Page 16 of Natalie's Nighthawk

After the first year of operations, Graham found that the groups that came to the Nighthawk complex to train benefited from on-site lodging. He’d had the dorm built, his men affectionately calling it “the barracks,” since most of them had a military background. Over the years, a few of the Nighthawks had stayed at the barracks until they could find their own apartments.

Graham had purposely bought the land they were on because of the woods and river that ran through it, allowing them to do SAR training. So far, it had worked well, and they were becoming fairly successful. They had been able to tap into the area’s first responders’ - police, fire, and others - need for proper training and were currently branching out to the surrounding states’ first responders as well. It had been a lot of hard work and had required a lot of time, but it had been worth it. He now had an excellent group of guys that he worked closely with and was able to spend most of his time passing on his knowledge of SAR while still going out on the occasional rescue, as he had for Natalie’s students. Every now and then, he and his fellow Nighthawks deployed to wherever they might be needed. It allowed him to put the horrors he had seen behind him.

“Ahh, the great struggle every human battles against,” he sympathized. “Do you still get to do your own art?”

“Sometimes. Not as much as I wish,” she lamented. “I’m working mostly with oil paints these days. It can be slow going with everything else that interferes. Taking care of Maddie all those years restricted the time I could dedicate to my art. These last few years though, she’s been doing so well that I find myself having more free time.”

“She is lucky to have you.” He’d made her blush again. He loved seeing that bit of color flood her cheeks; it was endearing. He studied her across the table. Her hair hung long and loose around her shoulders, and he longed to run his fingers through the silken strands. When she had answered her door, he’d nearly fallen to his knees in front of her. She was wearing a tight little denim skirt that left just enough bare leg to ramp up his desire. She’d paired the skirt with a white blouse that hugged her curves so perfectly he wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real. He stared into her glorious green eyes, fighting the urge to lower his to the enticing glimpse of cleavage her blouse revealed. But the pull was irresistible.

The waitress chose that moment to bring them their meals. Both were burgers; his piled with a generous portion of bacon, and hers loaded with cheese that was melting out the sides of the bun. Both looked amazingly tasty, and he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into his.

“Can I ask where your parents were? Didn’t they help take care of Maddie?” he asked around a bite of the juicy burger.

A flash of anger moved through her eyes. But there was a resigned sadness beneath the anger. “About a year after the tornado, the day after I graduated from high school, in fact, they moved to Florida. Maddie and I decided to stay here. I went off to get my degree while Maddie learned to deal with her new reality. My parents generously paid for everything, an apartment for us, food, tuition. Everything we needed,” she intoned sarcastically.

“Except for their time and love,” he guessed. How sad for the two sisters. He’d been lucky with his family. He still had the love and respect of his parents. They had moved to Virginia following the death of his grandmother, but they still visited each other as often as they could. They had been beyond supportive of his Nighthawk dream.

“It was harder for Maddie, I think.” She dabbed her lips with her napkin, and he’d never been so jealous of a napkin before as he watched the material drift across her mouth. “She went from being their darling girl to their pariah. In her mind, she lost her leg and her parents' love and struggled with that for years.”

“Must have been hard for you too, taking up the slack for them,” he said reluctantly, pulling his gaze from her lips.

“I’d spent most of my life being the black sheep in the family, so I knew how to help Maddie deal with it. She was in a dark place for a long time. I’m proud of the woman she’s fought so hard to become, she’s an inspiration.” The love and respect she had for her sister shone from her face. He understood that since he and David also had a close relationship.

Graham’s phone buzzed, indicating a text had come in. He hated to do it, but he took the phone out to look at it. Never knowing when the team would be needed meant that he made sure to answer every text that came through. It was David. A group of kayakers had gone missing on the river and the Nighthawks had been asked to help in the search. His heart sank. He hated to do this to Natalie; he didn’t want to cut their evening short.

“What is it?” she asked, sensing his disappointment and frustration.

“I have to go.”

“Oh,” she said, her face falling as she sipped her beer.

“I hate to do this to you. I was having such a great time, but I never know when the Nighthawks will be needed. There’s a group missing on the river. I have to go,” he finished reaching for his wallet. He signaled for the waitress to take his credit card. “Stay and finish if you want. Or I can take you home real quick.”

“I’ll leave now as well.” She stood and grabbed the light jacket she had worn. Her disappointment was almost as palpable as his. When he pulled up to the front of her house, he got out to walk her to her door.

“Do me a favor, text me when you’re done. Doesn’t matter what time. I … I’d like to know when you’re safe.”

He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Sure thing, chickadee. I’ll talk to you later,” he added as he headed back to his car. He was thinking of seriously killing his brother for calling him in on this one. But Graham understood his skills would be needed.

“How was your dinner?” David asked Graham as the zodiac raced down the St. Joseph River, Logan at the helm. The three of them stood behind the console windshield at the bow of the Rigid Inflatable Boat - otherwise known as RIB - eyes scanning for the lost group of boaters.

Graham snorted. “Short.”

“Sorry about that.” David paused to study a cluster of trees more closely. “So, whatisgoing on with the two of you?”

“Is this really the time?” Graham asked as he scanned the river for the missing kayakers using the large spotlight to illuminate the area.

“I think so.”

“Me too!” shouted Logan over the roar of the outboard motor. They had decided to use their smaller RIB since it was reported that only five men were missing. Even with the three Nighthawks, there would be plenty of room for the kayakers. Being a former SEAL, Logan was the ideal choice if a water rescue was needed. He was in his element in the water.

“Seriously though, Graham,” David continued. “I am a bit surprised that you two clicked so fast. I thought you hadn’t had much contact with her since elementary school.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Graham relented, knowing David would never give it a rest.

“What does that mean?” David shone his light into another area of thick foliage.

“We spent some time together when I was a senior.”

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