At the clinic, he accepted the clipboard with tolerant patience, remembering all the times he’d sat next to Claire, doing the same thing. Will these memories fade as I go through this timeline? It only made sense that the further he got from the series of events that had brought him here, the ones associated with the failed timelines would dim and disappear.
Information slotted into the various boxes, he limped back to the counter and handed it to the receptionist. She smiled up at him. “It will be just a few minutes.”
He glanced around the room, packed with mothers and children, blue-collar workers coming off a nighttime shift, isolated individuals mumbling to themselves—and he knew she’d lied but couldn’t blame her. This was a case where acknowledging the challenges wasn’t a benefit. It was better to make believe the experience would be over with quickly. “No worries,” he said, and made his slow way back to his seat.
Three magazines later, the sound of his name jerked his attention to the door to see the same woman standing there, slim folder in hand. With a nod, he placed the magazine on the nearby table and followed her to the weight and measure station in the hallway, then into a small room where she performed the normal intake procedures of blood pressure, temperature, and history. He filled her in on the injury, being somewhat vague about the day it had happened, because at this point, he wasn’t certain himself.
“You’ve got a tiny fever,” she told him as she made notes in the chart. “The doctor will be in to see you soon.”
Clive looked around the room after she left, deciding to seat himself on the examination table to save time. He slipped off the too-tight shoe and sighed in relief, then groaned an instant later as the throbbing returned twofold.
Thinking the dangling position was exacerbating the pain, he’d just lifted his bare ankle on top of the opposite knee when the door opened. Clive looked up and into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. There was a pulse that moved through the air, a stroke of electricity along his skin that raised the hair on his arms.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Kathleen,” she said, closing the door before she approached him, one hand outstretched for a break-the-ice shake. The loud snap and zap of static electricity stung, but it had them both laughing a moment later. “Well, that’s a first,” she said, then gave his hand a firm squeeze before releasing her hold. “So, tell me what’s going on with that foot.”
“I stepped on some glass a couple of days ago. I don’t know if I didn’t get it all out, or if it’s just infected.” He shook his head, unable to get the sight of the electricity arcing from his hand to hers out of his mind. “It’s throbbing like the dickens.”
The apple of her cheek curved as she smiled at him, one side of her mouth lifting slightly higher than the other, the lack of symmetry endearing. “What kind of glass was it?”
“Light bulb…” He trailed off, because that wasn’t right. “No, a plate. I broke a plate. A china one. The bulb bursting was the next morning, but I didn’t get cut. I… It’s been a stressful few days.”
“Oh yeah?” She plucked two gloves from a box held to the wall with a wire contraption. “Why’s that?”
Clive swallowed hard. “My sister.” The knot in his chest tightened, and it seemed the air was thick enough to suffocate him. “My sister died recently.”
“Oh no.” She turned to face him, her expression filled with concern. “I’m so sorry for your loss. May I ask what happened?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to talk about her cancer, but that wasn’t right. That was as wrong as the broken bulbs that had never happened. “She was in a car accident. A drunk hit her. They said she was killed instantly. A blessing.” He angled his gaze down. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit of a mess, I guess.”
The doctor stepped closer and rested her hand on his shoulder, the weight and heat and just the sense of compassion nearly enough to break his control. “You’re allowed to be a mess. Death is hard, and losing someone you’re close to is difficult, no matter how it happens.” Her fingers dug in for a moment, then eased slightly. “There’s no schedule for grief, no timeline or milestones to hit.” She dipped her head to look up into his face. “No spreadsheet that will help make sense out of it. Sometimes death seems so senseless.”
“She had cancer.” The words blurted from him, and Clive clamped his lips, then figured the worst was out there, so he might as well say the rest. “It was in her bones. Stage four. They said there wasn’t a cure, nothing that would make her well. The pain…” He stared at the doctor, watching as her expression softened. “They say it would have been bad. Really bad. So it’s a blessing, really.”
“If one had to choose, going quickly would be the preferred end, I think.” She spoke slowly, her gaze drifting to a spot somewhere over his shoulder. “It sounds like you were close.”
“Twins. Fraternal, obviously. But yes, we’ve always been…had always been close. I miss her.” How had this gone so far from the script in his head? As he’d sat in the waiting room, he’d run this through his mind a dozen ways. “It still doesn’t seem real.” No scenario had him in a heart-to-heart with the doctor. “I’m going to miss her so much.”
She smiled as softly as she’d spoken and slowly brought a stool towards the exam table. As she sat, she told him, “Tell me about her.”
“Oh, where to start?” He did his best to ignore her gentle touch on his foot, the pain slipping to the back of his consciousness as he was overwhelmed by how close Kathleen was, how good she smelled. “There was this one time when she was going to rent a restaurant for my birthday, but she called a bookstore instead. Neither she nor the manager put two and two together until we all showed up. The manager had arranged all these chairs to allow for easy conversation, thinking we were a book club or something.” He laughed at the memory, because at first Claire had been mortified, but as she always had, she rallied and turned it into a great party. “We ordered pizza and sat around and talked. Even the staff joined in, and some of their regular customers. It was the best birthday party I’ve ever had.”
“She sounds amazing.” Kathleen had paused in her examination of his injury and was staring up at him with shining eyes.
“She was.”
Permanent destination
“Do you have plans for lunch?” Her eyes widened, and she waved a gloved hand at him. “Ignore me. That was unprofessional.”
Clive studied Kathleen. This was his second follow-up visit and would likely be his last. Each time he’d been seen by her, they’d wound up talking for far longer than they should have, given the nature of the surroundings. Easy conversation filled with bright laughter spilled into stories that shared pieces of their lives. Something about this woman filled a void inside him, a Kathleen-sized place where she fit so perfectly; it was as if she’d always been part of his world.
“When I walk out of here, I’m no longer your patient, right, Kate?”
She stared at him pensively, then rolled her eyes and gave him that quirky smile he’d come to enjoy so much. He slowly nodded, watching as her cheeks pinked under his regard.
“Then it wasn’t unprofessional at all. I can pick you up at the back door in—” He made a show of looking at his wrist, as if consulting a watch. “—five minutes.”
“I’d like that, Clive.”
“Me, too. It’s a date.”
***
The man slouched on one of three wingback chairs, the arrangement of furniture incongruous with the elegance of the museum. Patrons walked around him, their gazes never staying on him for long, and as they dodged the area where he sat, it seemed a natural diversion, like water in a stream flowing around boulders.
He watched through slitted eyes as one of his cohorts approached, frowning when he slumped into one of the seats. “Aire sseccus.” He got a slow nod in response.
They both stared at the third chair, now filled with a large body. This man stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. “Aire sseccus.�
�
They sat in silence for a moment, the quiet murmur of conversations surrounding them.
“Well?” the final arrival asked. “What’s the score?”
~~~
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for reading The Gray Zone, a Tangled Fates story in the If You Could Change One Thing collection.
~~~
If you haven’t already, be sure to read the other two stories available in my Tangled Fates collection. You can begin with There Are Limits.
Let’s play a game.
If you lost all of the things in life you value the most, and escalating events combined to repeatedly tear your world apart, how would you react?
Would you take it in stride, accepting it as your lot? Would you eventually succumb to devastation and depression? Or would you fight back?
“I wish.” If you could change everything with a word…would you?
~~~
The next story is Rules Are Rules, and you won’t want to miss it!
Rules are rules.
If offered the chance to rewrite history, would you? When you’ve lost everything precious in your world, what would you do to earn it back?
Would you fight, rail against fate, balk at accepting the inevitable? Could you look past the surface and dig deep to find the truth?
“I’d do anything.” If you could change everything with a word … would you?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raised in the south, MariaLisa learned about the magic of books at an early age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the local library, devouring books of every genre. Self-described as a book-a-holic, she says "I've always loved to read, but then I discovered writing, and found I adored that, too. For reading...if nothing else is available, I've been known to read the back of the cereal box."
Also by MariaLisa deMora
Alace Sweets
A dark thriller, this book is not a light read. Filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense, this intense story commands the reader's attention as it drives towards the explosive ending. Alace Sweets is a vigilante serial killer, with everything that implies and is sure to trip all your triggers. Be ready.
At seventeen, Alace Sweets turned a corner in her life, taking the wrong shortcut home from school.
Resisting the harsh knowledge her attackers will never be made to pay for their actions, Alace takes a stand. Justice must be served, and if fate’s scales are out of balance, she’s determined to set things right as best she can.
When the laws of men fail, the rules of Alace prevail.
5-Star Reviews for Alace Sweets
“deMora has a superb story-line and exceptional character development. All of her characters have such depth that will intrigue the reader...”
~Turning Another Page
“Hot, sweet, dark thriller.”
~Beth D
“It will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you chills.”
~Escape Reality Book Blog
“Disturbing, haunting, sickly; yet hot, sexy and heart racing!”
~Amanda L
“From the first page [deMora] pulls you into the world she has created and you do not even try to escape...”
~Little Shop of Readers Blog
“A must read for all those dark, gritty romance fans out there.”
~Sweet & Spicy Reads
“You will find yourself so drawn into the story that the outside world is blocked out and your locking the doors and turning on all the lights.”
~Danena F
“Don't judge me for bonding with a vigilante serial killer, she's more than what she does.”
~iScream Books
“Thrilling...chilling...full of suspense, nail biting edge of your seat excitement.”
~Tracey H
“Every time MariaLisa deMora picks up her pen (or opens her computer), she creates characters you want to believe in.”
~Gail S
“Intriguing dark storyline, beautiful love story and nail-biting conclusion, what more could a reader ask for?”
~Manda M
“This book takes you a dark and twisted ride that is gripping...”
~Renee Entress' Blog
“This book is dark and gritty and I literally had to take a day off from reading it because it's that intense.”
~My Girlfriend's Couch
“This is my favourite book so far from this author ... I recommend this book if you enjoy dark romantic thrillers.”
~Cheekypee Reads and Reviews
“There's not enough stars to give this book and 5 just doesn't really do it justice!”
~DeLane C
“I couldn't put this book down from page one! Tried to stop & go to bed but couldn't sleep thinking about Alace and got up & finished the book.”
~Debbie M
“MariaLisa DeMora, wordsmith that she is, made this a story of the enlightenment of a woman and finding love in a life where she has had none.”
~Kat W
“Whatever deep dark trench [deMora] pulled a character like Alace from should be revisited again and often.”
~Confessions of a Serial Reader
ADDITIONAL SERIES AND BOOKS
Please note that books in a series frequently feature characters from additional books within that series. If series books are read out of order, readers will twig to spoilers for the other books, so going back to read the skipped titles won’t have the same angsty reveals.
Rebel Wayfarers MC series:
Mica, #1
A Sweet & Merry Christmas, #1.5
Slate, #2
Bear, #3
Jase, #4
Gunny, #5
Mason, #6
Hoss, #7
Harddrive Holidays, #7.5
Duck, #8
Biker Chick Campout, #8.5
Watcher, #9
A Kiss to Keep You, #9.25
Gun Totin’ Annie, #9.5
Secret Santa, #9.75
Bones, #10
Gunny’s Pups, #10.25
Never Settle, #10.5
Not Even A Mouse, #10.75
Fury, #11
Christmas Doings, #11.25
Gypsy’s Lady, #11.5
Cassie, #12
Road Runner’s Ride, #12.5
Occupy Yourself band series:
Born Into Trouble, #1
Grace In Motion, #2 (TBD)
What They Say, #3 (TBD)
Neither This, Nor That MC series:
This Is the Route Of Twisted Pain, #1
Treading the Traitor’s Path: Out Bad, #2
Shelter My Heart, #3
Trapped by Fate on Reckless Roads, #4
Thunderstruck, #5
Mayhan Bucklers MC series:
Most Rikki-Tik, #1
Mad Minute, #2
Pucker Factor, #3
If You Could Change One Thing: Tangled Fates Stories
There Are Limits, #1
Rules Are Rules, #2
The Gray Zone, #3
Other Books:
With My Whole Heart
Alace Sweets
Hard Focus
Dirty Bitches MC: Season 3
More information available at mldemora.com.
The Gray Zone Page 5