t the right way, in case you were wondering.”
“I know. I saw a nutritionist after I went to the doctor. She pretty much told me what you did. Eat lots of smaller meals. Lots of protein, not a ton of fatty foods, and carbs are fine.”
“What’d the doc say?”
“All things considered, I’m good. He says that when I gain weight, my period should start again.
My blood pressure is a bit low, but he wasn’t surprised.
I’m a little anemic, I have asthma now from breathing in all that dirt and dust all the time.
I’ve got some funky skin lesions that should clear up with antibiotics, and he recommends that I steer clear of large gatherings until my immune system builds itself back up. But otherwise, I’m fine.”
Grover sighed. He didn’t like most of what she’d said, but wasn’t all that surprised. “That’s good, Bean.”
“Other than your ribs, are you good? What about that cut on your head?” she asked.
“I’m fine. Promise.”
“Did I thank you for coming to find me?” Sierra asked quietly.
“Yes.”
She harrumphed. “I don’t think I did. No one has ever sacrificed so much for me before.”
“I didn’t sacrifice anything,” Grover protested.
“You did,” she insisted. “You could’ve died.”
“But I didn’t. Here’s the thing, Sierra. I like you. A lot. And the last thing I want is you feeling gratitude for me. You needed help, and I was in a position to offer it. That’s done. We’re moving on.”
Grover worried when she didn’t immediately comment, thinking he’d gone too far. That he’d pushed her too hard.
“I like you too,” she told him. “But I can’t just forget what you did.
It’s not like you held a door open for me or bought me flowers.
You got yourself freaking kidnapped without even knowing if you’d find me.
I could’ve been in Iraq, or Iran, or buried ten feet under the desert.
You had no way of knowing if I was even alive, and yet you still went and did something unbelievable to try to find me. ”
“I knew you were alive,” Grover said. “Don’t ask me how, but I did.
It was a feeling deep down inside. Most people would say there’s no way I could know, but I was confident enough in my feelings to do what I did.
You and I will always have a special bond, Sierra.
One forged in dark nights in that cave, holding hands and talking.
I won’t deny that I’d love to see if we could have more…
but if friendship is all that grows between us, I’ll take it. ”
Once again, Sierra didn’t immediately reply. He was getting used to her way of thinking things over before speaking. He liked it, even as it unnerved him.
“I…I’d like to start with friendship,” she said. “I just feel so off, I can’t imagine even attempting anything more right now.”
“And I wouldn’t ask you to,” Grover reassured her. “You take all the time you need, Bean. I’ll be here for you.”
“I’m not saying never, just…not right this second. Besides, I’m here and you’re there.”
“Yup, but the invitation is open for you to come to Texas, remember? You can work with Ember, live wherever you want, and I still want to take you on that date I promised.”
“Sitting in your barn, right?” she asked with a laugh.
“Yup.”
“Oh, you charmer, you.”
Grover chuckled. “Wait until you see the view. I promise you’ll be impressed.”
“I have no doubt. I do have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“This Tex guy…he’s definitely on the up and up?”
“Absolutely. He’s a medically retired Navy SEAL who has helped more people than I can count out of dire situations.”
“And my phone really does have a tracker in it?”
“I’m sure it does, yes. There’s a team of SEALs out in California, friends of his, who kept having issues with their women disappearing.
So now he kind of goes overboard with that tracking stuff.
I have a feeling his computer screen in his office probably looks like a plane radar.
With all sorts of blinking lights indicating where all his people are.
” Then Grover thought of something. “Why? Is something wrong? Do you not feel safe?”
“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “But when I finally looked at the contact list, there’s way more people in there than just your team and their wives.”
“Like who?” Grover asked.
“Ghost, Fletch, Truck, Wolf, Abe, Cookie, Rocco, Phantom, Logan, Rex, Bull…to name just a few. Oh, and he sent me an email just yesterday, reminding me that he’s added Brick, Tonka, Spike, Pipe, Owl, Stone, and Tiny…
the guys who run The Refuge, in case I have any questions for them before I head down to New Mexico. ”
Grover couldn’t help but laugh. “Looks like he covered all his bases,” he told her.
“But I don’t know any of these people. Why would I get in touch with them?”
“Here’s the thing about Tex…when I say he knows people, he knows people. And not a single one of them would hesitate to drop everything to come to your aid if you let them know you needed it.”
“Do you know them all?”
“No. Some, yes, but not all of them. But if Tex thinks enough of them to put their numbers in your phone, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to any of them if I needed help. And more importantly, if you needed help.”
“I’m kinda overwhelmed.”
“Just go with it,” Grover suggested.
“You guys are all pretty protective, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Grover said without feeling an ounce of regret. “We spend our lives doing what we can to help others. Whether that’s a person who’s been taken against their will, or in a more abstract way, by tracking down terrorists who might someday plan an attack that could kill hundreds or thousands.”
“Well, I have to say I’m happy to be included in with those you’ve helped.”
“Me too,” Grover told her. “What do you have on tap for tomorrow?”
They talked for another hour and a half.
And for a man who didn’t particularly like talking on the phone, Grover didn’t even realize how much time had passed.
When he heard Sierra yawn, and he looked at the clock, he saw that it was after midnight in Killeen.
She was an hour behind him, but still, she needed to make sure she got plenty of sleep.
“I’m gonna let you go, Bean.”
She sighed. “Okay. You gonna be able to sleep?”
“Of course.” It was a little lie. He had no idea if he’d wake up covered in sweat and calling Sierra’s name, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. She had enough on her plate to deal with. “I’ll talk with Brick tomorrow, see about moving our visit up,” he told her.
“Are you sure it’ll be okay?”
“Yes.”
“All right. I’ll talk to my parents about it then. Grover?”
“Yeah?”
“It was good to talk to you tonight. I feel as if I can tell you anything. Talking on the phone with you, sitting in my dark room…it’s kinda like when we were back in that cave.”
“Except back then, I could touch you,” Grover said.
“I liked that.”
“Me too. And you can call whenever you want.”
“Okay.”
“Let me know how tomorrow’s chat with the Denver Post reporter goes.”
“I will. I wasn’t going to do any interviews, but I kinda figured if I got it out of the way, maybe it would calm everyone down.”
“Possibly,” Grover agreed. “Besides, the day after, someone famous will do something stupid and you’ll be day-old news.”
“From your lips, to God’s ears,” Sierra quipped.
“Sleep well, Bean. Thanks for calling. I needed to hear from you, to know you were all right.”
“Same. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Later.”
“Bye.”
Grover hung up and stared out at the dark night.
He could hear the crickets even through the sliding windows.
They were loud out in the middle of nowhere, like he was.
He’d worked hard and saved for a long time to be able to afford this house.
It was too big for him, but Grover liked his space.
The kitchen was top of the line, had an open concept, five bedrooms, an office, and a huge media room.
The barn was mostly for show, he hadn’t planned on getting any horses or livestock.
But he loved how it looked, and the memories of his friends helping him raise it would last a lifetime.
Looking around his house now, though, Grover realized he was lonely.
He was thirty-three. Not exactly old, but given how content and happy his friends were, it struck him even harder how alone he really was.
Remembering Sierra’s story about Betty, how she’d found love at seventy-two, made him smile, but it also hammered home the fact that he didn’t want to be like her.
He wanted to find a woman to love and cherish. Wanted to laugh with her and live life.
Was Sierra that woman? Grover was pretty sure she was.
If she gave him half a chance, he’d do his best to show her that he could make her happy.
That they could be good together. He respected and admired the fact that she didn’t want to jump into a relationship right now.
She’d been through something traumatic and needed to concentrate on her own mental health.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be her friend.
Couldn’t show her the kind of life she could have by his side.
Maybe the connection they had was only because of circumstances. Maybe when they spent time together on more even footing, where she wasn’t the rescuee and he the rescuer, they’d realize they didn’t click like they had back in Afghanistan.
Then again, maybe they’d find they had an even deeper bond than the one he’d already felt growing.
Time would tell, and Grover had to be patient.
He wasn’t very good at that though. Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the stairs.
He wasn’t cleared to participate in PT, but he was still going to meet with the team while they worked out.
Four-thirty would come early, but Grover hoped that because it was so late, he’d fall asleep quickly and not have any nightmares.
Now that he’d talked to Sierra, had found out firsthand how she was doing… he should be fine.
And in two weeks, he’d get to see her again.
Commander Robinson had already approved his leave, he just needed to get it switched to two weeks earlier.
Grover didn’t think it would be an issue.
Their commander was a good man who cared about the mental health of his soldiers as much as he did their physical health.
Grover would also talk to Doc and Ember about the possibility of Sierra working at The Modern Kid, her gym.
Sierra was right in that she didn’t have any knowledge of the modern pentathlon sport, but he was confident Ember could still use the help with the children.
Attitude and enthusiasm were more important than technical knowledge at this point.
He smiled, thinking about Sierra hanging out with Ember, Kinley, Aspen, and the other women. He had no doubt they’d get along. They’d all been through their own kinds of hell and would welcome Sierra with open arms.
He had no idea what would happen after their trip to New Mexico, but for now, all Grover could think about was seeing Sierra again.
Talking to her on the phone was great. Amazing.
But seeing her in person would be even better.
He’d do his best to be the friend she needed, certain this connection they felt wasn’t going to fade.
In fact, he had a hunch it would only get stronger as they continued to get to know each other.
Two weeks.
It seemed like an eternity, but good things come to those who wait, and Grover was willing to wait as long as it took for Sierra to see him as someone she might want to spend the rest of her life with.