by Amber Heart
‘You really do like to keep me on the edge, don’t you?’ He chuckled to her. ‘I’m going to make you quit after this, no more field work for you.’ He said, kissing her hand before resting his head on her bed.
‘Just try and stop me.’ A croaky voice muttered. He looked up and her eyes were barely open, squinting against the light.
‘Liv!’
‘Shut up, my head hurts.’
‘How are you feeling?’
‘Like shit.’ She chuckled, then winced. ‘What happened?’
‘You got shot.’ His voice broke and he pulled her hand to his cheek. She could tell he’d been crying. He looked tired, exhausted even. ‘Had enough excitement for a while?’
She laughed, ignoring the pain, ‘More than I’d wanted. How’s everyone else?’
‘Liv, I don’t know if now’s the right time-’
‘Just tell me.’
‘Three dead.’ He admitted and she closed her eyes, a tear rolled out. ‘Who?’
‘Cop called Luiz,’ Who they didn’t know. ‘Fox.’ A young officer. ‘And,’ He paused. ‘Richards.’
‘She’s just come off maternity.’ She whispered and then she began sobbing suddenly. Damien didn’t know what to do. He took off his shoes and joined her on the bed, pulling her in as close as he could without hurting her.
After a while, she fell asleep, exhausted and in pain. He stayed with her, stroking her hair, until he nodded off himself.
‘Damien.’ A voice whispered and he opened his eyes. The sergeant was stood beside him. ‘Dame, it’s time to go. She needs her rest.’
‘But-’
‘It’s past visiting hours.’ She pushed.
‘She won’t know where I’ve gone.’ He didn’t want to leave her, especially if she didn’t know where he’d gone.
‘I’m sure the nurse will let her know, you can come back tomorrow morning.’ Louisa smiled.
‘Okay.’ He was tired, he’d been so worried and stressed and, now he knew she was okay, he could finally calm down. They walked out of the hospital and a cab was waiting for them. He thanked Louisa when he got out and then stumbled up to bed.
Chapter Nine
Olivia slammed her magazine down on the coffee table and sighed loudly. Damien looked up from his case file, shocked by the noise.
‘What’s the matter?’ He asked. ‘You scared the life out of me.’
‘Sorry.’ She muttered. ‘I’m just bored. I want to go back to work.’ The Captain had given her two months of leave and it was driving her insane, especially when Damien was at work. He kept her company when he finished, when he had a day off. Any moment he wasn’t at the office, he was with her and she was grateful for it. It gave her something to look forward to.
He chuckled, ‘You’re still on leave, you need to recover.’
‘I’m fine! My wounds are healed, I’ve even been cleared by the doctor. My body’s perfectly fine.’
‘Don’t I know it.’ He winked. She shot him a glare.
‘I just don’t understand why they won’t even let me do desk duty.’ She complained and Damien rolled his eyes. He had heard it all before; for the last month and a half, all she could talk about was how much she wanted to go back to work, she’d read over all his case files five times, just to keep herself occupied.
‘I’m not repeating myself everyday.’ He sighed and shut the file, moving to sit with her on the couch, turning on the TV to a random channel. She put her head in his lap and let out another big sigh. He started stroking her hair. ‘Anyway, you’re not completely fine. Your wounds have healed, sure, but mentally…’
‘Just because I have a few bad dreams, doesn’t mean I’m not okay.’ She pointed out.
‘I still think you should see somebody about it.’ He encouraged. ‘It might make you feel better.’
‘Damien, I’ve told you a thousand times, I’m fine. The bad dreams will go away. Anyway, I only get them when you’re not he-’ She was interrupted by her phone ringing. He sighed. Whenever she was about to open up to him, she was always interrupted. She left the room to answer the call and came back five minutes later with a small smile on her face.
‘What’s wrong?’ He asked, muting the TV.
‘It was that doctor from the hospital.’ She said nervously. ‘He just asked me out.’
‘Oh.’ It felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach.
‘Is that okay with you?’ She asked, seeing his reaction.
‘Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?’ She couldn’t tell how he was feeling, he wasn't giving anything away. ‘What did you tell him?’
‘I said yes. I mean, we’re not together and I guess we had to see other people eventually, right? We can’t keep doing this forever.’ She said, pointing between them.
‘Yeah, you’re right.’ He agreed but he wanted to scream that it wasn’t okay, that he didn’t want to see anyone else. ‘Well, I guess I’ll let you get ready for your date then.’ He said, getting up.
‘Wait, stay. It’s just a meal tonight. Why don’t we watch a movie?’ She suggested.
‘I actually have stuff I need to do.’
‘What stuff?’
‘Just stuff, work stuff. I’ll see you later.’ He headed for the door.
‘We still up for tomorrow?’ She asked. They’d made plans to go to the gym together, to start building up her fitness again, but he was starting to rethink the plans.
‘Should be, yeah. I’ll double check.’
‘Oh, okay. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.’ She shrugged. He left before she even reached him to hug him goodbye. She sighed and sat back down on the couch. He had left his jacket behind; she went to grab it, wanting to go after him, but she knew he would be long gone.
Olivia knew telling him about the date hadn’t been a good idea, she knew it the moment she ended the call. They still had feelings for each other, she knew that, but he didn’t seem to want anything more than what they had now. They had to get over each other eventually, and going out with the very nice doctor would be a good start.
Damien went over to Jason’s apartment straight away. He needed to talk to someone. Everything was slipping away from him. Jason offered him a beer after just seeing his face and then sat with him on the couch.
‘What’s the problem?’
‘She’s going on a date with a doctor.’ He sighed.
‘Liv?’
‘Yeah and now I don’t know what to do. She said we need to start seeing other people.’ He almost finished the bottle in one go.
‘You really are hung up on her, aren’t you?’ He nodded. ‘Well, why don’t we go out tonight? You could find someone else.’
‘You’re meant to give me good advice, Jason.’
‘She’s moving on, so should you. I call that great advice.’
‘I don’t want to move on! I mean, we’re perfect together, we’re practically a couple. We go everywhere together, I’m always at her place or she’s at mine. We’re still sleeping together for fuck’s sake!’
‘That’s a detail you didn’t have to add.’
‘But we are! So, why does she think she needs to go out with this doctor?’ He yelled, frustrated.
‘Maybe she gave up waiting for you to ask.’
‘What?
‘You let it become casual. She probably thinks you’re just interested in the sex.’ Jason explained and he ran a hand over his face. ‘Look, you asked her once and she turned you down. You gotta prove you still want her. You just need to grow a pair and ask again.’ Jason shrugged.
‘You think it’ll work?’
‘I know it will.’
Olivia was feeling nervous; it felt like her stomach was doing flips and she knew it wasn't because she was nervous for her date. She was pacing up and down her living room in her dress, trying to focus, but she couldn’t get Damien out of her head. She spotted the picture on her coffee table, a picture they’d taken at the bar one night, and his jacket on the arm of her couch only kept
reminding her of him.
There was a knock at the door, disturbing her thoughts.
She walked over to the door and took a deep breath before opening it with her best smile.
‘Eric. Hi.’
‘Hey, Liv. You look stunning.’ He smiled, noticeably looking her up and down. ‘How are you doing?’
‘Not bad, come in for a moment, I just need to grab some stuff.’
‘Sure.’ He nodded, following her into the front room. ‘You look like you’ve recovered well.’
‘Thanks, I feel back to normal. I’m beyond ready to be back at work.’ She laughed.
‘I’d kill for two months off.’
‘Hey, you’re a doctor! You can’t joke about killing.’ She smiled, picking up her purse. ‘All set?’
‘Actually, do you mind if I use your bathroom first?’ He asked.
‘Not at all. Just down the hall to your left.’ She smiled.
‘Thanks.’
Eric walked off and another knock came at her door. She opened the door, confused who it could be.
‘Damien!’
‘Liv.’ She looked stunning and he suddenly couldn’t get his words out. Jealousy stirred in the pit of his stomach. ‘You look gorgeous.’
‘What are you doing?’ She hissed, checking over her shoulder to see if Eric was coming out of the bathroom. ‘Now’s a really bad time.’
‘I need to talk to you.’ He sighed, pushing past her to get into her apartment. ‘Urgently.’
She shut the door, ‘What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait till tomorrow?’
‘I’m still in love with you.’ He admitted. He came straight out with it because, if he hadn’t, he probably never would have told her.
‘What?’ She gasped.
‘I still love you. I know this isn’t a great time-’
‘My date’s in my bathroom!’ She whispered. She was getting flustered, she didn’t know what to do. He could’ve said it any other time, not minutes before she was going on a date with someone else. She’d thought he wasn’t interested anymore. She’d hoped, one day, that he’d ask her out again, but it never happened.
‘I just had to tell you. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before but-’
They both heard the bathroom door open and turned to look, ‘Olivia, I was thinking-’ Eric paused, noticing Damien. ‘Who are you?’ He asked, a scowl growing on his face.
‘I… I’m just a work colleague.’
‘Eric, this is my partner, Damien. He was always at the hospital with me.’
‘So what’s he doing here?’ Eric asked Olivia, choosing to ignore Damien.
‘I just… forgot my jacket earlier.’ He said, walking over to the couch and reaching for it. ‘I’m an idiot.’
‘I guess you are.’
‘I had to rush out earlier.’ Damien had to grit his teeth. ‘Sorry for intruding. You still up for tomorrow?’ He asked, turning back to Olivia.
‘Yeah, should be. I’ll call you?’ She suggested.
‘Sounds great.’ He smiled as much as he could do. ‘Have fun on your date.’ He rushed out the door, shutting it behind him.
Olivia sighed, watching him leave. She couldn’t help but wish the roles were reversed. Damien should be stood next to her, watching Eric walk out the door, rejected.
‘Ready, beautiful?’ Eric asked, putting a hand on her arm. ‘Olivia.’ He said loudly, snapping her out of her thoughts.
‘Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m ready.’
As they walked down the street, Eric started telling her about his work, the long hours and busy days. He didn’t hold her hand like Damien did, he didn’t slow down even though she was struggling. She wasn't as fit as usual and he seemed to believe a slow jog was a gentle stroll.
‘So, what’s tomorrow?’ He asked. There it was. She’d wondered how long it would take him to ask.
‘What do you mean?’ She played innocent. She didn’t like how he’d acted with Damien and Eric didn’t trust that they were just work partners.
‘You and Daniel.’
‘It’s Damien.’
‘Whatever.’ She rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking.
‘We’re going to the gym, he’s helping me get fit again.’ She explained.
‘He seems to be rather interested in you. What was he doing at your place earlier?’
‘He’s been keeping me company since I’ve been on leave.’ She shrugged. She told herself it wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth.
‘Well, he won’t have to anymore. I could come over.’ He reached for her hand and squeezed it once before quickly dropping it again.
‘That’s a little presumptuous, isn’t it?’ She scoffed but he just smiled.
‘I think we’ll make a great couple.’ He seemed very certain. ‘I’m not comfortable with him being so close to you. I know how men think, Olivia, and he seems to like you.’
‘He’s my partner and my best friend.’ She stopped walking, annoyed. It took him a moment to realise. ‘If you’re not okay with that, I’ll go home now.’
‘No, don’t. Sorry, it’s just… you’re beautiful, he’d have to be blind not to notice.’ She didn’t miss his eyes darting down to her chest.
‘Let’s just get to the restaurant.’ She walked ahead of him, trying to clear her head.
By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Olivia was tired but less frustrated at Eric. A part of her knew she couldn’t stay so close to Damien if she wanted to move on, but at the same time, they were still friends, she didn’t want to lose him.
At the table, Eric didn’t pull out her chair like Damien always did; he didn’t greet the waiter politely and joke about if Olivia knew them, he just waved him off and grabbed himself a menu. She had a bad feeling about this guy.
‘Should we order drinks?’ He asked. ‘I’d order us a bottle of wine but you shouldn’t really be drinking.’
‘Because of my medication?’ She asked, a little worried because she’d been drinking with Damien.
‘No, I just don’t think it’s classy when women drink.’
‘Oh, sure, yeah. I don’t drink much, I prefer water.’ She lied, awkwardly smiling. She was dying for a drink, it would get her mind off Damien, but it looked like she’d have to wait till she got home. She took a menu and started looking through it.
‘I think women should make an effort to stay in shape, you know? They need to watch what they eat, stay away from drinking and smoking.’ He nodded to himself, clicking his fingers in the air to get the waiter’s attention.
‘With a job like mine, I’m always quite active.’ She pointed out. ‘I keep fit but I tend to eat a lot.’
‘But you’re not working at the moment.’ He smiled at her patronisingly.
‘I guess not.’
The waiter arrived and Olivia begrudgingly ordered a chicken salad, swearing to herself it was the last damn salad she would order on a date. She already regretted saying yes to the date; she wanted to go find Damien, tell him she was wrong that they needed to see other people. She didn’t want to go on dates and eat salad to make a good impression, she wanted to go out with her best friend and eat whatever she wanted. Eric only annoyed her more as the night went on.
‘I’m not saying women shouldn’t be cops, I’m sure you’re good at your job, but men are just stronger, you know?’ He said, chewing with his mouth open, bits of steak rolling around his mouth.
‘I’ve taken down men much bigger than myself.’ She scoffed. ‘I’ve worked my way up to being a detective, I’ve earned my position just as much as any man has.’
‘Well, I guess being a doctor, I just see your job as… more primitive.’ He shrugged, shoving another mouthful of food in.
‘Primitive? Really?’ Eric nodded. ‘We do our best to help people and yes, the force has it’s serious issues, but just because we have to get physical, it doesn’t make us somehow less evolved than doctors. We have to deal with a lot of shit just for doing our jobs.’
; ‘And the money can’t be as good,’ He ignored her completely. ‘If we got married, my wage could support us both. You wouldn’t need to work, you could stay at home and take care of the kids.’
‘Excuse me?’ Olivia had been on some bad dates, Damien liked to hear all her failed romance horror stories, he’d love this one. It was officially the worst date she’d ever had.
‘Well, I can’t give up my career, people need doctors. You can’t get shot at when we have children.’
‘I can assure you, we won’t be having children, or a second date.’ She stood up, grabbing her purse. ‘Since you make so much more money than me, I’m sure you afford to pay for the meal.’
Olivia felt a wave of relief hit her when she finally walked out of the restaurant. She got the first cab she could find and gave the driver Damien’s address. She got out of the cab a street early, spotting a corner shop, and walked the rest of the way.
It was quiet when she got to his apartment and she knocked on the door nervously. She knocked and, for a moment, she thought he wasn’t home, but then she heard him walk up to the door. He smiled when he realised it was her.
‘I need to talk to a sane person.’ She begged, lifting up a bottle of wine.
‘I might be able to help with that.’ He smirked. She handed him the bottle and pulled her shoes off, dropping them as she crossed the room to fall on his couch. Damien sighed and picked up the heels, moving them to a safer location.
‘God, that was awful!’ She sighed. He grabbed two glasses and came to sit next to her. ‘Forget the glasses, let’s drink from the bottle.’
‘That bad, huh?’
‘You have no idea.’ He undid the lid and poured a glass for them both. He knew when Olivia drank wine, she got drunk very easily. Handing over the bottle was probably the worst idea. She took the glass from him and drank it in one go. ‘Another.’
‘You sure?’ He asked and she nodded, pushing her glass towards him. As much as he didn’t want her to get drunk, he also didn’t want to stand between her and the wine.
‘I’ve never met a man so… infuriating.’ She scoffed, taking a good gulp of her second glass.
