Playing Doctor

by Cathy Yardley

  Cressida’s breathing sped up. Evaluation? Why?

  “We’ll have to see,” the nurse said. “I’ll have her call you when the panic attack settles down… yes, all right. Thank you.”

  She hung up, then put the phone down. “Rachel says that they’ll get here as soon as possible.”

  Cressida felt tears welling up. On the one hand, it was an enormous comfort to know her sisters were on the way, that they’d take care of her, take her home. On the other – God, she’d screwed this up so royally.

  You found the treasure. Maybe she could convince them to get it, she thought. Because she was far too close to abandon it now.

  Chapter 12

  St. Catarina of the Sacred Blood was ominous sounding, Noah thought as he rushed to the hospital. He wasn’t even Catholic, but he prayed as best he could as he rushed there after speaking with the park ranger station.

  Please, please let her be all right.

  She must’ve wandered too far and had a panic attack, he thought, blaming himself. He’d had to talk to Killian, to try to cut off the deal. But Killian wasn’t going to be stopped. He was getting desperate. Why was he getting desperate? Why had he resorted to roughing him up… and why was it so important that he get the treasure now?

  He needed answers. But first, and most importantly, he needed to see for himself that Cressida was going to be okay. Then they could go back out there.

  And what? You’re going to find the treasure, with her or without her… and then hand it off to that douchebag Killian?

  He gritted his teeth. If that’s what it took to keep his Mom safe, then that’s what he’d do. But he’d make it up to Cressida. He might not be able to afford her house, but he’d do whatever he could to create a home where she felt comfortable, and he wouldn’t abandon her until she figured out a way to get some semblance of peace back.

  It’d be a big endeavor, but he was willing to put in the time. Because he loved her.

  He found the hospital and pulled in. It looked like something out of the fifties, a little dilapidated, some of the stucco crumbling from the façade. There was a statue of what he had to assume was Santa Catarina. He rushed to the front desk.

  “Can I help you?” A nurse in her early fifties asked, with a smile.

  “Yes. I was looking for Cressida Frost. She was lost in the desert, I think she had a panic attack, and the park rangers brought her in?”

  “Frost, Frost,” the nurse said. Then she looked at him a little more sternly. “She’s in, yes, but she’s… not doing well.”

  He felt his chest squeeze like it was caught in a vise. “Was she hurt? Injured, I mean? I thought she had a panic attack!”

  “May I ask how you’re related to the patient?” The bright smile was gone, and now the nurse was all business.

  He thought briefly about saying he was her brother, just to ensure that he’d get to see her, but he couldn’t quite stomach it. Still, “I’m her fiancé,” he lied. If it would get him in to see her, it’d be worth it.

  He thought he saw her expression soften. “What was she doing out in the desert? You have to know she has an anxiety disorder.”

  “We were out treasure hunting. It’s been one of her dreams,” he said, sticking as close to the truth as he could. “We got separated. I think she went too far in the wrong direction, and then I couldn’t find her. It wasn’t until I talked to the park rangers that I found out she was here.”

  “She was in shock when they got to her,” the nurse said, and his stomach roiled. “She’s heavily sedated.”

  “Can I see her?” He wanted – no, needed – to ensure that she was all right.

  “Like I said, she’s heavily sedated,” the nurse said, then sighed. “All right. A few minutes. But she’ll probably just sleep.”

  He followed her down a long hallway, then to a curtained-off room. Cressida was lying there with an IV, wrapped in one of those thin hospital gowns, covered in a waffle-weave hospital blanket. She looked paler than usual, her sprinkling of freckles standing out like cinnamon on cream. Her hair was tangled against the pillow, and her hands formed light fists at her sides.

  “Just a few minutes,” the nurse reminded him, then left the area.

  He sat down on the small rolling chair next to her, taking the hand that didn’t have the IV. “I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, stroking the silk-soft skin on the back of her hand, then tracing her fingers. “This is my fault. We never should’ve separated. What happened? Did you think you found something, and then got lost? Did you start to run, trying to get back?” He thought about how scared she must’ve been, how disoriented. “What the hell happened?”

  She opened her eyes, slowly, her eyelids fluttering and revealing gray-blue eyes hazed with drugs. “Noah?”

  He squeezed her hand lightly. “I’m here, babe. You’re okay.”

  She blinked again, quickly. “Get away from me.”

  He reeled as if she’d slapped him. “What?”

  She tugged her hand away. The monitor next to her, the one beeping in time with her pulse, started to pick up speed. “I… I heard you,” she stammered, her voice thin and reedy. “Talking to someone. Said you’d take the treasure. Said you’d handle me yourself.”

  Shit. She’d come back? She’d heard him talking to Killian, and… “No. It’s not what you think.”

  “You weren’t going to take the treasure and leave me with nothing?” Her eyes were filled with pain. “Or worse – just leave me out there?”

  “I wouldn’t do that!” he protested. “God, no. I was trying to protect you from this guy.”

  She looked confused, and still in pain. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

  “This guy – Killian Curton, Henry Curton’s son,” Noah plunged on, knowing any minute the nurse would be back. “He’s threatening my Mom. He says he’ll have her deported if I don’t hand over the treasure to him. She’ll lose everything she’s been working on for decades, Cress, and she might not ever be able to come back again. I… I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “You could have told me.” The monitor was still beeping wildly. “You could have been honest. Why should I believe you now?”

  “I should have told you,” he said. “You’re absolutely right. But I didn’t know how you’d react. And…”

  “And if push came to shove, you’d take the entire treasure for yourself,” she said.

  He swallowed hard. “It’s my Mom, Cressida.”

  “You said you were falling in love with me.” Her voice was flat.

  “I was,” he said quickly. “I am.”

  “Then you should’ve trusted me.” She sighed. “And even if you didn’t trust me, why didn’t you go to the police?”

  He shook his head. “Who do you really think they’re going to believe? Some immigrant’s son, or a trust fund kid with a famous father? I’ve dealt with rich people before. He’s right – he’s the one with the power here. If he wants to hurt me, or my family, he will.”

  She sent him a mournful look, her gray-green eyes haunting. She stared like she was searching his soul. Then she took a deep breath.

  “I found the treasure,” she said softly.

  He blinked. “What?”

  “I was coming back to tell you,” she said. “Then I overheard your conversation, and ran.”

  Guilt coursed through him. “Cressida…”

  She closed her eyes, tears tracking down her cheeks. “It’s at a watering hole, in my grid. About twenty minutes away from the RV,” she said. “Head northwest. Its like a mud pit with a bunch of greenery around it.”

  He swallowed. His mouth was like sand. “I… thank you, Cressida.”

  “There’s just one thing I want you to do,” she said. “Two things, actually.”

  “Anything.” He reached for her hand.

  She pulled it away from him. “Bring back Kyla’s RV,” she said. “And then leave me the hell alone. My family’s coming to get me. I never want to see
you again.”

  He gritted his teeth. “I’ll make this up to you,” he said quickly. “I still fell in love with you, Cress. That wasn’t a lie, and that hasn’t changed…”

  “Just go.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to help you,” he said. “Whatever it takes to transition you to a new house. Maybe…” He swallowed. “I thought maybe we could even try living together. I’ll get you through the panic attacks. I’d do anything to be with you. Just let me make it up to you.”

  “Go!” she shouted, then started sobbing.

  The nurse rushed in with a frown. “What’s going on here?”

  “Cressida…” he said, reaching for her helplessly as she continued crying.

  “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the nurse said sternly. When he didn’t hop to, she quickly added, “or I’ll have to call security.”

  He nodded. “Cressida, I’m sorry,” he said, before turning away.

  He was almost out of the room when he heard her whisper, “So am I.”

  Sunset was falling, and it was starting to get cold. Noah knew it was probably foolish to go hunting by himself in the Mojave, in the winter, in the evening. But he was close – he knew it.

  She found it.

  Of course she’d found it, he thought with pride. She was one of the smartest women he’d ever known. That’s how she figured out where the treasure was. Wasteland talked about the temple of Athena, and they were at the spa. He pulled out his map, studying it with his headlamp in the fading light. What had he missed? What had she found?

  Leave me the hell alone.

  Her last words sliced at him. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on the treasure hunt, rather than the pain of losing a girl he’d been falling for over the past year, the one he’d just spent the best few days of his life with – even with the threats and the panic attack and everything.

  He kept walking, making his way through the pungent chaparral and the scrubby brush. The sky was gorgeous, in shades of orange and salmon drifting to a dark violet blue. He felt a stab of remorse, wishing that Cressida were here to see this.

  You’re still betraying her.

  He closed his eyes for a moment.

  What the hell kind of man are you?

  He stumbled on a rock, swore. It was getting too dark, damn it. He was going to…

  He stopped.

  There was a pond. It was obviously somewhere that wild animals came to drink. It wasn’t much to look at – it was muddy, surrounded by scrub, ugly as hell.

  It was just like she described it, he realized. He took a cautious step towards it.

  In the book, the hero had gone to Athena’s temple, and it had looked nondescript, humble. It wasn’t until he was inside that he’d figured out what it really was, and he’d gotten healed.

  He stepped closer to the pond. He could see tracks – not just animal tracks, but footprints. About the size of Cressida’s sneakers, he realized, leading up to the edge.

  He felt a pulse of excitement as he stepped to the side. He shone his headlamp at the water. It was murky, but there…

  Was that a chest?

  Adrenaline spiked through his bloodstream. He took a careful step into the pond, feeling the sllllurrrrrrk as the mud sucked at his boots. Then he reached in. It was a box-like shape. There were handles.

  He reached down and pulled up.

  It was surprisingly heavy, but not impossibly so. Cressida probably thought it was too heavy, or she was smart enough not to just walk into something that could be quicksand, he thought. She’d gone to get him to help her.

  He pulled the chest to the shore. Then he opened it up.

  Gold glinted. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires winked at him. The compartment had been airtight, but there was paper money, what looked like hundred-dollar bills, rolled up neatly in sealable bags.

  “It’s real. The treasure. I found it.” He felt the words bubble out of him. “I found it!”

  Then he closed his eyes.

  No. He hadn’t found it. Cressida had found it first, then run off scared because she knew he’d betray her. He had simply followed her lead.

  He gritted his teeth.

  He’d found the treasure, found his mother’s salvation. And all he had to do was give up four million dollars to an asshole and lose the woman he’d fallen in love with.

  There has to be another way.

  He dragged the treasure chest to the RV, stumbling in the dark. Cressida would’ve found another way, he realized. She’d agreed to go on this treasure hunt as an alternative solution to saving her house, hadn’t she? She hadn’t let some rich landlord stop her. She hadn’t let her medical condition stop her. She was brave, and she was fierce, and she was smart.

  But Killian’s got money, connections. You can’t beat that.

  He frowned. Cressida would at least have tried.

  What would Cressida do?

  He gritted his teeth, then carried the treasure into the RV. She’d come up with another way. She wouldn’t give up. And he wouldn’t, either… not on the treasure, and not on her.

  Cressida drifted in and out of consciousness. All she remembered was finding the treasure, and being betrayed, but not necessarily the details – and above all, she was desperate to get home, to her room and her closet, and her sanctuary. Her sisters.

  How could he do this to me?

  That was the thing that kept coming back to her. He’d said something about his mother. The drugs made it hard for her to think. Part of her thought she shouldn’t blame him, but she’d felt so scared out there… she’d felt so alone. She wanted to trust him, but how could she when he wouldn’t be honest?

  “Cressida?”

  She turned, wondering if the drugs were making her hallucinate. But no, there were Rachel and Hailey. “What…? How…?”

  “You ready to get home?” Hailey said.

  “What time is it?” She struggled to sit up. “How long have I been out of it?”

  “It’s nearly midnight,” Rachel said. “Don’t worry. They’re going to give you some meds, so you’ll be able to handle the plane ride, and it’s a straight shot from the little local airport to SeaTac airport. We’ll have you home in a few hours.”

  “Here are her clothes,” the nurse, Rosa, said gently. “The doctor will give you her discharge instructions.”

  “Plane?” Cressida still felt muzzy-headed. There was a little tickle of fear but considering all she’d gone through in the past – was it twenty four hours? – it really paled in comparison. “We’re going home?”

  “Yes,” Rachel said, stroking her hair.

  “You can say I told you so,” Cressida said, in a low voice. “I deserve it. I never should’ve trusted him.”

  Rachel’s expression looked pained. “I’m not going to say anything,” she answered. “You’ve been through enough.”

  “Wait – you’re missing class, aren’t you? Or work, or something?”

  “Did you really think we wouldn’t drop everything to come and get you?” Hailey said. “You’re our sister, and we love you. You’re our first priority.”

  That didn’t make Cressida feel better. If anything, guilt filled up her chest like a lead balloon. “I never should have done this,” she said. “I should’ve listened to you.”

  “You thought you could find it,” Hailey said. “You believed in it. And maybe if you had more time, you would…”

  “I did find it,” she said softly. “At least, I’m pretty sure I did. But I couldn’t handle it by myself.”

  Rachel and Hailey exchanged glances, then looked at the nurse. The nurse shrugged.

  “I really did,” Cressida protested. “But I had to leave it behind.”

  “Shhh. Don’t worry about it,” Rachel said, and Cressida felt the meds kicking in again, making everything a little less… well, urgent. She felt like she was packed in cotton. “We’ll get you in the car, then into the plane, then we’ll head home.”


  “Airport…” Cressida slurred.

  “Private plane,” Hailey said, shaking her head. “You’re never gonna believe who we borrowed it from. Ren!”

  Cressida would’ve displayed extreme shock if she weren’t so gorked on whatever the docs had given her. “Ren?” she repeated, in awe. That’s important… why is that important?

  Rachel glared at Hailey. “Not the time,” she snapped, then turned back to Cressida. “It’s not a big deal. The important thing is getting you back home where you belong, as soon as possible.”

  Cressida couldn’t help but feel the niggling sense that this was all wrong – that Rachel and Hailey were sacrificing too much, all for her stupidity. She felt tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed, and started to sob softly. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  Her sisters hugged her. She wept all the way to the car, all the way to the plane, until they gave her the doctor’s medication and thankfully, she slept.

  Chapter 13

  Noah’s palms were sweating when he heard the knock at the door. He glanced through the peephole. Yup, it was Killian. Somehow, even through the fish-eyed lens, he managed to look like a douche.

  Shaking his head, he opened the door. Killian ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs out of the way. “Show me,” he said. No, demanded.

  Noah shut the door, then went over to the coffee table. The treasure chest sat there, caked with dry mud. “I know why it was so hard to find,” Noah said. “Beyond the obvious reasons – the puzzle of figuring out the book references being really damned hard – that pond is known as a wildlife crossing. The level of the water would vary depending on the season. And if you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d probably overlook it in the muck.”

  Killian’s eyes were gleaming with avarice. “Open it.”

  Noah clenched his jaw. “I’m not your servant,” he said. “Open it yourself.”