Chapter One
The bright sunlight almost blinded Leo Santini the moment he walked into Jeff’s hospital room.
“Dammit to hell,” he muttered.
“Still a vampire, I see,” Jeff said with a chuckle.
Leo squinted at him. “And you’re still a sun loving freak from Florida.”
As Leo approached the bed, he felt some of his anxiety dissipate. His old boot camp buddy looked better than he expected. After the report he read on Jeff’s injuries, Leo hadn’t been sure what to expect. Just the fact he wasn’t completely medicated meant he was making strides.
“Freak? Please. You’re the one who moved to Texas.”
He settled in the chair beside the bed. “Please. Not like teaching at Ft Sam was my first choice. Of course, it allows me to see your sorry ass.”
Leo glanced around the room. There were four beds but at the moment, only two of them were occupied.
“Smith, this is Leo Santini, an old buddy of mine who is teaching here as a medic. Leo this is Roy Smith.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” he said.
“Don’t call me sir, I work for a living,” Leo said good-naturedly.
“I wonder what Vince would say about that.”
Leo stretched out his legs as he thought about his brother who was a Marine Lt Col select.
“Last time I said it to him, he suggested I do something that was anatomically impossible.”
Jeff chuckled and closed his eyes. “Santinis never mince words.”
“That’s definitely true. My mother is ashamed of our manners.”
He looked good, almost healthy considering that an IED tried to blow him to hell and back. There were still dark circles under his eyes, but Leo understood that probably had more to do with memories than anything else. “Need me to leave?”
Jeff shook his head and opened his eyes. “I’m resting up for my physical therapy.”
Smith laughed.
Jeff frowned in his direction. “That’s right. Laugh it up. Me, I have to deal with her today.”
“Her?” Leo asked.
“The physical therapist. Johnson. She’s...scary.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Smith said. Leo got a better look at him and realized the soldier was much younger, probably a year or two younger than Leo’s youngest brother, Gianni. His red hair and freckles along with the baby face that probably made people think he was younger than he actually was.
“Are you telling me you two are afraid of a woman?”
Jeff laughed. “Spoken like a man who has never been married. But yes, I’m afraid of her. She’s tiny, but she’s a terror.”
“Can’t you ask for someone else? It would mean just talking to her commander...”
Leo broke off when the two men started laughing again. They were so loud he doubted either of them would have heard him anyway.
“Yeah, no. That’s not going to happen. First of all, she’s a civilian. Most of the therapists here are. And, truthfully, I was lucky to get her. She’s a battleax but she’s the best from what I understand. I just wish she wasn’t so mean.”
He was going to ask more about the woman, but she’d obviously been eavesdropping.
“So, you brought in someone to bitch to, soldier?”
The voice was strong, southern, and—as the men had said—scary.
He turned expecting to see an older woman built like a Mac truck. Instead, he found a woman who would have been blown away from a hard wind. She was lucky if she hit five-foot-three and she was as tiny as Jeff had said. Small-boned, with long dark hair that she had up in a ponytail, she looked so…well not sweet. Her aquamarine eyes narrowed as she studied Jeff. Her scrubs had some kind of cartoon character on them, but she wasn’t smiling. Instead, she settled her petite fists on her waist and frowned.
“Well, are you going to answer me, soldier? Or are you Army guys just too wussy to actually answer a little bitty woman like me.”
“You didn’t give me a chance,” Jeff said.
“Oh, sorry. Forgot what branch of the military you’re in. I will allow time for
The bright sunlight almost blinded Leo Santini the moment he walked into Jeff’s hospital room.
“Dammit to hell,” he muttered.
“Still a vampire, I see,” Jeff said with a chuckle.
Leo squinted at him. “And you’re still a sun loving freak from Florida.”
As Leo approached the bed, he felt some of his anxiety dissipate. His old boot camp buddy looked better than he expected. After the report he read on Jeff’s injuries, Leo hadn’t been sure what to expect. Just the fact he wasn’t completely medicated meant he was making strides.
“Freak? Please. You’re the one who moved to Texas.”
He settled in the chair beside the bed. “Please. Not like teaching at Ft Sam was my first choice. Of course, it allows me to see your sorry ass.”
Leo glanced around the room. There were four beds but at the moment, only two of them were occupied.
“Smith, this is Leo Santini, an old buddy of mine who is teaching here as a medic. Leo this is Roy Smith.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” he said.
“Don’t call me sir, I work for a living,” Leo said good-naturedly.
“I wonder what Vince would say about that.”
Leo stretched out his legs as he thought about his brother who was a Marine Lt Col select.
“Last time I said it to him, he suggested I do something that was anatomically impossible.”
Jeff chuckled and closed his eyes. “Santinis never mince words.”
“That’s definitely true. My mother is ashamed of our manners.”
He looked good, almost healthy considering that an IED tried to blow him to hell and back. There were still dark circles under his eyes, but Leo understood that probably had more to do with memories than anything else. “Need me to leave?”
Jeff shook his head and opened his eyes. “I’m resting up for my physical therapy.”
Smith laughed.
Jeff frowned in his direction. “That’s right. Laugh it up. Me, I have to deal with her today.”
“Her?” Leo asked.
“The physical therapist. Johnson. She’s...scary.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Smith said. Leo got a better look at him and realized the soldier was much younger, probably a year or two younger than Leo’s youngest brother, Gianni. His red hair and freckles along with the baby face that probably made people think he was younger than he actually was.
“Are you telling me you two are afraid of a woman?”
Jeff laughed. “Spoken like a man who has never been married. But yes, I’m afraid of her. She’s tiny, but she’s a terror.”
“Can’t you ask for someone else? It would mean just talking to her commander...”
Leo broke off when the two men started laughing again. They were so loud he doubted either of them would have heard him anyway.
“Yeah, no. That’s not going to happen. First of all, she’s a civilian. Most of the therapists here are. And, truthfully, I was lucky to get her. She’s a battleax but she’s the best from what I understand. I just wish she wasn’t so mean.”
He was going to ask more about the woman, but she’d obviously been eavesdropping.
“So, you brought in someone to bitch to, soldier?”
The voice was strong, southern, and—as the men had said—scary.
He turned expecting to see an older woman built like a Mac truck. Instead, he found a woman who would have been blown away from a hard wind. She was lucky if she hit five-foot-three and she was as tiny as Jeff had said. Small-boned, with long dark hair that she had up in a ponytail, she looked so…well not sweet. Her aquamarine eyes narrowed as she studied Jeff. Her scrubs had some kind of cartoon character on them, but she wasn’t smiling. Instead, she settled her petite fists on her waist and frowned.
“Well, are you going to answer me, soldier? Or are you Army guys just too wussy to actually answer a little bitty woman like me.”
“You didn’t give me a chance,” Jeff said.
“Oh, sorry. Forgot what branch of the military you’re in. I will allow time for
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