by Margaret Kay
“So, you’ve seen them…work?” Diana asked, picking the word work after stumbling over several other choices.
“Yes, in full tactical gear,” Brielle answered. “I have to admit though, my Brian is pretty damn sexy in his tactical black fatigues.”
The others laughed.
“Only you would say that, Brielle,” Shepherd teased.
“Yes, sir,” she agreed. She flashed a smile at Diana. “You always gotta look at the upside of everything. Don’t you agree?”
Diana returned her smile. “Yes, you do.” It was a great reminder. She hadn’t thought of that.
Shepherd watched Diana carefully during the exchange. This was good for her, and Brielle’s outlook was just what she needed. He appreciated Cooper inviting them to come to this BBQ. Had Diana not been with him, he surely would have declined and stayed at HQ to mind the shop. Yvette was in Ops and would let him know if anything came up. His phone was on his hip next to his Springfield Armory 1911 .45 caliber baby. If any of his contacts called, he could step away, take the call, and handle whatever it was.
“So, we’re just doing hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers,” Madison announced. “Brielle, will Bobby be joining us?”
“No, he’s working today,” she answered.
“On Memorial Day?” Madison asked.
“Yes, they offered overtime, and he took it. Brian and I are so proud of him. We’ve given him random drug tests since he moved in and he’s stayed clean. He hasn’t missed a day of work, has worked any shift they’ve offered, and is already being trained on more machine groups. His boss even talked with him about a shift lead position. He’s made the most of this opportunity.”
“That’s great,” a few of the others said.
“Who’s Bobby?” Diana whispered to Sam.
“Sherman’s brother. He moved up here and lives with them. He got himself into some trouble back home and it was best that he moved away, but Sherman made it clear he had to clean his act up.”
“Okay, convinced Michaela. She’s on her way over,” Kaylee announced as she reentered the room.
“Good. Thank you for calling her,” Madison said as she moved back behind the counter and began to take out food, lining it up on the ledge of the counter. “When she called, I was busy negotiating with Hahna on which outfit she’d wear today. Had I not been in the middle of that, I would have tried to convince her to come myself.”
Diana watched everyone, remembering all the big holiday parties and BBQs with her own family. She hoped her family could pull off a family gathering over Labor Day weekend. She would like to introduce Sam to everyone. She was ready for that.
Side conversations resumed, and the room got loud.
Shepherd looped his arm around Diana. “I’m going to go out to the grill with Cooper. Step out with me and let’s check out their back yard.”
She smiled and nodded. She followed him through the French doors in the family room outside and onto a large brick patio. There was padded seating around a large, glass table, and a grill. Further out in the fenced in back yard, the older woman, the nun she’d seen at Sam’s office, was pushing Sammy and an adorable little girl, who she assumed must be Hahna, on the swings. She was precious, tiny, dark hair, a darker complexion, and an infectious giggle.
Elizabeth and Sienna followed her from the house, each of them holding their babies. She took a seat at the table with them at their invitation.
“It is such a beautiful day,” Sienna said.
Diana smiled and nodded. But her attention was focused on Sam at the grill where all the men had gathered. It was just like her family. The men always clustered around the grill. She sipped the sangria and allowed herself to relax.
“I hope Angel goes into labor soon. She is miserable,” Elizabeth said.
“The last few weeks before this little guy was born were so uncomfortable,” Sienna agreed. “I’m glad her mom is in town to help.”
“And I’m glad she will stay for a few weeks after the baby is born. I’ll take Sammy anytime she needs help after Sister Bernice John goes back,” Elizabeth said. “He and Hahna are never any trouble.”
“Has Shepherd mentioned how he is going to cover the front desk when both Angel and Brielle are on maternity leave? I can take the kids a few days a week if you need to go in,” Sienna offered.
“Does school start before or after Labor Day this year?” Elizabeth asked.
“After, but I still haven’t decided if I’m going back or not. I love teaching, but I love being home with him too.” She nodded at the sleeping baby on her lap.
“Pray on it. Whatever you decide will be the right decision. If you go back, I’ll take great care of him. If you don’t, you can help me with a few of the other kids,” Elizabeth laughed. “I would love for you to be home too. There is so much we could do together.”
“Hahna will be in the pre-K program full days, five days a week, and Angel is going to send Sammy to preschool three mornings a week,” Sienna said.
“Angel will have the baby with her most days at the office,” Elizabeth recapped. “Brielle might too when she goes in. If not. I’ll have them both.”
“Are you sure that’s not too much, Elizabeth?” Sienna asked.
Diana was thinking the same thing.
Elizabeth waved her off. “When I was in Africa, I often had ten or more kids I took care of all by myself. I’ll get them all on complimentary sleep and feeding schedules. I’ve done it before. It’ll be easy.”
Diana was surprised by her statement, both the part about Africa and declaring that caring for that many kids would be easy. “When were you in Africa?”
“I was at the mission with Sister Bernice John up until I,” she paused and looked pensive. “I was going to be a nun. I thought I was called. But when it was time to take my final vows, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. Our village got attacked by a rival warlord and the team came to rescue us. That was when I met Alexander.” She paused and a fond smile curved her lips. “He and I got captured by his people and thought we were going to be killed, but it turned out he was grateful that we had given medical aid to his sons. We were released, but not before Alexander and I said vows to each other and made love thinking we were going to die. I became pregnant with Olivia from that one time. God clearly had a plan for us.”
Diana was shocked. She had relayed it all so plainly, so openly and honestly. What also struck her was how well spoken and mature this confident young woman was. She was impressed.
“He certainly did,” Sienna agreed with a smile as the other women also took seats at the table.
Diana shook her head. “I have to admit, I’m speechless. I can’t even imagine.”
Elizabeth laughed. “As Brielle said, we’ve all been where you were last night. What this team does is pretty impressive.”
“We all have our stories,” Sienna said. “We’ve all been in a desperate situation that the team has helped to resolve. Shepherd is an amazing leader. He cares about his people and makes sure that us wives are taken care of when they are away on missions. What they do is dangerous. I know that. But I also know that they have the best training and equipment. And they have heart. They are all so close that I know they are watching each other’s backs at all times.”
“When Brian was shot last year, everyone including Shepherd was great,” Brielle said.
“Your husband was shot?” Diana asked louder than intended, causing all the men to look her way. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it that loud. I was just surprised.”
“Yes, he was. It was scary,” Brielle admitted. “But Doc and Gary worked on him right away, got him to a hospital, and then took care of him after we were back at HQ. Diana, you wouldn’t believe how great the team was, all of them.” She smiled at Angel. “And you were a lifesaver.”
Angel shrugged. “Just as you would be if the roles were reversed.”
Diana noticed they all had a glass of sangria, everyone but Angel. Looking more clo
sely at her, Diana could see the exhaustion and distress on her face. “Angel, are you okay?” She asked.
“I don’t know. I slept like crap last night.” She stood. “And I just can’t get comfortable today. Sitting isn’t comfortable for very long, neither is standing.”
“You are carrying even lower today,” Diana commented. “When did the baby drop?”
“I am? I don’t know, didn’t realize it.”
“Why don’t you use one of the guest rooms to lie down till dinner?” Madison offered.
“Maybe,” Angel agreed, retaking her seat.
Just then, the adorable little girl ran up to the patio. Sammy followed, trying to keep up. “Grandpa!” She screamed, and then stopped dead, giving the fact that he stood on his own, the once over. “Chair Grandpa? Your legs work?”
Everyone chuckled.
Shepherd was touched by Hahna’s greeting. He scooped her up and held her in his arms. “Hi kiddo. Yes, legs are working. I don’t need the wheelchair any longer.”
She squealed and gave him a big hug.
Diana watched, moved by the real emotions she saw pass between the two of them. Then Sammy ran up and also held his hands up to Sam.
“Grandpa, up,” Sammy said.
She watched him lift Sammy up. He held both kids in his strong arms. He looked natural holding them. Diana wondered if Sam had ever married and if he had any children. She realized that they’d never talked about that. There were quite a few things she didn’t know about his life.
Jackson laughed. “Look at the expression on his face. He knows something’s different.”
“That’s right, Grandpa can stand now, Sammy,” Shepherd said. Sammy looked perplexed.
Madison’s phone chimed. “Michaela is here.” She rose from her seat and stepped over to the French doors. “I’m going to go let her in.”
A few minutes later, the two women stepped out onto the patio.
Shepherd was relieved to see Michaela. He was glad she joined them. He would be sure to relay to Joe the fact that she originally declined the invitation. Michaela was close with Angel and Madison. She seemed to get along well with Brielle too, from what he saw at the office. He wasn’t sure how close she was with the other women, but her original decision to skip the gathering concerned him.
“Hi,” she greeted everyone as she came out onto the patio. She had a glass of sangria in her hand.
“Glad you came, woman,” Kaylee said, wrapping Michaela in a hug.
Diana watched each of the women greet her with hugs. “Hi, I’m Michaela,” she introduced herself to Diana.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Diana replied. They called her the tech goddess. They got the goddess part right. She was stunningly beautiful, flawless light mocha skin that glowed over the perfect feminine bone structure, big brown eyes, and a perfect smile.
“Only believe the good,” she said with a laugh. “Sorry I wasn’t going to come. I got involved in organizing my closet, making room for some of Landon’s things. I didn’t want to just leave it torn apart, but I did. I hope I can finish enough of it to find the bed tonight.”
The ladies laughed. Angel rose from her seat and paced to the edge of the patio.
“Are you okay, Angel?” Michaela asked.
“I’m just having continuous Braxton Hicks contractions,” Angel complained. “I’m just so uncomfortable.”
Diana rose from her seat and went to Angel. “Let me know when you’re having one and if it is okay, I’d like to feel the contraction.”
“I’m having one now, right here,” she said, pointing to where in her abdomen she felt it.
Diana placed her hand there and then felt around to her back. She felt the top of her abdomen. Everywhere was hard. “Angel, I think this is a real contraction.”
“My back doesn’t hurt like it did during labor with Sammy,” she said.
Jackson came over. “Babe, do you think it could be a real contraction?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt as bad as they did with Sammy.”
“Each delivery is unique, even for the same mother. The size and positioning of the baby has a lot to do with what your contractions will feel like. Why don’t we take a walk around the yard and see how you feel?” Diana suggested.
When they were near the swing set and out of earshot of everyone else, Angel spoke. “I hope you were not put off by the others bringing up what happened last night. They only meant to offer support.”
“No, why would you ask?”
“I recognized the expression on your face when they brought it up. You didn’t really want to talk about it, want to forget it happened, at least for today to enjoy this get together. That’s normal.”
“Yeah, and I normally don’t seek attention. I especially don’t want to rehash what happened last night.”
“I get it,” Angel said. “Just know that if you ever do want to talk about it, we are all here for you. Or have Shepherd make an appointment for you with Joe, the team shrink. Don’t keep it inside. That’s not healthy.”
“He did mention Joe and I probably will sit down with him at least once,” Diana replied.
“That’s a good idea,” Angel said. “He has helped me so much over the years. That is another thing that makes Shepherd a great boss. He realizes mental health is important and makes sure all his team members check in with Joe on a regular basis. Just as Doc has medical oversight with the team, so does Joe. If either one of them don’t think a person should be working, they have the authority to pull them off active duty.”
“Sam said a lot of what he does comes from the proven methods he used in the military.”
“Yes, that’s what Jackson has said too. Have I told you how happy I am that you and Shepherd are together? You’re good for him. He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him.”
“Yes, you have. And thank you. I don’t know if it’s me or the fact that he is out of the wheelchair. That alone has to be enough to make him happy beyond words.” She chuckled.
“Shepherd never felt sorry for himself because of the wheelchair. He taught me so much about perseverance and mental toughness. I admire him so much.”
“You two seem very close,” Diana said.
“He’s like the father I never had. He walked me down the aisle when Jackson and I got married, well he rolled. I walked. He was in the wheelchair because of me. He got shot protecting me,” Angel confessed. “Did he tell you that?”
Diana shook her head. “No, he never told me anything about it, or you.”
“I should have known he wouldn’t. And after, he was never the victim. He was my strength, helped me to mentally heal from everything that happened. He gave me a job and made sure I saw Joe, but he was there too. Something really bad happened to me, that’s all I’ll say. You don’t need to know the details, just know that it took months for me to recover from it. Jackson was my rock, my anchor, but Shepherd was my North Star.”
Diana was overwhelmed with emotions from Angel’s heartfelt declaration. She felt Angel’s affection for him in how she spoke. She did not feel jealous of the relationship Sam and Angel had, quite the contrary, she was in awe of it and knew it had to be valued. “I am so sorry something bad happened to you. It sounds like you were in exactly the place you needed to be after, with Jackson and Sam.” She was curious the circumstances of Sam getting shot, and what danger Angel had been in, but she would not ask.
“That I was, with the whole team really.” Angel stopped walking and grabbed her abdomen. She breathed out a pain-filled moan.
Diana checked her watch. It had been five minutes since the last contraction. “Breathe,” she coached. “In through your nose, draw it in deeply, out through your mouth.” She timed it. It lasted fifty-five seconds.
“Okay, that one felt real,” Angel admitted.
“Let’s keep walking and see how long till the next one,” Diana said.
They were in the side yard when the next
contraction hit, four minutes later. This one lasted a full sixty seconds. Angel breathed through it. Diana could tell this one was more intense than the last by her focus. When it ended, Angel gave her a smile. “I think it’s time I call my OB.”
They returned to the patio and rejoined the others.
“Okay, these are real contractions,” Angel announced.
Jackson looked at her and then at Cooper. “Is that burger close to being done? And can I take it to go?”
The men laughed. The women fussed over Angel.
“I’ve got Sammy, don’t worry about him,” Sister Bernice John said, giving Angel a hug. “I’ll take him home after the BBQ and get him to bed later. You stay at the hospital as long as you want to, Ethan.” She gave him a hug next.