Page 36 of Jenny
“I know.” If there was anyone Dare could talk to, it was Jenny. “But my dad used to complain. About everything.”
“You wouldn’t be complaining. You’re just letting what’s inside out.”
“You make it sound easy.”
She shrugged. “You won’t know if it is or not until you try.”
Dare had a feeling she could talk him into anything. He took a breath. And another.
“I hate this. Being injured. Stuck in a hospital. Unable to help my guys. Relying on everyone but myself.” He half-laughed. “Those sound like complaints.”
“You’re being honest. Keep going.”
Saying the words aloud released some of the tension in his shoulders. He wanted to keep going. “I keep thinking about my staff sergeant. His name is Hamilton. He’s still deployed with the others. I miss Mitch and the rest of the guys so freaking much. I can’t wait to hear they’re home.” Dare shifted. “The crash wasn’t my fault, but I feel like I’ve let my guys down. That I should have been able to keep them safe. I want a do-over, so I can change what’s happened. But I can’t, and it feels like there’s this ball or something stuck at the back of my throat. It just keeps hurting.”
She stood, walked to the back of his wheelchair, and put her arms around him. “I wish there were do-overs, too.”
Dare sank into Jenny’s embrace. He just wanted to be held. Her warm breath against his neck was added comfort.
“Wanting to be with my platoon doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you, too. You have a way of making me feel better without even trying. It’s confusing to want to be here and there at the same time.”
She raised his hand and kissed it. “I’m sure it is confusing and frustrating, but all you need to focus on right now is healing. Your recovery is the most important thing.”
He knew Jenny was correct, but that didn’t make his feelings any easier to deal with. “The head doctor said something similar.”
She squeezed his hand. “Talk to the doctor. Talk to your mom. Talk to me. Call your guys or your staff sergeant.”
Dare nodded.
Jenny kept hold of him. “We haven’t known each other long—”
“It feels like I’ve known you forever.”
“Same.” He couldn’t see her face, but he knew she was smiling. “We joke around a lot, and I have no idea what you’re going through, but please know you can talk to me about anything. I might not have the answers, but I can listen. It takes a strong man to tell someone what he’s feeling. That’s not a weakness.”
Dare’s gut told him Jenny would be there no matter if things were going well or if he were struggling. That he could trust her no matter what. She wouldn’t hurt him the way others had. “The same goes for you.”
He thought she’d let go of him and return to the bench, but she didn’t. Having her hold him felt so good. Words didn’t seem necessary. Just being together was enough.
A bee flew across the tops of the blades of grass. A siren sounded in the distance. Peals of laughter filled the air as the little girl twirled across the grass with her arms extended until the woman called for her.
“That little girl is so cute,” Jenny said. “Not a care in the world.”
Dare wondered what Jenny’s kids might look like. Mini versions of her if they were lucky. A question popped into his head. “Do you want kids?”
“Yes, but…”
He looked at her. She had a puzzled expression on her face. “What?”
“I wrote about having a family in my last email to you. The one about Missy’s foster kittens.”
Dare had read her emails so many times he had them memorized. “I never saw that one. What did it say?”
“You really want to know?”
“You bet.”
Removing her cell from her pocket, she returned to the bench and sat. “The email is in my sent folder.”
