Page 6 of Fire and Rain
He was right-handed, so it was going to be nice to have the use of his dominant hand again. But the fracture of his humerus had caused soft-tissue damage to his right shoulder that had required surgery, and his shoulder was sore and stiff. At least the bone was healed and he was rid of the brace and sling.
“Okay, that’s enough for today.” Ryan turned to a small refrigerator and drew out an ice pack. “You ice it while I print out those exercises for you to take home.”
“Thanks.” Sean took the ice pack, pressed it against his shoulder.
Three months had passed since the night of the incident. During that time, Sean had been on medical leave. His facial burns, though extremely painful, had been only partial thickness burns and so had left minimal scaring in the form of pale blotches that no longer grew a beard. But broken bones and injured muscles took longer to heal than blisters—or emotions.
Not a day passed when Sean didn’t wish he’d handled things differently. If only he’d gotten that basket back into the cabin before the explosion. Or shouted earlier for Justin to abandon the rescue and jump. Then Justin and David mightbothbe alive.
Those choices haunted his nightmares, making it hard to get a full night’s sleep.
Investigators had identified the three people from theMarjorie T, a local family. All three had prior drug-related arrests. The last Sean had heard, an informant had told police that they owed a lot of money to some drug dealer. Police believed they’d been cooking meth to sell as a way to pay off that debt. Now, investigators were after the dealer.
Ryan returned with a handful of printouts, each describing a new exercise. “We went through all of these today. Keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll be back on active-duty status soon.”
“Thanks.” Sean stepped off the exam table and took the printouts. “Same day and time next week?”
Ryan nodded. “See you then.”
Sean put on his shirt and jacket and left the clinic. The sky was overcast, a cold breeze blowing from the east, carrying the scent of rain. He walked to his gray Subaru Forester, climbed inside, and drove toward Justin and Eden’s place on Aviation Hill, a government housing area for Coastie families just off the base.
Coast Guard investigators had released their report on the incident this morning, and he wanted to make sure she had a copy. Investigators had determined that the flight crew was not at fault and that all procedures had been followed. They had also concluded that the Coast Guard needed protocols to keep crews safe from potential floating meth labs in the future.
Are you doing this for Eden’s sake or for yourself?
On the night Maverick had been born, Sean had promised Justin that he’d watch over Eden and Maverick as if they were his own family should anything happen to Justin. He’d was doing his best to keep that promise, and delivering this report was part of that.
The report hadn’t assuaged Sean’s sense of guilt. Close to a minute had passed between Justin’s realization that they were cooking meth and the explosion that had killed him. A minute was more than enough time for Sean to yell into his radio for Justin to jump and for Justin to hit the water. If he’d been below the surface when the ship had blown…
Sean also had a box of belongings from Justin’s locker and from the duty room he’d stayed in that night that he needed to return to her. James had put it all in his back seat, but Sean kept forgetting about it. He hoped the contents of the box and the memories they stirred wouldn’t make Eden’s day harder. But how could they not?
Sean made a left off Rezanof Drive onto Aviation Hill Loop Road and turned onto Beach Circle, parking in the driveway of the tidy duplex where he’d spent so many weekends and evenings. He drew a deep breath and picked up the printout of the investigation report, reminding himself that he was here to help Eden and not to unburden himself. Then he climbed out of his vehicle, walked up the steps to the front door, and knocked.
When Eden answered the door, Sean could tell she’d been crying, her eyes puffy and red. She wore an old KHS Bears T-shirt over faded jeans, her long, dark hair hanging free. Sean had always found her beautiful, her mixed heritage giving her matchless features—high cheekbones, full lips, big eyes of hazel-green. He’d always told Justin that he’d married the most beautiful woman on the island.
She motioned for him to enter, speaking softly. “Maverick is asleep.”
Sean stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Eden smiled. “You’re not wearing the brace. How does your shoulder feel?”
“Stiff. Sore. It’s nice to have my right hand back.”
“I bet. You’re almost healed. The scars on your jaw are almost gone, too.”
“Almost.” He followed her toward the kitchen table, where official papers were spread everywhere. “You’ve been busy.”
“The Casualty Assistance Calls Officer was here this morning going over the last of the paperwork with me.” She ran a hand through her hair, leaving it tousled. “I’ve been trying to figure out my finances, make the right decisions. Social Security is taking forever. It’s so much to deal with all at once. It’s just … hard.”
The quaver in her voice as she said that last word hit Sean in the chest. “Can I help? I’m pretty good with Coast Guard lingo and budgets and the like.”
Like Justin, Sean had filled out all the necessary forms so the Coast Guard would know what to do with his remains and his military benefits in case he was killed in the line of duty.
Eden gave him a sad half-smile. “You didn’t come here to help me fill out paperwork.”
“I brought the report from the crash investigation.” He set the document on the table. “I thought you might want a copy. I can summarize it if you don’t want to read it.”
Eden’s brow furrowed, her arms crossed over her chest. “Thanks. I’d like that.”
