Page 30 of Andy

The doctor’s appointment took a few hours, and after some poking and prodding and scans and tests, the doctor told him he was healing well. The doctor hadn’t been surprised by Mel’s question about sex. They were told to wait another two weeks before doing something exhausting, which included sex.

Mel’s eyebrows raised as she tilted her head his way. “Told you so.”

The doctor chuckled. “Listen to her. I know you’re a warrior who is used to doing everything, and I mean everything under the sun. Take a break and relax. You’ll be able to get back your strength, but only if you don’t push too hard in the beginning.”

“I hear the words but?—”

“Am I going to have to handcuff you to the bed when I leave for work?” Mel asked.

Laugher spilled out, and he groaned. “No. No, you won’t. Laughing hurts. I won’t overdo it. I swear.”

“Okay, you two, he’s free to leave. You have physical therapy set up for the next week. You might think the exercises are ridiculous. Just humor them. They know what they are doing and are trying to make sure you’re okay before you start back into doing your normal activities. You have years to function as an operator. Give yourself a few weeks of rest, so you heal properly."

“How long do you think it will be before you release me to be on teams again?” He didn’t want to be sidelined for too long. Being there for his guys was important.

“This sounds counterintuitive, but if you really rest for the next few weeks before you go back to working at things like a SEAL, you’ll get back into it faster. If you do something stupid and get reinjured, you might not make it back onto teams at all. There is no swelling in your brain, which is a miracle in itself. If you overdo it and swelling develops on your brain, I can say that you’ll never make it back to being on teams, and you might earn yourself a medical discharge from the Navy.”

The words were like ice water tossed on his back. He might have even gasped. This was as real as it got. The explosion hadn’t killed him and hadn’t totally taken him out of the running, but it was bad. He would have to treat this seriously.

Mel took his hand after he finished with the receptionist and didn’t let go. She walked him out to her car, and before she opened the door, she met his gaze and held it.

“I know it’s going to be hard for you to chill, but I really want you to take things easy. No doing anything that will delay your healing. I can see how much being in the Navy means to you.”

Emotions he didn’t know what to do with came up, and his eyes stung. “I feel like I’m failing when I’m not doing stuff. Like I need to get a couch and there is stuff to do around the house. I just bought this place, and there are so many projects that have to be done."

She touched his face, and he whipped his head around to look at her. She was being so understanding it hurt. “The guys will help you position the couch. I’m not big enough or strong enough to move furniture, but can I say that two weeks is a short time compared to the years we’ll have together?”

“I know. I just?—”

“Hey, think of this time as a chance to get to know me better. You can watch a few of my favorite movies.”

“You are going to stay at my place, right? I mean, I know you?—”

Her fingers pressed against his lips. “If you want me here, I’ll be here with you.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I want you with me.”

“Then I’ll be by your side. Right now, let’s get you home.”

“What about a couch?”

“Let’s go to a furniture store and see if you can find one you like.”

He nodded, grateful he had someone willing to help him. The guys and their wives would have helped, but having Mel with him was special. He wouldn’t let her down. It would be difficult to sit back and do nothing for two weeks, but he could relax and take it easy.

Chapter 16

Mel wanted to tell her roommates that she was moving out, but she still had four months left on the lease. If she waited another two to three weeks to tell them that her life had significantly changed, it wouldn’t make a difference. She could afford to pay rent and not worry about moving everything to Andy’s place in a week or two.

Spending time with Andy, even with him taking everything easy, was great. She could see the agitation in his eyes when she arrived, but once she was there, he calmed. On the Sunday a week after she’d basically moved in, he admitted that he was having a hard time being alone when she went to work. She felt bad about leaving him.

“Please don’t feel bad.” Andy cupped her cheeks. “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t go to work. I’m just airing my frustration. I don’t expect you to fix it. I’m ready to go back to work, but the doctor wants me to chill for another five days, and it’s the hardest five days ever.”

She lifted on her toes, and he bent to kiss her. A moan rose from his throat as his lips brushed over hers. She pulled back, guilt coursing through her because she knew he wanted to have sex.

“We should do something that won’t remind you of sex or make you miss action.”

Andy rolled his eyes. “Everything reminds me of sex with you or doing something with my team.”

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