A Soldier's Return. RaeAnne Thayne

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СКАЧАТЬ you count the baby they lost and sixth if you count the fact that her first were twins—and I wanted her to feel confident and comfortable.”

      As far as Eli was concerned, his father was the iconic family physician. Wendell was dedicated to his patients, compassionate over their troubles and driven to provide them the best possible care. He had delivered some of his own patients—like Will Garrett—and was now delivering the second generation and providing care over their children.

      Those patients had saved his father, plucking him out of the deep depression Wendell had fallen into after Eli’s mother died following a short but hard-fought battle against breast cancer when Eli was twelve.

      They had both been devastated and had dealt with the blow in different ways. Eli had retreated into books, withdrawing from his friends, from baseball, from social activities. His father had done the same, focusing only on his patients and on his son.

      The pain of losing Ada Sanderson had eased over the years but hadn’t left completely. Eli suspected it never would.

      “And how are you, son? I mean, how are you really? You haven’t talked about what happened with that friend of yours, but I know it still eats at you.”

      The question, so intuitive, seemed to knock his own knees out from under him. It had always seemed impossible to conceal his inner struggles from his father’s gimlet gaze. Still, Eli did his best. He had never told Wendell how close he had been to Justine, or how her death and Miri’s had been his fault.

      Somehow he managed to summon an expression he hoped resembled a smile. “I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a beautiful time of year to be home in Oregon. I don’t remember the last April I was here. I’m not sure what I’m looking forward to more—watching the spring storms churning across the water or savoring the explosion of flowers.”

      Wendell saw right through him, as usual. His father gave him a searching look even as he shifted on his hospital bed to find a more comfortable position.

      “After all the exotic places the army has sent you, are you sure you won’t be bored out of your mind treating cold sores and high blood pressure?”

      “No. I’m looking forward to that, too, if you want the truth. It will be a nice, calm change of pace. Just what I need to decompress.”

      “Maybe this will help you figure out whether you’re going to stay in the military or settle down somewhere and open a practice. Or maybe join a practice that’s already busy with tourists and locals alike.”

      Since the day Eli finished his residency, Wendell had been after him to become his partner here.

      It had always been in his long-range plan, but how could he walk away now, with this heavy sense of responsibility he carried everywhere? He felt the weight of it even more on his shoulders now, after what happened to Justine. She had been dedicated, compassionate, completely driven to help those in turmoil. Her dedication had been silenced forever and she could no longer carry out her work. He had made a vow to carry on in her place.

      “Tell me how they have been treating you here,” he said to change the subject. “Have you already charmed all the nurses?”

      “Not all of them. A few of these nurses have been coming to my office since they were children. I’m afraid they know all my tricks by now.”

      Wendell was regaling him with a story about the surgeon who had operated on him when Eli heard a slight knock on the door.

      A moment later, it was pushed open, and a delicate-looking girl of about seven held the door open while cradling a huge cellophane-wrapped basket in the other.

      “Hi, Dr. Sanderson,” she said cheerfully, giving his father a winsome smile.

      Wendell beamed back at her. “Well, hello there, my dear. Isn’t this a lovely surprise?”

      She gave a grin, missing her two front teeth, and held up the basket. “This is for you. My mom was busy talking to her friend at the nurses station and I got tired of waiting for her, so I told her I would come by myself. This thing is heavy.”

      “Eli, help my friend Skye out and take that big basket from her before her arms break right off, will you?”

      He dutifully rose so he could take the basket out of the girl’s arms and set it on the small table next to his father’s bed.

      While he was occupied, the girl stole his chair, the one right next to Wendell’s bedside.

      “That stuff is all for you” she said, pointing to the basket. “Even the candy. My mom and I went shopping in three different stores, trying to find all the things you love.”

      “That is so sweet of you. Your mother is a treasure and so are you, my dear.”

      She giggled. “My grandma says I’m a pill and too big for my britches.”

      “I don’t doubt that’s true,” Wendell said.

      The girl turned to Eli with a curious look. “Hi,” she said brightly. “I’m Skye Fielding. What’s your name?”

      When she identified herself, he gave her a closer look. Skye Fielding. This had to be Melissa’s daughter. He should have picked up the resemblance before she even identified herself. Now he could see she shared the same vivid green eyes with her mother and the same dimple that appeared and disappeared on one side of her mouth.

      “This is my son, Elias Alexander Sanderson.”

      “Whoa. That’s a big name. It’s...” She counted on her small fingers. “Ten syllables.”

      Yes. He was fully aware. Try filling out all those letters on military forms designed for guys named Joe Smith. “You can call me Eli,” he said.

      “Hi, Eli.” She settled deeper into his chair, perfectly at home, which he found more amusing than anything he’d seen in a long time. With nowhere else to sit in the room, he leaned against the sink.

      “Mom says you got brand-new knees because your old ones hurt you all the time,” she said.

      “Old is the key word there,” Wendell muttered.

      His father wasn’t that old. He was only in his early sixties and vibrant for his age. Why hadn’t Wendell started dating and married someone? His father was still a handsome man. Judging by all the flowers and cards in his room, he was fairly popular around town, too. Maybe Eli could work on that while he was home.

      “My mom says you have to stay here for two whole weeks!”

      She seemed positively aghast at the idea.

      “It’s not that bad. They have fun things to do all day long. Games and movies and music time. Plus, they serve good food and have free popcorn in the cafeteria.”

      Eli had a feeling Wendell was trying to convince himself as much as he was the little girl. His father wasn’t thrilled about the time that loomed ahead of him in the rehabilitation center, but that was the price for his impatience and desire to do both knees at the same time, when he needed daily therapy and his house wasn’t fully accessible.

      “Free popcorn! You’re lucky. СКАЧАТЬ