by Hamel, B. B.
“See you.”
He hung up and I tossed the phone back onto the table.
Fiona shifted and held my hand. “Well? We’re all set?”
“He thinks that’ll be more than enough to get the feds to move fast.”
She let out a relieved laugh then kissed me. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“I know it.”
“Nobody does this sort of stuff.”
“What can I say? When there’s injustice, I have to act.”
She kissed me again, and this time we lingered there, before she pulled back, her eyes on mine. I thought there might be something she wanted to say, but instead she pulled up a second chair and put her feet up on it before turning on the hospital TV.
“Let’s watch a movie,” she said. “Make a night of it.”
“Oh, great, yeah, I’d love to. We’ll call it a date.”
“Fitting, since we’re in a hospital.”
I smiled. “Think they’re hiring?”
“I thought you’d come back to Mercy once Maria was gone.”
“I don’t know. This place is nice. And besides, do you really want to work in the same place as me?”
She opened her mouth, about to speak, then shut it again. “Let’s find a movie,” she said, and flipped through the channels.
I watched her more than I watched the screen, her long auburn hair, her full pink lips, and I knew— knew without a doubt in my mind— that I was going to marry that girl.
One way or the other, she’d be all mine.
27
Fiona
One week after Dean was released from the hospital, his lawyer friend, Curt, called him early in the morning. I answered Dean’s phone, because he was trying to sleep in for once, and I had a shift at the hospital.
“It’s nice to hear from the infamous Fiona,” he said, laughing.
“Infamous? I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Infamous in my circle, at least. And with the feds.”
“That’s probably not a good thing.”
“No, it’s definitely good. How’s our boy doing?”
“Trying to sleep in, which is why I answered. When I saw your name pop up on his screen, I figured it was important.”
“You might want to wake him up.” He sounded delighted, and I got a weird little itch in my spine. “Something big’s about to happen.”
“How big, exactly?”
“Legally, I can’t say, you know what I mean? But if you show up at Mercy this morning, say, around nine, you’ll see something very interesting.”
“Will it involve a lot of cars with flashing lights?”
He sounded like he was smiling. “It just might. See you then?”
“See you then.”
I hung up and slipped back into the room. Dean was awake and sitting up on one elbow. He was shirtless, and the bruises still covered his chest and ribs, black and yellow and nasty. His nose was swollen, and bruises lingered under his eyes. I’d been taking care of him since he was released, and I could tell that was starting to get on his nerves. He liked some of my attention, but he didn’t like feeling like a patient.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“Curt. Sorry, I should’ve let you get it, but I wanted you to sleep in.”
“No, that’s fine, I’m glad you answered. I might’ve ignored it.”
I grinned at him and tossed the phone onto the bed. “Good thing you’re awake, because we’re taking a little trip.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Something’s happening at the hospital and Curt says you’re going to want to see it.” I checked the time. A little past six. “I have to be there at eight, but meet me in the lobby a little before nine?”
“I can do that.” He stretched and grimaced. “Goddamn, girl. Don’t ever let me get my ass kicked by mafia thugs again.”
“I promise.” I knelt down on the bed and kissed him. He grabbed me and pulled me on top of him, and I was careful not to press down on his bruises. He kissed me longer, hands on my hips, and I wiggled my back a little. I wanted to stay there, stay in bed with him like we’d been doing every night, and every morning when possible, but I had to be at work soon.
Even half broken, the man was ravenous for me, and I could only guess what my future held once he fully healed.
It was strange, living in his place. At first I thought it would be weird, but I quickly got used to it, and then I fell in love with it. I loved going to sleep with him, waking up with him, letting him joke with me, laugh with me, kiss me when he wanted, touch me where he wanted. It was like a new dream every morning and every night, and I never wanted to wake up from it.
I squirmed off him and he groaned. “No fair. Why don’t you quit your job and stay in bed with me?”
“Because one of us has to earn some money.”
“Please. I’ve got savings. I was a single man working as a doctor.”
“I bet you do, but I’m not looking for a sugar daddy.”
“How about a baby daddy?” He grinned at me. “I’d be happy to knock you up.”
“Weirdo.” I walked to the bedroom door. “Sleep in a little more. I’ll see you at like 8:50 down in lobby, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
I blew him a kiss and he winked as I slipped out of the room and padded down the hall.
As I made coffee and had a light breakfast, I marveled at how comfortable this all felt, and knew that eventually it would have to end. Not our relationship, exactly— he hadn’t said he ever wanted me to leave, although I hadn’t asked yet—but this in-between period, this interregnum, whatever it is we were doing. I knew we’d have to talk about what we were to each other if we were going to keep on with this thing, although I didn’t want to.
I wanted to revel in what we had, and not think about anything else, but I knew that wasn’t how the world worked.
The morning was crisp and clear as I walked to work. He lived closer to Mercy than I did, which was another perk of staying with him. I arrived a little early, dropped my things off, then got settled behind the nurses’ station as the nightshift headed home, looking exhausted, smelling like bleach and blood.
Mary joined me a few minutes later sporting an enormous coffee in a Thermos. She sat with a sigh and gave me a little nod. “Morning, darling. How’s your boy?”
“Alive and kicking.”
“Lucky you.” She winked and got up to check on a patient.
The hospital knew about my relationship with Dean. It was hard to keep it a secret, and honestly, I didn’t care if they talked. Mary was surprisingly okay with it, and actually encouraged me to keep it up. I hadn’t expected that—she talked a big game about how handsome the doctors were and all that, but she seemed pretty adamant about never settling for one. Maybe I changed her mind.
I watched the clock, feeling nervous and excited, and headed down to the lobby at exactly ten to nine. I found Dean already there, sitting in an overstuffed chair with coffee in his hand, wearing a pair of jeans and a gray button-down.
“It feels weird, being here as a civilian,” he said, and kissed my cheek.
“I know, right?”
“Nobody’s stopped by to say hello. It’s like I’m dead.”
“And you’re a ghost, haunting me.”
“You love it. You can call me Casper the Fucking Ghost.”
“Gross.”
He laughed and stood then hugged me against him. I pulled away, looking up into his face, when someone barked his name. I turned to see a good-looking guy, square jaw, blond hair and blue eyes, come striding toward us wearing a dark black coat and carrying a briefcase. Everything about him screamed ‘lawyer.’
“Curt,” Dean said. “I hear you convinced Fiona here to drag me into this godforsaken hellhole.”
“And you’re going to be happy that I did.” They shook hands and Curt stood next to him, arms crossed, briefcase dangling. “I don’t have much time, but I came for the show.”
Curt nodded toward the door. “Watch this shit.”
As if on cue, eight men came storming in through the doors. They were a mix of federal agents in suits and ties, Philly detectives, and uniformed officers. They strode through the room like they owned the place, ignored the elevator, and started to climb up the steps.
“Okay,” Dean said. “That was exciting. But what’s it all about?”
“I came through for you, my man.”
“Explain to me, in detail, what that means.”
Curt laughed. “Last night, two mafioso motherfuckers were arrested. They go by Aldo and Davide. I believe you’re very well acquainted with them.”
Dean grinned. “No kidding?”
“No kidding. They’re rotting in a cell right now, and they’re going down, big fucking time. I checked out the case they’re building, and it’s solid.”
“Good news,” he said. “But what about this?”
“This is about your girl. Just watch and enjoy, man.”
Dean looked at me and I shrugged. I knew about as much as he did. We lingered, waiting, and minutes slipped past, when finally the elevator doors opened again and the crowd walked back the opposite way—but slower this time.
And at their head was Maria, with her hands behind her back, and cuffs around her wrists.
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. Dean joined in after a second, and Maria looked right at us, her eyes empty and distant, but I saw a spark of recognition there, a little glint of anger. She might not have been sure how she got caught before, but she sure as hell knew now. Curt grinned at us then held up a hand.
“You’re welcome. Now, I’m going to go talk to those fine gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me.” He stepped toward the crowd.
“Curt, thanks,” Dean said. “I mean it. I owe you one.”
Curt shrugged. “Sure you do but, man, I sure hope I never have to call that favor in.” He grinned, waved, and fell into step with a tall fed bringing up the rear.
Marie was led out in cuffs, and for one beautiful moment, the hospital was dead silent.
Then conversation resumed. I knew the rumor mill would be going wild for the rest of the day, and I was one of the only people in the whole place that knew why she’d been arrested.
Dean put an arm around my shoulders. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
I nodded, and leaned my head against his chest. “I didn’t think we’d see this.”
“I wasn’t sure myself.”
I laughed and kissed his cheek, getting up on my toes to reach it. “You sure acted like you did.”
“I kept it together.”
“Played it cool. What a guy.”
He kissed my hair. “Now she’s gone. So what do we do?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m guessing there will be trials. We’ll have to testify and all that.”
“Then we live our life.”
“That’s right. We live our life.”
He hesitated and pulled away from me. I looked at him as he tilted his head and stared into my eyes.
“I want you to stay,” he said.
“Stay?” I felt a flutter in my chest.
“With me, at the apartment. You can keep your place if you want, but stay with me.”
“You’re asking me to move in?”
“I guess so.”
“It’s a little fast, you know.”
“I know. But I don’t want you to leave.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Two weeks ago, I could barely bring myself to kiss you.”
“And now you can’t get enough.”
“It’s crazy, right?”
“No, it’s not.” He pulled me against him again. “I love you, Fiona. I knew it the second I saw you that day.”
I felt it then, the thing that had been growing for days, for weeks. It was like a balloon, blown to bursting, and it finally broke open. I blinked back tears and hugged him tight.
“I love you too.”
“So then you’ll stay?”
“Yeah. I’ll stay.”
“Good.” He tilted my chin up and kissed me, and we held that pose for a long moment.
Until someone said Dean’s name. It took me a second to register that someone spoke to him. I was so deep inside my own head, so head over heels in the moment, that the world around us had gone away.
But Dean pulled away from me and turned, and I felt him tense. I looked over and a man stood a few feet away, gray hair, nice smile, deep tan skin.
“Dr. Chen.” Dean sounded surprised. “I didn’t expect you.”
“My employers thought we should talk.” He gestured toward some chairs nearby in a small corner of the lobby. “Do you mind, just for a moment?”
“Fiona stays with me,” Dean said. “Whatever you say can be for her, too.”
“Ah, but I wouldn’t want her to leave. This affects her as well.” His smile was strange and somewhat aggressive.
Dean walked to a chair and sat. I lowered myself down next to him, and Dr. Chen took the seat opposite.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Dean asked.
“I’ve been sent to deliver a message, and to offer a deal.”
Dean frowned and gestured. “Go on.”
“The message is this: Vincent Leone is very unhappy about what you’ve done here. Do you know who that is, Dr. Coarse?”
“I don’t,” Dean said.
“Vincent Leone is the head of the Leone family. They’re my primary employers, though I sometimes freelance elsewhere.” He smiled again and ran a hand through his hair. I realized he was nervous, though I didn’t know why—he held all the power here.
“I wouldn’t want him to be unhappy with me then.”
“No, you wouldn’t. But there’s a deal he’s willing to make.”
“I’m listening.”
Dr. Chen glanced away, like he wanted to make sure nobody was listening, before he leaned closer. “Vincent’s been dealing with a health issue that I believe you can help with.”
Dean frowned slightly. “Health issue?”
“I haven’t been able to confirm it, but I believe it might be multiple sclerosis.”
Dean let out a huff of air and glanced at me. MS was a serious disease—but it wasn’t necessarily a debilitating death sentence, especially when caught early. There were treatments, though they had varying degrees of success. MS remained a frustratingly individual disease.
“That’s something I have experience with,” Dean said, keeping his expression neutral.
“The deal is this: If you agree to take on Vincent as a patient, and to treat him as discreetly as humanly possible, then they’re willing to overlook everything here.”
“And if I don’t?”
Dr. Chen shook his head. “There’s no alternative here. I’m calling in my favor for this, and you’re helping Vincent.”
Dean was quiet for a moment, staring at Dr. Chen with an intense expression, before cocking his head. “And why do you care so much?”
“Because I’ve been helping Vincent for a long time, and now he’s dealing with something outside of my comfort zone. I want you to handle him from here on out.”
Dean nodded once. “Okay then. I’ll do it.”
“Dean,” I said.
He put a hand on my leg. “I’m sorry, Fiona. There’s no other way.”
“We can’t stay involved with these people. Once they’re in—”
“One patient,” Dean said, looking at Dr. Chen. “Vincent only. Nobody else.”
“That’s all we ask.”
“Then I’ll take him on. But I don’t have a hospital at the moment.”
Dr. Chen stood. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. I have a feeling Mercy will be hiring you back very shortly.” He turned and walked off without another word.
I watched him go, a stone in my gut. “I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either.” He took my hand a
nd kissed my fingers. “But this is over now. I’m serious, it’s over. I’d treat Vincent even if it didn’t get the mafia off our backs because he’s a person and it’s what I do. So don’t worry, we’re going to be okay.”
I wanted to be angry, to fight and push back—but that was the old me still raging inside. I needed to be better. It was time to change.
“I trust you,” I said.
He kissed me. “And I love you.”
“And I love you, too.”
He grinned and stood. I stood with him, leaning against his strong body. Even beat up and half-healed, he was one hell of a man.
“You’d better get back,” he said. “Mary can’t hold down the fort forever.”
“I’ll see you after my shift?”
“You better.”
He watched me walk off, and I loved the feeling of his eyes on my body.
Maybe it wasn’t perfect. Maybe it was a compromise to take Vincent on as a patient, but it was the right decision. And now it meant that he’d come back to the hospital, he’d work with me, and we’d live together. For a moment, that scared me, until I thought about what it meant.
Waking with him in the morning, his fingertips brushing down my spine. His lips against my neck. His hand in mine on the couch. His laughter in the kitchen.
Every day, all day, my Dean.
If that was a compromise, it was one I was willing to make again, and again, and again.
28
Fiona
Two Years Later
Mercy General’s lobby was filled with patients as I walked through it, a coffee in each hand. I nodded to the receptionists behind the desk, older volunteers that helped guide folks to wherever they needed to go. The hospital was the labyrinth of twisting passages and locked doors, and even though I’d been working there for years, I still got lost sometimes.
I rode the elevator up, humming to myself, and got off on the fourth floor. The carpet made my footsteps silent as I walked past rows of closed doors, small plates covered in names and credentials. I stopped outside of one, knocked softly, then pushed it open.
Dean turned from his desk and smiled at me. “Morning. I was beginning to think you got lost.”
