Free Sucker Punched (Resilient Hearts Series Book One 1) by L Owen Page B

sadness about her.
    I give her a quick hug. “Hi, Wendy. I got here as soon as I could.”
    We walk into the kitchen, and Wendy offers me a seat at the table. “I really appreciate you coming. Do you want anything to eat?” she asks.
    “No thanks. I got something on the road. How is he?” I ask, hoping it’s not as bad as I think it is.
    She joins me at the table. “He’s not in a good place emotionally. Physically, his arm is healing well, and we hope to get him fitted with a prosthetic in the next few weeks. The burns are healing well, too. The few months healing abroad helped. Like I say, it’s the emotional side of things that have me worried. I think the man I love is gone. Ethan, he’s so lost!”
    The devastation in Wendy’s eyes brings back unwanted memories. It’s the same way Roman looked when I first came home. I push the vision back; it won’t help Wendy or Simon if I can’t keep it together. Taking her hand in mine, I give it a gentle squeeze, desperately trying to offer some reassurance.
    “I promise I’ll do all I can to help him. How are you doing?”
    “I’m not too good to be honest.” She wipes a tear from her face. I continue to hold her hand, sensing she needs the support. “It’s just, whatever I do is never good enough. I know that sounds selfish, and I don’t mean to.”
    “That doesn’t sound selfish at all. He may be going through the majority of it, but it will affect you all. Have you thought about having him go to the rehabilitation center I told you about? It really helped me.”
    Frowning she says, “I haven’t even asked him yet. I don’t want him to think I don’t love him like this, or that I want to send him away.”
    “It’s not like that, but I understand why you feel the way you do. Leave it to me. Where is he?”
    “In the bedroom, last door on the right.”
    “Ok, give me some time with him. Wendy, I promise I’m here for you both.” And with my last comment her tears begin to flow.
    “I’m sorry, I’ll be ok. It’s just all too much sometimes.”
    I sit with her until her tears dry up. Once she’s calmed down, I give her shoulder a quick squeeze and go in search of Simon.
    While I’m walking down the corridor to Simon’s room, my phone starts to ring. It’s Nicola. I really don’t have the time or the patience to deal with her right now. The thing is, if I don’t answer, she won’t stop calling. I decide to get it over with. I shut the door to the spare room and sit on the bed, and the phone stops ringing and then immediately starts again. Just like I knew it would.
    “Hello,” I snap. A loud wailing cry echoes down the line. Well shit. Nicola is a bitch. Nastiness and shouting I expect to hear from her but not blubbering. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her cry. “Nicola?” I say, but not as harshly this time.
    “Hi,” she says between sniffles.
    “You ok? What’s happened?”
    “That British bitch!” Her tears seem to have dried up pretty quickly.
    Holding my thumb and index finger to my temple and scrunching my eyes shut, I grind out, “Her name’s Caitlin. What’s happened now?”
    “She was really rude to me in the coffee shop. I wanted to get something to eat, and she wouldn’t serve me. Then she told me to leave you alone; that you’re her boyfriend not mine. I thought we were working towards something ourselves!”
    Something doesn’t seem right. The Caitlin I’m getting to know isn’t going to refuse to serve a customer, even if that customer is Nicola. She wasn’t keen on me at first, but she was always professional. As for saying I’m her boyfriend, there’s no way. I can’t see that happening at all. She is really shy and private, especially when it comes to me. I’ll bring it up when I call her later, but if I tell Nicola I don’t believe her, she’ll never leave me in peace. I decide to appease her.
    “Look, I’ll talk to her later, but I’m away at the moment helping a friend. I really have to