AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
Rhodes
Three Weeks Earlier
The fucking beeping in my ear is a blast from the past in the worst way possible. It takes me a minute to clear the cobwebs in my head. My throat is as dry as the Sahara Desert. The last time I woke up in a hospital bed with hushed voices, life was a hell of a lot different. Being blown up by an IED in our Humvee takes a toll on your body. It’s a miracle I made it out alive when I did. The same can’t be said for the fallen brothers who were with me.
“You see that? His eyelids are twitching,” Drena says in a hushed tone. Try as I might, there’s no way I’m opening my eyes yet. The drugs are too damn strong, which pisses me off even more.
“Babe, Rhodes isn’t waking up anytime soon,” Kade placates his woman. Neither of them should be here. I told him to go about his day, open the surf shop and let Drena do her thing with piano lessons. It’s clear he didn’t listen to a damn word I said. I’m putting the blame on Diego. He’s older than me by a few years. He was also our commanding officer when we were in the Army Rangers.
“That’s what you think. Men, wannabe know-it-alls. I’m going to find decent coffee in this place.” I try to open my eyes, and the moment I do, the blinding light has me closing them. “Did you just see that?” In my right mind, I’d smile at the little hellraiser.
“She’s not wrong, Kade. He’s waking up, albeit too damn slowly.” Diego’s voice is clear as day. He’s also my medical advocate, one of the only men I trust with my life, Diego was there since I was a wet-behind-the-ears punk teenager. He, along with Kade and me are the only ones left from our team after the last tour. Every man leaves with a battle wound of some kind when you’re dealing with war. Some work through post-traumatic stress disorder like Kade did. Diego is a different story—he came back and buried himself in work after one hell of a divorce. Now he runs a successful security company almost an hour north of New Smyrna Beach.
“I told you,” Drena huffs out in annoyance and then keeps on talking, “I’m staying put. You’ll probably try to have him up and out of bed before the doctor even comes in.” I’d laugh if I could, considering I feel like my body is weighed down with a four-hundred-pound lead weight.
The tips of my fingers lift and drop as I try to figure out what I can and can’t move. I’d kept Kade in the mix for the most part; kind of hard not to when he’s your business partner as well as a friend. Diego is a different story entirely. He’s the level-headed person out of all of us who will know what I want. Not that Kade doesn’t, but there was a reason I’d made Diego my advocate.
In this case, Diego knew my wishes. It hadn’t been easy hearing the doctor say there’s a possibility I’d lose my leg below my knee. No amount of physical therapy or treatments were helping to begin with. The goal for this exploratory surgery was to see what tendons weren’t fucked to hell from shrapnel. The worst-case scenario would be amputation. That’s where Diego stepped in. The doctor would tell him what he found, and the decision would be made with my wishes in mind.
The three of them talk amongst themselves, lowering their voices to where I can barely hear what they are saying. I continue pushing through the fog of anesthesia, and when I open my eyes, I’m in for the surprise of my life. All three of them are huddled around my bed, staring down at me.
“Jesus, I must be fucking dying. Am I receiving my last rites or some shit?” My voice is scratchy and different from its normal tone. This shit is terrible. As if waking up disoriented as fuck isn’t bad enough, they add a gown that shows your ass, make you lie in a bed from the last century, feed you food that tastes like cardboard, and everything else that comes along with a hospital stay.
“Yeah, right, it’d take a hell of a lot more to put you down,” Diego says. He presses the call button on my hospital bed. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to adjust to the blinding light.
“It’s gone?” I ask Diego. He tilts his head up a smidge. “Figured as much.” The drugs they give you at least do a decent job from feeling any pain. Though, I’ll be off them as soon as possible. I never did like the feeling of not being in control.
“Fuck no.” Kade inserts, my head moves toward him, and he continues on, “You ain’t leaving us fucks down here. Though, you’re gonna need a nurse with you when it’s time to bust your ass out of the hospital,” further putting in his two cents.
“No nurse.” The words come out gruff.
“Tough fuckin’ luck. You’ve got three options: stay in the hospital, go to a rehab facility, or hire a nurse,” Diego throws down.
I look at Kade. He lifts his eyebrows and says, “There is one more option: you stay with Audrena and me.” Not happening. Those two are still in their honeymoon phase, and the last thing I want to do is walk in on them going at it. Again. Been there, done that, and I’m not ready for a repeat performance.
“A nurse at home it is,” I grit out the words.
“Good. Glad you see it our way. Kyra is in between jobs as a traveling nurse and is home for the time being. Your insurance covers home health. It’s a win-win for both of you.” The last time I saw Diego’s daughter, she was a teenager in high school. No way is she old enough to be a nurse, much less one with experience.
“Diego.” I close my eyes while breathing through the bullshit he just flung my way.
“It’s this or a hospital of some sort. What’s the worst that could happen?” Drena says, placing the pain pump in the palm of my hand.
“Is this a bad time?” I’m saved from answering by an interruption at the door. My eyes must be deceiving me. No fucking way the beauty who just walked through the door is real.
“Nope. Kyra, this is Rhodes. Rhodes, this is Kyra, your nurse.” My eyes land on Diego’s daughter. Fucking hell, someone put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. My mind instantly goes straight to the gutter. Her strawberry-blonde hair is lightly curled. She's got freckles I can see along her cheekbones even with her standing nearly ten feet away. Damn eyesight. Sometimes it’s too sharp for it’s own good. Blue eyes and full fucking lips. My mouth goes dry, though whether it’s from the curves she’s rocking or having a tube down my throat during surgery, I can’t tell.
“Hi,” she says shyly, staying in place by the door.
“Hey.” Fuck me. My leg might be gone, but my cock sure isn’t. I hit the button in the palm of my hand, letting the morphine put me to sleep before I do something like pop a boner in front of my friends, specifically her father.
1. Kyra
Present Day
“One more set, and then we’re done for the day.” Every morning since Rhodes has been able to get up and move around, we’ve been doing physical therapy in his home gym. The hardest part about this whole situation is keeping things professional. A task that’s getting harder as each day passes. It doesn’t matter if we’re in this room, the living room, the kitchen, or even on his covered patio. Rhodes Kennedy is not ashamed of any part of his body. He’s continuously shirtless, which means I’m getting the live porn show of his arms, chest, and abs. Don’t even get me started on his thighs. The man doesn’t miss a day at all.
