Unbroken

by Natalie Debrabandere

  “Even better,” Kelly said firmly. “How is your lovely girlfriend

  doing?”

  “She says she’s fine,” Kristan replied. “But I know she’s hurting.”

  “What does she think about going away for a while?”

  “She thinks it makes sense. She says we should make a road trip of it, take our time and enjoy it.”

  “Hallelujah!” Kelly exclaimed. “The woman has a good head on her shoulders.”

  “I love her, you know,” Kristan simply said, and she could not for the life of her stop crying.

  “I know you do. And Kristan, from the way she looks at you, I know that she feels exactly the same way. Listen to me, honey. Nothing matters but you both. Not the Park, not the helicopters, not that sicko, whoever the hell he is. Believe me Kristan, when you find love like the one you have with Liz, you protect it.”

  “I know. I do want her to be safe, and…”

  “Then do what the police tell you, Kris,” Kelly interrupted. “I love you, baby, and I can’t wait to see you again. For now I just want you and your darling to put some miles in between you and the Park. Don’t tell me where you are going,” she added quickly, and Kristan smiled. “Actually do not tell anyone where you are going. I’ll check in on James. I will text you. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Kristan agreed, and at last she managed to stop crying. “I love you Kel. Be safe and I’ll see you soon, all right?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll get Jen over and cook you and Liz some vegan delight when this is all over.”

  Kristan put the phone down with a smile, and she turned around to find Liz standing in the doorway, watching her with a gentle look in her eyes.

  “Hey,” she said. “Are you all set?”

  “Almost,” Liz replied, walking toward her.

  She realised that Kristan had been crying, and she wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her close.

  “I know this is hard for you,” she whispered.

  Kristan nodded a little.

  “Yeah. Just hard to say good bye, that’s all.”

  Liz pulled back to look at her.

  “We’ll be back soon, Kris,” she assured her.

  “Yeah, I know. I’m just worried. It feels like permanent…”

  Liz understood how difficult this all was for her lover. She had lost her best friend in extremely distressing circumstances and then had to deal with a couple of seriously weird events. Now she was fresh from a car crash and a concussion, and Liz understood how much Kristan probably just wanted to be home right now.

  “I wish we could stay,” she said gently.

  “Me too.”

  “But at this point,” Liz added, “frankly I would rather do whatever Omaru suggests. I could have lost you in that crash, Kris. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Kristan said firmly. “I’m right here, Liz.”

  She saw the fear in Liz’s beautiful dark eyes and it made her shiver.

  Kelly was right, she realised. Nothing else mattered but Liz. All of a sudden the office felt cold and empty, and Kristan just wanted out.

  “I’m ready to go,” she said firmly. “Did you pack?”

  “Yes.”

  Liz smiled at her, and Kristan held her hard against her as they made their way out of the office. She locked up and they walked quickly back to the cottage, holding on to one another.

  Kristan threw some clothes and toiletries together, they loaded their bags into the back of the car, and Kristan took one last look around her home. Everything was in order, just the way that it should be. Only home now was with Liz, wherever she wanted to go. She locked the door and climbed in next to her, and her partner gunned the engine.

  “Ready?”

  “Yes,” Kristan smiled, and this time she really meant it.

  It was a three hour drive to Motuhano, and despite her best intentions Kristan fell asleep pretty much as soon as they left the Holiday Park. She was exhausted.

  She woke up a couple of hours later when Liz pulled off at a petrol station, with a sore neck and a bad shoulder, but amazed and very pleased to discover that her headache was completely gone.

  “Sorry doc,” she said as she straightened up. “Lousy company.”

  “Of course not, I’m glad you got some rest.”

  “Did you notice anyone following us?” Kristan enquired as Liz stopped at the pumps.

  “Not a thing.”

  “I wonder if the cops are with us.”

  “I think they’re probably picking us up at specific points along the way,” Liz observed. “I’m sure Omaru must have a unit waiting for us in Motuhano, since he knows that’s where we are headed.”

  “Probably,” Kristan said wryly. “I’ll go and pay. Do you want anything to eat or drink from the shop?”

  “Orange juice would be nice.”

  “Sure.”

  Kristan smiled and leaned over for a quick kiss, and she walked over to pay for their gas and a couple of bottles of juice. They were the only ones there. Her head was clear once more, and as she watched she clearly saw Liz stumble and hold on to her leg when she put the petrol hose back in place.

  If anything, she was limping harder now than when they had left the hospital, and Kristan hurried back.

  “How about you let me drive for a while?” she suggested, and she was not prepared to take no for an answer.

  Fortunately, Liz was in no mood to argue.

  “I could do with taking a break,” she admitted.

  “I know. I feel good now, so you can rest.”

  “Okay, darling,” Liz agreed immediately, and Kristan knew her leg must be hurting quite a lot then, but she did not comment on it.

  She got behind the wheel with a smile on her face.

  “I used to own one of those, you know,” she said as she started the engine again. “The Turbo model. This isn’t as good but you know what, if Omaru thinks he is getting his loan car back he should think again.”

  They put Tracy Chapman on the CD, Liz got comfortable on the passenger seat, and Kristan drove slowly for once. As the beautiful West Coast highway unfolded in front of them she realised that regardless of their circumstances, going away with Liz was going to be an amazing experience. Leaving the stress behind would do them both a world of good, and Kristan was happy that they would get to be completely alone for a few days. It was the first time in three years that she was putting herself first ahead of her work, and that was a little bit scary to her. But when Liz rested her hand on her leg gently she knew that she had made the right decision.

  “All right, darling?”

  “Perfect,” Kristan smiled. “How is your knee?”

  “A bit sore. But not too bad.”

  Kristan nodded and her smile widened.

  “What?” Liz grinned.

  “You tell me off for being a bad patient, but you really are even worse,” Kristan replied with a laugh.

  “I am a surgeon,” Liz teased a little. “We’re tough like that.”

  “Well, I think we should definitely stop in Motuhano anyway and spend the night. We should be there in about forty minutes or so. Then we can both get some rest.”

  “Okay. Sounds good.”

  “And we don’t even have to start driving again first thing tomorrow,” Kristan added. “We could have a slow walk on the beach if your knee is okay.”

  “It will be,” Liz said firmly.

  “If not, you can always lean on me.”

  Liz smiled a little.

  “I know that, baby. I love you.”

  Kristan smiled, her hands light on the leather steering wheel, the feeling bringing back memories of a life she had purposely left behind. Her head was clear and she could not feel her shoulder now.

  “I do miss my Porsche,” she said lightly.

  Liz turned to her as Kristan downshifted and accelerated, enjoying the feel of the powerful car in her hands. Memories of driving hard and fast in LA came back to her all of
a sudden.

  “It was exciting working for that firm, you know,” she reflected.

  “Yeah? How come?”

  “Creating new technology was exciting. Knowing that I was doing stuff no one else had done before.”

  “And the perks?” Liz enquired.

  “Yeah, the perks,” Kristan said tightly.

  “What about them, Kris?”

  “Well, it’s been three years…”

  “Time is all relative,” Liz said softly, using Kristan’s words from their first night together.

  She saw her lover smile a little.

  “Yeah,” she nodded.

  Liz grasped her free hand and held it tight in both of hers.

  Kristan drove on, slow enough that her partner would feel safe, not fast enough that she got any real satisfaction out of it.

  “What about the perks?” Liz asked again gently.

  “Well,” Kristan said eventually. “Nothing comes close. Or at least it didn’t, until I met you.”

  She glanced at Liz, and noticed the expectant look in her eyes.

  “Making love to you and being with you is better than all the cocaine and fast cars in the world, doc.”

  “I hope you know I feel the same way about you, Kris,” Liz replied, staring at her lover’s profile, not sure she could ever express exactly how much she loved her.

  She was so in love with her it hurt. Every single time Kristan smiled at her, every time they connected, with a glance, a touch, a simple smile, it was always almost more than Liz could bear.

  “I know,” Kristan said softly, and she glanced at her lover and smiled. “I can feel it.”

  “You know, when I first landed in New Zealand, for a couple of days I wondered if I’d made the right choice,” Liz reflected.

  “And now?”

  “Now I know I have. The closer I was getting to the Park the better I started to feel… I didn’t know why at the time. Now I know that’s because you were there, and I was coming to be with you.”

  Kristan tucked Liz’s hand against her chest and kissed her fingers.

  “I know a little hotel on the beach that’s bound to have a room for us at this time of year,” she said.

  “Okay, great.”

  “They have a good Italian restaurant on site too, so once we’re there

  we won’t have to drive anywhere else.”

  “I don’t care about the food,” Liz tightly.

  Kristan laughed a little.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “Then step on it, darling.”

  There was a call from James when they arrived at the hotel and Kristan stayed in the car to take it whilst Liz went to check in.

  “Hey, how is your secret boyfriend?” Kristan enquired straight away, smiling.

  James was laughing.

  “He’s fine, Kris, he’s fine,” he said happily.

  “Why didn’t you say anything, man?”

  “Well, things have been busy, and I was planning to introduce you soon but…”

  Kristan sighed.

  “But I did a runner,” she finished for him.

  “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “Well, that’s pretty much how I felt going away like this. But the truth is now I am enjoying it. I don’t really care where I am, so long as I am with Liz.”

  “And so you should. Speaking of safety, we have us a nice police car here keeping eyes on things,” James informed her as he glanced out the window of his cottage.

  “Good.”

  “To be honest with you Kris, I don’t think it’s your girlfriend that guy is after.”

  “The thought has crossed my mind,” Kristan agreed, watching the ocean in the distance. “It might not be a guy either.”

  “Really? Any idea who it might be?”

  “Nope. Everybody loved your brother. The Holiday Park creates business for the town, I know pretty much everybody there and I never got into trouble with anybody.”

  “What about any jealous ex-girlfriends?” James asked.

  Kristan shook her head.

  “No,” she said.

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure. Why, what’s on your mind?”

  “Well, Pam was acting pretty weird with you at Kelly’s the other day. I wondered if maybe there was a link there.”

  Kristan winced a little at the thought of Pam. She had not been able to reach her to tell her she was going away. After four unsuccessful attempts she had simply left her a message and asked her to get in touch. Liz had told her about her coming to the hospital and her angry behaviour with her, and it was strange all right but Kristan did not want to believe it.

  “Something’s definitely not right with Pam and I am going to need to have a good talk with her about it,” she said. “But I know her. She wouldn’t go crazy on us like that.”

  “Okay. Well listen, don’t worry about anything regarding the Park. You’ve got an ex-soldier in the cottage and the police is outside. Everything will be okay.”

  “Thanks buddy. I really appreciate it, and I am very happy to hear about Paul.”

  “I’ll introduce you soon, Kristan.”

  “Cool. Take care and we’ll see you soon.”

  Chapter 17

  The room was a delight and Kristan had not lied about the view. They snuggled together in bed under the heavy quilt, and Kristan ran her fingers carefully over Liz’s injured thigh and the bandage that covered it.

  “How many stitches again?” she whispered.

  “Eight.”

  Kristan winced a little.

  “How many did I get?”

  “Five.”

  “You win this one, doc.”

  Liz burst out laughing, and she tilted her lover’s head back gently so she could take a closer look at her injury. The cut just above her hairline looked clean and the stitches were holding up well. In a week or so she would probably be able to pull them off.

  “Is everything a competition to you?” she asked.

  “Not everything. I do know how to take my time, when it is worth it,” Kristan said with a smile.

  As she spoke she gently carried on with her exploration of Liz’s body, caressing her leg, then the inside of it, and running her fingers over her hip and drifting lazily up to her breasts.

  “That’s nice,” Liz murmured, smiling warmly.

  “Turn over, darling,” Kristan whispered against her ear. “I think I owe you a massage.”

  Liz obeyed without another word, stretching out over the large comfortable bed, smiling a little when she saw Kristan’s expression.

  “I love it when you look at me like this,” she said softly.

  Kristan reached for the bottle of essential oils on the bed stand next to her and she poured some into her hands, warming it up carefully before she lay her hands on her lover. Then a simple few strokes, shoulders, neck and back, drifting down lower for just a second, then back up. And starting again, only going lower every single time. And again. And again.

  Kristan stroked and caressed her for a long time, and when she paused eventually Liz was feeling almost liquid with pleasure.

  “I need you,” she whispered, turning over and reaching for Kristan.

  Her partner grinned.

  “Yeah? Then ask me nicely.”

  Liz burst out laughing and she pulled Kristan against her, wrapping both arms around her neck and then rolling over on top of her.

  She clasped her hands around her right wrist, pinning her arm back, not touching the other one for fear of hurting her. She rested her leg in between hers and pressed herself harder against her, loving the way that Kristan immediately gasped and arched her back.

  Liz smiled.

  “How about you ask me nicely?”

  “Anything you want, Liz,” Kristan murmured.

  She looked up at her lover straddling her, thinking how it blew her mind every single time she looked at her like this, and meaning every single word.

 
; Liz simply nodded and she lay down over her body, kissing her like Kristan belonged to her, like she wanted to belong to Kristan. She went on until Kristan’s heart was beating faster than on any hard run she had ever done, and then she took her, gentle and hard, tender and rough all at the same time.

  When the two women finally made it to the dining room that night it was almost nine o’clock and Kristan was feeling a little bit faint, whether from hunger or from their lovemaking session she was not really sure. She held on to Liz’s hand as they were led to a table in the back, next to a small window and a roaring fire.

  “I think we should do this more often, doc,” she remarked.

  “What? Make love?”

  “That, and going away,” Kristan replied with a laugh.

  “You will never have to ask me twice. On both counts.”

  They both ordered tagliatelle cooked with tomatoes, spinach and black olives, with thyme and a hint of chili, and Kristan chose a non-alcoholic root beer than reminded Liz of drinking Guinness. Just as they were about to start eating Kristan’s phone went off, and she glared at the screen.

  “Oh come on! Get lost,” she exclaimed, looking annoyed.

  “Who is it?”

  “Omaru.”

  “I’ll take it,” Liz said immediately.

  “He could wait until we’re done, Liz.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  “Okay.”

  Kristan handed the phone to her partner and she returned her attention to the plate in front of her.

  “I might have to order another one of these,” she declared, scanning the room for their waiter. “I’m starving.”

  Liz shook her head a little, looking amused. She was smiling, listening to Omaru, and then she frowned.

  “How do you know we’re eating pasta?” she asked.

  “Because he knows this place has an Italian restaurant,” Kristan said as she tore a big bite off a piece of garlic bread. “Not ‘cos he’s a genius.”

  Liz rolled her eyes at her but she could not help herself from smiling.

  “Yes, everything is fine,” she informed him.

  “You didn’t spot any unwanted on your tail?” Omaru asked.

  “Nope. Not even you guys.”