by Michelle, T.
The leg turned out to be a more harrowing deal. Just turning over expended Tabitha’s remaining energy. The stitching process was more intricate because of the amount of damage the dog had inflicted and the process seemed to take forever. But she had relaxed immensely since ingesting the pills and now she was beginning to feel the heavy amount of physical drain her ordeal had cost her.
Jared removed the gloves and repositioned the blanket and quilt to fully cover her.
He patted her back. “Get some rest; I need to attend to my next patient.” She heard him gather the box and exit the room. He flipped the switch on the wall, which except for the dim light coming from the doorway, sent her into darkness. Something about the lack of light made her aware that the storm was still raging outside. The electrical flashes showed the trees bent with the howling winds. The rumblings of thunder still sounded with anger, but being sheltered calmed Tabitha’s fear.
A sharp yelp brought her out of her mental fog momentarily; she was lulled back into her stupor by the sound of a deep, calming voice murmuring in the distance. It was almost a purr.
“Tabitha.” The sound of her name jolted her awake. She snapped her head up, automatically pulling the back of her hand across her mouth in a very unfeminine gesture. She tried to push off her stomach into a sitting position, but that hurt so she flopped back down, smushing one side of her face into the couch in order to look at him. Unfortunately, that only gave her a view ranging from his knees to his stomach – and although she wasn’t complaining, it didn’t help her discern why he’d woken her.
“Help me up, please.” She said, trying not to talk to his crotch.
“What? You’re mumbling.” Before she could repeat herself, he spoke again. “Let’s sit you up.”
At least she didn’t have to waste more breath asking again. He slid his hands underneath her and amidst her grunting protests, managed to maneuver her back into a face-up, reclining position.
He held out two pills. “I heated up some soup for you and there’s crackers and water. You’ll need to eat before you take these.” He dropped the two tablets on the tray of food he’d placed on the coffee table before her. “These will subdue the pain.”
She could use that. He moved as though he meant to leave. “How long have I been asleep?” She rasped out, her mouth suddenly dry. She cleared her throat, Jared handed her the glass of water, and she gulped half of it down.
With a resigned sigh, Jared sat down on the couch at her feet. “A couple of hours.”
Tabitha bent over and began crumbling crackers into the bowl of chicken noodle soup. She supposed she should make small talk since he was sitting with her so she searched her brain for a topic. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten in semi-darkness before.”
“I have to preserve the generator’s gas. The weather is supposed to be rough all weekend.” He settled into the couch, taking a casual pose with one arm stretched out across the back, one ankle resting on the knee of the other leg. “May I ask what you were doing out in weather like this?”
Tabitha stopped eating and stared into her bowl as she answered. “I had no choice.”
“You couldn’t have waited for morning? The rain may not have abated, but it would have been brighter outside.”
“I have to be in Austin first thing in the morning. I have no – did you say generator?” Tabitha hadn’t really given his words much thought.
“Yes. The lights and phone have been out for a while.” He shifted a bit. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I don’t think you’ll be anywhere by morning.”
Tabitha’s mind began reeling frantically. It had to be after midnight already. There was no way to get her car; she couldn’t call anyone to help. She’d failed again. Her throat began to tighten and she fought back the tears welling up in her eyes.
“What was the emergency that had you risking your life out on the road?” His voice held no compassion for her current disposition.
“A job.” She pushed away from the food, after only a few bites, and popped the pills in her mouth.
“You were out in this for a weekend job? What job is worth the financial and physical bind you put yourself into?” He was chastising her like a child. He made her feel stupid with his direct words, imbecilic, a person incapable of processing rational, intelligent thought. It tore at some secret, delicate place inside her.
She had to end this degrading conversation. “Thank you for all you’ve done, Jared. I’m tired and should probably get more sleep.” She feigned a yawn for emphasis.
Jared studied her, his gaze not quite believing, then stood up. “You’re right.” He held out a hand to assist her. “The guest room is made up.”
She’d gotten quite comfortable on the couch and saw no reason to leave. “I’m fine here, really.”
He sent his eyes in an exaggerated roll. “No, I need to soak those cushions, you need some decent rest and I’ll be just across the hall if a problem should arise.”
His demeanor brooked no arguments. He seemed, once again, to be demanding compliance of a lesser being. Tabitha should have stood her ground, copped an attitude or shot off a decent comeback, but she wasn’t really the sort by nature. The only thing she managed as she struggled to her feet was, “Enough with the couch already.”
She limped past him, sheer force of will keeping her on her feet. Blinding pain should have brought her to her knees, but seeing the brief stunned look on his face was enough to allow her the portrayal of courage she didn’t actually possess. She purposefully brushed past him then abruptly stopped.
She heard him begin to walk towards her. “Would you like me to show you the way?” He barely restrained from mocking her outright, but she could see the laughter in his damnable green eyes. Humility aside, it didn’t seem as though he was laughing at her, merely finding the humor in the situation.
Tabitha couldn’t resist reacting to it, either. Maybe it was the ironic hilarity of the entire evening, the pain pills, or maybe it was the only alternative to breaking down and wallowing in self-pity. She burst out with a bark of laughter that rang off the walls of the short hall Jared guided her down. He followed suit and chuckled a bit, shaking his head subtly in disbelief at her antics.
He’d slipped his hand to the small of her back, bracing her jerky movements. She could feel the heat of his hand seeping through the blanket she’d wrapped herself in and instead of shying away from the man’s touch, Tabitha felt calmed by it.
He led her into a room on the right and eased her down on what had to have been the most comfortable bed she’d ever touched.
It was a queen-sized bed with a simple sled-style frame that showed evidence of once being a dark wood that time and use had scarred and faded. There were several different sized pillows plumped up along the in-ornate headboard and a white eyelet coverlet turned down.
“Don’t move. I’ll get you some clothes.”
Tabitha grabbed his arm to stop his retreat. “I’m okay in what I’ve got on.”
Without warning, his hand shot out and slipped the blanket off one shoulder, sliding his hand down to the top of her bra cup. His fingers softly caressed the thin material, his knuckles rubbing across the top swell of her breast.
All mental processes stopped for Tabitha; she couldn’t breathe. She just stared wide-eyed at him, watching a harshness creep over his face that gave his stern features an almost cruel look.
“What you have on is still wet. I’ll get the clothes.” The removal of his hand left a tingling, icy sensation behind as chills replaced his warmth. Tabitha sat in a stunned silence trying to regain control over her body’s automatic reaction to the man. She told herself that he was doing no more than seeing to a patient.
He came back and handed her the clothes. “I’ve got some things to do before I go to sleep. If you need anything, just give a shout.”
He left the door open and a candle flickering on the bureau next to it. It cast a golden glow that mingled with the silver blue light f
rom the almost constant lightning flashing through the windows standing sentry on either side of the bed.
The pain pills were running full force through her system and Tabitha’s eyelids grew heavy, burning every time she blinked. It became harder and harder for her to fight her growing fatigue, even though she desperately felt the need to stay awake.
Chapter 2
A warm hand shaking her brought her up with a snort. “Tabitha, it’s Jared. Wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
Tabitha immediately pulled herself into a sitting position, but the heavy protests from her injuries sent white hot flashes into her brain. She moaned and collapsed forward, her forehead coming to rest on Jared’s bare chest. His hand came up and began to massage the back of her neck. A sound escaped her throat, the haze of sleep trying to coax her under once again.
“You need to slow your movements down.” Jared stated in a husky whisper that seduced her further into relaxation. “You keep acting as though your body isn’t completely worked over. You have been injured in more ways than just the cuts on your flesh.” His large hand kept kneading her neck and shoulders, pressing her face into his muscular chest. He smelled of clean soap and crisp aftershave. He smelled good. He felt good. Or, at least the heat of his skin did; the coldness of his body language kept Tabitha from sinking into an unhealthy fantasy.
She didn’t know how long she’d dozed, but when she cracked open her eyelids, she was facing a lighter colored sky and all the telltale signs of a new day. It was still overcast and raining in sheets, but the lightning and thunder had long since dissipated. Her body felt as though she’d stepped out of a fast moving car, so even though the sun was coming up, Tabitha knew she would not be.
She shoved her hand under her pillow and rolled onto her less painful side. She buried her face into the soft material of the pillowcase thankful her body heat had been absorbed into the bed around her.
She was drifting back off to sleep when a loud snort at her back grabbed her attention. It was a snore, a loud snuffling kind of sound that made her think of her grandfather. She turned her head and came face to face with the wrinkled mug of that large black beast.
She sucked in her breath, afraid to make a sound. The dog had so many wrinkles of skin around its snout that it couldn’t breathe correctly when it slept, thus creating the resonating snores.
Not knowing what else to do lest she get attacked again, she turned back into her original position and snuggled deeper into the pillow, praying the thing would have to get up and pee or something relatively soon.
“Well, good morning to you, too.” The sleep-ridden deep voice caused her head to snap up once more. This time she was looking at a sexy, groggy version of her host and doctor. It didn’t take her long to figure out that the comfortable pillow she had wrapped her arm around was nothing more than his thigh and she’d just crammed her nose into his crotch. No wonder he’d woken.
He was propped up against the footboard, clad only in a pair shorts, the dog and her draped across his legs. “No more bad dreams, I presume?”
She looked about, realizing that she must’ve turned herself around in her sleep. Tabitha shook her head. Hell, she barely remembered the one that had brought him into her room to begin with. It wasn’t uncommon, though – she often had dreams of running terrified from something. At least it was easy to overlook her many little embarrassments in his presence; he never gave an effort to call attention to them.
He began to move, but she resisted with all her strength. When he glared at her, she sputtered in response. “Your…that thing is laying right beside me.” She hissed.
His characteristic expression, devoid of almost all emotion, made a brief change as his eyebrows first shot up then came down into a thick ridge over the bridge of his dramatic, distinct nose. “That thing,” he ground out with disgust, “is my dog. The dog I had to put six stitches in last night.” He slid out from under her, causing her to flop down face first into the covers.
When she pushed herself up out of the wrinkled pile, he was kneeling alongside the now very alert dog, examining his face. She could see the thick black threads poking out like insect legs around Sam’s eye. Jared nuzzled the animal a bit and patted his head before turning back to her.
“I do know that in comparison, you definitely lost the skirmish,” his tone was somewhat softer, his words not as clipped. “He won’t harm you now. He quite likes people.”
Tabitha wasn’t about to risk another bite. He waited while she remained impassive until his patience obviously wore out. “Very well, then. We should probably get moving if you want to get home.” He emphasized the last word purposefully to let her know he did not think she should continue on to Austin.
“I washed and dried your clothes, they’re in the bathroom for you. I’m sure you’ll need to clean up but no bath or shower. The bathroom is at the end of the hall.” He got up, patted his thigh and disappeared. At Jared’s signal, the dog leapt from the bed and trotted out after him.
Tabitha slowly made her way from the bed and limped into the bathroom. Doing morning ablutions by way of washcloth and soapy water was no comparison for a steamy, massaging shower but doctor’s orders kept her from drenching herself. Re-dressing was a trial that had her sliding all over the toilet she was precariously perched on. But several minutes later and a sweaty upper lip and she was ready to attempt facing the world again.
Tabitha stared hard at her reflection in the mirror and refused to harp on any of last night’s disasters. So she had lost the job that was going to save her bank account, so her only form of transportation was probably now floating down the highway, so her life had been flushed away again before she’d even recovered from the last time. She was still functioning, albeit poorly, and there’d be another chance. There had to be.
She flung open the door with a renewed vigor and almost fell over an old chair that had been planted directly in the walkway. Jared stepped out from his bedroom. “I thought it best to use this to keep you off that leg.”
What she wanted to say was: “then why did you leave it here for me to trip over?” But she managed a simple “thank you” instead. It looked like an antique dining chair with large wooden wheels on either side of it. She seated herself and looked expectantly at her host.
Jared easily maneuvered the chair through the hallway and pushed it up to a small dining table off the kitchen. He rummaged in the kitchen a bit and then set two plates of food down before taking a seat across from her. He’d apparently been busy while she was in the bathroom.
There was more food on the plate than she’d thought possible for it to hold. There were scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, tomatoes slices, cinnamon apples, sausage patties, grits and toast. It seemed there was a little bit of everything. She looked at him in surprise, not knowing where to begin.
He had an impish smile that revealed a crescent on his left cheek. It was the first time she’d seen anything other than a scowl adorning his features. “I wasn’t sure what foods you like or how much you would eat. Don’t worry; I won’t force you to clean your plate. Just eat enough so you can take some more medication. I gave you an antibiotic shot last night, but you will need to start a full cycle today to cut down on the inflammation and the chances of infection.” He shoveled a bite of food into his mouth, but Tabitha noticed that although he ate like a typical rugged man, he didn’t do so indelicately. He never once chewed with his mouth open or attempted to speak while it was still full.
Jared told her that the chair she sat in had once carted around his great-grandmother after a stroke had taken the use of her left side. He told how the house had been in his family since 1811 – that’s when his family had migrated from up North to the small town of Giddings – and that he and his only sibling, a sister, shared ownership of it now that his parents had relocated to Florida.
It served as a getaway retreat for him whenever he had time off. And Tabitha needed to thank her lucky stars that he’d been here last night.<
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Tabitha found that she was more thankful he wasn’t asking her a bunch of questions. She didn’t know why, but hearing him speak of normalcy calmed her, made her feel as though it was an attainable substance that she might hope to have one day.
When she had done as much damage as she could to the pile of food before her, she shoved her plate away and washed down the pills that he had given her with a glass of milk. It had grown silent between them, only because he had ceased his monologue and now she felt uncomfortable, needing to continue what he had begun.
“What kind of surgeon are you?” She ventured.
“Hopefully the good kind.” He responded, supposedly in jest, but his voice did not portray it. He cleared the table and began washing dishes at a sink to her left. “I’m what you would call a bone specialist, actually, an orthopedic surgeon. I do surgeries as well as have a regular patient load.”
“You don’t look old enough to have a full medical practice.” It was just an observation, but he really didn’t look as old as his career would suggest.
He chuckled briefly and sat down again in front of her, his large hands wrapped around a coffee mug. “I graduated high school at sixteen, which put me two years ahead of the game. But, I’m 46 years old. I’ve had time to build what is mine.” He stared down at his cup. “Sometimes I think that’s all I’ve had.”
Such a strange remark coming from this restrained man. Tabitha felt her heartstrings pulled by his statement and her own sorrow began to seep back into her bloodstream.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, touching her tattered arm lightly.
“Sore.” She managed a smile for him, although she knew it went nowhere near her eyes.
“Think you’re up for a drive?” He was already coming to stand behind her wheelchair. “I thought I could drive you in to town to use the phone and get a tow truck out for your car.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary. I have no money to pay a mechanic and there’s really no one to call.” Of course, she’d have to call her parents, again, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. The familiar sound of resignation as she begged rescue, and then of course the look of utter disappointment on her father’s face, the sorrow in her mother’s eyes because she felt her daughter’s failures were somehow all her fault, were more than Tabitha could bear. How was she going to live through this again? Tabitha realized she’d have to move home and begin the long process of allowing her dream to die.