Military K-9 Unit Christmas

The child complied, slipping her small hand into Kyle’s and holding tight, then looking up at him in awe. “He’s real big.”

Rachel smiled and almost chuckled until her niece added, “I think he could beat up my daddy if he had to.”

Rachel’s heart clenched. Of course. Angela wouldn’t be the only victim of her live-in’s temper. Peter would have lashed out at anyone who displeased him. The way he had at Angela. And the way he had at her when he’d driven her out of her sister’s life that last time.

Returning her full attention to her weeping sibling, Rachel tried to apologize. “I’m so sorry. I should have found the courage to stay with you.”

“Nonsense.” Sniffle. “You begged me to go away with you and I was too stubborn and stupid to listen. That’s not your fault.”

“I wrote. You never answered.”

“I couldn’t. I just couldn’t admit what a horrible mistake I’d made. By the time I thought I was ready to leave Peter I’d lost touch with you.”

“You knew I was close by.”

“Not for sure. I’d had your unlisted cell number in my phone but Peter took it away. When your letters stopped coming I figured you had washed your hands of me.”

“No way. I didn’t stop trying to keep in touch,” Rachel vowed. “He must have intercepted my letters. I was only writing once a month or so after the first year. It would have gotten easier for him to destroy your personal mail before you saw it.”

Falling silent, Angela seemed to struggle to breathe.

“Do you want me to call a nurse?”

“No. No. Just give me a second.” She inhaled a little more deeply, wincing and groaning as her chest expanded. “I want you to promise me something.”

Rachel leaned closer. “Of course. Anything.”

“I want you to take Natalie, look after her and tell her about me so she remembers and knows I loved her.”

“I’ll be glad to babysit. You can tell her you love her, yourself.”

“Promise.”

“All right. I promise.”

Shuddering, Angela tightened her grip on Rachel’s hand. “Don’t let Peter get his hands on her, whatever you do.”

“How can I prevent it? He’s her father.”

“Not legally. I never put a father’s name on her birth certificate, and we never married. Besides, I have high hopes he’ll rot in jail after doing this to me.”

“From your lips to God’s ears,” Rachel quoted, meaning every word. “Is it all right if I take her to the base with me while you’re recuperating? I can’t be away from my duties too long, and there’s a good preschool there for when I’m working.”

“Did you take that veterinary aide course you kept dreaming about?”

“Yes. Kyle’s the head vet in the military K-9 training program at Canyon Air Force Base and I’m one of his techs. That’s what he meant when he said we worked together, although actually I work for him.”

Angela managed a lopsided smile. “Wonderful. You’ll be with all those protective dogs they train. Couldn’t be better.”

“And when you get well we’ll find you an apartment close to Canyon so we can see each other all the time.”

The dreamy, weary expression on her sister’s face comforted Rachel. When Angela closed her eyes and sighed, she did the same. Hands still clasped together, Rachel began to pray with her and for her. “Thank you, Father, for healing old wounds in our hearts and for the healing You are about to do in Angela’s body. Amen.”

Rachel watched Angela’s eyelids flutter. Her breathing had been noisy all along but now it began to sound labored even though the beeping machines kept up their even cadence. Rachel wanted to tell Angela how much she loved her but was hesitant to disturb her further. Time ticked past so slowly that every second felt as if it lasted minutes.

Praying silently, Rachel listened to the mechanical manifestations of her sister’s life until suddenly Angela was squeezing her hand. Rachel met her gaze, mirrored Angela’s smile and felt her heart breaking. An amazing peace and release settled over the bruised face. Angie’s pain and suffering were over. Her sister was finally free. Peter couldn’t hurt her anymore.

But what about Natalie? The little girl had never met her aunt Rachel before today and now she was going to have to take her away from the only home she’d ever known. How could she possibly make a child understand and accept the situation when she hardly could herself?

Three ICU nurses and a doctor had finished confirming Rachel’s fears and had left by the time she heard the sound of boots on the bare floor. Kyle was back. And Natalie was undoubtedly with him. Angela was positioned as if asleep, but Maria Alvarez guessed what had happened in their absence and gasped, beginning to mutter a prayer as she stepped ahead to block Natalie’s view.

Kyle, too, quickly closed the distance. He stopped behind Rachel and laid a hand of comfort on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

Without hesitation she accepted his condolences by placing one of her hands atop his and saying, “Thank you.”

“I wanna see my mama,” the little girl whined. She was trying to wiggle past the adults.

“Let her come closer,” Rachel said, surprised at how calm and in control she felt despite everything. She held out her hands and Natalie let her pick her up. The urge to kiss the child’s hair and stroke her back as a mother would surged through Rachel and squeezed her heart. “I’ll take care of you now, honey. You can come and live with me.”

The big blue eyes, lashes wet with tears, looked up at Rachel as if she had just promised the world. “I—I don’t have to go back to Peter?”

Rachel pulled her close again and dried her cheeks. “No, baby, no. We’re not going to have anything more to do with Peter. I promise.”

As she comforted her niece and glanced at the others, she saw concern in Maria’s expression and disbelief in Kyle’s.

“What else can I do?” she asked him aside. “If I send Natalie with Maria, Peter will know how to find her and try to take her back. I have as much legal right to her as he does.”

“How do you figure?”

“Angela said they never married and his name is not on the birth certificate. He’d have to go to court to prove he actually is her father, and I’m sure a background check will show him as an unsuitable parent.”

“Then we should call the authorities and do this the right way, the legal way,” Kyle warned. “You can get in a lot of trouble if you just walk off with her.”

“I know, but...” Rachel looked to Maria for moral support and found the older woman staring out the window at the parking lot below. Nobody could blame her for turning away. She’d been sucked into this mess by being a Good Samaritan and probably feared and hated Peter VanHoven almost as much as Angela had.

“Ai-yi-yi.” Hands clamped over her mouth, Maria whirled.

Rachel tensed. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s him! Look. He’s coming!”

“Who? Peter? Where?” Rachel asked, joining her. “Angie said he was in jail. Are you sure?”

Kyle crowded closer, too. “Which one is he?”

Maria pointed. “There. Getting out of the old red truck. See?”

“Maybe he’s out on bail. If he’s the guy I think you mean, he’s good and mad. Look at his body language.”

“Yeah.” Putting Natalie down, Rachel began to gather up the few personal items Maria had brought for the child.

Kyle frowned. “What are you doing?”

She paused only long enough to glance his way and say, “Running. Far and fast.”

“That’s wrong.” Arms folded across his broad chest, Kyle stood like a sentinel, apparently ready to enforce his opinion.

“I don’t care if you go with us or not. Natalie and I are leaving.”

“Get a grip and think,” Kyle urged. “Where will you go?”

“Back to the base if we’re welcome to ride with you,” Rachel shot back. “Out the door and into hiding if you don’t help us. I’m not staying here where VanHoven can get his filthy hands on me or anybody else.” She glanced at the still figure on the bed. “He’s done enough damage for a lifetime.”

Rachel was ready to abandon Kyle and carry out her threat, and she would have, if Natalie had not grabbed a bedraggled baby doll in one hand and Kyle’s index finger in the other. The man’s expression froze for an instant, then melted in a way Rachel had not seen in the two years she’d worked for him.

He was going to help them escape. She could tell that as surely as if he had spoken.

One final peek out the window was all she allowed herself. No sign of Peter! He must already be passing beneath the entrance canopy, on his way to berate Angie for his arrest when she was the true victim. Rachel had seen it before, plenty of times. It was his excuse for normal.

And since Angie was not going to be available to listen to his tirade, he was sure to turn his wrath on whoever happened to be close by, such as his daughter. Or Rachel. As much as she would like to see someone give him a taste of his own medicine, she knew better than to place Kyle in such a tenuous situation when a confrontation could be avoided.

What she must do is grab her niece and run. Now.

THREE

Rachel sidled through the door from the ICU into the hallway. She had shouldered Natalie’s small bag along with her own purse and was towing the child by the hand. Kyle brought up the rear.

Suddenly, Natalie was pulled away. Rachel whirled, ready to do battle, when she realized that her companion had picked up the little girl and was headed in a different direction. For a few seconds she wondered if his plan was to return the child to her father. Then, he allayed her fears.

“Not the elevator, Rachel. He’ll probably come up that way. We’ll take the stairs. Follow me.”

That logic was unquestionable. She fell in behind him. He shouldered through the stairway exit door and cradled Natalie while he waited for Rachel to pass. Her body was trembling, her legs unsteady. Each downward step brought her closer to escape, closer to the parked SUV that would carry them all away before it was too late.

Would they make it? They had to, for Natalie’s sake if for no other reason. Rachel had vowed to protect her niece, and that was exactly what she intended to do. Peter was never going to get his hands on her as long as one Fielding sister was left.

She heard the measured thuds of Kyle’s boots on the stairs behind her. He was sticking close. Praise the Lord she hadn’t made this trip to see Angela alone! A sense of divine presence and peace flooded through her. The fear she had defined as a personal weakness her heavenly Father had used for her good. If her pride hadn’t gotten in the way, she might have recognized the hidden blessing sooner.

Their path took them to a side door. Rachel glanced over her shoulder to ask, “Now what?”

“We can circle around or I can bring the truck to you, depending on whether or not this Peter guy spots you. If he came inside the way I suspect, we can make a run for it together.”

“Okay.”

She started to lean on the push bar to the exterior door as she heard Kyle shout, “No!”

It was too late. A claxon horn was blasting and warning bells sounded. Rachel immediately realized her error. That door was supposed to stay closed and she’d triggered an alarm.

Frustrated, fearful and more angry with herself than anyone else, Rachel faced him with a grimace. “You said we were going to circle around so I thought...”

“Inside, not out there,” he shot back. “Come on. Follow me before the guards catch us.”

Rachel didn’t argue. They turned back into the hallway. Curious employees and patients glanced at them in passing, but nobody approached with questions.

“Walk calmly and slowly,” Kyle ordered. “Don’t hurry and don’t look back. Pretend you think that noise is a nuisance the way everybody else does.”

“Okay.”

“And stay close. We want to look like a normal family.”

Rachel could see wisdom in his suggestion even if heeding it did place her in an awkward position. Putting aside her personal misgivings, she moved to Kyle’s side and slipped her hand through the crook of his bent elbow.

That touch was a mistake. His arm was muscular beneath his sleeve, his countenance commanding and sturdy as well as comforting. She knew his hands were especially skillful because she’d watched him do delicate surgeries, but nothing had prepared her for this potent an assault on her senses.

Distracted by the masculine presence beside her, she almost missed spotting a familiar figure fidgeting in front of a bank of elevators.

“Stop,” she hissed, giving his arm a tug.

Kyle halted. “What is it?”

“There. Up ahead. See the scruffy man with a ponytail, cutoffs, bomber jacket and flip-flops by the elevators? That’s him. We got here too soon.”

“It’s still better than coming face-to-face when those doors open upstairs.”

“Right.” Slinking backward into a shallow doorway, Rachel was relieved when Kyle turned and handed her Natalie.

“Hold her tight and stay behind me so he won’t spot you if he looks this way.”

“Gladly.” Rachel couldn’t tell whether the elevator had come and gone until Kyle told her. “The coast is clear. Remember, act normally.”

Rachel huffed. “I doubt I’d recognize normal if it walked up and bit me in the leg. The only part of my life that ever seemed well ordered was my time in the air force working with K-9s. I can hardly wait to get back on base.”

As he ushered her and Natalie toward the automated sliding doors leading to the parking lot, Kyle was shaking his head. “I’m afraid that by the time you get through all the red tape involved in gaining legal custody of your niece, nothing will feel the same. Not even life on Canyon.”

A childish, barely audible “What’s that?” sounded in Rachel’s ear.

“Canyon Air Force Base,” she told the child. “That’s where I live.”

“Do you have toys?” the wan little voice asked right before a big yawn.

“Well, we have what Senora Alvarez brought for you and there’s a wonderful store where we can buy more.”

“I don’t wanna leave my mama,” Natalie whined, rubbing her eyes with her little fists.

“I know you don’t, sweetheart. I don’t want to leave your mom, either, but we have to go before Peter sees us.”

Thin arms tightened around Rachel’s neck, reminding her that she had just accepted an immense responsibility, one she was far from certain she was ready for. Suppose her efforts at parenting failed? Or suppose Peter won in court and she had to give Natalie back to him?

That possibility was so unacceptable it brought tears to her eyes. No, no, no. She would not fail. She would never give up no matter who or what came against her. She couldn’t disappoint her sister—or the frightened child now clinging to her. No matter what happened she was going to stick it out. To win. There was no acceptable alternative.

Glaring sunshine barely warmed the winter day. Kyle loaded the sleepy little girl and her scarce personal belongings into the second seat of the SUV, then began to adjust her seat belt before fastening it. “She should have a booster seat, too, but this will have to do.”

“Not if it isn’t safe. I hadn’t thought about how she was going to ride with us.”

Seeing Rachel’s tears begin to glisten, Kyle said, “Look. A lot has happened already and I know you’re not thinking clearly. That’s where I come in. Trust me. I’ve got this.”

Shoulders sagging, Rachel nodded. “I know. I just feel so confused. I’d finally reconciled with my sister and now she’s gone again. It’s like I was robbed. Twice.” She draped her jacket over Natalie to serve as a blanket before sliding into the front passenger seat.

Kyle fought to keep from identifying too closely with Rachel’s plight. It was no use. And, considering how bereft she seemed, he figured he owed it to her to commiserate. “I do understand, believe me. It’s hard. Any unexpected loss is, especially when it’s a younger person.”

She sighed. “I really did love my sister even if we hadn’t had contact during the past six years. I keep wondering if things would have been different if I’d stayed with her instead of letting Peter scare me off.”

“Sure. Maybe he’d have beaten you senseless, instead.”

Kyle noted her sidelong glance at the second seat as he started the vehicle, and toned down his responses, beginning with, “Sorry.” He started to back out of the parking space. “How much do you know about the whole home situation?”

“Not a lot beyond what I witnessed years ago. Angela managed to tell me some things but it’s probably not enough to get him thrown back in jail. At least not until the forensic report is in.”

He knew she was purposely being evasive by not mentioning a medical examiner. Surely anyone who had been so severely beaten and had named her attacker on her deathbed would be believed. The problem was whether or not this Peter guy was going to accept any legal edict. Even if he wasn’t put in prison for killing Rachel’s sister, he should never gain custody of the sweet little girl nodding off in the back seat.

“We can take her home to your apartment and look over what she brought with her. Then I’ll go down to the base exchange and buy whatever else she needs.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Backing out, he joined a line of cars waiting to leave the lot.

“Then, why?”

“Let’s just say it’s the right thing for me to do and I don’t mind a bit. Okay?”

“Sure. I get it. I have the Christmas spirit, too.”

Kyle’s head snapped to the side. “Who said anything about Christmas?”

“I’m sorry. I thought, since there are decorations hanging from every lamppost and store windows are all lit up for the holidays, that was influencing you.”

“Well, it isn’t.” His hands had fisted on the steering wheel so firmly his knuckles were turning white.

Her voice was soft, tender. “I understand completely.”

“What do you mean?” There was no way she could know his story without digging into his past. He’d been very careful to keep his history to himself after selling his civilian practice and reenlisting as an air-force veterinarian.

“Holidays can be tough on everybody,” Rachel said. “There really are no perfect family gatherings or ideal celebrations. After my parents died, Christmas was never the same, even when Angela and I tried to make it festive.” She took another peek at the snoozing little girl before she added, “That was before Peter came on the scene, of course. Once he and Angie were a couple, we didn’t even try. And now...”

“Okay. One thing at a time,” Kyle said, purposely changing the subject. “Do you have a place for her to sleep? Enough food in the house? Blankets, pillows, that kind of thing?”

“Yes. She’ll need some decent clothes for preschool if there isn’t anything suitable with her. And probably shoes. Those flip-flops aren’t going to be warm enough.” Slowly shaking her head, Rachel made a face. “I don’t imagine she’s used to having much, given the way she looks today.”

“According to what Senora Alvarez told me when we went to the cafeteria, your sister had a rough time. So did Natalie.”

“Undoubtedly. My biggest concern isn’t her past—it’s her future. How am I going to keep Peter away from her?”

“Once we’re on the base it will be relatively safe.” The line of cars was moving too slowly to suit Kyle, but since it was almost his turn at the exit he tamped down his anxiety.

Rachel cited recent history. “Oh, really? Look what that serial killer Boyd Sullivan did. He sneaked on and off base for months before he was caught. If he could do it, so can Peter.”

“Sullivan was a special case. He was a certified nutjob. Those are unpredictable.”

“And Peter isn’t?” Her volume increased on the final word.

“Shush. You’ll wake Sleeping Beauty.”

“She is beautiful, isn’t she?” Rachel’s smile was so tender as she gazed at the napping little girl that Kyle’s heart clenched almost as tightly as his fists. Visions of another little girl, of his precious Wendy, melded with the current image of Natalie and gave him a jolt. He hadn’t been there for his own daughter or for his wife when they’d needed him, and that failure had eaten away at him for four long years.

Was God giving him a second chance to protect an innocent little girl who had no other champion? Perhaps, but the opportunity was bittersweet. How much better it would have been if his little family had never been torn apart by that drunk driver in the first place.

And how much more he would have trusted in his Christian faith if his prayers for their survival had been answered that awful winter night. He hadn’t wanted to let them go, to lose them forever, yet he had. It had been a terrible struggle to go on without them, to accept his loneliness and live with it. He’d made a new life by returning to the air force, where he knew he could do the most good, and had kept his emotional distance from fellow officers as well as the enlisted personnel assigned to him. Until now.

Kyle knew he was entering uncharted territory and his misgivings were almost strong enough to cause him to back off. Almost. But not quite.

His innermost thoughts were directed to God while he continued to fidget and inch the SUV forward in line. Why, God? And why at Christmastime? You know how this hurts so why a woman and little girl? And why me?

He didn’t need an audible reply to know the answer. The trauma of the past made him particularly suited to this task. He had lost to evil once by not being totally diligent, not making himself available when his gut told him he should. It would not happen again. No matter what developed in regard to his vet tech and her niece, he was going to be there for her. For them.

He would not make the same mistake twice.

A horn honked behind them as the space at the very front of the line was vacated. Rachel jumped at the noise. So did Kyle. Checking for cross traffic on the street, he also glanced toward the hospital and caught his breath.

“Rachel,” he said abruptly. “Look over there. Is that...?”

She followed Kyle’s gaze, then immediately whirled to face him. Her complexion paled and her lips parted. She didn’t have to speak to tell Kyle who they were seeing. Peter VanHoven had somehow figured out what they were up to and was racing for his battered red truck.

Accelerating as much as he dared without drawing undue attention, Kyle angled the black SUV into a spot in front of a slow-moving gray sedan and joined passing traffic.

He saw the red truck come to life and start down the same crammed exit lane that had delayed their departure. Rachel swiveled in the seat to watch so Kyle made it her assignment. “Let me know how long a line he gets stuck in, okay?”

“Oh, no!” Her gasping reply sent a shiver the length of Kyle’s spine.

His hands gripped the wheel, his senses on full alert as he angled to check his mirrors. “What? I can’t see him anymore. Where did he go?”

“Over the curb,” she shouted. “He’s already in the street. Ahead of us!”

FOUR

Rachel couldn’t breathe. Every muscle in her body knotted, and she felt trapped in the kind of nightmare where she opened her mouth to scream and no sound emerged. The only thing remotely functional was her brain’s ability to call out to her heavenly Father. There were no apt words. Just a silent plea for divine help.

Thankfully, she was braced against the dash with one hand, the other on the back of the seat, when Kyle whipped the steering wheel and accelerated. The SUV bumped up over the right-hand curb with a twist of its chassis. All wheels were spinning when they hit the lawn. Grass churned and clumps flew out behind them.

Horns honked. Bystanders put cell phones to their ears. She finally found her voice. “What are you doing?”

“Getting away.”

“You’re causing a scene. People are staring at us.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he countered. “Peter already knows where we are or he wouldn’t have jumped the line to get ahead.”