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  Lexa could hear he had been affected, too. His last hiss had nothing to do with pain. It was too sensual, and he instantly sped out of the room under the guise of having to tuck his shirt in. What if I never get a chance to figure out what all this means and where it might lead? Tears slipped from her eyes again. Her heart wrenched as she hugged her legs tighter to her body.

  Be Completely Honest

  21

  July 19

  St. Michael’s Hospital – ER Information Desk – 11:05 p.m.

  Nancy checked and rechecked her monitor hoping for some update to give the group in the private room. It was difficult for them to wait so long for an update. It had been well over six hours since Dan arrived at the hospital. She checked again, though the last time she checked was only five minutes ago. Nancy smiled as she stood and headed to the waiting room.

  She saw Heather making a beeline down the hall at almost a near run as Nancy approached the room. How did she get down here so fast? Usually, it takes them ten to twenty minutes to arrive after posting that the surgery was completed.

  “Heather, what is the rush? You never come down so quickly after.” Nancy noticed Heather barely cleaned up. All the blood on her would distress those waiting for word on Dan—especially the man she gave the scrubs. “Heather, you should …” She never got to finish as Heather nearly knocked her over in her rush to enter the waiting room.

  St. Michael’s Hospital – Private Waiting Room – 11:06 p.m.

  The door flew open. The group so desensitized now to the door opening and it not being news, were slow to look this time. Heather scanned the group. Oh, my gosh! It had grown. There were so many military men, and they all looked similar to Dan and the general. Heather couldn’t contain herself any longer as she blurted out loudly, “Dantastic is alive!”

  Every head instantly turned to Heather. She almost drowned in the intensity of the relief which washed over her from the group.

  Loki beamed as he enthusiastically exclaimed, “I knew he would make it!”

  Patch’s voice overrode Loki’s in volume. “How is he?”

  Heather only had a bit of information to share with them now. She ran straight here to tell them the most important thing—he was still alive. So she shared what little she had, “Dan isn’t out of the woods, but he is stable at the moment. I won’t lie to you, he has been fighting, but he is holding on.”

  Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Dr. Markson will be down in about twenty or thirty minutes to give you all the details. He is with Dan now making sure he stays stable. But I knew you all needed to know he made it through surgery. He is in post-op recovery now and will be there a while longer—depends mostly on how things go. We’ll move him to ICU when he is stable enough for the move.”

  Patch ran to her and pulled Heather into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking care of Blondie.”

  Ryan Broderick asked, “Has anyone informed the general?”

  Heather looked to the Air Force colonel with the same sapphire blue eyes as Dan. “No. I came here first. I knew they needed to know.”

  Her eyes shifted to Patch. She said they, but actually meant he. Heather had to tell him—she had to ease his mind first. She saw Patch drop to his knees outside the operating room and sob unabashedly. He had been completely and utterly destroyed thinking he lost Blondie. Telling Patch had been her first thought.

  Ryan said, “I’ll go let my brothers know. You said the doctor will be down in about twenty minutes.”

  “Yes,” Heather said and recognized Patch hadn’t let go of her yet.

  “Good. I’ll see if they’ll let William come here. That way the doctor only needs to report once, and we can all get the information at the same time.”

  Heather thought his suggestion was helpful. “I’ll go with you to facilitate the general’s move.” She reluctantly extracted herself from Patch. “I’ll be back with the doctor in a while.” She swiftly left with the colonel.

  Adam stood and stretched his back. Waiting was so draining, but at least Dan had made it through surgery. Recovery, now that would be a hard road after being shot in the chest. He observed at all the flagging, weary faces. “Anyone want some coffee?”

  Ray stood. “We could all use a cup. Let’s do a quick Timmy’s run across the street.” He turned to Loki. “Help me grab some for the team?”

  Loki looked at Winds. “Three large, black, right?”

  Winds nodded with a hint of a smile—Loki remembered what he ordered.

  Adam nudged his brother’s shoulder. “Zach, come with me and help.”

  Zach got up, and the four went to get coffee for the entire room.

  Nick went to talk with Lexa who had not put her head back down. He lightly placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder as he sat down. He noted her reddened eyes. “How you holding up, Lexa?”

  Having her emotions sorted—enough to finally regain a semi-professional detachment, Lexa calmly answered, “I’m fine.” The bemused expression on Boss’ face had her asking, “What’s that look for?”

  Nick rubbed his hands over his face then sighed. “It’s just the word fine. It will never sound the same to me now that I know Dan’s definition.”

  “Dan’s definition?” Lexa asked.

  Amusement lit Nick’s face. “Yeah, it doesn’t actually mean fine. It means Fouled up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.”

  Lexa giggled and tried to suppress it which only turned it into a loud gut-deep laugh which turned into a full-blown chortle as she tallied the all the times Dan had said fine. As she roared with laughter, Lexa had an epiphany, Dan was always truthful, but he was a grandmaster at deflection.

  All eyes turned to Lexa.

  She finally got ahold of herself. “Ooooh, Broderick! He really doesn’t make it easy to help him, does he?”

  Blaze snorted. “No, Blondie doesn’t.” He was glad to see Lexa coming out of her self-imposed shell. The strong and capable woman he had gotten to know over the past few days worried him when she curled into herself. It reminded him of when Blondie shut down. So hearing her laugh and the return appearance of her usual feisty demeanor did his heart good.

  As he watched Lexa uncurl, stand, and stretch, Blaze had a weird thought, Blondie needs a woman like Lexa. She is his equal in every measure, but also a counter-balance. Too bad they are teammates.

  Scott asked, “What is this all about?”

  Bram chuckled and then shared Dan’s definition of fine because he figured the more people who knew, the better it would be for Dan. He would get the help he needed if his family and the rest of the team knew because Dan would need all the support he could get.

  A short while later, everyone sipped coffee as the general and his brothers entered. William sat in a wheelchair—forced into it by his brothers. He argued with them he was fine to walk, but with three against one, they won.

  Nick surveyed the general. Still extremely pale with pronounced muddy circles under his red-tinged eyes. A sling held his arm immobile across his chest. A bag of what he assumed was antibiotics hung alongside a bag of saline on the IV pole affixed to the wheelchair.

  The general appeared so weary—like he had been carrying a heavy burden for a lifetime. He was glad the brothers insisted on the wheelchair—they looked out for their brother even though the general griped and moaned the entire time. Aware the past days had been an emotional rollercoaster for the man and now injured, Nick knew the man needed serious rest. A thought occurred to him, and he leaned over to Bram. “Did you tell him about Merrill?”

  Bram shook his head no and whispered back, “Didn’t have the heart. He is too distraught over Dan. I’m not sure how General Broderick will take the betrayal. The general said he liked the guy. It can wait.”

  Nick agreed. Dan is the most important thing at the moment.

  St. Michael’s Hospital – Post Ops Recovery Room – 11:20 p.m.

  Dr. Bill Markson finished drying his hands as Heather said, “Doctor, before
we go give them the report I want to warn you. The group in the waiting room is fiercely protective of their family. They aren’t all related by blood, but you’ll not find stronger bonds than those between your patient and his former Special Forces unit and his current TRF team. In fact, the bonds he has with his old unit are probably stronger than his familial ones. You may dispense with the standard procedures and discuss Dantastic’s condition fully with them.

  “They’ll stand for nothing less. Be completely honest with them, they’ll know if you aren’t, especially Lexa. I can see she has a sixth sense when it comes to Dan. Oh and listen to Patch, he knows what Blondie needs. If you don’t believe me just ask Dr. Fraser.

  “Don’t worry if Blaze and Jon rage at your news, it’s how they deal with things. Bram will take care of those who need comforting. One last thing, rely on Nick when you tell them the awful stuff. He can help you calm and refocus them. Wait … actually, the last thing is, please don’t be shocked if they laugh. It’s how they connect and help each other deal with the stress. Loki will likely be your best ally there.”

  Dr. Markson only stared at his lead nurse. She astounded him with her skill and efforts during the grueling surgery. She wouldn’t let anyone give up on the young man. It had been close—they lost him twice more during the surgery. The last time, Bill was going to call time of death, but Heather berated him until he consented to keep trying to revive the man. After several more attempts, his patient amazingly came back. Heather cried and said she had promised Patch to take care of Blondie and she wouldn’t let Dantastic die.

  She continuously alternated between calling the patient Dantastic, Blondie, and Dan. It confused him at first, but after six hours Bill accepted it and chuckled inside each time. He wanted to know how she connected with this extraordinary man. “Heather, you fought so hard for Dan. How do you know so much about him and these others?”

  Heather gave him the cliff notes version of her experiences with them over the past three days.

  Bill shook his head in wonder. This is gonna be interesting.

  St. Michael’s Hospital – Private Waiting Room – 11:30 p.m.

  The tension in the waiting room eased slightly after Heather’s announcement. They were still intermingled in small groups murmuring when the door opened. All conversation stopped as they all stood and unknowingly took several steps forward.

  Dr. Markson was taken aback. Whoa! Heather was right. The looks on all the faces screamed ‘he is family, we care, we protect.’ This would be daunting because Heather told him not to hold anything back.

  He cleared his throat before beginning firmly, “I understand you are the family of Dan Broderick.” Every one of them nodded. “I’m Dr. Markson, and Dan is under my care. Before I begin, may I have your names?”

  It wasn’t something Bill normally did, but he wanted to identify the people Heather told him about. He also wanted to find out who Nick was because he might need his help according to Heather. They all introduced themselves. Dang that was a lot of military men named Broderick, family profession Bill thought. Much like my own family—surgeons for generations.

  Markson started, “I have both good and bad news. Please bear with me as I explain his condition fully to you.” All bodies tensed when he said bad news. “Dan is alive, but his condition is extremely critical. He is a fighter which is good because he has a tough road ahead.

  “I’m truly sorry it took so long to give you news.” Usually, he wouldn’t share the next part, but he needed to express the gravity of Dan’s injuries, and Heather said full disclosure. “Surgery was long and complicated because we lost him twice on the table.”

  Bill heard several gasps, and he saw fire flash in two sets of eyes, but Nick calmed them down with a simple look. Yep, Heather is right about Jon and Blaze. Though from the expression on Loki, it is highly doubtful he will laugh.

  He delved into the severe details. “The last time we lost him, I really didn’t think he would make it. The penetrating trauma of the high-velocity bullet created a pressure wave which caused damage to his internal organs. Dan’s lungs were severely injured, and he experienced significant hemothorax which was responsible for the massive bleeding.”

  Dr. Markson glanced at Patch. Patch inclined his head knowingly, but the doctor realized the others didn’t know what that was so he briefly explained. “A hemothorax is an accumulation of blood in the chest cavity outside of the lungs due to a rupture of the membrane covering the lungs.”

  He noted the concern on their faces increased even if they didn’t fully comprehend the medical jargon. They got the point. Bill noticed Bram now had his arm firmly around Lexa’s shoulders. He almost wished he could stop right there when he saw the anguish in Dan’s father’s eyes.

  Bill slowed down and let them absorb news for a few moments. He scanned his chart to cover what he was actually doing. After a minute, he looked back up, took a breath, and started again. “Dan also experienced cardiac tamponade which was caused by uncontrolled pericardial effusion—a buildup of fluid inside the membrane enclosing the heart.”

  He explained the full extent of Dan’s injuries. By the time Bill finished, most of the faces were ashen, and several appeared as if their legs might not hold them up. So much for laughing. Heather was wrong on that account. But the news is awful. I didn’t expect them to laugh.

  Dr. Markson wanted to tell them Dan would make it but knew he couldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep. “Based on all this, Dan is still in the fight for his life. He is strong and has amazed me more than once today—he is still here against all probability and statistical odds. Though I can’t promise you anything, I’m guardedly hopeful.”

  Bill thought, If I hadn’t seen the tenacious strength of this young man in the operating room, I would be preparing this family to say their goodbyes. But Bill was hopeful here. Though only time would tell if this young man survived his devastating injuries. “Do you have any questions?”

  Many questions ran through everyone’s mind, but they all remained quiet because the queries they had wouldn’t have concrete answers. For now, the fact Dan was alive was paramount to anything else. Although, Lexa asked the one question they truly wanted an answer to.

  Moving away from Bram’s hug and squaring her shoulders, Lexa asked in a firm controlled voice, “Can we see Dan?”

  “Typically, we only allow one family member to visit in the ICU. Though given the extraordinary circumstances, I’ll allow you to visit him three at a time for a few minutes each. A nurse will escort you to the ICU waiting room.

  “However, I need to forewarn you, the sight of Dan may be disturbing. He has several chest tubes and is intubated due to the injury to his lungs and broken ribs. He is also in a medically induced coma. We’ll be monitoring him closely, but I expect to keep him in that state for several days given the level of trauma his body has endured.”

  Noting the fatigue in them, Dr. Markson said, “After you visit him, I suggest you go home and rest. If things are stable enough tomorrow evening, I’ll authorize up to two people at a time to stay at his bedside at all times. It is against hospital policy, but I am firm believer patients benefit from having family close and talking to them even when comatose.”

  He saw they visibly relaxed when he said they could stay with him beginning tomorrow. Dr. Markson left the room a little in awe at how many people rooted for his patient—support like this would make a difference.

  Remember the Cherry Club?

  22

  July 20

  France, Home of Dominique Savoy – 7:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. Toronto)

  Dominique Savoy hung up the phone and bowed his head a moment as he gathered his thoughts. This business with Pletcher bothered him greatly. The traitor not only tried to kill his goddaughter Becca, now it seemed he had a connection with a traitorous woman who was long dead and missed by no one on this earth.

  He wanted to go personally to deal with Pletcher because he owed William that and more. It was a
debt he could never repay. As Dom gazed at his wife, who was sleeping peacefully for the moment, his heart ached for so many people now.

  His beautiful Jeannette was in her final days. She fought cancer valiantly, but it won. It would be any time now Jeannette would slip from this world. Dom would be lost without her, but he needed to be strong for their daughters. Eighteen-year-old Nicolette just graduated high school and was University-bound. Sweet Anna-Marie only sixteen and still needed her mother so much. Nicolette did, too.

  Thinking about his girls and the information he discovered from one of his contacts burned in his gut. Harriet Lambourne had been dead for five years, but her traitorous tentacles wanted to touch his life and the lives of those he cared about again.

  Dom stood and walked to Jeannette. He leaned down and lightly kissed her gaunt cheek. Instantly he felt sorry for giving into the need as her eyes flickered open. “Mon cher, Jeannette.” He knelt and gently caressed her face.

  Jeannette softly whispered, “Dom, mon amour.” Seeing the furrow of his brows told her something was wrong. “Tell me.”

  “Ah my heart, why English?” Dom asked.

  Glancing at the hospice nurse, Jeannette replied, “I know the look. It isn’t for her ears. What has you so troubled, my love?”

  Jeannette knew him well. He turned and asked the nurse if she would go to the corner market to buy Jeannette’s favorite pastry.

  The nurse dealt with many couples, and she saw the deep love these two shared. Sadly, their love story was ending, so she tried to help. “Oui monsieur.” She got her purse and went to the market.

  After he heard the door shut behind the nurse, Dom picked up and held Jeannette’s hand. He spoke in English to be safe if the nurse returned too quickly. In hushed tones, he shared, “Harriet’s treachery goes deeper than we ever imagined.”