The Trouble With Tony by Eli Easton Read Free Book Online Page A

medical license, sex therapist certificate, and one from the US Army Medical Department— For service above and beyond —made out to Major Jack Halloran, MD.
    Looking at those credentials, Tony couldn’t help but be a little intimidated. How had a guy like Halloran ended up doing sex counseling on Pike Street in Seattle?
    Tony heard Halloran close his folder and settle back in his chair.
    “Sorry about that. Come sit down,” Halloran said.
    Tony turned.
    “Hey, you were in the Army?” Tony asked, as if he’d had no clue. He waved a hand toward the certificate.
    “Yes.” Halloran smiled tightly.
    “For how long?”
    “Eight years.” Halloran closed his eyes briefly as if he didn’t want to talk about it.
    Tony pretended not to get the message. “No shit? My oldest brother, Federico, was in Iraq for three years. A few of my other brothers wanted to go, too, but Ma put up such a fuss about having one son in danger that they gave it up. And when I say ‘fuss,’ I mean five-alarm-fire level, stab-yourself-in-the-ear-with-a-knife-to-escape-it guilt tripping.”
    Halloran chuckled. “Can’t say I’ve ever been on the receiving end of that.”
    “What about your folks. They didn’t mind?”
    “They were both doctors, and they expected me to have a more traditional career. But they couldn’t say much.” Halloran hesitated, then looked Tony in the eye. “I enlisted right after 9-11.”
    It clicked into place for Tony with a snap. “That’s when Federico enlisted,” he said quietly. “Hey, you must have been young.”
    “Twenty-four. I’d just finished my medical degree. I was lined up to do a residency in Atlanta. I did it in the Army instead.” Halloran shook his head, as if it wasn’t important, but Tony knew better.
    “Were you in Iraq the whole time?”
    “No. I did six tours, and in between, I taught Hospital Corps in Texas, among other things.” Halloran’s eyes got a faraway look. “My last tour I was a battalion surgeon. Someone at the top finally listened to our complaints, that having the hospital set back from the front lines meant a lot of boys were dying on the trip in. So we set up a portable hospital unit called the BAS right near the action. We even had Armored Personnel Carriers for ambulances. Sometimes, if we got a call about something really urgent, like a spine injury or a sucking chest wound, I’d go along in the APC to pick up the wounded right in the middle of the action. That way I could start treating them right away.”
    Tony whistled. “That takes a lot of balls, Doc,” he said, his voice gruff. He wished he had the words to say somethingmore intelligent than that, something about how that really made him feel, like, I know I couldn’t possibly know, but I know . And, Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles, but I fucking admire you .
    Halloran blinked, coming back to the room. “Sorry. I, um, don’t usually talk about that.”
    “I’d like to hear more about it.”
    But Halloran shook his head determinedly. “Oh God, no. Let’s get back to you, Tony. Since you brought up your brothers, why don’t we start with that?”
    Tony wanted to hear a lot more about Halloran’s Army career. Like what he’d thought when he got there, what it had been like, what he thought about it now, how and where he was wounded, and how he’d landed here. But Halloran’s set expression told him that further probing wouldn’t be welcome. He sighed.
    “What can I tell you? I’m the youngest of five brothers. If you think that might have been challenging , you’re right. It was like rushing a fraternity from birth on. And our house in Brooklyn? There were so many towels and jockstraps lying around, we could have outfitted the New York Dodgers. That’s what my Ma always used to say. Poor Ma.”
    Halloran smiled. “I take it from your tone that it wasn’t really all that bad.”
    “Nah. They’re all good guys. Federico, the one who went to Iraq? He’s a fireman now in Manhattan