Page 17 of Nanny for the Damaged Ex-SEAL

"She said you're mean to her for no reason."

"She said that? That I'm mean to her for no reason?"

"Uh-huh."

"If she says so. If that makes her sleep better at night."

Amy changes the subject. "So, you're going to San Marino tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I’m going to go see some of my old Navy buddies. It's been a while."

"That's nice. You'll have a change of environment. What about Ethan and the nanny?"

"I should be back before he’s in bed and he'll be in school for most of the day."

San Marino is just like we left it. Warm, fresh, and welcoming. But it brings back that pang I'd managed to hide away from in Long Beach. I take in the scenery as my friend, Jerry, drives us to his house, where our other friends have gathered.

"You must have missed the city."

"I did."

I did miss San Marino. And one of the reasons why I'm back is so I can feel close to Cassy again. I was beginning to feel like I was losing sight of what we had. What we have. This trip is an excuse to have a look at the places where we made most of our memories. Jerry is driving by the salon where she used to get her hair done and my stomach coils up.

When we get to Jerry's house, the others are waiting. They’re out back swigging beer and grilling steak.

"Ghost!" Garret yells when I appear.

Ghost was my nickname when I was in the Navy; it's what my friends call me. I got the nickname because on a mission, I blend in. They never see me coming. I get the job done.

"Garret, it’s been too long." I take the beer he's extending toward me. He’s by the grill. I give him a one-arm hug.

"You look well rested. Retirement is good to you."

"Looks like it's good to you too," I respond.

"Ghost!" our third friend, Tincan, calls out and comes to fist bump me.

"Tin," I say, and take a gulp of my beer. Don't ask me how he got the name. I honestly don't know.

Jerry joins Garret at the grill, and soon we’re seated around Jerry's unlit fireplace reliving our service days.

Six hours later, I'm on my way back to Long Beach. I'd stayed longer than I'd intended. It had been a wonderful time, and if Ethan didn't give the nanny so much grief, I'd have stayed for the night. I arrive home a few minutes past 9 p.m. It's past Ethan's bedtime already, and I expect to walk into a quiet house. It is quiet when I get out of the car. But then I hear screaming.

“Oh my God,”,I mutter as I shut the car door. Can these two stop for just one minute and not be at each other’s throats for once? Why is he even up this late? He should be asleep. I make a mental note to amp up my search for a new nanny. Things can't go on like this. He’s probably throwing a fit about what to wear to bed. But as I draw nearer, I realize the noise isn’t coming from Ethan. It's Marie's voice. Is she screaming at him? She never screams at him when I'm here.

I enter the door, gripping my car keys in my palm, and turn to head upstairs when I realize the noise is coming from downstairs. Someone is crying. Marie is crying. What I see when I enter the living room is more dreadful than anything I ever saw during my military days. Ethan is on the floor, writhing, his eyes bulging and his skin a bluish hue.

My car keys hit the floor. "What happened?" I shout at Marie.

"I think he swallowed something."

"What?" I get him off the floor, kneel, and put his back against me, then start to jerk him under his diaphragm. With my heart beating faster than it has ever beaten, I jerk and jerk until the offending object flies from his mouth. A bottle cap.

"Have you called an ambulance?"

"No, I was so…"

I don't wait to hear the remainder of her sentence. I scoop Ethan off the floor and rush to the car while talking to him. His eyes are open, but he isn't fully awake. He makes a little cough and a small spray of fresh blood spews from his mouth.Jesus fucking christ.Everything feels frozen and numb and silent. Marie rushes with me to the car and gets into the back seat. I put Ethan on her lap and tell her to keep talking to him as I run to start the car.

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