Conflicted

by Heather Dahlgren

  “Thanks, Mom, for everything.” She hugs me tight.

  “Anything for you, my boy.” I squeeze her tight and run out of the house to the car. I race over to Mel’s. I need to talk to her now before I lose my courage. I park out front and only see Connie’s car. I take a few deep breaths before getting out of the car. I make my way to the door and knock before walking in. Connie is sitting on the couch watching TV. She looks up at me and smiles.

  “Hey, big brother.” I give her a kiss and sit down next to her.

  “Hey. Not that I’m not happy to see you, but where’s Mel?” She laughs and hits me with a pillow.

  “Fuck you. Honestly, I don’t know where she is. She is usually home by now. Give her a call. Maybe she got held up at work.” She’s probably right. I pull out my phone and press her number. It rings a few times before it goes to voice mail. I hang up and look at Connie.

  “No answer. Maybe she’s busy. I’ll give her a few minutes to get back to me.” As much as I want to sit here and make small talk with my sister, I’m starting to let my mind wonder. What if Jenson is giving her a hard time? What if her captain is being a dick again? I stand up and press call again. It rings and rings before going to voice mail again. What the fuck? “Connie, did you talk to her at all today?” She stands up and puts her hand on my arm.

  “Keith, relax. She’s probably just busy.” I want to believe that, but I’m starting to get a really bad feeling. I start pacing and call her again. Still no answer. I run my hands through my hair and turn to Connie.

  “You call her.” She laughs but does it for me. I can tell that it went to voice mail when she looks at me.

  “Don’t over-think shit. Maybe she’s drawing a sketch. She wouldn’t stop to answer her phone. Here, I’ll call the precinct and find out.” She dials, and I keep pacing. “Hi. I was wondering if you could please tell me if Melissa Thompson is still there?” She’s quiet for a minute. “Oh okay, do you know how long ago?” I fucking knew it. Something is wrong, I know it. “Okay, thanks.” She hangs up and holds her phone tightly in her hand.

  “WHAT?” She jumps when I yell, and I rush over to hug her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I just know something is wrong. What did they say?” She clears her throat and looks up at me.

  “They said she left about forty-five minutes ago.” I immediately dial her number again.

  “Hello?” What the fuck? Why the fuck is a guy answering my girlfriend’s phone.

  “Who the hell is this?” Connie looks at me with her eyebrows drawn in as I wait for a response.

  “This is Officer Ortiz.” My heart begins to pound in my chest. A cop, she’s with a cop?

  “This is Mel’s boyfriend, would you please put her on her Goddamn phone?” Connie is looking at me with wide eyes now, and I lift my shoulders.

  “I’m sorry. Your girlfriend was in a car accident. She’s on her way to County General. Her phone was in the car, and it kept ringing, so I answered for her.” I feel my knees begin to buckle and slowly make my way to the couch. It’s like everything is moving in slow motion. A car accident? Oh God, please let her be all right. I try to keep myself composed, so I take a few deep breaths.

  “What happened?” Connie already has tears in her eyes, and she doesn’t even know what happened. I need to keep it together.

  “Sir, I just got to the scene so I’m not sure.” I stand, look over at Connie, and see the fear on her face.

  “Alright. Thank you for letting me know. I need to get to the hospital.” We hang up, and Connie starts crying.

  “The hospital? What the fuck happened?” I grab her hand and lead her quickly out the door. I’ll explain it all in the car. I just need to get to her now.

  We rush into the emergency room, and a flood of memories comes back to when we did the same thing for Kenz. I push people out of my way and run to the desk. “Melissa Thompson.” She is typing in the computer, and I’m starting to lose patience.

  “She’s in the back.” Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

  “Obviously, I know she’s here, or I wouldn’t be. I need to see her now.” Connie is standing next to me, ringing her hands together. The receptionist looks back and forth between me and Connie.

  “Alright, just the two of you though. Go through that door and follow the corridor to the end. Turn right, and she is in the second room on the left.” I don’t even thank her, and I just push my way through the door and hope Connie is on my heels. Never have I felt the need to get to someone so quickly. I need to make sure she is all right. I run down the hall and rush into her room. She is sitting on the bed with a hospital gown on, and as soon as she sees me, she starts to cry. I rush over and wrap my arms around her. She grabs onto my shirt and cries into my chest.

  “It’s alright, sweetheart, I’m here now.” She cries harder, and I begin to wonder if I’m hurting her. I start to pull back, she looks up at me, and my heart breaks. She looks so sad and maybe even scared. I wipe away her tears and kiss her salty lips. “What happened? Are you in pain? Did the doctor see you yet?” She laughs through her tears, and it is the most amazing sound.

  “I’m fine. I’m not in pain, just shaken up. I had the green light, and this asshole came out of nowhere and slammed into me. It scared the shit out of me, but I didn’t hit my head or anything. It wasn’t that hard. The doctor was in just before you, and he said he wants to do a CAT scan just to make sure.” I move the hair off her face and cup her face in my hands.

  “I’ve never been so scared in all my life.” We are just staring into each other’s eyes when I hear a throat clear. We both look over and see Connie standing there with tears running down her face.

  “You two are fucking assholes for making me cry. You . . .” She points to Mel. “for making me worry and you . . .” Now, she points to me. “for being so fucking sweet.” We both laugh, and she comes over and hugs us both.

  The transporter came in about twenty minutes ago to take Mel for her CAT scan. Connie and I have been sitting in silence. I’m sure she is deep in thought like I am. This whole situation just proves to me that I can’t take anything for granted. I need to tell Mel exactly how I feel. “You love her.” I look up at Connie, and she is smiling at me. She didn’t ask me if I loved her, she simply stated it. I smile at her and give her a wink.

  “More than life.” She makes some awful squealing sound and jumps up to hug me.

  “I’m so fucking happy for you, big brother. You and Mel both deserve each other.” I give her a tight squeeze before I let go.

  “I need to tell her, and I also need to tell her about you guys moving back with me. I want her to come too. Do you think that is realistic?” She sits down laughing.

  “Honestly, Keith, I think if you asked Mel to move to fucking South East Asia, she would do it. I can see she loves you just as much as you do her. Plus, don’t forget she is used to moving. This is the longest she’s stayed in one place. Oh my God, it would be amazing to have my best friend move with us. We could get an apartment together and go clubbing and check out the city—”

  “Not a shot in hell. If she decides to move, she’s staying with me.” She flips me off, but before she can say anything else, the door opens and Mel is wheeled back in. Once the transporter situates her bed, he leaves, and I walk over to her bed.

  “That was fast.” She smiles at me, and I can’t help but lean in for a kiss. As much as I would love to deepen the kiss, climb on top of her, and show her just how much I love her, this isn’t the time or place. Not to mention, my sister is sitting right here. I pull away, and she makes a noise of disapproval that gets the attention of my cock. I look at her, and she has her bottom lip all pouty. I laugh and suck it into my mouth. Fuck, this is just making things worse. I kiss a path to her ear. “When we get home, I’ll make up for this, I promise you that.” She lets out a soft moan, and I smile to myself.

  “Are you two done yet? As much fun as it is watching you two make out like teenagers, can you t
ry to remember I’m sitting right here?” I laugh and grab a hold of Mel’s hand.

  “Sorry, sis, I can’t help myself.” She rolls her eyes, and I turn to wink at Mel. “Did they say how long until you get results?” She adjusts herself on the bed, but I still won’t let go of her hand. I need to feel close to her, and this is the best I can do for now.

  “They said it shouldn’t be long. I have a feeling it won’t be because I’m fine, and they are going to want to get me out of here so they can have this bed for someone else.” Damn, I hope she’s right. I’m ready to get her home.

  “I’m fucking starving. I’m going to run to the café. Do you guys want anything?” Connie jumps up and grabs her purse.

  “I’m good. I’ll wait until we are out of here.”

  “Me too. Thanks, Connie.” She shrugs her shoulders and walks out of the room. Mel looks up at me and smiles. She moves over and pats the bed. “Come sit with me.” I’m not one to let an opportunity pass by, so I climb into the tiny bed with my girl.

  “Holy shit, this bed is small.” We both laugh, and she starts to cry. I grab her and pull her onto my lap. “What’s wrong?” She’s not crying hard, so she just talks through the tears.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just overwhelmed with everything.” I kiss her head over and over while she cries it out on my shirt.

  “I’m here, sweetheart.” She takes a deep breath and pulls away a bit to look up at me. Fuck, I’ve never felt what I feel for this girl. Seeing her upset breaks my heart in a million pieces yet makes it whole at the same time. She’s become my world, my everything. I move the hair off her face and kiss her forehead. “Melissa Thompson, I love you.” I couldn’t wait until we got home; it just came pouring out of me. She looks at me, and a tear rolls down her cheek.

  “Oh my God, Keith Dickson, I love you too.” I slam my mouth to hers and turn her, slowly lowering her to the bed. I climb on top of her, and we deepen the kiss. She runs her hands up into my hair, and I thrust my hips forward to show her how turned on I am. She moans, and I swallow it down. I pull back and look into her beautiful emerald eyes.

  “I promise to make you happy. Always.” She gives me the most breathtaking smile.

  “I have no doubt.” I kiss her lips again and hear the door open.

  “Excuse me.” I turn my head and see the doctor standing there. Shit. “I’m going to need you to get off my patient.” I smile and kiss her quickly again before climbing off.

  “Sorry, Doc. Just needed to let my girl know how much I love her.” She sits up, glowing with happiness.

  “You can show her all you like when you are out of here.” Okay, dickhead, I will. “Miss Thompson. The CAT scan came back perfectly normal. You were very lucky it was just a small accident. You might be sore later or tomorrow; if you are, just take some ibuprofen for discomfort. Do you have any questions for me?” She looks at him and smiles.

  “When the hell can I leave?” I bust out laughing, but tight-ass doctor is not amused.

  “You can get dressed now. The nurse will bring in your discharge papers. Anything else?” I want to be a smartass so badly and ask if she’s physically all right for rough sex, but I won’t do it. I just want to get her the hell out of here.

  “No, nothing else. Thank you.” He gives us a tight nod and leaves the room. “What a dick.” We both laugh, and I look at her, still laughing.

  “You know that’s my nickname at home.” She gives me a confused look. “Dick.” She bursts out laughing, and I join right along.

  “Oh my God, because of your last name?” I nod and hand her clothes to her. “So all your friends back home call you Dick, not Keith?” I smile and nod my head again. “You don’t look like a Dick.” We both laugh, and she gets out of bed to get dressed.

  “I’m not a dick, but I’m going to show you exactly what I can do with one when we get home.” She looks at me with all humor gone now. She has taken her gown off, so she is standing there in just her panties, and holy shit, it is a beautiful sight. Her pebbled nipples, creamy skin starting to flush with desire, and silky panties that I am sure are wet. “Sweetheart, you better get some clothes on because I’m about to fuck you in this hospital room, and I’d rather save that for home.” She snaps out of her trance and quickly throws on her bra and shirt. Connie pushes the door open and slams it closed when she sees Mel in her underwear.

  “Please tell me you are getting dressed, not undressed.” I wink at Mel and turn to Connie.

  “Dressed. We are out of here.”

  We finally leave the hospital, and I feel so much lighter than I did a few hours ago. Mel is fine, I told her I love her, and fuck me, she loves me too. I am one lucky son of a bitch. I stopped to pick up a pizza because now that I know everything is fine with her, I’m fucking starving. We got a large pie and are now pulling up in front of the house. We all pile out of Connie’s car and make our way inside. “I’m shot, you guys. I’m going to bed unless you need me, Mel?” I smile at my sister’s concern for her friend. I’m so grateful that they have each other.

  “I’m good, Connie, honest. Thank you for rushing to be with me. Love you.” I carry the pizza into the kitchen and figure I’ll give them a minute. I grab a plate for each of us and carry it into the living room.

  “Goodnight, you two. Love you both.” I kiss Connie on the cheek, and she walks down the hall.

  “Sit, and let’s get you fed.” She laughs and sits on the couch. We eat our pizza and talk about the accident. I’m so fucking thankful it was just a small one and she wasn’t hurt. Just the thought of it makes my stomach turn. She is sitting with the empty plate on her lap, so I take it into the kitchen with mine. When I turn around, she is standing at the kitchen entrance.

  “I believe you made me a promise.” I smirk, and my cock jumps to attention. Yes, yes, I did.

  I’m sitting on the couch just replaying the last few hours in my head. The accident was terrifying. I had never been in an accident before, so it really scared me. When Keith came rushing in the hospital room, it was like I finally felt safe. When he wrapped his arms around me, I felt like I was home, like that was where I belonged. Of course, the most amazing thing was when he told me he loved me. I’ve known for a while now that I love him, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to say it first, but when he did, I couldn’t wait to tell him. I can’t believe he loves me. I just thought when this whole thing started with us it would be a fling; never did I think he would fall in love with me, although it is going to make him leaving that much worse. How am I supposed to let him go? He takes my plate off my lap and takes it to the kitchen. I decide I need to stop worrying because that will do nothing but ruin our final month together. My heart already hurts at the thought. I need to have him make good on his promise. I get up and go stand in the doorway to the kitchen. When he turns around, I tell him just that. He gives me a smirk and comes walking over to me. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against him. He moves his hands to my ass and squeezes. “I never break a promise, sweetheart.” I grab a hold of his shirt and turn out of his hold.

  “Show me.” I let go and walk down the hallway, making sure to give a little extra sway to my hips. I don’t even make it to my bedroom, and he grabs me from behind and pulls me against him. I can feel his rock hard cock pressing against my ass. He nibbles my ear and tightens his hold on me.

  “Mel, you are making it very hard for me to not bend you over right now and slam into you.” I squeeze my legs together, trying to give myself some relief from his words alone. “Now, take your sexy ass into that bedroom, and get these clothes off.” He releases his hold on me, and I get to my room as quickly as I can without actually running. Keith is right on my heels, closing and locking the door behind him. He looks at me with those amazing blue eyes and pulls his shirt over his head revealing his lickable abs. I’m in another one of my Keith trances, watching every move he makes. He moves his talented hands down to his jeans and unbuttons them. He slowly pulls down the zipper and lets t
hem fall to the floor. He is standing there in nothing but his black boxer briefs, and my pussy is dripping with need. “Sweetheart, this works much better if we both take our clothes off.” I snap out of my trance and look up at his face after realizing I was staring at his cock. He has that sexy ass smirk on his face, and I can feel myself start to blush. I pull my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor. I do the same as he did and unbutton my jeans and slowly unzip them, letting them fall to the floor. He is taking in every inch of my body just like I was his.

  “You know this works better if we are actually touching.” I smile at him when he snaps his head up.

  “Damn right, it does.” He walks toward me, and the anticipation alone could throw me over the edge. When he reaches me, he cups my face with his hands and softly kisses my lips. “Get on the bed for me.” I sit and move myself up the bed, never once breaking eye contact. He crawls up the bed until he is hovering above me. He lowers himself on me, keeping his weight on his elbows. My heart is pounding in my chest, not only from being turned on, but from the way he is looking at me. I can actually see in his eyes that he loves me. He kisses me gently before he searches my eyes again. “Mel, the way I told you I love you wasn’t the way I wanted to do it, but you have to know how true it is. You have become my world, my everything. I am completely, utterly, and undeniably in love with you.” I feel tears swimming in my eyes, and I try to blink them away.

  “Keith, the way you told me was completely, utterly, and undeniably perfect. You have to know I feel the same exact way.” He smiles down at me before pressing his lips to mine. He licks the seam, and I open willingly, needing to taste him. It begins slow and sweet, both of us trying to tell the other without words how we feel. I run my hands up and down his muscular back, getting more turned on with every second that passes. The kiss is becoming more frantic now, and I feel his cock straining against his boxers. I grab a hold of his tight ass, sinking my nails in. He thrusts his hips forward, hitting me right where I need him. I let out a moan that he swallows down. He gathers my hair with one hand and not so gently pulls my head to the side. It isn’t painful, though; it actually turns me on more. I like when he gets rough. He breaks the kiss and moves down to my exposed neck. He is kissing and gently sucking, which is driving me absolutely crazy. I gently rock my hips into his cock until he bites down hard on my neck, causing me to let out a scream and drive my aching pussy into his cock. He tightens his hold on my hair and bites down again, causing the same reaction. “Oh God, Keith, I need you now.” He gently licks the spots he bit down on and kisses his way down to my breasts. He uses one hand to unclasp my bra and slides it off. My nipples are so hard that when he cups one breast, I can feel it poking him. He begins his assault on them, licking, kissing, and sucking. I’m going out of my mind. I need relief. My pussy is so wet I can feel it dripping down to my ass. “Keith, I need relief.” Again, he doesn’t say a word, but he yanks my hair hard so that my head tilts back, and at the same time, he bites one nipple and pinches the other. It is like a shot to my core. I scream out, and he finally lets go of my hair and pulls my panties off.