Embracing Love (Once Broken Book 1)

by Alison Mello

  Taking my hand, he squeezes it gently. “Come on, let’s go see how she’s doing today.” His voice is soft and gentle.

  I give him a small smile and climb out of the car. As we’re walking up the porch, a loud scream comes from inside. We both run through the door to find Nana standing in the kitchen with a pan in her hand. She looks scared and confused as she points a pan at Emily.

  “Nana, what’s going on?” I try not to sound nervous, but I fail miserably.

  “This woman won’t get out of my house.” Nana’s holding onto a chair for balance as Emily pants in fear.

  “Nana, she’s your nurse,” I explain hoping it will calm her down.

  “Joanne, I keep telling you I don’t need no damn nurse.” She sounds frustrated.

  “Okay, Nana.” I look at her poor nurse who’s standing there watching us. “Emily, go in the other room, please.” She slips out of the kitchen as Remy and I slowly approach Nana. “Nana, give me the pan please.” She holds her arm out, handing it over. She collapses into the chair and begins to sob. Bless her heart, this poor woman has no idea what’s happening to her right now. I sit next to her, with Remy on the other side while we try to console her.

  “I’m so tired,” she mumbles. “What is wrong with me, Joanne?”

  “You’re fine, just relax,” I tell her as I continue to rub her back. Once she’s calmed down, I ask her if she’ll be okay sitting with Remy for a minute. She looks over at him, and I remind her of who he is. She nods her agreement. I walk into the living room to talk with Emily.

  “What happened in there?” I point to the kitchen.

  “I was fixin’ to make a meal to keep in the fridge for y’all when she grabbed the pan and started screaming at me. She asked me who I was and what I was doing in her house. I tried to calm her down and remind her of her situation, but she just got mad and swung the pan at me.” She looks down at her fidgeting fingers. “That’s when y’all came in and calmed her down.”

  I take a deep breath and rub my temples as I contemplate our next step with Nana. “I have to report this,” Emily says. “She could have seriously hurt me.”

  I nod. “I know. What will happen?”

  She shrugs. “I can probably convince them to let me stay here with her a bit longer. I will be a lot more cautious now that I know she’s getting worse, but if it happens again, we are going to have to move her to a home where she can’t hurt herself or anyone else.”

  “Why don’t you take off and go do whatever report you have to? Remy and I will be here for the rest of the day with her anyway, and hopefully things will be better tomorrow. I’ll also talk to my aunt and see what she thinks we should do.”

  She nods her agreement and collects her things. As she’s getting ready to go, she stops in the kitchen, placing her hand on Nana’s shoulder. She waits for Nana to look up from the table. When Nana looks up, Emily says, “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  Nana nods and looks up again. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

  “You sweet woman, you did no such thing. You just relax now, and I’ll be by tomorrow. I’ll make your favorite breakfast.”

  “Thank you,” Nana says when Emily pulls her hand away to leave.

  “Have a good day,” Emily says to us.

  I walk her to the door and watch as she drives away. Leaning on the railing of the porch, I take a deep breath. I need a minute to myself so I can clear my head and think about how to handle this situation. Nana is so fragile both physically and mentally, I’m afraid to say the wrong thing to her.

  Pulling my phone from the back pocket of my jeans, I dial Aunt Kenderly. “Hey, sweetie,” she says, answering the call. “How are you?”

  “I’ve been better,” I tell her, going into the details of what I walked in on this morning.

  “I’ll see you for dinner tonight, and in the morning I’ll talk with Mom and Emily. We’ll figure this out,” she sounds a bit sad.

  I cut the call and go in search of Nana and Remy. I find them sitting in the living room with some cards. “I’m going to finish what Emily had started in the kitchen, and then I’m going to make lunch. Are you okay with her?”

  He nods. “We’re fine. You go on and do what you have to do.”

  I kiss my nana on the head and head into the kitchen. I find chicken, coconut oil, and breadcrumbs sitting on the counter. I grab the remainder of the ingredients I need to make the coconut chicken Emily was starting. By the time I’m done, the oil is hot so I start breading the chicken. Once it’s in the oil, I peek into the living room. I smile at Remy and Nana, who are having a great time.

  She suddenly stops laughing and tells him that she doesn’t like not being able to remember things.

  “Yeah, I wish I could forget the things I saw while I was away. Instead, they haunt my dreams,” he tells her in a sad voice. I want to continue to listen, but I have to flip the chicken. When I get back, they are still talking.

  “You have to face those nasty nightmares before they rule your life. My husband had nightmares, and god rest his soul, they ruled him for a while. It took him almost hurting me to realize what he needed to do.”

  Remy slouches back in his seat. “I don’t want to hurt Kenzie. I love her.”

  “I know. I can tell by the way you look at her.” Nana smiles at him. “But if you really love her, then you need to swallow your pride and get help.”

  I watch as he nods his agreement, but the expression on his face shows pain and sorrow. I realize I need to get back to the chicken, so I hurry over to see it’s done. I pull the first few pieces from the pan and add more as my mind drifts, wondering what life was like for him overseas. I know he can’t and won’t discuss it with me. He says even if he could tell me, he wouldn’t want to fill my head with some of the things he’s witnessed.

  I feel a set of hands wrap around my waist, but I’m so deep in thought it causes me to jump. He kisses the side of my head and says, “I love you. I’m sorry I scared you.”

  “It’s fine. I was just thinking.”

  “About what?” he asks.

  “Everything that’s going on.”

  He says nothing more. He just rests his chin on my shoulder, and we both stand quietly staring down at the chicken cooking in the pan. “What’s Nana doing?”

  “She was dozing off in her favorite chair, so I figured I’d leave her be and we can wake her when it’s time to eat.”

  “I’m going to make her some egg salad. She enjoys that, and we haven’t had it in a while,” I tell him, still looking down at the chicken cooking in the pan.

  He lets go of me and says, “Where are the pans? I’ll get the eggs going.” I point to the cabinet, and he begins to help me. I smile because we make a great team. I just pray our teamwork is strong enough to get us through this nightmare we’re facing together.

  I look over to see Remy staring at the water. He’s in deep thought, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. “What’s wrong, love?”

  “Who’s Bryson?”

  My head snaps to his direction. “That’s my father. Why do you ask?”

  “Nana keeps calling me Bryson.”

  “That makes sense, because she keeps thinking I’m my mother, and at this point, I see no reason to correct her.” A tear runs down my cheek. “She’ll probably never remember me again.”

  He wraps me in a hug as he rubs my back. “I promise you we will get through this together. We just need to take this one day at a time.”

  I nod as my tears soak his shirt. “Please get better for me, Remy. I need you like I’ve never needed anyone and it scares me. I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.”

  “Shh, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

  The smell of chicken brings me back to the now. I have to pull this chicken out of the pan before I burn it. We also discover the eggs are boiling and probably just about done.

  “We almost pulled a Daniel and burned everything,” Remy says, joking and bursting into laugh
ter. He gets to work on making the egg salad while I clean up from making the chicken. I’m finishing up washing the last pan when I hear Nana calling from the living room.

  “Joanne, Kenderly? Is anyone here with me?”

  I run into the living room.

  “I’m here. I was just in the kitchen cooking, Nana.”

  She smiles at me. “Did Bryson leave?”

  I smile at her. “No, he’s in the kitchen helping me.”

  “Good, I don’t get to see him often. I was hoping he would get to have lunch with us.”

  “He’s making us some egg salad right now,” I tell her as I help her from the chair to walk her into the kitchen.

  “Since when does that man cook?” She shakes her head laughing.

  “He has a soft spot for you.” I wink at her.

  She shakes her head again, taking her usual seat at the table. “Joanne has been teaching me a few small things,” Remy tells her. “Plus, like she said, I have a soft spot for you.” He places a plate in front of her with egg salad and watermelon.

  She gives him a warm smile as she looks at her plate. “Thank you.” She digs into her lunch. I place a glass of milk on the table next to her plate, and then put away the now room temperature pieces of chicken. I’ve had them sitting on a wire rack to cool, because if I put them away wet they will get soggy, and Nana doesn’t like it that way.

  Remy puts two more plates on the table for him and me. We both take a seat joining Nana, and I ask her, “What do you want to do today?”

  “I don’t know. I feel so tired today. I think I just want to rest.” I tell her that’s fine. I try not to think about the fact she’s been spending more and more time in bed.

  A short time later, Remy and I have put Nana to bed and cleaned up everything in the kitchen from lunch. Now we’re sitting on the porch swing holding hands and looking out toward the road. Nana lives at the end of a quiet road, so there isn’t much happening. We see the occasional kid ride by on their bike, enjoying what’s left of their holiday break.

  “I know this is a tough topic, but have you and your aunt talked about plans for when…” he trails off for a minute. “Your nana passes on.”

  I sigh. “I know there’s a plot for her next to my grandfather, but I know nothing else. I guess it’s something I should discuss with her.” He nods in silent agreement. “My aunt will be here for dinner tonight. I’ll talk with her about it after we get Nana to bed for the night.”

  Chapter 24

  Remy

  “Okay, Sergeant, we have been working on the intel for this mission for months now. We’ve figured out who has our three missing soldiers and where they’re hiding them. We finally have all the info we need to bring our guys home, so let’s finish this mission. All we have to do is deliver the intel so our troops can storm in and rescue our guys. Then you and I can get the hell out of here,” I tell him with confidence.

  “Hooah,” Sergeant Stamford yells to me.

  “Hooah,” I reply before he takes off to grab our Humvee. Tonight is the night we take off on our mission to deliver this information. This can’t be trusted to anyone else because lives are on the line. If this info is leaked in any way, or if they find out we know where they’re hiding our captured soldiers, they’ll either take off with our guys or worse—they’ll kill them.

  “Captain Bennett, the Humvee is loaded and ready to go, sir.” I sling my M4 rifle over my shoulder, grab the folder, and climb into the back seat.

  “I’m ready. Let’s do this,” I say to my driver, who looks over to his A driver, Sergeant Slater.

  “Let’s roll,” Slater says.

  We take off into the night. The air is cold and crisp, and though I’d rather travel during the day, this location is top secret. No one is supposed to know about it. Slater is busy making sure that Stamford stays on the right path. The last thing we need is to get lost or arrive late because we took a wrong turn.

  We arrive at the base safe and sound an hour-and-a-half later. The two guys from the front jump out to ensure all is safe. Slater opens my door, and we hurry inside to deliver the information we have on the captured soldiers. My meeting with the colonel is a brief one, and as soon as we’re done, he calls in to have the men rescued. We shake hands and are about to leave, but no sooner do we step out the door then all hell breaks loose. We were careful not to be followed, so our undisclosed location was clearly leaked prior to us leaving. I hear Slater scream out in pain. He’s been shot. “Medic,” I scream as I watch the young sergeant bleed out in front of me. He’s been hit twice and it’s not looking good. There’s a pool of blood beneath him. I jump up to take a shooting position, and as I’m dropping I’m hit in the side. “Fuck,” I scream out as I lie on the ground and take aim. I don’t give a fuck that I’ve been shot. These mother fuckers are going down.

  A sniper takes out the final shooter, and all goes quiet. I roll over to see red sand stuck to my gut. This isn’t good. Crawling over to Slater, I pull him to me and tell him to hang on. I’m not losing a fucking guy today. This mission is about saving lives, not losing them. He hiccups and takes his last breath. His body goes limp in my arms. He’s gone.

  “Fuck.” I jump up in bed, sweat pouring from my face. I’m panting as I try to regain control. These nightmares have to fucking end. I look over to see Kenzie watching me. I can see the fear and concern etched all over her face. “I’m sorry.” I climb out of bed and run to the bathroom, where I empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths and then turn on the shower, so I can wash away the remnants of this nightmare. Thank god I have an appointment today. As much as I do not want to discuss this, I have to figure out how to gain the control over these nightmares. I haven’t slept a full night in a while. I didn’t have this problem in the hospital, but for some reason, they have come back with a vengeance and I’ve had enough.

  When I get out of the shower, I find Kenzie sitting up in bed waiting for me. I slip on some shorts and a t-shirt and then sit beside her. “Listen, I have an appointment with the doctor today. I’m going to talk with him about these nightmares, but until they’re under control I think I’m going to stay at my parents’.”

  Her chin begins to quiver slightly. “You’re pushing me away.”

  “No, I’m afraid I’ll hurt you, and I promised Nana I wouldn’t. I promised her I would get myself better so I could take care of you, and if I don’t get my head on straight I’ll never be able to keep that promise.” A tear rolls down her cheek. “I promise we will talk every day, and we’re only a few days away from the New Year’s Eve party my mom has been planning. We’ll bring in the new year together. Okay?”

  I wrap her in a hug, squeezing her tight before I walk out the door.

  “I love you, Remy.”

  Placing a hand on either side of her face, I look into her beautiful hazel eyes. “I love you so much, McKenzie. Please trust me when I tell you, I’m doing this for us.” I smile. “Plus, Nana told me if I hurt you there’s no hiding from her.”

  A giggle escapes her as tears continue to roll down her cheek. I press my lips to hers one last time, then run out the door in search of the help I need.

  I pull up to my parents’ house at six-thirty in the morning to find Mama in the kitchen with my father. “What are you guys doing up so early?”

  Mama’s brows shoot up. “Maybe we should be asking you the same question.”

  I take a seat at the snack bar as Mama puts a cup of coffee in front of me. “My nightmares are getting worse instead of better. I told Kenzie I was going to stay here until I can get them under control.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She’s scared, I think. At first she thought I was pushing her away, but I explained that I’m afraid I’ll hurt her and that’s the last thing I want to do. I love her and want to spend the rest of my life taking care of her.” I sip my coffee. “I promised we would talk daily and that we would still celebrate the new year togeth
er. I only have a few days to start getting my shit together, and I think it’s time I make it happen.”

  “I’m proud of you, son.” My father slaps me on the shoulder. “It takes a lot of courage to admit when you’re struggling with something and need someone’s help, but it takes even more courage to walk away from someone you care so deeply for to take care of yourself.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Mama comes over and says, “Kenzie is a strong girl. She will be just fine. You just focus on taking care of yourself.”

  “I think once I’ve met and spoken to him, then I’ll be okay seeing her again. I just need to know I have a plan in place, you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I think I do,” my father says as my mother hands me a plate of food. We all eat breakfast in comfortable silence, but I can’t seem to get the look of hurt Kenzie had on her face out of my mind. Maybe walking away was the wrong decision, but I’m seriously afraid I’ll hurt her. She has so much on her plate right now. She doesn’t need my nightmares too. As soon as I’m done eating, I decide to shoot her a text.

  Remy: I really do love you. Please have some patience with me. I need to talk to the doctor and then I can decide a course of action.

  Kenzie: I love you too and already miss you. Please get better soon.

  My appointment is early, so I run up to my room to get changed into something more suitable for meeting this doctor. It’s about a forty-minute ride to the base, and I don’t want to be late.

  I pull up to the medical center and head straight in. I tell the receptionist that I have an appointment with Dr. Nielsen, and she gives me directions on how to find his office. I quickly check in and take a seat in the waiting area for my name to be called. My hands are clammy. I’m getting nervous and starting to sweat. You’d think I’m going in for major surgery. All I have to do is tell him about my nightmares, I remind myself. My leg starts to bounce as I wipe my hands down the leg of my shorts.