Page 44 of No Regrets

“Mm hmm. Dex just told me about it. He thinks it helped a lot.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear that.”

There was a silent moment before Sophie spoke again. “Well, I, er... appreciate you calling to let me know.”

“You’re welcome, Sophie. Thank you for what you did for Dex and Kelly.”

“I didn’t really do anything. I mean, you guys did all the hard work.”

Ryan could practically feel her blushing through the phone.

“And none of us could continue doing it if you didn’t put us back together so well. You’re one of the team, Doctor Summers.”

“I...er...I have to go. Thank you again, Ryan. Please give my best to Dex and the team.”

Before he could say anything else, the connection ended. He grinned. She was cute. He’d have to take a trip to the hospital soon. Not a one-night stand, Ryan. Don’t go there.

He started back toward the house to join the others, when his phone rang again. He stopped, half expecting it to be Sophie. He glanced at the screen and froze.

“HI, RYAN.” KELLY’S hand shook as she held the phone to her ear. She’d been about to call Sophie to see if she’d heard anything about the hearing, but at the last moment decided to call Ryan. Ryan would know how Dex was. How he really was.

“It’s good to hear from you.” Ryan’s voice was soft, and Kelly closed her eyes, plucking up the courage to say what she needed to say.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call or text. It’s been-”

“Kelly, stop. You don’t need to apologize for anything. I understand. We all do.”

Kelly bit her lip, forcing back tears.

“I’ve missed you. How are you doing?” His concern made her eyes fill up even more.

“I’m getting better, a little more each day, you know. I just needed space and time, I guess. By myself.”

“You don’t need to explain. You’re my sister. Whatever you need from me, I’m here. If that’s space, that’s fine. If you want to talk, that’s good too. I’m here for you always.”

She surrendered to the tears, falling silently down her face. Claire was right. She needed this. It felt good to hear Ryan’s voice.

“I heard about the hearing. I... how is he?”

“He’s OK. He got an NJP.”

“NJP? What type? Did he lose his rank, the team?”

“No, nothing like that. He’s on desk duty for a month, docked two weeks' pay. He just needs to behave himself going forward. He’s good, Kelly, I promise.”

Kelly let out an audible sigh of relief. “Thank God. I was so worried. The thought of him losing his rank or you guys, because of me. I couldn’t bear it.”

“You are not to blame for this. Don’t you dare think that. Dex made a decision, and we all agreed with him. It was the right decision, Kelly, and we would do it again in a heartbeat. It could have been any member of Bravo, and we would have done the same thing. It’s who we are, and you of all people should know that.” Ryan’s voice was still soft, but Kelly heard the firmness of his tone.

“Dex told me about your statement. He thinks it went a long way in the decision.”

“Good. I had to do something when I heard. But is he OK, I mean, really, OK?”

There was a long pause before Ryan spoke.

“He’s as OK as he can be right now. He misses you.”

“I... Ryan, it’s hard. What we had... I can’t ..." She trailed off, the tears were coming harder now.

---