by CJ Murphy
Val checked her own phone and saw a missed call from her mother, a text message from her boss, and another one from Tess. She deciphered her mother’s message by using a voicemail to text app. Her mother was concerned that she hadn’t called in a few days to give her an update. She’d wait until after her appointment so she’d have more information to pass on. The text from her boss offered a few words of support. She wondered who’d picked up her assignment in Kentucky, guilty that someone else would have to take up her slack. Everything had been such a blur since the accident.
The one from Tess surprised her though. Somehow, she’d gotten word of Val’s injuries and wanted to confirm if it was her involved in the accident. One of Kelly’s crew moonlighted as a flight paramedic and apparently, was someone who brought Val in. The medic happened to tell Kelly and mentioned Val’s vintage motorcycle. Details filtered in about a photographer doing a story on the “Ride to the Wall” event. Tess thought it was a long shot, but she wanted to check. Val knew a text wouldn’t suffice for this, but she really wasn’t ready to talk to Tess. She’d handle that later.
She sent quick texts to her mother and boss, which really wasn’t that quick with one hand. By the time she managed to peck out the messages, the receptionist called her name. She began to sweat. The back of her neck tensed, and she had a feeling like before an approaching storm.
Laurel rose and wheeled Val into an examination room. Val had been in many like this over the years. It looked like it had been recently updated. The tile on the floor wasn’t cracked and the walls were a pale blue. She remembered reading an article that blue was supposed to promote calm. In her case, it wasn’t working. Her nerves vibrated like a tight guitar string.
She looked at Laurel, who’d taken a position off to her left, sitting in a hardback chair. She appeared relaxed and beautiful. Laurel caught her staring at her and gazed back, reaching out to stroke Val’s arm. A nurse entered, took vital signs, recorded the basic issues, and left.
Laurel put a hand on Val’s shoulder. “Do you need a drink of water? You look pale.”
“I’m a little warm.” Val blew out a breath and wiped at the sweat running down the side of her face. “I’m sorry. It’s this place. I met some of the most important people in my life in here, namely Liz and Jo. I also suffered a great deal of pain here on my road to recovery. I had to learn to walk again. My left arm was almost useless until Cat replaced my elbow. The concussion caused serious migraines.” She paused, lost in her own thoughts, her vision growing cloudy. “None of that was as bad as the nightmares and the terrors that kept me locked inside myself.”
Laurel got up and knelt in front of her, placing both hands on Val’s face. “Honey, you’re not there. Regardless of how beat up you are now, it’s temporary. You’ll walk on your own again. We’ll get your arm fixed and maybe I’ll even let you take me for a ride on Maggie May after you get her up and running.”
Val looked at the woman before her. Never in her life had she wanted anyone the way she wanted Laurel. She owned no camera capable of capturing how beautiful Laurel looked at this moment. Leaning forward, she ran her fingers through Laurel’s hair, cupping her cheek. She brought their lips together in a gentle kiss. “Thank you, Laurel, for being with me.”
“No place I’d rather be. Do you want me to leave so you can talk to your doctor in private?”
Val shook her head no. A brisk knock at the door startled them. Laurel was still kneeling with her hand on her cheek as Cat strode through the door, looking at the chart in her hands.
“Val, if I’d known you wanted to see me again, you could’ve called. I’d have been more than happy to examine you head to toe in, shall we say, more friendly surroundings.” She went silent, seeing that Val wasn’t alone. Moving over to the counter, she put down the file and turned to the pair, crossing her arms.
Laurel stood and Val cleared her throat. “Laurel Stemple, meet Lieutenant Colonel Catherine O’Reilly. Best damn battlefield surgeon I’ve ever met.”
“Only because I put you back together at a time that you resembled a jigsaw puzzle. Now, what have you done to my masterpiece?” She extended her hand to Laurel. “Nice to meet you. Call me Cat.”
Laurel took Cat’s hand. “It’s a pleasure. She didn’t do this on her own. Someone helped her put a ding or two in the paint. The motor and the chassis are still sound.”
Cat laughed and looked at Val. “I like her, Val. She’s got spunk.”
Laurel didn’t laugh, but Val’s smile widened. “So do I, Cat. Rest assured, I haven’t screwed up what you so skillfully put back together. The leg’s fine. My elbow was acting up, that’s why I scheduled the appointment. Unfortunately,” she said, looking at her right arm, “it appears I’ve managed to do some damage to a part of me that didn’t get torn up over there.”
Laurel handed Cat a large manila envelope. “Inside you’ll find a report from the doctors at WVU. The CD contains the scans of that shoulder. She has a fractured shoulder blade.”
Pulling the hospital notes from the envelope, Cat slid her eyes to Laurel and then back to Val. “How long has that arm been in the immobilizer?”
Laurel looked at Val and ran a hand across the restrained shoulder. “They had something else on her while she was in the SICU. After they moved her out to the regular floor, they put this one on. She’s been in this one for about a week and a half.”
Val shuddered at the intimate touch and felt her insides go warm. She was enjoying the way Laurel was taking charge.
“Damn, you should have called me, Val. You know I don’t like to wait on these types of injuries.” She turned to the computer and slid in the disc, pulling up the images. “The shoulder blade will heal on its own. Unfortunately, you’ve torn the shit out of your rotator cuff. It’s going to require surgery. I don’t know exactly what day I can clear a spot on my schedule and no one else is taking a scalpel to you unless I’m dead. I’ll call with a time. Are you staying around here?”
“We’re staying with some friends. Do you think it will be in the next week? If not, we’ll go home. We can be back in about three hours.”
Cat turned back around on the heels of her stilettos, the only non-regulation part of her uniform, a pinched lip smile drawn across her face. “Home? Val, I wasn’t aware you’d settled anywhere except the seat of that bike.”
Val smirked at the feel of Laurel’s hand sliding into hers. The perplexed, yet irked look on Cat’s face was priceless. “Laurel and her grandmother Ree have taken me in.”
She didn’t need to justify anything to Cat. The few mornings she’d awakened in Laurel’s arms meant more to her than the few nights of passion with Cat or even the few months she and Tess tried to live together. Cat began to remove the immobilizer, startling her from her musings.
“This thing has been on too long in my experience. If you don’t at least do some small movements, it’ll freeze.” She began to manipulate the shoulder gently. Val winced. It was painful from the actions of the night before. She reached deep inside herself to allow the movement. The feeling of Cat’s icy fingers on her flesh was uncomfortable and foreign. She squeezed Laurel’s hand harder.
Laurel covered the hand in hers with her free hand. “She fell out of bed onto it last night. I was afraid she’d done more damage. It was still hot and swollen this morning.”
Cat raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure she could tear it up much more than the accident did. It more than likely aggravated it. It won’t heal right until I’ve repaired the tears.” Cat ran a hand up to Val’s shoulder to where it met her neck. Her thumb brushed Val’s cheek. “I’ll text my secretary to put you on the schedule for Thursday morning. I was supposed to teach at a symposium, however, this takes precedence. I’m a surgeon before I’m a teacher. They can find someone else to do it. You and I have a date, Magnusson. You know the drill, nothing after midnight. No cologne or deodorant. I’ll have the nurse bring you the antiseptic wash to shower with that morning. We’ll set you up with a r
ehab schedule after that and—”
Laurel interrupted. “She’ll be doing rehab at Backbone Mountain Rehab and Physical Therapy in West Virginia. I can get you all the particulars so you can send whatever you need to Fallon Armstrong.”
The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Val raised her chin to look at Cat. Oh, here’s where the claws come out.
“Well, Val. It appears you’ve lost the ability to talk for yourself,” Cat said, squinting.
Val squeezed Laurel’s hand in reassurance. “I haven’t. Laurel’s been taking care of me since the accident. She was kind enough to make arrangements with a local therapist, who from all accounts, is a miracle worker. It won’t be convenient for me to do therapy here. I’m not staying in DC, and there’s no way I’m driving back over here three days a week.”
“You could always stay at my house. I have plenty of room and with my schedule, I’m almost never home unless I choose to be,” Cat replied.
Val could feel the waves of tension rolling off Laurel. She was sure that any second one of them would pee on her to declare ownership like dogs do as they marked their territory. She needed to put a stop to this now. Cat had no claim on her.
“Cat, let’s stop dancing. Remember, I only have one good leg. I’m staying with Laurel and Ree in West Virginia. Soon, I’ll have my prosthesis back and I’ll be able to drive myself if needed. I appreciate the offer, but if we need a place to stay, Jo and Liz have already told me we’re welcome there.” Val lost the cordiality in her tone and wanted no misunderstanding. She needed Cat to fully comprehend there would be nothing more between them beyond a professional relationship. She felt Laurel’s hand relax around hers.
Cat crossed her arms and tilted her head. “It seems you can speak for yourself. I’ll have my secretary phone you with the details. Is your number still the same as it was while we were in Provincetown?”
Val gritted her teeth at Cat’s inference to familiarity. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll see you Thursday.” Cat stormed out of the room, her heels punishing the floor with the spikes of her shoes.
Laurel leaned down and planted a searing kiss on Val’s lips, her hand tightly grasping the hair at the back of Val’s neck. Closing her fingers into a fist, she tilted Val’s head up. “I’m not going to ask why she’s acting as if you have something current going on. But, just so you know, if she’d have touched you again, it’s likely the MP’s would have had to be summoned and I’d have been arrested.”
Val liked Laurel’s possessiveness. Her center clinched. It made her feel wanted and protected. She’d rarely let anyone take control in her life, but there were times she just didn’t want to be in charge. “What happened between us was a long time ago. It was brief and only one weekend. I haven’t seen her in two years and that was for an appointment. There’s nothing between us on my part. I need you to believe me.”
“I believe you. I’m not sure she sees it that way.” Taking a deep breath, Laurel put one knee on the ground so she was at eye-level with Val.
Val pulled Laurel to her with her good arm and kissed the top of her head. “Doesn’t matter what she believes. My dance card is presently full. Let’s get out of here. I could use some lunch, and I know a great place.”
Laurel kissed her more softly this time. “Anything to get us out of here.”
After lunch Laurel stopped in at a Target for a few things. Val stayed in the car to make some phone calls. One of them was to Tess telling her it had been her in the accident. Tess offered to come and help her, even offering to let Val stay with her and Kelly.
“Thank you, Tess, but I’m being taken care of, sometimes too well. I’m not sure how I got this lucky.”
There was a long pause before Tess spoke. “You’ve found her, haven’t you?”
“Tess, I…”
“Oh, baby, it’s okay. I hoped it would happen to you someday. Be sure to let her in.” Tess paused. “Have I ever met her?”
Val let her head fall back against the headrest, closing her eyes. “No, you’ve read about her grandmother’s store.”
“Cool Springs. I should’ve known. Never seen you mention any place so many times. She must be pretty special.”
“She is.” Val paused, rolling her shoulders, trying to decide if she should say what she was thinking. “And so are you.”
The exchange had been brief but exhausting. Tess deserved so much more from her and time after time, she’d failed. It had to be different with Laurel. It just had to.
***
Laurel drove back to Liz and Jo’s, worried that the day had exhausted Val, who’d been quiet the entire ride. Thoughts of Cat still boiled her blood. Her jealousy felt irrational. Val told her there was nothing between them, but she didn’t trust Cat to honor that. At the house Liz helped Laurel get Val settled, and then took Laurel by the hand and led her to the study.
Walking over to the well-stocked bar, Liz poured them both a highball of Maker’s Mark and tonic water. Handing Laurel the glass, she smirked. “Pretty sure you can use this. How did it go?”
Laurel shook her head and accepted the glass. She allowed the smooth liquid to burn away the tension of the day. “It was both inspiring and infuriating. The people at The Bodyshop were incredible. Charley and Anya hope to have her new leg ready in the next few days.”
“And her appointment with Cat?”
Laurel narrowed her eyes and took another drink. “She…” She closed her eyes and bit her upper lip. She took a long sip of the liquor she held, opening her eyes.
Liz shook her head. “I take it she was her typical self? She’s the best damn surgeon I know. Unfortunately, if she wants something, she lets little stop her. She’s made her interest in Val known for a long time. I can tell you from conversations with Jo and me, Val isn’t interested. She has strong feelings for you. One drunken weekend doesn’t count as anything resembling a relationship.”
Laurel took a deep breath. She stirred the cocktail and gathered her thoughts. “That woman is a walking hormone. If I had any say in it, she wouldn’t touch Val. You both tell me she’s the best surgeon. I must believe that or I would’ve dragged that woman out in the hallway and showed her that West Virginia women don’t take kindly to those who try to take liberties they haven’t been given permission to take. Good surgeon or not, I wanted to kick her ass. She had the audacity to try and get Val to stay with her to recuperate.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. She took a shine to Jo several years ago before we were married. It was my good fortune Jo was already smitten or I might have had to open a can of South Carolina whoopass. Don’t dwell on what could have happened, only what will happen. You have a great deal of influence on that.”
Laurel ran a shaky hand across her face. “I just want to help her get better. Whatever she decides after that will be up to her. All I can do is be there for her.”
“You’re capable of much more than that, my dear, whether you know it or not. Val may not have said it in clear terms yet, but I have no doubt she has strong intentions about your relationship.”
Laurel sipped her drink, trying to calm her mind. She thought about the exchange. Val hadn’t responded to Cat’s advances. Actually, she’d rebuffed her repeatedly and reassured Laurel there was nothing between them. Is she trying to tell me she wants more, or is it me just not ready to accept how I feel?
She and Liz finished their drinks and Laurel took a walk around the back yard. She tried to sort through her jumbled emotions. What did she want? Was she ready to tell Val everything, all her fears? She wasn’t sure, but it felt like the answer was becoming clearer every day. It’s been Val for a long time. Always Val.
A few hours later, they woke Val up and Liz ordered Chinese for dinner. Laurel insisted on paying. After some good-natured arguing, she prevailed. Laurel laughed as Val attempted to use her chopsticks left handed. After several comical attempts at bringing food to her mouth, Laurel found Val a fork.
She clean
ed off a bit of orange sauce from Val’s cheek. “Here, try this instead.”
Val kissed her. “I was about to use these chopsticks to spear my chicken. Not sure it would have worked too well on the rice. Thanks.”
They devoured the food and talked about the store and all the characters there. Laurel’s phone chimed with a reminder to go online for the planned chat with Beth and Gram. “That’s our cue, Viking. Let’s go get set up.”
Several minutes later, they both settled around the laptop, signed in, and placed the video call.
Beth and Gram appeared on their screen. “Beth, can you hear me?” Laurel asked.
“Hiya, honey, she might not be able to, but I sure can. How are ya? Val, what’re they going to do about that shoulder? What’s up with your leg?” Ree wasted no time.
Val and Laurel laughed. Laurel shook her head and ran her hand into the back of Val’s hair. “Hi Gram, miss you too.”
“Hey, Ree. Thanks for letting me borrow this one. Having Laurel with me is a godsend. I have no doubt you miss having her around.”
Ree grinned. “Oh, I miss her all right. But I tell ya, having Beth here to fuss over me is about like having Laurel here. If I shut my eyes, I could swear it’s her. Just as big a burr under my saddle.”
Beth opened her mouth as if she were going to protest. Shaking her head, she took a good look at them. “You guys look tired.”
Laurel glanced at their own reflection in the tiny screen by the corner and noticed deep shadows under both her and Val’s eyes. No kidding.
Val answered this time. “Neither of us got much sleep last night, and today took a good bit out of me. One good thing is I got that damn immobilizer off. The plan is to put Humpty Dumpty back together again Thursday morning. Hopefully I’ll get my leg after that and be good as new.”
“How’s the store, Gram?” Laurel looked for any signs of illness or stress in her grandmother’s face. Seeing none, she relaxed a bit more.