Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
7. Kyra
The minute Rhodes started driving down the road, my nerves got the best of me. He’s been doing so well, hasn’t had a setback since he woke up from surgery, yet I’m the one who seemed to be more worried than him. That might be why tears came to my eyes when the doctor said it was time for the next stage. Rhodes looked toward me with a tilt of his lips; not so much of a smile, more like his signature grin. The wink he sent my way had my body lighting up, too. I’m talking nipples pebbling, and not because this place is colder than a witch’s tit. Nope, it's all because of Rhodes. I squirmed in my seat. His nostrils flared, his jaw clenched, and I more than saw the muscles in his arms flex.
But he didn’t say anything. The promise in his eyes said more than enough. We were interrupted by the doctor and then the nurse, then I watched as they fitted him with his prosthetic. They went through the basics, making sure it fit well and nothing would rub and make him uncomfortable. Once the doctor, nurse, and Rhodes felt everything worked the way it was supposed to, he took his first few steps in the room. Tears sprung to my eyes at the absolute awe before me. It was simply amazing and utterly indescribable. To be a part of Rhodes overcoming something so profound.
These men in my life, Rhodes and Dad for the most part, don’t think they’re heroes. Kade I’m not sure about since I've been around him the least, yet I’d still put him in same category. They chose to join the military life. There were times in life when annoyance set in that my dad had to be away from me, but he did what he felt compelled to do and he was there for me when it mattered most.
When I was a kid while Dad was deployed, there was one day his parents had come over to our home. When they saw the state of my mom and how dirty I was, eating peanut butter with my fingers while she lay on the couch strung out, everything had changed. Grandpa had called whoever was above Dad at the time, and in a few days, he was home. A grueling divorce later, the judge granted Dad emergency custody after child protective services had to be brought in for an investigation. I remember Grandma crying after I’d had a bath when she saw the bruises on my back and stomach. Looking back, I probably should have said something, but as a child with a mom raging and yelling at me that this is what I deserved, I didn’t know any better or different. The times Dad came home, everything seemed better, almost normal. I guess in my little child brain I thought Mom just needed Dad to be nice, and at the age of seven, I just went with it.
Everything changed when the truth came out. Dad stayed for as long as he could, got us both in counseling, and when he had to go back to work, I learned what it was like to live with my grandparents. It was a whole new learning curve—there were meals morning, noon, and night, a bedtime story. I went outside to play, and I got daily baths. It’d also meant waking up early and having a schedule.
Since Grandpa was retired from the United States Marines, there was a running joke between him and Dad about who chose the better option. Either way, the two had earned military men a well-deserved spot in my heart.
After the doctor approved Rhodes for the new prosthetic leg he was wearing, we left the VA hospital. He still brought his crutch back to the truck, grumbling the entire time, but we're both well aware of the fact he may still need it. Still, the man did not want it. A lot like the shower chair he’d used. I’d watched him carry it to the garage, slam the door, and walk back inside like the chair did something to him.
“You chew on that thumbnail any more, it’ll be a nub.”
“Oh, yeah. I guess so.” I pull my hand away from my mouth, and no sooner do I lower it does Rhodes take my hands in his.
“Kyra.” He says my name with reverence. There’s no way I can refuse to look at him. Our gazes lock for the barest of moments before he returns his to the road. “I can’t fix the problem if I don’t know what it is, sweetheart.” Hearing him use a term of endearment for the first time shakes me to my core. Kyra and hellcat are the extent of what he’s used so far. Sweetheart, well, it feels so good.