Grace Falls

by H. P. Munro

  Sully’s eyes widened in horror as he realized he no longer felt the weight of his cell phone in his pocket. He used his spare hand to try and grab the phone from Alex before she made it worse but she slapped his hand away furiously as she continued to leave her message.

  “Jessica said you were going to stay, but I guess you got scared and you ran and you can try and blame me but I…I didn’ do anyfin’. This was you,” the anger started to disappear from her voice. “And I’m a coward, ’cause I couldn’t face seeing you today. When all I really wanted was to see you. Just so you know, I don’t want to sleep with you,” she hung the call up and allowed Sully’s grasping hand to snatch the phone from her. As he carried her through the kitchen she felt a tightness in her chest as if someone was pushing their hand against it. She started to gulp in air, her breathing increasing as her upside down position and the movement of Sully’s strides started to make her feel nauseous.

  “Do not barf on meeeaaaawww crap Alex,” Sully sighed, exasperated at the feeling of hot liquid hitting the back of his legs.

  ***

  Maddie rubbed her eyes; thanks to a changed shift to accommodate Jessica’s unscheduled visit, and a freeway pile up, it was now two in the morning and she had been at the hospital since she had handed Jessica over to Sully the previous morning. She yawned and picked up the chart of a patient that she wanted to follow up on before leaving. Since her experience in Grace Falls, she had found that more, and more, she was less satisfied with just treating emergencies and often her curiosity had her tracking down patients that she had seen to find out what happened to them. She scanned the notes jotted in by her interns as she walked towards the room. She was surprised to see the man sitting up in bed, the glow from the TV set positioned on the wall reflecting on his face.

  “Hey Mr. Lewis what you doing up?” she asked. “Are you in pain?” she looked down the chart to see the dosage of pain medicine he was on.

  “Nah, just can’t sleep,” he smiled. “You checking up on me again Dr Marinelli?”

  “What can I say, I like to keep tabs on the people I like,” Maddie grinned. Satisfied that he was okay she turned to exit the room and return the chart before Mr Lewis’ voice stopped her at the door.

  “You have to admire his tenacity?”

  Maddie turned back and frowned, “Whose?”

  The old man indicated towards the TV with his head, Maddie stepped further into the room to see the TV screen, “You’re watching cartoons in the middle of the night?”

  “This is not just a cartoon, this is Loony Tunes.”

  Maddie laughed, “So whose tenacity do I have to admire?” She looked up at the screen.

  “Pepe Le Pew,” he said. “Every time he thinks he’s struck gold, only to find out that it’s a cat with white paint down her back and yet every time she runs away he just skips on behind, never doubting his love.”

  “Well as one who has been on the wrong end of a skunk, I’m with the cat,” Maddie said reaching up and switching the TV off. “You should get some sleep.” She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaning on it as she bit her top lip remembering with a smile the incident and what it led to, her smile fading as she thought about how Alex couldn’t even bring herself to see her at the airport.

  She put the patient file back into the slot on the nurse’s station and walked towards the resident’s lounge to change before leaving.

  “Hey you?”

  Maddie smiled at Zoe rubbing at the soles of her feet, “You know if you wore sensible shoes your feet wouldn’t ache.”

  “Yeah but my heart would,” Zoe replied.

  Maddie snorted as she checked her cell phone; she spotted the symbol for a voicemail and dialed the number to retrieve it.

  Zoe watched as Maddie listened to her cell and her hand reached up to press against her locker for support, while keeping her back towards her friend. Maddie hung up the call and stood, her head bowed.

  “You okay?” Zoe asked concerned.

  Maddie turned round her eyes bright with unshed tears, “Yeah, I’m good.”

  Sensing the need for a change of subject Zoe slapped her thighs and stood up, “I’m surprised to still see you here.”

  Maddie nodded slowly, “Yeah, you know what, I shouldn’t be here.” She flashed Zoe a small smile and grabbed her leather jacket from the locker and walked quickly towards the door.

  ***

  Alex woke slowly, her eyes felt as though they had been glued closed, her tongue welded to the roof of her mouth and a dull pain pounded rhythmically behind her right eye. She shifted slowly opening one eye to inspect the weight she could feel on her chest. Her vision took a moment to adjust and it took a tad longer before her brain was able to process the image and make sense of it; slung across her breasts was a man’s arm. She frowned and slowly rolled her open eye to the side, her right eye still firmly closed. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of Sully sleeping beside her, his nose twitching as he slept. She went to speak, immediately remembering the dryness of her mouth. She winced as she swallowed, trying to muster up some saliva.

  “Matt?” she croaked.

  Still asleep Sully moaned at the sound of his name piercing his consciousness. Alex lifted the arm that wasn’t pinned under Sully’s and slapped his forearm, “Matt!”

  He jumped slightly as his eyes sprung open.

  “What?” he groaned.

  “Why are you in my bed?” Alex asked turning her head carefully towards him and attempting to open her right eye; immediately regretting it and snapping it closed again.

  Sully lifted the arm that rested across Alex and started to trace his fingers across her neck. “You mean you don’t remember?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed and a look of hurt appeared in his eyes. “I asked whether you were sure and you said yes. I knew it was a mistake,” he sighed, “but you wanted it so badly.” He withdrew his hand and pulled the duvet up around himself, “You wanted us to make a little brother or sister for Jessica. Please tell me you remember.”

  Alex looked at him in horror, her mouth gaped open and she sat bolt upright, wobbling slightly as her balance struggled to keep up with her movement. “I…I…” she stammered, she stopped and narrowed her eyes as she pulled the duvet away from her body. “I’m fully clothed,” she said evenly, turning to glare at a now grinning Sully.

  “You barfed over my jeans, now we’re even,” Sully laughed. “You were so out of it, I didn’t want to leave you. As much as I love our daughter, I don’t want to be a single parent.”

  Alex flipped the duvet off her and swung her legs out of the bed.

  “Oh my God he got to you too,” Teddy said from the doorway, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, a smirk on her face as she teased her friend.

  Alex strode over, snatched the mug from Teddy, and took a sip, “You’re my friend, how come I didn’t wake up beside you instead of morning glory over there?”

  Sully shifted the covers over himself. “It’s not my fault, it just happens,” he murmured. He nodded his head towards Teddy, “She did stay, by the time I got you upstairs she was passed out beside Jessica.”

  “Sorry!” Teddy said taking the mug back from Alex and drinking. “I was more tired than I thought.”

  “Dates’ll do that to you,” Sully said, locking his arms behind his head.

  Alex swiveled round to look at Teddy, “You had a date? Who with?”

  “Hey Mama, why were you up the tree?” Jessica asked, entering the room and rubbing her eyes, she did a double take at her father lying sprawled across her mother’s bed. “Daddy?” she smiled and launched herself towards the bed. “Is Aunt Lou here too?”

  “Just when you think thing’s couldn’t get weirder,” Alex mumbled under her breath.

  Teddy snorted at the comment.

  “Was I up Bear’s tree?” Alex asked looking between Sully, tickling Jessica on the bed, and Teddy sipping her coffee in the doorway.

  Sully stopped tickling Jessica for a m
oment and looked at Alex. “You don’t remember?” he asked. “Anything?”

  Running a hand through her hair and wondering how much she had drunk to make even that a painful experience, Alex shook her head carefully, “No, I really don’t.”

  “Jessica, why don’t you go get washed up,” Sully said guiding his daughter towards the edge of the bed. “Now!” he said, spotting the look in his daughter’s face that telegraphed that she was about to object. The young girl pouted but scooted off the bed and skipped back out of the room.

  “What did I do?” Alex said feeling worried at the serious look on Sully’s face, she turned to Teddy who brought her shoulders up to her ears and shrugged.

  Sully pulled himself up and lifted his legs over the side of the bed, gripping the edge of the mattress at either side of his thighs. “You may or may not have drunk-dialed Maddie,” he said bobbing his head back and forth as he spoke.

  “I may not have?” Alex asked hopefully, her eyebrows rose up so far that they almost touched her hairline.

  Sully pursed his lips. “No you definitely did,” he gave her a tight smile. “I tried to stop you, but you’re strong when you want to be.”

  Alex fell back until her back rested against the door. “I’ve made it worse, haven’t I?” she moaned.

  “You know I think you might have,” he replied grimacing on Alex’s behalf. “I mean it was bad enough she thinks you called her easy, but now you actually called her a coward.” He held his hands up and pursed his lips.

  “What? I never called her easy,” Alex spluttered, she spun round all traces of her hangover momentarily forgotten. “What exactly did you say in that bathroom Claudia Roosevelt?”

  Teddy recoiled at the use of her full name, “We spoke about the car, and the bet, then Lou said something about how long it took for you two to hook up, and I joked that you had complained…oh God.” Teddy’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry Alex, I said something about us thinking you were easy, she must of thought I meant her. I’m sorry, I’ll call her. I’ll tell her now,” Teddy said, clutching Alex’s hand.

  Alex closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip a distant memory was tugging persistently at her brain, “Sully what else did I say on the call last night?”

  “That you were worth more and she was a coward. I’m kinda paraphrasing here,” he said apologetically. “I was too busy trying to get the phone off you to listen fully, oh and you told her, for her information, that you didn’t want to sleep with her. Which, I have to say, I flinched at.”

  Alex’s breath caught and she walked off into her bathroom and closed the door softly behind her. Sully looked at Teddy in confusion. “What the hell just…?” he lifted his hand and pointed towards the door.

  Teddy gave an imperceptible shake of her head. “In Alex speak, she drunkenly told Maddie she loved her,” she sighed as she watched the closed door.

  Sully frowned, “Just when I think I’m getting the hang of women you change the rules and I’m as confused as ever.” He stood up and rubbed the back of his head, “You know I reckon the only thing more complicated than being in a relationship with a woman is being a woman in a relationship with a woman.”

  Glancing over towards him Teddy frowned, “Put some damn pants on.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  One week later…

  Lou leaned on the counter resting her chin in her hands as she watched the rain bounce off the sidewalk outside. “I’m fed up of this rain now,” she puffed as she twisted her head to look over at Alex who was seated at one of the tables in the empty coffee shop, her feet resting on a chair as she completed a crossword puzzle nestled on her lap.

  “It’s been raining for twenty minutes Lou, hardly monsoon season,” Alex murmured, not taking her eyes from the crossword as she reached for her half empty coffee cup.

  Huffing Lou turned and pulled herself up to sit on the counter, she picked up a plastic spoon and started to toy with it as she contemplated saying what was on her mind.

  “Say it. Whatever that brain of yours is struggling with, just say it,” Alex said, finally putting her pen down on top of the folded newspaper and looking up at Lou. “C’mon, get it off your chest,” she twirled her hand to encourage Lou to spill.

  “Idon’tgetwhyyoudidn’tcallheragain,” Lou gushed, her shoulders slumping at the relief at finally saying what had been pestering her for a week since Sully had told her of the drunken voicemail incident.

  Alex gave a sad smile, “She never called me either Lou.”

  “I know, but you two seemed so…” Lou held a deep breath as she decided on the words to use. “Made for each other,” she exhaled, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

  “I know that you’re desperate for a happy ending Lou, but this is reality. She wasn’t honestly going to give up her career and move here to be with me after only a week of knowing me,” Alex looked back at her crossword, not focusing on it. She had picked the phone up a half dozen times during the week and had even dialed the number that she’d found on the note pad where Teddy had written it down, but each time she placed the phone back down, unable to go through with it. She didn’t know what else to say, she still couldn’t believe that she’d called her in the first place and was sure that after the drunken call Maddie wouldn’t want to hear anything she had to say again. She wanted so badly to rewind to when she was mad with Maddie, being mad at oneself was turning out to be so much more work.

  The bell dinged as the door to the coffee shop opened, the sound of the rain thumping against the ground increased. Mack entered the shop and shook herself, getting rid of the excess water that clung to her jacket. “’s wild out there,” she said smiling.

  Lou slipped off the counter and turned ready to serve, “Hey Mack, how’s things?”

  Still flicking her wrists to shake the water from her hands Mack walked towards the counter. “How’s things? I’ll tell you how things are. I have been a nurse for over ten years, I have brought babies into this world and held peoples’ hands as they left it. I have cleaned up the puke, shit and snot of most of this town and now,” she pulled herself up to full height. “And now I’m working for a doctor who seems to think I am their God-dammed PA. That’s how things are!” she finished, fixing Lou with a glare.

  Alex licked her lips pulling her bottom lip into her mouth to stop from laughing aloud as Mack worked herself up to a full scale rant.

  “There I am minding my own and this over-educated, over-opinionated, impulsive and stubborn as a mule MD decides that I, Marion Mack, should, and I quote, ‘run and go get the coffees’.” She looked over towards Alex who was still looking fixedly at her crossword, “You hearing me Milne. Me!”

  Alex looked up her eyes wide. “That’s disgusting Mack. I have no other words,” she said managing to keep her face straight, she looked back down at her crossword, stealing a quick glance back up towards the small nurse.

  “Why would a doc send you all the way from St Anton to he…” Lou stopped as Mack shook her head.

  Mack narrowed her eyes. “Hmmm, anyways, I’ll have my usual and the Doc…well wait ’til I get this right now, she wanted a regular skinny Americano with an extra shot to go and she wanted it in this,” Mack pulled out an orange tippy cup and placed it onto the counter.

  Alex looked up as she heard Lou gasp, seeing the orange cup on the counter she lifted her legs from the chair, stood up, and walked towards the counter. In a stunned daze, she picked it up and looked open mouthed from the cup towards Mack.

  “She’s at the clinic,” Mack smiled.

  Alex’s surprised expression turned into one of joy as she registered what Mack had said, she used her hand to propel herself from the counter towards the door, slamming it open and running out into the pouring rain.

  Mack and Lou watched her go, as the door closed Mack held out an open palm over her shoulder.

  “Really!” Lou said, digging in her pockets then scowling as she slammed a ten-dollar bill into Mack’s waiting hand. “I can’t
believe it took her a week to come to her senses.”

  Mack smiled to herself, she had absolutely no intention of telling Lou that Maddie had come to her senses as soon as she’d heard Alex’s call, it had just taken a week to get things lined up for her to return. She folded the bill neatly and turned to look at the younger woman, “I don’t see my coffee Anderson!”

  ***

  Alex ran at full speed towards the clinic, ignoring the sensation of water seeping through her sneakers as she splashed through puddles, her T-shirt and light blue shirt sticking to her skin as the rain soaked her. She skidded to a halt outside the white building. Standing in the doorway a coy smile on her lips was Maddie.

  “You doing door-to-door delivery on coffee these days?” she shouted, nodding towards the tippy cup in Alex’s hand.

  “Just for special customers,” Alex yelled back walking slowly up the pathway; her heart thumping in her chest caused more by the sight of Maddie than her exertions getting to the clinic.

  “So what makes a customer special?” Maddie asked, stepping down the stairs into the rain.

  Alex smiled broadly. “Number one, they have to be a Grace Falls resident,” she said walking up the pathway towards Maddie. She ran a hand through her wet hair, slicking it against her head.

  Maddie nodded thoughtfully. “Check,” she said quirking her eyebrows. “Is there a number two?” she asked, walking down the path, the rain started to darken the blue T-shirt she was wearing.

  “They have to be close to management,” Alex replied, her face pulled into a serious expression as she walked.

  “How close is close?” Maddie asked, strolling towards Alex until their faces were inches apart.

  “Little closer,” Alex said smiling.

  Maddie raised her eyebrows. “This close?” she leaned closer. “I don’t want to sleep with you either,” she said before pressing their lips together.