“Yeah. It was rough. Did you see that broken leg that Doctor Carter had to set?” She shuddered. Even medical staff could be shocked and grossed out at times.
“Ugh!” Abby laughed, leaning her head back against her locker. “I’m glad he landed that patient instead of me.”
Cathy nodded, then sighed as she pushed herself to her feet. “I don’t think I have the energy to change clothes.”
Abby opened her eyes and looked at her friend. “You have blood on the side of your…”
“Darn it!” Cathy snapped, then tugged the scrubs off and tossed them into the bin for sanitizing. They changed into their street clothes and headed out to their cars. “Are you seeing him again tonight?”
Abby smiled, her exhaustion lifting as she thought about Zeke. “Yeah. Probably.”
Cathy grinned. “I’m glad for you, Abby. You deserve a good guy like him. And you’re probably the best person to handle his quirky job requirements.”
Abby had just pulled her keys out of her purse when she registered Cathy’s words. “Quirky? He’s just…”
Cathy chuckled, shaking her head. “Abby, he’s not a trainer.” She shrugged, “Colonel Jeffers might train the teams, but he’s one of those bad ass dudes that flies out to resolve dangerous situations around the world.”
Abby frowned, her eyes narrowing. “But…he’s always here.”
“No, he’s not. Remember a few weeks ago? He left abruptly and you thought he’d dumped you.”
She remembered, her heart twisting at those painful memories. “But…he’s…he’s just a regular guy,” she protested, her voice barely above a whisper now as the truth started to seep into her mind. “He’s not…”
Cathy saw the pain in Abby’s eyes and moved closer, laying a comforting hand on Abby’s shoulder. “We can never know for sure, Abby, but Zeke is probably part of the Delta Force team. They are super secretive, and they’re the Army’s version of the SEALs. That’s why I thought that you and Zeke were a good couple. Because your father was a Navy SEAL. I just thought…?”
Abby shook her head, not sure how to handle this news. Zeke was Special Forces? Although, now she thought about it, it made sense. Some of what Zeke had said over the past few weeks, the way he trained so hard, his discipline, and…well, lots of little things. Was he Special Forces? Was he one of the guys that dove into hot spots? Her father used to joke with his fellow SEALs about how he would dive out of a plane and parachute into jungles or buildings or even onto a ship. Did Zeke do that too? Was he one of those men who put their lives in horrific danger?
“I…” Abby tried, but the words wouldn’t come to her. She couldn’t seem to think anything other than to question Zeke’s job.
“Talk to him, Abby. Talk to Zeke. I could be wrong.”
Abby nodded, not really listening. She got into her car and…sat for a long moment. She couldn’t drive. Not yet anyway. She was too distracted and, after today’s crises, Abby didn’t want to put other drivers in danger simply because she was too distracted to pay attention. So instead, she pulled her cell phone out and texted Zeke, asking if he was coming over. It was a stupid question since he came over to her house practically every night.
Come to think of it, there had been a couple nights when he hadn’t come over but had told her he’d see her by morning. Had he left the country or done something dangerous during those hours when he was gone?
Abby rubbed her forehead, trying to think.
When she got Zeke’s response, which was a firm, “Yes!” she smiled, but…then she sighed. “Just talk to him,” she said aloud. Starting her car, she forced herself to focus on driving home.
Zeke stared at the message, feeling his gut clench with worry. Something was wrong. Was Abby hurt? Was she in danger? He stepped out of the shower and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a red tee shirt. He’d planned on making stir fry for dinner tonight, but hadn’t gone to the grocery store yet to get the ingredients. He preferred going shopping with Abby anyway, because it helped him get to know her better. He loved discovering the little things about her, such as that she liked red bell peppers but not green ones, even though they were the same thing. She liked raw carrots, but hated cooked carrots.
He loved cooking for her. He loved baking for her too. She was so appreciative of even the small things and he…hell, he loved her. He loved the way she rubbed his shoulders at night when he was sore from a workout. He loved the way she closed her eyes when she took her first bite of warm bread, savoring the flavors. He loved the way she snuck one of his cookies while she blended her spinach and avocado smoothies in the morning, then pretended that she wasn’t chewing when he walked in and caught her.
He loved the way she worried about her patients, even after they’d gone to one of the specialists within the hospital. She was an emergency room doctor, so she only saw her patients for a short period of time, but Abby still considered them “her” patients. Whenever he spotted her nibbling the side of her mouth, he knew she was thinking about a patient.
So, as he pulled into a parking space in front of her apartment, he looked up into her windows, wondering what was going on. It had only been one text message, but Zeke had felt a vibration in the world and knew she was upset about something.
Sure enough, as soon as he stepped into her apartment, she turned to face him, the muscles in her face drawn and her eyes alert.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked,
