“Why do I see you more often during the day than the rest of his team?”
Dani looked down at her feet then back up again. “I’m not big on rapport with my colleagues, but with patients and families it’s a different story. I like spending as much time with them as I can.” There were a lot of ways she could have answered the question that probably would have placated, but Dani wanted to be honest.
Sheri stared at her quietly for a few seconds. “Yeah, I have noticed that. When you come in with the doctors who look like they just got out of high school, they give you plenty of space.” She shrugged. “But I guess seeing you as much as we do is good for us, I suppose.” She stepped away from the wall. “C’mon in. He’s been asking about you.”
After taking a second to wonder about Sheri’s response, Dani refocused as Jacob called out her name.
Rebecca stared at her phone, waiting yet again for a response from Dani. She moved her cell from on top of the desk to under it and stared some more. She already felt pathetic and didn’t want anybody else actually seeing her in the act of being, well…pathetic, which was a feeling that didn’t fit her now.
Four years ago, when she’d still been begging for the scraps of Dani’s attention, Rebecca would have been devastated by her silence. Now, those same emotions hung off her shoulders, misshapen and bulky.
The reemergence of even a sliver of the old Rebecca pissed her off. She’d taken a lot in the past, but she was no doormat then or now. After a ton of texts and a handful of phone calls, Rebecca was tired of being nice. Every time Dani rebuffed her, a tiny piece of Rebecca’s patience and understanding fell away. It was like someone was slowly turning up the heat on a pot of water. Her anger sat on simmer. Most of it was aimed at Dani for taking and leaving her half naked and weak. The remainder was self-inflicted.
When Dani crashed into her, Rebecca had been unable to keep herself from drowning in her. The kicker? She’d do it all over again. Having Dani touch her like that after four years might very well be Rebecca’s favorite mistake. Damn it all to hell, she wanted her even more now than she had in that moment two days ago, which scared the shit out of her.
The pain she’d suffered through before was a living, breathing thing that could take up residence in the present. She didn’t want that, but as if her life was some weird cosmic joke, Rebecca did want Dani. Who the hell did that make her? A glutton for punishment or just fucked up in the head for not being over her?
If they got back together and if things went downhill, would they end up killing each other this time? Dear God, what a way to die. There were so many goddamned questions with no answers, but she had no intention of just letting things go.
Not this time.
She was going to stand her ground.
Rebecca moved her thumbs quickly over the keypad, stabbing at the letters as her emotions got the better of her.
It still happnd no matter how much u ignore me. I’m not goin away Dani.
She knew her text would go unanswered but did get some satisfaction from knowing it had been read.
Someone patted her on the shoulder, making her jump slightly. Rebecca glanced up to see Mark.
He leaned against her desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, so I know you don’t flap your gums every three seconds like Emmet does, but you’ve been extra quiet the past couple days.”
Rebecca shoved her cellphone into her pocket. “I just got a lot goin’ on.”
“Yeah, well if you stare at the phone any longer, you’re gonna go blind. Just saying.”
Rebecca met his gaze and deadpanned, “That’s masturbation.”
He tilted his head and brought his hand to his chin. “With a phone? I suppose if it’s on vibrate.”
She shook her head. “You need help.”
“Every once in a while, yeah, I have to agree with you.” Mark stared at her and waited.
Rebecca wasn’t sure how much to tell him. Maybe part of her wanted to keep it to herself and make sure it was cemented in memory—every sound, every touch, everything about it.
After the extended silence, Mark stepped away from the desk. “Well, if you wanna talk about it later, let me know.” His forehead was wrinkled and his eyes held concern.
“No, sorry. I got stuck in my own head for a minute. I’m havin’ woman problems.”
He visibly cringed. “Oh, good thing you have insurance.”
Rebecca chuckled, which was almost freeing. “No, not that type. Hell, I wish it was that simple.”
“Ohhhh!” His eyes widened. “You mean woman…woman problems?”
“Yes, those.”
“The lady in your driveway play a part in that?” Mark crossed his arms again.
“She’s the star.”
“Nice. I like the girl-next-door look too. Mine is blonde though.”
Rebecca glared. She couldn’t help it. He was getting off-topic.
“I know that’s not the point, so don’t look at me like that.” Mark cleared his throat. “So what’s going on?”
She was well on her way to trusting him. Might as well take the last little leap. Maybe he could actually help. “The other night, somethin’ huge happened.” God, that was the biggest understatement in creation, but Rebecca had no words to really describe it. Her stomach knotted pleasantly.
“Okay.”
Rebecca snapped back to the present. “Now, she won’t call me back. We have a history, and not all of it’s good.”
He held up a finger and moved quickly toward the refrigerator and grabbed a Coke. On his way back, Mark took a seat behind his own desk and rolled his chair across the floor toward her. He unscrewed the top of the twenty-ounce bottle and handed it to her. “I think I should be sitting down for this, and you need a tasty beverage. Now, go on. It’s just us normal people here right now.”
“Okay, so…I’ve been blowin’ up her phone.”
Mark grunted and continued to look at her.
“I haven’t said anythin’ bad,” Rebecca added, feeling the need to clarify.
He shrugged. “Maybe she needs some space.”
Rebecca shook her head. “I can’t. She’s already runnin’.”
“Has what you’re doing helped so far?”
“Well, no.”
“Look, I’m not claiming to know a lot about women. I’ve been married for almost twenty years, but I do know that when a woman needs space, give it to her. Things could get worse otherwise. That’s common sense. Give her a day or so.”
That was some hard advice to take. Rebecca had contemplated giving Dani space in the beginning, but it went against her every instinct to do so. Maybe her instincts on this were too tied up in her own feelings. She took a long swig of her Coke and set it down on her desk. “I don’t know, Mark.”
“You said you guys have history? Some of it good?” he asked.
“Yeah, when things were good they were really good. My great aunt did what she could, but it was like growin’ up in the desert.” Rebecca paused, trying to find the right words. “Bein’ with Dani was like findin’ out the water in front of me wasn’t a mirage. It was fuckin’ real the whole time.”
Mark blinked. “Damn.”
“Yeah, I did everythin’ I could to keep things steady, but she changed. I changed, and none of it was for the better.”
“Well, then after you give her space, remind her of the good stuff.” Mark leaned forward. “The bad crap has a way making people forget a lot.” He cleared his throat and looked away for a second.
“Sounds like you have some personal experience with that?”
“I said I’ve been married almost twenty years. Not all of it has been smooth. I’m not all rainbows and unicorns, you know.”
She could believe it. No one was.
“You want her back?”
Rebecca took anot
her sip of her drink and licked her lips. “Sometimes. I wanna believe that underneath all the shit, the woman I knew is still there.”
Mark smiled. “So that’s a yes. You don’t have to like them all the time.”
“I know that. I’m not new at this.” Rebecca scratched at the Coke label, tearing a bit off.
“I get that, but Ms. Girl Next Door is the one who stuck in your craw.”
“That’s not the best of images.”
“Still true.”
“I’ve been with other people since we broke up. Even been in a relationship or two, but I still couldn’t get past what I did to her, and vice versa. I thought that was all it was. So yeah, either way, ‘stuck’ fits the situation.”
“It happens, I guess. Let me ask you something?”
“What?”
“What if the person you knew doesn’t exist anymore?”
Rebecca shook her head. “All I know right now is that somethin’ draws me to her, and it’s too strong to just be the past.”
They both looked up as Emmet entered the squad room. He sat and looked from Mark to Rebecca and back again. “Why’d you get all quiet? Were you guys talkin’ about me?”
“You caught me.” Mark grinned. “That’s all I do in my free time.”
Emmet glared.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. These people were seriously growing on her.
Mark moved his chair back toward his own desk. He fired up his computer and started pecking on the keys.
Rebecca thought about their conversation. He was right, and she had enough common sense to know it.
Chapter 15
“So, I’ve given you enough rope and time to either hang yourself or become an expert at jumping. From what I’ve seen and heard, you might have graduated to double dutch.” Lieutenant Benz shot Rebecca an unflinching look.
Rebecca took the compliment and stored it away, but not before mentally acknowledging the warmth it left behind. “Yeah, things are goin’ good.” In fact, things at work were going a lot better than she’d thought they would.
Lieutenant Benz raised an eyebrow and nodded. “You still talk too much, I see.”
“Worse than Emmet.” Rebecca grinned.
The Lieutenant bared her teeth in a smile. “I have to ask this, even though the answer is pretty obvious. Anybody here giving you any trouble?”
Rebecca shook her head. “No. They all bring some good things to the table, but Mark is just more my speed.”
“I did notice that you gravitate toward him more, but you’ll have to do without him today. Mark took a personal day.”
She swallowed down a pang of disappointment. “That’s too bad, but I’ll make do.” Rebecca leaned forward, assuming they were done.
“Good to know. Now, get to work.”
Rebecca nodded and stood. She whipped out her cell phone and called Mark on her way back to her desk.
“Yeah?” He answered on the third ring.
“Just checkin’ on you.”
“Well, whether you want to know or not, I have puke in my hair.”
The man was going bald. How on earth did he accomplish that? “Lovely. Should I even ask how that happened?”
Mark chuckled. “It’s not mine. My kid’s sick. Sheila had something big time going on at work, and the grandparents are out of town. So, I took the day. I got plenty of time off. Might as well use it for a good cause.”
“Uhhh, Daddy.” His little girl groaning in the background was hard to miss.
Rebecca cringed.
“It’s a good place, my bathroom floor. Didn’t know it could be so comfy. Thanks for calling. I’ll hit you up later?”
“Yeah, take care, and just to let you know, I’m takin’ your advice about my woman issues.”
“Good. Hope it works out, and just to let you know, you’re coming over for dinner this weekend. Sheila wants to meet you.”
Yeah, she hoped it worked out too. Rebecca swallowed hard, but she didn’t hesitate. “I’ll be there.” She hung up and looked down at her phone. She hadn’t sent Dani a text or called her since midday yesterday.
It had been a lot harder than she’d thought, especially since she couldn’t stop thinking about her. Yet somehow she did. So far there was still radio silence from Dani’s end, but for now she was going to accept it. She sighed and inadvertently glanced in Emmet’s direction. He was typing away on his computer.
“Wells?”
Rebecca spun around in her chair to look in Alvin’s direction. “What’s up?”
“The Dorset case that wasn’t really a case?”
That got her attention. “What about it?”
“Mrs. Dorset had one of the beat cops on the scene call us. This just became a case. Mom went to pick the kid up from school and found out the dad snatched him up almost two hours before. It all sounds pretty cut and dried. She called her ex-husband’s cell. He answered, threatened her, told her she’d never see the kid again. Plus, she heard her son crying in the background.”
“What? They were goin’ back to court soon. She was gonna challenge his right to custody. He only had every other weekend, but the guy was stalkin’ her.” Maybe he thought he was going to lose this time around.
The typing stopped. Rebecca looked in Emmet’s direction. Unusually quiet, he just listened.
Alvin shrugged. “It is what it is now.”
A sinking feeling settled in Rebecca’s gut. “All right, let’s do what we can to reel this one in. Let’s hope he didn’t leave the area yet.”
Emmet picked up his phone. “Okay, I’ll issue a county-wide alert. I won’t even bother with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations since we can confirm it’s a parental kidnapping…” He met Rebecca’s gaze as his voice trailed off.
“I know. I know GBI may not be able to do anythin’.” Rebecca turned back to Alvin. “Did they say he sounded scared?”
If the kid was in danger, they could have gotten a lot more help. GBI didn’t intervene in parental kidnapping cases otherwise. That meant no Levi’s Call, Georgia’s regional version of an AMBER Alert.
Shit.
“No, just that he was crying.” He looked down at his desk and fiddled with a notebook. “And that he wanted his mom.”
“Double shit,” Rebecca said aloud.
“Yeah, so let’s dig up what we can on Dad on the fly. The guy doesn’t seem too bright. Maybe this will be over before it starts.” Alvin stood and peered at Rebecca. “You comin’? I wanna go check his place and hit up his neighbors.”
Hell yeah she was.
When they reached the garage, Alvin threw her the keys. As she started the car, he shook his head. “I hate it when family shit gets salty.”
She couldn’t have said it better herself. Maybe his bluntness would serve them well on this case. Asshole or not, Rebecca was glad to have him.
“If we uncover somethin’, you playin’ good cop?” Alvin asked.
Rebecca actually smiled. “You playin’ the bad damn-near-ambivalent cop?”
Alvin snorted.
Jacob laughed, and Dani smiled at the sound, no matter how weak it was. She didn’t let that deter her from whaling on the guy she pulled out of his Mustang. Was it wrong that she was enjoying beating the driver’s ass? It was just a video game, after all, but maybe Grand Theft Auto V did have some redeeming value. Hearing sirens, Dani maneuvered her character into the stolen car and drove away. She swerved everywhere, running into things and people. Jacob was hysterical with laughter. Playing this game with him was extremely inappropriate, but who was going to tell?
“Doc D, you suck.”
She moved her whole body with the remote. “Yes, I can admit that. You wanna take over for me?”
He nodded, and Dani handed him the controller. The car straightened and began to move like an expert was behind t
he wheel. “My granny came to visit today. She was my dad’s mom.”
Really, this kid could be president. How was he able to concentrate on the game and talk at the same time? “If I remember correctly, she comes every week, right?”
“Yeah, but my ma always leaves the room when she’s here.”
Now, that was something he hadn’t told her. “Okay, maybe she just uses that time to take a break every once in a while.”
“That’s not it. They used to yell at each other a lot. I think they pretend they like each other. I’m not stupid. I like it better when Pawpaw and Memaw come to visit.”
She’d heard laughter more than once coming from his room when they stopped in. “Why is that?”
“She’s more happy then.”
Very astute kid.
Jacob stopped playing and glanced at the door to his room. “Doc D?”
“Hmm?”
“Am I gonna die like my daddy did?”
“No, you’re not.” Dani met his gaze and didn’t blink once. It was a promise she was determined to keep.
Jacob nodded and went back to his video game. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. It’s what doctors are supposed to do.”
“Not for that. For stayin’ with me while my ma went to go get food. You didn’t have to.”
No, she didn’t, but Dani wanted to. She looked up as Sheri walked back in, carrying a Styrofoam container.
“Thanks,” Sheri said.
Dani smiled. “No problem.”
“She sucks at GTA, Ma.”
Sheri chuckled. “I’m not the best at it either.”
“Nooo, you’re way better than her,” Jacob emphasized.
Dani stood. “And on that note, I’m calling it a night. See you both tomorrow.”
“Have a good night, Dr. Russell.” Sheri smiled and then opened the container to dig into a huge salad.
After gathering her things, Dani made her way to the elevator. She could’ve taken the stairs but just didn’t have the energy. Maybe she was too exhausted to think. Dani nearly snorted out loud, knowing that wasn’t true. Unless she was actively busy and occupied with a patient, Becca invaded her thoughts. She dreaded it and looked forward to it at the same time.
Drawing the Line Page 15