by Remi Grey
As disgusting as that was, I’m thankful that I found something to wipe my mouth off with so close to where I was leaning since we hadn't put in the toilet paper dispensers yet. The paper towels were all the way near the sinks.
"Chris?" I hear Davis's voice frantic outside the ladies' room door. "I'm coming in."
"I'm fine, please, I'll be out in a moment," I beg, hoping he won't come in and see me covered in my own vomit and black eyeliner running down my pale looking face.
“Nonsense Chris, I’m a doctor I’m coming in!” I knew he meant business, whenever he says “I’m a doctor” that means he’s serious. He comes barreling in moments later, finding me on the cool bathroom floor laying and probably looking half dead.
“Oh my God Chris, are you okay, I’m taking you to the hospital right now.”
"No, Davis, I must have eaten a bad clam earlier, I was testing out a new recipe with my sous chef, and I guess I got a bad batch," I lied. "You know how shellfish can sometimes get to me if it's not fresher than fresh?" I’m praying this will make him back off because I do have issues with seafood from time to time.
"Don't think I'm backing down on this Chris, I'll let it go today, but you'll have an appointment first thing in the morning. Let’s get you home." He lifts me and helps to clean my face and replace my vomit-covered shirt with a spare hospital logo tee he had in his trunk. He informs the crew that my assistant will oversee everything for the remainder of the day and takes me home.
Once home and dressed in my favorite lounge gear, he ordered me to bed and leaves me with strict instructions on the notepad next to our bed:
1. Do not overexert yourself by any means.
2. If you need me for anything, call me and tell them to get me, I mean it!
3. Call Sam if you can’t get me!
4. Rest
I love you,
Davis
Sometimes he can be such a doctor. Davis left these instructions before running off to the hospital. My phone rang literally about ten times, followed by texts if I didn’t answer in enough time from Davis asking me if I was resting.
Of course, not you idiot, I'm on the phone with you. I scolded him, which ends his string of harassing calls.
With peace and quiet finally creeping in, I shut my eyes and drift for only about five seconds before the doorbell rings.
I knew exactly who it was, I didn’t even need to get up.
I pick up my cell and begin to text:
Me: Sam use your key. I know it's you.
I get no reply, and then hear a key in the door moments later.
"Sis, I'm coming in," Sam says, closing the front door behind him.
"I know you are Sam. I just told you to."
"Just letting you know what I was doing," he yells like I'm deaf, not sick.
“Come on back Sam, I’m in the bedroom.”
“On my way, cover yourself up.”
"Sam are you serious right now, I just finished puking my guts out in a public restroom do you seriously think I'm back here hanging out in lingerie?"
I swear this man is the total opposite of Davis. God, I love him though he’s just so loving and one of the sweetest humans I know.
"What's going on, sis?" he asks, finally making his way into the bedroom and sitting on the end of the bed. "I know something is up with you, I saw it the other day when Tally and I took you to brunch. You didn't eat anything, and when Tally was eating her bagel, you looked like you were going to spew everywhere?" He was right, the smell of her brunch almost made me lose it the other day, I thought I’d hidden it well.
"It's just a little bug, Sam, don't read too much into it," I lied straight to his face.
"Davis may be stupid when it comes to these things, but don't forget I have two little rug rats of my own sis. I’ll make pretend if that’s what you want me to do, but I know a pregnant woman when I see her," he smiled, rubbing the top of my knee through my favorite comforter.
“I don’t know how I’m going to tell him,” I admit tears forming in my eyes.
"Just tell him, sis, Davis is a simple guy, and there isn't a complicated bone in his body. He's ready." Sam's words opened up the floodgates, and the combination of hormones and fear came flooding out of eyes, creating a sea of tears.
"What are you afraid of?" He moved up to the top of the bed, hugging me from the side. I wept into his shirt while I spill the beans to Sam about my fear and finally admit that I was, in fact, pregnant.
"What are you talking about, not a good mother, you'll be an amazing mother, and the doctors have given you a clean bill of health for over three years now, so there's no reason for you not to have as many babies as you want with my idiot brother."
“Thank you, Sam,” I hug him before he leaves me to think and promises to tell his brother that I’m okay and that I was resting as ordered.
Tonight, is the night.
I know Davis is having a short day today if everything he has on the schedule goes as it should, and he doesn't get called in. I need to make tonight special.
Against my doctor, meaning Davis's orders, I get in the car and go out to get the ingredients for his favorite little treat, prosciutto bites, and antipasto the same thing I made for him when we made love for the first time.
It's fitting, I think.
Once I make it back home, I take my time making everything with care and love remembering the past five years with the love of my life and how fortunate I am to have found such a wonderful man when I wasn't even looking.
He's been my miracle, and now together, we've created another one.
My cell vibrates, it’s Davis.
Dr. Dreamboat: Working late tonight, something came up with one of my more elderly patients, don't wait up. Love You!
I didn’t even respond because I knew what I had to do.
I put the food up in the fridge, ran out of the house in my pretty dress, locked the doors behind me, and got into the car headed towards the hospital.
I don't even remember parking and going inside. I'm so pumped up that all I concentrate on is finding my husband and telling him what could be the most important news he’s ever heard in his life.
I fly straight to the nurses' desk, mumble that I'm looking for Davis, and head to where they point me to. I find him in a room with his elderly patient, just as he said before he ended his text. I didn’t go in out of respect for his patient and the family that’s with him, it’s their time now just like it once was with me.
I can remember being scared out of my mind thinking, what if this doesn't work? What if this miracle doctor can't pull it off, but he did, and he not only fixed my heart, he fixed me?
It’s like he could feel me looking at him through the small window, as he turns around to find me smiling at him and mouthing something at him through it. I know this may be a coward way, but I couldn't help it, it felt right.
He goes to excuse himself, heading towards the door, but I shake my head, telling him silently to stay where he is. He stops to look at me, puzzled and afraid.
I mouth to him, “I’m pregnant.”
He looks directly into my eyes, then back to my mouth, and I shake my head yes, confirming his silent question.
“Yes,” I mouth again and smile, tearing up a little.
"You're pregnant?" he says loud enough for everyone in the next two or three rooms, and whoever was in the hallway to hear.
“Yes,” I answer back, smiling from ear to ear.
He drops his clipboard and hurries to open the door, reaching it in less than a millisecond.
“Are you serious, Chris, we're really going to have a baby?" he kisses every inch of my face hugging my body to him so tightly, taking my breath away.
“I can’t breathe Doc,” I puff out once he finally lets me go.
"I'm sorry, my darling, I'm just so excited. I can’t believe it, a little baby there inside you,” he says before dropping to his knees in front of everyone to touch my belly. “I’m so in love with you.�
� Cradling his head against me, I bend to kissing the top of it.
"Are you happy, are you as nervous as I am?" I ask, pulling him up from his knees.
"Of course, I am, but with you, I can do anything."
At that moment, I knew more than ever that I believed the same exact thing. Together with Dr. Anderson, my lover, my best friend, and my savior, we could do anything.
~~~
Dear reader,
I can’t thank you enough for reading this book! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Do you want more from the Rescue Me Series? You’re in luck because I’ve decided to include a preview of Book 2 in this series!
Preview: Book Two
Protecting Her Life
An Alpha Hero Steamy Romance
Haley:
My life has been a complete disaster since I met Kevin Clark, the charismatic psychopath that I married over a decade ago.
He and his horrible family ruled over me with an iron fist, that is, until I found out their dirty little secrets.
Secrets that almost got me killed.
Now, I need someone to protect me, someone strong, someone loyal, someone like Officer Darren Phillips.
A hot ginger who will stop at nothing to keep this witness safe, or is it more than that?
Is it just me that he would lay down his life to protect?
A man like him can’t fall for a broken woman like me, I’m no good for him, it would never work.
Or could we be just what the both of us need?
Darren:
I’ve always lived in my mother’s shadow.
The prodigal son of the great Captain Phillips, but I'm so much more.
Being a cop is hard work and proving yourself in this line of work is even harder.
So, when you get an order, you follow it even if it's an order to protect some spoiled little trophy wife with domestic issues.
At least that’s the way it seemed until I met her.
The intelligent and challenging Haley Clark.
She was the type of woman who any man in their right mind would want to protect.
So why would anyone want to threaten her life?
My gut told me that I’d find out soon enough.
I’ll be damned if they hurt her, not on my watch.
Not without a fight.
Chapter 1
Darren
I always knew that I wanted to be a cop. I never imagined my life any other way that is until my mom died. That was the only time that I contemplated living without my badge.
Having a gun and handcuffs strapped to my hip is my norm, and I'm proud of that, but sometimes I think that my life could be so much more than just the police officer whose mother died in the line of duty.
I want something more, something fantastic before some criminal on a rampage or a stray bullet takes me out like it did my mom. Each day I wake up, get into the shower, and put on my uniform is another day that I'm living on borrowed time.
“Earth to officer Phillips, dreaming of some hot piece of ass, I hope.”
My partner Bruce always had a way with words, and no one would ever mistake him for being subtle.
"Good morning to you too, Bruce,” I say less than amused by his choice of words.
“I can already tell that you’re in a mood, what going on with you, man?" He probes.
"I'm not in a mood," I say, throwing my hands up and using my fingers to make air quotations. "I was just thinking about some things."
“Thinking about your mom again?”
“It’s not important man, I’m hungry let’s go get something to eat,” I walked towards the squad car hoping that the talk of food would help to change the subject.
I wasn't in the mood for idle chitchat, nor was I in the mood for long heartfelt talks about my mom and how honorable her death was.
I would rather people not say anything to me at all than to hear those words spoken to me yet again.
We returned to our vehicle after having a good meal, and the subject successfully changed. I'm feeling ready to go on just as I do every day.
Not long after settling into our routine ride, a call comes in over the two-way requesting back up for a domestic dispute.
It’s too damn early in the day for this crap.
Siren's on and all systems ready to go, we head towards the address provided.
Once we arrive, I notice that we're definitely not the only ones on the scene. The area is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a neighborhood full of civilians. All here witnessing what seems more like a crime scene on the five-o-clock news than a simple domestic violence situation.
The huge crowd parted like the red sea as they observed us head towards all the action. I notice the crime scene markers on the ground and forensics hard at work.
"What the hell is all this?" I ask Joel, a fellow cop from our precinct. “I thought this was a domestic violence call, what’s with all the commotion?”
It literally looked like they called in every cop from all the nearby precincts.
"You boys got here just in time," Joel commented sarcastically. I knew then that we were in for a not so special treat.
"This is not only the most popular domestic violence case I've seen in a long time, but it’s also the most cut and dry.”
"Cut and dry; if that's the case, then why are we even here?" Bruce said, sounding a little more annoyed than usual.
"I meant just what I said, cut and dry just take a look around you."
I took a moment to stop and take everything in. The home we entered was beautiful, large, and decorated to the nine. I see scattered papers and books inside the room where paramedics were attending to a young woman whose face I couldn't quite make out. She was bombarded by cops taking statements and facts.
To the right of her was a completely overturned desk of solid mahogany with glass shattered next to it. The closer I get to where what appears to be the victim is sitting, I can smell the faint hint of expensive brandy and bad cologne. No doubt just as costly as the spilled liquor on the carpet.
“It’s a classic case of a spoiled rich man beating up and threating his trophy wife,” he said smugly.
Somehow, I know deep down that this story isn’t as simple as everyone thinks.
"Then why are there so many blues and forensics around if it's such a simple case of a woman beater?" I ask, generally curious now that I've seen what I’ve seen.
“They say the husband is some big-time golden boy, born with a silver spoon if you know what I mean,” he blurted out self-assured. “Word is that because his family has all these connections, he's been stealing from all these clients at the investment firm he works at, and the wife found out.”
I just knew there had to be more to this case.
"So, I guess the guy flipped out on her by the looks of this scene," Bruce said, waving his hand towards what we all saw to be true.
“Yeah, he did a real number on the wife. If her neighbors weren't around to hear her screaming, she might not have made it," admitted Joel. "It's a shame. She really is a beauty; what a waste."
Bruce and I decided not to hang around much longer after Joel disappeared, but I had a feeling in my gut that this wouldn't be the last time that this incident would affect my life. I found out sooner than I thought how very true that statement was when Bruce and I walked into the station several days later.
“Officer Phillips, can I see you in my office?” Everyone knew that when the boss asks if he can see you in his office, it's not really a question, It’s an order.
"Welcome, Phillips, have a seat,” Chief Duncan insisted, motioning towards the open seat in front of his desk. “I have a job for you.”
“What can I do for you boss,” I respond sarcastically.
"Don't think I can't hear your sarcasm Officer Phillips, be careful," he warned me sternly.
“Yes sir, excuse me, please continue," I answer, knowing by the look in his eye that whatever this is about its big bus
iness.
“I need you on a special case, a case of the utmost discretion.” I take a long hard look at the chief, wondering what other cliché statements would be coming out of his mouth next.
It felt like I was in a bad CIA movie, so I couldn't help but chuckle a bit to myself at the thought of what the chief would consider a case like that, and why would he choose me to handle it?
My guess is it’s some kind of babysitting gig; he never liked me much although he had respect for my mother when she was alive.
“Why me?" I asked, not willing to wait to get to the point.
"I always admired your directness Darren, to be honest, I've never liked you much, but I've come to know you over the years, and I see that you have a way with people." This can’t be headed in a good direction.
“Okay, so what does that have to do with anything?”
"I want you to handle an important part of a very sensitive matter," he answered, allusively giving nothing away.
“Sensitive matter, okay, can you give me a little more to go on?”
“Remember the domestic violence case that’s been causing such an uproar?”
“Of course, what does that have to do with me?”
“It has everything to do with you, and the reason why I called you in to talk, I want you to keep watch over the trophy wife.”
"What for, I thought it was simple, cut and dry."
“She's a witness Darren. She found evidence that proves that the golden boy of a very influential and rich family is laundering money to hide the fact that his family isn't as rich as they seem."
I knew there had to be more to this case. No one would spill such expensive brandy just over a disagreement gone bad.
"So, you want me to watch over her or to protect her?"
"She's already been beaten almost to a bloody pulp by her soon to be ex-husband. Since then she's received several death threats via text message from an unknown caller, what do you think?"