A Simple Misunderstanding (Corbin's Bend)

by Kathryn R. Blake

  “Do you have any questions you’d like to ask either one of us, Elly?” Dr. Pendergast inquired.

  Elly shook her head. She hadn’t said much to Dr. Jamison at all, and she didn’t want to. He’d assured her everything looked fine after her D&C, but urged her to make an appointment with her regular gynecologist in six weeks or less. His presence only served to remind her how much she’d lost.

  Sitting down beside her again, Jerry spoke up. “We have a physician in Corbin’s Bend whom I’m sure will want to keep a close eye on her, and I’ll make certain she does everything she’s supposed to.”

  “Good. We’ll send the nurse in to give Elly her shots and remove her IV.” Elly sat up in alarm. Shots? What shots? Though Jerry’s hand lightly stroked her flank in a gesture of reassurance, his attention remained fixed on Dr. Pendergast.

  “Jayne will print out the release paperwork for you including Elly’s prescriptions along with a list of things to watch out for and activities Elly should avoid. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call.” He handed Jerry his card.

  Jerry gave the piece of paper a quick glance before he stood up and extended his hand. “Thank you both for everything.”

  The men nodded, shaking hands first with Jerry, and then with Elly before they turned and left.

  “What shots?” Elly asked, once they were gone.

  Jerry bent forward to tap her nose. “And where was your mind when they discussed the injections you’d need?”

  Giving an offhanded shrug to hide her embarrassment, she said, “They were only saying what Marcus had already told me, except about the shots. He didn’t mention anything about my needing shots.”

  Jayne strode in with a smile. “Okay, you’ve been given a clean bill of health and are free to go. We just need to go over a few things first.” She directed her next words to Jerry as she slipped on a pair of disposable gloves. “I’ll change her bandage now, so she shouldn’t need it changed again until this evening. I’d suggest taking her temperature in the morning, when she first gets up, and again at night, when she’s ready for bed.” She lifted Elly’s gown and gently removed the adhesive tape. “Temperatures tend to go up and down throughout the day, so we aren’t concerned about minor fluctuations, but since she is more prone to infection now, if her temperature rises over 101 for over than an hour, contact her doctor. Same with her blood pressure. If systolic dips into the low 80s and doesn’t appear to be rising within a few minutes, she could have an internal bleed, so get her to a medical facility stat where they can check her out. There you go, Elly. Okay, I need to give you two shots, have you sign some paperwork, and you’re out of here.”

  “What shots?” Elly asked, but Jerry chucked her under the chin.

  “Hey, stop worrying so much. Want me to hold your hand?”

  Elly hated injections. Always had since she was a little kid. Not sure why. They rarely hurt, but if she could avoid them, she would. She ignored Jerry and glanced back at Jayne. “Any chance I could take pills instead?”

  Jayne gave a shake of her head as she prepared the syringes. “Nope. Sorry.” She turned to Jerry. “We’ll administer the pneumococcal vaccine in her deltoid and the penicillin in her glute. In addition, Dr. Pendergast has prescribed oral penicillin to be taken for three months, after which he recommends Elly get a TC99 screen, CBC and a blood smear taken, but all this will be laid out in the paperwork I’ll give you. Okay, Elly, let’s do the pneumonia vaccine first.”

  Elly immediately inched back. “Wait. Why, I mean—”

  “Elly,” Jerry cautioned, taking a seat on the opposite side of her. “Calm down and take my hand. It’ll be over in seconds.”

  “But—”

  “No. Dr. Pendergast wouldn’t have recommended these injections unless he felt they were necessary. Now close your eyes and grip my fingers if you need to.”

  Jayne wiped Elly’s arm with alcohol, so she hid her face in Jerry’s shoulder and gripped his hand—hard.”

  “I hate shots,” she murmured. At the small pinch, she whimpered. “Ow.”

  “Good girl. Okay, lie down and turn to face me.”

  She lifted her head to stare at Jerry. “Why?”

  “Because the next one goes in your butt.”

  With a glance back at Jayne who gave a confirming nod, Elly shook her head. “No.”

  “Not negotiable, Elly. However, if you’re a good girl, and do as you’re told, I’ll give you a present afterward.”

  She scowled at him. “You’re humoring me, aren’t you?”

  “No. I’m bribing you to behave. Now scoot down.”

  With a sigh of reluctance, she inched down to lie on her side and placed her hand in Jerry’s again. He stroked her hair. She tensed slightly when Jayne lowered her pants.

  “Easy,” Jerry cautioned. “A tiny jab and you’re done.”

  “Do you talk to all your patients this way, Dr. Douglas?” Elly quipped.

  “Only the difficult ones.”

  Elly snorted, then winced at the sharp pinch. “Ow, again.”

  “You’re done,” Jayne announced. “Next, we’ll take out the IV.”

  When Elly parted her lips to comment, Jerry took command of her mouth. Despite a slight pulling in her stitches when she wrapped her arms about his neck, Elly thought his kiss almost made the shots worthwhile. Almost. He gave her lower lip a final, quick nibble and released her.

  “An appetizer of greater things to come,” he promised, his words nurturing a small tingle of anticipation in Elly’s lower region.

  * * * *

  An hour later, a mass of butterflies fluttered in Elly’s stomach as she and Jerry approached Corbin’s Bend. “Do you think he’ll be there?” she asked, confident Jerry would realize whom she meant.

  “I doubt it. All the same, I want you staying close to the house. No wandering about.”

  “Jerry, they didn’t say I had to be confined to bed, and I plan to take Muffin for a walk. I haven’t seen her for so long.”

  He pulled over at the next intersection, turned the engine off, and swiveled in his seat to face her. “Elly, you need to take it easy. You were in intensive care only three days ago. Your first day out of the hospital should be a period of rest, not dog walking. Understand?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No. I bought Muffin a new bed and brought her into the house with me last night. I was going to move her into your bedroom downstairs. However, if you continue to argue with me about this, I’ll keep her upstairs with me.”

  She blinked, then tried to fold her arms over her chest, but that hurt, so she turned away from him. He was trying to control her by denying access to her dog, and she didn’t like that one bit. “Fine.”

  “No. It’s not fine. You can’t pick her up and I don’t want her jumping on you, either. I know you well enough by now to guess you’ll try to compensate by giving her attention in other ways. Unfortunately, that’s not possible for a few days, so I need you to do as I say, or I’ll remove all temptation by shutting her in with me and confining you to bed.”

  Elly realized it was childish and foolish the moment she considered it, but a part of her didn’t care. Turning her head, she stuck her tongue out at him, then faced straight ahead and stared out the windshield.

  He snorted. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re treating me like a child.”

  “And in what universe is sticking your tongue out acting like an adult?”

  “You’re being mean.”

  He gripped her chin and turned her so she faced him. “No, Elly, I’m not. It may seem like I am to you, but I have very good reasons for insisting upon my restrictions. I’m not saying these things to control you, or bring you to heel. I don’t work that way.”

  She met his gaze. Seeing he was sincere, she apologized, though a part of her resented having to do so. “Sorry.”

  “Better. Now, if you want, you may take Jack and Muffin out in the backyard, but no leaving the property and going to the d
og park. Not today. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, trying to mask the sullenness from her voice.

  He hesitated, then with a nod started the car up again and continued their ride home.

  * * * *

  Jerry didn’t require a crystal ball to tell him Elly was pissed, but he chose to avoid worrying her even more by admitting they thought Arthur would try to get to her today. By keeping her close, he had a better chance of ensuring her safety. And that was more important to him than Elly’s little temper tantrum. Admittedly, though, her attitude did bother him. He realized he wouldn’t always be the ‘good guy,’ but he didn’t like starting out as the ‘bad guy,’ either.

  What he wanted to do most was carry her up into his bedroom and make love to her until she screamed with pleasure. He longed to replace all the agony she’d suffered under Arthur with ecstasy in his arms, except such pleasures were forbidden until her husband was under lock and key and they no longer had to worry about rupturing her sutures. Six weeks. A lifetime.

  When they arrived at the house, he parked, undid her seat belt so she didn’t strain herself and asked her to stay put until he opened her door. She complied, though the look she gave him when he helped her out of the car indicated she still wasn’t happy with him.

  Muffin’s excited yips reached them where they stood.

  Noting Elly’s frown, Jerry bent forward to give her a quick kiss. “I know you think I’m being unfair, but I only want what is best for you, sweetheart. You do realize that, don’t you?”

  She refused to meet his gaze. “Arthur used to say the same thing. I wanted to believe him, too.”

  The words sank into Jerry’s gut and gave a wrenching twist. Knowing nothing he said would help, he let her go. “No doubt you’re tired after the long ride. I’ll go in first to pick up Muffin so you can say ‘hi’ without hurting yourself, then I suggest you lie down for an hour or so.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You may think you’re fine, Elly, but you’ve got dark shadows developing under your eyes. I’m responsible for your care, and I will insist upon your obedience if you push me into assuming the role I’m well suited to play. So, try to meet me halfway. All right?”

  “Sure.”

  He was tempted to give her a shake, but merely took a deep breath. “Stay here for a moment. I’ll open the door for you once I’ve got Muffin under control.” Seeing she obeyed him, he went inside to grab the overexcited poodle before she scrambled out to her mommy.

  Still yipping, Muffin squirmed in his arms like a wriggling octopus. “Easy, little one. You’re not fully healed, yet, either. I know you want to see your mommy, but I need you to settle down.” He held her until she quieted, though like Elly, she wasn’t pleased at being restrained.

  When he opened the door, her small tail beat a tattooed rhythm against his side as her hind end wriggled and she whimpered happily.

  Elly’s bright green eyes grew moist as she held out her arms.

  “No, Elly. You can pet and kiss her, but you can’t hold her. I’m sorry.”

  Tears fell as Elly pressed her face close for Muffin’s enthusiastic licks while she murmured how sorry she was.

  Jerry felt like a heel for keeping them apart, but knew it wouldn’t be for long, and he needed to take care of Elly. So, he kept a firm hold of the small poodle while the woman who held his heart made cooing noises to her pet.

  Finally, she glanced up at him. “Could I hold her on my lap if we go inside?”

  “Probably, but not until after she’s calmed down a bit. She’s still frantic to get to you. Maybe we should put her and Jack outside in the back first. Her ribs are still healing, so we don’t want her jumping, if we can avoid it, but hopefully the signals she receives from her own body will keep her from overdoing it.”

  Giving a nod, Elly continued to ruffle Muffin’s ears and talk softly to her as she followed Jerry into his house.

  Jerry called Jack to follow him and the four of them stepped out into the backyard. The moment he put Muffin down, she immediately started to hop against Elly’s leg.

  “You’ll need to be firm with her, Elly. If she doesn’t stop hopping, she can hurt herself.”

  With a nod and tears in her eyes, she said, “Muffin, no. Settle down now.”

  Muffin gave a whimper, but sat and stared up at Elly with baleful eyes. Elly promptly appealed to Jerry with the same look in hers, making him feel like a heel again.

  “Do your business, Muffin,” he said firmly. The little dog gazed up at him, gave a sniff, and went out into the yard.

  Elly wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know I should have been firmer with her, but I want to hold her so badly it hurts.”

  Putting his arm around Elly, he drew her close. “I understand, sweetheart. It’s okay. And it will get easier. This isn’t for always, only a few days until you’re both a bit stronger.”

  His home phone rang, but now wasn’t the time to desert Elly, so he let his answering machine pick up. After waiting awhile, he said, “I should at least check who that was. Why don’t you come inside with me and I’ll show you where your bedroom is.”

  She glanced up at him then. “We won’t be sleeping together?”

  Hesitating, he tried to read her expression. Though they’d been sleeping in the same room for the past couple of nights, they were hardly what he’d call ‘sleeping together,’ and last night she’d been alone. However, he suspected she’d had some difficulty falling asleep after the disturbance with Arthur, if she’d slept at all. “I only have a double in the spare room, so I think you’ll be more comfortable sleeping alone tonight.”

  “What about your bed?”

  “A king, but it’s upstairs, and that’s another no-no for you.”

  “So many no-nos,” she murmured, following him back inside the house.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Elly gaped at the size of the bedroom Jerry had given her. The room appeared nearly as large as the master bedroom in her and Arthur’s home. Decorated in Wedgwood blue and slate gray, it reflected a masculine touch without being macho. He’d added a TV and a desk to the room, so he used the area as office space as well as his spare bedroom. Though he’d said the four-poster bed was only a double, the mattress looked spacious enough to be a queen. The furniture suite he had chosen had a low dresser along with two nightstands. In addition, the room had direct access to a walk-in closet as well as the downstairs bathroom. Even better, the bedroom was situated on the ground floor, which apparently was a ‘yes-yes.’

  In a daze, Elly walked about touching the polished walnut furniture that gleamed in the early afternoon light. “This is lovely, Jerry, and so convenient.” She turned to gaze at him inquiringly. “Why did you take the upstairs room instead of this one? This one is clearly the master suite.”

  Hands stuck deep into the back pockets of his jeans, he shrugged, then grinned. “I like lofts. They’re sexy.”

  She smiled at him. “A typical guy response.”

  Another shrug. “What can I say? Guilty as charged.”

  The sound of small, impatient yips and incessant hopping came from the backyard.

  “Oops. Guess I’ve exceeded my absentee time quota. I’d best go let her in.” Elly started toward the door when Jerry slid his arm about her waist to stop her. He drew her in until she pressed against his front.

  “Can I trust you not to give in to your softer nature and pick her up?”

  When he held her like this, in strong arms meant to shield and protect, her feminine instincts came to the fore as did her natural submissiveness. She didn’t enjoy arguing with him, especially when she considered he was looking out for her best interests. “Yes, sir.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you go. The dog cookies are in the pantry. You can’t miss them since they’re sealed in a huge ‘Fido’ canister a client gave me. Unfortunately, the biscuits are Jack-sized, so you’ll need to break one into smaller pieces for Muffin.”

  “Thanks,” she
whispered. “I’m sorry I was so difficult earlier, Jerry. You’ve been nothing but patient and caring with me, and I tried to snap your head off.”

  He brushed his thumb along the edge of her bottom lip. “Snapping is a sign of fear. You’ve had a huge number of changes to accustom yourself over the past five days, and I’m not a stranger to a few nips on occasion. I don’t mind too much, as long as you don’t try to draw blood.” Bending forward, he kissed her, and Elly gave herself over to his possession. Her reason clouded by passion, she flung her arms about his neck, then cried out when her stitches resisted with a painful reminder. He drew back as if he’d been burned.

  “Let me see,” he ordered lifting her shirt. She wanted to slap his hands aside and continue kissing, except she knew the doctor in him wouldn’t permit it, so she stood still for his inspection.

  With careful practice, he eased the adhesive back. “Your incision is seeping a bit, but I don’t think you did any damage.” Replacing the bandage, he gave her a warning frown.

  Elly sighed and lowered her eyes. “No lecture, please. I know. I need to be careful. I just wanted to hold you.”

  “And that’s why you can’t pick up Muffin.” He tilted her chin up so she couldn’t avoid his gaze. His hazel eyes gleamed with a combination of empathy and concern. “Understand now?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Giving a single nod, he released her. “Point made. Go tend to your ball of fluff before she knocks the door down with her frantic hopping, then I want you to lie down for an hour or so. All right?”