by Rye Hart
“Are you working today?” I asked, keeping my voice down.
She nodded. “I wish I wasn’t. I don’t want to leave him.”
“He’ll be okay,” I said, patting her shoulder. “He has a team of doctors.”
“I know.” She sighed. “He’s still in so much pain, though. I worry they won’t take care of him if I’m not here to browbeat them into it.”
I laughed. “I’m sure Caleb can handle himself.”
“I’m glad you decided to keep him as your patient. I can’t think of anyone else who would do a better job. Are you here for his PT already?” Cathy asked.
“Not yet.” I shook my head. “Just making my rounds, checking on my patients.”
Cathy nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. I glanced down at my feet, suddenly unable to hold her gaze. My past relationship with her son wasn’t a secret. My dad and Cathy both knew about us. I always suspected that was why they insisted on sending him to military school ten years ago.
“I should get to work,” Cathy said, sighing and getting to her feet.
“I’ll check in on him in later,” I said, reassuring her. “He’ll be okay.”
Cathy nodded and left. I kept my eyes on Caleb for a few more minutes. I didn’t want him to be alone, but I knew I shouldn’t care. With a sigh, I forced myself to follow Cathy’s lead and get back to work. I had other patients to check on, and I couldn’t spend my entire day dwelling on the boy who once stole my heart and tore it to pieces.
CHAPTER FIVE - CALEB
The sun was high in the sky when I finally woke up on Monday. With a glance at the clock, I saw it was already well into the afternoon. After getting a fresh round of painkillers at about four a.m., I had passed out and slept for hours. My body needed the rest, but I still felt horrible for sleeping all day. My leg was sore, but my back finally felt better. Dr. McGee assured me it wasn’t injured, just sore from my fall. With the painkillers still coursing through my veins, I felt better.
I slowly pushed myself up, adjusting my pillows and leaning back with a groan. Every part of my body felt like lead, but I was just grateful the pain had finally faded. The night before had been harsh. Not only did I spend most of it writhing in unbearable pain, but my mind constantly spun around thoughts of Tara.
Seeing her again felt like something between a dream and a nightmare. When she’d walked into my hospital room the other day, my entire life changed in an instant. It had been ten years since I’d laid eyes on her, and after what I’d done, I was sure, step-siblings or not, I never would again. After I finished to military school, Tara went off to college. By the time I enlisted in the army, she hadn’t been home in months.
I stayed away for a long time, only returning home when I had no choice. During those times, Tara stayed at school, and when she started PT school, I was discharged from the army and became a firefighter. Our lives were always circling around each other, but they never intersected until now.
A part of me wondered if Darren didn’t plan things that way. It was his sole mission to keep me away from his daughter when we were seventeen. He did everything in his power to break us up, and when he couldn’t, he convinced my mother to send me away. It wasn’t entirely his fault. My behavior back then was borderline criminal. I was even on the verge of getting expelled from school, but Darren never would have suggested something as harsh as military school if it hadn’t been for my relationship with Tara.
I couldn’t blame him. No father would want their daughter with a guy like me. Even now I knew Darren would never approve of us being together, but that didn’t stop me from wondering. All night, I switched between cursing my nurses while fighting through my pain and remembering how it felt to hold Tara, to kiss her lips, to hear her whisper my name.
I barely slept that night, so when Dr. McGee finally ordered another round of painkillers, I was grateful. Not only did I get a reprieve from the pain but my thoughts of Tara finally faded while I slipped into oblivion. My dreams were scattered and incoherent. Nothing came into focus except Tara’s face. I dreamed of her pale blue eyes on and off throughout the day, and when I finally woke, they were the first thing I saw.
I groaned and rolled over, trying to keep myself awake without making the pain return. Five minutes later, a nurse came hurrying into my room.
“Oh!” she said, surprised to see me sitting up. “You’re finally awake.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Those painkillers are no joke.”
“You needed your rest,” she said with a knowing nod. “How’s your pain today?”
“Better,” I said. “I think the painkillers are still working.”
“That’s great.” She smiled and moved to take my vitals. I fell silent while she took my blood pressure and temperature. She jotted a few things down on my chart and then turned toward me with a furrowed brow. “Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want the T.V. remote?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m fine right now.”
“Your physical therapist was doing the rounds earlier,” she said. “I’ll let her know you’re awake now.”
“Tara?” I asked, hope blooming in my chest.
The nurse nodded and smiled. She hurried from the room, and I felt my heart begin to race. I hadn’t expected to see Tara again so soon, but the prospect of seeing her face was enough to send waves of excitement coursing through my body.
It was another ten minutes before she arrived. In that time, I adjusted my position twelve times, trying to find the most comfortable position that would make me seem the least weak. I hated that Tara was seeing me this way: broken and bedridden. It wasn’t my proudest moment.
When she came into my room, I smiled and watched her walk toward me. She was wearing the same outfit from before. Her body looked even better today, now that my mind wasn’t clouded with pain. The seventeen-year-old I held in my memory couldn’t hold a candle to the woman standing before me.
Her body swayed just right with every step she took. Her curves had always been enticing, but now that she was older, they were more defined. She exuded confidence, and that alone was enough to make me hard beneath my hospital blankets. I swallowed and told myself to get it together. If I couldn’t control myself around Tara, this would never work.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked, her blue eyes searching my face.
“Better,” I said with a nod. “Last night was pretty fucking brutal, but today, I’m all right.”
“Did the pain keep you awake?” Tara asked, ready to take notes on her chart.
“Yeah,” I said. “Most of the night.”
“What did they give you?” Tara asked, frowning and looking down at my chart.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Whatever it was, it worked.”
“Good.” She nodded and looked back at me. Her eyes roamed over my face and then down my body. I felt myself flush as she looked me over. I knew she was just visually assessing me, but it felt like more. My dick twitched, and I shifted on the bed. “Mind if I take a look at your leg?”
“Sure.” I nodded, and Tara moved forward.
“Tell me if anything I do hurts, okay?” she asked.
“Got it.”
Tara lifted the bottom of my blanket. I felt a sense dread wash over me. What would she say if she saw my erection? Fuck, why couldn’t I get the damn thing under control?
Thankfully, Tara didn’t lift the blanket far enough for it to matter. She moved it off my leg and examined the surgical dressings. Gently, she ran her fingers down the length of it, pausing every so often to apply pressure.
Her hands were warm and felt electric against my skin. I trembled at her touch and prayed she didn’t notice. I stared at her face while she worked. God, she was beautiful. I’d spent ten years imagining her face, but seeing it in person was better than I ever dreamed it would be. I could have stared at her for hours.
Now that my pain was gone, I felt more like myself. As Tara gently massaged my leg, feeling around f
or any tenderness, I felt a rush of confidence rise inside my chest. She ran her finger up my thigh, stopping just before she reached the blanket covered part. When she glanced up at me, I grinned.
“Don’t stop there,” I said, my voice low and husky.
Tara’s eyes instantly hardened. She lifted her hand off my leg and glared at me, not bothering to hide her irritation.
“What?” I asked, laughing lightly. “I’m just saying what we’re both thinking.”
“I’m not thinking about your dick,” Tara said boldly.
“You weren’t?” I raised my eyebrows. “Not even a little bit.”
“Did you feel any pain, Caleb?” Tara asked, sighing deeply and rolling her eyes.
“Only when you rejected my offer,” I said playfully.
“This little game you’re playing right now?” Tara said. “It’s not going to work on me.”
“What game?” I asked innocently.
“We’ll start your PT as soon as you’re discharged,” Tara said, ignoring me. “Your leg seems to be healing just fine.”
“Tara,” I began, but she was already heading toward the door.
I sighed and leaned back against my pillow. She disappeared almost as quickly as she appeared and yet again, I was left thinking about nothing but her. Her face. Her body. That tight little ass of hers. Everything about her called out to me, and I knew she felt the same way whether she wanted to admit it or not.
As the day progressed, my pain returned with a vengeance. Dr. McGee ordered more painkillers, but they were a different kind. Instead of easing me into a relaxed sleep, they were designed to keep me awake, so I could ease myself through the pain as it slowly reduced. I soon felt better, but I wished I could close my eyes and forget about Tara for a little while.
I knew I ran her off with my comments, but I didn’t regret them. I did what I always do: spoke my mind. If Tara ran away from me, it was only because she knew I was right. After all these years, there was still a spark between us, and damn if I wasn’t about to set it ablaze.
CHAPTER SIX - TARA
Yet another headache hit me on Tuesday morning. I woke up and immediately rushed to the bathroom, in so much pain that I heaved into the toilet before I even had a chance to eat breakfast. My day wasn’t going to be fun, so I called work, asking Joan to cover my sessions and look in on my patients. She agreed with an eagerness I knew had everything to do with Caleb. It annoyed me, but the pain in my head left me unable to focus on anything.
I spent the day in bed, not eating and leaving the blinds closed. When I wasn’t asleep, I was holding my temples and trying to breathe through the pain. These headaches were only getting worse, and there wasn’t anything I could do to ease them. I needed to make an appointment, but between work and the sudden arrival of Caleb back in my life, I hadn’t been able to find the time.
The next day, I felt better. My headache was gone, leaving me exhausted but ready for the day. I showered slowly, taking my time getting dressed and eating a light breakfast. The last thing I needed was to make myself sick again. I hadn’t yet figured out what was causing my headaches, so I didn’t know how to prevent them. I simply tried to move gingerly and protect myself from yet another debilitating attack.
“Good morning!” Joan chimed when I walked through the door. I sat behind my desk and tried to smile at her. “You feeling better?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just a little weak.”
“Food poisoning?” Joan asked.
I shook my head. “Anything happen yesterday?”
“No.” Joan shrugged. “Typical day. Nothing exciting.”
“Did you check in on Caleb Lewis?”
Immediately, Joan’s face lit up. I tried to bite back my annoyance, but I knew I couldn’t keep it down for long.
“Oh, I checked on him,” Joan said. “A few times.”
“Joan,” I said, a warning in my voice.
“Relax,” Joan said. “I treated him like every other patient.”
“I’m sure.” I sighed.
“I’m happy to handle his sessions,” Joan said quickly. “I know how busy you are.”
“I can do it,” I snapped.
Joan nodded and went back to work. I calmed myself as I realized Joan’s offer might not have been such a bad idea. After Caleb’s comment on Monday, putting some distance between us might have been smart. Still, the idea of Joan hitting on Caleb while stretching out his leg was enough to make me nauseous again.
After my morning sessions were complete, I grabbed my clipboard and went into the main hospital to make my rounds, reassessing the patients who needed it and discharging the ones who were done with me. Though I mostly saw the patients when they had been released from the hospital, I took a handful of inpatient cases as well to keep all my clinical skills up. I hit every single one of my other patients before I ventured toward Caleb’s room. I wasn’t ready to see him again, not after the things he said to me on Monday.
Just thinking about our last conversation filled me with a renewed sense of rage. Who the hell did he think he was? Hitting on me after all these years? I was merely doing my fucking job when he insinuated I wanted to screw him. It was repulsive and not at all true, right?
I had to shake myself as I remembered my dream. I’d been fantasizing about Caleb on and off since I was a teenager, but that dream felt more real than anything else ever had. I could practically feel him inside me. When I woke up, I was so shaken that it stayed with me for hours afterward. Then, when Caleb looked at me that way on Monday, I felt my panties flood with a desire I’d been trying to repress.
I didn’t want to feel this way. I hated my body for betraying me. I couldn’t be around Caleb without wanting to strip down and ride him until we were both exhausted and covered in sweat. It was primal, instinctual, animalistic. But it could never happen.
My heart still ached when I thought about what he did to me. He abandoned me when I thought he was the only man I would ever love. Our connection was instant, and it hadn’t yet faded. Just seeing his face was enough to remind me of the way we once felt. Still, I knew I had to fight it. The best way to do that was to push through and do my job. So, with determination in my gut and a professional smile on my face, I pushed Caleb’s door open and stepped inside.
He was sitting up in his bed and looked even better than yesterday. His complexion was returning to normal, and his stubble was even darker today. I swallowed hard and pushed forward.
“Tara,” he said, sounding surprised to see me.
“How are you feeling today?” I asked.
“Fine,” he said with a nod. “Pain is better.”
“That’s great.” I nodded and pulled up a chair. “It looks like you’ll be discharged soon, which means you can start physical therapy.”
Caleb nodded. “What do you have in store for me?”
“Well,” I began, glancing down at my chart. “As I said before, we’ll start you on some mild stretches a few times a week. Nothing too strenuous because we don’t want to risk re-injuring that leg. The scar tissue can be substantial and extremely problematic. If we don’t do things the right way, you may never get your full range of motion back.”
“I’ll do whatever you say,” Caleb said, his voice serious. “I want to get back on the job as soon as possible.”
The determination in his voice softened my resolve to remain professional. Caleb’s strength had always been his most attractive quality. It drew me to him and turned me on. Our eyes met, and I felt like that same young girl who was laying eyes on this boy for the first time.
“Will you still be the one taking care of my therapy?” Caleb asked.
I blinked. Joan’s offer echoed in my mind, and I paused. It wasn’t such a bad idea to think about someone else handling his treatment. If I couldn’t even sit beside him without feeling a flush of desire grace my cheeks, how the hell was I supposed to deal with weeks of touching him?
“I’ll probably hand your case off to a collea
gue,” I said, keeping the emotion out of my voice.
“Tara,” Caleb said. “I’m sorry about the other day, okay? What I said. I was an ass.”
“Yeah, you were,” I said bluntly.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t work together,” Caleb said quickly. “You’re great at your job.”
“How would you know?” I scoffed. “You didn’t even know I was a physical therapist until a few days ago.”
“My mom keeps me pretty well informed,” Caleb said.
“You seemed surprised to see me,” I said, confused. “If you knew, why were you so shocked?”
“Are you kidding?” Caleb laughed. “We hadn’t seen each other in ten years, Tara. Of course I was fucking surprised. I thought you hated my guts.”
I chose to ignore that. “Well, I don’t know,” I said. “Joan is a really great therapist.”
“Joan?” Caleb asked. “That flighty little brunette who was in here yesterday? Dear God, don’t leave me with her. She’s an idiot.”
“She’s actually brilliant,” I said.
“Then she should act like it instead of throwing her tits in her patient’s face,” Caleb said.
Anger welled inside my chest, but I fought it back. My eyes found Caleb’s again, and I sighed. He was right. There was no way I could leave all his sessions to Joan, but I also couldn’t take them on entirely by myself.
“I guess I can make room in my schedule,” I said. “You’re so kind,” Caleb said sarcastically.
I glared at him, and he laughed. I smiled weakly, unable to resist. He reached his hand toward me, but I moved away. I wasn’t ready to touch him.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
His words hit my ears and made me forget how to breathe. I didn’t know how to respond, but thankfully, I didn’t have to. Cathy and my dad walked in the room and saved me from myself. I saw my dad shoot me a dirty look out of the corner of my eye while Cathy moved toward her son.
I filled them in on Caleb’s case and then made my exit, hurrying into the hallway with my father at my heels.