The Doctor and the War Widow

by Russell, Viola

  Harley’s blood pounded through her veins. The sensation of his breath feathering against her neck sent waves of heat and ice through her spine. She pulled away. “Dinner and a movie Saturday, right?”

  With his lips pressed against her face, Abisi whispered in a choked voice, “See you at seven. Don’t give up on me. I want your trust again.”

  Harley pulled away from him and turned to go. She gasped when she saw the nurse she’d encountered earlier standing in the doorway. The woman stammered, “I—I knocked earlier but no one answered. I didn’t know what had happened.” She went scarlet and scurried away with a quick, “I’m so sorry.”

  Harley went crimson herself but laughed when Abisi grinned at her. She glanced at him over her shoulder. He was staring at her with undisguised desire. “I’ll see you this weekend.” She walked away without looking back at him or the gawking staff that had gathered to stare at her. Eden had always told her to prolong the mystery.

  That night, Abisi returned home, flipped on his local station to the evening news, made his way to the kitchen, and opened a beer. His heart had rocketed skyward since he’d seen Harley. The day had flown by. No crisis was too terrible. When she’d walked out of his life, he’d felt like less of a man and less of a doctor. He’d only performed his duties by rote. With Harley’s reappearance, he was rejuvenated. He moved among his patients with a sense of purpose that had deserted him when she’d turned from him. He would win her back. The woman was his. The stars had destined their pairing.

  Abisi settled into a large, overstuffed chair and took a sip of beer. A local news anchor droned on. He was drifting to sleep in the chair when the phone rang. Swearing softly, Abisi reached for the cordless phone on an end table. “Hello?”

  No one spoke for a long time. “Hello?”

  He was about to hang up when a voice said, “I saw your little whore leaving the hospital. She’d better watch her back.”

  Abisi’s felt his blood run cold. The voice was muffled, but he had no doubt who’d called him. “If you touch her, I’ll see you in hell.” With trembling hands, he slammed down the phone and dialed the police. His heart pounded in his ears.

  Late September

  “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?” Judy stood in the doorway of Harley’s kitchen, empty glasses in hand. She then opened the dishwasher and deposited the glasses inside.

  “I’m not sure of anything, but who in hell is?” Harley shrugged and wiped her table. She was clearing away the remnants of the lunch she, Judy, and Donna shared.

  Donna placed a Tupperware bowl in the refrigerator. “Nothing in life is certain, Judy. That bitch Katrina taught us that.”

  “Why are you encouraging her?” Judy glared at Donna. “This guy is bad news.”

  Harley laughed and draped the towel over the dish strainer. “Come on, Judy. How can a respectable doctor be bad news? My mother would have loved it.”

  “He had a bad marriage.” Judy placed her empty glass in the dishwasher.

  “Lots of us have had bad marriages. Remember my first?” Donna rolled her eyes. “No, let’s not. Best forgotten.” Before meeting Mike, Donna had been married to an accountant who curtailed her artistic endeavors and sent her into a downward spiral of depression, prescription drugs, and alcohol. “Everyone thought he was the best thing in the world for me.” She nodded to Harley. “Including my parents, remember? Now I have a gallery owner who thinks like me.”

  Harley laughed. “I guess parents want their kids to have stability. The problem is too many of them don’t know what we want.” She suddenly went empty inside. Eden had always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. “Let’s talk in the living room, okay.”

  Harley sat on the couch with them, looking at old pictures. They each exclaimed things like, “Oh, God, can that be us? Burn this picture! Were we ever such children?” Before long, Harley was laughing again.

  A knock on the door interrupted the trio in their rehashing of old memories. Nico, tail wagging, rushed to the door. “My ferocious watch dog!” Harley scratched behind his ears as her friends continued flipping through the photo album.

  When she glanced through the peephole, she exclaimed with delight and threw open the door. Carville, her next door neighbor, stood outside, his police officer’s cap in his hand. His family had moved into the neighborhood shortly after segregation ended, and now, Harley lived in one of the most ethnically mixed and harmonious sections of the city. She’d babysat Carville when she was a teenager and he a toddler, and he still treated her with the respect a child gives an authority figure. He’d grown into a tall and wiry man who shaved his head. “Hi, Carville, how are you? To what do I owe the pleasure? How are things with the NOPD? Wanna come in?”

  The young man’s dark eyes were serious. “Ms. Harley, has either of your friends bought a Camaro?”

  Harley stared at him, puzzled. “No,” Harley answered quickly. She pointed to their cars. “That’s Donna’s car, and there’s Judy. Why?”

  Carville nodded grimly. “Thought as much.” He pointed down the empty street. “A Camaro was parked there earlier. I’ve seen it before, not just this once. The other day, I came home from some extra detail and saw it parked there, too. You weren’t home, but Nico was barking like crazy. I think somebody’s staking out this house. Whenever the woman sees me pull up in the squad car, she drives off. ”

  Donna and Judy had sidled up to Harley and greeted Carville. Donna asked, “Did any of the other neighbors buy another car?”

  “No, nobody bought any new car in this neighborhood.” Harley shook her head. She knew who owned a Camaro and involuntarily shivered. That Kimberly was staking out her house made her stomach clench. Why was Nico barking? Was Kimberly walking around her yard? Harley’s throat went dry. “I—I think I know who it is.”

  “I do, too. I ran the plates.” Carville grinned at her. “We look out for each other in this neighborhood, don’t we, Ms. Harley?”

  Harley smiled at him. “Yes, we do. It’s Kimberly Cheramie, isn’t it?”

  “Well, it was a woman in the car, but the car’s registered to a Mr. Wayne Cheramie.”

  Harley absorbed this information. Probably the woman’s father or an ex-husband. She was suddenly angry. Kimberly just didn’t get that she wasn’t wanted, and the woman couldn’t let go.

  “Can’t the police do something about her?” Judy’s voice intruded upon Harley’s consciousness.

  Carville nodded. “Well, I’m going to ask a patrol car to pass more often, but unless the lady does something, there’s no law against parking on a public street.”

  “So she has to do something like kill you first!” Judy threw up her hands in outrage.

  “Don’t even say crazy shit like that.” Donna shook her head. “The woman’s trying to spook you. Hey, let’s bomb her house.” She glanced at Carville and grinned. “Oh, by the way, you didn’t hear that.”

  “Will you two let up!” Harley glared good-humoredly from one to the other. Turning to Carville, she added, “Thanks for checking on that for me.”

  “Don’t worry. My grandmother is always watching this neighborhood.” He tipped his hat to them and left.

  Judy moved within inches of Harley when she shut the door. “I told you this guy’s bad news.”

  “His ex-girlfriend’s bad news, not him.” Funny, Kimberly’s harassment made Harley all the more determined to renew her friendship with Abisi.

  “Why do you refer to her as his girlfriend?” It was Donna’s turn to gaze at her curiously.

  “Well, I’m not sure what I am in his life.” Harley suddenly felt bone-weary tired. Why was life always so hard?

  “Dump him,” Judy advised.

  “I did that. It didn’t quite work out.” The truth of her words hit Harley with the force of a truck. She didn’t want this
relationship to end, but she’d been wounded by what she’d perceived as his mistrust. She also wished he’d be honest about what had happened to his son, but Harley couldn’t disguise her still molten hot desire for him.

  “Do you want to stay with me for a few days?” Judy gazed at her with undisguised concern.

  “I’ll be fine.” Harley didn’t know how true that was, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to add to Judy’s motherly anxiety.

  Harley kissed Donna and Judy as they left. Donna hung back and said, “Listen, you have to follow your heart. But you’d better watch your back. This woman sounds like a nut job.”

  “I do know how to pick ‘em, don’t I?” Harley waved at them before she locked the door, but a disturbing eeriness had settled over her heart. She shivered as she turned her double-bolt and then hooked the chain to the latch.

  Chapter 12

  “I didn’t want to tell you all of this.” Harley sat with Abisi in Reginelli’s, sharing beer and vegetarian pizza.

  Abisi frowned so deeply that his eyebrows formed one line. “No, you were right to tell me.” He took a deep breath. “So, this police officer checked her plates.”

  “Yes, the car’s registered to a man.” Harley watched his reaction as she bit into a slice of pizza.

  “She said something about being divorced.” Abisi’s face was like a dark cloud. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you, my darling.”

  “Nothing’s happened yet.” Harley swallowed a sip of beer to bury the sourness rising to her mouth.

  “Well, I don’t like that she’s planted herself in your neighborhood and intruded upon your privacy.” Abisi studied Harley. He seemed genuinely worried. “I’m going to talk to her.”

  “No, I don’t want it appearing like you’re threatening her in any way.” Harley placed a hand on his. “She’ll tell the police you’ve harassed her. Or—” She visibly shuddered. “She could come after you.” An image of him trapped in a burning building she couldn’t identify sent waves of cold ice throughout Harley’s body.

  “I’ve already called the police about her.” He evaded her gaze.

  Harley sucked in a breath. Her whole body tensed. “Why?”

  “Harassing phone calls. Look, don’t worry about me.” He took a bite of pizza and then tipped his beer bottle to hers. “To us.”

  Harley smiled, but she suspected he wasn’t telling her everything. What had the witch said to him? Well, she wouldn’t let a vengeful woman ruin her night. They talked for hours about current events, politics, global changes, and language as a social construct. They both agreed that language and understanding were cultural phenomena. He’d also expressed genuine concern when he learned of her firing and plied her with offers of money. She graciously but firmly refused.

  “We’ve missed the first showing of the movie.” Abisi glanced at his watch.

  “Well, we’ll have to order dessert.” She smiled, slipping her hand into his.

  Abisi and Harley stayed out until two that morning. He walked Harley to her door and planted a brotherly kiss on her cheek. When she clung to him, Abisi gave up any pretense at brotherly affection. He let his lips linger long and intimately against hers.

  “I’d better go before I do something you will regret.” He kissed her forehead.

  Harley’s eyes were closed. Her voice was choked with passion. “What makes you think I’ll regret it?”

  “I won’t do anything you could feel bad about later. I want you, Harley, but without reservation or hesitation.” He took her keys and opened her door, waiting until he heard the latch click behind her before leaving. As Abisi walked to the driveway, a car sped up the street. It was traveling too fast for him to see the plates. Who would drive so fast at night in a peaceful neighborhood? Abisi thought he knew and shivered.

  Early October

  Harley typed the last sentences of her manuscript of Grace O’Malley. The whole project had been a labor of love. Grace was a woman who knew how to be a criminal in order to save her people. She also knew how to compromise when she needed to. As a result, Grace and her family were legends in their time. The woman’s name was synonymous with survival. Harley hoped she was that much of a survivor.

  Harley rubbed Nico’s ears. “Now for the query and synopsis. I hate that. The writing part is fun. It’s this other crap that’s a royal pain.” The dog thumped his tail on the floor in seeming agreement.

  “How about a walk before I start the hard part?” Harley caressed Nico’s face and gave him a nose kiss. His face spread into what looked like a smile. “Go find your leash.”

  Nico set off at breakneck speed, returning with the leash gripped firmly between his teeth.

  “You’re my true love,” she said as she hooked his leash to his collar.

  Less than half an hour later, Harley was unlocking her front door. The phone rang shrilly as she bent to release Nico from his leash. “Damn!” She ran to the wall and put the phone to her ear. “Hello!”

  For a few seconds, no one said a thing. Must be a wrong number. Irritated, Harley was about to hang up when a muted voice said, “Ask him about his precious son. See what he tells you. His son was a murderer. Your husband was killed by those animals.”

  “Go to hell!” Harley slammed the phone down and shivered. Cold shards of ice pricked her spine. No doubt it was Kimberly the bitch. What did she mean? Abisi’s son a murderer? No, how could a man of such sophistication have raised a son who was a cold-blooded killer? The caller had implied that he’d killed soldiers, but Abisi was no fanatic. Surely his son wasn’t one of these crazed misguided youths setting bombs aimed at soldiers or unsuspecting villagers. Besides, Harley couldn’t think about that now. She had to write a query letter and a synopsis.

  Three hours later, Harley punched in the last letters of her synopsis. She submitted the contents electronically to her publisher and then thought about the disturbing phone call. Why was this woman torturing her? Could she have really thought the man loved her? Did Abisi lead Kimberly on, thereby inviting the kind of harassment she was now inflicting on him? No, Harley shook her head. No one should be harassed. She’d learned long ago that people couldn’t be forced to love. The only thing a person could do was walk away with dignity. Kimberly certainly hadn’t done that.

  Harley bit her lower lip as she sat staring vacantly at the computer. Images of John flashed across her subconscious. She still felt his strong arms locking around her. The memory of his smile seared her heart. No matter what Harley felt for another man, she would still love him. Always. What was it she felt for this new man in her life? If Abisi’s son had killed innocent people and hapless soldiers, how could she lie in his arms? She was expecting him later that evening, and she no longer could ignore Jordan. The dead man lay like a specter between them. Harley had always suspected his death was somehow shameful, but she’d been reluctant to bring up a painful subject. His unspoken presence had to be explained because she was becoming deeply involved with Jordan’s father, growing to love him even. Oh, he would never replace John, but he was filling a long-dormant need within her being.

  Harley heard his car settle in her driveway. She was in her bedroom, lying prone on the bed. Heavy tears cascaded down her cheeks. Harley didn’t want to lose him, but she couldn’t countenance the half-truths or the constant intrusion of his bitter ex-lover in their lives. They were supposed to eat a quick meal and then see a movie, but Harley was in no mood for a date night. She had to tell him about the phone call, and God alone knew Abisi’s response. Her heart pounded as loudly as his knock upon the door. Harley raised herself from the bed, made her way into the bathroom, wiped her face, and checked her makeup in the mirror. In the past weeks since they had renewed their friendship, Harley had come dangerously close to following the primal calling of her body, but she couldn’t do that without knowing the truth about the man�
�s past. To do so would be to betray John and the youthful love she’d shared with him.

  Nico was barking and wagging his tail when Harley made her way to the front door. She flung open the door and stood aside to let Abisi pass. He kissed her lightly as he crossed the threshold and stroked the dog. She took a deep breath. “Kimberly called here today.”

  “Oh, God, I’m sorry. What did she say?” He turned a panicked gaze on her. “Was it very upsetting?”

  She nodded, biting her lip.

  Abisi drew close to her and cupped her face in his hands. “You’ve been crying. What did she say to you? Are you all right?”

  Harley drew away from him. “Tell me about Jordan.”

  He winced as if she’d struck him, stepping back and staring as if he didn’t know her. His voice cracked. “Jor—Jordan’s death was very difficult for me.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” Harley hardened herself to his obvious distress. “I need to know the truth. My husband died overseas, and that bitch implied your son was a terrorist.”

  “And you automatically believed her?” His voice was hoarse as he turned from her.

  “You believed what she told you about me with Pete.” Harley swallowed hard, approached him, and placed a light hand on his back. “I don’t want to hurt you, but you’ve been very secretive about how your son died. Through all of this, I’ve never lied to you. I’ve tried to be honest. Show me the same respect.”

  “That woman has tried to poison you against me since she learned we’ve been together.” Abisi turned to her. She’d never seen a human face contain so much anguish. He’d gone white. His pain was palpable, even though he’d shed no tears. “How could you believe her?”

  Harley gestured wildly. She’d never seen him that emotional, not even when she’d broken off their love affair. “I don’t know what I believed, but I wanted to know why you’d never spoken about someone so important in your life. Why, Abisi, why can’t you be honest with me?”