SEALs Love Curves Book 6: Family

Rocky settled into a routine with the hospital staff over the next few days. He ate when they told him to eat, he did his PT when he was scheduled for that, and every minute he wasn’t doing something, he was visiting with Sly and Nikki.

Dex was staying at a local extended stay hotel near the hospital and spent the day with Rocky every day. A part of Rocky wanted time alone with Nikki instead of having it always be the four of them, but he couldn’t exactly tell Dex to get lost.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Dex asked Sly while they all played cards one afternoon.

Nikki sucked in a breath that drew Rocky’s attention. “You okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded while Sly told Dex he wanted to drive a big truck and save people. “For a long time, I didn’t think he’d ever grow up. I didn’t think he’d get to choose a career.” She met Rocky’s gaze and smiled. “Thank you for that.”

Rocky smiled back and grabbed her hand. She threaded her fingers through his and held on to him. The rest of the world disappeared while they stared at each other, holding hands like it was something they did all the time.

“Mommy, it’s your turn,” Sly said loudly, as though it wasn’t the first time he’d issued the reminder.

Rocky pulled his hand back when Nikki let go. Dex raised an eyebrow at him, but Rocky ignored his friend. He didn’t know what was going on either.

They played cards and talked until Sly yawned. “Do you need to rest?” Nikki asked, brushing the hair off his forehead.

Sly shook his head, the sandy hair falling right back to where it was. He still wore a hospital gown all day so the nurses could check his incision and help him bathe more easily. Rocky was grateful they’d given him permission to wear his own clothes since his wounds were smaller.

“I’m not tired, Mommy,” Sly argued.

“Maybe a little bit of quiet time will help you. It’s been a busy few weeks for us.”

“But I want to play cards and drive my humvee around. I can rest later.”

Nikki looked even more exhausted than Sly. The circles under her eyes had grown darker over the last few days. Rocky knew she wasn’t getting a lot of sleep in the chair she pulled out every night into a bed, and she wasn’t resting during the day. She was constantly doing something, and Rocky wondered if the downtime was more for her than it was for Sly.

“You know what,” he said with a wide yawn, “I’m getting pretty worn out. I think Dex and I are going to head back to my room for a bit so I can rest.”

“Why can’t Dex stay here with me?” Sly asked.

Dex shook his head. “I need to keep an eye on this one. Your mom is pretty awesome at making sure you do what you need to do, but Rocky doesn’t listen all that well. I need to keep him in line.” Dex pounded his fist into his opposite hand.

Sly giggled while Rocky glared at the two of them, playing along so Sly would think resting wasn’t a big deal.

He yawned and shrugged. “Okay, I guess I’m tired, too. I can try to sleep a little. But can you guys come back for dinner?”

Rocky and Dex both nodded. “Absolutely.”

Dex pushed Rocky out of the room, enjoying being the one to treat Rocky like an invalid. He’d insisted he could walk around the hospital and be on his own, but hospital policy wouldn’t let him. Besides that, the doctors refused to let him leave since they knew what he did for a living.

When they got back to the room, Rocky flopped onto his bed and Dex settled into the chair. “I need a break from this place. I wonder if they’ll let me go on a field trip.”

Dex snorted. “Not likely. If they would, you wouldn’t be here. You’re not going to survive a month of this.”

“I don’t know why I need to stay a month.”

“Although the daily routine isn’t all bad,” Dex said with a raised eyebrow.

Rocky took a deep breath and nodded. “Getting to know Sly is great. I want to tell him who I am, though.”

“Then tell him,” Dex said.

Rocky shook his head. “I can’t. Nikki has her reasons for not wanting him to know yet. I’m not going to go against her on it. She’s his mom. She’s the one who’s been there with him his whole life. If she thinks it’s best to wait, then I’ll be patient and wait.”

“I would think it was weird if some guy was hanging around all the time,” Dex said.

“Like you are?” Rocky joked.

Dex flipped him off. “Whatever. I’m here because your stubborn ass can’t leave the hospital.”

“Well, I might have some good news about that,” Rocky’s latest nurse, Bella, said as she walked in with a smile.

“About leaving?” Rocky asked hopefully.

Bella nodded. “The on-call doctor came around while you were gone and asked what was going on. I told him you’ve been going up to see Sylvester and that you have a friend in town who goes with you so you aren’t alone. He said if that’s the case you can leave.”

“Seriously?” Rocky asked.

Bella nodded again. “Of course, you still have to stay in town, and you can’t be alone. I wasn’t sure how long you were staying…”

Dex shook his head. “I’m leaving tomorrow. But another teammate is coming down so he has company. We didn’t think he’d have such amazing people here looking out for him.”

Bella’s cheeks flushed, and she shook her head. It didn’t matter that she wore a wedding ring, not many women were immune to Dex’s charms. He could flirt with a telephone pole and make it quiver for him.

Rocky had never gotten that kind of reaction from a woman. Not that he was hurting for companionship, but he wasn’t like Dex or Jack. Nikki was the only woman he’d ever known who made him feel like he wasn’t just a fumbling fool compared to his teammates.

“I’ll have to talk to the doctor again, but if you have someone staying with you, I think he’ll let you leave. You will need final approval from Dr. Andrews, but you’re clearly not really in need of medical care. You’re essentially independent, but you’re still a patient since they don’t want you going home yet,” Bella said.

“That would be great,” Rocky said. “No offense to anyone here, but I’d love to be at a hotel instead of here for three more weeks.”

Bella grinned. “I understand completely. Let me know when you’ll have people here over the next few weeks and where you’re staying, and I’ll talk to them about getting you out of here.”

“You’re awesome, Bella. Thank you.”

She smiled and left the room.

“Already on the schedule,” Dex said. “Dunn is sending it to both of us so you can share it with whoever needs to see it. Are you going to be able to pull yourself away from Nikki?”

Rocky shook his head. “I have to eventually. She’s not going to leave here, and I…” Rocky paused, the reality of walking away from them hitting him hard.

“You’d leave the team, wouldn’t you? If she wanted you to stay?” Dex asked.

Rocky took a breath and met his friend’s gaze. “How can I abandon my son now that I know about him? How can I just go back to Niagara Falls like he doesn’t exist? What kind of person would that make me?”

Dex didn’t answer because there was only one answer. Rocky couldn’t leave his kid. Not if he ever wanted to look himself in the mirror again.

* * *

Nicole

Nicole leaned back in her chair and laughed. For his last night in town, Dex wanted to watch a movie and eat pizza. He even approved the menu change with the nurses on Sly’s floor and bribed them all with pizzas of their own.

Nicole wasn’t sure what to think of him. He was cute, but he was obviously aware of everything that had happened between her and Rocky. She wondered more than once if Dex was going to tell Sly that Rocky was his father, but he hadn’t spilled it yet. As the movie crept toward the end, she was thankful he and Rocky respected her decision enough to not say anything without her approval.

She felt bad for not wanting to tell Sly yet. The first night, she was about to, until Dr. Andrews walked in. She took it as a sign that she should keep her mouth shut about that part of the truth until she knew for sure that Rocky meant what he said when he made the instant decision to get to know his son.

Rocky definitely impressed her with his repeated attempts to get to know Sly. After the first day, he didn’t show up with more gifts, which she appreciated, but he was always there. He played games with Sly and told him stories about being in the Navy. Nicole learned more about the man than she ever thought she’d know.

“You doing okay?” Rocky asked her quietly.

She nodded, glancing at Sly. He was wrapped up in the movie and ignoring them entirely. She was happy he was recovering well, but she still wasn’t getting enough rest. And she hadn’t taken a real shower in almost a week. She was used to doing everything on her own, but she felt like she was being watched constantly, which put her on edge.

“You sure? You look tired,” Rocky said.

Like she said, being watched. She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “You do know when you tell a woman she looks tired she hears you saying she looks like shit, right?”

Dex snorted from the other side of the room. Rocky had the decency to look ashamed. “I just meant that I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” Nicole said. She crossed her arms and turned back to the movie, ignoring him.

Dex carried on a conversation with Sly through the last bit of the movie. When it was over, he told Sly he was going to miss him.

“Will you come back and visit me?”

Dex nodded. “Absolutely. If I didn’t have to go back to work, I’d stick around a little longer, but a friend of mine will be here tomorrow. Mason’s a cool dude. You might need a bigger room, though. He’s huge.”

“Really?” Sly asked, his eyes wide.

Dex nodded again and held out his arms. “I don’t think he’ll fit through the door. You’re lucky he didn’t donate his kidney to you. It probably wouldn’t fit inside your stomach.”

Sly giggled, acting like a six-year-old. He threw his head back and collapsed against the pillows. Dex tickled him gently, then hugged him. “I’m going to miss you, little man. But you take care of your mom. And this guy. Make sure he drinks his milk and eats his veggies, okay?”

Sly nodded solemnly, taking his duty seriously. “I will.”

They exchanged a complicated handshake that threatened to bring Nicole’s tears to her cheeks. She forced a smile and drew in a shaky breath.

When Dex stood and turned to Nicole, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. She didn’t know him and had never had a conversation with him alone, but she felt like she was losing someone important with him leaving.

Dex opened his arms and moved closer. He kissed Nicole’s cheek and whispered, “Take care of him.”

She nodded against his chest, unsure which him Dex was referring to. Dex held her for a long moment, until Rocky cleared his throat, then chuckled when he pulled back.

“It was really nice to finally meet you.”

Nicole smiled at him and wondered if she really would ever see him again. There was no reason to think she would, but a part of her hoped she would. He brought out a side of Rocky that she didn’t know existed. There was an easy affection between them, like brothers who’d been through everything together. Seeing it made her wish for things she had no business wishing for.

Rocky said he would see them the next day and said goodnight as Sly yawned and slid under his covers. Nicole nodded and stifled her own yawn, wondering if she’d ever feel like she got enough sleep.

* * *

Nicole woke up early the next morning as the sunlight streamed through the too-thin blinds in Sly’s eastward-facing room. Nicole became a light sleeper when Sly was an infant, and she’d never gotten back to sleeping like a normal person with his many illnesses and trips to the hospital.

“Why don’t you go get some breakfast?” nurse Rebecca said softly when she checked in on them. “I’ll be nearby.”

Nicole nodded and took the offer. The cafeteria was quiet before the shift change that would bring a new group of people in to start their day full of caffeine. She ordered an extra-large cup of coffee and splurged on a muffin that she ate on her way back to Sly’s room.

He was still asleep when she got there. She kissed his forehead and noticed he felt a little warm. She called the nurse in, and Rebecca scanned his forehead.

“Not a fever, but he’s warmer than yesterday. I’ll make a note of it and pass it on to dayshift so they watch out for him. I know you’ll keep an eye on him, too,” Rebecca said.

Nicole nodded. She kept an eye on Sly while she folded up the pullout chair and washed her face. She gave up on makeup years ago when she realized between work and home she ended her day without makeup, anyway.

The dayshift nurse came in when Sly was still sleeping. She told Nicole Rebecca had passed on the news that he was a little warm and she wanted to check in.

“I just noticed it this morning,” Nicole told her. “I went to get coffee and when I got back, I kissed his forehead.”

“A mother knows,” the nurse said. She was one Nicole didn’t remember seeing before, but the days and nights were starting to run together. “I’m Marie. I was on vacation when you guys got here. I already checked Dr. Andrews’ schedule, and he’s in surgery this morning, but he’s going to come by as soon as he’s free. We’ll keep a close eye on him until then.”

“Thank you, Marie,” Nicole said.

Nicole settled into the chair and felt Sly’s forehead again. She could have been wrong, but she thought he already felt cooler.

Nicole busied herself with deleting junk emails and paying her bills while Sly slept. She wanted to take a shower, but she didn’t want to leave Sly’s side.

He finally stirred close to eight and smiled at her when he opened his eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Nicole asked him.

“Good. Is Dex here?”

Nicole shook her head. “No, honey. I haven’t seen him. I don’t know what time his flight is.”

“Oh. Can we call Rocky and ask him? Is he coming today?”

Nicole nodded. “Sure, we can call Rocky. He seems like a nice guy, right?”

Sly nodded. “Yeah. He’s really fun. They both are. I hope I like Mason, too.”

Nicole grinned. He had never had a man as a part of his life. Dr. Andrews was there when Sly was sick, but they didn’t see him outside the office. Rocky and Dex were men Sly could talk to and joke with and call friends.

Family.

“He’s awake,” Marie said with a bright smile. “How are you feeling, Sylvester?”

“Good. I’m still tired, though. Can I have my truck?”

Marie chuckled and nodded. “Of course. Let me take your temperature real quick. Is that okay?”

Sly nodded and leaned back. Marie scanned his forehead again and smiled.

“Back to normal. Dr. Andrews is still going to stop by. Just to check in.”

“Maybe he can see Rocky and me together today.”

“Who’s Rocky?” Marie asked.

“He was my donor,” Sly said simply.

Marie looked at Nicole with a question in her gaze.

Nicole smiled. “His name is Adrian Malone. If it’s okay with Dr. Andrews, that would be fine.”

Marie nodded and flipped through the screens on her tablet. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Well, it looks like Mr. Malone is no longer a patient here. He was discharged this morning.”

“What?” Nicole breathed.

Marie shrugged like it was no big deal, but to Nicole, it meant she was right not to tell Sly that Rocky was his father. He was just another in a long line of people who’d let her down when she needed someone, except this time he let down her son, too.

“Rocky’s gone?” Sly asked.

“It’s fine, honey,” Nicole said.

“But I want to see him. I thought he was going to come back.” He started to cry.

Nicole’s heart broke right along with Sly’s. He wasn’t the only one who was disappointed, but she had the foresight to know better than to believe Rocky in the first place. She’d had enough pain in her life to know trusting anyone was only going to end up with tears. She just hated that her son was learning that painful lesson at six.