by Graylin Fox
“Do not let the clothing fool you, Doctor. I am perfectly capable of protecting you from anyone who comes down that hallway, maybe even better at it than the security guards. I will make sure you are not harmed, and my residents here will let me know if any other patients here may threaten you. If you ever need anything from me all you have to do is ask.”
It appeared the sexy Russian doctor was more arrogant than I had seen before. Then again, he won his fight with the two men, and his offer of help and protection seemed genuine. It was the most passionate I had seen him, and my ability to think straight hid anytime I was around him. After all, I would much rather trust my body to a surgeon with too much confidence than with too little. That thought had me imagining him taking charge of my body and me in the romantic sense.
"I don't need a damaged doctor on my conscience," I replied.
"I was damaged long before I met you," he said and winked at me. “It is my honor to protect you and keep you safe. All you have to do is ask, and I will be by your side.”
All I could do was thank him and walk away before my legs gave out. There was something about this doctor that made me feel like a schoolgirl. I knew then I already had the start of a good-sized crush on him. I stumbled back to my office, and Lee caught my amused expression.
“Threats give your cheeks great color. You should get frightened and saved more often.”
Her pleasant words and smile didn't reach her eyes. She was scared, and for the first time in my life, I realized someone else's safety depended on me. I had no problems pissing people off when I was the only target. At least we had two men offering to keep me safe, the odds were better that way.
Lee walked behind me as I walked back to my office and collapsed in the overstuffed chair. She sat opposite me in a perfect poised position. I wondered if she ever let herself relax.
I rubbed my hands over my eyes. “I'm new to town, Lee. Is this normal?”
“Not that I know of. Everywhere I've lived has crazy people. You just have a knack for attracting them.” She tried to make it sound like a good thing. “Maybe you should get the nice cop to follow you home today.”
“It's not a bad idea. But it will stop at the door. I’ve fallen for the bad boy before and as hot as this one is, he has that quality I vowed to avoid.”
“I was thinking more of your safety. You may need a cop to keep you safe and a doctor to sew you back together if you get hurt.” Her shoulders released some of the tension holding her ramrod still. She was tired and talking in circles.
“You have great faith in my ability to survive this job,” I said. “I'll call Owen and ask for that escort.”
The cop poked his head into my door. “You want something?”
Startled by his sudden appearance I replied, “Lee suggested I ask for an escort home.”
“It's not a bad idea,” he replied, falling immediately into his professional persona. “I can have someone follow you home and will ask the local police department if they can drive by a few times tonight.”
I didn't want to be a pest or to come across as a hysterical woman. I also couldn't get my heart to stop pounding when I thought about driving home knowing that every horn that honked would make me jump.
“Just this one night, Owen. I trust you that I'm safe with that jackass in jail,” I replied.
“Jackass? Is that a professional diagnosis?” He smiled.
“Yes, yes it is.” I smiled back, and he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and stepped into the waiting room to make the call.
I gathered my purse and took a moment to check the email account I had been assigned. It appeared a few nurses wanted me to test their children. The local school system was slow to test the kids, as most were due to being overwhelmed, and they wanted to get results as soon as possible. Two of the kids were already on ADHD medications and their parents were concerned because the problems at school continued.
“Lee?” I called to see if she was still in the office.
“Yes?”
I heard her reply down the hallway. “Did they order the testing materials I asked for?”
I was asked what materials I would need when I agreed to the position. I asked for the full test batteries because I loved to do testing. There was something fascinating to me about sitting one on one with a child or an adult and asking those questions they didn't usually hear. The answers and how they added up to indicate the strengths and weaknesses for learning and coping were like watching a puzzle fit together.
“There are four boxes in the closet back there. I think they are in there.” She came down the hall as she spoke.
I opened the closet. All of the materials were present, and they even bought the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Tests. I liked that.
“Yes, they are all here and someone added a few I didn't have on the list,” I said.
She had her purse and keys in her hand. “Is there anything else I can do before I leave?”
I shook my head and thanked her for her help. Lee left as I began to unpack the testing materials from the boxes. Each set came with a bag to hold the materials. Well, most of the materials. I had to wonder if the manufacturer ever tried to put a full IQ test into the provided bag before they mass-produced them.
Owen coughed behind me and began to pick up the empty boxes.
“It seems you are stuck with me as your escort. The police chief expressed his frustration at the situation, but with the only person who actually threatened you in jail, he cannot offer any protection. He did say he would suggest to his officers they drive by your house if they are in that area overnight.”
“Thank you.” I was grateful for the offer.
“You just moved in, so I'm assuming you don't need these boxes?” he asked.
“No, in fact if you know anyone who is moving, I have a lot of boxes they could use. I'm unpacked, but I still have all of the boxes to break down.”
The tests were arranged in the storage closet, and Owen had the boxes in hand. We walked down the short hallway, and I opened the door to the main hospital walkway. It was empty as we left. A few stray family members asked for directions to the cafeteria as we made our way to the exit.
“Doctor's parking lot?” he asked.
“Yes, it's over here.” I gestured to the parking deck where my car was parked.
He gestured for me to follow him. “I would feel better if you walked with me to my truck, and I'll drive you back to the deck. That way, I can at least see you.”
“You are going to make me paranoid,” I complained as we walked to the parking lot by the emergency room. “I thought I was safe now.”
“You are as safe as anyone else is now.” He smiled. “But that doesn't mean I'm okay with you being in the parking deck alone tonight.”
“Hollywood should follow you around for a few days. You sound like their heroes.” I took one of the boxes out of his hands as we got to his GMC Yukon, and he opened the back.
“I try.” He winked at me, put the boxes inside, and closed the hatch.
He walked to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for me. I climbed in using the step up and carefully avoided his grin when I used the handle to pull myself up. One disadvantage to being short was the need for a stepstool to get into most large vehicles.
He walked around the front and waved at one of the security guards as they arrived for their shift. It seemed he knew everyone who worked for him. I wasn't sure if that was him being nice or a need to make sure he knew everything so he wouldn't be surprised or caught off-guard.
We rode the short distance to the parking deck in silence, and I pointed out my car on the first floor near a walkway. He stopped the SUV and made a move to get out and let me out. I leaned over and grabbed his arm to stop him, then jumped out before he could protest and made my way to my car. I liked the gentleman hero act, but I could walk a few yards on my own. I was afraid if I let him keep walking me places, both he and I would forget that I was perfectly ca
pable of taking care of myself.
I got into my car, and my heart pounded as I turned the key. All of those movie and television moments where the key turns and the car explodes raced through my head. It didn't make any logical sense, but logic didn't hang around psychopathic on a regular basis. The car started, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. I waved to Owen, and he looked relieved as well, before I drove to the exit and started my drive home.
On the way, my last relationship came rushing back to me. Triggered by my hope for something new in Savannah, the memories stomped through my mind with the dull pain of lost happiness.
Bruno was beautiful, tanned, and Mexican. He barely spoke English, but I didn't mind. I spoke Spanish. Long black hair to his waist matched the brown-black of his eyes. He decided I was the perfect woman for him on our first date. He never wavered in his devotion and kept buying me gifts and taking me out every weekend.
My heart opened up over time, and when I let him in there was a comfort there that sparked even greater passion in the bedroom. I would wake up after him every weekend and open my eyes to see him by the window in our apartment in nothing but his jeans. His lean, chiseled body shone in the sunlight. He took my breath away, and when he asked me to marry him, I agreed without hesitation.
I turned down the street into my new neighborhood and checked to see Owen a few yards behind me.
Bruno changed after we became engaged. He demanded more of me while simultaneously spending less time together. It was like he got what he wanted and stopped trying. And then, on New Year's Eve, I couldn't find him. He didn't come home from work, and I sat and waited for him until ten o'clock. Furious, I went back to the bar where we met and there he stood, dressed up and looking handsome, with his arm around another woman. He didn't even blink as I walked up to them. She asked who I was, and when I said I was his fiancée, he smiled at me and kissed her cheek. I shook as I left and cried until the next morning. His clothes were packed in boxes in the front room when he came in the next day. While he moved them into his car, I took the key off his keychain and replaced it with my ring. We didn't speak a word, and I never heard from him again.
I pulled into my driveway as the memories ceased. But the numbness I’d felt on that day dampened my current mood, so when Owen opened my car door, I didn't realize I'd been sitting there for a few minutes without moving.
“Are you okay?” Owen looked worried.
“Memories. They can creep up on you." I forced a smile as he helped me from the car.
My thoughts still foggy from the drive, I thanked him unlocking the front door. He came in with me and started to laugh.
“What?” I was a little irritated.
“You are more anal than I am.” He pointed at the label on one of the boxes.
My mood began to lighten. “If I don't write down what is in the box and which room it came from, how can I tell the movers where to put the box in the new place?”
“Organization is the key to success.” He snapped his heels together and saluted me military style with a grin stretched across his face.
I laughed. “Yes, it is. The boxes are back this way.”
I started to walk but he gestured for me to stay still as he walked back toward my bedroom.
“Son of a bitch.”
I recognized that voice and took off. “Owen, it's my brother!” I yelled as I rounded the corner.
The sight of Officer Owen Mata in a headlock of the wrestling variety, courtesy of my brother Josh, greeted me there. It made me very happy.
The look of pure shock on Owen's face made me laugh harder. As I crumbled to the floor with laughter, I waved Josh off Owen. “He's cool, Josh. He's here to protect me.”
Josh's laughter joined mine and then filled the room. My brother had the best laugh, the kind that filled every empty space driving sadness away. Owen’s cheeks flushed red as Josh released him. Josh stood to his full height, and Owen backed up to the wall.
“Where did you learn to move that fast for such a large guy?” Owen asked.
“Let me introduce myself properly. I'm known on the wrestling circuit as the Masked Avenger, so rapid movement gets my attention. Then, I have this sister who believes in all the hippy-dippy stuff and got me hooked on yoga a few years back to recover from an injury, and voila'.” He took a bow.
The confused look on Owen's face had to be him trying to picture my six-foot-four, two–hundred-fifty-pound brother doing yoga. This only made me laugh harder.
“Do downward dog, Josh," I managed to say in a strangled tone.
Josh, ever the helpful brother bent over from a standing position and placed his hands on the floor so his body made an inverted v in the air, and it was impressive. It also took up all of the free space in my bedroom between the bed, furniture, and a few scattered boxes. I stopped laughing as Josh rose and took a deep breath.
“I smell steak.” My brother had a gift for grilling steak, and the smell drifted across the hall from the kitchen.
Any remainder of depression or fear evaporated as Josh helped me to my feet and the three of us walked into the kitchen, through the sliding glass doors out onto the patio. My brother had steaks and potatoes on the grill, a tub of ice with beer and a few Diet Cokes off to the side.
Owen walked through the yard up to the marsh and checked out the neighbor's fence. It was hidden behind a wall of azaleas.
He returned. “It looks safe enough back here, and with Travis in jail, you should be safe here.”
Josh glared at me. “You are here for five days and someone is after you already?”
I nodded. “He beats women and his wife finally had enough and left him. He blames me. You know bullies are never responsible for the fallout.”
Josh and I had both been bullied as kids. It’s why we had the jobs we did as adults.
“I'll keep her safe, Owen. I've got a few days off to help her get settled. And then you will take over?”
I blushed and felt my face grow warm under my brother's stare. “We need to talk.”
Josh just laughed and tended to dinner.
Owen gestured to me and walked inside. I followed him.
“I'm going to go home. I'm positive you are safe here. I have a promise from the district attorney's office to call me if Travis even flinches. Besides, I'm not sure anyone could get past Josh.” He still looked a little stunned.
“He's sure no one can. That was why he has shown up and worked out in the driveway everywhere I moved. He likes to think it intimidates the neighbors.” I paused. “It also gets him a lot of dates.”
Owen pulled me into an awkward hug like he was a teenager and my dad stood behind me. He patted my back a couple of times, released me, and walked to the front door.
“I'll see you at work tomorrow, Doctor.” He waved and left.
“Damn, woman. Three days at work and you already have a new boyfriend,” Josh said behind me.
“Okay, stud. Let's not talk about picking up people your first week at work.” I poked him in the ribs and grabbed a Diet Coke from the beer tub.
“It's not my fault women throw themselves at me.” He stood proud and winked.
“Oh boy, you are full of it.”
I loved these moments with Josh. Maybe I moved so often because each time, we spent up to a week together.
“There are two men flirting with me," I threw over my shoulder as I kicked off my shoes and dipped my toes in the pool.
“Officer Abs, and who?”
“Nice. A Russian surgeon at the hospital. I met a part of his ego today, and it might be a little higher than I want to climb.”
“You love a good challenge,” Josh said as he plated the steaks.
He was right. I preferred the men who made me work a little. Bruno was a warning I heeded. The “I'll-give-you-everything-from-the-start” guys made me suspicious, and Owen Mata was one of them.
“Yes, I do.” I took the offered plate, and we sat at the small picnic table. “Speaking of which, how is B
unny, or Biffy, or whatever this week's blow up doll is calling herself?”
“Did it ever occur to you that I might actually meet a real girl?” he shot back. “No, wait. That didn't come out right.”
“Oh, I think it did. And you do meet real women, Joshua. All the time.”
“I mean, there is one now, El.”
He had a huge smile on his face. It seemed my older brother had found someone.
“It's about time. Tell me about her.”
He did. She was an accountant he met when he got his taxes done. She was surprised a wrestler could have a discussion about finances that didn't require crayons and construction paper. To be fair, he was surprised a math nerd could make his pulse race when she inhaled. It sounded like a perfect match.
We talked until we were yawning between every sentence. Josh doused the grill, and I picked up the plates and got the trash. I went to bed full, safe, and feeling more at home.
Chapter Five
I woke up and reached over to try and find the snooze button. It clicked, and I curled back up for my fifteen minutes more.
“Get up and eat breakfast, or I'll throw you out of bed.”
I remembered Josh was here, and he was a morning person, the kind that night people wanted to bonk on the head until sunset.
I could smell the coffee and eggs. “I'm coming.” I followed him to the kitchen.
“Morning, sunshine.” Josh poured a bowl of coffee for me and set it on the table.
“Morning, star shine. Why are we quoting the Age of Aquarius?” My coffee turned mocha as I added the creamer and sugar.
“You are grumpy in the morning. It's an ugly trait.”
He turned to flip the eggs, and I stuck my tongue out at his back.
“I saw that, El. You’re predictable.”
“Yes, like your habit of falling asleep before most toddlers.” We have had this argument since we were kids. Our mother used to joke that she never set a bedtime for Josh. He would start to tip over when he was tired, and our dad would carry him upstairs. Mom told that story to every girl he ever brought home to meet them. If the girl didn’t think it was a cute story, she didn’t get Mom’s seal of approval. I missed her more every time Josh and I were together.