Chapter Thirty-Six
Thursday, March 29th
Troy tapped the bottom of Wes’s boot with his crutch. “Rise and shine.”
Wes’s eyes opened lazily. “What?” His tone was angry.
“You really want to have this discussion here?” Troy asked.
“Fine.” Wes kissed Eleanor’s scorching hot forehead. “I’ll be back, Curly.” He followed Troy out her door, down the corridor and outside.
Troy sat on a bench. “He was going to shoot you.”
“I know.” Wes looked at his friend. “I know. It’s easier to be mad at you than accept the idea, if I was better at my job, I would’ve picked up the signals before the woman I…” Wes stopped.
“The woman you what?” Troy asked.
“I hate you…” Wes’s eyes twinkled as his smile reached them.
“I know. I figure why waste all that good anger?” Troy arched his brow.
Wes laughed. “Fine…the woman I love. I do love her.”
“I think she loves you too.” Troy cocked his head.
“The measles—she has pneumonia, and it’s in her brain,” Wes’s voice cracked.
He shook his head. “I know, and I’m so sorry. Baker notified me. Mike stood you down. I’m running the Center until everything is cleared up. Kip’s running the investigation. You’re assigned to it. I told them you’d never stand down from Ellie.” He leaned in toward Wes. “You’re not alone in all this.”
“You are wise beyond your years,” Wes said, chuckling.
“No, I’m old and tired. I need to tell you something.” He repeated what Eleanor told Gwen. “She’s torn up. It’s a difficult decision to make. I didn’t realize how hard it is for our female operators. It’s a lonely life.”
“You’re talking about Ellie and me too.”
“Yeah.” Troy sighed.
“And you’re talking about?”
“I fucked up. Gwen came to me; she was distraught about Ellie and what she revealed. You and I know, it didn’t make a difference to help her. The tears were falling, and her lower lip wobbled. I kissed her. Hell, Ikissedher. And she kissed me back. Then I tell her I’m sorry—but I wasn’t sorry; I mean, I enjoyed the kiss. Then I told her I couldn’t give her what she deserved.”
“Hmm…I need to put this in my assessment of your abilities. Troy Bremen is still the cute ladies’ man but a jerk.” He chewed his lower lip.
Troy turned serious. “Did you hear me? She deserves a man who can meet all her sexual needs.”
“Did you ask her what her needs are? You have ten working fingers. And from all your complaining and order-giving, I believe your mouth works. And there are things you can do to get your male anatomy to work. Stop writing yourself off.”
“It’s my turn to hate you.” Troy ran a hand through his hair and exhaled, staring off into space.
“Hey, I hear you. You’re scared.” Wes shook his head. “But you are the strongest man I know. I’m with you all the way. Promise me…” Wes toed the ground. “Never mind…forget it.”
“Now who is scared?”
Wes swiped his face. “Kiara Gordon. I dream about her. We were in that hot, musty basement. We lay her on a burn sheet on top of a rug. If I close my eyes, I can feel the rug fibers. Ian had you guys set up a divider. He was trying to make her less afraid.
“I started two IVs. Gave her antibiotics, pain meds and blood. She wasn’t producing urine. I could hear the sandstorm—we’d be stuck an extra day. She was burning up. Those animals…”
Wes closed his eyes. “She was drifting in and out. ‘Don’t leave me,’ she begged. I told her I’d be with her all the way to Bagram. She died five minutes over the threshold. I told Ellie I’d be with her all the way. And now she’s unresponsive.”
