The pine-scented air freshener dangled from his rearview mirror, swayed hypnotically while images of the wreck pounded through his brain.
He couldn't think of that. Not with so much at stake and convincing her likely to be a hellacious battle. Safer to focus on the work ahead of him.
Priorities in order, he fixed his mind on a dual mission as unwavering as his path behind the emergency vehicle. He had a family to patch together. And a niggling question to solve.
Why had the van swerved deliberately toward Rena's car, rather than away?
Chapter 3
Tucked into her hospital bed, Rena extended her arm for the nurse's routine blood pressure check, antiseptic air making her long for the scents of home and the comfort of her own bed to gather her thoughts. Her foot throbbed from the sprain and four stitches, but her baby was okay and that's all that really mattered.
And J.T.?
She would face the fallout with him soon enough, once everyone left. Doctors, crewdogs, their spouses. There hadn't been a minute to talk between all the visitors and giving police statements during what was turning into the longest evening of her life.
Longest?
Well, except for when she'd waited to hear if her husband had been located after his emergency landing in Rubistan. Since J.T. was the only married crew member, the squadron commander had come to her house along with another flier's wife to tell her…
The plane had gone missing. Shot down. A special ops reconnaissance helicopter had been deployed. Hours had felt like years.
Okay, so this was the second longest evening in her life.
Tap. Tap.
Rena looked toward the door, adjusted her hospital gown. "Come in."
The door creaked open, a blond head peeking around—Julia Dawson, the wife of the previous squadron commander, an approachable down-to-earth woman in spite of their husbands' differing ranks. "Hey, there. Is it okay to visit now?"
The nurse patted Rena's arm. "Everything looks good. I'll come back later for the rest so you can visit with your friend." She circled round the empty bed in the semiprivate room on her way to the door. "Buzz if you need anything."
"Thank you." She definitely could use a friend today more than anything the hospital offered.
Canvas bag swinging from her shoulder, Julia rushed inside and swooped over for a quick hug, already lighting toward the closest chair before Rena could blink.
The leggy blond plopped into a seat beside the bed, one foot tucked under her, casually, just like her unassuming jean overalls. "Are you okay? Really? It scared me to death when I got to the support group meeting and heard what happened. I mean, God, just hours ago we were picking up Chris's car at the shop, talking about the guest speaker for tonight's meeting."
"I'm fine. Really. Just achy and shaken, but okay. I hope the meeting went ahead without me."
Julia waggled her hand. "The speaker talked, but who could listen? We were worried."
A regular at the base support group meetings for parents of special-needs children, Julia attended because her son had been born with Down syndrome. The weekly gatherings had forged a friendship with Julia that went beyond their husbands' shared profession.
The friendship between the two women had deepened into an unbreakable bond the evening Julia waited with Rena for news about J.T. Heaven only knew what it had cost the woman to stay that night, since Julia had lost her first husband to a crash.
Rena's fingers clenched around the sterile white blanket. She could never repay the gift of her comforting presence. Of course, Julia insisted friendship was priceless.
"Oh, before I forget." Julia leaned to scoop her oversize canvas bag from the floor and rummaged inside. She pulled out a lemon-yellow gift bag. "Present for you."
"You didn't need to do this. But thank you."
Julia's blue eyes twinkled as she thrust the bag forward. "Open it."
Rena grasped the top. The bag clanked and she tucked a cradling palm underneath before she peeked inside to find… "Nail polish?" Lots of it. In a rainbow assortment of colors. "How fun!"
And unusual, but then Julia Dawson was one of the most refreshingly unconventional people she'd been blessed with knowing.
"Soon you won't be able to see your toes." Julia wriggled her toes in her Birkenstocks, blue sparkly nails glinting. "So you might as well enjoy them now."