“You’re leaving?”
“That was the plan wasn’t it?”
“It was but…”
“Grady, we both have lives to get back to.”
“Please, don’t go. I can’t lose you.”
“You’re not losing me. I told you that I’d get you your sight back and I meant it.”
“What about us?”
“We…I crossed a line I never should have as your doctor and…”
“If you weren’t my doctor then would it be different?”
“Maybe, if you weren’t blind, you’d have more options so who’s to say you’d even want me.”
“You’re kidding right?”
Cassidy zipped up her suitcase. “Call me tomorrow and we can set up an appointment.” Cassidy had to look away from Grady’s sad face. It broke her heart even more to see him upset. She picked up her suitcase and headed out the door.
“Hey, I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you.”
“No worries.”
Annie extended her hand. “Annie O’Malley.”
Cassidy put down her suitcase and shook Annie’s hand. “Cassidy Scott.”
Annie squinted her eyes. “Scott as in Dr. Scott?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yes.”
Annie pulled her hand away. “What kind of doctor has sex with her patients?”
“Annie, leave her alone. It’s my fault.”
Annie looked over at her brother. “Grady, you’re the victim here.”
“I’m not a victim. I forced myself onto Doc…more than once.”
“She didn’t look like she was being forced when she was asleep between your legs.”
“I regret what happened, it was unprofessional and if you want to report me to the medical board, I will take full responsibility.” Cassidy looked over at Grady one last time before leaving.
Grady’s heart broke the minute he heard the door close. He’d never felt the way he was feeling right now about losing someone.
“I will call your doctor and have him find you a new psychotherapist.”
“NO!”
“Grady, it’s obvious that she only wanted one thing.”
“SHE WANTED TO HELP ME! SHE STAYED BY MY SIDE WHILE MY FAMILY VACATIONED AROUND THE WORLD!”
“GRADY YOU’RE NOT SEEING THINGS CLEARLY!”
Grady looked down. “No, I’m not seeing anything!”
Annie grabbed Grady’s hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It was insensitive.”
“Annie, I’m scared every minute of every day. The darkness consumed me, but Doc showed me how to fight.”
“Any doctor would want you to fight.”
“Weston called her before she was my doctor and told her what was going on and she came right over. I puked all over her and she stayed with me until I was out of danger and asleep.”
“Danger? Grady what happened?”
Grady dropped down onto the couch. “The day Rylan left me I tried to kill myself.”
Annie burst into tears. “Oh my God, Grady.” She grabbed Grady and hugged him. “We shouldn’t have listened to you; we should have come home.”
“She saw me at the lowest point of my life and stayed. My feelings for her grew and I initiated things. She said no but I tried until she gave in. This is all my fault.”
“I really am sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter now, nothing does. She left me and I heard her tell you that she regretted what happened.”
“I don’t think she regrets you; I think her regret is that you are her patient.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore. I want to go back to bed.”
15
Cassidy’s suitcase was still sitting inside her front door. She got as far as the living room couch before she sat and broke down. She must have cried herself to sleep because it was now morning. The phone vibrated and as she reached for it the doorbell rang.
Cassidy walked over to the door. “Who’s there?”
“I have a delivery for Dr. Scott.”
Cassidy opened the door. The delivery man came in carrying an enormous vase of flowers.
Cassidy’s eyes opened wide. “Oh my.”
“Can I put them down here on the coffee table?”
“Yes.” Cassidy grabbed her purse, pulled out some cash and handed it to the man. “Thank you.”
“Have a good day!”
Cassidy closed the door, walked over to the flowers, and pulled out the card. She wasn’t sure if she wanted them to be from Grady or not. She pulled the card from the envelope and a check fell to the floor. Her eyes almost fell out of her head when she saw the dollar amount. She sat and read the card.
Dr. Scott,
The enclosed check is to cover your billable hours with a sizeable bonus.
I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the hurtful words and my poor behavior.
Thank you for caring for my brother.
Annie O’Malley
Cassidy placed the card down onto the table. She knew by her disappointment that deep down she wanted the flowers to be from Grady.
“Grady, I made us some breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Annie had never seen her brother look this way. Grady was always a no fear type of guy who went after what he wanted. The man she saw in front of her was weak and hurting. “Hey, you need to eat and shower. Mom and dad will be here soon.”
“What I need is Doc.”
“Grady, why don’t you worry about your eyesight and then…”
“I want to be alone.” Grady laid down and rolled away from his sister.
Cassidy found it very hard to concentrate on her patients. Between each patient she checked her messages to see if Grady had called. So far, he hadn’t. She decided that maybe since it was her who walked out that maybe she should call him. The last thing she wanted was for him to regress.
The phone rang three times before Annie answered it.
“Hello!”
“Annie, it’s Cassidy Scott.”
“Hello!”
“I want to thank you for the lovely flowers and the note. It was more than kind of you.”
“I was a bit jet lagged and overprotective of my little brother. I am sorry that you were on the receiving end of that. I hope the check was enough?”
“It was more than enough, in fact, I don’t feel comfortable accepting it.”
“From what Grady has told me you earned every penny.”
“I was happy I could be there for him.”
“Do you have feelings for my brother?”
“How I feel doesn’t matter. What matters is that Grady regains his sight so that he can get on with his life. That’s why I’m calling. He was supposed to schedule an appointment and hasn’t.”
“Good luck with that. I can’t even get him out of bed, and he refuses to eat or shower.”
“Oh no.”
“I’m hoping when our parents arrive that he will finally get out of bed.”
“Annie, can you let him know that I’m on the phone.”
“Sure. Hang on.”
Cassidy heard Annie knock on Grady’s door.
“Go away!”
“Grady, Dr. Scott is on the phone.”
“I don’t want to talk to her.”
Annie shook her head and looked down at the phone.
“He…”
“I heard.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok.”
“I’ll make sure that he calls you tomorrow.”
“Annie, maybe you should suggest he find a new doctor. I never meant…”
“I know.”
“Please just do what is best for him.”
“I will.”
Cassidy hung up. She felt worse now than she did before the call.
Grady heard the doorbell and then his parents talking to Annie. He knew that in a matter of minutes they’d be hovering over him. It wasn’t that he didn’t miss them, but he wasn’t
in the mood to see anyone today.
“Grady!” Grady’s mother, Maggie, popped her head inside Grady’s room.
Grady sat up. “Hey, Mom!”
Maggie took one look at her son and her heart broke. She rushed to his side. “Oh, Son.” She hugged Grady. “I’m so sorry that we weren’t here for you.”
“It’s ok, Mom.” Grady squeezed his mother in his arms.
His mother ran her hand over his hair and then kissed his forehead. “I didn’t realize how bad things were for you. I was so relieved that you had survived that it never crossed my mind that you would be struggling so much.”
“I’m ok, Mom.”
“Grady Andrew O’Malley, you can lie to yourself, but you cannot lie to your mother. You are far from ok, Son.”
“I’m not ok, Mom. My life is a mess.”
“No matter how big of a mess you feel it is, you must remember that God gave you a second chance, Grady.”
“I know and I should be grateful.”
“Why don’t you go take a shower and then come out and visit with us. Margot should be here in about an hour.”
“Will you make me some hot cocoa?”
“Anything for you.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Grady smiled.
“Oh, how I’ve missed that smile of yours.”
“I’ve missed you, Mom.”
“Go shower and meet me in the kitchen.”
Grady headed to the shower.
Cassidy agreed to meet Jess at the bar after work. She wasn’t in the mood to be out socializing but she knew that if she went home, she’d only be hosting her own pity party.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
Cassidy turned around and Jake, one of the other doctors from the hospital was standing there. “Thank you but I’m waiting for my girlfriend.”
“I can buy you a drink now and your friend a drink when she arrives.”
“Jake, you really don’t have to do that.”
“Please, you’d be saving me from that trashy blonde over there.” Jake tilted his head.
“Oh.” Cassidy laughed. “Why didn’t you just ask for help in the first place?”
“I guess I kind of wanted to know if you’d allow me to buy you a drink.” Jake shrugged.
“Have a seat.”
“So, is that a yes or a no?”
Cassidy smiled at Jake. He was smart and handsome but certainly not Grady. “I have a policy about not getting involved with anyone I work with.”
“I understand.”
“Cass!” Jess hugged Cassidy and then she stared at Jake.
Jake stared back. “Do friends of co-workers have the same policy?”
Cassidy looked at Jess who was practically drooling. “Jess, this is Jake we work together, he’s a doctor.” “Jake, this is Jess, my best friend.”
Jake extended his hand to Jess. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Jess shook Jake’s hand. “I think the pleasure is all mine.”
“Jess!”
“Oh, it’s quite alright. Can I buy you ladies a drink?”
“I’d love a beer.”
“Cassidy?”
“I think I’m going to head home and let you two get acquainted.”
“Cass, no, stay.”
“Stay, Cassidy.”
“Really, I’m exhausted. I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Cassidy hugged Jess before picking up her purse and heading out the door.
Grady’s family wore him out. His mom always knew how to make him feel better and he was in a much better place now mentally. His mother suggested he work with Cassidy to regain his sight and then he could pursue a relationship with her if that was what he still wanted. Grady reached for the phone to call Cassidy and apologize for being a dick earlier. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail. Grady hung up without leaving a message. He assumed she was ignoring him as he did her.
Cassidy heard the phone, but it went to voicemail before she could fish it out of her purse. She was surprised to see that it was Grady who called. At first, she wasn’t going to call him back but then decided that maybe he needed her.
Grady jumped when the phone vibrated on his nightstand.
“Hello!”
“Hi!”
“Hey, I called to apologize for not taking your call earlier, I was dealing with some stuff.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“No.”
“Ok.
“Can I setup an appointment for tomorrow?”
“Sure. Do you want me to come to the house?”
Grady thought about what his mother said about keeping things professional between them until he was no longer a patient of Cassidy’s. “No. I will have my sister bring me to your office.”
“I can do eleven, one or two?”
“One is good.”
“I’ll add you to my schedule.”
“Thank you.”
“Good night, Grady.”
“Good night, Dr. Scott.”
Cassidy looked down at the phone. Her heart sunk when he addressed her as Dr. Scott.
16
“Ready?”
“Do I look ok?”
“Grady, you’ve asked the same question three times!”
“Well, it’s not like I can see myself.”
Margot immediately felt guilty for scolding Grady. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok. I’m just kind of nervous. I’ve only been out in public once since I left the hospital.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I will handle anyone who gives you as much as a glance and by the way you look handsome as usual.”
“Thanks, Sis.”
“Ok, we’re here. Stay in the car until I scope out the area.”
“Sis, it’s not a Black Ops mission.”
“I know but I don’t want the press or a crazy fan to tackle you.”
“The only person who is expecting me is Doc. As for my fans…I’m sure that they’ve forgotten me by now.”
“Oh please, your face is still on cereal boxes, sports drinks and magazines.”
“We better get going or I will be late.”
Cassidy’s stomach was churning. She wasn’t quite sure how to behave when Grady arrived. Were they going to be completely doctor and patient, would Grady bring up her leaving or would they end up back in each other’s arms? She didn’t have much time to dwell on that before her secretary buzzed to tell her that Grady had arrived.
Cassidy opened her door and headed into the waiting area. Grady sat there shaking his leg which indicated that he was probably as nervous as she was.
“Hello, Grady!”
“Hello.”
Cassidy extended her hand to Margot. “You must be Margot. We spoke on the phone.”
Margot extended her hand. “Yes. Pleased to meet you.”
“You can wait here or maybe you’d like to go down to the coffee shop?”
“I promised Grady that I’d stay close by.”
“It’s ok, Margot, I can wait if you’re not back when I’m finished.”
“I’ll tell you what, if you’re not here when our session is over, I will walk Grady down to the coffee shop.”
Margot placed her hand onto Grady’s hand. “Is that ok with you? If not, I will wait here.”
“I’ll be ok.”
Margot kissed Grady on the cheek before leaving. “I will be right downstairs.”
Cassidy reached for Grady’s hand. At first, he didn’t give it to her freely. “Come on. I will lead you into my office.”
Grady stood up, Cassidy took a hold of his elbow and guided him into her office.
Cassidy sat down in the chair across from Grady. He may have been in the same room with her, but she missed being with him.
“So, do you want to talk about yesterday?”
“My family came for a visit.”
“How was it to see them?”
“I couldn’t exactly see them, but it was nice.”
“I’
m sorry. Poor choice of words.”
“My mom helped me to put some things into perspective.”
“Anything you want to share?”
“No.”
“How have you been sleeping?”
“Not so good.”
“What about eating?”
“I had dinner last night.”
“Grady, your body needs sleep and food.”
“Like you care.”
“I do care.”
Grady looked away from Cassidy. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Do what?”
Grady stood up. “This. I thought that I could pretend like I didn’t…”
Cassidy walked over to Grady and placed her hand on his back. “Grady…”
Grady moved away. “Don’t touch me.” Grady felt the wall until he found the doorknob.
Cassidy stepped back. “Let me at least take you to your sister.”
“Fine.” Grady wanted to say no but he knew that he needed her to find his sister.
The ride in the elevator was painfully silent. When the doors opened Cassidy took Grady by his elbow and led him to the table his sister was sitting at in the coffee shop.
Margot popped up out of her seat. “So how…” She could tell by the looks on their faces that things certainly did not go well. “Thank you for bringing him down.”
Cassidy nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m just going to pay my bill. I will be right back.” Margot took off.
“You can go.”
“I don’t mind waiting.”
“You wanted to leave me, so just go!” Grady turned his back on Cassidy.
“I did what is best for you.”
Grady spun around. “How do you know what’s best for me?”
Cassidy cringed. The people in the coffee shop were now watching them, some were even taking pictures. “You’re causing a scene.”
“Is that why you left me because you don’t want to be seen with a blind guy? You’re no better than Rylan!”
“Grady, let’s go.” Margot grabbed his arm.
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