Destroy (A Standalone Romance Novel)

by Adams, Claire

  As I walked to the bar, Jeff got off his stool. For a moment, I thought he was going to leave. But no, he went to the jukebox and slipped a couple of coins in the slot. The song that came on was a 70’s tune–typical disco.

  When he returned to the bar, Corey was beside me. “Let me take those to the table,” he said. I nodded and took my glass of wine.

  I was about to turn around and follow Corey when Jeff tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Would you like to dance, Dr. Williams?”

  Good God, I thought, the guy is not giving up, is he?

  “Alright, just the one dance, yes, why not,” I said, putting my glass down and taking his extended hand. Of course, Corey led my friends in a round of applause as they watched us take the first steps on the dance floor.

  Corey, you’re going to pay for this! I said to myself as Jeff and I began dancing. He was a fantastic dancer. I am not bad myself, but could he ever lead? Wow! I was all too impressed.

  But the gleefulness of a few moves disappeared swiftly when Dr. Elizabeth Aldridge walked into the bar. As soon as Jeff turned and saw her, he brought me close to him and kissed me. I tried moving away but he had me firmly wrapped in his arms. There was no way I was going anywhere.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Elizabeth stare at the two of us. I felt my cheeks burn with shame and alarm. I pushed Jeff away from me and glared at him. I then strode to the table, grabbed my coat and bag, and marched out of the pub without a word to anyone.

  Elizabeth had already gone. I saw her car speed down the street toward the next intersection. I watched her, hoping she would stop for the red light. I exhaled a sigh of relief when she did. When I was sure she was on her way home, I turned around and made my way across the street to walk through the park. Of course, Jeff was right behind me.

  “I don’t want to speak to you or hear a word from you,” I yelled at him as I turned my head to him.

  He caught up with me. “Please, Heather,” he pleaded, grabbing my arm. “I had to do what I did.”

  “You what?” I stopped. “Are you saying you had to humiliate me in front of my colleagues and friends?” I was flabbergasted. “Of all the nerve!”

  “Well, it’s true. And I am sorry.”

  “Is that all you’ve got to say? I don’t believe this! How could you?”

  “I had to do it, Heather. Elizabeth told me I wouldn’t have the guts to make our affair public. She said I was a coward and a liar.”

  “And you chose tonight, in front of MY friends, to demonstrate how wrong she was? You’re incredible!”

  “I’m sorry,” he repeated quietly.

  “You know, Jeff, in my eyes you’re not even a coward or a liar, you’re an idiot! You want everyone’s admiration and praises for everything you do, but all you manage to obtain is their spite and disgust. It’s not what you do that’s disgusting, but how you do it.

  “If Elizabeth dared you to make our affair public, why didn’t you do it in a manner that inspired respect for me and for you? My friends will have no respect for you. They will think the same as I do; that you’re a fool for treating your wife the way you do and for treating me with similar contempt.”

  “Okay, I said I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know how you would react. This morning you told me that until I resolve my marital situation, you wouldn’t talk to me. So, I just had to force the issue–that’s all.”

  “You were caught between a rock and a hard place; is that what you’re saying?”

  “Just about, yes.”

  “Okay, I’ll accept that. I even understand what you tried to do. But you’ve hurt your wife to the point of no return now. Do you realize that?”

  “I didn’t want to do it. You know that as well as I do. But she pushed me into a corner and I bucked.”

  “Again, I understand what you’re saying, Jeff, but you need to understand what I am going to ask next: I do not want to talk to you for as long as you’re not divorced. I will not mind working with you, but once we come through the doors of that hospital, you go your way and I go mine.”

  “I guess that’s the best I could expect out of the situation.”

  “Yes, Jeff. And I am sorry it turned out this way, believe me. Just remember, I’ll be a friend you can count on, even if things don’t work out the way you wish between you and Elizabeth.”

  Chapter 31

  Tiffany wasn’t long to get home after I arrived. She was totally outraged.

  “What is it with this guy?” she demanded, sounding like my mother years ago. “Where did he learn his manners?” She paused and plopped down in the sofa beside me. “Correction,” she added, passing her arm across my shoulders. “He couldn’t have learned his manners anywhere, he hasn’t got any!”

  I had to smile. “Apparently, his wife challenged him to make our affair public.”

  “And that’s the way he chose to do it? That’s ridiculous.”

  “Exactly what I told him.”

  “Wait a minute; do you mean you talked to him after you both left?”

  “Oh absolutely, he was right behind me. He wanted to apologize.”

  “For what? I mean there are so many things he’s done wrong in the space of a few minutes, what specifically did he apologize for?”

  “I don’t really know. And I don’t think he realized how hurtful what he did was. He only saw an opportunity to take up his wife’s challenge. It was all done on the spur of the moment.”

  “Yeah, yeah, like trying to chase you all the way to Omaha. I don’t buy it, Hattie. He might be very unhappy and truly grieving for the loss of his son, but that’s not the way a gentleman should behave under any circumstance.”

  “What can I do about it, though?”

  “How about suing him for defamation of character? Or you can get an injunction so he stays away from you?” I shook my head.

  “You know I won’t do any of that. I’m not like that. But you’re right. I’ve told him that until his marital situation is resolved, I don’t want him to come near me, talk to me or make any move toward me.”

  “What about work?” Tiffany asked.

  “I said that we could certainly work together but as soon as we would go through the doors of the hospital I would go my way and he would go his.”

  “Do you think he’ll abide by that request?”

  “I don’t care if he does or not, Tiff. If he does, fine, I’ll see how it all plays out. If he doesn’t, I’ll probably slam him with a sexual harassment suit.”

  Tiffany had a broad smile across her lips when she said, “That’s better! Now you’re making sense. He’s got to be stopped one way or the other, Hattie.”

  We had a quiet dinner and watched a bit of TV before going to bed. The news brought some thoughts to our minds. Terrorism seemed to have spread everywhere across North America. I thought of how I would feel if one of these murderers, one of these maniacs ever came through the hospital’s doors. I had to ask Tiffany. She would be on the front line–being an ER doctor.

  “I don’t really know, Hattie,” she replied. “All we’re concerned with is saving lives. We cannot let our judgment of a man’s actions influence our own actions.” She paused. “I guess I would try my best to save him.”

  “But do you think they–I mean the security forces–would let you work on him?”

  “I think if that were ever to happen, Hattie, these guys in army fatigue and all the rest of it better stay out of my way while I try saving the maniac’s neck. What ever happens afterward is their problem. But once they cross the threshold of my ER, they better stay as far away from me as possible!”

  I had to chuckle. I could easily imagine Tiffany in her pink bathrobe and bunny slippers knocking down a couple of SEALs with her frying pan.

  “What about you?” she asked. “How would you handle it?”

  “I frankly don’t know. Like you, I don’t think I could let him die. I would do everything in my power to save him. But I don’t know if I would prevent
any of these army fellows from watching what I am doing.”

  “Anyways, why don’t we sleep on it?” Tiffany suggested with a giggle. “Maybe we’ll resolve all of the world’s problems overnight–what do you say?”

  I got up and followed her down the hall. We said good night with a smile on our faces.

  Perhaps it was the tension of the last day or so that started to take its toll on me, but I had a hard time getting out of bed the next morning. I literally had to drag myself to the shower. When I came out, I had to rush to the toilet to throw up. When I looked in the mirror, I was as pale as a sheet. I felt my forehead. I was burning up. That was it. I probably contracted the flu on my way back from Omaha. Recycled air in an aircraft is also the best way to recycle germs. Most often, the air is cleansed before it goes through the cabin, but sometimes it isn’t.

  I didn’t get dressed and went to the kitchen in my bathrobe. Tiffany took one look at me and nodded. “Okay, it’s back to bed with you, Dr. Williams. It’s probably the flu and you’ll be in for a couple of days of discomfort.”

  “I hate that word,” I told her as she followed me back to my room. “Why don’t you tell it like it is: I’m in for a couple of days of hell on earth?”

  “Yeah, and being cranky or snappy won’t help either.”

  “Are you going to bring me back some meds, or do you want me to phone them in?”

  “You just drink some orange juice while I get the pharmacist to send a delivery boy with your meds, okay?”

  “Alright. Shall I take something in the meantime?”

  “Like what?” she questioned.

  “A couple of Tylenol maybe?” I slipped under the covers.

  “Okay. I’ll bring the orange juice and a couple of tablets to take before I leave. But after that, just drink water or tea, okay?”

  “Okay, okay,” I told her as I tried to calm down before I would have another bout of nausea.

  The whole day was a blur. I couldn’t even remember opening the door to the deliveryman who brought me some meds. The phone only rang once, but I didn’t answer it. I was in no mood to talk to anyone.

  When Tiffany came home, I was asleep. Her prescription had worked wonders on my system. Everything had calmed down. I was not hungry and still feverish, but most of the darn discomfort had passed.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked me when I finally emerged from the depth of my room.

  “Better, thanks. I’m still not hungry though.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll have to play it by ear–or more accurately, by scent.” I frowned. “Yes. I’m sure you recall some of our classes. Nausea is mostly provoked by the irritation of our sense of smell. So, I’m going to make some veggie soup. If it smells good to you, I’ll give you a small bowl. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to return to your tea and dry biscuits’ diet.”

  “Okay. No problem. Let’s see how my nose reacts to your cooking,” I joked.

  “You go and watch TV while I do this. I don’t want to provoke a reaction from your nose we would both regret.”

  I was sitting down when the phone rang again. I was about to pick it up when I heard Tiffany holler, “Don’t! It’s probably Jeff. Let it go to voice mail.”

  I obeyed and we both listened.

  “Hi. Heather? Just wondered how you were. Dr. Jensen told me you were sick. I thought I’d give you a call to see how you’re faring. Call me when you get this, please. Take care.”

  I looked at Tiffany.

  “Yeah, he came to the ER this afternoon wondering where you were,” she said.

  “And you told him I had the flu?”

  “Yep. And I said that you’d be back in a couple or three days. That’s all. Anyway, I didn’t have time to talk since we were quite busy.”

  “I just hope he doesn’t call again,” I said. “I still can get over what he did yesterday. He can be such a jerk sometimes.”

  “What do you mean ‘sometimes’? He’s always been a jerk. There is something wrong with the guy. He’s making you suffer along with him. That’s what he did with his wife. Instead of consoling her for the death of their child, he went on a sex rampage. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else, Hattie. The only difference is that you came to him–by accident of course–but you presented the perfect opportunity for him to drag his misfortune into the center ring again.”

  “All of what you’ve just said is absolutely true, Tiff. But, I am partially to blame as well. I am attracted to him, remember?”

  “Oh I remember. But as I recall, you told him only last night to stay away until ‘his marital situation was resolved’, and not even twenty-four hours later, he calls. He uses the pretext that you’re sick. But believe me, this call is to serve his own end game.”

  “Oh I believe you. And that’s why I won’t return the call. I’ll even disconnect the bloody thing if it comes to that. While I’m here, and until he’s divorced, I don’t want to have anything to do with him. After last night–I’d be a fool to do otherwise.”

  “He’s been abusing the privilege of your company, as my father would have said.” Tiffany smiled at the recollection. “You see, when I was a kid, my father considered it a ‘privilege’ to know me or to have the ‘pleasure’ of my company. So, any time a boy would show ill manners toward me or would insist on going out with me, my father would remind him that it was a ‘privilege’ to know me and to abuse the privilege would spell the end of the friendship.”

  “A wise fellow, your dad,” I remarked. “That smells good,” I said all of a sudden. And it did.

  “Ah-ah! That’s what I was waiting to hear,” Tiffany replied. “I’ve added some chicken broth into the mix and I guess that’s what you’re attracted to.”

  “Too right I am,” I said, getting up and going to the kitchen counter. “Can I have some toast with the soup?”

  “Just try eating the soup first, and if it doesn’t come back, then I’ll get you some toast, okay?”

  An hour later, I had eaten a small bowl of soup and half a piece of toast. I crossed my fingers while my tummy was doing whatever it was supposed to do. Again, we watched a bit of TV and I returned to bed after taking another dose of meds.

  The next morning, I felt a little better. The fever had returned, but not as viciously as the first day. So, it was still going to be another day spent at home. I didn’t mind because I could catch up on some of the studying I had abandoned before going to Omaha. I heard the phone ring a couple of times, but no message was left. I didn’t doubt for a minute it had been Jeff calling again. Yet, I wasn’t going to let him “abuse the privilege of my company” any more. As Tiffany had so nicely described, Jeff had abused my company on a couple of occasions and last Monday was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The more I thought about what had happened, the more reluctant I became to continue being involved with him. He was verging on narcissism–if not being there already. And I didn’t want to have anything to do with that sort of man, however good-looking he might be and however good in bed he might be.

  Tiffany prepared a wonderful dinner that night, but I only ate the veggies with another piece of toast. I was literally afraid to press my luck in any direction. As we were relaxing in front of the TV (again), Tiffany told me that she had a visit from Elizabeth that morning.

  “What did she want?” I asked, hugging my pillow. “Is she okay?”

  “I think so. She only wanted to know if you were okay. I told her that you had the flu and that you should be back before the end of the week.”

  “Did she need me before that?” I asked, thinking that if an organ came in for one of our patients, she would be short-handed.

  “Oh no, and that’s why she came to see me.” My heart skipped a beat. I honestly thought she was dismissing me. “She didn’t want you to come back too soon. Risk of contamination and all that. She thought it would be better if you stayed home until next Monday.”

  “Really?” I didn’t quite believe it.

  “Yes,
really, Hattie.” Tiffany smiled at my obvious discomfort. “As you said, she is a very nice lady. She wouldn’t fire you over something her husband did. I’m sure of it. She’s too smart for that. Besides, you’re a good surgeon. You’ve proven your worth many times over, so she doesn’t want anybody else at her side. Anyway, that’s my impression of her.”

  “Okay. Sounds like I’ve got the week off then,” I said, cheering up a little. “I might be able to return to jogging in the morning.”

  “Oh no you don’t, sweetie. Not yet anyway. You need to save your strength to fight that bug. If you don’t, you’ll be in bed for another week. This is not a mere cold, Hattie. This is influenza. So, don’t push it, okay?”

  “Okay, okay, but maybe I can walk to the mall and have a coffee, right?”

  “Maybe on Thursday or Friday, yes. Before that, it’s complete rest–doctor’s orders, okay?”

  “Alright, alright,” I relented. “What about Jeff? Have you seen him today?”

  “I saw him at the café but he didn’t come to our table. I was having lunch with Corey and Lisa–those two are sweet on each other I’m sure–but he didn’t dare come over. I would believe he is ashamed of what he did in front of us. Besides, Dr. Kerry told us tonight that none of us would be working with him directly for the time being. I bet she got wind of what happened on Monday night and told Jeff what was what.”

  “I believe you’re right. If a doctor misbehaves toward an intern, I guess it’s not good for the hospital’s reputation either. They wouldn’t want to see any of us blowing our trumpets to the newspapers, now would they?”

  “Absolutely,” Tiffany agreed. “It’s one thing to play a prank or two on a colleague in gist, but quite another to expose the hospital to ill-repute comments.”

  “Can you imagine what would happen if this incident was leaked out to the press? Talk about being blown out of proportion!” I could see my name in the headlines. Truly, I didn’t like even thinking about it.

  “I mean granted, sex and sexual advances happen every day,” Tiffany went on, “but having a domestic incident in the middle of the neighborhood pub? What does that say about the doctor’s conduct within the confines of the hospital?”