Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Blakely had driven him to physical therapy and after his session they were headed to the Museum of Natural History. It had been years since he’d gone to a museum though he loved them. He was really looking forward to spending the day with her.
The physical therapist, Amira, was a woman who seemed to enjoy torturing him. She’d informed him she used to be Navy but got out to become a physical therapist. He was doing one of the exercises when she smiled sadistically at him.
“My little brother is a SEAL. It gives me great pleasure to torture you.”
“Oh, really. Did you follow him into the Navy?”
“No, the squirt followed me. Couldn’t let me shine on my own.”
“Interesting. Who is he?”
“His name is David. I have no idea what your nickname is for him. Here, let me show you a photo.” Amira whipped out her phone and clicked on the screen a few times before turning it to face him. “This is David.”
“Oh, I work with him. That’s Bang.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why do you call him Bang?”
“Because he threw a flash bang in training and it bounced back at us.”
She smirked. “That sounds like him. I mean I love him, but he’s ten years younger than me and was a pain in my ass when we were kids. I guess he grew up well, but I still see him as the little kid who liked to annoy the heck out of me.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“That’s good to hear. When he first went into the Navy, I worried about him. He was such a skinny little kid when he turned eighteen, I thought for sure he would be eaten up and spat out like chewing gum.”
Jump laughed. “I was woefully unprepared.”
“Well, you ended up in a good place. If you like that kind of thing.”
“I do.”
“Hey, is that your girlfriend out there? She can come in here if she wants. The place is empty today, so she won’t get in the way.”
He glanced out and spied Blakely with her forehead crinkled in concentration. “When she looks up, I’ll wave her in.”
“You keep doing your exercises and I’ll ask if she wants to join you. You’re almost done. Just need to ice your arm.”
Blakely laughed at something Amira said as they stepped into the room. They seemed to instantly get along. He smiled as they approached.
“You shouldn’t be smiling,” Amira said. “Maybe I’m getting soft. I should make sure to up your exercises.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Seeing Blakely makes me smile. You could be torturing me and I’d still smile.”
Amira shook her head and Blakely put her hand on his good shoulder. Warmth spread through him. He liked having her close like this.
“Amira said you were almost done.”
He nodded. “She told me that, too, unless she decides to do more sadistic stuff.”
Amira laughed and pulled an ice pack from the chest in the corner. “It’s time for ice. Take an anti-inflammatory. I need the swelling to go down.”
“I’ll make sure he takes something.”
“Good. Keep him honest about what he’s doing. Military guys tend to overdo it and end up worse off than they were before.”
Jump huffed out a breath. “You know, I’m right here.”
Amira raised her eyebrows. “I have a brother who is Navy, and I was Navy. I know how you all are.”
He laughed then sighed as pain traveled up his arm to his neck. He needed this to heal fast, or he would end up in real trouble.
After his appointment they headed to the museum. It was fun watching Blakely get excited when they entered a new exhibit room. She loved the gems and the fossils. She stayed in the whale room for a long time.
“I had no idea whales were so big.”
“They are huge. I was on a ship early in my career and we spotted whales to the south. It was amazing. They were so big and beautiful.”
“Did you like living on a ship?”
“Heck no. I put up with it when I have to, but I don’t like it.”
“Do you have to spend much time on ships?”
He shook his head. “Not as a SEAL. I mean, we got to see the world, but most of what we saw was water. Did you know that less than thirty percent of the world is land? The rest of the surface is water. Everywhere.”
“That’s wild. I guess I really haven’t seen much of the world. The first time I saw the ocean was after I escaped. I was in San Francisco. It was so much bigger than I thought, and I guess it’s really a lot bigger.”
“The world is a huge place. I don’t think people really grasp how big it is.”
“Did you ever feel lost, insignificant when you were out there?”
He shrugged. “Not really.”
“When I was younger, I’d go outside at night and stare up at the stars. I felt so small. My parents didn’t let us do it, so it was always something I snuck around to do.”
“Dang, I can’t imagine parents stopping a child from being curious.”
“Watching the stars promoted idle time and thinking. We weren’t supposed to ask questions, and the stars promote questions.”
“That’s just insane.”
She nodded. “It was. They didn’t make the best decisions. Cults do that. I think I need to study what has been written about cults before I do more writing on my own.”
“I don’t know.”
“But why should anyone listen to me?”
“Because your perspective is good. People don’t need information only from professionals, they need to hear what it was like for you.”
“I want to do the subject justice.”
“I’m sure you will. Plus, there will be edits.”
A shudder shook her and he stepped closer, putting his arm around her. It felt good holding on to her.
“Edits? I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“I’m sure the book will be wonderful. And I’m sure you’ll work hard to make it good. You can certainly read some stuff about cults, pick up books and see what else had been said. But your experience is valid.”
She nodded and moved around the room to look at another exhibit. “I understand. I just feel like I’m not qualified.”
“You experienced it all firsthand, so it’s valid.”
They moved back to the gem exhibit, and she stood in front of an amethyst display. “Thank you for being so supportive. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
She glanced up, and heat slid through him. He wanted to get her home and get her undressed, but he wasn’t going to rush her. They had time to make love, and anticipation would just make it sweeter.