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just before she lost all ties to consciousness.
When she came around, her men were lying on either side of her.
They cuddled her and stroked her, brushing kisses over whatever skin
they could reach as they begged her to wake up.
 Wow, she murmured, opening her eyes and looking around.
 How are you feeling? Frank asked as he brushed a strand of hair
out of her face.
 I can t feel my legs, she answered honestly with a grin.
 That s okay, I can t feel my eyebrows, Evan said as he kissed
her shoulder.  But we need to get up and get you some breakfast
before we unpack your truck and then go furniture shopping.
Autumn groaned and pulled her pillow over her head.  Nope, I
think I ll go back to sleep. I ll see you for lunch.
 Sorry, ladybug, but that s not going to work, Frank said as the
men climbed from the bed.
Lifting the pillow from her face, Autumn frowned at them.  Why
not?
Before he could answer, a heavy pounding sounded from
downstairs.
 What the hell? The brothers shot out of bed and pulled on their
jeans before racing downstairs.
Autumn moved slower, redressing and making sure she didn t
look like she d just had sex. When she arrived downstairs, Adam
stood at the door, looking frantic. He pushed past her mates and
grabbed her hand. In response, Evan and Frank growled, and she saw
their faces change. It was a subtle change, and when they changed
back, she couldn t really figure out what had shifted, she just knew it
had.
 Come on, he said, pulling on her arm.
62 Cooper McKenzie
 What s happened?
 Spring s water broke, Adam said as he pulled her out the front
door,  and she demanded you come and help her.
That announcement shocked Autumn so much that she lost her
footing on the steps. She jerked her hand from Adam s as she fell
forward, not thinking that she might injure herself. All at once, she
flashed back to the last birth she d attended. The one that would
remain with her until her dying day.
Suddenly, she wished she d gone against her father s wishes and
driven to Wyoming instead.
Before her knees touched the ground, an arm wrapped around her
middle and pulled her back to her feet.
 Frank, she murmured after a quick breath.
 You okay, ladybug? he whispered as he held her steady until
she found her balance again.
She shrugged in response. No, she wasn t okay, but there was
nothing she could do about it now. Her sister was having a baby and
expected her to help.
Autumn Healing 63
Chapter Twelve
Instead of turning in the direction of their house, Adam turned the
other way and headed toward the Wash House.
 Where is she? Autumn asked as she jogged to keep up with
three men as they race-walked along the path.
 The parents house, Adam said. He continued around the
circular path until he reached the three-story Victorian.
 Why? she asked, looking from Adam to Evan and Frank as they
followed his brother up the stairs to the wide porch.
 Because every generation of Sullivans has been born in the
original Mrs. Sullivan s brass bed, Bridget explained, rising from
one of the rocking chairs on the porch.
 What are you doing out here? Adam asked.
 Spring is fine. Brock is with her. I came down because I need to
talk to Autumn, his mother said as she wrapped an arm around
Autumn and stared her sons down.  Go join your wife while Evan and
Frank unload Autumn s things.
Frank opened his mouth to argue. Before he could say a word,
Evan grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
 You know you won t win, she heard Evan say as they headed
down the steps.
As her men walked toward the parking lot, Autumn allowed
Bridget to guide her to the two rocking chairs. Suddenly nervous, she
hesitated when Bridget released her arm and sat in one of them.
Instead of pacing, which was what she really wanted to do, she
followed the other woman s example and took a seat.
 Relax, Autumn, I m not here to interrogate you or threaten you,
64 Cooper McKenzie
Bridget said, her voice soft and soothing.
Autumn didn t say anything. She couldn t. She had not talked
about her failure to anyone except the soldiers who d debriefed her
after her rescue and the psychiatrist at the hospital. She did give the
doctor permission to tell her father, once again with the caveat that he
would tell no one else unless absolutely necessary.
Autumn tensed when Bridget reached over and took her hand. It
took several minutes to calm herself, but the other woman waited as
she took several deep breaths and slowly relaxed again.
 Your father called me the other day and told me, Bridget said
softly as Evan and Frank carried bags and boxes up the path.
As her men passed where they sat, each looked over and met her
gaze, giving her a reassuring smile.
Autumn swallowed hard and grabbed hold of the arms of her chair
to keep from jumping up and running away.  He wasn t supposed to
tell anyone.
 He didn t tell anyone. He told me. And I don t share other
peoples secrets. When you re ready to talk about it, you will. I just
wanted to remind you that Spring is young and healthy, and there will
be no complications. In ten generations, there has never been a
problem.
 That s what I figured the last time. The girl was young and
seemed healthy, and there should not have been a problem. Only there
was. She was too young, only thirteen. She was just a baby herself.
She should never have been married, much less gotten pregnant,
Autumn whispered intently as her eyes filled with tears and her mind
flashed back.
Without meaning to, Autumn began to tell the story that had
ended her Army career and thrust her into a life of nightmares and
pain.
* * * *
Autumn Healing 65
She d been off duty when a boy came from the village just outside
their base, begging for someone to come and help his sister during her
birth. Her husband was one of the locals hired as an interpreter. He
was out on patrol with the Army and his young bride had gone into
labor early.
Autumn agreed to go and after getting permission, found herself
being dragged across the village to what could only be termed loosely
as a house. Two rooms, no bathroom, no running water, but with a
woman in the later stage of pregnancy whose bone-chilling screams
Autumn heard from a block away.
She did what she could, but the mother was too small, the baby
too big, and there was no time to send for an ambulance and more
help. Autumn did what she could, but by morning, both mother and
child were dead.
That s when the real trouble began. The woman s brother-in-law
decided to take it upon himself to punish Autumn. He tied her to a
post behind the house and beat her with a stick off and on for two
days.
Though he never broke the skin, he had broken numerous bones.
By the time his brother, the husband of the dead woman, arrived
home, Autumn was one large, swollen bruise from neckline to the
bottoms of her feet. He d done even more damage to her spirit,
causing her to question her right to live when she had not been able to
save the young mother and her baby.
She d spent one day in the hospital s emergency room waiting for
transport out of the country then a month in the hospital in Germany.
Only then did the doctors feel confident that her bones had healed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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