Page 3 of Operation: Discovery

He’d remembered his initial excitement in finding Dee just a few months ago. He’d even offered to go first in the Wayside second chance missions. At that point, he’d remembered only the good times. But the more he’d thought about what separated the two of them, the harder his heart had become until he didn’t want to face her again. History was set in stone, and now he doubted he could make her see him as an equal, which meant he didn’t want her there. He didn’t want to be loved by someone who thought he’d be a burden for the rest of his life.

“I look forward to talking with you more about Rebecca this afternoon and her care progression. I have a meeting with Connor now,” she said, holding tightly to his fingers.

He slowly released her hand and shifted in his chair. Dee’s credentials said she was still a registered nurse who helped with in-home care, especially for those with a lack of mobility. Could she have changed like she’d said? Why would she choose to work with disabled people when she didn’t understand their needs?

Maybe he was looking forward to finding the answers. At least a little.

* * *

Dee steppedoutside Brendon’s office and headed back down the hall toward Connor’s, stopping by the bathroom in the hall first. She stared into the mirror, her eyes looking tired to her. Why had she thought she’d get through to Brendon with one meeting?

Had she expected him to open his arms and welcome her back? Tell her he missed her? While she hadn’t hidden herself away after he’d left. They lived in a time when finding people from the past wasn’t difficult, though Connor had said Brendon rarely used computers.

Her head felt heavy, and she let it hang as she stared down into the immaculate sink. All she’d really wanted from her first meeting with Brendon was to hear him say her name again. She hadn’t gone by Dee from the day he’d left. He’d disappeared, honestly. She’d never considered him someone who ran from his problems, but he hadn’t even left her a note. He’d just left the hospital for somewhere else without telling her. Though he’d had her number, he’d never called.

Ghosted.

The word hadn’t been used back then, but that’s what he’d done. She knew he was dealing with a lot of mental trauma over losing the use of his legs. He’d only begun his study of psychology then, but even that didn’t help because he’d never sought the counsel of anyone else, which he’d needed. Part of her had always hoped he would heal from whatever had driven him away, and then he’d call her. But that hadn’t happened.

Instead, Connor had called her and told her about his need for her expertise. But when he mentioned the attending counselor was Brendon Ruse, she’d agreed immediately. She’d even left a job that paid very well as a live-in nurse to come to Wayside. Now, she wasn’t sure if she’d made the right choice. Brendon was as hard as granite and still the quiet type.

She turned on the cold water and splashed some over her face, shocked by the immediate cold. Had her face really been that hot? Had she looked flushed in front of him? That was no way to prove she’d moved on and could be professional with his patient. Of course, when he’d stared at her lips, she hadn’t been able to stop her face from flushing.

Dee glanced in the mirror one more time. “I will not ruin this. Lord, give me the right words to say in every situation here. I know I felt your pull to answer this call, but I can’t do this on my own. I don’t know what caused the rift between Brendon and I so long ago, but please don’t let it come between us now.” Even as she prayed the words, doubt pushed on her. Roadblocks didn’t just disappear. She would have to go around it or do the work of rebuilding the road so it could be traveled again. What work would she need to do to get them speaking again?

“Pull yourself together. You’ve been through tough stuff before.” Like when she’d lost Brendon, she’d temporarily transferred to a critical care unit. That had been the hardest job of her life, one that had helped her determine her calling was not in critical care but in injury aftercare.

She left the bathroom and detoured past Connor’s office, since she had ten minutes before her meeting with him was to start. She looked around the huge space that appeared to be a living room for the main office or lodge at Wayside Ranch.

The main floor had an odd mix of office space and living space. Upon entering, there was a massive seating area with a fireplace that took up two-thirds of one wall. Huge, comfortable furniture filled the room. Beyond that, through a wide door, was a dining room that was only slightly smaller than the living room. A long pass-through window to the kitchen created a perfect spot for buffet-style eating.

Her watch buzzed, letting her know she’d lost track of time. Her meeting was in two minutes. Before she left, she stood in the living room again, which was a full two stories, the high ceiling giving the room a cavernous feel. She hadn’t quite felt so small in a long time.

What if you were wrong?

The thought had invaded her life and dreams for years. That was the only explanation for Brendon to abandon her. She’d thought they were destined to be married and live happily ever after, but she had to have been wrong. He hadn’t loved her because she’d overflowed with love for him.

He certainly didn’t seem to have any love left for her now. She turned and headed for Connor’s office, afraid to dwell on thoughts that would make her cry right before she met her new boss face-to-face for the first time. Had Brendon faked his feelings for her?

Dee knocked on Connor’s door and waited for his response.

“Come in,” came a gruff voice from inside.

She opened the door and found a bear of a man who matched that gruff voice sitting behind a huge wooden desk. “Good morning.” She hoped it was good because the man looked like he might just tear her limb from limb.

“Morning, Miss Heather,” he replied, motioning for her to sit. “I trust you found your way here without incident?”

So, he was going to be grumpy. She should expect that, with the obvious military look and feeling of both the man and the room. “You may call me … Dee,” she flinched internally at the idea, but if she wanted to hear her name from Brendon’s lips, he’d better hear others use it. “I did. Your directions were excellent.”

“Thank you. I’m used to giving them.” He pulled a file from his desk and slid it across to her. “This is what we know about Rebecca. I think you’ll find what you need in there. The halfway house did their best to help her, but her needs were greater than they could handle, so all involved were happy when we said she could come here.”

Dee flipped open the file and skimmed the care plan. Nothing inside was surprising until she reached the reason for the injury. Even after working in military healthcare to start her career, some things still made her cringe. Pelvic injuries and eye injuries were her Achilles heel.

“She was injured how long ago?”

Connor remained silent for a moment, forcing her to look up from the file at him. He took a deep breath. “We’re not sure. She said that her handler brought her in when she told him she couldn’t move. That doctor visit led to her release and the arrest of the man who brought her in. But we don’t know how long she was injured before she told him. The conditions she lived in were not . . .”

She held up a hand to let him know he didn’t need to say more. While she wasn’t used to handling trafficking victims, she suspected there were some parallels with military veterans. Certainly, in the PTSD department. Maybe this assignment was more down her alley than she’d thought.

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