The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal

by Wendy S. Marcus

“That little hit?” She waved him off. “My brothers used to hit me harder than that. He caught me by surprise is all.”

  One more reason to hate her brothers. “Can we focus on the reason you were in O’Halloran’s parking lot to begin with? Why you snuck out of my bed to meet a blackmailer? Why half the town’s police force and men in official-looking black cars knew about it and I didn’t?” That last part hurt. Did she not think she could trust him? After everything they’d shared?

  Roxie turned to face the wall. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “We’ll wait outside,” Victoria said, taking Kyle by the hand.

  “But I want to know, too,” Kyle complained.

  Victoria pushed him out of the room.

  After the door closed behind them, Roxie didn’t move. “You didn’t take your pain medicine.”

  He was a pro at faking it and pretending sleep. “You weren’t yourself at dinner. You seemed antsy and distracted.” The sex had been different, too. Dispassionate. Desperate. Almost impersonal.

  “So you followed me?”

  “If you’ll remember, I asked you what was wrong.” At least half a dozen times. “I was worried about you. Talk to me,” Fig said quietly.

  “I didn’t want you to find out.” She sounded so miserable his heart ached for her. “To know the truth.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s okay.” He approached the stretcher. “We’ll get through it.”

  “We? We’ll get through it?” She gave an emotionless chuckle. “You’d be wise to run or you’ll get brought down right along with me. Ay Dios mio. Your parents will be in town to see it happen.”

  “I won’t run. I can’t. I’m falling in love with you, Roxie. And when you love someone…”

  “You have known me barely two weeks. The worst damn two weeks of my miserable life, as it turns out. You’re nuts to think you love me,” she said. “Hell, I’m so screwed up right now I don’t even love me.”

  “Roxie…”

  “Don’t ‘Roxie’ me, all calm as can be. I’m giving you an out. Take it. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.”

  “Let me help you.”

  She laughed. “You can’t even help yourself. How are you going to help me? Come tomorrow everyone will know. I’ll be even more of a pariah than I am now. And you, adding fuel to the fire. ‘If you want me to kiss you you’ll have to stop swapping spit with other men.’”

  “I walked up to see you kissing another man. I’m sorry if the sight of it upset me.”

  “I was wearing a wire, Fig. Lord knows how many people heard you admit you couldn’t bring yourself to kiss me because of where my mouth has been.”

  That’s not what he’d said.

  “I wonder how the newspaper will spin that in the not-so-flattering article they are sure to be working on as we speak. Hmmmm.” She tapped her chin. “I can picture the headline. ‘Not Only Is the Whack-Job Hoarder’s House Too Filthy to Live In, But She’s Been with So Many Men Her Mouth is Too Dirty to Kiss.’”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  She turned away from him and held out her palm for another fifty dollars. “You can go now.”

  “Don’t do this, Roxie. Don’t push me away. Whatever has you so upset, it can’t be as bad as you think.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Maybe nothing. The police confiscated all the tapes from the video. In their entirety. And nothing stays secret in Madrin Falls.”

  “The video’s old news. People have already seen it.”

  Roxie seemed to deflate. “Not all of it.”

  “What?”

  She let out a deep breath. “There was more. Johnny only uploaded the first half.”

  Now it made sense. “He threatened to upload the second part.”

  She nodded. “This time I got in touch with Victoria, who worked with the hospital investigators, the DEA and the police to set up tonight’s fun.”

  “But why? It’s more of the same. No one’s going to care.”

  “It is not more of the same,” she snapped. “I let him do things to me. Perverted, embarrassing things. And I liked them,” she said defiantly. “Before you, sex had become boring. Routine.”

  Before him. If she weren’t so upset he would have puffed up with pride and smiled.

  “I needed more,” she continued. “Johnny offered me an opportunity to explore new avenues to find satisfaction and I accepted. Willingly. I enjoyed myself more than I had in months. Maybe years. Tomorrow everyone will know the full extent of just how freakishly screwed up I really am.”

  “Roxie. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting.” In fact the thought excited him. “With two consenting adults finding pleasure in a way that’s agreeable to them both. You’re not a freak. You’re not screwed up.”

  “Says the man who refuses to kiss me because my mouth is too dirty, who won’t let me cook for him because he thinks I’m out to poison him and who won’t leave the house without hand sanitizer in his pocket. I’m sorry if your opinion of freakish behavior doesn’t mean all that much.”

  Someone knocked at the door. Without waiting for a response Victoria stuck her head in. “The police are here, Roxie. They need to speak with you.”

  “Goodbye, Fig.”

  He did not like the finality in her tone. “I’ll be right outside.”

  “No. I want you to leave. I’m tired. Exhausted, actually. I can barely handle my own problems without yours adding to the enormous mound. I’ve enjoyed playing temporary pretend girlfriend. But reality check. We’re from two different worlds with enough baggage between us to sink an ocean liner. Focus on yourself. Fix yourself. Find a nice Jewish girl and have a nice perfect life.”

  Two police officers entered the room.

  Victoria took him by the arm. “There’ll be no changing her mind tonight.” She guided him to the door. “When she’s ready for discharge, I’ll bring her home with me.”

  “But…”

  “You need to come now,” she whispered as they exited the room. “There’s a reporter from the newspaper nosing around. Kyle’s got him cornered in the lounge.”

  * * *

  After driving for hours, not wanting to return to the condo to see reminders of Roxie and feel the loss and frustration of not being able to hold her, comfort her and reassure her, Fig pulled into the parking lot of the only decent motel in town. He sat for a few minutes, wondering if this was the right thing to do, and decided, yes. It was time. Past time. He wanted to be the man Roxie confided in, trusted with all her secrets and turned to with confidence when she needed help. He wanted to enrich her life, not add to her burdens. To do that he had to start somewhere. So he got out of his car, climbed the stairs to the second floor, walked halfway down the row of rooms and knocked on his parents’ door.

  * * *

  Roxie awoke to a large hand gently shaking her shoulder. “Time to wake up,” a male voice said, startling her.

  “Hey,” the voice said. “It’s okay. It’s me. Kyle.”

  Kyle? In her bedroom? She lifted her head, and pain sliced through it. “Ow.” She tried to open her eyes. The left one achieved only a squint. Memories of last night came pouring back.
Johnny. The punch. The complete video in the hands of the police. Victoria’s old, like-sleeping-on-burlap-covered-straw couch.

  And Fig. Gone. Because she’d pushed him away. Because he’d let her.

  The pain traveled to her heart.

  “I was told to wake you up by nine,” Kyle said, standing over her.

  “Nine?” Roxie sat up. “Where’s Mami?”

  “Shoot,” Kyle said. “Would you lie back down?”

  Roxie looked up at him to see if he was serious.

  He held up notepaper with Victoria’s neat handwriting on it. “Number two,” Kyle said. “I was supposed to help you sit up in case you got dizzy.”

  Roxie smiled. That was Victoria, Miss Organization/Delegation. “I’m not dizzy,” Roxie said. “What’s number three?”

  “Bring you fresh water.” He pointed to a glass on the coffee table. “Four. Offer you acetaminophen or ibuprofen in case your head hurts.” He pointed to two pill bottles beside the water. “Five. Make you breakfast. Six. Tell you to read the newspaper. Seven. Get you to your house by ten.”

  “Well, check, check, check and check.” She picked up the newspaper from the coffee table and flung it, Frisbee style, into the open stairwell leading to the front door. “You can cross me reading that rag off your list. Not gonna happen.”

  “You hungry?” Kyle asked.

  “No.”

  “Okay. I’ll make you some toast.” He pointed to his list. “You see this small writing here? Victoria said not to take no for an answer.” He turned toward the kitchen.

  “Can you say whipped?” Roxie called after him.

  “Whipped. And enjoying every minute of it. Well, except for sleeping on the couch. There are fresh towels in the bathroom if you want to shower.”

  “Why’s it so quiet here?” Roxie asked. “Where is everyone?”

  “Victoria has your mom and Jake over at your house.”

  “What?” Roxie jumped up. The room spun. “Whoa.” She plopped back down.

  Kyle stuck his head out of the kitchen. “If you fall down and hurt yourself I’m going to be royally pissed.”

  “Mami’s not strong enough. Her heart. What was Victoria thinking?” She popped the cap on the acetaminophen and swallowed back a few with a water chaser.

  “Relax. Have you ever known Victoria to overlook a detail? Jared changed shifts with another doc. He’ll be on-site for the duration of your mom’s visit. And he pilfered some stuff from the E.R. just in case.”

  Roxie fingered the swollen tissue on her face. “What did you tell Mami about my eye?”

  “That you got hit trying to stop a father from beating his son outside the convenience mart.”

  Genius. Roxie smiled. “Who thought of that?”

  “You’re welcome,” Kyle said with a smile of his own.

  “Now all we have to do is keep her away from the newspaper.”

  “Victoria hid her glasses.”

  Ten minutes later Roxie had freshened up and was ready to go. “I need a ride,” she said on her way out the door.

  “You’re going to get me into trouble for not feeding you.” Kyle followed after her, holding a piece of toast.

  Roxie stopped short, surprised to see her red car parked in Victoria’s driveway.

  “Fig drove it over from the bar,” Kyle said. “And he borrowed my pickup, so I’ll drive you in your car.”

  Roxie fished her keys out of her oversize bag. “I’m perfectly capable of…”

  Kyle plucked them from her hand. “Number eight. I’m to drive because your vision is impaired.”

  “Does that woman miss anything?”

  “Actually, Fig added that one.”

  She turned to Kyle. “Fig?” He didn’t hate her? Hadn’t left town?

  “The calls started coming in around five this morning.”

  Welcome to small-town U.S.A. “Threats to run me out of town? Reports of cross burnings on my lawn?”

  “If you want to know, read the article in the paper.”

  Not a chance.

  “He was here by six-thirty and he and Victoria set to work making lists. Newsflash, Fig can be almost as anal as Victoria is.”

  “God help us,” Roxie joked.

  “Have a care with his heart,” Kyle said seriously. “I’ve never seen him as upset as he was last night when you went down. And we’ve been through a lot together.”

  “You would honestly let your friend get involved with someone like me?” Roxie asked. The town’s good-time girl?

  “Fig is a very good judge of character,” Kyle answered. “And for the record, I was the one who encouraged him to come for a visit to meet you. Now get in the car. We’re on a tight schedule.”

  * * *

  Kyle turned onto her street and Roxie couldn’t believe the congestion, cars and trucks lining the sidewalks. A news van sat parked on her neighbor’s lawn. “This is a nightmare,” she said, envisioning pandemonium when she stepped out of the car. Cameras flashing. People yelling taunts and insults. “Nothing better to do on a Wednesday morning? Worthless busybodies. Doesn’t anyone work a day job anymore?”

  Kyle squeezed the car into a space between her neighbor’s chain-link fence and the portable carport Roxie had erected to hide the grotesque pile of discarded children’s toys and equipment Mami had accumulated.

  “Come to think of it,” Roxie continued. “Why aren’t you at work? And Victoria? Is that Ali on the front lawn? She’s on maternity leave. She shouldn’t be here. And if Jared’s here and that’s Ali’s gramps standing next to her, who’s watching little James? Have you all gone insane?”

  “We’re your friends, Roxie. We’re all here today because you need us to be.” Kyle reached down between his seat and the door and handed her the newspaper he’d tried to foist on her earlier. “Now stop being a pain in the ass and read the damn article. You made the front page.” He unfolded it and held it open in front of her face. “Number six on my list. Read it.”

  “‘Local Nurse a Local Hero Who Needs Our Help.’” Roxie read the headline. A blown up, black-and-white copy of her hospital ID badge photo was centered beneath it. “What?” She looked at Kyle.

  He smiled.

  Roxie looked through the car window to see that while some people were standing around watching the spectacle, the majority were working. Mami sat in a chair on the porch with Jake at her side. A blonde woman Roxie recognized from the hospital came out of the house carrying a large white garbage bag. She stopped in front of Mami, who examined the bag, which Roxie knew would be labeled with the name of the person it was intended for. Mami nodded and pointed. The blonde walked to Victoria, who stood in the middle of the fray with a clipboard. Victoria pointed to the left. The woman walked to a sign with Ernesto’s name on it and set the bag on the pile.

  “Victoria’s carrying a clipboard,” Roxie noted.

  “She loves to be in charge, that woman of mine.” Kyle looked out the window at his fiancée. “Look over there.”

  Roxie looked in the direction of his finger. “Jeez Louise. Fig has one, too.”

  “Read the rest. I’m stuck hostage until you do because I can’t open my door. So get to it.” He looked
at his watch. “Number seven. Get you to the house by ten. I have eight minutes.”

  Roxie scanned the article. “Local nurse the victim of a sexual predator/narcotics dealer…volunteered to help catch him without regard for her reputation or personal safety… As a result, law enforcement obtained records and videotapes implicating the suspect and an accomplice in fraudulent activities at dozens of hospitals across New York State… The hero and her mother need our help.”

  “I was a victim?”

  “Yes. You were.” Kyle crossed something off his list. “And if Fig chose to play around with the facts a bit, so be it. He can be a master manipulator when it suits him.”

  “It’s in his genes.”

  “But he uses it for the greater good. Speak of the devil.”

  Roxie’s door opened and there stood Fig, dressed in work clothes and a baseball cap. He held out his left palm to help her out of the car. Roxie flipped it over and kissed his still-slightly-swollen, bruised knuckles before exiting.

  Kyle climbed out behind her.

  Fig kissed her left cheek gently. “Does it hurt?” he asked quietly and kissed her temple.

  Not anymore. He kissed her forehead. Her nose. He set his right cheek to hers, the corners of their mouths almost touching. “Don’t give up on me, Roxie,” he whispered. “I’m going to beat it. I’m going to be a man you’re proud to be with.”

  He already was.

  “I love you,” he said. “It came out of nowhere. I didn’t plan for it to happen. But here we are. I spent a miserable night without you, not knowing what today would bring.”

  From the minute he’d exited her hospital room, Roxie had been miserable, too. But, “You can’t. It’s too soon.”

  “Yes, I can.” He shifted to look at her face. “We’ve been through so much in such a short time. I know what I feel. It’s okay if you don’t…”

  “If worrying about you and wanting to take care of you and missing you every minute we’re not together means I love you, then I do. But…”