Seals Hunt Together (Book 3)

Chapter 11

Hey guys, sorry for the wait. It's here, though it took me longer to get it written than I would have liked. The story's almost over. Just a few more chapters. Let me know what ya think bout it. :D

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        The days slowly drug into weeks and Luke was slowly recovering. Everything except for his memories seemed to be recovering. The guys would spend almost all day with him trying to bring a memory to the surface with no luck. His parents and mine would relieve them for a few hours while they went to grab a bite to eat, sleep or shower.

Me on the other hand, I would only leave his room at night. I would walk down to Tiny’s and drink coffee while trying to figure something out. It killed me to pretend that everything that happened between us hadn’t. And I could tell that it was starting to bother the others as well.

I was starting on my third cup of coffee when General Stella walked through the door. Everyone instantly jumped to attention, but he just waved nodded. Slipping back into my seat, I watch as he made his way towards me. Without asking, he sat across from me. “It’s been years since I’ve set foot in this place. There are a lot of memories walking around in here.”

Not knowing what to say, I just nod. “Ella, this won’t bring his memories back any faster.” He speaks softly to where only I could hear. My eyes snap to his as I realize that he thought I was trying to chase everything out with alcohol. “I know that all too well Sir.” I reply as I drain my cup. “I don’t come here to drink whiskey. This is the place where I come to sort everything out. And Tiny here makes some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

Slowly rubbing my face, I look up at my father-in-law. “How’s he doing?”

“The doctors are saying that there’s a good chance he’ll regain the memories back over time. All we can do is just wait and pray.” Tiny walked over and refilled my cup before setting another in front of the General. We both smile at him and sip on our drinks. “Why do you only come down here at night?”

“Luke’s asleep and the place is usually almost empty.”

“What’s bothering you Ella? And I’m not asking as General Stella, I’m asking as your father-in-law.” Letting out a slow breath, I look him in the eye. “I’m scared to death that he won’t ever get his memories of us back. The thought of what we had slipping away keeps me up at night. And the topping is the thought that if he doesn’t remember and falls for someone else, I’ll lose him completely.”

“I’m not one who usually thinks about the worse case scenario most of the time, but do you plan on doing if he doesn’t remember?” Biting my lip, I stare into the black liquid. “If that happens,” I say my heart sinking in my chest, “Then I’ll have the marriage annulled. Even though it’ll kill me, he would have the choice to choose.”

Standing to my feet, I slip my hand into my pocket and pull the engagement ring out. Looking at it closely for a second, I lay it on the table beside his hand. “Would you give this back to Mrs. Stella for me? It belongs to her anyway.” Leaving the bar, I take my time in walking back to the hospital. The doctors would be releasing him soon and I didn’t know what we would do then.

Stopping just outside of Luke’s room, I heard several voices. It sounded like the guys and Luke. Shaking my head, I go to open the door when I heard my name. My body froze as I listened. “Look man, you know that we would give our lives for Ella in a heartbeat. We’re like a family and we take care of each other.”

“Right now Luke, you’re the one that’s hurting her.” I gritted my teeth. They wouldn’t rat me out, would they? “We know that you can’t remember right now, but there’s something you should know.” Apparently they would.

“What we’re about to say is the truth man. As much as we pick on you regarding Ace, we would never pick about something like this.” Sam spoke. Holding my breath, I strain my ears. “You did marry Ella, Luke. The two of you didn’t have much time to celebrate it because we had a mission to take out the birdbrain who placed a bounty on her head.” I heard growling and assumed it came from Luke.

“Tell me we killed that idiot.”

“We didn’t…Ella did. We just provided back up. We cornered him and put three bullets in his chest but it didn’t kill him. He had a gun pointed at the back of your head but Ella pushed you out of the way. Easy man, she was wearing a bullet proof vest as we all were.” Rolling my eyes, I lean my head against the door.

“Right after we took the guy out, we got called back in for a mission. Something went wrong and they couldn’t find your body. So they just assumed that you had been KIA and alerted your folks and Ella. Let me tell you this, that woman loves you deeply.

“When she got the news, it just about broke her. She had everyone worried and we thought that we were about to lose her as well.” My heart broke at John’s words. I hadn’t realized just how bad things had gotten around that time. “When she heard that you were alive, you should have seen her. I swear she looked like the Heavens opened up and everything she ever wished for fell into her lap.

“The only reason we’re telling you this is because it’s killing us having to watch her. I’d wager that it’s her thought that if you never regained your memory back that she’d lose you for good. Like we said, we hate it when Ella’s hurting and we can’t do anything about it.”

“I understand.” Luke spoke almost too low for me to hear. His voice sounded confused, as if he was trying to find the memories to go with what they told him. “Where did she go anyway?” Jason asked. “She probably went on a walk to stretch her legs and get some fresh air. Ella’s in this room almost 24/7.” They chuckle and I remove my hand from the door handle.

Walking back to the elevator, I press the call button. Pulling my phone out, I wait until I’m on the way back down before calling Sam. If I called John or Jason, they would try to talk me out of what I was hurriedly planning. I felt as if I just needed to space to figure everything out.

He answered on the fourth ring just as the door slide opening. “Ella, hey.”

“Hey Sam, listen I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure. What is it?” This was one of the reasons I liked Sam. He’d do anything for a friend. “I need either you or one of the other two to stay with Luke. It’ll only be just for a few days, maybe a week.”

        “I’m sure we can do that.” That statement got the other’s attention because I could hear them pestering them about what I was asking him to do. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”I say before I hang up and turn my phone off. Heading to the jeep, I toss the phone onto the console before climbing in. I was headed to a place that few knew about and even fewer had seen. I was heading to my refuge.