by Addison Jane
“That’s sad.”
Her lips tighten and her head bobs. “He doesn’t have any family. They think he’s lonely, and even his background and medical records are a little hazy. So maybe the idea of a companion like Beau will bring him out of his shell.”
I push my shoulders back slightly and look down at Beau as Cindy walks over to the nurses’ desk to arrange for us to be signed in. “You ready to do some good?”
He lets out a bark, and I brighten. “Good boy.”
I follow Cindy and the nurse into the recreation area. There’s tables and food set out along with games, cards, movies, and exercise equipment. Large windows off to the side look out over the street, not a great view, but something at least.
“I’ll introduce you to Max, Lily,” the nurse says while Cindy gives me an enthusiastic thumbs up. “If you get anything out of him, you’ll be doing better than the rest of us have done this week.”
“What’s his story?” I ask curiously, pulling back an eager Beau.
The nurse sighs. “We aren’t even sure. His medical records are vague, to say the least. We suspect he was in the military, but he won’t confirm. He just came in one day and said I need help. And while it’s obvious he does, he doesn’t seem to be benefitting from anything we offer.”
We stop, and she gives me a supportive smile.
“Max, this is Lily and the therapy dog, Beau. They’re going to sit with you for a while,” she announces. He continues to stare straight ahead, looking out the large window in his wheelchair. “I’ll leave you to it,” she whispers, patting my arm softly before she turns away.
“Nice to meet you, Max,” I say, pulling a chair from a neighboring table and setting it next to him. I drop onto it, and Beau squeezes in between us, his wet nose nudging Max’s hand. When he doesn’t respond, he goes for a quick lick, and I have to hold back my laughter.
“He likes you,” I say simply. “Have you had dogs before?”
I give him a few minutes, but he doesn’t answer, and Beau’s still fighting for some kind of affection. So I figure if he wants to do this the hard way, then the hard way it will be. I have no problem telling my life story to someone until they either get to know me and become comfortable, or they get so annoyed they start to shoot back.
I shrug. “All right, so my name’s Lily. But we already discussed that. I’m actually a veterinarian nurse, but my boss and his ex-wife Cindy have been doing this for years. So all of us who work at the vet clinic take turns helping out,” I rattle on. “I grew up on a farm, you know…” then I chuckle to myself, “…no, you don’t know I guess since this is the first time we’ve met. My parents have horses and cattle and even some chickens. I never liked collecting eggs, though, those assholes can be vicious sometimes.”
I look out the corner of my eye to see if I’ve caught any type of reaction from him, but his face is just stern and severe.
Tough crowd.
Max is handsome, I guess maybe he’s in his late fifties. His hair’s short and light, but you can see the slightest streak of gray running through it. He’s clean shaven with a strong jaw line and deep set brow. His clothes are casual, dark wash jeans that cover what the nurse had explained was a right leg amputated at the knee.
I know that can’t be easy. People like to stare and whisper at things or people that are different to them. But growing up with my brother, I guess I have an understanding of what it’s like to be different, and it’s made me look at people with disabilities or abnormalities as more than just what you see on the outside.
My brother isn’t diseased like many people like to think. He has Down syndrome. An extra chromosome that makes him a little different. But that’s it. We’re all different. We all have various looks and personalities. We learn at different rates and believe in different religions. But that doesn’t make us weird. It makes us unique.
The difference with Max, though, he no doubt has suffered some kind of trauma in his life to be left like this. And that’s what I’m here to help with. I’m not trying to help him deal with being different because he shouldn’t have to worry about that. What I want to help with, is to ease the pain he’s going through because of that.
We continue to stare out at the quiet street in silence, Beau looking up at me like he can’t understand why he’s not being doused in love as per usual.
A Volkswagen Beetle catches my eye as it pulls to a stop at the lights below. A smirk catches in the corner of my mouth, and I push back the voices that say… no, this is not a good idea.
I have nothing to lose, really.
I turn my body slightly and bring my fist back. “Punch buggy!” I drive my fist into his arm, suddenly realizing just how solid this guy is. He doesn’t move and as I pull my hand back with a shake, trying to ease some of the ache radiating through my fingers due to his hardened biceps. “Ow,” I mutter.
A snort makes my eyes flick up instantly. The corner of his mouth is turned up, just slightly, but I’ll take it.
“Your punches suck,” his deep voice says, bringing a smile to my face even though he’s just insulted me.
“You’re only saying that because you have arms of steel,” I throw back.
Another snort. “Is that a bad Superman joke?”
“I don’t make bad jokes,” I tell him seriously, almost offended.
His face turns to me just a little, his eyes meeting mine. “Nobody who tells bad jokes thinks their jokes are bad.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, aren’t you a charmer!”
His hand moves from the side of his wheelchair, and for a second I think he’s going to finally pay Beau some attention. But instead, he reaches over, and his fingers pinch the skin of my arm.
“Ow,” I cry, scrambling away from him, and in turn, falling off my chair and landing with a thump on my ass. I know people are staring at us, but I just glare up at him. “What was that for, Superman?”
A low chuckle greets me. “You never said, no returns.”
I huff like a spoiled child and Beau quickly leaps at me, licking my face.
“Asshole,” I mutter with a smirk as I fight off the dog and push to my feet.
Max is still grinning as I take my seat again. He whistles softly, and Beau’s ears perk up before he makes a beeline for Max, almost knocking me over again in his haste.
Max runs his hands over Beau’s soft fur, scratching behind his ears. I let him have a moment, showing the dog some love and attention. It seems to keep a smile on his face, and as far as I’m concerned, my job is done. Max intrigues me, though, and my inquisitive nature soon gets the better of me.
“So now we’re acquainted, I’d really like to know more about you.”
“Not much to tell, kid,” he answers, his dark blue eyes flashing to me for a second.
“Really?” I ask sarcastically. “At your age, you really have nothing to talk about?”
“Nothing I want to talk about,” he gruffs, his brow creasing as he turns his face back to Beau. “What about you, girl?” he questions, surprising me.
I laugh. “You want to hear my life’s problems?”
“Isn’t it always easier to listen to someone else bitch about their life than to dwell on your own?”
I shrug. “Yeah, I guess. I wouldn’t really know where to start.”
“Married?”
An obnoxious burst of laughter comes from me. “No. No, not married. Very single.”
“Surprising,” is all he says and I raise my eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Pretty girl like you, not having someone seems wrong.”
My stomach tightens as images of Kace flash through my head. I’m not sure why. My pull toward him is obviously so strong that the mention of dating or boyfriends immediately brings me back to him. He’s so cut off, though, so unexpected and unknown. I don’t like that. It makes me both nervous and excited all at once. Like teenagers watching the football captain from across the class. The guy who could have any girl he wants, but th
at you pine over anyway.
“There’s someone,” Max states, drawing me out of my daze. When I look over, he’s staring at me intently.
I shrug. “Maybe… kind of… I’m not really sure. I barely know him.”
Max smirks. “I may be old, but ain’t that the point of dating? Getting to know someone.”
I shake my head. “It’s different. He’s…” I want to say dangerous, deadly, “…standoffish. He’s different like there’s secrets inside him that eat him up from the inside out.”
Max nods like he understands, but I’m really not sure how he could.
Kace is an enigma. He’s the unknown, and I’m not even sure that if we got close, that he would share himself with me anyway. I think you can feel when a person just isn’t ready to let someone in, and with the vibes I get from Kace, I’m not sure he’ll ever let anyone in.
There’s chemistry between us, I feel it burn through me whenever he’s near. It’s a magnetism I can’t explain.
“Maybe you need to trust him,” Max says solemnly, his eyes once again staring out the windows onto the street.
“What do you mean?” I ask curiously, tilting my head slightly.
“If you’re scared of him, he will feel it. And people who are scared can do unpredictable things. We as human beings know when someone doesn’t trust us and it makes us wary, it keeps us from showing our true selves out of fear of the reaction. If you don’t trust him, he can’t be sure that once he shares a piece of himself with you, that you won’t run or use it against him.”
My heart races as I take in his words. “You sound like you know from experience,” I murmur, still trying to soak in everything he’s said.
He turns back to me, his face returning to the mask he wore when I first sat down with him. “Trust has to be earned. You both have to give a little in order to get there.”
I open my mouth to ask another question but a hand on my shoulder halts the words. I look back to see Cindy smiling down at me. “We’ve got to see some other patients now.”
I nod before turning back to Max. “It was really nice to meet you, Max. I hope I’ll see you again soon.”
I stand from my seat and Beau rises from his place at Max’s feet.
Max gives him one last pet but doesn’t turn to look at me. “You too, Lily.”
I walk away with goose bumps on my skin, and not entirely sure what just transpired.
Max has a story to tell, I know he does. I just hope one day he will share it with me.
It’s the middle of the night, and I can’t sleep. My mind keeps wandering to next door, thinking about Kace, trying to figure out who the hell he is. Max’s words keep ringing in my head.
Trust him.
But how do I do that? How do you trust a man like him?
I settle on watching infomercials. There’s a great deal on one of those nutrition extractor blender thingies when a dull thud echoes through the hall. It sounds like something fell against the wall in the hall outside. Which is odd, because it’s three in the morning. Standing up, I hear a slight groan murmur through from the other side of my door, I jump as my heart springs into my throat and my skin prickles with nervous tension.
“Holy shit!” I race to the kitchen and grab a butcher’s knife. I never use it for anything, I just think it looks cool, but I’m glad to have it now. Moving across to my door, I hear the groan again, and so I take a deep breath as my heart races so damn fast I feel a little nauseous. For one second my mind screams at me, telling me I’m being stupid, that I’m that girl in the horror movie who runs toward the danger instead of away from it. But something drags me toward the door, that magnetism I can’t fight. Pulling the door back, I peek out with the knife right up by my face and glance out into the hall to see Kace hunched over against his door.
Opening my door fully, I step out slightly to see if he’s okay. His head snaps to the side looking at me with such a harsh glare it shocks me for a moment. Then when he sees it’s me his body slumps, and he relaxes.
“You’re a surgical vet nurse, right?”
Furrowing my brows at not only how the hell does he know that, but why is he asking me, I reply, “Yeah.”
He turns holding his arm and my eyes widen as I take in all the blood oozing from the wound he’s holding over his bicep.
“Shit.” I race over to him and look down at his arm to see there’s a lot of blood. Luckily I’m used to animal blood, and I don’t get woozy in any way. “I’ll go get my phone. You need an ambulance.”
His hand comes out grabbing my arm and when the warmth of his skin touches mine something shoots through my flesh. A spark? A jolt? I’m not sure, I’ve never felt it before, but something ignites a fire inside of me, and it makes my breathing hitch a notch. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and my head starts to spin a little.
What the hell?
He looks into my eyes and it’s like time stands still. Even though he’s bleeding all over the place, something’s happening right now—a connection, an understanding—something’s shifting and I like it. Goose bumps litter my skin all the way up and down my arms.
“What’s going on?”
Both our heads turn to see Mrs. Henderson sticking her body partway out of apartment four and looking right at us. I go to tell Mrs. Henderson, but Kace looks straight in my eyes, and I see the desperation in them.
I hold up the knife. “I slipped while we were making toast.”
Kace furrows his brows as I wince slightly. Obviously, you don’t make toast with a butcher’s knife, but Mrs. Henderson huffs and closes her door.
“Thank you, help me inside?” Kace asks.
With a nod, I reach for his door handle.
“No!”
I jump, springing back again.
“We need to go to your apartment,” he says, a lot calmer.
Scratching and whining on the other side of his door causes me to frown. “What’s that?” I ask nervously.
He moves against the wall, heading for my open door, as the whining becomes louder.
“It’s my dog, don’t worry, she won’t hurt you. There’s a first aid kit under my sink, grab it, and I’ll wait for you.” He slips inside my apartment, leaving me standing in the hallway holding a large knife and looking completely bewildered.
I take a deep breath and reach for his door handle, turning it slowly. The second it’s open, a Pitbull Terrier rushes at me but she doesn’t stop, squeezing past my legs. I watch as she shoots into my apartment in search of Kace.
I’m a little dazed, but when I hear him groan, it brings me back to my mission. I rush inside, barely taking any notice of his apartment as I drop to my knees in the kitchen and pull a hefty first aid kit from the cupboard, just where he said it would be.
It’s heavy, but I manage to struggle my way out, shutting the door behind me.
I kick my own door shut with my foot before dumping the kit with a loud thump on my small dining table.
A wet nose nuzzles at my leg, and I look down with a smile. “I didn’t know you had a dog.” I kneel down and pat her cute little face as she licks up the side of my cheek.
“Yeah, she’s well trained. Her name is Daisy.”
I smile. “Lily and Daisy. Two flowers. We’re going to be great friends, Daisy, you cute little thing you,” I coo over the dog as she rolls on her back and lets me rub her pink belly.
“So, um… if you don’t mind, I kinda need this taken care of?”
I turn to see him sitting at a table, the first aid kit is open and in his hands he holds a bottle of alcohol and a pair of needle nose pliers.
Opening my eyes wide, I swallow hard and walk over to him staring at the obvious bullet hole in his bicep. Shaking my head, my eyes open even wider as my heart pounds and I start backing away. “Oh no… no way. I’m a vet nurse, I don’t do the surgery, I assist. I work on animals, not humans, and I certainly have never removed a bullet before. No. Just no. You need to go to the hospital. See a doctor. Wait… aren�
��t you a doctor? You were in scrubs and—”
“Lily, I’m not a doctor. You’re the closest thing I have to one right now—”
“No, I can’t do this. There’s just no way.”
He stands up, striding toward me and places his hand on my face gently caressing my cheek, sending warmth inside me easing my nerves instantly. “Lily, I need you to do this… please.” I can tell he’s in pain, but he’s doing a damn good job of trying to keep a brave face.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I sigh. “I need to know one thing first.”
He nods. “Okay.”
Pausing, I take a deep breath. “Who are you?”
He slumps his body and looks into my eyes calming me further. “It’s a long story, one I can’t explain right now. But I will if you take out the bullet. I promise, Lily. I keep my word.”
Trust has to be earned. You both have to give a little in order to get there. Max’s words echo again in my head as I stare into Kace’s pleading eyes. Is this him giving? Offering something of himself in order for me to trust him. Is he the good or the bad guy in this scenario?
“Am I going to get into trouble for helping you?”
He shakes his head. “Not if you don’t tell anyone.”
“Shit.” I race forward grabbing the bottle of vodka bringing the seal to my lips and swallowing a giant mouthful. The liquid burns, and it feels like it’s tearing at my throat, but I need some courage right now, and vodka always gives me courage.
Kace half-smiles and nods as he pulls off his shirt. My eyes open fully as I take in his incredibly muscular body, with well-defined abs, all leading to that perfect V just before his pants. I swallow hard as I clench my thighs together and try to catch my breath. He’s pure perfection, even with blood smeared and sliding down one arm. He’s a masterpiece, and I could look at him for days.
“Lily?” he asks breaking me away from my trance.
“Shit! Sorry,” I say and take another swig from the bottle, then take a deep breath and pour some on his arm. He flinches but doesn’t swear or show any signs of pain.
