Page 50 of Jenny
Susan still hadn’t arrived after Jenny had signed them all. She looked around. The place was crowded, as usual. She’d spent so much time at the hospital these past weeks she couldn’t imagine not coming here tomorrow.
Except she’d be home in Berry Lake by then. She looked forward to seeing Missy and the kittens.
“There you are.” All smiles, Susan walked up to her. “Thanks so much for doing this.”
“Not a problem.” And it wasn’t. Jenny was happy to help. “The books are good to go. The two stacks facing the different directions are for Carlos and Vince. Just check the title page to see who it belongs to. The other books are single copies the nurses can pass out to patients.”
“How thoughtful of you, but why don’t you hand them out yourself?” Susan asked. “You have time, right?”
The Alamo tour wasn’t scheduled until later. “Yes, but to be honest, I’d rather not see Dare.”
Susan touched Jenny’s arm. “I understand, but please don’t worry about him.”
If only she could stop. “Okay. Where to first?”
“Carlos’ room.”
Jenny donned the yellow disposable scrubs, mask, and gloves, and then entered Carlos’ room with the books. A curtain had been pulled, making the room seem smaller than the last time she was here.
“Hey,” she said. “I wanted to stop by and say hi. I brought you a couple of books.”
“Thanks.” For someone having a rough day, Carlos didn’t look so bad. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t have a frown or a sad expression on his face. “You’re one of my favorite authors.”
Now he was makingherfeel better. Grinning, she sat in the chair next to his bed. She put the box on the floor, removed his books, and placed them on the bed tray. “Thank you. You made my day.”
“It’s the truth,” Carlos said without hesitation. “Ash is a badass.”
“He is, but so are you guys.”
“Sergeant O’Rourke’s the real deal.”
Jenny felt a pang. Okay, the words hit her like a sucker punch, but she recognized how much Carlos respected his sergeant and looked up to Dare. “Yes, he is. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but Ashton Thorpe can’t hold a candle to Darragh O’Rourke.”
A smile tugged at Carlos’ lips. “You sound certain.”
“I am,” she said with confidence. “Ash is a man’s man, but there’s a reason he never gets the girl. He doesn’t deserve her.”
Carlos winked. “I thought Ash ended up alone so you could write another story with a new love interest.”
“That, too.” She laughed. “But it also works with his character.”
Carlos’ eyebrows drew together. “How?”
She thought for a moment. “Well, Ash acts as a lone wolf. He has no team or comrades to rely on or console when things go south. He moves on to the next mission without realizing the pains—emotional and physical—of those he left behind. Ash never has to make sacrifices, not like Dare, and while Dare might not save the world as Ash does in each book, Dare saves individuals, and that’s equally as important.”
“Sounds like you know the two men well.”
She shrugged. “One I created and control. He’s alone because I say so. The other is a wild card. Unfortunately, he’s choosing to be alone, and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
That was probably too much information to give the young corporal, but the words were out before she could stop them.
“Sometimes, even heroes mess up. Thanks for the books, Jenny. These are copies I won’t be loaning out,” Carlos said. He picked up and put on a pair of headphones before pointing behind her.
She turned.
The curtain was open.
Dressed in yellow scrubs, Dare sat in his wheelchair. Squatchy was tucked in next to him.
