The Broken Road (The Broken Series) (25 page)

We
kept kissing as he stumbled back against the couch. Kadyn lowered me to the
couch and blanketed my body with his. Then he kissed me until I no longer knew
where he ended and I began. I prayed the kiss would never end.

*
* * * * *

I
was thinking about Kadyn’s kiss the next morning when I swiped lip gloss across
my still swollen lips. My body thrummed the entire day, which made it
incredibly difficult to focus on work.

I
snapped out of it when Senator Rockefeller invited me to join him in a
committee hearing. I watched, completely enthralled, as Senator Rockefeller
introduced the Medicare bill I’d been working on. Although we were a long way
off from making the bill law, the experience left me feeling heady. Senator
Rockefeller believed enough in what I had proposed to stand up and fight for it
publicly. Who wouldn’t feel honored by that?

I
skipped the gym after work so I could join my office mates for an impromptu
celebration at Thunder Grill. Jamie insisted I try the restaurant’s wildly
popular mango margarita. The drink was definitely worth the hype. I called
Kadyn when we decided to stay for dinner. I was thrilled when he agreed to
catch the metro from the Pentagon to join us.

I
felt it the moment he walked into the restaurant. I immediately stopped talking.
The room simply faded away as Kadyn approached the table. He had that same
determined stride that captured my attention when I saw him the first time; only,
this time, it affected me even more.

Kadyn
approached the table like I was the only one sitting there. He stood looking
down at me like we had all the time in the world to drink each other in, like
four other people weren’t sitting at the table staring at us, and like all
conversation hadn’t come to a complete stop. “Kri,” he said hoarsely.

I
couldn’t take my eyes off Kadyn’s uniform long enough to form a coherent
response. The dark blue jacket and pants accentuated Kadyn’s broad shoulders
and narrow waist. The tie was positioned perfectly over a light blue shirt.
Ribbons, pins, and patches adorned his shoulders and chest. I realized then
that all the smarmy comments I’d heard about men in uniform weren’t so smarmy
after at all. They were spot on.

Kadyn
smiled when he realized the effect he was having on me. He bent down to whisper
in my ear. “What I wouldn’t give to be out of this uniform so I could kiss you
again.”

“You
can’t kiss me when you’re in uniform?” I inquired a bit dazedly.

Kadyn
shook his head. He looped his foot under a nearby stool and pulled it next to
me. “Hey Patrick, Jonathan, Jamie…” Kadyn nodded to each one, then paused when
he saw the unfamiliar face.

“Ellen,”
I responded meekly. “My legislative director.”

Kadyn
reached for her hand. “I’m Kadyn. It’s nice to meet you, Ellen.”

“I’m
pleased you could join us,” Ellen responded as she shook his hand. She looked
entirely too amused by the two of us.

Jonathan
patted Kadyn on the back. “So I hear you two are officially dating now.”

Kadyn
just looked at me and smiled.

The
waitress arrived with two heaping plates of nachos. She glanced at Kadyn. “What
would you like to drink?”

“I’ll
take a Sprite,” Kadyn responded.

We
began loading the nachos onto our plates. “So, Kri, you still haven’t answered
my question,” Patrick noted.

I
tried to recall the question Patrick had asked when Kadyn first walked in. “Oh,
yeah. Well, now that the Medicare Early Buy-in Bill has been introduced, I was
thinking of drafting a new piece of legislation that encourages hospitals to
offer mobile medical services for the homeless.”

Ellen
stopped piling nachos on her plate. “Kri, that’s a great idea.”

I
shrugged. “I can’t take credit for the idea. They’re working on a similar piece
of legislation over on the House side.”

Kadyn
eyed me curiously. “What exactly would this bill do?”

I
piled a few more nachos onto my plate. “The bill would encourage hospitals to
deliver basic and preventive medical care to homeless people using mobile
medical units. There are essentially two goals… to improve the overall health
of the homeless population and to reduce the number of homeless people who rely
on hospital emergency departments for basic medical care.”

Kadyn
looked thoughtful. “I assume hospitals absorb the expense of serving the
homeless population in the ER?”

I
glanced at Kadyn before shifting my attention to Ellen. “Yes. Once hospitals
realize how much money this saves them in unpaid ER visits, they should be
willing to fund these mobile medical programs themselves. So I want to propose
a pilot project where the federal government offers start-up funds for mobile
medical programs in twenty hospitals. This would allow us to capture the data
we need to prove this strategy helps hospitals save money. Once we prove that, additional
hospitals are likely to fund their own mobile medical programs. Homeless people
would gain access to the medical care they need, and the reduced strain on
hospital budgets would help ensure hospitals remain open.”

Jamie
nodded. “There are a lot of hospitals shutting down these days. That hurts
everyone.”

“Why
are so many hospitals shutting down?” Kadyn asked between bites.

Patrick
chimed in. “Our current economic crisis is seriously impacting hospitals. The
cost of providing medical care is increasing, but the number of people paying
their hospital bills is decreasing.”

Ellen
leaned across the table and studied me. “You should be able to get bi-partisan
support on this. The Dems will be all over this because it helps the homeless.
The R’s are more likely to sign on because it's a pilot project. It’s not like
the government will be funding these programs in the long term. These are
temporary projects intended to demonstrate the cost savings to hospitals. The responsibility
remains with the private sector and not the government.”

I
nodded. “I think that’s the mistake they’re making on the House side. Their
bill isn’t proposing a pilot project. They’re offering federal matching funds,
and they’re making those funds available to a lot of hospitals. I haven’t run
this by the Congressional Budget Office yet, but I think we’ll find the House
bill costs a lot more than the one I want to propose.”

“Aren’t
you still working on the Orphan Drug Bill and the bill that expands community
based alternatives to nursing homes?” Jonathan asked before shoving a chip
loaded with guacamole into his mouth.

“Yes,”
I admitted before sneaking a peek at Kadyn. I was worried he might be bored with
all the policy talk.

Kadyn
smiled. “I think your friend is suggesting you already have a lot on your
plate.”

Patrick
suddenly perked up. “Hey, I’d love to work with you on this mobile medical bill.”

I
laughed at Patrick’s enthusiasm. “That would be great. I could definitely use the
help.”

Ellen
stood. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Why don’t you two write up a policy
brief tomorrow, so we can get this in front of Senator Rockefeller?”

I
raised an eyebrow at Patrick as I reached for my purse.

Patrick
smiled. “I think we can do that.”

Jamie
reached for the bill.

Ellen
snatched the bill out of her hand. “This one’s on me.”

Kadyn
opened his mouth to object.

I
nudged his shoulder. “No one argues with Ellen. Not even you.”

Ellen
laughed at the look on Kadyn’s face. She handed the waitress her debit card.

Kadyn
reached for my arm as I stepped off the stool. “Thank you for dinner, Ellen.”

Patrick,
Jonathan, Jamie, and I echoed the sentiment. We said our goodbyes as we filed out
of the restaurant.

 Kadyn
tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as we exited Union Station.

I
gave him an inquisitive look.

He
smiled as he patted my hand. “This I can do.”

I
looked for the saxophone player when I heard his soulful tune. He was standing near
the Columbus Fountain in his usual spot. I stepped away from Kadyn so I could
throw a couple dollars into his case.

The
sax player nodded as he slid into an upbeat tune.

Kadyn
had an odd look on his face when I turned back around.

I
slipped my hand through his arm. “My jeep’s this way.” I nodded toward the
Thurgood Marshall Building. I studied Kadyn more closely. “What’s wrong?”

He
shook his head and smiled. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. It’s just you, Kri. Do
you have any idea how amazing you are?”

“Me?”
I squeaked. “What’s so amazing about me?”

Kadyn
opened the door to the building. “I’ve never met anyone so passionate about
helping others. You advocate for the elderly, you bake cookies for homeless
children, you develop policies that help the uninsured, and I’m quite certain
you would give a homeless person your last dollar.”

I
froze just in front of the stairwell. “You couldn’t throw a rock around here
without hitting another person who is equally devoted to helping others, Kadyn.
And that’s not just true for DC, that’s true at the state and local levels
too.”

Kadyn
opened the door to the stairwell.

I
walked alongside Kadyn as we made our way down to the parking garage. “You’re
no different, Kadyn. In fact, what you’re doing is far more honorable than me.
You and Cenia… Phil and Marie… your entire circle of friends… you have chosen
to sacrifice your lives to help make this world a safer place. What I’m doing
is nothing compared to that.”

Kadyn
grabbed my arm just as we exited the stairwell. “Don’t say that.”

I
looked up at him in surprise. “Say what?”

“Don’t
minimize the good that you do, Kri. You’ve devoted your entire life to helping
others. What I’m doing, what Cenia’s doing, what everyone else is doing has no
bearing on that. It doesn’t change who you are.” Kadyn released my arm and
raked his hand over his smoothly shaven head. “God, Kri, just when I think I
couldn’t possibly be more attracted to you…”

My
jaw fell open. I had no clue how to respond.

Kadyn
closed the distance between us. His hands grasped either side of my face as his
eyes searched mine. He growled his frustration, then swept me up into a heartrending
kiss.

My
purse and briefcase fell to the floor. My hands slid over his broad chest and
shoulders before reaching for the nape of his neck. I angled my head and pulled
him toward me, suddenly needing more.

Kadyn
trailed open-mouthed kisses all down my neck. His mouth stopped just behind my
ear. His voice was deep and low. “Do you have any idea how much I want you,
Kri?”

Desire
swept through me with hurricane force. “Kadyn,” I gasped.

His
mouth crashed against mine.

I
fought for control even as my body pleaded for more. Reluctantly, I pulled
away. I kept one hand on his chest as I tried to catch my breath. “Kadyn, we’re
in the middle of a parking garage. You’re still in your uniform.”

Kadyn’s
eyes were two dark pools of desire. His hands reached for mine as he regained
his composure. “I’m sorry, Kri. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

I
smiled nervously. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so thoroughly kissed, Kadyn.
Did they teach you how to do that in the military as some sort of negotiation
tactic?”

Kadyn
burst out laughing. He picked up the briefcase and handed me my purse. “No,
Kri. That’s more a CIA strategy.”

We
walked the remaining distance to my jeep. Kadyn reached for my door as I unlocked
the vehicle. I slid into the driver's seat, then pushed the passenger door open
for him. “I assume you can direct me to the Pentagon from here? I drive by it
every day, but I’m not sure which exit to take.”

Kadyn
smiled. “Of course. Just take I-395, like you’re going home. I’ll point out the
exit when we get closer.”

I
eased the jeep out of the parking garage. “Thanks for coming tonight, Kadyn.
I’m sorry we talked so much shop.”

 “I
enjoyed learning more about what you do.” Kadyn paused as he glanced at his
phone. “Troy just sent a text. He’s inviting everyone over to carve pumpkins tomorrow
night. Do you want to go?”

I
smiled knowingly. “Will everyone be competing for best pumpkin?”

Kadyn
grinned as he began typing his response. “Of course.”

I
laughed. “No way am I missing that.”

*
* * * * *

Troy’s
apartment was located just ten minutes down the road from us. The entire gang
was canvassing his living room floor with newspapers when Kadyn and I arrived.
We began carving our pumpkins as soon as we polished off the pizza. I was halfway
through carving out my pumpkin’s face when I discovered that I was the only
person
carving a face.

Everyone
else was working on intricate designs featuring cats, witches, skulls, and
haunted houses. Cenia transformed her pumpkin into an owl, with two
mini-pumpkins for eyes and triangular bits of pumpkin for ears, feet, and a
beak. Her owl was impressive, but Kadyn stole the title for best pumpkin with
an elaborate carving of the Air Force Falcons logo.