Page 32 of Healing Hope

“Well,” Jess said. “They’re building something for us.”

The little girl’s brows lifted. “What are they building?”

“Let’s go see.”

They all trooped out onto the back patio. Paul headed across the grass to talk to the supervisor, and Hope settled onto a chair. There she sat for hours, watching the multi-level, multi-slided fort come together. The company was fantastic and had obviously done this many times before. Within about five hours they had the main structure built, and were working on the slides. Then they added the swings and extras.

Hope got more and more anxious, almost bouncing in her chair, but she wasn’t allowed in the construction area. Even Sophie seemed excited, running very carefully on her three good legs when she joined them on the patio. Paul stayed inside most of the time, though he came out about once an hour to check on progress.

When the men were done and the last of the scrap and mess had been cleaned up, the supervisor walked up to the patio, grinning. “I think we’re done, ma’am. Tell your boss, or husband, whatever he is, if he stains it next spring, it will last for years.”

“I will. Thank you, guys.”

He hesitated, like he wanted to say something else. She could see the come-on building in his mind, and she didn’t want to deal with it. “Come on, Hope,” she said, pulling the girl to her feet. “Let’s go check out your birthday fort.”

The supervisor got the message, because he left with a last smile. Hope giggled as they walked through the yard. “He wanted a date.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Yeah, probably.”

“But you didn’t tell him Daddy wasn’t your husband.”

“I know,” Jess sighed. “I figured you’d pick up on that, you stinker.”

Hope giggled, dancing beside her. It was almost like she was prancing in place, so anxious to get to the fort. “Go! Play, child!”

Giggling, Hope took off to climb the fort. Built out of redwood to match the pergola, it would hopefully last several years. It was pretty, with huge dark green canopies for shade. The group had dug out a space in the lawn for it, lined the yard with edging and filled the inside with rubber mulch, which was so comfortable to walk on…

Hope played for hours, swinging and climbing. At one point, she even dozed off in one of the upper lookouts, after she’d carried a blanket and pillow up there. Jess didn’t mind. If she could be that comfortable in a space, she would let her. And the backyard was completely fenced, so she knew not to leave the area.

Paul came out and sat down on one of the chairs. He seemed frazzled. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing really. Just frustrated.” He held up his injured hand. “I’ve gotten used to being without one hand, but being without two is nearly impossible.”

Jess sighed and gave him a gentle smile. “Well, maybe you can look at this as a learning experience. Surely you have people come through your facility that are double amputees, or more.”

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted, voice resigned. “I think I’m angry that I did this to myself. Why didn’t I grab something to fight with, or run after you?”

Jess snorted. “Well, you’re not a runner, for one thing. What branch were you in?”

“Marines,” he said softly.

“I thought so,” she smiled. “Well, if you had run after us, he might have followed. And then the fight would have continued. You kept him contained to the bedroom, then got him out of the house. I know you got hurt, but I appreciate you keeping us safe.”

“And I appreciate everything you’ve done. You’ve gone so far beyond the job requirements.”

Jess laughed. “Maybe you can leave me an excellent review with Carolina.”

“I will absolutely do that.”

They watched the sun slip beneath the horizon. It had been a long day. “If you’ll stay with Hope, I’ll go throw something together for dinner.”

They ended up having cheese tortellini and garlic bread. Hope chattered almost non-stop, and seemed to be in the best mood Jess had ever seen her in. Then, without prompting, she circled the table to her father. “Thank you for my play set, Daddy.”

Paul opened his mouth to protest, but Jess shook her head, cutting off whatever he was going to say. “He wanted to keep it a secret, but we forgot about it coming today. That was a good surprise, huh? It’s a little early for your birthday, but that’s the best part about your birthday week. You get little treats like that.”

Hope nodded and gave him a big hug. “It was an excellent surprise.”

“Are you ready to get your bath, Pigpen?”