“Lie down, Hells. Wait here a minute while I get you something for the shock.”
As I went to move away, she snagged the leg of my uniform pants. “Don’t go.”
“I’m just going to grab you a drink, okay?”
Seemingly compliant, Hallie nodded and lay down, though didn’t take her eyes off me while I inched from the bedroom.
As soon as I was out of her line of sight, I hissed a curse and hurried to the kitchen. This wasn’t my apartment—it belonged to a friend of mine who was currently deployed and let me use it while I was here for my course, so I had no fucking clue where he kept anything.
Opening a high cupboard, I spied a bottle of whiskey. Not medically endorsed, but whiskey was widely known to cure all ailments.
I sloshed a large portion into a tumbler, then dug through the pantry for some kind of food. Slamming all the cupboards closed, because nothing jumped out and handed itself to me, I ripped open the freezer door. Ice cream. Done.
Balancing the glass of whiskey on top of the ice cream container, I dug out a spoon plus grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then strode back to the master bedroom.
Hallie remained curled on her side, covering her ears with her hands, and restlessly jigging her feet. Her eyes opened when I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Hey, I know you’re not going to feel like eating or drinking anything, but you need to. When’s the last time you ate?”
My worry deepened when she weakly reached for the water with trembling fingers. “Properly? I can’t remember. It’s all been a blur…”
Wrapping my fingers around hers when they clasped the water bottle, I gave her a nod of reassurance and guided it to her mouth. Normally, Hallie would have slapped me away, tossed a little water in my face, and drained the entire bottle just to prove her competence. Broken Hallie refused to meet my eyes and felt feeble and delicate under my touch.
She took a couple of small sips, then gently pushed my hand away. “I’ll be okay, Ayve.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, you will, but until then, I’m at your beck and call.”
She forced a small smile. I appreciated the attempt, though saw through the ruse. Nothing but a forced brave face while she was lost inside herself. Exhaustion weighed down her eyelids and pulled a deep sigh from her chest.
“Whiskey?” I offered. “Ice cream? Both?”
“Can I have them mixed together?” she asked in a tiny, innocent, and cute-as-fuck voice I’d never heard from her before.
I chuckled and peeled off the ice cream lid. “You can absolutely have them mixed. Fuck, I’d add cayenne pepper if you asked me to.”
A half-hearted slap landed on my thigh, and I lightly laughed. I glanced at Hallie, then at the spoon poised above the whiskey glass. “I’ll try it first. You know—for quality control and all that.”
My attempt at making her smile fell flat, aside from the minute tug at the corner of her mouth. I swirled a spoonful of ice cream in the tumbler of single malt, then licked it off the spoon.
I ran my tongue through it, my brows rising in appreciation when the sweet-smooth combination actually worked pretty fucking well.
“Oh, Hells, you’re going to like this!” I snickered while making a second portion.
She lifted her head enough for me to guide the spoon into her mouth, then rested against the pillow as she contemplated the taste. Her eye twitched against the rising whiskey flavor, then her attention cut to me.
“That’s actually nice. Can I have more?”
I smiled at her little voice and gladly served her another helping, then made another for myself. When she refused a third, I left her for a minute to put the ice cream away before lying next to her and pulling her close.
If she had the energy, I’d put her in the shower and wash the day from her hair and skin. She had the smell of a mission on her; a combination of grime and sweat, mixed with the lingering scent of a military aircraft and the starch of fatigues.
I kissed the top of her head and ran my hand over her hair. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Hellcat.”
A half-hearted hum sounded. “I’m indifferent.”
I shook her a little. “No, you’re not. You’re so fucking thankful to have made it back, whether or not you care to admit it. Even the thought of losing you makes me feel sick to my stomach. If I could take away your pain I would, babe, but I won’t apologize for being so fucking thankful that you’re home and in my arms right now.”
Hallie’s breathing grew shallow, and the air tugged with tension. I wanted to be sorry for my outburst but fuck that. It was the truth, and I wouldn’t sugarcoat it. Not when it came to the only woman I’d ever allowed into my heart.