Hannah's List (28 page)

M
ark’s sister sat across from Leanne in the Lancasters’ kitchen. It was after midnight and, while his parents had gone to their bedroom, Leanne doubted that either of them slept.

Mark had been missing in Afghanistan for a week—the longest week of Leanne’s life. A day earlier, the country had celebrated the Fourth of July and the fireworks display had lit up the evening sky. The Lancaster family felt they had little to celebrate, and yet they’d stood with Denise’s daughters and made a small display of patriotism for the sake of the children, who didn’t fully understand what had taken place.

So far, the disappearance of two Americans in Afghanistan had been kept out of the news. For that Leanne was grateful, although she wasn’t sure whether McPherson would be able to keep the incident under wraps much longer. She feared that in short order the information
would be uncovered by the press. Then any privacy would be destroyed and the men’s safety might well be compromised.

In contrast to last evening’s loud fireworks, now there was only silence in the darkness of the summer night. The kitchen seemed to vibrate with stress as the two women sat there.

Denise had come to Spokane the Friday before the holiday. She and her daughters slept in the spare bedroom. Until they’d arrived, Leanne had slept there, but she’d given it up for her sister-in-law and nieces. For the past three nights she’d bunked down on the living room sofa.

She needed to go back to Seattle. She couldn’t continue putting her life on hold. Although the company had been good about updating the family, there was no real news. Her sense of hope escalated with each phone call and then plummeted just as quickly. No one slept for more than a few hours at a time. The only positive note was that while they were together, they could buoy one another’s spirits.

“I suppose we should talk about…you know,” Denise said reluctantly, cradling her coffee mug with both hands.

“I suppose,” Leanne said, although she’d rather not. Still, everything that had happened was directly connected to Denise. The two women had never discussed it, and Leanne didn’t see how talking about it now would serve any useful purpose, but she couldn’t refuse.

Denise squirmed in her chair, not meeting Leanne’s eyes. After several uncomfortable seconds, she blurted out, “I didn’t know what Mark had done!”

“I realize that,” Leanne assured her calmly.

“I knew if I didn’t get away, Darrin would do something terrible, that he’d hurt us. He…he had before. No one knew besides Mark. I couldn’t tell Mom and Dad, couldn’t ask them for help. I had nowhere else to turn. My parents had pleaded with me not to marry Darrin and they were right.”

Leanne saw that Denise’s hands were clenched and her knuckles had gone white. “I’ve wanted to kick myself a thousand times for my rebellious attitude. I thought they were just being overprotective. Daddy disliked Darrin the moment they met.”

So had Leanne. The man was manipulative, self-absorbed, domineering and irrational. She’d only met Denise’s husband once, and she’d immediately assessed his personality. Mark’s sister had been blinded by infatuation—or, as she’d hinted, by immaturity. Mark hadn’t liked Darrin any more than Leanne had, but in his unswerving loyalty to Denise he’d defended her choice.

“At the time,” Denise was saying, “I figured no man would ever be good enough for daddy’s little girl, so I ignored his advice.” She hung her head, and her long, straight, brown hair fell forward. “I’ve paid dearly for that.”

Mark had, too, but Leanne prevented herself from saying so. The one concrete thing Denise had done to help her brother had been to plead for a lesser sentence. Because of that, Mark had gotten a year in prison instead of five. Still, the price had been far too high and, even now, Mark continued to pay.

“You have every right to be angry with me,” Denise said.

“I am,” Leanne told her frankly, “but I’m trying to forgive you.” It wasn’t easy, though, and Denise obviously understood that.

“I haven’t forgiven myself. Trust me, if there was a way to relive the past I’d do it.” She shook her head. “If Mark’s—”

“Don’t say it,” Leanne insisted.

“Okay,” Denise said. “But I believe he’s alive. I can feel it—can’t you?”

Unfortunately, Leanne couldn’t. All she felt was terror and fear, pressing on her chest like bricks.

Denise darted her a look. “I’m not sure if anyone told you, but Darrin’s in prison now for assaulting a woman he dated after our divorce.”

Leanne glanced up. “I didn’t know.” That didn’t change the past, but it did reveal the desperate situation Denise had faced when she left her husband.

“I couldn’t have escaped him without Mark.” She sobbed and Leanne realized how much Denise, too, was suffering. It wasn’t fair that she and Mark had paid for his sister’s bad decisions, but there was no going back.

Denise reached across the table as if to take Leanne’s hand, but then drew back. “I’ll pay back every penny, I swear I will. I’ll do anything I can to make this right.”

Money alone wasn’t going to repay this debt. Denise knew that. But there was no point in mentioning it.

“I will,” Denise repeated.

“I know,” Leanne whispered, because that seemed important to Denise.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry,” Denise said, sobbing freely now, her thin shoulders heaving. “Please, please, say you can forgive me.”

Leanne stretched one hand across the table and grabbed Denise’s arm. “I forgive you…”

Denise looked up then, her face streaked with tears. “It just never seems to end. Mark took that assignment in Afghanistan because of me…and now…now—” She couldn’t finish.

Getting up from her chair, Leanne walked around the table and slid her arm around Denise’s shoulders. She made comforting sounds, gently rocking the young woman as Denise wept bitter tears.

It took a long time for Denise to stop crying. Leanne’s heart went out to everyone in Mark’s family for the pain Denise’s marriage had brought upon them all. The one piece of good news was the fact that Darrin was in prison.

“If we lost Mark…”

“Stop it!” Leanne cried. She couldn’t lose Mark. He had to be alive. She had to believe that somehow he’d make it through this ordeal. The company and the military were doing everything possible to rescue him.

“We
have
to believe Mark will survive this,” she said. Trusting, hoping, praying—for now, that was all they could do.

“I know…I know.” Denise seemed to find a tiny bit of courage deep inside herself. She wiped the tears from her face and straightened. “You’re right. If for no other reason
than to keep up Mom and Dad’s spirits, we have to believe. But I do think he’s alive, I really do.”

They hugged each other and, soon after that, Leanne retired to her sofa bed, sleeping fitfully. The next morning, she made the decision to return to Seattle and her job. The farewells were hard, and they clung to one another for long minutes.

“I’ll always consider you the sister I never had,” Denise whispered as they hugged. After loading her vehicle, Leanne headed back to Seattle with tears clouding her eyes.

News of Mark’s rescue reached her two days later. Muriel Lancaster phoned, sobbing with joy and relief. Mark had been rescued by Special Forces, who said it was a miracle that both men were alive. Because she was so overcome with emotion, Muriel couldn’t answer Leanne’s questions.

That night Leanne slept a solid eleven hours, not waking even once. She didn’t expect to hear from Mark personally. She had every reason to assume his attitude toward her hadn’t changed. None of that mattered, however, because Mark was
alive
.

Nearly two weeks passed. Muriel gave Leanne regular updates on Mark’s condition. He’d been severely beaten and was in bad shape when rescued. After being stabilized by the medics, Mark was flown back to the States. McPherson flew his parents to the Washington, D.C., hospital where Mark was receiving treatment. A short while later, he was released. Muriel kept her informed, but Leanne recognized that her mother-in-law did so without Mark’s knowledge or consent.

Tuesday afternoon, nearly three weeks after Mark’s rescue, Leanne stopped in the cafeteria to grab soup and a sandwich for lunch. She often ate on the hospital patio. It was early August now, a beautiful day with cloudless blue skies and a gentle breeze wafting in off Puget Sound.

She found her favorite spot on a concrete ledge under a dogwood tree. Sometimes friends joined her and, while she never rejected their company, she was just as happy to eat alone.

No sooner had she settled down and opened her soup container than she noticed a man in a wheelchair with his back toward her. She lowered her spoon as a tingling sensation went through her.

The man reminded her of Mark.

The width of his shoulders, his hair with the small cowlick she’d loved to run her fingers through…But the last thing Leanne had heard, only two days ago, was that Mark was at a rehab facility on the east coast, recovering from his injuries.

Was it possible?
Could
this be Mark? If her ex-husband was at the hospital, presumably it was because he planned to approach her. Perhaps he hadn’t seen her enter the patio area. Perhaps he was waiting for her.

Leanne was afraid her mind was playing tricks on her. Mark was always in her thoughts, so it stood to reason that she’d look for hints of him in every man she saw.

Still…

When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she got up, discarded
the remains of her lunch, then walked over to the table with the big sun-bleached umbrella.

It was Mark.

His face revealed evidence of his capture. His jaw had been broken—his mouth was wired partially shut—and one side of his face was swollen and bruised. His left arm was in a cast. Just seeing him with these injuries unloosed all the grief in her heart. She couldn’t bear the thought of the man she loved in such pain.

He glanced up and smiled crookedly. “Would you care to join me?” he asked, gesturing to the opposite side of the table. His voice was slightly muffled, and he seemed to have some difficulty speaking.

Leanne tried to respond, but couldn’t. After two or three futile attempts, she finally managed to ask, “What are you doing here?”

She hadn’t meant to sound unwelcoming, but thankfully he didn’t take offence.

“I came to see you.”

That was the only logical explanation and yet she couldn’t understand it. A hundred questions circled her mind and she could hardly sort out which one to ask first.

All of a sudden, it became more important to tell him one simple truth than to ask any of her questions. “I love you,” she whispered brokenly. “I never stopped loving you. We both made mistakes—”

“We did,” he said and, reaching across the table with his free hand, he took hers. Like teenagers they held hands, fingers gripping tightly.

For a long moment neither spoke.

“You went to stay with my parents,” he eventually said.

A huge lump had formed in her throat and all she could do was nod.

“Dad said you kept their spirits up until Denise got there.”

“I tried,” she said hoarsely.

“While I was held captive, all I could think about was you,” Mark told her. His thumb grazed the top of her hand. “It didn’t matter how often they beat me, I kept telling myself I had to stay alive because I needed to get home to you.”

“You’re home now.” She placed her other hand over their clasped ones.

“There’s never been anyone but you, Leanne. There never will be anyone but you.”

“Why did you ever say otherwise?” He’d withdrawn those words, but the lie still upset her.

“I was afraid you might come back, and I wouldn’t have the strength to send you away a second time.”

“Oh, Mark.”

“I knew it was wrong. The hurt in your eyes tormented me for days. That’s why I sent you that letter. I was always faithful to you, Leanne. Then and now.”

She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his.

“The doctors said I shouldn’t come, but I couldn’t stay away any longer.”

She laid her hand lightly on his swollen jaw. “Oh, Mark.” Chills shot through her at the thought of his suffering.

His hand covered hers, and he brushed the tears from her cheeks. “You are so beautiful.”

Somehow she managed to laugh. “Sure I am. My eyes are red and watering and my nose is probably running.”

“Beautiful,” he insisted.

All of a sudden Leanne sensed someone behind her. She twisted around and saw Denise.

“Do you two lovebirds want me to disappear for a while or is it safe to join you?”

Leanne stood and hugged her sister-in-law.

“She drove me over from Spokane,” Mark explained. “I flew in yesterday,” he added.

“He would’ve found a way to get to you, with or without me. I figured it was the least I could do.” She looked from one to the other. “I owe you both so much. I wanted to help fix things for you.” A slow smile came into play. “Although I have to say you don’t seem to need much help.”

“Where are the girls?” Leanne asked.

“With Mom and Dad in Spokane.”

Leanne sat down, her hand once again holding Mark’s. She needed to be close to him, needed to touch him, in order to believe he was really here. With her.

“Did you ask her?” Denise directed the question to Mark. Then, not waiting for a response, she said, “As you might’ve noticed, it’s a bit difficult for him to speak.”

“Denise,” Mark warned in a low growl.

His sister ignored him. “He wants to ask you to marry him, but first he wants to know if you’re interested in that
doctor you mentioned. I told him you weren’t, but he wants to hear it from you.”

“Denise!” This time his growl was louder.

“Oh, hush. If I left this to you, you’d mess it up for sure.” Denise winked at Leanne. “You love my brother, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Leanne said, laughing softly.

“Told you so,” Mark’s sister said to him in a know-it-all tone. She turned to Leanne. “And you’d remarry him in a heartbeat.”

“I would.”

“That’s what I thought.” She exhaled loudly. “Well, then, my work here is done. Oh, just one more thing.”