Page 55 of The Veteran

“Go straight to the hospital,” she said, as if reading my thoughts.

I shook my head. “I’ll drop you off at the safe house first. The guys there can guard you.”

“Kade.” She laid her hand on my thigh. “Take me with you to the hospital. Your family needs you. Don’t waste any time.”

I grimaced. “I won’t be able to clear it properly.”

“Call one of the guards from the safe house and they can join us. That way, I’ll have someone with me while you’re with your mom and sister. They need you more than I do right now.”

The discomfort in my gut eased. I did like the idea of keeping her close to me, but this would hardly be ideal. It wasn’t by the book and there was a good chance Ronan would disapprove, but it was the only option I felt like I could live with.

“Okay,” I conceded. “Call Sean and ask him to meet us there. Until he arrives, you need to be within sight at all times.” Something heavy caught in my chest. “You’re too important to risk.”

Her smile made my insides feel sweet and smooth as molasses. “Whatever you need.”

I watched with amazement as she got the address and room number from Mom and plugged it into the GPS to find the fastest route, then called Sean to make arrangements. When everything was organized, she dug into her purse and withdrew a translucent white stone, which she clasped on her lap.

“I’m going to send her healing energy,” she said, closing her eyes and proceeding to ignore me for the rest of the trip, breathing slowly in and out with a look of concentration so intense I wanted to bundle her up and kiss the hell out of her. What had I done to deserve this wonderful woman?

SAGE

When I’d told Kade that we should go straight to the hospital, I’d been thinking about the fact he needed to be with his mom and sister. But as we made our way through the hospital to the elevator, heading to the room his mom had directed us to, it occurred to me that I was about to meet his family. The circumstances left a lot to be desired, but I wanted them to like me.

The elevator pinged and we stepped off into a corridor that smelled of illness and disinfectant. Kade didn’t speak or look at me as his long legs ate up the distance. I scanned the numbers on the doors we passed. Four-twenty-nine. Four-thirty. Four-thirty-one. We stopped outside four-thirty-two. Kade gripped the door handle and slowly turned it, as though wary of what he might find on the other side.

The door opened into a three-bed ward. The bed nearest us was currently unoccupied but a bag on the chair and a discarded jar of peanuts showed someone had been there recently. An elderly woman slept in the middle. At the far end, two middle-aged women stood at the bedside of a pale younger woman who appeared to be unconscious. I glanced at each of the women in turn. The taller of the two had dark hair liberally salted with gray. Even though she was hunched, I could tell she was taller than average. Her companion was shorter and her hair had been dyed a rich shade of red. I assumed these were Kade’s mother and his aunt.

The brunette let out a sob as she spotted Kade and rushed across the room toward us. When she was a couple of feet away, she launched herself into Kade’s arms. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. My insides melted at the display of affection for his mom. She sniffled for a few moments, then let him go and stepped back, wiping her eyes on the backs of her sleeves. The redhead approached more slowly.

“How is she?” Kade asked, gazing over at his sister.

“The doctors say she’s doing well,” his mom said. “She was hit by shrapnel from relatively close range. Some of the cuts are superficial, but there was a lot of tissue damage to her abdomen and she bled internally.”

Kade stiffened. “Prognosis?”

“She may have ongoing issues because of the abdominal injuries but they said it could have been much worse.” She pressed her lips together, tears filling her eyes. “There’s a good chance she’ll be medically discharged.” She huffed out a shallow breath. “All I feel is relief because it means my baby will be safe.” She met Kade’s eyes. “Am I a terrible mom to be grateful for something I know she’ll be devastated by?”

He kissed her cheek and gave her another quick hug. “No. It’s natural to want her safe, but we need to make sure she feels supported and that we help her process what she’s going through. It’s going to be a difficult road ahead.”

“She’ll have us,” Cathy said. “We’ll make sure she has whatever she needs.”

My heart felt heavy. I didn’t know Audrey, but I could sense the army was important to her and no matter how supportive her family was, she’d have to work through a lot on her own. Still, it was good she had people who cared for her.

“Who’s this?” Kade’s mom asked, finally seeming to notice me.

Kade placed a hand on my lower back. “Mom, this is Sage. Sage, my mother, Tina.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, offering her my hand. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“So do I,” she replied, gripping my hand for a little longer than necessary. She eyed me speculatively, and I couldn’t help wondering what, if anything, Kade had told her about me.

Kade nodded toward Audrey. “I’d like to see her.”

Cathy and Tina stepped aside and he strode to stand by Audrey, his footsteps soft on the vinyl floor. His expression contained a combination of pain and regret. I swallowed, knowing from our previous conversation that he no doubt held himself responsible for what had happened. He believed his sister had only joined the army because of him, and he was carrying the weight of that decision on his shoulders.

I moved closer until I was able to see Audrey’s face properly, but I kept a respectful distance, not wanting to intrude on a family moment.

Audrey Campbell had the same thick, dark brown hair as her brother and mother. However, while her brother’s features were strong and masculine, Audrey had a thin nose, full lips, and delicate cheekbones. Her skin looked nearly white against the dark mass of her hair and there was a faint flush on her cheeks, as though she was running a fever. I got a warm feeling from her even though she was unconscious, and my heart told me she was a good person. Only her face and neck were visible above the blankets. I felt a pang of sympathy at the sight of a strip of white medical tape covering a stitched gash at the base of her throat.