by Lola James
“Yes, well, here are her CTs, which looks fine — but she went to sleep during the CT test and her heart stopped. Dr. Hollander, she died this morning.” The embarrassment erased as disbelief took over. While I knew some patients die… mine don’t! My heart felt heavy and this seemed wrong.
“But — but how is that possible?” I demanded.
He seemed puzzled by my question. “Well, she was eighty-nine years old and complaining of migraines.”
“But I mean, to die while on the CT scan? Has that ever happened before?” My thoughts went to Ben and Ms. Blanke’s strange exchange. Did that have anything to do with her dying?
“Not that I can recall, but it’s not far-fetched.” He reassured me with his usual smile that everything would be fine.
“I’ll contact the family with the news. Is there anything else?” I sighed to keep from crying. I was always emotional when one of my patients died.
“No, that’s all. This is not your first loss, Dr. Hollander, so don’t be so hard on yourself.” The sincere look on his face made the tears I was fighting back well up in my eyes.
“Thanks.” I stood up and took the chart he passed me before turning my face to let a lone tear fall. I took a few steps toward the door and slowly turned the knob. I rubbed my cheek on my shoulder to wipe the tear that had smeared there. I sniffled, stepping into the hallway. I turned and walked down the hall with my head hanging, to find Dawn and Ben pacing.
“What happened?” Dawn asked with big eyes. Ben looked concerned too.
“My patient died.” The tears I held back in the office with Dr. Stevens burst forward with full force. “Now I have to call her family to tell them.” I turned my tear-filled face away from them.
“Oh honey, it happens every night; it’s not your fault.” Dawn wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close to her.
“I know, but still.” Ben slid the chart from my hands to his while I hugged Dawn.
“I’ll call the family for you.”
“You don’t have to,” I managed in between sniffles.
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “She was my patient too.”
Dawn still had me wrapped in her arms and pulled me closer to her. “We’ll be in the relief room when you’re done.” She nodded to Ben as he left for the nurse’s station. Dawn shuffled us away. She closed the door as we sat down on one of the cots.
“Do you think Kevin had sex on one of these recently?” Dawn frowned as she looked between the two small cots. I sniffled and looked at the expression on her face. I couldn’t help but giggle at the look of disgust.
“Probably both; you know him.”
“I am so glad you didn’t get in trouble for kissing Nurse Hero.” Dawn smiled as she put her hand on my knee.
“He was actually cool about that.”
“See? That’s why I’ll have to marry that man one day. That and his gorgeous smile.” I sat there for a minute, thinking about Dr. Stevens and Dawn being married. They would definitely make a beautiful couple — and their kids. Oh, they would put Brad and Angelina’s to shame. With Dawn’s warm blue eyes, Dr. Stevens’ smile and a combination of their perfect hair, those kids would be perfect. I beamed at that thought.
“Go for it!” I urged. Dawn leaned back, getting comfortable as I sat on the cot opposite her. I rested my head on the wall behind me.
“I will soon, but now . . . kiss and tell.”
I crinkled my nose up. I love Dawn, but she can’t keep anything to herself, and I knew telling her about the kisses I had with Ben would be the buzz of the night. Still, it was too tempting not to tell.
“Did you see both kisses?” I asked as she rolled her eyes.
“Uh, yeah, and so did Kevin. He was as red as a beet when he ran out,” she laughed.
“Well, I think Ben kissed ME because he overheard Kevin talking his usual crap and I kissed HIM because . . . I wanted to.” I stuck my tongue out at her. Dawn looked like she was about to explode from excitement.
“My, my, looks like my little Toni is all grown up.” Another thing I loved about Dawn was whenever she got excited about something, her Southern accent and mannerisms emerged. I laughed while she fanned herself.
“Let’s get back out there, Miss Alabama, before Kevin comes in here with a conquest,” I said. Dawn frowned as she heard me imitate her drawl. We stood up at the same time. She narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at me, as if to correct me.
“It was Little Miss Kentucky, and don’t ever bring that up AGAIN!” she ordered as she marched out of the relief room and into the hallway. I could do nothing but laugh and I almost skipped out of the room. I extended my arms and wrapped them around Dawn, pulling her into a hug.
“Thank you, Dawn.”
“For?” She still had the drawl but she was patting my back.
“Getting my mind off Ms. Blanke,” I whispered. She wrapped her arms around me.
“Don’t worry; it happens every night.”
“I know; but still, thank you.” Ben came upon us hugging in the hallway. I released Dawn when he was at my side. I was still laughing at Dawn being the “Little Miss” and my laughter let him know I was feeling better. I looped my arm with his, taking the chart from him and we walked back to the pit to wait for more action.
***
After ten hours, you’d think we would be tired and hungry, but Ben and I had more energy in the morning than we did in the evening. As we walked into the locker room, Ben made a joke that everyone laughed at except for Kevin.
“T? Can I use your bike? My car is in the shop until Monday and I don’t want to take the bus home.” Dawn grinned as she looked at Ben.
“Sure, but how will I get home and back to work?” I knew what Dawn was up to and I eyed her sideways, giving Ben a wink.
“Hmmm, Ben? Would you mind giving Toni a ride home?” Her smile was bright enough to light up a house on Christmas.
“No, not at all, I just have to make one stop first,” he answered. I rolled my eyes at the skit these two were putting on. I smiled and mumbled curse words under my breath.
“Thanks, Ben and Dawn,” I said through my teeth.
“Don’t thank me now; thank me after you get laid,” Dawn whispered. I shook my head and sighed as I noticed Kevin’s eyes still fastened on me. I changed out of my scrubs, sliding on my jeans and sweater. Ben stood behind me, ready to go. I walked out of the locker room with Dawn and Ben as Kevin’s eyes burned a hole in my back. I looked over my shoulder and smiled, knowing he would eventually go crazy. When we were outside, I handed Dawn my helmet as she swung her leg over my bike. I ran my hand along the front of my motorcycle.
“Be careful with her, she’s all I’ve got in this world,” I said as I patted my little silver Honda. Dawn tilted her head back and pulled the helmet over her blond layers.
“I know what I’m doing, T; trust me.” She started the bike and revved the engine a couple times before taking off. I looked over at Ben, who stood next to his bike, zipping up his jacket and sliding on some gloves.
“You take this biker thing pretty seriously, don’t you?” I laughed.
He said nothing, but passed me a small helmet as he climbed onto his bike. I questioned if this was planned for him to carry his extra helmet but I dismissed it. I put the helmet on, swung my leg over, and sat on the bike before wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. He started the engine and looked over his shoulder at me.
“Hold on tight,” he muttered; then he took off. It had been years since I‘d ridden on the back of a motorcycle, and I’m not sure if it was due to his driving or his expensive BMW motorcycle, but we arrived at his “stop” in no time. I looked at his two-story house as we waited for the garage to open. Once enveloped by the dimness of his garage, I swung my legs off the bike, removed the helmet, and shook my head to untangle my hair. Ben observed my post riding ritual in silence. I put my hand on my hip as he took off his helmet.
“Fancy driving.” I felt his gloved hand take mine as
he guided me to the door.
“Thanks.” He pressed the button to close the garage before opening the kitchen door.
“So, this is your stop.” I sat on a bar stool in the kitchen.
“I did not want you to hang on the back of my bike for any prolonged period of time; plus, I thought you might be hungry.” He walked to the refrigerator.
“Actually, I want to talk.”
“Well, follow me and we can talk.” He led me through the empty dining room and into the living room. He sat on a couch that looked like it belonged on the I Love Lucy set, and I sat next to him. I looked at him, wondering how to start this conversation about the kisses, his statement, and most of all, what it meant. I took a deep breath and jumped in headfirst.
“Today in the break room,” I started, talking with my hands to explain, a true sign that I was nervous. He smiled; obviously, he knew where I was going with this.
“You mean when I kissed you?” I felt my cheeks get rosy but I played it cool.
“Yes, you said you couldn’t resist anymore.” I threw it back at him.
“Yes,” he smiled. He was having too much fun with this conversation.
“When did you resist before — or did you just say that for Kevin’s sake?”
“Well, the moment I met you, I wanted to hug you because you reminded me of my friend, Joanna. But when you left yesterday morning I wanted to kiss you, the way YOU kissed me in the break room. So I guess the real question is, why did you kiss me back?” He shifted on the couch. I began fidgeting with my fingers.
“Oh, that.”
“Yes, that,” he said, taking my hand in his.
“Well, I guess it was a natural reaction to a passionate kiss.” I blushed. Why did I even bring this up?
He raised one eyebrow. “That was passion to you, Toni?”
“Well, sure. I mean, I can’t think of any other time that I’ve been kissed like that . . . ever.”
“Wow.”
“Wow what? Why is that so shocking?” I dropped my head, embarrassed again.
“Do not be embarrassed.” He lifted my chin to look into my eyes. “I would think such a pretty girl would know more about passion and love than I do.” I shook my head.
“Not me. Every boyfriend I’ve ever had lasted about as long as a school semester. So I lack experience in the love and passion department, I guess.”
“Must be why that jerk, Kevin, was giving you a hard time.” Ben shook his head.
“I guess so.” I turned away from him and pulled my hand from his. The silence in the room felt awkward. I looked over my shoulder to find Ben deep in thought. I was wondering if I should say something to break the ice, I’d created when Ben looked over at me.
“Will you stay with me this morning? I promise I will not touch you and I will take you home before our shift starts.”
I thought about his proposal and conditions, as well as a few of my own. “Yes, but what if I want you to touch me?” I smiled seductively.
The look on Ben’s face was priceless. It was a combination of shock and confusion.
“Well,” he started. I leaned over him, pushing the better half of my body onto his arm, and kissed him before he could answer. I felt his hunger as he kissed me back. I ran my fingers through his perfectly cropped hair and we kissed more intensely. This kiss was flavorless but filled with passion. I felt his hand run through my hair, cupping the back of my head, as his lips left mine and he began to kiss down my neck.
Suddenly, he stopped and pulled away. “I need to get something in my stomach before we go to sleep.” He stood up and hurried off toward the kitchen.
“Of course,” I replied as I sat there in shock over the blunt rejection. When I followed him into the kitchen to ask him to take me home, he was holding a large coffee mug and gulping down the contents.
“Are you hungry as well?” he asked with his deviously handsome smile.
“Not for food. I would rather—” I never finished my sentence as his lips met mine. The kiss tasted just as syrupy as earlier and felt like heaven. The sweet taste of Ben's lips filled me with passion. It was soft, sensual, and even a little apologetic. He slowly pulled me closer to him and our tongues entwined together, he tasted like desire. It felt like there was nothing else in the world, everything else faded out of my mind. Our lips parted with hesitance.
I looked into his hungry hypnotizing eyes as my body relaxed in his arms. I felt that funny swimming feeling again and Ben sounded muffled. I kept hearing the word sleep repeated and a vision of two people in hooded cloaks appeared, one of them cradled me in his arms. I felt cold, really cold before I felt a kiss on my forehead. I was in Ben’s bed in his dark bedroom. My body was limp and in a snap, I was asleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
I woke up completely disoriented in Ben’s pitch-black bedroom. I felt around in the darkness for the lamp I remembered seeing on the nightstand. When I found it and switched it on, I looked on the other side of the bed and saw Ben asleep. I wanted to check his pulse, because he looked dead to the world. I looked down at his clothes, which consisted of a nice pair of boxer briefs, and I gave myself a once-over. I was completely dressed with everything, including my Converse sneakers, still intact. I must have fallen asleep downstairs and he brought me up here, I thought. I looked at my watch; it was five in the afternoon on Sunday. My stomach growled in hunger so I felt my way out the room and to the kitchen. I found only a few items in the kitchen which included some bread so I made toast. The only drinks in his refrigerator were wine, water and the tomato juice he had been drinking yesterday in a solid white carafe.
I picked out a cup from the cabinet that held a sea of coffee mugs. I searched for the coffee to find none in sight. I poured a cup of the tomato juice without paying much attention because my toast was burning. I took my juice and toast into the living room, and flipped on the TV, hoping to catch a Bridezilla episode. The brides were at it, as usual, and I bit into the toast. Then I picked up the mug, eyes glued to the irate bride, took a sip, and gagged on the drink
My eyes darted to the fluid inside the cup as my brain registered what it was. Blood.
I shrieked in horror, as I felt disgusted. The blood had the same metallic flavor that I’d tasted on Ben yesterday in the break room. I had to wonder if he knew he was drinking blood.
My shriek must have woken Ben from his slumber, because he was at my side in no time.
“What happened? Why did you scream?” he said, in a defensive stance. Ordinarily, I would have marveled at the handsome man with perfect abs as he stood in his boxers next to me, but I was still gagging from the blood that settled in my mouth.
“This is blood! Not tomato juice!” I held the cup up in front of him.
He was silent for a moment, apparently waiting for my reaction to end. Then he dropped the defensive stance and casually said, “I know.”
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. He took the cup from me and placed it on the table next to us.
“You know! You drink blood?”
He took a step forward as I took a step back. “Can you sit down for a moment?” he said. He was calm, which scared me.
I shook my head. “Hell no! Now answer my question. Do you drink blood?”
“Yes.”
Fear flooded over me. I picked up my bag that was on the couch and turned toward his front door. Instantly he was in front of me, blocking my way.
“How did you do that?” I asked with a shaking voice. Terror had now taken over.
“If you sit down, I will explain everything!”
“No, I can’t do that!” The next thing I knew, I was in his arms and upstairs in the study. We had moved from one room to the next in nanoseconds. I had no clue as to how and was at the point of fainting, but I was too afraid of what might happen to me if I did.
“I need you to listen to me.”
“HELP!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“The house is soundproof; no one can hear you.
Now will you please sit down and listen?” He pointed to a chair in his study.
“Are you going to kill me?” I asked, beginning to cry.
“What? NO! If I wanted to kill you I could have done so a long time ago — like last night.” I sat because his reason made sense, but I knew I needed to get out of there.
“Then why do you have me here and why do you drink blood?” I felt more tears welling up in my eyes.
“You are here because you wanted to be. Last night you even tried to seduce me, and yes, I drink blood. That is the only way I can survive.” He began to pace the floor of the study.