Song of the Blackbird (Albatross Prison #1)

by DB Michaels

  “Don’t cry, darling. It was only a dream.” He kissed the top of her head. “I wish I can make it better for you somehow.”

  “Darling?” She pulled back, her green eyes still shimmering with tears.

  “I mean…” Maxim swallowed. Damn. Had he revealed his feelings so easily? “It was just an expression. You needed some TLC.”

  “So you didn’t mean anything by it?” she whispered, those gorgeous eyes burning into him.

  “No. Of course not.” He stood to get some breathing space. Who was he trying to kid? Might as well admit it to himself. He loved her. She was everything good in this world. Beautiful, kind, courageous. How could his heart withstand such an onslaught? But she was too good for him. No need to burden her with his feelings when he knew they couldn’t be returned. And even if by some miracle she did return them, he wasn’t the right man for her. He was still the warden. He couldn’t get involved with an employee, no matter what his heart and soul longed for.

  “I see.” Emma stood up slowly and grabbed a Kleenex from the tissue box on her nightstand. She blew her nose and gave him a wobbly smile. “That’s too bad.”

  “Too bad?” Maxim’s breath hitched.

  “Yes. Because for a moment there, I thought...” She swallowed and looked away from him. “I thought…never mind. Let’s not talk about it.”

  “No. Tell me. What did you think?” His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest.

  “I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world,” she said, her voice barely audible.

  “Luckiest?” He put both hands on her shoulders and took in a deep breath. Dear God, what exquisite torture was this? Could she possibly mean what he thought she meant?

  “I thought you said it because…because you cared about me.” She gave him a wistful smile.

  “Oh, Emma. I do. You don’t know what you do to me.” He cupped her beautiful face between his hands and inhaled the scent of fresh clean soap. God. Was there any sexier smell in the world? He bent his head and kissed away every single tearstain. Her skin was as smooth as velvet. She tasted salty and incredibly sweet too.

  “What do I do to you?” she breathed out as her lips parted in a sigh.

  “Everything.” He hugged her fiercely to himself, afraid to let the moment go, afraid she’d slip away from him somehow.

  “Oh Maxim, I never knew.” She rested her head against his heart. “I take it the darling still stands?”

  “Yes.” He pulled back though, remembering her words that night. “Are you sure this is what you want? Last week you said you’d never be interested in me.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” She bit her lip. “Sorry. I kind of exaggerated back then.”

  “So you didn’t mean it? All this time I thought you hated me.”

  “I’m so sorry, Maxim.” She squeezed his hand. “I thought you didn’t like the kiss. That you only did it to shut me up.”

  “Are you kidding me? That kiss kept me awake for days.” Was he dreaming? Had the concussion gone to his head? But no, there she was gazing up at him, her eyes full of tenderness.

  He’d been longing to do it for days. And here she was offering herself so freely. He leaned down. Her lips were soft, yielding, and tasted even more heavenly than he remembered. She came closer and wound her hands tight around his neck, opening her mouth for him. He caressed the velvety skin of her waist and brought his hand up underneath her shirt, gliding over the smooth, sweet contour of her back. Dear God, she was so passionate, trembling at his every touch. Her tongue tentatively touched his, and a bolt of fire lanced through his body. He grabbed her waist and yanked her closer. She moaned and tugged at his hair.

  “Ow!” A tearing pain shot through his scalp.

  “What is it?” Emma sprang apart from him, her eyes wide with anxiety. “It’s your laceration, isn’t it? Did I split it open?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  He touched his head but Emma was way ahead of him, already there inspecting the wound.

  “The staples are still intact.” She dabbed at the cut. “No bleeding. I think you’ll be okay.”

  “Good.” Maxim tried to pull her into his arms again but she pushed back, her eyes still worried.

  “We shouldn’t do this. Your head’s still hurt.”

  “It’s fine. It only hurt when you pulled at my hair.”

  “I know.” She turned away and opened a kitchen drawer. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Let me do a quick neuro check.”

  “Emma.” He felt like laughing. “I’ve never felt better. Although my mind is kind of foggy.”

  “Really?” She grasped the flashlight from the drawer and shined it into his eyes. “Are you dizzy again?”

  “I’m always foggy around you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, wrapping his hands around her tiny waist. “I can’t think straight when you’re close.”

  She laughed and kissed him back, her small arms encircling his neck. Maxim’s heart soared. For some miraculous reason, Emma was interested in him. Him. Maxim Chambers, big barbarian and all. He didn’t deserve her but he was too damned selfish to give her up now that he knew she cared about him. She felt so right in his arms. He deepened the kiss, tugging her up against him.

  Suddenly the cursed phone rang. Emma pulled back, her eyes still hazy with desire. “I have to get that,” she said. “I’m on call tonight.”

  “On call?” he asked, like a bumbling fool.

  “Yes. Remember? That’s why we’re at my place. I’m the physician on tonight.” She reached for her purse on the counter and pulled out her cell. “It’s the Urgent Care.”

  Damn. Damn. Damn. How could he have forgotten for a minute about the prison? Maxim dug a hand through his hair, a sinking feeling growing in his chest. She worked for him. He was the warden. How were they going to make it work? It was going to be hard, but they had to keep their relationship a secret. That was all there was to it. They could do it; they had to. He couldn’t imagine giving her up, selfish beast that he was.

  Emma hung up the phone, her face pale. “I have to go.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed. “I mean, no. A patient has chest pain and I have to come in to see him.”

  “All right. I’ll drive you. We can talk along the way.”

  “No. Just stay here and get some rest, Maxim.” Her smile was strained. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “It’s midnight, Emma.” He located his overnight bag behind the sofa and pulled out clean slacks and a dress shirt. “I’m not letting you go there alone. It’s too dangerous.”

  “We can’t show up together in the middle of the night.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “People are going to assume things.”

  “I show up at night all the time. Just to check things out.” He shrugged. “They don’t have to know we came together.”

  “Maxim, come on. I really can take care of this on my own.”

  “I know you can.” He cupped her face with his hand. “But I want to make sure you’re safe. I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not.”

  “You’re never going to let me go alone, are you?” She leaned her cheek into the curve of his hand.

  How trusting she was. He felt like a million bucks. “No. Get used to it. You’re stuck with me for now.”

  A few minutes later, they were both changed and sitting in her tiny car. The night was chilly, so Emma cranked up the heat but the damned thing barely worked. She didn’t seem to mind though, her eyes focused on the road. For some reason, the closer they got to the prison, the more anxious she became, her hands clenched tight on the steering wheel.

  “Is something wrong?” She stiffened at his touch. “Emma, what is it? Are you worried about what happened back there?” Was she already having doubts about them? He had to reassure her somehow.

  “Yeah. I’m a little worried.” Her shadowed eyes met his across the seats. “What happened was a little crazy, don’t you think?”
>
  “A little.” He smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “But I think we should give it a chance.”

  “I wish you weren’t the warden,” she said, her voice small. “I wish we were just plain Maxim and Emma, two strangers who met on the street.”

  “Well, we can pretend to be, when we’re not at work.” If only he could tell her how much she already meant to him. But it was too early for that.

  “Maybe we got carried away.” She bit her lip. “Should we forget what happened?”

  “Is that what you want?” How could she sound so calm when his heart was thumping out of his chest? To his dying day, he would never forget what happened. Could never forget her.

  “I don’t know. It’s so complicated.” She exited the freeway and turned right into Fourth Street before glancing back at him. “How about you? What do you want?”

  You. And only you. “I think we should date but keep it strictly out of the workplace,” he said, trying to sound casual.

  “Do you think that’ll work?” Her voice was skeptical.

  “I think it’s worth a try.”

  After a few minutes of silence, she finally rescued him from the torture.

  “Alright.” She gave him a tentative smile and he could finally breathe again. “Let’s give it a chance. But I don’t want you hovering around me at work, Maxim. You can’t interfere with how I see patients.”

  “Sure, as long as you have Gonzalez with you.”

  “Okay.” Her eyebrows drew together. “Speaking of Gonzalez, how could you replace Smith so easily? He was a good guard.”

  “His brother was an inmate. He needed to go.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yes. It’s strict policy.”

  “And if you kept him here, what would happen?”

  “I’d get fired or at the minimum be in serious trouble.” Why the hell were they talking about Smith? He wanted to focus on them, not on some guard. But Emma seemed determined to pursue the subject.

  “What if Smith never told you about his brother? Could he have stayed?”

  “No. We would have found out one way or another.” They were only a few minutes from the prison now. Hopefully, the chest pain patient would be taken care of fast. It was getting late and they both needed to catch more sleep.

  “What if you never found out?”

  “You mean about the brother?” He frowned. “Don’t you remember orientation? If Smith knows and doesn’t tell us, he’s in violation of the rules. He could get fired, too.”

  “Oh.” Emma finally left off with the questions, but she looked more nervous for some reason.

  “Don’t worry. Smith called and said he’s doing fine at RJD.” It was just like Emma to be worried about the guard.

  “That’s good.” She pulled into the parking lot, still looking a little forlorn.

  Maybe she was tired. She’d barely slept earlier. He hoped they could leave soon.

  “So who’s this patient you’re seeing? Is it going to take a long time?” Maxim asked.

  “I hope not.” Emma looked across at him, her eyes shadowed. “It’s Morris, my porter. He’s the one with the chest pain.”

  Chapter 26

  Emma’s heart thudded against her chest as Maxim drove them in his golf cart down to the Urgent Care. He was silent, looming like a solid mountain beside her. She longed to throw herself into his arms, to recapture the magic they’d shared back at her studio. Before the fatal phone call.

  Sam. She should focus only on Sam. She dared not think of Maxim’s kisses, his sweet words. She still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. One minute she was crying and the next he was cradling her, kissing her, calling her his darling. Of course her heart had melted. He’d been everything she could have wished for. Patient, kind, loving. How she longed to tell him that Sam was her brother, to not have any secrets between them but look what had happened to Smith.

  No, she couldn’t risk being separated from her brother. Sam needed her. Charles had called from the Urgent Care, reporting that her brother had had a panic attack with crushing chest pain. Thank God he’d been the psychiatrist on call and had called her or otherwise she would never have known.

  “How is he?” Emma asked as soon as she entered the Urgent Care a few minutes later.

  Sam lay on the gurney with his eyes closed, an oxygen mask strapped to his face. Her eyes swung to the monitor. Thank goodness. His vital signs were all good.

  Madison waved at her from the nearby sink where she was washing her hands.

  “He’s doing better. I gave him some Ativan. He’s sleeping,” Charles said, standing up from the nearby doctor’s seat. He was in black jeans and a gray pullover sweater, different from his usual suit yet still as debonair as ever.

  “Thanks so much for coming in the middle of the night. And for calling me.” Emma sent him a grateful smile.

  “He was just doing his job,” Maxim said from beside her.

  “Are you sure Ativan was necessary?” Madison said to Charles. “He was already getting calmer. You should have let me talk to him longer.”

  “And when did you get your medical degree, Nurse?”

  “It’s common sense, Dr. Stewart. But I suppose only doctors have that.”

  Jeez. What was up with them? Madison had never challenged Emma like that, and Charles was usually much more amiable. Before she could interrupt, the nurse forced out a smile and turned toward Maxim. “Are you doing one of your patrol visits tonight, Mr. Chambers?”

  “Yes.” Why was he acting so remote and cold? He seemed oblivious of the tension in the room, his eyes focused grimly for some reason on the psychiatrist.

  Charles flicked Emma a curious look. “You came together?”

  “No,” Emma said hastily. “He gave me a ride from the gate. And you said you had other things to do, right, Maxim?”

  “Right.” Maxim finally looked at her, his silver eyes hard. “You’ll be okay here without Gonzalez?”

  “Yes. I have Charles and Madison.”

  “All right. I’ll be down in the OHU if you need anything.”

  “What’s eating him?” Madison asked as soon as Maxim left. “He’s always so angry.”

  “He’s just tired. And his head hurts. Remember what happened earlier?” Poor guy. It was time somebody came to his defense.

  “His head is as hard as a rock,” Charles said.

  “Hey, give the guy a break, will you?” Emma looked at the nurse more closely. “Wait, why are you still here, Madison? I thought your shift ended hours ago.”

  “I’m doing a double. Vicks, the regular night nurse, called off.”

  “You look exhausted.” Charles sounded angry for some reason. “You’re doing too many shifts.”

  “And how is this your business?”

  “You want to take a break in the lounge?” Emma interrupted, not wanting their sparring to escalate. And besides, she was desperate for alone time with Sam. “Looks like it’s slow in here. I’ll call if we need you.”

  “Alright. I’d love that. And before you go, do you mind checking on Mr. Nash? He said he was in more pain earlier.”

  “Sure.” Darn. She should have checked on the old man before she left that afternoon. But it had been so crazy. First thing first though, she needed to make sure Sam was okay.

  “What happened, Charles?” Emma closed the door behind Madison to give them more privacy. “It sounded bad. Are you sure he’s okay?”

  “I think so. He wouldn’t tell me much.” Charles pushed his chair toward her. “He was a Code 1 in the dorm. Maddy found him in his bunk, shaking uncontrollably. Luckily she knew about his panic history and called me.”

  “Madison knew?”

  “Yes. Sam must have shared it with her.”

  “That’s surprising.”

  A wistful look came into Charles’s eyes. “Maddy’s like that. She inspires confidences in everybody.”

  “Looks like the two of you don’t get along for some reason.”

>   Charles wiped a hand over his face. “Sam needed that Ativan. I hope you know that.”

  “Of course.” Emma walked to the gurney and adjusted Sam’s face mask. Her brother was still sleeping. “Does he still need the oxygen?”

  “Probably not. Maddy threw it on as a precaution.”

  Emma slid off the mask. Sam groaned and opened his eyes, gradually focusing in on her.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice slightly groggy.

  “Hi.” Emma swallowed down the lump in her throat. While she’d been making out with Maxim, her brother had suffered a full-blown attack. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay.” He sat up and yawned. “Can I go back to my dorm now?”

  “Not yet. Tell me what happened.”

  “Nothing happened.” His face closed up. “It was just one of those spells.”

  “Nothing set it off? Come on, talk to me, Sam. I drove all the way in–”

  “I didn’t ask you to, did I?” He threw back his blanket. “Can you push the railing down? I need to get out of here.”

  “What about your chest pain?”

  “Gone.”

  “Something must have happened. You were doing fine in your sessions. Your attacks were getting better.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Sam crossed his arms and glared at her.

  “You have to if you want to get better.”

  “Emma.” Charles laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s the middle of the night. Let’s all go home and get some sleep. We can talk more on Monday.” He pulled the gurney’s railing down.

  “Thank you, Dr. Stewart,” Sam said, the relief evident in his eyes. “Jeez, give me some space, Emma. I’m not a little kid anymore.”

  “Is everything okay in here?” Maxim banged on the door before jerking it open.

  “Everything’s fine.” Emma sighed, mentally shaking her head. And he’d said he wouldn’t hover. “We were finishing. Morris was about to go.”

  “Good. I’ll drive you back to the gate.”