Read Online The Homecoming: Countdown to Armageddon: Book 5 by Darrell Maloney - Free Book Online

Scott took her in his arms and kissed her. Her knees went weak, her body went limp, and she dropped the handful of flowers onto the floor.
         And a group of four nurses, watching from a safe distance, broke out in spontaneous applause.
         It turned out that the eavesdropping nurse didn’t just run away to tend to her work. Sensing that a tender moment was in the wind, she gathered up a crowd to watch.
         And they weren’t disappointed.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
    -11-
     
         Scott took Becky by the hand and led her past the gaggle of nurses to the break room. As she walked past her friends, a couple of them reached out to touch her shoulder and arm. Just to let her know they were happy for her. It turned out that they knew of the feelings she had for Scott, even though she’d tried to keep it a secret from everyone. They were happy to see that the feelings were mutual.
         He sat her down at a table in the back of the break room. The room mysteriously emptied out, as the others in the room sensed there was something special going on.
         Several of the nurses hung around in the hallway, though, watching through the window in the break room door, as though they wanted to share in Becky’s moment.
         And, indeed, some of them genuinely would have liked to. Most of them were widowed now, either because their husbands struck out in search of supplies or to find a safer place and never returned. Or couldn’t take it anymore and committed suicide. Or succumbed to the plague. Most of them were now alone and wanted their own version of Scott.
         But they all loved Becky as a sister. And none of them would begrudge her finding hers.
         The odd thing was, everyone at the hospital seemed to know about Becky’s love for Scott, except for Scott himself. As was the case with many men, he was clueless in the ways of romance and love. He’d simply looked past the signs and missed the usual cues.
         “I have so many things I want to talk to you about,” he told her as he sat next to her at the table. “And when I get finished telling you these things, you’ll probably tell me that your heart still belongs to Johnny. That you don’t want a man in your life, and that I should just go away. But please, first let me plead my case.”
         Becky was tempted to tell him he was being foolish, but she decided no, she wanted to hear this.
         “Go on,” she said.
         “I’ve loved you for a very long time. When I woke up in the hospital, after I got shot, I saw how special you were. Yes, I know, men have a bad habit of falling for their nurses, but it wasn’t that. I could see that you were much more than just a nurse. You were an angel without wings. You truly cared.
         “I fought hard to keep from falling for you. At the time I belonged to Joyce, and my love for her was strong. I would not let myself disrespect her by falling for another woman. So I didn’t.
         “In the weeks following her death, I lost a lot of sleep. I knew that my love for you was growing, but I didn’t want to soil her memory by moving on too quickly. She was a wonderful woman, and she deserved a man who would mourn for her. So again, I fought the feelings I had for you. I tried not to love you. I looked for every little flaw of yours, even made some up, to pretend you weren’t worth my love. But it was a sham. I knew you were as perfect a woman as I’d ever known. I also knew I was losing the battle.
         “When you made me paint that brick and add it to the memorial garden, it helped me in a lot of ways. It helped me be more open with my grief. It helped me put things into a greater perspective. It made me see that although Joyce was gone, that my love for her would always be a part of me. That she would always be a part of me.
         “But with your help I was