by Rodi Chadish
“I give it a month,” he joked as the tech left the room and I headed back in.
“How are you feeling? Still in pain?” I asked.
“Yeah. You didn’t tell me it was going to hurt this much,” she said trying to muster up a smile.
“I didn’t want to scare you,” I said, entwining her hand in mine again and reached up to brush a piece of hair from her face.
“You don’t have to stay you know, I mean I’m grateful that you were there and because of you I didn’t have to wait in ER hell out there but if you have somewhere else to be…” she said quietly.
“My life isn’t that exciting Taylor… I’ll stay and take you back to the bar when they are done how’s that sound?” I answered, searching her face for any sign of attraction to me.
“Okay. I just didn’t want your girlfriend to get mad or anything,” she interjected.
“No girlfriend. So, no worries there,” I chuckled.
“Really? Studly doctor like you? I’d have thought for sure you were taken,” she laughed.
“Yeah really. The chair matters to some people…” I trailed off as Joe reentered the room.
“Okay Taylor it looks like you didn’t do any real damage to anything important like the good doctor suspected so let’s work on removing this and getting it sewn up for you,” he said not missing her hand in mine.
“Okay,” she said, her voice small and her grip getting tighter on my hand.
Joe worked quickly to numb her hand and prep it for removal and sutures as I watched intently. He was a great doctor and I knew that if she took care of the sutures she wouldn’t have a nasty scar. Other than little winces here and there she was a trooper. She didn’t cry or yell out in pain once as he worked on her. She was tough that’s for sure, I thought as I caught myself staring at her beautiful face.
“All done,” Joe said, “I’m going to give you a prescription for some pain meds which you will probably only need for a few days and then I’ll see you in ten days to remove the sutures. You were lucky this one was around to keep everything under control till you got here. Most people would have pulled it out before they got here.”
“Yeah, my knight in shining armor!” she chuckled, looking at me.
“Right place right time,” I said, trying to remove the grin from my mug.
“Either way take it easy for a few days try not to do too much with it,” Joe said as he wrapped it up.
“Will do Doc,” she said.
“Your chariot awaits, m’lady,” I joked as we left the ER.
.
four
Taylor
Once the pain had subsided some and I was comfortably back in his massive truck silence took over. I couldn’t help but think about all the little glances, the handholding and the way he took care of me. His warm eyes were full of concern when I would catch him looking at me, it was enough to melt my heart. God, why am I letting him get to me, I wondered as the buildings passed by. I tried to put it out of my head as I watched him. His face was kind of scrunched up and I wondered what it was that he was thinking about in this moment.
“Are you trying to break the land speed record, Elliot?” I tried to break the silence.
“Uh… no. Oh man, I didn’t even realize I was going this fast,” he answered, after clearing his throat.
“It’s okay. I didn’t mind,” I laughed.
“So is your boyfriend… I mean is he going to be angry that some other guy took you to the ER?” he sputtered out.
“No boyfriend Elliot. No girlfriend either in case you were curious,” I answered, putting him out of his misery.
“Oh. Good. I mean good that I won’t have an angry significant other beating down the door later,” he laughed.
“Nope. Although Davy might get a little pissed I didn’t enlist him for the job,” I said softly.
“So, your Davy’s sister then?” he asked.
“All my life. He is a little overprotective, you know how brothers can be,” I answered. “But he has so much going on that I really didn’t want to bother him.”
“I can understand both sides of that coin Taylor. Middle child extraordinaire here,” he laughed, as I felt some of the nervous tension leave the air.
“Ah, so really what you’re saying is you are totally screwed up then? Middle Child syndrome and all that?” I joked.
“Your words wound me… But yeah pretty much.” Elliot laughed harder.
After the laughter came the awkward silence once again and I honestly didn’t know what to say next. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking what it would be like to be with this man sitting next to me. What did his excited smile look like and what did he look like after a shower with his hair damp and messy. Did he always smell this good, or dress this nice? What happened to him to make him the two-wheeled wonder as he called himself? Finally, after my mind began wandering in all things Elliot, he spoke.
“So… do you work at the bar every night?” he asked cautiously.
“Nope. Just helping out for a while. I’m a receptionist during the day, though it’s not my chosen course either. I’m a photographer, well kind of. Just with things the way they are for Davy, he needed help. His wife is sick and he can’t be at the bar much in the evenings so I took it upon myself to help out when I can. It doesn’t leave me much time to photograph much anymore. I need the day job for insurance and stability till I can get my business up and running… wow. I just completely over shared, didn’t I?” I said, feeling my cheeks getting red.
“It’s okay Taylor, I don’t mind. Everyone has a story,” he said softly, looking at me with those whiskey eyes. “Even me…”
“I’m a good listener ya know…” I answered quietly.
“Someday maybe…” he said, his eyes growing darker as the light changed.
We pulled into the parking lot at the bar and before I knew it he was getting out of the truck. “You don’t have to come in.”
“I want to…” he said shyly.
I waited and tried hard not to watch him quickly set up his chair and lower himself down, then rearrange his legs before he shut the door and my view was taken away. He was at my door before I could process what I’d seen and preceded to take my bag and help me out of the truck. A girl could get used to this treatment, I thought with a chuckle.
“What?” he asked.
“Just thinking a girl could get used to this,” I said shyly.
“Chivalry is not dead m’lady” he chuckled.
“Where did you come from?” I thought out loud.
He looked at me with a lopsided grin that made my knees go weak, I wasn’t sure if it was the pain meds or his grin that made me trip but quickly his hands reached out and steadied me. “You okay Taylor?”
“Yeah, I think the pain pill might be kicking in…” I said, as my body ignited to the fact that his hands were around my waist.
“Maybe you should have Josh take you home when he’s done,” he said, with a concerned look taking that grin away.
“We’ll see,” Was all I could manage as we entered the now empty bar.
“Ah, I see the good doctor didn’t abduct you after all,” Josh yelled to me with a smirk.
“Nothing but a gentleman,” I shot back.
“She should be good to go, Josh, though the pain meds might be making her a little woozy,” Elliot said wheeling up to the bar.
“She’s right here…” I spit out, before I could stop myself.
“Ah, return of the angry coffee girl…” Elliot turned to me. “I was wondering if she’d make an appearance tonight…”
Slugging him in the shoulder with my good hand. “Please, that was nothing like this morning Elliot.” I joked.
“She’s a spitfire man,” Josh interjected.
Looking from josh to Elliot, I just shook my head and took a seat at the bar.
“Really though Taylor, all joking aside, I really wish you would let Josh take you home,” Elliot said, his concern returning.
&n
bsp; “No can do… I didn’t drive tonight,” Josh said, still smirking.
“What? How did you get here then?” I asked.
“Jenna drove me,” he answered.
“Of all the times for her to bring you…” I said, feeling exhausted as the night started to catch up with me.
“Maybe the good doctor can take you?” Josh said with a wicked grin.
“I can if you want,” Elliot said softly, inching closer to where I was sitting.
“You have already done so much for me tonight, though. I couldn’t ask you to do that…” I said, feeling sad that our time was coming to an end.
“It is fine Taylor. I don’t mind. Really,” he said, patting my leg and letting his hand linger a little before taking it away.
I stared at his hand there on my thigh for a slight moment and then when he caught me it was gone. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want him to take it away, that something inside me needed that touch from him. Instead, I turned from him and shoved those feelings down.
“I don’t want you to think I’m some damsel that always needs saving Elliot. I can manage for myself,” I said, immediately unhappy with how it came across.
“Oh. Okay. Well, it was an…interesting evening. Take care of your hand Taylor…be safe getting home,” he said, whipping his chair around to leave.
Josh was glaring at me as I watched Elliot wheel away and slowly I realized I didn’t want to leave things like this.
“Elliot wait…” I said softly, as I followed him outside.
“No, it’s okay really Taylor. I get it. No more knight in shining armor and all that,” he said, forcefully turning to face me with an angry scowl on his face.
“I didn’t mean that I didn’t appreciate what you did and how you were there for me tonight Elliot. I just meant that I’m not just some weak girl. I’m sorry if I came across too harsh,” I said, wishing I could just get a glimpse of that grin from earlier.
“Taylor listen, I don’t want to be a dick here so I’m just going to go. Please take care of your hand if you need anything or have any questions here is my card. Call me if you need anything,” he said flatly as he held out his card.
“Elliot…” I reached for the card.
“Have a good rest of your night Taylor,” he said, turning to go.
“Okay…” I nearly whispered, watching him climb up into his truck, his movements fluid.
I watched sadly as his tail-lights disappeared out of the lot and was left staring into the night. I shoved the card in my pocket and went back in to find Josh had been watching out the window.
“Really Josh? Spying on us?” I spat at him as I walked to gather my things.
“What just making sure he didn’t do anything weird,” he laughed.
“No, he’s a nice guy Josh,” I said, searching for my car keys. “Which is something I can’t really say about you, you peeping tom.”
“Please, if anything happened to you I’d be as devastated as Dave. Not to mention the fact that he would probably kill me,” he chuckled as I walked toward the door.
“Listen whatever your reasoning was it was creepy and I’m beat. Are you good to finish closing up here?” I questioned.
“Yeah I’ll be fine. Go get some rest. Be careful Taytay…” he said.
“See you tomorrow,” I answered, before closing the door behind me.
What a day it had been I thought as I drove home the six and a half blocks to my little one bedroom apartment. I tried to keep Elliot out of my thoughts but it was just so hard. The way his eyes found mine when I needed them tonight and the sweet way he held my hand was enough to keep me awake on the short drive and before I knew it I was home and tossing my things down to find my bed. I thought briefly about calling him to let him know I’d made it home safely but didn’t know how he would take it. He left me tonight with such a defeated look on his face that he probably wouldn’t answer anyways I thought as I changed my clothes. After setting my alarm I stared at his card for a while before finally deciding a text wouldn’t hurt. There was just something about him that kept me wanting more.
Just wanted to let you know I made it home in one piece. Thanks again for everything you did tonight. Taylor.
Not even bothering to wait for a response I let myself drift off to sleep, those strong hands and whiskey colored eyes making their way into my dreams.
Five
Elliot
Wow, I thought to myself as I drove home, how quickly each of us could turn our attitude around. One minute I had been taking care of her and the next I was close to screaming. What was it about her, I wondered as I rolled over the threshold into the quiet of the house. What had gotten into me tonight was something I hadn’t experienced in a while. It had been quite a long time since I had played the part of rescuer, and part of me missed that. I had easily forgotten about myself while I cared for her and while it was something that had been missing from my life it scared me that she could bring that out in me. It had been so easy for me to comfort her and allow those feelings of wanting to surface. And did I want her. In just the short time I’d spent with her I could feel myself wanting more. Maybe it was the lack of love life I’d had in the past few years but something about her was different. The little comments about not minding the chair or being a good listener didn’t go unnoticed and it took everything in me not to stop and stare at those little words.
Everyone saw the chair, and it mattered to each person I knew in a different way. It made everything different for me most of all. I couldn’t believe that at some point it wouldn’t be something she minded. Hell, Meagan couldn’t even last two weeks with me, why would any woman want to deal with the hassles and limitations of dating a guy in a chair. I knew deep down that it was really Meagan’s issues that allowed her to bolt, but it still held me back from even trying to find someone new all this time. Her words when I was at a vulnerable state had crept in and made a home inside my mind that would slam the door on any possibility I could see. But this time, something had gotten in the way of that door and let a little bit of hope creep out. Hope that maybe this woman could find her way in. Going through the motions as my mind reeled with how I left things with her I got ready for bed and as I was transferring in my phone chimed.
Just wanted to let you know I made it home in one piece. Thanks again for everything you did tonight. Taylor.
It was from her. My heart stopped briefly as I read the words. Maybe there were more than just my feelings here. Why else would she take the time to send me a text, I thought as I began to write back.
Glad to hear Taylor. I’m sorry if I came on too strong with all the manly knight in shining armor business… I promise if I get to see you again I’ll be quite the ass. J/K. Despite the circumstances of the evening, I did really enjoy spending time with you and was thinking maybe one day we could meet for dinner or coffee or something… Elliot.
Before I could stop myself, I hit send. Damn if I didn’t just ask her out, I thought as the nervousness made a home in my stomach. As I lay there trying to find sleep I waited for her response until finally I drifted off, a hint of her voice leading me to my dreams.
I woke with a start, not sure where I was for just a brief second before my consciousness took over. Startled that I’d slept the whole night with no dreams of my accident I lay there in a moment of calm like I haven’t had in years. While I stretched I remembered the text I sent her and wondered if she had responded yet. Part of me didn’t want to look but the hopeful part won out in the end. The little red circle next to the message app stared at me taunting me. With a quick press of my finger, the window popped open and two messages from my mother and one from Taylor. A little breath of relief escaped my lips as I swiped to see her response.
Please don’t apologize for being awesome anymore Elliot. I sometimes forget that there are still nice guys out there. I’ve had my fair share of douchebags and find myself terrified to show that at times I need saving. I don’t think you could ever be an ass
either, I don’t think you have it in you. A little angry or moody maybe but an ass, no way prince charming. As for dinner or coffee, I don’t think that would work for me…I think we should do something a little more exciting!
I couldn’t help the face splitting grin that took up residence on my face as I read through it again just to be sure I’d read it right. She wanted to do something with me. I felt alive again in just those few moments. If I could have leaped from the bed I would have, but I had to settle for tossing my legs over and hauling my ass into my chair. I quickly got ready for the day and headed for coffee wondering if I’d catch a glimpse of her this morning. As I pulled into the same spot as yesterday I quickly replied to her message.
What did you have in mind?
I went through the same motions to get inside and waited for a response. I had opted to go inside despite the hassle hoping she would be in there. As I waited, disappointment bubbled, as I didn’t see her anywhere. When I ordered my coffee though the barista smiled and said she couldn’t take my money that someone had already paid for my coffee. I looked around and there she was sitting at a table with her back to me. I had missed her during my initial search but now I saw why. Her hair was pulled up and the only noticeable thing now was the bandage covering her right hand. The grin that had been plastered on my face was now forming again as I felt those long-forgotten feelings of happiness. I thanked the barista and waited at the counter for my coffee unable to really take my eyes off her. Finally, as they called my name and I positioned the cup between my legs, I wheeled over to her and found a chair already missing from the table.
“Hey. Thanks for the coffee, Taylor,” I smiled at her.
“Least I could do after my stunning performance last night. Besides I believe I owed you one after yesterday morning,” she breathed as her eyes gave me the once over.
“I’m going to put this out there now before we have any more conversation… I can be an ass lady. You witnessed it first-hand yesterday at our first encounter. I would like to invite you to call me on my bullshit,” I muttered out.