“We’ll put it right here, besides my key to the city.”
All Devora’s air was knocked out of her lungs. Did he even realize what she did every day? She never needed, nor wanted recognition, but being married to someone who always shined was…hard. There. She admitted it. “How are you going to explain that key, anyway? What if people ask about it?”
“Oh, I’ll just say it’s a replica. It’ll be our secret.” The corner of his lip turned up into a sneaky smile.
Chapter 3
In the physician’s lounge, Devora pulled a cold turkey sandwich from her lunch bag and took a bite. Her break was already an hour later than she would have liked, since the evening was busy.
“Excuse me, Dr. Walters? You in there?” Judy popped her head into the lounge. “What, no sauerkraut tonight?”
“Not today.” She had learned her lesson. From now on, she was sticking to cold meals only. “Do you need me?”
Judy nodded. “We have an OD that was dropped off right outside the door. His buddies took off.”
An overdose? Was this related to the drug deal Derek had tried to stop a week ago? “Did anyone get a look at the car?” She shoved her sandwich back in the bag and followed Judy down the hall.
“Yeah. It was a blue minivan with a custom license plate that said, XTC.”
“You called it in?”
“Front desk did.”
“Great.” Devora felt a pull to fling out her phone and text Derek, but every second she stalled, the patient could die.
She opened room six’s curtain to a moaning patient and relief filled her. If he was moaning and moving, it meant the effects of the overdose were already wearing off. She looked to the head nurse. “Tell me what you know.”
“Standard overdose. We gave him naloxone, and he’s coming back already.”
The weight of her phone was heavy in her pocket. Every second she wasted meant it would be harder for Derek to track down that blue minivan. “Vitals?”
“Stable for now.”
He was breathing on his own. “Great, let me just wash up. I’ll be right in for a full assessment.”
She entered the medication alcove and pulled her phone from her pocket. She texted as fast as she could:
Drugs somehow involved. Blue minivan. Plates “XTC” just left the hospital—
“Dr. Walters?”
Devora jumped and dropped her phone on the linoleum floor with a thud.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” worry lines caressed Judy’s forehead, and her eyes darted about, “but the patient’s crashing.”
Devora scooped her phone up, noting the shattered screen, and rushed back into the room. She threw on a pair of gloves and began the assessment. “He was just fine. What happened?”
“He started to slur some words, then his eyes rolled back, and we lost him.”
“There must have been more than an opioid in his system. Try flumazenil.”
The team administered one medication after another and finally had the man stable enough to be sent upstairs an hour later. Devora’s stomach was screaming for that sandwich now.
She made it back to the break room and pulled her phone from her pocket. A giant spider web across the surface.
Holding the thing on just the right angle, she could see the text she had written her husband hadn’t sent. Well, he was on his own today. Maybe without that text, he’d realize how much he needed her.
~ ~ ~
Arriving home that night, Derek was already there. “Busy day?” she asked.
“Not at all. All the crime must be under control.” He sat on the couch in shorts and a t-shirt, watching some sports ball game.
She pulled her phone out. “Well, I had a busy day. I broke my phone.”
“Why’d you do that?”
Her shoulders tensed, and she gripped her phone tighter. “I was trying to text you.”
“Was something wrong?”
“Just some type of drug crime going on.”
“And you didn’t let me know?”
“I told you I broke my phone.” She wiggled her phone’s shattered screen at him, then tossed it on the end table. “You can’t rely on me for everything! I have my own job to do. One that you seem to not take seriously, but I do a lot of good things too.”
“I know that,” he said. “What you do is important too. It’s just might not feel that way because you’re married to a superhero. A real one with superpowers and all.”
“A real one?” She fisted her hands. “If you didn’t have those powers, what kinda man would you be?”
The joking look on his face melted and replaced with hurt.
Devora, that was low. Way too low. She took a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Do you want to come with me to get a new phone? We could make a stop off for ice cream. After the day I had, I could use some.”
Derek still looked hurt, pouty lip and all.
She walked up to him and slipped her hand up his shirt, settling it on his hip bone. “Come on. Ice cream makes everything better.”
His face didn’t change.
She gave his side a little tickle.
With a laugh, he loosened up into her arms. “Derek, I think you’re amazing. Come on. Let’s get a big sundae.” She lifted on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. Once his arms wrapped around her, she knew she had done her magic. There was so much more to their marriage than recognition…though a little wouldn’t hurt.
~ ~ ~
It was just another day in the ER, only today, Devora had managed to eat her entire lunch before the major disaster hit.
This one was a big one. She could sense it as soon as she overheard the commotion in the waiting room. She was in the middle of taking care of a child with an ear infection and calming down the mother more than the child. The shuffling of feet outside the curtained door made her wonder if it was something she should check out, for her husband’s sake.
Instead, she stayed focus. She couldn’t always be the one to guide Derek. Let Dr. Rhee get the new admission. It was his turn for the next patient, anyway.
In past the curtain, Judy poked her head in. “Excuse me, Dr. Walters?”
“Yes, Judy?”
“Um, we have a patient who’s asking for you.”
“Settle them in, and I’ll be there when I’m done in here.”
“This one’s serious.”
“Is Dr. Rhee busy?”
“Really, Dr. Walters. You need to come now.”
The tone of Judy’s voice told Devora she had to go. She gave the mother and the child a nod and rushed into the ER’s hallway in time to see the bright orange and silver suit her husband wore as Silver Comet. Her body froze, followed by her heart. The hair stood up on her arms. It was her worst nightmare come true.
Judy put her hand on her back. “Is something wrong, Dr. Walters?”
Devora shook her head. She needed to focus and shove her emotions aside, focusing on her medical training. “No, I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to see Silver Comet.”
“Neither did we. He’s been shot. It could have hit his heart, it’s the right spot. He won’t let anyone take off his mask.”
Of course, that’s why he asked for her. He knew she’d protect his secret identity no matter what. “Yes of course. I think we should respect that wish.”
Judy nodded.
Devora followed her husband’s stretcher into an empty room, and while she cut away the fabric costume over his chest, she hoped it wasn’t him, but when the tattoo of two comets being sucked into the sun displayed right over his heart, she knew it was. Again, she felt her heart stop, but pushed forward.
“Silver Comet. Are you okay?”
There was no reply.
She felt for a pulse…it was faint…no, it was gone.
“Begin CPR!” She commanded, pulling open the drawers searching for a scalpel. She knew where everything was kept, but her mind was not as focu
sed as she was used to.
Derek was invincible by any bullets other than titanium and, of course, titanium was the one metal he had no power over. He’d heal as soon as she got the bullet out. Sure, she could work on him like a normal human, but she knew better.
“Stop CPR,” She commanded, holding the scalpel over her husband.
“He’s asystole,” Judy said, motioning to the flat line on the cardiac monitor. “He needs a shock.”
“He needs the bullet out first.”
“That’s not protocol.”
“He’s not protocol,” Devora said while plunging the scalpel into her husband’s chest. “I need a forceps.”
She felt the hard metal object at the tip of the scalpel. She tried to get the knife under it, but she couldn’t sink it in that far. Once a forceps was in her hand, she handed the scalpel over to Judy. She reached in and pulled the bullet out.
She held her breath, waiting for Derek to breathe. Nothing.
“Shock him!” She didn’t know what else to do.
The sound of the machine charging.
“Clear!”
Her husband’s body jumped up off the stretcher and fell back down. “Anything?”
“Still no rhythm.”
“Shock again.”
Another shock.
“Resume CPR.”
While the nurses in the room were giving chest compressions, Devora went through the list everything that could be wrong, stopping abruptly on cardiac tamponade. Was the lining around his heart so filled with blood that it couldn’t beat?
Of course, it had to be that. Nothing else made sense.
She turned back to the drawers, pulling out the biggest syringe and needle she could find. Placing her hand on her husband’s chest, she felt for a gap between his ribs, then plunged the needle into the sac around his heart. Pulling the plunger back returned a syringe of blood.
Within moments, a heart rhythm appeared on the monitor.
Before her eyes, she saw his bullet wound closing, then he breathed and stirred.
Turning his head towards Devora, he whispered, “Thank you.” He smiled and his words were groggy, “I got him. That guy that got away in the drug deal.” He rubbed his head and began to pull the wires off his chest and sat up. Devora could see the fog lifting, and her husband return.
Before the healthcare team could even fathom what was happening, Derek…um…Silver Comet wiped the blood from his chest with the hospital sheet, and in a blur, he was out the door, leaving Devora holding a syringe of blood.
It was then she realized what had happened. Her hand was shaking. She dropped the syringe on the empty stretcher, and sped out of the room, calling back with the steadiest voice she could muster, “I need to clean up.”
She rushed down the hall, shielding her eyes from view, not wanting anyone to see the tears. Locking herself in a bathroom, she let it out. Sobbing, shaking, repeating, “Oh, my God.”
Eventually, there was a knock outside. “Excuse me, Dr. Walters?” It was Judy. “Do you need help?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I was just wondering, since your shift ended ten minutes ago.”
“I’ll be right out.” Devora took a deep breath, cleaned herself up, and headed out the door, avoiding everyone she could and rushing home. She couldn’t make it there fast enough.
~ ~ ~
She flung open her home’s door, and there was Derek on the sofa. T-shirt and khaki shorts like nothing had happened.
All that adrenaline she’d been hiding escaped. Her hands bunched into tight fists. “How dare you do that to me! What a predicament you put me in! Doctors don’t take care of their family if possible! All that just so you can keep your secret identity? Did you ever think what it would do to me? No. Of course not. You never think of me. Your job is the most important. Do you even know what I do?”
Derek was up in front of her. She felt her arm wind up, wanting to hit him. What was her purpose in this relationship?
He laughed.
She swung.
He caught her hand. “Hey, hey, hey. Stop that. Is that what you think? Do you have any idea why I asked for you?”
“Because I’d do anything to keep your identity a secret.”
“Not at all.”
“Because Silver Comet needs a doctor at his disposal. I bet that’s why you married me.”
He shook his head.
“Because I know your weaknesses? Because I’d know it was a titanium bullet?” She slapped his chest and he let her. She slapped again and was starting to realize the uselessness of this.
“You’re getting closer now.” He pulled her into him. Devora couldn’t help but cry. She couldn’t lose her best friend.
“Why?” she sobbed.
He walked her over to where the key of the city sat on the shelf above their TV. “Because of this.” He pointed to her chintzy plaque. “Because it says right here, Best Physician in Starhill. Why would I want anyone besides the best working on me? You don’t need this plaque. From the very first day I met you, when you pulled that titanium shard of metal from my thigh, I knew you were special.”
“You never did tell me how you really got that stuck.”
Derek smiled. “I got hit with it doing training with exploding aircrafts. Of course, I couldn’t tell you. It was confidential superhero stuff.”
Devora wiped her eyes, and let out a strained chuckle. “Confidential stuff, huh?”
“Yeah, but you know everything now. I wouldn’t have it any other way. How about some ice cream? I hear ice cream makes everything better.”
“You hear that, huh? From who?”
“From a wise, amazing woman that I forget to tell how awesome she is.”
“And?”
He leaned down and kissed her, pulling away long enough to whisper, “You’re more than awesome, you’re stellar, and I promise to tell you that more.”
Devora wrapped her arm around him. “I may have something to tell you, too.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. It’s about Azure Nightmare. She won’t be back…cause…I kinda zapped her.”
Derek raised an eyebrow. “You did what?”
“You did say I was stellar. I’ll tell you all about it over some giant sundaes.”
The End
The short stories in The Superheroes’ Wives Collection are just a taste of the Superhero Wives World that you can discover in the full-length novel, The Secret Lives of Superhero Wives. Find this book on Amazon or learn more about the series at: www.JoynellSchultz.com/SuperheroWives
Four Calling Byrds
(Originally part of a 12 Days of Christmas Anthology)
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
It’s Christmas in Shadow Town, but a new supervilllian has moved into the city, disrupting the Byrds’ Christmas Plans. Luckily, the local superhero, Icy Tundra has come to the rescue…but it appears he may have met his match with this attractive villain.
Chapter 1
Dispatch: Shadow Town Police Station. How can I help you?
Mr. Byrd: I think we have a new supervillain in town! My family just sat down for our Christmas brunch, and a woman with orange hair ran past our dining room window in a bright red and yellow costume that looked like flames. I didn’t get a good look, but I think she was holding a flame in the palm of her hand. Real fire like only a superhuman can do! The Mayor lives right down the road from me, and I’d hate for something to happen. Perhaps you want to contact Icy Tundra? I’m sure he’ll want to know!
~ ~ ~
On the quiet corner of Robin Street and Birch Avenue, Mistress Inferno waved her hand-held flamethrower in the air while squeezing the trigger. The fire’s heat warming her cheeks made her smile. When she let go of the handle, she caught a chill from the December air. Throwing her head back, she laughed and gave it another squeeze, careful that the red and orange fabric dangling from t
he arms of her supervillain jumpsuit didn’t catch fire.
Icy Tundra would have to track her down soon. She had purposefully pranced in front of a few homes’ front windows, hoping someone would request the help of Shadow Town’s local superhero.
Hmmm. Perhaps Icy Tundra needed a bigger display?
Mistress Inferno kicked some dried leaves onto a pile, then leaned down and pulled the torch’s handle. The warmth of the fire pushed Mistress Inferno back a step. Butterflies danced in her stomach while she admired the black smoke rising into the sky. She kicked more leaves on the pile and gave them another ignite.
Come on, Icy Baby. Find me.
I’m sure you’ve never met a villain like me.
Chapter 2
Dispatch: Shadow Town Police Station. How can I help you?
Grandma Byrd: My son just called and reported a new supervillain in town. Now that…that…criminal has a giant fire blazing on the sidewalk. Icy Tundra better hurry!
~ ~ ~
Icy Tundra had sensed Mistress Inferno hours ago and had been using his superpower to track her throughout the city on his motorcycle. She was clever, leaving little signs such as her villain name written in soot on the side of an old bridge, but always staying a step ahead of him. What did she have planned? A slow smile grew on his lips.
Months ago, Shadow Town was in complete chaos. An earthquake had hit and crime was out of control. Now that the dust settled, Icy Tundra craved an adventure. It had been too long since a supervillain set foot here, and Mistress Inferno’s presence thrilled him.
Too bad this would be all over soon.
Icy Tundra couldn’t fly. He didn’t even have superspeed, but he was strong and could locate people and objects with only a thought. But his best superpower was the ability to freeze things with a focused burst from his eyes or cold radiated from his skin. Of course, this supervillain would utilize fire—one thing that could counteract his freeze ability.
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