Falling for Dr. Knight: A Falling Novel

by DL Gallie

  “Cress, no, it’s no one’s fault.” He tries to soothe me but deep down I know this is all my fault. I’m projecting my fear right now, but it feels good to be angry. If I focus on how mad I am, I don’t dwell on the fact that I fucked up.

  “I’m her mother, goddammit. I should I have seen her getting sick. I should have known.” Dropping to my knees, I shake my head and cry. Looking up at Preston, I see anguish on his face, “I can’t lose her, Preston. I can’t. She’s my everything.” Another wave of sobs break free. “Please save my baby girl. Please, Preston, please.”

  He squats in front of me and envelops me in his arms. “Cress, I will do everything humanly possible to save her.” His warmth and words are comforting and I lean into him. Closing my eyes, I cry into his chest. My sobs have eased but I still feel like the shittiest mother in the world. Taking a deep breath, I pull back and look up at Preston, like always with us, that déjà vu feeling encompasses me and something passes between us. I can feel him giving me the strength I need to go on.

  Movement by the door catches my attention and I look up into the glaring eyes of Creed.

  “Creed, you’re back,” I say. Pushing away from Preston, I stand up and walk over to him. Preston follows, standing close behind me.

  “I’m checking on my daughter,” he snarls. “She still not any better?” He pauses but continues, not giving me a chance to talk. “I really think we need a new doctor, Babydoll, the current one is clearly shit.”

  Preston tenses behind me. A lump forms in my throat at the harshness of his words but what surprises me most is, I wonder if he’s right? Is Preston too close? Is our relationship compromising his care of Lexi?

  “Do you want to sit with her for a bit?”

  “Like you can fucking stop me,” he snarls, stepping into the room. He walks past us and shoves his shoulder into Preston. Looking to Preston, I apologize with my eyes. It’s no secret that Preston and Creed can’t stand one another, actually no one can stand Creed. Not even Andi and she loves everyone.

  “I'll stop in later,” Preston says. “Text me if you need anything or there’s any change. If it’s urgent, get them to page me.” He presses his lips to my temple. Closing my eyes, I draw strength from him. He exits the room and when I turn around, Creed is staring at me, I don’t like the look in his eyes right now. Taking a deep breath, I walk over to the bed and sit. Creed sits and takes the chair on the opposite side.

  “How is she?” he asks. I’m shocked at his question, he hasn’t once asked about her. He normally just sits here and yells at everyone.

  “There’s been no change. The pneumonia was unexpected but her lungs will slowly get better. She’s currently on several antibiotics but until they start working, it's a waiting game.”

  “How did this all happen?” he questions, not a hint of malice in his voice. It almost seems like he cares.

  “I don’t know,” I dejectedly say.

  “How can you not know, you’re her fucking mother?” And there’s the Creed I know.

  “That’s rich coming from her absentee father,” I angrily snap back.

  He stands up and holds on to the end of the bed. He stares at me and I shudder from his leering gaze. “Maybe it’s time I see my lawyer about getting custody, since you seem to be doing such a stellar job.”

  Jumping to my feet, I race toward him. “Over my dead body will you ever get custody of Lexi.”

  “That can be arranged,” he nonchalantly says, staring at me with a sinister smirk on his face. “Maybe it’s time I become less absentee.”

  “Why, Creed, why? Why now, after five years, do you suddenly give a shit about her?”

  “’Cause it fucks with your mind, Dollface, and fucking with you is a favorite hobby of mine and since I can no longer fuck you, I will fuck with you. I hold the power here, you should remember that.” He steps toward me and grips my chin roughly. He glares at me. “Enjoy the time you have with her because when I’m done, you will have nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. You will be begging for me and my cock, and guess what? I won’t give you shit. You will be all alone and it’s all yours and lover boy’s fault because you couldn’t look after my daughter.” Before I can say anything, he presses his lips to mine. He grips my upper arms tightly, trying to gain access to my mouth. “Bitch,” he snarls against my pursed lips before he turns on his heel, storming out of Lexi’s hospital room.

  “Ohh God,” I cry, covering my mouth as his words sink in.

  “Cress,” Preston says from the doorway, “is everything okay?”

  Spinning around I stare at Preston. Swallowing deeply, I storm over to him and lose it. “You are the reason Dickwad Dawson is threatening me. You should be fixing her quicker. You need to fix her now,” I cry, hitting his chest with my palms. “You need to fix her,” I cry.

  “Cress—”

  “NOW!” I interrupt and yell at him, “You need to fix her now because he’s threatening to take my little girl from me. That’s all on you.” Pausing, I look at him, breathing heavily, “I want a new doctor on her case. I never want to see you again, Preston Knight. Get the fuck out of my daughter’s hospital room. It’s over. We are over.”

  “Cress, pl—”

  “I said get the fuck out. Falling for you has caused all of this. This is all your fault, I hate you.”

  Turning away from him, I walk back to Lexi’s bed and climb in next to her. I pull her close to me and cry.

  I cry for Lexi.

  I cry for losing Preston.

  I cry because I hate Creed more than I ever thought possible.

  And I cry for the shitshow my life has become.

  Tears pour down my cheeks as I run my fingers through Lexi’s hair. I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. I’m going to lose my daughter, and it’s either going to be to the bacteria that’s currently ravaging her little body, or to her dickwad of a father, and this is all Preston’s fault. Quietly I murmur to myself, “Falling for Dr. Knight was the worst thing I have ever done.”

  29

  Preston

  “I want a new doctor on her case. I never want to see you again, Preston Knight. Get the fuck out of my daughter’s hospital room.”

  Those words play on a loop over and over in my mind. And each time, it’s more crushing than the last. Sliding down the wall next to Lexi’s room, I run my fingers through my hair. Pulling the strands in frustration, the follicles tear, but it gives little reprieve to my mood.

  “What are you doing on the floor?” Andi asks as she slides down to sit next to me.

  “Cress kicked me out and I think we broke up. No, we did break up, she said it’s over.”

  “She didn’t mean it. That woman loves you unconditionally.” She squeezes my arm in the reassuring way she always does, but this time there’s no reassurance at all. “It's a trying time for all, Preston. Give her space and just be you, she’ll be back in your arms in no time.”

  “When did you get so wise?”

  “I’ve always been this wise. You are just noticing it now.”

  I smile at her. “Thanks, Andi.”

  “Anytime, but can I make a suggestion?”

  “Sure.”

  “Go home and shower, you stink like a sewer rat.”

  “There’s the Andi I know but I’m not leaving, my girls need me.” And I mean that, I think of Lexi as my own.

  “Preston,” she snaps. “Go home and shower. You have been here for four days straight, you need a break and a shower. Then come back refreshed and ready to fight, both the sepsis and for your girls. You’ve just administered the antibiotics that are gonna kick this thing’s ass, now IS the time to freshen up besides, Lexi doesn’t need a stinky broody doctor around while she’s recovering.”

  “I’m not broody.”

  “But you are admitting you stink? I promise to page if there’s ANY change.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes, now go before I vomit. You reek and no one needs that.”

  A laugh e
scapes me and I stand up, looking into Lexi’s room, I see Cress lying in bed with her. Her cheeks are wet from crying, turning around I come face-to-face with Creed. “Told you to stay away but looks like the bitch woke up and dumped your sorry ass.”

  “Fuck off, Creed.”

  “Don't worry, Doc, I’ll take good care of her. I’ll show her how a real man fucks.”

  I shake my head. “How you can be thinking about that right now when your daughter is in there fighting for her life is beyond me, but it also shows you know nothing about Cress. Dick, and especially yours, is the last thing on her mind right now. Now, if you excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

  Stepping around him, I walk away, ignoring the taunts he’s yelling at my back. Passing Steve from security, I nod at him and give him the ‘I’ll leave him to you’ look. Stopping, I turn and watch as Steve escorts a yelling and cursing Creed from the ICU.

  Once he’s removed from the ward, I head down to my car and race home. As soon as I walk inside, I stop when I see one of Lexi’s My Little Pony figurines sitting on the entry table. I pick up the purple pony and whisper, “I’m sorry for letting you down, Lexi, I’m going to make you better…I hope.”

  Stepping into the shower, I close my eyes and let the hot water wash over me. Lifting my head, I smile when I see all of Cress’s products in the nook. Flicking open the cap of her shower gel, I breathe it in. The lime and coconut smell reminds me so much of Cress and happier times. Turning around, I slide down the tiles and sit on the floor. Leaning my arms on the seat, I stare at the bottle in my hands. The ringing of my phone grabs my attention. I turn off the water, wrap a towel around my waist. Stepping in my bedroom, I pick my phone up off the bed. I see that it’s my brother, Keeton, calling. I’m not in the mood to talk so I let it go to voicemail. Throwing it back on the bed, I walk back into the bathroom and dry off. Walking naked into the closet, I change back into black slacks and a white button-down.

  My phone beeps with a text, I know it will be Keeton, he’s a persistent son of a bitch, so I sit on the end of the bed and reply to him without reading his message.

  PRESTON: Super busy. Catch up soon

  KEETON: Looking forward to it…it’s been forever. Call when you can

  PRESTON: Will do.

  Throwing a few changes of clothes into a bag, I grab a few toiletries and head back to the hospital. Dropping off my things in my locker, I head straight to ICU.

  Walking into Lexi’s room, I find it empty and my heart stops beating in my chest. I spin around and before I can ask, Andi says, “They’ve taken her for another chest X-ray and I managed to convince Cress to take a walk. She’s just as stubborn as you, no wonder you two are in love.”

  “She broke up with me, remember?”

  “She’s not thinking clearly. One problem at a time, and no offense to your ego, but that little girl should be our number one focus right now.”

  “Stop being rational.”

  “I can’t help it that I’m the only one thinking clearly right now.” She turns and walks away. She stops, turns and says, “Ohh, and by the way, that Creed douche, he’s been removed from the hospital, he assaulted Steve.”

  “Really?”

  “Really, really.”

  “That’s good news, here’s hoping the good news continues to filter in.”

  “Positive thinking and it will,” Andi says, ever the optimist.

  Walking over to the nurses’ station, I sit down and look at Lexi’s file. Her recent blood work looks better, but she’s still not out of the woods, her latest X-ray is uploaded and when I look at it, I smile. Her lungs are improving and we are about to move her from ICU to the children’s ward.

  The air around me crackles and I know she’s back. Looking up, I see Cress and even though she looks tired, she’s still the sexiest woman I have ever seen. Her hair’s up in a messy bun and she’s wearing ass-hugging jeans and a simple black sweater. As usual, she makes a simple outfit look like catwalk couture.

  Cress looks up and our gazes meet, she stops mid-step and stares back at me. I’m about to walk over to her, when Lexi is wheeled back in and our moment is over. I sit and watch as Cress races over to them. They wheel Lexi back into her room and what makes me smile, as she’s wheeled past, I see her eyes are open and she’s smiling. She sits up and tries to shout, “Prince Dr. Preston,” her voice is quiet, but there’s excitement in her eyes.

  Standing up, I walk over to her room. “Princess Lexi, my favorite patient. How you feeling, Munchkin?”

  “Better. Mommy says my medicine is working.”

  “It sure is. Sorry it took so long.”

  “It’s okay. Can you stay?”

  “Preston needs to get back to work, Munchkin, and you need to rest,” Cress says without looking at or acknowledging me. It hurts but after my chat with Andi, I understand.

  “Actually,” Andi says from behind me as she enters the room, “now that you’re better, we have a special ward for you. Do you want to see your new room, Lexi?”

  “Yes, please.” She looks to Cress. “And then we can watch Pony.”

  “Anything for you, Munchkin.”

  Stepping aside, I watch as Andi escorts Cress and Lexi to the children’s ward with the help of an orderly. Looking up, I catch Cress staring at me. I smile but she quickly looks away. Standing in the now empty room, I spy another pony figurine on the rolling table and an idea forms. Racing out of the room, I head to the doctors’ lounge to have some privacy and set my surprise up.

  Walking into the lounge, Clay is lying on the bench and he’s listening to music. “What song is that?” I ask him as I open my locker and grab out my laptop.

  “It’s “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz.”

  Nodding my head, I smile. The words to this song sum up my feelings right now. I’m not giving up. I’m going to get Lexi better AND then I’m going to win Cress back. I’m not giving up, not ever when it comes to Cress and Lexi.

  30

  Cress

  Two days later, I wake up and like always, my eyes go straight to Lexi’s bed and for the first time in almost a week I smile and it’s a genuine smile. Her color is back to normal, she looks like Lexi again. The first thing I want to do is text Preston, but then I remember I can’t. I was a total bitch to him and I broke us. Sighing, I realize I need to get used to not having him around anymore.

  Lexi opens her eyes. “Mommy?”

  “Yes, Munchkin?”

  “I want toast.”

  Those three words mean everything to me. If she wants food, that means she’s better. Preston did it, he fixed my little girl…and I pushed him away. “I’ll see what I can do.” Before I get a chance to get her some toast, the door to her room opens and a huge bouquet of balloons is delivered. It’s filled with pink and purple love hearts, a Rainbow Dash 3D balloon and several round Pony gang ones. Then enters someone with a My Little Pony blanket that they place over the bed, a plush Rainbow Dash pony, and a basket of Pony figurines. Lexi grabs the plush pony and hugs it to her chest, it's just as big as her. The smile on her little face right now is priceless. Another person walks in behind with a lollipop bouquet, Lexi’s eyes widen when she sees that. And lastly, someone hands me a venti-sized coffee from across the road.

  “Holy duck,” I say, as I take in the Pony explosion around us.

  “Mommy, where did all of this come from?” Lexi asks me.

  “I have no idea, Munchkin,” I say, but I’m pretty sure I know where it all came from: Preston.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, the air around me crackles and then I feel him behind me. My heart beats faster. My breathing becomes labored. It’s been a few days since he’s been this close to me and my body hasn’t forgotten how he makes me feel.

  “Morning,” he says from behind me. The deep timbre of his voice warms me from the inside out.

  “Prince Dr. Preston,” Lexi beams. “Look what I got?” She holds up the pony and winces when she pulls on her
IV.

  Preston steps around me and over to her. “You okay, Munchkin?” His voice laced with concern; it pulls at my heartstrings. He really does care. Then I begin to wonder if I made a mistake. Did I overreact due to the situation with Lexi?

  She nods. “I’m okay now,” she says. “I haven’t seened you much.”

  “I’ve been here. I’ve just been busy.” He lifts his gaze to mine. He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks tired. His face is covered in a light beard, and he looks fucking hot if I’m honest. “You like your surprise?” he asks Lexi.

  “You did all this?” Lexi asks him.

  He nods at her. “Yep, I wanted to cheer you up.” He looks over to me. “And you too,” he says.

  “I don't know what to say,” I admit, a lump forming in the back of my throat because he did all of this, even though I pushed him away. But then I remember Lexi asking about him and I realize that, yes, he has been absent the last few days. Maybe he doesn’t care after all, but then if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have done all of this. I’m so confused right now.

  “You don't need to say anything, Cress.”

  “You shouldn’t have, Preston. We are…” I stop because I don’t know how to finish that sentence. What are we? I broke what we were because I was scared, will we ever get back from that?

  Turning away from him, I stare out into the corridor. “Cress,” he says, touching my shoulder. “I just wanted—”

  “No,” I say, turning to face him. “You shouldn’t have, Preston.” When he looks at me, I know without a doubt: I made a mistake pushing him away and breaking us was the wrong choice. “We…I…I need a minute.”

  Racing out of the room, my eyes well with tears. Everything becomes blurry with each step I take. Turning the corner I bump into someone, they grip my shoulders to steady me. “Cress, are you okay?” Andi says, her voice laced with concern.