If he couldn’t even complete a simple exercise with Alessa, how would they ever work well in the field? The unit was already fractured; he couldn’t make it more divided by favoring a member. Not to mention that Rodgers was right in saying Alessa could ill afford another rumor. Luke was well aware of his own reputation and if the colonel even caught whiff of what had happened in the pit today, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it against Luke.
“It won’t be a problem.” Luke said with more confidence than he felt. Dan returned with steaming cups of coffee and they all sat in silence.
It didn’t take long for the doctor to set Alessa’s shoulder. Luke didn’t trust her to heed the doctor’s warning, so he pulled the man aside to ask him what her prognosis was.
“She asked that I not discuss her medical issues with you,” the doctor said.
He was a short, bald man in his sixties and he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Luke towered over him but the man did not seem to notice.
“I know this is her third dislocation, and I’m asking as her commanding officer whether she’s fit for duty.”
“Her chart says she’s logistics. She needs to wear the rotator cuff brace for at least two weeks, so she’s fit for whatever work she can do with her left hand. No heavy lifting for six weeks.”
“Will she regain full use of that arm?”
“I don’t see why not, as long as she follows my directions. Though I warn you—as I warned her—that next time she may separate her shoulder entirely and in that case, there is no guarantee what kind of nerve damage she might have.” The doctor peered at Luke. “I suggest you keep her to light desk duty.” He was an army doctor and completely used to soldiers wanting to get back to physical activity as soon as possible. “No training,” he reiterated.
Alessa wouldn’t even look at him, and after asking how she was doing in a perfunctory way, Luke told Dan and Rodgers to take her back to her barracks to rest. He could walk back and use the time to clear his head.
“I’m fine. I need to go back and fix the travel issues you found earlier,” she insisted.
“The doctor said you need to rest for two weeks.”
“He said I need to keep the brace on for two weeks max. I am perfectly capable of using my left hand to operate a keyboard and mouse.”
“I’m ordering you to return to your barracks for the day,” he said firmly.
“With all due respect, sir, you’ve asked us to think and operate independently and to question orders if they don’t seem right. I disagree with yours right now.”
Luke didn’t miss the smirk on Rodgers’s face, nor the matching one on Dan’s.
“You are correct that that is how I want the unit to operate. However, in this circumstance, my order stands.”
She looked like she was going to say more but then thought better of it and responded with an unenthusiastic, “Yes, sir.”
He motioned to Dan to hand over the keys to the jeep they had borrowed. “On second thought, I’m going to drive you myself.” The guys could walk back or get another ride.
“Will you also tuck me in?”
“If I must,” he retorted.
Dan and Rodgers exchanged a glance and Luke glared at them. “Rodgers, get one of the guys to pick you and Dan up. I need you to round up the team. We’re going out for target practice. I’ll meet you there.”
Rodgers nodded, though disapproval was clear in the man’s eyes.
Alessa signed her discharge papers, then Luke held the door open for her as they exited the emergency room.
Once they reached the parking area, he watched her struggle to get into the car. Having the use of just one arm, and her non-dominant one at that, could not be easy. He extended his arm to help her but she ignored him, obviously unwilling to have any contact with him.
“I’m sorry,” he said turning to her as soon as they were seated.
“You should be,” she shot back while she fumbled with her seat belt. She glared at him. “This is all your fault.”
Meeting her gaze, he nodded solemnly. She had every right to blame him.
“I know. I am so sorry, I never should have fought you.” He reached over, pulled the seat belt and clicked it into place. She slapped his arm with her left hand.
“No, you should be sorry for not fighting me. What was that in the pit? You couldn’t decide whether you were going to let me win or force me to lose?”
She was right. He had let himself get into a situation and then hadn’t been able to decide how to handle it. He’d started by thinking he would let her take some jabs at him and then call a truce, but the more she pushed, the more the fight had spun out of control.
“The whole thing was a mistake. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you’d gone through the exercise like you were supposed to, and fought properly. Tell me something...” She turned in her seat and though she tried to hide it, she winced in pain. “If I’d been Rodgers or Steele or one of the other guys, would you have fought the way you did?”
He didn’t bother responding because it was a rhetorical question. They both knew the answer was a clear no. He started the jeep and put it in reverse. The next question was inevitable and he didn’t have an answer, even for himself.
“Either you went easy on me because I’m a woman or you don’t think I can cut it on this unit, or—”
Or I have inappropriate feelings for a soldier in my command.
“You’re not an official member of the team,” he interrupted. “An injury is what I was trying to avoid. If Colonel McBride finds out about this, I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t have let me fight the rest of the guys. Unless you are so arrogant that you’re assuming you would’ve gotten the best of me.”
She was right, and he’d have to come up with a better excuse than Colonel McBride to explain his bizarre behavior.
“I did get the better of you. I was trying to spare you the humiliation.” He kept his tone light.
“I can take care of myself,” she said tightly.
The words were on his lips to reassure her but he focused on pulling up to her barracks unit. He leaned over and released her seat belt, earning another glare. Before he could get around to her door, she had it open and had stepped down, her eyes warning him not to help her.
She turned to him before going through the front door. His stomach twisted at the shine in her eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but the army is all I have, it’s all I’ve ever had. Please don’t ruin it for me.”
