Read Online In the Dark by Marliss Melton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marliss Melton
Ads: Link
her eye. "It's safe here," he reassured her. "Westy and I won't let anything happen to you."
She smiled at his earnest reassurance. "My heroes," she sighed, pressing her hands to her heart briefly.
He chuckled at her as she turned away.
Slipping between the sheets a moment later and listening to Westy's soft snores in the room next door, Hannah thought about Luther's confession. He'd actually been engaged! A breakup that close to marriage, on the grounds of unfaithfulness, would leave any man wary of commitment. So despite the bubbly feeling she enjoyed in Luther's company, he wasn't going to let his guard down, which meant she'd never get to see his two tattoos.
Now wasn't that annoying.
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA
22 September - 06:42 EST
As the elevator doors closed with mother and daughter inside, Helen Renault reached for Mallory's hand. Mallory not only held on but sidled closer so that they stood shoulder to shoulder. At fourteen, Mallory had surpassed her mother in height.
Helen could feel the tremor in her daughter's hand and the clamminess of her own palm. They weren't supposed to be here. Since Gabe's arrest four days ago, they hadn't been allowed to see him at all. But Doctor Shafer had treated Gabe a month back when he'd been medevaced from the South Korea Peninsula. He'd befriended Helen and Mallory when they'd come to collect the husband and father who'd been declared dead.
At four a.m. this morning, Dr. Shafer had wakened Helen with a phone call. If she wanted to see her husband, Gabe was currently under his care at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. He would let her in, providing she managed to get over there before the guards showed up.
Helen hadn't wasted more than a minute to brush her teeth and drag a comb through her long, blond hair. She'd gone to wake her daughter and found Mallory in the kitchen grabbing two granola bars from the pantry. "Let's go," Mal had said.
Obviously Helen wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping lately.
With a warning chime, the elevator doors swooshed open. Helen and Mallory peered warily into the hallway of the psychiatric wing. It appeared deserted. They scurried furtively down the hallway to room 314, where Dr. Shafer had said Gabe was undergoing medical tests.
The door to the room stood partly open. Helen pushed it wider and they both peered in. The curtains at the window were drawn back, revealing a sky the color of peach sorbet. Dr. Shafer looked up from a machine that was connected by wires to Gabe's head. Gabe's eyes were closed. At Helen's indrawn breath, his lids sprang open. He glanced alertly in her direction, his tense body conditioned to expect the worst, thanks to the cruelty of his captors in his twelve months spent in North Korea.
He was visibly astonished to see them. "Helen. Mal!" He struggled to sit up. With an impatient mutter, he peeled the suction cups off his forehead and chest and tossed them aside, scrambling out of bed to greet them. He held his arms open.
Be strong, Helen commanded herself as they both rushed forward. Be like Mallory.
But Mallory pushed her face into Gabe's shoulder and couldn't look up again. Seeing Mal so distraught made it impossible for Helen not to cry. As she leaned against her husband's familiar body, hot tears gushed from her eyes.
"Come on, ladies," Gabe chided, holding them tightly. "It's not that bad."
"We've missed you," Helen confessed in a strangled voice.
"I've missed you, too."
"No one will let us see you. I don't understand!"
"That's just the way the Navy operates, sweetheart. No visitors while I'm under medical evaluation. Dr. Shafer knows I'm not dangerous, though, don't you, Doc?"
Through tear-blurred eyes, Helen noted Dr. Shafer's compassionate smile. He crossed the room and busied himself with paperwork, giving Gabe and his family a modicum of privacy.
"What's going to happen, Gabe?" Helen whispered. It wasn't fair that her newfound happiness was being threatened by
She smiled at his earnest reassurance. "My heroes," she sighed, pressing her hands to her heart briefly.
He chuckled at her as she turned away.
Slipping between the sheets a moment later and listening to Westy's soft snores in the room next door, Hannah thought about Luther's confession. He'd actually been engaged! A breakup that close to marriage, on the grounds of unfaithfulness, would leave any man wary of commitment. So despite the bubbly feeling she enjoyed in Luther's company, he wasn't going to let his guard down, which meant she'd never get to see his two tattoos.
Now wasn't that annoying.
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA
22 September - 06:42 EST
As the elevator doors closed with mother and daughter inside, Helen Renault reached for Mallory's hand. Mallory not only held on but sidled closer so that they stood shoulder to shoulder. At fourteen, Mallory had surpassed her mother in height.
Helen could feel the tremor in her daughter's hand and the clamminess of her own palm. They weren't supposed to be here. Since Gabe's arrest four days ago, they hadn't been allowed to see him at all. But Doctor Shafer had treated Gabe a month back when he'd been medevaced from the South Korea Peninsula. He'd befriended Helen and Mallory when they'd come to collect the husband and father who'd been declared dead.
At four a.m. this morning, Dr. Shafer had wakened Helen with a phone call. If she wanted to see her husband, Gabe was currently under his care at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. He would let her in, providing she managed to get over there before the guards showed up.
Helen hadn't wasted more than a minute to brush her teeth and drag a comb through her long, blond hair. She'd gone to wake her daughter and found Mallory in the kitchen grabbing two granola bars from the pantry. "Let's go," Mal had said.
Obviously Helen wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping lately.
With a warning chime, the elevator doors swooshed open. Helen and Mallory peered warily into the hallway of the psychiatric wing. It appeared deserted. They scurried furtively down the hallway to room 314, where Dr. Shafer had said Gabe was undergoing medical tests.
The door to the room stood partly open. Helen pushed it wider and they both peered in. The curtains at the window were drawn back, revealing a sky the color of peach sorbet. Dr. Shafer looked up from a machine that was connected by wires to Gabe's head. Gabe's eyes were closed. At Helen's indrawn breath, his lids sprang open. He glanced alertly in her direction, his tense body conditioned to expect the worst, thanks to the cruelty of his captors in his twelve months spent in North Korea.
He was visibly astonished to see them. "Helen. Mal!" He struggled to sit up. With an impatient mutter, he peeled the suction cups off his forehead and chest and tossed them aside, scrambling out of bed to greet them. He held his arms open.
Be strong, Helen commanded herself as they both rushed forward. Be like Mallory.
But Mallory pushed her face into Gabe's shoulder and couldn't look up again. Seeing Mal so distraught made it impossible for Helen not to cry. As she leaned against her husband's familiar body, hot tears gushed from her eyes.
"Come on, ladies," Gabe chided, holding them tightly. "It's not that bad."
"We've missed you," Helen confessed in a strangled voice.
"I've missed you, too."
"No one will let us see you. I don't understand!"
"That's just the way the Navy operates, sweetheart. No visitors while I'm under medical evaluation. Dr. Shafer knows I'm not dangerous, though, don't you, Doc?"
Through tear-blurred eyes, Helen noted Dr. Shafer's compassionate smile. He crossed the room and busied himself with paperwork, giving Gabe and his family a modicum of privacy.
"What's going to happen, Gabe?" Helen whispered. It wasn't fair that her newfound happiness was being threatened by
Similar Books
