Battlefield of the Heart

by E. A. West

  She ran out of things to say about history and started telling him about an archaeology class she’d taken the previous semester. Ambulance arrivals punctuated her words, and Danny finally looked at her as she described some of the tools found in a Stone Age village in Europe. She finished her description as she waited for him to say something.

  He surprised her by chuckling softly. “You have taken some really boring classes.”

  “I thought that archaeology class was interesting,” Cindy said, relieved he seemed normal again.

  “Have you ever studied psychology?”

  “I’ve taken a couple of classes. Why?”

  He looked out at the parking lot. “You remind me of this therapist I once met. He spent twenty minutes describing the life cycle of worms to get me to relax and talk to him. That has got to be the most mind-numbing thing I’ve ever listened to in my life.”

  She laughed lightly. She must have learned more practical knowledge in those classes than she’d thought. “Did it have the desired effect?”

  “Yeah.” Danny fell silent for a moment, and then he turned to her with an uncertain expression. “Do you know what you just witnessed?”

  “Not really.”

  He sighed and looked out at the parking lot again. “An anxiety attack and a flood of memories. Hospitals trigger them nearly every time I go in one for someone other than myself.”

  She hesitated, but the worst that could happen was he told her it was none of her business. “Why do hospitals affect you like that?”

  “Because of something that happened in Iraq.” He shifted his position so he faced her. “We’d heard rumors someone we were looking for was in that hospital. We went in and the place was pretty empty of patients.” He looked away as he spoke in a barely audible voice. “The guy next to me got hit in the leg. I got hit in the chest, but my body armor stopped the bullet. Others in our squad took down the gunmen. We found out later we’d been set up. They lured us there with fake information so they could kill us.”

  Cindy laid her hand on his shoulder, stunned he’d told her something he apparently hadn’t even admitted to Lacey. “You know that’s not going to happen here.”

  Danny turned to her, his eyes haunted. “That’s what I keep telling myself, but it doesn’t always work.”

  She nodded and lowered her hand. Unsure of what to say, she remained silent. She figured he’d let her know if he wanted to talk.

  They sat there a while longer, and then Danny sighed and stood. “We’d better go back in before Josh and Corbin worry too much.”

  Cindy rose and fell into step beside him as he headed for the entrance. “Are you going to be okay?”

  He flashed her a wry look. “If I’m not, at least now you know what’ll happen and why.”

  She smiled and prayed he’d be okay for the rest of the evening. She’d help again if he needed it, but she hated seeing him freak, as Lacey had put it. The poor guy had been through so much, and she doubted she’d heard even the beginning of it.

  They returned to the waiting room to find more people sitting in the padded wooden chairs and Corbin looking worried. Josh ran his gaze over Danny and Cindy as they sat down, and Danny raised his eyebrows. “Have you heard anything yet?”

  “Yeah, they’re having to triage the surgeries thanks to really bad luck and not enough ORs or surgeons,” Corbin said with a sigh.

  “Monique’s been shoved to the bottom of the list because she’s in the best shape,” Josh added. “They don’t know how long it’ll be until they get to her.”

  “That reeks.” Danny glanced around the room. “How many people do they have ahead of her?”

  “Four.” Corbin cast a glare at the group for the gunshot victim. “My baby’s sick and in pain, and they’re making her wait because of morons who can’t drive and think the best way to solve an argument is with a semi-automatic. There should be a law that says stupidity gets you put on the bottom of a triage list regardless of how much blood you’re losing.”

  “At least one of the people ahead of your wife is an innocent bystander,” Josh said quietly.

  Corbin groaned and leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. “I know. I’m just frustrated and worried about Monique.”

  “They’ve got her on heavy-duty antibiotics and painkillers,” Josh said, laying a hand on Corbin’s back. “They’re also monitoring her closely. If she gets much worse, she’ll get pushed up the list. She’ll be okay, man.”

  “I just wish they’d cut that appendix out of her before it ruptures. She’s sick enough without all that junk hitting her bloodstream.”

  “They’ll get it out of her as soon as they can. Try to relax.”

  Corbin nodded but didn’t say anything. Cindy could see how hard it was for him to be patient with his wife so sick. She wanted to offer him some kind of comfort, but she knew nothing she said would help. All she could do was be there, pray, and help Danny stay calm enough to give his friend moral support.

  ****

  The surgeon finally came out to talk to Corbin sometime after three. Cindy watched the tension leave Corbin’s shoulders as he listened to the doctor, and she breathed a prayer of thanks. He wouldn’t relax if it were anything but good news.

  The doctor left the waiting room, and Corbin returned to his seat. “She’s out of surgery and doing fine. The operation was a little more complicated than they anticipated, but the doc says she came through with flying colors. They’re getting ready to take her up to a room now.”

  “Are they going to let you see her tonight?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah, the doc said I can see her for a few minutes before I go home.” Corbin stood and stretched. “You guys can go upstairs with me or leave. It’s up to you. I appreciate you staying here as long as you did.”

  Josh spoke as he rose from his chair. “I’ll stay until you’re ready to leave.”

  “Me, too.” Danny glanced at Cindy. “Unless you want to go back to the dorm now.”

  She shook her head, unwilling to leave before the others. “I’ll hang around here until the rest of you are ready to go.”

  She and Danny joined Corbin and Josh as they headed into the hall. Corbin fell into step with Cindy as they walked toward the elevator.

  “You know, I didn’t expect you to stick around this long.”

  She gave him a tired smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t hang out at a hospital ’til after three in the morning?”

  “The sane kind?” Josh said with a laugh. “Corbin’s right, though. I’m not sure any of us expected you to stick around.”

  “You just don’t know me well enough, apparently. Staying at the hospital for hours when a friend’s wife is having surgery is part of who I am. So is offering babysitting for free, if said friend needs it.”

  Corbin reached out and pushed the call button for the elevator. “Said friend appreciates the offer, but Lacey’s got it covered for the moment. And Monique’s parents will be here tomorrow… later today… however you want to say it.”

  The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Corbin pressed the button for the third floor, and the group leaned on the walls as the elevator started moving. Cindy couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so tired, but she’d made a commitment to stay however long these guys needed her. From the looks of them, they were just as exhausted as she was. The caffeine in the coffee in the surgical waiting room had long since stopped having an effect.

  A quick stop at the nurses’ station let them know Monique hadn’t arrived yet, so they went to the waiting room. Corbin leaned against the wall by the door; Josh sprawled on a couch. Cindy curled up in a chair only marginally more comfortable than the ones downstairs, and Danny stretched out on the other couch. It seemed like an eternity before someone came to tell Corbin his wife was in her room. He followed the nurse into the hall, but the rest of them didn’t move.

  When Corbin returned, he released a weary sigh. “She’s sleeping peacefully.
Let’s get out of here.”

  Everyone slowly rose. Cindy was ready to fall asleep where she stood. A glance at a clock on the wall let her know it was a little after four. She’d been awake for over twenty hours. Just the thought made her even more tired.

  As they headed out of the hospital, Corbin spoke. “Do you guys want to crash at my house for what’s left of the night since it’s closer than campus? That way you don’t have to drive quite as far.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Josh said.

  Danny turned to Cindy. “I’ll leave it up to you.”

  She shrugged. “I’m too tired to care. If you don’t want to drive back to campus and walk three-quarters of a mile or so from the freshman lot to the dorm, I say we accept the offer.”

  “That description is enough to convince me I don’t want to go back to the dorm tonight.” He shifted his gaze to Corbin. “Looks like you get two more guests.”

  “Fine by me. I’ll dig out blankets and pillows when we get there, then you’re on your own to find a place to sleep.”

  They split up in the parking lot. Five minutes later, Danny pulled up to the curb in front of a small two-story house. Josh parked behind them, and Corbin pulled into the drive. After Corbin let them into the house, he disappeared upstairs and returned a couple of minutes later with a stack of pillows and blankets, which he dropped on one end of the tan L-shaped sectional in the living room.

  “Feel free to sleep however late you want,” he said as he turned toward the stairs. He paused at the base and pointed to a hall leading toward the back of the house. “Cindy, the bathroom’s the first door on the right. Kitchen’s at the end of the hall. If any of you want breakfast when you get up, go ahead and eat whatever you can find.”

  He went upstairs, and Josh handed out pillows and blankets. Danny took the recliner by a bookcase, and Cindy kicked off her sneakers and laid her cell phone on the floor beside them before stretching out on one side of the L-shaped sectional. Josh followed her example and took the other side as she settled under the soft blanket.

  Chapter Eight

  Cindy slowly opened her eyes to Corbin’s living room, and then remembered it was Friday. She had a class at eight. Retrieving her cell phone from the floor, she turned it on to check the time. Ten thirty. Then her phone’s battery gave out.

  “Well, shoot.”

  Josh stirred at the other end of the sectional. “What’s wrong?”

  “I missed my class.” She sat up and stretched, noticing Danny had vanished. Her roommate’s paranoia came to mind. “Do you think Corbin would mind if I borrow his phone to call my roommate? My cell just died, and she’s probably convinced I’m dead in a ditch somewhere since I didn’t go back to the dorm last night.”

  “He won’t mind. There’s a phone on the wall just inside the kitchen door.”

  “Thanks.”

  She headed down the hall and drew in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of fresh coffee. Danny sat at the kitchen table, a steaming mug in front of him. He looked remarkably alert given the late night, and she gave him a questioning look. “How long have you been awake?”

  He checked the clock on the microwave. “About an hour. Why?”

  “Just curious.” She spotted the phone and lifted the receiver. “I need to let my paranoid roommate know I didn’t actually get lost.”

  “You want some coffee?” he asked as she dialed.

  She gave him a smile. “Sure.”

  He poured her a cup as Leann picked up. After Cindy assured her roommate she was alive and well and would be back on campus at some point, she hung up and accepted the mug Danny held out. “Thanks.”

  Josh entered the kitchen and headed for the coffeepot. “Corbin still sleeping?”

  “No, he’s in the shower.” Danny returned to his seat at the table. “He said he was going to grab a bite to eat, then head for the hospital.”

  Josh nodded, pouring a mug of coffee. “Has anyone talked to Lacey this morning?”

  “Yeah, Corbin called her.” Danny took a sip of his coffee as Cindy sat down across from him. “She’s going to take Delario up to the hospital this afternoon to see his mom. Corbin talked to him and explained about Monique having to stay there for a couple of days.”

  Josh set his mug on the table then pulled out a chair and dropped onto it. “I bet that was interesting. I can’t imagine explaining emergency surgery to a five-year-old.”

  “I can’t either, but he managed it somehow.” Danny shifted his attention to Cindy. “Hey, what time do you have class today? I’ll get you back to campus so you don’t miss.”

  “She already missed one,” Josh said.

  Danny’s eyebrows drew together. “You did? Why didn’t you mention you had a class this morning?”

  Why did he look so worried? Dr. Brixton would forgive her for missing one class, especially after he heard she’d missed because a friend’s wife needed surgery. The man had great compassion; besides, he’d been one of her professors and her academic advisor long enough to know she wouldn’t skip a class without a good reason. “I forgot about it until I woke up. My next class is at three.”

  “I have one at two.” He glanced at the clock again. “What time was the class you missed?”

  “Eight. I would have missed it even if we’d gone back to the dorm last night.” Cindy took a sip of the strong coffee. If Danny had been drinking much of the stuff, no wonder he was so alert despite the long, stressful night. “I don’t function on three hours of sleep.”

  Corbin walked in, bringing with him the tangy scent of soap, and gave her an odd look. “You only got three hours of sleep?”

  “No, I got about six,” Cindy said. “Thanks for letting me sleep on your couch, by the way.”

  “No problem.” Corbin poured the last of the coffee into a mug and turned off the coffeemaker. “So what was that comment about three hours of sleep?”

  “I don’t function on that little, so I would have missed my eight o’clock class even if I’d gone back to the dorm last night.”

  “All professors who schedule classes before nine need to have their heads examined,” Corbin said, leaning back against the counter. “I had an eight o’clock class last year and was late about half the time. Most of the class was late on a regular basis, though, so I didn’t feel too bad about it.”

  Josh grinned. “I’ve never had a class earlier than ten.”

  “My earliest class is nine,” Danny said.

  “I once had a class at seven thirty.” Cindy laughed at the guys’ disbelieving expressions. “The instructor was late for the first two weeks and decided to move the class to eight thirty.”

  Corbin chuckled. “I shouldn’t be shocked at a seven thirty class. I had five thirty reveille for most of my enlistment.”

  “Mine was at six most of the time,” Josh said.

  “Mine was whenever the first gunshot sounded.” Danny shrugged when everyone looked at him. “I spent a lot of my time grabbing sleep when I could. A set reveille didn’t always work out.”

  Josh shook his head. “You have got to be the unluckiest soldier I’ve ever met. What did you do, fall into the worst assignments for your entire enlistment?”

  “Something like that.”

  The kitchen fell silent, and Corbin set his mug on the counter. “Who’s up for breakfast?”

  They all were. Corbin placed a large skillet on the stove, then retrieved a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and began cracking them into a bowl while the pan heated. Josh went to work making toast.

  They’d just finished eating when the front door closed, and a woman’s voice called out, “Hello, hello!”

  “We’re in the kitchen,” Corbin said and put his dishes in the sink.

  An older black couple stepped into the room and greeted Corbin with hugs. He stepped back and studied them. “Have you guys seen Monique yet?”

  “Yes, we stopped by the hospital on our way here,” the woman said.

  “She’s pretty groggy,�
� the man added. “But the nurses assure us she’s doing well.”

  Corbin nodded, relief filling his face. “That’s good. I’m getting ready to head up there now.”

  “Where’s my grandson?” the woman asked, running her gaze over the group around the table.

  “Lacey still has him,” Corbin said. “She was going to bring him up to the hospital later, but since you guys are here, I can give her a call and see if she can bring him here or if I need to go pick him up.”

  “Why don’t you do that?” The woman glanced at the dishes stacked in the sink. “I’ll clean up the kitchen for you.”

  “Thanks, Myra,” Corbin said and headed out of the room.

  Myra moved to the sink as the man leaned against the counter. She turned toward the group around the table. “Why don’t you kids bring me your dishes?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Josh said and rose from his chair.

  She laughed as she took his dishes. “Honey, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Myra?”

  He grinned. “I’m just giving you the respect you deserve for putting up with Corbin as a son-in-law.”

  Myra laughed again, and her husband joined in. Cindy followed Danny as he carried his dishes to the sink. Myra took them then laid a hand on the side of Danny’s face.

  “How are you doing, honey?”

  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m doing okay.” He stepped back and glanced at Cindy. “This is a new friend of ours, Cindy Waymire.”

  Myra smiled and took the plate and mug from Cindy’s hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Myra Dunn, and that’s my husband, John. We’re Monique’s parents.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Cindy liked this woman’s warm, nurturing manner.

  John raised his eyebrows. “Are you another veteran?”

  She shook her head and moved away from the sink as Myra went to work. “I’m the lone civilian in the group.”