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Chapter 20
Ace could feel anxiety radiating off of Stephanie as she signed them in at the front desk. The entire drive over he’d tried to make small talk to get her mind off of whatever was causing her to stress. It hadn’t worked. When they’d pulled up in the parking lot he’d offered to wait there, but she’d shook her head no and said that he could come in. She’d also looked like she was about to be sick.
The last thing he’d ever want was for her to be upset or feel pressured to move things faster than she was ready for. He hadn’t missed the flash of horror that had crossed her face when he’d mentioned that his parents wanted to meet her or how quickly she’d changed the subject.
He watched as her hand shook while she was writing their names and it broke his heart to see her so unnerved.
Ace covered her hand with his and whispered in her ear, so that none of the staff that was passing could hear him. “I would ask if you’re okay, but I think I know the answer. I don’t want to be here if it’s upsetting you. I don’t mind waiting in the truck.”
She closed her eyes briefly and inhaled through her nose. When she opened them, there was a determination burning in her golden brown gaze. “It’s fine. This is my life and if you want to be a part of it, you might as well see what you’re getting into.”
He’d been on countless successful missions in his time in the Corps, and one since he’d been out. Every time a mission was over and everyone made it out alive the victory rush of adrenaline was a high he’d never thought could be replicated. Until now.
To anyone else, anyone who didn’t know Stephanie, what she’d said wouldn’t be that big of a deal. To him, it was more than just a big deal. It was even more than a declaration of love, it was her letting him into her life. That was bigger than any win, any victory he’d ever had.
He also knew what it cost her and he didn’t take it lightly. “Okay. But if anything changes just say the word.”
Her lips were pursed tightly as her spine straightened and without responding she started walking down the hall to their left. As he followed beside her, he rested his hand on her lower back and her body relaxed slightly beneath his touch. He hadn’t even meant to touch her. When she was around him, he was drawn to her like a magnet.
They took a sharp right and he could feel the tension creep back into her posture. When they were about halfway down the hall, she stopped up short and shifted so she was facing him. Leaning in, her voice was barely above a whisper as she explained, “Scott usually does okay with strangers, but when he’s having an episode he may say things, throw things. Just ignore it. Also, he doesn’t like to repeat himself. So if he says something just answer him. And he might not want you to be here, so if he tells you to leave…
“I’ll leave,” he assured her. “I’m not going to do anything to upset you or Scott.”
Her head nodded up and down slowly as she let out a breath. Then she turned, took a few steps and opened a door. Ace was right behind her and as they walked in he saw a young man, on the floor, his arms cradling his knees which were against his chest, rocking back and forth, repeating, “No. No. No. No.”
A nurse was posted beside him and held a respiratory mask that was attached to a nebulizer. Stephanie calmly walked to her brother’s side and bent down. She spoke quietly, Ace couldn’t hear what she was saying. He kept his distance, not wanting to interfere or aggravate the situation.
For the first few minutes it seemed like whatever Stephanie was saying wasn’t working. In fact, her brother seemed to be growing more and more agitated. Even from across the room, he could hear Scott’s oxygen exchange becoming increasingly labored. His wheezing was audible and he knew that it was going to get worse the more upset he got. It was everything Ace could do to stay in place.
His medic training wasn’t the only contributing factor to his overwhelming desire to intervene. Seeing Stephanie handle the situation with such grace and poise was heartbreaking and making it difficult to not be at her side. Yes, she was an adult and a medical professional and they were in a facility with staff trained to help her, but that’s not what Ace saw when he looked at the scene playing out in front of him.
All he could see was her dealing with countless situations exactly like these as a teenager, or even younger. When she was alone. Scared.
He couldn’t begin to imagine all of the experiences that she’d had to go through to be the woman that she was today. The woman that picked up her phone when she was on a date, even though he saw that it was the last thing she wanted to do. The woman that put everyone else’s needs before her own. The woman that took care of everyone else without asking for anything in return.
He’d known he was falling in love with her for a while now but in that moment he knew, without a doubt, that he was all in. He knew he loved her and that he felt more for her than he ever thought was humanly possible. His chest ached and he was sure it was because the human body wasn’t built to handle the magnitude of what he felt for her.
After several more minutes of coaxing, he watched as she successfully placed the mask on Scott, tucking the rubber bands behind his ears before her shoulders slumped with relief.
“That’s good.” She praised him before lowering down to the floor next to him. “Just keep that on for a few minutes.”
When the treatment was complete, Stephanie removed the mask and handed it to the respiratory therapist who mouthed a silent, “Thank you” before collecting the machine and leaving.
As the door closed, Scott got up from his curled-up position on the floor and Stephanie did as well.
She smiled in Ace’s direction. “Scott, I want you to meet my friend Ace. Ace, this is my brother Scott.”
Stepping forward, Ace lifted his hand. “Hey, man. It’s nice to meet you.”
For a moment he wasn’t sure if Scott had heard his sister or if he was choosing to ignore the introduction, as he was standing still and staring down at the ground. But then he lifted his head and reached his hand out. Ace followed his lead and shook his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Stephanie’s eyes widen as she looked between the two men.
“You like my sister,” Scott stated flatly.
It wasn’t clear to Ace whether that was a question or not, but he answered it just in case. “Yes. I do.”
“Are you why she smiles with her eyes?” Scott followed up.
Ace almost asked “what” because he wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but thankfully he remembered that Scott didn’t like to repeat himself. Instead he said, “I hope so.”
