Chapter 8 Sev
Sev
It had been almost a full month since he’d spoken to Kelsey.
Stepping down out of the aircraft and onto the tarmac, he followed his unit back inside after a long, brutal training.
She’d been right in her assessment, and it had been clear to Sev within days of arrival that they weren’t looking to see how talented he was at his job, but what kind of leader he’d be.
Thanks to that little heads up, he felt like he was able to crush it.
Following directions into the station, he was pleased to feel the first touch of air conditioning against his skin.
He’d been someplace… warm, and was now in a place…
a little less warm. Before, he wasn’t able to reach out to anyone at all.
Now that they’d been moved, it was a possibility again, though he had to remain mission-focused.
Still, the thought of seeing the blonde bombshell just on the other end of the line brought his life into focus in ways he’d not given much thought to before.
There was no question he wanted more of Kelsey, and he knew there had to be a way to make what they had work.
They were attracted to each other, and while he knew she was shy to the idea of a long-distance relationship thanks to her ex-fiancé, Sev thought he might be able to convince her to give it a try.
The question was, what was the next step?
In the grand scheme of things, they weren’t as far apart as they could be.
New York City was a long drive, but he could easily make a trip to visit her once a month.
Plus, if she wanted to come up, he’d be sure to make himself available for her.
It wouldn’t be every weekend, since he was still with an active unit that liked to deploy.
But most of the time, they could plan around that.
And if they tried, they really could have those quick date nights playing mini-golf she liked to talk about.
Walks on the beach. Dancing in the first snowfall of the season.
Long mornings in bed followed by brunch.
He wanted it all with her.
After a quick stop for chow, he found himself back in his room, alone for the first time in days. Not hesitating to pull up his phone, he figured he’d drop her a courtesy text to make sure she was available to talk. However, his heart got in the way.
I miss you.
He was pleasantly surprised when he heard back from her instantly.
I miss you too!
By his calculations, it was nearing three in the afternoon, her time. Kelsey was generally in classes all afternoon, so he wondered what was wrong.
What are you doing out of class?
A lot has happened.
He didn’t like the sound of that at all.
Can you talk?
Give me a sec.
He watched the three dots settle down as his thumb impatiently hovered over the call button.
He was lucky he didn’t have to share his room this time around like everyone else, just the luck of being, quite literally, the odd man out.
But still, patience wasn’t in his wheelhouse, even if he knew he wasn’t going to have to limit his time with her thanks to a roommate coming in and wanting some shuteye.
Shuteye was overrated. He didn’t need that nearly as much as he needed Kelsey.
Okay, I’m ready.
Pressing his finger to the screen, he heard the all-familiar sound of the phone ringing before the black screen filled with her lovely face.
“Hey,” she said, smiling. She seemed to be genuinely glad to see him, but there was something else going on in her expression. She looked tired. And, taking in the wall behind her, which looked sterile, he realized he’d never seen it before. Was that in her apartment somewhere?
“Hey,” he said. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too.” She smiled softly at him. “It’s been a really chaotic month without you.”
“What’s happened, sweetheart?” He couldn’t help the worry starting to creep up in his voice. She looked like she’d had the life drained from her. Her posture wasn’t quite as erect as normal, and her hair was pulled back quickly like she hadn’t been paying attention.
She rolled her eyes. “How can you always tell when something’s wrong?”
“Uh, because I have eyes?” he suggested, eliciting another smile, though his stomach was starting to churn. He didn’t like her upset. “I feel like I’ve missed something important.”
“It’s nothing to worry about,” she said, the catch in her voice not convincing him at all. “You need to remain mission-focused.”
“Kels, life happens regardless of my mission,” he informed her, knowing that she was aware they were trained on that. “And if you don’t tell me right now, I’m calling your dad.”
She chuckled, but no laughter touched her eyes. “Well, it’s kinda about him.”
Suddenly, he realized why that wall behind her looked so sterile. White. Old pictures of abstract landscapes that hadn’t been updated since probably the nineties. A chipped, plastic chair she was trying to get comfortable in. “Are you in a hospital?”
She nodded her head sadly. “Just after you left, my dad found out he had to have surgery. It’s bad.”
He sat back, his eyes and ears attuned to nothing but her as she vaguely described what was going on.
She didn’t have to say what ailed the Admiral, as her hints made it obvious.
And honestly, the fact that she was discussing it at all wasn’t great.
The last thing that needed to get out in the ranks was anything about a superior officer getting sick.
The fact that she trusted him not to breathe a word of something so big humbled him all over again.
“We’re in treatment now,” she said, looking around the room like she’d done it a thousand times. “He’s strong, so they decided to take an aggressive approach.”
“Have you been there the whole time?” If that was the case, she’d been out of school for a month, which meant she couldn’t be continuing her degree program.
Could it?
To his surprise, or maybe not, given how much her father meant to her, she nodded in confirmation. “He told me the weekend before he was having surgery, so I was able to go back to the City that Monday and make arrangements.”
“Are you still in your program?” he asked, knowing how much being an art therapist meant to her. How hard she’d been working, and how frustrated she’d been.
“Well, that’s the funniest thing out of it all,” she said. “I reached out to all of my professors and told them what was happening. All but two offered to work with me, letting me watch their lectures online, and allowing me to remote in when I came home for my dad’s treatments.”
“All but two…” he repeated. “What happened to the others?”
“Oh, them?” She laughed with an edge of disgust. “They told me that I’d signed up for the class as it was, I needed to either show up or drop out.”
“Did they know what you were going through?” The idea that anyone, much less two people, could be so heartless made Sev ready to leap through the phone, kiss the devil out of Kelsey, and then go on a crusade to avenge her.
“They knew every last detail. I made sure of it,” she said with a twist of her mouth. “One professor told me that she’d had a loved one go through something similar.”
“And she still wouldn’t help you?”
“Nope,” Kelsey said, popping the P. “But it got me thinking. Art is about beauty, and therapy is about healing. How could I look to someone like that to teach me anything?”
Leave it to her to see the big picture. “So what happened?”
“I quit,” she said, not a hint of regret in her tone.
“I dropped those two courses and wrote to the dean’s office, letting them know exactly the situation I faced and why.
Now that my course load is lighter, I’m able to really devote my time to these other classes, and things are working out better than before. ”
“Your grades are up?”
“I’ve got a high three-point GPA.” She grinned.
He sat back in his seat, marveling at how well she’d handled everything. She looked like the all-consuming worry about school had subsided. No doubt the situation had caused her to shift her focus, but the moves she made had her coming out on top like a boss. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you,” she said, grinning back at him. “I’m proud of myself, too.”
“How is your dad doing?” he tried to ask tactfully. Just like his deployments, he knew straight away she couldn’t give him too much detail.
Her father wouldn’t want that, and above that, it wasn’t his business.
But his business was her, and he needed to know how she was holding up. He needed her to know that he cared.
“It’s a long road,” she said, sighing to herself. “We’ve been at this for a few weeks now, and it’s looking good, just… hard.”
“I know, babe,” he said, the term of endearment rolling off his tongue. His chest squeezed around his heart, and he hated being so far away from her. “I’m going to have service from here on out, so I want you to call me, day or night, whenever you need anything.”
“I will,” she promised. He knew she was beyond capable, but he hated that she’d operated with this for so long on her own. Trying to be strong for her father, for herself. “I appreciate you being there.”
“I have an idea,” he said, hating even more now to be apart from her. “I should be home soon, and I’ve got some time off coming. What would you say to me coming down for a visit? We could grab dinner, or I can take you out for some mini-golf.”
Her face lit up at the idea, but just as quick, it dimmed, and Sev felt his heart take a ride on that rollercoaster.
“I would love to, really,” she began. “But Dad’s going to be in treatment through the summer. He can’t be around anyone who isn’t immediate family because of the germs. And I’m staying with him now in Newport, so I can’t either.”
Crud. He hadn’t given that a thought. Of course, he hadn’t really known too many people in his life who were fighting the battle that the Admiral was. Slowly, he nodded his head in understanding.