She walked away and Victor missed her already. Dinner hadn’t provided for any time to really talk and immediately after, he had been pulled away to press the flesh with those who would be deciding if he was right for the head position at the hospital. Sadly, his goal of becoming Chief of Orthopedics had been taking way too much of the time he would rather be spending with Connie or helping patients.
For a moment he considered ditching the event and going home with her, but his mother approached and laid a hand on his arm.
“She left. Her kind just doesn’t understand the importance of events like these,” she said in a huff.
“She has a name. Connie. And she has important work, too.”
“But this is more important. She should have stayed to support you.” His mother sipped her champagne and glanced at an older couple across the room. Motioning with her glass to them she said, “They don’t think you’re settled enough to be Chief. They think a married man would be better. One with a wife who’ll be here with him.”
“Connie will be here when I need her,” he said and took a big gulp of his own champagne. It tasted slightly bitter or maybe it was just how he was feeling at the moment.
“God forbid that you ask Connie to be your wife. And if she is, will she support you at events like this? Will she be at the dinner that’s coming up or will her important job keep her away when you need her at your side?” she challenged haughtily.
The next event was key, but Victor hadn’t even mentioned it to Connie yet. He had been busy with keeping his practice running the same way that she had been busy with her own career. As much as he loved her, that was the one difficult part of their relationship — the demands of their careers. These recent functions for the hospital hadn’t helped. They had overwhelmed the only free time they had. But he had no doubt Connie would support him if he asked her to do so.
“She’ll be there,” he said forcefully, making it clear to his mother that the topic was now closed.
#
Connie was in the bedroom, getting ready for bed when Victor strolled in nearly three hours later. “I wasn’t sure you’d be up. It took me a little longer than I expected.”
Connie resisted the urge to look at her watch. Again. “I hadn’t realized,” she said, wincing at the touch of bitchiness she heard in her voice as she turned down the covers on the bed.
Victor approached and stood before her, making it impossible for her not to see him from the corner of her eye. He was slightly more hesitant now than when he had breezed into the bedroom. “Are you angry?”
She didn’t look up at him, afraid she would reveal too much, so instead she just shrugged. “Just tired. Over-worked.”
“Me, too. Ready for bed?” he asked and loosened his bow tie.
“For sure. I have to get up early to try and finish what I couldn’t do tonight.”
Victor nodded, yanked his tie off, and unbuttoned his shirt. “I’m sorry this is making things so difficult for you. And I hate to do this to you, but next Wednesday —”
“I have a meeting,” Connie jumped in and finally faced him. He was the picture of elegantly sexy disarray with his tux shirt half-buttoned, revealing the lean muscled chest beneath the expensive fabric.
He stopped undressing and shot her a disbelieving look. “I have a dinner with the Hospital Board. They think someone who’s more settled would be a better candidate, so having you there would really help.”
“We have an instructor coming down from Washington late Wednesday afternoon to train us on some new software. I can’t miss the session.”
He ran a hand through his hair and walked away from the bed. Paced back and forth for a moment before he faced her again, hands held out in pleading. “We agreed to be supportive of each other’s careers.”
Connie nodded and wrapped her arms around her waist. “We did. So why can’t you understand?”
“Understand? You don’t think I understand?” he asked, his voice escalating in volume with each word, but Connie didn’t respond.
“Doesn’t waiting weeks for you, going crazy with worry about your safety count for anything? What about what I need in this relationship?” The words were curt, harshly delivered.
“Are you implying I haven’t been supportive?” she replied, just as angry.
He raised his chin and crossed his arms in a defensive gesture. “Maybe.”
She walked up to him and stabbed her finger into his chest to empathize each point. “So going to these little functions for the last two months hasn’t been supporting you? Giving up our only free nights? Working to all hours on the nights you need me to go with you? You don’t consider any of that supporting you?”
He grimaced then, both from her finger, and from her observations. “Damn it, of course it is,” he replied and grabbed her finger, stilling her hand. “But I really need you there this time.”
Connie yanked her hand away and stalked from him. She fumed silently for a few minutes, then turned to face him. “I can’t reschedule. This meeting is as important as yours.”
“If you were free that night would you want to go?” he asked, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
She replied defiantly, “No. All this ….” She gestured with her hands, unable to quite put a name to it.
“Socializing. Politics,” he clarified and pushed on. “Is it your insecurities, Con? Do you feel that you’re not quite in their league? Is that it?”
Amazingly, she could truthfully say that wasn’t the case. In the past few months she had found her place, both in her job and with Victor. That in turn had given her a new sense of confidence that a few uptight, snobbier individuals, like his mother, hadn’t been able to shake. She was no longer like the Cinderella in the telenovela, wanting for someone to save her. She had saved herself. Now she hoped to save him from what she was certain would be a mistake.
“These fundraisers are not what’s important.”
“If I’m Chief —”
“When you’re Chief. I overhear things and it seems like everyone thinks it’s a done deal. Except possibly you, but is this what you really want?”
Victor considered what she had said and his anger deflated before her eyes, but was replaced by something more worrisome. “Yes, it is and I know you can handle this. It’s just a little overwhelming right now.”
She couldn’t imagine when it wouldn’t be overwhelming considering the needs of her own career. She couldn’t see herself doing the social scene on a regular basis if she planned on being able to do her work. Worse, once he was Chief, he couldn’t have a full-time practice which she thought he had loved.
“I know how badly you think you want to be Chief of Orthopedics. But will it really make you happy?” she pressed.
Again he nodded and she continued. “I don’t know how I fit into all this, Victor. I can’t be the dutiful little wife you drag to all these events.”
He walked away and paced for a bit once more, clearly in thought. When he faced her again, he said, “We hadn’t talked about husband and wife kinds of things.”
No, they hadn’t, Connie thought. “I guess I assumed too much.”
Victor returned to her and cupped her cheek. “No, you assumed right. I’d like nothing more than to make this relationship something more permanent. I thought you wanted the same thing.”
A burning sensation built in her eyes as she responded, “Maybe if you had asked three weeks ago, I would have said ‘yes.’ But now I don’t know if I can handle all this.”
“You can’t handle me or my career?” he questioned. When she didn’t answer, he continued. “I want this position. I know you don’t believe that.”
“But I do, Victor,” she urged, wanting him to know she understood. “I just think it’s a mistake.”
“My mistake,” he said, pointing a finger at his chest. “My decision to make, the same way it’s your decision when it comes to your job.”
He was right. He had never interfered with her career and he had
always been supportive. It made her feel small and petty, but in the long run, Connie had no choice but to make this decision, as difficult as it was. If she went along with what he wanted, it would drag her down as well.
“I’m sorry, Victor. But I can’t sit here silently and watch you make this mistake.”
Victor sighed and dragged a hand through his hair “I can’t be with someone who can’t believe in me. Who can’t trust my opinion. So I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t ask two or three weeks ago.”
“I guess so,” Connie said softly. She didn’t look up as he walked away or opened the front door. It closed with a soft but very final-sounding click and it was all she could do to not go after him.
But she didn’t, because it would be a bigger mistake. He needed to decide for himself if the course he had set out on was the right one.
Until he was certain, it was best if she stayed away.
Chapter 20
A month later she was certain of one thing: She missed Victor terribly.
Her sister had come to her aid, keeping her busy on her free nights to help the misery from really settling in. She hadn’t realized until then just how much she had missed Carmen during the past months when her life had centered around her job and Victor.
As Carmen left after a workout together at the health club, Connie resolved to set aside time to see her sister more regularly, even if she and Victor did somehow reconcile. Unfortunately, that seemed unlikely given that they hadn’t spoken since the night he had left her apartment a month earlier.
Carmen had let on that Victor was miserable and that he had actually thrown his tuxedo in the trash one morning after his mother had left it in his office with a reminder about some function at the hospital.
Connie took little joy from that one act. It didn’t mean that he’d had a change of heart. He might have just been having a bad day.
Just like the bad days Connie was having lately. Even though she tried to make it seem like it was just business as usual, everyone apparently sensed something was wrong with her and chose to comment on it. Even Jeff, who normally respected her privacy and intruded only when she asked.
“I think you need a little something to get your mind off whatever it is that is making you so miserable,” Jeff had said earlier that day. He had assigned her and Stone to work together while he and Stone’s regular partner, David Sanchez, took their annual fishing trip.
It was the reason that she and Paul Stone were on their way to interview a suspect when the routine happened — a flat tire.
Connie stared at the tire, deferring to Paul. “This is definitely out of my league, Stone.”
Stone scratched his head as he likewise stared at the flat. “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I’ve never changed a tire in my life. Although I have watched the chauffeurs do it a time or two.”
Connie rolled her eyes, but gave him a friendly grin. “You rich folk. I guess we have no choice but to call the auto club.” She whipped out her cell phone and dialed the number while Stone took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
“What are you doing?” The auto club pre-recorded message droned in her ear as she asked.
“Giving this a try. It can’t be all that hard.” He opened the trunk and pulled out the jack and crow bar.
Stone had the jack in place in no time. Lucky thing considering she was still waiting on the auto club to answer. He had raised the car about half a foot off the ground when the jack slipped. Stone cried out with pain as the crowbar and jack smashed against him and then clanged noisily against the concrete.
Connie shut off the phone and bent to examine Paul’s hand as he rose and leaned against the bumper of the car, his hand at looking a little mangled and already bruising badly. Paul cradled his hand gingerly against his midsection and his face was a pasty white.
“Stone, you and I are dangerous together,” she said as she helped him into the car and dialed 911.
#
In the Emergency Room, a young resident gave Stone a tetanus shot, and X-rayed his hand while they waited for someone from Orthopedics to come down to take a look.
Connie waited with Paul and tried to keep him talking to take his mind away from the pain and to try and keep her mind off the fact that Victor might be the one to examine Paul. But she had to admit she wanted it to be Victor and she was pleased when it was.
When Victor saw her, he stopped short, but smiled. “Con. I … how are you?”
Connie approached and stood before him nervously. “I’m fine, he isn’t.” She pointed in Paul’s direction. “Victor, this is Paul Stone. He’s my partner while Jeff is on vacation,” Connie clarified.
Paul nodded, started to rise, but then grimaced and sat back down. “Sorry. I’m not one hundred percent.”
Victor walked over and Paul offered his hand for Victor to examine. Victor probed at it gently, but still elicited a curse from Paul.
“Son of a B really hurts,” Stone said.
“Sorry, Paul. Let me see where the X-rays are and we can decide what to do for you,” he said and gave Paul a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
He walked out of the room, leaving her and Paul behind. “Is he the reason for your grumpiness?” Paul asked.
Connie nodded and kept an eye on the door where Victor had exited. “Yes, he is.”
Paul said nothing further, leaving Connie to her silence.
Victor returned a few minutes later and explained to Paul that it was just a very bad bone bruise and that he could wrap it up so Paul could be on his way. “It won’t take all that long, but I do have one other patient to deal with before I can finish with you.”
“No reason why you can’t head home, Connie. I’ll just wait for Victor to be free,” Paul said.
“No way, partner. I’ll wait and drive you home,” Connie offered.
Victor jumped in. “There’s no need. I’m off as soon as I’m done with Paul. I’d be happy to take your friend home so you don’t have to hang around.”
Connie glanced from one man to the other. It was clear there was no sense in arguing further. “If you’re okay with that, Paul —”
“I’m okay with it, Connie. Go ahead and do the interview with the local officers. I’ll be fine here.”
Connie nodded, “Okay. I’ll keep you posted on whatever happens.”
#
Her doorbell rang about two hours later. Connie had no doubt as to the identity of her visitor and opened the door.
“Hi, Victor. Did you get Paul home in one piece?”
Victor stepped in, but lingered uncertainly by the door. “It was no problem. Stone seems like a good guy.”
Connie looked up at him and considered his comment. Paul had surprised her more than once lately and she had to admit that things between them were different now. “He’s basically a nice guy.”
She hesitated and stood before him, wondering whether to invite him in and he changed the subject.
“Paul says you’ve been grumpy lately?”
She shrugged, not willing to admit the reason for her upset. “A little. And you?”
Victor cupped her cheek and skimmed his thumb along the ridge of her cheekbone. “Very grumpy, Con. Maybe the last few weeks we were together were tough, but being apart is a hell of a lot harder.”
He looked down and shuffled his feet. “I’ve spent the last month juggling my practice and the fundraisers. You were right. It’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?” Connie asked.
“A friend of mine talked to me about being partners a while back, but I wasn’t interested. He needed more time with his wife, so he took on an older man for his practice. That gave him the time he wanted for his wife and for a free clinic at the hospital. Now things are starting to get hectic again and his wife is expecting their first child. He called me the other night to see if I had changed my mind about the partnership.”
Connie tamped down the sudden surge of hope. “What did you tell him?”
&n
bsp; “That I had decided that being Chief of Orthopedics wouldn’t give me the time for what was really important to me. Being a doctor and helping people who couldn’t afford the kind of care they needed.”
He gazed at her intently. “More importantly, it didn’t give me time for one very beautiful, very intelligent, very stubborn, very sexy and very, very desirable woman who I can’t imagine spending another day without. Please say I haven’t ruined everything between us.”
He held his arms open and she stepped into his embrace and buried her head against his chest.
“I thought I might have driven you away, forcing you to decide between me and your work.”
Victor shook his head and smiled. “I never stopped caring. I told you it was forever and it is. I just needed a wake-up call.”
Connie looked up, stroked her hand through his hair, and kissed the side of his cheek. “Just promise me one thing. No, make that two things.”
He grinned and skimmed his fingers along the side of her face. “And what would they be?”
She tugged on his hand and pulled him into the living room. “First that you will always be able to tell me that you think I’m making a mistake.”
Victor chuckled and followed her to the sofa. “And what is number two?”
Connie grinned sexily and dragged him down onto the sofa beside her. “That you will never ever forget how special this is.” She leaned close and opened her mouth against his as she kissed him hungrily.
He responded eagerly, dragged her against him, and groaned. “I think I might just be able to make that promise.”
#
She walked down the aisle, her dark hair and fair skin a stunning contrast to the aged ivory color of the wedding gown. Victor’s chest swelled with pride and when her father passed her over to his care, his body trembled with emotion.
Connie took hold of his hand, her own shaky and damp. Shyly she glanced up at him, amazed that this handsome, intelligent, and caring man would soon be hers and hers alone.
She faced the priest and listened as he intoned the ceremony. Suddenly from behind her came the loud annoying blare of a cell phone.
Now and Always Page 18
