Wounded Souls

by R J Nolan

  Dale smiled when Logan marched toward the kitchen like a warrior going into battle. She couldn’t help but admire her ass as she walked away.

  Casey nudged her. “She’s something, isn’t she?”

  The admiration in Casey’s voice made Dale turn to find her staring after Logan with a glowing smile on her face. An unpleasant sensation lodged behind her breast bone. She shoved the feeling down. “Yes, she is.”

  Casey pushed her wheelchair back from the table and let out a satisfied groan. “That was incredible. I didn’t even know I had the makings for eggs Benedict in my kitchen.”

  “Told you she was a great cook,” Dale said. She smiled at Logan before popping the last bite of her breakfast into her mouth.

  Heat crept up Logan’s face. “I’m glad you liked it. But no need to go overboard. I didn’t go all out with a traditional hollandaise sauce. I made the less complicated blender version.” Although, she had to admit the eggs Benedict were good. It had been years since she’d made them, and was pretty proud of the way they had turned out.

  “No matter how you made it, it tasted fantastic. Now I get the whole begging thing Dale was talking about earlier.” Casey waggled her eyebrows. “I could be good at begging.” She threw back her head and laughed at Dale’s and Logan’s matching blushes.

  Logan scrubbed her hands over her face, wishing she could wash away her blush. She scowled at Casey, which only made her laugh harder.

  Once Casey had regained her composure, she wheeled her chair away from the table. “Come on, Dale. Logan cooked, so we’re cleaning up.” She turned to face Logan and arched an eyebrow as if expecting her to protest.

  Logan forced herself to lounge back in her chair. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve got no problem with it.” She sensed that she needed to be exceptionally careful not to treat Casey any differently than she had previously. Not that she would normally be tempted to, but after seeing her in the wheelchair, trying to help was an automatic response. But she had no doubt that Casey, like Dale, would not appreciate the special treatment.

  “Good. Why don’t you and Drake go outside and enjoy the sun while Dale and I clean up?”

  Logan stood and reached for her empty plate. The least she could do was help clear the table. A scowl from Casey stopped her in mid-reach. She held up her hands. “Fine. Drake and I will be outside.” She patted her leg and called to Drake.

  When she heard the sliding glass door open, Logan wasn’t sure how much time had passed. She might have dozed off in the warm sunshine. Opening her eyes, she spotted Dale smiling down at her. “Hey. All done?”

  Yawning, Dale nodded. She put her hand on the back of Logan’s chair. “Thanks again for making such a great breakfast.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Logan allowed herself to get lost in the warmth of Dale’s gaze.

  The noise of Casey’s chair going over the threshold broke the moment.

  Logan stood as she approached. “I should get going.”

  “Wait. I want to talk to you about something before you go.”

  “Okay.” Logan sat back down.

  Dale slipped into the chair next to her.

  “What’s up?” Logan asked.

  “It’s about Drake.”

  Logan shot a worried glance at him where he lay stretched out on a blanket, soaking up the sun.

  “It’s nothing bad,” Casey said quickly. “I’ve just been thinking about it since you said he had been a therapy dog. Do you have his paperwork and vest?” At Logan’s nod, Casey continued, “Would you be willing to let me take him to the VA? He would really brighten the day of a lot of people there.”

  Logan looked over at Drake. At six years old, he was still in good health. Despite his incision and being only eight days post op, he was getting around without a problem and was back to his old self. Therapy work wasn’t strenuous, and he would be on a leash. Still, Logan hesitated to have Drake out and about when she wasn’t there. “Would it be possible for me to bring him to the VA?”

  Casey frowned. “Yeah. But not until all your paperwork and background check get taken care of. That usually takes several weeks—at least. I could take him now because I already work there and am cleared.” She sighed. “But I guess it can wait.”

  Logan owed Casey a lot and couldn’t bring herself to disappoint her. And it was a win-win situation. Drake had loved working as a therapy dog, and by going with Casey, he’d get a chance to do that again. “Well, I think we need to wait until his stitches come out. That’s only three days away. After that, what if I were to accompany you to the VA but you were the one who handled Drake?”

  Casey reached over and laid a hand on Logan’s arm. “That would be great. Do you have time to walk me through his commands this morning? That way I can practice with him before we go.”

  “Sure. I can do that.”

  Dale’s chair scraped across the cement when she suddenly stood. “Well, I guess I’ll be going.”

  Logan looked up at her, concerned by her strange tone of voice. “Are you too tired to stay?”

  “No. I just figured…” She shot a look at Casey. “…that you didn’t need me hanging around.”

  Logan frowned. What was going on with Dale? “I’d like you to stay. Unless you’re too tired.”

  Dale shook her head and smiled. “No. I’m fine.”

  Taking a moment, Logan clasped Dale’s arm before turning back to Casey. “Ready to get to work?”

  Casey stared at Dale for a moment. “Are we good?”

  Dale moved over to her friend and tousled her hair. “We’re good.”

  Logan’s gaze darted back and forth between them. She felt as if she was missing part of the conversation. She shook her head. Maybe she was just imagining things. She hoped this would be a chance for Dale to get more comfortable around Drake. “Come on, Drake. Time to work.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Logan knelt next to Drake and wiped him down with a damp rag, making sure his slate-gray coat was spotless.

  Casey slid open the glass patio door and stepped outside. “You guys ready to go?” Drake woo-wooed in answer. “That’s one vote.”

  Standing, Logan did her best to hide her trepidation. The last trip to the VA hospital had been stressful and embarrassing due to her panic attack. “Sure. Let’s go.”

  Casey put her hand on Logan’s arm when she reached her. “Most of the Christmas decorations at the hospital have already come down. But if it gets to be too much while we’re there, just say the word, and we’ll leave.”

  Logan flushed and looked away. She was clearly spending too much time around Casey; she had learned to read her too well. They had never talked about what happened that day. Now Logan wondered what Dale had told Casey.

  As if she had read her thoughts, Casey said, “All Dale said was you’d had a very traumatic experience at Christmastime. Anything else wasn’t her story to tell.” She gently tugged on Logan’s arm until she met her gaze. “The people you’re going to meet today have suffered their own traumatic events or live with someone who has. Believe me, we all understand about triggers. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “Thanks.” Uncomfortable with the turn of conversation, she eased her arm out of Casey’s grasp and patted Drake. “Time to go, Drake.”

  The big dog woofed and charged into the house, making them laugh.

  Logan and Drake followed Casey out of the house and waited while she locked up. “Where’s the best place to meet you? I won’t be able to take Drake inside without you—right?”

  “Right. Instead of taking two vehicles, why don’t you and Drake come with me? Visitor parking is a pain because that lot is always packed. I’ve got a staff parking sticker which makes things easier.”

  It had been difficult to find a spot the last time she was at the VA. She glanced over at Casey’s crew cab pickup.
The truck was much higher off the ground than her SUV. “I know Drake’s incision is healed, but he’s got a lot more healing to do inside. I’m hesitant to have him try to jump into your truck.”

  “He doesn’t have to jump—”

  “No. I don’t want you trying to lift him up.” After learning the reason why Casey had been unable to don her prosthetics, Logan had been relieved when she’d arrived today to see Casey once again wearing her prosthetic legs. She did not want her doing anything that might cause a problem.

  “I promise. I won’t lift him.”

  Frowning, Logan glanced down at Drake, then back at Casey’s truck. Then how did Casey propose to get him into her pickup?

  “Come on. Drake and I will show you.” She took Drake’s leash from Logan and led the way over to the passenger side of her truck.

  After opening the front passenger door, Casey reached in and did something inside, then opened the rear passenger door. Only it didn’t work the way a standard door would, but opened rear-facing so that when open, the two doors were like the back doors of a van. She reached in again and held up what looked like a wired remote control. “Check this out.” She pushed a button on the remote.

  Logan’s jaw dropped when the front bucket seat rotated until it was facing sideways, extended out from the truck, and lowered itself down so that it was no higher off the ground than the seat of a couch was. She had never seen anything like that.

  “It’s called a valet seat.” Casey grinned. “Now watch.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out a small plastic bag full of dog treats, and laid one on the seat.

  Drake, his tail wagging, grabbed the treat.

  “Good boy.” She patted the seat. “Drake. Seat.”

  It took a bit of maneuvering on his part because of his size, but within short order, Drake was sitting on the seat.

  Casey rewarded him with another treat. “Good job.” She took a moment to tuck his tail in so that it wasn’t hanging down, then said, “Stay. Going up.” With a press of a button, the seat began to rise. “Duck,” she said as the seat started to turn. Drake obediently ducked his head and in moments, was inside the truck in the now front-facing seat. “Drake. Back.” The rear seat had already been folded down and had a blanket covering it for padding.

  Drake’s tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he gave a doggie grin but didn’t budge.

  Casey stared at the big dog for several moments, then glanced at Logan.

  While impressed with what Casey had accomplished with Drake in just a few days, she struggled not to laugh at Casey’s flummoxed expression. Drake was a wonderful dog, but he could be a stubborn brat usually right around the time you wanted to show someone how well trained he was.

  Casey mock-scowled at Drake. “Quit making me look bad in front of your mom. You know you can’t stay up front.” She took another treat from the bag and waved it under Drake’s nose, then put it on the back bench. “Drake. Back.”

  Drake glanced back, looking unimpressed.

  Casey growled. She put a second, then with a quick look at Drake, a third treat on the seat.

  Satisfied with the offering, Drake used the empty space where the console between the seats normally was to move into the backseat. After taking his time eating his treats, he lay down with a sigh.

  Muttering under her breath, Casey closed the rear passenger door and motioned for Logan to get into the front.

  Logan tossed her backpack into the back with Drake before climbing into the truck.

  Casey opened both driver’s side doors the same way that the passenger side doors had opened. The driver’s seat was also a valet seat. Once Casey was settled behind the wheel, she met Logan’s gaze.

  Logan’s curiosity must have shown on her face.

  “I can climb into the truck with my prosthetics, but it’s much easier with the seat. It was put in when I was still using a wheelchair full-time. Usually, vehicles have a valet seat only on one side, but I transport a lot of vets to different events, and it’s not uncommon for one or more of them to be in a wheelchair.”

  “You do a lot for the veteran community—don’t you?”

  Casey shrugged. “I owe the vet community a lot.” She took a moment to pull out her cell phone and accessed some type of app. Tucking the phone back in her pocket, she said, “Let’s get going.”

  When Casey put the truck in gear but didn’t make any use of the hand controls, an unexpected spark of concern intruded at the thought of her driving using two prosthetic legs. Logan chided herself for the reaction. Clearly, Casey drove all the time.

  “I only use the hand controls when I’m not wearing my legs,” Casey said, as if she had once again divined Logan’s thoughts. “That’s what I was doing with my phone. I have an app that switches the microprocessors in my prosthetics to driving mode, which allows me to drive safely—just like anyone else.” Casey laid her hand on Logan’s shoulder for a moment. “If there is something you want to know, just ask me.”

  Logan flushed at being so obvious. At the same time, she couldn’t help noticing how much more comfortable Casey was talking about her amputations than Dale. “Thanks for saying that.”

  “No problem.” Casey pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street. “Now let me tell you about what to expect today.”

  Logan tensed at the reminder of where they were going. She took a deep breath and tried to relax as Casey began to fill her in on what they would be doing during Drake’s first visit as a therapy dog.

  “My office is just down the hall. You can leave your backpack there while we make the rounds,” Casey said as they turned the corner.

  An automatic smile blossomed on Logan’s face when she spotted Dale standing a short ways down the hallway.

  “I thought you were working in PT today. What’s up?” Casey asked when they reached her. She glanced at Logan, then back at Dale with a grin.

  Dale flushed. She hefted the duffle bag she was carrying. “I am. I just thought I’d stop by and ask Drake how his first day at work was going.”

  Casey snorted. “Sure you were.” She patted the big dog by her side.

  Logan shot her a quelling look, then put a hand on Dale’s arm. She was well aware of Dale’s continuing unease around Drake. She had gotten somewhat better, though. “Thanks for checking on us.” She quickly got lost in the warmth of Dale’s gaze.

  The loud clearing of Casey’s throat made them both start.

  Heat crept up Logan’s neck. She knelt next to Drake and adjusted his vest to give herself something to do. Her fingers skimmed underneath the strap that went under his chest, and she frowned. “Damn.”

  “What’s wrong?” Dale asked.

  “I thought it would be high enough up, but this strap is rubbing the edge of his incision and the bare area of his chest and belly where they shaved his hair.” Logan tugged on the offending strap. She sighed as she glanced up at Casey. “I’m sorry. I should have made sure about his vest in advance. I guess we aren’t going to be able to do this today. He’s required to wear the vest, but I can’t take a chance of it creating a rub spot.”

  “Is there some way we can wrap his incision?” Casey asked.

  “I’m not sure that would work. It might bunch up under his vest and cause more problems.” Logan sank back on her heels next to Drake. She hated to disappoint Casey.

  “What about a T-shirt?” Dale asked.

  She eyed Drake and his vest, then grinned up at Dale. “That could work.” Damn. Her happiness was short-lived. “But I don’t have one with me.”

  “No problem,” Casey said. “We won’t have any trouble finding someone who would be happy to lend Drake their shirt.”

  Logan shook her head. “It’s not a matter of lending. For this to work, we’d have to cut the sleeves out of the shirt. I’ve put T-shirts on him before, and that’s the only way they fit and don�
�t rub under his armpits. I wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting a stranger’s shirt and doing that.”

  “I’m sure one of the guys wouldn’t—”

  “I’ve got a shirt he can have,” Dale said, already opening her duffle bag. She pulled a dark-blue T-shirt out of her bag and handed it to Logan. “Casey, have you got a pair of scissors in your office?”

  “Sure.” Casey traded Logan the T-shirt for Drake’s leash before opening her office door and flipping on the lights. She propped the door open. After rummaging in a drawer for a moment, she pulled out a pair a scissors and spread the T-shirt out on her desk. Eyes wide, she turned back toward the door. “Dale, this is—”

  “It’s fine. Go ahead.” Dale made a sharp motion with her hand.

  Logan’s gaze darted back and forth between them. Was there something special about Dale’s shirt? “Wait.”

  But it was too late; Casey had already cut into the T-shirt. She quickly finished removing the sleeves and brought the shirt to Logan. As she handed it over, she threw a look at Dale that Logan couldn’t interpret.

  Dale shrugged.

  Logan knelt next to Drake and removed his vest. She spread the shirt out across her knees. Emblazoned in white across the front was USNS Mercy with a silhouette of a large ship that had a red medical cross on its side. She knew nothing about the Navy but recognized it as a hospital ship. Had Dale served on it? A darker thought intruded. Or had Dale been treated on the ship when she was wounded? Pushing aside the questions for another time, she put the altered shirt on Drake and then fitted his vest back in place. The shirt not only covered his chest and protected him from the strap rubbing but also covered the full length of his incision and all the areas where his hair had been shaved off.

  She rose to her feet with a smile. After handing Drake’s leash to Casey, she turned to Dale and leaned in close to place a kiss on her cheek. The feel of Dale’s soft skin against her lips caused her to linger longer than she intended. “Thank you for doing that for Drake.”

  “You’re very welcome.”