As we sat at a red light, I turned to take Lucy in. She had a renewed confidence about her, and wasn’t afraid or tense like she had been the past few days. Her entire body seemed relaxed, and I was relieved to see it.
The light turned green, and I reached out to take her hand before I pressed the gas.
“What you did today,” I said, “I was really trying to spare you getting hurt. But when I went online and read some of what was written, I couldn’t let it go on. You’ve worked too hard to put the past behind you. I’d feel horrible if you lost your job.” When she sucked in a breath, I gave her a sharp look. “What is it?”
“A lot has happened in the past few hours,” she said, which was an understatement if I’d ever heard one. “I spoke to the school’s administrator and told him I was resigning.”
I jerked my head her way, immediately feeling a pain in my chest. “What? Did he force you to do that? Let me talk to him.”
“No. It was my decision. But I already have another job.”
Rather than sounding depressed, she was the opposite. When I glanced back at her again, she was beaming.
“Your brother Jack hired me. Isn’t that great?” A cute giggle escaped her. “I honestly think he made up the position, but I’m looking forward to it. Details still need to be discussed, but I’m excited.”
Wow. I couldn’t believe the turnabout in her. I knew I loved Lucy’s strength, but the way she had adapted to the changes lately made me love her even more.
Squeezing her hand, I said, “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. I’m proud of myself too.”
When we pulled into the parking lot of the veterans’ hospital a few minutes later, she gave me a curious look.
“Come on,” I said. “There are some people I want you to meet.”
After we said our hellos to the women at the reception desk and acquired our visitor badges, we made our way to the rec room, which was so bleak, it annoyed me. Some of the men and women had been here for months, and the drab gray walls were depressing.
Three guys were playing cards on a small rolling table that had been pulled over one of the beds. Hand in hand, we walked up to them.
“Gentleman, what is today’s game?” I looked down at the cards and smiled. “Ah . . . Gin.”
“If it isn’t Drake Prescott himself.” Tommy, who had lost his lower left leg to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, slowly got up to shake my hand. “Who is this beauty?” His eyes sparkled as he looked at Lucy.
“This is Lucy, my girlfriend.” As he shook her hand, I said, “Lucy, this is Tommy. We went to high school together and planned on enlisting at the same time, but then I couldn’t go with him.”
Lucy gave him a warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you. And thank you for your service.”
Tommy nodded and tilted his head at me. “You got a great guy here.”
“Yes, I do. Thank you.”
He sat back down, and I introduced Lucy to Mick and John, who looked to be losing to Tommy.
When the introductions were done, I said, “It’s good to see you all. I’m going to show Lucy around.”
Mick waved. “See you soon, Prescott. Thanks for stopping by.”
As we walked away, Lucy squeezed my hand. When I looked at her, she was wiping away a tear.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s just all so sad.” With concerned eyes, she scanned the room. “There are so many people here.”
“There are, and I try to come as often as I can. Those men I introduced you to are my age. We most likely would have all been together, if I’d been able to enlist. They’re doing okay, given the circumstances. Mick lost his vision in one eye, and John, well, his story was sad. His PTSD was so bad, he had recurring nightmares. He’s here on a grant my family provided. Some thought he might need to be institutionalized, but he just needed to be near his men. He was a commander of a platoon, and only he and another soldier survived.”
A sigh escaped her. “They should paint the walls yellow or something cheery.”
I walked her away a few paces, near a small round table where some men were reading and others were just hanging out.
“Earlier you said you didn’t want me to give up my dreams, but lately, I feel as if what I thought I wanted isn’t what I should be doing.”
Her brows drew together as she peered up at me. “What are you saying? You don’t want to be in politics?”
“I love my job, I do. But when I saw what it was doing to you, it forced me to look at the big picture. When I threw my hat into the political ring, I did it with the intention of helping people, being a voice for them and doing what’s best. But you and I both know I can only do so much. Yes, if I were president, I’d be able to do more, but I can do more now.”
“Drake, what is it that you want to do?”
“See these men and women? There are so many more like them. Most don’t have jobs once they leave here, and it’s hard for them to get back on their feet. Some have suffered severe trauma and have to reteach themselves how to read and write.”
I took both her hands in mine. “I want to help them, Lucy. They shouldn’t have to continue to fight to live when they fought for our freedom, so I want to start a non-profit to assist them. I’d do legal work pro bono, and get volunteers to help them find work and anything else they may need. Granted, I need to make a living, so I’m going to return to practicing law again and rejoin my mother’s firm.”
Lucy’s eyes grew wide, and before she could say anything, I said quickly, “I love politics—you know I do—and I plan to be involved, but I won’t be running for another term. Not right now. Being able to help men and women like those here is what I want to be doing.”
Hopeful, I looked into her beautiful eyes and was relieved to see that she understood.
She nodded. “That sounds like an excellent plan, if you’re sure.”
“I am.”
“Then I think that’s what you should do.”
After she placed a quick kiss on my lips, a man sitting in the corner reading Curious George drew her attention.
“That’s Christopher,” I said.
“What happened to him?”
“He had a stroke when he returned from combat. They think it happened there, but they can’t be sure.”
Lucy got up and walked over to him. I watched as she shook his hand and sat next to him. For the next hour, they read together while I made my rounds, chatting with others in the room. As I did, I couldn’t help but continue to glance at Lucy. Her patience was unwavering as she and Christopher slowly turned the pages of a children’s book. Then they smiled at each other and exchanged a few words before she walked back to me.
“I’d like to help too,” she said with a big grin. “Where do I sign up?”
So proud of my girl, I pulled her to my chest and hugged her before giving her a quick kiss. “You put yourself out there for me today, and I’ll never forget it.”
“Initially, I did do it for you, but when I was speaking, it was as if a weight was lifted off of me. Granted, I’d told my story to you and your family, but what I did today felt different. It was for both of us. I love you, Drake, and I want to be by your side and help wherever and however I can, no matter what you decide to do.”
My heart soared. That was exactly what I’d wanted to hear.
“So, we’ll do this together?”
She nodded. “Yes. Together.”
We headed back to the parking lot, and as we were buckling up in my car, I said, “Today must have been so difficult. Especially since that tacky reporter was there.”
“That’s the thing,” she said with a shrug. “It wasn’t. It’s funny, and not in a comical way, but in a strange one. For so many years, I protected myself against what people would think, but today, I wanted to protect you. It felt like second nature. I know how strange that sounds, because it even sounds strange to my own ears.”
I shook my head. “That’s how I felt too. It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction, but I wanted to renounce my candidacy to protect you from anything that could hurt you. But my lady love is much stronger than I gave her credit for.”