Page 26 of Wicked Healing

Chapter 7

Luca took shallow breaths,forcing himself not to flinch from the pain. There was a catch in his breathing that was pissing him off. He hadn’t lied to Erin. It did bother him sporadically. He refused to admit out loud that Wicked had hurt him when he’d plowed him down yesterday, but he had. Actually, landing on the ground had. He’d heard the light snap as one of his ribs re-broke but it hadn’t been enough to stop him from greeting his buddy.

Besides, there was nothing that could be done for broken ribs, as he knew so well. He drew in a heavier breath, ignoring the pain.

He glanced at Erin. Her hair was down today and it fluttered in the breeze, teasing at her cheeks and lips. As he watched she pushed it behind her ears. Then it fluttered away again.

He smiled slightly, glad that he could finally appreciate a beautiful woman. For a long time he’d worried that he wouldn’t want to stick around. The pain of his injuries had been devastating and losing Boss had been more emotionally crippling than anything the IED had done. But things were beginning to turn around in his favor.

Erin dug in her shoulder bag and produced a brand-new tennis ball.

“He hasn’t seen this one, yet. He chewed two up in the hotel room last night.”

Luca laughed, taking the ball from her. With a hiss he grabbed Boss’s attention and flung the ball. It was in the dog’s mouth before it even hit the ground. Erin laughed, shaking her head. “That dog is amazing.”

They played for about twenty minutes before Boss began to slow down. Returning to his side, he nosed at Luca’s hands, wanting rubbed. Luca was more than happy to humor the dog, stroking his face and head and ears. He’d dreamed of doing this. In the depths of his recovery, dreaming about the relaxation it gave him to just stroke his hand down Boss’s side had kept him semi-sane. Drugs and therapy could only do so much. A man’s determination to live had a breaking point, and he’d worried that losing Wicked and the pain of his injuries had been that point.

A few times he’d dreamed of committing suicide and releasing himself from the pain. Waking up without his leg and barely able to breathe had been shocking. He’d gone from moving like a well-honed machine to suddenly not being able to move at all without help. It had been mortifying relying on someone to help him literally do everything. Then he thought about the other men on the floor, men with more devastating injuries than he had who had a better outlook on their lives, and he’d been ashamed. Yes, his injuries were devastating, but they were recoverable. He was a damned Navy SEAL. There was no giving up.

Even as strong and determined as he was, for a stroke of time it had been tempting. He’d gone through and planned the process, step by step. Timing it so that the night nurse he didn’t like would find him but using hoarded pills so that there was no serious mess for anyone to clean up. Leaving a note for his parents.

The thought of his mother dealing with his death had made his heart hurt. Even as domineering as she was, he loved her. As an only child, he knew his death would cripple her for the rest of her life, and he couldn’t do it. Dad would survive but Mom, well, she would fall apart. And he couldn’t do that to Dad.

Ruffling Wicked’s fur he sighed, truly appreciating living in the moment.

Wicked shifted toward Erin, looking for attention. Luca smiled, glad his partner had found comfort in her care as he recovered.

He glanced at her. “Have you been to the beach or anything?”

Erin gave him a sideways grin as she shook her head. “Nope. Haven’t had a chance to do much of anything.”

Oh, yeah. Luca shook his head at his own stupidity. She’d only been here a day and a half. And then she’d been here in the hospital with him. “There are some fantastic beaches around, if you’d like to go for a drive,” he suggested, then cursed himself soundly. He hadn’t been out on excursions more than a few times since he’d lost his leg and he didn’t really want to go now because of the logistics, but he’d already offered. Shit.

“I would love to go for a drive,” she told him, an excited smile spreading her mouth. Happiness danced in her pale amber eyes, and he had to stare for a second, caught. It had been a long time, eons it seemed like, since he’d been out with a woman, or even had a woman’s attention other than the nurses. And normally he was a guy that had more than his share of female attention, but his confidence had taken a hit, both physically and professionally. It was hard to get out of that headspace and just let himself enjoy the moment.

Now he had talked himself into a corner.

“If you want to meet me out front I’ll go get the car and meet you in the loop.”

Luca’s heart sank, but he forced a smile. “Perfect. I’ll let my floor know I’m going out.”

Erin looked excited as she stood from the bench and turned for the door. Boss watched her go then looked back to Luca. “We’re going to go for a ride buddy.”

The dog’s tail wagged and he backed up so that Luca could climb to his feet, dread in his heart.

* * *

Erin could seethe trepidation in Luca’s eyes, but she thought it was more about going out in public than going out with a potentially dangerous dog in tow. If he just sat in the car, it might not be so bad. She had no idea what the capability of the prosthetic was. Would it bog down in sand? Could it even get wet? As she walked toward the parking lot to retrieve her car, she slowed to a stop, looking down at her own legs. They were serviceable, of course, but she had a feeling that if she lost one it would suddenly become the most precious thing on earth to her. Losing a leg had to be catastrophic, especially to a guy like Luca. It was obvious he’d been physically vital. His body was completely ripped and she wondered if he would have survived if he hadn’t been so strong.

The man and the dog suited each other. Both dark and menacing in a way, but both struggling with their identities since their injuries. Wicked would have to go through some serious reintegration training before he could be completely trustworthy on the street.

It would be good to stay in the car today.

When she drove into the loop she parked and circled the car to open the back passenger door for Wicked. He jumped in immediately and let her fasten the special strap to his collar. Out of her peripheral vision she watched as Luca struggled a bit to get into the car. He did it though, drawing his cane in with him. She circled back around the car and slipped into the driver’s seat.

Wicked nosed at Luca’s ear, then licked his cheek like he was giving his human encouragement. Luca laughed, reaching back to ruffle Wicked’s furry neck.

Erin shifted into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. “Where to?”

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