I See You (Seeing You #2)

by A. P. Hallmark

  "Krista, would you please have a seat and witness this conversation?"

  "Yes, sir." Crossing her legs, she sits back, glaring at Carol.

  "Go ahead, Carol. Explain to me the reason behind your inappropriate behavior toward me and my date at the ball."

  "Fine. I thought that since you and I have history, as in sexual history, we might revisit it," she says boldly, folding her arms across her chest.

  "Carol, that was before you started working here at this facility and you know it. It was one night, and, unfortunately, we both had too much to drink." Rising from my chair, I look at Krista from the corner of my eye, embarrassed at having to bring this unfortunate event out into the open.

  "What I want to know is why you and Emma cornered Ms. Johnson in the ladies’ room to insult her. And be careful with your words." By this time, I’m standing behind her while Jessie and Krista watch her fidget.

  "I didn't corner her, Math — Dr. Davis."

  "Explain to me how it is that you know Emma Ford," I demand, wanting to know this answer above all.

  "She's my cousin." The air leaves my lungs and I have to gasp to fill them again. So that explains how Emma got a ticket to the ball.

  How did I not know this? I knew that Emma wasn't particularly close to her family, but I never heard her mention Carol.

  The urge to throw up hits me when I realize that I've had sex with both of those women … who are related.

  "Did you know about Emma's intention to talk to Joy? Is that why you two cornered her in the ladies’ room?" I sneak a peek at Jessie and notice that his nostrils are flaring. I know that this is his sign of breaking.

  "I knew she wanted to talk to her, yes. She just wants to be on your team, Matthew, um, Dr. Davis. We both do. She's promised me a position when you bring her in as partner. Emma said she has big plans for you and your procedure. She's been watching you for years and said that you assured her a partnership position, especially since she helped you develop it. She said that you both collaborated on it in college, and that she will be part of it when it goes public."

  I feel the blood drain from my body. She plans to claim involvement in the development?

  "Emma has absolutely nothing to do with my project. NOTHING!" I shout at her.

  "Carol," Jessie interjects, standing up, seemingly in slow motion. "You have been relieved of your duties here at Davis Institute. You will get no reference. You have lied, betrayed, connived, harassed and deceived the founder of this hospital. You put Ms. Johnson in danger and if we find that you had a hand in giving out her home address to Emma, we will have charges brought against you for breaching hospital confidentiality. Do I make myself clear?" I'm shocked at Jessie's outburst as he looms over her. "Krista, would you get security up here." Jessie orders while holding onto Carol's frightened stare.

  I've never seen Jessie behave like this, nor have I ever seen Krista move so fast.

  "Your education just went down the shitter, Carol." Krista scowls as she scurries past us all.

  "Matthew, please, don't do this. I need this job," Carol cries while we wait for security.

  "We gave you a chance when no one else would. We looked past your less than stellar record and put our trust in you. I believe we were your last stop, no? My advice to you is to stay away from Emma. I don't care if she is your cousin. She’s using you, and you have already suffered the consequences because of it. She doesn’t care who she walks on to get what she wants. Had she not pressured you into getting tickets to the ball, this would not have happened." With that, Eugene arrives and escorts her away.

  "Krista, please have the Unit Coordinator empty Carol's locker and have the contents delivered to her home as soon as possible. I’ve already had her removed from the computer system and passwords have been changed as well."

  Jesse and I sit quietly as Eugene escorts a sobbing Carol out of the office, trying to gain our sympathy. We remain silent until the door closes behind them.

  "Sorry I busted your bubble there, Matthew. She kind of pissed me off. I jumped the gun," Jessie apologizes.

  "Thanks for having my back. I couldn't have done it any better, Jess. I was getting pissed anyway," I say through a nervous laugh. Making my way behind my desk, I sit back in my chair.

  "Yeah, I kinda saw that. Now, what about Joy? Have you talked to her?"

  “No, but I haven't tried to call her either, especially since she told me not to." Feeling the tightening pain come again, I absentmindedly rub the center of my chest. "I texted her that night, just to make sure she was all right and had made it home okay. She replied that she was fine, but that's the last I’ve heard from her."

  "Laura sent her an email." My head jerks up at that bit of news.

  "She's still pretty mad at her, too. Laura said that she was busy working on her latest book, that she was okay, and not to worry about her. Laura also said that if Joy needed anything, she would call either her or Brian.

  "Wow, I'm not even on her contact list.” That really shot a pain across my heart. My hand moved to massage my chest again.

  "She'll come around, Mattie. I know she will," Jessie says, trying to comfort me.

  "I'm giving her the space she asked for, but if I don't hear from her soon, I'm going after her."

  "I know. I would, too. By the way, when do you want to meet with Mom and Leland about their new offices?" he asks, heading toward the door.

  "Um, I'll let you know, okay? I have a meeting with the realtor about buying the building next door. I made a low-ball offer on it, and I'm waiting to hear back. As soon as I do, we'll meet with my parents. Once they come on board, Jessie, this facility is going to be huge. You know my parents’ reputation. I have no doubt that their patients from Chicago will travel here just to keep them as their cardiologists." We both look at each other knowing that is true.

  After Jessie leaves, I feel the pang of loneliness creep into my life again. Crossing my office, I stop and look down at the busy traffic on the street below, wondering what she’s up to, when my cell phone rings.

  "Dr. Davis," I answer.

  "Matthew, it's Jennifer, returning your call."

  "Oh, thank God," I respond. I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow before I heard from her. After I go through the ordeal of what happened at the ball, I give her my thoughts on the whole thing and ask for her opinion.

  "Well, I will tell you that it's not Robert or me. If her M.O. is to sleep her way into getting information, or whatever it is she wants, then it will have to be Dr. Lawrence," she explains.

  "Why do you say that?" I ask, curiously. "I mean, there's both Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Stewart."

  "Dr. Stewart is gay," she deadpans.

  "Oh, well, that does narrow it down a bit, doesn't it?"

  "Let me investigate here, and I’ll let you know what I find out. I wanted to ask you, though, is this the same Emma Ford of the Johns Hopkins debacle a while back?" I wasn't going to divulge that information unless I absolutely had to, but since she asked…

  "Yep, one in the same." I go on to give her the brief story behind that period of my life, and by the time we hang up, she promises to get to the bottom of who leaked the information. She's certain it won't take long to find out and advises me to be patient.

  Leaning back in my chair, I close my eyes in an attempt to relax, but only wind up running through the events of the past few weeks. I’ve messed things up … badly. I’ve lied to the woman I love and involved her friends as well as my parents. My ex-fiancé threatened Joy and my parents are moving to Seattle and opening up a new practice in my building. And now Emma has succeeded in ruining my relationship and wants to sink her claws into my hospital and my project.

  Laying my head down over my folded arms, I try to process it all. The first thing I need to do is gain Joy's trust back. Then I need to make sure that my hospital and my project are secure enough so there isn't a way Emma can weasel her way in. No matter what tactic she uses.

  After finishing at the ho
spital, I drive to the courthouse to get that protection order finalized. Once I have the Order in my hands, Emma has to stay one hundred feet away from me and can’t contact me in any way. I'm just surprised that Carol was willing to give up Emma's address easily enough so the Police can serve the order.

  ~.~

  It's been one hell of a week, and I still haven't heard from Joy. If I haven’t heard from her in another week, I plan to call her. Today, my parents and I are going to look at the building next door to the hospital. The owners accepted my offer, and if it passes inspection, the building is ours. Today, we meet with the inspector.

  While I'm in my home office, organizing my files and dictating notes from my recent surgery, my phone rings. My heart immediately thunders in my chest when I recognize her ringtone. In my haste to answer the slippery contraption, I knock the damn thing onto the floor, and then fumble with it like it's a hot potato. I can’t help but roll my eyes at myself at the comical scene.

  Her call is for the sole purpose of getting her things back that she left at my house.

  Explaining that I have an obligation this afternoon, we agree to meet at five-thirty. I consider cancelling the meeting with the building inspector, but I know how important this is to my parents, so I’ll have to meet her later in the day.

  I can barely contain myself and rush to the kitchen where I find my parents making lunch.

  "Joy called." They both snap around and look at me in anticipation. "I'm meeting her today at five-thirty, after we're done with the building inspector."

  "Oh, thank the Lord," Mom says, looking at the heavens. "I knew she would call."

  "Don't get your hopes up," I say with a hint of pessimism. "She only asked me to bring her things to her."

  "Well, it's a start, son," Dad adds affectionately, putting his arm around my shoulder. I nod in agreement and try to muster up a sincere smile. My gut is telling me not to get too excited.

  "Jessie said that Laura and Brian emailed her and received only short replies," I say, leaning against the counter to see what they’re making. "It will be a miracle if she forgives. I conspired behind her back — that's pretty much a deal breaker even for the most secure couples."

  "She loves you, Matthew," Mom says quietly. "She won't give up on you. I'm certain of it. Come, let’s eat so we can meet the inspector."

  After a quick lunch, we head to the new office and tour the building, floor by dirty floor. I'm glad I came in low on my offer, because this is going to require a lot of work, and work means money. After spending several hours there, I keep glancing at my watch, getting antsy out of fear of being late to meet Joy.

  "Go, Matthew. Your father and I can handle this. You don't want to be late. We'll let you know what the inspector says when you get home tonight." It doesn't take much persuading before I’m out the door and on my way to Joy's apartment.

  To say I have butterflies in my stomach is an understatement; I have anything with wings flying around in there. I've never been so nervous in my life.

  Pulling up to the curb in front of her building, I park on the street where I can see the café. I can see her table in the window and inwardly smile at the memory of our first meeting there. Retrieving her belongings from the trunk of my car, I run up the stairs leading to the inside security door. After I press the buzzer, I hear her sweet voice.

  "Yes?" she responds, her voice nearly quivering. Whether it’s from fear or anxiety, I haven’t a clue. I just know I don’t like it.

  After letting her know it's me, and she buzzes me in. The closer I get to her door, the more my nerves turn into a knotted mess in my stomach.

  I quietly knock and the door opens under the light pressure. Entering, I see her standing there, behind the protection of a chair.

  She looks tired, sad and beautiful.

  Walking to the kitchen counter to place her bag of belongings there, I find the dress, necklace and earrings I gave her as a gift. My body nearly shuts down on me.

  My heart shatters.

  I can't breathe.

  She's leaving me.

  Chapter 3

  After Matthew brings me my things from his house, I hibernate, doing nothing but working on the last book of the trilogy. He didn’t stay and we didn’t talk. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. I haven't seen or spoken to anyone since the ball, other than a few polite emails and texts from Laura and Brian. I’m not so hateful that I would ignore them. I just simply reply that I’m all right and leave it at that. I do know I’ll need to talk to them eventually.

  Waking up to the sun's warmth on my face, I roll onto my back, running my fingers through my hair, thinking about everything that has happened in my life over the past several months. Once again, I sort through Emma's derogatory comments. What she said about me being blind and how it affects Matthew, is all lies, I know that. I brush off the other comments about him and her having sex because that is also bullshit. What hurts the most is his betrayal.

  Determined not to wallow in self-pity any longer, I flip the blankets off me and get my day started. Dressing in a pair of black yoga pants and a long red sweater, I style my hair in a French braid and apply a small amount of blush and brush my teeth. As I walk out to the living room, I grab my book, wallet and keys and go out for a coffee.

  "Just like the good ol' days, eh boy?" I say, slipping Conrad’s harness over him and petting him. We make our way across the street to our old stomping ground … the Van Gogh Café.

  "Joy," Myra sings. "It's so good to see you again. It's been too long." It's been several months since I've been here, and it still has that familiar smell that I love.

  "The usual, sweetie?"

  "Yes, please. Thanks, Myra," I say appreciatively while placing my debit card on the counter.

  "The first one is on me, deal?"

  "Deal," I reply placing my card back in my wallet. "Myra, is my seat open?"

  "It sure is, hon," she replies. "Where's that handsome doctor of yours?"

  Not answering, I smile my thanks and take my coffee to my regular table, enjoying the familiarity of it all. There’s no stress, no one telling me what I can and can't do … just Conrad and me. Taking a sip of the steamy brew, I set it down, and open my book.

  After losing myself in the story, Conrad lets me know that he needs a break. I check the time, and I'm shocked that I've been here for over two hours. As soon as I pack up my things, I take Conrad outside to relieve himself. With a trip to the outdoor market on my to-do list, we head down to the square to stock up for the week. Peter and I have a new trilogy that needs done, so I plan to hole myself up in my office to begin working on it, and I don't want to have to go out.

  While checking out the tomatoes, I inadvertently bump into someone shopping next to me.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," I apologize, pulling Conrad alongside me.

  "Joy, it's me, Maddie. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

  "Um … hello, Maddie, I was … um … just … well, have a good afternoon." I stammer as I hurriedly walk to the cash register.

  "Joy?" I hear the deep baritone of his voice as he walks closer to me.

  "Hey, Brian," I say quietly. It really feels good hearing his voice again. I miss him and Laura very much.

  "I miss you, and I'm glad to see you out and about," he begins. "Laura and I were starting to get worried," he says, running his hand up and down my arm. I know he wants to hug me, but he's hesitant.

  "Yeah, well, I had a project to complete, so I took some time to get it done." I pretend to be busy with my shopping bag; hoping he won't say he's sorry. I don't think I can forgive him today.

  "I won't even try to explain myself, because you probably don't want to hear it. I just want you to know there's a reason why I did what I did. My actions hurt you, and I'm sorry for that. You've known me for a lot of years, and you know I would never intentionally hurt you. I'm not going to start now by choosing Matthew's feelings over yours. I just want you to know that, even in
this situation, I've always held your feelings over his. It's unfortunate you heard the wrong information from the wrong source."

  "You're right, Brian, I did hear it from the wrong source. There seems to be a lot of people that had the information with a lot of opportunities to tell me, but no one did. That part hurts. Emma meant this to be hurtful and vindictive. That's why I asked Matthew if it was true and it was. Emma didn't lie about that. All the people I love were in the room that night, and all of you knew about this … everyone but me of course. Do you know how humiliated I felt when Emma cornered me? All the god-awful things she said to me; hearing her make fun of my blindness. To know that all of you knew about it right along with her. Do you know how much it hurt that even she knew?" I can feel myself getting angrier, and as I'm turning to leave, Maddie speaks out.

  "Yes, Joy, we all knew but we also knew he had the date set in which he was going to tell you. He wanted you to have a pleasant holiday with him, your friends and his family. We all agreed not tell you, because we already knew he was going to. Had he not had a plan to tell you, mark my words, there would have been nothing to prevent Brian or Laura from telling you. But he was, Joy."

  I turn to leave, knowing they are behind me, waiting for me to say something. I just don't know what to say. I don't want to hear anyone's apologies.

  "I am an adult, Joy," Maddie starts again. "I know what's right and wrong. I feel the same as Brian. I love my brother, and I know you love him as well. That kind of love doesn't turn off with a switch. His heart is in the right place. His mistake was that he postponed in telling you. Somehow, that wicked bitch found out and decided to hurt you using that information. Matthew is beside himself over this. He's questioning everything. That isn't like him. He's so self-assured … but that changed in the blink of an eye. All I ask is that you at least let him explain, after all, you listened to Emma. Don't you think he deserves equal time?”

  "Joy, I hope you can forgive me. I miss you hanging out with my family," Maddie says firmly. "Brian, I need to get going. If you want to stay with Joy, I can pick you up later."