“Daisy? Now, that would be the second Burton born twenty minutes and five seconds after you, right?”
“Yes,” she answered reluctantly, not surprised Dr. Hapley had filed away the little time tidbit in his mental Rolodex.
“Your slightly less than enthusiastic response leads me to believe that you aren’t too happy about the marriage.”
Holly chuckled, shaking her head. “She’s a grown woman. Frankly, it’s not something I can worry about.”
“But you do.” As usual, Rommel didn’t pull any punches. “The last time we spoke you expressed a lot of displeasure in your youngest sister’s choice of a husband, a gentleman who was recently accepted into the space program. And, of course you can stop me at any time, but I’m assuming you are displeased with Daisy’s choice, as well. Let me guess … another military man?”
He’s going to beat this bush with a sledgehammer until I give it up.
“I’m surprised is all,” she replied. “I just wouldn’t have expected them to marry men like that.”
“Men like your father?” he clarified.
“Yes,” she sighed.
Doctor Hapley stared at her for a long moment, his expressive eyes crinkling a bit in the corner. “Do you ever listen to the radio, Holly?”
“Yes. Occasionally.”
“There are a lot of armchair, self-righteous shrinks out there propagandizing themselves and leading folks in erroneous directions. I could be like them and spout off some stuff about how you’re mistaken and why you should re-adjust your way of thinking,” Rommel smiled slowly, peering at her, “but I would be wrong to criticize you, wouldn’t I? All I can ultimately say is you are the only one responsible for your actions.”
Holly closed her eyes, thinking of her most recent actions. Vivid, lust-filled memories of her and the Commander careened through her mind. Gawd! She had to stop thinking of him. He was a blight on her sanity. Even now, in front of a man she respected and admired, she could barely stop the restless twitching in her body. Awake or asleep, Scott Gilcrist was there, like a specter of desire and lust. Strangely, it wasn’t just his incredible physique. Though Lord knew he had enough of that to pass around. Ironically, it was his vulnerable, helpless, side that intrigued her the most.
“You’re right,” she reflected desolately.
Doctor Hapley let out a long-winded breath, tapping his fingers against the desk when the low hum of the air conditioner threatened to drown them in silent thought. “I hate hearing that,” he muttered, tilting his head to side. His golden eyes glowed with mischief. “This problem with your sisters isn’t the reason you came to see me though, is it?”
Holly sighed again. “No, it isn’t. I called because I have a-a dilemma with a patient,” she paused, shaking her head, “and I believe it would be best if he was transferred to another doctor.”
“Let me get this straight. Are you saying that you can no longer help this person, that he or she is beyond your reach somehow?”
“No, it’s just that Commander Gilcrist, well…”
“Scott Gilcrist? I can see where the trouble may be coming from. I know his father, and I knew his mother briefly before the accident.”
Holly blinked. “What accident?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“No, we didn’t get that far.”
“Well, when he was ten his mother was involved in a fatal car crash. She died before help could come.”
“Poor Scott,” she murmured.
“Yeah, poor kid. It was bad, too. He had to pull her from the wreckage. From what I gathered, he tried to resuscitate her with CPR but she died in his arms.”
“Ohmygawd,” she moaned, her heart aching with pain.
“I know. He was a tough little soldier.”
She shook her head remembering every detail of the handsome modern-day warrior. “And still is.”
“So, why don’t you think you are suited to help him?”
She breathed deeply, trying to find the words to express why she couldn’t continue the sessions. “I just don’t think I’m the best partner…”
“Doctor?”
“E-excuse me?”
“You said you aren’t the best partner for him. Yet I think you meant best doctor.” Rommel gestured toward the file in her hand. “Let me see.”
Holly frowned having forgotten about the folder. Grimacing, she reluctantly passed it to the out-stretched palm in front of her.
“I think I’m missing something here. You’ve had two sessions so far and your interpretation is the Commander does not have PTSD.” Lifting his head, Doctor Hapley peered at her quickly before dropping his head to read from her notes. “He’s not presenting any prolonged symptoms associated with the disorder.” Dropping the file, he lifted his eyes again. “So why do you want him transferred?”
“He’s not presenting, no. But I don’t believe he’s ready to be released,” she stressed, her spine stiffening.
“And what are you basing this on?”
“The Commander clearly has a vested emotional interest in his last mission. He’s not ready for more turmoil.”
“That sounds like a personal observation, Holly.”
“It-it is,” she sighed. “Which is all the more reason to transfer him.”
“I don’t agree,” he commented, his intent gaze serious. “You’re one of the best, yet, every good doctor comes across a patient that pulls at the heartstrings. You want to help but there’s only so much you can do.”
“H-he’s not ready,” she stammered.
“Do you feel another therapist will be able to make any greater progress than what you have done?”
She didn’t think so. “Perhaps,” she answered, though doubt lingered in her voice.
Doctor Hapley shook his head. “I can’t approve this, Holly. In your own estimation the Commander is not presenting any signs and unless he himself reaches out, we have to believe that he has an effective coping mechanism for dealing with his pain.”
“I don’t think he does, Rommel. He’s just learned how to bury it better and better,” she responded. “What happens when it rises up against him?”
“You’ve dealt with veterans before, Holly. We can’t help anyone who doesn’t first try to help themselves.”
“So we just abandon them. Let fate take its course. Don’t we have a responsibility?”
“Yes, we do. But that responsibility does not supersede theirs. You know this as well as I do.”
Holly shook her head as the weight of the world seemingly settled on her shoulders. Even though her mind rebelled at the personal feelings she felt for the Commander, a deeper portion, the woman inside wanted to help the man.
Scott Gilcrist didn’t deserve the burden he’d lived with for so long. He didn’t deserve death constantly invading his life. There was so much anguish, so much grief. It pained her more than she could ever express to think of him walking alone with only his cruel memories as comfort. The death of his mother had been a catalyst for the rigid mental state that ruled his mind. He’d probably spend the rest of his life dealing with those consequences.
She exhaled slowly. She didn’t want to accept this. Couldn’t accept it. Yet what else could she do?
“He needs help,” she whispered, breaking the silence.
“We can only help those patients who wish to help themselves,” the doctor responded, his voice hushed.
She nodded, the truth stinging like iodine in an infected wound. As much as she craved, yearned, to bring some measure of peace into Scott’s life, she couldn’t force him, or the situation. “I know,” she murmured. Realizing there was nothing else to be said, she rose from her chair. Her legs felt shaky, wobbly, but she moved toward the door with her head held high. “Sorry I disturbed you, sir. I’ll make sure to forward the necessary forms to Captain Martin.”
“Holly? Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”
The question threw her off guard and she quickly shifted around to face
Rommel. A thousand statements pummeled her mind, begging for release, but instead she said one simple word. “No,” she answered, her lips twisting in regret.
“Okay, then.” He held out the file. “Don’t forget his medical folder.”
Holly ignored the question in Doctor Hapley’s tone as she walked back toward his desk. She smiled at him briefly, inhaling the rich leathered scent of his office. Her gaze shifted toward the narrowed couch sitting adjacent to the corner wall and she wondered if she should lie down on it to ease her troubles. He wouldn’t condemn her for what had happened. Transference was common between patient and doctor and occurred more often than not. The real issue was she just didn’t feel ready to share. The remembered passion stood out like a Technicolor stain in her mind.
Self-conscious, she laughed, “Thanks.”
As she left the office, Holly took a moment to stop by her own desk so she could pick up the pre-printed forms needed to release the Commander. She didn’t want to wait to fax these over. The sooner she dropped them off, the better things would be.
She wouldn’t have to worry about seeing him. She’d go directly to his CO and that would be that.
Chapter Eight
There was something about Holly.
Scott couldn’t put his finger on it but he knew it was there, nonetheless.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the delectable Dr. Burton out of his mind. Since their unforgettable meeting a scant two weeks ago, that had been the status quo. Their latest encounter, the scorching hot encounter that had insinuated itself into his very being, only accelerated the feelings. Emotions rioted through his body and left him thirsting for more.
More of what, he couldn’t really say, but she’d left an indelible impression, for sure.
No other woman had ever inspired the sentiments she elicited. He felt possessive of her, extremely so. That in itself was beyond his comprehension, since jealousy of any kind was something he did not experience.
Women were cards to be shuffled. He didn’t keep them around once they lost their glossy appearance.
Shaking his head, Scott ran his fingers through his hair as he exhaled slowly. His cock throbbed with the tension of a fully charged battery and he really did feel like going and going. The damn appendage had taken up two permanent states since it had met the good doctor: rock solid and ready to fuck. Under normal circumstances, that might not be a bad thing. Yet, like everything else in his life at the moment, Holly Burton had taken charge over that part of him, too. He grimaced, finally understanding what it meant to be led around by the balls.
Though he tried to exorcise her from his thoughts, she remained like a splinter lodged deeply under the skin. He had the strangest desire not only to invite her back to his place for some hard, deep fucking, but afterwards to sit around watching Sixty Minutes, so he could get her opinion on things. He wanted to know if she liked her eggs sunny side up or scrambled for breakfast.
What the fuck is the matter with me?
If there was one lesson his father had taught him it was that emotions burdened the conscience and weakened the body. Plus, he didn’t have time for a girlfriend. The horrifying idea of that word screeched through his mind with the force of ten decibels. He just wanted to screw her, all night and all day, for the next two solid months. That should be plenty of time to get her out of his system. If that didn’t work then he’d have to improvise because he had a mission coming up.
The top edge of the large manila file his assistant had brought him earlier peeked out from under a stack of classified documents. He was supposed to be preparing for a briefing with the leader of SEAL team five, but instead he reached for the folder and began flipping through the pages. He’d had to call in a favor from his good friend, Erik Thorson, to get the detailed FBI report, but once his mind had been set on the path he couldn’t stop himself. Scott wanted cold hard facts to satisfy his curiosity. He wanted to know everything about Holly Burton.
He breezed through the cursory details of her early years, somewhat surprised that her father was a Navy man, a retired Rear Admiral to be exact, and that she was the oldest of triplets. A sudden image of two replicas of Holly appeared in his mind and Scott laughed aloud.
“More than one,” he murmured. “Hmm … wouldn’t mind that.”
Shaking off his lusty thoughts, he continued to read through her college years, not surprised that she graduated magna cum laude from Columbia. Afterwards, she’d joined the Navy and scored top honors in her class at OCS before she enrolled in medical school at the University of Southern California for her masters and doctorate in psychiatry. Since then, she’d received commendations from every CO she’d served under. At this rate, Holly was definitely on track to make Lieutenant Commander the first time up, and if she continued with her stellar streak she’d be one of the few women in the Armed Services promoted to the highest ranks.
Scott couldn’t help but be impressed.
Turning the page, he read through the remaining details of her life, a life that was surprisingly bare. She’d rarely socialized while in school, and in the past five years the investigation only turned up three guys she’d dated regularly. One for a short moment just after she’d joined the military, and it looked as if the relationship ended when she transferred duty stations.
Yet the others…
“Simon Ronaldo Feegan,” he muttered. “What kind of sissy ass name is that?” Scott read further. “Figures. He’s a friggin’ computer analyst.”
From what he could gather, the two had dated for over a year and been engaged for a brief time. She even had a credit card receipt for a fitting at a local bridal shop.
Scott smiled to himself, remembering his first reaction to Holly. He was glad the relationship hadn’t panned out. The way he felt, a wedding ring might not keep him from wanting to fuck her.
Continuing to peruse the thick folder, the third, more recent name caught his attention and he paused, jealous anger working through him.
“Richard Carson.”
A low growl rumbled up this throat as he thought of ways he’d gut Lieutenant Richard Carson, age thirty-three, from Daytona, Florida. He’d break every bone in his body if Carson even thought of breathing on Holly.
“Little prick.”
The luscious Ms. Burton was his. While he stood on this planet no one except him would have her.
Startled by the shift in his thoughts, Scott threw down the file with a grunt. He could not keep thinking like this. All of his energy and focus had moved in a direction unhealthier than a room full of Osama wannabes.
I need to fuck this woman—now.
Tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling, he prayed that someone upstairs would grant him some mercy.
His very sanity was at stake.
* * * *
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, sir.”
Captain Martin rose from his chair and Holly gulped back the lump in her throat as he rushed around his desk. “Lieutenant Burton, Rommel Hapley would have my head on a platter if I didn’t make time for his number one officer,” he drawled in a thick southern accent.
Somewhat pleased at the backhanded praise, Holly gave a trembling smile. “Thank you, sir. I know how very busy you are.”
“Ahh, shucks. My job’s easy. You’re the one with the hard one. So, tell me what can I do for ya?” he asked, waving a hand to the seat nearest her before moving back toward to his own.
Holly clutched the folder in her hand, subtly reminding herself. “I’m here to drop off my assessment of Commander Gilcrist.”
“You guys doing door-to-door service now?”
“N-no, sir,” she laughed. “I just wanted to expedite the process.”
“Well that’s very kind of you, Lieutenant.”
Trying to resist sighing gratefully, she stood and laid Scott’s thick file on the desk. “I’m sorry again to disturb you, sir. Thank you so much…” A loud, forceful knock interrupted her parting speech and Holly fr
owned over her shoulder.
“I’ve got a meeting, Lieutenant. They only knock like that when I need to get my butt in gear.”
She nodded understandably. “Sorry again to disturb you, sir.”
“Anytime.”
Moving toward the door, Holly grabbed the handle and opened it, only to stop short when she glimpsed the face staring down at her. A shiver raced down her spine past her buttocks and straight to her pussy. She was surprised her legs didn’t shake.
Jeffrey Scott Gilcrist, absolutely the last man she wanted to see, glared at her through narrowed eyes. Dressed in a straight pressed camouflage uniform, he looked fierce.
“Lieutenant Burton.”
“C-commander,” she stammered, trying to find her breath. “I-I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Scott, the doc just stopped by to bring your release forms. Looks like you’ll be taking that trip after all, son.”
“So, I’m cured?” Scott’s velvety tones flowed over her like sweet honey, and she blinked, wanting to say something.
“Of course you’re cured, boy. I got the papers right here that say so.”
The papers! She’d almost forgotten the reason for her visit. Breathing deeply, she stemmed her nervousness and turned away from the Commander’s penetrating, hypnotic gaze to nod respectfully at Captain Martin. “Well, I’ll be going, sir. Again, thank you for your time,” she said, proud her voice sounded calm.
Holly didn’t want to look at Scott again. Her body had already entered into a state of hyper-awareness. Every pore of her skin tingled unmercifully and she felt lightheaded from the overload. “Commander?” she questioned softly, staring up at him, hoping he would take the hint and move out of her way. She even removed the garrison cap tucked at her waist so he’d know she meant business.
A brief fire flared in his dark blue eyes, a determination she could sense as well as see. “Sir, they’re waiting in the conference room. But, I need to speak with Lieutenant Burton for a moment if you don’t mind.”
Holly felt like a spectator at a tennis match, her head bouncing from one opponent to another.
“No, not all. Let’em sit for awhile. This damn thing has been postponed so many times, I’m not too keen to get there myself.”
Operation Love Page 19