Everyone snickered.
Charlotte sighed. “I think that went well. I agree with Mike that Walter won’t stay gone for long. And, now, dear lady priest, you do what you need to be a whole person. Knock it out of the ball park.”
Jennifer and Mike looked at Erin with warmth. Erin felt her face redden.
Jennifer looked at Charlotte and said, “I need to get home to the kids, but thanks for calling this meeting. We did the right thing. If anyone in our parish doesn’t believe that, they can choose to go somewhere where their brand of Christianity, if you can call it that, is preached.”
Erin scrunched her face, nodding. “I hate to say it quite like that, Jennifer, but you’re right. We’re branded as progressive Christians and now the parish is beginning to act like it. I appreciate this movement certainly, for myself. But more importantly, I appreciate that this town has a place for Christians who accept that all people are God’s children, and all people have worth and dignity.”
“Hear, hear,” Charlotte said with gusto.
She, Jennifer, and Mike said their goodnights and left.
When the door closed, Erin took Bobbi in her arms.
Bobbi blew out a large breath. “Wow.”
“Yeah, wow.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
“I thought we should talk,” Erin said into the phone to Bobbi, who stayed at the clinic for Wednesday night walk-ins, a new service at Ryan Delaney Rural Clinic. “Are you free tomorrow night?”
“Just a minute.” Erin heard muffled voices, then Bobbi came back. “Tomorrow night? Yes. I should be clear by seven.”
“Thursdays are my days at the mental health practice in town. Why don’t I make dinner at your place and you can eat as soon as you get home?”
“You don’t have to cook for me, Erin,” Bobbi said.
“I like to cook for you. Someone has to take care of you.” Erin laughed.
“Ha, ha.”
Erin could hear the smile in her voice. “Tomorrow, then. Bye, sweetie.”
****
On Thursday, Bobbi finished up her last patient, a young child with strep throat. She brought her tablet out to the nurses’ station and entered her notes.
“Dr. Webster?” One of the nurses handed Bobbi the phone intercom.
“Yes,” Bobbi said into the phone.
“Dr. Webster, you have a visitor here. What do you want me to do with her? Her name is,” papers shuffled, “Dr. Stephanie—”
Bobbi broke in, “I’ll be right out.” Her heart rate skyrocketed. What the hell is she doing here? Bobbi turned to Doris, the nurse at the station. “Doris, will you please dial the police?”
Doris raised wide eyes. “Sure,” she said, staring at Bobbi.
“Right now.”
Doris punched in the numbers. She handed the phone to Bobbi. “Hi, this is Dr. Webster at Ryan Delaney Clinic. We need an officer to remove a visitor from the premises…Good. Thanks.” She handed the phone back to Doris.
“Something I can do, Doctor?” Doris said quietly.
“An ex who was abusive is in the patient waiting area. I want her removed. I have a no-contact order on her in Oregon. Let’s keep this calm and quiet, okay?” Bobbi groaned inwardly, feeling put out both by Stephanie’s presence and Bobbi’s need to breach her own privacy with Doris and perhaps others in the clinic. She didn’t want her dirty laundry to be this week’s gossip at the Ryan Delaney Clinic.
Doris nodded, her face looking on Bobbi with concern. “I’ll go out and see that she’s removed.” Doris strode confidently down the hall to the waiting room.
Bobbi exhaled slowly. She knew she could do this. Just stay calm.
She finished the medical chart, powered down her tablet, and put it in the locked drawer at her cubby behind the nurses’ station, where each of the three fellows had been assigned their own personal space. Then she sat and tried to stay focused, thinking about what may be going on in the waiting room.
Why was Stephanie here? How had she found her? Bobbi racked her brain. Oregon Health Sciences Family Medicine alumni newsletter? Maybe the administers of Ryan Delaney Clinic had posted the news of the incoming rural fellows on the internet. Stephanie, always one for finding what she wanted and going for it. Damn.
Doris stuck her head around the corner into the fellows’ small hallway. “Here you are. All taken care of.”
Bobbi stood. “What happened?”
“One of the deputies, Rick, came in. I met him, pointed her out to him, and told him of your restraining order. He walked right up to her and led her out of the building. They were outside. I could see her motioning with her hands at him, and she didn’t seem happy.”
“Right.” Bobbi blew out a big breath.
“You okay?” Doris put her hand on Bobbi’s forearm.
“I’m fine, Doris. Thank you for helping out. This stays between us, okay?”
“My lips are sealed.” Doris made the lip-zipping motion. “By the way, I saw she was driving a red sports car of some kind. Sorry, I’m not up on car models, but it’s hard to miss.”
“Got it. Thanks, Doris. You’re a gem.”
Doris turned slowly, taking one last look at Bobbi, then walked away.
Bobbi got her breath under control. Her hands shook and were clammy. She wiped perspiration from her forehead. She could be waiting for me anywhere. What if she follows me home? Or to Erin’s? Bobbi rubbed her head where she felt a headache coming on. She closed her eyes, still sitting at her desk in her cubby. How long until I can leave? She wanted to run home and shower before Erin came over. God, if Stephanie shows up while Erin’s there…
Finally, Bobbi put on her coat, deciding that Stephanie couldn’t possibly know where she lived, could she? She walked through the staff entrance into the cool early evening air. The sun was about to set at six-thirty, since Daylight Saving Time started last week. She could make it home in plenty of time before Erin arrived.
When Bobbi got home, she picked up a few things in the small, sparse living area. She hopped into the shower very quickly and was still towel-drying her hair when someone knocked on the door. Erin’s early by five minutes.
She pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, wrapping the towel around her neck to wipe at her damp hair, then walked through the condo and pulled open the door, ready to hug Erin.
“Hi,” Stephanie said. She stood dressed in a blue ski jacket on her small frame, her bleached blond curls teasing her cheeks.
Bobbi’s heart ramped into high gear, as she grabbed the door close to her body and blocked the way into her condo. “You need to leave. Now,” Bobbi rasped out vehemently.
“That’s no way to treat an old…what were we, Bob? Lovers? Girlfriends?” Stephanie smiled slightly.
“The police will arrest you if you don’t leave.”
“Bob, what is wrong with you? I come in peace. I know we didn’t end so well. You were so out of sorts. But it’s a new day. We’ve both moved on. Let me in, it’s getting chilly out here.”
Bobbi stood her ground. “I told you. Leave now or I’m calling the cops. I have a restraining order on you. You’re violating that order.” Bobbi swallowed hard, holding herself together and trying mightily not to panic.
When Stephanie reached out her hand as if to caress Bobbi’s cheek, she jerked her head back, putting her off balance, and in a wink, Stephanie shoved the door open and stepped into the apartment. “An order only lasts for the months laid out by the judge. And it’s not binding in a new state.” Stephanie smiled arrogantly.
Bobbi stepped back. “I’m expecting someone any second. If you don’t leave, they will call the police.”
“Why are you so antagonistic, darling?” Stephanie wandered nonchalantly past Bobbi to look around the room. “Still not Suzy Homemaker, I see.” She picked up a picture of Bobbi’s family and looked at it. “How are the folks in Oregon?”
“Put that down.”
Stephanie looked up from the photo and dropped it onto the couch.
“Can’t I visit my ex? I’m in town for a couple of days and wanted to drop by.”
“Right. You’re just in the middle of eastern Colorado by sheer luck. Not buying it. I repeat, you need to leave. You and I are over.” Bobbi opened the door fully, her heart pounding in her ears.
“I’m not ready to leave yet.” Stephanie took a seat on the couch.
Bobbi inhaled.
“Knock, knock.” Erin peeked around the open doorway. “Hello?” She came into the room and immediately stopped when she saw Stephanie.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new girlfriend?” Stephanie smirked.
Bobbi clenched her fists. “Erin, this is Stephanie.”
Erin looked at Bobbi then at Stephanie. “Hello.”
“Aren’t you the cutest thing? I see Bobbi likes us petite types.” She lay back into the couch. “Are there refreshments?”
“Erin came over to cook dinner. You need to leave. Now.” Bobbi fisted and unfisted her hands.
“You’re quite rude, you know. I can watch you eat.”
Bobbi stepped slowly closer to the couch. “You need to leave. I won’t say it again. I’ll just call the cops.”
“Do they have cops here? I met some bumbling idiots at the clinic today. That was also rude, Bob. What in the world has gotten into you? You used to be so compliant. You knew what I wanted, and you did it, or you knew the consequences.” Stephanie stood up and into Bobbi’s personal space.
Erin, wild-eyed, looked at them each in turn. “Folks, this is getting ridiculous.”
Stephanie looked at Erin again. She grinned. “I agree. Let’s all sit down and visit.”
“Erin, please call 911.” Bobbi didn’t take her eyes off Stephanie. Her breathing became loud and raspy, her hands clammy. She recognized an anxiety attack about to start. She inhaled deeply and began to count to ten.
Erin pulled out her phone and punched the numbers.
Stephanie leapt at Erin, grabbed her phone, and flung it toward the wall, where it cracked open and fell to the floor in pieces.
“Now, wait a minute,” Erin yelled, her face scrunched in anger.
Bobbi moved out of her way as Erin lunged for Stephanie, gripped her by her jacket front, and shoved and pulled her toward the still-open door. Stephanie, taken off guard, struggled, but was no match for Erin’s rage. Erin shoved Stephanie out the door and closed the door before Bobbi could react.
Stephanie screamed outside the door, kicking and pounding it, while Erin pushed the locks closed. Bobbi grabbed her phone and called 911.
“That creep broke my phone. I want to press charges,” Erin huffed, her face bright red.
Bobbi breathed to calm herself, then talked to the police, looking at Erin. She closed her phone. “Are you okay?” She took Erin in her arms. “That was amazing.”
Erin let out a small sob. “Whew. That was intense. Is she still out there?” Erin looked through the window next to the door.
Bobbi saw Stephanie at her SUV, running her key along the side panel. “That son of a bitch.”
Sirens closed in and the sheriff’s car pulled up. Stephanie ran to her sports car and tried to close the driver’s door, but the deputy kept her from it, then pulled her out of the car.
Bobbi walked out onto the front porch. The other deputy came to her and asked what the problem was. They remembered Stephanie from earlier in the day at the clinic.
Stephanie, being cuffed, yelled, “The little one assaulted me.”
“She broke my phone,” Erin told the deputy.
Bobbi put in, “I asked her to leave several times, but she wouldn’t go. When I asked Erin to phone 911, she grabbed Erin’s phone and threw it—”
“So I decided it was time for her to go. I grabbed her and shoved her out the door. I did not harm her.” Erin sniffled and wiped her arm across her face.
Bobbi moved closer and hugged her with her left arm, while the deputy wrote down the details. “Do you want to charge her for damage to property?”
“Yes.”
By this time, the other deputy had Stephanie cuffed and led her to the squad car, while she still screamed obscenities and struggled against him. Bobbi and Erin stood on the porch until the car drove away.
Deputy Rick said to Bobbi, “You need to get a restraining order in Colorado. The one in Oregon has expired, we found out earlier today. And, it doesn’t apply across states.”
Bobbi looked at Erin, then said to the officer, “Thanks. I’ll do that as soon as possible. I need to make an appointment with the judge, right?”
“Yes,” he said. “Well, we’re done here, I think. You may need to make a formal statement at the courthouse later this week about today’s trouble. If you need anything more, just call.” He handed Bobbi his card and left.
Erin and Bobbi walked back into the condo.
Erin said, “You go relax. I have the stuff to cook with, while you rest.” Erin kissed Bobbi lightly and shoved her gently toward the bedroom, then turned to her kitchen duties.
Bobbi went into her bedroom to finish what Stephanie had interrupted. Her whole body trembled. Sitting on the bed, she practiced her grounding routine until she felt calm enough to help Erin with the cooking.
Later, while they ate, Erin asked about Stephanie and Bobbi’s relationship.
“I’m very ashamed.” Bobbi pushed her food around her plate.
“Why ever for?” Erin stopped eating and looked on Bobbi with concern.
“When Steph and I lived together those three months, she shoved me around like I was a child. I was overwhelmed and really frightened of her. She could come at me with such ferocity.”
“Like she did with me tonight, grabbing and breaking my phone?”
Bobbi nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. “I never could confront her like you did tonight. I tried, but I didn’t have the courage, or something. She always threatened to up the ante. She would throw my things in the trash. One day I came home to all my dresser drawers emptied at the front of the apartment building. Humiliating.” Bobbi wiped her eyes with her napkin. “Sorry, I’m blubbering about this.” Bobbi gave Erin a wan smile.
“Come here, sweetie.” Erin took Bobbi’s hand and led her to the small couch. “I don’t need to tell you what this is all about. You know the score with abusive relationships, right? How the perpetrator makes the victim feel it’s her fault, makes the violence about some picayune thing she’s done? You know that you suffer from trauma, and that your thinking still has to catch up with your body’s automatic reactions to her.”
Bobbi nodded, sighing. “Yeah.” She looked intensely at Erin. “I can’t seem to get away from the feelings of being a total coward. She’s only five feet high, but she had me under her thumb the entire three months. I couldn’t sneeze without her consent. Why couldn’t I’ve stood up to her?” Bobbi blew out a big breath, shaking her head.
“I take it that’s a rhetorical question?” Erin asked.
Bobbi nodded, and said, “I know, I know. I hated myself with her.”
Erin engulfed Bobbi with her small arms. Bobbi let herself feel Erin’s loving hands stroking her back tenderly. It felt so good, so comforting.
Bobbi laughed.
“What?” Erin pulled back and asked.
“I thought maybe I would ask you to my bedroom tonight. Celebrate a little after the parish meeting.” Bobbi chuckled and looked down at Erin’s hands holding hers. She smiled ruefully. “I’m not feeling very amorous. Sorry.” Bobbi hugged Erin tightly.
“Oh, sweetie. I didn’t come over tonight expecting anything but a warm cuddle and some food.” Erin kissed her.
Bobbi felt safe in Erin’s arms, protected by her tenderness, in a way no other woman had made her feel. She deepened the kiss. Erin moaned. Bobbi and Erin’s tongues played, making Bobbi’s whole body warm up.
Erin pulled back and raised her brows. “Not amorous, huh?” They both laughed.
�
��I can’t help it. You turn me on something fierce.”
“Are you rethinking your previous statement?” Erin’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Bobbi grinned widely, then sobered. “I want our first time to be special, Erin. I want us to be together with love, not just—excuse the phrase—a lust-filled fuck-fest.”
At those words, Erin giggled. “I see.” Erin snuggled into Bobbi’s arms. “I’m with you.” She pulled back. “Are you all right? Have you gotten Stephanie’s visit out of your system for tonight? You know, I will go to the court with you to ask for a restraining order. I’ve been there a few times with one parishioner for the same issue.”
“Geez, sorry to hear that,” Bobbi said. “You don’t have to come with me. You have enough on your plate with the fall-out from Tuesday’s meeting. I’ll ask for a couple of hours off on Friday to go.”
“Do you have an attorney?”
“No. I didn’t have one in Oregon. Maybe it would help.”
Erin stood up and found a professional card in her purse. “Here, a parishioner of mine. Good guy.” She scribbled a name and handed it to Bobbi. “He’s on the web.”
Bobbi kissed Erin. “Thanks, munchkin.” It felt good to infuse a little humor into the aftermath of Stephanie’s presence.
Erin gaped at her. “Hey. No name calling.” They kissed again then cleaned up after dinner. Bobbi grasped Erin closely as they said their good night.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Easter day approached, but first, Erin had to get through several services during Holy Week, the entire week prior to Easter that commemorated Jesus’s last week on earth. She and Julia traded off churches for two services. Julia led the Thursday service and Erin led Good Friday. Attendance was spotty, as the weather continued to be cooler than normal for mid-April. A few scattered tulips and hyacinths around the churchyard had the gall to come up with snow still clinging to their green leaves, but nothing had bloomed yet.
That week, Bobbi worked every daytime shift and four nights. Spring break for the local schools did not affect her but did several of her colleagues. She and Gen both took extra nights on call for staff who had children, while Erin busied herself with church. Consequently, Erin and Bobbi saw little of each other the whole week.
Bobbi and Soul Page 17