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A soft tapping at her door alerted her of her friend’s arrival. “Gabby? It’s Bryanna and my friends. We wanted to check on you. Can you come out, sweetie?”

Gabby rose and let her friend in. Bryanna wrapped her arms around her, as much as their bellies allowed, while she cried out her grief. When she stopped, Bryanna went into the bathroom, wet a cool cloth, and placed it on her friend’s face as Gabby sat on the edge of the bed.

“Come on. Let’s go into the living room. Kassie wants to check your blood pressure,” Bryanna coaxed as she tugged her friend to stand.

“Oh, I didn’t know you brought all the ladies,” she exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell Marcus you made other plans?”

“Because you’re my friend and I’m not abandoning you in your time of need. It’s time you met everyone outside of a medical setting.”

Gabby followed her down the hall. Kassie stood in the kitchen, making tea while an older woman helped her. Samantha sat in the armchair. A woman with long black hair sat in a wheelchair speaking with a pretty blonde.

When they entered, the blonde woman rose and extended her hand. “Hello, Gabrielle. I’m Claire. I’m one of the psychiatrists at the hospital and a friend of these crazy ladies. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

The other woman in the wheelchair smiled. “I’m Tess. I work in the community kitchen.”

“Oh, you’re the one who made those lovely tacos,” she gushed as she sat.

The woman laughed. “I brought you more. Claire placed them in your fridge.”

“Thank you,” Gabby said as she rose to raid the fridge. Kassie entered with four on a plate, already heated.

“Sit and eat.” She placed the food on the coffee table and the older woman brought a large glass of milk.

“I’m Victoria.” The older woman smiled. “If you want more, let me know. Kassie, take a seat before you drive me insane.”

The pretty redhead rolled her eyes and complied, making the others grin.

“They treat me like I’m five,” she complained to Gabby. “In case you didn’t notice, we must have something in the water because almost all of us are expecting, yet I’m the only one she hounds.”

“Didn’t you all work today?” Gabby asked as she bit into the taco, moaned and closed her eyes in appreciation.

“I scaled back my hours since I’m carrying twins. Samantha has hired a couple of master stylists, and they handle her appointments. As you can guess, Tess made the tacos, and Bryanna gave directions to her employees before we left,” Kassie informed her as Victoria handed her a cup of tea. “Victoria acts as my jailer.”

Victoria smiled. “Again, Luv, I prefer to say I’m acting as your conscience.”

“You tattle on me. There’s a difference.”

“If you didn’t do things you shouldn’t, I wouldn’t have to tell your husband. Again, doing what your conscience tells you.” The older woman lovingly smiled toward her.

“Thank you for coming. I’m upset, but I’m trying to remain calm about Jackie. She must’ve been terrified,” she confessed to the group. “I know how scared I felt when the car tried to run me off the ramp. Marcus said he’d ask Saint if someone can track down her sister in Ohio. I hate thinking of her with no family to say goodbye.”

“I’m sure Matthew will locate her sister,” Kassie responded. “This must feel frightening for you. We want to assure you of your safety. Leo’s team won’t allow anyone on the mountain.”

“The team saved me not too long ago. I can attest they don’t give up. If they say they’ll get to the bottom of this, they will.” Tess chimed in. “They recently returned from rescuing Avie and her son, Deni.”

“Shadow even cared for me when I fell in my spa. You’re in good hands,” Samantha agreed as she accepted Victoria’s cup of tea and passed it to Bryanna.

Gabby shrugged her shoulders. “It feels weird. You’re all part of Bryanna’s group of friends. I’ll soon carry the title of ex-sister-in-law.”

“I know my brother acted like a bonehead. Isn’t there any way you can work this out?” Bryanna squeezed her friend’s hand as she sat on the couch, closer to Gabby.

She shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”

The women chuckled together as one before Bryanna spoke up. “Relationships aren’t easy. We’ve all experienced ups and downs. I know I’ve acted like a terrible friend to you and I want to make up for it. It’s why I brought these women here. Maybe if we put our heads together, we can help you.”

Gabby sighed. “I appreciate it. I don’t believe we can fix this,” she said sadly.

“Do you think there’s too much water over the dam?” Victoria asked as she passed another cup of tea to Samantha and sat down.

Gabby sent the older woman a confused glance. “Huh?”

“She means to say there’s too much water under the bridge,” Kassie corrected before sipping her drink.

Victoria huffed. “Where do you get these sayings from? Do they not have the common sense to know water rises and to just construct the bridge higher?” She shook her head in disgust while the others hid their smiles behind their beverages.

“Gabby. I’m here as a friend. If you want to talk through things, I’m available professionally. I’m not a marriage counselor. Bryanna asked me to speak with you, hoping I might have the tools to guide you,” Claire spoke up.

“Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. It seemed like we fell apart little by little and then suddenly, we made this huge gap between us,” she confided in the women.

“When did you first start to notice it?” Claire asked gently.

Gabby paused, recalling the first time she felt Marcus slipping from her. “We’ve celebrated our anniversary with a nice dinner and walked along the beach every year for the first two years. Last year, he spun up nonstop. When he returned, he went to meetings, received phone calls in the middle of the night, and never seemed present, even when we did go out. I waited all day for him to remember our anniversary. He went with me to the grocery store, and we grabbed lunch with a couple of friends at a local bar. When we returned, he received a phone call and left. I don’t know when he returned because I went to bed.”

“Did you say anything to him about your feelings? It must’ve hurt you,” Claire asked as Bryanna squeezed her hand and handed her a tissue from the side table.

She nodded. “Yeah, it did. I didn’t want to complain. When we married, I knew what I signed up for by marrying a military man.”

“What did you sign up for?” Claire asked.

“You know. They can’t talk about where they went or what they did. Sometimes, I wanted to ask because he came home with such a haunted expression, I worried about him.”

Catherine set her cup on the table. “My husband, Leo, leads the team. Once, he and my brother, his best friend, worked on the same team. Eric died during a mission. Leo couldn’t discuss what happened, and we didn’t communicate. I refused to listen and made stupid decisions because of it. Thinking back, I wish I had talked about it with him and saved us both from the heartache.”

Kassie leaned over and hugged her friend.

“I tried telling him how I felt. When I brought up something, he accused me of making him feel like he didn’t do enough.” Gabby shook her head. “He thinks because I lived in a nice house, drove a decent car and he sent his checks into the same bank account, I didn’t have a reason to complain.”

“Oh, honey. I’m afraid my dad’s to blame there. You know the story of how my father left my mom after my birth. Marcus resented him for leaving us in such dire straits. I’m not sticking up for what he did, I’m saying he might’ve overcompensated because he never wanted you to go without,” Bryanna explained gently.

“I know. It’s why I didn’t say anything. When I graduated the first time, I knew he spun up and I accepted it. I wanted to surprise him when I completed my master’s degree. He never put down my waitressing job but never saw me as anything else. Then, he missed my birthday, holidays and other events. They became ordinary days to him. I doubt he even remembers Christmas. Because of my heavy school exams, I put the tree up late. He returned home and stared at it as if December took him by surprise. You called and wished us a Merry Christmas on Christmas morning and thanked us for the gifts. He picked up his keys, made an excuse about needing to pick up something. He returned six hours later with a poinsettia in hand. I became an afterthought. It hurt, Bryanna. I don’t want to tell you this to make you mad.”

“I’m beyond upset. Why didn’t you tell me he did this?” Bryanna asked quietly. “I’d have given him a piece of my mind.”

“You and Marcus share an incredible bond. I didn’t want a wedge between the two of you. I hoped when I discovered my pregnancy, it might jolt him out of whatever bothered him. Instead, he came home and accused me of cheating, threw me out of the house, and when I reached out to tell him about the baby, he told me to speak to his lawyer.” Gabby sobbed. “He broke my trust, our marriage and my heart. In the military he risked his life to save other people but he didn’t fight for us. I created a life of my own and didn’t need saving. I don’t understand why.”

Bryanna knelt in front of her friend and hugged her tightly.

“Do you want me to string him up by his balls until he begs for mercy? Maybe he’ll feel inspired to explain his behavior. A man doesn’t suddenly go from attentive to distracted without a reason. I’m offering my services, free of charge, of course,” Victoria offered, making Gabby smile until she realized she seemed partially serious.

Claire cleared her throat and Bryanna clutched Gabby’s hand in support.

“Did you ask him?” Claire questioned. “I’ve never met your husband. If you held back all your feelings every time he disappointed you, how did he know?”

“Are you saying she’s at fault?” Tess’ brows knitted together in anger. “How does someone forget an anniversary or a birthday of someone they love? Even if they did, an apology or an explanation seems better than ignoring it all together.”

Claire smiled. “We don’t know Knight’s point of view. I’m not blaming anyone, I’m only asking questions.”

“A marriage consists of two people. I made mistakes, too.” Gabby accepted her part in her broken marriage. “It never occurred to me Marcus thought me capable of cheating.”

Claire scooted to the edge of her seat and leaned in. “Gabby, you’re grieving the loss of your marriage and your friend. How do you feel about putting off any major life changes?”

She shook her head adamantly. “No. Marcus wanted this and I’m not letting him use this baby as an excuse to delay the divorce.”

Bryanna patted her hand. “With everything happening between Marcus, the accident, and your friend’s death, all this feels more amplified than if you dealt with it one at a time. If you reschedule, it might give both of you a chance to resolve some issues and avoid any regret later.”

“I can’t do it,” Gabby admitted honestly. “We can’t even discuss the custody situation without arguing.”

Noticing the agonized expression on Gabby’s face, Kassie struggled to rise from the couch. Victoria stood and held out her hands to pull her up while Bryanna pushed her to a standing position.

She took out the blood pressure cuff from her bag and placed it on Gabby’s arm. Pumping the valve, she listened intently before smiling. “Good job. I’ll send over the readings to Dr. Beecham.”

Victoria glided over and took the equipment from Kassie, making her smile gratefully as she headed toward the bathroom.

“I swear she’s like a male dog. She’s marked her territory within a twenty-mile radius.” Victoria shook her head. “At this rate. We may have to install porta potties around the town.”

“I heard you, ya know. I can’t help it. When one of them moves, the other flip-flops on my bladder,” she complained, smiling and smoothing down her shirt over her belly.

The women smiled at Kassie as she beamed at her stomach.

“Rest and keep hydrated. If you want fresh air, we have beautiful trails. Getting out of the cabin might do you a bit of good. Did you plan on driving with Knight next week? Please don’t think me insensitive, I’m a planner. If not, we’ll need to assign someone to you. Leo will want to know. Maybe Patch can go with you,” Kassie thought out loud.

“I originally planned on driving down to save some money. Now, I don’t have a car,” she admitted. “I’ll make arrangements today. You won’t need to send anyone with me.”

The women turned toward her as if she lost her mind. “I’ll ask Saint to accompany her,” Bryanna informed the group. “You can’t go alone, Gabby. Someone tried to kill you.”

“They don’t know I’m here, much less driving out of state,” she argued. “I’ve already taken advantage of free lodging, food and medical care. The team needs to stay here and focus on figuring all this out. I don’t want to worry about putting my child’s life in danger.”

Kassie sighed as she glanced at Bryanna, sending a silent communication. The women all exchanged hugs before leaving.

“You made a nice set of friends. I can see why you love living here. Everyone feels like family,” Gabby complimented her.

“You’re part of my family, too. I’m worried about you. I’m sorry about not answering your calls. I don’t understand how a man I never met can greatly affect my life.”

“What do you mean?” Gabby rose, went to the fridge and pulled out two more tacos.

“When I met Saint, he visited my bakery daily. We shared tons of chemistry until he finally asked me out. Then I freaked and told him I didn’t date military men. Based on what Marcus told me, I blamed my father and you for my decision. Saint didn’t appreciate my way of thinking. I guess I felt betrayed by my father letting us down and then you supposedly did the same thing. Marcus seemed in such pain when he admitted what happened. Now, I don’t understand how he came to all these conclusions. For my part, I didn’t act like a good friend. I’m deeply sorry for doubting you, Gabby.”

“Please don’t apologize anymore. I’ve forgiven you. This whole thing feels weird. Marcus kicked me out and now I’m living in a cabin on a mountain with him. Poor Jackie. I’m sitting here safe and secure, protected by a team. She didn’t have anyone to fight for her.”

“You can’t hold yourself responsible for what happened. You’re a victim, too. To think they may have succeeded…” Tears welled up in Bryanna’s eyes.

“Please don’t go there. Soon, you’ll have a niece or nephew to fawn over while I spoil your son.”

“Can you believe it? We’re pregnant together, exactly how we dreamed,” Bryanna exclaimed.

“Yeah.” Gabby finished off the second taco, not caring about heating them. “Why don’t you return home? I’m beyond exhausted. I’ll nap until Marcus returns and I figure out how to rent a car. If someone must come with me, I’ll at least have the information ready.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask Kassie if you can borrow one of the team’s. You don’t want to put a rental in your name and probably not Marcus’ either.”

“You’ve done enough. I feel like I no longer have control over my life as it is,” Gabby pleaded.

“Fine. I promised Marcus I’d stay until he returned. Go take a nap,” Bryanna gently prodded.

“I’m fine. I feel awful about Jackie. Honestly, I need to spend some time alone. Since the accident, someone’s always here. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I only want a moment to breathe.”

Bryanna sighed and gave her a motherly once over. “Will you call me if you need anything?”

“Yes. What more can I want? I have a bedroom with a stunning view, and tacos. Go home. I’ll be fine. You heard Kassie say my blood pressure went down.”

Bryanna rose and grabbed her purse. She hugged her friend. “Think about what Claire said. Does any of it ring true? If so, don’t you owe it to both of you to put off such a drastic move as divorce?”

“I’ll mull it over. Don’t get your hopes up, Bryanna. I admit I made mistakes. It still doesn’t excuse Marcus’ behavior and how he treated me. I’m not sure if I can forgive him.”

“I understand. Get some rest.” Bryanna nodded as she opened the door and left.

Gabby sighed. The anger, the resentment, the nights of loneliness consumed her as she let the tears flow freely. Feeling as if the walls threatened to close in on her, she placed her plate in the sink and searched for her shoes and a jacket. Fresh air might cleanse her soul. She wanted to say goodbye to her one and only friend since she moved to Seattle and tell her how much she appreciated her kindness and compassion when she needed it the most.