Page 2 of Protection for Rowan

A car pulled up, and she watched the guy step out and glance around. He scared off the other man in the parking lot, giving her some relief. The problem might come back, but for now, she felt safer.

She checked her schedule, seeing that her next patient was set to arrive. He’d been referred to her by another doctor who worked with the Navy. She loved difficult patients who offered up challenges, and a man in the military being referred to her promised a level of difficulty she enjoyed.

After grabbing a glass of water, she opened the file to the first page. The name stood out. The memory of that day, the event that pushed her to her chosen career, hit her front and center.

They'd met the last week of the two-week camp. He'd been funny, and she'd known she wasn't cute with braces and the pimple on her forehead, but for some reason, he'd not cared. But this man couldn't be the Dwight she knew. Maybe she remembered the name wrong. She swore hisname was Dwight Boon, but surely there were multiple men with that name.

The likelihood of the boy she'd known back then showing up at her office was slim. Her stomach cramped as thoughts of that night hit. Because of her area of focus, aerospace psychology, there was a chance it could be him. But that had been years ago, and she'd moved from the East Coast to California, thus reducing the possibility of ever running into him again. Plus, what was the chance he'd joined the military and was in special forces? It was all highly unlikely this man was the same kid she'd known and survived that horrible crash with.

Her receptionist buzzed the intercom, telling her that the new patient was ready. She pushed away thoughts of her past before she opened the door and stepped into the lobby to greet her new patient.

The man was tall, had brown hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. His brown eyes showed intelligence, and when he smiled, she saw a flash of white teeth. She couldn't tell if this man was the boy she'd met way back when, but she couldn't totally discount it, either.

Back when they were seventeen, they both looked different. They were kids compared to now. Time had aged her up and changed her body. If she compared photos from then to now, she could see the similarities, but she looked different. It would be incredibly difficult to tell if this man was the boy she'd known back then.

“Mr. Boon, you can step in.”

“Thank you, Doctor Kays. You can call me Shine.”

She held the door for him as he stepped in, closing it behind them. His nickname didn’t surprise her. She’d worked with enough military guys to know they grew attached to the names given to them by their buddies. “Okay, Shine. You can sit where you like.”

He paused and glanced around, taking a seat next to the window in a chair that allowed him to see the whole room and the entry door. It was a seat she usually sat in, but she understood his need to view the room and the door. It was a common trait most military guys had.

"You were referred to me by my colleague. I like to hear firsthand what is going on, so I don't form opinions or make conclusions based on what is written. Written language doesn't show feelings. So why don't you tell me what is up?"

He nodded. “Thank you. I agree that words written out don’t show feelings.” He steepled his hands and stared up at the ceiling. “Where to start?” His voice was filled with frustration.

When he lowered his gaze and met hers, she stared into his soul-filled brown eyes, triggering a flash of memory. A tall boy held out his hand, coaxing her to step onto the wing of the plane. The look in Shine’s eyes seemed too familiar. Every muscle in her body tightened as the memories rolled in. It couldn’t be him.

Her head buzzed as awareness washed over her. Could it be…there was no way this was the boy she’d known. She studied him, staring deep into his eyes. Those eyes were ones she remembered.

He paused and leaned in, his own eyes narrowing. “What?”

“Your last name, Boon, is familiar. There was someone in my past with your name. But…” She waved off the thought. “There’s no way.”

Shine stilled, and his nostrils flared. "Doctor Kays, what is your first name?"

“Rowan.”

His body swayed before he gripped the chair arms, his eyes narrowing. “You became an aerospace psychologist?”

Laughter bubbled up. "And you make a habit of jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft."

His lips spread into a wide grin as he stood, pulling her up. His arms wrapped around her, and the hug felt amazing. He was taller than he'd been at seventeen. There were muscles now where he'd been skinny before. But this was the man who'd saved her.

He pushed her to arm’s length, his gaze studying her face. “You understand why I’m here.”

She nodded. “I shouldn’t treat you. It wouldn’t be proper.”

“But you know exactly what I went through. I don’t know why it came back now.”

Worry filled her, and she stepped back and took her seat. Shine took his seat, his gaze staying on her.

She adjusted, pushing away the feelings welling up inside. The boy she’d met and lost contact with so long ago had turned into a very good-looking man. But he wasn’t here for that. He needed help, and she could keep her feelings at bay.

“Tell me about it,” she said as she focused on his needs as a patient instead of thinking about how good it felt to be wrapped in his arms.

"I've had a couple of dreams in the last week. It's dark, and water is pouring in. I reach for you, but your hand slips through mine, and you disappear. Sometimes, I wake up, and other times, I get to the point where both of us are standing on the wing, and we have to jump into the water and swim for it. There are times when I can't reach you, and we both fall into a black abyss. The latest one we both fell in."

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