by Karen Deen
“Tilly, you brought up some pretty deep feelings to me last night. You deserved to let go completely. I just may have overachieved, as I do, on the pleasure part. Which then had you overachieving on the drinking part. You have to admit, though, it was a pretty spectacular day and night.”
I can’t deny everything he said, yet I seem to be the only one paying for it this morning.
“Why am I the only one with a hangover? You are way too chirpy.”
“Because I’m working today and need to be sober to operate on people, it’s sort of mandatory, besides that, it’s a really good idea. The patients seem to prefer it that way. You, on the other hand, can dose yourself up with coffee and put on some dark sunglasses. Then sit in your office and bitch with Fleur and Deven all day about what a bastard I am for giving you a headache.”
“Ugh, I’m going to need more than coffee. Where are the pain relief drugs, Doctor?” Standing as he walks to the bathroom cabinet, I admire the view of his tight naked ass. I might be hungover but I’m not blind. That vision will never get old.
“Take two of these, here is some water, and then shower. I’ll make you some bacon and eggs to help get the body working again.”
“Thank you, and coffee. Triple-strength coffee this morning.”
Pulling on his gym shorts, he walks out of the bedroom while I lie here psyching myself up to move off the bed to the shower.
My head might be hurting like a bitch, but I’m the happiest I have ever been.
Leaning my head against the shower wall, the hot water running over my body, all I can think about is how much I have missed my life being carefree. It feels like forever since I was out on a Sunday night having fun and waking up the worse for wear on a Monday morning for work. I wonder when I became such an old lady and forgot how to live. Grayson has changed my world for the better. Well, maybe not this morning with this cracker of a hangover, but in general, life is so much better.
Now I have one thing left to do and that is go home once and for all and face that demon. My poor mom has missed me terribly, I know, but she never complains. She knows why I struggle and has never pushed. It’s time to bury the past and live from today and into the future.
By the time I come out of the bedroom, Gray is already dressed for work. I try not to drool at the sight of my gorgeous boyfriend serving me breakfast in his tailored navy pants and grey shirt nicely fitted over his hot abs and arms. I really hit the jackpot.
“Feel a little more human now, Princess?” He looks up as he plates the last egg.
“Enough of the princess, this morning there is nothing in this body feeling all pretty.” The frying pan drops into the sink and before I can even move, he has me wrapped in his arms.
“No matter how you look or feel, you are always a princess to me, and I will always treat you as such. Got it?” Waiting for my answer, I just nod at him. He kisses my nose and then directs me into my seat.
“Now eat. It’ll help, and we also need to get moving soon, it’s already seven o’clock. Bella also messaged and said she’s off work today so is keeping Memphis until this afternoon. He’ll be here when we get home.”
“What time do you finish today?” I look up from my coffee.
“The magic question. I should be finished by six, but it depends on what’s happening at the time. This is part of the gig, Tilly. I live a fluid life to some extent. I can’t always be reliable for being somewhere on time. I will always try but some things are just out of my hands.” He looks worried at how I will take this.
“It’s okay. I understand. I knew what I was getting myself into. You were honest from the start. There are times that my life is the same, when I’m trying to fix last-minute problems. We will just work through it together.”
He picks up my hand and kisses it then we both get stuck into eating. I’m also inhaling my coffee like it’s my lifeline this morning. There will be a few more of these needed before I’m functioning on a normal level.
As we’re clearing the dishes and loading the dishwasher, I stop and just blurt it.
“Gray, can you come home with me this weekend? Meet my parents and help me lay some demons to rest?” It all came out rushed. I don’t why I’m worried about taking him home. I’m not ashamed of where I grew up, it’s just been hard to go back for so long. I don’t know if I want him to see me go through this.
He stops stacking and grabs me around the waist, hoisting me onto the counter. His hands are on my face and he’s looking into my eyes.
“Nothing would make me happier than to meet your mom and dad and to be your prince and slay your dragons, baby. That’s my role. I get to be the protective tough guy now. Nothing you do in this life, you ever do alone again. I hope you understand this. The two of us aren’t singular anymore. We are an us. One perfect package. Now call your mom and tell her we’re coming, and she better not be old-fashioned and want me sleeping in separate beds. Otherwise book a hotel because there will not be another night that our bodies aren’t together in the same bed. Okay?”
Before I can answer, he kisses the air out of me and continues to make me totally understand everything he said. Once we finally pull our lips apart, I whisper, “Okay and thank you for loving me.”
“Always, baby. It will never stop.”
I bury my head in his neck, getting one last tight cuddle and taking in the scent of his cologne that will get me through today.
He lifts me down, turns me towards the bedroom, and gives me a gentle smack on the ass.
“Now go and quickly finish getting ready for work before my pager goes off. I want to drive you to work. Get that sexy butt moving, woman.”
He knows just what I need every time.
When to treat me softly, when to play hard, and best of all when to make me laugh.
My perfect GG.
GRAYSON
Walking through the hospital doors this morning, I feel like a different person. Life feels lighter and I’m thinking of things I never imagined I wanted before Matilda came along.
I can’t wait to take her home and see her parents. They sound like great people from the stories I got from Paul at the racetrack. Meeting them gives me a chance to let them know how much I love their daughter and that I will never hurt her.
I almost make it to my office when I run into Tate in the corridor. “Hey there, stud. How did your day finish up yesterday?”
I just put my arm around his shoulder still walking towards my office. “Let’s just say it didn’t finish yesterday, we may have stretched it a little further than that.”
Tate just looks at me and rolls his eyes as I unlock my door. “No boasting, okay.”
“You will never get details from me. What Tilly and I have is not being shared.”
“Like I want to know anyway. That shit is a vision I don’t need to picture.”
Dropping my bag and turning on my laptop, I get to work while he makes himself comfortable.
“Jokes aside, Tilly is great, Gray. I mean, what woman takes her boyfriend and his best friends Nascar driving on a date? Seriously, how did you get so lucky?”
“It’s my charm, buddy, do I need to share my secrets?”
“Not a chance. I’m doing just fine on my own, thanks.”
“You’re right, though. She is one special lady and there is no way I’m letting her go. I’m thirty-seven years old, man. I’m not messing around.”
“Marriage, shit. Are you talking about marrying her?”
“Damn straight I am, as soon as she’s ready. I’ll tell you one thing, though. She better not take too long, because patience is not my strong point.”
“Happy for you, man. I really am.”
“Thanks. Now who won the race yesterday? You better have video for me to watch.”
“Fucking Lex! Can you believe it? I thought for sure it would be me or Mason, but the quiet little angry man blitzed us. He was driving like someone was on his tail. Wait until you see the video.” Tate leans back in his seat wit
h his hands linked behind his head.
“Is he alright, did you talk to him about it?” I ask trying to think if I have noticed Lex a little off lately.
“Yeah, but as if he’ll tell us anything. You know he keeps everything to himself. It’s not until the world is going to end that he explodes and then we’re picking up his drunk ass off some bar floor late at night. Listening to some slurred words about something that makes no sense at all.”
“True. What about you?” I look for his reaction, but none comes.
“What about me?”
“You all good?”
“Let me see, spent my day off at the racetrack in a Nascar, then talking shop with the boys. Life is good, man. Now I just need to find me a Tilly.” We both laugh.
“Well, this Tilly is taken, so back off. Go find your own.” As I finish, I look at emails that have just loaded on my screen.
“For fuck’s sake. Like I’ve got time for this shit today. A fucking meeting with the Chief of Staff.” I slam my fist down on the desk. “Kitty is going to be the death of me. I have a meeting about my poor treatment of her at a hospital-endorsed function. She’s lucky that she’s a woman because if a man said what she did about Tilly, I would have decked him.”
“Do you need me to come with you? I’ll tell them what a crazy bitch she’s been for months.”
I know what I need to do and there is no way I will be the one walking out of this meeting with my tail between my legs.
“Thanks, but I don’t think it will help. Do me a favor, though, call Fleurtilly and get hold of Fleur. Don’t let Tilly know what’s going on, I don’t want her upset. I need the names and phone numbers of a few of the guests at the function that I can call from the meeting. Message through to my phone.” I reply to the email that I am on my way for the meeting and then take myself offline for paging. I need to sort this problem once and for all.
Standing outside the Chief of Staff’s office, my phone buzzes in my hand. Fleur has sent me at least twenty names. Along with a long message of what she thinks of Kitty. She also offered to pull the CCTV footage from the venue if needed. I laugh a little to myself. I would hate to piss Fleur off. I’m much happier she’s in my corner for this battle. I quickly shoot off a message letting her know it’s okay at this stage and thank her for the help. I promise I will be in touch once I’m out.
Knocking, I get called in and here is Kitty sitting in the chair opposite the boss, Professor Carden. Kitty’s dressed in a tight short black skirt, very fitted white shirt with her tits pushed up nice and high. Her face has the bitch look like she is ready for blood.
“Dr. Garrett, please take a seat.” The boss signals next to Kitty.
“Hello, sir, thank you. Kitty.” I nod at her, barely acknowledging her.
“I won’t keep you long, Dr. Garrett, as I know you’re on shift and we need you downstairs. I will get straight to the point. Kitty contacted me over the weekend to talk about how distressed and embarrassed she is with the way you treated her at the function in front of her peers. You weren’t an invited guest, and I understand you were just there because you’re having some fling with our new contractor, Miss Henderson. Is that correct?” He sits back in his tall black leather chair, hands clasped together giving that school principal look down his nose over the top of his glasses.
I could do one of two things here. Get angry and get fired up at the load of bullshit I’ve just heard. Or I can calmly put her in her place. I want to do the first one, but I know I need to hold it together and be the bigger person here.
“I will say part of that story is true. I wasn’t an invited guest and yes, I’m in a relationship with Matilda that is far more serious than a fling. I was contacted by one of the Fleurtilly staff informing me that Kitty was at the function, drunk, and if it was a work function for her then that is obviously an issue, however we aren’t here to discuss that. The staff informed me that she was being extremely rude to my girlfriend and thought I should know. I don’t know about you, sir, but if the woman you love is being attacked just because she is in a relationship with you, wouldn’t you want to protect her too?” The look on his face is one of confusion.
“Kitty, do you care to explain the night a little further? Had you been drinking?”
Her huff tells me she is about to wind up for a big speech. “Of course, I had a few wines, we all do at these events. I was not drunk. I was merely pointing out to Miss Henderson how poor her services were, and she is very jealous of the relationship Dr. Garrett and I have, so she got nasty.” I didn’t even give the boss time to reply.
“Enough of this bullshit, Kitty. We are not, nor have we ever, been in a relationship. We slept together once, that’s it. As for Matilda, she was doing her job and removing you from the function because you were severely intoxicated to the point you couldn’t walk straight. When I walked in, you were in the middle of the room screaming at her, calling her a whore. Now if you want to keep up this crap then I have the names of twenty independent witnesses on my phone who were there that night that I’m happy to call right now on speaker phone for us all to ask their opinion.”
“I can’t believe you would do this to me, Grayson. What we had was perfect. Now you’re making up things to hurt me.” Kitty tries to look like she’s about to cry.
“That’s it. I have tried to protect you by not putting a stop to this, but I can see you aren’t going to let it go. Professor Carden, sir. I think Kitty needs some help. She is an alcoholic and dependent on prescription drugs, I believe. I have suspected for a little while by watching her actions, but I believe if you test her right this moment you will find both in her system.”
I turn to look at her. Face frozen and mouth open. It’s the first time she has been speechless.
“If you were a doctor here, I would have reported my suspicions earlier, as we have people’s lives in our hands. I hope I’m proven wrong, but Kitty, you need help. It’s an illness and you are in the right place. It just can’t go on anymore. You’re hurting other people now with your delusions but most of all, you are hurting yourself. Let us help you. It doesn’t have to leave this room.” I look to Professor Carden and he nods a little to agree.
There is silence for a few moments then her head drops into her hands. The tears start and I’m sadly proven right. She keeps looking up slightly at both of us and looks so ashamed. Like a small child who knows they have done something wrong and they’re trying to work out how to explain their way out of it.
“You don’t understand the pressure of being a woman in this job. Always being judged. Everyone watching and waiting for you to fuck it up. There just aren’t enough hours to get it all done. I just need help to keep going and keep me awake. That’s all. I don’t do it all the time. Just when I need it. I can stop at any time.” She continues to fall apart as I reach for tissues and pass them to her.
“I think you’re needing it more often than you realize. I know the pressure of long hours and intense situations. You just can’t rely on those to get you through. Get more staff or find another job that suits you better. The damage you’re doing to yourself is not worth it just for a job. Please, Kitty, let us get psych up here to help and start you on the right path.”
“Dr. Garrett is right. We can help you get better. You will be put on leave until we can get this sorted, and as far as the staff know you’re just on annual leave. We can do everything to put this in place, but you need to want to get better, Kitty. Otherwise it’s a waste of everyone’s time.”
“Kitty, take the leap. You will be happier and healthier when you come out the other side. It won’t be easy, but you’re a tough woman, we’ve all seen it. What do you say?” We both sit waiting for her to process everything.
“I don’t have much choice, you asshole. You always thought you were better than me. I was never good enough for you. I don’t need to do anything, but I have to do it, don’t I, or I’m going to lose my job otherwise. I know things have to change and I was going to do i
t myself. Now you’re making me do it your way. I suppose I better listen to the almighty male doctors.”
I look at her and know that in her head she still doesn’t see she has a problem. But the first step is to start getting help so hopefully we’ve given her that push she needs.
“I think you can leave now, Dr. Garrett. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” He puts out his hand for me to shake. I stand and shake his hand and then turn to Kitty, crouching down so I’m eye-level with her.
“I had fun when we went out, Kitty, but we aren’t meant to be together. You are a beautiful woman who will make another man very happy. Get yourself better and then you can find your One. I promise there is a man out there for you. Do it for yourself.” She looks up and shocks me.
“Fuck you!” Then her head drops again, and I take that as my cue to leave.
Standing outside the office after I close the door, I let out a long sigh. That was tough but I knew I needed to do it. I had suspected her drug abuse for a little while, but seeing her the other night just confirmed my thoughts. I hope Kitty gets the help she needs. Then all the pain will be worth it.
I shoot a quick message off to both Fleur and Tate letting them know that everything is fine, and it was a misunderstanding. They don’t need to know Kitty’s private issues.
Fleur replies that she’ll knee her in the bitch balls next time she sees her. I don’t even know what that means, but I’m happy that it’s over. Tate just replies with a thumbs-up, which means he’s busy.
Once I’m back in my office, I just sit for a few minutes taking time to clear my head. I have a big day today and my patients deserve me to be at the top of my game. As soon as I think back to yesterday with Tilly, my body starts to calm. She has that effect on me.
Setting my pager back online, I know I have thirty minutes before I’m needed for my first patient. A text message arrives from my girl which has me smiling before I even read it.
Tilly: My head still hates you, but my heart and body love you lots
