Scandal

by Nicole Elliot

  All was well until Mama Cat showed up. Her name was Kimmy, and she did not take kindly to seeing a dog fraternizing with her kittens. Feeling threatened, Kimmy leapt on Lucy before either me or my aunt could stop her. What ensued next was a loud and ugly tussle that resulted in Lucy faring far worse than Kimmy. My poor pup suffered scratches all up and down her snout.

  My aunt felt terrible about the whole ordeal and immediately accompanied me in taking Lucy to the vet. Fortunately, none of the scratches were too deep, and none of them were infected. They healed quickly enough, but Lucy’s pride surely hadn’t. From that point onward, she considered all cats her mortal enemy, and whenever she saw one, all Hell broke loose.

  “Lucy, not now!” I scolded through clenched teeth. I tugged her leash again, and finally, she relented, having lost sight of the cat as it darted off into an alley.

  Panting, I leaned over and rested my hands on my knees, my left-hand stinging from gripping and pulling the leash so hard. A cramp began to form in my side. Lucy glanced back at me, having come back to her senses. Slowly, with her head lowered and her tail tucked between her legs, she tipped back toward me.

  “Lucy, honestly. This has to stop! How many times do I have to tell you that you cannot be so prejudiced! Just because you encountered one bad cat does not mean you have to take it out on the whole species!”

  Lucy whimpered and lied down at my feet, feeling guilty.

  “Unbelievable, Luce,” I muttered. I stood up, stretched, and then took a look at our surroundings, seeing that Lucy had steered us quite a bit off-course. Fortunately, our surroundings still remained fairly empty; it was still early and the morning rush hadn’t made its way outdoors yet. With the exception of one woman walking briskly down the pavement, Lucy and I were alone.

  I’m not sure why, but I found myself unable to take my eyes off the woman. Perhaps it was my intuition at work. I noted that when I first spotted her, she walked in a hurry. As I continued to watch though, her pace gradually decreased until she stopped altogether.

  She swayed on the spot before tipping over, her fall being quick and hard, and accompanied by her head smashing on a nearby fence on the way down. I felt like I was seeing the whole thing in slow motion as her blood began to pool on the ground.

  I was running toward her before I was even consciously aware of doing so, and Lucy followed hot on my tracks.

  “Hello? Ma’am? Are you all right?”

  From the ground, she looked up at me. The lights were quickly going out of her eyes. I kneeled down beside her, checking her pulse and then pulling her head into my lap. Lucy walked a circle around the woman, whining.

  I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm as I reached into my pocket for my phone and dialed 911.

  “Help is on the way, ma’am,” I said, although I was fairly sure she couldn’t hear me anymore. Her breaths were coming in and out, sharp and shallow—and they were starting to become too few and far between.

  A car slowed down beside us as it drove down the street. The window to the passenger’s side lowered. “Is everything okay? Need any help?” The driver, an older man, peered out at us.

  “An ambulance is on the way,” I said. “Thank you though.”

  “Anything I can do?”

  I thought about it. “No, I’m afraid not. I’m a nurse though, so I’m going to stay with her until help gets here.”

  The man nodded. “Okay. Good luck.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The man drove off, casting a concerned glance back at us through his rearview mirror before turning the corner. All the while, I was painstakingly aware of the ticking clock and the fact that the woman was now hardly breathing at all.

  Lucy was still whining, sensing the distress of the situation. “Easy, Luce,” I said as she approached the woman and began sniffing her ear. But then, she merely began licking the woman’s face, trying to help in whatever way she could.

  I glanced down the street, hoping and praying the ambulance was on the way.

  What’s taking them so long? I thought. The blood was pouring out and I was covered, but I had to remain calm.

  I had been trained for this.

  When two more minutes ticked by, I could no longer wait in good conscious. The woman needed assistance, and she needed assistance fast.

  I checked her pulse one more time, and then proceeded to start CPR. In the midst of my second round of administering CPR, I finally heard sirens approaching. Shortly thereafter, the ambulance blared down the street, bringing along with it all the chaos that emergencies created.

  Upon hearing the siren, bystanders began to make their appearances. People came out of their houses, cars slowed down, and joggers ran backwards in order to keep the scene in view.

  “What happened?” one of the paramedics asked while pulling a stretcher toward the woman.

  “She fell and hit her head.”

  “Hey! Don’t touch her!” another called out.

  “I’m a nurse! She needed CPR immediately.”

  “You’re a nurse?” the first paramedic asked.

  I nodded.

  “All right, come with us then.”

  “But my dog…” Lucy leaned against my leg, frightened by the sirens.

  The paramedic swore. “Bring the dog with you then. Just keep administering CPR!”

  CHAPTER 13

  Evan

  I thanked my lucky fucking stars that I had managed to wake up early and feel partially functional after the restless night, not the mention the beers I’d chugged before going to bed. As I expected, the doctors’ meeting hadn’t been about much, and I would have gladly skipped it had it not been mandatory. But just to ensure the effects of the beer didn’t resurface, I had downed two bottles of water during the meeting. Once the meeting was finally adjourned, I practically bolted from the table to get to the bathroom.

  After relieving myself, I headed to the break room, deciding it was time for my usual coffee.

  “Goodness, Tessa…Are you all right?”

  I came to a halt. There was a huddle of nurses standing in the middle of the floor. Forgetting my coffee, I instantly headed over to them, my heart pounding somewhere in my throat.

  “I’m…I’m fine…I…” Tessa’s voice trailed off. I could hear that she was out of breath even though she was still blocked from my view.

  “Hey—look, I know it was an emergency and all, but the dog has to go. It can’t be in here.”

  I pushed through the crowd, and finally, Tessa came into view. She stood there, covered in blood with a white-and-gray pit bull at her side.

  “She’s not going to bother anyone. Just give her some space. You guys are making her nervous. I had to bring her with me. I had no choice…”

  “Okay—that’s fine, but I’m going to ask that you and the dog please leave, immediately.” A security guard I didn’t recognize was addressing her. I wanted to punch him in the face.

  “Tessa?” I said.

  The sea of nurses parted, making room for me. The agitated security guard was staring at the dog with a look of pure distaste.

  My eyes roamed Tessa from head to toe. She was wearing blood-soaked workout gear, and she was visibly shaken. The sight of the blood sent my stomach twisting in knots. A lump formed in my throat. I hurried forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes. “Tessa, what happened? Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No…No…It’s not my blood.”

  “Ma’am, the dog—I’m not going to ask again—”

  “SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!” I yelled at the security guard. The emergency department fell silent. Even Tessa stiffened, stunned by my outburst. I took the dog’s leash from Tessa’s hand. The dog looked up at me cautiously, not sure if I was friend or foe. “I got the dog,” I said. “Come on, Tessa.”

  Silently, Tessa and the dog followed me into the on-call room, where a couple of nurses sat and chatted over magazines.

  “Excuse
me. Give us a minute,” I said. The nurses scurried away, but not before looking at Tessa and the dog with widened eyes. I closed and locked the door behind them.

  Tessa wiped her forehead, leaving a smear of blood on it.

  I felt my own nerves subsiding as it became more obvious that it was not her own blood that she was covered in. “Tessa, what the hell happened?”

  I pulled out a chair for her and she immediately collapsed into it, taking a series of deep breaths. The dog came to her side, sitting directly before her and staring at me.

  “I was taking Lucy for an early morning run,” she said, “and she started chasing a cat out of the blue. We wound up about a block from where we were supposed to be. There was this woman walking and I instantly knew something was wrong. She fainted and hit her head on a nearby fence. So I ran over to her and called an ambulance. They were taking too long though, so I had to start working on her. I had to help her. She was just lying there, almost bleeding to death on the pavement and I had to do something, Evan. I had to do something. I couldn’t leave her and I had nowhere to take Lucy and—”

  “Shhh,” I said, interrupting her rambling. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

  Tessa shook her head and stood abruptly. “I have to know if she’s all right. A piece of the fence got her in the face, hard.”

  “Tessa, baby…” I gently placed my hand on her back. The dog stood and walked a circle around us. “Get cleaned up, okay? Here—I have extra scrubs. You can use it.” I retrieved my extra clothes and then took Tessa by the hand, leading her to the shower area.

  “Evan, that woman almost died in my arms…”

  “The key word there is almost. You stopped it from happening,” I said, squeezing Tessa’s hand. “Now just relax. I’m going to find the woman and make sure she’s okay. I promise.”

  “But Lucy…”

  “I’ve got Lucy too,” I said.

  “She doesn’t know you.”

  “Well, I guess she’s going to get to know me.” I offered a reassuring smile and kneeled down to the dog, holding my palms out to her. Lucy tentatively sniffed my hands, and then her tail began to wag. Taking it as a good sign, I reached out to pat her head. “See? Fast friends already.”

  Tessa nodded. “Okay. I won’t take long,” she said, and then disappeared into the shower while Lucy and I waited outside.

  When Tessa was done, she came out, freshly showered and blood-free, swallowed by my scrubs. I handed her Lucy’s leash and then found a bag to put her dirty clothes in. “I’m going to take you and Lucy home,” I said. “After what just happened, you need the day off. Wait for me in the break area. I’m going to check on the woman, and then we’ll get out of here, all right?”

  Tessa nodded and then abruptly threw her arms around me in a hug. “Evan… I… thanks,” she said, before she had Lucy headed for the break room.

  CHAPTER 14

  Tessa

  “Turn right here,” I instructed.

  Evan turned into the parking lot of my apartment complex. Seeing that we were home, Lucy stood in the backseat, poked her head out the window, and began wagging her tail.

  “Thank you so much,” I said, unfastening my seatbelt.

  “Not a problem,” Evan said.

  We stared at each other for a moment. I wanted nothing more than to invite him inside, but I didn’t want to seem too forward and needy. He had already done enough for me. And for Lucy too.

  I opened the passenger’s side door, climbed out, and then opened the backseat door to let Lucy hop out.

  I looked up in surprise when I heard the driver’s side door open and close. Evan stood, watching me retrieve Lucy. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Don’t mind if I walk you ladies inside, do you?” he asked.

  “No. No, not at all.”

  Evan followed us up to our apartment. As we stood outside the door with Lucy panting beside us, I pulled out my keys and desperately tried to remember the condition I had left things in before I leaving that morning. I hoped the place wasn’t too much of a mess.

  I pushed the door open and breathed a sigh of relief seeing that at least the front of my apartment didn’t look too bad.

  I tossed my keys onto the table and closed the door behind us. “I really appreciate this, Evan. Take a seat. Make yourself at home.”

  Evan cleared his throat and headed to the couch, where he sat down and looked around at the surroundings I called home.

  I headed to the kitchen to get Lucy some fresh water. “Do you want anything?” I called out to Evan. For a moment I knew exactly what he probably wanted, me.

  “Uh…sure. I’ll take some water too.”

  I returned with a cup of cold water. “Let me change and give you your uniform back.”

  Evan smirked. “There’s no rush. It looks good on you.”

  “Ha ha.” I held my arms up, showing how long the sleeves were. “I’m going to get lost in this thing.”

  He chuckled and took a sip of water, right as Lucy trotted back towards us. She sat at his feet and he began to scratch her behind the ears.

  “Be right back,” I said.

  I hurried off to my bedroom, which was far less tidy than the rest of the apartment. Hastily, I shoved my piles of dirty clothes into the hamper and closet—wherever they would fit. And then I searched my drawer for something to put on, quickly realizing I was putting far too much thought into it. So finally, I settled for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Something casual. Something easy to take off.

  I neatly folded Evan’s uniform and returned to the living room, where he waited. “Here you go.”

  He took the uniform and set it in front of him on the table. I sat down beside him. For a moment, we locked eyes again. A tingle went up my spine and I looked away. I so badly wanted to touch him…

  So I settled for touching Lucy instead. She rested her head on my knee.

  “Beautiful dog,” Evan said.

  “Thank you.”

  An awkward silence stretched between us. As I stared down at Lucy, I could feel Evan staring at me.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked after a while.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Fine, I guess.”

  “Have you ever had a patient die?”

  I swallowed. “No—not on my watch. I’ve seen it from afar, but…”

  “Never as close as what almost happened today.”

  I nodded.

  “Well, you can take comfort in knowing that she’s going to be fine. Your quick thinking saved her life. That’s something to be proud of.” He rubbed my back in what initially started off as a comforting gestured before he began to trail his fingers along my spine. I fought not to arch my back at his touch. He then lightly brushed my hair, and then returned his hands to his own lap. “Well…I just wanted to make sure you made it in safely, and that you were all right.”

  I felt a panic rising inside of me. There was a tone of finality in his voice, but I didn’t want him to leave yet. Lucy too, must have noticed his tone, she got up and retreated to the back of the apartment, where her bed was located, ready for a nap after the day’s excitement.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Evan motioning to get up. I placed my hand on his knee and he paused.

  “Are you in a hurry?” I asked.

  It took him a moment to answer, but when he did, he shook his head. “No. I just don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

  “Let me be the judge of that then,” I said with a shaky smile. My emotions were a rollercoaster, and the one thing I knew for certain was that I didn’t want to be alone.

  I also couldn’t seem to remove my hand for Evan’s knee. He covered it with his own hand, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I felt a spark of electricity.

  He was just too handsome for his own good…

  With my other hand, I brushed through his hair. He leaned in at my touch, and kissed my forehead. And then my nose…

  And then he stopped, his mouth just inches away fr
om mine.

  I rested my head on his shoulders, breathing in the scent at the crook of his neck. And then I kissed his neck, unable to stop myself. A low groan sounded from Evan’s throat.

  “Tessa,” he whispered.

  But I couldn’t resist him. I couldn’t keep my hands off him. Whatever he had to say would have to wait, I hungrily cut off his words with a kiss, pleased to see that he had no objections about returning it.

  CHAPTER 15

  Tessa

  The next moment, he pulled me to him and kissed me, taking my breath away as our tongues worked their way into each other’s mouth. His hands slid down my back and cupped my ass, pulling me flush against his body. He was already hard for me, and I couldn’t resist grinding against him, desperate to feel him.

  “Tessa,” he muttered in between our kisses, still kissing me wildly. “You have no idea how much I wanted you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  I encircled my arms around his neck and kept kissing him, so happy to hear this but at the same time scared. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. All I’d been thinking about these days at the hospital was him and everything he made me feel, and I couldn’t get used to it at all.

  “I just want you so much,” he murmured into my skin. “I wanted to do this slowly, but I can’t.”

  “This?”

  “Yes. This.” His eyes were filled with lust, and his erection was clearly visible through his scrubs.

  He brought me to his lap. I straddled him, my shorts going up my thighs, and his eyes immediately fell on my naked skin. He placed his hands on my calves and slid them slowly up, making me shiver. He stopped right below the hem of my shorts and squeezed my upper thighs.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured and buried his head in my neck. He started sucking my skin and licking it, creating a hot mess inside of me.

  I bit his lower lip and sucked it gently. He moaned.