Fireflies From Heaven by Rebecca Julia Lauren Page B

a
cul-de-sac that bordered a park where kids played on slides and swings and ran
up and down a large hill in the center of the playground.   I loved the neighborhood.   It was homey and charming and perfect
for families.
    Pulling into a
large circular driveway, I double checked the address and stared at Reed’s home,
which looked like something off the cover of a home magazine. It was a
one-story, solid red brick house with a large covered porch and arched
windows.   My chest ached with
longing.   This was what I wanted
someday, a house that felt like a home, a husband and family.
      I got my bag and walked up the steps and
onto porch and pulled out the key I had to the house.   Nurses were given keys to their patient’s
homes so that the patient didn’t have to get up to answer the door.   I opened the door but before I went
inside I rang the bell and calling out, “Hello, I’m Ellie with the VNT.” It’s
what I would have said to any of my other patients.
    The sight of
Reed walking toward me made my stomach dip.   Wearing a black t-shirt, and gray sweats
that had been cut off at the left knee to accommodate the IIizarov device that
encircled the lower half of his leg and slowed his gait, considerably, he
looked good.
    Unlike most of
the patients I’d visited who’d worn the same device, Reed was already up and
moving around.   The metal rods that
punctured his calf and held his bone in place looked painful but most patients
said that it was tolerable.   Reed,
however, didn’t just suffer from multiple bone breaks; the explosion that had
trapped him in a cave in Afghanistan had torn muscle and skin from his calf,
and he had undergone skin and muscle graphs to repair the damage to his leg.   He was lucky they hadn’t had to
amputate. My heart ached thinking of all he’d been through.
      Reed smiled when he saw me, and my
heartbeat spiked. “Come in.”   He
reached for the door, opening it wider so that I could enter.   “I can’t believe you came.”
    He had no idea that
I was his outpatient nurse, must not have heard me call out to him.   I started to tell him but my gaze riveted
on a man behind Reed.   He was tall
and built like Reed, but his hair was a dark blond and cut shorter.
    “This is my
buddy, Jase Ford.” He turned to his friend. “Jase, this is Ellie McAllister.”
    To my
astonishment, Jase seemed to recognize my name.   “Ellie,” Jase said slowly,
grinning.   “I’m glad I get to
finally meet you.   The Sergeant here
talks about you all the time.”
    Reed clapped a
hand on his buddy’s shoulder.   “We
should get out of the doorway and let her come inside.”
    “Oh, yeah.
Where are my manners?” Jase replied mockingly, clearly amused.
    Reed and Jase
led me into the spacious living room with gigantic windows that overlooked the
wooded backyard and a massive stone fireplace that dominated the center of the
room and drew even more attention because of the huge flat screen TV that hung
over it.   It was a simply decorated
room done in earthy shades with overstuffed leather furniture that was set on
thick rugs that covered the hardwood floors.
    “You want
something to drink Ellie?   I’ve got
coffee, tea, beer,” Reed offered me like I was guest instead of his nurse.
    “No thank you.”
    Jase came over
and shook my hand, watching me with the oddest expression.
    “It’s good to
meet you, Jase.   So how do you know
Reed?”
    “He was my CO
and still is my best friend.   He
also saved my ass enough times that I’ll never be able to repay him.   Sergeant Bentley is a hero,” Jase
boasted with obvious pride.
    I glanced over
at Reed and found him watching me.   “Jase exaggerates.”
    “He hates
compliments.” Jase grinned. “I think it embarrasses him.”
    Smiling, I
decided that I liked Jase a lot.   He
was a charming guy and loyal to Reed.  
    “Did you know
that the Sergeant received a Purple Heart?”   Jase clapped his arm around Reed’s
shoulders.