Sean was about going crazy by the time the guy was done looking, because he wasn’t saying a thing. “So, what do you think?”
“Definite improvement. Swelling is going down. I’m cautiously hopeful that your sight will return to normal or close to normal. In the meantime, you need to keep the eye covered to reduce strain and let it rest. I’ll have the nurse come in and take care of your dressings. And I don’t see any reason why we can’t discharge you today.”
“Can Dani do it?” Sean asked. “The bandages, I mean.” His not-quite-right gaze cut to her. “If you don’t mind.” He didn’t want to be surrounded by false cheer and hopeful platitudes. He wanted Dani’s straight-shooting candor, brutal though it could be.
“Sure. Yes,” she said.
“Very good.” The doc nodded. “It’ll probably be a few hours before discharge, but we’ll get things underway.”
“Thanks,” Sean managed. When the man left, Sean looked to Dani, the question on the tip of his tongue.
She didn’t make him ask. “It’s very good news, Sean.”
“‘Close to normal’, though—”
“Is what he has to say. No doctor is going to promise you’ll be healed until you are.”
He blew out a breath. “Yeah. Okay.”
Just then, Patricia returned with a syringe that she inserted into his IV. It took less than a minute for the warm fuzzies to spread over him.
When they were alone again, Dani leaned in close. “Lay your head back and rest while I go get some supplies.”
Sean didn’t even try to resist. Two drinks of water, some banter, and an examination by the doctor had left his run-over ass exhausted. And the meds were lulling him to sleep.
“I’ll be back.” She made for the door.
“I’ll be here,” he managed, closing his eyes so he didn’t have to face the reality that his sight was fucked up. And might stay that way.
Chapter Four
Dani returned to find that Sean’s breakfast had been delivered. Not that he knew since the guy was sound asleep. She settled the bandages on the tray for later and dropped into the chair in the corner. And then she found herself staring at the man who so often drove her freaking nuts.
It was different seeing him this way. Obviously hurting but putting up a brave front. Understandably scared but trying to make her laugh. In no condition for…anything, but still flirting with her. Her gaze tracked over the curve of stitches that ran under his eyebrow and down the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t just lucky that his vision would likely return. As close as that cut ran, it was lucky that he hadn’t lost the eye. Period.
She retrieved her cell phone and debated whether it was too early to send texts, but came down on the side of thinking everyone would want to be updated. She created a group chat and tapped out a message.
Hey all. The latest on Sean. Improvement in his eye though still some blurriness. Being discharged in a few hours. Between the vision issues and the chest wall injury, he’s probably going to need some help for the next week. I don’t work until tomorrow morning and I have off on Thursday so I can handle that plus today and tonight. Let me know if you can help.
Dani hit Send, then dropped her head back against the chair. And wished she’d been able to be there for Anthony this way.
It was a ridiculous, self-defeating thought, really. She knew it was. Because Anthony had never made it into the emergency room. He’d never laid in a hospital bed so that someone could sit at his side while he slept. Even if she hadn’t been out on a flight run, she never would’ve had the opportunity to do this for him. But no one ever accused guilt of being rational.
Tangled in thought, Dani twisted the silver feather ring she wore on her right middle finger. Granny had given it to her for her fifteenth birthday and Dani had rarely taken it off since. On the inside was inscribed the Kiowa word, “MAHYEHN,” which meant “woman.” Dani could still remember how grown up and special she’d felt when she opened the little box.
She peered out the window, out to where the June sun shined streams of white gold through the dancing jade leaves of a tree. The day had been equally brilliant when she’d lost Anthony, though there wasn’t much green to speak of at Bagram. All these years later, Dani still couldn’t decide if Mother Nature was being cruel or reassuring when the weather was so pretty in the midst of the emotional storm that tore apart her life.
God, that storm had raged inside her for so long. Long enough that her commanding officer had been forced to tell her she needed a leave of absence. Long enough that she’d finally realized that leave could never be long enough to allow her to do the job as well as she needed. So she’d gotten out of the army.