Lincoln Hospital (Trauma #1)

by Cassia Brightmore

  “Fine. But just for now. If I went after him now I’m liable to kill him.” Athena smiled gratefully, she was so lucky to have Sabine, a true loyal friend that always looked out for her.

  They left the locker room and headed for the cafeteria, Sabine insisting she’d feel a bit better after eating something.

  “Okay, I’m sorry, but in the stairwell? Damn girl, that is so hot! Since when did I become jealous of your sex life?” Athena smiled and although the hurt was still fresh, the fact remained that it was the hottest sex she’d ever had in her life.

  “Well you can rest assured that things will now revert to normal. I’ll go back to being the boring one and you can have all the fun.” She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Cian at the end of the hall, flirting with one of the young nurses.

  Hurt speared through her that he was already moving on to his next conquest. She really had been an idiot to think that there was something other than a manwhore to get to know about Cian O’Reilly. Steeling her spine, she prepared herself to walk past them.

  “Athena!” her name was shouted from behind them. They both turned and coming down the hall was Seth. He looked handsome as always in a fitted gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

  “Seth? What are you doing here?” It was obviously his day off since he wasn’t wearing his badge.

  He flashed her a smile as he came to a stop in front of them. “I’m here to see if I can steal you away for an early dinner.”

  “Dinner? You mean like a date?” she was surprised, but not shocked as she thought he might be interested in her like Sabine had been saying all along.

  “Yes. Like a date. Just keep it casual, I know this great burger place over on 42nd.”

  She looked at Sabine who was nodding and glaring at her, meaning that she better say yes or there’d be hell to pay. Glancing down the hall, she saw Cian twirl a lock of the nurse’s hair and her stomach revolted in disgust.

  “I’d love to. But can we make it tomorrow night? Today has been a bit of a rough one, I don’t want my mind clouded with other things.”

  “You got it. Tomorrow it is. It’s a date.”

  She smiled at him but it didn’t reach her eyes. Cian met her gaze and his jaw locked. “Yes. it’s a date.”

  MARCUS AND DANE had been laying low for weeks after Layla escaped and almost blew everything for them. Thankfully, Dr. Daniels had a place set up for them to flee to after they’d taken care of the witnesses. Dane was beyond livid that they’d had to dispose of the girls they’d collected in one fell swoop, Marcus had wasted precious time reasoning with him that there was no way to take the girls with them without attracting unwanted attention. In the end, it was Dane that had killed them all, his rage taking over and butchering them before Marcus could get him out of there. In that moment, he saw Dane’s mother, Mila in him. Pure evil radiated from him; sinister and depraved, he was worse than Mila in many ways. His devious side was not to be reckoned with. Even Marcus, who was no saint, feared Dane a little bit and the things he was capable of. Attempting to rein him in had proved unsuccessful so far and he feared it always would be.

  His thoughts drifted to his long-lost sister, Emma, and how her boyfriend, Sam, still was putting up roadblocks in him getting to know her. After revealing himself to her several months earlier, he’d expected her to welcome him with open arms; to want to get to know who he was. He was her true family after all. However, that was clearly not the case and instead they’d involved that fucker from his past, Gabe Thornton, who was intent on tracking him down and seeking retribution for what he did to him and his wife, Nora. He hadn’t expected that reaction from Sam since he’d worked so closely with Mila for such a long time. People always surprise you at what they can hide.

  Dane’s blood lust appetite was growing with leaps and bounds every day. They had a new girl picked out and they were setting plans in motion to take her that evening. That would bring them up to two and Dr. Daniels was pleased as well since he wanted to run some tests on them. It still burned his ass that he lost so much of his research back in Norton Springs when their black market ring had been shut down. He’d been slowly collecting data again ever since.

  Descending the stairs into the sound-proof basement of the condo they were staying in, he called out to Dane.

  “Dane? Are you down here?” A whimpering cry answered him and he guessed that he was as their guest seemed to be in some discomfort. When he rounded the corner, he found her suspended from the ceiling with her bound hands extended above her head, thrashing back and forth as Dane used his small razor blade to slice at her milk-white skin.

  The girl was covered in marks; her skin was starting to actually look more red than white. She was rail thin but her ribs were much more prominent now than when she first arrived. He made a mental note to ask Dane if he’d been remembering to feed the poor girl.

  “Finish up. We need to go over the plan one more time before we set off. And take a shower before we go. You need to clean up.”

  Dane whipped his head around and his gaze burned into him in anger at being told what to do.

  “I’ll handle it. I’ll meet you upstairs in five.” The girl’s eyes pleaded with Marcus to help her, but if she thought he was the good guy in this scenario; she was sadly mistaken. He wasn’t the good guy; there was no one to save her. There was no one to save any of their souls from the depths of hell they’d descended into.

  Since they had more time to plan, Seth took her to a little Italian place that was cozy and intimate. She’d almost backed out of their date, recognizing that she’d only agreed in an irrational plan of making Cian jealous. When she’d got home and had time to think, she realized it wasn’t fair to do that to Seth, who genuinely was a really great guy. Sabine had intercepted her before she could pull out however, so there she sat in a cute yellow sundress while Seth told her a little about himself.

  “Well, I didn’t grow up in New York, and I never wanted to be a cop. It was always my father’s dream for me to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to do something a little more; something that would really help me leave my mark behind in this world, you know? It wasn’t until there was a spree of robberies in my hometown that helped me to see there was more to being a cop than just paperwork and long hours. You were given the opportunity to help people; to solve crimes. After that, I took my dad’s advice and here we are now.”

  “I’m sure he’s very proud of you,” Athena said, accepting the glass of red wine the waiter poured for her. They ordered their meal, lasagna for Seth and spaghetti and meatballs for Athena and then settled back into their easy conversation.

  “I’ve always dreamed of being a surgeon. I played doctor with all the other kids when I was young and it just stuck. The human body fascinated me and I wanted to learn more. Getting the internship at Lincoln is like a dream come true. I just didn’t know it would come with all this heartache.”

  Seth reached across the table and took her hand in his, squeezing her fingers. “I know that attack must still haunt you, and then Bianca’s death...I can’t imagine how that felt.”

  Athena felt a horrible amount of guilt as she wasn’t referring to either of those things; she was referring to Cian and the way he’d played her for a fool. Seth mistook her expression for grief over her friend, and brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles.

  “Tell you what. After dinner, I’ll take you to one of the best secluded rooftops in the city. It’s got an amazing view and we can just spend some time together alone. Talk about anything you want.” It did sound wonderful, but again Cian flashed into her mind and that infuriated her. Would she always be haunted by him and the mistake she’d made?

  “I’d like that,” she forced out and then pushed her chair back. “Would you excuse me for just a minute? I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

  “Of course.”

  She escaped into the ladies’ room, sighing in relief when there was no one else in the stalls. Splashing cold water on her face, she sta
red at herself in the mirror hating how much Cian was affecting her.

  “You’re an idiot, Athena. Cian doesn’t want you. You need to get over it.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say he doesn’t want you exactly. That’s not the issue at all.” Jumping at the sound of a voice behind her, she spun around and came nose to chest with Cian...in the ladies’ room.

  “What? What the...How did you get in here?” she demanded, trying to slip past him. He gripped her by the upper arms and sat her on the sink, trapping her in place with his powerful thighs.

  “I used the door,” he answered dryly, holding her struggling body in place.

  “Well use it to get the fuck out! You’re not allowed in here!” She sounded like a four-year-old child telling someone what toys they couldn’t play with. He looked so damn sexy dressed all in black, his hair still a bit damp from a recent shower and his scent invading her nostrils due to his closeness.

  “You don’t want me to get out, Athena. Just like you don’t want anything to do with that numbskull detective other than friendship. What you want—is me.” His voice was low and husky, causing hot need to coil low in her belly.

  “No. No, I don’t want you. You’re an ass. You’re mean and cruel and you just used me to get what you wanted and then left me on the floor like some cheap whore.” To her horror, her eyes started to sting with tears and she blinked furiously to hold them back. She’d be damned if she cried any more tears over this man.

  Seeing her fight for control was too much for Cian to bear. He thought he could walk away from her, that it was best if she forgot all about him. But when he saw her with that damn detective and he had his hands all over her, all rational thought went out the window. All that mattered was making her see how sorry he was and that he wanted another chance.

  “I fucked up. I shouldn’t have treated you that way and I’m sorry, Athena.” He mustered all the sincerity he could into his voice, hoping she’d see how much he meant it.

  “Well you’re too late, I’m with Seth now. He’s a real man and he knows exactly how he should and shouldn’t treat a lady. And he’s dynamite in bed. So you see, I’m just fine without you. There’s nothing you have that I need.”

  Cian’s brows snapped together in anger at her words. He pushed his hand up under her dress and felt how damp with need her panties were. She involuntarily arched at his touch and he instantly grew hard, loving how responsive she was to his touch. Shoving her panties aside, he coated his fingers with her wetness and then brought them up to push into her mouth. She sucked them against her better judgement, unable to stop herself.

  “You taste that, baby? That’s your arousal, that’s your need and it sure as hell isn’t for old Seth out there. It’s mine.” She glared at him, furious that he was right and that he’d moved his hand when all she wanted was to feel him shove them inside her and make her cum.

  The tension crackled between them, each battling a war with the other. Him wanting her to submit and admit she wanted him, her wanting him to chase her and show her how much he wanted her. Unable to take it anymore, they moved in unison until their lips smashed together. Athena moaned at the contact, it’d only been a day but she already missed him so much. He dragged her closer across the sink until their bodies were aligned and every curve of her matched the curve of him. His hands found their way under her dress again and her drew her panties down, plunging two fingers into her aching pussy; driving in and out over and over until he pushed her so far over the edge she saw stars.

  Sheer force of will was the only thing that kept her from screaming out his name as he drove her up towards the peak again, his mouth moving from her lips to nip at her ear. “You feel that, baby? I’m what you need. Not him, not anyone else. Me. Only I can make you come apart like this, when you close your eyes, it’s me you think of, not Detective Do-Gooder out there. You want me as bad as I want you. Admit it and I’ll give you what you want. Tell me it’s my cock you want to feel right now and it’s yours. Just say the words, Athena.”

  Her head lolled on her shoulder and she moaned as he bit down on her neck. “I—I...” she paused and looked deep in his eyes. How could she give him the words when she couldn’t trust him to say them back? “I have to go,” she burst out and pushing him back, she jumped down from the sink, straightened her clothes and rushed out the door.

  Back in the restaurant, she quickly made her apologies to Seth, telling him she wasn’t feeling well and fled out the front door before either man could catch her. She was so fucking screwed it wasn’t funny. She needed to get away, fast, to collect her thoughts and figure out what the fuck she was going to do.

  “WE HAVE WONDERFUL news, Mara,” Cian told Mrs. Harris one morning a few weeks after his forbidden rendezvous in the bathroom with Athena on her date with Seth. Mrs. Harris looked up from the crossword puzzle she was doing while Sebastian slept, hope coming alive in her eyes.

  “You don’t mean...?” her voice was a whisper so as to not wake Sebastian, who had been sleeping more and more frequently lately.

  “I do mean. We’ve got a heart, we just got the call a few minutes ago and I’ve scheduled the surgery for this afternoon.”

  Webster and her interns were in the room as well since they’d been on the case since the beginning. One intern would be lucky enough to be chosen to scrub in and Athena was wishing like hell that it was her. Not because of what she was to Cian—who knew what that even was anyway—but because of what Sebastian meant to her and what scrubbing in on a transplant surgery would mean for her career. There would be a specialized team in the OR for this procedure seeing as it was a pediatric surgery as well as a cardio one. They’d likely even open the galley for spectators to view and take notes.

  “That soon? Wow, I need to call—” Mara’s mouth formed an O of horror as she realized what she was about to say. Athena knew immediately what had happened. Her knee-jerk reaction was to call her husband for support, but she could no longer to that.

  Athena moved to her side and took her hand. “Who do you need here? We can call them for you, Mrs. Harris.”

  Mrs. Harris smiled at her gratefully. “It’s just my sister out in Ohio. She won’t be able to make it, but I’d like her to know it’s happening today.”

  “I’ll get her information from the nurse and take care of it,” Athena promised.

  Despite their best efforts to keep their voices low, all the chatter in the room roused Sebastian from his slumber. He opened his blue eyes slowly and looked around at all the faces staring at him.

  “That’s a lot of people first thing in the morning,” he said in such an earnest tone that the whole room burst into laughter. Mrs. Harris leaned over him, and stroked his hair back from his forehead.

  “Sebastian, honey. All these people are here to tell us some very good news,” she told him softly.

  His eyes sought out Cian and then Athena. “Athena, I don’t think I’m going to be able to play cards today, you’ll have to find something else to do.”

  His sweet voice and his brave attempt to make jokes broke every heart in the room while they all fell simultaneously in love with him. For a four-year-old boy that had been cooped up in a hospital for as many months as he had to still have his optimism and sunny outlook on life, it was inspirational.

  “That’s okay, Sebastian. I’d much rather you go and get your brand new heart today. We can play cards tomorrow. I’ll even let you beat me.” She winked at him.

  “I always beat you!” he exclaimed, although for him it was more like a loud whisper. His breathing had been getting worse and worse over the last few days. “Are you going to be in the surgery, Athena?”

  She paused unsure what to say. Of course she wanted to be in there desperately, but the call wasn’t hers to make; it was Cian’s. Avoiding eye contact with everyone, she held his hand and squeezed.

  “We’ll see, little man. And if not, don’t worry. I’ll be right here waiting for you when you come out.”

  “She’
ll be in there too, buddy.” Cian announced causing surprised looks from everyone, Webster included. After giving Mara a few instructions for Sebastian’s activity that day, the doctors filed out, having got their assignments from Webster. Sabine and Athena were headed to the ER for the day, Oscar and Clarence both had post-op rounds on patients and Dick was assigned to general surgery as their case load was heavy.

  Sabine was silent the entire walk to the ER which was completely unlike her. Confused, Athena touched her arm to get her to stop, bewildered when she pulled away.

  “I just need a minute away from you right now, Thene.” she told her, her tone flat.

  “What? Why? What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. Why does every fucking thing have to be about you all the damn time? Maybe some of us studied their asses off for that surgery too so that they could have a shot to scrub in. Maybe some of us have things in our personal lives that could use some attention now and then or a shoulder to lean on. You’re so focused on Dr. Dark & Mysterious that you’ve forgotten you’re not the only fucking intern in this hospital and you sure as hell aren’t the only one with problems! Just because you’re sleeping with your boss, none of us get seen and I’m getting really sick and tired of it. I earned my spot here just as much as you did.” Without another word, she turned and left Athena standing in the hallway completely flabbergasted at her outburst.

  People whispered and stared and pointed as she walked by. Sabine’s yelling had been heard by everyone and her face burned in embarrassment. Thankfully, Smith took pity on her and sent her into Bay 1 with a patient that needed sutures so she could hide from the prying eyes and low whispers.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. Payne. I’ll be sewing up your arm today,” she said to the teenage girl laying on the gurney.