^^TotS^^

EPOV

Bella follows me out the door and toward the long-term parking lot where Riley left my car last night. I hit the button on the keyless remote and hear the familiar honk of my silver Accord coupe.

"Wow, this is a mighty shiny car you have here, Captain Masen," Bella teases. "It's like she got all gussied up for you as a homecoming gift!"

I smile and shake my head. "Okay, first…you have to call me Edward. Formalities went out the window the moment you assaulted me with your cinderblock backpack." I smirk, looking over at her and she grins sheepishly in response. "And second, I'm sure my friend was just trying to make her look presentable for me after using her while I was away. It's the least he could do after putting damn near a thousand miles on her while I was gone," I grumble.

"What? Where the heck did he drive to? This is a small island…you can only go so far before you hit water and have to turn," she snickers, unstrapping her carry-on from the larger suitcase.

I laugh, popping the trunk open and begin stowing our luggage. "Well, you see… Riley has modeled his life after that old adage, 'a sailor with a girl in every port'," Bella's eyes widen and her mouth drops open in understanding. "Exactly. The only difference in that phrase is that he's a Marine. His rolodex is always spinning out of control. I had no problem with him using my car while I was away, but the deal was to keep her tuned up and clean…inside and out." I'll fucking throttle him if I ever find out he had sex in my car. I haven't even had sex in my car.

After getting our bags in the trunk, I walk over to the passenger door and open it for Bella. "Your chariot, m'lady," I say with a slight bow, causing her to giggle.

That may have been a little selfish on my part. Her laugh is captivating, as is her smile.

Reel it in, Edward.

A twenty-minute drive down the H-1 brings us to Tripler Army Medical Center. An enormous pink, yes pink, hospital that sits on the top of a hill with a view stretching all the way to downtown Honolulu. Behind the hospital sit the lush green hills and valleys, the incredible natural spectacle that is the inner region of the island of Oahu.

I find a rock star parking spot only two spaces down from the entrance to the emergency room. Bella and I walk inside the crowded waiting room and I manage to find two of those extraordinarily comfortable hard plastic chairs for us to lounge in. While I hang back in the seating area, she signs in and the triage nurse takes her information. Somehow, the stars align and she's called to the back less than ten minutes after we arrive.

She stands and starts to walk toward the nurse and then looks around, her eyes settling on me. "Hey, no rest for the weary, Masen," she barks at me, jokingly. "Come keep me company!"

I rise with a chuckle and follow her through the double doors. We're escorted to a small area, sectioned off only by curtains. Bella hops up on the bed and I take the seat next to the portable blood pressure machine.

"It's all well and good that it only took ten minutes to get back here," she starts, "but in my experience, that always means we'll end up sitting here for another hour. I just figured it would make it less painful if we waited together," she adds with a shrug and a smile.

"I totally understand and agree." My voice remains steady, but there's an inner guy who's feeling a bit excited that she just wants us to spend a little more time together. I can't say I'm feeling differently.

^^TotS^^

Bella knew what she was talking about. By the time we're leaving the hospital, after a visit that took almost two and a half hours in total, the sun is setting. Ten minutes in the waiting room, ninety in the exam room, with only four of those minutes actually spent with the doctor looking in her ears, and then another forty-five minutes in the waiting area at the in-hospital pharmacy, where apparently everyone in uniform needed some kind of drug intervention on this particular Sunday afternoon.

It's been a freaking long day and I'm beyond dead on my feet. Bella's looking no worse for the wear. I don't quite know how that's possible, since we've done the same amount of traveling today. Maybe it's the smile she always has on her face— a smile I can't seem to turn away from.

"So, what are we eating? I'm starved!" She announces, buckling up.

Exhaustion be damned. Bella wants food, which means more Bella time. I think on it for a second. "Well, there are great places downtown to choose from. I know Chef Mavro and La Mer are delicious, but we're not really dressed for them. Do you like Indian, 'cause I've been—"

I glance over to gauge her reaction and she's looking at me, eyebrows furrowed, but attempting to hide a smirk, I think. "What? What is it? No Indian?"

"I was just hoping we could hit a drive-thru. I want to take my magical eight hundred milligrams and if I don't get some food in me, I think you might be carrying me to my room."

I ruminate for a second on that image, feeling my pulse pick up just slightly, then simply add with a smile, "I could go for a quarter-pounder!"

^^TotS^^

"All set?" I ask as she approaches, swinging the key to her rental car.

"Yup! I'll be cruising around in a new Chevy Malibu, thank you very much! They said it's parked right outside in the first row," she replies animatedly, head bobbing. "So I guess this is goodbye, then."

Awkwardness descends. I swallow tightly and nod, worried that my chance is passing by right before my eyes. "It doesn't have to be!" I blurt out, my verbal filter apparently too jet-lagged to worry that I sound more than a little desperate.

"Oh," she starts, "I'm kinda ready to call it a night…I feel like I'm on the verge of collapse."

"Oh, no, no! I mean, of course, yes." Well articulated, Bill Shakespeare. "Yeah, I'm definitely ready to head home. It'll take me close to forty-five minutes to get to my base. But umm, I just meant, it doesn't have to be goodbye for the trip. I mean, I have some paperwork I have to deal with tomorrow at my command, but as of Tuesday, I'm off for the month. Maybe we could get together at some point. Do something, I don't know… touristy," I add, hoping I don't sound like a pitiful teenager, not wanting prom night to ever end.

That smile, her bewitching smile that starts at the corner of her mouth and slowly rises, makes its way back onto the scene…and I'm done for.

"Here." She holds out her palm. "Let me have your phone and I'll plug my number in."

I hand it over, attempting to maintain my cool. I'm also trying my damnedest to not start humming my niece's favorite song, "Call Me Maybe". I only heard it about three thousand times this past week while I was visiting my family in Monterey and the tune stuck. After some quick thumb work, her phone rings and she hands it back to me, those plump lips turned up again, showcasing her pearly whites.

"Thanks again for the ride to the ER, Captain. Those miraculous meds are doing the trick!" Her friendly wink buckles my knees, but I try to swagger my way through the motion as I start backing away.

"Glad to hear it. Do me a favor and shoot me a text when you check in. My mother would kill me if she knew I was letting you go without having a solid place to stay."

"Will do. I'm hoping Hickam's available…but yeah, I'll let you know," she hollers back.

"'Night." I call out to her turning away with a wave but then swing around again because I can't let it go…it…her…semantics. "Yeah, I'm following you to the lodge."

She bursts out laughing. "Always the Marine officer, huh? Every 'i' dotted; every 't' crossed?"

"YES!" I shout happily, pointing at her, thankful she doesn't think I'm a total stalker. "Just humor me, okay?"

"I think it's nice. No humor needed," she replies, opening the car door. "I'll follow you over there…you know where you're going anyway!"

^^TotS^^

BPOV

I was relieved to successfully book four nights in the Royal Alaka'i Inn on Hickam Air Force Base. They couldn't promise me a room beyond Thursday because I'm in a lower category and the weekends always tend to fill up with families PCS'ing and service members in town on assignment. On Wednesday, I'll check in with the front desk to see if I can extend my stay on Hickam or find out if I have to look into lodging on Pearl Harbor or Kaneohe Bay.

Edward was kind enough to stay with me until he was sure I was given a key to a room. With a final nod and grin, he said goodnight and drove off toward his base.

Seeing him on the flight was definitely unexpected. I was resigned to the idea that this trip to Hawaii was going to be equal parts fun and somber. And I've been okay with that.

I've been okay with a lot of things that have happened in my life. Well, maybe not okay, but I've accepted the hand I've been dealt. What else can I do?

I'll always miss Mike. We were two friends who turned into more. His parents are older and seemed a bit distant when dealing with us. My parents are the opposite, always hovering, but we found a balance between the two and knew what we wanted in our lives as husband and wife and as future parents. We were only married a year when we found out I was pregnant…and barely out of our newlywed phase when he was killed. And my precious baby…well, I've come to the realization that maybe Mike needed him more than I did.

I had my engagement ring turned into a pendant, which I usually wear around my neck. It helps me feel closer to Mike. Because I had the baby before I hit the twenty week mark, the doctors labeled it a miscarriage but allowed me to keep his ashes. I saved them in a blue ceramic heart-shaped music box that plays the song, "Danny Boy." I'm not Irish, but Mike was, and I thought it was fitting.

I won't gloss over my circumstances. My losses were beyond difficult. I've been medicated. I've had therapy. I'm in a better place now, and I know I need to live my life to the fullest, because the only other option to me is to just not bother getting out of bed in the morning.

After everything I've been through, I see most things very black and white these days, especially when it comes to living. I've chosen to wake up every day and know I have three lives to live for, not just my own. I believe it would dishonor the memories of Mike and our son if I spent any more time paralyzed by grief. I don't even think I fear anything anymore. I've been through the fire and I believe I'm stronger and perhaps better for it.

I loved my boys…I still love them, and I miss them greatly. But when the clouds allow sunlight to stream down in beams and I walk from the shadows into those patches of light, I know they're with me. When a ladybug lands on my shoulder, when a hummingbird hovers near my zinnias in the backyard, that's when I know they're sending me signs. It fills my soul to know I have the two best guardian angels looking out for me.

Spending the day with Edward was almost cathartic. To be in his company without the hovering cloud of tragedy and emotional exhaustion…it was refreshing. Too many people feel sorry for me back home in North Carolina. I needed to escape that claustrophobic feeling before it suffocated me for another uneventful summer. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends dearly, and I know they love me, too. But…I feel like they need to snap out of it. I've moved on, or at least am attempting to. I wish they would, too. To be honest, their looks of pity and constant worry are only aggravating me more.

I've actually been giving a lot of thought to requesting an overseas teaching assignment. I have to get my paperwork in within the next two weeks, so I think I'll spend this week catching up on sleep, doing some tourism research and completing whatever requirements are necessary for that opportunity to become available. I know that my parents and Allie and Jasper will all flip out if I tell them I'm moving to Germany or something, but I need the change of scenery.

I've had a major thirst for freedom, which is why I'm sitting here on Oahu with no real plans and no specific destination. I have a car, I have a phone and I have money…it's beyond liberating.

And now I have a phone number of a new-old friend, I guess you could call him…and he's offering to show me around a bit.

I was willing to take this trip all on my own, but the thought of having a companion for a few days along the way sounds more than pleasurable to me.

And it doesn't hurt that he's devastatingly handsome. I had to pinch myself more than a couple of times on the flight and then again in the hospital, because I just kept gazing at him. I found myself studying him like he was one of those optical illusions or a piece of artwork where at first glance, you have a feeling about what you see, but as you continue to stare, you discover the beautiful intricacies that continue to reveal themselves.

I shake my head and lie down on my pillow, putting my required ear drops in. For now, I'll sleep, catch up with myself over the next couple of days and be ready and refreshed to dive into Hawaii...literally and figuratively.

^^TotS^^

Monday and Tuesday come and go without incident. I run over to the commissary first thing Monday morning and pick up some essentials to get me through the days...starting with my morning coffee and cereal. I was able to submit all my information into the DODEA system. I'm certified to teach kindergarten through eighth grade, but my preference is teaching the little peanuts with big eyes and bright minds just waiting to be filled. They are my treasure.

With all of my paperwork complete, I can only hope there will be openings overseas. The DODEA secretary I spoke with this morning said they were compiling the list of vacancies for the coming school year and I would be contacted via email with the slots available within the next two weeks.

The freedom I've felt being away from North Carolina even for the last four days has been like an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders. The thought of truly being able to start over, even though it's been three years, is like a fire that's been burning in my belly for a while. And this trip I've started is exciting me and empowering me…proving that I can and should do this for myself.

By Wednesday afternoon, I decide that I'm caught up on my sleep. I Googled the hell out of Hawaii hot spots and scoped out all the sights I'd like to hit on Oahu, The Big Island, Kauai and Maui and it's time to hit the road starting tomorrow.

With Seinfeld reruns playing on the boob tube, I find myself digging into my third slice of thin crust ham and pineapple pizza— because really, where better to eat a Hawaiian pizza than in Hawaii? Moments after Elaine devastates Jerry with her hysterical big reveal that she never had an orgasm during their relationship, my cell phone rings. I glance at the caller ID and smile.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella? It's Edward. Edward Masen."

I feel my grin grow bigger. "Hello Edward, Edward Masen...what can I do for you on this fine Wednesday evening, Captain?"

I hear him chuckle a bit. "Well, I was feeling lazy after sleeping the day away yesterday and just lounging on my deck today, so I'm ready to put on my tourist hat and check out some of the sights. I was wondering if you'd like to come along tomorrow?"

"Well sir, that depends. I need a bit more information before I commit to anything. This tourist hat you speak of. Will you be wearing a Hawaiian shirt? What with us being here in the Aloha State, and all?"

"Absolutely. Next question."

"Does your ensemble consist of a camera around the neck and sandals with socks pulled up to your knees?"

"Of course!"

I giggle. I'm so glad he's able to goof along with me. "Okay, one last question...this is the clincher...you ready?"

"Hit me."

"What color socks?"

"Black!" He proclaims, as if there were any other logical answer.

I bite my lower lip and smile. "Well, you've got yourself a date then!"

Military terms:

PCS(ing)- mentioned in the last chapter; Permanent Change of Station, the new military base a service member is assigned to usually for a three-year time period.

Commissary- the military grocery store. They do a pretty good job of stocking what the local stores would normally carry. Definitely a sight for sore eyes when you're in a foreign land.

DODEA- Department of Defense Education Activity; a civilian agency of the United States, which oversees all oversea schools in military bases.

A/N: Come join the fun over on Facebook at The Cabanaboy's Playground where Spearward is the topic du jour, but the Cabana Boy is never far from our hearts. And a special thank you from the Cabana Boy to all the new readers and reviewers of Last Call! So glad you're enjoying that adventure, too!

Much love and lots of hugs to my beta LaMomo and my awesome pre-reading Cabana Girls: Born, Cejsmom and Jules. Their help is immeasurable.

To all of my readers, reviewers, lurkers, favoriters, alerters, tweeters, pimpers and such...thank you so very much! Can't wait to hear from you again this week!

xo, Jen