"Yeppers. Later, Laura-girl. See you around six thirty," he says, before getting a wet kiss from her.
"See you later, Joy," Jess calls to her from the door.
"I'll call you tonight," I say, bending for another chaste kiss. Her lips are warm and swollen, and I smile as I walk toward the door.
"So, you two good?" Jessie asks.
"As good as can be expected, I guess. We have a lot to discuss and I have even more to think about."
"Yeah, you do, but you'll work it out. I'm certain you will," he says as we both run through the intersection and out of the way of oncoming traffic.
"She was crying because I wasn't talking to her," I explain.
"Laura says that she’s just as confused and is afraid of losing you." He looks over at me. "I think you need to get her back in your bed, dude. Laura says she misses being close to you."
"Do you think so? I wouldn't mind that … at all," I say, mostly to myself while lost in my thoughts. Thinking about Joy beneath me again sends goose bumps over my body.
"Yeah, it may be a good idea to just fuck each other’s brains out before you even begin your talk."
"Not to disrespect Joy, but I sure could use a long night alone with her."
"Hey, you aren't disrespecting her. You love her, and you haven't been intimate with her for a while now … you miss her. I totally understand that. When Laura and I were having our trouble, I missed her something fierce."
"Shit, Jess, I've been so wrapped up in my own problems, I haven't even asked how it's going with her. You just always seem happy, so I never thought to ask," I say as we walk toward the office building.
"It's better than good. She is perfect in every way, she’s so easy going which makes her so damned easy to love and we never fight. I'm … I'm thinking about asking her to move in with me," he says, shyly. I catch him looking at me out the corner of his eye.
"That's great. I know you wouldn't ask her if you didn't feel it was right," I say, smacking his shoulder.
"I just hate being without her. I hate when she has to get up and go home after we’ve had an awesome time in bed. That girl hasn’t even brought a toothbrush over to hint that she’s spending the night. I mean, she'll stay if I ask her to, but if I don't, she won't. There’s never an assumption." I grin, as his tone turns all soft and full of love when he talks about her.
"I'm really happy for you, Jess. She must be a good girl to have snared Dr. Montgomery," I say, nudging his shoulder as we walk toward the door of the building. I hear a familiar clicking of high heels come rushing toward me. Turning, I see Emma and another man with a camera follow behind her.
"There is a Protective Order for you to stay away from me,” I say immediately, pointing at her to stop. “Jessie, call the police," I yell over my shoulder.
"Matthew, all I want is for you to give me my notes to the procedure we developed together. Just give them to me, and we will call it even." My jaw literally drops open with shock. I’m shocked and appalled that she’s saying this. All the while, the camera is rolling and filming.
"You had no part in any of this, and you know it," I yell at her.
"You told me that if I had sex with you, you would let me help you, and that you would make me rich. You took advantage of me, and now I want what you promised. I sat up night after night helping you with the research, Mattie, and you know it.” I turn to leave but she persists with her charade. “Please, don't run away. We can do this together. Remember the words you said while you had me tied to our bed … stick with me baby, I'll make you famous?"
That stops me in my tracks. I’m dumbstruck. I'm literally speechless. As soon as the sound of siren's get closer, she and her cameraman hop into a car and speed off, leaving me to deal with the police.
It takes thirty minutes for the officer to record Jessie and my statements. After they leave, we both just stare at each other.
"Fuck, dude," is all he says. "That bitch is spooky dangerous."
"I need to call Timothy."
"Like right now!" he says, taking me by my arm and guiding me through the doors.
"Dr. Davis, sir?" I look up at Eugene, not really in the mood to talk to anyone, walking past him to the elevators. "Dr. Davis, I videotaped what happened out there, if you ever need it," he says, turning away to take his seat behind the security desk.
"You did?" I ask, my eyes wide with surprise.
He nods, reaching under his desk to pull out the camera he used.
"I learned a long time ago, it's always handy to have a camera around when you are faced with a 'he says, she says' situation, and this seemed like one of those." I smile.
"Thanks, Eugene. That's great! Can you send it to me?"
“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”
Jessie and I sequester ourselves in my office to phone Timothy. I hate to call him over the holiday, but he did say to call his cell if I needed to, I just didn't want to. Once we get him on the phone and tell him what Emma has done, he advises me to start compiling my educational background and research. There’s no telling what kind of damage she’ll cause If she puts this out to the media before we get a chance to quash it, and I will be forced to prove she’s wrong. It's unfortunate, but true nonetheless.
"Wow, Matthew, that bitch has balls the size of coconuts. Probably just as hairy, too." We both burst out laughing at the mental image.
I send Krista an email asking her to make several copies of my CV folder that contains my education, accolades, and research histories. Just in case someone intends to investigate me, I want to have it ready. I'm certain the AMA has it all as well. That woman is making my life miserable, and I'm going to put an end to it.
"Okay, I've got to see the patient that was brought in yesterday. Poor little guy took a shot to the head a while back and is not recovering well. His parents brought him to me because he’s having severe headaches," Jessie says, rising and heading toward the door.
"All right. I'll talk to you later, then?"
Turning back to my computer, I log into the Washington State Medical Association membership website to begin the process of filing an ethical complaint against Dr. Emma Ford. After I research the site to find her I.D. number, I find that she doesn’t even have a license to practice in this state. Surprised, I dig a little deeper, and log onto the American Medical Association to see where she does have a license to practice. After meeting a dead end everywhere I search, it turns out that Ms. Ford has had her license suspended for unethical practices unbecoming a professional. Emma can’t practice medicine anywhere in the country right now. I sit back in my chair and after taking a deep breath, I burst out laughing.
“She’s desperate,” I say to myself.
Sitting up, I reach for my phone. "Krista, will you get Carol on the phone for me?"
"What?" she says so loud I can hear her through the closed door as well as the phone.
"If you want to come in with the phone number, I'll explain." Not ten seconds later, Krista is barging through the door with the phone number, plops herself down in the desk chair across from me, and hands me the piece of paper. Picking up my phone, I dial the number.
"Hello," Carol's recognizable voice answers sounding like Demi Moore.
"Carol, it's Dr. Davis."
"Dr. Davis? Wh … why are you calling? I haven't done anything," she says, defensively.
"I’m not calling to accuse you of anything, Carol. I need your help."
"What? Why?" she asks, clearly perplexed by my call.
"First, I need to know if you’re willing to help your previous employer. Out of restitution, if you will," I explain.
"Go on," she says, sounding overly cautious.
"I need some information. Emma’s moved from the hotel and I need to talk to her. The only time I see her is when she sneaks up on me, and then she disappears just as quickly."
"Um," she says, hesitantly.
"Are you willing to help me?"
"I guess, but it all depends—"
&
nbsp; "On what I can do for you?" Of course it does. "How about I offer you a glowing reference letter in exchange for the information I need? You know that letter will get you into a lot of doors, right?"
"Yes, it would. I haven't been able to find a job anywhere," she says, letting out a huge sigh. "Okay, if I tell you, can I come and pick the letter up today?"
"I will have Krista type it up as soon as we get off the phone," I answer, looking at my assistant. I'm afraid if she rolls her eyes back any further, they'd get stuck that way.
"Okay, she's only in town for a few more weeks. I know she's working on something, but I don't know what. When I told her that you fired me, she was really pissed off."
Carol volunteers more information than I had hoped for, but I'm not going to stop her for over-sharing. "She's staying at my uncle's house on Bainbridge. Let me dig the address out of my address book, hang on one second."
I take my pen, poising it over my notes containing additional information on Emma. I take down the address, placing it next to the address of the hotel she was staying at when they served the Order on her.
"Dr. Davis, I'm sorry about everything. I had no idea she was up to all of that. I didn't know Emma intended to hurt Joy. She just said she wanted to talk to her about your procedure since you were going to perform it on her this year," she apologizes.
"Then why is there a picture of you in the newspaper taking a picture of Joy, laughing at her, while she was searching for her handbag?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"I saw the newspaper where you were snapping a picture with your cell phone, Carol. You were laughing at Joy while she was on the floor looking for her purse," I remind her rather harshly.
"No I wasn't! I was taking a picture of the woman in front of me who had her skirt tucked inside her girdle. Lord, who wears a girdle these days?" It's my turn to roll my eyes, and I snicker at the visual in my mind's eye.
"It sure looked like it, Carol. All right, are you certain Emma’s at that address?" I ask, confirming her story.
"Oh, yes. I know she's there today because she is getting her hair colored. For some reason, she wants to go from blonde to brunette. She's also getting extensions, so that will take most of the afternoon."
Good Lord, a disguise?
"All right, well, thank you, Carol, for what it's worth … I appreciate your help. Krista will have the letter down at Eugene’s desk for you after three o'clock."
"Thank you, Dr. Davis. That means a lot to me, and I'm really sorry for my behavior at the ball. It was poor judgment on my part. I've had a lot of time to think about things, and I wanted the opportunity to tell you how sorry am. If you need anything else, just let me know. I'll be happy to help any way I can."
"Thank you, Carol. Good-bye." I hang up the phone then chance a look at Krista.
"Oh, she's kissing my ass, it's sickening. ‘I’m so sorry, Dr. Davis. I won't ever do it again, Dr. Davis. I disrespected you, Dr. Davis," I say in a poor excuse for a female voice. It's so poor that I start to cough.
"I can't believe you even called her. Did she give you good information?" she asked, sitting up and putting her elbows on my desk.
"You bet she did. Emma’s getting her hair colored and is getting extensions. She's changing her appearance." Then it hit me. I jump up to get my suit coat, and dig for the card the police officer gave me. He said that if I find out where she is, he'd pay her a visit. I quickly pick up the phone and dial the number.
"Detective Berkley here."
"Yes, sir, Detective Berkley. This is Dr. Davis ... we spoke this morning about Ms. Ford violating the Protective Order, and you advised me to call you if I could find her whereabouts?"
"Yes, Dr. Davis, I remember. Did you find her?" he asks.
"Yes, sir, I did. She's on Bainbridge Island, not too far from a residence I have there. I believe she also paid a visit to my home around three weeks ago, and my girlfriend's dog scared her off," I explain. "I have it on good authority that she’s in the process of changing her appearance as we speak. She’s going from a blonde with shoulder-length hair to a brunette with long extensions down her back."
"Is that right?" he asks, curiously.
"Yes. I'm concerned that she's unstable. She's acting irrationally, and I'm concerned about my family, who is staying at my home while they make a move from Chicago. I'm also concerned for my girlfriend, Joy Johnson. You see, Joy is blind, and my mother, Dr. Lillian Davis, observed Ms. Ford parked in front of Ms. Johnson’s apartment."
"All right, Dr. Davis. I'll get someone over there as soon as possible to bring her in for violating the order. You do know she will most likely be out in only a few short hours, don’t you? If you are concerned, you might want to advise Ms. Johnson to be aware, since she’s impaired."
"Yes, sir, I will. Thank you. So, you are going to arrest her today?"
"Yes. I'll get the warrant started right away. It’ll take a few hours, but I will have someone watch her house since she’ll be in disguise." I breathe a sigh, thank the officer, and hang up.
"Matthew, you are white as a sheet," Krista says, looking at me with wide eyes. "It's Joy, isn't it?" I nod.
"I think Emma is disguising herself to hide from the police. She knows she's in violation of the restraining order, and I think she's changing her appearance to go undetected." I stare out the window and contemplate what Detective Berkley said.
"Krista, I need to—"
"You go. I will have your appointments covered this week," she says getting up and walking toward the door. "I'll get that letter done and down to Eugene and then move your appointments. I’ll submit a request for a raise to H.R. as well." She laughs as she closes the door behind her. I chuckle in return as I pick up the phone.
"Hello, Matthew. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon," she says in her sweet voice.
"Well, something has come up. I don't want to frighten you, but I vowed never to keep anything from you again. The police are arresting Emma this afternoon for violating the restraining order. When Jessie and I got back from the café, Emma appeared accusing me of taking advantage of her and basically stealing her idea for my procedure. I called the police, and they will arrest her. Joy, there’s something else. I didn't tell you this because I didn't want to frighten you, but my mother caught Emma sitting in front of your apartment a few weeks ago. Remember the day you and she were to have lunch at Pike's, and my dad and I took you instead?" I ask, my question trailing off in its meaning.
"Yes," she answers with a shaky voice.
"I want us to leave for Whidbey today. Can you be ready within an hour?"
"Um…"
"Do you need help? Can Laura or Maddie come to help you?" I ask in order to get her out of there as soon as possible.
"No. No, I can do it," she says, sounding frightened.
"I don't mean to scare you, but I'm just in a hurry since she'll be arrested shortly, and I don't want to risk her slipping past the cops in her new disguise. I don't know what she might do next. Probably nothing, but I don't want to take any chances. I’ll explain more in the car, but I would feel much better if I knew you were safe with me, all right?"
"All right."
"And don't open that door to anyone but me, do you hear me?"
"Yes, Matthew. No one but you."
CHAPTER SEVEN
I smile over at my passenger as she makes herself comfortable before we head to Whidbey Island. It's a relatively short drive, but it's far enough away from the city to offer seclusion.
"You ready?" I ask, bringing her hand to my lips and kissing it.
"Yes," she replies, smiling in my direction.
"Good, let's go." Releasing her hand, I put the car into drive, and pull away from the curb.
"Do you know what Emma wants with me?" she asks, breaking the comfortable silence inside the car.
"No, not specifically. I'm piecing things together little by little, though. I learned that she’s not licensed to practice in Washington, al
though she's trying to blackmail her way into a position at the hospital. I believe she's using you as an intimidation tool." I glance over at her and take her hand in mine again. "I'm so sorry you’re caught up in all of this, Joy. I had no idea what she was planning. I will keep you safe though. You can count on that."
"I know you will," she acknowledges softly. "Do you think she's unstable? I mean, do you think she needs professional help?"
"Oh, yes. Most definitely," I answer before falling into silence again. Forty-five minutes later, we are in line for the ferry.
"Okay, we're at the ferry. It's only a short wait, and then we’ll be on our way."
An hour later, we’re walking through the front door of the cabin and I leave Joy alone to get familiar with her surroundings. Meanwhile, I let Conrad out of his kennel and bring in our bags and supplies.
The cabin is nestled in a small grove of fir, maple and cedar trees that makes it barely discernable from the main drive. The structure is small with large log columns supporting a porch that wraps around all sides.
"I've put your bag in the guest room. Let me show you where it is," I say, taking her hand and placing it on my forearm.
"Matthew?" I stop, looking down at her. "I don't want to sleep in the guest room. I want to be where you are." My heart skips a few beats hearing her say this.
"Joy, I would love nothing more, but I'm not—"
"I want to be where you are," she quietly repeats herself. I turn her to face me, holding her upper arms.
"I need you to be sure, because I don’t think I can let you go if …" I can't say it. I don't want to verbalize the fact that we could possibly walk out of this house never to see each other again.
Resting my chin on the top of her head, I close my eyes feeling the familiarity of her arms wrapping around my waist and her face pressed against my chest.
"Okay, baby, let's get you moved into my room," I say, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.
I sneak a glance at my watch and see it's nearly on two o'clock. "We need to get some groceries in the cabin since I didn't have a chance to get Rebecca to do it for us. Let's go shopping, shall we?"
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