Dr. Tall, Dark...and Dangerous?

by Lynne Marshall

  Forty minutes later, after several games of bowling, with Jared winning the majority, and a couple of tennis matches where Kasey triumphed, they went back to the table. Kasey watched Jared devour two more pieces of pizza while she picked at her crust.

  He’d proved to be stellar as a nostrings lover, and she couldn’t let feelings mess things up. When he didn’t look so serious and earnest his eyes were sweet and friendly. She thoroughly enjoyed playing the video game with him, having him in her house, sharing a meal, keeping her company. She took a bite of pizza and thought what a striking man he was, and how she’d seen every part of him, and nothing had come close to letting her down. Physically.

  Again, that caution flag waved in her mind.

  Men didn’t stick around in her life. She had to remember that. He wouldn’t either. She would be nothing more than a pleasant way station on his journey through Boston. What could she expect from a man with rented furniture? That cold, in-your-face fact changed the taste of the pizza, as it turned from delicious comfort food into cardboard with sauce.

  She got up from the table and went into the kitchen to gather her thoughts. Who knew what her future held? She really didn’t want to blow this one good thing with Jared by being needy or afraid. She wanted to take what she could, for as long as she could. Gulping down some water at the sink, she straightened her shoulders. She deserved to enjoy herself with a man, this man. Jared. She’d enjoy each moment he gave her and be glad about it. When it ended, that would be it. No strings. No emotions. In the meantime, they’d have shared good, thought-free, solid physical contact.

  His strong hands cupped her shoulders. The man had an uncanny knack for sneaking up behind her. She inhaled the woods and orange peel scent that had quickly become her favorite aftershave, plus the added touch of mozzarella and basil.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Fine.” She bent her head and brushed her cheek over his knuckles. He wrapped his hands around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

  “Good. I’m fine, too.”

  Glancing into the window pane above the sink, she saw their reflections. To someone passing by they’d appear to be a couple, perhaps in love or married. Little would anyone know they were nothing more than convenient lovers.

  With that she turned into his embrace and they kissed again, long, slow, lingering kisses, and soon they found their way into her bed, the pizza forgotten in its cardboard holder and the computer game a distant memory.

  Jared watched Kasey stretch like a kitten on the mattress after they’d gotten naked. “We’ve got to quit meeting like this,” she said, falling fall short of coy.

  “I’m so glad we have,” he said spooning close, nibbling her shoulder, examining her colorful hummingbird tattoo on the back of her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him. “What do you say we just stay here for ever?”

  “Someone would have to bring in the pizza when we got hungry.”

  He smiled into her hair. “Yeah, and I have a special surgery to scrub in on tomorrow.”

  “Double stacking implants?”

  He tweaked her breast in punishment. “No. I’ll have you know, I’m on the surgical team for a certain young boy’s cleft lip and palate repair.”

  She sucked in air and glanced over her shoulder. “Really?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “I know. I’m wonderful.”

  She jabbed him with her elbow.

  “Ouch. Hey. I’m just being honest.”

  “So humble.”

  “You bring out the best in me.”

  “It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.” She snuggled her behind against him, his muscles tensed and the heavy, and hot feeling sprang to life once more.

  “Oh, look, you’re bringing out the best in me again.” With desire pooling in his groin, he positioned himself below her bottom between her upper thighs, close enough to feel her moisture. The damp welcome and heady scent made him shudder with longing. When had a woman turned him on so much?

  He moved in tighter then changed her position just enough to give him entrance, and soon the only thoughts in his mind were to please Kasey and satisfy his endless need for her.

  *

  Kasey woke in the middle of the night, surprised that Jared was still there. A quick glance at the clock told her it was two in the morning. She got up for a bathroom visit, took one step, but her right leg felt like a tree stump. Falling to the floor, she banged her head on the bedpost. Pain sliced through the side of her head. A brief twinkling of stars appeared behind her eyes. Shaken, she rubbed out the ache.

  “Are you okay?” Jared’s groggy voice came from over the mattress.

  “Leg went to sleep. Tried to walk.”

  He crawled over the bed and hopped to the floor, pushed his hands under her armpits and helped her stand. Her leg gave early signs of waking up, tingles and pins, burning, and discomfort. He kissed her temple where she’d been rubbing.

  “Let me help you,” he said. “Bathroom or back to bed?”

  She pointed to the bathroom, and he practically carried her as she hopped on her one good leg. “That hasn’t happened in years.” Yet it had happened last night, too.

  “I probably threw my leg over you or something.”

  Right. But when she’d woken up, their bodies hadn’t even been touching. Hummingbird-fast panic shot through her, igniting the nerve endings in her chest. Was this an early sign of Huntington’s?

  Once she’d made it to the bathroom, she decided to add this to her surprisingly growing list of things for the dreaded upcoming neurology appointment.

  When she returned to her room, the light was on and Jared was dressed and ready to leave. He ran fingers through his hair in an attempt to comb it.

  “I need to do some preparation for surgery later today. Guess I’ll be going.”

  He’d clicked into doctor mode, and whatever care and concern he’d shown when he’d helped her up had vanished. The man was the king of compartmentalization.

  “Okay, well, let me know how it goes.”

  He walked toward her, pecked her on the nose. “Without a doubt.” Then left.

  All the great feelings she’d savored during their time together that night wilted. She tried to buck up under her disappointment, but couldn’t quite pull it off.

  “Wait!” she said, rushing to the kitchen door.

  Surprise changed his sleepy expression as he stopped in mid-reach for the knob.

  “I’ve got to turn off the alarm first.”

  He nodded in understanding. “Thanks.” Clearly, there was no concern about any further conversation on his end. Not even a “Talk soon” or “See you later”. Not one further peep from him.

  He showed no interest in learning the code to her alarm either.

  “Goodnight,” she said, trying not to notice so much, fighting off a desire to want more.

  “’Night.”

  The guy had stumbled onto a playmate and could she blame him for allowing for some distraction in his otherwise busy and high-stress schedule? She needed to get used to this nostrings fling. When it was good it was very, very good, but when it felt bad, like now, it stank.

  Maybe she wasn’t cut out for an affair.

  The feeling had slowly and painfully returned to her leg, and only a few needle pricks remained in her foot. She tested her toes by wiggling them and rotating her ankle. As Kasey reset the alarm and walked back to her bedroom, a nagging thought caught hold and wouldn’t let her free. What would happen if she turned out to have the Huntington’s marker?

  On Thursday morning, Kasey received a call at the clinic from the bat-bite mom. The mother’s worst fears had come true. There was evidence of bat guano in the child’s bedroom. Having done her homework, Kasey told the woman there was only a one percent chance of the bat having rabies in this part of the US, but she still recommended that the mother follow up with her daughter�
�s pediatrician as soon as possible.

  Vincent kept eyeing Kasey all morning, a tiny knowing twinkle in his eyes. When he brought her a cup of coffee without being asked, she knew she was in for an interrogation.

  “You’re banging the doc, aren’t you?” His smile was sly and lascivious.

  “Is that any of your business?”

  “Am I not your closest friend?” He stood before her arms akimbo, with an obvious pout. “I have information rights. You’ve been withholding breaking news.”

  She sipped the too-hot coffee, squinted her eyes tightly, then drew in a breath. “Okay. Yes,” she whispered, worried Angie might hear. “We’ve sort of done some things.”

  “Done some things? Like sex?”

  She nodded at his incredulous stare.

  “Well blow me away! You little harlot.”

  “Keep your voice down, would you?”

  “I want details. All the details. Oh, my God, Doctor Tall, Dark and Gorgeous is bonking my best friend.”

  “You say one word to anyone and I’ll stitch your mouth shut.”

  He licked his lips. “Sealed. Promise. But, really, how exciting.” He squeezed her shoulder then walked away to pick up a blood-pressure cuff, tossed her an envious glance, then moved on.

  The way Kasey felt this morning, all mixed up about what was going on between her and Jared, she wasn’t the least bit sure there was anything “exciting” about the predicament she’d found herself in. Now that Vincent knew, he’d keep on her about “Has he called you?” “When are you seeing him again?” and she’d have to be honest and tell him, most likely she’d only been a brief fling. It hadn’t meant anything. News she’d rather keep to herself.

  It would take diligent practice to start believing the mantra about sex with Jared. It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything.

  But, with misplaced feelings beginning to surface, she’d have to try.

  *

  Late Thursday afternoon Jared sat down for the first time in hours. He stretched out the aching muscles in his legs and shoulders. The cleft lip and partial palate repair with the pediatric surgical specialist had been fascinating. He wouldn’t have missed it for anything, and even felt a little proud that he’d been the person to recommend the child for the pro bono services. Which wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been assigned to the Everett Community Clinic.

  He loved being a general surgeon, and plastic surgery seemed like a logical option. He believed in what he did, making people look better, feel better with more self-esteem, no matter how unrealistic some of their goals were. He’d given his new studies his best efforts, because he didn’t know how to do anything differently in life, but something had obviously been lacking in the satisfaction department. He hadn’t realized how much until now. Today, assisting with the toddler’s surgery, it had become painfully apparent. Nothing could compare to the way he felt right now. He’d helped change a child’s life.

  It felt great, and he wanted to share the revelation with someone special.

  Smiling, he fished out his cellphone to give Kasey an update.

  “Dr. Finch?” one of the circulating OR nurses said. “Dr. Rheingold wants to see you. He’s in the doctors’ lounge.”

  Sliding his cellphone back into his pocket, he walked down the hall.

  *

  On Friday morning, Kasey got a call she never expected and was nowhere near prepared for.

  A pediatrician for Janie DeHart, the bat-bite child, had decided to take the cautious road and had ordered the treatment for rabies. Kasey understood he was going on the theory of better safe than sorry. Literature suggested that any young child or mentally challenged person suspected of having slept in a room with a bat and having evidence of a bite should be treated. The logic had more to do with the inability to explain exactly what had happened. In Janie’s case, she’d thought a bird was flying in her room. Maybe it had been a dream, but the tiny bite marks on her shoulder changed everything.

  A large part of her didn’t believe it was truly necessary to put that child through the horrendous treatment for rabies, but would she want to risk being wrong? In this case, liability and potential lawsuits may have played a part in the decision by her pediatrician.

  The Everett Community Clinic had been chosen to provide the care, since it was close to the patient’s house. The unlucky child would receive the treatment. She made an appointment for Janie on Monday, hustled to order the rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine, then ran back to her computer to study the procedure for giving the medicine to prevent the rabies virus from infecting the patient. She dreaded how hard it would be on the little girl to receive the initial immune globulin followed by four doses of rabies vaccine over fourteen days.

  While she had a quiet moment at her desk, she picked up the phone and called the hospital to check up on Franklin O’Leary. Patient confidentiality prevented her from getting a full report, but she’d been assured he’d been stabilized and was now in the acute care ward. Now that they’d resolved his heart attack, they’d have to move on to finding the source of his cancer. She thought of Franklin’s weary, craggy, but friendly face. How had he managed to get hit with a double whammy?

  In full fret mode, Kasey sat at her desk as the phone rang again. “Everett Community Clinic, how may I help you?”

  “May I speak to Kasey McGowan?”

  “I’m Kasey.”

  “Hi. This is the Genetics lab. We have your results and wanted to set up an appointment to discuss them.”

  The floor seemed to drop out from beneath her feet. A massive influx of adrenaline through her chest, and pulsing into her ears, made her head swim. Her breathing fell out of sync, and she had to remind herself to inhale…exhale.

  Was she ready to handle the results? No! Her hands trembled, barely able to hold the phone to her ear. A fist-sized wad in her throat made it hard to respond.

  “Ms. McGowan?” the lab voice said.

  She swallowed against the dry lump. “Yes. I’m here.”

  “Are you available to come in tomorrow morning?”

  “Yes,” she wiped her brow, already clammy with fear. “Of course. What time?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  KASEY grasped at Vincent’s arm as he passed her desk in the clinic.

  “What’s wrong? You look white as a sheet.”

  “My results are in.” Her pulse pounded so loudly in her ears she could hardly hear herself.

  “The DNA tests?”

  She nodded, unable to draw enough breath to speak.

  “Are they negative?”

  She shrugged. She’d been told at the original lab appointment that they only gave the results in person.

  He hugged her tight, pulled back, grabbed her hands, squeezed, and looked deep into her eyes. “When do you find out?”

  “Tomorrow,” she whispered.

  “Do you need me to stay with you tonight? Then we can go to the appointment together in the morning.”

  She chewed on her lower lip and shook her head. “Just go with me tomorrow, please.”

  “Of course. I’ll be there. All you have to do is tell me when. Now, let me get you some water.”

  Her heart swelled with love for Vincent for being there for her. Since she only had two friends, she was grateful he was one of them.

  The rest of the day went by in a blur. Kasey hardly remembered how she got home, but somehow she stood in her kitchen with an attention-starved cat circling her ankles.

  After she fed Daisy, and scratched her ears until the cat had slipped into oblivion, she ran a hot bath and slid into the soothing water, hoping it might help unjangle her nerves. Tomorrow held her fate. If she had the Huntington gene, she would eventually get the disease, but wouldn’t know when the symptoms would begin. She thought about the recent episodes of her leg going numb at night. Had the symptoms already started? If she didn’t have the marker, she could take a deep breath and thank the heavens for saving her heartache, physical pain,
and a long and sad demise.

  She thought about calling Jared—a fleeting thought, as quick as a drip from the faucet into the bathtub. He had enough going on in his life. Besides, their relationship wasn’t like that.

  In fact, they didn’t have a relationship. Beyond sex.

  His goofy round-headed avatar popped into her mind, and how earnestly he’d bowled the other night, as if holding an actual bowling ball instead of a video game wand.

  What they had was sex. Not friendship. Not a relationship. Sex. Pure and simple. A clench of sadness lodged in her chest. It seemed that life-threatening disease and nostrings sex wasn’t such a good mix after all.

  Besides, Vincent would be here in a flash if she needed him. He was her true friend. And though right now she felt more afraid and lonely than when she’d been a pre-schooler and her mother had left her alone at night to sneak off and see some man, she refused to burden Vincent until tomorrow.

  After the long, warm bath, she got into her pajamas and poured herself a glass of wine. She’d beaten Jared in video tennis the other night, now she’d leave the ball in his court and wait to see how long it would be before he called her. Yes, it was a test, because her phony nostrings self-esteem could use a little perking up.

  Walking to the living room, she slipped a DVD into the player for distraction, and took a long sip of her pinot noir.

  Now, if she could only make it through the night, tomorrow she’d find out her future. It all boiled down to a Huntington’s disease marker at chromosome four, and that tiny thing made her mad as hell.

  *

  On Saturday morning, Jared made early post-surgical rounds for his latest implants, facelifts, lipos, and tummy tucks at the surgi-center recovery, finishing in plenty of time to make it to Chloe’s soccer game. Back in his office, on a whim, he dialed Kasey to see if she’d like to come along.