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Authors: Irene Onorato
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these girls out of here. Right now, I am on a mission.”
* * * *
Audra sat wrapped in a towel as Zoe helped dry her hair and back where she couldn’t reach with one hand. Vanessa would be proud to know how Zoe had risen to the task of caregiver and had done so with such tenderness.
Hank and Edward’s conversation at the table stopped when they stepped into the room.
“Ladies, maybe you’ll allow me a do-over.” Hank stood to his feet. “So, if you wouldn’t mind, let’s start all over, shall we? I’m Hank Fleming, and I apologize if I scared you. Edward has chastised me, and I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’ve been recalibrated. Are we okay then?”
“Yes, of course.” Audra gingerly extended her left hand. Hank’s hand engulfed hers.
“Zoe?” Audra rested her hand on Zoe’s shoulder. “You’ll give Hank a second chance, won’t you?”
Zoe stepped forward, and the big man squatted down with his hand extended.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Fleming,” Zoe said in a small voice.
“I’m happy to have made your acquaintance, Zoe. Call me Hank.”
Edward let out a sharp exhalation. “Good. Now, Hank, behave yourself while I take a bath. You’re next. You stink.” Edward went into the bathroom and shut the door.
Audra supported her right arm with her left hand. Next to her, Zoe held the padded stick and strips of cloth.
Hank moved forward and gave a warm smile. “Splint?”
“Yes. Yes, it is. We’re not sure if my arm’s broken, but Edward felt we should immobilize it just in case. The swelling has gone down a lot.”
“May I?” Hank held his hand out.
Zoe handed him the stick and the ties and watched as the huge man gently splinted Audra’s arm and helped put the sling back on.
“Not too tight, is it?” he asked.
“No, that’s perfect. Thank you.”
“What happened to your eye, mister?” Zoe blurted.
“Zoe, that’s not polite. You shouldn’t ask people such things.” Audra turned toward Hank. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, no. Don’t be sorry. See, that’s what I like about kids. They speak their minds. They’ll come out and say what you’ve wanted to say all along, but civility dictated it was wrong to ask. I’ll tell you what happened to my eye.” He pulled out a kitchen chair and sat.
Audra joined him at the table, and Zoe stood nearby.
“When I was a soldier in Afghanistan, an insurgent, a bad guy, that is, fired a grenade at the truck I was driving, and it exploded. I was one of the lucky ones. I survived. Later, the doctors tried to save my eye, but, in the end, I ended up losing it. I can’t hear out of this ear anymore, either.” He tugged his left ear then shook his head. “Ironic, isn’t it? Me, a demolition expert, being discharged because I got blown up.” He let out a wry laugh.
“Eddie was in the vehicle behind me and saw the whole thing. It was a traumatic experience for him. He and the other guys circled the wagons, so to speak, and provided cover while the medic worked on me.”
He folded his arms on the table. “LT is a good guy, a really good guy. He can be cantankerous, I’ll admit, but I’d put my life on the line for him any day of the week. He’d do the same for me.”
Zoe looked perplexed. “Who’s LT?”
Hank chuckled. “LT means lieutenant. Eddie didn’t tell you he’s a Lieutenant?”
* * * *
Edward came out of the bathroom. “Hank, you’re next. All the towels are wet, but I suppose if you try hard you can shake off like Cricket does.”
“Maybe later.” Hank’s face took on a pensive look. “Right now, let’s see those topographical maps and the other maps, the ones we drew up when we were kids. I’ve got an idea.”
Chapter 7
Edward spread a couple of maps on the kitchen counter.
Hank flattened a few wrinkles in the paper, hunched over and studied alongside Edward. Hank scratched his scraggly beard. “If we could get in touch with the local search and rescue, maybe they could send a
* * * *
Audra sat wrapped in a towel as Zoe helped dry her hair and back where she couldn’t reach with one hand. Vanessa would be proud to know how Zoe had risen to the task of caregiver and had done so with such tenderness.
Hank and Edward’s conversation at the table stopped when they stepped into the room.
“Ladies, maybe you’ll allow me a do-over.” Hank stood to his feet. “So, if you wouldn’t mind, let’s start all over, shall we? I’m Hank Fleming, and I apologize if I scared you. Edward has chastised me, and I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’ve been recalibrated. Are we okay then?”
“Yes, of course.” Audra gingerly extended her left hand. Hank’s hand engulfed hers.
“Zoe?” Audra rested her hand on Zoe’s shoulder. “You’ll give Hank a second chance, won’t you?”
Zoe stepped forward, and the big man squatted down with his hand extended.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Fleming,” Zoe said in a small voice.
“I’m happy to have made your acquaintance, Zoe. Call me Hank.”
Edward let out a sharp exhalation. “Good. Now, Hank, behave yourself while I take a bath. You’re next. You stink.” Edward went into the bathroom and shut the door.
Audra supported her right arm with her left hand. Next to her, Zoe held the padded stick and strips of cloth.
Hank moved forward and gave a warm smile. “Splint?”
“Yes. Yes, it is. We’re not sure if my arm’s broken, but Edward felt we should immobilize it just in case. The swelling has gone down a lot.”
“May I?” Hank held his hand out.
Zoe handed him the stick and the ties and watched as the huge man gently splinted Audra’s arm and helped put the sling back on.
“Not too tight, is it?” he asked.
“No, that’s perfect. Thank you.”
“What happened to your eye, mister?” Zoe blurted.
“Zoe, that’s not polite. You shouldn’t ask people such things.” Audra turned toward Hank. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, no. Don’t be sorry. See, that’s what I like about kids. They speak their minds. They’ll come out and say what you’ve wanted to say all along, but civility dictated it was wrong to ask. I’ll tell you what happened to my eye.” He pulled out a kitchen chair and sat.
Audra joined him at the table, and Zoe stood nearby.
“When I was a soldier in Afghanistan, an insurgent, a bad guy, that is, fired a grenade at the truck I was driving, and it exploded. I was one of the lucky ones. I survived. Later, the doctors tried to save my eye, but, in the end, I ended up losing it. I can’t hear out of this ear anymore, either.” He tugged his left ear then shook his head. “Ironic, isn’t it? Me, a demolition expert, being discharged because I got blown up.” He let out a wry laugh.
“Eddie was in the vehicle behind me and saw the whole thing. It was a traumatic experience for him. He and the other guys circled the wagons, so to speak, and provided cover while the medic worked on me.”
He folded his arms on the table. “LT is a good guy, a really good guy. He can be cantankerous, I’ll admit, but I’d put my life on the line for him any day of the week. He’d do the same for me.”
Zoe looked perplexed. “Who’s LT?”
Hank chuckled. “LT means lieutenant. Eddie didn’t tell you he’s a Lieutenant?”
* * * *
Edward came out of the bathroom. “Hank, you’re next. All the towels are wet, but I suppose if you try hard you can shake off like Cricket does.”
“Maybe later.” Hank’s face took on a pensive look. “Right now, let’s see those topographical maps and the other maps, the ones we drew up when we were kids. I’ve got an idea.”
Chapter 7
Edward spread a couple of maps on the kitchen counter.
Hank flattened a few wrinkles in the paper, hunched over and studied alongside Edward. Hank scratched his scraggly beard. “If we could get in touch with the local search and rescue, maybe they could send a
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