“There’s a woman here, a patient. She’s a long-time resident. I volunteer to visit with her. She really likes Brody and Canine Nine when I bring them to her room. I see some progress in her and yet this guy, Patch, warned me off. He says we can’t save everyone,” Cole vented.
Cookie listened to his rant. “Do you believe she’s worth saving?”
“Hell, yeah, I do,” he said vehemently.
Cookie paused and spoke to Fiona, excusing himself from the room.
“Do you remember how I met Fiona?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Cole said, wiping his forehead.
“I gave you the condensed version. Those assholes hurt her and drugged her. I traipsed through the jungle with Fiona while she went through withdrawal. She begged me to leave her behind if she slowed me down,” Cookie admitted.
“Shit,” Cole muttered.
“When we got to our safe house, we treated her for the drugs. She tried escaping. After I convinced her to come home with me, she went to the mall with the women and freaked out. She hid in a hotel room, believing they found her again. Tex became her only lifeline until I returned home and got to her. Maybe you’re this woman’s lifeline,” he suggested.
“Can I ask a favor of you? Do you think Fiona might talk with her? Sometimes I glance at her and see stark fear. If only I could find a way to reach her…” his voice drifted off.
“I don’t think the hospital will approve such a visit. Let me talk to Fiona and maybe we can come for a weekend. Whatever you do, don’t give up,” Cookie encouraged him.
“I won’t,” he promised while scratching behind Brody’s ear. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Anytime. Show them what you’re made of Cole. You’ve got this,” he said before disconnecting the call.
Cole put away his phone and leaned against his truck. Hannah’s eyes came to mind, and he knew without a doubt he’d continue to fight for her.
Entering the facility, he made his way back to the chaos. The guys hauled the kids out of the pool and dried them off. Shadow spoke quietly with Tommy away from the group. How can such an accepting group advise him against the woman he looked forward to seeing at the end of his day?
Patch’s hand clasped his shoulder. “Listen, I owe you an apology. I’m probably the negative Nelly among this group of do-gooders. Leo caught us up on what happened on your tour. I understand your loss since I lost my entire unit. When I arrived here, I pushed everyone away. Claire saw me. Maybe you see Hannah. I don’t want you to leave because of a bad experience here. We need you.”
“Ha,” Cole grunted. “Since I arrived, I’ve attacked a Russian and got held at knifepoint by his mafia wife. Let’s not forget I sparred with a blind woman and got the shit kicked out of me.”
Leo’s daughter, Melody, tugged on Cole’s shirt. “Excuse me. We have a rule around here about saying bad words. You owe us five bucks,” she said, holding her hand out.
“Can’t you give him a break? He’s the new guy,” Patch attempted to dissuade the little girl.
Her eyes zeroed in on her Uncle Patch. “Daddy says you’ll say anything to get out of trouble. We treat everyone fairly. Sorry, Uncle Cole, pay up.”
He dug out his wallet and placed a five in her hand.
Her eyes lit up and she grinned from ear to ear. “Yay, thank you for providing money for our pizza and ice cream party.” She turned toward the group of kids and waved the cash in her hands. “I caught Uncle Cole saying one curse word. See, Gran Victoria was right, we’ll have our money by the end of the day.”
The men glanced up to see the woman holding the pretty tumbler Cole gave her. Victoria lifted it, toasted them, took a sip, and smiled.
“You don’t have to worry about me, man. You hurt Ivan. Consider yourself Victoria’s victim,” Patch whispered as he gave her a chin lift. “Cover your balls.”
“But I apologized and gave her the mug,” Cole insisted.
Patch chuckled and walked off, leaving Cole to his imagination.
The family gathered at the table. He sat at the opposite end, feeling like the odd man out as Joe sat at the head of the table. Everyone clasped hands, including the children.
“Today, we gather here to give our thanks for another year together. The empty chair represents Debbie and her daughter. They may not be here with us physically, but they’re here in spirit. Tomorrow we’ll gather at the hospital and celebrate the day with the staff and patients. I can’t tell you how proud I am of each of you for the community we have built here. We welcome Cole and his buddy, Brody, to our family and the newest little one making an appearance today. Whether by blood or by friendship, we’re blessed to have one another,” Joe said, smiling at his loved ones.
Cole watched as Ragu kissed Annabelle. Saint leaned over to help his daughter cut her meat. Michael took Beth fromLizzy. Whiskey put his arm around Samantha and glanced down with pride at his family. Leo held Grace while Catherine burped Derrick, smiling at each other. Ty lovingly embraced his wife. Victoria and Ivan seemed grateful for their adopted son, Nick. Joe and Maddie’s eyes gleamed with love at Doc and Kassie’s kids. Knight placed the sleeping Marcus in his arms and encouraged Gabby to eat first.
The only person missing at the table, Cole thought, was Hannah. Something told him she’d love to have such a loving, loud, and obnoxious family. Brody whined at his side as if thinking the same thing. He leaned down and petted his buddy. “Don’t worry, we’ll see Hannah soon.”
