Jamie leaned her head back against the couch and was about to drift off to sleep when she felt Eden latch onto her and snuggle in closer. "You're safe now," she whispered, and watched the tension in Eden's face ebb.
Holly climbed down the ladder quietly so as not to disturb the two sleeping women. She started a pot of coffee to brew and walked over to the sofa where Jamie still slept with Eden's head in her lap. She studied them both for a moment until Jamie's eyes slowly opened.
Holly whispered, "Grab a cup of coffee and meet me on the porch."
Jamie gently got up from her spot without waking Eden. She stretched sore muscles, silently swearing to herself that she would not sleep in that position again. After a quick trip to the bathroom and the coffeepot, she joined Holly on the porch.
"Don't you think you're getting in a little deep with her?" She asked suddenly as Jamie took a seat.
"Frankly, I don't see how we could be in any deeper," Jamie snapped.
"I think you're a little more attached than I am," Holly shot back as calmly as she could. "I think your feelings for her are becoming more than those of just a concerned caregiver."
"That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say. I'm doing my best to keep her as calm and as comfortable as I can. How you can get that confused with anything else is beyond me!
"Not from where I'm standing," Holly stated resolutely. "I don't think you realize it, and that's what really concerns me."
"Well, keep your concerns to yourself. I'm a big girl and I don't need you trying to play mother to me," Jamie said as Holly dumped her coffee and went back inside.
Jamie sat fuming at the accusation for a while, then decided on a walk before she had to face Holly again. She realized that tensions were running high and she and Holly would need their space for a little while. As she began to calm, she wondered about Holly's accusations.
She couldn't deny the surprise the night before when Eden basically confessed that she was involved with another woman—a woman Eden admitted she was not in love with. To say the least, she was intrigued.
She found Eden physically attractive, there was no denying that either. The woman was cocky and often difficult, but her looks stirred something in Jamie that she fought hard to suppress. She thought about how she treated Eden and wondered if she would be the same way with any other patient in the same situation. She decided to cool it where Eden was concerned to keep her and Holly from getting the wrong idea.
"I'll beat your ass if you do that again!" Jamie heard Holly scream from the top of her lungs as she entered the cabin. Walking into the living room, she noticed food splattered all over the floor. Eden stood in the middle of the room heaving in anger.
"Don't you ever lay a hand on me again!" Eden screamed back.
Holly looked at Jamie as she stood dumbfounded, taking in the scene before her. "What's going on here?"
"I was trying to get her to eat something and she went nuts on me," Holly hissed as she brushed the breakfast from her clothes.
Eden pressed her palms to her forehead. "I overreacted and I'm sorry. I woke up and you were standing over me, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. You just scared me."
Holly paced for a moment, trying to regain her composure. "I could've handled that better. I'm sorry. The next time, I'll wake you up before I approach you with a loaded breakfast tray."
Jamie chuckled. "I think we're all a little on edge, and for what it's worth, Holly, I'm sorry about this morning."
Eden watched as the two women exchanged glances and the tension seemed to leave the room. She knelt down and began picking up the food and dishes. Normally, Jamie would have been quick to help, but she watched in silence as Eden slowly cleaned the mess. Holly took the dishes from Eden and helped her to the sofa.
Jamie studied Eden as she sank back onto the couch, her exhaustion apparent. Her color had improved, but her hands still shook as she ran shaking fingers through her hair.
"I'm really sorry," Eden said, knowing that Jamie was watching her every move. "I'm disoriented when I wake up..." She paused a moment to regain her composure. Turning misty eyes upon Jamie, she sighed. "I'm not crazy, just a little on edge."
"I still think you should try and eat something," Holly said as she returned to Eden's side. "You're finished with the meds now, and I'm a little concerned about how your body is going to react being on its own."
"If I promise to be a good girl, can I take a shower?" Eden asked sarcastically, feeling as though they were thinking she was truly a nutcase.
"Of course, but one of us will have to help you. You're a little weak to be trying it alone," Holly responded, cocking her eyebrow at Jamie as she made her way to the kitchen.
Chapter Seven
Susan sat at her desk, staring at the name on the paper in front of her. It had been given to her a long time ago, and she wondered if the person was still alive, given his profession. Laura had not managed to take nearly enough money to support them for the rest of their lives. What she had transferred wouldn't last one of them, let alone both of them, for a year. She needed enough money to disappear permanently.
Unlike her father, whose footsteps she had been forced to follow, she was not a successful psychiatrist. In truth, she hated what she did for a living. Her intelligence alone had gotten her through medical school; she had no drive or determination. She had taken over the family practice and had nearly driven it into the ground to the disgust of her parents.
She had reduced her patient load out of sheer laziness. In the last year, the receptionist who had worked for her father for twenty years resigned when her paychecks became sporadic. Susan hated the life that had been forced upon her and did her best to make sure everyone around her suffered as a result.
Her drug use had gotten out of control. She used to be able to occasionally escape her dismal life when she got high, now it only added to her misery.
She saw straight through Laura's seduction but used it to her advantage. She had great sex with a woman who people practically stopped and stared at when she entered a room. The ultimate prize was the money, and all she had to do was make a wealthy, perfectly sane woman appear crazy.
It was so easy at first. Laura had done the dirty work. She had been the one to slip the drugs into Eden's drink. They tucked her into one of the many clinics owned by Laura's family without all the red tape and paperwork. No one asked questions, except Carmen, who took the bribe and became part of the scheme with no hesitation.
Now things were complicated. She was in too deep to turn back now, and the blonde slut who had cooked up the scheme was going to ride it out with her. With Eden supposedly abducted, the feds would no doubt be monitoring her accounts. Their little transfer plan had come to a complete stop. The solution to the problem was simple; Eden and her new friends would have to be permanently silenced.
"I think it's your turn to take bathing detail, Holly," Jamie protested. "Besides, this morning, you accused me of being too close to her, and now you're going to send me into a room with her naked."
"That's not the kind of 'close' I'm implying. I think you're beginning to care a little too much for her. I'm not worried about you groping her in the shower," Holly teased.
"It's your turn," Jamie said seriously. Her stomach muscles tightened, thinking about being in that tiny bathroom with a very naked woman who she found very attractive.
"Let's flip for it," Holly said as she groped her empty pockets for a coin.
"I don't have any change, bitch, and if anything is going to be flipped, it's gonna be you if you don't get into that bathroom right now," Jamie challenged.
"Okay, okay, we'll do it together," Holly conceded.
Eden brushed her teeth with an audience. The two nurses flanked her as she stood at the sink. "I'm not gonna make a break for it, you know," Eden said after rinsing her mouth.
"You're still weak. I've been watching your knees bang together the whole time you've been standing here," Holly said as she handed Eden
a hand towel.
"Granted, I'm still weak and you're both nurses, but wouldn't you be uncomfortable trying to bathe under such scrutiny?"
"You don't have anything we don't have," Holly said with a chuckle.
"Yes, but mine doesn't look just like yours," Eden shot back. "They're all different, you know."
"Hells bells, you two! Can we just get on with this?" Jamie interjected testily.
"At least turn your backs until I can get into the shower," Eden pleaded.
After Eden closed the curtain, Jamie glared at Holly. "If you would've just come in here by yourself, she wouldn't be so uncomfortable," she hissed under her breath.
"How are you doing in there, Eden?" Holly called out, while smirking at Jamie.
Eden failed to respond for a moment, and Holly and Jamie exchanged concerned glances.
"I'm a little queasy. I think it's the hot water," Eden said.
Jamie pulled back the curtain a little and looked in on Eden, careful to keep her eyes on her patient's face. "This would've been so much easier if this place had a bathtub," Eden groaned.
"You're not going to be able to do this by yourself," Holly said over Jamie's shoulder. "Jamie will help you, and I'll step out and give you a little privacy."
Jamie's face flushed red with anger as Holly winked. "I'll find you some clothes to wear," she called out before closing the door.
Jamie struggled to get a grip on her anger at Holly while she tried to figure out the best way to assist Eden. Her heart rate jumped up a few notches as she considered the intimacy of the situation. "I needed to wash these clothes anyway," Jamie joked, as she stepped into the shower stall fully clothed.
She couldn't help notice the way Eden's eyes widened, then avoided hers as she stepped in. "Have you washed your hair yet?" she asked nervously. Eden didn't utter a word but simply shook her head no. Jamie poured shampoo in the palm of her hand and began to massage it into Eden's hair.
Eden stood perfectly still with her back turned to Jamie, as she washed and rinsed her hair. She didn't move an inch as Jamie repeated the process with the conditioner. Jamie's hands shook as she soaped up the washcloth. "Turn around so I can get your face," she said, hoping her voice didn't give away the nervousness she felt inside. "The rest I can do with your back to me."
After Eden's face had been rinsed, she turned and faced the wall, using her arms to brace herself. Jamie lifted her hair in one hand and cleaned her neck and shoulders with the other. After rinsing her shoulders, Jamie released her hair and soaped the washcloth again, using the time to gather courage for what she was about to do next.
She washed each of Eden's arms, painfully mindful that she had to press her body against Eden's to complete the task. She could feel Eden trembling against her, and she mentally reminded herself that she was shaking from having to stand so long. Jamie swallowed hard as she ran the cloth down Eden's chest and breasts, then around to her back. Eden was silent through the whole process.
She soaped her entire back and reached around to do the same to her abdomen, wondering if Eden would object to her moving farther down. When no protest was heard, she took a deep breath and ran the cloth between her legs and across her backside. Kneeling onto the shower floor, she was eye level with the most perfect rear end she had ever seen. She ran the cloth down the back of Eden's right thigh all the way to her ankle and slowly made her way up the front of the long leg. She swallowed hard when she accidentally brushed against the apex of Eden's thighs with the back of her hand.
Jamie repeated the process on the other leg as quickly as she could. She hoped that Eden could not feel her trembling as she helped her rinse off. Her voice was raspy when she did find the courage to speak. "I think we're done here."
"Thank you," Eden replied, averting her eyes. Jamie took her hand and helped her out of the shower. "There's a towel on the counter just to your right," she nearly whispered. She watched as Eden dried and wrapped her body in the towel, wondering how she would rid herself of the wet clothes and maintain her own dignity.
"Are you going to stand there and soak the floor or are you going to take off those wet clothes?" Eden asked as she dropped the lid on the toilet and sat while brushing through her hair.
"I was going to wait until you were finished. I'm sure Holly has something for you to wear," Jamie replied nervously.
"Well, I'm a little tired from my shower. I think I'll sit here for a minute," Eden said with a sardonic grin. "It's a little different when the shoe is on the other foot, isn't it?"
Jamie huffed and tugged at her wet shirt. "We weren't intentionally trying to make you uncomfortable. Hell, Eden, you didn't even have the strength to bathe yourself. What kind of people would we be if we just let you come in here alone?"
"I understand that, and I'm grateful, but now you have a better understanding of how I feel." Eden made no attempt to look away from Jamie as she undressed.
Jamie hesitated a second before she tugged the wet jeans down her legs. The saturated material tugged her underwear right along with them. Unable to muster the nerve to look back at Eden, Jamie quickly grabbed a towel and covered herself before tossing her wet clothes into the shower stall.
"Wow, Eden, you look hot!" Holly teased. "You could be the cover girl for one of those sportsmen's magazines."
Eden looked down at Donald's old blue and green flannel shirt that hung nearly to her knees. It was complemented by a pair of red sweatpants that were at least two inches too short. "It's what all the hot babes are wearing this fall, you're just jealous," Eden shot back.
"I'm going to try and wash our clothes in the bathroom sink," Jamie said as she climbed down from the loft wearing clothes that were two sizes too big. "We're not going to have anything to change into if I don't."
"I know what you mean. I've been going commando for days now," Holly said without shame.
"You can wash your own damn underwear, Holly Patton," Jamie growled, still irritated about being abandoned in the bathroom.
Holly grinned at Eden. "She loves me."
"I can tell," Eden replied with a smirk.
Boredom, stress, and living in close quarters were seriously beginning to get to Jamie. She tried her best to walk a mile or two each day, hoping to speed along the endless days. Her heart sank each time Paul didn't show with news. She felt as though she was living on another planet, with no hope of rescue.
To make matters worse, Eden and Holly clashed on everything. Not a day passed when the two were not at each other's throats and Jamie was forced to play referee. They had all succumbed to cabin fever and were feeling the strain.
Jamie walked along the trail toward the cabin, enjoying the solitude when she heard raised voices coming from the porch. She sighed heavily and made her way quickly up the hill.
"You don't have to watch me eat it!" Eden screamed. "Stick your nose back into your book and mind your own business!"
Jamie climbed the steps to the porch and looked at the two women who were behaving like children. "What's the problem now?" she asked as she took a seat on the top step.
Holly sat in the porch swing with a book in her lap. "She's dipping pickles in her Pepsi!" Holly responded in disgust.
"Like I said, you don't have to eat it or watch me while I do it," Eden seethed.
Jamie chuckled. "Well, Eden, it is gross."
"To each her own," Eden said as she stuffed the dill spear into the glass and slurped the soda from it loudly.
"Look, we have to try and get along," Jamie said, eyeing them both. "We're in a stressful situation as it is, let's not make it any harder."
Holly expelled a frustrated breath and went back to reading.
"What does that taste like?" Jamie asked as Eden bit into the pickle.
"It's sweet and sour. Wanna give it a try?" Eden asked as she held up her glass.
"I think I'll pass. How did you ever come up with the idea to do that?" Jamie grimaced as she watched Eden dip the pickle back into her glass.
"I
don't know," Eden answered as she dipped the pickle again and looked at Holly with an impish grin. "I just figured it would taste good, so I tried it."
Holly growled and stuffed her nose back into her book.
"What can we do today to entertain ourselves?" Jamie thought out loud, trying to think of something to take up the rest of the day.
Holly lowered her book and leveled her gaze on Jamie. "I plan to lie here and read. Why don't you take pickle puss for another walk?"
"When I get my strength back, you're in for one hell of an ass whipping," Eden said angrily as Jamie stood and tugged at her arm.
Jamie waited until they were beyond Holly's range of hearing to speak to Eden, who walked slowly beside her. "Why do you always argue with Holly? Don't you like her?"
"That woman always seems to find a way to push my buttons," Eden replied in exasperation. "I don't normally behave like this. I guess I'm just a little grumpy."
The two walked slowly in silence until they reached the small pier jutting into the water. Eden found a spot on the wooden structure and dangled her feet over the side. Jamie sat next to her and inhaled the light breeze blowing in off the water.
"Holly just likes to tease. When she knows something gets under your skin, she goes in for the kill."
"Well, I haven't been totally innocent myself. I think irritating her has been entertaining," Eden said with a chuckle.
Jamie laughed. "When we worked together, I would drop things into her soda. She would spit it all over the place when a raisin or a peanut hit her teeth."
"I'd probably enjoy working with someone like you. I have a vague recollection of what my daily life was like, and there wasn't much laughter."
"Do you find that you're remembering more now?" Jamie asked hopefully.
Eden shook her head and stared back at the water. "Mostly just tidbits here and there. A little more comes back each day. I feel like the fog is finally starting to clear from my head."
"It might help if you write down things you remember, then maybe the pieces will come together."
Eden exhaled loudly and ran her fingers through her hair. "I guess I should. Sometimes I wonder if it's even worth remembering. The more that comes to mind makes me think I'm better off here."
The Taking of Eden Page 8
