almost frightening. If he got up from the chair and did what he felt like doing to Aaron Clancy, they would lock him up for sure. And there was the fact that if he left this place with Aaron, he could disappear again any time he wanted to—only this time for real.
The little nurse knelt down at his feet and began putting on his shoes and socks. He felt somewhat guilty for letting her do it, but he had a facade to maintain.
"I hear he lives in
Florida
," she said. "You'll love it down there...all that sun and water. If he lives near the ocean, of course. Anyway, you'll be with family, which is just what you need."
Sorrow filled Wesley so suddenly that he had to blink away tears, which, fortunately, she didn't see. It was the word family that had done it.
Dear sweet Lord...Margie...Michael. I hid like a coward and left someone else to bury them.
It hurt so much, it was all he could do to draw breath, yet the busybody of a nurse was wasting hers.
"There now," she said, and patted his knee as she stood. "Your brother will be here soon." Then she surprised Wes by looking straight in his face. "I'm so sorry," she said softly, then leaned over and gently hugged his neck. "I'm so very, very sorry for your loss."
She fussed with his hair a bit and then hurried out of the room before she broke down.
As soon as Wes heard the door swing shut, he started to shake. Tears burned the backs of his eyes as bile rose from his belly. He couldn't cry. It wasn't safe. If he started, he might never be able to stop, and then they might never let him leave. And he had to leave. He wanted as far away from the world of a soldier as he could get, and Aaron Clancy was going to be his ticket out.
Five
Aaron Clancy was finally in the waiting room, but more than a little uncomfortable. Too many uniforms, too many rules to suit him. He couldn't imagine military life, especially now. Having to go to some godawful foreign country and get shot at on a daily basis was bogus. The only thing he'd been able to think as he was being driven to the hospital was, thank God the draft was no longer in effect.
He heard someone coming and looked up, expecting the officer from personnel whom he'd been told would take him to Wes's room. At first he was pleased by the appearance of a woman in uniform, but the look on her face wasn't friendly. She was long-legged and good-looking, but a little too stern for his liking. He immediately categorized her as Officer Tight-Ass. Still, if she'd given him any kind of a hint that she would be interested, he would have given flirting a shot. But the only hint she gave him was that she was busy and unwilling to waste time with chitchat.
"This way, Mr. Clancy."
Aaron followed Officer Tight-Ass onto the elevator, then onto the psych ward, where she turned him over to Wes's doctor.
"Mr. Clancy?"
Aaron found himself face-to-face with a man who looked like he could bench-press three hundred pounds with one hand.
"Yes?"
"I'm Dr. Milam, your brother's doctor."
"You mean shrink, don't you? They told me when they called that he'd flipped out."
Milam frowned. The man's flippant attitude left him with an uneasy feeling.
"’Flipped out' is hardly the term for a soldier like Wes Holden. I'm sure you were informed of the incident that led up to his current condition?"
Aaron knew immediately that he'd stepped off on the wrong foot, and that wasn't good. If he was going to get his hands on big brother's tax-free benefits, he was going to have to play nice. He swiped a hand across his face and then turned on "nice."
"Look...Dr.Milam...I didn't mean to sound so callous, it's just that the fear we all had when he was captured has weighed on our minds, then having Martha and Markie killed in that bombing here on base was just the last straw."
Dr. Milam's frown deepened.
"If you're referring to Colonel Holden's wife and son, their names were Margie
The little nurse knelt down at his feet and began putting on his shoes and socks. He felt somewhat guilty for letting her do it, but he had a facade to maintain.
"I hear he lives in
Florida
," she said. "You'll love it down there...all that sun and water. If he lives near the ocean, of course. Anyway, you'll be with family, which is just what you need."
Sorrow filled Wesley so suddenly that he had to blink away tears, which, fortunately, she didn't see. It was the word family that had done it.
Dear sweet Lord...Margie...Michael. I hid like a coward and left someone else to bury them.
It hurt so much, it was all he could do to draw breath, yet the busybody of a nurse was wasting hers.
"There now," she said, and patted his knee as she stood. "Your brother will be here soon." Then she surprised Wes by looking straight in his face. "I'm so sorry," she said softly, then leaned over and gently hugged his neck. "I'm so very, very sorry for your loss."
She fussed with his hair a bit and then hurried out of the room before she broke down.
As soon as Wes heard the door swing shut, he started to shake. Tears burned the backs of his eyes as bile rose from his belly. He couldn't cry. It wasn't safe. If he started, he might never be able to stop, and then they might never let him leave. And he had to leave. He wanted as far away from the world of a soldier as he could get, and Aaron Clancy was going to be his ticket out.
Five
Aaron Clancy was finally in the waiting room, but more than a little uncomfortable. Too many uniforms, too many rules to suit him. He couldn't imagine military life, especially now. Having to go to some godawful foreign country and get shot at on a daily basis was bogus. The only thing he'd been able to think as he was being driven to the hospital was, thank God the draft was no longer in effect.
He heard someone coming and looked up, expecting the officer from personnel whom he'd been told would take him to Wes's room. At first he was pleased by the appearance of a woman in uniform, but the look on her face wasn't friendly. She was long-legged and good-looking, but a little too stern for his liking. He immediately categorized her as Officer Tight-Ass. Still, if she'd given him any kind of a hint that she would be interested, he would have given flirting a shot. But the only hint she gave him was that she was busy and unwilling to waste time with chitchat.
"This way, Mr. Clancy."
Aaron followed Officer Tight-Ass onto the elevator, then onto the psych ward, where she turned him over to Wes's doctor.
"Mr. Clancy?"
Aaron found himself face-to-face with a man who looked like he could bench-press three hundred pounds with one hand.
"Yes?"
"I'm Dr. Milam, your brother's doctor."
"You mean shrink, don't you? They told me when they called that he'd flipped out."
Milam frowned. The man's flippant attitude left him with an uneasy feeling.
"’Flipped out' is hardly the term for a soldier like Wes Holden. I'm sure you were informed of the incident that led up to his current condition?"
Aaron knew immediately that he'd stepped off on the wrong foot, and that wasn't good. If he was going to get his hands on big brother's tax-free benefits, he was going to have to play nice. He swiped a hand across his face and then turned on "nice."
"Look...Dr.Milam...I didn't mean to sound so callous, it's just that the fear we all had when he was captured has weighed on our minds, then having Martha and Markie killed in that bombing here on base was just the last straw."
Dr. Milam's frown deepened.
"If you're referring to Colonel Holden's wife and son, their names were Margie
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