Corpsman and the Nerd
Page 10
She liked his serious mien, and his bratty one. And his compassionate side was useful when she had meltdowns. Or got scared. She had called him in the middle of the night already. Never once had he ever raised his voice to her in anger. They had play fights, especially when they started to get on each other’s nerves, and needed to work the tension out, fighting like siblings.
Max had a quiet way about him sometimes. His thinking mode. She liked that one too. The typical result from that mood brought about brilliant deductions and productive changes. There were so many aspects to Max, but she’d never sat and thought about them. Until now. But she truly did love them all.
KC wondered if she had fallen in love with Max. That would certainly explain why she started having unfamiliar thoughts about him.
The only problem was, if she had indeed fallen in love with him, what was she going to do about these new feelings? Would he accept her love? Could he return it? Did he find her attractive? When no answers came, KC dropped her head on her folded arms and thought long and hard.
Chapter 18
To: maxmorrison@gilmoreproducts.net
From: kcgilmore@gilmoreproducts.net
Subject: A quickie
Hey Max,
Thinking of you and I have a minute, hopefully, before they bring in the next batch of wounded. Fortunately, these guys aren’t as badly hurt as some we’ve seen. I don’t remember this much blood from my practice but then I haven’t been doctoring for some time. And I’ve never doctored those who’ve been in active combat. War is such an ugly thing when experienced up front and personally. I guess I never thought about it before. Now I know.
I’m so thankful for the Bent Rock Foundation. I hear military and medical personnel speak of it often here, so I’m willing to hear (and wanting - needing!) all the information you have about the foundation. What an excellent morale booster for those of us working here. When a military person knows his or her family will be taken care of, they fight better...
Thanks for your email, you’ve comforted me. As usual, you made me laugh too! Rather full of yourself sometimes, eh, Mr. Morrison? How I wish I could be with you in person. I can’t believe how much I miss you. It’s disgusting. And if you bring this up in conversation...I’ll deny it. But I actually miss your brattiness. We have fun here, but not like you and I do.
I’m missing Ryan fiercely of course. And Spuds. I hope the three of you are having fun. I’ve been thinking about your nice big yard. I may have trouble convincing the boys to move. You know this, right?
Ah, here comes the next batch of wounded requiring our attention.
I miss you!
Love,
KC
She deliberately signed off with the love, because she wanted him to love her. Of course, she knew he did, but she wanted the in-love, romantic, forever kind. She couldn’t imagine Max in love, but she would take whatever he could give. Even if it was only the friendship-love type.
*****
Max downloaded his mail while he waded through the snail mail on his desk. He flipped through the various envelopes before his computer chimed and he set them aside.
He saw an email from KC and clicked on it, eager to see what she had to say. As he read, he laughed while her bittersweet wish to be with them left an ache in his heart.
How he’d love to have her here in person too. Just to pick on. To touch her. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and remembered the feel of her warm weight in his lap. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck. He could still smell her unique feminine scent.
In fact, he wanted her back on his lap. With her arms clinging again, only he rather wanted her to not be in despair this time. Feeling much passion for him would be ideal. Feeling some passion would be ideal. Heck, he would settle for her thinking about passion, so long as she did so while perched on his lap.
With a snort he returned to his email. Right now, he better settle on simply getting her back, period. Eventually, he might be able to convince her to take a chance on passion with him. But he needed her safely home first. He didn’t even care if she didn’t return exactly as she left. He wanted her alive. He’d take her alive and any way he could get her. If it was as best friends – fine – as he could do a whole lot worse.
“Max, Lainy on line three,” Jean bellowed from her desk. Why she was so afraid of the intercom, he still couldn’t figure out.
Deliberately, he used the intercom. “Thanks, Jean.” She yelled something he didn’t catch, but he was certain it was snarky and well deserved. He grinned.
Reaching out, he snagged the receiver and pressed the line three button. “What do you want?”
Lainy laughed, as he intended her to. “You called me.”
“Did not.” They had been playing this game for so long, he couldn’t even remember who started it.
“Oh, that’s right.”
“So, what do you want?” He couldn’t keep the grin out of his voice, even though he tried.
“I finished the phones.”
“The phones?” Max frowned as he tried to remember what that meant. He sat up abruptly when his brain caught on. “The phones? The one where I can talk to KC without international rates?”
“Yep, they’re local numbers so you should be fine. They’re finished. And you shouldn’t have any trouble with them. Hers will hopefully withstand heat and sand. Yours is hopefully kid proof. The operative word there, of course, is hopefully. I suspect we’ll have some bugs to work out.”
“Lainy, you are the best sister ever.”
“Nah. I simply know what you’re going through. I’ve been there, remember?”
“Yeah. The kid’s going to be super excited. I’ll have to sit on him to feed him supper.”
“You might want to wait to call her until she actually gets the phone. I haven’t even sent it yet.” Her tone was tongue-in-cheek. Max ignored her.
“What are you waiting for, Lainy? Hang up the phone and drive, really fast, to the post office.”
“Yes, sir,” she said so snappily he knew she saluted him. He could also hear the huge grin in her voice.
“You’re a brat.”
“I know!” she crowed, then laughed.
Max shook his head, before remembering she couldn’t see him. “I’m not sure if being in love is such a good thing for you. You’re not quiet and sweet anymore.”
Lainy laughed – a feminine, loving sound. “I love being in love. I love being married. Well, I love being married to Mitch. The most wonderful of men.” She ended her affectionate spiel with a sigh.
“You’re disgusting.”
Lainy laughed again. “I’ll go now. I have to send the phone off to KC. Um, and Max?”
“Yeah?”
“No phone sex.”
He didn’t even try to stop his snort of derision. Or was it wishful thinking? “Oh, right. Like KC thinks of me in that way. Get real, Lainy.”
“Trust me, she’s starting to.”
“What?” Max stared at his computer screen without seeing it. “Would you care to repeat that, please?” If he could have, he would have reached through the phone to yank the information out of her.
“I could tell after she moved in with you that she had a new... I don’t know... awareness of you. Like she hadn’t really seen you, the man before. Which happens. But by the time she left, I think her perception shifted and she does see you as a man now.”
“I see,” even though he didn’t.
“No, you don’t. But I helped the process along.” And Lainy’s voice was so smug Max closed his eyes in horror.
“What did you do?” He wasn’t certain he wanted to know.
“I sent her pictures,” his sister said in a far too innocent voice. This could be worse than he feared.
“What pictures, Lainy?” he managed through gritted teeth.
“Oh, just of you and the boys sleeping. You didn’t have a shirt on, because you never wear one to bed. It was a great picture. You really do
have a fantastic body, Max. If you dressed in clothes your size,” she cleared her throat, “a certain woman would notice you’re a man. And then she would definitely be interested in you, sexually too, which is really the only thing missing from your relationship in my opinion.”
“No one asked for your opinion,” Max growled. His heart beat an extra tattoo, or maybe it was just beating too fast and his mind blanked.
Lainy laughed. “Sure you did. That picture is classic. There’s something about a sexy, sleeping man that does something for a woman. Especially if he’s taking care of her child and dog.”
“Lainy,” he growled but she continued to laugh.
“Gotta go!” And he heard the beep as she pressed the disconnect button.
An unknown feeling unfurled in his stomach. He thought it might have something to do with excitement. Because the very thought of KC wanting him as more than a friend, as a lover, was unexpected, but what he wanted more than anything else.
What would he do if KC didn’t want him? More importantly, what would he do if she did?
Chapter 19
To: KCGilmore@gilmoreproducts.net
From: MaxMorrison@gilmoreproducts.net
Subject: The phones are ready!
Attachments
Hello KC,
Lainy just called. She’s finally finished the phones, so we can talk. She said yours should be sand and heat proof and mine should be kid proof! I’m sure Ryan will be happy to test that theory. (She did mention there were likely to be bugs to work out, so we’ll have to consider those factors.)
Lainy was on her way to the post office with your phone. I don’t have mine yet. But I suspect she’ll drop it off. Let me know what the time difference is there, okay?
I’d rather not call when you’re asleep. Of course, I know you’ll want to talk to me any time of the day.
He’s adjusted well. We have a routine now. I’ve found that if I lift him out of bed, he wakes up against my shoulder. This method works well for us. By the time we get downstairs, we’re both awake enough to eat.
Plus, Spuds is a big help. He’s awake and ready to go by the time I’ve figured out breakfast. Trust me this is rocket science so early in the morning. I used to wait until I got to the office to eat, but having a kid changes all that doesn’t it?
KC smiled as she read that part. Yes, a child definitely changed everything about one’s life. That first month, she’d been worried about going to the bathroom without Ryan right there. She figured Max wasn’t quite as crazy about parenthood as she was in those early days. He appeared to have adjusted far better than she had but then he hadn’t had an infant dropped on his doorstep either. She moved on to the rest of the email.
I finally found the digital camera. Who put it in the hutch? I don’t remember putting it there, but that’s where I finally located the blasted thing. Ryan and I had fun not only taking the pictures, but also deciding which ones to send to you. Please bear in mind that your son helped with the selection process.
We’re having supper tonight at Laurie and Greg’s house. Ryan’s pretty excited. He’s down for a nap right now. I thought we’d better recharge those batteries before we go. There are lots of kids there. He’s already informed me that he doesn’t like baby girls. I think this stems from the last time we were there. (Laurie’s youngest is Savannah and she’s not a year old yet.) He claims they make a lot of noise, are smelly, and aren’t very fun. Now, unfortunately, I couldn’t refute this, since I felt exactly the same way when I was his age.
I let Laurie take over. Destiny, my niece, helped too. She’s a teenager but very tolerable. (I’m not a proud uncle or anything.)
She didn’t get mad when Ryan followed her around the house and asked her about all her boyfriends. He also thinks boys who like girls are weird. So, he’s not too sure he’s impressed with these boyfriends.
I didn’t touch that one, either. Destiny’s used to nosy little guys, since she’s got six of them who live with her. She just explained that someday he might change his mind, but she likes him just the way he is. (Smart girl!) He accepted that and then got into a game with the other boys.
He did tell me though, while we drove home, that he didn’t think he’d ever like girls. I guess that’s good news. Save us a lot of trouble. The problem is I remember feeling that way too. It didn’t last as long as my folks hoped.
KC’s heart twisted as she read that last sentence again. Now if she could convince Max to like her, life would be good. While she was extremely grateful he did like females now, Max being interested in other women was a problem. Or could be.
Leaning back in her chair, she realized Max had always been closed-mouthed about his love interests. As a matter of fact, he never spoke of a significant other in her presence. The closest he ever came to mentioning such was when his family came to move her and they teased him about Will’s closet. Even then he hadn’t revealed anything.
Her heart jumped when she thought back to that moment, though. He had looked at her. Right at her as though he had been trying to tell her something. But what? Did Max want her for more than a best friend? As a lover? At the very thought of him as her lover, her heart twisted, and dropped, and her breathing turned erratic. Swallowing, she returned to his email. Fanning herself as she read.
Since I’m not certain how long this will take to transmit, I’d better end now. I did zip the pictures, since Lainy said she installed an unzipping program on that laptop. Again, please remember, Ryan chose some of these pictures.
Love,
Max and Ryan
P.S. General Emma is working tirelessly on the Bent Rock Foundation. She’s shoving everything into place. Rocky still hasn’t had the puppies yet, but by the time she does, I’m sure our general will have the ground work finished and we’ll jump right into things! (She’s a very scary woman sometimes.)
He signed off with love again, and KC sighed. What did that mean? She knew he loved her. But she wanted to know whether he was in love with her. Knowing she wouldn’t get the answers she wanted, she turned to the attachments.
KC clicked on the first picture and started to laugh. Someone had caught Max and Ryan on the monkey bars, and they were having a great time from the look of things. Ryan hung upside down and Max appeared to be tickling him. Both of them were laughing and their faces glowed bright and alive. KC wanted to be there to kiss and hug both of them. To be the recorder of these little snippets of family life.
The next picture showed them playing video games together. Max looked as intense as Ryan did when he played. She could tell they were playing one of Ryan’s games, but couldn’t determine which one. Both males, their tongues sticking out in unison, wholly concentrated on the task at hand. A surge of love blasted through her as she stared at their familiar, beloved faces. She stroked the screen before realizing what she was doing and clicked on the next photo.
This one was a close up of Ryan, Max, and Spuds. They obviously had their faces too close to the camera, so their expressions were contorted, their faces huge. It was a silly, funny, adorable picture. She could tell just by looking at them they were having a lot of fun. KC wondered whether part of the fun was because they knew she would end up seeing these photos?
Hoping, might be a better word. She didn’t know, but she could still hope they were enjoying their photography efforts because they would ultimately be sending the photos to her.
KC withstood the homesickness that undulated through her. She had known it would come. Known she would have to deal with being thousands of miles away from her loved ones. This was a part of war. One undeniably heart-wrenching aspect of her job in an already heart-rending business.
She had to leave them behind so she could aid he
r countrymen. To keep her precious family free and safe. With a new resolve, KC realized she was prepared to do whatever she was asked in order to keep these males safe. Whatever that entailed, she’d do, because they were hers. She tapped out a return message as that resolve grew.
To: maxmorrison@gilmoreproducts.net
From: kcgilmore@gilmoreproducts.net
Subject: Thanks for the pictures!
Hi Max and Ryan,
I can’t believe I’ve already been here a month and a half. It’s hard to imagine.
Thanks for the pictures and email. I really enjoyed them and you guys did a great job picking each one! I love all three. Makes me homesick for you both. It’s my place to be here. I just wish here wasn’t so far from home!
I just remembered, I have a video Mitch and Lainy sent me. I think I’ll watch it. We’ve already had a bunch of wounded come through for minor stuff. So, hopefully there won’t be more in for a while. If that’s the case, I’ll have a chance to enjoy Mitch’s DVD.
I think it’s of you folks at the lake. It involves Lainy cooking, and I’ll be interested in that. She told me she wasn’t a great cook, but I’ve eaten some of the things she’s prepared and I disagree.
I suppose you won’t get back to the lake now? I imagine it’s too late in the season. You’re probably raking leaves. By the way, Ryan’s not very helpful, in case you forgot. Send him off with the herd. Spuds likes to chase leaves, but he’s not nearly the hindrance Ryan is.
I suppose you’ll be getting together to rake the town? I can almost taste Aunt Tilly’s Italian Wedding soup. (Groan!) Mitch wasn’t joking when he said the food here wouldn’t make us fat. There’s plenty of it, but it’s not anything you savor.