Michael and Claudia Joy Holden had to leave Fort Marshall and venture to Raleigh for the next three days, leaving their seventeen year old daughter to stay with the Sherwoods since she couldn't just take off from school. Emmalin didn't know what to expect, she and Jeremy Sherwood had been slowly dancing around each other for the past three weeks, neither one knowing what to say or do since he had been released from the hospital.
During his stay in the Fort Marshall Medical Center, she had broken down into an emotional wreck, exposing all her feelings for the nineteen year old solider. Anytime they were near each other Emmalin made an excuse to leave as soon as possible, the fear of Jeremy rejecting her was almost too much for the youngest Holden to bear. As ridiculous as it was she thought that if they didn't have a chance to speak he wouldn't have a chance to turn her down.
"Here sweetheart" Claudia Joy smiled, handing Emmalin her luggage, filled to the brim with clothes for the next three days. "Why did you pack so much? You're not even staying for the whole week!" Her mother laughed, knowing Emmalin always over packed. Okay so she might have been notorious for packing overboard, but no one could ever say she wasn't prepared!
The mother and daughter walked down the driveway to the Sherwood home. Emmalin didn't see why she couldn't stay by herself while her parents where in Raleigh, it was only three days after all. She was absolutely aware of all the opportunities Jeremy would have to reject her during her stay in his home. Claudia Joy stepped up to the door of the familiar house and rang the bell.
"Claudia Joy, Emmalin. Glad you're here!" Denise Sherwood smiled, hugging both of the Holdens tightly.
"Hey Mrs. Sherwood." Emmalin said politely to her mother's best friend, returning the strong hug slowly.
"Thanks so much for watching Emmalin, Denise, Michael and I really appreciate it." Claudia Joy told Denise, stepping inside the house.
"No problem! Emmalin how about you bring that suitcase inside and leave it by the doorway, it looks heavy so I'll have Jeremy carry it upstairs for you when he gets home."
Emmalin did as instructed, dropping her heavy bag next to the coat rack. She followed the two older women into the living room, sitting down on the couch. The smell of home-cooking filled the house, she knew from past occasions that Mrs. Sherwood was a fantastic cook. Emmalin adored the Sherwood home, it was always so 'homey', like it could be featured in one of her mother's "Home and Garden" Magazines.
"How is Jeremy anyways?" Claudia Joy asked, giving her best friend a supportive look, taking a seat next to Emmalin on the couch.
"He's good. He's getting through it. Jeremy's at physical therapy right now, for his rib. He's got that three times a week and counseling every other morning."
"That's great! Where's Frank? Are you sure he doesn't mind Emmalin staying the next few days?"
"Frank's at work, he's switched shifts with another officer so he could go to counseling with Jeremy in the mornings, and of course he doesn't mind Emmalin staying."
"Does Jeremy mind me staying?" Emmalin asked softly, making her presence known.
"What? Why would he? Of course he doesn't mind." Denise insisted, surprised by Emmalin's concern.
"Well it's just he's dealing with his PTSD right now, I just didn't know if he was okay with having company right now."
"Ohh, he doesn't mind. Frank's sort of been smothering him since he left the hospital and I think he'd welcome a distraction."
"Frank's smothering Jeremy?" Claudia Joy asked, amusement evident in her voice. It was funny to image Major Frank Sherwood smothering someone. The thought had all three smiling, before busting into a fit of laughter.
"Like crazy! I haven't seen Frank be so affection with anyone until Jeremy got out of the hospital. I honestly think Jeremy's scared. Frank tried to kiss him the other day for the first time since Jeremy was seven." Denise smiled, running a hand through her dark hair.
"And what did Jeremy do?" Claudia Joy asked, smiling.
"He looked like he was about to have a stroke, pushed Frank off of him and practically ran the other way!" Denise laughed, getting glasses of herbal tea for each of them after stirring a tasty smelling pot that simmered on the stainless steel stove.
"Hey Mom? I'm home." Emmalin heard Jeremy's voice seconds before he entered the living room. She could feel her heart pounding through her whole body, Emmalin wondered if the everyone in the room could hear the wild heartbeats flying from her chest like speeding freight trains.
"Hey sweetheart. How was physical therapy?" Denise smiled fondly as her son, walked into the room. Jeremy was rather graceful she noted, or at least as graceful as a 6'3 Army Private could be. Poise was something the seventeen year old sucked at, Amanda was always the elegant one. Emmalin couldn't walk across a flat, stable, clean surface without crashing into something, even if her life depended on it.
"Alright, I guess. Hey Mrs. Holden, Emmalin." The solider greeted, his dark brown eyes lingering on Emmalin for just a little too long. Her slender nails dipped between her lips as she began nervously biting them to the nub viciously. Claudia Joy frowned and smacked the seventeen year old's hand down.
"Emmalin Jane, how many times do I have to tell you not to bite your nails? It's an awful habit and you've bitten them to down to the cuticles, sweetheart, they look horrible. I swear I will break you of this if it kills me!" The FRG Leader lectured, examining Emmalin's fingertips.
"Jeremy how about you carry Emmalin's stuff to the guest room? Show her where it is while your up there." Denise suggested, graciously saving Emmalin of another solid two minutes of nail-etiquette lessons courtesy of Claudia Joy.
"That sounds good, I've got to leave anyways. Be on your best behavior Emmalin, I love you. And thanks again Denise. Bye everybody." Claudia Joy smiled, hugging everyone goodbye. Denise walked Claudia Joy out to her car, leaving Emmalin and Jeremy alone.
"Come on, I'll take you to the guest bedroom." He grabbed her heavy bag easily with one hand despite how sore his body must still be, almost as if it weighed nothing. Emmalin nodded, rising from the indigo sofa and following the tall solider up the stairs, down the hall and a little to the left, past the room she knew was his.
"Here you go." Jeremy opened the door, placing her suitcase next to the dresser.
"Thank you." Emmalin replied, running a hand nervously through her long, dark hair and fighting the urge to chew at her nails furiously. She slowly walked over to the bed, the pale lavender bedspread felt soft beneath her as she gently sat on the edge. He casually leaned against the dresser, staring at her.
"You've been avoiding me." He accused, his deep voice didn't sound angry just perplexed. She quickly glanced up, regretting it instantly when her eyes locked with his. Emmalin quickly diverted her gaze to her shoes, a pair of yellow flip-flops that had seen better days. The rubber shoes were worn and had seen better days, but she still refused to toss them out, they were her favorite after all.
"A little." Emmalin whispered, she figured she might as well be honest. The Army Brat's gaze never left her shoes, to scared to look Jeremy in the eyes again.
"Why?" Moving to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. He was close enough for Emmalin to smell; his masculine sandalwood scent that she loved. She wondered briefly what it was? Cologne? Aftershave? Maybe body wash?
"I don't know." Lie. What a big fat lie, but it's not like Emmalin could look at him and say 'I think I might love you and I have this horrible fear of rejection that's making me avoid you like a plague.' Honesty could be damned.
"That's bull." He saw through the lie. He was good at figuring her out, she considered moments to late. The Army Brat's eyes drifted from her sandals to the hem of Jeremy's pants, the faded blue denim flowed loosely around his ankles ending at the edge of his foot. Hmm, he had big feet she noticed but when had Jeremy taken off his shoes? Emmalin was using any distraction in her arsenal, even if the only one available were Jeremy's feet. Good Lord, she really has gone insane.
"I'm scared." Biting her nails again, despite her mother's scolding in the living room. She chewed frantically whenever nervous and it drove her mother insane, Claudia Joy would be extremely frustrated if she was here to see the assault on her fingertips.
"Of me?" He asked calmly, watching the seventeen year old rip apart her nails. He figured nail-biting was something she did when uncomfortable, he reluctantly realized that he was the reason she was in this state of distress. Was she scared of him? That he would hurt her?
"Of what you might say." She corrected. Damn it, she just cut her cuticle. A slow trail of crimson ventured down her finger, coating the nail. The soldier reached for a tissue off the nearby nightstand and grasped her cold hand gently in his warm one.
"About?" Jeremy persisted, wrapping the soft tissue around her wounded finger and applying pressure to stem the blood flow. His warm hand felt feverish against her ice-cold skin, the Private's touch sent shivers down her spine. Did he know that he had this kind of affect on her?
"Me throwing myself on top of you in your hospital bed and practically molesting you while you were doped up on morphine." She whispered, embarrassed to declare it out loud. By now a cherry blush coated her high cheekbones, she could feel her face burning at the force of her blush. He already knew she had feelings for him, did he have to make her suffer? Emmalin almost wished he'd just hurry up and reject her; rip the band-aid off and get the pain over with.
"Doped up is a strong choice of words. It's not like I was on that much, I knew what was happening so nothing was against my will or anything." He laughed softly, he visibly noticed how his words sent her instantly into a relaxed state. Her frame wasn't stone rigid anymore now that she realized he wasn't confronting her negatively. Hurting her feelings definetly weren't his intentions, and now they both knew it.
"Really?" She smiled lightly, knowing that he had sort of just admitted to sharing her more than friendly affections. Even if it was the most nonchalant way possible, Jeremy was still saying he liked her.
"Yeah." Knowing she caught the meaning behind his earlier words.
Even though Emmalin's finger had stopped bleeding, Jeremy hadn't released his soft grip on her hand. Emmalin would bet that if she wanted to she could get away with threading her digits through his.
"I still shouldn't of done that. You were in the hospital, it was bad timing." Emmalin said, lacing their fingers together. She was feeling suddenly braver.
"When would be good timing?" He asked, challenging her. She realized he liked to challenge people, but that was okay because she did too. The Army Brat had been told that stubbornness wasn't her best feature but definetly her most prominent one.
"Neither of us in the hospital, me not crying, you not on morphine." She teased.
"I was thinking you being eighteen would be great timing."
"It would probably help, but I don't think it matters."
"It matters." He said firmly.
"Why?" Emmalin laughed, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.
"I can't even kiss you until you're eighteen. I'm not always a good guy but I'm nothing like a child molester, Emmalin."
"It's not molestation if I want you to do it." Emmalin smiled, his free hand smoothed the dark, silky hair from her forehead.
"I don't think a judge would agree with that."
"Hmm. Find a female judge. She'd rule in your favor."
"You think so?" Jeremy cocked an eyebrow.
"If I was a judge, I'd rule in your favor."
"Some might call you biased." The nineteen year old teased.
"Only a little." Kissing his cheek boldly.
"Jeremy, Emmalin? Both of you get washed up for dinner! The Major's gonna be home any minute." Denise called up the stairs, interrupting their little moment of flirtation.
"I've gotta change for dinner. See you downstairs." Jeremy released her small hand and exited the room, grinning at the General's daughter as he left.
Emmalin's heart was racing. Even though she knew he wouldn't kiss her and chances were they weren't going to start dating anytime soon, she was still on cloud nine.