by Jaime Lewis
She looked down at her watch. She had about fifteen minutes before her next patient arrived. She pulled her phone from her pants pocket and dialed Frost’s number. After the fifth ring, she got his voicemail. This time she left a quick message, asking him to please give her a call.
Nathan was still apologizing for the other night. He had planned on staying a couple of extra days, but he was called back to California She had hoped he and Frost could’ve officially met. She shook her head; there was nothing she could do about it right now. She just hoped her day would get better.
☐
Seven hours later, Autumn’s day wasn’t any better. In fact, it was worse. Much worse as she sat in the ER of the local hospital.
She received a phone call from Cody’s school about two hours ago, saying he had fallen outside and hit his head on the sidewalk. It was a hard-enough hit that it had knocked him out. They told her an ambulance had been called, and they were transporting him to the hospital. She had freaked out and was a nervous wreck, and, of course, it had to have happened when she didn’t have a car. A couple of the nurses offered to drive her, but she knew it would mess up the schedule if they did. She did try to call Frost again, but again, received no answer, just his voicemail.
Knowing it would take longer to take the bus, she decided to grab a cab at the taxi stand outside the main entrance of the hospital. There were always a few on stand-by waiting.
By the time she arrived at the hospital, Cody had regained consciousness and was being evaluated. Now they were waiting for the doctor to hear the results of his CT scan. She reached over and brushed his hair off his forehead. He blinked his eyes open, and she could see the pain in his eyes. God, she hated to see him suffering.
“Hey, sweetie. How ya feeling?”
He mumbled an okay, then cleared his throat. “My head hurts here.” He pointed to the left side near his temple.
She smiled. “I’m sure it does. Ms. Morgan saw you fall, and she said you hit pretty hard. Do you feel dizzy or queasy?”
He slowly shook his head. “No, just tired.”
“Remember what the doctor said, if you start to have any symptoms that he told you about, you need to let me know as soon as possible.”
He whispered an okay and closed his eyes again, and she knew he was asleep.
A few minutes later, the doctor knocked lightly on the door and entered. He explained that Cody had a concussion, and the CT scan came back clean. He wanted to keep him in the ER for another hour before discharging him.
After thanking the doctor and thanking the lord that her son was going to be okay, she started debating how they were going to get home. It was almost a quarter to five, and now they had to wait at least another hour before Cody could be discharged; it was going to be getting dark by the time they left. She hated taking the bus at night, plus she wanted to get Cody home as soon as possible. With all of the stops and then having to walk the quarter-mile from the bus stop to their house, that option was thrown out of the window. She thought about taking a cab, but after spending a fortune for the cab ride to the hospital, she didn’t have the money.
She picked up her phone and tried calling Frost again, and for the third time today, she got his voicemail. This time, she opted not to leave a message.
She set her phone on her lap and rubbed her temples. She had about given up on who she could call, and then she remembered…She scrolled through her contacts until she found the person Frost had told her to call if she ever needed anything and couldn’t get hold of him.
She hit the green button, and the line started to ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Is this Alex?”
“Who’s calling?”
“I’m sorry. This is Autumn, Frost’s friend.”
“Oh. Hi, Autumn! How are you?”
“Well, at the moment, I’m in a little bit of a pickle. Frost mentioned that if I couldn’t get hold of him that I could call you.” She paused, realizing how ridiculous this probably was. He probably told her about what happened. She wouldn’t want to help. “God, this is so embarrassing. You know what? I’m sorry I bothered you. Please just forget I called.”
She went to disconnect, but she heard Alex’s plea. “Wait! Autumn?”
“Yeah?”
“You sound frazzled. What’s going on? Obviously, it was important enough to call Frost.” The woman had a point.
Autumn took a deep breath and started to explain the day’s events to Alex. Alex was very understanding and concerned and told her she was just getting ready to leave work herself and to give her about fifteen to twenty minutes. She’d meet her at the hospital.
Autumn disconnected the call, and her body slumped in the chair. She felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off her. Tears stung her eyes. Alex hadn’t even questioned her, just told her that she understood, and she was on her way. She was a saint.
She sat there in the chair with her head cradled in her hands. She heard a faint knock on the door. A beautiful brunette, wearing hot pink hospital scrubs, walked in. She smiled. “Hi, are you Autumn?”
Autumn looked at the woman. “Yes.”
The woman looked at Cody, who was snoring, then she walked closer and sat in the empty chair next to Autumn. She stuck her hand out. “My name is Tenley. I’m one of the RNs in the emergency room. I’m a friend of Alex’s. She called me and asked me to come and check on you.”
Autumn starred at this Tenley woman. Were these women for real? Two acts of kindness from complete strangers in a matter of minutes was completely unheard of in this day and age.
“I’m sorry, how is it that you know, Alex?”
Tenley laughed and patted Autumn’s leg like they’ve been friends for years. And, for some reason, Autumn felt completely comfortable being in her company.
“Alex is my best friend. She and I grew up together here in Virginia Beach. As you know, Alex is engaged to Ace. Potter, who I know you met a few weeks ago when Frost was in the hospital, is my husband. Oh, and Frost is also one of my best friends. He and Stitch, one of the others you met, grew up with Alex and me.”
Holy shit…Talk about a small world. Tenley’s calm and soothing voice helped tame Autumn’s nerves.
“So, you are all like a little family?”
Tenley smiled wide. “We sure are, and when one of us is in trouble or in a little bind, we are always there for one another. No questions asked. Well, most of the time.” She winked, and Autumn had to laugh.
After talking a little more, Autumn learned that Tenley recently found out she and her husband were expecting a baby and adopted a seven-year-old girl from Ecuador. Tenley’s sincerity truly touched Autumn. She seemed like a wonderful woman and a great mother. She was even more shocked when Tenley wanted to exchange cell numbers with her and introduce Cody to her daughter Alejandra.
Tenley was getting ready to go and check the discharge papers for Cody when Alex walked in. She was wearing dark navy-blue dress pants, a crisp white three-quarters sleeve button up blouse that was unbuttoned at the top just enough to look classy and sexy. Her three-inch Calvin Klein Pointed-Toe Pumps rounded out her outfit. The woman screamed class and confidence. She looked absolutely stunning and so professional.
She smiled at both Autumn and Tenley. “Oh, good, you got to meet one another.”
Tenley grinned. “Yep. We were just having a little girl talk while we waited. I was going to see if Cody’s paperwork is ready, so we can get that sweet little boy home and in his own bed. He needs to take it easy and rest for a couple of days.”
Alex looked at Autumn. “Well, that is good news. What did the doctor say?” Alex asked as she walked over to the bed and gently touched Cody’s arm. Autumn tried not to let her emotions get the best of her, but these two women were just too amazing. She was a complete stranger to them both, but here they were, talking and acting like they’ve all been best friends for life.
She tried dislodging the huge lump that had formed in her throat. “The d
octor believes he has a mild concussion. I just need to monitor him for the next twenty-four hours.”
Alex shook her head in understanding and came to sit down in the chair Tenley had vacated. She reached out and covered Autumn’s hand with hers. “How are you holding up?”
Autumn couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, and as soon as she blinked, they began to fall. “I think I’m okay now. About an hour ago was a different story.” She looked at Alex. “I was so scared when I got that call. I feel so exhausted right now.”
Alex smiled softly and squeezed her hand. Just that little bit of reinsurance made Autumn feel a bit better.
“I’m sure you are, but Autumn, you did the right thing by calling me.”
Autumn went to respond because, honestly, she wasn’t really sure if it was the right thing to do, but Tenley came in at that moment with Cody’s paperwork.
☐
An hour later and Autumn and Cody were in Alex’s SUV on their way home.
“Alex, I can’t thank you enough for doing this for us. I would like to repay the favor somehow.”
Alex waved her off, but Autumn knew she was probably taking her away from her plans for the evening. She glanced in the back seat, where Cody was once again asleep. For the next twenty-four hours, the doctor instructed her to wake him every thirty minutes, and bring him back to the hospital quickly if he developed any severe concussive symptoms, such as dizziness or nausea.
“Has Frost called you back?” Alex asked. The question surprised her, and so did the annoyed tone Alex spoke with.
“No, not yet. I figured he was busy since he said the only time he won’t answer is if he was deployed or was working and couldn’t answer. I think he was supposed to take his PRT this morning.”
“I don’t know why he hasn’t called you back, though. That doesn’t make sense. He’s seemed a little off ever since the night he saw Cody at Bayside.”
It made perfect sense why he hasn’t called and why he was upset that night. She was now afraid she had blown any chance at a relationship with him. But, on the other hand, it kind of pissed her off that he was acting like a child and giving her the silent treatment. Pissed or not, he could be a man and at least allow her to explain. Obviously, Alex wasn’t aware of what went down at the restaurant.
“I think it is my fault.” She sighed. “Hell, I don’t know.”
“Your fault?” Alex questioned as she turned on her left turn signal to pull into the housing complex.
Autumn shook her head. “Yes.” Autumn wasn’t sure if she wanted to get Alex caught up in her and Frost’s issues. She seemed to be close to him, so she knew Alex’s loyalty would lie with her friend.
“Does this have to do with Frost seeing you with that other man? And before you ask, Frost and I are best friends. He, Tenley, and Stitch, one of the other SEALs I believe you met in the hospital, all grew up with each other. So, we kind of tell each other everything.”
Autumn’s stomach churned. Yep, Alex was loyal to her friends, and Frost had told them.
“Don’t look so defeated. Frost might be my friend and all, but I know perfectly well he can sometimes get his head up his ass.” She smiled, and Autumn had to chuckle. “Now, it is obvious you have feelings for Frost, and he has them for you. I don’t have anywhere pressing I need to be right now, so why don’t I help you get Cody inside the house and situated? Then you can explain to me what exactly happened.”
Autumn smiled with tears forming in her eyes again. “I think I’d like that very much.”
◆◆◆
Once Cody was tucked into bed and comfortable, Autumn joined Alex at the kitchen table. It wasn’t much of a kitchen table per se. It was just a small round table with two chairs. It wasn’t even a matching set, but she couldn’t pass them up for the price at a yard sale, and she needed something that she and Cody could eat on instead of sitting on the floor at the coffee table or the breakfast bar.
She pulled a bottle of wine out and offered a glass to Alex, which she happily accepted. She brought the glasses over to the table and sat down, handing one to Alex.
She took a large sip savoring the taste. She wasn’t a big drinker. She’d have a glass of wine here and there, but she never drank when Cody was home. But today called for a drink, and she was thankful to have someone join her.
She looked across the table at Alex and started to unravel the details from the fiasco at Bayside.
Autumn began by telling Alex about Kevin and how he was killed in action during a tour overseas and how Nathan, the guy from last night had been her lifeline back in California for the months afterward and how it took her having a ‘come to Jesus moment,’ where she both realized and decided she needed to move on with her life and be on her own.
Then she told her about Nathan showing up out of the blue the other day for a surprise visit.
“Do you think Nathan may have stronger feelings for you?”
Autumn gave Alex a funny look. “You mean like he, likes me?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen it numerous times, having been raised in a military community. When someone loses somebody they care about, a best friend, teammate, or someone along those lines steps in to help out and fill that void, but then it leads to that person becoming attached to the individual in mourning, and next thing you know, they both find love.”
Autumn took another sip of wine and considered what Alex was saying. She didn’t think so because Nathan had never made any move or said anything that would insinuate he had feelings for her other than a friend. Plus, he mentioned the other night at dinner that he had a girlfriend, and it seemed pretty serious.
“I don’t think so. I mean, he was there for Cody and me. He helped me with everything from the funeral to all of the paperwork needing to be filed, considering I was the spouse of a deceased soldier. Even though it’s not like it did any good.” She scrunched her face up.
Alex placed her wine glass down on the table and asked, “What happened with the paperwork?”
Autumn sighed. “What didn’t happen. Cody and I were on a separate health insurance plan than my husband. The hospital I worked for had a great insurance plan. When Cody was born, my husband was on tour overseas, so I put Cody on my health insurance policy. Over the years, we decided that it was silly to have two insurance policies when his military policy could cover all of us.
When he received his orders that he was being deployed again, we hurried to fill out all of the necessary forms and submit them before his departure. That was when we both realized his sister was still listed as his sole beneficiary on his life insurance policy. So, while we were there, we killed two birds with one stone, and he updated his life insurance policy, removing his sister from the policy entirely and named me as the sole beneficiary with Cody as the contingent.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming?” Alex stated.
Autumn took a deep breath. “Yeah, there is a big ‘but.’ Somehow, the paperwork was misplaced.”
“What about the life insurance? Please stop me if I’m being too nosey, but did he have the max? I think it’s around four-hundred-thousand dollars. Most soldiers select that.”
“Yeah, he did, but without the updated paperwork, there was no proof Kevin filed anything, so all the money from the policy was given to his sister. Who, by the way, hates me. She always had, so, of course, she took every penny and ran with it, and didn’t even offer anything for Cody. That’s the part that really irritates me.”
“What about your health coverage and your spouse survivor benefits?”
“The insurance was a nightmare. Trying to deal with the VA is like running around in a circle. I eventually got tired of the lies, excuses, and then wait in trying to deal with them, so I just gave up. Thankfully, Cody and I still had my insurance to fall back on. I do receive the survivor’s benefit, which is about $1,400, but that pretty much pays for Cody’s school tuition.”
◆◆◆
Alex was stunned. Autumn was amazing, not to mention a fa
bulous mom. Her courage to give her son the life her husband wanted with limited resources was commendable. She deserved a damn medal of her own, and Alex completely understood Autumn’s frustration with the VA. What Autumn went through was just a tiny blimp of an example of why she started her foundation.
“Autumn, have you heard about the new clinic and foundation opening up in town for Veterans?”
Autumn nodded. “I have. I was speaking with a few of my colleagues at work the other day about it. A couple of us were trying to find a contact there to offer our services if they were needed. The higher-ups at the naval hospital said they would cover our pay if we wanted to volunteer one day a week there. Do you by chance know who I could contact? I think I heard they were going to open in October.”
Alex chuckled, and her respect for Autumn skyrocketed. “I’m actually really, really close to the founder.”
Autumn’s eyes got big. “That’s great! Let me grab a pen and piece of paper, so I can write down their contact information.”
She went to get up, but Alex reached over, grabbing her arm, stilling Autumn’s movements. “Autumn, the founder of the Jacob Hardesty Foundation, is me.”
Autumn stared at her. “Come again?”
This time Alex full out laughed at Autumn’s expression. “I’m the CEO and Founder of the foundation and clinic. My full name is Alex Hardesty. My dad is…was Jacob Hardesty, US Navy SEAL killed in action.”
Autumn covered her mouth. “Oh, my god, Alex! I can’t tell you how many people admire what you’re doing and accomplishing, including myself. And I’m sorry about your dad. But what a wonderful thing to do in memory of him.”
Alex laughed and knew in just the short amount of time she’s spent with Autumn that she had made a new friend, and if Frost had a problem with it, then tough shit.