Page 22 of Embattled Ever After

Lora gasped as she flipped open the lid of the box. “What is this?”

Chad grinned, loving the way she looked at him with her brows twisted. “Well, it’s a gold chain. And it seems hokey now, but the little tiny key is meant to represent the key to my heart.”

Her expression melted into an ‘aw’. “I love it. I really do. Thank you so much.”

She removed the chain from the box and put it over her neck. She smiled at him and laughed, “It sure dresses up my bathrobe, doesn’t it?” Lora making jokes… Chad would give her a thousand keys to see her so relaxed and happy.

Lora pushed Chad’s box toward him. He didn’t even hesitate. Ripping the paper away, he popped the lid on the box. Inside was a framed portrait of Chad and Mercy. They were both on horseback—Chad on one of his father’s geldings and Mercy on Taco the pony—but they were both posed in a way that said they were buddies, looking off into the setting sun. Actually, it looked like Mercy was trying to impersonate what Chad was doing naturally, and hanging over the saddle horn, but it was still a gorgeous photo.

“Harper took that at some point and thought I’d like a copy.”

Chad shook his head. “This is just amazing. She looks good on the back of a horse,” he laughed. “And she almost looks like she could be my child.”

Lora nodded, happy he had seen what she had. “Yes. Exactly. In every way, you already are more of a father than her biological father ever was.”

His bright smile wavered a little then as her strong cowboy got choked up. “Thank you, Lora. I love her with every beat of my heart, just as much as I do you.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her as they watched Mercy open the rest of her gifts. It was the best Christmas he could ever remember having.

***

The four of themended up sitting in the Fryman kitchen sipping coffee and talking quietly. Alex watched Tanya’s demeanor completely change over the course of an hour. Duncan was basically giving them a class on PTSD, and though she frowned many times, she seemed to be absorbing the information.

She looked at her husband, then down at their clasped hands. “You told me some of these things but I guess I just didn’t get it. I didn’t realize they were so real to you.”

Hank sighed. “And I admit I protected you from things, too. I mean, you do so much. You take care of this family. I want to be the man you married, the guy I was before I deployed, but I just can’t do it anymore.”

The tears started again, and Alex was actually glad to see them. It meant the information was actually having an impact on her.

“And men, in general, find it hard to admit to issues like this,” Alex told her softly. “They’ve been raised to be the breadwinners and the protectors. But it takes an especially strong man to admit that he’s having issues. Your husband did the right thing by reaching out to Duncan today.”

Alex reached across and cupped Tanya’s shoulder, rubbing her softly. The woman seemed to almost be in shock. She kept shaking her head, as if she couldn’t believe she’d been so blind. Alex could see that they loved each other and Hank would have sacrificed himself to make their lives better. But there had to be another way to go about it.

Duncan was writing on a pad of paper. “I don’t know how often you’re going to counseling, but you need to do more. This lady is very good about treating couples who are going through situations like yours. A couple of my guys have used her and been the better for it. She’s also very accommodating when it comes to scheduling and she will get you in around your work hours.”

Tanya nodded as she took the slip of paper. “I thank you so much, Mr. Wilde. If you hadn’t come, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Duncan turned to Hank. “You need to get in to a doctor tomorrow to talk about medications. I don’t care if it’s a VA doc or not, but you need to talk to someone. Do you have a family doctor?”

Tanya nodded. “We do.”

“Then you need to tell him what happened this weekend and that you need help. Get your blood drawn and get your baseline, then you can figure out if you need counseling or chemical help. Or both. Either way, do it. Don’t go all Airborne and be a hardass. You need to get better so you can take care of your family. Do you understand me?”

Hank nodded, his eyes filling with tears again. “Yes, sir.”

“Then, if you don’t mind me being in your shit, call me and tell me how you’re doing. I’ll be your new battle buddy. You have my number.”

Alex reached over for the paper Duncan had written the information on. “And though I’m not local, here’s my cellphone number. Call if you need clarification on something the doctor says, or even a second opinion. I don’t work with veterans much but I can give you a common-sense answer.”

They both nodded in unison and it would have been funny if it had been any other situation.

Duncan stood up from his chair, using his arms as much as his legs. Alex watched him closely. He was in serious pain right now.

When he stood though, his carriage ruled out any sense of weakness. You could tell he was the man used to being in charge.

“Do I need to worry when I leave this house?”

Hank stood as well and shook his head firmly. “No, sir, I swear. I just…” he paused, looking for words. “I just didn’t know what to do. Thank you.”

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