Rescuing Ryder (Serenity Securities, Team Hawk #1)

Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Claire went about the cafeteria, spreading the red and white checkered tablecloths with the teens. The veterans congregated on the deck grilling chicken, burgers and hot dogs. A few teens volunteered to help Bryanna set up a dessert stand while the ever-protective Saint watched over her and pitched in to help.

The Serenity grandparents watched the young ones help stack the paper plates and plastic silverware. Nugget passed out Halloween cups while Melody gave everyone festive napkins. Emma handed out miniature paint sets and markers while Whiskey and Michael’s sons, LJ and Caleb, provided small pumpkins to decorate. Fall came to Serenity Mountain, and this barbeque signaled the last of the season.

Kassie worked the last few days with a group of kids decorating the hospital from the roof down. Skeletons decorated lab rooms and the cafeteria. Scarecrows adorned the front entrance with sunflowers and pumpkins. Now, a wagon load of mini pumpkins decorated by the residents and Serenity kids graced the halls, providing a festive atmosphere.

Claire avoided Ryder like the plague. She closed the door to her office and stayed on the opposite end of the hospital. She doubted he intended to show up at the barbecue. Ryder didn’t seem to enjoy big crowds. But the Serenity group tended to bring people around. Hopefully, he stayed outside with the veterans.

Claire planted a smile on her face as she greeted people. Kassie’s face still held small patches of red from her accidental attack. Kassie held the baby and kissed the top of Emma’s head as she offered her baby sister a tiny pumpkin. Chase watched her from the side as he bent to send Melody and Nugget to pick their choice of pumpkins for decorating. Leo held baby Grace in a snuggy attached to his chest while Catherine pulled out chairs for Samantha and Bryanna. Whiskey hung out with some of the men and drifted from one group to another. Everyone found their place to belong except Claire.

She sat with a group of teens at a table when she spotted him. Ryder dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved tan shirt which accentuated his dark black hair and scruff. His green eyes roamed the room until they landed on her, and she glanced away. Making an excuse she needed to help in the kitchen, she hopped up and went to serve some of the side dishes regardless of how many helpers pitched in.

She watched as he spoke with Whiskey. Whiskey clasped him on the back and led him over to Leo. They shook hands and sat down while Leo gently bounced the baby as he listened to Ryder speak.

Ensuring no one needed assistance, Chase joined the men as he surveyed the room.

When the food arrived from the grill, Claire volunteered to pass out the meat as everyone lined up for food. Ryder went to the line beside hers, staring at her as if trying to figure her out. She animatedly spoke and avoided his gaze.

When the meal ended, despite her stomach feeling full and lethargic, she hopped up and helped clean the tables.

Kassie approached her. “Claire, you’ve worked all night. Please let us handle this.”

“How’s your face? Kassie, I can’t apologize enough?—”

“Stop. We surprised you. I wanted you to feel like part of our family. If it wasn’t for you, Claire, I don’t know how I would’ve survived everything. I’m grateful for all your insight and advice,” Kassie admonished.

“Thank you,” Claire stated as she patted her arm, feeling relieved.

“Hi Claire, can I borrow you for a moment?” Chase asked behind her. A feeling of dread hit her stomach. Did Ryder tell him what occurred on the path?

“Sure. Shall we go out on the deck? It’s loud in here,” she asked him. Chase walked toward the hospital’s entrance instead. Her heart raced as they walked out the doors and down the steps.

“Listen, Chase, if this concerns Ryder?—”

“Oh, he spoke with you, then?” he asked.

“Spoke with me? No. I haven’t seen him until this evening,” Claire admitted. “I planned to see him at our session on Monday.”

Chase’s expression turned serious. “I wondered if he spoke with you. Ryder asked to transfer to Dr. Hill. I approved the request. He assured me you did nothing wrong. It boiled down to personalities clashing. I’m assuming you got too close to hitting the crux of the matter and he bolted. I wanted to discuss it with you before I agreed but he already met with Dr. Hill. He reports Ryder’s attending groups and doing well. Do you want me to talk to him?”

Claire scanned the yard. Leo, Whiskey and Ryder stood at the corner of the hospital speaking. She swallowed back the lump in her throat at him easily casting her to the side. She shouldn’t feel this way. The dream job she worked for, and her license were threatened because of her unprofessional behavior. Yet, she felt the hurt well up inside of her. As her eyes pooled with water, she rapidly blinked them away.

“No,” her voice came out strangled. “It’s for the best. Ryder deserves to have a choice.”

Chase’s hand squeezed her arm consolingly. “I’m sorry. You’ve done an amazing job with him. Ryder’s not as angry, and I’m sure Dr. Hill will continue with your protocols.”

Claire nodded. “I’ll see you on Monday. Have a great weekend.” She turned as she saw Ryder walking toward her, making her hasten her steps to her car.

Watching Claire buzz around the cafeteria almost made him dizzy. She avoided him at every turn. Not wishing to make her feel uncomfortable, Ryder waited in the line beside hers and smiled as Zuri served him a burger and a piece of chicken. He went to sit with some of the veterans when Whiskey called him over.

“I know you briefly met, but I wanted you to meet Leo, the team leader for Serenity Securities. He’s searching for a corpsman, and I thought you might know someone,” Whiskey stated as he led Ryder over to the team table.

Ryder shook Leo’s hand, balancing his plate of food with the other.

“Don’t stand there. Take a seat,” Leo ordered.

He set his food on the table and joined the men. The women sat around the table beside the kids, talking and laughing. His gaze wandered to Claire, seeing her watching the group wistfully. He reflected on how she always stood outside the group and briefly wondered if they refused to include her. From the way they acted, he doubted the latter.

Why did she hold herself back from joining them?

“I can reach out to a few people or Tex. He may know someone who’s searching for a position.” He turned to Leo.

“Whiskey’s coming over tomorrow for PT with the team. Why don’t you join us? I heard you started running again,” Leo stated as he dug into his food with one hand and kept Grace from grabbing stuff from his plate.

“I didn’t keep up with PT. And I?—”

“Then we’ll see you at 0600. Chase has rounds and we spend Sundays with family. Kassie and Chase host this week.” He leaned toward the women’s table. “Hey PITA, can you handle another person at brunch?”

“The more the merrier,” she chimed.

Chase smiled as Tori grabbed a handful of her hair, which caused his wife to wince. She untangled it from her daughter’s hand. “Do you want me to take her while you eat?”

“No. Maddie already called dibs, and she’s almost finished. She’s showing off her new granddaughter to the quilting circle. Em’s relieved her baby sister has to go, and she says it’s about time Tori took one for the team. Do you know where she picked up the phrase, Leo?” Kassie directed her question toward the leader, who grinned.

Ryder realized they shared an easy relationship because Leo’s wife and Kassie’s husband seemed relaxed in their banter.

“The kids finished their meals. Why don’t we take them to the front yard and let them run around?” Chase suggested.

“What’s the matter? Are you attempting to snag some alone time? Whoa, buddy, there’s a rule: you must wait six weeks like the rest of us. Adoption doesn’t give you first place in line. If we get Grace to sleep two hours at a time, Melody needs a drink of water or there’s a monster under the bed,” Leo complained good-naturedly. “How’s PITA holding up with the new baby?”

“She’s over the moon. We take turns with bath time while the other tucks Ladybug to bed.” Chase leaned over the table. “Plus, I don’t need to jump the line. Have you heard of grandparents?”

Leo rubbed the scruff along the jaw. “But you haven’t left the kids all night since you returned.”

“Come on, old man, use your imagination,” Chase teased. “Has having children aged you already?”

The group of men chuckled.

“Let’s get them outside and we might manage four consecutive hours of sleep out of them,” Leo suggested.

The men cleaned the kid’s table and ushered them toward the entrance.

Chase noticed Claire talking with his wife and excused himself from the group. Ryder watched Claire walk down the stairs with him a few minutes later. Their expressions seemed serious as they chatted. His heart started to race when he saw Claire’s panicked expression before seeing her face fall. Her eyes searched him out and she appeared hurt. It occurred to him Chase informed her of his request to change psychiatrists. Why did Claire seem crushed by his demand?

Chase touched her arm, consoling her while she stared at Ryder, appearing utterly betrayed, before turning to her car. He walked toward her which made her hasten to her vehicle. Ryder watched as she drove away, swiping at her face. He hung his head, ashamed of what he did because he acted like a chicken and she only tried to help him. Ryder let her down just like he did his former team.