Fighting For Nadia (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Tarpley VFD Book 6)

by Nicole Flockton

  Wouldn’t her family have a field day if it did get out and she was hauled up in front of the Texas Medical Board. They still didn’t believe she was really cut out to be a doctor, let alone an ER one. Her mom and dad said the pressure alone would be too much for her. Why they didn’t think she was capable was beyond her. She was sure they hadn’t believed her when she’d told them she’d missed out on one of the positions at Boston Memorial and had decided to take the job in Kerrville. If only they knew how big of an area the medical center catered to and how much more hands on experience she was getting. Some of the cases she’d handled she wouldn’t have got a look-see at a major hospital. In terms of her career, her move to Kerrville bolstered it more than had she stayed in Boston.

  “Maybe.” She finally responded to Cerise’s question. “I’ve seen Dexter a few times but we haven’t really had time to talk.”

  “Yeah, it’s been so busy recently what with summer and school finishing. So many people on the road doing stupid things because they’ve graduated. Not to mention trying to do some of the stupid tricks they see on social media because it looks so cool.”

  Nadia indicated to turn into their street. “Tell me about it. Today I treated someone who thought it would be cool to tie a rope between two trees and then back flip off it. The kid was lucky he only ended up with two broken legs and not a broken neck.”

  “Oh I heard about that. Summer’s going to suck for him.” Cerise said as she unclicked her seatbelt.

  Nadia hitched her purse high on her shoulder and waited for Cerise to unlock their front door. “Summer’s going to suck for his parents who will now have to do everything for him. Why can’t kids play board games or ride their bikes, like we did?”

  “Because then they wouldn’t be the next internet sensation doing boring stuff like that.”

  “Better to be boring than dead.” A cool waft of air greeted them as they walked into the house. “Now this is what I’m talking about. You’re really going to have to pry me off this couch to go to this stupid trivia night.” Nadia groaned in delight as she collapsed on the soft furniture.

  “Why do you hate trivia so much?”

  “I just do.”

  Cerise chuckled. “That’s no answer which means that’s no reason to miss out. I’ll let you lay there for a half an hour while I go shower, then it will be your turn to get ready. We’ll eat in Tarpley. There’s a great little restaurant there you’re going to love.”

  “Mmm, whatever.” Nadia mumbled and closed her eyes, enjoying being able to relax after a hectic day.

  Tarpley.

  She really didn’t want to go back there and run into Buff. The chances of that happening were slim, though. He didn’t seem like the socializing type when she’d met him at the barbeque and then witnessing his PTSD attack, his standoffishness made sense.

  Her fingers trailed up to her lips as if she could replace the sensation of his mouth against hers. He hadn’t kissed her back, but his muscles had relaxed. Her nerve endings had fired to life during their brief exchange.

  The anguish she’d witnessed in his eyes. The pain as his spoke was nothing like she’d ever heard before. What had he been through? What arm of the military had he been in? More to the point with the few words he’d spoken she’d gleaned that he was a doctor of some sort, most probably a surgeon with how he spoke about not being able to save as many people as he wanted.

  Which begged the question –what did he do now? And why, if he was suffering so much pain and hurt, was he a volunteer firefighter? Surely being faced with some gruesome injuries would trigger him. After all, they didn’t just fight fires. Like big city firefighters, they attended accidents and other incidences. San Antonio, the closest city with major medical hospitals, was over an hour away from the area, they couldn’t rely on other emergency personnel taking some of the heat for them. They had to do it themselves.

  “Okay sleepy head, time to shower. You’ve got thirty minutes to get yourself ready.” Cerise nudged her shoulder and Nadia cracked an eye open.

  “You do know I’m not one of your patients you can boss around? And technically, I’m your superior, I should be the one telling you what to do.”

  Cerise eyes crinkled as she smiled and a teasing glint shimmered in their gray depths. Nadia was glad that she’d found this woman to be her friend and housemate. “We’re not at the hospital now. And seeing as this is my house and I’m letting you live here, that means I’m the boss of you.”

  Nadia grinned back. “Call it even?”

  “Done! But still, get your butt in the shower. I’m starving and want some mac ‘n’ cheese. The restaurant we’re going to serves the best.”

  “I love me some mac ‘n’ cheese.” Nadia said as she pulled herself up off the couch.

  “You shouldn’t have told me that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because now I know how to get you to do what I want—bribe you with some cheesy pasta.”

  Nadia laughed pausing in the doorway. “And you shouldn’t have told me that because I’ll be aware of your little bribery attempts and won’t fall for them.”

  Yes, her parents may have thought she’d failed by not getting the job in the big city, but Nadia couldn’t help but think she’d won in so many other ways.

  Buff sat at the bar of Randy’s Hellhouse and nursed his beer. The bar wasn’t his first choice of places to be on a stormy night, but here he was. He’d driven through a heavy storm on his way to town. The need to get away from his parents’ prying eyes overrode his practical side.

  The week hadn’t been a good one for him. Twice he’d suffered attacks while helping his dad around the ranch. At least he hadn’t been with any of the guests. Alexander Ranch was one of the more popular dude ranches in the county so they always had plenty of people coming from the big cities to experience ranch life. This week alone they had five guys who were originally from Australia but worked in Houston for a large oil company. Buff had spent some time with them, and they were fun guys to be around. Tonight, though, he needed to get away.

  “You sticking around for trivia tonight, Buff?” Randy the owner asked him as he wiped down the scratched wooden bar.

  “Nah I think I’ll head back soon. Forecast says there’s another trail of wicked thunderstorms heading our way.”

  “Yeah, heard the same too. Although you know the weather forecasters, always predicting that terrible storms will hit and we get fifteen minutes of rain and two thunderclaps. Although there was a pretty bad storm not long before you arrived.”

  “I know I drove through it. This morning I was thinking the same as you, but when I was working the west pasture this afternoon, the skies looked dark and grey in the distance.” Buff took a swallow of his now warm beer and grimaced. He pushed the glass away. Randy eyeing his actions, grabbed a fresh glass and drew him a new beer.

  “Well, I’m still sticking to my original forecast. We’ll see who’s right.” Randy chuckled as he walked away to tend to another patron at the other end of the bar.

  Buff stared at the amber liquid with the white frothy top. He really didn’t want another beer, but Randy was a Tarpley stalwart, a former veteran himself, so in his own way, he was looking out for Buff. Although serving alcohol to a vet wasn’t always a good idea. Buff had never used alcohol as crutch, even deployed he didn’t need to have alcohol on a regular basis, like some of the other guys. When he was lying on his bed, sweat dripping down his face because he’d woken from yet another nightmare, the temptation to lose himself in a bottle loomed as a better option than dealing with the pain he was suffering alone.

  The sound of voices and laughter sounded behind him and he glanced over his shoulder to see who was coming in. No doubt the group of about ten people were here for trivia night and if that was the case, it was his signal to get the hell out of there before it became too crowded and he got stuck.

  He was about to turn back to his beer when a final person walked through the door. His heart rate kicked
up a notch as he recognized the dark tresses of hair and the wide smile on her face.

  He didn’t know her name, but he hadn’t forgotten her face. They’d shared a brief kiss. A fraction of time in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes, when he was in the midst of an attack, memories of her voice. Her touch. Her mouth pressed against his would jolt him enough that he could pull himself out of the dark reaches of his attack.

  The second she spied him at the bar the smile on her face froze and her eyes widened. Tonight she wasn’t decked out in western wear. The pink cowboy hat he’d found endearing on her that day was missing. So were the cowboy boots and the flirty black sparkly dress. Tonight she wore jeans that didn’t look like they’d come from Walmart. They fit her long legs like a second skin. The pink blouse she wore looked silky and highlighted her dark tresses. She looked vibrant and alive and he should stay away from her, yet he found himself sliding off the bar stool and striding toward her before he could really think.

  He stopped in front of her and inhaled. Like when she’d stormed away from him at the barbeque, coconut assailed his senses. He wouldn’t be able to look at an Almond Joy bar again and not think of her. “Hi.”

  Her eyes widened when he spoke, as if that was the last thing she expected from him. “Hello, Buff. How are you?”

  Without the dregs of an attack lingering around his consciousness he was able to detect that her accent definitely wasn’t southern. Her words were rounded and proper. “Where are you from?” he blurted out.

  Fuck, he really needed to work on his social skills. Before his last deployment he’d had some smooth lines and moves. Although the woman standing in front of him didn’t look like she’d fall for his usual pick-up lines.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I grew up in Boston. It was good to see you, Buff, but I need to get back to my friends.”

  Buff glanced over to where she pointed and the group she walked in were watching them avidly. The last thing he wanted, and he suspected the woman in front of him wanted, was to be the center of attention. Yet he couldn’t let her go, just yet.

  “You have me at a disadvantage. You’ve seen me at my worst and yet I don’t know your name.”

  Her hand curled some hair behind her ear in an almost nervous gesture. Her pink tongue came out and moistened her lower lip. Buff bit back a groan as his body reacted to the small motion. It had been a long time since he’d a reaction that instantaneous to a person he was meeting for the second time.

  “Nadia. My name’s Nadia and I really need to go. Have a good night, Buff.”

  She walked away before he could say anything else, the action cut deep, more than the girls he’d gone on first dates with never wanting another one. Buff didn’t understand how a woman he’d met twice could have such an impact on him. But she did.

  Nadia.

  He let the name roll around in his mind. He liked the sound of it and it suited her. Suited her demeanor.

  A loud clap of thunder boomed overhead, almost shaking the building. Surprisingly, thunder or even loud booms rarely triggered him in to having an attack. He still had no idea what triggered them. All he knew was that he could be fine one minute and the next he was coming to thirty feet away from where he last remembered standing, sweat running down the side of his face. He probably should get help. There was a VA Center in Kerrville. Pops had given him information about it, but yet he still refused to go.

  I also recognize a fool when I see one and that’s you, Buff.

  The snippet of the conversation he’d had with Nadia all those weeks ago came rushing back. Perhaps she was right and he was a fool, but he wasn’t ready to talk to anyone yet. He wasn’t sure he ever would be.

  Chapter 4

  Nadia sipped on her diet Coke as she watched Buff stride out of the bar. He’d remained standing where they’d had their brief conversation for a while. He’d been oblivious to all that was going on around him. Had he been having another attack? But as she watched, she’d been able to see that he hadn’t had the vacant look on his face like he’d had when she walked up to him at the community celebration.

  “So you like Mitchell Alexander, huh?” Cerise asked as she jabbed her lightly in the side.

  Nadia winced. “Who?”

  Cerise canted her head toward the door Buff had just exited. “Mitchell, the guy who just left. The guy who stopped you in your tracks when you walked in tonight. The guy you had a conversation with.”

  “Oh, you mean Buff? His name is Mitchell?” The word sounded foreign on her tongue. He’d been introduced to her as Buff and she figured it was his given name. Not a nickname.

  “Yeah, Buff, but I can’t call him that.” Cerise gave a little shudder like she’d seen a spider. “Just like you can’t call Dexter, Dirty-D, but I can.”

  Nadia blinked twice. “That makes no sense at all to me. How can you call one by a nickname and not the other?”

  Cerise shrugged and slurped the rest of her drink. “I’m just quirky. But don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook that easily.” Her friend reached down and picked up a plastic bag. “I’m taking your leftovers hostage until you dish the dirt on the conversation you had with Mitchell.”

  “There was nothing to it, he stopped to say hello because we had a brief chat at the barbeque back in April. That’s all there was.” Nadia wasn’t one to pray, but she said a silent prayer to God to forgive her for her little white lie. She didn’t think the big guy would mind, considering she was protecting Buff and what he’d gone through.

  Another loud clap of thunder reverberated around the room and the sound of big fat raindrops pinged against the metal roof. “Wow, I guess you were right, Cerise, we are in for a big storm. Should we think about leaving?”

  “For once the forecasters got it right. And don’t worry, it’ll pass in about five minutes. A little thunder and rain isn’t a reason for you to get out of taking part in trivia night.”

  “Fine.” Nadia grumbled, but a sense of unease prickled over her skin. Boston used to have bad thunderstorms and it never bothered her. If she’d thought the air was oppressive as they’d left the hospital, prior to them stepping into the bar it had felt like the sky was about to collapse. The clouds were a dark gray and rolled around the sky in a way she’d never witnessed before.

  Cerise had assured her that everything would be fine, but now, Nadia was wishing she’d foregone having the best mac ‘n’ cheese she’d ever had in her life and stayed home where she’d be feeling safe from the rain.

  Over the next twenty minutes, the rain eased off but the thunder still rumbled and the lightning flashed almost non-stop.

  They’d gone through three rounds of trivia and Nadia had surprised herself by answering quite a few questions and getting them right. Cerise fist bumped her many times and the other guys on the team had high fived her.

  “Okay for all the football fans out there, here’s a question just for you.” John, the question asker addressed the crowd.

  “Better be a Cowboys one.” Someone in the back yelled.

  “Boo Cowboys. Go Texans.” Another person responded.

  Nadia clamped her lips shut. She may have only been in Texas for a short while but she was well aware of the state’s love for football and the two teams that were based in the Lone Star State.

  Being born and bred in Boston, Nadia was a firm New England Patriots fan, a fact that probably wouldn’t win her too many friends. But she loved football. Loved to study the statistics of her favorite players. It was the one thing she had in common with her dad and on Sundays when they watched their beloved Pats, they would discuss the tactics and the players performance.

  “Quiet down you lot. Here’s question seven in this round of ten. In the 2000 combine these stats belong to which well-known quarterback: 5.24 seconds for the 40 yard dash, 24 ½ inch vertical jump, weighed 211 pounds and is 6ft 4 3/8 inches tall?”

  Nadia bit back a smile, she’d recognize those stats anywhere. Around the table a f
ew of the guys groaned in dismay.

  “I have no fucking idea,” commented Brad, she thought his name was.

  “Don’t look at me,” said Cerise. “Football is not my friend.”

  “Let’s put down Peyton Manning.” Someone else said.

  “Doofus, he was already playing then. What about Michael Vick, wasn’t he drafted in 2000?” Brad replied.

  No way was Nadia going to let them put down a wrong question. She leaned forward and said quietly. “It’s Tom Brady.”

  “Oh man, not that guy. No way would John put in a question involving the New England Patriots. The player has to be a Cowboy or a Texan.” The guy who suggested Peyton Manning responded.

  Nadia withheld the urge to roll her eyes. As she suspected the hate was real, but she would defend her favorite team until her dying day. “Trust me, those stats belong to the greatest quarterback of all time.”

  “Oh please,” groaned Brad. “Let’s not start that argument. The guy’s a lucky bastard. The only reason he’s got as many rings is because of luck and not talent.”

  “Eli Manning is the lucky bastard,” Nadia grumbled under her breath before raising her voice. “You keep on believing that. Guys, I’m from Boston. I love football and, please don’t hold this against me, but I love the New England Patriots. I’ve seen him play. Not only does he work harder than most guys on the team, he is talented. Those stats belong to Tom Brady.”

  Everyone around the table went quiet. At present they were losing to another group by two points. Nadia drove home her point. “If everyone around here feels the same as you, they’re going to think it’s a person who plays or played for a Texas team. If you put Tom Brady down, I guarantee you, you won’t regret it.”

  “Fine,” Brad said. “But if it’s wrong you have to buy a round of drinks for everyone.”

  Nadia sat back, and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re on and if I’m right, you all have to yell out Tom Brady’s the G.O.A.T. when the answer to that question is announced.”