Page 1 of Saving Luke

Chapter 1

Brooke

"Is there such a thing as too many Christmas lights?" Lexi asks as I string up some lights over the large, two-story stone fireplace mantle.

"No, there isn't. Not when this is Oakside's first Christmas! Come on, help me and hand over some tinsel," I say.

Even though this is the first Christmas at Oakside, we are filled with injured military men and women who have no desire to celebrate it. They want to focus on healing, well, most of them anyway, and then get the hell out of here.

I can't blame them, but if they are going to be stuck here over the holiday, then they should at least be able to celebrate it in style, right?

Well, how do you make a group of people celebrate the holidays when they have no intention of doing so? This is what Lexi and Noah have tasked me with this year.

"Whoa, it looks like a fairy threw up in here." Lexi's husband, Noah, says.

"You," I point at him. "Are not helping."

"See, I told you. Too many twinkle lights," Lexi says.

"No such thing," I tell her.

I step back and admire the large fireplace in the lobby. This is one of my favorite rooms, with big windows overlooking the courtyard. I imagine the fireplace on a cold winter day, and I can't help wishing for snow, which would be the perfect decoration with the fireplace lit. Unfortunately, in southern Georgia, we hardly ever get snow.

"I still think the Christmas tree is too small," Noah says as he comes up and wraps his arms around Lexi.

"That tree is twelve feet tall, and it took eight people to get it in here. It's plenty big, trust me." I reassure him.

"Well, in this room, it looks small," he retorts.

"Because this room is massive," I tell him.

"But it’s cozy, and it's still one of my favorites in the whole building," Lexi says.

Lexi owned this large, southern plantation home and was waiting for the house to show her its purpose.

Lexi is Noah's wife, and they started Oakside together earlier this year. They met while Lexi was visiting her brother in the hospital when he was injured on deployment. Noah was in the bed next to him. Long story short, it ended with Lexi never leaving his side.

Noah was severely burned in a fire, so he has a lot of scars on one side of his body and face. It took a lot of time to heal. Once he recovered and was cleared for PT, there was no place for him to transition to out of the hospital.

That's how Oakside was born. When the hospital completes what they can do, then Oakside gets involved. Once the men and women are fully healed of anything that could cause an infection, then they’re referred to us. We provide physical therapy and doctors, as well as having them work with therapists. If needed, we’ll bring in specialists like plastic surgeons or someone to fit prosthetics. Currently, we are putting the finishing touches on the barn and will be adding equine therapy, too. Also, we’re starting on an aquatics center with an Olympic sized pool.

There are all sorts of programs at Oakside that help the soldiers transition to civilian life before they leave. That means makingsure they have a job, or if they’re going back to school, then they have a place to live and a means to support themselves.

Since I was Noah's nurse, I got to know them both really well. When they asked me to come to Oakside, it was a no-brainer. Though I might have thought twice if I had known I'd be in charge of Christmas festivities this year.

Noah leans over and kisses Lexi on the top of the head, and I can't help but want that kind of relationship. Lexi pulled Noah through the worst time in his life, and now, there’s no one more devoted than Noah is to Lexi.

"I like your hair like that," I tell Lexi.

She has her light blonde hair done up in a braid across the front of her head and down over the shoulder.

"Thanks. I've been trying some new styles. Well, more like Paisley has been trying them, and I just wear them," she smiles.

Paisley is Easton's wife. Easton was a patient here earlier this year and is now part of the security team. He was a prisoner of war, and Paisley was bringing her therapy dog in to help the soldiers. Her dog, Molly, took off right to Easton. Turns out, Easton was her brother's best friend growing up. They both had crushes on each other, and Paisley was determined to help Easton, which pushed them together.

When everyone around you is falling in love, you can't help but wonder when it will be your turn.

I move to get some more decorations for the fireplace mantle and see a man in a wheelchair with a woman, neither of whom I've seen here before.

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