Page 26 of Operation: Discovery

Rebecca peeked from behind the pillow. “I would actually love that. I know Wayside is a great place to heal, but I wasn’t prepared for all the sun yesterday. Sam offered me a new hat, but when I tried it on, I had to crane my neck to see what I normally see. I felt boxed in. But I’ll need something to keep the sun off me.”

In a month or so, she would need more than that. Wyoming was known for snow, wind, and cold in the winter. The cowboy hats, worn by all the men but Brendon, helped keep the sun off in winter and summer, and kept the wind off their ears. The hats really were meant to be worn all year long.

“We’ll tackle that problem this evening when you’re feeling better. I’ll pour some ice water in an insulated tumbler from the kitchen, so you’ll have plenty of cold water, and then I’ll check on you as the day goes on.”

“Sounds good.” Rebecca looked longingly back at her bed. “I can’t wait for the day when moving from bed to chair and chair to bed won’t be hard. I’m sitting here thinking, ‘maybe I can just sit in my chair to nap,’ because it wears me out.”

“I’ll help you. At some point in the very near future, it will be easier. You’ve only had this for a short time. Think back to the last time you saw a baby learn to walk. They don’t just get up and take seven steps. They get up and wobble first, then they use furniture to help them, then they try on their own. The whole process takes time and lots of strength. We don’t think about it because it’s expected. Babies are supposed to walk. The first step is exciting, then we get used to it. No one claps when their five-year-old stands from the sofa because it’s happened a million times by then. You’ll get there.”

“I don’t want to be seen like an infant, though.” Rebecca’s shoulders fell.

“I don’t. It’s just an example. The same could be said of a person learning trigonometry for the first time. You don’t just look down at a page full of math you’ve never seen before and figure it out. Give yourself time for it to become a habit and to grow your muscles, day by day.” She broke the Wayside rule and squeezed Rebecca’s shoulder.

Rebecca gripped her hand tightly and held on. “Thank you.”

Dee maneuvered the transfer board away from Rebecca’s chair and set it aside. It was difficult to use with the type of chair Rebecca had, anyway. She went over to the bag she had brought with her equipment inside. She put the transfer belt around Rebecca’s waist and used that to help lift her back into the bed.

Once there, Rebecca sighed into the pillow and relaxed. “I promise you, I won’t be lazy every day. I’m just not up to trying today.”

Dee took her thermometer from her bag and checked Rebecca’s temperature to make sure she wasn’t suffering from anything but the sunburn. She had no noticeable fever, so she pulled up the blankets within reach and left her patient to rest.

After getting the water she’d promised, she headed for Brendon’s office. At his door, she paused for a moment. Since she’d arrived, she’d had more time than expected to work with him. It had been both challenging and fulfilling so far, but would he see this as interference? She had to stick up for her patient, but Rebecca was his, too. She knocked and he immediately gave her permission to enter.

“Dee, good morning.” He motioned for her to have a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. The candy bowl was back in place and full. She briefly wondered how often the man had to buy candy. It was a completely different variety today than what had been in there yesterday.

“Good morning. I was just with Rebecca, helping her start her day. She got a little too much sun yesterday and is really tired. She wondered if she could postpone her meeting with you.”

He slowly nodded, and one side of his mouth crooked up in an understanding smile. “That first few days can be hard for our guests. I usually try to have them meet with me on day one so that they can get all the hard meetings over right away. That way, by days two and three, they can feel like they are ready to relax into the routine. Connor asked me to hold off with Rebecca because she was so hesitant with him. He was worried that meeting with both Sam and me would overwhelm her straight off.”

Dee completely agreed. They obviously couldn’t see into the future, but having the explosion yesterday had only made the stress worse. Having two meetings with men she didn’t know might have pushed Rebecca too hard. “I know she wants to, but she’s tired and sore.”

“Understood. If she needs help finding something to protect her face, I may be able to give some suggestions. I only wear the cowboy hat when I’m up on a horse. When I’m sitting down in my chair, it isn’t a good option.”

“That was her trouble, too.” Dee fidgeted, not sure what else to say. She should move on and let Brendon prepare for the rest of his day. He probably had more appointments than just Rebecca. “I suppose I should let you get back to work.” She stood. “I just wanted to check and make sure it was alright to cancel.”

He nodded and dug into the candy dish, then handed her a piece of chocolate. It was a rare variety with strawberry in the center. Strawberry was one of her favorite flavors. Had he remembered that? She reached out for the candy, remembering the feelings that touching him had caused last time. It wasn’t quite as strong but still there, giving her a pleasant warmth straight to her heart.

“Thanks.” She smiled.

He returned the smile but said nothing more and she headed out for her day, determined to catch up with Moira and Adam. She needed to find out just what they’d been through the day before. Without Brendon or Rebecca needing her, she had plenty of time to do a little snooping around. At Wayside, she was perfectly safe. No one would ever know she was after the snake before it could bite again.

* * *

Brendon watchedas Dee quietly closed his office door and the room fell silent. He’d hoped she would find a reason to stay longer, but pressuring her to sit with him would force him to state a reason why he wanted her there. Since they’d only just met again, he wasn’t ready for that yet. Not after only two days. He closed his eyes and prayed for clarity. What did he truly want from Dee, friendship, forgiveness, or more?

They had both done things wrong years ago. Both needed to talk. But when they had nothing to base their feelings on, he worried that a confrontation so soon would kill any chance of something positive coming out of this second chance mission. They would have their forgiveness, but not even a friendship to show for their effort.

The moment he muttered an “amen” to his prayer his phone rang. “Brendon speaking.”

“Brendon, glad I caught you. This is Nixon Blake at the Sheriff’s Office. We’ve been looking through all that evidence collected at the town hall scene yesterday, but we’re coming up with nothing. We followed up on so many leads that just didn’t pan out. All the doorknobs within the building had been wiped down, so the only prints we pulled were from you or the parents and children there at the scene. No forensic evidence was left behind that we’ve found yet. Labs have the blankets and other things, but the gowns and gloves were meant to do more than cover them up. They were to keep from leaving anything behind.”

He wasn’t surprised. These people were professionals, though the thought of nurses working with traffickers made his blood run cold. Nurses were, by and large, good people doing great and selfless things wherever they worked. Dee was a fine example of that. He’d rarely come across nurses who hated their jobs or didn’t want to help people. They could get jaded like everyone else—they were human—but those he’d interacted with had been good.

“What can I do? I know you wouldn’t be calling me just to chat about the case.” Because Nixon Blake had men in his office who would willingly discuss a case with him.

“I don’t know that there’s much you can do except talk to Adam. I think he was terrified to talk to us right after he woke from the anesthesia. I think he’s grown to fear the police because of where he lives. But he doesn’t fear you.”

“At least not yet.” Brendon had to state the obvious. Working with the people he did, he knew that a situation could easily turn someone against all men, or all doctors, or all authority very easily. “I’ll do my best. I know Dee wanted to talk to Moira and Adam today and find out just what had happened to them. Maybe she will get some fresh insight.” If anyone could, it was her.

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