A Second Chance

Mending

She stood there, in the living room for god knows how long before she snapped out of it.

Marching towards the door, she grabbed the handle firmly just about to open it when her breath caught. She stared outside through the glass. It was pitch black out there. And as much as she didn't want Tomak leaving like he had, she really hated the dark.

"Don't be a coward," she whispered harshly under her breath. As if that was all the motivation she needed, she turned the knob and swung the door open, stepping out in the cool air.

"Tomak!" she called after him. With eyes hardly adjusted to the dark, she barely managed to make out the handrails to the stairs of her deck. Grabbing it like it was a lifeline, she blindly descended the stairs, squinting through the cold unfeeling darkness.

She could hear and feel everything just fine, but not seeing anything heightened her senses further.

Her toes touched sand and immediately her hold tightened minutely on the handrail, making it groan. Still as blind as before, she hollered his name over the crashing waves hoping to see or hear him, but it was useless.

The wind whipped at her bare arms causing goosebumps to form. She was harshly reminded that she had forgotten to grab her coat. Shivering helplessly like a chihuahua, she bit her bottom lip hard and turned back for the stairs. It was pointless to go after Tomak if she couldn't even see him.

Stepping into the warm safe haven of her home, she yanked the blanket from off the couch and wrapped it snuggly around her shoulders, her pulse rapid and her breathing heavy.

Sinking down to the floor, she sat there against the wall, deciding to wait patiently for Tomak's return.

Her heart was still fluttering at the news that Tomak did feel something for her, and that coincided with the guilt she felt with her choice of actions these past couple days.

She wasn't sure what a mate was to his people, but she was certain it held a special place in his customs. But what exactly did that mean for her? Did he really feel that way about her, or was it a spur of the moment response? It pained her to think that it was.

She needed answers and she needed them now.

So with determination she sat there, waiting and staring tiredly at the door for Tomak's return. Her eyes blinked long and slow, fighting to keep awake. The heavy sensation in her eyes made her want to give in, and eventually she succumbed to it.

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"You let her go?" his tone was quiet, but every bit malicious.

Taking a long breath, McKenna sat without a care in the world, looking out the window of the van to admire the lack of clouds in the sky. He acted as if he weren't on an important call. "That would be correct," he obliged anyway.

There was sudden silence on the other line. Never a good thing when it came to Price. Maybe he ticked him off. The corner of his mouth kicked up at the notion. Good.

He was getting tired of this. One bad op was all it took for him to be working under this ridiculous branch. It was laughable really, and to think that he actually accepted this job over retirement.

"I'm beginning to think I hired the wrong McKenna."

He clenched his jaw, his lips puckering as he endured the damned voice of the director. He was almost certain he was Price's second choice. Second to none other than his son, of course, but as it turned out, Quinn was serving his second term in the army somewhere overseas. Just the mere thought of his kid being a more prime choice over himself pricked at his pride.