Jenny: Chapter Seven
1891 Words
Jenny: Chapter Seven
What was going on? Dare opened his eyes. The light hit like a sledgehammer, so he squeezed his eyelids shut.
Noises sounded. Mechanical ones. Beeping.
Some sounded at a set interval. Others randomly.
His body felt…different. Weird. Unattached. Floating like a balloon let loose in the sky. Well, a balloon that had survived a hurricane and a meteor shower.
His head throbbed. A dull ache filled his stomach. A pressure built in his arms and legs. Or was that his hip? He couldn’t tell.
The pain felt as if it were distant, no longer in his face—raw, intense, jagged—as it once had been. He remembered that much. He tried to remember more.
The beeping increased.
Weird. His mind seemed to be a patchwork of memories. Pieces sewn loosely together.
Someone pressed against Dare’s leg. Movement. Machinery cutting into metal. Yelling. Hearing the 9 Line MEDEVAC Request over the chaos.
For some reason, line three had stuck with Dare: “One Alpha, three Bravo, four Charlie, one Delta.”
Urgent, urgent surgical, priority, routine.
Dare had no idea which of the nine patients he’d been. He hoped he’d been the alpha. If he’d been the most seriously injured, then the others would be doing better than him and recovering quickly.
Recovering where?
He blinked open his eyes to find out. The light was still bright, but it wasn’t as blaring as the first time he’d tried.
He was in a hospital, but he’d already guessed that. Which hospital, or even which country, he wasn’t sure. Panama? America?
Machines with wires and cables attached to him made the noises. He listened closer. Someone was in the room. He could hear breathing.
As he turned his head toward the sound, a knife dug into his brain. Okay, not really, but moving his head hurt worse than a whiskey hangover.
A woman was asleep in a chair. She sat sideways with her knees over the chair arm. Her head was angled downward. Long, caramel-colored hair with blond highlights covered her face.
Dare could make out pale, smooth skin and full lips, but that was it. He didn’t recognize her coloring or hair, but he liked what he saw.
Who was she? And why was she here?
A door opened. Footsteps sounded on the tile floor.
He tried to use his peripheral vision to see who’d entered, but couldn’t. “Hello?”
His voice sounded rough. No kidding, his mouth felt as if it were stuffed with cotton.
“You’re awake,” a familiar voice said.
That sounded like his… “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“Where else would I be?”
And then he remembered. His mom had been here for a few days. He’d forgotten that and what else she’d said had happened.
A Blackhawk had picked up him and his squad. They were en route to get Hamilton and the others when the helicopter went down.
Dare’s jaw clenched. “Any word on my guys?”
“Yang was released yesterday. He stopped by before he left and wants to talk when you feel up to it. Humphreys is improving every day. I spoke to his mom at the support center while you were in surgery. Garcia is still critical.”
“The flight crew?”
“I don’t know, honey. I asked, but getting answers isn’t easy.”
No news had to be good news. If anyone had died, it would be in the papers. Still, he wanted to find out about the crew.
His mom stood at the side of the bed. “Looks like Jenny got some sleep.”
Jenny.
The air rushed from Dare’s lungs. He couldn’t breathe. A machine beeped faster.
His mom touched his arm. “Relax, honey. You had a collapsed lung.”
He tried to calm himself. Focused on his breathing as if he were taking aim for a shot. Air went in and out. The beeping slowed.
Dare stared at the woman—Jenny—sleeping in the chair. “Why is she here?”
“You asked her to come.”
“I did?” His mind was a blank.
“You kept calling for her. Over and over. You woke up long enough to tell me the passcode on your phone so that I could call her. You spoke with her for a minute.”
“I don’t remember.”
“That’s okay. You’re hurting. Having surgeries. On pain meds.”
Maybe that memory would come back to him like some of the others, but only one thing mattered now. Jenny was here.
He stared at her. “What do you think about Jenny?”
“I can see why you’re so taken with her. As soon as she arrived, she said she’d stay here and sent me on my way. I didn’t realize how much I needed a full night’s sleep in a bed. Not that I haven’t wanted to be here with you.”
“I understand, Mom.”
His mom glanced at Jenny before looking back at him. “You haven’t mentioned her. Is this something new?”
“Since early July. I…” His face warmed. He wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t sound crazy to his mom. “We live in different states.”
“She must care to have dropped everything and flown here to be with you.”
“Yeah.”
“She’s older than I thought she’d be.”
Dare didn’t care. “Age is just a number.”
“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t mean anything by that, but you’re right. A few years doesn’t make a difference. As long as she’s not like Kayla.”
“She’s nothing like her.” The words came out harsher than he’d intended, but Jenny didn’t deserve to be compared to his ex-girlfriend in any way.
Dare might not remember asking Jenny to come, but he knew why he would have. She’d been on his mind constantly. Maybe she’d felt the shift in their emails like he had. Not quite intimate, but they’d shared more private things, and a closeness had developed over these past weeks. One that hadn’t been there before he’d deployed.
His mother held a large plastic cup with a lid and a straw up to his mouth, and he sipped. “You haven’t stopped looking at her.”
A Humvee seemed to be parked on his chest. “I missed her.”
He missed texting her. When they were replying in real time, it almost felt as if they were talking to each other. They hadn’t seemed like they were on opposite sides of the country. He’d liked that.
His mother set the cup on the bed table. “Based on the way Jenny was staring at you last night, I’d say the feeling is mutual.”
Dare felt warm all over.
Jenny stirred. Stretched. Opened her eyes. Straightened.
She pushed the hair off her face.
The force of seeing her hit Dare hard. The blips and beeps from the machines accelerated.
Oh, man, she was beautiful. High cheekbones and lips made for slow, hot kisses.
Her tangled hair and not-quite-awake eyes made her look sleep-rumpled adorable. He fought the urge to reach out to her. To touch her to make sure she wasn’t a fantasy. If she wasn’t real, she was part of the best dream ever.
Her green-eyed gaze met his. “Good morning.”
Emotion tightened his throat. He tried to lift his head, but it hurt too much. “Come closer.”
Jenny stood and stepped forward until she was right at the edge of his bed.
Dare reached up with his good arm. The one with bruises, cuts, and an IV. He touched her shoulder to prove to himself she wasn’t an illusion.
A burst of heat rushed up the length of his arm at the point of contact. Not a dream—real. “You’re here.”
“You asked me to come.”
“I don’t remember.” He felt like an i***t. “I’m sorry.”
Her gaze hadn’t wavered, and Dare was glad about that. He could stare into her green eyes for days.
Jenny.
The emotions running through him had nothing to do with friendship. Not even close. They weren’t brand new feelings, if he was being honest with himself. They just seemed clearer now that the two of them were together.
“That’s okay,” she said, and he had no doubt she meant it.
It was okay. With Jenny next to him, everything felt better. “I never found out the real name of your star.”
“We can do that together when you feel better.”
“Thank you for staying here last night,” his mom said. “I haven’t slept so well in days.”
“Anytime,” Jenny said.
“I’m going to grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. I forgot to get one on my way up.” His mom’s smile brightened her face. “Would you like a cup, Jenny?”
Jenny nodded. “I’d love one with cream and sugar, please.”
“I’ll be back.” His mom walked out the door.
Holding up his arm was getting harder to do. He hated showing any sign of weakness because he needed to be strong. People counted on him—his mom, his sisters, his guys, and now Jenny. He ran his fingertips along her smooth skin until he reached her hand. He could rest his arm on the bed this way.
“Thank you for coming.” Though he hated her seeing him in pain, on meds, and not in control of…anything. “This must be weird for you.”
“A little, but I figured it might be.”
He appreciated her honesty. “Is Missy okay with you being away?”
“Yes, we talked after I arrived. She knows I want to be here, and she told me she’d be okay. I’m confident she will be. She seems more content than she’s been since my brother passed.”
That was good news. Dare could tell Jenny was pleased, and it made him happy.
He rubbed his thumb against her hand. “I can’t believe you came all this way, and I don’t even know your last name.”
“Hanford.”
Jenny Hanford. “Mine’s O’Rourke.”
“Your mom told me.”
“Oh, right.”
“How do you feel?” Jenny asked.
The concern in her voice and eyes wrapped around him like a hug. “Better now that you’re here.”
A smile spread across her face, reaching all the way to her eyes. The result was breathtaking.
“You’re beautiful, Jenny. I mean, I thought you were before I saw you, but you are in person, too.”
Circles of red formed on her cheeks.
“I’m sorry.” Dare had embarrassed her and himself. “We’re friends, but I’m getting all gushy.”
“I like gushy.”
That was a relief. “But I’m not making sense.”
“For someone who’s been injured, you’re doing great.” She bent over. “Now that you’re awake, I want to give you something.”
His gaze went straight to her jean-clad butt. Oh, yeah. He nearly laughed. Guess he wasn’t that hurt if he was noticing how sexy she was.
Jenny held a bag. “It’s from Berry Lake. That’s where I live. Home of the Huckleberry Festival and the Bigfoot Seeker Gathering.”
Berry Lake, Washington. He hoped he remembered the name of her hometown.
She tilted the bag toward him. He reached in with his right hand since his left was useless. His fingers pushed through tissue paper until he touched something soft and…furry.
What…
Dare pulled out a stuffed animal. Not any animal. A ten-inch Bigfoot. He laughed, even though it hurt his stomach and his head.
Her green eyes twinkled. “I couldn’t resist.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” He placed the Sasquatch next to him in bed and then touched her hand again. “My very own Squatchy. Thanks.”
His eyelids felt heavy. He struggled to keep them open.
Jenny pulled his blanket up. “You’re getting tired.”
“I want to keep talking to you, but I’m losing the battle.”
“Sleep.”
Dare didn’t want to let go of her hand. He was used to taking care of everyone in his family and squad, but today, for the first time in a long time, he could ask for what he wanted and not feel guilty. “Stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” As if to reaffirm her words, Jenny laced her fingers between his. “I promise.”
Not that he hadn’t believed her before, but when Dare closed his eyes, he knew she would be there when he woke. It was the best feeling ever.
- Writer
