Walker Revenge (The Walker Family Series Book 5) (6 page)

“We all rebound. Russell included. Please
come live with us, work for us, and get Russ back on his feet.”

It was the generosity and sincerity of
Glenda Walker that had Chelsea seriously considering the offer.

“I would be honored to do this for you
all.”

The smile on Glenda’s lips widened. “That
makes me very happy. I’m very excited to have you both here,” she
said taking Lucas’s hand and he giggled.

“But I want to talk to Russ first,” Chelsea
said. “I want to be the one to tell him that I’ll be here.”

Glenda’s smile faded, only slightly. “If you
think that would be best.”

“I do.”

She nodded, but Chelsea wasn’t sure she
agreed. It wasn’t something she could worry about. It was the right
thing to do, and God knew she’d done enough wrong by Russell. It
was time she did something right.

Chapter Six

For the first time, in a very long while,
Chelsea felt at ease as she drove toward town. Sure, Martha took
great care of Lucas, but that morning when she’d left him in the
arms of Glenda, he’d smiled and waved goodbye. He knew he was in
good hands, too.

It felt odd to be going to the hospital when
she didn’t have a shift. That could be the fact that her heart was
ramming in her chest, her palms were damp, and her stomach clenched
at the very thought at what Russell might have to say about his
mother’s plan.

Chelsea parked in the visitor lot and walked
into the hospital.

Deciding that she needed a few more moments
to calm herself before going up to talk to Russell, she stopped in
the coffee shop and ordered a coffee. As she waited, she noticed
the chocolate chunk cookie in the case. Knowing Russell’s dietary
restrictions had been lifted, she thought it might ease her
entrance if she walked in with his favorite cookie.

Moments later she walked down the hall to
his room. Standing just outside his door, she took a minute to
collect herself before pushing open the door.

The room was dark, and Russell lay
peacefully asleep. She could turn around, and he’d never know she
was there, but that wasn’t the purpose. This time, she was there
for him. She’d wait for him to wake.

Chelsea set her purse in the chair by his
bedside and the bag from the coffee shop on his table. She shrugged
out of her coat and draped it over the back of the chair.

Taking her coffee, she walked toward the
window and gazed out over the city she loved. She could have gone
to Florida with her family, but she knew she would never have been
happy. It was hard staying in Georgia, and making it all work with
a baby and school. But she was doing it, and they were doing okay.
Well, that was until the news that Dominic was let out on
parole.

She blew through the lid of her coffee
absentmindedly to cool her drink.

It would all be okay, and she’d have those
around her to thank for that. Between Phillip Smythe and the Walker
family, she and Lucas would be just fine. But she couldn’t help but
worry a little. Dominic had kidnapped Lucas once before. He’d been
driven to do it by his mother, when Chelsea had said she’d wanted
full custody. It had been the longest and worst two days of her
life. She couldn’t imagine what he might do if he came back to
Georgia now. And what if his mother still held a grudge against her
for making sure the law kept them all away from her? How long could
his parole hold him to Texas?

Her hands began to shake again, and panic
rose in her chest.

Maybe now was the perfect time for her to
leave Georgia. He’d come for her if he could, and not because he
wanted her or Lucas. He’d come to hurt them.

Russell opened his eyes slowly. The day
would come, soon, when he opened his eyes and the room would be his
room.

He took a quick inventory of everything
strapped to him before he tried to adjust for comfort. He knew he’d
go home with his arm bandaged. Of course, he’d have that stupid
bandage on his leg for weeks to come. At least he’d walk again,
though he’d been told that would take some therapy. It’d be nice if
he could walk out of that freaking hospital on his own two feet,
but now he’d just like to get out.

Movement at the window caught his attention,
and he turned to see a woman standing in the shadows. Her back was
turned to him.

It wasn’t just any woman. It was
Chelsea.

No matter how nasty they’d been to each
other since he’d been there, something in his heart lightened when
he saw her.

“Chelsea?” His voice was raspy and soft as
it broke the silence of the room causing her to flinch and splash
herself with the hot liquid in the cup.

She jumped back and wiped at her shirt. Then
she looked at him.

“Hi,” she said setting her cup on the
table.

“Which arm do you want to poke on?” he asked
as he blinked heavily, realizing he hadn’t yet shaken his sleep
completely.

“I’m here to visit. I’m not your nurse
today.”

That got his attention as he shifted in the
bed to look at her. “You’re here to visit? Another one of those
‘I’ll get another shift’ kind of visits?” The thought stung, and he
realized it had quickly taken a slice at his mood.

“No. I need to talk to you, so I’m here to
visit.”

He studied her in the dim light. “Open the
blinds. What time is it?”

“Nine,” she said walking to the window,
opening the blinds, and walking back to him.

“Nine? Damn. Whatever they give me knocks my
ass out.”

“It’s meant to. You heal better if you’re
rested and not in pain.”

At the moment, looking at her, the pain
wasn’t in his limbs. It was in his heart.

“You have a son,” he said, and Chelsea
sucked in a breath and held it before she spoke.

“Lucas. He’s almost three.”

“Does he have your father’s name as his
middle name?”

He noticed her wince. They’d discussed that
when they’d once planned a family.

Batting her eyes against the tears he'd seen
well up, she nodded. “Yes.”

Russell raised his bed to sit up, and
Chelsea adjusted the pillows around him. She might not be attending
to him today, but it was in her to always comfort people, that much
hadn’t changed. “Thank you,” he said. “Smythe told me your
ex-husband is on parole in Texas.”

She bit down on her bottom lip. “Yes.”

“He hurt you.” His is voice was a curt
whisper.

“He did. He wasn’t the man I thought he was.
I made a mistake.”

“Doesn’t mean he should hurt you,” he
offered shaking his head.

She batted her eyes. “He kidnapped Lucas.”
The first tear fell, and she quickly wiped it away. “He had him for
two days before they found them in Texas. He’d abandoned him in the
back of a car and robbed a liquor store.”

“That’s what sent him to jail?”

She nodded. “Yes. They added the charges for
domestic violence.”

“Violence?” Russell's voice grew sharp.

“Like I said, I made a mistake.”

Russell reached for her hand and held it in
his. “No, he did.”

“I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was
for everything I put you through.” She wiped at the tears that
rolled down her cheeks. “I’ve wanted to say I’m sorry for so long,
but I was embarrassed. I’ve lived this close to you for all these
years and…”

“Shh,” he hushed her. He hated when she
cried. “Water under the bridge.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chelsea’s voice
cracked under her tears. “I can’t even tell you why I did it. I
loved you so much, and I was so excited that you were coming home.
We had so many plans, Russell. So why…what makes someone…I
mean…”

“Chelsea, stop.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ve
never been so hurt in my life.”

“That doesn’t help.”

“I’m just being honest.” He gave her hand a
tug. “Get a chair and sit down with me. I’m getting a pain in my
neck looking up at you.” He smiled, and she let out a quick
laugh.

Chelsea pulled the chair up to the side of
his bed and sat down. “I brought you a cookie from the coffee shop
and a little carton of milk.”

He knew the grin on his lips had to match
the lightness in his heart at the moment. “You know me pretty well,
don’t you?”

“Well, I did,” she said reluctantly.

Russ pulled the bag to him with his free
hand.

“Let me help you,” she offered.

Chelsea took the bag and pulled out the
napkin. She laid the cookie on it and then took out the milk.

“Do you want it open to sip it or dunk?”

“Oh, dunk.”

Chelsea laughed as she opened the full top
of the carton and set it on the table. She then pushed the table
closer to him so that he could reach it with his good arm.

Russell picked up the cookie, broke it in
half, and dunked one of the halves in the milk. When it was just
right, he pulled it back and took a bite.

“That’s the best thing I’ve had in a week,”
he moaned as he chewed. “Thanks.”

“It was the least I could do. I wasn’t sure
how this visit was going to go down.”

“Because you came to tell me that you’re
going to be my nurse when I get home?”

Chelsea sat back down and clasped her hands
in her lap. “So you already know about that?”

“No. All I know is my mom is excited to have
you at the house with your son. And she thinks it would be a good
thing to have you there when I get home. I can only imagine that’s
so you can take care of me.”

“And what do you think of that?”

He pushed the table away and took a deep
breath. He’d had all night to think about it.

“I don’t think it’s a good thing at all.” He
cleared his throat. “I’ve been so mad at you for the past three
years. I mourned us. I was pissed as hell. Confused. Then I wake up
in the hospital, and you’re here. Suddenly…I don’t know what to
think.”

“So, I should let your mom know this isn’t
going to work.” She stood and pushed back the chair. “I’m going to
go pick up Lucas and…”

“Sit down,” he ordered, and he noticed how
gruff it sounded.

Chelsea stood there frozen. He kept his eyes
locked on hers then looked back at the chair as if to direct her
back to it.

Slowly she sat back down, twisted her
fingers together, and kept her eyes to the floor.

“Russ, there’s no reason for me to stay if
you think this is all a bad idea.”

“Look at me,” he demanded quietly. Chelsea
lifted her eyes. “You’re leaving me hurt. I didn’t know about Lucas
until yesterday.”

“That’s why I was in such a hurry the other
day. I had to pick him up.”

“I just wish I’d known.” He reached for her
again. “My mom wants to protect you and Lucas. She thinks that
having you around our family will do that.”

“I know. I’m very thankful for her
generosity.”

“Chelsea, I’m so mad that you were involved
with a man that would hurt you.”

“I know. I think about it every day.”

“I never would have done that to you.”

Chelsea bit down on her lip. “I know. I hate
myself for what I’ve done to you—to me.”

“Don’t say that. I suppose the part of my
mother inside of me knows that it was fate. We weren’t meant to be
together, but I guess it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

She sniffed back the tears. “Friends is a
good start,” she said as she sniffed. “I don’t know that I deserve
your friendship, but I’d like to be your friend.”

“Good,” he said rubbing his thumb over her
knuckles. “So you’re going to be living in the house? Both of
you?”

“Yes. Your mother has arranged for me to
finish my training, supervised, while helping you recover.”

His smile widened. “I think you’re exactly
the medicine I need.”

“Russ, I’m so sorry.”

“You have to stop saying that.” Her
apologies were making him nearly as mad as the act of losing her.
“And I have to stop being mad,” he said, realizing it was a two-way
street. He rested his head back against the pillow. “I told you I
loved you the other day, didn’t I?”

Chelsea wiped away the rest of her tears.
“You did. You were heavily sedated.”

Russell nodded. “I guess that means it came
out of sincerity, right? Truth serum?”

She laughed. “I suppose. You also said you
wanted to apologize to me, though I can’t imagine why.”

He turned his head to look at her. “I wanted
to apologize for being wrong for you. Somewhere I must have done
something that drove you to love someone else. I’m sorry for
whatever that was.”

Chelsea pulled her hand from his and stood
with her back turned. He could see her shoulders rise and fall. She
was crying. Perhaps he’d done something horrible to drive her away,
though he didn’t know what that was.

“Chels…”

“I was afraid you were going to die in
combat, Russ. I had it in my head that you wouldn’t come back to
me. I got angry about it, and I pushed myself away from your
family.” She turned back frantically wiping at her tears. “It’s
stupid. I get that. But I’d met a few girls who had husbands and
boyfriends who were deployed, and they felt the same way. One of
them told me her fiancé had cheated on her with a woman who was
stationed with him. It made me worry. Then the other woman said
she’d started drinking because she worried about her husband so
much. When I thought about it, all I could think about was how much
we would fight. You and I were always at each other, so how were we
going to be fine when you got home?”

She covered her mouth and walked back to the
side of his bed. “It’s stupid. It’s all so stupid. I worked myself
up so much over it that lost all common sense. Then my family moved
away, and I was alone.” She sucked in a breath. “I knew Dominic for
a week before I let him take me home. I thought maybe that’s what I
needed. I needed someone who was here for me.”

Russell squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn’t
sure he wanted to hear this, but he knew she needed to say it.