Long Distance Lover

by Donna Hill

  Herb pulled the paperwork toward him and began filling out the forms.

  Now that David had a capable person to run the day-to-day activities with the team, he could concentrate on Kelly and hopefully get Stephanie out of his hair before things got too far out of hand. He’d give Herb a week or two to get acclimated to the team then he would head back out to New York. The idea of Kelly spending too much unsupervised time with Hutchinson rubbed him in all the wrong ways.

  Herb finished up with the forms and gave them back to David who looked them over.

  “Everything seems to be in order.” He stuck the files in a folder on his desk. “You can start first thing tomorrow. Nine o’clock.”

  Herb stood and stuck out his hand. “I’ll be here and thanks again.”

  David shook his hand. “I think this will be a great partnership.”

  “So do I.” He turned and walked out.

  Several moments later there was a knock on his office door.

  “Come in.”

  It was Stephanie. David kept his expression emotionless.

  “What can I do for you?”

  Stephanie gave him a coy smile as she closed and locked the door behind her. “I think you already gave me what I wanted yesterday.” She crossed the room and sat down opposite him.

  “That was yesterday. It’s over and done.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Now, David,” she cooed, “that’s no way to be. We had such a good time yesterday and I know you enjoyed it as much as I did.”

  “Stephanie, it was a mistake.”

  She got up and came around to his side of the desk and knelt down in front of it. “I don’t make mistakes,” she said as she unzipped his pants.

  He grabbed her hands. “Get up, Stephanie.”

  “I only want to show you my appreciation.” She pulled her hands out of his grip and reached inside his pants. He drew in a sharp breath. “Sit back, relax and enjoy,” she whispered before taking him into her mouth.

  David leaned back and squeezed his eyes shut as the exquisite pleasure raced through him. This couldn’t continue, he thought, even as his body betrayed him. He’d have to find a way to nip this in the bud and quickly. He held her head in the palms of his hands. But in the meantime he may as well enjoy what she was willing to give.

  “You turned the case over to Dr. Logan?” Ruby asked incredulously. “Why? I think I already know the answer but I want to hear it come out of your mouth.” Her lips twisted in annoyance.

  “No lectures, okay?”

  “We’ll see.” She put her hands on hips as she stood over his desk.

  “I made the mistake once of getting involved with a patient. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

  “So you think that by handing her off to Dr. Logan that somehow absolves you of any wrongdoing?”

  “Yes. Technically she’s no longer my patient.”

  Ruby sighed and shook her head. “And I’m the Easter Bunny. Hutch, what is wrong with you?”

  He looked away from her accusing eyes. “I want to get to know her and I know I can’t do that if she’s my patient. I know it sounds crazy to you and maybe it is, but…I really care about her and I want to be able to freely see where it can go.”

  Ruby finally sat down. “Hutch, she lives in Atlanta. You live here in New York. What do you think is going to happen when her treatment is over? She’s going to go back home,” she said, answering her own question. “Then what? Are you going to follow her all over the world as she goes from one tournament to the next—if she can ever run again? Have you thought about that?”

  “Yeah, I have.”

  “And?”

  “We’ll deal with it when it comes to that. But I’ll never know if I don’t give it a shot.” He took a breath and looked Ruby in her eyes. “I haven’t felt this strongly about anyone since Leigh.”

  “Is that what this is really all about, a cleansing of your conscience?”

  “I don’t know. All I do know is that I want to try.”

  “Hutch, have you given any thought to what it will do to her if you suddenly wake up one day and realize that the only reason you got involved with her was because you wanted to do for her what you couldn’t do for Leigh?”

  “Leigh may be part of it. I’ll admit that. But not in the way that you think. Last night I went over everything in my head about me and Leigh; what went wrong and what went right. I made promises to her that were impossible to keep. It destroyed her and nearly destroyed me. I’m not going to do that again. And the only way I cannot fall into that trap is to stay away from Kelly as her doctor.”

  “But you are a doctor. Do you think for one minute that she is not going to ask you what you think, what her prognosis is, no matter what Dr. Logan tells her? If you allow yourself to truly fall for this girl, do you think you won’t try to do everything in your power to get her back to the athlete she once was? If you don’t think you will then you’re a fool. And you may be a lot of things, Hutch, but you are not a fool.” Slowly she stood. “You know I want you to be happy, right?”

  “Yes.”

  She blew out a breath. “Then be happy.” A shadow of a smile eased the tight lines around her eyes. “And be honest with her, no matter what.”

  He glanced up at her. “I intend to.”

  She reached toward his desk and snatched Kelly’s file then tucked it under her arm. “You won’t be needing this.” She arched a challenging brow when he started to protest. “And don’t you even think about setting foot in the rehab room when she’s here,” she warned, wagging a finger at him. “I mean it.” With that she spun away and marched toward the door. She stopped with her hand on the knob and glanced at him over her shoulder. “Have a nice day.”

  Alex chuckled as she shut the door behind her. He checked his watch. He had surgery in an hour. Hopefully, barring any complications, he should be finished with the knee replacement in two hours. By that time Kelly should be finished with her therapy and they could spend the rest of the day together.

  Chapter 29

  Alex was waiting at the exit door as Kelly came out of rehab.

  “Hi,” she said, a shy smile on her face.

  “Hi, yourself. How’d it go today?”

  “Pretty good. Dr. Logan is nice and he had good things to say about you.”

  “That’s encouraging.” He grinned and held the door open for her. “I was thinking that I could drop you off at the hotel.”

  “I’d like that, but I need to go to my class. They start today.”

  “Oh, okay. Well…”

  “I could use a lift.” She smiled.

  “And a lift you shall have. Right this way, ma’am.”

  Once inside the car she gave him the address for the center.

  “I’m really curious to see how this whole meditation thing works,” she said while she fastened her seat belt.

  “It’s all the rage,” he said in a bad imitation of a bourgeois lilt.

  Kelly giggled.

  “How’s the ankle feeling?”

  “Better. I worked without the brace today and it felt pretty good. Dr. Logan seemed pleased.”

  Alex nodded. “Did he take any X-rays or a new MRI?” he asked, the doctor in him taking over.

  “No. Not today.”

  “Hmm.” He should have especially after her first session without the brace. He’d have to speak with Bert. But then Ruby’s warning voice began shouting in his head. She was right. It was going to be hard to not play doctor when that’s what he was.

  “Do you think he should have? Was it wrong for him not to?” Her voice held a note of alarm.

  He shot her a glance. “Dr.
Logan is the best. He knows what he’s doing. If he believed there was no reason for an X-ray or MRI then there wasn’t one.”

  “What would you have done?”

  He wanted to tell her he would have ordered the test, but he didn’t. “The same thing Dr. Logan did.” He stopped for a light. “Are you busy later this evening?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to see a movie?”

  “Okay.”

  “Great. I’ll pick you up around seven. Is that good?”

  “That’s fine.”

  “How long is this class?”

  “Ms. Stevens said an hour. So I should be finished by four.”

  “I’ll come back and get you if you want. Or I can just wait.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  “You didn’t. I offered.”

  “You really don’t have to…but since you insist.” She grinned. “Sure, come back and pick me up. I’d appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem.” He pulled to a stop in front of the building, got out and came around to her side and opened the door. “Will you be all right from here?” He helped her out of the car.

  “I’ll be fine. Thanks.” She looked up at him. “Are you sure you really want to do this?”

  “Do what, pick you up after class?” he asked, full of feigned innocence.

  “No, set out on a relationship with me.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Are you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, there you have it, folks. The votes are in. They’re gonna go for the gold.” He chuckled, leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead. “Have a good class. I’ll see you in an hour.”

  “Okay.”

  He watched her go inside before pulling off. Yes, he was very sure.

  Kelly stood waiting in front of the elevator to go up to the second floor where the classes were being held when her cell phone rang. She glanced down at the number. David.

  She removed the phone from the clip on her side. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Kelly. It’s David.”

  “Hi. How are you?”

  “The question is, how are you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “It sounds noisy. Where are you, still at the hospital?”

  “Uh, yes.”

  “Is the ambulette coming to pick you up?”

  “Yes. I’m uh, waiting for it now.”

  “Good. Well, I was calling with some good news.”

  “Reggie’s better?”

  “No, unfortunately, he’s still the same. But I just hired a new assistant coach.”

  “That’s great.”

  “He starts tomorrow. And once I get him acclimated to the routine I can get back up there to New York.”

  Her stomach tightened. “Oh…wonderful. But there’s no need to rush on my account. I’m fine.”

  “I want to see that for myself. So hopefully I’ll be back in about two weeks.”

  The elevator doors opened.

  “Hello? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I’m here,” she murmured, stepping aside as several people got off.

  “Did you hear what I said? I’ll be back in two weeks.”

  “Yeah, that’s…good news.” She got on the elevator. “Well, I have to go.”

  “The ambulette is there?”

  “Yes,” she lied.

  “All right. I’ll give you a call later on this evening.”

  “Sure. Thanks for calling.”

  She didn’t have to bother to hang up. When the doors closed she was thankfully disconnected.

  Two weeks, she thought as the elevator rose. Two weeks and her life would revert to the way it was. She couldn’t let that happen.

  David held the phone in his hand. He didn’t like how Kelly sounded on the phone. The sooner he got back to New York the better. And the quicker she got better and back in Atlanta where she belonged the quicker things could get back to normal. He stared sightlessly at the opposite wall. Maybe there was a way he could speed up the process.

  He picked up the phone and dialed.

  Chapter 30

  “You did what?” Charisse asked, stunned by her cousin’s confession. But then again she shouldn’t be. Stephanie always had a wild streak.

  “I did it right there in the locker room.” Stephanie laughed. She didn’t tell her about the office escapade. That would be a bit much for her conservative cousin.

  “Steph, why would you do something like that? It can only lead to trouble.”

  “I know what I’m doing, cuz. Once I have David wrapped around my little sexy finger, Kelly Maxwell won’t stand a chance. And if I have to resort to using what happened between us as leverage, I’ll do it.”

  “Steph, listen, don’t even go down that road. It’s not worth it.”

  “Not worth it! Are you kidding me? Do you know what I would be worth financially if I get a shot at the title? I’d have endorsements coming out my behind. I could write my own ticket. I’d be set, Charisse. Do you understand? I’d be set. And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some overrated has-been take what should be mine.”

  “Everyone gets what they deserve in this life. You’ll get what’s coming to you in due time. You don’t have to manipulate people to get it. It will eventually catch up with you.”

  “Have you found religion or something? You sound like one of the church mothers from back home.” She stretched out on her couch and put her feet up. “Or maybe it’s the fact that you are with child that has you talking all sanctimonious.”

  Charisse cringed when her own dilemma was tossed into the forefront.

  Stephanie’s tough talk softened. “Have you told him yet?”

  “No.”

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “I’m still deciding what I’m going to do.”

  “Well if you don’t decide something soon the decision will be taken out of your hands.”

  “I know.”

  “Why don’t you go to his job and tell him. He’s sure not to make a scene at his place of business. Didn’t you say he was some kind of doctor?”

  “Yes. Rehab specialist.”

  Stephanie frowned for a moment, the kernel of a thought trying to form but she couldn’t pull it together. “Like I said, go to his place of employment.”

  “I couldn’t do that.”

  Stephanie sighed heavily. “Fine. You know what’s best for you. Just don’t wait too long or you’ll wind up stuck all the way around. Who knows, he might even be happy about it.”

  “That would be ideal but highly unlikely.”

  “Let me ask you this, and be honest. What do you really want?”

  “If I had a choice I’d want the whole package, the husband, the house, the kids.” She chuckled sadly. “Idealistic.”

  “Not if it’s what you want. I don’t have those kinds of aspirations, but you do. That’s what’s important. Anyway, I gotta run. Early day tomorrow. Dave has me coming in at six to train. So I need to be rested and refreshed, after I get back from dinner with some friends.”

  “Okay. Thanks for calling to check on me.”

  “Sure. And don’t forget what I said.”

  “You don’t forget what I said,” Charisse countered.

  “Later, cuz.” Stephanie laughed.

  “Later.”

  Charisse hung up the phone and leaned back against the headboard of her bed. She knew part of Stephanie’s advice was right. She did need to make a decision and it was only right, no matter what she decided to do, that Alex be told. She chewed on the tips of her freshly manicured nails.

  She’d tell him. Soo
n. She was running out of time, but maybe his reaction to her news would seal her decision.

  Charisse got up, deciding to change clothes and go for a walk. She hadn’t eaten dinner and she didn’t feel like fixing anything, but in a city like Manhattan there were tons of restaurants and outdoor cafes to choose from. When she got tired she’d stop somewhere for dinner. Besides, she owed herself a treat. And a nice dinner under the stars on a warm night was just the ticket.

  With that in mind, she was already beginning to feel better. For tonight she would put thoughts of Alex and her current dilemma on the back burner. She’d deal with it tomorrow.

  “That movie was hilarious,” Kelly said as she and Alex walked out of the theater.

  “Yeah, it was good. I didn’t think I was going to like it. I usually go for the high-action, shoot-’em-up car chases.”

  Kelly laughed. “You seem like you would enjoy more of the intellectual movies, foreign films.”

  He shrugged. “Hmm, sometimes. I have to be in the mood.” He steered her toward the corner with a gentle hand at the small of her back. “Hungry?”

  “A little.”

  “That’s good.” He hesitated before posing his question. “Did you keep down what you ate today?”

  “Yes. Today was a good day all the way around.”

  Alex nodded in approval. “So what do you have a taste for?”

  “Pasta.”

  “Then pasta it is. I know a great place up on Broadway and Ninety-Sixth Street.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “How’s the ankle?”

  She smiled up at him. “Feeling pretty good, Doc.”

  He smirked. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

  “I don’t mind. Really.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want it to seem that I’m hovering. It’s just that I am concerned. I don’t want you to overdo it before it’s time.”

  “I won’t. I’m sure Dr. Logan won’t let me, and I’m pretty sure you won’t either.”

  “Have you spoken to David about the change in doctors?”