SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (67 page)

“Holy Mother.” Grann let out a little cry.

Deolina grabbed her arm as if to shield her from the pain flooding over her like water from a broken dam. “You never did ask me if I saw you in my vision.”

Grann shook her head. She didn’t care what happened to her, whether the horrible event killed her stone dead, or left her wandering the streets. All she worried about was protecting her grandbaby from the future they couldn’t seem to change.

Deolina said softly, “I don’t see you, Gran. I’m not lyin’, I really don’t. We must be together when disaster strikes. Dat’s de only t’ing I can imagine. I can’t see my future. I can’t see yours.”

“I don’t want to know the future unless it includes sharing a bottle of sherry with Ysabeau when this is all over. I can’t lose another baby, Deo.” She gripped her shoulders with trembling fingers. “I won’t.”

‡

January 12, 2010. E-day.

T
he next morning,
Ysabeau tiptoed into the living room and kissed Luke on the forehead. “Time to get up sleepy head.”

“I’ve got a better idea.” He reached up and grabbed her, pulling her down on top of him. “Why don’t you lie down with me for a while?”

With her lips so close to his bare chest, it was hard to concentrate. “I’d love to, but I have work to do today.”

“A few minutes. I missed you last night. A lot.” He kissed her.

It was a slow sensuous kiss that warmed her all the way to her toes and made her feel love-drunk. She closed her eyes and gave in, knowing this might be the last time. She wasn’t foolish enough to give her heart to a married man, no matter how much that heart screamed for him. If he couldn’t let Soli go, she’d have to let him go. She wasn’t strong enough to share a man, especially not a man who didn’t belong here. He had a child and a life in another country.

Her life was here—living alone.

“Ysabeau? Where are you, girl?” Grann called from the bedroom.

Ysabeau groaned and answered, “Be there in a minute.”

He grinned. “How does she always know when I am kissing you? Magic ball? Did you ask about doing another ceremony?”

Ysabeau fought to keep the sadness off her face. “Not yet. I will.”
He’s in love with another woman. Walk away!

She barely made it to sitting up before he pulled her back down.

“Don’t go. I’m just warming up. Give me a little more time with those lips of yours. Scratch that. A lot more time.”

She backed away, forcing herself to her feet. “Why don’t you come with me to the clinic? We’ll check out the lab results together.”

While she lay awake last night, thinking of the sexy man on her couch, she formulated a plan to convince the Guardians to give her more money. It was a sneaky plan, but she was running out of options.

A wave of surprise and what looked like despair rolled over his face. “I gave you a few more days. We don’t have to review the results yet.” He grabbed her hand and locked his fingers with hers. “Let’s wait.”

She tried not to gaze at his bare chest. “Okay, but you could still come to the clinic with me today. I’ll introduce you to some of the patients.”

He frowned. “I don’t meet patients. Guardian Policy. Getting too close to medical subjects could cloud my judgment about medical trials.”

“But Mr. Johnson—?”

“Was a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone with you to talk to him.”

“That’s not right, Luke. You convinced Mr. Johnson to come back. You helped the trial and got me back on track.”

“It’s a violation of policy. It was a mistake I can’t repeat. You understand, right?”

Ysabeau was frantic. She had to convince him. This was her last shot. “Grann says our time together is limited. Stay with me today. Please.”

“Limited? What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” She kissed his fingertips and released his hand. “I better make breakfast.”

On the way to the clinic, Ysabeau tried to not worry about whatever horrible thing was making her grandmother and godmother crazy. Instead, she chose to focus on how she was going to convince Luke to keep funding her clinic. In her heart, she suspected he’d made up his mind already. She sighed.

He put his hand on her leg. “You okay?”

She dipped her head in a short nod, but the only thing okay was that hand on her leg. It would have been exponentially more okay to have both of his hands on her…everything.

“About the clinical trial,” he said softly. “You need to understand that my decision, whatever it will be, is not personal. It has nothing to do with us.”

That was a lie. They both knew if he shut her down, the “us” wouldn’t be the same. Part of her would never forgive him for destroying her dreams and the rest of her would be too distraught mourning the deaths of her patients to love the man who let them die.

“You can help me input the checkup results. I’m a little behind. Blood pressure, breath sounds, pulse, that sort of thing.” She was talking too fast.

“I’m glad you want me there. As long as I don’t actually see patients, it’ll be okay. Policy-wise.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, she hoped the call she made an hour ago would make a difference. If not, she was sunk. She parked in her spot and they went inside.

“You can sit in my office, Luke. I’ll have someone bring you a cup of coffee.”

He stood at the back wall, his gaze travelling across the photos of patients who were surviving with HIV.

“My clinical trial patients will be up there soon,” she said with more conviction than she felt.

“What if they don’t make it, Ysabeau? You’ve got to prepare yourself for the possibility that—”

“No! I can’t let that happen,” her voice quivered. “They are my responsibility. I won’t let them die.”

There was a knock on the door followed by a nurse’s voice. “Dr. Morno? They’re here.”

Ysabeau smiled weakly, remembering there was one twinkle of hope still shining. One small, beautiful, star.

“It’s Talitha, my little patient who is showing marked improvement.”

Before he could say a word, she threw open the door.

*

A man, woman, and
young girl walked into Ysabeau’s office.

Luke was confused. Ysabeau knew the no-exposure-to-patients-policy. Why was she bringing these people in her office?

Did she say little patient? Sonofabitch.

He suddenly realized what Ysabeau was up to. The little girl was the AIDS patient.

The man, most likely the father, stepped in cautiously as if he expected a gunman behind the door. Luke recognized that feeling. Cancer was always waiting to jump out and snatch Sunny away. The killer gunning for this man’s daughter was just as deadly.

The woman followed close behind, clutching her husband’s arm. She had the beaten-down look of a dog kicked too many times. Her clothes were rumpled as if she’d slept in them, or most likely, she hadn’t slept at all. Luke recognized that too.

“Bonswa!” Ysabeau spoke to them in Kreyòl, she was still talking fast. She took the man’s hands in hers, then the woman’s, and finally she hugged the little girl. She mentioned Luke’s name. He was being introduced.

He nodded but didn’t step forward. He was going to do his damnedest to be the impartial Guardian. This family could not sway his decision. There were far too many families out there who needed him to be objective. Besides, his mind was ninety-nine percent made up.

Until he saw the little girl’s eyes had that look—the sick-Sunny look.

He swallowed hard and told himself Talitha wasn’t his little girl. Although, she was probably about the same age as Sunny was when she went through chemo. Her sunken eyes were deep brown, not sky blue. Her dark skin was oddly dusty, not white-paper-pale as Sunny’s was. She was much too thin, her boney shoulders struggling to hold up the straps of her chick-yellow dress. If she’d worn a hot-pink tank with holey jeans…

He blinked hard.
She’s not Sunny.

Talitha caught his eye and smiled. Her teeth were yellow and crooked, but her smile was extraordinary. His heart twisted. He turned his head and sat behind the desk, using Ysabeau’s computer as a shield.

Get it together, Luke!
He ordered himself.

Ysabeau said something and the family sat on the plastic seats. Ysabeau pulled a chair over, her back to Luke, as she faced Talitha. She leaned forward and spoke for a few minutes. Luke watched the little girl, his heart turning to mush. He was definitely getting too damned soft. He had Danny to blame for all of this. Why couldn’t he be the Guardian’s henchman again?

When he peeked around the computer monitor, he saw the father’s black eyes pinned on Ysabeau. The man’s face spoke volumes of mistrust and doubt. Whatever she was saying to him, he’d heard before. He’d been given false hope by other doctors and his daughter was still dying.

This is why Luke wanted Ysabeau to prepare her patients for the truth. They needed to guard their hearts and be prepared for the likely outcome. False hope was the worst kind of backstab. False hope didn’t help when your wife was sucking down her last breath.

Ysabeau said something softly and the father responded in a deep voice. Questions? He needed proof? Ysabeau’s head dipped and rose as she gave the father his answer.

The mother let out a squeal and jumped up from her plastic chair. She pulled Talitha into her arms and the two of them jumped up and down laughing and yelling. Together they made a perfect picture of joy. A second chance at life.

He gritted his teeth. What had Ysabeau told them?

The father didn’t move, but stared at him with a gaze so intense, Luke found himself looking away.

Suddenly, Talitha broke free from her mother and threw her arms around his waist. “Thank you,” she said in English. “It’s the first time my mother has laughed in two years. My parents are very happy.”

He patted her shoulder, unable to form a single coherent word. He was not happy.

Luke Carter was in Hell.

*

“What did you
tell them?” Luke’s voice was strangely soft. His hand was on the windowpane, as he looked out to the street to where Talitha and her parents were walking to a tap-tap.

Ysabeau closed the door. “The truth. That Talitha’s results are promising. It’s the first good news they’ve had since the doctors at GHESKIO gave her five months to live.”

He exhaled loudly.

When she touched his shoulder, the muscles bunched under her hand. “Don’t you see? The Guardians need to continue this study. Talitha has a real chance to make it. My other patients will too once I figure out why the serum is helping her. Please, Luke, convince the Guardians to give us more funding.”

She could barely hear him say, “How much?”

Ysabeau clapped her hands. She’d convinced him! She’d won. “Oh, Luke! A year’s worth of funding would be perfect, if the Guardians will do it. I can hire two more doctors and an assistant to help me find the answers in a fraction of the time. We’ll save all of my patients!”

She nearly whooped for joy but he hadn’t faced her yet. Something was wrong.

Luke didn’t sound like himself when he said, “I don’t have a year. Dammit, Ysabeau, I don’t have three months.” He faced her then and she was shocked by the anguish in his eyes. “Sit down. It’s truth time.”