A few days later, Jamie was back at work. She was beyond exhausted at that point. Since her last run in with CC, she hadn't been able to sleep for more than a few hours. She wished that it were anger that was keeping sleep from claiming her tired body. It wasn't. Her mind and body were betraying her. She found herself lost in the thought of touching CC. The ache had been building steadily and she was fighting a losing battle to get past it. "Tonight," she tried to reassure herself as the ambulance doors swung open. "I'll get some sleep tonight."
"Talk to me," she commanded the EMT as she looked down at the frail teenage girl on the stretcher.
"Seventeen year old female," the EMT said hurriedly. He began to run off her vitals. Jamie could see the concern in the man's face as he spoke. "Drug overdose. We found these at the scene," the man explained as he handed her a vial of sleeping pills.
"Intentional?" Jamie continued as they wheeled the girl into one of the bays. "Okay people, on my count," she instructed the staff as they lifted the small girl onto the table.
"Yes," the EMT confirmed her earlier question. "She was on the phone with a crisis center. The counselor called it in."
"Can they do that?" one of the interns questioned.
"Yes," Jamie snapped. "Okay people, let's pump her stomach."
"Parents are on the way," the EMT added as he gathered up his things. "So’s the councilor. Off duty cop," he added before leaving.
Jamie was taken aback by the sadness in the older man's eyes. It was never easy when it was someone so young. She focused her energy on saving the girl. The monitors screamed out. "She's crashing," Jamie yelled out as they ripped open her clothing. "Tube her," she instructed her intern.
Jamie continued to work on the teenager long after life had slipped away from her. "Fuck," she growled finally, stripping off her latex gloves and tossing them on the floor. She pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting back the tears. Jamie knew that the girl had died only moments after she came in contact with her. Something inside of her just wouldn't let her go. Now she had to. Weakly she announced the time of death.
Jamie carefully pulled a sheet up to cover the tiny body. "I'll get her cleaned up," Evaline, one of the nurses, offered as she touched Jamie's arm lightly. Jamie nodded mutely, taking one last look at the girl she failed to save. She stripped off her gown and brushed back her errant blonde bangs, knowing that now she had to face the girl's parents, and in a clinical manner inform them that she had failed to save their child's life.
She stepped out of the room, grabbing the chart as she went. She signed off on the paperwork, taking a quick glance to note the girl's name and her parent's names. She handed the paperwork over to the desk clerk and noted that it was after three a.m. "I'm done for tonight," se muttered grimly. The clerk simply nodded in understanding. "Where are . . . " She stopped her inquiry, noting the resemblance to the girl, Susan. ". . .never mind. I see them."
As she approached them, she spotted a lone figure hiding in the corner. CC looked like she had been through hell and back. "Oh baby, why are you still doing this?" she murmured quietly. Jamie spoke carefully to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. They were shattered. She tried to be comforting as Susan’s mother screamed "Why?" Jamie watched CC out of the corner of her eye while she tried to comfort the grieving parents. She watched as the brunette was sucked into her own private hell.
CC had been five when her brother committed suicide. Jamie had heard the story of how the young girl had found him hanging in his bedroom. She knew that CC had been a volunteer for a teen crisis hotline back when they were dating. She’d always been proud of her for turning her own tragedy into something positive. At this moment, watching and knowing that it was CC who had been the one on the telephone was tearing Jamie apart.
Jamie was miffed that the Johnsons rebuffed her offer to provide them with phone numbers of councilors. They seemed to be blaming the crisis hotline for their daughter's suicide. Jamie tried to shake it off. They were in shock. She finished talking to them as she watched azure eyes filling with tears. CC wrapped her arms around herself as she stood there alone. Jamie called for a nurse to take the Johnsons to see their daughter.
After they left, she stood and ran after CC who had stormed out of the waiting room. It didn't take her long to find the woman outside, clinging to the brick wall as she wept. Jamie choked as she watched CC slump down on the ground. Jamie raced over. She knelt down and wrapped the distraught woman in her arms. CC curled up in her embrace and wept.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAMIE'S HEAD WAS pounding as she tried to open her eyes. The effort alone caused a searing pain to stab at her already muddled brain. Finally she managed to prop open one eyelid. The sight that emerged before her was startling and very pleasant. She blinked open her other eye. Then she blinked once again. Seeing that it wasn't a mirage, she stared intently at what she was using as a pillow. ‘Yep, that's a breast. A really nice breast,’ she said to herself as she snuggled closer. She closed her eyes, enjoying the comfortable warmth emanating from the naked body beneath her.
She was just about to drift back to sleep when reality came crashing down around her. Her eyes flew open as she bolted up into a sitting position. "Oh God," she groaned as her head pounded violently. Feeling the chill of the morning air, she looked down to find herself completely naked. "Oh God," she repeated as she wrapped the sheet around her.
As she pulled the sheet around herself, she managed to reveal the naked body she’d been resting on. "Oh God," she said again, only this time her voice was filled with desire. CC groaned from beneath her. "Please stop saying that," the brunette pleaded as she placed a pillow over her head. "What the hell am I doing in bed with you?" Jamie shouted, which only increased the pounding from her hangover. She winced in pain, swaying for a moment, and feeling slightly nauseous. Something caught her eye. "When did this happen?" she inquired as her fingers began to trace a soothing pattern over the scars on CC's abdomen. CC reached out to clasp her hand while still hiding her face under the pillow.
Jamie pulled her fingers back as if she had been burned. "Never mind," she berated herself. "Let's get back to the first question. Why are we in bed together?"
CC threw the pillow off her face and stared up at Jamie who was straddling her. Jamie realized her position and bolted from the bed. Her emerald eyes widened at the sight of CC's magnificent body. Before she could surrender to the primal urges coursing through her, she tossed the sheet onto CC, successfully covering the temptation but not diminishing her desire.
"I can't believe you," Jamie snarled as her head spun.
"What?" CC gasped as she pushed up to her elbows.
Jamie looked around frantically for her clothing. "You got me drunk and took advantage of me," Jamie accused her, sensing that it wasn't the truth.
"I what?" CC stammered.
"Didn't you?" Jamie asked weakly as some the events of the past evening began to rear their ugly head.
"No," CC protested. "In fact I tried to slow things down."
"It doesn't matter," Jamie reasoned. "Where are my clothes? And where the hell am I?"
"I think you threw your clothes over there," CC informed her. "And you’re at my place."
Jamie stumbled to the far end of the bedroom to find hers and CC’s clothing strewn all over the place. As she bent over to retrieve her pants, she noticed several well-placed hickeys on her body. "What are you? Part vampire?" Jamie grumbled as she tugged on her pants.
"You started it," CC purred playfully. "Do you want to see mine?"
Jamie was furious at CC's taunting. "No," she growled in response. "I just want to get out of here," she fumed as she tugged on her shirt and jacket. She was far too flustered to search for her underwear.
"Stay?" CC implored her.
"Not a chance," Jamie flared, as she hopped up and down in an effort to put her shoes on.
"We need to talk," CC offered gently.
"No, we don't," Jamie argued before something occurred to her. "You said t
hat last night," she mumbled.
"Yes, I did." CC sighed deeply. "Right before you tore my clothes off."
"It was a mistake," Jamie blurted out as she stumbled to the door. She threw it open and then slammed it behind her. The sound of a baby crying pierced through her head. She turned to see a brunette woman standing in the living room holding a screaming infant. "She has a wife and kids," she muttered.
"Who does?" The woman looked at her in confusion as she tried to comfort her child. "Rough night, James?" The woman smirked.
Jamie's jaw dropped in realization. "Stevie?" Jamie stammered. "Little Stevie?" she babbled. As she looked past the woman out the picture window, another realization struck her.
"Something wrong?" Stevie inquired.
"I live here," she stammered as she stared out at her parking lot. "I live next door." She felt sick.
"Jamie?" CC's voice beckoned from behind her.
Jamie turned to find CC clad in an old pair of sweatpants and a rumpled T-shirt. "I need to go," she muttered absently before she turned away and walked out the front door.
CHAPTER NINE
CC RUBBED HER throbbing temples as she stared at the door. "Want to talk about it?" Stevie offered in a sweet tempered tone. CC turned a weary bloodshot gaze on her younger sister who was holding her daughter. "No," she answered, the heartbreak evident in her voice. She could feel her bottom lip start to tremble. "Yes," she whimpered as she walked over and removed her fussing niece from Stevie's arms. "First, just let me hold the peanut."
CC held her niece tightly, taking in the sweet scent of the infant's hair. It was the only thing that would bring her peace at the moment. "Don't ever grow up on me, Peanut," she cooed to child who was clinging to her, seeming to understand her pain. "Is she okay?" CC asked as the child clutched at her tightly. "She feels a little warm."
"I've called her doctor," Stevie explained. "I'm sure it's nothing." Stevie's tone wasn't very convincing.
"What did the doctor say?" CC asked hurriedly.
"I didn't get him," Stevie continued. "I left a message with his service. I'm just waiting for a call back. I checked her temperature; she's not running a fever."
CC looked over at her sister who seemed more than a little concerned. CC sensed that Stevie would feel better if she was holding the child. Reluctantly she handed the infant back. "So," Stevie began slowly, relaxing a little when her daughter was nestled in her arms. "While we’re waiting for Dr. Damarcus to call, why don't you fill me in?"
"Last night I was working the hotline." CC swallowed the bile that was creeping up. "There was this teenage girl, Susan. She sounded odd when she called. I suspected something right away. Her tone was so flat and unfeeling."
"Oh God," Stevie choked out.
"She was having problems dealing with her feelings towards other girls," CC continued as the tears began to well up in her eyes. "I talked to her. Everything by the book, you know. But I just knew that she’d done something. It seemed like an eternity before she admitted that she just wanted to stop hurting. Then she told me about the pills. I kept calm. I kept her talking, got her to tell me where she was. I kept her talking while I wait for the ambulance to reach her. I wasn't on the phone with her that long but it seemed like forever. After the EMT's reached her, I rushed off to the hospital." CC looked over to see her sister holding her breath. "She didn't make it, Stevie," CC choked out.
"I'm so sorry, Caitlin," Stevie said in a soothing tone. "Do you want to talk about it? It must have reminded you of Donny," Stevie offered, referring to the brother she had never known. "You need to talk to someone," she encouraged.
CC brushed away the tears and smiled a shy smile. "I did," she said as she blinked rapidly, the blush creeping across her body. "Jamie was her doctor. I ran outside and collapsed when I realized that Susan was dead. Jamie came to me. We ended up going to the bar across the street from the hospital. It was hard for her as well to lose a patient that young. We talked and talked about it. Not about us or the past, just about the senselessness of it and the waste of a young life. Unfortunately, while we talked we also drank. Margaritas," CC added with a grimace as the pain of her hangover shot through her.
"Ooops." Stevie snorted. CC knew that her sister was holding back laughter.
"No kidding." CC rolled her eyes. "At closing time we stepped outside, agreeing that neither of us should drive. I hailed a cab and I turned to her to ask if she wanted to share the ride. Next thing I knew we were making out."
"Uh huh." Stevie smirked at her.
"I tried to put a stop to things," CC explained. "But we just kept kissing and touching. The next thing I knew we were in the taxi. I gave the driver our address. Well, you can figure out what happened." CC folded her arms across her body, feeling the aches and pains coursing through her.
"Well, it is how we got Emma." Stevie laughed loudly as her daughter drifted off to sleep. "Let me guess. Jamie wasn’t happy when she woke up next to you?"
"Happy?" CC groaned. "She was bordering on violent. Face it. I'm not the woman of her dreams; I'm more like the woman of her nightmares."
"Go talk to her," Stevie instructed her sternly.
"Have you lost what's left of your mind?" CC asked in a horrified tone. "She hates me."
"No, she doesn't," Stevie argued. "She's next door. Go talk to her."
"Next door?" CC said as she shook her head in confusion.
"Our new neighbor," Stevie explained. "The one we haven't met. Go to her. It's time for the two of you to bury the hatchet."
"I just afraid she'll want to bury it in my skull," CC responded sincerely.
"Stop being a coward," Stevie flared at her harshly. "Go and talk to her. If she stays angry with you, then you haven't lost anything. If she understands, then maybe the two of you can save your friendship. Go!" Stevie shouted, sending a sharp jolt through CC's throbbing head. Emma stirred slightly.
"What about Emma?" CC protested.
"I'll come get you when the doctor calls," Stevie growled.
CC knew she was fighting a losing battle yet she wasn't ready to concede just yet. Stevie's eyes burned into her. She felt her resolve crumbling. Without bothering to put on a coat or shoes, she stepped outside. She shivered from the cold. She was just about to retreat back inside her own home when she heard the lock being bolted behind her.
CHAPTER TEN
JAMIE ALLOWED THE water to rush over her body. The hot water and steam from the shower were helping her painful physical state. She leaned against the tile wall. The events of last night were finally creeping back to her. They had talked like old friends, only they weren't. Tequila had been a poor choice. But she knew she needed it, and she needed to be there for CC. Unless you saw the horrible things that they saw on a daily basis, you wouldn't understand the pain or the need to reach out to someone to feel alive again. Then the bar closed and it was time to leave. Jamie knew she was in no condition to drive and neither was her companion.
She was relieved and disappointed when CC raised her arm to hail a taxi. She had been fighting the tingling sensation pulsating through her body all evening. She reasoned that it was the alcohol making her notice the intoxicating scent of her former lover. Reason decided to abandon her when their eyes met just as a taxi pulled up in front of them. They moved together as if drawn by some unseen force. Their lips met instantly. The kiss lacked any shyness or hesitation. They simply exploded into a fiery passion. Standing in the shower, Jamie's hand absently felt her still swollen lips as she recalled the raw aching need that had coursed through her the night before.
Jamie’s stomach clenched as the memories flooded her senses. The kiss had deepened and she found herself sucking on CC's tongue. All she wanted at that moment was to take this woman to bed to fulfill all of her carnal desires. She cupped CC's backside, pulling her closer to her. The cab driver squawked. Jamie pulled away from the warmth of the taller woman's body, yanked the door open, and started to push CC inside the taxi. "We should talk," CC protested
as Jamie followed her inside.
"No," Jamie argued, the effects of the tequila clouding her thoughts. She closed the door and pressed her smaller body into CC's. "Jamie . . . we need to talk." CC gasped as Jamie kissed her neck, sucked on her pulse point, and slid her hands across CC's chest. She pushed the taller woman back and straddled her. As she teased CC's nipples through the material of her shirt, she reclaimed her lips.
She plunged her tongue into the warmth of CC's mouth as her hands fumbled, slightly uncoordinated from the alcohol. CC moaned into her mouth as her body arched. "Still want to talk?" Jamie recalled herself whispering hotly just before dipping her tongue into CC's ear.
"No," CC panted unsteadily as Jamie continued to press her body into CC's.
As her mouth and tongue continued their assault on CC's ear and neck, she could hear CC give the driver her address. "Why didn’t I get it then?" she berated herself. "Because I was loaded." She groaned in realization. Jamie didn't make a habit of drinking like she had the previous evening. She recalled how the two of them wrestled passionately in the back of the taxi and how she had drifted in and out of the present. Images of their first and last time together flooded her mind.
The memories, the taste of CC's body, and the tequila all mixed together to fuel her passion. Somehow she had managed to unbutton and unzip the leggy brunette's blue jeans. She only halted her movements when CC suggested that they slow down. She managed to climb off of CC and they both sat up. She nestled herself in CC's arms. Even in her drunken state, she knew how right it felt to have this woman hold her.
CC kissed the top of her head. Soon they found themselves kissing again. This time they took their time to explore. They shared slow gentle kisses as their tongues danced together. There was a wonderful tenderness to their kisses as they snuggled. Jamie must have drifted off during the cab ride. She could only recall the warmth of CC's body as she nestled against her.
The Brass Ring Page 5