Page 58 of Not Faking it with the Colonel

“Sorry if I got you out of bed.” He touched her arm but didn’t kiss her. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I’d talked with you. Can we sit?”

She nodded and took a seat on the sofa. Tears already burned her eyes and throat.

He sat down, not looking at her as he wrung his hands.

“When Megan went in for her OB-GYN visit, Bethann’s death came up as part of her family history. She told him Bethann’s grandmother also died of a stroke at an early age.”

Erin sat back a bit. Maybe this wasn’t about them.

“Apparently, aneurysms can be genetic. With Megan and Reece planning to start a family, the doctor advised her to get an MRI because pregnancy can elevate the risk.”

“I can certainly understand her being stressed, but until she has the MRI—”

“She already did.” Tears shimmered in Graham’s eyes when he looked at Erin. “This past Thursday. And they found she does have an aneurysm.”

“What does that mean? It’s treatable, right?” That this didn’t have to do with her and Graham should have helped Erin breathe easier. Instead, it had the opposite effect.

“Determining what to do is the next step. With her age and overall health, they don’t consider her high-risk, but they still want to refer her to a specialist. However, with the shortage of medical staff, including neurosurgeons, TRICARE has a long wait list to get an appointment anywhere. Here, it’s even longer.”

“What about seeing a civilian doctor?” Erin didn’t know how that worked.

“She’s looking into that. Even with a referral, seeing someone could take three or more months. Meanwhile, the stress of knowing there’s a ticking bomb in her head is sending her blood pressure skyrocketing.”

“I can imagine.”

“Being a nurse, she’s gone down the research rabbit hole. She’s questioning if she should even have children because she could pass the likelihood of having an aneurysm to a child. Having kids is the thing she wants most in life.” His voice broke.

Erin laid a hand on his arm, and he covered it with his other hand.

“All I’ve ever wanted is to protect my family. Then something like this . . .”

“As a parent, you wish it were you instead of your child.” She felt that way about Piper’s anxiety and depression.

“Exactly.”

“I was afraid you coming over now had something to do with us. I wish it were instead.”

He squeezed her hand. “You saying that means a lot. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just reeling. She asked me to apologize for not being herself. She didn’t want to cancel or ruin the dinner but knew she’d cry and be a mess if she said anything. That’s why she waited until you’d left to tell us.”

“She’s okay with you telling me, though?”

“Yeah. The jury might still be out on our plan, butyoupassed muster, and she knows I like you.”

Erin snuggled against his side. “It’s mutual.”

He kissed the top of her head, then wrapped his arm around her. She listened to his heartbeat as they reclined against the sofa back.

“This is what I needed. Can I stay a few more minutes?”

“Stay as long as you want.”

“I wasn’t thinking about spending the night when I left, so I didn’t bring anything. I just”—he tightened his hold and sighed—“needed to be with you.”

Instead of shutting her out, he’d turned to her. Even though this was supposed to be an arrangement, it felt more real every day. And, tonight, he’d made her fall even harder for him.

* * *

Graham wokeErin with a light kiss on her forehead. “I need to run home and get ready for work. Thanks for last night.”

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