Forget Me Not (Love in the Fleet) (2 page)

Another salvo of witty comebacks whizzed through Sky’s head. His mouth tried to latch onto one of the lines zinging across his brain, but failed. Good thing his mouth was still paralyzed because this was no ordinary chick. Wait. This was no
chick
at all. This was Dr. Untouchable
and apparently she was not attracted to or interested in his bullshit, which made the challenge of winning her over that much sweeter. Oh, how he loved it when desirable women played the hard-to-get card.

There was no way he was getting rid of the cat now.

The kitty was his ticket to veterinary paradise.

Suddenly his mouth began to function again and nobody was more surprised than Sky when something civilized shuttled down from his overloaded brain to his tongue.

“You mean, kill the babies?”

Innocence. Pure and simple. Blue eyes opened wide, he radiated concern, like a frightened little boy. Sky pulled the cat into his arms and rested his chin on her head. Where the hell had concern for the welfare of unborn kittens come from when a minute ago all he could think about was sleeping with the good doctor?

“Yes. Before you make a decision, I’m obligated to tell you she may already be carrying a litter.”

“What would you do if this was your cat, Doc?”

“I’d spay her.”

“And take those little lives?”

“Those little lives would be added to the millions of cats who need homes, causing hundreds to be euthanized every day. As it is, you don’t even want this cat, let alone kittens.”

“Oh, wait a second there. You must have misunderstood me. This cat and I are joined at the hip. I’ve fallen hard for it—I mean, her—in the past five minutes. Nobody’s going to take her away from me.”

“I think the feeling is mutual…” Dr. Schneider glanced at his shoulder insignia and nametag on his flight suit, then added, “Captain…Crawford.”

Sky burst out laughing. “Hey, thanks for the promotion, Doc. But I’m in the Navy, so I’m only a lowly lieutenant. You must be confusing me with a man of equal rank from one of our brother services. For instance, were I wearing these bars in the Army or the Air Force then I’d be a captain, which would not be a big freaking deal. But in the Navy, captains are hot stuff.”

“As I was saying,
Lieutenant
Crawford, the feeling between you two seems to be mutual. I see her bonding with you right now. In my experience, feral cats go to no one, but look at her. She trusts you. Her head burrowed in the crook of your arm like that is a cat’s way of saying, ‘If they can’t see my face, then I’m not really here.’” Her mouth relaxed into a smile.

Sky bent down and spoke into the kitty’s ear. “Did you see that, little girl? We actually made the lady smile.”

Dr. Schneider opened her mouth, closed it, then looked away before turning back to him. “She’s obviously part Siamese and they behave very much like dogs. Communicative, devoted to their owners, that kind of thing. I understand they even greet you at the door. She’s probably not purebred, but the dark points and blue eyes are a giveaway to her pedigree.”

And what color are your eyes? Are they blue? Or are they green?

She looked down and seemed flustered as she fiddled with the paperwork. “So what about the spaying, Lieutenant?”

“Affirmative. Book it.”

“Why don’t we keep her for a day or so? We’ll spay her and take care of her shots. Check with Lillian at the desk. She’ll give you all the paperwork. Leave a good phone number so we can reach you when she’s ready to be picked up.” The doctor started for the door.

“Um, Doc, she’s got a lot of problems. Just so you know.”

She stopped and turned to him. “She seems fine to me, except for being in heat and possibly pregnant. What do you think is wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t figured it out yet, but trust me, she has so many things wrong with her, she’ll probably need to see you every day for, oh, say…” He paused for effect, a smile threatening his lips. “As long as it takes.”

Dr. Schneider walked out the door.

“Name?” asked the receptionist.

“It’s on the record. Brian Crawford. But feel free to make that
Captain
Brian Crawford if you want.” Apparently she didn’t know he was kidding and added “Captain” in front of his name. Sky’s mouth twitched in amusement.

“Yes, sir, Cap’n Crawford, but I need the cat’s name,” Lillian said.

“She’s an unplanned cat so she doesn’t really have one. I wasn’t planning to keep her.” He glanced above Lillian’s head at Dr. Schneider’s diplomas. University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School. Impressive. He scanned through the Latin, looking for her first name, which he figured was probably Brunhilde.

No way.

No way
was she a
Daisy.
Daisies were sunny and perky, not cold and uptight.
“But I’ve changed my mind. The cat’s name is Daisy.”

Lillian cocked her head. “You mean like Dr. Schneider’s?”

“Not quite. It’s Daisy Mae. With an ‘e.’ She’s French.”

He flipped through his Rolodex of smiles, selecting just the right one because he would need the receptionist on his good side if he was going to get on any side of Dr. Untouchable. Usually chicks that didn’t fall for his I’m-the-bad-boy-of-your-dreams-honey smile succumbed to his aw-shucks-golly-gee-ma’am grin. Worked like a charm.

Certain he had Lillian’s attention, Sky unzipped a shoulder pocket in his flight suit and extracted his credit card. He glanced around dramatically, leaned over the desk, and said in a low voice, “You won’t tell anybody about my little secret hiding place, now will you, Lillian?”

She took the card, her smile filling the room with sunshine. Too bad he wasn’t interested in the receptionist because it was clear he had her hook, line, and sinker.

Sky turned to find
Daisy
walking down the hallway, her attention glued to a chart. “Lillian, can you—oh.” She seemed startled to find him still there. Glancing around for an out, she added, “Did you take care of everything, Lieutenant? Any questions we can answer for you?”

“Nope. Everything seems to be under control.” Then he turned his mouth toward Lillian without taking his eyes off Daisy and added, “Lillian, please give me a call when
Daisy Mae
is ready to be picked up.” He wished he had a picture of the doctor’s mouth dropping open.

“Daisy Mae,” she repeated for clarification.

“Yes, ma’am. And you better get to know her real well while she’s here, because she’s going to be your worst nightmare.”

“No, Lieutenant Crawford, I’m afraid
you’re
going to be my worst nightmare.”

“You got that right, sweetheart.” He flashed both of them his
roguish smile. “Have a wonderful afternoon, ladies.” Sky adjusted his garrison cap, saluted them, and walked out the door.

Her worst nightmare? Way to go, dumb ass. He didn’t want to be her worst nightmare. He wanted to share a kayak with her. And a bed.

Sky shook his head to clear it as he pulled out into traffic and headed home. What had he gotten himself into? He was now the proud owner of a cat? Oh, hell. He should be used to it by now. Hadn’t he spent his entire life shooting off his mouth before loading his brain?

Sky felt a smile
sneak up on him as he waited at a light, fingers tapping on the steering wheel. Just think. Underneath that tough Schneider exterior lurked a
Daisy.
There was no question she was tough, and smart, if she’d graduated from an Ivy League vet school. He already knew she had a high IQ—and he wasn’t talking Mensa here. He was talking “Ice Queen.” Dr. Daisy Schneider. The Ice Queen.
Sky’s smile blossomed into a full grin because he knew exactly who was going to be the one to pluck her up out of the snow.

Daisy slammed the front door behind Lieutenant Crawford. “The
nerve
of him.”

“Oh, I thought he was kind of cute,” said Lillian. “And he’s obviously interested in you, Doctor. What happened back in the exam room?”

“Nothing happened in the exam room. He was abrasive and—”

“He asked you out, didn’t he?” Lillian smiled knowingly as she shuffled the records on her desk.

Daisy stared at the door, clenched her fists, and uttered unintelligible sentiments. “He is so full of it, his eyes should be brown.”

“You know, Daze, maybe you should consider dating again.”

“Dating
him
? Come
on. My BS radar was working overtime and it wasn’t even turned on. He was annoying and rude.”

“And hot. Don’t forget hot.”

“Then he’s all yours, Lillian, because I am not interested in a con artist. Look, I’m heading home.” She called to the two Labrador Retrievers behind the counter. “Come on, girls. Let’s call it a day.”

As Daisy ushered her dogs into the Jeep, she glanced up at the “nice rack” on top and laughed to herself. Brian Crawford had looked mighty funny trying to wiggle out of that one. He honestly hadn’t been talking about her breasts and yet he somehow still came off looking guilty. She’d practically seen the wheels turning in his head when he figured out his
faux pas.
But he’d made her laugh.
Was that such a bad thing? To laugh again?

Once she arrived home, Daisy let the dogs out through the sliding glass door, cranked down the air conditioner to counter the sticky Florida heat, poured herself a glass of wine, and collapsed into her favorite overstuffed chair. How would she fill another empty evening? Watch a movie? No. They made her think too much. A chick flick would remind her she was alone. A guy movie would remind her there was no guy in her life. A war movie? Not in this lifetime.

Glancing
at the altar on her mantelpiece, Daisy teared up
as she viewed the handsome Marine in the photos: the formal portrait in dress uniform, the combat mug shot with his buddies in the desert, and the wedding picture where the happy couple held his sword, poised to cut the cake.

Daisy sighed. “Dammit, Jack. Why did you have to go and die?”

Chapter 2

Sky was drowning. Water engulfed him: nose, mouth, and every pore. Attempting to push back the panic and sharpen his focus,
he reached for the Helicopter Aircrew Breathing Device and its three to five minutes of emergency air. Like trying to suck a frozen milkshake through a straw, he realized
it was empty.

Panic returned in spades. His body begged him to suck in air, but his training kicked in. Taking a deep breath was the last thing he needed to do. What he really needed to do was to get the hell out of the helicopter. Now
.

He didn’t know if he was upside down or right side up. All those hours in the training tank paid off as he raced through the mental checklist. Check the bubbles. Left was still left and right was still right, but bubbles always travel toward the surface. Follow the bubbles. Okay, he was right side up. Thank God for that. So just open the
—

But the
fucking door wouldn’t open
. Neither would his five-point harness. He wanted to scream out his frustration, but it would only use up precious oxygen or allow more water to flow into his mouth.

He reached over and shook Daniel. Dammit, Daniel. Wake up. He knew Daniel was unconscious, but he didn’t know what to do first. Unstrap him? Take his vitals? Save his own ass? He reached for Daniel’s harness, but he was all thumbs.

Nothing. Fucking. Worked.

Somebody tapped on his window. Jill. Why was Jill under the ocean? And oh, God, she had the baby on her hip. He couldn’t hear what she was saying but he knew in his bones what she wanted him to do. He could read her lips as she screamed at him through the plexiglass
,
her mouth filling with water, her hair waving wildly in the current, the baby crying.

Get. Daniel. Out.

Panic dug its claws in deeper. Sky twisted and jerked his body, struggling to free himself from the harness. Instead he became more entangled. Trapped. He tried to kick open the door, but his legs had become twisted up in something and would not function. He had to free Daniel and he had to get Jill and the baby back to the surface. What was keeping his legs from working?

Sheets. It finally became clear to him that sheets were tied around his legs. He kicked and thrashed until they finally sprang loose and he was free. Standing, shaking, soaking wet.

But there wasn’t any water. He wasn’t in the ocean. And he wasn’t in a helicopter.

He was in his bedroom. And, thank God, he was alone. Naked, drenched in sweat and tears and snot and… Jesus Christ, would the dreams ever stop? Would Daniel ever leave him alone? Would Jill? She’d brought the baby this time. When she brought the baby he was totally powerless. Yeah, like he had any power to begin with.

Not over this.

He heard a knock on the door and lunged back toward the bed, pulling the sheet around him as if nothing had happened.

“You okay?” his roommate asked.

“Yeah. Go away.”

“All right, but let me know if you need anything.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

He might go back to bed, but there was no way he was going back to sleep.