I pull into Laura's driveway next to my parents' car and jump out before the engine stops.
Once I enter the front door, Conrad barks at the chaos that ensues when everyone shouts my name, running to me.
"Matthew!" Mom and Maddie cry out and slam into me.
"Come here, you have to see this," Maddie says excitedly, pulling my arm, dragging me to the TV. My shirt comes untucked, and my mother spies the wire.
"Matthew? What's that?" she asks, pointing to my chest.
"Um, it's a wire?" I answer. I can see she is about to bombard me with questions, so I answer them before she does.
"I met with Emma today, and the police department wired me before the meeting. I was able to get a confession out of her that she set fire to Joy's apartment. I look around the room and don't see her. "Where is Joy?"
"I'm right here." I turn around and see her standing at the kitchen entrance. In four long steps, I have her in my arms, inhaling her unique scent. "God, I missed you."
"Me too. I was really worried about you," she says, nuzzling my neck.
"Matthew, son, you need to come to the TV. They're going to go back to their Special Report." I pull Joy with me as we both walk to the living room and Jessie turns up the volume.
"Again, breaking news. We are watching new aerial footage of the SUV as it eludes the police through the quiet neighborhoods of Seattle. We have word from one of our sources that the police have identified the driver as Dr. Emma Ford. See if we can get a closer look, Steve."
I watch as the helicopter camera zooms inside Emma's car. "She … appears to be wearing nothing but lingerie!" the newscaster announces. I look at Joy, and her face changes to a scowl. “We are switching to video from one of the police cruisers following the SUV."
When the film switches to the camera view in the police car, we hear the sirens of police cars as they chase her down the interstate. I can't believe how fast they’re driving. Emma's vehicle recklessly swerves in and out of traffic, forcing some of vehicles off the road. I'm mesmerized and shocked by what I'm seeing. Joy and I sit on the couch in front of the TV and answer all the questions she has. I can't believe Emma is so desperate and delusional, that she can even think she could outrun the police.
Just as I'm explaining to Joy what's going on, a gathering of gasps forces our attention back to the report, and my mother and father jump out of their seats. I take Joy's hand in mine and squeeze it as I watch Emma's car spin out of control, knowing what the end result will be. In shock, I slowly stand and walk toward the television. Emma's SUV spins before the tires slide onto the grassy berm at full speed, stopping the forward movement of the car. After it flips over several times, it lands upright sliding through the turf. The most alarming sight is when I see Emma's body fly through the windshield, sliding down the hood of the car pinning her between the grill and support beam of the I-5 overpass. The vehicle explodes ten seconds later. Jessie belts out a four-letter expletive and turns off the TV. No one speaks a word as we stand there, our eyes darting around the room, looking at each other, seeking confirmation that we didn't just see that. Slowly I turn toward Joy and see the blank look on her face.
Emma is dead.
"Holy, shit!" my mom whispers.
"What is it?" Joy asks, excitedly. After I explain to her what happened, she wraps her arms around me and then pulls back.
"Are you still bugged?" I laugh and look down at all the duct tape holding the device to my chest and stomach.
"Yeah, I guess I am. Let's get this off of me." Between Joy and my mother, they remove the wire along with any chest hairs I had under the tape. As gentle as they try to be, I cringe with each piece they remove.
"I think we could all use a stiff one," Jessie says, already at the bar.
"I know I can," I say, hissing with each tug of the tape.
He chuckles and pours me a double scotch, which I down in one gulp, handing the glass back to him.
"To Emma." He holds his shot into the air, to which we all follow suit and down our drinks at the same time. "I don't need to discuss her from this point forward," he says, gathering the shot glasses and taking them into the kitchen.
As a group, we all stand there, looking at each other, silently acknowledging what Jessie is saying. This woman has hurt his best friend and his best friend's girl. He honored her with a salute and a shot. He has no loyalties to her and with that drink, feels he has cleansed her out of his life. I respect that and, apparently, so do my parents.
"I'm sure no one feels like cooking, so why don't we order take out, and then you can tell us what happened today?" Mom suggests, walking up to hug me. We all agree, talking over each other, trying to decide what we want.
"Wait … wait … wait," Dad says, throwing his hands in the air, trying to quiet everyone down. "At this rate, we'll all starve. Who's up for pizza?" Jessie's the only one to agree on that, and everyone starts shouting over each other again.
"How about Chinese?" Joy whispers to me.
"Baby, if you want Chinese, we can leave and pick some up on the way home. I want you to have what you want, all right?" My dad overhears my comment and makes the decision for all of us.
"Chinese it is."
So, after dinner and after a very long, stressful day, I can’t wait to get home and crawl into bed with Joy. After taking care of Conrad, we snuggle under the covers
"It's a sad day, Matthew," she mumbles into my chest. "Emma lost her life today."
"Yes, she did, but as cold as this sounds, I'm glad it was hers and not yours," I reply.
"I guess."
"There's no guessing about it. I'm selfish that way. I would much rather have you here with me and at least now she can't hurt you again," I remind her, pulling her closer to my chest.
"Good night, baby."
"Good night, Matthew."
~.~
The days following Emma's death are quite an ordeal with the local news stations camped out in front of the house and office. I can barely get inside the door of the hospital these days. It's amazing what they’ll do to get a statement.
After talking to Berkley about it, he suggests that I give a statement and answer questions about Emma. The only subject that I give solid answers to is when they ask about my stem cell replacement procedure. It surprises me that they know more about it than I thought. When the network airs my interview on the news, phone calls inundate my office from potential patients wanting to be added to my ever-growing list … just as long as everyone knows, Joy is still number one on that list.
Chapter 11
“Good morning, beautiful,” I yawn, feeling Joy cuddle against me.
“Good morning, handsome,” she says before kissing my chest.
It didn’t take long before we make love, slow and easy, stopping when I know she’s near the brink of her release. Feeling her body calm, I thrust inside her again, toying with her until she nearly screams her frustration at me, then I stop again. I know she enjoys this type of teasing, and when I feel her begin to tighten around me again, I stop one last time.
"Please, Matthew," she says through her teeth.
I chuckle at her forced anger. "Aw, do you need to come, baby?" I taunt, before pushing inside her again.
"Damn it, Matthew,” she begs while tugging on my shoulders … waist … hips … anything she can grip, spurs me on.
Sensing that she wants it hard, I give it to her slow and deep, gradually sliding up her pelvis. Her head pushes into her pillow and her mouth opens slightly, forgetting to breathe with each long, slow, glide up her luscious body.
"Breathe, baby," I say, my mouth barely touching hers. I go deep again, riding up her pelvis one last time, and that does it.
"Oh, god,” she whispers.
Watching her climax is a very sexy thing. Her eyes close, her brow furrows, and her mouth opens in a silent scream. I feel my own release building deep inside me. With two more thrusts of my hips, I'm done and start fucking her fast.
Burying my
face in her neck, I slip my hands under her firm bottom, lifting her, so I can go deeper. Rocking my hips, I slowly glide upward, grazing over the sensitive part of her, trying to draw her orgasm out as long as possible while building my own. The feeling of her tightening around me like a vice is pure heaven, and watching her experience that intense pleasure is nothing but erotic for me.
"Christ," I growl as my body freezes and I empty deep inside her. I chuckle when she moves, her body telling me she wants more.
"Baby, I can't." She moves anyway, forcing my entire body to jerk in spasms. "It's … shit … sensitive for me right now," I say, my body flinching when she moves her hips.
Laying out beside her, I spank her bottom for that and we snuggle tight, falling to sleep again. The sound of Conrad whining to be let out wakes us and I run downstairs to let him out and make coffee. Once I let him back in, I run upstairs and press my naked body next to hers and she shrieks from my cold feet pressed against her legs.
“I made coffee,” I say, tempting her awake.
“That’s good,” she says, blowing me off. I’m undeterred.
I make love to her once more before we shower and head downstairs for coffee.
~.~
Needing to escape the inquisitive media and nosey neighbors, I take Joy to the Bainbridge house for privacy. It's unfortunate that we can't stay longer than a few days, but I have two surgeries scheduled next week, and I need to review the case files beforehand.
"How about we take our travel mugs and take a walk along the beach this morning? I know Conrad would love it," I suggest, glancing at her over my shoulder to gauge her reaction.
"That sounds great," she answers, stirring blueberries into her yogurt. "Let me get dressed, and I'll meet you here in twenty minutes?" she says with her mouth full, already making her way upstairs to change.
I watch the sway of her hips as she climbs the stairs, tilting my head as if that will give me a better view. She stops only to take a bite of her yogurt and I unknowingly lick my lips, adjust the front of my jeans, and then admonish myself because I just made love to her … twice. Shaking my head, I reprimand myself and quickly eat a bowl of cereal.
As soon as she’s dressed, Joy comes back downstairs, and I find myself scanning her attire, making sure she's dressed warmly for the cold breeze coming off the Sound. Handing her a travel mug, I take mine, and we walk out the back door toward the beach. After whistling for Conrad, he comes barreling around the corner of the house to join us. I've noticed a change in Conrad over the past few months and fear he may be ruined as a working dog since he has become more my companion. I think I may have inadvertently turned him into our family pet.
Taking Joy's hand in mine, we leisurely stroll down the beach while Conrad runs off to play with the other dogs that are out for a morning run. I wish Joy could see this.
Looking down at her, I see she’s deep in thought. "What are you thinking about, babe?" I ask, tucking her under my arm as we walk.
"I was wondering what made you fall in love with Emma."
"Believe it or not, she was once a very beautiful and charming woman, both inside and out. She was so full of life and love. As you know, I met her in college when we became lab partners. That tends to throw a lot of would-be couples together, because you wind up spending an incredible amount of time together. She started coming over to my apartment to do homework together, and one thing led to another, and I found myself in love with her."
"When did you notice a change in her?" she asks, slipping her hand through my arm.
"Around three years into our relationship, there were subtle changes at first, and then she became calculating and almost conniving. I didn't believe I had a reason to mistrust her, but I did find myself suspicious of some of the things she did. She started staying out late, telling me she was going over to a friend's house for a girls' night because that friend just broke up with her boyfriend. Things like that. It began to happen more and more often, yet in the beginning of our relationship we had spent every night together. After a while, I started thinking like a suspicious boyfriend. You know what I mean?" I look down at her, and she's nodding in response.
"Then Johns Hopkins took notice of me and my thesis. After another year, I was offered a position at their hospital, and they made it known they wanted my procedure to be offered there. They were talking about giving me my own department to run after I completed my internship. The green monster started gnawing at Emma, and she became more and more jealous each day. I found her going through my computer files once, and then my hard files. I didn't want to accuse her of anything, but it was strange finding her in my office, going through my desk. I didn't have anything to hide, but I was curious why she would be invading my privacy like that."
"Do you think she was cheating on you before the Johns Hopkins scandal?" she quietly asks.
"I didn't think so at the time, but after a while, I became pretty certain she did. I don't have solid proof, but I would be a fool to discard the notion. She had absolutely no scruples when she propositioned the board, and then to turn around and blackmail them? No, she had no scruples or morals. None. That's when I knew for certain that I didn't really know her or particularly like her then either. I don't know if she was on drugs or not, but she sure acted like it sometimes. For her to change that drastically and quickly, it had to be drugs or some sort of imbalance. She used the bedroom to get her way with me, and I let her."
"Are you sad that she's … dead?" Joy asks, squeezing my arm.
"I'm sorry that she lost her life, yeah, but she had an angry, vindictive soul. She was out to harm you physically and me emotionally. I don't think she would have relented. I saw this going bad because I knew she would have done anything to get what she wanted. It's always been the fame and fortune behind my study. She wanted it but had no idea how to do it. She could have read the reports, but actually, she wouldn’t have known how to perform the procedure. That's why she wanted to be on my team, to learn to perform the surgery on her own. It would have made her a wealthy woman."
"Speaking of procedure, how long will it take to harvest my stem cells, do you think?" she asks, changing the subject abruptly.
"About three to five days."
"How is it done? Will it hurt?"
"First, a catheter is inserted right here where an artery runs down." I point to the spot just below her shoulder and above her breast. "You will come in each day for three to four-hour sessions until enough stem cells are collected. Once collected, they are immediately frozen. I’ll explain the process more in-depth later. I’ll then perform an Enucleation, um, where I remove your eyes from their sockets. I’ll then insert your stem cells. It’s rather complicated from there, but you get the idea. You know the rest from reading my study."
"Will I see right away?"
"Three or four days after surgery, your bandages will be removed, and you’ll begin to see light and shapes. Your sight will gradually improve until full vision is restored."
"I'm scared," she confesses. Stopping, I turn her to face me, taking off my gloves, so that I can touch her cool cheeks.
"Don't be afraid, baby. I’ll be with you from the very beginning of this journey until you look into my eyes. I can't think of anything that’s going to hurt. You might feel some discomfort from some of the tests, but not severe pain. I promise." Pulling her into my arms, I hold her close to my chest when Conrad runs to us and looks up at her.
"She's okay, boy," I say, bending to scratch his chest. He needs reassurance that his human is all right. Spotting a piece of driftwood, I throw it down the beach as far as I can. He's relentless at the game, and I truly believe he could play all day and well into the night, if I let him.
"Matthew?"
"Yeah, baby," I respond, throwing the stick one last time and tuck her under my arm again as we resume our walk.
"What are the tests I'll be going through, and how long it is going to take before you actually perform the surgery."
"Um,
well, the first test you’re going to have is a psychological examination." I wait for it and inwardly count … three … two … one …
She jerks out of my arm, and I see her hands ball into fists. "What? What for? Why? I don't need a psychological exam! Whatever for?"
"It's not just you, Joy. Anyone receiving this procedure will undergo the examination. You've gone from being a little girl with sight, growing into a woman who's totally blind, and now you're going to regain your sight. That's a big deal, and there are a lot of things you, no doubt, are going to be thinking about. This test is to determine where you are, mentally, emotionally, and if you are capable of going through it and handling it psychologically."
"I'm not going to have to try to put a round peg in a square hole and then have you call me Einstein when I figure out the star fits in all the holes, will I?" she asks with a derogatory smirk.
I lower my lips to hers and relish in the feeling of her warm, sweet tongue as it seeks mine. "Aw, Joy. I love you so much," I say, pulling away from the warm sanctuary.
"I love you, too, Matthew. I don't want to disappoint you and want to be your first successful patient to see afterward."
"Me too, babe but it's not my success that I want out of this, though. I want you to see. Since I met you, it's all I've wanted. I want you to see the beautiful woman you've grown into and how lovely the Sound sparkles like diamonds when the sun hits the water just right. Most of all, I want you to look into my eyes and see how much love I have inside for you."
"I want to see the love in your eyes when you make love to me, Matthew. I want that more than anything in the world," she says quietly into my chest.
"Me, too, baby. Me, too," I murmur into the hat covering her hair. "Come on, you must be getting cold."
Taking her hand, I whistle for Conrad who’s playing chase with three other dogs down the beach. He stops to look in our direction and then takes off running toward us like the devil himself is chasing him. Joy and I turn toward the house, which of course, makes Conrad run even harder.
I See You (Seeing You #2) Page 16
