Beautifully Unfinished

by Beverley Hollowed

  “Stop panicking,” Tucker said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Everything will be okay, and I will be with you every step of the way.”

  Tucker slowly released her hand then gave her an expectant look. She nodded, knowing he was asking was she ready.

  They both climbed out of the truck, and Tucker took hold of her hand again as they walked towards the entrance.

  As they reached the elevator in the main reception, Tucker hit the call button before he gave Lucy a sideways glance.

  When the doors of the elevator slowly opened, Tucker stepped inside, still holding Lucy’s hand.

  As they rode up in the elevator, they stood so close to each other; Tuckers arm was brushing against Lucy’s. She was surprised that she didn’t get that old feeling of complete terror that she got every time someone got too close to her. She could feel her breathing alter as the air became suddenly charged but it wasn’t from fear.

  Tucker turned to speak to her but just as he did, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, and once again, Lucy came face to face with Riley.

  This time, he was dressed in scrubs, and this made Lucy smile. Riley always wanted to be a doctor, and she was pleased for him that he had achieved his dream.

  “Lucy,” Riley said as a broad, genuine smile, lit up his face. Instinctively, Lucy pulled her hand free from Tucker’s, but she had no idea why. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

  “Riley,” she said, and her voice cracked with nerves as she gave Tucker a sideways glance. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

  “Tucker,” Riley said as he turned his attention to him, but Lucy could hear an edge in his voice.

  “Riley,” Tucker replied through gritted teeth, and Lucy was surprised to hear the anger in Tucker’s voice. Riley cautiously stepped onto the elevator and turned his attention back to Lucy as the doors closed, and they began to move again.

  “How’s your dad doing?” He asked, and Lucy was completely stunned when Tucker gave a sarcastic laugh. She looked at him, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze, so she turned her attention back to Riley.

  “He is doing much better now, thank you,” Lucy replied feeling very confused by Tucker’s behaviour.

  “Well, give him my best,” Riley said, as the elevator stopped on Tom’s floor and Tucker quickly stepped off. Lucy gave Riley a nervous smile before she too stepped off. “Maybe we will bump into each other again.”

  “Maybe,” Lucy said as the doors began to close. She lifted up her hand to wave goodbye. “Bye, Riley.”

  He smiled, but the doors closed before he could reply.

  “Your dad is expecting us,” Tucker said as he turned and headed off down the corridor without waiting for Lucy.

  Lucy followed closely behind him, but she had no idea what had just happened. She had no clue why Tucker would dislike Riley so much, but clearly he did.

  She remembered the night of the party; they argued in the car as they drove to the hospital. She remembered how angry Tucker was with Riley, but surely that couldn’t be it.

  When they reached Tom’s room, Tucker stopped and hesitated before he turned back to face Lucy.

  “Do me a favour,” he said, without looking directly at her. “Don’t tell your dad about Riley. I know it’s none of my business, but trust me, if he knows Riley Jones is sniffing around again, he will sign himself out of here in a heartbeat.”

  “Why?” Lucy asked, surprised by his request.

  “It’s a long story,” Tucker replied, as he glanced at her briefly before he dropped his eyes and turned back towards the door.

  “Then why don’t you tell it to me?” Lucy asked, as she reached out and pulled his arm back to her.

  “Just trust me on this one,” he replied before he once again turned back to the door and opened it before Lucy could push him further.

  Lucy took a deep breath and stepped through the door into her father’s room. The minute Tom saw his daughter, he held out his hand to her. Lucy rushed to the bed, and hugged him tightly.

  “I’m sorry, Dad,” Lucy said, as she buried her face in his shoulder and suddenly burst into tears but she wasn’t really sure what she was crying about. Yes, she was upset about what had happened between them, but she was also upset about what had just happened between her and Tucker.

  She felt so confused. They had enjoyed a great evening together. Things felt comfortable with him this morning, and in the elevator, she was sure they had a moment.

  Then everything just seemed to change; he seemed angry and distant, and she knew she was to blame. She had pulled her hand free from his like she was ashamed, when that was not the case at all.

  “It’s me that should be sorry, Angel,” Tom said, and he held her tighter. “I should have never said those things. I had no right…”

  “But you were right,” Lucy said as she lifted her head and looked at her dad. “I was so consumed in how hurt I was, it never occurred to me that you were hurting too. I made such a mess of everything…” She paused and glanced over at Tucker, who was standing next to the door, staring at the floor, before she added. “I still am.”

  He looked up, and his eyes met Lucy’s briefly, but then he quickly looked away before he stood up straight.

  “I need to head into the station,” he said, and Lucy could tell he was lying. Then he added without looking at Lucy. “I…I will come back later to take you home.”

  “I thought we were going to get some dinner,” Lucy asked.

  Tucker looked up, and his eyes met hers. For a moment, he didn’t speak. Then he looked away from her again.

  “I just remembered, I have somewhere to be tonight,” he replied, and Lucy knew he was lying once again. “Maybe we can go some other time?”

  “Sure,” Lucy said with a smile, but inside she felt crushed. She was shocked at just how disappointed she felt.

  Lucy liked Tucker, probably more than she wanted to admit, but Tucker had made it very clear, he didn’t feel the same. He was just being nice to her because he was friends with her father.

  He glanced at her one last time before he turned and left the room. Lucy was aware her father was watching her closely. He had been a police officer now for almost thirty years, and he was good at what he did. So there would be no deceiving him.

  She knew if she could tell Tucker was lying, her father knew it too. She turned back to him and gave him a warm smile.

  “How are you feeling today?” She asked, hoping she could steer the conversation away from Tucker.

  “I am a lot better now you are here,” Tom replied, giving Lucy a strange look. “Has something happened between you and Tucker? Have you two fallen out?”

  “No,” Lucy replied honestly. As far as she was concerned, they didn’t have an argument. Okay, she had upset him, but technically they hadn’t had a fight. “I don’t know where you get your crazy ideas from.”

  “You like him!” Tom exclaimed with a laugh.

  “Dad, get serious,” Lucy said and rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know him.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t like him.” Tom pushed with a grin.

  “Dad, I don’t like him, not in the way you mean,” Lucy insisted, feeling a little irritated. “And Tucker doesn’t like me. He is just being nice to me because I am the boss’s daughter, and you two are friends; that’s it.”

  “Lucy, there is something you don’t know about Tucker,” Tom said. “Things happened after you left…”

  “Dad, please,” Lucy said. “I don’t want to think about back then. It’s in the past. Right now, you are all I care about. Getting you well and back on your feet.”

  Tom looked at her for a moment and Lucy knew there was something he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue and just smiled instead.

  Lucy spent the day with her dad, talking about when she was a little girl and they all still lived in New York. She also told him stories about Alison, Lucy’s PA and all the crazy things that girl got up to. Lucy knew Tom liked Alison. He knew she lo
oked out for Lucy and for that, Tom was very grateful.

  A little after two, Tom was taken down for some more x-rays and Lucy said she was going to get some coffee.

  When she took her coffee from the machine, she turned and walked straight into someone, almost dumping her coffee over them.

  “I’m so sor…” she began to say but stopped when she realised she had run into Riley, literally, again. “Riley, I am so sorry.”

  “It was my own fault for sneaking up behind you,” he replied, giving her the same old smile he always gave her, the one that made her feel like there was no one else in the world. “I was actually hoping to bump into you again.”

  “You were?” Lucy asked, giving him a questioning look.

  “I was going to ask you if you would like to go out to dinner with me,” Riley said and for a moment, Lucy could see the look of nervousness in his eyes. “Maybe tomorrow night, unless…”

  “Unless?” Lucy asked.

  “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” he said, as he looked directly into her eyes. Lucy knew he was talking about Tucker, and she was surprised when she thought she saw a trace of jealousy in his eyes.

  “No,” she replied, then quickly added. “You’re stepping on no one’s toes.”

  “Good,” he said with a broad smile. “So tomorrow night?”

  She looked at him for a moment and Tuckers face immediately jumped into her mind. Her dad had been right, she did like Tucker, more than she cared to admit, but it didn’t matter, he didn’t feel the same way about her.

  “I would love to,” Lucy replied, as a nurse walked towards them.

  “Doctor Jones,” the nurse said handing Riley a file. “Here is those charts you asked for.

  “Thank you, Karen,” he replied dismissively as he took them from her, but his eyes remained locked with Lucy’s.

  “So,” Lucy said, when the nurse left them alone once again. “You’re a doctor. Just like you always said you would be.”

  “I am,” Riley replied. “I transferred back here two years ago to do my residency.”

  “I am happy for you,” Lucy said with a smile.

  “And I am happy that you have said yes to our date,” Riley said, as he stepped closer to Lucy. She could feel herself freeze in fear when she realised he was going to kiss her.

  He softly pressed his lips to her cheek as Lucy held her breath. Then he whispered softly into her ear. “I have missed you, Luc.”

  He stepped back and Lucy forced a smile, but inside, she was coming apart fast.

  “I will see you tomorrow night,” Riley said as he walked towards the door. “8 o’clock, I will pick you up at your dad’s.”

  Lucy smiled and nodded, but she couldn’t say a word. With one more smile, Riley disappeared down the corridor, and Lucy released the breath she was holding, but it was no good. She was coming undone fast. She dropped her coffee into the bin and hurried back to her dad’s room.

  When she reached the room, she headed straight for her handbag and pulled out her faithful paper bag.

  What the hell did you just agree to? She thought to herself as her breathing finally started to settle. You are never going to pull this off.

  Chapter 9

  When Tucker came to collect Lucy, his mood hadn’t really improved. He sat and chatted with Tom for a few minutes, but he barely even looked at Lucy.

  If Lucy was honest, she was a little relieved he wasn’t really talking to her. She had enough to deal with, worrying about what the hell she had been thinking by agreeing to go out with Riley the following evening. She knew she should have said no that going out with Riley would be a huge mistake.

  She had spent most of the day, lost in her thoughts while her father chatted away absentmindedly to her. She thought of how Riley had kissed her on the cheek and that it should have felt natural and normal, after all, it wasn’t the first time they had kissed, but it hadn’t. The truth was, it felt wrong, everything about the situation did.

  Lucy had to admit; there was a tiny bubble of something in the pit of her stomach, every time she had seen him. She would always have a special place in her heart for Riley; he was once the love of her life. However, it didn’t feel easy and comfortable to talk to him like it once did, not as it was with Tucker.

  Correction, had been with Tucker, she thought sadly as she remembered how distant he was before he left the hospital earlier that day. But you went and messed it up. Idiot!

  She glanced up at Tucker, and her heart almost stopped when her eyes met his, but then it sank when he quickly looked away again.

  “Lucy,” Tom said, and she realised her dad had been talking to her. “Are you okay, Sweetheart? You were miles away.”

  “Yeah,” she replied and tried her best to sound happy.

  “You look tired,” Tom said, as he reached out and took her hand. “Maybe you should go home and try to get some rest. I will be here tomorrow. It’s not like I am going anywhere just yet.”

  “Okay Dad, I will,” Lucy replied, then nervously glanced up at Tucker. She wondered if she should just take a cab home, or if she should wait on him, assuming he still wanted to give her a ride.

  “I will take you home now,” Tucker said, as if he was reading her mind. He stood up and picked up his jacket before he turned and walked to the door. “I will call by tomorrow, Chief.”

  “Okay, Son,” Tom nodded and smiled. “I will see you then.”

  “I will see you tomorrow too, Dad,” Lucy said, as she stood up, then leaned down and kissed her father’s forehead. She then picked up her bag and followed Tucker to the door.

  “Get some rest,” Tom told his daughter as he watched her closely. “I will see you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

  She smiled at him and nodded, but didn’t reply.

  Tucker opened the door for Lucy, letting her walk out first before he followed her. They walked down the corridor, side by side, but neither said a word. As they stepped into the lift, Lucy noticed that Tucker put as much distance between them as he could, and she felt sad.

  When the lift opened on the ground floor, Lucy stepped off first and walked as fast as she could towards the exit. She was relieved when she spotted his truck and didn’t slow until she reached it. She just wanted to get home.

  When Tucker caught up to her, he gave her a strange look, but just sighed before he opened the door for her, then stepped back to let her in.

  Lucy got in without saying a word. Instead, she focused on holding back the tears that were stinging her eyes. She had no idea why she was so bothered by Tuckers behaviour, but she was.

  When Tucker got into the truck and glanced at Lucy, he froze. She knew he could see she was upset, and could sense he wanted to say something, but she didn’t feel like talking, so she turned her head and stared out of the car window.

  Tucker sighed again before he started the car and pulled out of the space. Neither said a word as they drove back to Lucy’s father’s place.

  When they reached the house, Tucker pulled his truck in behind Lucy’s parked car in the driveway. To her surprise, he switched off the engine.

  “Thank you,” Lucy said without looking at Tucker, as she reached for the handle of the door and pushed it opened.

  “Lucy, wait,” he quickly said, as he reached out and took hold of her arm. Lucy turned back immediately, and her eyes went straight to where his hand was holding her arm and Tucker instantly let her go. “I’m sorry, I just want to talk.”

  “Okay then,” she managed to say, despite the huge lump in her throat, as she pulled the door closed again. “Go ahead, talk.”

  “I just wanted to say I am sorry,” Tucker said, still not letting his eyes meet hers.”

  “Sorry for what, Tucker?” Lucy asked angrily, as her voice cracked with unshed tears. “For acting like a total asshole all day? Or for lying to me about needing to go to work or having somewhere to go tonight? Or is it for the fact that you have this huge issue with Riley but you can’t tell me why? I know you
were upset with me that I pulled my hand away, and I am sorry if I hurt you, but this is all very new to me. I was surprised to see Riley standing there again, and I panicked.”

  “You saw him before?” Tucker asked as he finally met her eyes with his, and this just made Lucy angrier.

  “So what if I did?” She exclaimed in frustration. “Since when is Riley the bad guy?”

  “Lucy, there are things you don’t know,” Tucker replied with a sigh.

  “Then tell me, Tucker,” Lucy said as the tears trickled down her face. “What is it I am missing because I have no clue?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Tucker replied, much to Lucy annoyance. “None of it does.”

  “There you go again,” Lucy snapped abruptly. “Expecting me to just be a good little girl and do as I am told.”

  “I just think it’s best to leave the past where it belongs,” Tucker replied as he reached out for her hand. “And I also think it’s better if you stay the hell away from Riley Jones.”

  “Well that’s going to be hard,” Lucy replied sarcastically as she pulled her hand back. “Especially since he is taking me to dinner tomorrow night.”

  Before Tucker could reply, Lucy swung open the door of the truck and climbed out. She hurried up the pathway, as she quickly searched for her keys in her handbag.

  “YOU’RE GOING OUT WITH HIM?” Tucker exclaimed angrily when he climbed out of the truck and followed Lucy up the pathway.

  “Well that’s what someone usually means when they say they are being taken out,” Lucy replied and sighed with frustration because she couldn’t find her key. “DAMN IT!”

  “Lucy, I don’t want you going out with him,” Tucker replied, and he stood so close to Lucy she could smell his aftershave, and her stomach clenched. Why did he affect her like he did?

  “Well, it’s just as well I don’t need your permission,” Lucy shot back as she continued to search for her key until she realised she must have left it on the hall table. “Shit!”

  “Here, let me,” Tucker said, as he pulled his key from his pocket and opened the door for her.

  “Thank you,” she said as she stepped through the door and set her bag down on the hall table before turning back to Tucker.