A small smile tugged at her lips, and she shook her head. “I know. I know that, and that’s what I keep trying to tell myself. But the facts are the facts. I had an affair with a patient. And I’m not sure what to do about it.”
Dex looked down at his hands splayed on his thighs, and then back up at her. “Don’t do anything, sweetheart. Walk out of here, and we’ll both forget this weekend happened. We needed each other for a while, and that’s that. Your house will be safe and sound by tonight. Go home to it, and don’t even consider doing anything stupid because of one weekend.”
Hearing the words hurt worse than she thought they would, even though it was what she’d told herself she should do. She nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
“See you at one, then.” She moved around him and went into the living room. No more tears, she told herself as she put on her boots and coat.
“Shelly?”
She pulled her knit cap on and turned back toward him. He held out his hand to her, and she went to him, bent over, and kissed his lips softly.
“Thank you for the weekend,” he muttered when she stood back up.
She nodded, unable to say anything through her tight throat. He gave her hand a squeeze, and then she turned away, picked up her suitcase, and headed out into the brisk morning air.
The temperature had raised some, and she breathed deep. She tossed her suitcase in the back seat then climbed behind the wheel, started the car, and flipped on the heater. As she was about to put the Bronco in gear, she looked out the window and saw the envelope.
On the windshield, held down by the wiper.
“Sonofafuckingbitch,” she muttered, using a variation of Dex’s word. She opened the door, leaned out, grabbed the damn envelope, and tossed it onto the passenger seat. But unable to withstand the lure of the unknown, she picked it up and ripped it open.
How could you do this to me?
I thought I was your one and only.
A cold chill went down her spine. Had this sick bastard been watching her with Dex? She turned and looked at the house. The front curtains were open, but the sheers were pulled, as they had been all weekend. But if someone was close enough they could see in. And the curtains in his bedroom had been the same.
Yesterday afternoon on the sofa, though…
She jumped out of the truck, ran up the path, and opened the front door of Dex’s house.
“Hey! What…?”
“Lock your door,” she said. “The bastard left me a note. Here, on my car. And he doesn’t sound happy about the fact I was here.”
“What are you—?”
“I have to get to work. I’ll call Paul from there. Please. Lock your door.”
“Okay. Be careful!” he called as she shut the door.
Chapter Eleven
By the time Shelly pulled into a parking spot in the hospital lot, she’d worked herself into a fine lather. She was tired of being afraid. That tingly all-over illness sensation every time she found a new note was becoming too stressful, and it had to end. All of this had to end!
Fighting tears of frustration, she locked her truck and headed into the hospital, gripping the latest note in her hand.
“Where have you been all weekend?” Celeste demanded when Shelly went through the sliding glass doors into the ER.
Shelly stopped and frowned at her friend.
“I tried calling you all weekend. You had me scared to death.”
She swallowed hard. She’d never thought that anyone would worry about her or try to get a hold of her. “I’m sorry.”
“Paul went and checked the SleepyTime Motel and when you weren’t there, I really started worrying. Where’s your cell phone? I called it and called it. But then I called here and found out you’d been in on both Saturday and Sunday, so at least I knew you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere.”
Shelly held up her purse and dug inside of it for her cell. “I left it on Friday night, I guess, after I talked to you. It’s dead.” She held it up to show Celeste.
“Where were you?” Her friend looked much more concerned than angry, but still, Shelly pressed her lips together, not wanting to admit to the truth.
Celeste give her an odd look.
Shelly finally whispered, “I was at Pete Dexler’s house.”
Celeste’s eyes widened a little in obvious surprise.
“It’s nothing,” Shelly insisted. “I just needed someplace safe to sleep. Okay?”
“He’s your patient,” Celeste whispered, dragging Shelly to the side of the lobby, away from the counter. “You stayed at your patient’s house? Why didn’t you come over to our place? You know we have the room.”
“I did. Saturday night. You weren’t home.” Her throat got tight again, and damn it, she wanted to cry some more. She must be PMSing along with all the strain on her. “I have to go talk to Dorothy.” She held up the note. “I got another one today. I got one here, Saturday. He’s following me. He’s watching me.”
Celeste snatched the envelope out of her hand and turned away before Shelly could grab it back. Her friend read the note.
“He saw you with Dexler, didn’t he?” Celeste asked, shoving the paper back into the envelope. “You slept with Dexler, and your stalker saw it.”
Shelly neither admitted nor denied the accusation. “The point is, this fucker needs to be caught.”
“I agree, but Shelly…”
Shelly grabbed the envelope back. “Just stop, please. If you’re my friend, stop. I’m beating myself up enough, okay? I don’t need you to do it, too.”
“Hey…” Celeste put her hand on Shelly’s arm. “I am your friend. I’m sorry. I just never thought you’d—”
Shelly closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears. “I never thought I would either. It really just happened. I feel like my whole world is falling apart.” She swallowed hard. “I have to do something.”
“You want me to come upstairs with you?”
Shelly shook her head. “No. Thanks. I’ve got to do this on my own. If you could call Paul and let him know? This note was on my windshield outside Dex’s house this morning. I did come to the hospital yesterday, so I’m guessing he followed me back there. Or, hell, I don’t know. This town is tiny. He could have just driven around until he found my truck. Whatever the case, it feels like he’s closing in on me. And I’m so damn scared.”
“I’ll call Paul and find out what he suggests. He’s worried too. Maybe with this sounding more like a threat, there’s something he can do now.”
“Thanks.”
Celeste gave her a quick hug. “You can talk to me. I swear. I’m not judging.”
“Yes, you are.” Shelly let out a little chuckle. “But I understand. I would, too. I’ll see you at lunch. I’ve got appointments all morning, so I have to get up to Dorothy’s office before nine.”
“Go then.” Celeste gave her arm another squeeze.
Shelly took the elevator instead of being alone in the stairwell, and got off on the second floor, but instead of heading toward her therapy room, she turned the other direction, went through the door that separated administration from the rest of the hospital, and asked the receptionist, “Is Dorothy in?”
“Yep. Just got here.”
“Is it okay if I speak with her? It’s really important.”
The receptionist picked up the handset of her phone. “Hi, Dorothy. Doctor Newman is here and would like to speak to you.” She set the phone back in the cradle at the same time Dorothy Bells opened her heavy, dark wood door.
“Doctor Newman?” Dorothy said.
Shelly stepped into her office. “Chief Bells, I have a situation I need to bring to your attention.”
“Please,” she said, extending her arm toward the chairs in front of her desk, “have a seat.”
Shelly sat down and fiddled with the envelope in her hand. Then she unzipped her jacket.
Dorothy sat down behind her desk. “What can I do for you?”
She decided to just get it out there, since she didn’t know how else to do this. “I have a stalker, and he’s following me. I’ve gotten notes from him here in the hospital, in the physical therapy room, even inside my office last week. Friday he broke into my home, and this morning I found his latest note on my vehicle in front of my friend’s house where I spent the weekend.”
Dorothy leaned her elbows on her desk and folded her hands together. “I’m sorry. Go on.”
Shelly hadn’t thought much past telling her the problem. “Well, I’m hoping you can send out a memo to the staff to have them keep an eye open for anyone who doesn’t belong in the hospital.”
“How do you know your stalker isn’t an employee?”
“Detective Jensen, Celeste Jensen’s husband, ran the fingerprints through every system he has access to, including the hospital employment records. Whoever it is doesn’t work here and has never been in trouble with the law. It’s like he’s a ghost. I mean, he’s moved in and out of the therapy room and even the doctor’s lounge numerous times just to leave me these.” She held up the offending envelope.
“I’ll send out a memo right now,” Dorothy said, pulling her keyboard drawer out.
“Thank you.”
“Maybe we should get a security guard in the hospital for a while, at least until this person is caught.”
Relief flooded through her. Part of her had thought her situation wouldn’t sound scary enough to warrant any help from the chief of staff. “I’d appreciate that. One more thing…”
Dorothy looked toward her from her computer screen.
“Would it be all right if I began locking the therapy room when I don’t have a patient? A lot of employees use it as a gym in their free time. I’ll make sure I’m there during my work hours so they can still use it, but I’m just not feeling safe in there anymore. ”
“By all means, lock the door. Do what you feel necessary. I won’t have my employees living in terror,” Dorothy said. “Do you have a key?”
Shelly shook her head. “Only for my office. The therapy room has just always been left open.”
“I’m sure janitorial has one. I’ll call down and make sure they turn it over to you. You can pick it up after you leave here. Is there anything else you need, want, that will make you feel safer here in the hospital?”
A tight laugh came out of her. “About a dozen cameras in my areas.”
Dorothy didn’t laugh though. She looked thoughtful. “Your therapy room is rather out-of-the-way. It might not be a bad thing to put up some security cameras around the hospital.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I’ve worked at two of the biggest hospitals in the US in my thirty years. When I moved and took this job, I never considered security issues here. We’re in Podunk, Nowhere.”
“I know. I lived in Chicago and Milwaukee before I moved here, and I was never scared to walk down the street alone. Now...” She shook her head.
“How long has this been going on?”
“A few months.”
Dorothy pressed her lips into a thin line before she said, “I wish you would have come to me sooner. What are the police doing? I should have been notified that something was going on in my hospital.”
Shelly shrugged. “I’m sorry. It just escalated, and I didn’t think about it until it got out of hand. And there’s not much the police can do. There’s no way at this point to identify him.”
“I’ll have a guard in here by tomorrow morning, okay? And this…” She clicked her mouse. “…is sent to all departments to keep an eye out for anyone who doesn’t belong here, and to immediately report them to me.”
“I appreciate this, Chief.”
Dorothy smiled. “You are a huge part of this hospital, Shelly. The patients love you. The other doctors think you’re great.”
Shelly wrinkled her brow. “They do?”
Dorothy laughed. “Of course, they do. And those kids in Peds… They think the sun rises and sets on you. You had the highest marks out of anyone for your peer review last year.”
Shelly’s lips parted in surprise.
“Don’t look so shocked. You’re always there whenever you’re needed. And all the extra time you spend with those children…” She shook her head and smiled. “You go way beyond the call of duty. I wish all our doctors were as generous as you.”
“Thank you,” Shelly whispered. “I…uh…better go get that key. My first appointment is in a few minutes.”
“Come see me if you need anything else.”
Shelly opened her mouth, and it almost came out, an admission of what she’d done that weekend with a patient. But she heard Dex’s voice in the back of her mind telling her not to do something stupid because of one weekend. “I will,” she said as she stood up. “Thank you. Again. For everything.” For letting her know that maybe she had more than she thought she did. Friends, or at least people who thought highly of her. Not that she’d ever needed that kind of validation, but knowing she had it made her feel much more secure. Maybe she wasn’t quite as alone as she thought she was.
Never in her life had anyone, except her parents, worried over her. But because she didn’t want them worrying, she kept her own problems to herself. Knowing that Celeste had spent all weekend worrying over her warmed her heart. She was rather surprised everyone seemed to reach out when asked for a little help.
* * * * *
Shelly met Celeste and Paul in the cafeteria at lunchtime. She handed the envelope over to Paul, and Celeste said, “I saw the memo from Dorothy, I take it your talk went well.”
“Let me grab a coffee first.” Spending all morning looking over her shoulder was definitely taking its toll. Her neck and the base of her skull throbbed, and she wanted to go somewhere and curl up in the dark. She poured herself a coffee from the urn by the cash register and dropped some coins in Pat’s tip jar, since staff didn’t pay for coffee. Pat smiled at her and helped the next person in line.
When she got back to the table, Paul was staring at the note.
“Looks like a threat to me,” Celeste said.
Paul agreed with a nod. “You have to be extra careful, Shelly. I’d like to escort you home after work.”
“They’re installing the alarm system now. Max Spenser from Spenser Security came by and picked up my house key this morning.” She stifled a yawn and covered her mouth with her hand. “He said it’ll be done by two, and he’ll return my key and talk me through the instructions on it.”
“Still. I don’t want you out and about alone right now. I’m going to have patrols drive past your house at least every half hour, maybe every fifteen minutes, until this sicko is caught.”
“Okay,” Shelly agreed. She wasn’t about to argue about escorts and more security surrounding her. She wanted as much of a cushion around her as she could possibly get. Turning toward Celeste, she said, “Dorothy said she’ll have a security guard in here by tomorrow morning, and she said she’ll look into getting some cameras installed.”
“Cameras are only as good as the person monitoring them,” Paul said.
“That helps,” Shelly muttered.
“I’m worried about you—about this asshole.” He held up the note between two fingers. “You’re right in thinking he’s watching you, following you.”
The thought of this faceless guy seeing her have sex with Dex on the couch made her want to throw up. “I told Pete to make sure he kept his door locked. What if this guy goes after him because of me? He’s in a wheelchair. He’s helpless. I—” Her throat closed up on her again, and she leaned over, dropping her forehead onto the table. “Would it do any good for me to take some leave and get out of town for a while?”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Paul said. “On the other hand, he could follow you. So it’s your call. If you left, the only thing we could do is stake out your house and hope he tries to break in to find you.”
She sat up. “I’ll think about it.”
“You look so tired,” Cele
ste said softly.
“I am. Emotionally drained down to the bottom.”
“You’ve got me on your speed dial, right?” Paul asked.
She nodded. “My cell is in my office, charging.”
“As soon as that battery is full, you keep it on you at all times. I answer my phone day or night.”
“I know. Thank you.” She glanced at her watch. “I better get back upstairs.”
“Shelly,” Celeste said as she stood up. “Call me if you need an ear, a friend. I’m here, okay?”
Shelly tried to smile. “I will.”
Once again she took the elevator up to her floor. The hallway was empty as she walked toward the therapy room, but she’d locked the door before she left. She held her hand in the pocket of her lab coat, her keys sticking out through her fingers as her dad had shown her when she was a teenager. There was no one around, though, so she unlocked the door, went inside, and locked the door behind her. She hated that she had to be so paranoid, but she had a really bad feeling. Her gut told her something was going to happen. Then again, maybe it was just paranoia. She couldn’t decipher between the two any longer.
She unlocked her office and glanced around, looking for anything out of place, but of course, there wasn’t anything moved. She went into the women’s changing room, and then the men’s. To think he’d been so close the other day….
A knock on the door had her peering out of the men’s changing room. She didn’t see anyone through the window. Then just a hand came into view, and the knuckles rapped on the window. She realized it was Dex and rushed to let him in.
“Hey. Sorry. You’re a little early.”
“Glad to see you’re locking this door when you’re alone.” He wheeled inside, and she propped the door open, as was customary when she had a patient.
“Yeah. The chief of staff has been very helpful. She’s going to get a security guard and some cameras.”
“Good. Be right back.” He headed for the changing room, and she went into her office to take a couple swigs of coffee. It was strange, but she didn’t feel as awkward around Dex as she thought she would. It was almost as if they had a closer camaraderie now. Knowing she could never touch him or be held by him again still hurt, but she didn’t think that working with him would be too awfully uncomfortable. It would be worse to simply never see him again.
Dangerous Intentions Page 11