Her Loving Hero

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  He thought back to his own mother wrangling four boys before her disease became overwhelming. She’d hardly ever worn make-up and you could be damn sure if she’d been called to the hospital in the middle of the night she would have shown up in her pajamas.

  “I thought your name was Christiano?” Lilliana said as she stared at Chris.

  “This is Chris. Christiano and I broke up. Chris is Petra and Mercedes older brother. He and I went to the...” Carly ran out of steam. Wyatt was impressed she had the wherewithal to lie as well as she’d been doing, considering all of the drugs they’d pumped her up with.

  “And you are, again?” Lilliana asked, staring at Wyatt.

  “I’m Scott Lyle. I saw their taxi go off the road and stopped. I’m amazed that Chris wasn’t injured as well. My boss Duke Forrester took Carly to the hospital, and I stayed back with Chris so he could talk to the authorities, then I drove him here.”

  “That’s right,” Carly slurred. “The yacht...”

  “What yacht,” her mother asked.

  “Pay no attention to her, Mrs. Hoag. I think she’s stoned on the drugs,” Chris patted the older lady's hand. “Dad was talking about going golfing with the Ambassador next weekend. I think my mom was thinking that you two could have brunch while they do that.”

  Wyatt saw Kane’s lip curl in amusement. The kid was a natural at deflecting a tough situation.

  “I would adore going to brunch with your mother,” but then Lilliana looked over at her daughter. “But it all depends on Carly. If there is someone who can watch her, then I suppose that will be all right.”

  “Kristi will be home,” Carly said trying to lift her arm.

  Chris, who was beside Carly, grabbed her hand and settled it back into her lap. “Be careful.”

  “Where’s that nurse with the discharge papers?” Lilliana asked.

  “I think she mentioned something about you having to go up to the desk,” Wyatt said helpfully.

  She gave a put-upon sigh and got up out of the chair. “I’ll be back.”

  As soon as she was out of hearing distance, Chris pulled out the broken phone and tried to give it to Wyatt. Kane snagged it. “Is this Harthy’s?”

  “I don’t know, it was the angry guy’s,” Chris answered.

  “That’s Harthy,” Carly said in a tired voice. “He would be the one who would have the video. Do you think it’s on his phone?”

  Chris carefully put his arm around her shoulder, ensuring he wasn’t causing her any pain. “Carly, why don’t you rest, okay? You did good today, now you can take it easy.”

  “’kay,” her eyes fluttered shut.

  Kane looked at the phone and grinned. Wyatt knew why. It wasn’t an iPhone. Much, much easier to get into. “You realize, this whole Mighty Morphin Power Ranger thing was a total goatfuck of an idea, don’t you kid?” Kane asked Chris.

  Chris stared at Kane. “Feel free to give me back the phone...Duke, isn’t it?”

  Dammit, the kid sure had Kane’s number.

  Wyatt waited.

  “You want to repeat that?” Kane asked very quietly.

  “My best friend’s uncle is Delta Force. Carly mentioned that her sister was friends with a SEAL. Things are adding up a certain way is all.”

  Wyatt snorted a laugh.

  “Fuck me,” Kane said.

  10

  Wyatt felt like he was in the middle of that movie Groundhog Day or something as he snuck into the hospital hallway to call Emily.

  “Wyatt?”

  “Honey, everybody’s fine,” he rushed to assure her. He knew that was going to be uppermost on her mind. “As a matter of fact, your sister and her friends did really well,” he whispered as he went further down the hall. He didn’t want anybody overhearing what he was saying.

  “Wyatt, I want to tell you-”

  “Just one more thing Em,” he interrupted her.

  “Okay,” she said slowly.

  “Your sister is fine. She’s going home with your mom. She had to get a few stitches.”

  “I thought you said everybody’s fine,” she said sharply. “How could everybody be fine if Carly needed stitches?” Emily demanded angrily.

  “Emily, there were no weapons of any kind, there was one guy who threw a table and glasses shattered, one cut Carly. She needed stitches. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “This is not making me feel better.” Emily was definitely mad. “Can I talk to her?”

  “Honey, your mom is with her right now. If I handed over the phone it would seem weird.”

  There was a long pause. He could picture Emily pulling herself together. She’d be squaring her shoulders and tilting her chin upwards.

  “Are you in a good place to talk?” she asked.

  “Sure. Kane’s arranging for a flight home right now. He figures we’ve got the proof that he and his lieutenant will need to convince the brass that those al-Qaeda leaders are alive. That will make these threats a number one priority.”

  “So, you’ll be home soon?” Emily asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Good.”

  “You’ve missed me?” he teased.

  “Wyatt, I’m here at the hospital with your brother Ben, he’s been in a bad accident.”

  “Ben? Hospital?”

  “Yes. Ben Mazur, your younger brother.” It was as if Emily’s words were piped in from a different universe.

  The yellow of the hallway seemed to close in like sour butter. Acrid smells of antiseptic gusted into his nostrils, making it hard for him to breathe. His eyes watered and he had to hold onto his phone with all of his might so that his clammy hands didn’t drop it.

  “Benny? Benny’s hurt?” Did he just moan those words? “How bad Em. Tell me.”

  “Right now, they’ve got him in a medically induced coma, he was in a motorcycle accident in San Bernardino.”

  Wyatt turned so that his head rested against the wall. He swallowed, trying not to gag. Finally, he could talk again. “But he lives in Indiana. I don’t understand.”

  “He graduated from Navy Boot Camp at the Great Lakes and was on his way to Point Loma to start his training.”

  “He joined the Navy? But he’s too young.” He stopped. “Never, mind. I’ll be there as soon as possible. Please don’t leave him. He needs you.”

  “Oh Wyatt.” She sounded like she was going to cry. Why was she going to cry?

  Had Ben’s hand moved?

  She lunged out of the soft chair in the corner of the hospital room and carefully grabbed his hand. She felt his finger’s twitch.

  “Ben?” she questioned quietly.

  Nothing. She looked at the one eyebrow that showed from beneath the bandage on his head. It was the same shape and color as Wyatt’s. She saw him frown. She clasped his hand harder.

  “Ben, can you hear me?”

  He winced.

  “Benny?”

  He gasped and his eyes opened. It was like she was looking into Wyatt’s hazel eyes. Then he focused, and she realized he was someone else entirely.

  “Ben are you in pain?” she asked softly.

  “Where am I?” he whispered hoarsely.

  “You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident.”

  He closed his eyes. He flexed the hand holding hers, then she watched as both of his legs moved, then she saw his other hand move. He opened his eyes again. “What’s wrong with me?”

  Emily thought her face would crack open like an egg because her grin was so wide. The doctor had told her so many potential horror stories about Ben not being able to speak, understand words or move, but he was talking!

  “Oww!” she tried to wrench her hand out of his.

  “I’m sorry,” he let go of her hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I forgot I was holding your hand. Lady, can you tell me what’s wrong with me? Please?”

  “You’ve been in a coma. The doctors said we had to wait until you woke up to find out your prognosis.”

  He
searched her face, she could see him processing what she said and opened her mouth to explain further.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked.

  Emily touched her cheeks and wiped away her tears, then felt her smile come back. “Because you’re talking. They were worried. Ben, you’re going to be okay.”

  He blew out a breath and winced.

  “What’s wrong? Do you need me to get a nurse so she can give you something for your pain?”

  For just a moment the young man’s lip trembled before he firmed it up. “What’s wrong is, I don’t know who you are. I don’t think my brain is working right.”

  “Oh Honey, of course you don’t. We’ve never met. I’m a friend of Wyatt’s. He should be here any minute now.”

  Longing filled his face. “Wyatt’s going to be here?”

  “Real soon,” she promised. Emily calculated that he should have landed at LAX two hours ago.

  Ben winced again.

  “Let me get that nurse, the last thing you need to be is in pain.”

  “I’m fine, really,” the kid tried to lie.

  “What, you’re trying to be a SEAL?” she teased.

  “Eventually,” he closed his eyes and stifled a whimper.

  Emily rushed toward the door to find a nurse and practically ran into Wyatt.

  “Oh my God, you’re here,” she gasped. He pulled her into his arms, his hand coming up to cup her head while dropping a kiss into her hair.

  “He’s awake. Thank God,” he breathed.

  “You heard him talking?” she pulled back to look up at Wyatt.

  He nodded. She saw the tears swimming in his green and gold eyes. “Wyatt, go to him. I’m going to get the nurse.” She hugged him close once again, breathing him in, then releasing him.

  “Thank you, Em. Thank you so damned much.”

  Wyatt stared at the man in the bed. Hell, he was as big as he was.

  Unbelievable.

  “Benny,” he whispered.

  His brother’s eyes fluttered. Then his eyes opened, and it was like looking into a mirror.

  “My God,” Ben croaked. “We look alike.” His grin was crooked.

  Wyatt looked at the bandage over one of his eyebrows. “Not now, you’ll probably end up with a scar on your pretty face,” Wyatt joked. He had to, otherwise he might blubber. God, he was actually seeing his baby brother.

  Ben’s eyes skittered away to look at the opposite wall, then came back to Wyatt’s. “They must have found your name in my wallet.”

  “Huh?”

  “I put you down as my emergency contact. After the blow up with Dad, I wasn’t going to put his name down as my E.C., and since you’re Navy too, I figured you’d be a good choice. Only, I meant to look you up, before literally crashing into your life.”

  Wyatt choked out a laugh.

  The kid was funny. He’d always been funny.

  “What did that asshole do to you? Where are Luke and Kyle?”

  “Luke’s turning eighteen in four months, I’ll have enough money so he can get the fuck out of there. In eleven months, Kyle will be sixteen, we’ll help him apply to be an emancipated minor. I was going to look you up and see if you could help. Luke didn’t think you would want to.”

  “Of course, I would. Fuck man. I went to go look for you, but you’d ghosted by the time I got to South Bend. When I showed up, Leonard called the cops on me...again.”

  “What do you mean again?”

  “He did it when I was fourteen and had me forced into foster care, and then again when I came back to you when I turned eighteen. That time he slapped a restraining order on me. I still came back, and back. Finally, they sent me to county. The cops said if I tried to get to the three of you again, I would end up in prison.”

  Ben tried to push up in the bed. “Wait a minute. What do you mean foster care? I don’t understand anything you’re saying. You ran away.”

  “Your dad shunted me away to the foster care system. He never adopted me after marrying our Mom even after the three of you were born. I remember her asking him to do it after she got so sick, but he never did.”

  Benny looked confused and upset. It was the last thing he needed.

  “Let’s talk about this later,” Wyatt suggested. “You need to rest. I think Emily went to find a doctor.”

  “No! Tell me what happened. According to our asshole of a father you ran away. You were sick of being the older brother and always having us hanging onto you. You mean to tell me he sent you away?” Ben’s voice trembled with outrage.

  Wyatt nodded.

  “You didn’t want to leave us?” Ben asked weakly. “He said you hated us.”

  “You were my baby brothers. How could I hate you?”

  Wyatt thought back to those days. He’d been fourteen. Benny had been seven, Luke six and Kyle had been four. Their mother had died the year before, since her heart began failing after giving birth to Kyle. Leonard Mazur was a prick and resented the hell out of Wyatt. To this day, Wyatt had no idea why.

  “Who are you?” A man in a white coat asked as he walked in followed by a nurse. Wyatt assumed he was the doctor.

  “This is my brother,” Ben said with pride.

  The doctor grinned. “Hello Brother, I’m Dr. Zokov,” he held out his hand to Wyatt and shook it. The doctor turned to Ben and leaned on the rail. “Ben, why don’t we have your brother step into the hall for a bit while you and I have a bit of a talk and I check things out?”

  “Sure thing. Wy, I think that woman Emily is waiting for you,” Ben winked.

  “Ah, the ability to wink. This bodes well,” the doctor smiled even wider. The nurse pulled open the door for Wyatt.

  Wyatt ignored it, instead he went over to the other side of the bed and leaned over Ben and cupped his cheek. “I’ve missed you like hell, baby brother.”

  Ben reached up and gripped Wyatt’s wrist. “Me too, Wyatt. Me too.”

  Wyatt found Gray Tyler in the waiting room. “Where’s Emily?” he asked.

  “She’s in the bathroom. Riya dropped by a change of clothes for her, and after two days she said she wanted to freshen up. She hasn’t left Ben’s side since we got here.”

  “How was she able to get in to see him?”

  “Kenna.” Gray said succinctly.

  “Kenna? Not Dex?” Wyatt was tired from the flight and all the worry. How in the hell had Kenna worked things, she didn’t have any computer skills.

  “She called in some favors with the nurses here in the Loma Linda hospital.”

  “I’m dumb. I should have realized.” Wyatt sat down and sprawled in one of the hospital chairs. At the familiar feel of industrial polyester underneath his ass he immediately remembered. He sat up straight. “Shit, how are Kenna and the baby?

  “They’re fine. Just fine.”

  “What’s-”

  “Wyatt?” He turned to see Emily looking like a fairy princess in a pink sun dress. But where she had looked so happy in Ben’s room, now she looked sad.

  What was wrong?

  “Gray, can you take me home? Or do you need to talk to Wyatt first?” Emily asked.

  Wyatt looked at her in confusion. It got worse when Gray went to go stand beside her. “I’ll do whatever you need, but I really think the two of you need to talk,” he said to Emily.

  “I just want to go home.” It was obvious she was fighting tears.

  What the hell?

  Wyatt jumped up and stood before her, bending at the knees so they could be at eye level as he gave her an encouraging smile. “After I talk to the doctor and Ben goes to sleep, Gray can take us both back to San Diego. Gray’s right, I need to explain things to you.”

  “I need to go home and process. We can talk after you’ve had some time with your brother. Maybe we can talk tomorrow. Right now, I need to be alone.”

  “Emily, I just got back, and I want to tell you everything. I’m sorry I didn’t before. Please give me this chance.”

  Wyatt could see her white knu
ckles as she twisted her hands in the fabric of her skirt. “I just need a little bit of time. Ben is the important one, you stay with him.”

  Every cell in his body screamed NO. But this woman had had her choices taken from her before, he couldn’t do that to her now.

  “Emily, do you know that you are the most important in my world?” he asked her imploringly.

  She shook her head, blonde hairs lashed his cheek. It felt like a hundred tiny razors scoring his skin. He had to get through to her, he had to. He knew deep in his heart if he didn’t keep the lines of communication open, if she closed him out, it would be over. He glanced up at Gray. The man nodded and walked out of the empty waiting room.

  Wyatt tugged at her hand, and thankfully, she allowed herself to be led to a seat. He knelt at her feet. If he had to, he would have touched his head to the floor. “I thought I lost them, Em. My mom died when I was thirteen, the boys, Benny, Luke and Kyle were six, five and three. She’d been sick since Kyle was born and I took care of them.”

  She didn’t look up from where their hands were linked. He prayed his words were sinking in.

  “They were mine, Em. They weren’t just my brothers, they were my boys. I fed them, I changed diapers, I got them dressed, I read them stories, they were mine.”

  “And your dad?” He heard the faintly whispered question.

  “He was my stepdad,” Wyatt said wearily. Then went silent.

  “Stepdad,” she prompted.

  “A year before Mom died he got hurt on the job. It wasn’t bad, but he managed to milk it for a disability, between that and the state funds he was getting for the boys, he figured he was sitting pretty, but he was a mean bastard, and he hated my ass.” He went silent again.

  This time she looked up at him expectantly. “And?”

  “Then he started yelling and locking Kyle and Luke up in their rooms without food. I’d come home from school and find out about this and go berserk.”

  “Did he hit you?”

  “Nah, the bastard was smarter than that. He arranged it so that all my homework would always go missing, or I’d miss school on test days, so I’d fail. Then in the end, he called social services, and had me sent into foster care, turned out that since he’d never adopted me. I was literally a ward of the state and not his responsibility. I fought it, but I didn’t have any power. I ran away, time and again, trying to get back to my brothers.”