by Grady, D. R.
The Corpsman and the Nerd
The Morrison Family Series
Book 2
D.R. Grady
Table of Contents
Other Works by D.R. Grady
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
About the Author
Save Me
Other works by D.R. Grady
The Morrison Family Series:
The Nerd and the Marine
The Corpsman and the Nerd
The Nerd and the SEAL
The Nerd’s Pocket Pets
Shadows and Spice
Macy’s Parade
Bad Nerd Rising
The Me Series:
Treasure Me
Save Me
Trust Me
Heal Me
Love Me
The Abroad Series:
Home Song
Bearer of My Heart
Please visit my website for updates on all three series.
http://www.drgradybooks.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Known locales are also used fictitiously.
If you enjoy this book, please buy a copy for someone else to enjoy. Please do not download or buy this from anywhere except where the story is offered legitimately. All rights reserved - including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Copyright 2011 by D.R. Grady
Smashwords Edition
Please Note: While I had help with this story from several knowledgeable sources, there are still likely mistakes on my part. Authors also like to stretch and change things to make their story work. So this book does not necessarily reflect reality. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
Dedication
To Vicky Burkholder and Victoria Smith for all the hard work and endless reading you’ve put into this story.
To CPRW – the best chapter of RWA – thanks to each of you who have helped me to keep on writing, even though this dream looked hopeless. I couldn’t have done it without your support, friendship, and encouragement. Thank you.
To Courtney Anderson – thanks for the line edit! I really appreciate your help.
To my hubby, Roy, for supporting me all these years without complaint.
The Corpsman and the Nerd
By: D.R. Grady
Chapter 1
In retrospect, KC Gilmore realized when she wished for something to heat up her cold, lonely nights, she should have been more specific. Because some trickster who worked for fate heard her and gave her exactly what she asked for. Now, she would not only experience some very hot nights, she also wouldn’t be alone.
Somehow, being deployed to Kuwait wasn’t what she had in mind, though. Since the temperatures often hovered in the hundreds and she would be sharing a tent with at least nine other women, she got her wish. Kuwait, or Iraq or Afghanistan, they were all a little too hot for her tastes. Her wishful thoughts had run along the lines of a little, or even a lot, of cuddling with an amazing man. She longed for long strolls on scented summer evenings and stolen moments snuggling maybe with a kiss or two thrown in.
Instead, she stared at the sheet with her orders clearly printed for October of this year and her stomach sank. October was two weeks away. This had come much sooner than she wanted. Not as soon as she expected. She’d actually blocked out the thought that she might get called up. Like if she didn’t think about it, the time would never come.
Now she would be leaving all too soon. Blinking back tears that sprang from nowhere, KC wanted the chance to be more specific for fate.
Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it. Her grandmother’s old, often quoted adage leaped to mind and a longing for her grandparent rose. How she could use some of that lady’s tart advice right now. KC wanted to shout at the injustice of this summons and wished her time hadn’t come yet. And while she was making wishes, she wanted a hot man too.
“What’s up?” Max Morrison’s voice sounded from too close behind her and only training and willpower kept her from jumping several feet off the floor.
“Must you sneak up on me all the time?” she demanded, swinging around to confront him, her heart still racing. KC didn’t notice the soothing pale green walls and the cream colored wainscoting she had settled on when redecorating the hallway of the office space she and Max owned.
Max held up a hand. “I just asked a question. And I wasn’t exactly quiet coming down the hall. You were out in la la land.” He tried to swipe a finger down her nose, but she danced away and swatted him. “That’s why you got scared. It had nothing to do with me.”
Quelling a pout, KC stared at him. He hated when she glared and she enjoyed watching him squirm, even minimally. She tilted her head and increased the intensity. Frowning at him while she thought, she decided he was probably right. “Okay, I’ll give you that. I was fairly easy to sneak up on, but I’m sure you tried to be as quiet as possible.”
“Who, me?” His eyes wide, Max flung his arms out in innocence.
KC rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you. Like acting all innocent ever works with me. I know you, Max Morrison. You purposefully try to scare anyone you can.”
“Do not,” he retorted, a bit huffily. She hid the grin flirting with her lips.
“Hey, Jean, how many times a day does Max try to sneak up on you?” she yelled across the office to one of their administrative assistants.
“How does ‘every chance he gets’ sound?” Jean replied without looking up from her computer.
“Truthful and accurate,” KC answered triumphantly before swinging back to Max. “Hah! See? You’re well known around here,” KC reminded him as she poked him in the chest for good measure.
Max was quick, and easily avoided her probing finger. “I think I’m much maligned here.” He dodged her again. KC continued her pursuit of annoying him.
“You are not maligned, it’s the truth.” He darted around her, and his glasses slid down his nose. He pushed the trendy black plastic frames up and she watched a mischievous curl slip over his forehead. Max, with his black-brown curls, intelligent blue eyes, dark glasses, and incredible brain spelled nerd, but KC was pretty fond of him anyway. Maybe she had a soft spot for nerds.
The paper with her orders to Kuwait floated to the floor and Max, in a graceful sweep, scooped it up before it landed.
“What’s this?” he asked as his eyes scanned the paper. She watched his face and saw disappointment and astonishment as
he comprehended what he read. His reaction made her feel better, at least marginally. “You’re being deployed to Kuwait.” Max answered his own question.
KC groped behind her, located a chair, and sank into it. His eyes were as blank as she’d ever seen them. As though he was in shock. Nodding, KC answered his statement. “Yes.” Her voice sounded dull.
“Why?”
She didn’t feel like grinning or smiling even though his behavior did cheer her. “Because I’m a Navy reserve and my number came up. Because it’s my turn. I am in the military. And they need members of the Medical Corps and since I’m a surgeon, that’s me. I’m surprised I haven’t been called sooner.”
Blank blue eyes continued to stare at her. “I can’t believe you’re going overseas.” Max’s voice sank to monotonic levels and she grouped the sound in with the lackluster eyes and empty face. Shock, definitely.
“We’re at war, Max. This is what happens during war.” She tried to sound encouraging, but couldn’t tell whether her effort proved successful or not. She didn’t feel any better and Max still hadn’t given anything away.
She had never seen him so uncomprehending. As though his brain had shut down and refused to start up again. KC swallowed. She couldn’t imagine not seeing Max at least five days a week. Sadness tried to overwhelm her, but she shoved it away. They had grown pretty close in the year they worked together. Now she faced not seeing him for at least eight months. Whether the time away included her training time she didn’t know, yet. There was a distinct possibility she might be gone even longer.
“You’re leaving,” Max repeated, his eyes glazed and staring.
“I am.” KC didn’t know how to comfort him, not when she wrestled with the summons herself.
“Why aren’t you flipping out?” he asked suspiciously, and the blank look disappeared. His eyes gleamed with intelligence and cunning once more. KC would have groaned if she had the energy.
“What do you mean why aren’t I flipping out? I don’t flip out.”
“Mmm-hmm. Hello, you’ve got how much planning to do before you leave?”
Max had a point. She hadn’t even begun to think about all she had to do before she left.
“There’s not all that much to do,” she said, trying to suppress her panic. “Just find someone to do my job for possibly the next year. And find someone who can take Ryan and Spuds...” she trailed off, resisting the thoughts swirling in her brain at hurricane force. Ryan. She had purposefully blocked all thoughts of leaving him. How could she?
“Katrina Celeste, what about your place, and car and mail and—”
KC cut him off, not wanting to hear the laundry list. Monday mornings were bad enough, she certainly didn’t need a To Do list spewed at her.
“Right now I need to worry about today. The rest will have to wait. And the name is KC.”
“You’re much calmer than I would have thought,” Max said in a contemplative voice, stroking his chin. KC swallowed and hurried to her office.
Why couldn’t her evenings have involved some wonderfully hot man rather than sand, heat, and a military field unit?
Footsteps sounded behind her and KC nearly panicked. On her knees, she gasped as a pair of masculine black leather shoes showed in her line of vision. “What are you doing?” she asked, suspicion coloring her voice.
“I thought I’d help you locate that needle I saw drop off our newest syringe prototype. This could be a problem, you know, if the needles fall off,” Max replied, running a hand over his chin, and KC’s heart tripped a beat when she heard beard bristle rasp against his palm. She liked that sound. She wished she could hear it every day.
Instead of going to Kuwait. Her heart tipped sickeningly and she squashed further thoughts. It’s just the unknown. You’ll be fine once you get there, a little voice reminded her. She hoped the voice spoke the truth. Her stomach couldn’t take much more abuse.
KC worked hard and eventually succeeded in pulling herself together enough to answer him. “Yes, we do seem to have a problem with these syringes and needles staying together,” she muttered, desperately wanting something from him, but not certain what. She hoped she didn’t look as stupid as she felt kneeling in the main hallway of their office suite.
Max dropped to his knees and surveyed the floor with her, both of them struggling to find a needle that blended in perfectly with the carpeting.
Of course.
KC was soon struck by the hilarity of the situation, but stifled her amusement. They really did need to locate that needle. She needed it to test so they could determine why the syringe and needle weren’t staying together. Not to mention the safety hazard the needle presented in its present location. One should probably expect such a hazard when one ran a company that manufactured and supplied medical supplies, but most people didn’t.
Approximately two seconds later, Max snagged the needle and held the thin metal above his head triumphantly. He even managed to cluck her under the chin.
“Would you look at that? I found it. And you didn’t,” he tacked on just to taunt her, she guessed.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Morrison.” She took the needle. “Only children shouldn’t have to work with people from large families,” she muttered, managing to sneak in a decent punch. She wasn’t a military woman for nothing. KC knew how to defend herself.
“You’re not an only child,” he reminded her unnecessarily.
Thinking of her other job made her remember her newest assignment. In Kuwait. KC turned away, feeling her heart clench at the thought of not seeing those she loved for eight months or longer.
“Are you okay?” KC heard the concern in Max’s voice.
“I’m fine,” she lied, her heart beating painfully.
Chapter 2
“Mom! Whewe’s Spuds? I can’t find him,” KC’s son, Ryan exclaimed, running from the living room into the kitchen where she worked at preparing supper. Her heart seized at the thought of what would happen to him while she was gone. Where would he go? Who would take him? When panic encroached, she yanked her thoughts to the present. The future was too frightening to consider right now.
“You let him out when you got home, did you remember to let him back in?” KC watched his face, loving the freckles scattered across his nose, and his curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. She might not have borne him from her body, but he was hers in every other way. Her brother had brought Ryan to her when he was barely a week old and had never returned to pick up his son.
They received post cards from him now and then. He had signed all legal rights over to her years ago, and KC doubted they’d ever see him again. Greg was unreliable at best, and the passing years only seemed to strengthen that unfortunate characteristic. He lived for the moment, not caring that he had a son. Or that the woman who gave birth to Ryan had died before she could hold her son in her arms.
“I don’t know,” Ryan said and KC raised an eyebrow at him after she remembered their conversation about Spuds, their dog. With purpose, she shoved thoughts of Greg from her mind.
“Maybe you ought to go see if he wants in. I bet he’d like to play with you.”
Ryan ran to the door and opened it. Their little mutt, part dachshund, part terrier, part Chihuahua, proved a bizarre mixture between all three breeds. He wagged his way into the room. In truth, Spuds resembled a black and white potato on feet. He barked and jumped on Ryan, dog and five-year-old rolling across the floor in their usual display of antics.
KC laughed at the pair, trying to memorize this precious everyday memory before she left. How in the world was she supposed to tell Ryan she was leaving? Who would care for him? Who would take Spuds? When her thoughts came full circle again, and she still had no answers, KC hastily dried the tears that formed before they spilled onto her cheeks.
This little boy and little dog were her life, and now she had to leave them for at least eight months. But she had been called to serve her country, so she would. There was no other way. She was a mom, and a
pet owner, but she was also a member of the Medical Corps, a trained surgeon, and her country needed her skills. Therefore, she would go. She had signed onto the Navy before Greg brought Ryan to her, so she couldn’t deny the Navy’s right to her skills.
She was still Ryan’s mom though and this decision was going to eat away her soul if she didn’t think of some brilliant solution for her son and dog.
KC sighed and turned back to shredding cheese. There was still a little bit of time before she left. And she needed to set so much in order.
How in the world would she tell Ryan?
How in the world could he understand?
Who in the world could she trust to keep him?
Ryan attended the daycare at her work, so she saw him often during the day. Plus, she could work from home from time to time. Max, genius that he was, had arranged for her to stay home with Ryan a few times a month. He felt Ryan was the most important aspect of her life, just as she did. She better figure out how to tell Ryan she was scheduled to leave him soon. Her stomach churned.
Maybe she should wait until she knew who would keep him. With a snort, she overrode that thought. Since that person hadn’t miraculously appeared, she still had no idea who she could trust to keep Ryan for eight or more months. Who would be willing to become an instant parent?
Ryan had to be comfortable with this person. Not to mention they would have to be buddies, and this person had better understand kids. She suppressed another desperate snort. Where would she find such a paragon?
She had to tell Ryan about the change in their futures because she figured she would need to tell him several times before he comprehended. Even so he still might not understand he wouldn’t see her for close to a year. That was approximately two hundred and forty sleeps. There was no way he could grasp that.