My lips twisted at that, and I climbed out of my car to lock the doors. This area was nice, surrounded by fields, the smell of the ocean very faint. The apartment building had small balconies overlooking the street, and the light blue paint looked fresh.
"It's a nice place, at least. At least it's not some gaudy McMansion."
"Yeah." Straightening my shoulders, I held out my arm for my sister as her heels clicked on the pristine sidewalk. Dread clawed at my gut as we walked for the double doors, and I pried one open to gesture Laurie through. I'd rather be anywhere but here right now— preferably, I wanted to see Mel again.
Despite what Laurie said, I didn't find it the least bit suspicious that Melissa hadn't texted me. She got so wiped out by her allergies alone, and the added threat of her asthma... Hopefully, she had a friend or two that helped her out.
"Speaking of gaudy McMansions... I'm taking the bar in three months, and I was thinking it would be nice to move back to Rhode Island." Speaking up slowly, Laurie grabbed my attention as we took the stairs, and she glanced back at me with a quizzical arch of her slender brow. "In two weeks, I'll be taking my finals, and I was wondering if you could talk to that guy— Eric Dane."
"You want to go into corporate law?" Again, she shrugged, and a smile tilted my lips as I nodded. "Sure, I can give him a call. I'm sure he'd be open to talking to you."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
Eric had asked me specifically if Laurie wanted to go into corporate law, but she'd been staunch about doing criminal prosecution. At least, until she found a fondness for corporate. My sister wasn't some justice monger, but she loved proving herself right.
That's basically the same thing, anyway.
When we reached the third floor, I knocked on the door numbered four, about halfway down the long hallway. My nerves shot through the roof, and goosebumps swept under my starched shirt. Beside me, my sister jutted out her chin and fixed a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. The soft click of the doorknob sent a shiver between my shoulder blades, and I sucked in a sharp breath and held it.
Bright, almost fevered green eyes locked on me, and my brows nearly flew off my face when Melissa herself opened the door. She paled, her freckles standing out on her near translucent cheeks, but her frozen, birdlike features only lasted a second or two. My sister looked between us in surprise, and I only managed to blink a few times before Melissa reached to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"I've been meaning to call you." I almost winced at how raw and nasally Mel sounded, and no amount of makeup could stop her eyes from watering. She stepped to the side, her cute, off-the-shoulder dress shimmering slightly. "I thought this couldn't get worse."
"You sound like shit, Mel. See, I told you she wouldn't ghost me, Laurie." Stepping through the threshold, I shot Mel a blatant 'what the fuck' look, but she just stared back blankly. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be okay when I can shut the door."
Someone's not having a good time. Laurie shuffled into Melissa's apartment, and I frowned at the redhead when she reached to wipe her eye very carefully. Right up next to the door was a huge, expensive looking air purifier, and worry soured my tongue when I saw a second one by the balcony door. There was probably a third in her bedroom, but Mel still looked like she was going to just keel over.
"Do you need an emergency prescription, Mel?" When I reached to touch her, Melissa pulled back with a slight shake of her head. Hurt stabbed my chest, but the closer I looked, the more I realized she was running on autopilot. "What's going on, huh?"
"I'm really tired. That's all. My dad didn't give me much time before telling me he offered up my apartment for this." Alarm rang in my ears as my sister scoffed lightly, and Mel sighed listlessly. "If Terry didn't help me out, I'd still be in my pajamas."
"Our mom said your dad said you offered your apartment..." Suspicion thickened Laurie's tone, and I struggled to catch up to their conversation. "It's nice to finally meet you, Melissa. Officially."
"I would say the same, but I'm miserable right now." They did an awkward half-hug kind of thing, and I stared dumbly between Laurie and Melissa. "I've got wine. You're gonna need it. A lot of it. All of it, probably."
"Maybe we will be best friends." I followed the pair into the kitchen, and my mom and her dad were sitting at a table designed for no more than three people comfortably. "Hi, Mom."
"Oh, Laurie! Carl! Wonderful— we have some great news!" My mom was practically bursting at the seams with excitement, and I blinked hard. She smiled so wide, her eyes glistening so brightly, and the dread in my gut intensified. "We got married last week!"
"Ex-fucking-scuse me!" My sister screeched like a banshee, and I trembled under the weight of my mom's smile falling off her face. "You did not! You did not! Mom!"
"You got married to this scumbag?" Disgust thickened my words, and I scanned Augustus through narrowed eyes. "I beg your pardon? Is that why you went to Vegas? To get hitched? Like trailer trash trying to escape the disapproval of your family?"
"Trailer trash!" My mom gasped in affront, and I tore my eyes off Augustus as my mom stomped her foot like a child. "I'll have you know that I was the one who suggested we get married. Auggie wanted to get engaged first, but—"
"You don't think it's a huge red flag to want to get engaged after two months!" Frowning as Laurie took the words right out of my mouth, I crossed my arms over my chest tightly. Discomfort and disbelief crowded my heart and coated my ribs like tar, and my gaze eventually wandered to Melissa. She leaned against the kitchen counter, her head bobbing dangerously, and my sister's budding screaming match with my mom drowned out from concern.
Wandering over to her, I nudged Mel gingerly with my elbow, and her head snapped up some as she inhaled sharply in surprise. Who I could only think was Terry was gulping down wine, hiding behind the refrigerator and watching the drama. He didn't so much as glance at me, but I could hear him furiously typing away as everything played out.
"How much medication are you on, Mel?" Glossy, green eyes found mine briefly, and I cupped her face gently to press on either side of her small nose with my thumbs. She hissed but really didn't react much, and I held my breath and closed my eyes to lean in. Even dosed up, she was wheezing, her lungs a little crackly when I leaned to press my ear against her chest where her dress didn't quit cover her.
"Melissa?" Shit. I tapped her cheek softly, but her eyelids didn't so much as flutter in reaction. Allergy medication wasn't supposed to do this, and alarm restricted my pupils. "Mel! Hey!"
"Is she okay?" Glancing over at the guy as he jumped off the counter, I licked my dry lips as cotton stuffed my mouth.
"What did she take before we got here? How much alcohol has she had? How many times did she use her inhaler?"
"Ah— she took a bunch of Benadryl about half an hour ago, and... I don't know, maybe two glasses? She's never had wine before— I brought it over. I don't know if she's used her inhaler, either, since I've been cooking y'all's food."
"Fuck— shit— call 9-1-1—" I swept Mel off her feet and turned around only to find my sister still yelling at my mom. Her dad just sat there underneath it all, looking bored as all Hell, and my heart nearly fucking exploded. "Laurie! Shut the fuck up!"
My sister whirled around, her mouth open, face red, really ready to lay into me until she saw Melissa limp in my arms. Horror contorted her pretty face, and I inhaled deeply before my narrowed eyes flickered to my mom.
"I'll deal with you later. And you—" Next to me, the nameless man fumbled a little with his phone, and he jumped with a squeak. "Tell them I work there— my name is Carl Northrop, and Mel is presenting with severe respiratory suppression and lethargy— a suspected overdose on Benadryl. Let's go— repeat everything I say exactly as I say it."
Chapter 18
Melissa
"... Well... at least it couldn't get much worse." I was mortified at the story Carl weaved me, and I pushed my palms deep into my eye sockets. "I don't even know what
to say. I'm sorry I called your mom all those names."
Blinking away the colorful spots to see his confused, knit brows and thin frown, I shook my head a little. Carl reached to grab my hand and squeeze, the lines around his mouth deepening as he scooted a little closer to the side of my bed.
"You're okay, though, Mel. You know better than to take that much Benadryl, though. Why'd you even allow your dad to do this to you?"
My cheeks warmed in shame, and I covered my face and turned my head away at Carl's probing. We ignored the pink elephant in the room— that my dad had married his mom in secret, and everyone but that poor old woman knew he was a scammer. Gingerly taking my wrists in his warm, dry hands, he pried my palms away to dig into me with worry shining in his eyes.
"What happened, Mel?"
"He said that if I let him use my apartment, he'd get out of my life and never contact me again. He showed up at, like, three in the afternoon, dropped that bomb, and I— I don't know. I just wanted to get through it, and I didn't want to make a bad impression, and... I don't know what happened. I was so overwhelmed. Terry's been getting my groceries, and I can't sleep, and I can't do anything, and he just... sprung it on me." Grimacing at my own, confused explanation, I ducked my head, but there wasn't any twinkle of judgment in Carl's dark eyes. "I took some Benadryl before my shower, and then I got out, I felt a little better, so I took some more... and then I had some wine, and I've never had wine before. I'm not really a drinker. And then my dad and your mom showed up, and I felt like I was gonna die because of her perfume, and..."
"Hey, this isn't your fault. It's your dad's fault." Pursing my lips thinly, I closed my eyes and took as deep a breath as my mangled lungs could manage. No matter how many times I told myself that same thing, it didn't make me feel any better. Shuffling to sit on the edge of the bed, Carl cupped the back of my head to press his ear against my sternum before I exhaled slowly. "You sound much better, at least."
"I don't think we should date anymore." That terrible, terrible sentence rolled off my tongue thickly, and Carl pulled back with a jerk. Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth to gnaw harshly, I twiddled my thumbs in my lap as he practically glared at me from under tightly knit brows. "Th— this is so... so complicated... and I— I mean, I don't want... I don't want my dad—"
My rasp tied on my tongue when Carl cupped my cheek, brushing my lips with his thumb. His gaze softened, the crease between his brows easing some, and my heart beat furiously as he sat back.
"I don't think disappointing you in the passenger seat of my car constitutes a date, Melissa. At least let me take you on a proper date before you break up with me." He smiled slightly, and I sniffled hard through my clogged nose. "As for your dad... well, I didn't like him, anyway. He's inconsequential. I know you never wanted to get to this point, Mel, but it's best if we stop worrying about our parents' bad decisions and let it go. My mom is absolutely convinced that your dad loves her, and your dad has admitted to you that he's just in it for the money. Regardless of what happens next, it doesn't involve us."
"I was really gonna call you, Carl. I just didn't know what to say." I knew Carl already figured that, but I felt the need to reiterate anyway. He caressed my cheek, tracing up my nose, and my heart fluttered delicately. "I'm sorry if you thought I was ghosting you."
"We live in generally the same area, Mel. Even I was affected by the bloom this year. I knew it'd be borderline disastrous for you. Besides, Laurie's the one who thought that, not me. She's naturally negative-leaning."
A rough snort sounded at Carl's declaration, and I glanced over at the door to find Laurie leaning with her arms crossed under her bust. She was so friggin pretty, man, with her thick, blue hair and naturally tan complexion. She looked smart, gave vibes not to mess with her, and I puffed out my lips absently.
"What's up, Laurie?"
"I was just talking to Eric Dane, and he offered me a job." Her strong but beautiful face broke out in a huge grin, and she waved her hands as she stalked over to punch Carl in the shoulder. "You idiot! I love you!"
"Seriously? Just like that?"
Bright, brown eyes met mine, and Laurie reached to grab my hand and squeeze— like she couldn't contain herself. In that one movement, I knew she was a physical person, and I struggled not to tense when she shifted her beaming smile back to her brother.
"Yeah! I was thanking him for talking to my professor, and he mentioned that he was authorized to take on an assistant starting fourth quarter. So, what about you two? Are you still gonna date even though your whole relationship is basically bad porn tropes?"
My eyes widened, heat slithering up my neck, and Laurie rocked side to side on her tall heels as she picked at her pale green shirt.
"I don't know how that works. Are you going to just ignore the fact that our mom married your dad?"
"I have a feeling they won't be married long enough to matter." I really felt bad for Carl's mom, but... like... I also knew he wasn't that great a liar or a schemer. That this woman fell for my dad's lies wasn't something I could get involved in, and it was obvious Carl and Laurie had already tried to dissuade their mom. "Oh— you're okay, though, right, Carl?"
"Yeah— yeah. It's gonna be Hell, but my mom's an adult. I'm not gonna be there to pick up the pieces after she ignored me. I've been meaning to ask, Mel... is your dad's real name really Augustus?"
My brows rose in surprise, and Carl arched his quizzically. Augustus?
"Yes. Everyone just calls him Auggie, though. His father's name was Julius. It's kinda a joke. My granddad was that kind of guy." For a moment, I wasn't sure if Carl and his sister were relieved or amused— or both— and a soft knock on the door interrupted us. My doctor nodded in acknowledgment at Carl before his eyes met mine, and I licked my lips heavily as I sat a little straighter. "I'm gonna be discharged soon, right? I'm feeling way better."
"Good. Considering the circumstances, I think it's plausible to rule out intentional overdose, so you won't have to stay for observation." He winked at me, and relief slumped my shoulder as I ran both my hands up my face and into my hair. "I'm going to prescribe you a stronger allergy medication for the duration of the season. You'll most likely have some left over, and, obviously, you shouldn't abuse them."
"Of course not. No. I'll be more careful from now on." Nodding firmly, my doctor whose name I couldn't remember clapped his palms together. "So, everything's good. Awesome. I'm really glad I picked up those air purifiers when I was in Providence."
"Great. I'll get your discharge papers and send over your prescription, and you should be good to go." Just as suddenly as he appeared, my doctor was gone again, and I sighed heavily and threw myself back. Going home was gonna suck— I could already feel it in my nose.
"I think we should talk. Do you want to come over?"
Carl nodded without hesitation.
I turned to Laurie in askance. "Do you have to go back to Connecticut?"
"I already missed my morning class, so no, but I'm not gonna be a third wheel while you 'talk'." Curling her fingers in emphasis, Laurie's smile became slippery, and I blushed furiously. "I think I'm gonna get a hotel room, shower, and sleep, and stuff before I head back. God only knows I'm not gonna get to sleep next week while I prep for my tests."
"Oh— good luck." She flounced out of the room to leave Carl and me in contemplative silence, and I hummed softly. "She seems nice."
Chapter 19
Melissa
Shutting the door to my apartment, I closed my eyes as the relief to my sinuses instantly made it a little bit easier to breathe. All the junk in the air from last night was gone, and I set my purse on the small table by the door to gaze at Carl's back.
Before he could turn around, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my cheek against his muscular back. He was warm and hard, sturdy, and I closed my eyes to savor the smell of him.
"I would love to go on a date with you, Carl." My murmur spiked Carl's heart rate against my cheek, and he sucked i
n a sharp breath. Turning to pin me to the door and grab my butt with both his hands in one, quick movement, he captured my lips in a searing kiss. This time, there was no alcohol to dull the shocks that skittered across my face, and I gasped into his mouth as surprise rolled up my spine. Squeezing my butt, he hiked me off my feet, his muscular body pressed flush against mine as my hands flew to cup his neck.
The hard bulge in his dress pants teased me outside my panties, and I moaned when Carl's tongue slipped between my teeth. His taste was intoxicating, igniting a fire in my belly as I wrapped my legs around his waist. Powerful muscles rippled under his button down, and he hooked his arm under my butt to cup the back of my head. The door disappeared, the cold of my apartment slithering up my back deliciously.
Months— months of revolving around each other, being unable to get close but needing to...
"God..." Kissing down my jaw, Carl set me on the sofa to drape himself over me, and I reached to fumble with the buttons of his shirt. Gathering up my dress, his fingertips teased up my thighs, and a gasp lodged in my throat. Hot, chapped lips trailed fire down my collar bone, and I wiggled and squirmed as he tugged the soft fabric up and over my head.
"Y-yes— yes— oh—"
Greedy hands groped my breasts, and I arched into Carl's mouth as he sucked my nipples. Licking and sucking as he kneaded, he grumbled his satisfaction as fire engulfed my abdomen. Tossing my head to the side, I closed my eyes in pure bliss. He ground against my core with firm, long strokes, and I abandoned his shirt to attack his pants fastening.
"Fuck—" Bracing himself against the arm rest above my head, Carl trailed his tongue up my windpipe. Thrusting his hips, he crashed his mouth on mine just as I shoved my hands down his pants. Pushing down the heavy fabric, frustration only intensified my hands shaking. My blood boiled, and he gasped when I palmed his cock firmly. Pumping his hard, throbbing shaft, I pinched his head between my thumb and forefinger gingerly, and his kiss turned ravenous.
My Forbidden Doctor: A Secret Baby Medical Romance Page 9