“I can tell. It’s a good thing, but maybe if you got more than a couple hours sleep—”
“That’s not happening. It’s not like I don’t trust those guys, but…”
“Some things you got to do for yourself.” Williams finished.
“Yeah, especially with this.”
He nodded. “We got a hit on the roommate’s credit card, by the way.” Williams smirked. “Guess you were right.”
“Mmm, I am sometimes. How do you know it was her?” Kelli was relieved and apprehensive at the same time. They were a step closer to catching Fuller, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to make another surprise visit to Nora.
“Johns went to question Shelly again. He had a hunch she was still holding something back. The girl was a nervous wreck. She said Taylor swore she didn’t do it. Johns helped her to understand that Fuller used her bat and put it back. Her lightbulb came on. So, Shelly confessed to giving her money and one of her emergency credit cards.”
“You gonna charge her as an accessory?”
“Yeah, should have done that days ago. Good thing we waited. Now, we know Fuller’s still in town. We’re checking out the motels and shelters near the grocery store where she used the card.” Williams took a sip of his own coffee. “So, how’s Nora?”
“You asked me that already.” Kelli’s response was quick and a little defensive.
“That was a few days ago.” He pushed on.
Kelli shook off the prickliness and smirked. She knew firsthand, now, how Nora was doing. “She’s good.”
Williams drank from his mug, but his eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. Kelli knew her smirk gave it all away.
“Yes.” Kelli held his gaze.
“Huh? I didn’t say—”
“Oh, come off it. You were about to.” Or maybe she just wanted to share. It made this whole thing with Nora more real.
Williams chuckled and looked down in his cup. “There must really be something in this to loosen up your tongue that much.”
Kelli glared at him. “Get the fuck away from my desk.” Her tone was playful.
He laughed. “There’s some parts of you she obviously won’t be able to mellow out.”
Kelli shot him the finger.
That didn’t help. He laughed even harder.
*
Kelli had finished her first cup of coffee a long time ago and had gone back several times already. Williams had been the easy one. Sean was going to be another story altogether. She picked up her cell phone and highlighted Sean’s number. It rang twice before she got the voice mail. Kelli didn’t give up. She typed out a text.
At least u haven’t blocked me. I’m tryin to get my shit 2gether.
Been an ahole to u. I wanna fix it.
She stared at her phone for a few minutes, but there was no answer.
“Shit.” She threw her cell back on her desk.
Kelli couldn’t just sit there. She checked her watch. It was almost lunch time. Perfect. She took a deep breath and stood. Sean was probably at the deli or on his way there.
She got there in record time. Kelli saw him sitting at his usual table. It was now or… No, it was now. The bell jangled above the door as she opened it. Their mother looked up, grinned, and waved, but continued to help a customer. Sean ignored her completely.
He didn’t acknowledge her until Kelli was standing next to his table. His gaze was wary. He had every right to be.
Kelli gestured toward the empty seat in front of him. “It’s okay if I sit here?”
He shrugged and glanced away. “It’s a free country. You usually do what you want.”
Kelli ignored the sting his words caused and sat anyway. She couldn’t tiptoe around this. She had to be direct as hell. “Sean? Can you look at me?”
He sighed. “I don’t know if I want to. What’s the point?”
“Because, I’m asking you to? I’m not telling. I’m asking.”
He didn’t respond for a few seconds, but eventually he met her gaze again.
“I don’t have any excuses. I’ve been the biggest asshole toward you—”
Sean snorted. “That doesn’t even cover it.”
“You know a stronger word for it?”
He shrugged again.
“You didn’t deserve it. I didn’t have a problem stirring all this shit, but I gotta clean it up. So, I’m sorry. You’re my brother. You’ve done so much. I didn’t mean to make you feel like it didn’t matter. It does.”
His eyes softened, but they hardened again almost immediately. “Yeah, thanks. We done here?” Sean stood. “I need to go.”
Kelli nodded and watched as he threw away his trash. Well, fuck. Two out of three wasn’t bad. Kelli went over the conversation in her head. Was there something more she could have said? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. It was up to him now.
*
“Ten blade.” Nora glanced at Patricia and held out her hand.
“Just a sec. I forgot to put the music on repeat,” she said instead.
“You’d have to scrub in again. You don’t have to—” Nora didn’t get to finish. Patricia waved her words away.
“True, but I actually like this album.” Patricia’s eyes danced, as she handed Nora the scalpel she requested.
Nora decided to go along with the playfulness. She was in a strange mood. “Are you inferring that my musical choices in the past were lacking?”
“Why, yes, I am. Plus, who doesn’t love Coltrane?”
Two members of the surgical team raised their hands. The resident present looked completely lost in the banter. He was new, and for his sake, she hoped he wasn’t this meek during surgery.
“Well that wasn’t the point at all,” Patricia grumbled.
“I agree. Let’s get started,” Nora said.
Nora’s team operated just as smoothly as it always had. The only difference was the lightheartedness that was now part of the atmosphere. Nora enjoyed this new dynamic, immensely.
“Suction.” Nora requested, after making an incision into the patient’s abdomen and exposing her peritoneum.
Patricia was there immediately. “Sooo…” She dragged the word out. “Did you hear about Mary?”
“I’m standing right here,” Mary said.
“Yeah, I see you. What’s your point?” Patricia continued to focus on the patient, as she carried on the conversation. Nora appreciated that skill.
“That was the point. If you wanted to talk about me, why didn’t you do it a few days ago when I wasn’t here?” Mary glanced at Patricia. A second later, her eyes were back on the monitors.
Patricia tsked. “I like doing it to your face.”
“Did you find a good therapist?” Nora asked. This wasn’t going to be a long surgery. She’d already found the bleed near the patient’s spleen.
“I hope so. Looked on Angie’s List. We were able to get an appointment for next week.” Mary paused. “What about you?”
Nora looked up. “What do you mean?”
Patricia chuckled. “Since we’re talking about people to their faces, how’s that soap opera of a life you’re living? Isn’t that what you meant to say, Mar?”
“Something like that,” Mary agreed with a nod. “How are you doing? I know I’ve asked that like fifty times this week.”
“I’m okay.” She was actually doing a lot better than that, despite the ever-present threat from Taylor. Although, she was beginning to question the amount of danger she was actually in. Nora wanted to trust Kelli’s instincts, but Taylor had been so quiet. Maybe the police detail was no longer necessary. “Irrigate the site for me,” she said, and the resident, Dr. Pierce, did so quietly.
“Sooo.” Patricia drew the word out twice as long this time. “Is the redheaded complication we saw at the restaurant helping things stay that way?”
“I can’t believe you worked up the courage to finally ask.” Mary sounded amused.
“Well, Susan isn’t exactly a font of knowledge. What choice did I
have?”
“You could choose not to be so nosy.”
“Well, she’s our friend. I just wanted to make sure…she’s taken care of,” Patricia said.
“Suction.” Friend. Hearing that word… Well, Nora never thought she would, at least not from someone else, referring to her. She’d never thought she wanted to.
“Sorry.” Patricia’s tone was contrite.
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“I wasn’t trying to overstep,” she said anyway.
“I don’t think you did.” Nora had the sudden urge to share. “Yes, she is helping, and we’re trying to…uncomplicate the situation between us.”
“Everything is a process,” Mary said, as she adjusted one of the monitors.
“Mmm, that it is.” Patricia nodded in agreement. “Are you joining us this week? Bring your redhead.”
“Kelli. Her name is Kelli, and can I let you know by tomorrow morning?”
“I suppose I can wait till then,” Patricia teased.
*
After making the final notation in a patient’s chart, Nora flipped it closed. Her thoughts of Kelli went from the periphery to the forefront. Her heartbeat accelerated, and the heat that Kelli infused into her was something that she’d missed. They were rebuilding the bridge between them, and Nora trusted that, in time, they would gain a new understanding of each other. By then, hopefully the space between them would be nonexistent.
At the moment, however, their reconciliation was in the initial stages. They were awkward together, which made things uncomfortable, but Nora preferred that over the famine she’d suffered through, any day. She found that she treasured those ungainly moments just as much as the ones that came before their separation. It was truly strange how quickly things changed. A couple of days ago, they had been still reluctant, hesitant, but when she made up her mind to move forward, Nora refused to look back and grant those emotions further influence over her decision-making process.
Nora’s cell phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She reached for it and glanced at the screen. It was Kelli. Her timing was impeccable.
“Hello?”
“Hey. You busy?” Kelli paused and made a frustrated sound. “That was a stupid question. You wouldn’t have answered otherwise, but if I’m bothering you—”
“You’re not.” Nora stopped Kelli from going further. Her greeting was a prime example of the clumsiness between them.
“Okay, good.” Kelli went quiet, but it was a charged silence. Something was going on.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s… You don’t wanna hear about it.” Kelli tried to brush her off.
Nora refused to let things go that easily. “Kelli, yes I do… Whatever you want to tell me.”
“Yeah?” Her tone was more hopeful.
“Definitely.”
Kelli sighed. “I’ve spent most of my day either making—or figuring out how to make—apologies. Remember, you’re not the only person I’ve been shitty to. Let’s just say that it hasn’t been pretty. I haven’t exactly been myself lately.”
“I’m sorry,” Nora said. They seemed like the right words in the moment.
“Don’t say that. It’s okay.”
“I’m so…” Nora stopped abruptly, realizing she was about to repeat her apology. “So how did it go?”
“What?”
“Your apolo—”
“Oh, crappy, but the foundation is laid. Can’t ask for much more right now.”
“That sounds like a step in the right direction.”
“I guess, and this is…” Then, Kelli’s voice trailed off for a few seconds. “Look, I was on my way to see Travis. Is it okay if I—”
“Yes, you don’t have to ask.”
“You sure?” Kelli asked anyway.
“Completely.”
“Good, because I’m standing outside your office. You’re way better company than your new cop buddies, Fric and Frac, but you did look busy at first, so—”
“I’m not. I have time for you, Kelli.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The line went dead.
Kelli knocked briefly on Nora’s door before walking in.
Nervousness, anticipation, and affection vied for space in Nora’s chest. Her heart fluttered in an attempt to accept the swarm of emotions. Kelli’s gaze was soft, hesitant, and it didn’t match her overall appearance at all. She stood tall in a dark pantsuit. Her emerald-green shirt complemented the look. Even though it was barely visible, Kelli’s gun was clipped to the waistband of her slacks. On the outside, she was confident, professional, and the sight of her this way caused a pleasant jolt that landed low in Nora’s stomach.
Despite her reaction, Nora noticed the tension in Kelli’s shoulders. They continued to gaze at each other quietly. The exchange was far from uneasy, but it lacked the level of smoothness that had existed between them before.
Kelli huffed and rolled her eyes. “We suck at this.”
Nora leaned back in her chair. “At what?” She knew what Kelli meant. She just thought it needed to be said.
Kelli’s shoulders relaxed. She slid into a chair and deposited two white bags on Nora’s desk.
“This.” Kelli pointed a finger in Nora’s direction before moving it back toward herself. “I learned, a long time ago, that the best way to avoid all this weirdness was to move on as soon as possible.” Her lips twitched. “But I kinda knew none of my old tricks would help me with you.”
That was…sweet in a very Kelli way. “Thanks, I think.”
Kelli smiled.
Nora suddenly became hyperfocused on other parts of Kelli’s statement. A wave of possessiveness smashed into her. “Are you saying there was no one—”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
It was a very odd way to start a conversation, but Nora just went with it. “Good.”
Kelli’s lips curved upward even more. “Good?”
“Yes. Good.” Nora was only human. It was the answer to a question she wasn’t sure she had the right to ask.
“Jealous?”
This possessive streak was an entirely new feeling, but a refreshing one. Kelli was hers. Time, and hopefully her actions, would solidify this fact. “Yes.” Nora had more to say. There was no point in holding back. “I know I haven’t exactly been the most open person and that contributed to our issues. I’m trying to rectify that, even with the little things.”
Kelli’s eyes darkened. “Oh there’s nothing tiny about this subject. Did you?”
“No.” Early on in their friendship, Nora had sought solace for her jumbled emotions, but she was no longer confused. Nora knew what she wanted.
“Very good. I would say this was a strange place to have this conversation, but considering last time we were in here it’s…fucking tame.”
Like an old friend, awareness flared between them. Nora greeted it with open arms. It had a physical presence, filling the space around them, displacing the awkwardness. This…this was familiar, the banter and feeling like she was drowning in fire.
“I remember.” Nora held Kelli’s gaze. How could she forget the kisses they’d shared? The way they touched? She enjoyed the sensation of being pulled further into Kelli as the seconds ticked by.
“Maybe we should change the subject. It’s easy as hell to forget about everything else.” Kelli’s voice was deeper, raspier than usual, but her gaze remained, intense and dark. Greedy.
“Maybe,” Nora said, reluctantly.
In spite of the seriousness of her words, Kelli was able to smile. She pointed at one of the bags, the larger one. “Travis likes his chili-cheese fries, but I stopped at that deli you like. There’s half a turkey club, and salad with dressing on the side.”
“We’ve only been there twice.” For some reason, this didn’t lessen what she was feeling. It only added a different kind of depth.
“I pay attention.”
A blush crept up Nora’s chest toward her neck.
; Kelli chuckled. “There it is.”
Nora smiled.
“So, maybe we won’t suck at this as much if we spend more time together. What are you doing tonight?” Kelli asked.
“You tell me.”
“Dinner at my place?”
Nora’s smile increased. “Instead of cooking, I’ll bring Chinese?”
“Good.” Kelli grinned.
“Good.”
Kelli stood. “I’d better get these to Travis. He’ll do lukewarm, but he won’t do cold or reheated fries. He’s such a— Nora moved suddenly. She stood and reached for Kelli’s hand as she picked up the remaining bag. The touch, though innocent, was electric. She almost pulled away on reflex. Nora held fast. She wasn’t going to hold back anymore.
Their gazes met briefly. Kelli’s eyes fell to her lips. They actually tingled as if touched. She missed that feeling. She missed Kelli’s kiss. The ones they’d shared over the past couple of days had been chaste, cautious. It was necessary, but that didn’t keep her from wanting more. Momentarily lost, the reason for her impulsive action eluded her.
“Nora?” Kelli sounded confused. She squeezed the hand pressed into hers.
It was enough to snap the doctor back to reality. “Sor—” Nora bit her lip. “Do you have plans Friday night?” She didn’t wait for a reply. Nora had to get through this. She wanted Kelli to see that she was changing, and she wanted Kelli to continue to be a part of it. “The nurses… My friends want me to join them for a drink. I’d like it if you came, and we can do dinner or whatever you like afterward.”
Kelli’s grin was slow and bright. “The same ladies you were out with last week?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got to know the story behind all that. I’m glad somebody actually took the fucking time to look past all those stupid rumors. Hell, I’m glad you let them. I’ll be there, just tell me where and when.”
Kelli’s words of approval were worth millions. After all, she was the one who paved the way.
“Okay.” Nora looked down at their joined hands. “Would you let Mr. Travis know that I’m sorry about his fries?”
Kelli laughed.
*
The elevator dinged as it went up another floor. Kelli glanced at the numbers. She wished she could wave a wand and make all the hard shit go away. Of course, that wasn’t possible, but that didn’t keep her from hoping. Each time they talked, things went a little better between her and Nora. With time, patience, and a lot of faith, they would get back the easiness between them that Kelli needed. She was going to have to dig deep and find some reserves for her own sake, Antony’s, and Nora’s, because fuck she was almost tapped out.
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