Chapter Ten
Trent flew Jack to a clearing used for landing close to his hotel. Trent could see the horror on Jack’s face as the devastation became more than an image on the TV set.
The beach in front of the hotel was yards of debris, washed-away roads, downed trees, and the occasional boat piled above what used to be outbuildings of the hotel.
“How the hell are you dealing with this?” Jack asked Trent before The Morrison Hotel’s management descended upon them.
Trent looked around, thought that everything that wasn’t a body was fixable. “Broken buildings are the easy part. It’s the people that didn’t make it… or only half made it, that are difficult to deal with.”
Jack Morrison was the kind of man Trent would hang out with back home. The occasional friend here on the island had always been a temporary entity. He had his colleagues, and a few friends, but no one he knew understood the world he grew up in. A world where multimillion-dollar airplanes were bought, flown, and enjoyed. Although the Fairchilds had their share of the American pie they didn’t flaunt it.
His mother, Beverly, had always kept their own home, cooked their meals, and driven them to school growing up. His father, Marcus, worked hard, created Fairchild Vacation and Charter Tours to combine the two things he loved in life… flying and travel. He capitalized on his vision using money from investors and his own life savings. When the company took off, he involved Trent and his brothers as much as they would allow.
Outside of the business his parents were always there for him… for all of them. There was nothing any of them could ask that would have been denied. They’d been a close family. Laughing and playing all over the world. God did Trent miss his father’s booming laughter, missed his mother’s sound advice. His parents were insanely happy in their marriage, their life. Trent missed them. Blamed himself for their loss.
Jack had spent a couple of hours at the hotel, talking with those who remained and offering his own personal support to make sure the employees were taken care of. He made notes, and shook hands… and let more than one woman cry on his shoulder.
Trent stood by, watched.
While Jack walked through the hospital, Trent worked his way to where Monica had been when she was at this location. He was pleased to see a few familiar faces from their flights over, assuring him that the relief staff hadn’t yet started their exit from the island.
Trent heard his name through the throngs of people.
He searched for the source of his name and found Kiki lying on a bed.
His heart flipped. “Kiki?”
She reached her hand toward him. Her ever-present smile on her lips. “Trent, my friend.”
He moved to her side, and swept her frame with his eyes, and clasped her hand. “Kiki, my God, are you all right?”
“I’m better.”
Trent hadn’t seen Reynard in days. “Does Reynard know you’re here?”
She nodded. “He found me yesterday.” She lifted a hand to her head. “Out cold I was. The American doctor said I’ll be fine.”
Her left leg was in a splint and she appeared in a bit of a daze. “Reynard told me you were tough,” he said with a wink.
“You flirt.”
“I try.” He made her smile. “Where’s your husband now?”
Her brow pinched together. “The last of the house fell yesterday. He’s looking for shelter. The kids are too many for my mother.”
Trent knew their home was small, and could only imagine Kiki’s mother’s house held less space.
“Perfect,” he said with a smile. He knew he had to play this right or Reynard’s pride would keep him from saying yes.
“What?”
“I need someone to stay in my home when I leave. You, Reynard, and the kids can stay there. Keep an eye on it for me.”
Kiki angled her head, as much as she could while lying flat on a bed. “Trenton! That is not—”
He placed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “My brothers need me back home. I’ll be back… eventually. If I leave it without someone inside the jungle will take it back.”
Kiki shook her head, but her eyes softened as if a heavy weight had been lifted.
“When will you leave?”
“When I’m no longer needed here. One, two weeks at the most.”
Saying this aloud made it real. He had been hiding from life and it was past time to start living it again.
“You tell your husband to take you there when you get out of here. You don’t want the kids to get sick.” Trent knew how to push a mother’s buttons. “I’m home only to sleep right now.”
He stood ready to make his exit.
Kiki held his hand, tears swam in her eyes. “Your mother would be proud.”
Yeah… she would have been.
Trent found Jack waiting outside. “Did you find who you were looking for?”
Jack shook his head. “I was told she’s at the other hospital.”
“Let’s go then.”
“What?” Monica took a call from Deb, who was still in California and taking a break from her day job.
“Pat’s on a warpath. Said you didn’t clear your schedule before you left and that it was your responsibility.”
Monica’s jaw ached from grinding her teeth. “I had the shifts covered.”
“Someone called in sick.”
“How the hell was I going to fix that? Staffing said they’d take care of any issues.”
“That’s not how Pat’s spinning it. We’ve had two short shifts when you were supposed to be on.”
“Ah, f*ck.” Losing her job was not supposed to be part of a relief effort.
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“Word has it that one of the patients there died because of a nursing mistake.”
“Here?” Monica’s insides started to boil.
Deb went on to tell her about a reporter somewhere on the island that was following a story of a rich tourist who didn’t make it and how the family was holding the Borderless Nurses and Doctors responsible for their death.
“That’s ridiculous,” Monica told her friend. “We’re all doing our best with toothpicks and duct tape. I’m out of tape, bandages, most of the antibiotics. It’s a freaking war zone, Deb.”
“Either way, Pat’s gunning for you, and not in a good way.”
Monica couldn’t think about this now. “What the hell am I supposed to do about that now?”
“I just don’t want you to stress about getting back.”
“I’m on the schedule next week.” Monica’s stay was self-limited.
“Not anymore.”
“What?”
“Pat took you off.”
That bitch.
Her job was her independence. Her life.
“I’m sorry, Monica.”
“Not your fault. I’ll take care of it when I get back.”
“Be careful.”
Monica disconnected the call and leaned against the back of the building where she’d taken herself for privacy. A legal team worked with the doctors and nurses in the program. Walt and Donald would vouch for her, raise hell if the hospital, or Pat, fired her for being in Jamaica.
But it sucked that she even had to think about any of that here.
Sucked!
Monica ran from patient to patient, hour to hour. Tents had been set up outside in an open field for those who were ready to go home, but didn’t have a home to go to. There were children in another tent who had yet to have a parent or family member collect them. The despair started to weigh on Monica.
She’d heard Walt mumbling about their leaving. Already four members were slated to depart within twenty-four hours. “But there’s still so much to do.”
“I know,” Walt had said.
“How long are you staying?”
“Another week.”
Monica had thought she couldn’t be in Jamaica, but without a job to go home to, what was her hurry? Wouldn’t it just be like Pat to force her to come home just to throw her job out the window.
She needed to talk to Walt about her options but he’d already returned to the main hospital. The poor guy was being dragged around more than she was.
Tauni held a teenage girl’s leg as Monica wrapped it in a bandage. “Do we have any more four-by-fours?” The square bandage material was in extremely short supply.
Tauni moved her hand to give Monica room to tie off the bandage. “Less than half a box.”
“I’ll call Walt and ask if he can spare more when he comes back tomorrow.”
“The government says we’ll get more soon.”
The government, as Tauni called them, promised all kinds of things soon. Yet soon had yet to come. They brought food with armed guards and had no problem pushing people away from the trucks with excessive force. It was downright scary. Hunger was becoming the next national disaster.
People were becoming short with each other, the goodwill effort was bending to the basic human needs. Goodwill was in the toilet when your family was hungry.
Monica released the girl’s leg and offered a smile. “It’s looking good. Healing perfectly,” she told the mother who sat at the girl’s side.
“Thank you.”
Tauni nudged Monica’s shoulder and nodded toward the door. “Looks like you have a visitor.”
Monica glanced up and saw Trent. Beside him was an even more familiar face.
She squealed and all but ran to hug her brother-in-law.
“Hey?”
She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her away from Jack.
“Hey?” Trent’s frown was lethal. He kept looking between the two of them. “You two know each other?”
“Yeah, he’s—”
Trent threw his hands in the air, stopping her words. “I don’t want to know.” He turned and started to storm away.
“Wait up.” Monica grabbed Trent’s arm and spun him around. What the hell was his problem? “What’s wrong with you?”
“Me?” Trent glared at Jack and returned his glare to Monica. “What about you? I wouldn’t have kissed you if I’d known there was someone waiting for you at home.”
Monica’s jaw dropped.
“Kissed you?” She heard Jack say.
She poked a finger in the middle of Trent’s chest. “You might wanna check your testosterone at the door, buddy. Jack is my brother-in-law. As in married to my sister.”
It was Trent’s turn to drop his jaw.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh! You thought I’d…” God, what he must think of her. Never, even in all her Ice Queen days, did she fool around with more than one guy at a time. She couldn’t even date different guys. She turned her back on Trent and placed all her attention on Jack. “Hi.”
Jack winked. “Hey, darlin’. You look… well, you look like crap.”
She laughed, despite the turmoil in her belly placed there by the man whose stare was boring holes in her back.
“Only family would say that. Even if it’s true.” She made sure the word family could be heard by anyone within ten feet. “Speaking of family, how’s Jessie… you know my sister? Your wife?”
Jack glanced over Monica’s shoulder and offered a pained look at Trent. “You’re in so much trouble. Monica’s like a burr in a saddle when she’s mad.” Jack glanced back at Monica. “And she’s pissed.”
Monica didn’t even turn toward Trent. She grabbed Jack’s arm and pulled him out of the room and out the back door. Maybe Mr. Testosterone would get the hint and leave them alone.
Jerk.
She dragged Jack to the shade tree she’d dubbed her break room and pulled up a patch of grass. “Jessie told me you were coming. You didn’t have to search me out.”
“Jessie would skin me alive if I hadn’t checked on you personally.”
Monica smiled. Jack would do anything for her sister. “Well, I’d say it wasn’t necessary, but I’m so happy to see a familiar face I can’t tell you.”
“I don’t know how you do it, darlin’. Your sister is so proud of you. We all are. Katie wanted me to tell you there’s a spa day planned the minute you get home.”
Katie was Jack’s sister, and although not truly Monica’s sister-in-law, she might as well be. “Tell her I’m counting on it. Looks like I may have all kinds of time on my hands when I get home.”
“Oh… why’s that?”
“It’s complicated. My boss took me off the schedule. She’s always looked for a reason to fire me.”
Jack’s dimpled smile fell. “She what?”
Monica waved off his concern. “I’m sure it will be fixed when I get back.” She wasn’t sure of anything.
“Who would fire a nurse who rips apart their life to do this?” He tossed his hand in the air and indicated all the people, the tents, the destruction.
“It will be fine.”
“I have lawyers—”
“And I’ll let you sic them on her if she tries to make my termination stick. Let me try it my way first.” Good lord what a switch in her life. In Jessie’s life. Neither of them could count on a man for anything growing up. Monica knew that Jack didn’t offer empty promises and if his father, Gaylord Morrison, got word of Monica’s problem, the whole damn hospital would have lawyers crawling all over it.
“Just say the word.”
Monica had liked Jack from the minute she met him. He was perfect for her sister. “I will.”
Jack leaned back on his arms and nodded toward the clinic. “So, what’s with you and Fairchild?”
“Fairchild?”
“Trent.”
“Oh, is that his last name?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “You’re kissing the man and don’t know his name?”
She kicked his leg. “One kiss. And names are… useless here.” Yet Trent had driven back yesterday just to learn hers.
“Still think you should know his name first. Makes a man feel used otherwise.”
Monica busted out in a belly laugh. “Men love being used for kissing.”
“Not that one. He didn’t seem happy to think you might have someone else.”
“Yeah, well… it’s not like he has a right to own a jealousy card. We just met.”
Jack flicked off an insect that had crawled up on his leg. “That doesn’t always matter. Just thinking of Jessie looking at another man was an issue the day after we met.”
“That was different.”
“Oh, why?”
“I don’t know. It just was.” Jack and Jessie were meant to be forever. Monica didn’t think that was out there for her. She had serious trust issues and was the first to admit it. “Enough about him. Tell me about Danny. Is he riding that colt yet?”
Her nephew was a constant source of chatter in the family. The kid loved life and was happier on a ranch than any kid could be.
They talked about home for a while longer and then Jack started to stand. “I told my pilot we’d get out of here before dark.”
She stood and hugged him again. “Send my love. And tell Jessie I looked great or she’ll worry.”
“You look tired.”
“I’m exhausted. But it won’t last forever. I’ll get some sleep soon. Don’t worry.”
He looked around at the people that were everywhere and in every state of dress. No shoes, clothes that looked as if they’d been worn for days. “If you need a fast exit, I’ll send a plane.”
“Thanks, Jack. It makes me feel better about being here knowing someone’s watching my back.”
“You can be just as big of a pain in the ass as Katie. Might as well treat you both the same.”
He didn’t mean a word of it, and Monica knew it. He draped his arm around her and walked her back inside the clinic.
Trent had pulled up a chair and was sitting by the door, waiting.
Monica hesitated.
“I’ll wait for you at your car,” Jack said. He kissed Monica’s cheek. “Bye darlin’. You be careful.”
“I will.”
Jack swaggered out the door.
Trent stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I guess I owe you an apology.”
She leveled her eyes with his. “I guess you do.”
“I’m taking your brother-in-law back to the airport. I’ll be back to get you out of here.”
“I’m busy—”
“According to Tauni, they have enough help tonight so you can get out of here. You’ll get sick yourself at this pace.”
“Fine.” She was too tired to argue. “Now, about that apology…”
His eyes walked a slow dance down her frame and back up. Her skin stood on end as if he’d touched her. He leaned forward, placed his lips close to her ear. “My apology needs privacy.”
He walked away… again… with her rooted in one spot staring.
Anticipation shivered up her spine.