Page 20 of The Way Back Home
“Give her a minute.”
Mona frowned, hands on hips, frustration and worry etched in every well-earned line of her face.
“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Noah continued. “Just that heavy-handed tactics—even well-intentioned ones—are more likely to backfire here. She’s used to running. Pushing her is only going to get her out the door faster.”
“That girl’s got a stubborn streak a mile wide.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” Noah said witha faint smile. “Give her a chance to calm down. Let me talk to her.”
Mona exhaled, looking almost as tired as he felt. “All right. She’s more likely to listen to you.”
Noah didn’t know about that, but he could recognize another haunted soul, and he understood what it felt like to be pursued by personal demons. To Mona, he said, “She’s got to make her own choices.”
“I know. I just want her to make the right ones.” Mona patted Noah’s arm, then let herself out. “Keep me posted, okay?”
As the sound of her old pickup grew fainter and fainter, Noah ran a hand over the back of his neck and sat down at the table, where Teagan’s cinnamon roll remained untouched, her coffee mug still half full.
You can’t save everyone, Ziegler.
The words came unbidden, spoken by men wiser than him, men who had understood the importance of remaining clinically detached after that clusterfuck in Afghanistan. The unit had come under attack during what was supposed to be a routine patrol. Not everyone made it back, and of those who did, not all of them survived.
For some, it was supposed to be their last mission before they went home. Unfortunately, it was, but not in the way they’d thought.
That had been Noah’s last mission too.
So, yeah, he understood running away, just as he understood how much easier it was to insulate yourself from those who tried to help you. But this … it felt different.
Scrubbing his hand over his face, Noah rose and walked slowly to the bedroom, knocking once before pushing the door open. Teagan was beside the bed, adjusting the strap on her backpack. Getting her to listen to reason was going to require a different approach.
“It’s better if I go,” Teagan said without looking at him.
“I’m not going to stop you.”
She paused, surprised. “No?”
“No.”
“Well, okay then.”
“But as a doctor, I’m obligated to point out that doing so is not medically advisable.”
“Duly noted.”
“I get it, you know.”
“Do you?”
“Running away? Wanting to go it alone? Yeah, I do.”
Her lips curled in a faint smile. “What are you running away from, Doc?”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
That elicited a light chuckle. “Tempting, but no.”
“Then how about this? Wait until dark, when it’s easier to disappear. Take the day to rest, refuel, and figure out your next move.”
She turned to him, a spark of interest in her eyes, along with a healthy dose of suspicion. “You won’t call the sheriff? Won’t try to stop me?”
