Rescue Me

by Anne, Melody

  As he left the hospital he could almost swear he smelled her sweet perfume in the hallways. He shook his head as he tried holding his breath. Whatever didn’t kill him would surely make him stronger, he assured himself.

  Chapter Seven

  Something was wrong. Kyle knew it the second he stepped outside. It was dark and misty, which was normal for Seattle. But there was a touch of dread in the air. He’d always trusted his instincts and he paused as he listened, his eyes searching the hospital parking lot.

  Normally he didn’t park in this area, but he’d been late to work and had taken the first available space. Right now, though, something kept him from moving forward. He waited.

  Then he heard a scream. His body froze as he tried to figure out where it was coming from. This was a hospital. Injured people arrived all the time, people in pain. A scream was nothing to be afraid of. But there was something about that sound; it was more terror than pain.

  “I warned you to save her,” a man yelled.

  Kyle began moving.

  “Sir, please let us talk to you. Just calm down and let’s go inside.” Kyle’s step faltered. He knew that voice well. It was Patsy, and she was foolish enough to try to reason with an obviously unstable man.

  “You have nothing to do with this. Stay the hell out of my way,” the man screamed, his voice shaking. He wasn’t in a rational frame of mind—a mind that could be reasoned with.

  Kyle moved faster. He couldn’t yet see Patsy or the man, or whoever was with them, but he’d get through the vehicles and find them. Patsy was obviously in trouble, and there was no way he was sitting back.

  “I just want to help you,” Patsy said.

  “I’m so sorry about your wife,” another woman said. Kyle didn’t recognize her voice.

  “You lying bitch,” the man screamed.

  Kyle’s heart stopped when two gunshots rang out and Patsy screamed.

  “Look what you made me do!” the man yelled. Then there was another gunshot, then silence.

  Kyle ran and turned a corner. He found Patsy and another woman on the ground, both of them covered in blood. Several feet away a man lay on the ground as well, a bloody hole in his head, his body completely still, a black handgun lying a couple of feet from him.

  Kyle moved to the gun and kicked it farther away. The guy wasn’t moving, but Kyle wasn’t taking any chances. Then he rushed over to Patsy and she looked up, terror and pain in her expression. His heart thudded as he leaned down, running his hands over her in rapid movements.

  “Where are you hit?” he asked, his phone out as he pushed a button.

  The ER reception picked up after the first ring, and he shouted a command of where they were before dropping the phone and grabbing Patsy again.

  She opened and closed her mouth as if she was in shock, then looked at the woman next to her curled into a ball crying. He didn’t recognize her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Patsy spoke.

  “I wasn’t hit. Dr. Wasp was. He shot her twice, once in the abdomen and once in the thigh,” Patsy said. That’s when he finally noticed Patsy was holding her hand over the groaning woman’s stomach. She was losing too much blood.

  Kyle reached for the wound on her leg and applied pressure. Everything in him wanted to run his hands over Patsy again, to ensure himself she hadn’t been hit by any stray bullets. He glanced the man’s way several times to make sure he indeed wasn’t a threat any longer. The guy didn’t move. Kyle would be shocked if he wasn’t dead.

  The hospital crew arrived in record time, and things moved quickly. Neither Patsy nor Kyle were trauma surgeons, but they could help in a pinch. That wasn’t necessary when they were only a few dozen yards from the ER entrance.

  “What happened here?” Dr. Kian Forbes asked as he quickly assessed all four people with a visual before deciding who needed the most help.

  “I was walking out with Dr. Wasp when this man approached. He held the gun and started shouting at Dr. Wasp, saying she’d killed his wife. Then he pointed the gun at her. I tried to talk him down but he was beyond listening,” Patsy said.

  Her adrenaline was wearing down, and she began shaking from the terror of what had just happened.

  “Are you hit?” Kian asked.

  “No. Dr. Wasp was hit in the abdomen and thigh. Then the man shot himself in the head. Neither Dr. Armistead nor I were hit,” Patsy told him.

  “I’ll need you to stay and talk to the police,” Kian told her.

  She nodded, but Kyle wasn’t sure if she had heard much of what he’d said.

  “Did you see anything?” Kian asked him.

  “No. I walked out and heard shouting then heard the shots, but I didn’t see any of it. I got here after the man was dead,” Kyle told him.

  “Okay, the cops will need your statement as well,” Kian told him.

  “Of course,” Kyle replied. “I’ll take Patsy in to get cleaned up, then we’ll be in the cafeteria. Tell them to find us there.”

  “It might be a while. That’s a good idea,” Kian said.

  Then the man turned away from both of them as he went inside with Dr. Wasp. The gunman was pronounced dead and a couple staff members waited with his covered body for the police to arrive. This was officially a crime scene.

  Kyle helped Patsy to her feet, and she was shaking as he placed his arm around her. He was amazed at how composed she was, considering what she’d just been through. She didn’t say a word as he began walking her inside the hospital, but she didn’t push him away.

  They made it to the thankfully empty locker room and he found a quiet corner and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. By now blood was splattered over both of them, but he didn’t care. He’d had blood covering him many times before.

  “It’s okay, Patsy. You can let it out,” Kyle told her.

  Almost as if she’d needed permission, a shudder ran through her, and tears fell down her cheeks as she allowed herself to rest against him. Kyle rubbed her back and had to push down the rage toward the person who’d threatened her. Every instinct in him wanted to go and pulverize the man. He couldn’t get that satisfaction though, as the coward had taken his own life.

  “I’m sorry,” she said after only a couple of minutes. She pulled herself together far more quickly than many people would’ve been able to do.

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” he assured her.

  She shook her head, took in a shuddery breath, then pushed against him. Kyle didn’t want to let her go, but he wasn’t going to force her to take his comfort.

  She got up and moved away from him before turning back and looking at him. “No, I shouldn’t have fallen apart like that. I’m a doctor, and it’s my job to be strong in an emergency.”

  Kyle stood as he let out a laugh with no humor. “We’re not just doctors. We’re also human beings, and I’d have to wonder about anyone who has a gun pointed at them and doesn’t freak out,” he offered.

  “He wasn’t after me,” Patsy reminded him.

  “It doesn’t matter. You were there, and you were trying to stop it. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” He wasn’t sure why that upset him so much. He didn’t know this woman. Yes, he was attracted to her, but they were nothing to each other.

  “I’d hate myself if I’d have walked away. Could you have?” she asked.

  Kyle wanted to lie to her, tell her that yes, he could’ve left. It wasn’t his business or his problem. “No, I wouldn’t have walked away either.”

  “Then don’t expect me to.” She stopped, sighed, and walked back to him. She shocked him when she leaned up, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug that melted his cold heart a little. “Thank you for being there, for helping me.”

  He reached around her to pull her in tighter and she released her grip and stepped back. She seemed as if she wanted to say more so he waited. She
took another step away before talking again.

  “I’m going to clean up. You probably should too. I don’t think either of us is getting out of here for a while.” There was such weariness in her expression and body he wanted to do something for her, but he didn’t know what.

  She didn’t wait for his response as she moved to her locker and grabbed spare scrubs. He realized they’d forgotten to grab her bag from the parking lot. He’d call down and ask for it. He was sure someone in the ER had it. But he needed to clean up as well. They each grabbed a fresh set of scrubs and moved their separate ways to the showers.

  Kyle was a mess at the thought of Patsy in a shower only a few feet away from him. He heard the water turn on and all thoughts of danger evaporated in an instance. He felt like the worst sort of pig at having lustful thoughts about her after what she’d just gone through.

  He switched the water to cold and leaned his head against the wall of the tile shower and counted to about a hundred before he gave up. The day had been long; the night was going to be longer. But he was glad he’d been there.

  They finished about the same time and Kyle met her outside the locker room, unable to be in there with her any longer without doing something utterly foolish. She gave him a slight smile as if she was grateful for his restraint.

  He was going to make love to this woman—there was zero doubt in his mind.

  There was no more debate about it anymore. He wished he could walk away, wished he wasn’t being such a fool when it came to her. But he knew it was going to happen. What he didn’t know was how much it was going to change his life.

  Even if he knew what the final outcome would be, he could do nothing to stop it at this point. She’d gotten to him, and he didn’t want to hold back any longer.

  He refused to stop it.

  Now he had to see where in the hell it was all leading. If he were a smarter man he’d cut ties right now. But it seemed as if Kyle was making all sorts of life-changing decisions lately. He didn’t see any reason to stop that now.

  Chapter Eight

  Patsy normally didn’t allow people to care for her. She was strong and stubborn, and because of her childhood she had learned to take care of herself. Sure, she had a sister who was incredible, who had raised her because their father had been an absolute piece of crap. But Patsy had wanted to find her independence, wanted to prove she was fine on her own.

  But tonight it had been so easy to lean on Kyle. She didn’t know this man, or at least she knew very little about him. She was frustrated at how attracted she was to him. And she hated how she’d fallen apart in his arms.

  She also couldn’t help but smile as she sat across from him in a corner of the hospital cafeteria drinking coffee. She’d told him no to dinner, and no to coffee, and yet there she was with a tray of untouched food in front of her and a coffee in her hand.

  “People don’t often tell you no, do they?” she asked.

  He looked at her and smiled, the first real smile she’d seen since, well, probably since the day Eeyore had jumped all over him. It was hard to resist a man who loved a dog—especially her dog who she thought was pretty dang incredible.

  “No, not really,” he admitted. He reached down and picked up his sandwich, taking a bite.

  She looked at her own food as if it was covered in mold. Eating was the last thing she wanted to do, but she was also a doctor and knew she needed the fuel. She picked up a chip and popped it in her mouth, having no clue what flavor it was.

  “Well, I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t have to be,” she told him. The fear from the night was wearing off, and she was finding her voice again.

  “Why do you say that?” he asked. His food was a third of the way gone already. The longer time went on, the calmer she felt. Her appetite started coming back. She picked up her slice of pizza and took a bite, glad she was able to taste the spice of the peperoni.

  “Because I told you we weren’t doing dinner,” she reminded him.

  “This isn’t our date, Patsy. That will come when this is all over,” he assured her.

  She took another bite and narrowed her eyes. “I appreciate confident people, but delusional is another matter altogether,” she said.

  She was shocked when he leaned back and laughed. It felt wrong to be having this conversation, to be . . . flirting with this man when she’d just watched a woman get shot.

  Patsy hadn’t met Dr. Wasp before that night, but she was another female doctor and a nice woman. Patsy should be more worried, should be more upset. They’d already checked on her, and it looked like Dr. Wasp was going to pull through surgery just fine. Maybe that’s why Patsy wasn’t more upset, she assured herself. The bullet hadn’t hit any major organs and they’d gotten to her in record time thanks to Kyle’s quick phone call that Patsy had been too shocked to make.

  “I’ve been called worse than delusional before, so go ahead and hit me with your best shot,” he told her.

  She finished her pizza and grabbed the chocolate cupcake on her tray. Kyle had loaded her tray down, and she was impressed with what was on it. He didn’t know her, but he’d pretty much picked exactly what she’d normally have taken. That should terrify her a little, especially since he had different food on his own tray.

  She looked at her food, then his, then away.

  “I’ve seen you eating in here a few times,” he told her, reading her mind.

  “Do you like stalking residents?” she asked.

  “Normally I don’t care much at all about residents. I had my own practice for ten years but spent a lot of time in hospitals doing surgeries and consulting with other doctors. Now I’m a teacher and, of course, I take more of an interest,” he said.

  “Including our food choices?” she questioned.

  “I only notice the food choices of the residents I plan on taking to my bed,” he said conversationally.

  Patsy choked on the sip of coffee she’d just taken.

  Kyle sat back and smiled.

  “That’s so not going to happen,” she told him.

  His expression didn’t change. “Yes, it will, but I’ll give you time to adjust to the reality of it.”

  “That’s so magnanimous of you,” she said with a glare.

  “I’m a good guy,” he assured her. “I’m always thinking about others.”

  Patsy wanted to fight the smile trying to break free, but she couldn’t quite push it all the way down.

  “I’ve yet to meet a surgeon who doesn’t think they’re God,” she told him.

  He grinned back as he sipped his coffee, looking disappointed when his cup was empty. “That’s because we play God every time we’re in the OR.”

  “Even when doing a pair of boobs?” she challenged.

  He laughed harder this time, and she couldn’t keep her own smile away. “Hell yeah, when doing boobs. Those are highly important to mankind’s existence,” he assured her as his eyes trailed down her throat and landed on her own chest. She desperately wanted to cross her arms but wasn’t giving him that satisfaction.

  “Mine are one hundred percent real,” she said instead as if she didn’t care that he was looking at her.

  His gaze slowly traveled back to her face and his grin grew as he licked his lips in a way that had heat coursing down her body and throbbing in one particular place she didn’t normally pay attention to. She tried not to squirm in her seat.

  “That’s more than obvious,” he said in a husky voice.

  She was saved from the conversation continuing when two officers approached. They gave their statements together, and Patsy wasn’t sure if she was glad or not to be pulled away from her conversation with the man.

  He intrigued her, which scared the crud out of her. She had to remind herself she didn’t have the time or the desire to have a workplace affair—especially with an arrogant surgeon.

&n
bsp; When she was paged to the ER, letting her know they had her bag, she ran like the chicken she was. If she continued her intimate conversation with Kyle, she was afraid she was going to do exactly what he’d said they were going to do and fall into his bed.

  That would make life incredibly awkward the next day at work. As she hailed a cab and went home, she told herself she was being smart. If she’d fallen at the feet of every doctor who’d flirted with her from the day she’d stepped into this program, she’d have far too many notches on her bedpost. And she reminded herself she didn’t like sex; it was boring and messy.

  But if that was truly the case why in the hell was she feeling strong urges toward Kyle she’d never felt toward another man before? And why was her body so out of sync, so needy? And why, as she made her way home, was loneliness seeping through her normally content life? She wondered if it was okay to let down her guard every once in a while.

  She wondered if she was missing out on something essential because she was too worried to live.

  Chapter Nine

  Family barbeques were mandatory when it came to the Titan family. Patsy had been able to avoid them for a while because she was a resident working incredibly long hours. But she did have a rare Sunday off, and the pleading from her sister had been enough to guilt her into going.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t love hanging out with her sister. But Nicole had a way of reading her like an open book, and the second she took a look at Patsy’s face she was going to know something was up.

  Patsy hoped her acting skills would be up to the task of getting through a family event. She did miss her sister and the wonderful family she’d married into, especially since Nicole and Patsy’s family had been so far from perfect there weren’t words to compare how bad it had been.

  That was all in the past, and their futures had been drastically changed. A lot of that had to do with Ryan, Patsy’s amazing brother-in-law. He treated Nicole like the princess she was, and he looked at Patsy as if she were his little sister. It made her feel loved but a little bit smothered. However that was better than the alternative. It was much better to have people who loved you too much, versus having no one care or know where you were or what you were doing.