by Arianna Hart
“Now that you are feeling a little better, let me tell you what is going on,” Macayla said as she began washing him.
“Samara is going to fill Connor in on the situation when she gets home. I assume you trust him to do the safest, most paranoid thing. He is going to find us a safe place to go. When he does, he’ll contact us by a pre-arranged signal, and then we will go wherever he tells us for the next three weeks. By the end of the three weeks I’ll have your stitches out, and you should be almost full strength. I want you to get up later today to try a short walk. The sooner you are up and around, the sooner you will recover.” She wrung the washcloth out and dried him briskly with the towel.
“Now, are you hungry? I’ll make you some broth, and if that stays down, I’ll make you some scrambled eggs.” Jared was trying to concentrate on her words, and not the way her hands covering his body made him feel. It wasn’t easy.
“Thank you. I’m not really that hungry. I’m sorry for being such a pain. I don’t like being helpless. It puts me in a foul mood.”
“What a coincidence; me, too. I’ll make you the broth. You may not be hungry, but it will make you feel a little better. Trust me, I’m a doctor,” Macayla said with a smile as she turned her back on Jared.
He watched her all the way back into the kitchen. There was a half wall separating the kitchen from the dining area and the living room. His eyes followed her as she went from refrigerator to sink to stove.
“So how does a doctor who delivers babies know so much about gunshot wounds?” Jared asked from his seat on the floor. She was extremely efficient, no wasted movements. She was also very easy on the eyes. Jared rarely had the opportunity to just watch her uninterrupted. She was dressed in jean shorts, a white tee shirt, and sandals. Her bright red hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and curls danced merrily all around her face.
Her face was the creamy white of most redheads; the accompanying freckles were sprinkled liberally across her nose and cheekbones. Emerald green eyes peeked out of long eyelashes. They were usually narrowed in aggravation when she was looking at him, but now they only showed concern. She had a face that belonged on a cameo, and a body that haunted his dreams. She was a small package, but sure packed a wallop. She was all lush curves and long legs. She was only five-three, but her legs stretched straight up to her ears.
“I did a stint in the emergency room when I was in med school. I was in Boston, so I saw quite a few gunshot wounds,” Macayla answered him.
“How long have you been a doctor? You’re only twenty-eight; I thought you just got out of med school.” Jared wanted to keep her talking, but he kept forgetting what he asked as he stared at her.
“No, I graduated from med school when I was twenty-three, then I did two years of post grad work before I joined this practice. I’ve been there three years now.”
“I thought med school was four years long?”
“It is. I made it in three. I graduated from college and high school in three years as well. Samara says I’m a classic overachiever.”
“That’s an awful lot to get done before you are thirty.”
“Yeah, well I had incentive. Besides, I hated high school. I couldn’t wait to get out.”
“I hear you there.” Jared was a skinny computer geek in high school. His father had left them when he was still in grammar school. He hid himself in the world of computer games, and didn’t socialize at all. Jared wouldn’t return to those years for all the tea in China.
After high school he did a stint in the army. His skills with a computer earned him a place in special operations after completing his engineering degree. Grueling workouts in Special Ops helped him put on bulk, build confidence, and learn to look at the world outside of a computer. Having the extra muscle combined with his chiseled features, and intense eyes made him more attractive to the opposite sex as well. It had been a long time since he had to find his company in a computer game. He hadn’t thought about the geek he used to be in a long time. That was probably one of the last times he’d felt this helpless.
“Yes, well. I bought you some clothes. Why don’t you see if they’ll fit you? I had to throw your other ones away after I cut them off you. I threw out all the bloody clothes, bandages, and anything else that would point to a wounded man being in my condo.
“Smart thinking. Where did you learn to be so sneaky?”
“I’d like to say from my dad, but actually, I read a lot of murder mysteries.”
“Why would your dad teach you about looking for evidence?” Jared thought that was a strange father daughter bonding activity.
“My dad was in the FBI. When I was little I wanted to be just like him.”
“What changed your mind?”
“He was killed in action when I was sixteen years old. It kind of changed my perspective.”
“I’m sorry. My mom died when I was eighteen. It’s tough to be on your own. At least you still had your mom around.”
“For another three years. She died of ovarian cancer.”
“Rough. So that’s why you became an Ob/Gyn.”
“Not entirely because of that. I had wanted to be a trauma surgeon initially. After a few months in the emergency room, I changed my mind. I wanted to be the doctor who said ‘It’s a girl’ instead of telling people their loved ones had died. The hours are murder, but overall, it is a pretty satisfying life.”
“It’s a job, not a life.”
“Yeah, well, same thing.” Macayla didn’t know why his comment seemed to fluster her so much. She had never minded the demands of her job before. In fact, she had relished the challenge. A little part of her whispered that maybe she used the demands to cut herself off from having to have a life. She shut that voice up quickly. She had her friends, her karate, her brother. She had a very fulfilling life, and she wasn’t going to let someone like Jared Romero make her doubt her decisions now.
“Was it your dad who taught you how to shoot? As I remember, you were pretty confident with that gun the last time I was here.” Jared asked, reminding her of their first meeting. He had broken into the condo to give her a special phone that couldn’t be traced so she could contact Samara. Macayla had held a gun on him until she confirmed his identity. She had just gotten out of the shower and was in nothing but a towel, but that hadn’t stopped her from threatening to shoot him between the legs if he didn’t explain himself.
“Yes, he was a marksman, and enjoyed target shooting on the week-ends. My mom used to call it a busman’s holiday. He made sure if I ever pointed it at someone I’d be willing to shoot to kill. I think that shows in your stance. I know Samara can be accurate with a gun, but outside of a target range, she’s hopeless.”
“Have you ever killed someone in cold blood?” Jared asked seriously. “It’s one thing to talk about it; it was a whole different story to actually pull the trigger when the time comes.”
“No, but I could do it. You either have it in you, or you don’t. I do. No one will take anyone else that I love away from me again. Ever.”
“And who do you love?” Jared asked her.
“My brother, Samara, Connor, and baby Caitlyn.”
“What? No boyfriend? How come no man made the list, Red?”
“There’s no man besides my brother and Connor I’d be willing to risk a jail sentence for.”
“Not even the man you were going to marry?” Jared threw back at her.
Macayla couldn’t believe that he remembered her telling him about the walking dysfunction she’d almost married. “Especially not him. If I saw him lying on the side of the road, I’d be certain to put my car into reverse to make sure I ran him over thoroughly. How did you remember him?” Macayla asked, puzzled.
“You said I was just like him when you held your gun on me and I got a tad upset.”
“Well maybe I was wrong. You walk upright instead of on all fours, so you can’t be that much like him. Here, your broth is ready. I have to finish doing some laundry. Let me know when you wa
nt to try some of the clothes on and I’ll help you out.”
Jared grabbed Macayla’s hand before she could run away. “Thank you.” Jared held her in his grip loosely, but wouldn’t let her go either.
“Don’t mention it.” Macayla tried to pull her hand away from the contact. He no longer had a fever, but the contact almost burned her. “You had better hold onto your soup with both hands, you wouldn’t want it to spill in your lap.” Macayla made her escape when he instinctively protected himself.
Macayla folded up the towels and sheets and put them away. She thought it might be a good idea to pack a bag as well. She didn’t know if she would be leaving with Jared soon, but she liked to be ready for anything. She remembered how Samara had to live out of one bag of clothes when she and Connor were on the run. If she had to leave in a hurry, she wanted to make sure she had all her essentials.
As she was taking the extra tube of toothpaste out of the medicine closet in her bedroom she noticed a package of birth control pills. As an Ob/Gyn she had different samples of pills all over the place. For the first time in eight years, she thought about taking them again.
Macayla sat down on the toilet seat and thought about what made her want to protect herself from pregnancy, when she wasn’t even sure she liked Jared, never mind wanting to sleep with him. That was a big fat lie. She knew she wanted to sleep with him. All she had to do was look at him and hormones she had forgotten about went swimming through her blood stream.
She knew she didn’t want to want to sleep with him. Lying to herself was something she refused to do ever again. Okay, so she wanted to have sex with a wildly good-looking man, there was nothing wrong with that. It didn’t mean she had to sleep with him, it just meant that she was still young and healthy enough to appreciate a fine specimen of manhood like Jared. Any woman with a pulse would consider sleeping with him.
If they were stuck together for three weeks, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, it could happen. No one said she had to do it, but it made sense to be prepared. She could start the pack tomorrow. She put them in her purse so she wouldn’t forget them.
That decision made, she continued to pack her bag. While grabbing her sneakers, she whacked her hand on the gun safe in her closet. Speaking of better safe than sorry, packing a little protection of her own might come in handy as well.
She loaded the gun and put it in her purse as well. Extra ammo she could keep in her suitcase, but it wouldn’t hurt to be ready. Pills and pistols, what a combination.
Protected in more ways than one, the only thing left to do was call Kevin and let him know she might be out of touch. She turned the stereo on and dug her phone out of her purse yet again.
“Hey, Sis! Long time, no hear! Why it’s been almost a week since you’ve called. That’s a new record.”
“Gee Kev, I missed you too, but it’s embarrassing the way you gush. You’re almost done with college, it’s time you broke away from the safety of your sister and moved on with your life,” Macayla shot back.
“Ha ha, very funny. What’s up? You don’t normally call during the day. Is all quiet on the baby frontier?”
“Actually, I’m on vacation for a few weeks.”
“You? A vacation? That’s a first. I don’t ever remember you taking a vacation. What are you going to do? Why don’t you go on a booze cruise or something?” Kevin asked with laughter in his voice.
“You know, I was just thinking that it had been a long time since I had too much to drink, puked all over the place, and passed out at some complete stranger’s mercy. Maybe a booze cruise is just what I need to meet those needs.” Macayla hadn’t had more than a glass of wine to drink in her entire life. Control freaks rarely got drunk.
“Well you should do something crazy for a change. I kept you tied down for all your crazy years, now’s the time to get wild since I’m all grown up,” Kevin said in some seriousness
“You still have two more years of school before you are all grown up, bucko.”
“Actually, I’ll be done in the spring. I’m taking some classes at the University of Georgia this summer. I’ll pick up a few classes, and meet some Southern women at the same time. What could be better?” Kevin asked enthusiastically.
“How much are the classes? I’ll send you a check.”
“I paid for them myself already. I got a discount because of the work I’m doing for Habitat for Humanity. The director of the site is a social sciences teacher at U of GA, and he’s way cool. He hooked me up big time.”
“What about spending money? If you use the money in your savings account for classes, you won’t have anything left for school.” Macayla chewed a nail. Kevin hated to be a burden, but Macayla wanted him to enjoy school. She didn’t want him to have to work while he was in school, or push his way through for an early graduation like she did. Kevin was really social, and she wanted him to enjoy himself, so long as he kept getting good grades.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage. If I need some money, I’ll ask before I apply for a job as a stripper at the local ladies club. I promise.”
“Wise guy! How did you get to be so sarcastic?” “Must have rubbed off from my big sister.” “I get blamed for everything.” “Just kidding. Listen, have fun on your vacation, don’t
worry about me. I’m fine, really, I like what I’m doing here, and the director is way cool. He said when I finish my bachelor’s degree he’d like me to apply to U of GA for my graduate work. He hinted at possible funding. They are really cool down here.”
“Tell me that in August when you are sweating your butt off. If you still like it down there after working outside all summer long, we’ll talk about a master’s degree from U of GA. For now, have fun down there, and try to stay cool.”
“Sis, I am always cool. You are the geek, remember.” “Dweeb.” “Dork.” “Nerd.”
“Loser.”
“That’s Dr. Loser to you buddy. Don’t be concerned if it’s a while before you hear from me. I have no idea where I’m going, but God only knows if I’ll have a signal for my cell phone. If you can’t get in touch with me, call Samara and leave a message. I’ll leave you to your Southern women. I love you, you geek.”
“Yeah, me too. Nerd.”
Macayla couldn’t believe how quickly her brother was growing up. It seemed like it was just last week when she put him on the bus for his first overnight summer camp. She remembered bawling as the bus pulled away.
That didn’t last long, she was working third shift so that she could be home to put Kevin on the school bus, then study before she got a few hours of sleep. She had a sitter in the evening for when she went to class, but she didn’t like to leave him for long. Now he was gone most of the time, soon he would be graduating from college. Time was passing her by faster than she could keep up.
She shook that thought out of her head. The sneaky little voice that kept suggesting she wasn’t happy was whispering to her again that time was running out. She refused to listen. She was happy. Maybe she wanted to have children someday, but she had plenty of time left. She would not get caught up in self-defeating thoughts.
Shutting off the stereo, she left the room. Everything was
as clean as she could get it. She couldn’t put it off any longer, she had to go back downstairs and face Jared. How was she ever going to spend three weeks with him and stay sane?
Chapter Five
How was he ever going to spend three weeks like this and not lose his mind? He hated feeling this weak. His hands actually shook from the effort of drinking the broth.
The only problem was, his lower extremities didn’t know that the rest of him was weak and in pain. The area between his legs was raring and ready to go every time Macayla got within touching distance. He didn’t know what was worse, the wanting of her, or the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it. He had been dealing with wanting her for the last year; he figured he could make it a little while longer.
“Do you want to put on the sw
eatpants? I bought you some jeans too, but I think these would be more comfortable.”
Finally! Jared never thought he’d be so excited to put clothes on around a beautiful woman. “Not to mention easier to get on. Do you think we can try that walk now?”
“If you think you are up to it. I’ll hold the IV bag. Let’s get you up to the couch first, then we’ll try to get you on your feet.”
“If I fall, there is no way you are going to keep me on my feet.”
“I know, but I can at least help you with the IV bag. We’ll take it in short stages and see if you can make it.”
“I hate this.” He didn’t even have the strength to work up a good case of anger.
“The sooner you get up, the sooner you will get better. Just don’t overdo it.”
Jared just grunted in pain. He could barely get to the couch; he couldn’t believe how much pain he was in. The ten-yard trip to the powder room seemed to last miles. Collapsing onto the toilet seat, he tried to catch his breath. He never realized how many things you used your abs for.
Mercifully, Macayla left him alone in the bathroom. It was embarrassing enough to need her help to get that far, there was no way she was going to help him take a leak.
Heaving himself up, he took a look at his side in the mirror over the sink. The area around the staples was red and puffy. He couldn’t believe how painful such a small wound could be. He had been injured before, but never this badly. He usually bounced back after a night’s rest.
Maybe Macayla was right when and he would be out of commission for weeks. That wasn’t exactly part of the plan. At least he could go to the bathroom on his own this time. It took him a few minutes, but he was able to change his shorts on his own too. He felt like he had climbed Mt. Everest.
“If you can poop, I’ll take the IV out and you can eat a real meal tonight,” Macayla called cheerfully from the other side of the bathroom door. Jared had never, ever, in his entire life discussed his bodily functions this much with a woman. Especially a woman he hadn’t even been intimate with.
