“Well, get better. We need you over on this side, Dr. Silvers.” She patted my shoulder and smiled at Courtney, wishing us both well and walking. As she opened the door, I noticed a lone wheelchair had been abandoned in the hallway. Probably because someone got called off on a Code Blue or something. I tilted my head over at Courtney and smiled.
“You want to do something stupid?”
And in minutes, Courtney was sitting in the wheelchair and I was racing her down the hallway, her hair blowing back onto me and her laughs echoing up towards me. She clapped and then had to regrip the armrest as I turned a corner pretty fast. We almost knocked into Lucy, another nightshift nurse who I had known pretty well.
“Dr. Silvers! I… um, well glad to see you’re doing good!” she said, trying to hide her surprise at me racing down the hallway with a girl in a wheelchair. It was the Courtney effect. She made you want to do crazy shit, just to laugh, to feel like one person, to have these memories between the two of you that could never be forgotten.
That was the Courtney effect.
“I’ll be back soon,” I assured her as I slowly pushed Courtney down the hallway. Once we were out of Lucy’s eyesight, I picked up my pace and raced down another empty hallway and ended up back in our room, wheeling her over to her bed. I could help but slide in, resting half my body on the mattress and the rest off of it.
“You should really demand a king size bed. Aren’t you the doctor here, don’t you have some pull?” she joked, giving me a quick kiss.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, holding her small hand in my strong grip.
“Well, at least I can cross out ‘re-enact cheesy romance movie’ from my bucket list,” she said, staring up at the ceiling and smiling, “next up is eat cheese at the very top of the London Eye.”
“Very specific,” I said, wondering how this girl could possible be so very special.
“I think I saw it in a dream once… I’m not really sure, actually. But I wrote it, so I’m doing it.” She had conviction, a determination like she was sure of completing every single thing on that list. It was something that attracted me even more to her. That strength in her passions.
“What else did you write?” I asked, curious to see what some of her grandest wishes and maybe even biggest fears were.
“I have about two-hundred things, so I’m not going to bore you with all of them. But let’s see, oh here’s a good one,” she pointed a finger, “have sex at the top of the London Eye and then eat cheese after.”
I laughed, grabbing her finger in midair.
“You left that part out the first time,” I said, bringing her finger and pressing it up against my lips.
“Now are you in?”
“I was in when you said cheese.”
We laid there together, my body was half hanging off the bed and as she was resting peacefully. I could feel her start to fall asleep, her eyelids dropping down like camera shutters at first, and then slowing down, finally staying shut in a restful sleep. I slid off the bed and laid in mine. I stared up at the ceiling, picturing the star-dotted sky just above. I suddenly wanted to be outside, far away, in a different state. I wanted to be in Florida with Courtney, not having to worry about anything except making each other happy on the beaches of Miami, tanning and drinking.
A few more hours passed with Courtney sound asleep and me drifting in and out. Another physician, Dr. Sanchez, came and told us the test results. Thankfully, both of us were ok and given the stamp of approval. I suddenly wondered if Blake was around. An immature, beastly part of me wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp for putting my sister into her position, but my rational side was stronger.
I just didn’t want to see the bastard.
As soon as we were discharged, we called Ryan to pick us up. We stood outside the hospital, the crisp Los Angeles air blowing around us. We both took in a deep breath, one that felt like the first breath in a long time. The threat of Marco was gone.
But he said Ally was missing.
Well, that wasn’t exactly great news.
Holy shit.
Then I realized what the great news actually was. I had been in the hospital. I had been in there and I didn’t think about taking a drug once. It was incredible.
The Courtney effect was in full swing.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
We both collapsed into the back of Ryan’s car, neither of us really wanting to let go of the other. Emma sat in the front passenger seat, a hand on Ryan’s thigh. I wrapped my arm around Courtney’s neck and let her head fall into the crease of my shoulder, her dirty blond hair falling down on me. I breathed in her scent. Even through the adrenaline filled night, or maybe because of the adrenaline filled night, she smelled like an exotic fruit, a sweetness that was intoxicating. It trapped me then and there, and I felt myself riding the high that she gave me. That sweet, sweet escape.
“Shit,” Emma said, staring stone-cold straight ahead. I looked out the window, watching the buildings pass us by, shit was exactly all I thought too. I held Courtney a little tighter, feeling the weight of everything rest over us, threatening to push down harder.
“Well, we’re ok, that’s what matters. And that crazy bitch is probably in a whole other state by now. Since I’ve known her, granted it hasn’t been too long, but Ally’s first instinct was always to run,” Courtney said. If that were true then, she would have wanted to disappear. To escape from her life in the dead of night and shed her skin, blossoming into another twisted soul in a different city. Maybe this time her name would be Erica and she would be really into pottery and planting until she would become horribly obsessed with another guy. And the cycle would continue.
I hoped that was the case. I needed to get my life back to normal. I needed to get back into work, helping people during the day and then coming home to see Courtney. To kiss Courtney. To be inside Courtney. To fuck her until we both collapsed… Courtney.
That was what I needed to get back to, not this bullshit.
“The police are looking for her now. Even if she isn’t running away somewhere, they’ll be able to find her. Even though she’s crazy, she’s no perfect criminal. I doubt she’ll be able to do anything,” I reassured them, hoping inside that what I said was the truth. Marco was able to surprise us well enough, what made his sister incapable of doing the same?
I wasn’t going to let my worry show. And I didn’t. Not for the whole ride back to Courtney’s apart. Not for the silent midnight dinner we all shared. Not for the moment I laid down on Courtney’s bed, feeling her slide into the shape of my body. Not for the moment I felt her need me, want me, lust for me. I could feel her soft skin against mine, both of us stripping down to our bare underwear, sharing another passionate night. Fucking her until she clawed into my shoulders. Making love to her like no one else ever had. Eating her like she was the only thing in this world. I worshipped her as she did me.
I woke up that morning tangled with Courtney, smelling her sweetness. I kissed her forehead, running my hand down her back as she cuddled in deeper, sliding her hand over my muscular side. We stayed there for what felt like a blissful eternity, but I’m pretty sure was only another half an hour. We stretched a bit and willed ourselves to get up and face the day, walking out of her room together and making ourselves brunch consisting of Lucky Charms and a turkey sandwich. The rest of the time was spent lounging on the couch, each of us sneaking glances out the window, just to double check, just to make sure that there was no figure right outside. I squeezed her hand and placed it on my thigh, pulling her head into mine for a quick kiss just before the Kardashians drew her attention away again.
A knock came from the door just as Kim was about to go off on Khloe. Courtney mumbled something about Emma forgetting her keys all the time and scurried over to the door, opening it without looking through the peephole. Something we should have been doing considering the circumstances.
Regardless, even if she did peak out of the peephole, she wouldn’t have seen the s
mall, tied-up gift box that rested on her welcome mat. No one was around, just the little pastel green box. Courtney bent down and picked it up with the delicacy reserved for someone who was disarming a bomb. She brought it over and placed it gently on the table, both of us looking at the unknown box. I unwrapped the dirty white ribbon that was tied hastily around of it and we both lifted the lid.
There, resting silently in the box were photos. They were black and white Polaroid's of me and Courtney sleeping together the night before, as if whoever took the photos was standing right above us. And through Courtney’s back were painted large X’s with what seemed like crimson red lipstick. I saw Courtney bring another shaking hand up to her slightly gaping mouth. I felt a shiver of disgust climb down my back and rest in my stomach, making me feel sick. Someone… Ally, was in the room last night. She could have done anything, but now she was just playing with us. Now she had reason to believe that we sent Marco to jail, and so her plan was to take away the one person I was beginning to value most in my life.
“Fuck,” I said dropping the photos down onto the table, letting them float down and wishing they would somehow catch fire and erase them from my memory. Courtney braced herself against the armrest, taking in a deep breath and holding back tears. I could see the strength she had as she composed herself, looking straight at me, and saying, “Well, we’re fucked.”
“This is crazy. Listen, she won’t do anything. This is all just some sick game to scare us.”
“I’m not so sure.” She walked over to me and placed both hands on my chest, wrapping them around and resting her head just above my beating heart, drumming a little faster than normal. She looked up, her chin delicate against me.
“Keep me safe?”
“Always.”
I kissed her, our lips meeting in one of our trademark passionate exchanges. It wasn’t a long drawn-out kiss with tongues sliding and gliding. It was a quick kiss, lingering just the slightest. It was the kind of kiss that you could have with that one perfect person, when both of your walls were down and you both just felt safe.
I opened my eyes and looked into hers, knowing that nothing could tear me away from this girl.
“You know what you remind me of right now?” she asked, her voice a soft whisper.
“What?”
“I was going to say my mom’s overprotective bulldog… but I won’t.”
She giggled into my chest, and I laughed back. At first it was small, a little roll in our shoulders, a roll that soon traveled down and transformed into vigorous intakes of breaths in-between seemingly endless fits of laughter. Only Courtney could do this to me, completely transform me into this laughing silly putty in the midst of everything that was going on. I felt like it was a sort of healing for the both of us, and we fucking needed it.
After our laughs had subsided, we crawled over to the couch and collapsed, resuming our typical spots of my arm over her shoulder and her feet pressed up against the pink armrest.
“So what happens next?” she asked, still a little laugh escaping here and there, but the overall mood was returning back to being serious.
“We stay close to each other. We’ll stay at my place from now on, there’s security guards that patrol the area. And besides, I don’t think she knows where I live,”
“Shit, why are we even here then?” she said, gesturing to her small college apartment.
“I dunno, I guess I thought you would feel more comfortable here or something,” I said, coming up with some excuse. Really, I just wanted an escape from my old life, from everything that was my old life. And my apartment held some memories that I didn’t want to recall at the time. But things were getting way too dangerous with Ally out there. I no longer thought she was incapable of acting out.
No, now instead of wondering if, all I wondered was when.
And for that, we needed to get out of here and somewhere safe. So we packed up a bag for Courtney, wrapped up her toothbrush, grabbed her laptop and headed out the door. The walk to the car was quite, both of us wanting to be at full attention just in case we heard something weird.
Thankfully, neither of us heard anything as we got to Courtney’s car, getting in and locking the doors almost instantly.
“So… does this happen to every girl you date?” Courtney asked, turning out of her apartment’s garage and onto Hollywood boulevard.
“Only you get the really special treatment,” I said, laughing as I looked out the window and saw the flashing lights of various tourist attractions. There was the wax museum that was home to hundreds of eternal celebrities, and then The Chinese Theatre passing us by in its regal glory, dozens of tourists milling about and looking down at all the celebrity footprints and handprints left in the cement.
“Wow, I feel honored.”
“You should,” I joked back, knowing I could play with her as an equal.
“What makes me so honorable?” she asked, baiting me.
I took it, “You’re beautiful. Special. Some exotic element just discovered, the one that cures every sickness.”
“That good, huh?” she asked, smiling and letting a hand fall on me, intertwining with my fingers.
“Better.”
I was suddenly very, very scared of losing this girl.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
We stayed tucked away in my apartment for a couple more days. I didn’t leave often, not needing too since my refrigerator was stocked and Pizza Hut was only a ring away. We also were constantly checking to see if all the doors and windows were locked. It was a habit that neither of us felt like breaking anytime soon.
“Good afternoon,” I said to her, as she practically crawled out of my bedroom and into the living room, throwing herself down on my dark gray couch. I admired her as she walked in what she had slept in the night before, a red set of bra and lacy underwear that cupped her ass perfectly. I felt my cock twitch underneath the soft fabric of my gym shorts. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked over my way, her gaze wandering over my six pack and finally reaching my eyes. I smiled at her and applied the final touches to my, yes I’ll say it, artistically crafted BLT and chicken wrap.
“Good afternoon,” she finally mumbled back, stretching out her muscles and easing the sleep from her bones. I would have thought she had the body of a 20 year old by looks but on the inside, I would say she was at least 80.
“Wait, are you missing classes?” I asked, suddenly realizing we both haven’t been leaving the apartment.
“Two of them have no attendance policy and they’re easy as dick. One’s online, and the other one is twice a week, I’ll go tomorrow.”
I walked over and plopped down on the couch, taking a bite out of the BLT masterpiece. I offered a bite to Courtney, but she brushed it away. I noticed she never really liked to eat whenever she had just woken up, even if that was at twelve in the afternoon.
“You kicked me like twice last night, you know that right?” she said as a piece of lettuce plopped down from the side of the wrap.
“No, but it was probably to stop you from snoring.”
“I do not snore!” she objected, a little more loudly than I think she had intended to.
“Guess it must be allergies then.”
“Ok, fine, maybe I snore a little, but at least I don’t turn into a damn MMA fighter,” she said, punching me in the chest.
“It’ll teach you how to fight.”
“I know how to fight.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it,” I said, getting up and tapping her on her shoulder, a challenge of sorts. My legs spread wide and my fists came up in front of my face. She got up to meet my challenge, even in her sleepy state, she wasn’t about to let me win that easily. I jabbed at her side, a fraction of my full force obviously, just as she slammed into my oblique, a lot harder than what my fraction was.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” she said, knowing that it was a hard hit.
“Damn, first your zombie head shots and now your immobilizing knockout punches? You
aren’t some secret CIA agent right?” I asked, rubbing my side where her fist met my muscle.
“No, wow that was bad. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok, I promise,” I said, fake jabbing at her and instead grabbing her by the wrist and twirling her into a tight embrace, her back pressed against mine. I held her tight, our bodies up against each other’s. I could feel her warmth, it was encompassing. It was wrapping me up in a blanket that I never wanted to take off. I couldn’t help it. My hands traveled up to her breasts, feeling her curves glide underneath my touch.
I felt primal.
In that moment, I wanted this girl and I wanted her bad. I bent down and nibbled on her ear, biting down a little harder. She let out a small gasp mixed with a moan as the small, sharp pain combined with the pleasure of my tongue.
“I want you so fucking bad, I want to fuck you so hard you collapse under me,” I groaned into her ear, pressing my now solid hard cock against her ass, the fabric of my gym shorts and her lacy red thong were the only thing between us.
I hooked a finger around her underwear and tore them off, literally tearing the fabric off her waste. I nipped at her neck, now a hand traveling up her back and pushing her down. She held herself up on the couch, her ass in perfect view, riding the length of my bulging cock. I dropped my shorts and released my pulsing dick, a clear drop of pre-cum wetting the tip. I bent her over even further.
“Say you want me,” I commanded. I could feel her react to my tone, her body stiffen at first in surprise and then loosen. I could feel her become comfortable with the command, comfortable with me taking the lead.
“I want you so bad,” she moaned, pushing her ass back onto me.
“What do you want me to do to you?” I reared a hand up and brought it down on her ass cheek, a stinging sound filled the air as Courtney let out another small gasp, my red handprint now being left behind.
“I want you to fuck me. I want you inside of my tight, wet pussy,” she said, spreading her legs farther apart. I slid a hand between her thighs and found her soaking center. I almost came just feeling how fucking wet she was. I brought my hand back to the spot right between her shoulders and pushed down.
Numbed (The White Coat Series) Page 12