by Vivian Wood
As she straddled him again, he guided himself into her. He filled her completely and she whimpered.
She’d never felt anything like it, not even in the prior times with Ryan. There was a freedom between them that made it even sweeter. They didn’t have to hide anymore.
Ryan propped himself up and grabbed onto her thighs. When she rocked forward, took him in deeper, he licked and sucked at her nipples. “You’re so wet,” he told her. She held onto the bed frame and pushed him even deeper inside her.
She was on the brink, ready to come when he stopped her. Ryan held onto her waist tightly and commanded her movement. It was almost painfully slow, how he lifted and lowered her onto him—sucking and kissing her nipples, moving back and forth between each breast.
Poppy dug her nails into his shoulders. “I’m close,” she whispered.
“I know.” He released one of his arms and a wave of intense pleasure shot through her as he brushed a thumb across her clit. “Come with me, Poppy,” he said, and moved his hands to her ass.
With his hands gripped on her ass, she rode him hard once more. Right as she was on the edge, he called out her name and spilled himself into her. The tremors brought her quickly to orgasm and she felt the now-familiar soaking between them. He pulled her head away from his neck and looked at her. “I love you,” he said, his throbbing inside her bringing on another orgasm.
“I love you,” she said. It was automatic, yet she knew that she meant it.
They lay sprawled across the bed, side by side. She curled into the crook of Ryan’s arm and traced her fingers across his chest. “I meant it,” he said, and looked at her. “I love you, Pops.”
“You mean as more than friends?” she teased.
He laughed and slapped her ass lightly. “Yes.”
“I love you, too,” she said, and bit her lip. “But aren’t you worried? About our friendship?”
“How could I be?” he asked.
“How could you not?” She brought herself onto an elbow and faced him. “I’ve been thinking about this fork in the road for weeks. Who knows? Maybe even months or years. It’s not… you and I, it’s not what I had planned. Or expected. I just… I didn’t know what kind of future we'd have together.”
“Didn’t?” Ryan asked.
“Yes, and now? Now it’s like there’s a third option. It’s not just ‘the unknown’ or Will anymore.”
“Oh? You got another guy lined up in the wings?” he asked with a smile.
“Don’t be stupid,” she laughed. “I mean you. It’s you.”
“And do you think you could be happy with this path?”
Poppy grinned and kissed him. “I think so,” she said. “I guess we’ll just have to find out.”
33
Poppy
The next day, Poppy drove to the hospital, occasionally checking her makeup in her rearview mirror. Work normally put her in a good mood, or at least kept her distracted, but today she was dreading having to go in. She hadn’t had time to get anyone to cover her rotation for her though. Between the fight with Will, her escape to Sarah’s apartment and falling apart in Ryan’s arms, and then what had happened after... Poppy felt her face flush at the memory.
Still, she thought she looked okay. Sarah had helped her conceal the bruising on her face with foundation and powder. The rest of the bruises would be covered up by her scrubs and the long shirt she'd put on underneath. That wouldn’t attract any attention, no matter what the weather was like outside. Most of the hospital staff wore long shirts, even thermals, underneath their scrubs in response to the frigid temperatures set to keep germs at bay. How convenient, Poppy thought, rolling her eyes.
She pulled into her parking spot and turned off the ignition, pausing for a minute to take a few deep breaths. She checked the rearview mirror again. Sarah had skillfully applied makeup, but Poppy could still see the bruises underneath.
Oh well. Nothing to be done about it. She blinked back tears. You cannot cry your makeup off right now, she told herself sternly. A few more deep breaths, then she felt her pulse slow.
When she felt she’d regained some control of her emotions, Poppy got out of her car and walked into the hospital, distracting herself with the familiar ritual of attaching her I.D. badge and hanging her stethoscope around her neck. She caught a glimpse of the inscription of her initials on the bell of the instrument.
Ryan had given her the stethoscope years ago, when she had first started medical school. At the time, she’d rolled her eyes, thinking only of how many years it would be before she’d even need it. Still, Ryan had made her wear it, and had shown her the initials he’d paid to have engraved on the bell.
“If hospitals are anything like the military, people will steal your stuff in a second unless it’s marked as yours,” he’d commented, grinning at her.
She smiled at the memory as she walked into the hospital, then groaned inwardly as she spotted Penny in the hallway by the nurses' station. Poppy really didn’t feel like getting into anything with Penny right now. She made a quick U-turn and took a back route to her first patient’s room, scanning the patient’s electronic chart as she walked.
Poppy recognized the patient, a diabetic teenager who’d come in a few times before, most recently with a concussion incurred during a blood sugar spike. As Poppy reviewed the chart, she felt her self-consciousness disappear, replaced by the authority of her medical training.
“How’s the head, Cherise?” she asked.
The teenager grinned sheepishly.
“It’s fine,” the teenager replied with an embarrassed grin, “I didn’t fall down this time, but - hey, doc, what happened to your face?”
Poppy sighed. Maybe her bruises were exactly as obvious as she feared. She decided to use sarcasm, that favorite weapon of all teenagers.
“I’m an MMA fighter on my off days,” she replied, earning a grin from Cherise. “Are you still taking the meds I put you on last time? Tell me how they’re working out.”
A few minutes later, Poppy heard a knock at the door but, busy editing Cherise’s chart, didn’t look up. She only became aware of Penny’s presence when she heard a small gasp.
Penny was standing by Cherise’s bed, holding a cup of water and another, smaller cup with medications. She hastily averted her eyes when Poppy looked up, but not quickly enough to hide the shock on her face.
Poppy gritted her teeth. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to hide bruises, but she hadn’t done it since she was a teenager, and she had forgotten how embarrassing it was to be visibly damaged. If she ever saw Will again, she’d kick him in the balls for making her remember.
The thought made her feel slightly better. Holding onto it, she finished editing Cherise’s chart, dispensed orders to Penny for bloodwork and medications, and moved on to her next patient.
The next few hours passed in the reassuringly comforting blur of hospital routine. Poppy hadn’t run into Penny since, and nobody else had made any comments about her face. She checked her watch and decided she had time to eat lunch.
On her way to the doctors' lounge, Poppy saw Penny coming out of another patient’s room. Before she could make her escape, Penny had zoomed up to her and grabbing Poppy firmly by the arm, maneuvered her into an empty room.
“What happened to your face, Poppy?” she asked without preamble.
“What does it look like?” Poppy fired back angrily.
Penny’s expression softened.
“It looks like someone beat the living hell out of you,” she said, gently touching Poppy’s eye socket.
Poppy winced at the touch, light as it was.
“It was Will,” she said.
“Will?” Penny’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought maybe Ryan, or your dad. I mean, I can’t believe Will would...”
“Really? You can’t believe Will would punch me? Did he seem like such an upright guy when he was fucking you behind my back?”
Penny’s mouth gaped open.
“Poppy, I’m so-”
“Shut up,” Poppy interrupted her. “Will told me all about how he cheated on me with you, right after he gave me a black eye, and you know what, Penny? If you want that asshole, you are welcome to him, but just know that this- ” she gestured to her face, “is what you might get.”
Poppy stood there, breathing angrily through her nose in short bursts, waiting for Penny to deny sleeping with Will. To her surprise, Penny’s face crumpled, and she launched herself into Poppy’s arms.
“I’m so sorry, P,” Penny sobbed, “I’m the worst fucking friend! I didn’t know Will was like that! I just saw you and Ryan together, and it seemed so obvious you two were in love, and then Will... I mean, he made me feel sorry for him. I only slept with him once, and I felt so bad about it after, but I never, I mean, I had no idea he was like that. And your poor face!” she wailed.
Poppy tried to escape the hug, but Penny had some sort of guilt-induced death grip on her.
Despite her anger, she thought Penny was spot-on about one thing: she and Ryan had been in love. And she knew from experience exactly how manipulative Will could be when he put his mind to it.
“Can you forgive me, please?” Penny was asking. “I don’t deserve it, but can you? And then we can go and find Will, and beat the shit out of him!”
Penny fumbled in her scrubs pocket, and pulled out a Taser, which she held up to Poppy’s face.
“I can use this on him!”
“Shit! Penny, why do you have that here?” Poppy exclaimed.
“Because some of the people we get in here are so crazy!” Penny said, giggling.
“Uh, okay, I’m starting to think you’re a little crazy, too,” Poppy said, but she smiled at Penny.
“Maybe, but I’m still your friend, right?” Penny asked.
Poppy considered it. Penny had betrayed her, but she obviously felt terrible about it, and Will was, after all, a slimy, manipulative sleazebag. She couldn’t really blame Penny for being fooled by him, not after he’d fooled Poppy for so long. She’d found Penny’s offer to use her Taser on Will to be oddly touching, too.
“You’re still my friend,” Poppy replied.
Penny hugged her again, gently this time. Poppy’s stomach growled loudly, making both women laugh.
“Let’s go get some lunch before somebody comes looking for us,” Penny said, tucking her Taser safely into the folds of her scrubs.
They were headed to the break room together when a scribe came up to Penny.
“Um, someone’s looking for you,” the scribe said.
“Who? No, never mind, don’t tell me. The doctors will just have to wait until after I get lunch,” Penny said, brushing the scribe aside.
“No, not a doctor. It was a guy. Not a patient, either,” the scribe added unhelpfully.
Penny looked around and spotted Will standing outside of the staff lounge. She nudged Poppy, who spotted Will and darted behind a supply cart full of IV bags.
Penny walked up to Will.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
Will smiled at her. He’d taken care in dressing, had shaved and splashed on a costly cologne. More than a few female staffers eyed him as they walked by, but their glances didn’t linger once they spotted the bruises mottling his face.
“I thought you might like to go out and get lunch with me, Pen,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“I brought mine today,” Penny replied rudely.
Will’s eyes narrowed.
“Hey, I don’t know what crap Poppy’s been feeding you, but I broke up with her. The engagement was a mistake.” His voice softened, and he added, “I knew she wouldn’t be a good wife to me, and I kept thinking about you... we have so much in common, you know?”
“You and I have jack shit in common,” Penny said loudly, causing people around them to stare.
Will tensed. Penny could see him struggling to contain his temper. More people were staring now.
“That white trash bitch got to you, huh? Well, fine. Whatever. I don’t care about her, or you either. I’m having a script optioned by Netflix, for Christ’s sake - I’ll have more women than I'll know what to do with! I gave Poppy a huge ring, too, but it wasn’t enough for her. It was enough for her dad, though. You should’ve seen his eyes bug out when I told him I wanted to marry his daughter. He had dollar signs in his eyes!”
Will laughed meanly and took a step toward Penny. By this point, everyone on the hospital floor was watching Will rant.
“I figured since she grew up watching her dad beat her mom up, Poppy would understand how to act right. But she never appreciated all I was offering her. My ring was in a puddle of yogurt, like trash! Then I thought, maybe she just needs to be slapped around a little bit to get it, ya know? So I gave her a black eye to match her mom’s.”
“Yeah? Looks like she gave it right back to you,” Penny sneered as she gestured at Will’s bruised face.
Will’s face reddened.
“Call the police, Rob,” Penny said to an orderly, not taking her eyes off Will, “and stay there, Poppy,” she added, seeing her friend come out of hiding from behind the cart. A group of doctors came forward, grabbed Poppy, and pushed her behind them.
“You can call the police, but it doesn’t matter. I’m never going to let that bitch go. If they arrest me, I’ll make bail and find her. And if you try to get in my way, I’ll beat your ass too, just for fun,” Will sneered.
“Rob, please tell me you got that footage,” Penny said.
Will’s head whipped around in confusion. Rob waved his cellphone mockingly.
“Yeah, asshole, I got you streaming live right now. I bet that’ll make your bail go up!”
“Not to mention the effect on his Netflix contract when they see this footage,” Poppy called out from behind her human shield of doctors.
Will roared angrily and charged at Penny. Then he stopped mid-step and fell, convulsing, to the ground.
“Nobody touch him,” Penny ordered, unnecessarily.
When Will finally stopped writhing, two police officers rushed up and cuffed his hands behind his back. Then they led him, cursing, into an elevator, while the entire floor cheered and hooted.
One of the cops, a tall muscular redhead, paused by Penny, who was hugging Poppy tightly to her before he boarded the elevator.
“Nice work, ma’am. If you get tired of nursing, you should think about becoming a police officer.”
He winked at her as the doors closed, and the staff hooted some more.
“And you said I was crazy for bringing my Taser,” Penny said, smiling at her friend.
“I was wrong,” Poppy laughed.
“So, we’re square now, right?” Penny asked.
“Almost,” Poppy replied, “but you have to do just one more thing for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Help me pack? Ryan and I are moving to Newark.”
Penny grimaced, “I hate helping people pack.”
“Yeah, but you have to help. You’re my friend,” Poppy said.
“Damn straight.”
34
Ryan
Three months later
He picked up the last box and started downstairs. Poppy’s neighbor leaned against the doorframe at the second landing. “She’s lucky to have a strong man like you,” she said as she held a wriggling little dog in her arms. “Moving with all these stairs, hell, I’d rather just stay.”
Ryan smiled at her. “I’m the lucky one.”
“Oh, Lord. Here we go,” she said with an eye roll. “Nah, I’m just playing. Young love is a sweet thing.”
He wedged the last box into the van, nestled between Poppy’s other boxes and his own that carried what meager possessions he’d picked up since re-entering civilian life.
The neighbor had followed him to the van. “What you kids gon’ do in Newark?” she asked.
Ryan looked at Poppy, plonked down in the passenger seat with the door open as her long le
gs dangled. He couldn’t help but smile. How did I get so lucky?
“Ryan got a job with WitSec, and I got a new internship lined up. Miraculously,” she said with a sigh. He smiled at her. She’d worried endlessly over whether or not she’d get that unexpected opening at the Newark hospital, but he’d known she’d nail it. She never gave herself enough credit.
“WitSec?” the woman asked.
“Witness Protection,” Ryan said.
“Oh! Are you… you’re the feds?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he said with a laugh. “US Marshals. Not the CIA or anything.”
“What about you, baby?” the woman asked Poppy. “What you gon’ be doin'?”
“Working with kids with metabolic disorders,” she said. “I never could decide all through med school between my two favorite specialties. It’s nearly impossible to find an internship that covers both, and yet… here it is.” Poppy held out her hands like she couldn’t believe it herself.
He couldn’t ever remember seeing her this happy before.
“Well, you kids be safe. God bless you both,” the woman said.
As they went into her apartment for one last check, Poppy ran her fingers across the windowsill. “I can’t believe this is it,” she said. “It’s crazy, but part of me is going to miss this old place.”
“There’s something to be said for the familiar,” he said as he came up behind her and hugged her.
“What time’s your mom arriving again?” he asked her.
Poppy checked her phone. “Her flight’s supposed to arrive at eight,” she said. “We should have plenty of time to get there before her.”
“Enough time to stop in Wilmington for that deep dish place?” he asked.
“You’re insatiable,” she said.
“Only for you.” He could feel her eye roll without having to look. “Honestly though, are you okay with this? Your mom staying with us?”