Chapter 2
Kassie entered the kitchen and raced inside, still hearing her daughter crying.
“Mama’s here,” she soothed as she dropped her things and took Tori from his arms, before he left to get changed.
“I already checked,” Chase assured her. “It’s only a bump.”
“See? Daddy says it only needs a kiss,” she said cheerfully. “Shall I kiss it or do you need Boo Boo Bunny?”
“Bunny,” Tori cried as she pointed to her forehead for her mom to kiss it better.
“Oh, you need both, do you? I think you take after Victoria more each day,” she said as she kissed her head and went to the freezer, pulling out the Boo Bunny and handing it to Tori.
The child sniffled and calmed down as Maddie shook her head. “She’s got you wrapped around her little finger,” she said as Kassie sat Tori at her art desk and opened a coloring book. She pulled out a package of glitter crayons and knelt to her level. “Can you draw me a new picture for my office?”
“Yes, Mama,” Tori said, sniffling and holding the cold bunny to her owie.
“Thank you,” Kassie said, fixing her bangs. She turned to find Maddie smiling at her. “What?”
“You remind me of your mama. She’d be proud of you and the life you’ve created here,” Maddie said gently.
“Thanks. I wish I never backed Leo in his company. Maybe then, he’d be here with Catherine and the kids. Melody’s struggling. Emma and Nugget have tried to take her mind off things, but it always ends up in tears. Between Catherine and her, it tears me apart.”
“You can’t control everything,” Maddie advised. “If you refused to back Leo, you know darn well he’d have found someone else. He loves his men. By the way, a Mr. Harold stopped by to see you. He wants you to return his call and asked for a meeting.”
Kassie shook her head. “These darn vendors keep getting more annoying. They know better than to contact me at home unless it’s an emergency.”
“It didn’t sound like a vendor,” she said. “I wrote his number down and left it on your fridge.”
Chase came out of the bedroom, wearing a clean shirt. Kassie walked into his arms, and he hugged her. “How did it go?”
Sighing, she sat at the kitchen table, where Maddie set down two cups of hot tea and a plate of warm biscuits. Joe brought a platter of bacon, and Chase gestured for them to sit while he grabbed everything else.
“It went all right. I got the babies asleep while Catherine comforted Melody. She cried for an hour last night. Carol left dinner for tonight, and I’ll do the remaining laundry when I return.”
Chase frowned. “You’re wearing yourself out,” he warned.
“Samantha planned to go over this afternoon. Lizzy mentioned she made a week’s worth of kid-friendly meals.
Ty will take over two weeks of prepped meals for the freezer.
Bryanna and Tess plan to make breakfast foods and drop them off tomorrow.
Claire and Gabby will visit over the weekend. ”
“I promised Leo I’d watch over her,” she said quietly. “I don’t know which one breaks my heart more. Listening to Melody cry for her Daddy or Catherine calling Leo’s name in her sleep. Have you received any word?”
“They called as Michael picked up Emma for school. Saint said there’s no trace.
They’ve doubled back and spread out to local villages.
Colonel Rutherford replacement has reached out, but Saint doesn’t trust him.
He wants to get Patch and Knight home before Claire and Gabby deliver their babies.
They’re jumping out of their skins, and he says at this point they’re more of a risk than help. ”
“Oh, no. We don’t need to lose them, too,” she said worriedly.
“I know,” Chase said slowly. “Ivan said Victoria got an urgent call and must return to Ireland. When the plane leaves to pick up Patch and Knight, I want to go help find Leo.”
“Chase, no,” Kassie said, shaking her head. “We’ve done this before. It’s bad enough to lose Leo and have the team still over there. I can’t think about possibly losing you, too.”
“It’s the only way Patch can return home. They need someone to act as a medic. Michael has a full load at the clinic. Ahmed can handle everything here with you and Addyson’s help,” Chase said, listing his plans. “Maddie and Joe have agreed to stay here while you help Catherine.”
Kassie took a deep breath. “It seems like you have everything figured out.”
“Leo saved us when we needed help. At least I can bring him home. Catherine and Melody need closure. Even you must see she’s not doing great. I won’t be surprised if Dr. Greene has some concerns,” Chase replied.
Kassie leaned into him. “Catherine barely eats. I know how she feels, but you came back to me. If Leo has a pulse, he’d have made contact by now. He’d fight to come home to Catherine.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s too late, isn’t it?”
Chase stroked her hair. “Princess. The area’s remote. It’s surrounded by multiple villages. People barely have food and fresh water, much less medical supplies. Even if Leo managed to find a villager to help him, the amount of blood at the site…”
“Don’t say anymore,” she pleaded. “I can’t imagine Leo in pain or dying alone. How can one man disappear without a trace?”
Chase kissed her head and rubbed her arms. “I know you don’t want to hear this. Some of the villages can be hostile. Taking an American, especially a soldier’s body, and claiming they killed him, can become bragging rights.”
Shuddering, Kassie grabbed a napkin to wipe her face and blow her nose. “I’m sorry. I guess it’s not breakfast conversation.”
Joe reached across the table and took her hand.
“Get it out now, Little Bit. I know you stay stoic around Catherine. You’re safe here to express your feelings.
It’s not as if we didn’t have the same thoughts ourselves.
Jake and I spoke last night. He wants to figure out something to do besides sitting on our keesters.
Leo’s like a son to him and Carol. They’re devastated. ”
“It won’t do you or Catherine any good to stop eating. Maybe us grans need to make a visit. We’ll see how this doctor visit goes for her today. I’ve learned a few intimidation tactics from Victoria, and I’ll come packed and armed,” Maddie said sternly.
Kassie smiled. “I don’t think anyone can adopt Victoria’s style.”
“Do you want to try me?” Maddie said, arching her brow at her goddaughter.
Kassie picked up her fork and shoveled the eggs into her mouth.
“No, ma’am. I’ll eat my breakfast. Then, I must go into work today.
Addyson and Annabelle have taken over the evening and overnight shifts.
I’m behind on paperwork. I give Catherine something to keep her busy, and I redo it when she goes to bed.
She added two nurses to the night shift, and they haven’t completed orientation training.
She insists on working and doing her part.
I don’t have the heart to tell her no. She needs to feel useful. ”
“When do you expect Ivan to return?” Joe asked, reaching for another biscuit.
“He has his men scouring the villages. They heard rumors of a power takeover. Ivan won’t leave his men until he has things under control. It might be two weeks to a month,” Chase replied, sipping his coffee.
“I wonder what happened to force Victoria to leave and head home,” Kassie pondered. “Did Ivan say?”
“No. He only said it needed her urgent attention. I imagine if it appeared dangerous, Ivan would have accompanied her,” Chase said, watching Tori. “Will you take Tori and the twins to daycare today? I have a meeting at ten and three.”
“Yes,” Kassie informed him. “Samantha and I plan to attend Catherine’s doctor appointment with her. Then, I’m meeting with the evening shift. It seems I have two nurses flirting with one of the veterans and it’s getting out of hand.”
“My word,” Maddie said, shaking her head. “They need something else to keep them busy.”
Kassie shrugged. “I think the patient has gotten a kick out of it. It’s not professional, and if it’s not nipped in the bud, I’ll lose two nurses.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Chase said, frowning. “We’ve remained lucky with hiring a great staff.”
“Lizzy makes sure we keep competitive wages. It helps we offer room and board,” Kassie said. “Gabby said we’re doing better than some hospitals. Our numbers keep climbing, and we have a waiting list.”
“Have you given any thought to adding on to the hospital?” Joe asked.
Kassie shook her head. “We don’t have the space since we added the service and military dog spaces.”
Joe tapped his finger to his chin. “What about building up instead of out? You can keep the original structure and add additional floors. It’ll give you room for more veterans, hiring more staff, and offer more services.”
“I don’t know,” Kassie said, peering at Chase. “I used your design. The hospital grew from you and your father’s dream. What do you want to do?”
Chase picked up his plate, then Maddie and Joe’s, taking them to the dishwasher. “Our dreams have exceeded our expectations. Why don’t we have Gabby run the numbers and then we can consider it?”
“We can name the wing after Leo,” Kassie said thoughtfully. “Then, he’d live on forever.”
“He’ll always be in our hearts,” Maddie reminded her.
“What can we do for the team? Do they need anything? Can we send them over some food or something?” Kassie asked.
Chase rubbed the scruff along his jaw. “They’ll call tomorrow. Bear will tell us what time. You can ask them then.”
“I’ll check on Sophie and John. I never thought I’d say this, but I miss their nighttime feedings,” Kassie said. “It turned into our special time.”
“It’s time you held a meeting with all your friends and take turns with Catherine,” Chase suggested. “You’ve left every night after the kids go to bed since we got the news and stayed with Catherine. At some point, you need stop.”
“I can’t leave her alone,” Kassie murmured. “Maybe you’re right. If we put our heads together, we can figure out something. I’ll admit, I’m not operating with a clear head.”
“I’m afraid none of us are, sweetheart,” Maddie said solemnly. “Leo affected all of us on the mountain. I’m afraid no one else can take his place. Only time will heal our wounds and make the loss feel bearable.”
Nodding, Kassie agreed with the elder’s advice, but it didn’t make it any easier.
Thinking of the pain they must feel over losing their leader, her heart sank.
It appeared the gaping hole in her heart bled for all of them, especially her adopted big brother, Leo.
She’d ensure Catherine and the kids wanted for nothing.
After all, none of them would be here without Leo.