Unpredictable Love (11 page)

She stopped his words with her fingers on
his mouth. “No problem.” She dismounted, swinging her legs all the
way off the bed, then took the wad of tissues and flushed it in his
bathroom. She hadn’t dressed that quickly in years, stuffing her
panties in her purse and yanking her skirt into place. She’d have
plenty of time to slip them on in the car.

She watched Trent struggle to put his gown
back on. “Just a sec, and I’ll help you.” She left her blouse
unbuttoned as she went to the bed and guided him into his attire
then pulled up the blanket and sheet. “There you go, all tidied
up,” she said, buttoning her top.

“
Wish I could help you dress,” he
said. “Maybe someday.”

“
Yeah. Maybe.” She frowned because
she’d just lied. There was never going to be a
someday
for her and Trent. She shoved the
thought from her mind and took his hand. She closed hers around his
thumb.

“
I love you, Jory.”

“
You don’t even know me.”

‘
Yes, I do. You’re the good, kind,
sexy, beautiful lady who loves to read and feeds the birds. What
more do I need to know?”

And a liar and a phony and not nearly pretty
enough.

“
Time’s up,” Nurse Marie said, opening
the door.

The couple rested at a respectable distance
from each other with their fingers laced.

“
Nicely done,” Marie murmured, looking
over Jory, making heat rise to the young woman’s face.

“
Thank you, Marie. I owe you one,”
Trent said.

Marie laughed. “My good deed for the
day.”

“
Time to go. Goodnight, Trent,” Jory
said, trying to keep her voice light.

“’
Night, baby.”

Feeling good never seemed so bad before.
Jory’s step was light as she headed for the parking lot. When she
arrived home to questioning looks, she simply marched up the stairs
to her room without uttering a word.

She lay in bed, staring at the sliver of
moon, slicing a little tear in the night sky. She thanked God for
giving her tonight with Trent. She didn’t expect to get another
one, and that was okay. She doubted a second night could possibly
be as soul-shaking as the one she’d experienced. As she drifted off
to sleep, she didn’t know how right she was.

When she returned to the hospital the
next evening, she was shocked to see Trent’s bed empty. It was
freshly made, awaiting a new occupant. A shiver shot through
her.
Did something bad happen to
him?

Nine hours earlier

Awakened early from the sweetest dream about
Jory, Trent copped an attitude with Nurse Marie and the doctor
standing at the foot of his bed. “Did you have to wake me up at
that exact moment? Damn. Ruined a great dream.” He crossed his arms
over his chest, sulking.

“
It’s time to get your things
together, Trent.”

“
What?”

“
We’ve found a cornea donor. We’re
sending you to New York City for the transplant.”

“
What?” He bolted upright, ignoring
the pain.

“
You heard him. This is your lucky
day, soldier,” Marie said. “Let’s get started.”

Trent thought his heart would burst. First,
he’d found Jory, and now, he’d see again.

“
Maybe you should buy a lottery
ticket?” the doctor said.

Trent could hear the scratch of pen on paper
and guessed the man was writing. “Why? I’ve already won. I’m gonna
see again.”

“
The donor’s sister wanted to see you.
Is that all right?” the doctor asked, as he thrust a clipboard
toward the Staff Sergeant. “You have to sign. Here. I’ll guide
you.” He put the hard board between the Marine’s hands.

Trent made a messy scrawl of his name. “The
donor’s sister? Do I know her?”

“
I don’t know. She didn’t say. She’s
waiting outside.”

“
Sure. Send her in. I’m happy to thank
whoever is responsible for this miracle.”

Trent heard someone opening drawers. He
assumed it was Nurse Marie. He didn’t worry about packing up, he
doubted he’d arrived with anything more than his wallet.

“
Staff Sergeant Trent Stevens, this is
Mary Jefferson.”

Trent put out his hand. “Pleased to meet
you, Miss Jefferson.”

“
Me too,” she said in a wobbly voice
as she shook it.

“
Funny, I had a guy in my unit named
Jefferson. No relation, I take it?”

Silence greeted him. A thought landed
in his head, and his pulse jumped. His breath quickened.
No, couldn’t be.

“
You’re right on the money, Sergeant
Stevens.”

“
What?”

Tell me it isn’t true!

“
Harvey Jefferson was my
brother.”

“
Was?”

“
He was killed in action.
Yesterday.”

Trent choked on his saliva. Two sets of
hands pounded his back.

“
Yesterday?” he squeezed out when he
could speak.

“
Yes. Killed in action. Harvey had
willed his body parts, whatever might be left.”

“
Do you mind my asking, how’d he
die?”

“
That’s okay. I don’t mind. Sniper
shot to the neck. He bled out. So his eyes, his corneas, to be
exact, are intact.”

Trent groped for words but found none.

“
He had told me, a long time ago, if
this ever happened, to look in his unit first. To find someone who
might need something. Something he could no longer use. I spoke to
your superior, and he directed me to you.”

“
I don’t know what to say, Miss
Jefferson. Harvey was a great guy. I’m so sorry to hear he’s
gone.”

“
Not completely gone. We’ve managed to
save some of his parts for others. He’ll live on through you, and
the rest.”

“
That’s incredibly generous of you.
Thank you so much for thinking of me, finding me. This means
everything to me. To be able to see again. My prayers have been
answered.”

“
I know Harvey would be happy to know
he’s helped you.”

“
If there’s anything I can ever do for
you…”

“
No worries. Just live a good life. I
hope his corneas help you to see happiness.”

He heard the quaver in her voice and reached
out his hand. She put hers in his, and he clasped it. Then, he
kissed the back.

“
They will. I’m sure they
will.”

When she let go, he heard her shuffling
through something then a sound like someone blowing their nose. At
once, he realized how hard this must be for her. A tightness grew
in his chest at the memory of his friend, until the emotion could
no longer be contained. Tears filled his eyes and overflowed onto
his cheeks. He swiped at them, impatiently, with the back of his
hand.

“
Good luck to you, Staff
Sergeant.”

“
And to you, Miss
Jefferson.”

“
I hate to break this up, but we’ve
got to get him to the City. Thank you so much, Miss
Jefferson.”

“
Go with God” were her parting
words.

Trent lay back and listened to the sound of
her footsteps as she left his room. As soon as she was gone, things
happened fast. Like a tornado whirling around him, Nurse Marie had
packed his meager belongings. He was wheeled to the front, where
they loaded him onto a stretcher then stuffed him into an ambulance
for the journey south.

Sirens screamed his way to the highway,
cutting through traffic. The speed of the vehicle made it shake a
tiny bit. Trent picked up on it and grasped the sides of the
stretcher in his strong grip.

“
Aren’t we going a little fast?” Trent
ventured.

“
Gotta get you to surgery for those
new eyes, buddy, while they’re still good,” the driver
said.

Fear spiked through the Marine. Another
great unknown awaited him. More surgery wasn’t on his top ten,
favorite pastimes list, but it was necessary. It wasn’t until he
was halfway to New York before his thoughts turned from memories of
Harvey Jefferson to lustful thoughts about Jory. He grinned. Now,
he’d be able to see her, all of her, without that damn bathing
suit.

Everything had happened so fast, he hadn’t
gotten Jory’s phone number. Without the letters, and after
everything he’d been through, he couldn’t even remember her last
name. Besides, his phone had long since lost its charge, he didn’t
know where the cord was, and he couldn’t dial anyway. So, he had no
way of telling her anything.

He wondered what she’d think when she
arrived to find an empty bed. He chewed on a fingernail at the idea
she might assume he was dead. It gave him the creeps. He hoped
Nurse Marie would rescue his girl from that horrible thought.

After he could see again, he’d figure out a
way to get in touch with her. Then, they could resume their
relationship as he pieced his life back together. Of course, there
was still his leg. Doctors were pretty sure he’d be able to walk,
but going back to active duty was out. He was resigned to receiving
a medical discharge from the Marines.

He’d have to face physical therapy. Healing
for the lacerations he had was progressing nicely, according to the
doctors. He figured he must look like some ragdoll, some
Frankenstein monster, stitched together here and there.

Jory had seen him and didn’t seem to care.
Dreams for the future would be his again. He could hardly wait. And
now, he’d have a beautiful woman by his side to help him through
the rough patches and to make his life worth something. Silently,
he thanked Harvey for the millionth time. He promised to see only
the good in life through his comrade’s eyes.

When they arrived at the hospital, they gave
him a local anesthetic, strapped him down, and went to work. He
turned his thoughts to his girl, the countryside, and a fat, juicy
steak.

* * * *

“
So, you want to leave me a number
where Staff Sergeant Stevens can get in touch with you? I’m sure we
can locate him,” Nurse Marie said, as she opened the curtains wide
and cracked the window to air out the room.

“
No, thank you. That won’t be
necessary.”

“
I figured he probably had your
number, but just in case. You two seemed so happy
together.”

Jory managed a wan smile.

“
I’ve got to run. Take care of
yourself. Best of luck to you both. Do stop by and say hello when
the Sergeant gets better, now, won’t you?”

Jory nodded. She left the room and headed
for her car. Emptiness washed through her. That was it. He was
gone. Now, he could see, and their relationship was over. She had
much to do before he came back, if he came back.

A frown compressed her lips at the thought
he’d be returning for her. Maybe even looking for her? After all,
he hadn’t said anything. Didn’t notify her he was leaving. Of
course, Nurse Marie had said he had left in a big hurry. Did that
relieve her of any obligation to try to find him? She figured it
did. Now they were simply ships passing in the night.

On the drive home, she let out a breath,
remembering the dinnertime conversation after Jim Sparks had called
to offer her the job.

“
Jim Sparks called today,”
Jory said, hiding a smile.

“
Oh?” Nan cocked an
eyebrow.

“
Who’s he? A new
boyfriend? Boy, you go through them faster than I do.”

“
He’s the editor-in-chief
of the Oak Bend Reporter.”

“
Now you’re dating an
editor-in-chief?” Amber narrowed her eyes. “How old is
he?”

“
I’m not dating him,
Cookie. He offered me a job. I’m going to be the Managing Editor of
The Reporter.”

“
Congratulations, Jory,”
Nan said, cutting a piece of quiche with her fork.

“
It’s a long commute to
Oak Bend, isn’t it? Or will you be working at home?”

Jory laid a gentle hand on her sister’s arm.
“I’m moving.”

The words hung in the air.

Amber’s head snapped up. Questioning blue
eyes stared at the journalist. “You’re leaving? I didn’t think
you’d leave unless you got married.”

“
It’s time. You can handle
yourself. Honestly. And you’ll be with Nan.” As soon as the words
were out of Jory’s mouth, Amber had pushed away from the table and
left in tears. Jory wasn’t surprised. She frowned. Moving ahead was
harder than she had planned.

Amber didn’t speak to Jory for three days.
Finally, the girls made up. Still, a twinge of worry furrowed the
older girl’s brow when she watched her younger sibling. Was Amber
truly ready to let Jory go?

Now, Jory’d have to move up her escape plan.
When she got home, she went up to her room and closed the door.

“
Yes, I’ll be needing the room right
away. When will you have it ready? I can come and see it tomorrow.
Thank you. That’s very kind.”

Jory checked her bank balance online and
moved some money from savings to checking. Although she wasn’t
scheduled to start her new job for two weeks, she’d be moving as
soon as possible. Although she didn’t make a big salary, with three
women contributing to the upkeep of the house and food, she’d
managed to sock away a little for a rainy day. And now, it was
pouring.