Page 28 of Wicked Healing

She shrugged. “Been there, done that and I have two good legs.”

He snorted. “Yeah. I know. But a Navy SEAL needs a certain amount of ego.”

Chuckling, she bumped into his shoulder. “I could tell you were an egomaniac as soon as I saw you.”

He laughed with her, then he sobered. “Thank you, Erin.”

“You are very welcome, Luca.”

They headed down the trail again. Luca didn’t slip once, until he got to the deep sand of the beach, then his steps began to drag. Erin grabbed his left hand and popped it onto her near shoulder, giving him what support she could. It was twenty-five yards to the water’s edge but they stopped just short of it, looking out at the Pacific. Wicked ranged to the edge of his line and one of the waves caught him. He danced forward and back, playing in the sea.

“We’ll have to check his prosthetic when we get in the car. Make sure it’s dry.”

Erin was surprised when Luca cupped her head in his hand and pulled her close to kiss her temple. “Thank you for taking care of us, Erin.”

“You are very welcome.”

They stood at the edge of the sea for a long while, then they turned and started back up the trail. There was no discussion, just a mutual understanding that it was time to go. Erin had a feeling Luca was getting tired, but he wouldn’t tell her that. He would struggle his way up the trail and try not to be a burden. They stopped at two benches on the way up and even Wicked slowed down for a break.

They made it to the car with no major mishaps. Luca tripped once, but his hand braced on her shoulder saved him. When he climbed into the car she could see the exhaustion on his face. That had been a long, difficult trek for him. For Wicked as well. The dog jumped into the back seat, licking at her face as she leaned in to fasten him to the strap. Impulsively she wrapped her arms around the dog and kissed him on the head. His long tongue caught her nose as she pulled away, making her laugh.

“Thanks for the kisses, buddy.”

Circling the car, she climbed inside, rolling the windows down as soon as she started the car. If she’d have been paying more attention she should have started the car with the remote start to get the AC going, but she’d been too busy watching Luca in her peripheral, ready to jump in case he stumbled.

“Let’s find some lunch,” she suggested.

They drove North for a few miles till they spotted a small ice cream place on the side of the road. There were several cars parked there and a few families out on picnic tables eating food. Erin went up to order the food so that Luca could keep Wicked a little further out from the families. They sat at the farthest table and looked out over the ocean as they ate junk food. Even Wicked got a hot dog, scarfing it down in two quick bites.

The entire day was one of the nicest Erin could remember having. Several times she looked up to find Luca watching her, as if waiting for something. She wasn’t sure what he wanted but if he articulated it, she would do what she could for him.

“Is your ego still intact?” she asked, grinning.

Luca laughed out loud. “Well, pretty much,” he agreed. “Had to rely on this pretty girl to drive my ass around but other than that, yeah.”

“Well, this pretty girl didn’t mind it, believe me. She got just as much enjoyment out of it. The ocean is incredible here.”

“Yes,” he said softly, looking out his window as they headed south. “I want to row out and catch a wave, let it carry me back in. Surfing used to be my thing. I haven’t done it in almost two years.”

“Why are you saying used to be? If you still want to do it then do it. Either find a prosthetic that can allow you to swim or just go without the prosthetic completely. Although that might make balancing extremely hard. You’ll just have to find a different way to do it.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, sighing.

The conversation went quiet, which was fine. There was a fair amount of traffic leaving the area and she needed to concentrate. At one point traffic came to a standstill and she glanced over. Luca’s eyes were closed, his mouth soft, head rocking gently on the seat rest. Erin’s heart thudded. She wanted to reach over and stroke her hand down his cheek. She wanted to feel his beard stubble and run her hand down his neck. The burns had left a texture there she was curious about. Did it still hurt?

She wished there was a way she could help him accommodate to his new way of life, but it would have to be completely up to him. As a SEAL, she was sure he’d been trained to adapt to his surroundings and overcome anything he was faced with.

The traffic began moving again so they crept forward, then had to stop again. There must have been a fender bender ahead or something to bring it to this much of a standstill.

By the time they made it back to the hospital it was after three. Luca and Wicked slept the entire way. Even when she pulled into the parking lot, and stopped, Luca didn’t move until she turned off the ignition. His head lifted and he looked out the windscreen, then looked at her, rubbing his face.

“I can’t believe I slept so long. I’m so sorry. I should have given you directions.”

“No worries,” she told him. “I listened to a book and I have GPS.”

She pulled the earbud from her left ear, showing him, and began winding the pair up. Then she stowed them in the cubby in the dash. “I hope you don’t mind walking a bit. I thought we could hit that little grass patch for Wicked before we went up to your room.”

Luca nodded, opening his door. He shifted in the seat and pushed up and out, bracing against the frame of the car. Erin watched him carefully, but he kept his feet. Overall she thought he’d done a fantastic job today.

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