Chapter 32

Wyatt was startled awake by a small hand hesitantly patting his bare back. Rolling away from where he'd been curled around Lucy, he saw his son standing beside the bed. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Hey, buddy, are you okay?" but Jamie merely stared at him mutely. Smothering a tired yawn, Wyatt sat up and leaning over, turned on the lamp beside the bed. He heard a slight rustle as Lucy rolled over and peered sleepily over his shoulder.

"Wyatt? What's wrong?" she murmured, sitting up and pulling the covers up over her lap. When the dim light revealed traces of tears on the little boy's cheeks, Lucy sighed, "Oh, Jamie, sweetie, did you have a bad dream?" and he nodded miserably. Wyatt threw back the covers and lifted the child onto the bed, tucking him in between them. He smiled as Lucy drew Jamie into her arms and began rubbing his back and murmuring to him.

"Jamie, do you want to talk about your bad dream?" Wyatt asked gently, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He and Lucy exchanged puzzled glances when his son mumbled something unintelligible against her neck.

At Wyatt's helpless shrug, she whispered something into the little boy's ear. Jamie nodded, sniffed loudly and leaning away from Lucy, stared up at his father with tear-soaked blue eyes. "Daddy?" he choked out, "Are you going to heaven like Mommy?" Wyatt sucked in a shocked breath, conscious of Lucy's soft exclamation of dismay.

Pulling his son to his chest, Wyatt held him firmly as Jamie began to cry. "Shh, now, son, it's alright, Daddy's going to be just fine. My head doesn't even hurt very much any more, okay?"

"Really, Daddy?" the five-year-old asked tearfully, "Cause in my bad dream, I couldn't find you and I got scared and you went away like my Mommy did cause you got hurted real bad, and I was really sad," he concluded, burying his face in Wyatt's chest. He continued to hold Jamie while Lucy rubbed the child's back soothingly, and within a few minutes, his sobs dwindled away and he was fast asleep.

As Wyatt contemplated his son's teary confession, Lucy's whisper broke the hushed silence of the room. "Has Jamie ever had a dream like this before?"

Lips pressed firmly together, Wyatt shook his head slowly. "I just didn't realize how upset he really was," he answered regretfully.

Leaning across the sleeping child, Lucy pressed a quick kiss on Wyatt's mouth, and tried to console him. "Hey, stop feeling guilty–it's not your fault you got hurt. It was just an accident. Jamie's going to be fine, I promise. Now, we better get some sleep since we have to get up pretty early," and after one last sweet smile, Lucy settled back under the covers with her arm around Jamie and she, too, drifted off.

Wyatt, however, wasn't so lucky. Between sleeping a large part of the last twenty-four hours and a growing apprehension about his therapy session later on this morning, he was too keyed up to sleep. Definitely uncomfortable opening up to a stranger about his innermost thoughts and feelings, Wyatt was hopeful that making the effort would prove to Lucy that he was serious about her and their future together.

Gazing at his young son curled trustingly against the woman he loved so deeply, Wyatt understood that whatever it took to preserve this small family they were building together was worth it. If that meant letting an Army shrink poke around his head and examine his thoughts and feelings, so be it. Satisfied for now, Wyatt slid under the covers and rolling toward Lucy and Jamie, placed his arm securely across them and slept.

Lucy stirred as the first tentative shimmers of sunlight began to filter through the curtains, blinking open sleepy eyes as the room grew light. She felt the warm weight of Jamie nestled snugly by her side, and smiled to see Wyatt on his stomach, long muscular arm stretched across the two of them. Her smile widened as she noticed how much the little boy resembled his Daddy, something much more apparent when they were relaxed in sleep. Wyatt was such a good father, and she knew he felt terrible at how distressed Jamie had been at his injury.

Grabbing her phone from beside the bed, Lucy turned off the alarm. It was still early yet, and deciding to let father and son sleep a little while longer, she carefully extricated herself from their comforting grasp before slipping into the bathroom for a brief shower. When she walked back into the bedroom, Wyatt was awake, propped against the headboard talking softly to a drowsy Jamie tucked against his chest. Grabbing some clean clothes, Lucy ducked back into the bathroom to give them a little privacy while she slipped into dark jeans and a thick sweater.

After helping Jamie get ready for school while Wyatt dressed, Lucy managed to get the five-year-old fed and his lunch packed by the time they needed to leave to take him to school before heading over to the base. Although he insisted his head felt much better, she could tell that Wyatt was still in some pain, and his commitment to begin therapy today in spite of his obvious physical discomfort both worried Lucy and warmed her heart. She was pleased when he asked if she would come and sit in the waiting room with him and readily agreed.

After telling his son to have a good day at school, Wyatt had been very quiet during the ride to Pendleton, holding Lucy's hand firmly as she drove. Parking in the visitors' lot not far from the main gate, she turned off the car and turned to face him. Worried that it was too soon after his accident and that he might be overdoing it, she suggested, "You know, it's only been a couple of days since you got hurt, they'd probably be happy to re-schedule this appointment, Wyatt. I mean, maybe the extra stress wouldn't be good for your recovery."

Smiling, Wyatt carefully shook his head. Bringing their clasped hands to his lips, he pressed a soft kiss to her hand and assured her, "Lucy, it's okay, I'm fine, really, and don't even have much of a headache this morning." At her skeptical glance, he insisted, "You know this needs to happen if we want to have a future together, and I do, so much, want that with you. Now, I have to admit I'm not looking forward to this, but it's important and necessary. Try not to worry, everything will be fine, okay?"

Searching his face, Lucy saw not only determination, but also Wyatt's love for her and hope for their relationship. Leaning in, she kissed him quickly, murmuring against his lips, "I am so proud of you. Well, then, let's get in there and get this over with, soldier."

He gently leaned his forehead against hers, and sighed, "Yes, Ma'am." Hand in hand, they made their way to the Visitor Center where Lucy signed in and received a visitors pass. Wyatt explained that normally, visitors to Pendleton were required to be sponsored by base personnel and turn in a request form a few days in advance, but due to his driving restriction, Lucy was serving as his driver today, so they were able to bypass the usual procedure.

Her dark brows drew together thoughtfully as she digested that piece of information, teasing, "So, what you're saying is that I'm special?" rather shamelessly fishing for a compliment.

Blue eyes shining, Wyatt leaned in close as she was clipping the pass to her bag and breathed near her ear, "If you don't know by now how special you are, Lucy Preston, then I have been derelict in my duties, an oversight I will endeavor to correct."

Her resulting blush at his declaration pleased him to no end, especially when she called his bluff and sassed right back breathlessly, "Promises, promises, Master Sergeant," with a naughty gleam in her soft brown eyes.

Willing his heart rate to slow a bit (and wishing his jeans weren't quite so tight), Wyatt directed a fake sneer at Lucy and vowed, "Oh, you have my word, sweetheart," grinning in satisfaction when she giggled softly and shook her head at him. "C'mon," Wyatt said, "We better get moving–the Med Building is a couple blocks away," and taking her hand firmly in his, led Lucy out of the Visitors Center and into the main corridor.

"It was a good thing Wyatt's appointment wasn't for another 45 minutes," Lucy mused, as one person after another hailed Wyatt. She lost track of how many times the couple was stopped on the way to their destination. It was clearly evident from the warm greetings, handshakes, and bicep punches that Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan was not only respected by his fellow servicemen and women, but was well liked also. Naturally, Lucy loved and admired Wyatt very much, but the obvious esteem with which his peers regarded him was heartwarming to see first hand.

Well-mannered to a fault, Wyatt insisted on introducing her to everyone who stopped them as his girlfriend, Miss Lucy Preston, and after the first dozen or so "Ma'ams," she quit counting. There was plenty of good-natured ribbing about his injury that Wyatt easily took in stride, but the under the humor she detected genuine concern for him as well. Lucy was impressed at the real sense of camaraderie she was witnessing. These men and women were a family, and she began to understand what that meant to Wyatt, the Baumgardners, and all the other service families.

Without warning, Wyatt suddenly dropped her hand, and instantly standing at attention, crisply saluted an older, grey-haired man with very erect posture who looked vaguely familiar. Thinking for a minute, Lucy realized it was the base C.O., remembering him from the Christmas Gala opening ceremony. "At ease, soldier," the officer said kindly, with a faint smile.

"Yes, sir," Wyatt responded, relaxing his stance slightly.

The older man's smile grew, as with a pointed glance at the bandage on Wyatt's forehead, he asked, "Master Sergeant Logan, did I see an injury report come across my desk yesterday?"

Wyatt's face reddened even as he answered respectfully, "Yes, sir."

"Ten stitches, Master Sergeant? Just a scratch, I'd wager," and the two men grinned at each other, to Lucy's faint surprise. (Must be a guy thing, or maybe a military thing?) "Well, Logan, it's to be hoped this will teach you not to jump headfirst into a fracas right away, especially when recruits with weapons are involved," the C.O. advised with a brisk nod. "With that being said, however, it hasn't escaped my attention that you and Master Sergeant Baumgardner are doing an excellent job with your platoon."

Stunned at the unexpected praise, Wyatt managed, "Thank you, Sir, we appreciate your kind words."

The officer just then seemed to notice Lucy, who had been standing patiently during Wyatt's conversation with his superior. "Please forgive my lack of manners, Ma'am. And might you be Mrs. Logan?" he inquired with a pleasant smile, reaching out to firmly shake her hand.

A heated blush spread across Lucy's cheeks at his assumption. "Sir, this is my girlfriend, Miss Lucy Preston. She's a kindergarten teacher at Palm Grove School," and as she shook the C.O.'s hand, Lucy's heart thrilled at the obvious love and pride in Wyatt's voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Preston, and I admire your choice of profession. Two of my four daughters are school teachers also," he replied, gazing at her approvingly.

"Very nice to meet you, too, sir," Lucy responded with a shy smile. They chatted easily for a few more minutes when she noticed the time and discreetly touched Wyatt's arm.

"Sir, if you'll excuse us, I have a doctor appointment to get to," Wyatt explained, and after bidding the officer goodbye, they hurried to the Medical Building and into the therapist's office with several minutes to spare. Wyatt signed in and sat beside Lucy to wait until his name was called. The reception area was nearly empty, much to his secret relief. While he certainly wasn't ashamed to seek out counseling, Wyatt didn't necessarily need everybody and his brother on base to know about it, either. Slightly preoccupied by his thoughts, he started at the sudden pressure of Lucy's hand on his knee.

At his quizzical expression, she smiled and whispered, "You were tapping your leg nervously," and even though Wyatt was a little embarrassed she'd noticed, he tried to casually shrug away his nerves.

Shooting her a dimpled grin, he teased, "Or maybe you just wanted to play around with my sexy knee, Miss Preston," and to his delight, she not only laughed quietly, but squeezed his knee again in retaliation and made him jump a little.

Lucy's dark eyes gleamed mischievously. "Wyatt Logan–do you have ticklish knees? How did I not know that?" and he had to grab her hand and hold it firmly between them to keep her from tormenting him while they were in a very public place.

Even as he pretended to frown, Wyatt warned, "You better behave yourself, sweet Lucy, or I'll have to think of a suitable punishment," and he struggled to keep a straight face when her eyes widened in apparent anticipation.

"Not to sound like a broken record, but it bears repeating: promises, promises, Master Sergeant," she purred in a low voice, and even though Wyatt normally wasn't one for public displays of affection, he simply couldn't resist–and pulled Lucy close for a hard kiss. Of course, that was exactly the moment the receptionist called his name.

"Master Sergeant Logan?" They sprang apart reluctantly, both sporting big smiles and rosy cheeks.

Shaking his head, Wyatt murmured, "You are just too tempting, sweetheart, and now you got me all riled up," much to her amusement. As he stood, Lucy tugged on his hand, and offering a comforting smile, reassured him she'd be right here waiting. Squeezing her hand in return before releasing it, Wyatt resolutely squared his shoulders and followed the receptionist through the open doorway. He was determined to not only endure the next hour, but hopefully, receive some helpful guidance.

Lucy sighed as she watched Wyatt's broad shoulders disappear through the doorway. She knew he was putting on a brave face for her benefit, and while it naturally worried her, she loved him for it. The very fact that he was willing to talk to a therapist more than proved to Lucy the depth of his feelings for her. Wyatt was such a private man, and yet, for her, for their future, it seemed there was nothing he wouldn't do. She prayed that his time with the therapist would be productive and give him the tools to deal with some of the underlying issues he struggled with.

Pulling her phone out of her bag, Lucy saw a text from Julie:

Hey, girl, how's your patient this morning?

He's much better, at least physically, although we did get woke up in the middle of the night when Jamie had a pretty bad dream and ended up in bed with us.

Aww, poor little man, what happened? Is he okay?

He dreamed that because Wyatt got hurt, his dad went away like his Mommy and he was all alone :(

Oh, Jamie. He did seem pretty upset when we picked him up at school yesterday. That must have killed Wyatt to hear something like that...

Yeah, he was kinda upset, even though I told him not to feel guilty cause he couldn't help getting hurt.

Well, as a parent, I can vouch that sometimes, we overreact emotionally in spite of the cold, hard facts.

I think he knows that, but it was just hard for him to hear. We dropped Jamie off at school and we're actually at base right now. Wyatt's in with the therapist.

Good for him. I know he absolutely hates this kind of thing, but I'm happy that he recognizes it could be helpful. I hope you know by now there's nothing Wy wouldn't do for you, Lucy :)

Yeah, I do know that, and it really means a lot to me that he kept this therapy appointment.

"Excuse me, it's Lucy, right?" a soft voice interrupted. Lucy glanced up to see a tall blonde around her age who looked somewhat familiar staring expectantly at her.

"One second, please?" Lucy asked, and at the woman's quick nod, hastily sent one last text to Julie before slipping her phone back in her bag.

Hey, have to go now, talk to you later :)

"Yes, I'm Lucy Preston, and you are?" she said, offering a faint smile.

"Kelly Lawrence. I'm the C.O.'s administrative assistant," and at the surprised expression on Lucy's face, she blushed and said, "I can see you're probably aware of who I am, Miss Preston."

Lucy recovered from her shock admirably and requested politely, "Please, call me Lucy. Would you like to sit for a minute?"

With a shy smile, the other woman sat beside her and replied, "Thanks, Lucy, and I'm Kelly. I don't want to intrude, and it probably sounds a little creepy, but I was in the corridor when I saw you and Master Sergeant Logan come in here, and well, I heard he got injured during training exercises a couple days ago, and I was just wondering how he was doing."

Normally, Lucy would have agreed with Kelly that her behavior might be considered a little intrusive, but then she remembered Julie's words from the Christmas Gala, "...it's heartbreaking to think about a person wanting to be with someone so badly, but just refusing to give up even when it's hopeless..."

Summoning her compassion for the other woman, she gave Kelly another brief smile and answered, "Wyatt is doing much better, thanks. He ended up with ten stitches and a pretty sore bump on the head, but you know how men can be. I can barely get him to take ibuprofen for the pain. And I'm sure he will be back at work first thing Monday."

Kelly looked relieved. "Well, that's good. I'm glad it wasn't more serious, although you're right about that. Most of the guys around here could be half dead from an injury, and they just tell each other to 'shake it off' and laugh like idiots," and she grinned when Lucy snickered in appreciation.

After a moment, Kelly sobered a little and admitted, "I'm sure someone, if not the Master Sergeant, has probably mentioned to you that I've been, well, to put it mildly, interested in him for a while now." She paused, and inhaled deeply before continuing, "This is so embarrassing, Lucy, but I guess I just wanted you to know two things. One, Master Sergeant Logan has never, not once, ever treated me with anything other than polite respect. Now, I'm not a vain woman, but I am aware that some men find me attractive. You're very pretty and petite, so I imagine you understand what I mean. Sometimes, you just know when a man is interested."

At Lucy's slight nod, she smiled wistfully. "I would have given anything if he would have asked me out, even once, but it never happened. And then when I was convinced I couldn't feel worse about his lack of interest, one of the other administrative assistants 'kindly' took me aside and informed me that I bore a faint resemblance to his deceased wife." At Lucy's involuntary wince, Kelly nodded, and shrugged. "Yes, well, that was a big eye opener for sure. And from that day on, I was determined to quit embarrassing both Master Sergeant Logan and myself. Which leads me to the second thing. I've been dating a very nice man for the past month or so, also a T.I., and it's early yet, but he treats me very well, and I think it could turn into something serious." She looked anxiously at Lucy, uncertain of her response.

Lucy smiled kindly at the blonde, and putting her hand on Kelly's arm, patted it comfortingly and said, "Thank you, Kelly, for telling me this. I think it took a lot of courage, especially since you had no idea how I would react. And I'm sorry that you've gone through so much, but this new relationship sounds promising, and I hope it works out for you."

Kelly brightened at Lucy's words, and offered, "We'll see. And I hope that you and Master Sergeant Logan are doing well. After what he went through with his wife's tragic death, he deserves to be happy and you seem to be just the woman for the job. Thanks again, Lucy, for the conversation. I better get back to my desk," and standing, shook Lucy's hand and bid her a cheerful goodbye.

No sooner had a much happier Kelly left the reception area than a weary-looking Wyatt was standing in front of Lucy. Her heart sank at his vaguely troubled expression, but now was not the time or place for a discussion. Plastering a smile on her face, she asked, "Ready to go? I'm starving. Let's go home and get some lunch, alright?" He merely nodded and once she stood up, took her hand. Fortunately, they encountered fewer people walking out to the parking lot, and a short while later arrived home. Wyatt headed upstairs to change into sweats while Lucy prepared a light lunch.

Busy at the counter putting sandwiches together, she felt Wyatt's arms wrap around her waist and he kissed the side of her neck before resting his head on her shoulder with a sigh. Turning in his arms and looking into his dark blue eyes, Lucy asked hesitantly, "Are you okay?" and at his indifferent shrug, she came to a decision. "Tell you what. Let's have some lunch and then if you want to talk about anything, we can. Or if you'd rather not, that's perfectly fine. I just want you to know I'm here for you, Wyatt. Whatever you need, whenever you need. And I promise, we will get through this, okay?"

He nodded and with a soft smile, answered, "Thank you, Ma'am. I appreciate that. And if it's not too much trouble, can I get that 'whatever you need, whenever you need' part in writing?"

Lucy's eyes widened at the realization that he might have just played her, and she smacked her hands on his chest when he started to snicker. "Ow! I'm kidding! Really. Sweetheart, I'm sorry. You're being so sweet and taking such good care of me, and I love you for it. But, all kidding aside, the therapy session went alright, I guess, but is it okay if we don't talk about it, at least for now?" And at his sincere entreaty, Lucy's annoyance faded. She was well aware how stressful the past week or so had been for both of them.

Pretending to consider his request, she let him stew for several minutes, to the point where the smile slipped from his face and he was starting to look worried. "I guess so," she finally replied, and Lucy grinned when his mouth fell open.

"Oh, you learn fast, Lucy Preston. And once I get some food in me and take a nap, well, you better watch out," and in spite of herself, laughed at the confident expression on his handsome face.

She loved him so much, and was willing to work just as hard as he was to save what they had together, no matter what obstacles they faced.

"Counting on it, Master Sergeant. Now how about that sandwich?"

A/N: Sorry for the delay in writing and posting a new chapter. Between writing a couple of one shots and the new season, I've been a little distracted. And how AWESOME is the new season so far? I'm loving it. It's also been great to see all the new authors hanging out with us here in the Timeless fandom. My sincere thanks to everyone for continuing to support this wee beast of a story, in spite of how slowly it moves, lol. Your reviews, favorites, and follows mean so much to me. Thanks again :))