"What do you say we share a sandwich, Stimp?" The dog looked on in amusement waiting for her to speak the two of the most powerful words known in the canine world.
"Turkey and cheese?" The dog was practically walking on only her hind legs begging for the all important food to be dropped on the floor for her. Mac thought she semi-resembled a tan colored penguin when she stood in the 'oh my God give me cheese and turkey' stance.
"Here ya go, some for you and the rest for me." The little dog grabbed the small pieces of meat and cheese and took off into the salon. Mac hollered over her shoulder to the little fiend. "You're welcome!" She put the first CD she could find into the stereo system and went back out to the cockpit to take over piloting the boat. She sang along with a mixture of Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, and Howard Tate songs. She found herself singing at the top of her lungs to You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.
As the sun went down, the chill of the salty air became very apparent to Mac so she set the autopilot and went to put on her fleece-lined windbreaker pants that matched the jacket that she was already wearing. In addition, the breeze that filled the sails and seemed to be moving the boat rather nicely came to a screeching halt. She decided it was time to motor to a shallow spot and drop the anchor for the night.
Mac decided to lie out on the deck and look at the stars instead of going below deck. She grabbed one of the cockpit cushions for her head and laid back, her mind raced to the woman with the curly dark hair and penetrating blue eyes. The memories of Kylie immediately sent heat to her center, her heart pounded in the pit of her stomach. I miss you so much, Kylie.
Mac woke up freezing at four a.m., still lying on the deck. The middle of May was exceedingly hot during the day and about as cool as you'd ever want it to be at night on the water. She decided now was as good a time as any to continue the trip home. She went below deck to check on Stimpy, who was passed out in the salon on the sofa. Mac could see the small throw-blanket moving up and down in unison with the dog's breathing. At least she's warm.
~
"Come on, Neil, let's go get a beer at Dusty's." Kylie cocked her head to the side as one eyebrow disappeared behind her long dark locks.
"Dusty's?" She questioned.
"Whatever the hell the name of that bar is that you guys all go to." Captain Smith seemed agitated.
"Okay? What's up, Smith?"
"Nothing's up, we've had a long day and a hell of a week. I thought you might want to join your old comrade for a cold one."
Kylie wasn't sure what he had up his sleeve. It had been months since she saw him outside of the station. "Sure. Let me go change."
Kylie came back downstairs in jeans and a light blue polo that fit her perfectly. Smith gave her a puzzled look when he saw her feet.
"Flip flops?"
"Yeah, my feet are killing me. I'm still trying to break in my new boots for work. I can't seem to find a comfortable pair at the uniform store since they discontinued my old favorites."
Kylie rode in the passenger seat while the older man drove his white SUV. They walked into the small bar and sat in a corner booth. The waitress recognized Kylie and nodded when she held up two fingers.
"Heineken okay?" She asked.
"Sure," he said.
The woman came by their table with two bottles of beer and strode off to the next waiting couple. Kylie took a long swallow, nearly emptying the bottle in one shot.
"All right, Smith, out with it." She knew she could be square with him away from the Station house. They had been good friends that watched each other's back since Kylie joined the team four years ago.
"Out with what, Neil?"
"You have something up your sleeve. I know you too well, and you know you can't hide anything from me for shit." Her right eyebrow arched as she glared at him.
"Fine, I was hoping you'd talk to me, Neil. You haven't been yourself lately."
"I'm fine, Smith. You drug me out here to get me shitfaced so I would tell you what was bothering me didn't you?"
He turned away from her and started on his second beer as the waitress dropped off another round.
"Damn it…I'm not that easy."
"Yeah, that much I know. Look, Neil, you're my right hand at that station. We have always been able to anticipate what the other was going to do or say before it was ever thought of, you know that." He took a sip of his beer and sighed. "The past two or three months you've been going in every direction faster than anyone can keep up. I'm worried about you. I've never seen you this high-strung. Even Brown is afraid to go near you. You nearly bit his head off the other day when the truck wasn't clean enough for your standards."
"Well he didn't even clean the chrome, much less polish it." Her voice raised an octave. "When I was a rookie you bet your ass I had to polish the chrome on the fire engine." She finished her second beer.
"Calm down, see what I mean? Something has your jockstrap in a bunch."
"I don't wear a jockstrap, Smith."
"You know what I mean. When I asked you a month ago what was wrong you told me to butt out. You also said you weren't seeing the doctor anymore."
"So." She furled her eyebrows together. I hate it when he lectures me, get it over with already.
"It must have been more serious than I thought. I can tell you're still upset about it."
"No I'm not, have you seen me moping around crying? It was hot, heavy, and over just as quick as it started, therefore there's nothing to grieve about. I'm over it."
"No you're not. And you don't have to mope around crying for me to see the sadness. I knew when you fell for her and I knew when she broke your heart."
Loud enough for the bar to hear, Kylie snapped back. "She did not break my heart!"
"Uh huh, I think the entire block heard you. So much rage out of such a little person."
"If you weren't my Captain I'd smack you right in the mouth."
"Okay, you want to go outside and rumble, Neil. Will that make you feel better?"
"Damn it, Smith." She stood up, tossed a ten on the table, and turned to walk out. He replaced the ten with a twenty and went out after her. She was already walking back towards the island.
He quickly caught up to her. "What the hell are you doing, Neil?"
"I'm walking home. I don't live far from here. I'll pick up my Jeep from the station in the morning."
"You're seriously not walking home. Stop," he said. She kept walking.
"Stop! Neil, I mean it goddamn it!"
She turned towards him. It took everything she had to keep from hitting him. "What do you want me to say? It was the one time I finally let go and gave everything to someone. Yes, I was in love with her, I fell too hard too fast and I got my heart broken. There, are you fucking happy now? Leave me the fuck alone!" She felt the tears sting her eyes as she started walking again.
He caught back up to her. "I'm sorry. Let me take you back."
She never looked at him as he drove her back to the station. She climbed into her Jeep and drove home without saying a word.
Chapter Ten
Mac was happy to be back in her slip at the Windmill Harbor Marina. She had arrived in the middle of the night and tied the boat up with ease before curling up in her bed. Harry was out and about first thing in the morning welcoming her back and asking hundreds of questions about her trip. She sat on the deck with him drinking coffee. She decided to go ahead and call the Hospital Director to let him know she was back in town if they had any emergencies and she would be in first thing in the morning.
~
Mac parked her dark blue Mini Cooper in the usual spot in the parking garage and headed into Hilton Head Medical Center through the emergency room.
"Well I'll be damned, look it's 'Moby Dick'." Lyle loved jerking Mac's chain.
"Lyle, you want me to slap you now or later?"
"Mmmm it depends…" He laughed.
He followed her into the employee lounge to grab a stale cup of coffee.
"Yuck! It's seven a.m. this can't possibly be last night's coffee," she said.
The man standing next to her in matching scrubs and white sneakers smiled from ear to ear. "I'm sure it is."
"Lyle this is beyond gross!" She tossed it in the trash.
"Hey I kept one of the headlines for you while you were gone. I thought you might want to read it."
"Sure." She never bothered to look at the newspaper; instead, she folded it and tucked it under her arm. "I'm sure I have a hundred messages to tend to and fifty meetings. Not to mention the patients that I have scheduled. I'm sure I'll see you sometime this week if I don't get back down here."
"I see how it is, desk jockey." He smiled and she grinned at him. Both of them knew damn well she was no desk jockey. She spent her days juggling her administration meetings between seeing the most severe Pediatric patients and overseeing all of the Pediatricians in the hospital through daily routines of emergencies, traumas, and surgeries. Lyle often wondered how she had time to do all of that in one day and help him out in a pinch in the ER.
Mac sat behind her oak desk and tossed the newspaper to the side. She turned on her computer and began reading the sticky notes attached to the patient charts that needed her signature.
Cardiac Arrhythmia-seen by Dr. Bennett, Cardiology. Ten year old male, put on the donor list for transplant. Signed Dr. Phillips. Mac removed the sticky note and added her signature after reading the chart. She made a mental note to check on this particular patient.
Severe Smoke Inhalation and burnt lungs-seen by Dr. Ferguson, ER. Seven year old female. Kept three days in ICU, released two days later. Mac continued to read the chart. She noticed that the girl was rescued by the fire department. Hmm.
An hour later Mac was finished with her email and signing off on the 'Priority' charts that needed to be filed. She sent the secretary down to the cafeteria to find her some fresh coffee. Mac was pleased when she returned with fresh brewed cappuccino.
"It's all they had, sorry."
"No problem, this is better than what I started with today. Thanks." Mac shut her office door and sat back down behind her desk. It was then that she noticed the newspaper sitting on the floor. She picked it up and stared in amazement as she read the headline and saw the picture of Kylie in her fire suit carrying the tiny girl out of the blazing house. My god! She sat back and read the entire article. "So you're the one that saved the seven year old little girl. I should've known."
~
Mac stopped in the ER on her way out of the hospital. Lyle was just coming out of the employee lounge and nonchalantly bumped into her.
"And where are you headed?" he asked.
"Is that any of your business?" She grinned. "Home, Lyle. I'm headed home."
"I can't believe you're still here. I pulled a double to cover for one of my sorry ass residents, so I'm finally leaving now. You should've been out of here five or six hours ago."
"Yeah well that's how it is when you're a desk jockey that's been on vacation," she said laughing.
"Speaking of work horse, what are you doing tonight? Any plans?"
"No, I just got back."
"I'm meeting Jennie and a few other people at Daisy's tonight." He looked as his watch. "Actually, I'm supposed to be there now. Damn Residents!"
"You might want to get a move on slacker."
"You should go with me."
"I'm not dressed to go out, Lyle."
"Since when do clothes bother you?" He looked down at the dark blue scrubs that both of them were wearing. Mac's White and blue sneakers stuck out under her pant legs. "I have to go in my scrubs too! We'll be like the 'Double Mint Twins'."
"How cute…"
"C'mon, humor me."
She laughed and shook her head. "Fine, get your ass moving."
Lyle signed his last patient out, tossed his lab coat in his locker, and grabbed his back pack. Mac stood waiting outside of the lounge with her briefcase in her hand. She had left her white lab coat on the coat rack in her office as usual.
Mac drove the short distance to the small waterfront bar. Lyle followed her in his Toyota Camry and parked next to her when they entered the lime rock and dirt covered parking area.
"Hey guys!" A petite brunette yelled to them as Mac and Lyle entered the bar.
"Well, look what the cat drug in…my God, Trotter, do you ever go out anymore?" The woman laughed and called the waitress over to their table. Lyle and Mac ordered a second bucket of beers.
"I'd tell you to kiss my ass, Jennie, but you might just try to do it." Mac grinned.
"I'm surprised to see you, Dr. Trotter." Mac turned to the young, dark haired man sitting next to Jennie.
"Hey, Tony, I almost didn't recognize you, I guess Ferguson and I are the only ones that feel sexy enough in our scrubs to strut around town in them." She laughed and Lyle clinked his beer bottle against hers. Tony Crandall was one of her Pediatric staff members. He was fairly new in pediatrics since he was only a few years out of school. "How did these guys drag you out here?"
He shyly looked her way, not sure how to speak to his boss and still shell shocked to see her in a bar. "Uh…I'm…"
"Cat got your tongue?" She smiled as her eyebrows shot up waiting for him to spit out whatever it was that he was trying to say to her.
"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry Dr. Tro…"
Lyle and Jennie were laughing so hard they could barely keep their alcohol down. Jennie tried to speak and Mac cut her off. She looked over at Tony who was white as a ghost and sitting rather close to Jennie.
"Crandall, I may be your boss, but I promise I don't bite. I'm a human being and a doctor, not a drill sergeant." She smiled again and sipped her beer.
Jennie couldn't help herself. "She does bite Tony, don't let her fool you!" Everyone at the table was laughing. "He's here with me, we're dating. So you need to behave, Mac, don't scare him!"
"I promise to be on my best behavior." She winked at Jennie.
"How do all of you know each other, and so well?" Tony asked.
Mac was the first to answer. "Well, Lyle and I have known each other since we were both residents in the ER straight out of med school and Jennie joined the hospital as a nurse a year or two later. I moved up to Pediatrics and they stayed in the ER. I guess you can say we've been friends for a while."
"So when did you get home, Mac?" Jennie asked as she ordered a third bucket of beers.
"I pulled into the marina about eight yesterday morning."
"Wow and you turned around and went right to work? You had to be bushed from your trip?"
"I was, but you know how that hospital is."
"So where exactly did you go?" Lyle questioned as he reached for another beer.
"I went to Southport, North Carolina."
"Does your Uncle still live there?" Lyle passed Mac a new beer.
"Thanks. Yeah , I only see him during the holidays now. He keeps asking me to come see him, but I'm always so busy."
"How's he doing?"
"Good, he travels a lot. I guess that's what you do when you're a retired divorcee."
"At least he lives life."
"Oh yeah, I don't think I've ever seen Uncle Gordy not happy." Mac noticed Kylie walking towards her in the crowd; her curly hair was resting on her shoulders. Mac's heart stopped, she never heard another word her colleagues were saying until Kylie made brief eye contact with her and passed by their table.
~
"God damn bathroom." Kylie mumbled. I just had to walk past that table, just had to look at her. Sure enough she was looking right at you. This is just fabulous!
Kylie had heard Mac's last name being yelled out when she came in the door and immediately scanned the crowd. She found Mac sitting at a table very close by with a few people from the hospital. Surprisingly she was still in her scrubs. Kylie could hear everything that was being said at their table. Part of her wanted to bolt, but she did miss Mac's voice and her laughter. At least she's happy.
"Hey, Harris, I'm
going to take off. I have a few errands to run tonight and then I'm back on at the station in the morning." She tossed a twenty on the table and walked out of the bar never looking back.
~
"Excuse me guys." Mac jumped out of the booth and took off out the front door.
"Kylie…Kylie wait." Mac ran up behind her as Kylie went to open the door to Jeep. "Can we talk?"
"Nope." Kylie still hadn't turned around out of fear that she would let herself go.
"Please, I need…we need to talk."
"Our talking days are over. Now if you will excuse me, Dr. Trotter, I'm trying to go home." Kylie opened the door and stepped inside the vehicle.
Mac turned around and walked back into the bar.
Jennie looked surprisingly at Mac. "What the hell was that all about?"
"Nothing."
Lyle was close to the window and could see where Mac ran off to. "Tough luck, huh."
"Yeah you could say that. I think I'm going to head home, I'll see you guys tomorrow."
She stood to walk away. "Crandall, I expect you to be punctual and functioning perfectly in the morning." She looked at Jennie and winked.
Chapter Eleven
"Who the fuck does she think she is? She can't demand to talk to me." Kylie spat out as she smacked the hell out of the heavy bag hanging in the bay between the ambulance and fire engine. "I'm not a goddamn puppet, I have feelings!" She smacked it a few more times. Captain Smith stood back watching her vent out her frustration.
"Looks like the bag's winning, Neil."
"I'm not in the mood, Smith." She smacked the bag again.
"I'm just saying, hell that thing probably weighs as much as you do." She quickly turned towards him.
"Would you like to be the bag?" she growled. He shooed her back over to the bag.
"Why are you so pissed, Neil? What now?"
Igniting Temptation Page 8
