Page 89 of A Hero Comes Home

A tear slid down her cheek. “He’s planning to leave. I know him. I see the signs.”

And if he finds out you or the kids might be in danger because of his presence here, he’ll be off like a shot. “Sal, don’t say or do anything until after the holiday. Let me see what I can do.”

“And in the meantime, I just twiddle my thumbs?” she asked.

“Just continue to screw his brains out, like you have been.”

On that happy note—at least Sally was laughing as she left—Izzie planned to scoot out of the bar and make a quick call to Durand, who wasn’t supposed to arrive until Friday. But he was trapped again. For the third time!

This time it was Jake’s father, Joe Dawson, and Old Mike, both of whom looked as if they’d just stepped off their fishing boat, complete with suspendered hip boots and canvas bucket hats. Izzie didn’t even bother to stand, just waved for them to sit down and put up two fingers for the waiter to bring two more beers.

“How can I help you gentlemen?” he asked with a long sigh.

“We need help keepin’ Jake in Bell Cove,” Joe said right off.

Why me?

Because I’m his best friend.

But maybe staying in Bell Cove isn’t the best thing for him.

“We already got him and Sally havin’ sex like rabbits,” Old Mike added.

Izzie wasn’t about to ask what he meant by that.

“But that might not be enough to keep my boy in town,” Joe continued.

“We see the signs,” Old Mike said with a nod at his partner.

“A baby, that’s the answer. We need to find a way to get Sally pregnant again. And this time Jake will stick around to see it born.” This from Joe.

Izzie’s eyes widened at that outlandish statement. And he didn’t like the sound of that “we.” Do they mean me, too? “What? Are you serious? What can you—we—do about Sally getting pregnant? I don’t understand.” And wasn’t an unplanned pregnancy supposed to be the worst reason for a couple to stay together?

“Well, she takes them birth control pills,” Joe told him. “Maybe you—bein’ in Special Forces and knowin’ all kinds of tricks—could tell us how to doctor ’em up so they’re just placebos or whatever you call them dummy pills.”

Izzie put his face in his hands. “That is the dumbest idea I ever heard. Unethical at the least. And illegal. Don’t . . . you . . . dare!”

“Okay. So, what’s your idea then?” Old Mike asked.

Izzie’s only thought was, I’ve landed in Bedlam. No, I’ve landed in Bell Cove. Same thing.

Chapter 18

And then they hit him with their best shot, and it was a shot to the heart . . .

He just needed to get through the Labor Day weekend.

Jake felt pressure building all around him, and he was being pulled in five different directions at one time, which had to stop. If he wanted to avoid a recurrence of the nightmares or, God forbid, one of the red-tide rages, he needed to step back, and, yes, he had to admit it, just breathe, like Dr. Sheila had advised. Furthermore, once the hassle of all the Bell Cove hoopla was over, Jake had some important decisions to make, the least of which involved PTSD counseling.

The rages, he’d come to conclude, were triggered when some huge anger issues popped up, and hadn’t happened at all since he’d left the hospital in Germany. Then, the red tide had been sparked by the news that his “rescue” was being announced to his wife and the world, without his consent. He had feared a recurrence when he first met “Uncle” Kevin, but that hadn’t happened. So, no sweat on the rages. So far.

The nightmares, or night terrors, on the other hand, followed a pattern that he was better able to understand now . . . and control. They usually followed a day when he’d overdone things, physically and mentally. In other words, stress. With a determined effort to cut back on overexertion and tense situations, he’d thus far avoided the humiliation of having his kids witness him in the throes of a wild flashback.

Now, he was in uniform for the first time in years, preparing for the friggin’ parade. “It’s a little big. What do you think?” he asked Sally.

“It’s fine.” She walked around him in their bedroom, adjusting the jacket in places and patting the myriad colored stripes on front, including the Silver Star bar he’d attached for the first time. “In fact, don’t you dare take it off when we get home later.”

He turned to look at her in question.