I raised my head again. “What does that mean? Extra nice?”
“Oh, like maybe letting me watch football on your TV when I want and not complaining if I keep a six-pack of beer in your fridge?”
“You know, this sounds a whole lot like I’ve already agreed.” I bit my tongue against the pain, but it wasn’t as strong as earlier. He was beginning to splint my leg, so I laid my head back down and closed my eyes again. “Let’s just say that I agreed. I assume you won’t be doing any entertaining?”
“Such as…?”
“Such as having women over.”
He coughed as he choked on his own saliva. “No, I think we’re pretty safe there. Of course, I’ll have to expect the same from you, inasmuch as we will be roommates, you understand.”
“No problem,” I whispered hoarsely. “Are you sure you can work it in with your hours here at the hospital?”
“That’s no problem. It’s only a few blocks away, I can shoot over on my breaks and see to your needs.”
It was the way he said those last words that made my tummy flip over. I tried hard, but not too hard, to think of reasons he shouldn’t stay. “I’m flat out of reasons to deny you. I would appreciate it very much and of course, you won’t be expected to pay any rent. I happen to know that new doctors don’t get paid too much here at Bretherton General. Just take care of your own food and turn off the lights when you leave a room.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be finished up here in a few minutes and then we’re going to keep you a little while to monitor your response to the pain meds. If all goes well, I’ll get the boys with the ambulance to run you home tonight and I’ll go along to see that you’re settled in.”
“My mom can help,” I offered.
“Moms don’t make good nurses,” he said. “It’s been my experience that they take advantage of the situation to rearrange your closet and throw out anything they don’t like in your kitchen.”
“Sounds like you remember my mom.”
“I do, indeed, and they never change.”
“How long is it going to hurt this badly?”
“I’m wrapping it up now and I’ll make sure to give you some nice drugs that will make you sleep and you won’t feel a thing tonight. After a few days, I’ll give you a physical therapy routine to follow. You’ll have some pain pills for the first few days and after that, you most likely won’t need them.”
I nodded and kept my eyes shut. “Brice?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“It’s okay,” he answered in a soft voice. “I’m just glad I was here to look after you.”
I must have dozed off because I woke up to someone massaging my hand and opened my eyes to find my mother standing at my bedside, her eyes filled with alarm. At that moment I was very glad that I had alternate care plans. “Hi, Mom.”
“Mina, what on earth happened?”
“It was dress rehearsal and the shoes they gave me got caught on an area rug. I fell, and I guess I broke my leg.”
“I’ve called your father and told him to start packing my things. I’m moving in with you tonight.”
“No, no Mom, it’s not necessary. I have someone coming to stay who will look after me.”
“Who?” She seemed indignant that there was anyone else on the face of the planet I would prefer over her to take care of me.
“A doctor.”
“A doctor? Can you afford to have your own personal doctor?”
“This one I can. We’ve worked up a little trade. He’ll look after me and I’ll give him free room and board until he finds a place of his own.”
“Oh, no, missy. I don’t like the sound of that.” Her brow was knitted, and she was shaking her head.
“Doesn’t matter, Mom. I’m a big girl now what I can make these decisions on my own. I appreciate you being concerned for my welfare, but I think I’ll be better in my own bed with my things around me. If you want to help, you can bake a casserole every so often and bring it over. That would be appreciated.”
“Mina! How can you talk like this?”
“It’s called growing up, Mom.”
She wasn’t happy with my independence and made sure I knew it. She got up and with a quick look back, she left.
Chapter 16
Brice
I stood in the doorway of her bedroom and watched her sleeping, her leg supported by pillows. She looked pale and I knew she’d been having pain, despite the meds I was dispensing. She wasn’t sleeping well. She stirred.
“Hey,” I called out to her softly. “How are you feeling?”
“What time is it?” Her voice was soft.
“Almost nine A.M. You hungry?”
“I guess I should eat, but I’m really not hungry at all.”
I left and went into the small kitchen, warming up a bowl oatmeal. I carried it on a tray with some orange juice into her room and eased onto a chair next to her bed. “Think you can sit up and eat?”
“I can try,” she answered. Where was her bubbly personality?
“Tell me what you’re thinking right now,” I coaxed her. “What has you so down?”
She shrugged. “I guess I’m just feeling down because I’m stuck in bed. I love teaching, and the kids and I were just beginning to bond when this had to happen. And then there’s the play. I didn’t want to do it in the first place, but David begged me, and I gave in. I feel like I let the whole cast and audience down.”
“Mina, this is out of character for you. I can understand that you’re a little down and bored, but you’re sounding very lost. Where’s the fiery girl who’s ready to take on the world?”
She nodded. “Not feeling very fiery at the moment.” Looking up at me she added, “Part of it has to do with you.”
I took a deep breath. I knew the time had come, but I wasn’t ready for it—not yet. “Hey, don’t be so blue. That night we were together? It was wonderful. You are a beautiful, desirable woman and you should never forget that.”
“Then what happened? Why did you treat me like that?”
I looked down, wanting so badly to tell her, but it was still too early. There were things I had to do that she couldn’t be a part of, not yet. She had to trust me and my motives for keeping her in the dark. That was the key to it all. When would things be at a point that she would feel like she could trust me—again?
For the time being, I could take care of her. “I was stupid, I was overwhelmed. I hadn’t expected us to get together and not that fast. I over-reacted. Can you forgive me?”
Even in her sleep-deprived state, she followed what I was saying and eventually, she nodded. “I didn’t realize I was pushing,” she apologized. That was so, so wrong.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Things took on a life of their own and it just moved too fast. Let’s start over, shall we?”
Her beautiful eyes fastened on mine and she nodded. I felt like I was kicking a puppy. I knew my motives were pure, but to anyone on the outside, I’d be labeled an absolute ass. Maybe they were right. Maybe I didn’t have the right to control what people did and didn’t know.
I needed her forgiveness, even if I didn’t deserve it. I lifted the blanket before me and gently slid onto the mattress next to her. She didn’t turn me away and I was grateful for that. I just wanted to hold her, to feel her real and soft body and to give her some strength from my own. I was a healer; a man of medicines, procedures, supervision, and accepted practices that were highly regulated. I’d done all that for Mina, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t what I really wanted to give her.
I slowly and cautiously slid my arm behind her head, and instinct coaxed her to lean her cheek on my chest. With tender fingers, I stroked her cheek and kissed the top of her head. She was a red-blooded, strong, and almost healthy woman and I wanted her so badly at that moment. Not just in a sexual way, but I needed her. I wanted her forgiveness, her reassurance that she’d put her life in limbo and wait for me and all my marvelous pl
ans to be carried out. How selfish was that?
Monstrously selfish.
I hadn’t changed all that much from the teenage bully I’d been. I still wanted things my way and felt so righteous that it was the best and only way. Someone should have kicked my ass, but the person with the greatest power to destroy me was, at that moment, leaning into me for support. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her torso and willed my strength to seep into her hurting body. I hoped she felt it and that it helped. A peace settled over the both of us and finally, she closed her eyes and I felt her body go limp as she went to sleep. It was my deep, adoring pleasure to hold her and before long, I closed my eyes and joined her. It had been a long night and I was exhausted too.
We were awakened by an abrupt knocking at Mina’s front door. I eased her away and left the bed to answer it. There stood David Bretherton.
“Oh,” he uttered when he saw me.
“Did you need something?” I kept my temper in check as I observed he was dressed in expensive, brand name workout clothes, his hair neatly combed to one side. His face ranged in emotion from self-assured to timid as he saw me in the doorway.
“Is Mina here?”
“Of course, this is her cottage.” I let him dangle in his own stupidity.
“Yes, but, well…” he struggled for his next sentence. “Why are you here?”
“I might ask you the same thing,” I said to parry his curiosity.
He held a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a brown, handled bag in his other. “Brought her lunch and something to cheer her up.”
“She’s not seeing visitors, she needs her rest.”
“Why are you here?” he asked again.
I reached out and took the flowers and bag of take-out. “I’ll give these to her for you. Thanks for stopping by,” I added as I slid the door shut in his face with my foot. I set the things on the counter and looked up to see his silhouette still standing on the step, as though he was debating what to do. Cowardice won and eventually he left, and I watched as his car pulled away.
I went back to look in on Mina. She was awake, her cornflower blue eyes curious. “You had a visitor,” I told her, holding out the flowers.
“Who?”
“Bretherton.”
“Oh. I don’t want to see anyone.”
“I know. I already sent him away.”
“Do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Get rid of the flowers. I’m flowered out. And then, would you climb back in here with me? It felt so good to lean against you and you’re warm. I’m freezing.”
“Your body is trying to heal, and you’ll feel chilled.” I took a few steps back and tossed the flowers, grabbing my bag and sitting next to the bed first. I looked around for blankets and found a stack of neatly folded quilts on the shelf in her closet. The one on top was red, white and blue. It was cheerful and soft to the touch, which told me she used it often. I spread it over her and she winced as she tried to snuggle into it. “Hey, we need to keep that leg elevated,” I said, easing a thick pillow of foam beneath it.
I looked down at her small form on the bed. With a gentle, sliding movement, I laid down next to her again and her head fell onto my chest. I held her as she slept and it may have been the most wonderful afternoon I’d ever spent.
***
A knock at the door startled me awake. I slipped out of bed careful not to wake Mina, and opened it, expecting to see Bretherton had come back. It was Marcy.
“When were you going to tell me?” she accused in a low voice and pushed past me, her arms loaded with bundles.
“Tell you what?”
Her arms empty, she whirled on me. “That you’re banging my best friend?”
“Hang on there, Marcy. Don’t be bitchy, okay? It’s not what you think.”
“I’ve got eyes, don’t I? How many explanations could there be?”
“Look. This is Mina’s business and mine. Stay out of it unless you’re invited, okay?”
“Not okay. From what I hear, her leg is broken and since I can see the guest room bed from where I’m standing, and the covers are perfectly smooth, you didn’t sleep in there. What the hell is the matter with you?”
Somewhere along the line, Marcy had turned into our mother and now I was being held accountable.
I held my finger to my lips. “She’s sleeping and needs rest to heal. Keep your voice down.” I pointed to the sofa and eased Mina’s door closed. I sat down close to her and spoke in a low voice. “Actually, it’s a good thing you’re here. Not how I planned it, but that doesn’t matter. Do me a favor and keep your comments to yourself until you’ve heard me out. Can you do that?”
Fire danced in her brown eyes and I felt I was looking into a mirror. Finally, she nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to tell you something that only a very, very few people know and they’re all lawyers, bankers, government people.” Her eyes widened. “No, nothing like that. I know what you’re thinking.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking?” she said indignantly.
“Because you’ve been my sister for almost thirty years and you have that look on your face like the time you caught me gouging out the bottom of Dad’s birthday cake with a spoon.”
“Very funny. So? What is it?”
“It is a secret, so you cannot tell anyone, most especially Mina, if the thought should cross your mind. I’m only telling you because someone needs to know if something should happen to me.”
“Jesus, Brice, will you just get on with it?”
I bent closer to her and spoke in a low voice. “It started years and years ago while we were still in school. David Bretherton cheated on a test. I saw him copying from Betty Martin’s paper, who sat one seat ahead of him. I nearly flunked the test myself and he got praised for having a perfect score. The thing wasn’t just that he copied from Betty, but that Betty got a ninety percent.”
Marcy frowned. “Well, maybe he only copied the ones he didn’t already know—and you can’t prove that he used any of her answers.”
I gave her a strange look. Why is she sticking up for Bretherton? We’d spent our lives resenting his popularity. “I watched him go line by line, Marcy. He copied everything she wrote, as soon as she filled in the answer, he filled in his. Don’t you understand? He’s a Bretherton. The teacher was in on it. He got privileges the rest of us didn’t get. Doesn’t that make you even a little mad?”
Marcy had always been a live and let live kind of person, mostly because she didn’t want to expend the energy to get anyone into trouble. She shook her head. “I can’t see how a test paper from a dozen years ago would still be nagging at you.”
“You’re missing the bigger picture here. It wasn’t just the test, silly, it is that the Brethertons get a different set of rules to play by. They own the town and every decision-maker in it.” She still had a blank look on her face. “Marcy, surely you’ve notice all along that anyone on the Bretherton’s good side wins out and often someone more deserving lost, right? Real estate deals, jobs, positions on the city councils… It’s not just unfair, it’s immoral.”
“So? What’s your interest in all this? You’re a doctor. You’re the head of your department and I think you’ve gotten through life on a golden rainbow to date, so why does this bother you?”
“Okay, so this is where it gets interesting. I’ve hired an investigator who has been systematically going through city and county records, comparing the facts. Everything uncovered so far points to corruption by the Brethertons at the highest level. I don’t think David is responsible for all of it; it’s mostly his father and grandfather, but he’s picking up where the others left off, no doubt about it. He’s definitely benefitting from what they’ve done.”
“So, what exactly are you saying?”
“What I’m saying is that we’ve been collectively building their wealth for them. So far it looks like they haven’t paid a dime in any kind of tax, they’ve manipulated elections
to come out in their favor, they are given advance knowledge on properties coming on the market, they’re getting low or no interest rates on loans via Bretherton State Bank. That’s just the icing on the cake. Where it stinks, there’s something rotten and the further we investigate, the worse it gets.”
Marcy’s eyes were round. “I still don’t get why you are taking all this on. This is how small towns work. Wouldn’t it be easier to just move somewhere else? What if they go after you?”
I shook my head. “They won’t and the reason I’m doing this is because I’m the only one who can.”
“Why you?”
“Because I have the money.”
“Oh, now Brice, you can’t be making enough to take all this on. They’ve got way more money and will crush you. It’s not worth putting your career and future on the line. Just leave if it bothers you. If what you say is true, you’ll be under their thumb all your life.”
“I’m not talking about my doctor’s salary, Marcy. I’m talking about a lot more money than they have.”
She squinted at me, cocking her head in disbelief. “And just where did you get that kind of money and why am I now just hearing about it?”
“I won the lottery.”
“Yeah, don’t I wish. Seriously, is someone backing you?”
“Seriously, I won the lottery.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re rich? Like really rich?”
“That’s right. Enough money for all of us for several lifetimes.”
She leaped up off the sofa and burst into a happy dance, screeching. I grabbed her hand and pulled her down, slapping my hand over her mouth.
“Marcy—shut up now! Mina is sleeping, and I don’t want her knowing about this.”
“Why in hell not?”
“Mina and I, well, we had a night, if you get my drift. I let myself get carried away and then had to push her back the next morning. She can’t know about all this because David is her boss; the lifeguard job, the teaching job, the damned play. He’s already laid claim to her as his own eye candy and if she goes cold on him, acts out of character, or tries to resign—he’ll get wind that something is up before I can complete the evidence gathering and turn the whole damned family in. There’s even a covered up story about at least one of his grandfather’s business associates dying under mysterious circumstances… I’m fairly sure his grandfather would stoop to murder and I can’t swear that David might not have the same thoughts. She wouldn’t be safe. I have to protect her. She’s my responsibility.”
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