Page 43 of Protecting Josie
Josie stepped inside and into the main living area while Nate flicked on a few lights. Looking around, she saw nothing out of place. The books in a bookcase against the wall were lined up perfectly. The few pictures on the walls were evenly spaced and not crooked even an inch. There was a blanket on the back of the couch that was folded perfectly. The pillows were placed just so in the two corners. The coffee table was clean, no magazines or knickknacks littering its surface.
Glancing into the kitchen, she didn’t see any dirty dishes in the sink, the countertops were spotless, and the few appliances on their surfaces were pushed back toward the wall and lined up precisely.
“I’m a bit of a neat freak,” Nate said from behind her. “It was drilled into us in boot camp.”
Josie turned toward him and knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she couldn’t help it. Her place in Vegas looked just like this. Orderly, not cluttered at all.
At seeing her expression, the worried look on Nate’s face disappeared. “I take it you aren’t going to run out the door complaining I’m a total anal freak?”
A sexually loaded inuendo immediately popped into Josie’s mind, but she simply shook her head.
“Good. What do you want to do? Shower? Watch TV? Sit and stare into space? Sleep?”
Her belly decided at that moment to growl, embarrassing the crap out of Josie. Nate had made sure she had plenty to eat during their trip. He was constantly pulling granola bars and dried fruit out of one of his many pockets. Not to mention making sure she had access to as much water as she wanted.
“Eat it is,” Blink said matter-of-factly as he dropped his bag and headed for the kitchen. It was small but had all the things a kitchen needed to be functional. He went to the pantry and looked inside for a long moment, then grabbed for something.
“I don’t have anything fresh, I need to go to the store, but I’ve got some au gratin potatoes in a box that I can make. And some canned green beans. Oh! And some tuna. I can put together a tuna salad. It’s really good with some mayo and pickled jalapenos. I usually make a sandwich out of it, but I don’t have any bread. Idohave some crackers. We can crumble those in it, or treat it as a dip.”
He grabbed more things as he talked, and now he turned to her with his arms full…and for some reason, Josie wanted to cry again. They’d just gotten home, it was late, he had to be as tired as she was, and he had his own medical issues and probably psychological ones to deal with because of his time as a POW—and here he was, going out of his way to feed her.
“No, donotcry,” he ordered, obviously seeing her distress. “We can order a pizza if you want, just don’t cry.”
Josie couldn’t help but laugh through her tears. She was pretty sure he knew she wasn’t emotional over what he’d chosen for them to eat, but was attempting to make her laugh. He’d succeeded.
“Can I help?” she asked, once more surprised at the rasp of her voice. It sounded weird to her ears, and the words popped out without any real thought on her part. Other times, when she really wanted to say something, her vocal cords wouldn’t cooperate. But it seemed around Nate at least,when she felt the most comfortable, they came out without too much effort.
“Sure,” he said. “If you want to grab a couple of bowls from that cabinet, then open the cans, that would be a good start.”
She was glad he didn’t make a big deal out of her speaking. It would’ve felt weird and made her self-conscious.
They worked together to make the meal, and it was ready in no time. As the potatoes finished simmering on the stove, they ate the tuna and the green beans. And while Josie still didn’t eat as much as she usually did, she didn’t get full as fast as she had even the day before.
“Tonight and tomorrow, we rest. Recuperate. The day after that is soon enough for both of us to get back to the real world. I know you probably have some people you need to contact, I’ll need to go to the base, but we’ll have at least a day to do nothing. To reacclimate. Okay?” he said at one point.
Josie nodded. Doing nothing sounded really good. Even though she’d spent the last few weeks doing exactly that, it felt very different now that she was safe, her belly was full, and she wasn’t on edge, waiting for something bad to happen.
They ate the potatoes when they were finished, and to Josie, they were the best thing she’d ever had. Cheesy, creamy, and so damn good, she felt like crying again. But she didn’t get the chance. There were dishes to be done and put away, counters and a table to wipe down, and then it was time for bed.
Nate led her to his spare room. It was obvious he didn’t get many guests, as there were boxes, some weights, and ahodgepodge of furniture in the small space. It was the most cluttered space she’d seen in his apartment. A twin bed sat against a wall, and suddenly all Josie could think about was curling up and sleeping for hours.
“There’s a bathroom in the hall. I’ll put out a toothbrush you can use. Tomorrow, we’ll work on your hair. Do not touch it tonight. Hear me?”
Josie looked at him in surprise.
“I mean, I know it has to be bothering you. I just don’t want you reaching for a pair of scissors or doing anything drastic before you give me a chance to help you with it. I haven’t had any experience with getting snarls and mats out, but I’m willing to try if you are.”
She nodded shyly at him, wondering how in the world he knew she was thinking about chopping it all off and starting over. She’d always thought her long blonde hair was one of her best features, and she hated to cut it. Any help he wanted to give her, she’d gladly take.
“Good. I’m right next door. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come get me. I’ll bring you some water you can keep next to the bed, and—oh! Your cup.” He pulled it out of his pocket and held it up.
Here in the real world, amongst the neat and clean atmosphere of his apartment, the thing looked pathetic. It probably had some nasty germs and parasites in it as well. But Nate didn’t seem turned off or haunted by seeing it. She couldn’t interpret the look he had on his face, but it wasn’t disgust.
“I’ll just leave this here,” he said quietly, placing the small cup on the table next to the bed. Then he stepped up to herand lightly brushed a finger over her cheek. “Thank you for fighting. For not giving up. For being here. For being you, Josie.” Then he leaned down, kissed her forehead, and left without another word.
If Josie was anyone else, she would’ve called him back. Told him how grateful she was for his hospitality. Thanked him for being with her in Germany after the examination was done, and the stupid doctor was going over everything he thought was wrong with her. For sitting next to her on the planes and keeping her calm. For feeding her tonight, for making her feel normal, even though she knew she could never return to the woman she used to be before making that fateful decision to go to Kuwait…and further, getting on that boat with Ayden.
But she didn’t. All she did was watch him walk away.
