Meant to Be (35 page)

Rad thought back to that night in the
car when he’d discovered he’d lost Lauren again. He wondered how he
would have made it through without Wynn and Heather holding him up.
Now she was the one who was inconsolable, sobbing hysterically at
the thought she might lose Wynn, and he didn’t know what to do or
say.

“
I can’t live without him.
I don’t even want to try.”

The facts had finally hit her. Hard as
she’d tried to stay strong, the truth of the matter was Wynn might
not be coming home, and even if he did, things were going to be
different. He helped her over to the sofa to sit down again, afraid
her trembling legs would give out.

“
What would Wynn do if he
knew you were this upset?” He wiped a tear from her cheek with his
thumb.

“
He’d say, ‘Heather, get a
grip. Time to cowboy up.’” She smiled at Rad through her tears.
“That’s what you’re thinking too, right?”

Rad shook his head. “I’m not saying
this is going to be easy, Heather. But worrying—”

“
Won’t solve anything,”
she finished for him.

“
I’ll call Annie if you
want.”

Heather nodded, and then stood. “No.
Maybe not. Not yet. It will just make her worry about
Pops.”

She began wandering around the living
room, fluffing pillows and rearranging knickknacks as she talked,
as if that somehow helped her think. “Let’s wait until we get some
real news. And that the rest of them are safe.”

Rad nodded, amazed at her strength.
Wynn had always said the ones at home had the tougher job. He was
right.

Heather moved toward the small room
off the living room. “When he gets home, he might have to sleep in
your room if he can’t make it up the stairs. Maybe we should start
getting it ready.”

Rad strode to the doorway of the room
he always used when he was unfit to drive home. It was really
Wynn’s exercise room and Heather’s sewing room, all mixed up with
some spare boxes of books and a fairly comfortable sofa. He’d spent
more nights than he cared to remember—or could remember—in this
room.

“
Might as well wait until
we know what’s going on.” Rad glanced around the room, assessing
what would need to be done. “I’ll be sleeping here the next few
nights, so don’t plan on kicking me out yet.”

Heather walked up and threw her arms
around him again. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to
stay.”

“
No arguments. I’m
staying.” He put one arm around her waist. “You don’t know what
time of the day or night you might hear something.”

She nodded against him. “You’re right.
I can’t do this without you.”

“
How about some
breakfast?” Rad let her go and headed toward the kitchen. “I make a
mean omelet.”

Heather smiled through her tears
again. “Really? You cook?”

“
Don’t tell me Wynn never
told you of my prowess in the kitchen.”

Heather followed him and showed him
where the pans were. “No. He might have mentioned your prowess
elsewhere, but definitely not in the kitchen.”

Rad chuckled. “That’s logical, I
suppose.” He grabbed the eggs out of the refrigerator. “He was
probably afraid if you knew I could find my way around a kitchen,
you’d make him learn.”

“
I don’t care if he can’t
cook.” Heather’s chin began to tremble again. “I just want him
back.”

Rad put the eggs down and wrapped his
arms around her again. “We’ll get him back, honey. And someday
we’ll laugh about how scared we were for him.”

Heather pulled away and
searched his face with a panicked expression. “
You’re
scared too?”

Rad closed his eyes and
pursed his lips.
Damn, why can’t I find the
right words?

“
I just wish it were me,
Heather.” He put a hand on each shoulder. “I’d give anything to
switch places with him so neither one of you had to go through
this.”

“
You’re a good friend.
Thanks for being here.” She paused a moment. “He really looks up to
you, you know? Like an older brother.”

“
I’m
not
that
much older.” Rad turned and put the pan on the stove. “Anyway,
seriously,” he said, glancing back at her. “He’s one hell of a
man—and a soldier. He’s going to make a great husband
too.”

She smiled and bit her lip,
blinking back a fresh set of tears. “
And
father.”

“
Yeah.” Rad nodded and
smiled. “And father.”

Heather took a deep breath and changed
the subject. “How’s your leg doing anyway? Are you sure you don’t
need any help?”

“
I got it. Just
relax.”

“
You still in a lot of
pain?”

“
No, it’s not bad.” Rad
turned and glanced at her over his shoulder. “Except during PT.
Those women thrive on torture.”

Heather sat down at the table. “Wynn
said you got an award or something for… what you did. He didn’t
tell me much about it, except that it’s a pretty big
deal.”

Rad noticed she didn’t mention the
rescue or Lauren’s name, and he was grateful. He’d gladly give up
every medal and commendation he’d ever received to have her back in
his arms. He decided to change the subject.

“
I talked to McDunna. If
things keep going the way they are, I should be ready for the next
deployment.”

“
Why would you want to go
risk your life for those people?” Heather’s voice was loud and
angry. She put her head down on the table and sobbed. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t talk like that.”

“
I don’t do it for them,
Heather.” Rad walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. “I do
it for you and your future kids.”

“
I know. You guys are so
good at what you do.” She took a deep breath. “The country is lucky
to have you.”

Rad turned back to the stove. “Wynn is
like a brother to me. You know that.”

“
Yeah, I know.”

“
It’s going to be hard the
next few days, but don’t let yourself think about the what-ifs. It
doesn’t do any good to worry about what we can’t
control.”

“
You’re right.” Heather
nodded. “We’ll deal with whatever hand God deals us.”

Chapter 33

Heather stood outside the
door for a moment trying to calm her nerves and prepare herself for
what she would see. She had been given advice on what to say and
do, but now that the actual moment had arrived when she would see
Wynn for the first time since his injury, she couldn’t remember any
of it. Earlier she had felt nervous, worried, and excited. Now she
felt just plain terrified.

Taking a deep breath, she grimaced at
the medicinal smell that greeted her, and then pushed the door
open. The room she stepped into was not nearly as intimidating as
she feared it would be. Wynn lay on a bed with his eyes closed,
looking as if he might be asleep. The IV bag at the head of his bed
dripped silently while a single small machine beside him made a
gentle beeping noise that was almost comforting. Pretending a
calmness she did not feel, Heather moved toward the bed and wrapped
her fingers around his hand.

Wynn did not respond for a few long
moments, but at last his eyes fluttered open and slowly focused on
her.

“
What
are
you
doing here?” His voice was weak, but there was no denying the
anger in it.

“
I’m here to see you,
Wynn.”

“
You’ve seen me. Now go.”
He turned his head away. “I don’t want you to see me like
this.”

Heather knew he would be angry, that
he would feel vulnerable and helpless. His vibrant, muscular body
was not accustomed to being waited on and cared for. He detested
weakness and could not accept that he would have to rely on others
while his body healed.

To reassure him, she sat on the side
of the bed, leaned down, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I’ve been so worried about you. I’m not going
anywhere.”

Heather heard the door open behind her
and knew it was Rad. They’d come to the hospital together, but he’d
pretended he had someone to talk to down the hall to give her time
to have a few moments alone.

Even though he now stared at the wall,
Wynn must have heard someone enter the room too. He turned his head
and glared up at Rad.

“
Great. You’re here for
the pity party too?”

Rad gazed at Heather, now sitting up
and staring at the wall, and apparently noticed the distraught look
on her face.

“
If there’s a pity party,
I’m thinking you’re the only one in attendance, my man.” Rad leaned
toward the bed. “You need to cowboy up, bro.”

“
Easy for you to say.”
Wynn swallowed hard. “Standing on your own two feet.”

Rad casually removed his jacket and
laid it on a chair. “I seem to recall I was exactly where you are
not so long ago.”

“
And you weren’t a very
good patient either,” Heather chimed in.

“
Thanks for the support.”
Rad glanced over at her before turning his attention back to Wynn.
“You all messed up on pain medication or what? You’re not making
much sense.”

Wynn removed his gaze from the ceiling
for a moment to cast an angry glance at Rad before returning to
impassive coldness.

Heather squeezed Wynn’s hand again. “I
know you’re probably worried about the wedding, but don’t. We’ll
just postpone it until you’re ready.”

Wynn turned slowly toward her. “No
wedding.” His voice was firm and final.

A sudden hush filled the room as if a
hurricane wind had come through and sucked it clean of life. Even
Rad appeared unable to find a way to break the silence or lighten
the mood.

“
I’m not making you go
through with it, Heather.” Wynn pulled his hand away and stared at
the ceiling. “I’m letting you off the hook.”

“
Who says I want off the
hook?” Heather bit her lip to keep from crying. She had known he
was going to take his injuries hard. The doctor had warned her he
would be angry and depressed. But this was worse than she expected.
“I agreed to spend the rest of my life with you, and that’s what I
plan to do.”

“
That was before—” Wynn
turned his head away and did not finish.

Rad stepped forward and put a hand on
Wynn’s shoulder. “I think Heather has pretty much made up her mind
on this, dude. You might as well accept it. You’re stuck with each
other.”

“
No. She didn’t bargain
for this.” Wynn remained defiant. “She didn’t plan to spend the
rest of her life taking care of a—”

“
For better or worse.”
Heather interrupted him and squeezed his hand.
“Remember?”

“
We didn’t say our vows
yet,” Wynn answered sullenly, his eyes dark with emotion. “And like
I said, you’re off the hook.”

Heather raised her gaze to Rad and
blinked away the tears as hopelessness consumed her.

“
Man, I sure could use a
cup of coffee,” he said calmly.

Heather stared at him a moment, then
jumped to her feet, taking his hint to leave the two of them alone.
“Me too. I’ll go get us some.”

“
How about you, Wynn?” Rad
asked.

“
None for him.” Heather
already had her purse slung over her shoulder. “Even if it’s
allowed, caffeine makes him irritable.”

Rad waited for the door to close
behind him, but when it didn’t he glanced around to see Heather
motioning to him from the doorway.

“
Don’t say anything about
the… you know,” she whispered when he walked over, pointing to her
stomach.

Rad nodded, and then said in a loud
voice. “That’s right. Two creams. No sugar.”

As soon as the door closed with a soft
click, Wynn spoke. “Don’t even bother, dude.”

Rad pulled a chair closer to the bed.
“Don’t bother what?”

“
Don’t bother trying to
change my mind.” He opened his eyes and gave Rad a withering glance
before closing them again. “I know how you two operate.”

Rad sighed loudly and leaned back,
crossing his arms. “Really? We were that obvious?”

“
Let’s just say you’re
better at being a soldier than an actor.” Wynn’s words were
slightly slurred from the pain medication. “Making Heather leave
was a waste of time.”

“
Not necessarily.” Rad
leaned forward again. “This might get ugly. I don’t want her to see
it.”

Wynn opened his eyes and even turned
his head this time to get a better view. “Oh yeah?”

“
Yeah. I’m going to try to
talk some sense into your head.”

Wynn sighed loudly. “You can talk all
you want—”

“
And if that doesn’t
work,” Rad continued, “I’m going to beat some sense into
it.”

That comment brought a slight smile.
“I didn’t think you were the type to hit a man when he was
down.”