The Head Nurse shook her head in horror.
“She somehow survived it, and here we are.”
“Time’s up,” Nurse Kang announced.
“In many ways,” Caleb began, “you’re still family, simply because I cannot erase all of our memories together. So I will hand this confession over to Aisha. She will be the one to choose what she wants to do with this.
I do not need to tell you not to dig your own grave my saying anything to anyone outside of this room, but if you cannot hold back then feel free. I’ll be more than glad to share your confession to the world. Escort her out,” he ordered and nurse Kevin picked up the phone. Moments later, the door was opened and Kate stumbled out.
“Let’s resume,” Caleb told the Head Nurse and held out his hand.
She gave him a hemostat, and he got to work.
An hour later, he walked out of the OR and met Aisha waiting outside it. He stopped as he watched her, suddenly aware of the blood splattered all over his robe.
“There was a commotion in the reception,” Aisha said. “Kate ran out in tears, screaming and promising that she would shut down the hospital. What happened?”
“Caleb...” she called softly when he remained silent. He took a step forward and encased her in his arms.
“Blood,” she started to protest, but he wouldn’t let her go so she relaxed into his arms and held him tightly.
His voice shook as he spoke.
“I am so sorry,” he said.
“For what?” she asked, patting his back.
He didn’t respond, but after a few moments, he pulled away and took her hands. “I’ll tell you on our way out,” he said and held her hand.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Home.”
Chapter 25
The atmosphere in the hospital was unusually cold. For once, the ER was empty, as all patients had been taken care of and moved to their respective wards, so Aisha stood by the nurse’s station updating charts.
“Almonds?” One of the nurses offered the packet to her and she took a few pieces. “Thanks, Marlene. It is so unusually dull today.”
True enough, barely a few moments after she had said that, all hell broke lose in the reception.
“Where is Caleb Pace?!?” came an angry roar.
The nurses and doctors all filed out to the reception to meet two men dressed in suits, standing in front of the double doors.
“Bring Caleb Pace to me immediately,” yelled one of the men, and soon the murmurs died as Caleb appeared at the top of the stairs. Everyone turned to gaze at him and parted the way between both men.
With a bitter laugh, the little girl’s father started to approach him, as Caleb walked slowly down the stairs with his hands in his coat’s pockets.
They stopped when they were a few steps away from each other.
“You have no manners,” Caleb shook his head. “Why make such a fuss in a place where there are so many ill people? I have an office if you want to speak to me.”
“Not for long,” the man gloated. “I told you that I was going to destroy you.”
He held up a letter and showed it to everyone around. “This is a notice from the Medical Board. An investigation has been launched against you, Caleb Pace, for medical malpractice over the death of Alice Bright.” He flung the paper at him and Caleb watch as it floated on the ground.
Aisha felt unable to breathe.
“As from this moment on, you Dr. Pace, are forbidden from administering any medical care to patients, until the investigation has been completed. Failure to adhere to this will result in the immediate suspension of your medical license. Feel free to act on your own will.”
Aisha hurried over to retrieve the letter and went through it, her heart pounding within her chest.
“You might regret serving me that notice,” she heard Caleb say and all eyes turned on him.
The man’s smug look sent chills down Aisha’s body. His eyes appeared sunken, as though he had not slept in months and Aisha suddenly felt compassion for him.
“Tell me, Dr. Pace, what is there to regret?”
“You have a cerebral aneurysm,” he calmly said and the whole hospital went quiet. “Your vision is blurred is it not? And no, your lost sense and balance is not from vertigo, and neither are your droopy eyes and enlarged pupils from a lack of sleep. The aneurysm in your brain is about to rupture,” he raised his hand to glance at his watch. “Perhaps in a few moments, you might collapse on this very floor. Would you still want me to adhere to this piece of paper then?”
The man didn’t believe a word of what Caleb was saying.
“Every time you open your mouth to speak, I wonder how someone as inhumane as you could be a doctor,” he said in disgust. He walked up to Caleb to stand only mere inches from him and pointed his hands in his face.
“You-”
The entire hall gasped in shock as the man froze and collapsed on the ground.
Chaos erupted as Dr. Reed, as well as few nurses, hurried over to him. A pen light was pulled out and his eyes inspected.
Everyone looked up at Caleb with shock in their eyes, including Aisha.
“This sure is a thankless job,” he said in a bored voice. He looked at man’s colleague who had run over to his collapsed front to shake him awake.
“Do something you bastard!” he yelled when he saw that no one was responding to him. “Do something!”
“I’ve been suspended from medical practice,” Caleb said. With a shrug, he winked at Aisha and turned around to head up the stairs.
“Wait!” the man yelled. “I said wait!”
Caleb glanced back at his fear-filled eyes and cocked an eyebrow.
The words came out of man’s mouth as though he were chewing glass, “the suspension has been lifted, starting now.”
Caleb rolled his eyes and continued walking back up. “Nurse Kevin,” he called out as he walked away and the male nurse stood at attention, amusement lighting up his face like a bulb.
“Move him to the OR.”
“Got it!”
“Aisha...”
“Don’t you dare!” came a roar and all eyes turned to Dr. Reed.
“I’m a neurologist specialist. I will be the first assistant. Don’t you dare, Dr. Pace.”
Caleb turned to Aisha, as she tried her best to stifle her laughter with a hand over her mouth.
Caleb nodded. “Sure. Aisha, I’ll see you at home then,” he said, and the entire reception burst into oohs and aahs.
She received bumps of approval from the nurses, and then the Head Nurse came over to give her a hug.
Aisha had turned a deep shade of red by the time the woman let her go. She lowered her head and ran into the hallway to hide in embarrassment.
Epilogue
Caleb and Aisha stood at the Norton County cemetery, gazing down at the marble headstone that held her name and death date.
It was a beautiful day; the wind was blowing briskly, and the golden red maple leaves on the trees around them seemingly set ablaze by the rays of the overhead sun. She shifted closer to Caleb and held onto his arms.
He looked fondly down at her beautiful face, noting the wealth of discomfort in her eyes.
“This is scary, Caleb,” she said and lifted her gaze to his. “I’m freaked out.”
He was amused. “I used to come here all the time. I’m glad that I won't have to anymore.”
“This needs to be destroyed,” she said. “Immediately.”
“I’m already on it,” he said with the brightest of smiles. He lifted up her left hand to kiss the wedding band on her ring finger and picked up the heavy sledgehammer he had brought along with him.
“Mrs. Pace,” he called. “Step back. I’m about to tear down your tombstone.”
She cracked up into a high, hearty laugh, and did as she was told.
“I love you,” he said to her and she felt as though she
would melt into the ground.
“I love you too.”
“Okay on the count of three. One, two....”
At her scream, he swung the hammer into the marble tombstone and it cracked into pieces. He did so a few more times and then finally put the hammer down.
“The rest will be sorted out tomorrow,” he said and took her hand. With a kiss to her forehead, they began to walk down the hill and toward their car.
“I still feel a bit guilty at the decision you made,” he said to her when they were buckled in.
“Why?” she asked softly. “I feel as though you went too out of your way to ensure some degree of peace.”
“Well, I did go out of my way, but it was not too much a sacrifice. Choosing to remain quiet about it all, for now, is the best gift that I can give to both you and me. All is well, Caleb, they were once your family. And moreover, we forever have something to keep them in check.”
“Kate quit her job,” he informed her. “She’s now enrolled into a design school.”
“Good for her,” Aisha said and then muttered, “Wish I could do the same with the hospital.”
“I heard that,” Caleb responded as he started the engine. “And that’s not going to happen. You need to be agile for your back, as well as the baby in your stomach. You can start getting lazier the closer you get to your due date.”
She pouted her lips, and he leaned over to kiss them.
Her heart raced at his move, and so did they, into a future filled with love and limitless hope.
THE END
Billionaire’s Nanny
CHAPTER ONE
“You promised you’d come out tonight. You were supposed to pull your nose out of that laptop after we graduated, remember?”
“Cheri, I’m not studying. I’m looking for my career start,” Samantha says.
“I told you, I’m fine to cover your part of the rent again this month. It’s no big deal, now c’mon, let’s get you dre--”
“Cheri! It is a big deal. I’m not your charity case. I’m a grown-ass woman who is perfectly capable of paying her own way.”
“Yes, yes, and I love that you don’t take the easy way for anything. But tonight, my dear, you are my date to the SpaceMark party, and you promised you’d come no matter what,” Cheri says. “You’ve been at this all day--all month. Take one night off and start living your life.”
Samantha knows she is right. She closes her laptop and looks at the open closet where Cheri is already trying on a little black dress and gold heels.
***
An hour later they step out of a cab in front of an impressively large house.
“Jesus, Cheri! What is this place? It looks like the Queen of England’s summer home.”
“This, my dear, is where we are spending our evening. Welcome to the SpaceMark party!”
“I thought we were going to some hotel or event center.”
“Nope. SpaceMark likes to put the personal touch on what they do. It’s hard as hell getting them to buy equipment from us--their rep certainly made me jump through some hoops to make the sale--but they know how to throw a good party.”
The inside pulses with beats. Two women dressed in all gold take their coats and bags, and lead them to the entrance of the ballroom. Samantha pauses at the threshold, a little intimidated by the crowd and extravagance.
“C’mon! You’ll love it,” Cheri shimmies her hips a bit as she reassures Samantha. “Let’s get you a drink.”
Cheri is right. A drink, a little settling in and chatting with some people, and Samantha was starting to have a great time. A man with a shiny suit and very tall hair asks her to dance. She remembers Cheri’s words: “You don’t need to want babies with a guy. Just dance. Just be a person with other people.” So, she dances. And she dances some more. And by the time she goes up to the bar for another drink, she is glistening with the heat of her movement.
Just as she takes her drink from the bartender, an obviously drunk man trips and knocks her hand, spilling her drink down the front of her dress.
“Hey! What the--”
“Guess you should’ve been standing somewhere else little mousey,” the man says as he laughs loudly and points at her dress.
A tall and extremely handsome man appears behind the drunk and firmly takes him by the shoulder. “Excuse yourself,” the handsome stranger says with an edge in his voice. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The laughing stops, color drains from the drunk’s face. “I’m...I...so sorry,” he says as he looks up at this tower of a man. “I just--”
“You just what? Thought it was ok to drunkenly smack into a beautiful woman, ruin her dress, and then make fun of her for the mess you made?”
“Sir, I--”
“You’re done here. Goodnight.” The mysterious man glances at nearby security who immediately step up to accompany the troublemaker to the exit. The drunk hangs his head and walks away without saying another word.
“I’m so sorry, Ms.--”
Samantha is gazing up at this gallant knight, her mouth a little open. Finally, she manages to find her name. “Uh, Ms. Robin. I mean, Samantha. Samantha Robin.”
The knight steps in closer to her and assesses the stain on her dress. He puts a hand on her hip and says, “Well, Ms. Samantha Robin. I know a trick for just such a situation. Will you come with me?” With his hand at the small of her back, he guides her through the crowd, down a dimly lit corridor, and into a small library. Upon shutting the heavy door, he says, “Right over there, by the brandy.”
She stands next to a gleaming cart topped with cut crystal decanters of amber liquid.
“Are you a fan of scotch?”
Sam nods, making a mental note that she’s always meant to try scotch.
“Then you should really try this,” he says, pulling the stopper out of the bottle and draining the very last of the liquid from the crystal. “There were only two hundred bottles ever made.”
Samantha lifts the glass to her nose and takes in a long breath of its earthy, sea spray smell.
“It’s like making love at the line where the forest meets the beach, isn’t it?” He looks at Samantha intently while she takes a careful sip. “Now,” he continues without waiting for her opinion, “let’s do something about that dress.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s ruined--”
“Nonsense!” he cuts in. “I have a magic touch. You’ll see.” He winks at her.
Samantha blushes brightly, and nods in agreement. The scotch is warming her all over, and having this handsome stranger help her with her dress, in a remote room of this giant mansion, is exactly where she wants to be right now. This surprises her.
“You’re going to have to trust me,” he says as he steps close enough for her breasts to touch his chest.
Without a thought, she replies, “I do,” again surprising herself.
And with that, the man reaches around and pulls down the zipper of her dress. Samantha’s skin ignites with a flush. She’s motionless, held by this incredibly sexy man’s blue-green eyes.
“This will just take a moment,” he says while grabbing a small white towel from the cart, never breaking his hold on her eyes. “Put this inside your dress under the stain,” he says, smiling in a knowing way.
Samantha usually expects men to take any liberty they can. This one unzipped her dress and went no further. And, Samantha finds herself somehow disappointed. The man goes to quick work with the stain, pouring a little seltzer onto the fabric and firmly dabbing it with a cloth.
“There,” he says as he steps back and admires his work. “The stain is gone, even if you’re still a little wet,” he says and gives her a little wink.
“I am?” she asks in a distant voice, unable to take her eyes off of him.
He lets out a laugh that sounds like a full moon spilling all its silver onto her. “Yeah. It seems just a bit,” and he points his chin at her d
ress.
“Oh!” she wakes up from her daze and looks down at her dress. “Wow! This is fantastic! Thank you so much.”
“No worries. In college, I used to cater parties like this, and you pick up a trick or two.” He flashes her a smile that makes the space between them feel unbearable big. After they linger in that space for a moment, he continues, “You should probably get back to the party. I bet your friend is looking for you.”
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