Unconditional Page 4

  “I thought you were in Harlan’s room,” Nate announced in his usual, emotionless manner.

  Nate was a hard man to read, since he had a tendency to come across as cold and unfeeling, but he wasn’t nearly as uncaring as most thought.

  “Harlan and I were going to watch a football game tonight,” he bluntly informed her while casually leaning back in his chair and taking up more room than two men. “You’re throwing my entire schedule off.”

  She was certain Nate was bored to tears, being stranded in the hospital after his surgery yesterday. He certainly wasn’t one to take it easy or let a little pain slow him down.

  “Maureen came to visit, so I decided to give them a little privacy,” Indy casually informed him, having to keep from sounding bitter about what happened just a few minutes earlier in Harlan’s room.

  “Maureen?” Nate inquired and appeared puzzled. “I poked my head into Harlan’s room before coming down here. Maureen wasn’t there.”

  Indy stared at Nate a moment and could almost feel her blood pressure rising. Did Harlan’s wife just stop by to see if he still had a pulse? She wanted to tell herself it was none of her business, but she couldn’t help feeling hostility toward the woman. If any of the guys felt the same about Maureen, none said anything to her about it. Although, she doubted they would. It was a private boy’s club, and they didn’t openly share.

  “I guess she needed to get home,” Indy replied and immediately drank her tea to keep from commenting further.

  She took a large swallow of tea and regretted it, burning her mouth on the steaming liquid. At least the hot sting took her mind off her secret contempt for Harlan’s wife.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Nate muttered.

  Judging by his tone, he may have been thinking the same thing, but Indy wasn’t going to press him to gossip. Nate wasn’t much of a talker, and he didn’t subscribe to gossip. She’d need to go to Jackson for that sort of information.

  “How long are they making you stay?” Indy asked instead, wanting to change the subject.

  “I’m being discharged tomorrow morning,” he interjected a little too quickly.

  “Really?” she announced with some surprise. “I thought they’d keep you a few days.”

  “I’m sure they think they are too,” he remarked, “but I’m being discharged tomorrow. My orders.”

  She should have realized as much. Nate would get his way, and the doctor’s would give in to his heavy fisted tactics. He could be persuasive--and just a little intimidating.

  “If you plan to stay at our place, I could take you home with me after my morning visit,” she announced.

  Nate eyed her and raised his brow in silent suggestion. Indy shifted in her chair. He had other ideas, and she was easily able to read his look.

  “Or you could borrow my car,” she muttered, giving in to the silent intimidation. “I’m sure my father or Jackson will stop by sometime in the afternoon.”

  “Yeah, I’d appreciate that,” he announced and acted as if it was her idea. “It’s like you read my mind.”

  Yeah, she read his mind all right. It was always a joy talking to Nate. He was the impossible older brother she never wanted. He’d been tormenting her from the day they’d met almost twelve years ago. Supposedly, he currently had a semi-steady girlfriend, who would be stopping by to spend the holidays. Indy couldn’t wait to meet the woman who could tolerate Nate in large, sporadic doses. At least she wasn’t some girl he’d just met the night before, which was his usual taste in women. Indy was proud to admit that she’d never had a crush on Nate.

  †

  It was less than an hour later, and Indy once again sat alone at Harlan's bedside. Soon Nate would be arriving to watch football with his comrade, and she would return home, knowing he had someone to watch over him for a few more hours. She again held Harlan’s fingers. The open book set on her lap, but she had little enthusiasm for reading any more tonight. She’d finally gotten over her hostility toward Maureen, who’d made her obligatory two-minute appearance. Indy tried to focus on reading the book, which was nearly putting her to sleep. She dreaded turning the page and wondered if she could skip the rest of the chapter. It wasn’t as if Harlan would remember her reading to him once he was out of the coma. She stared blankly at the page and desperately wished the book would spontaneously combust. She groaned softly and finally gave up, shutting the book.

  “I have to be honest with you, Harlan, your taste in books is bizarre,” she remarked with a dreary sigh and cast a glance at the unconscious man. “Tomorrow, I'm bringing in a steamy love story with explicit sex scenes. At least I won't fall asleep reading that to you.”

  Harlan's fingers gently moved within her hand. Indy stared at him with surprise and slowly stood. She clung to his fingers and watched him as her heart raced. Had she actually felt his fingers move or was it a spasm? His eyes were still closed, but she swore he’d given her a signal.

  “Harlan?”

  There was no response or reaction. Her heart sank, but she wasn’t giving up just yet. Indy clung to his fingers and gently touched his face while leaning over him.

  “Harlan?” she announced with firmness and slightly louder than necessary.

  Harlan's fingers again moved against her hand and his eyes opened only briefly. Indy felt her entire body jerk with enthusiasm. Despite that he didn’t make eye contact, she accepted his eye movement for the wonderful sign that it was. She fought her tears and clung to his hand.

  “Harlan? Can you hear me?” she nearly gasped while starting at him.

  There was no response. Indy felt her heart continue to pound in her chest. She couldn’t let this moment pass. She needed to find some way to pull him out of his long sleep and bring him back to her.

  “Please, say something,” she nearly begged.

  His lips parted as he softly exhaled. “Liz--” Harlan gasped softly.

  Indy stared at him and appeared baffled by his choice of first words. Despite his rambling, she remained cheerful that he had taken the first step toward consciousness. She quickly kissed his forehead, nearly curled onto the bed alongside him, and hugged his neck as tears of joy streaked her face. Indy knew she should alert the staff of his semi-alert status, but she wanted to hold him a moment longer, allowing her tears to flow uninterrupted.

  Chapter Nine

  Four days later. An extremely alert Harlan sat up in his hospital bed and played with the bed remote. He simulated sounds, almost as if he were drunk, as the head of the bed raised and lowered. Flynn and Jackson stood at the foot end sharing the same, broad stance. Both had their arms folded across their chests and their chins against their fists as they silently observed their alert yet demented comrade. Their shared expressions conveyed their concerns even though Dr. Perry appeared pleased with Harlan’s progress. The doctor flipped through Harlan’s chart and smiled his approval at Harlan’s childlike behavior.

  “Apart from some swelling in his brain, he's physically fine,” Dr. Perry announced cheerfully.

  The doctor caught the unchanged expressions on the hardened faces of the silent men. Dr. Perry immediately fidgeted and allowed a tiny, nervous smile to escape and answered the men’s silent question.

  “We, uh, have him loaded up on pain killers,” the doctor informed them.

  Flynn watched Harlan intently, lifted his head, and appeared concerned. “I should certainly hope so,” he finally muttered. “He's not usually this crazy.”

  The doctor studied both men a moment and appeared to hesitate before speaking. He gently cleared his throat. “At this point in time, he has no memory,” Dr. Perry gently informed them and awaited their reaction.

  Jackson and Flynn looked at the doctor and appeared surprised as their arms simultaneously fell to their sides.

  “None?” Jackson suddenly asked.

  “Define ‘no memory’,” Flynn growled in response.

  “He doesn’t know who he is, who you are, or the time of day,” Dr. Perry informed the
m. “He does, however, know how to function and feed himself.” There was a brief pause. The doctor seemed uncomfortable by the way the two men stared at him. “Could be a combination of pain killers, swelling of the brain, and emotional trauma,” the doctor replied. “We won’t know what sort of damage we're looking at until we wean him off the pain meds. Only time will tell.”

  Jackson and Flynn continued to stare at the doctor with the same stone-like expressions on their faces.

  The doctor drew a deep breath and placed Harlan’s chart on the bedside table. “I told his wife it's probably in his best interest to return to some sort of home environment and have a visiting nurse care for him. Being in the hospital isn’t the proper environment for his recovery.”

  Indy entered the room with an armful of red roses. Her exceptionally good mood radiated with each step. She observed Harlan playing with the bed remote and could barely contain her grin despite his childlike actions.

  “Looks like someone's feeling their drugs,” she announced cheerfully, unaware of the tension within the room.

  Harlan stopped elevating the head of his bed, pressed the nurse's call button, and simulated the sound of an explosion. He grinned and laughed like a demented super villain. He looked to his right, saw Indy with the flowers, and could barely contain his childlike fascination.

  “Those are beautiful flowers!”

  Indy approached him with the roses. Harlan gently caressed the flowers and smelled them. As he caressed the rose’s petal, he drifted out a moment. He jolted back into reality and looked at Indy holding the flowers. He grinned as he stared at her.

  “You're pretty.”

  Indy smiled at the compliment and kissed him on the cheek. As she placed the flowers in the vase on his bedside, Harlan watched her and grinned. He then looked at Flynn and Jackson by the foot end of his bed.

  “She's got a great ass.”

  Flynn and Jackson stared at him with disbelief as their mouths fell open. Indy immediately straightened with surprise and looked back at him. She’d never heard him talk like that and certainly never directed at her. Indy felt her cheeks redden, but she allowed the comment to slide. Harlan wasn’t exactly himself, and she needed to remember that.

  “We'll work on cutting back the happy pills,” Dr. Perry announced, having felt the tension immediately rise. “I think he's a little too happy.”

  “Yeah, I should say so,” Flynn muttered.

  “I'm not sure I've ever seen him this happy,” Jackson remarked and cast a look at Indy.

  Flynn shifted his attention to the doctor, releasing his irritation by Harlan’s comment, and appeared curious. “So when is Maureen taking him home?”

  Dr. Perry fidgeted and seemed reluctant to respond. “She's not.”

  Indy turned toward the doctor with a look of surprise that matched her father’s look. “What?”

  “I think she's feeling a little overwhelmed by his condition,” Dr. Perry informed them. “He's going to require a lot of care, and she doesn't feel she can handle him.”

  “So what are you saying?” Flynn demanded, his arms again crossing his broad chest.

  “We're looking into a private care home,” he replied. “As soon as a bed becomes available--”

  “A nursing home?” Jackson suddenly interjected.

  “No, that's not what I meant,” the doctor replied while fumbling for a better response. “He needs someplace with a homier feel but still plenty of attention.”

  Jackson turned to Flynn and raised his brows with little emotion. “Are you still hearing nursing home?”

  “Yes, Jackson, I am,” Flynn announced sternly without looking away from the doctor.

  “No, absolutely not,” Indy cried out then looked at her father. “I'm not working right now. I can take care of him. I want to take care of him, Dad.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Flynn replied firmly. He cast a glare at the doctor and straightened proudly. “He's coming home with us. Get that visiting nurse.”

  “Are you sure? It's going to be a lot of work for the first few weeks,” Dr. Perry informed them. “There's no telling what he's going to be like when he comes off the pain meds.”

  “The man saved our lives. He's my comrade and one of my best friends,” Flynn announced firmly and placed his hands on his hips in his best superhero pose. “We don't leave our men behind.”

  Indy felt relief sweep through her. She sat on the edge of Harlan’s bed and held his head to her shoulder. Harlan smirked deviously, nuzzled her shoulder with his face, and then looked at Flynn.

  “I think she likes me,” Harlan announced then peered down Indy’s shirt at her cleavage.

  Chapter Ten

  By the time Flynn’s car pulled up to the home, tastefully decked out with Christmas decorations and lights, it was already dark. While Indy and Liz had traveled to the ship to stay with the injured men, Roman, Margo, and Kale had finished decorating the house for their return. It was the first time in years the home had more than just a plain wreath on the front door. As Indy got out of the car, she couldn’t help but admire the lights, despite having seen them several times over the last two weeks. The white icicle lights on the house and the colored lights on the surrounding trees were enough to mesmerize her. She was finally in the holiday spirit. Her father’s unit was alive and well, and Harlan was on his way to recovering. It was the only present she ever wanted.

  Jackson and Flynn got out of the car without even taking a second look at the lights and helped Harlan from the backseat and into a rented wheelchair. Despite not knowing what world he was in at the moment, he stared at the lights on the house and appeared awestruck as Indy had.

  “Oh, pretty lights,” he gasped while staring wide-eyed as they pushed his wheelchair toward the house.

  Indy glanced at Harlan, momentarily distracted by the lights reflecting from his dark eyes, looking more like the Northern Star. His expression was priceless. No matter what she’d heard about Harlan’s professional life, she knew he was a romantic at heart. He recognized beauty in things most people wouldn’t see. It was in his transfixed gaze that she saw a glimmer of the man she knew and loved.

  †

  Nate greeted the military formation parade surrounding the returned war hero as he was wheeled along the grand foyer. Harlan looked from the holly and ivy cascading down the stairway railing from the second floor to the poinsettia plants along the foyer tables. The precession continued into the broad hallway along the family room. The fireplace toward the back of the family room was lavishly decorated with candles and Christmas decorations. Liz stepped out of the kitchen while drying her hands on a dishtowel and watched in silence. The look on her face was a complex mixture of curiosity and skepticism. She followed the precession down the hall and to the guest bedroom at the back of the house.

  Despite being called a guestroom, the backroom was technically the same size as the second floor master bedroom. It had glass doors leading outside onto the sunset veranda, its own fireplace, a large, walk-in closet, and a private bath with a standing shower and deep garden tub. Even though it was dark outside, the room remained bright and cheerful. Several Christmas decorations had been hurriedly assembled in the room to make Harlan feel at home. The king-sized bed was overloaded with assorted colorful pillows and a plump comforter. The television was hidden within the expensive armoire across the room.

  Jackson carelessly tossed the decorative pillows aside and pulled down the comforter. Nate and Flynn helped Harlan from the wheelchair to the bed. He managed to hobble on his casted leg while each held onto an elbow just above his arm casts. Liz paused alongside Indy in the doorway and watched the three, hard-core military men cater to their fallen comrade. It was a priceless moment. Jackson was quick to remove Harlan's shoe from his non-broken leg while Nate moved the wheelchair away from the bed. As Flynn unbuttoned Harlan’s jacket, he caught a look from the mildly battered man.

  “I'd rather have the pretty lady undress me,” Harlan announced and indicated
Indy in the doorway.

  Flynn straightened while allowing a low groan to escape. He smirked with all the charm of a rattlesnake and casually placed his hand on Harlan's shoulder. He hunched over slightly and looked directly into Harlan’s eyes.

  “I know you're not responsible for your actions, Harlan, so let me say this clear and slow for you,” Flynn announced in what was meant to sound like a pleasant tone but failed. “That pretty girl is my daughter. You're like an uncle to her. If you so much as look at her wrong, I'm going to castrate you without a second thought. Are we clear?”

  Harlan stared into Flynn’s eyes only a few inches from his. He had a strange look in his nearly clueless eyes.

  “Are you my father?”

  Flynn groaned, rubbed Harlan's shoulder, and cast a look at Nate and Jackson.

  “Get him changed into his P.J.'s,” Flynn said with defeat then looked at Indy and Liz. His motion was quick and firm. “Ladies, out.”

  Indy and Liz were quick to leave the doorway and return to the hallway. Flynn entered the hallway and passed them while shaking his head. Liz and Indy filed in behind him. Indy knew her father was conflicted. His disgust was evident, yet he had nothing but respect for his best friend.

  “Until he's off the Viagra-laced pain pills, I think you ladies need to avoid contact with him,” Flynn gruffly announced.

  Indy could tell from his expression that it hurt him even to say the words. Liz hurried alongside Flynn and kept stride with him. Her look was harder to read.

  “Flynn, we really need to talk about this,” Liz remarked with a tone of concern in her voice.

  “I'm sorry, Liz,” Flynn informed her while attempting to retreat from soldier mode and back into that of her boyfriend. “I should have talked to you first, but I couldn't let them put him in some home and hope they’d rehabilitate him.” He cast a sympathetic glance at her. “I had to do this.”