by Tamie Dearen
And then it happened. She stumbled, her expression changing from frantic to terrified in an instant. And she was down.
“Oh my God! Elyssa!”
He didn’t see it coming. One second he was running on the treadmill. The next, his feet flew out from beneath him, his body slamming down as his chin impacted the metal on the side of the treadmill.
“Are you okay?” Elyssa heard a voice in her ear and opened her eyes to find Sadie kneeling next to her on the floor with her eyebrows knit together. For a moment she couldn't find the breath to answer until the air rushed back into her lungs.
She stifled a groan as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She was mortified. She didn’t feel like she had any serious injuries except her pride, but that had been demolished. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Jaxon as she gingerly fingered the elbow that seemed to have taken the brunt of the fall.
She heard a cackle of laughter behind her and ducked her face as her cheeks burned.
“Jaxon, that was a spectacular fall. I'm giving it a nine point five, but I’m taking off a few style points because your feet came apart.”
Elyssa turned her head to see Nate bellowing with laughter as he bent over Jaxon, who was splayed on the floor scowling back at his friend.
Ignoring her own discomfort, she crawled beside him. “Are you okay? What happened?” His gaze connected with hers and shot a current through her system. For a moment, she forgot anyone else was in the room. She saw only those clear blue eyes and her own reflection in their depths. She forgot she’d just fallen and embarrassed herself. She forgot why she had come to the gym that morning. She forgot everything. Her mind was a blank slate, and his eyes were writing her existence.
Then he smiled at her.
“Jaxon! You broke your front tooth!”
*****
Jaxon’s hand flew up to cover his mouth as his tongue investigated his teeth. An expletive slipped from his lips before he could stop himself, and he checked to see if Elyssa had overheard.
“It really is broken.” Jaxon couldn’t hide the anguish in his voice.
“You should call your dentist right away,” Elyssa urged.
“I don’t have a dentist.” Jaxon’s heart raced like mad inside his chest.
“You don’t have a dentist?” Her voice was incredulous. “How can you not have a dentist? Haven’t you been living here for a long time?”
“He’s been here for seven years.” Nate smirked as he pulled Jaxon to his feet. “But I can’t get him to go. He’s afraid of the dentist.”
“You’re afraid of the dentist?” Elyssa’s eyes were wide.
“I don’t need a dentist.” Jaxon dropped back to his knees, searching the floor and feeling underneath the treadmill. “If I can find that piece of tooth, I’ll just stick it back on with Superglue.”
“You can’t do that.” She put her hand over his on the floor, staring at him like he’d suggested he might murder a puppy. “You can go see my Aunt Lauren. She’s a dentist down in Ketchum; it’s only fifty minutes away.”
Jaxon swallowed hard, his gut churning at the thought. “Is she… is she gentle?” He imagined himself lying in the dental chair, gripping the arms, watching a maniacal woman hold him down with one hand while the other hand brandished a twelve-inch needle. His vision narrowed and the room grew dim in his sight.
“Jaxon, I can’t believe you can jump out of airplanes and ski double-black diamonds, but you’re afraid of the dentist.” Nate held his stomach, almost doubling over with laughter.
Jaxon took a long, slow breath, and his head cleared. “I don't like going to the dentist, but I'm not afraid. There's a big difference between not enjoying dental work and actual fear."
Nate grabbed his arm and hefted him to his feet again. “That's awesome, buddy. I'm glad you're not afraid. And here's your chance to prove it."
*****
Jaxon stared unseeing at the television screen in the corner, but all he could hear was his blood, pounding with the rapid beat of his heart inside his ears.
“Hello, Jaxon. I’m Dr. Evans, Elyssa’s aunt.” A tall woman entered the room, smiling as she donned a pair of latex gloves.
Doesn’t she have the same sadistic eyes as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest?
“Don’t worry," she continued in a soothing tone. "We’ll get this tooth bonded in a jiffy, and you won’t even be able to tell it was broken.”
Jaxon’s life passed before his eyes.
Part 30: Rose’s Evil Eye
“RIGHT,” ELYSSA RESPONDED thoughtlessly to Sadie’s incessant chatter as she sat in her aunt’s waiting room, thumbing through a magazine. If only Sadie hadn’t insisted on driving, she and Jaxon would’ve had almost an hour alone together. By now she would know how he really felt about her.
The car ride had been like torture. She rode in the front with Sadie, while Jaxon occupied the back seat. Unlike Sadie, who never paused in her narrative, he was quiet the entire way. Elyssa could feel his gaze burning into the back of her neck, but she and Jaxon hadn’t had a single opportunity to talk.
“Right?” Sadie’s eyes rounded like saucers. “You agree with her? You don’t think it’s worth the effort?”
“Uhmm…” I have no idea what Sadie was talking about. “No, I meant, to say right, she’s totally wrong. It’s very worthwhile.” Whatever it is.
“Awesome!” Sadie wriggled with excitement, pulling out her cell phone and tapping like a madwoman. “I’ll sign you up for the marathon right now. You can be on my team. It’s such a great cause.” She lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello? Edward? It’s Sadie. I’ve got another person for our marathon team…”
“Marathon? I don’t—”
“Elyssa? Elyssa Rose?” A perky voice interrupted her belated objection.
“Oh my gosh! Holli Davila! I haven’t seen you since high school graduation.” Elyssa leapt from the chair into her friend’s arms. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m getting my teeth cleaned.” She chuckled. “Just kidding, I know what you meant. I teach English at the high school.” Holli stepped back, her deep brown eyes sparkling as she tossed a lock of thick, curly brunette hair over her shoulder.
“Are you kidding me? You came back here to teach? I thought you were getting married and moving to California.”
Holli’s face clouded and her shoulders drooped. “My fiancé was killed in a car accident.”
Elyssa wanted to kick herself. She hugged her friend again as tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Holli.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s been almost a year since it happened.” Holli blinked rapidly, as a forced smile formed on her face.
“I can’t believe I didn’t hear about it before now. How are you holding up? I mean, you look great, as beautiful as ever.”
“To be honest, it’s really hard, but it gets a little better every day. I have learned something, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t be afraid to love someone.” Holli caught her gaze and held it. “If I hadn’t been so nervous about getting involved in a relationship, Sean and I probably would’ve already been married.”
“Oh.” Elyssa felt something churning in her gut.
“Seriously, Elyssa. You and I were closed friends in high school, and I know you have trust issues. You put off every guy who ever asked you out. I hope you’re not still doing that. Promise me you won’t.”
“No, I won’t. I promise.” I hope.
*****
“Just breathe deeply through your nose. That’s it. Breathe slowly. Are you starting to feel the effect of the laughing gas now? Let me know if you feel like you’re getting too much nitrous oxide, and I’ll turn it down.”
Jaxon heard Dr. Evans’ voice coming out of a long tunnel as he floated just above the dental chair. All of the tension faded from his body, and his fingertips tingled.
“No, no, no. Don’t turn it down. I like it. It’s just right.
Like Goldilocks… it’s ju----st right.” Jaxon chuckled.
“Okay, I’ll leave it at this level.”
He peered across the big rubber mask over his nose, blinking to focus his eyes. Dr. Evans smiled behind the clear visor she wore across her face.
“You look like a welder with that thing on.” The thought of Dr. Evans welding made him laugh out loud.
She smiled again and nodded. “Yes, I suppose I do.”
Jaxon struggled to hold his heavy eyelids open.
“Jaxon?”
“Hmmm?”
“Tell me about you and my niece.”
“Your niece?”
“Yes. Elyssa. Tell me about you and Elyssa.”
“Elyssa hates me.”
“Why do you think she hates you?”
“She gave me her evil-eye. No one can survive the evil-eye.” Jaxon was overcome with laughter.
She chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve seen it. Her evil-eye is pretty awful. But what about you, Jaxon? How do you feel about Elyssa?”
“I saw her eat chocolate cake in her sleep, and I didn’t tell her.” Jaxon pressed his lips together and giggled through his nose. Then he sucked in another deep breath of gas and floated into oblivion.
“Jaxon? Jaxon?” Dr. Evans' words broke through his consciousness.
“Hmmm?”
“Do you like Elyssa?”
“I can’t tell you that. You’ll tell her what I say.”
“No, I won’t. Doctor-patient confidentiality. I can’t repeat what you tell me if you don’t want me to.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. She hates me. She likes Baron Carrington.” The man's name tasted terrible.
“But what about you? What do you think of Elyssa?”
“What do I think of her?” Images of Elyssa drifted though his mind. He motioned Dr. Evans closer with an awkward wave of his weighty hand. “She’s really cute. But don’t tell her I said that.”
Dr. Evans patted his shoulder and made a zipping motion across her face with her latex-covered hand. “My lips are sealed.”
“I kissed her, you know. But I don’t think she remembers.” He snorted with mirth. “I guess it wasn’t very impressive, huh? She doesn’t even remember it.” He took a deep breath through his mask and blew it out slowly through his mouth. Dr. Evans spoke to him again, but he couldn’t make his mind understand her words. “What did you say?”
“I asked if you were trying to influence her to sell her building to you?”
“No one can make that girl do something she doesn’t want to do. No one.” Jaxon laughed again.
“You have a point.”
“My lip feels funny.” Jaxon chortled. “Funny—get it? It’s funny that it feels funny.”
“Yes, your lip is getting numb now.”
“How did that happen?”
“I gave you a shot. I told you, you wouldn’t feel it.”
“No way! It’s over? You already did it?”
“Elyssa told me to be especially gentle with you.”
“Don’t tell her I was afraid, okay?”
“I promise… it’s our little secret.”
“I don’t want her to know… She’s the bravest girl I’ve ever met.”
“Yes, she is. Okay, Jaxon. You just keep breathing through your nose while we get this tooth fixed.”
Jaxon jumped when a loud vacuum sounded near his ear. But as the noises droned on, he found himself nodding off. Occasionally, he heard Dr. Evans speak, asking him to open wider. Then she stuck something in his mouth to hold it open, and he drifted into a relaxed sleep.
*****
“You’re all done now, Jaxon. I’m just going to leave you here breathing a hundred percent oxygen for a bit while I check another patient. How do you feel?”
“Great! You were awesome, and you didn’t hurt me at all. And my tooth feels like it did before it broke. Thanks, Dr. Evans.”
Jaxon closed his eyes and relaxed, grateful the procedure was over. He’d almost faded back asleep when he heard a quiet voice.
“Oh, you’re asleep? Jaxon? Can you hear me?” Elyssa's tentative words registered in Jaxon’s mind, but he kept his eyes closed. He’d hoped Elyssa wouldn’t find out he’d needed laughing gas to have his tooth fixed, and he certainly wasn’t ready to face her since she’d caught him with the mask on.
“Jaxon? Hello? Jaxon?”
He kept his breathing slow and even, feigning sleep. The stool beside him squeaked as she perched there. He could sense her face close to his, but he didn’t flinch.
“I wanted to talk to you… Jaxon? Elyssa gave a heavy sigh. “Why didn’t you call me this week? I don’t get it. Do you like me or not?”
*****
Elyssa wanted to scream with frustration. I finally manage to escape Sadie and corner Jaxon alone, and he’s unconscious. Maybe I can shake him awake.
“Jaxon? Hey, Jaxon?” She shook his arm, but he only groaned and shifted, still unconscious in the dental chair with the mask on his nose. Her aunt must’ve turned the gas up really high.
“Arghh!! I can’t get a break. I finally had the courage to talk to you, and you’re asleep. I’m so confused. I was just beginning to think you actually cared about me, but you totally disappeared. I know I told you to leave me alone, but of course I didn’t mean it. I always spout off like that when somebody tells me what I can and can’t do.”
She reached out and used her fingers to pry one eyelid open, but he still didn’t respond. “Jaxon? Are you in there?” She fell against the backrest, exasperated. “How can you still look so good even when you’re unconscious?”
Elyssa stood and walked to the door, peeking into the hallway. No sign of her aunt or the dental assistant. She returned to her stool beside Jaxon. “I have the worst luck. I don’t trust guys, you know, but I was starting to think you were different. I mean, you were pretty great with the whole coming-to-my-rescue thing. But I like to feel independent, so it kind of made me mad at the same time. You know what I’m saying? I wasn’t mad at you, but I just didn’t want to admit I needed you. It was like admitting weakness.” She turned as her aunt entered the room.
“Oh, there you are, Elyssa. Are you keeping Jaxon company? Doesn’t his tooth look good?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen it yet. He’s still asleep.”
“Asleep?” Aunt Lauren frowned. “He shouldn’t be sleeping.”
“Isn’t he still on laughing gas?”
“No, of course I wouldn’t leave him alone on nitrous. He’s breathing oxygen.” Aunt Lauren’s face creased with concern as she checked the meters and picked up his hand, slapping it gently with her own. “Jaxon? Jaxon, are you okay?”
*****
Jaxon panicked. Now what? I can’t let her know I was awake the whole time. She’ll kill me. Maybe I can just pretend I actually passed out. He kept his face unresponsive, hoping they couldn’t hear his heart beating like a bass drum.
“Hmmm…” Dr. Evans murmured. “He hasn’t responded at all? You’ve been talking to him the whole time?”
“Yes, I practically bared my soul to him, and he hasn’t so much as grunted. Do you think something’s wrong?”
“I certainly do. This is quite serious. I need to give him a shot of adrenaline.” He heard Dr. Evans rustling around in the drawer behind him. “It’s a good thing he’s asleep because this stuff hurts.” He felt a sharp pinch on his arm.
“Stop!” Jaxon jumped up, scrambling out of the chair away from Dr. Evans and the gigantic needle she must have plunged into his arm. He heard Elyssa scream as he backed against the wall, panting with terror. Her eyes were wide, and her hands covered her mouth. Dr. Evans stared back with furrowed brows, her arms crossed. He couldn’t see the syringe. What had she done with it? Had it broken off in his arm? His fingers groped his skin without finding the offending needle.
Dr. Evans reached her empty hand out and patted Elyssa on the arm, speaking in a soothing voice. “It’s okay, Elyssa. It seems your friend was
playing possum.”
“What?” Elyssa’s voice squeaked.
“He was pretending to be asleep. Right, Jaxon?”
Elyssa’s hands balled into fists, and her eyes narrowed to slits, the lower lid twitching on one side—the dreaded evil-eye.
Jaxon’s life passed before his eyes.
Part 31: Chick Flick Escape
“NO, SCOTTY, I HAVEN’T talked to Jaxon. And the subject is closed.” Elyssa’s phone vibrated as a new text came in. Another message from Jaxon. She ignored it like she had all the others for the past two weeks since their fateful encounter at Aunt Lauren’s office.
“But Sis, I think you should give him a chance. At least talk to him.”
“I’m going to hang up if you keep going.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little unreasonable?”
“I can’t believe this is coming from you. I thought you were glad when I dumped him.”
“Well… yes… but that was before he called to beg for my help. He made a pretty good case. And I think he could be good for you—I’d really feel better if someone was there to look after you.”
“I don’t need a man to look after me. I’m doing just fine on my own. Anyway, he did something really bad—humiliating, really. And I can’t ever trust him again.”
“Are you talking about what happened at the dental office with the laughing gas? Because he explained all that, and it wasn’t what you think.”
“He told you about that?” Elyssa wanted to crawl into a hole and hide there. It was bad enough she’d confessed her feelings to him when he was pretending to be sleeping. But now he’d told her brother about it. Who else had he told?