Page 11 of Rescuing Ryder

Wolf shook his hand and slapped him on the back. “I’m a phone call away if you need me,” he assured him sternly.

As they readied to land, he felt restless, wondering if he made a mistake. Why did he deserve happiness when his buddies had families and people who missed them? Gunner would sock him in the nose for even thinking it. But Gunner didn’t endure seeing the pain in Patty’s eyes or the kids.

He rang the doorbell to Gunner’s home and waited. Patty answered and stepped aside, allowing him to enter. The silence in the house echoed with grief. The kids, who normally ran and squealed their delight at seeing Uncle Patch, walked solemnly down the stairs and greeted him before Patty’s sister rounded them up to take them to her house, giving Patch sometime alone with his best friend’s wife. Their little faces held expressions of confusion, hurt and pain.

Patty led him into the living room. The flag sat on the fireplace mantle beside two pictures. One of him with his unit and another of their wedding day, where Gunner smiled down at Patty with so much promise of a future together.

“Do you or the kids need anything?” Ryder asked as he scanned her face. She seemed to age before his eyes as she glanced up and shook her head.

“No. I can’t believe he’s gone,” she whispered. “We planned on taking a vacation when he returned. He wanted to take the kids camping along the Grand Canyon.” Her eyes grew wet as she grabbed a tissue from the box beside her. “Did he suffer?” The anxiety reflected on her face while she waited for him to answer.

Ryder shook his head. “No. Gunner’s last thoughts were of you and the kids. He said to remind you he left something in the safe and to tell you how much he loved you all.”

She burst into tears and nodded. “I don’t know how we’ll make it without him. He was my life.”

All he managed to do was slide beside her and offer her empty comfort. The distraught faces of Gunner’s children as they hugged him goodbye promised to haunt him forever. It should’ve been Ryder, not his best friend, who died. Now Patty and the kids suffered, and all he could do was offer her empty words and a letter in a safe. If Gunner only knew how much his decisions affected the people he loved.

Tex met the plane along with the doctor from the video call and another man. Guessing they planned to take advantage of every minute, he breathed in, preparing for the onslaught of questions.

Tex limped slightly as he walked toward him. “Damn, glad to see you. Thanks for coming.”

“Like you gave me a choice. I think your mother must’ve been part Italian. You have the whole guilt trip down perfectly,” Patch quipped.

Tex ignored his comment as the others waited to meet him.

“Patch, meet Dr. Chase Winters, who you met on the phone and my friend Matthew. I helped his team out of a few scrapes back in the day. He works on the mountain.”

Both men gave a chin lift, and Matthew took Patch’s bag from the pilot coming up to talk to the physician. Chase handed them an envelope, and the pilot and steward grinned before returning to the plane.

They climbed into Chase’s truck. “Kassie left you a plate from the BBQ at the cabin and instructed the crew to have snacks. Do you want anything from the grocery store before we head home? Ours closes at 2100. The cabin has essentials such as coffee, bread, crackers, etc.”

“I’m good,” he responded. He didn’t plan to stay long enough to need a grocery run. He came to hear them out and give it a few days for Tex before telling him this place operated like all the others.

“If you don’t mind, I need to pick up formula. We have a new baby, and Em accidentally dropped the container on the floor while trying to help her mom. She’s such a great big sister. Kassie’s using our backup but will worry. If I pick it up now, it’ll save me a trip tomorrow.”

He almost wanted to laugh. This guy practically salivated over his wife and kids. Geez, what a sap. “Nah, I’m along for the ride. If I stayed home, I’d be busy staring at my wall,” he sent the dig to Tex.

“I’ll go in with you. Tess tried some new recipes, and I used the cilantro she needed for tomorrow. God forbid, Taco goes without for his tacos,” Matthew chimed in.

They parked at the supercenter and the men discussed what they needed while Tex and Patch stayed in the truck.

“You’re pranking me, right? Where did you find these guys? I think they cashed in their man card a while ago. The doc seems led around by his dick and your friend went into the store to buy cilantro. It’s practically a weed. He probably could pick something up on the mountain and his buddy wouldn’t even know the difference,” he surmised.

“You promised to give this a try. It’s like you’re picking out things to dislike. Kassie’s brilliant and I’m considering bringing my girls up here to meet them. They adopted a little girl and are over the moon. From the sounds of things, Kassie went through an ordeal and can’t conceive. The men seem very protective of the tiny redhead. Matthew showed me the team building with their leader’s permission. It rivals some of the government’s facilities. Taco’s woman works as a chef. She’s attending school and cooks in the community kitchen and for the team. I met the town baker, Bryanna, today. She’s married to one of their teammates, Saint.”

“Did you drink the Kool-Aid on the hippie mountain? They brainwashed you in less than a day,” Ryder replied as he watched the two men return to the vehicle.

“We’ll take you to the cabins and meet with you at 0700. Kassie may join us later. She’s currently reviewing your medical records,” Chase informed him as he drove toward Serenity Mountain.

“Isn’t it a bit late? Shouldn’t she be tucked into bed?” he asked sarcastically.

Matthew chuckled. “I can’t wait to see how PITA deals with this one.”

Patch felt the heat of Tex’s stare even in the dark. Hey, he agreed to come. He didn’t promise to like these people.

“Tex, my rehab specialist saw you limping, and I noticed it earlier. While we meet with Patch, he asked if you might join them. He can work on your stump. Gary received a new shipment of ointment. Since most amputees at the hospital are fairly new, he wanted to try it on someone seasoned. Do you mind trying the stuff and see if you find the same relief as the newbies report?”

“I’m up for it. I smelled something in the therapy room. Did they use it in there?” Tex asked.

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